bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of two potential biomarkers of Graves' Disease by bioinformatics analyses based on Gene Expression Omnibus datasets with immune cells infiltration.
Authors: Zhang Yihan , Wei Jia , Zhou Hong , Li Bingxin , Chen Ying , Qian Feng , Liu Jingting , Xie Xin , Xu Huanbai
Published: May 2022

Background: Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune disease, the incidence of which is increasing year by year. And it still needs long life therapy. So, the detailed pathogenesis of GD still needs further study. Method: In our study, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were derived from online Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarray expression dataset GSE71956. Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes (KEGG) analysis was used to enrichment analysis. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were used to identify the hub genes. Then hub gene was validated by qPCR. Next CIBERSORT analysis was used to further explore the immune infiltration among hub genes. ROC curve was used to analysis the specificity and sensitivity of hub genes. Result: 44 DEGs were screened out from GEO dataset. GO and KEGG analysis of DEGs shows that GD involves immunity and metabolism. Two hub genes EEF1A1, EIF4B were recruited from PPI network, and was validated by qPCR ( p < 0.05). Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that plasma cells, T cells CD4 memory resting, T cells follicular helper, dendritic cells activated, mast cells activated were correlated with GD. We are the first to demonstrate the expression of EEF1A1, EIF4B has significant positive correlations with infiltrating levels of T cells CD4 memory resting. The AUC of EEF1A1 ROC analysis is 0.687 and ROC of EIF4B is 0.733.Conclusion : Our study revels two hub genes, EEF1A1, EIF4B, which were associated with resting memory CD4 + T cells , may be the potential molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets of GD.
Analysis and Risk Assessment of Pharmaceutical Residues in Fish from Three (3) Water Bodies in Ghana.
Authors: Duncan Albert . Ebo , Adoko Christian , Osei-Marfo Martha , Barnie Samuel , Sakyi Aboagye George , Adjei Joseph
Published: May 2022

Pharmaceutical pollution of rivers in Ghana is overlooked due to the overshadowing problem of illegal mining. However, a greater percentage of water bodies (especially rivers) in Ghana are potentially exposed to pharmaceutical waste and pollution. The uncontrolled disposal of pharmaceuticals from industry, hospitals, households, municipalities, and other consumers into rivers is very alarming. Humans continue to fish from these polluted water bodies with little concern or knowledge of the potential threat the pharmaceutical residues accumulated in these fishes pose to their health. In the present study, the residues of one (1) antibiotic (Chloramphenicol), five (5) hormones (progesterone, 17-b-estradiol, estrone, 17-a-ethynylestradiol, and testosterone), three (3) environmental contaminants (4-para-nonylphenol, 4-tert-octylphenol, and Bisphenol A), one (1) Barbiturate (Primidone) and one (1) analgesic (Diclofenac sodium salt), were investigated from fish samples from the rivers Pra, Narkwa, and the Volta. The fish samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results show a high concentration of drugs in River Pra in comparison to those in River Narkwa and Volta. The hazard quotients for the environmental contaminants were all above one (1), except Bisphenol-A. Furthermore, hazard quotients from this study suggest that consumers of fish from any of the three rivers stand a hazard risk of Chloramphenicol (19), 17-a-ethynylestradiol (4), Estrone (1.366), Diclofenac sodium salt (3.29), Progesterone (4.598), 4-tert-octylphenol (87.2) and 4-para-nonylphenol (7.252), but negligible risk against E2 (0.687), Primidone (0.014), Testosterone (0.16), and Bisphenol A (0.642). Of the fish species studied the highest concentration of all pharmaceuticals put together is found in Clarias gariepinus, then Labeo senegalensis, and Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus in that order.
Edible film production using Aronia melanocarpa for smart food packaging
Authors: Ozcan Arif , Kandirmaz Emine Arman
Published: May 2022

While smart packaging systems protect the food, they also provide information about the shelf life of the content. This information is provided by the formation of severe shifts in color as a result of the reaction of the gases released by the decomposition of the food, the colorant used in the smart packaging. Inks or films used in smart packaging systems may have this feature. Since both ink and film material come into direct contact with the food product in smart packaging, it is more suitable for the intended use of the packaging to be produced from edible and natural resources. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the production of films and their use in active packaging systems by using natural source starch and another bio source black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruit in order to produce smart packaging. In this context, in this study, firstly, the coloring matter was extracted from black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) fruit with ethyl alcohol. The monomeric anthocyanin and total phenol content of extracted Aronia melanocarpa were determined by pH differential method. Colorimetric edible films sensitive to pH change were produced by using starch biopolymer by adding different amounts of the obtained Aronia extract. The chemical structure of the produced films was determined by ATR-FTIR, color properties were determined by Spectrophotometer, contact angles were determined by Goniometer. In addition, swelling ability was calculated depending on pH. Disk diffusion method was applied to the obtained films against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and the antibacterial properties of the films were determined. As a result; The swelling ability of the films prepared with Aronia and starch decreased compared to the blank film. The prepared films maintained their stability in all pH scales, including high acid and base. While the edible films produced have a pink-red color at acidic pHs, the color turns to dark blue at basic pHs. This shows that the color of the films will change depending on the nitrogen output from the spoiled meat and can be used as smart packaging. In addition, the fact that the films produced have inhibitory properties against gram-positive bacteria also add an extra feature to the packaging material, as it will protect the food against degradation.
The protective effect of gingival mesenchymal stem cells on radiation-induced skin damage and its mechanism
Authors: Nie Shasha , Ren Chunhua , Cai Hui , Sun Hao , Liu Fengting , Du Liqing , Wang Qin , Xu Chang , Liu Yang , He Ningning , Ji Kaihua , Wang Jinhan , Zhang Manman , Song Huijuan , Gu Yeqing , Sun Xiaohui , Wang Yan , Liu Qiang
Published: May 2022

