bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of complete renal response and mortality in early- and late-onset lupus nephritis: A multicenter retrospective study of a Japanese cohort
Authors: Ichinose Kunihiro , Kitamura Mineaki , Sato Shuntaro , Fujikawa Keita , Horai Yoshiro , Matsuoka Naoki , Tsuboi Masahiko , Nonaka Fumiaki , Shimizu Toshimasa , Sumiyoshi Remi , Koga Tomohiro , Kawashiri Shin-ya , Iwamoto Naoki , Igawa Takashi , Tamai Mami , Nakamura Hideki , Origuchi Tomoki , Nishino Tomoya , Kawakami Atsushi
Published: May 2020

Background
Most patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) progress to lupus nephritis (LN) within 5 years of their SLE diagnosis, although it is not uncommon for LN to develop at later times. Here we evaluated the clinical features of early- and late-onset LN.
Patients and Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed the cases of a total of 184 of the 201 patients who underwent a renal biopsy at Nagasaki University Hospital and community hospitals between 1990 and 2016 and were diagnosed as having LN. Early-onset was defined as the development of LN within the first 5 years after the patient's SLE diagnosis, and late-onset was defined as LN development > 5 years post-diagnosis. We analyzed the complete renal response (CR) at 6 and 12 months after induction therapy, the classification of renal pathology, and the mortality of the early- and late-onset LN groups.
Results
The mean follow-up duration after renal biopsy was 123 ± 85 months. There were 113 (61.4%) early-onset patients and 71 (38.6%) late-onset patients. A multivariate analysis revealed that the following factors were predictive of CR. At 6 months: female gender (odds ratio [OR] 4.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.66–12.98, p = 0.002), proteinuria (OR 0.82, 95%CI 0.70–0.95, p = 0.003), index of activity (0–24) (OR 0.85, 95%CI 0.74–0.97, p = 0.014), and early-onset LN (OR 2.26, 95%CI 1.11–4.58, p = 0.023). At 12 months: female gender (OR 3.95, 95% CI 1.62–9.64, p = 0.002), index of activity (0–24) (OR 0.80, 95%CI 0.71–0.91, p < 0.001), and early-onset LN (OR 1.98, 95%CI 1.04–3.79, p = 0.038). In a Cox proportional hazards model, the early-onset LN group had a significantly better mortality rate than the late-onset LN group (p = 0.038).
Conclusions
In our cohort, early-onset LN was a better predictor of 6- and 12-month of CR attainment. Our results suggest that early-onset LN patients had better mortality than late-onset LN patients.
Laboratory features in severe vs. non-severe COVID-19 patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Ghahramani Sulmaz , Tabrizi Reza , Lankarani Kamran B , Kashani Seyyed mohammad amin , Rezaei Shahla , Zeidi Nazanin , Akbari Maryam , Heydari Seyed Taghi , Akbari Hamed , Nowrouzi-sohrabi Peyman , Ahmadizar Fariba
Published: May 2020

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the common laboratory features of COVID-19 in severe cases versus non-severe patients could be quite useful for clinicians and might help to predict the model of disease progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic databases were systematically searched in PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of ‎Science, and Google Scholar from inception to 3rd of March 2020. Heterogeneity across included ‎studies was determined using Cochrane’s Q test and the I2 statistic. We used the fixed or random-effect models to pool ‎the weighted mean differences (WMDs) or standardized mean differences and 95% confidence ‎intervals (CIs).‎RESULTS:‎ Out of a total of 3009 citations, 17 articles (22 studies, 21 from China and one study from Singapour) with 3396 ranging from 12-1099 patients, ‎were included. Our meta-analyses showed a significant decrease in ‎lymphocyte, monocyte, and eosinophil, hemoglobin, platelet, albumin, serum sodium, lymphocyte to C-reactive protein ratio (LCR), leukocyte to C-reactive protein ratio (LeCR), leukocyte to IL-6 ratio (LeIR), and an increase in the ‎neutrophil, alanine ‎aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), fibrinogen, prothrombin time (PT), D-dimer, glucose ‎level, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the severe group compared with the non-severe group. However, no significant changes were observed in white blood cells (WBC), ‎ creatine kinase (CK), troponin I, myoglobin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and potassium (K) between the two groups.‎CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provides evidence for the differentiation of severe cases of COVID-19 based on laboratory test results at the time of hospital admission. Future well-methodologically designed studies from other populations are strongly recommended.
On the pool boiling heat transfer enhancement of distilled water using Cu-nanoparticles textured with carbon nanofibers
Authors: Ali Mohamed R. O. , Barakat Nasser A. M. , Bassiouny Ramadan , Moghazy Ibrahim M. M. El , Ragab Mahmoud M. S.
Published: May 2020