Abstract
Nuclear pollution is one of the main environment pollution. And Almost all of the waste of the nuclear accident will cause human skin radiation damage because of the special physiological location and the characterics of the skin cells. Different from other skin injuries, cutaneous radiation injury (CRI) is caused by the loss of a large number of stem cells which is very sensitive to radiation. Gingiva mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs) have the characteristics of self-renewal, pluripotent differentiation, and immune regulatory cells both in vitro and in vivo and are easy to obtain without carcinogenicity than other stem cells. To prolong the residence time of the stem cells at the site of injury, Nap-GDFDFpDY (pY-Gel) self-assembling peptide hydrogels have been used in this study. Results revealed GMSCs can obviously alleviate skin injury induced from high-dose IR in mice and promote skin healing. And in cellular experiments, GMSCs conditioned medium (CM) can promote the proliferation and migration of skin cells, enhance the ability of DNA damage repair and reduce the inflammatory response. In addition, The findings of this study suggest that the mechanism may involve the activation of the EGFR/STAT3 signaling pathway in skin cells to promote the repair of skin cells after exposure to radiation.
circCUL1 promotes autophagy in trophoblast cells via the miR-30e-ATG7/14 and ANXA1/PI3K/AKT pathways
Authors: Yang Tong , Hu Jianguo , Zhang Lei , Liu Li , Pan Xin , Zhou Yanqiu , WU Yi , Shi Xian , Dong Xiaojing
Published: May 2022

Background
Fetal growth restriction seriously affects the health of newborns. However, the cause of FGR is unclear. Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) are a novel type of endogenous noncoding RNAs that regulate target gene expression by interacting with microRNA (miRNA) .The present research was major in investigating the regulation association among circCUL1, miR-30e, ATG7/14 and MAPK1 in FGR, and we explored the mechanism underlying pathogenesis of FGR
Results
circCUL1 promotes autophagy in placental trophoblast cells. Mechanism studies have found that circCUL1 regulates trophoblast autophagy through the miR-30e-ATG7/14 and ANXA1/PI3K/AKT pathways. We also observed that knocking out circCUL1 promoted mouse development.
Conclusions
our research suggested that circCUL1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of FGR. circCUL1 may be a potential diagnostic marker and therapeutic target of FGR.
Clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of individualized re-treatment in locoregionally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Niu Xiaoshuang , Liu Peiyao , Xue Fen , Hu Chaosu , He Xiayun
Published: May 2022

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of individualized re-treatment in patients with different locoregionally recurrent patterns of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
From January 2005 to December 2018, sixty-five locoregionally recurrent NPC patients were included in the study. The location of recurrence determined different treatments with radiotherapy (RT) and/or surgery.
RESULTS
The median age at the time of re-treatment was 51 years old. Twenty-nine (44.6%) patients had tumors classified as T3-4 and forty-four (67.7%) patients had tumors classified as N2-3 in the initial treatment. All patients were previously treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to a median dose of 66Gy (range, 66–70.4Gy). The median time between initial treatment and recurrence was 25 months (range: 10–105 months). Tumor relapse was classified as rT3-4 in 19 patients and rN2-3 in 8 patients. The median interval between the date of locoregional relapse to the date of death or last follow-up was 28 months (range: 0 to 112 months). The overall survival (OS) at 1-year, 3-years, and 5-years was 94.4%, 67.3%, and 47.2%, respectively. Age at the time of recurrence (> 45 years) altered the OS significantly (P = 0.007).
CONCLUSIONS
Locoregionally recurrent NPC should be individualized re-treatment. Therapy modality according to the recurrent site achieved relatively satisfactory long-term survival outcomes. Age at the time of recurrence (> 45 years) served as negatively prognostic factor of OS.
Marine biomolecule mediated synthesis of selenium nanoparticles and their antimicrobial efficiency against fish and crustacean pathogens
Authors: Rajashree Radhika , S Gayathri , M Gobalakrishnan
Published: May 2022