Enhancement of subcooled and saturation pool boiling is of interest for many applications. The present study proposes coating heated surface using nanotextured of Cu nanoparticles with carbon nanofibers. This texture formation on copper substrate surface passes through different chemical stages under specific conditions. Using electrospinning, coating was carried out at different times (5, 15, and 30 min). After vacuum drying at 60 oC for 24 h, the copper substrates attaching the electrospun mat were calcined at 850 oC under vacuum. and accordingly, different contact angles were measured as 80o, 115o, and 102o. The coated surfaces are coded by S1, S2 and S3 for the electrospun coated surfaces of (5, 15, and 30), respectively.All nanostructured coated surfaces showed a good heat transfer enhancement compared to uncoated copper surface for both HTC and CHF. The results showed an enhancement of HTC by 57.83%, 40.3% for S2 and S3 respectively and an enhancement of CHF by 13.67%, 17.11% and 48.14% for S1, S2 and S3 respectively.
Engineered chromosome-based T7 RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli W3110 for orthogonal T7 promoter circuit as a cell factory
Authors: Ting Wan-Wen , Tan Shih-I , Ng I-Son
Published: May 2020

Background

Orthogonal T7 RNA polymerase (T7RNAP) and T7 promoter were powerful tools to mediate the protein expression. Moreover, Escherichia coli W3110 strain possesses more advantages than the B strain due to more heat shock proteins and higher tolerance to chemicals. Therefore, implementation of T7-based system in W3110 strain is a conceivable strategy to develop the cell factory.
Results

Three novel W3110 strains with chromosome-equipped T7RNAP (i.e W3110:IL5, W3110::L5 and W3110::pI) were engineered to demonstrate the feasibility on protein expression and chemical production. At first, the LacZ and T7RNAP with IPTG induction showed higher expression levels in W3110 derivatives than that in BL21(DE3). The plasmids with and without lacI/lacO repression were used to investigate the protein expression of super-fold green fluorescence protein (sfGFP), Cas9, carbonic anhydrase (CA) and lysine decarboxylase (CadA). All the proteins were expressed higher and enzymatic functions were better in W3110::L5 and W3110::pI. Moreover, the highest cadaverine production, lysine consumption and the yield were obtained in W3110::L5(+) strain with pET28a(+)-CadA which reached 32.2 g/L, 45 g/L and 91.7% at 24 h, while the W3110::pI(-) strain with pSU-T7-CadA achieved 36.9 g/L, 43.8 g/L and 103.4% at 12 h which is unnecessary of inducer.
Conclusion

Inducer and lacI/lacO regulators on chromosome and plasmid have been investigated in W3110 strains with T7RNAP. The newly engineered W3110::L5 and W3110:pI both possessed similar protein expression compared to commercial BL21(DE3). Furthermore, among all strains, W3110::pI displayed the greatest potential as cell factory in the future.
Capicua homology protein inhibits the progression of gastric cancer through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway
Authors: GE LU , Hu Chang-long , Ge Zheng-hui , Wang Chun-rong , Qian Li , Hu Jiang-hong , Zhang Jian-guo
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Capicua homolog protein (CIC) played a broad role in the development of cancer in humans, however, its role in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) specifically has been unclear. This study aimed to explore the expression of CIC and its potential clinical value in patients with GC.

Methods

The CIC levels in GC tissues and cell lines were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). And the in-vitro effects of CIC expression in MGC-803 cells on their proliferation, invasion, and the progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition were assessed by CCK-8 assays, Matrigel-invasion analysis, qRT-PCR and Western blot assays, separately. In addition, the effects of downregulation of CIC on the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were measured using Western-blot analysis.

Results

The results showed CIC levels were lower in GC tissues and GC cell lines, and these lower CIC levels were correlated with tumor differentiation, Helicobacter pylori infection, TNM stage, and patient survival. In addition, CIC overexpression could promote cell proliferation, invasion, and progression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in MGC-803 cells. Notably, exotic expression of CIC inactivated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway.

Conclusions

In conclusion, our finding suggested CIC could serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and a probable therapy target for GC.
Circ_0000190 favors gastric cancer patients potentially via inhibiting miR-1252/PAK3 pathway
Authors: Wang Gui Jun , Yu Tian Yu , Li Yan Rong , Liu Yang Jun , Deng Bei-Bei
Published: May 2020

Background Gastric cancer accounts for 8.3% of all cancer death and is demonstrated associated with aberrant circular RNAs (circRNAs) expressions.Circ_0000190 has been noted with prognostic role in gastric cancer. We aim to investigate the role and the underlying mechanism of circ_0000190 in gastric cancer.Methods Circ_0000190 expressions were examined in gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues by RT-PCR. With gastric cancer cell lines, circ_0000190 expression was detected by FISH and RT-PCR. After forced expression, the role of the circRNA in gastric cancer cell viability, apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle and migration was observed. The potential effector of circ_0000190 was predicted by computational screen and validated by luciferase reporter assay. The association of the effectors with circ_0000190’s effects above mentioned were examined. Mice model of human gastric cancer was established to observe the underlying mechanisms of circ_0000190.Results Circ_0000190 was down-regulated in gastric cancer tissue and cells, with a major location in cytoplasm. After transfection, circ_0000190 inhibited gastric cancer cell viability, proliferation and migration, and induced apoptosis and cycle, which was correlated with increased capase-3 and p27 expression, and decreased cyclinD expression. The circRNA was validated as a sponge of miR-1252, which directly targeted PAK3. The effects by circ_0000190 on the cellular processes above mentioned were blocked by miR-1252 mimics, and this was rescued after further overexpression of PAK3.Conclusions Our results revealed that circ_0000190 protected against gastric cancer, and this was via directly targeting miR-767-5p/PAK3 axis. Therefore, employing circ_0000190 might be a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of gastric cancer.
Experimental Investigation of the Vortex Flow around an Axisymmetric Body with the Five-Hole Probe and Hot Wire Probe
Authors: farajollahi amir , Manshadi Mojtaba Dehghan , Hejranfar Kazem
Published: May 2020