Recent techniques of intensive and super intensive aquaculture which involves high rates of stocking and supplementary feedings has substantially enhanced the fish and prawns diseases. Metallic nanoparticles could serve as future substitutes for some conventional antibiotics due to their increase antimicrobial efficiency. The present study reports a simple phytochemical mediated green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) and evaluates its potential biological application as antimicrobial agent against important fish and crustacean pathogens Vibrio harveyi and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The work focused on synthesis and characterization of SeNPs by marine macro algae Kappaphycus alvarezii(K.alvarezii) and Halimeda opuntia (H.opuntia) .These nanoparticles were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) ,UV-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). FTIR spectrum confirms the presence of various functional groups in the plant extract, which may possibly influence the reduction process and stabilization of nanoparticles. Crystal phase composition and average crystalline size of synthesized SeNPs were confirmed with XRD measurements. Characterization of extracted nanoparticles for shape, size, and purity indicated that the particles were spherical with diameters ranging between 30 and 80 nm. Antimicrobial study was done and the results was shown to confirm the activity against marine pathogenic microbes V. harveyi and V. parahaemolyticus. It was found that SeNPs are able to inhibit the cell growth by dose-dependent manner. The ABTS and DPPH assay results shown that the SeNPs prepared using marine macroalgal extracts possess more antioxidant potential among which K.alvarezii shown higher ant oxidative activity when compared to H. opuntia.
Distributed Processing of Ocean Spatiotemporal Data: A Survey
Authors: Li Xiaoyong , Gu Jingyun , Tan Guolong , Jiang Wenjing , Cui Ao , Shu Leiming , Ren Kaijun , Zhu Haoyang , Xu Zichen
Published: May 2022

Ocean data exhibits interesting yet human critical features affecting all creatures around the world. Studies on Hydrology and Oceanology become the root of many disciplines, including global resource management, macro economy, environment protection, climate predictions, etc, which motivates our further exploration on the underlying feature behind the ocean data. However, with high dimensionality, large quantities, heterogeneous sources, and especially, the spatiotemporal manner, the diversity between the specific knowledge required and massive data chunk puts forward unique challenges in data representation and knowledge mining, effectively. This paper tends to provide a summary of studies on these issues, including the data representation, data processing, knowledge discovery, and algorithms on finding unique patterns on ocean environment changes, such as temperature, tide height, waves, salinity, etc. In detail, we comprehensively discuss about ocean spatiotemporal data processing techniques. We further summarize related representation works on ocean spatiotemporal data, the construction of a ocean knowledge graph, and the management of ocean spatiotemporal data. At last, we combine and compare the collection of the evolution and multiple state-of-the-arts on ocean spatiotemporal data processing.
A Low-Profile Wideband Compressed Single-arm Spiral Antenna Array for Mid-band 5G Beam Steering Applications
Authors: Falkner Benjamin J. , Zhou Hengyi , Zhang Wei , Metaxas Georgios , Mehta Amit , Ziegler Volker , Multerer Thomas , Mirshekar-Syahkal Dariush , Nakano Hisamatsu
Published: May 2022

A low profile wideband spiral antenna array is presented for global mid-band 5G beam steering applications. In the global rollout of mid-band 5G, different frequencies have been licensed within each region (e.g. 3.4–3.8 GHz in the EU and 3.7–5 GHz in the USA). Therefore, antenna arrays must be able to cover a bandwidth of 3.3 GHz to 5 GHz to provide true global coverage. Initially, this work presents the design of a wideband compressed spiral antenna that provides an axial beam throughout its operational bandwidth of 3.3 GHz to 5 GHz, enabling beam steering functionality. Then, this antenna has been placed in a 4 x 4 array with a triangular lattice. The proposed spiral antenna array can provide a scanning range of -40⁰ ≤ θ ≤ +40⁰ in all azimuth directions with an average back lobe level of less than − 9.5 dB. This development will allow for low-cost integration of 5G systems for global use, such as passenger aircraft, UAVs, drones, and marine and ground vehicles.
Designing of Immunodiagnostic Assays Using Polyclonal Antibodies for Detection of Shiga Toxin Producing Pathogenic E. coli (STEC) Strains
Authors: Moges Biniam , Yinur Degisew , Hassen Aliy , Sisay Tesfaye
Published: May 2022

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are the leading pathogenic strain causes of diarrhea diseases and death of humans in worldwide. Many diagnostic assays have been developed to aid for the diagnosis of STEC strain; however, they have different limitations. Thus, this study was aimed at designing rapid, effective, sensitive and specific immunodiagnostic assay for STEC strain detection. Thus, a STEC isolate available was recovered from freezer in EMB agar; then a pure typical growth was inoculated into TSB overnight at 37oC. The broth culture was processed using chloroform methanol extraction method for purification of LPS from the bacteria. Assessment on SDS-PAGE showed that the LPS preparation was contaminated by small amount and identity of cellular proteins. The produced antibody showed positive agglutination both on the purified LPS as well as the STEC isolate carrying LPS on their surface; however, agglutination of STEC was more pronounced. Mice immunized with LPS produced highest agglutination on tertiary immunization showing the progressive buildup of the antibody response against the antigen. Cultures from TSA and when they refresh showed better agglutination than cultures on EMB as well as TSB. Immunodiagnostic assay developed in this study could detect STEC strains including STEC in human feces with rapidly (1–2 minutes), sensitively (90.2%), specifically (89.5%) and accurately (90.6%). However, further studies are still required to improve it sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Overall this diagnostic assay provided promising results that may curb current problem with detection methods in clinical health care and research laboratories.
Resilience in older adults despite COVID-19. A multidimensional approach
Authors: Noriega C. , Velasco C. , Carretero I. , López-Frutos P. , Galarraga L. , Pérez-Rojo G. , López J.
Published: May 2022

Researchers have mainly focused on aging risk factors and COVID-19 consequences. However, older adults have proved their ability to overcome adversities along their life. Resilience is a protective variable that dampens the impact of stress. Based on MacLeod´s et al. (2016) approach, we aimed to analyze the relationship between older adults´ resilience and COVID-19 related-stressors as well as their physical, mental, and social characteristics. 889 people aged 60 and over participated in this study. Older participants, women, having better perceived health and not losing a loved one because of the virus were associated with more resilience. Moreover, higher levels of gratitude, personal growth, life purpose and lower levels of depression were associated with greater scores in resilience. This study offers a change of perspective in which aging is perceived from a positive viewpoint by focusing on resources that may help older adults to cope with adverse situations.
Novel treatment of small and large artery calcific disease via epigenetic activation of autophagy initiation genes
Authors: Cardenas christian Lino , Jiang Wanlin , Cherbonneau Francois , Shahrooz Zarbafian , Nicholson Christopher , Chou Elizabeth , Li Rebecca , Boerboom Sophie , Ostrom Katrina , Ichinose Fumito , Bloch Donald , Nigwekar Sagar , Ellinor Patrick , Musolino Patricia , Lindsay Mark , Miller Clint , Malhotra Rajeev
Published: May 2022

Vascular calcification is a hallmark of atherosclerotic disease and serves as a strong predictor and risk factor for cardiovascular events1. Growing evidence points towards macroautophagy (herein referred to simply as autophagy), a cellular self-degradation process, as being protective during early atherosclerosis2. However, autophagy may become dysregulated with advanced atherosclerosis3. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) contribute to early and advanced atherosclerosis by regulating vascular remodeling and calcification. The precise effects of autophagy on VSMC-mediated calcification are unknown. Here, we combined multi-omic profiling and high-resolution structural imaging to pinpoint an epigenetic mechanism by which impaired autophagy drives VSMC calcification. Our studies revealed dysfunctional autophagy initiation4 to be responsible for altered autophagy flux during VSMC calcification. In vivo pharmacologic and genetic activation of autophagy using chromatin modulator GSK343 and Becn1F121A knock-in mice, respectively, inhibited vascular calcification and improved survival rates in mouse models of spontaneous large (Mgp-/-) and small (Abcc6-/-) artery calcification. Taken together, these data enhance our mechanistic understanding of vascular calcification by specifically implicating impairment in the initiation of the autophagy pathway and provide important insights for a broad range of cardiovascular diseases involving VSMC phenotype switch.
Cytokine Changes in Cerebrospinal Fluid Following Vascular Surgery on the Thoracic Aorta
Authors: Pereira Christopher , Perera Anisha H. , Rudarakanchana Nung , Harris Benjamin H. L , Giovannantonio Matteo , Taylor-Robinson Simon D. , Dani Melanie , Fertleman Michael
Published: May 2022

Background: There is growing evidence that surgery can drive an inflammatory response in the brain. However, the mechanisms behind this response are incompletely understood. Neuroinflammation may contribute to peri-operative neurocognitive disorders (PND), including post-operative delirium (POD). Here, we investigate the hypotheses that 1. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokines increase after vascular surgery and 2. That these changes in CSF cytokines are interrelated. Methods: Patients undergoing either open or endovascular elective surgery of the thoracic aorta were invited to participate in this study. Cerebrospinal fluid samples were taken before surgery and on the first post-operative day. These were analysed for the presence of ten cytokines by immunoassay to examine for post-operative changes in cytokine levels. Results: After surgery, there were significant increases in six out of the ten measured CSF cytokines (IL-1β, 2, 6, 8, 10 and 13). This included changes in both putative pro-inflammatory (IL-1β, 6 and 8) and putative anti-inflammatory (IL-2, 10 and 13) cytokines. The greatest increases occurred in IL-6 and IL-8, which showed a 63-fold and a 31-fold increase respectively. There was strong intercorrelation between CSF cytokines after the operation. Conclusions: Following surgery on the thoracic aorta, there was a marked increase in CSF cytokines, consistent with a potential role in neuroinflammation. The ten measured cytokines showed intercorrelation after the operation, indicating that a balance between multiple pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines may be present. This could be detrimental, protective, or both.
Formation of Lunar Basins from Impacts of Leftover Planetesimals
Authors: Nesvorny David , Roig Fernando , Vokrouhlicky David , Bottke William (Bill) , Marchi Simone , Morbidelli Alesandro , Deienno Rogerio
Published: May 2022