Anaxisymmetric body experiences the vertical flow around itself at incidence angle. If the adverse pressure gradient is significant, the boundary layers separated and a vortex is formed. The flow over a submarine at AOA (angle of attack) has specified separation of boundary layer and large vortex structures around the body. This flow influences body drag, acoustic and maneuverability. A propermethod to decrease and control the impacts of this separated flowis to use vortex generator. The mainobjective of the present study is to investigate the flow field around a Suboff model with applying the vortex generator by using the hot wire and five-hole probe in 0° ≤ α ≤ 20° angles of attack. The novelty of present study is application of two experimental method, (hot wire probe and five-hole probe) which can help to precisely study the structure of three-dimensional vortical flow field, the boundary layer velocity profiles and probability of the separation on the model with and without existence of vortex generator. The results indicate that vortex generators significantly decrease cross-flow separation, the size of vortices and the vortical flow.
Can Obesity Prevalence Explain COVID-19 Indicators (Cases, Mortality and Recovery)? A Comparative Study in OECD Countries
Authors: Arbel Yuval , Fialkoff Chaim , Kerner Amichai , Kerner Miryam
Published: May 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a declared global pandemic with multiple risk factors. Obesity is considered by several researchers as one of the serious risk factors for coronavirus complications based on recent empirical studies. Yet, other scholars argue in favor of the existence of an obesity survival paradox, and criticize the former group of studies on the grounds that they lack controls for race, socioeconomic status, or quality of care. The objective of the current study is to analyze the potential relationships between different corona indicators and obesity on a state-wide level, based on an OECD report. In an attempt to test the counter-intuitive possibility of an obesity survival paradox, the proposed empirical model relaxes the assumption of monotonic change by applying the quadratic design and testing which one of the two competing models (i.e., quadratic or linear) better fits the data. Findings suggest more complex relationships between corona indices and obesity rates than previously thought. Consequently, ethical guidelines referring to priority in intubation and intensive care treatments should account for these complex relationships between obesity and corona. Indeed, there is a linear increase of mortality rate from corona with elevated prevalence of obesity. Yet, other indicators, such as the number of infected per 100,000 persons, rates of severe corona cases, rates of recovered corona patients and corona as the cause of death exhibit quadratic, rather than linear, patterns. The reasons for these non-linear patterns might be explained by several conditions such as increased metabolic reserves, more aggressive treatment, other non-corona complications for obese persons and unidentified factors that should be examined in future research.
Molecular characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae among the pediatric population in Qatar
Authors: Perez-Lopez Andres , Sundararaju Sathyavathi , Al-Mana Hassan , Tsui Kin Ming , Hasan Mohammad , Tang Patrick
Published: May 2020

Background: Although extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are a public health problem in the Arabian Peninsula, data on the molecular characteristic of their antimicrobial resistance determinants in children is limited.Methods: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on ESBL-producing E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates recovered from screening and clinical specimens from pediatric patients at Sidra Medicine in Doha from January to December 2018.Results: WGS was performed on 327 ESBL producers: 255 E. coli and 72 K. pneumoniae. The most common sequence types (ST) were ST131 (16.5%), ST38 and ST10 (8.2 each%) in E. coli and ST307 (9.7%), ST45 and ST268 (6.9% each) in K. pneumoniae. CTX-M type ESBL were found in all but one isolate, with CTX-M-15 accounting for 87.8%. Co-carriage of OXA-1 alone or in combination with TEM-1B was associated with reduced susceptibility toamoxicillin/clavulanate (P=0.002 and P<0.0001) and piperacillin/tazobactam (P=0.02 and P=0.004). The most common plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes co-carried were qnr A/B/E/S (45.3%). Ninety percent of gentamicin non-susceptible isolates harboured genes encoding AAC(3) enzymes, mainly aac(3)-IIa. Only 2 of 57 isolates harbouring aac(6’)-Ib-cr were non-susceptible to amikacin. Eighty-five percent of isolates carried IncF plasmids. Conclusions: Our data show that CTX-M is largely the most prevalent ESBL type in the pediatric population in Qatar with a predominance of CTX-M-15. Carbapenem-sparing options to treat ESBL infections are limited given the frequent co-production of OXA-1 and TEM-1B enzymes and co-resistance to antibiotic classes other than β-lactams.
Pattern Analysis of Continuous Analytic Wavelet Transforms of the COVID19 Spreading and Death
Authors: Wang Yanshuo
Published: May 2020

Wavelet transform is frequently used for time series data to extract the frequency localization information in last two decades. The wavelet transform with Morse wavelet is applied to the daily infected cases and deaths of COVID19 at different countries/places. There are multiple scales (frequencies) of COVID19 spreading with different magnitude at the specific time which can be identified in Wavelet magnitude scalogram plots. For example, in China, the highest magnitude (2000 to 2500) spreading was happened on 2/12/202 with scale around 329 to 434, but in U.S.A the highest magnitude (4000 to 4500) spreading was happened during 4/25/2020 and 4/28/2020 with scale 137 to 183. The summary of the wavelet magnitude and scale at specific period for different countries/places is presented in this paper
On two cases of atypical respiratory distress in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo months before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Could SARS-Cov-2 have been already spreading? Case report
Authors: MATESO Guy-Quesney , BAGUMA Marius , MWENE-BATU Pacifique , BALEMBA Ghislain MAHESHE , NZABARA Fabrice , MAKALI Samuel , BEDHA Aline , FURAHA Bonheur , MINANI Jimmy , MUHINDO Christian TSHONGO , MALEMBAKA Espoir BWENGE , MASIMANGO Mannix Imani , SHINDANO Tony Akilimali , CIKOMOLA Justin Cirhuza , MUBAGWA Kanigula
Published: May 2020

Background: Predictions have been made that Africa would be the most vulnerable continent to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Interestingly, the spread of the disease in Africa seems to be slower than in many parts of the World. Among possible hypotheses, some parts of Africa may have undergone a “silent” COVID-19 epidemic and acquired a herd immunity before the official declaration of the disease in December 2019.Case presentation: We report two cases (one 55-year-old man and one 25-year-old woman) of acute respiratory distress secondary to atypical pneumonia in Bukavu, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which occurred between September and December 2019, before the official beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. One patient had returned from China and the other had close contacts with travellers from China in the 2 weeks prior to the onset of symptoms. In either case, the aetiology could not be accurately determined. However, the two cases presented a clinical picture (progressive dyspnoea, preceded by dry cough and fever) and laboratory changes (procalcitonin within the normal range, slight inflammation, and lymphopenia) compatible with a viral infection. The chest X-Rays series of the first patient showed lesions (reticulations, ground glass, and nodules ≤ 6 mm) similar to those found in COVID-19. In addition, unlike the 25-year-old female patient who had no comorbidity, the 55-year-old male patient who had hypertension as comorbidity, developed a more severe acute respiratory distress which progressed to death.Conclusion: These cases bring to the attention a number of facts which make us suspect that the COVID-19 epidemic may have already been present in the region months before the official beginning of the pandemic.
Clinical and Molecular Characteristics of 69 Chinese Patients with Ornithine Transcarbamylase Deficiency
Authors: Lu Deyun , Han Feng , Qiu Wenjuan , Zhang Huiwen , Ye Jun , Liang Lili , Wang Yu , Ji Wenjun , Zhan Xia , Gu Xuefan , Han Lianshu
Published: May 2020

Background: This study aimed to describe the clinical and biochemical features of Chinese patients with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), and to investigate the mutation spectrum of OTC gene and their potential correlation with phenotype.Methods: Sixty-nine patients with OTCD were enrolled between 2004 and 2019. Clinical and laboratory data were reviewed retrospectively from medical records. Results: Fifteen cases (13 males, 2 females) presented with early onset; 53 cases (21 males, 32 females) had late onset, and one female was asymptomatic. The median onset age was 1.5 years (range, 1 day-56 years). Urine orotic acid levels were increased in all patients tested, while only 47.6% of patients showed decreased serum levels of citrulline. The peak plasma ammonia levels were higher in early-onset patients than in late-onset patients (P < 0.01). Fifty-four different mutations of OTC gene were identified and 18 of them were novel. R277W (10.6%) was the most common mutation, followed by G195R (4.6%) and A209V (3.0%). By June 2019, 41 patients had survived, 24 were deceased, and 4 were lost to follow-up. Among the survivors, 13 patients had received liver transplantation at a median age of 3 years, with a one-year survival rate of 100%. The mortality of OTCD is extremely high among patients with early onset (80.0% versus 24.5% in patients with late onset).Conclusions: The evaluation of serum citrulline level is of limited value in diagnosis of OTCD, while urine orotic acid detection and genetic testing are more helpful.
Oral and Swallowing Abilities Test (Orsat) for Type 1 Sma Patients: Development and Application of a New Module.
Authors: Berti Beatrice , Fanelli Lavinia , Sanctis Roberto de , Onesimo Roberta , Coratti Giorgia , Palermo Concetta , Leone Daniela , Carnicella Sara , Norcia Giulia , Forcina Nicola , Giorgio Valentina , ST Antonella Cerchiari , Lucibello Simona , Finkel Richard S. , Pane Marika , Mercuri Eugenio
Published: May 2020