The Moon holds important clues to the early history of the Solar System. The large scars evident on its
near side are impact basins filled with dark basalt; some 50 lunar basins (crater diameter $D>300$ km) have been
recognized overall$^1$. The question of the origin of basin-forming impactors remained unsettled. Here we show
that most impactors were rocky planetesimals left behind at $\sim 0.5$--$1.5$ au after the terrestrial planet
accretion. The number of basins expected from impacts of leftover planetesimals largely exceeds the number of
known lunar basins, suggesting that the first $\sim200$ Myr of impacts is not recorded on the lunar surface$^{2,3}$.
The Imbrium basin formation (age$^4$ $\simeq 3.92$~Gyr; impactor diameter$^{5,6}$ $d>100$ km) occurs with a
15--35\% probability in the model. Imbrium must have formed unusually late to have only two smaller basins
(Orientale and Schr\"odinger) forming afterwards. The model predicts $\simeq 20$ $d>10$-km impacts on the Earth
2.5--3.5 Gyr ago (Ga), which is comparable to the number of known spherule beds in the late Archean$^7$.
Short-Term Changes Detected by Corneal Topography and Optical Coherence Tomography After Prophylactic Laser Iridotomy in Primary Angle Closure Suspect
Authors: Şahin Ömer Faruk , Değirmenci Mehmet Fatih Kağan , Bahar Alperen , Isik Mehmed Ugur
Published: May 2022

Purpose: To evaluate early changes in anterior segment parameters by Scheimpflug-Placido disc topography system and changes in retinal layers by optical coherence tomography in primary angle-closure suspects after laser peripheral iridotomyMethods: One eye of 26 patients with primary angle closure suspect and of 20 healthy subjects were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Anterior chamber depth/volume, iridocorneal angle and central corneal thickness were obtained by Scheimpflug-Placido disc topography system. Retinal thickness, retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness were acquired by optical coherence tomography. All the tests were repeated 1 week and 1 month after laser peripheral iridotomy.Results: The mean ages of the patients and healthy controls were 64.8±10.7 years and 64.5 ± 3.9 years, respectively (p=0.990). Anterior chamber depth/volume and iricorneal angle value were lower in the PACS group (p<0.001, for all). Anterior chamber volume and iridocorneal angle increased significantly after laser peripheral iridotomy (p=0.004, for both). While foveal thickness decreased significantly after laser peripheral iridotomy (p=0.027), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness increased in superior and temporal quadrants (p=0.038 and p=0.016, respectively).Conclusion: Our results suggest that LPI in patients with PACS provides improved retinal thickness and RNFL thickness, as well as anterior chamber parameters.
Choice of antibody is critical for specific and sensitive detection of androgen receptor splice variant-7 in circulating tumor cells
Authors: Khan Tanzila , Lock John , Ma Yafeng , Harman David , Souza Paul , Chua Wei , Balakrishnar Bavanthi , Scott Kieran F. , Becker Therese M.
Published: May 2022

Background: Androgen receptor variant 7 (AR-V7) is an important biomarker to guide treatment options for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. Its detectability in circulating tumour cells (CTCs) opens non-invasive diagnostic avenues. While detectable at the transcript level, AR-V7 protein detection in CTCs may add additional information. Aims: The aim of this study was to compare commercially available anti-AR-V7 antibodies and establish reliable AR-V7 immunocytostaining applicable to CTCs from prostate cancer (PCa) patients.Methods: We compared seven AR-V7 antibodies by western blotting and immmunocytostaining using a set of PCa cell lines with known AR/AR-V7 status. The emerging best antibody was validated for detection of CRPC patient CTCs enriched by negative depletion of leucocytes.Results: The anti-AR-V7 antibody, clone E308L emerged as the best antibody in regard to signal to noise ratio with a specific nuclear signal. Moreover, this antibody detects CRPC CTCs more efficiently compared to an antibody previously shown to detect AR-V7 CTCs. Conclusion: We have determined the best antibody for AR-V7 detection of CTCs, which will open future studies to correlate AR-V7 subcellular localisation and potential co-localisation with other proteins and cellular structures to patient outcomes.
Development of peptide-based biosensors for measuring cross-linking and deamidation activities of transglutaminases
Authors: Tatsukawa Hideki , Aoyama Ruriko , Hitomi Kiyotaka
Published: May 2022

Transglutaminases (TGs) are a protein family that catalyzes isopeptide bond formation between glutamine and lysine residues of various proteins. There are eight TG isozymes in humans, and each is involved in diverse biological phenomena due to their characteristic distribution. Abnormal activity of TG1 and TG2, which are major TG isozymes, is believed to cause various diseases, such as ichthyosis, and celiac disease. To elucidate TGs’ mechanisms of action and develop new therapeutic strategies, it is essential to develop bioprobes that can specifically examine the activity of each TG isozyme, which has not been sufficiently studied. We previously have identified several substrate peptide sequences containing Gln residues for each isozyme and developed a method to detect isozyme-specific activities by incorporating a labeled substrate peptide into lysine residues of proteins. We prepared the fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled Gln substrate peptide (FITC-K5 and FITC-T26) and Rhodamine B-labeled Lys substrate peptide (RhoB-Kpep). Each TG reaction specifically cross-linked these probe pairs, and the proximity of FITC and Rhodamine B significantly decreased the fluorescence intensity of FITC depending on the concentration and reaction time of each TG. In this study, we developed a peptide-based biosensor that quickly and easily measures TG isozyme-specific activity. This probe is expected to be helpful in elucidating TG’s physiological and pathological functions and in developing compounds that modulate TG activity.
Hydride-ion conductivity and enhanced atmospheric stability of hydride-fluoride SrMgH4–xFx
Authors: Ayu Nur , Matsui Naoki , Jiang Guangzhong , Hirose Takashi , Itoh Takashi , Mezaki Takeya , Toda Yoshitake , Suzuki Kota , Hirayama Masaaki , Saito Takashi , Kamiyama Takashi , Kanno Ryoji
Published: May 2022