Background: Swallowing is one of the most important aspects in the care of type 1 spinal muscular atrophy. Main text:The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a new tool specifically designed to record different aspects related to oral abilities, swallowing and feeding in young type1 SMA patients. We also report its application to a cohort of type 1 infants to identify possible changes during the first 24 months of life. The new tool includes a checklist with 12 questions for carers and a classification of levels of impairment.The scale was retrospectively used in 24 type 1 patients (8 females and 16 males,age range from2.3 to 24.1 months (average age: 10.8 months), classified according to the Dubowitz's decimal classification into 1.1 (n=8); 1.5 (n=8); 1.9 (n=8). There was a significant difference among the 3 subtypes both at baseline and at follow up (p<0.001). Type 1 infants had very low scores from the age of 3 months and a rapid deterioration already by 6 months; type 1.5 infants had a more variable progression but by 9 months 80% had the lowest scores. Patients with type 1.9 had better scores until the age of 1 year and had an overall better outcome. Conclusion: Our results suggest that the new tool may help to routinely capture changes over time in type 1 infants and that the trajectories of progression reflect the overall severity of the disease. The items assessing fatigue during the nursing sessions were the most frequently impaired even in infants who did not have any other obvious clinical sign of swallowing difficulties.
A Qualitative Study to Explore the Experience of Parents of Newborns Admitted to Neonatal Care Unit in Rural Rwanda
Authors: Byiringiro Samuel , Wong Rex , Logan Jenae , Kaneza Deogratias , Gitera Joseph , Umutesi Sharon , Kirk Catherine M.
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT (310/350 words)
Background: Neonatal Care Units (NCUs) provide special care for sick and small newborns and can help reduce neonatal mortality. For parents, the experience of having a hospitalized newborn can be traumatic. In LMIC, especially sub-Saharan Africa, there is limited information about the parents’ experience of care in NCUs.
Objective: Our study aimed to explore the experience of parents in the NCU of a rural district hospital in Rwanda.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted with parents whose newborns were hospitalized in the Ruli District Hospital NCU from September 2018 to January 2019. In-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured guide in the participants homes by trained data collectors. Data were transcribed, translated, and then coded using a structured code book. All data analyses were conducted using Dedoose software.
Results: Twenty-one interviews were conducted primarily with mothers (90.5%, n=19) among newborns who were most often discharged home alive (90.5%, n=19). Parents reported stressful and emotional responses to having their newborns admitted particularly when they lacked clear understanding of their newborn’s condition, generally positive communication and interactions with healthcare providers and other parents, policies and procedures in the NCU that contributed to stress and limited access to newborns by fathers and other family members, and stress due to the high financial burden of NCU care.
Conclusion: The admission of a newborn into the NCU alone was a source of stress for parents and caregivers in rural Rwanda. However, there were several positive factors of the NCU including involvement of mothers and support from healthcare providers. The experience in the NCU can be improved when healthcare providers communicate and explain the newborn’s status to the parents and actively involve them in the care of their newborn. Expanding the NCU access for families, encouraging peer support, and ensuring financial accessibility for neonatal care services could contribute to improved experiences for families.
KEYWORDS: prematurity, neonatology, family-centered care, neonatal care unit, nurses, patient satisfaction, patient experience
Potential Biological Control Agents for Soilborne Fungal Pathogens in Tennessee Snap Bean Farms
Authors: Joshua Jacqueline , Mmbaga Margaret T.
Published: May 2020

Fungi isolated from snap bean roots and rhizosphere soil where fungicides are not used included Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium subglutinans, Fusarium camptoceras, Fusarium chlamydosporum, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium solani, Peyronellaea pinodella, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Glomerella guttata. Only P. pinodella, M. phaseolina, and F. oxysporum were isolated on symptomatic plants. These soilborne fungi are common pathogens of diverse host plants. Pathogenicity tests under controlled environment demonstrated that these fungi were pathogenic on snap beans. Subsequently, bacterial endophytes isolated from snap bean roots, papaya roots and stems, and dogwood stems were evaluated as potential biological control agents against these diverse fungi. All bacteria isolated, including Bacillus vallismortis (PS), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (Psl), Bacillus subtilis (Prt), Bacillus thuringiensis (Y and IMC8), Enterobacter sp. (E), Stenotrophomonas sp. (B17A), and Serratia sp. (B17B) suppressed growth of the fungal pathogens in vitro and formed clear inhibition zones in petri dish dual cultures. Growth media taken from the inhibition zones suppressed growth of the fungal pathogens in the absence of the bacterial cells, suggesting that the bacteria released unidentified antagonistic biochemical substances into the media. This study constitutes an initial screening of endophytes as biological control agents against diverse fungal pathogens and forms a basis for the discovery of novel strains that can be further developed and integrated into disease management systems for diverse fungal pathogens. Isolates B. vallismortis (PS), B. amyloliquefaciens (Psl), B. subtilis (Prt), and B. thuringiensis (Y IMC8) exhibited the best performance as potential biological control agents paving the way for larger-scale in vivo studies and characterization of their interactions with fungal pathogens.
Creation of Plasmidless and Markerless Escherichia coli Succinate Producing Strain and Evaluation of its Biosynthetic Potential during Utilization of Lignocellulosic Sugars
Authors: Zhuravliova O.A. , Voeikova Т.А. , Gulevich A.Yu. , Debabov V.G.
Published: May 2020

The plasmidless and markerless Escherichia coli succinate producing strain SGM2.0Pyc-int has been engineered and characterized. The strain has the inactivated main mixed-acid fermentation pathways due to the deletions of ldhA,poxB, ackA,pta, and adhE genes, constitutively expresses the genes of the aceEF-lpdA operon encoding components of pyravate dehydrogenase complex, and possesses the chromosomally integrated Bacillus subtilis pycA gene coding for pyruvate carboxylase. The capacity of the strain to synthesize succinic acid in course of dual-phase aerobic-anaerobic fermentation with lignocellulosic sugars as substrates was studied. The SGM2.0Pyc-int strain synthesized succinic acid from glucose, xylose, and arabinose with a molar yields of 1.41 mol/mol, 1.18 mol/mol, and 1.18 mol/mol, respectively, during the anaerobic production stage. The constructed strain has great potential for developing efficient processes for the succinic acid production from plant biomass-derived sugars.

Escherichia coli, fermentation, arabinose, glucose, xylose, succinic acid.

The work was supported by a Grant from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project no. 18-29-14005).
Antitumor Activity of Indole-3-carbinol in Breast Cancer Cells: Phenotype, Genetic Pattern, DNA Methylation Inversion
Authors: Muyzhnek E.L. , Nikulin S.V. , Kaprin A.D. , Ashrafyan L.A. , Rozhkova N.I. , Labazanova P.G. , Kiselev V.I.
Published: May 2020

The effect of indole-3-carbinol on a number of functions and characteristics of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and MCF-10A healthy breast tissue cells has been studied. It was shown that indole-3-carbinol significantly reduced the proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells and does not affect these functions in MCF-10A cells. Incubation of MDA-MB-231 tumor cells with indole-3-carbinol (100 uM) for 48 h resulted in a marked decrease in the expression of the Wnt cascade genes, CCND1 (by 28%), SP1 (by 44%), CDK6 (by 47%), as well as EGFR (by 64%) and FASN (by 22%) genes. Incubation of MCF-10A cell line under the same conditions induced a noticeable decrease in expression of only two genes, EGFR (by 16%) and CDK6 (by 9%). In addition, indole-3-carbinol was also shown to manifest a selective DNA demethylation activity in breast tumor cells and to reverse the process of abnormal methylation and functional blockage of the anti-tumor WIF1 gene. These data indicate that drags containing indole-3-carbinol as an active component can be potential regulators of epigenetic processes in the treatment of breast cancer and other tumors.

indole-3-carbinol, breast cancer, epigenetics, Wnt
Counteraction to replacement of equity with borrowed capital for tax purposes: global practice
Authors: Pokrovskaya Natalia V. , Khmelinina Maria A.
Published: May 2020

The movement of capital within an international group of companies allows not only optimizing business processes, it may also serve to reduce tax liabilities. To effectively counter this phenomenon, international initiatives are being created to coordinate the actions of countries. The aim of this study is to characterize the experience of applying the thin capitalization rules and earnings stripping rules when implementing an intragroup loan. This paper describes the tools to counter the replacement of equity with borrowed capital for tax purposes in the OECD recommendations, as well as corporate taxation practices in 151 countries in 2019-2020. The rules for regulating intra-group financing for tax purposes have been introduced by a predominant number of countries, while thin capitalization rules are more common than the limit on interest. National rules for thin capitalization and earnings stripping vary by a number of parameters, including by scope and tax implications. The greatest differences are observed in the key fixed ratio of borrowed and own capital and the nature of restrictions on the interest. The authors’ hypothesis about a high degree of convergence of national rules for regulating thin capitalization and earnings stripping rules with the recommendations of the OECD has not been fully confirmed. However, the trends of the second half of the 2010s confirmed the second hypothesis that in developed countries there is a gradual transition from thin capitalization rules to earnings stripping rules in accordance with BEPS actions.
Non-formal education at the present stage: expert commentary
Authors: Kicherova Marina N. , Muslimova Ekaterina O.
Published: May 2020

This article discusses the main approaches to the study of non-formal education and its impact on the human capital development. The authors present the conceptualization and theoretical interpretation of the concept, approaches to the definition in the scientific literature and international regulatory documents. In their analysis of contemporary studies of non-formal education, the authors have implemented an empirical study using the method of expert estimates.
The authors have interviewed 36 experts from six major cities of the Russian Federation: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Tyumen, and Saratov. Based on an expert survey, an analysis includes the discussion of resource potential of non-formal education at the present stage, possibilities and “nodal points” of the impact of non-formal education on the development mechanism of general and specific human, the position of experts on assessing skills and competencies acquired in non-formal education, and the prospects for the national qualifications system implementation in Russia.
BK Polyoma Virus Nephropathy in an Immunocompromised Host
Authors: Khan Faraz , El Khoury Maroun , Kouli Fahad , Han Aaron
Published: May 2020

Background:

Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorders (PTLD) are a well known late complication after solid organ transplantation, including renal
transplant. Among others, graft failure due to reactivation of BK polyomavirus in the grafted kidney is also a well-recognized complication but
tends to present early in the first several months after transplant.

Case:

Here we present the case of PTLD Burkitt's Lymphoma (BL-PTLD) in a renal transplant patient who was successfully treated with multiagent
chemo-immunotherapy but later developed BK polyomavirus nephropathy (BKVN) with graft failure only after completion of her systemic
therapy for lymphoma and 7 years after the transplant. Relevant literature is reviewed.