Few hydride-ion conductors exhibit chemical stability and hydride-ion conductivity, which are essential properties in developing hydride-ion-driven electrochemical devices. Herein, we successfully synthesized a novel hydride-fluoride system, SrMgH4 − xFx, possessing high atmospheric stability and relatively high hydride-ion conductivity. The correlation between anion composition, structure, hydride-ion conductive properties, and atmospheric stability in the hydride-fluoride system was elucidated. The doping of fluoride ions at hydrogen sites resulted in high atmospheric stabilities while retaining hydride-ion conductivities of SrMgH2F2 and SrMgHF3 of 3.4 × 10− 4 and 1.4 × 10− 4 S cm− 1 at 400°C, respectively. For SrMgHF3, in particular, 84% ionic conductivity was retained after exposure to the atmosphere. Hydride-fluoride systems enable the balancing of the ionic conductivity and atmospheric stability by controlling the H/F ratio. Our findings provide insight for use in effective material design to expand the use of metal hydrides in practical solid electrolytes for use in hydride-ion-driven devices.
Heat transfer performance and prediction of open pulsating heat pipe for self-cooling cutting tool
Authors: Wu Ze , Bao Hang , Xing Youqiang , Liu Lei
Published: May 2022

The pulsating heat pipe (PHP) can be used to transfer massive heat to reduce the thermal damage to the cutting tool when machining difficult-to-cut materials. To select a better open PHP, the heat transfer performance was experimentally investigated in this study. The operating characteristics of different types of working fluids under different heat flux were analyzed compared with the closed PHP. Visual experiments were established to verify the experimental characteristics. The effects of heat flux, length, ratio of inner/outer diameter, and inclination angle on equivalent thermal resistance were analyzed. Based on the experimental data and four boosting integrating learning methods, a model for heat transfer performance prediction was proposed. The prediction model based on the CatBoost method had better goodness-of-fit and the best prediction effect. The R2, MAPE, and RMSE of the validation set were the best, which are 0.9258, 7.2564, and 0.1057 respectively. In addition, the contribution of input parameters to the output results was evaluated, while L, Di/Do, and Pr were the top three variables. Sub-tree structures used to explain the prediction model were also presented. This proposed prediction model can be used to select the most suitable open PHP before designing PHP self-cooling tools.
Further development of the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS): standardized version and scoring system
Authors: Flôres Fábio Saraiva , Rodrigues Luis Paulo , Cordovil Rita
Published: May 2022

Mapping and evaluating regular contexts that schoolchildren attend is of great importance to understanding motor behavior. This communication aims to present the scoring system and standardization of the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS), recently presented to the scientific and educational community. The AMBS was developed to assess children’s interdependent systems, such as home, school, and sports activities, that can influence 6 to 10-year-olds ’ motor development, motor learning, and motor competence. The questionnaire was completed by 377 Brazilian families. Raw scores of each of the three sub-scales (Home, Materials, and School) can be transformed into standard scores, ranging from very low to very high. The AMBS total raw score is a result of the sum of the three sub-scales standard scores and can be classified into three categories, ranging from a low to a high AMBS. We expect that raw and standard scores of the AMBS can be used by researchers, parents, and clinical/education professionals to assess children’s affordances for motor behavior.
Olverembatinib (HQP1351), a highly safe and effective tyrosine kinase inhibitor for patients with T315I-mutated chronic myeloid leukemia: results of an open-label, multicenter phase 1/2 trial
Authors: Jiang Qian , Li Zongru , Qin Yazhen , Li Weiming , Xu Na , Liu Bingcheng , Zhang Yanli , Meng Li , Zhu Huanling , Du Xin , Chen Suning , Liang Yang , Hu Yu , Liu Xiaoli , Song Yongping , Men Lichuang , Chen Zi , Niu Qian , Wang Hengbang , Lu Ming , Zhai Yifan , Yang Dajun , Huang Xiaojun
Published: May 2022