Conclusion:

In this case, reactivation and progression of BKVN were most likely associated with immunosuppression from chemo-immunotherapy for her
BL–PTLD, unlike early graft failures associated with BKVN.
Antimicrobial Terpenoids as a Potential Substitute in Overcoming Antimicrobial Resistance
Authors: Sharma Aditi , Biharee Avadh , Kumar Amit , Jaitak Vikas
Published: May 2020

There was a golden era where everyone thought that microbes can no longer establish threat to humans but the time has come where microbes are proposing strong resistance against the majority of antimicrobials. Over the years, the inappropriate use and easy availability of antimicrobials have made antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to emerge as the world’s third leading cause of death. Microorganisms over the time span have acquired resistance through various mechanisms such as efflux pump, transfer through plasmids causing mutation, changing antimicrobial site of action, or modifying the antimicrobial which will lead to become AMR as the main cause of death worldwide by 2030. In order to overcome the emerging resistance against majority of antimicrobials, there is a need to uncover drugs from plants because they have proved to be effective antimicrobials due to the presence of secondary metabolites such as terpenoids. Terpenoids abundant in nature are produced in response to microbial attack have huge potential against various microorganisms through diverse mechanisms such as membrane disruption, anti-quorum sensing, inhibition of protein synthesis and ATP. New approaches like combination therapy of terpenoids and antimicrobials have increased the potency of treatment against various multidrug resistant microorganisms by showing synergism to each other.
Quality of Life and Self-care Behavior Among People Living with Diabetes- A Study from Coastal South India
Authors: Joshi Laksita , Bhagawan Darshan , Holla Ramesh , Kulkarni Vaman , Unnikrishnan Bhaskaran , Mohamed Faizan , Kumar Nithin , Thapar Rekha , Mithra Prasanna , Kumar Avinash
Published: May 2020

Background:

Diabetes mellitus is a serious chronic condition affecting millions of people
globally. The focus of our future health care providers should not lie primarily on increasing the “quantity”
of life but also on improving the Quality of Life of the patient. There is a serious lack of awareness
and adherence regarding self-care for Diabetes in countries like India.

Objectives:

To determine the Quality of Life and self-care behavior among people living with Diabetes.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study was carried out among 190 of all patients diagnosed with Diabetes
mellitus type II of the duration of one year and more who came to Government Wenlock Hospital,
Mangalore. The Quality of Life was assessed using the WHO BREF questionnaire. Data was entered
and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences.

Results:

Amongst 190 participants, 151 (79.5%) of them had a good physical and psychological QOL.
In a social relationship and environmental health domain, good quality of life was observed among
81.6% (n=155) and 89.5% (n=170) of study participants, respectively. It was noted that out of 190 people
with Diabetes, only 24 (12.6%) participants inspected their feet daily.

Conclusion:

The Quality of Life was found to be good amongst the majority of the study participants.
Results of the study point that the majority of the patients enjoy a good quality of life but also reinstate
the importance of self-care activities for the betterment of health.
Bayesian Functional Mixed-effects Models with Grouped Smoothness for Analyzing Time-course Gene Expression Data
Authors: Ye Shangyuan , Liang Ye , Zhang Bo
Published: May 2020

Objective:

As a result of the development of microarray technologies, gene expression levels of thousands of genes involved in a given biological process can be measured simultaneously, and it is important to study their temporal behavior to understand their mechanisms. Since the dependence between gene expression levels over time for a given gene is often too complicated to model parametrically, sparse functional data analysis has received an increasing amount of attention for analyzing such data.

Methods:

We propose a new functional mixed-effects model for analyzing time-course gene expression data. Specifically, the model groups individual functions with heterogeneous smoothness. The proposed method utilizes the mixed-effects model representation of penalized splines for both the mean function and the individual functions. Given noninformative or weakly informative priors, Bayesian inference on the proposed models was developed, and Bayesian computation was implemented by using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods.

Results:

The performance of our new model was studied by two simulation studies and illustrated using a yeast cell cycle gene expression dataset. Simulation results suggest that our proposed methods can outperform the previously used methods in terms of the mean integrated squared error. The yeast gene expression data application suggests that the proposed model with two latent groups should be used on this dataset.

Conclusion:

The new Bayesian functional mixed-effects model that assumes multiple groups of functions with different smoothing parameters provides an enhanced approach to analyzing timecourse gene expression data.
Reasons to Engage in and Learning Experiences From Different Play Strategies in a Web-Based Serious Game on Delirium for Medical Students: Mixed Methods Design
Authors: Buijs-Spanjers Kiki R , Hegge Harianne HM , Cnossen Fokie , Jaarsma Debbie ADC , de Rooij Sophia E
Published: May 2020

Background

Although many studies have recently been published on the value of serious games for medical education, little attention has been given to the role of dark play (choosing unacceptable actions in games).

Objective

This study aimed to investigate potential differences in the characteristics of medical students who have the opportunity to choose normal or dark play in a serious game. This study also aimed to compare their reasons for choosing a play strategy and their perceptions of what they learned from their game play.

Methods

We asked undergraduate medical students to play a serious game in which they had to take care of a patient with delirium (The Delirium Experience). After getting acquainted with the game, students could opt for normal or dark play. Student characteristics (age, gender, experience with caring for older or delirious patients, and number of completed clerkships) were collected, and the Delirium Attitude Scale and Learning Motivation and Engagement Questionnaire were administered. Reasons for choosing normal or dark play were evaluated with an open-ended question. Information on lessons they had learned from the game was collected using an open-ended question and self-reported knowledge on delirium.