Background BCR-ABL1T315I mutations confer resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Olverembatinib is a new potent BCR-ABL1 TKI with preclinical activity against T315I-mutated CML. In phase 1/2 studies, we explored the safety and efficacy of olverembatinib in Chinese adults with TKI-resistant CML in the chronic phase (CML-CP) and accelerated phase (CML-AP).Methods In the phase 1 study, olverembatinib was orally administered once every other day in 28-day cycles at 11 dose cohorts ranging from 1 to 60 mg, and we evaluated the maximum tolerated dose, recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D), safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of olverembatinib. In the phase 2 studies, olverembatinib was administered at the RP2D of 40 mg orally on alternate days for 28-day cycles. The primary outcome measure is major cytogenetic response (MCyR) and major hematologic response by the end of Cycle 12 in CML-CP and CML-AP, respectively. Fine and Gray's hazard models were used to identify covariates associated with responses. ResultsA total of 165 patients (> 80.0% of whom had received ≥ 2 TKIs) were enrolled in this study. Among 127 patients with CML-CP, the 3-year cumulative incidences of achieving MCyR, complete cytogenetic response (CCyR), major molecular response (MMR), MR4.0, and MR4.5 were 79.0%, 69.0%, 56.0%, 44.0%, and 39.0%, respectively. The highest response rates were observed in patients with a single T315I mutation. Among 38 patients with CML-AP, the 3-year cumulative incidences of achieving MCyR, CCyR, MMR, MR4.0, and MR4.5 were 47.4%, 47.4%, 44.7%, 39.3%, and 32.1%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, baseline BCR-ABL1 mutation status was significantly associated with cytogenetic and molecular responses. Common treatment-related adverse events included skin hyperpigmentation, hypertriglyceridemia, proteinuria, and severe thrombocytopenia.Conclusions Olverembatinib was well tolerated, with significant antileukemic activity in adults with TKI-resistant CML-CP and CML-AP, especially those with the T315I mutation.Trial registration The phase 1 trial is registered at CTR20220566, and the two single-arm, open-label phase 2 studies are registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03883087 (CML-CP) and NCT03883100 (CML-AP).
3D Bi-layered hydrogel and nanofiber multifunctional sponge dressing: an efficacious healing agent for chronic and deep open wounds
Authors: K Nanditha C. , Shah Manan Rakesh , Priya P , Harikrishnan K , Kumar G. S.Vinod
Published: May 2022

Chronic wound management using biomaterials-based dressings have made a significant impact on improving the standard and efficiency of wound healing. However, various available wound healing aids are ineffective in treating deep open injuries and chronic wounds like diabetic wounds. This study developed a 3D bi-layered hydrogel and nanofiber multifunctional sponge, which addresses the structural and functional issues faced by biomaterial dressings in treating deep and chronic wounds. The layered sponge consists of a hydrogel base functionalised with wound healing peptide carrying nanoparticles and topped with nanofiber layer functionalised with antimicrobial peptide. The 3D bi-layered sponge with its highly porous, elastic and enhanced fluid absorption ability makes it a suitable wound treatment aid. The developed multifunctional 3D-sponge shows antibacterial action and promotes a micro-environment similar to the Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM) in regulating dermal cell survival and migration. Study in full-thickness skin defect diabetic mouse model has shown that developed 3D bi-layered sponge accelerates wound closure and promotes functional skin regeneration. Enhanced diabetic wound healing through reduced inflammation, faster granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialisation, neo-vascularisation, and skin appendage restoration make this 3D bi-layered multifunctional sponge an efficient and advanced chronic wound management aid with potential for future clinical application.
Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds contain a highly stable trypsin inhibitor with potential for bacterial management alone or in drug combination therapy with oxacillin
Authors: de Souza Adson Ávila , Lima Adrianne Maia , de Sousa Daniele de Oliveira Bezerra , Nogueira Francisca Cristiane , Neto José Carlos do Sacramento , Dias Lucas Pinheiro , Araújo Nadine Monteiro Salgueiro , Nagano Celso Shiniti , Júnior Hélio Vitoriano Nobre , Silva Cecília Rocha da , Sá Lívia Gurgel do Amaral Valente , Neto João Batista Andrade , Barroso Fátima Daiana Dias , de Moraes Maria Elisabete Amaral , de Oliveira Hermógenes David
Published: May 2022

The emergence of antibiotic resistance poses a serious and challenging threat to healthcare systems, making it imperative to discover novel therapeutic options. This work reports the isolation and characterization of a thermostable trypsin inhibitor from chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds, with antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus sensitive and resistant to methicillin. The trypsin inhibitor ShTI was purified from chia seeds through crude extract heat treatment, followed by affinity and reversed-phase chromatography. Tricine-SDS–PAGE revealed a single glycoprotein band of ~11 kDa under nonreducing conditions, confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis (11.558 kDa). ShTI was remarkably stable under high temperatures (100 °C; 120 min.) and a broad pH range (2 – 10; 30 min.). Upon exposure to DTT (0.1 M; 120 min.), ShTI antitrypsin activity was partially lost (~ 38%), indicating the participation of disulfide bridges in its structure. ShTI is a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 1.79 x 10-8 M; IC50 = 1.74 x 10-8 M) that forms a 1:1 stoichiometry ratio for the ShTI: trypsin complex. ShTI displayed antibacterial activity alone (MICs range from 15.83 to 19.03 µM) and in drug combination with oxacillin (FICI range from 0.20 to 0.33) against strains of S. aureus, including methicillin-resistant strains. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species and plasma membrane pore formation are involved in the antibacterial action mode of ShTI. Overall, ShTI represents a novel candidate for use as a therapeutic agent for the bacterial management of S. aureus infections.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Thai version of the Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis (FIHOA)
Authors: Suwannaphisit Sitthiphong , Tangtrakulwanich Boonsin , Suwanno Porames , Sinnathakorn Nitiphoom , Maheu Emmanuel
Published: May 2022