Results

This study had 160 participants (89 normal play, 71 dark play). Male students (26/160, 56.5%) chose dark play significantly more often than female students (45/160, 39.5%; P=.049). We did not find significant differences in student characteristics or measurement outcomes between play strategies. Participants’ main reason for choosing normal play was to learn how to provide care to delirious patients, and the main reason for dark play was to gain insight into what a delirious patient has to endure during delirious episodes. All participants learned what to do when taking care of a delirious patient and gained insight into how a patient experiences delirium. We found no differences in self-reported knowledge.

Conclusions

When medical students have the opportunity to choose dark play in a serious game, half of them will probably choose this play strategy. Male students will more likely opt for dark play than female students. Choice of play strategy is not affected by any other student characteristic or measurement outcome. All students learned the same lessons from playing the game, irrespective of their learning strategy.
Hazards of the Cytokine Storm and Cytokine-Targeted Therapy in Patients With COVID-19: Review (Preprint)
Authors: Quirch Miguel , Lee Jeannie , Rehman Shabnam
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged medicine and health care on a global scale. Its impact and frightening mortality rate are in large part attributable to the fact that there is a lack of available treatments. It has been shown that in patients who are severely ill, SARS-CoV-2 can lead to an inflammatory response known as cytokine storm, which involves activation and release of inflammatory cytokines in a positive feedback loop of pathogen-triggered inflammation. Currently, cytokine storm is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in SARS-CoV-2, but there is no proven treatment to combat this systemic response.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper is to study the cytokine storm response in SARS-CoV-2 and to explore the early treatment options for patients who are critically ill with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the early stages of the pandemic by reviewing the literature.

METHODS

A literature review was performed from December 1, 2000, to April 4, 2020, to explore and compare therapies that target cytokine storm among SARS-CoV-2 and prior coronavirus cases.

RESULTS

A total of 38 eligible studies including 24 systematic reviews, 5 meta-analyses, 5 experimental model studies, 7 cohort studies, and 4 case reports matched the criteria.

CONCLUSIONS

The severity of the cytokine storm, measured by elevated levels of interleukin-1B, interferon-γ, interferon-inducible protein 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, was associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Many treatment options with different targets have been proposed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from targeting the virus itself to managing the systemic inflammation caused by the virus and the excessive cytokine response. Among the different agents to manage cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19, there is developing support for convalescent plasma therapy particularly for patients who are critically ill or mechanically ventilated and resistant to antivirals and supportive care. Treatment options that were proposed in the beginning phases of the pandemic were multidimensional, and further research is needed to develop a more established treatment guideline.
Effectiveness of Distance Technology in Promoting Physical Activity in Cardiovascular Disease Rehabilitation: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, A Pilot Study (Preprint)
Authors: Hakala Sanna , Kivistö Heikki , Paajanen Teemu , Kankainen Annaliisa , Anttila Marjo-Riitta , Heinonen Ari , Sjögren Tuulikki
Published: May 2020

BACKGROUND

Physical activity is beneficial for cardiovascular rehabilitation. Digitalization suggests using technology in the promotion of physical activity and lifestyle changes. The effectiveness of distance technology interventions has previously been found to be similar to that of conventional treatment, but the added value of the technology has not been frequently studied.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate whether additional distance technology intervention is more effective in promoting physical activity than non-technology–based treatment in 12 months of cardiac rehabilitation.

METHODS

The cardiovascular disease rehabilitation intervention consisted of three 5-day inpatient periods in a rehabilitation center and two 6-month self-exercise periods at home in between. Participants were recruited from among cardiac patients who attended the rehabilitation program and were cluster-randomized into unblinded groups: conventional rehabilitation control clusters (n=3) and similar rehabilitation with additional distance technology experimental group clusters (n=3). Experimental groups used Fitbit Charge HR for self-monitoring, and they set goals and reported their activity using Movendos mCoach, through which they received monthly automated and in-person feedback. Physical activity outcomes for all participants were measured using the Fitbit Zip accelerometer and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

RESULTS

During the first 6 months, the experimental group (n=29) engaged in light physical activity more often than the control group (n=30; mean difference [MD] 324.2 minutes per week, 95% CI 77.4 to 571.0; P=.01). There were no group differences in the duration of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MD 12.6 minutes per week, 95% CI –90.5 to 115.7; P=.82) or steps per day (MD 1084.0, 95% CI –585.0 to 2752.9; P=.20). During the following 6 months, no differences between the groups were observed in light physical activity (MD –87.9 minutes per week, 95% CI –379.2 to 203.3; P=.54), moderate to vigorous physical activity (MD 70.9 minutes per week, 95% CI –75.7 to 217.6; P=.33), or steps per day (MD 867.1, 95% CI –2099.6 to 3833.9; P=.55).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of additional distance technology increased the duration of light physical activity at the beginning of cardiac rehabilitation (for the first 6 months), but statistically significant differences were not observed between the two groups for moderate or vigorous physical activity or steps per day for both 6-month self-exercise periods.

CLINICALTRIAL

ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN61225589; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN61225589