Background: The Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis (FIHOA) is a simple tool to assess functional impairment for hand OA patients. The purpose of this study was to translate the FIHOA into the Thai language, and validate it in Thai hand OA patients.Methods: The FIHOA was translated into Thai (T-FIHOA) according to the principles of cross-cultural adaptation and administered to 102 hand OA patients recruited between September 2020 and July 2021 together with the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire (mHAQ), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), and visual analogue scale (VAS) for hand pain. Spearman’s correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to check the test-retest reliability of each item and the total scores in the translated questionnaire. The internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. The external construct validity was assessed using correlations between the T-FIHOA, mHAQ, DASH and hand pain VAS. Results: The T-FIHOA had a unidimensional structure. The ICC was > 0.9 and the Cronbach’s alpha of 0.92 indicated excellent reliability and internal consistency, respectively. The external validity tests indicated moderate correlation with the hand pain VAS (r = 0.37, P < 0.01) and moderate to strong correlations with the mHAQ (r = 0.63, P < 0.01), and DASH score (r = 0.52, P < 0.01). The T-FIHOA had the highest ES and SRM (- 0.37 and -0.58 respectively) among all questionnaires except for the VAS when assessing changes between baseline and week 4.Conclusions: The T-FIHOA is a good and reliable assessment tool freely available for practitioners/researchers to evaluate functional impairment in Thai hand OA patients.
Viral Inhibitory potential of Hyoscyamine in Japanese Encephalitis virus infected Embryonated Chick involving multiple signaling pathways
Authors: Bhattacharjee Arghyadeep , Naga Rahul , SAHA MANISH , ROY SOUVIK
Published: May 2022

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is the leading cause of viral encephalitis worldwide. Emergence of new genotypes of the virus and increased rate of mutation demands for alternatives that can fight against this deadly pathogen. Although the anti-viral property of Atropa belladonna and its active components such as Atropine, Scopolamine has been studied, yet the role of its another important component hyoscyamine against JEV has not yet been established till date. Thus our current study is focussed to investigate the protective effects of hyoscyamine against JEV and its immunomodulatory function in embryonated chick. Pre-treatment with hyoscyamine sulphate indicated significant decrease in viral load in both CAM and brain tissues after 48 hour and 96 hour (post infection). Insilico studies showed stable binding and interaction between hyoscyamine and NS5 (non structural protein 5) making it an effective compound against the virus. Embryonated eggs pre-treated with hyoscyamine sulphate showed upregulation of TLR3, TLR7, TLR8, IL-4, IL-10 as well as interferons and the regulatory factors. Hyoscyamine sulphate caused significant downregulation of TLR4 as compared to other experimental groups as analysed by one-way ANOVA. Hence our study demonstrated the protective function of hyoscyamine in controlling JEV viral replication and its dissemination to brain that may emerge as a promising therapy against JEV in future.
Tailored Magnetic Properties of a Double Tetrahedral Molecule with Mixed (1, ½) Spin
Authors: Hafidi Mohamed El , Bakas Said Id
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we study the magnetic properties of a molecule composed of two inverted spin-½ tetrahedra sharing their common vertex via a spin-1. We achieve an exact resolution using the Heisenberg model. As long as the exchange couplings are predominantly ferromagnetic, the spin structure is fully saturated and behaves like a large spin-4 unique magnet. Antiferromagnetic coupling can strongly frustrate the spins of the nanodevice. This may lead to several exotic phenomena. Therefore, the magnetization can be quantified into plateaus separated by quantum phase transitions. The work is intended to inspire researchers to develop molecular magnets as a basis for innovative nanoscale engineering applications.
On Asymptotic Behavior of a Bi-jensen Functiona Equation
Authors: Bae Jae-Hyeong , Tareeghee Mohammad Amin , Najati Abbas
Published: May 2022

See manuscript PDF for complete Abstract:In this paper, we give some properties of the bi-Jensen functional equation \[4f\left(\frac{x+y}{2}, \frac{z+w}{2}\right)=f(x,z)+ f(x,w)+ f(y,z)+ f(y,w)\] and the Hyers-Ulam stability is investigated. Also, we establish the Hyers-Ulam stability of the bi-Jensen functional equation on some restricted domains. Finally, we apply the obtained results to study some of interesting asymptotic behaviors of bi-Jensen functions.
Spectroscopic characterization, virtual drug designing, quantum and optoelectronics properties of Schiff base metal (II) complexes
Authors: Choudhary Mukesh , . Aprajita
Published: May 2022

This work is concerned with a combined approach to study the design of three transition metal complexes (platinum (II)/, copper (II)/ and nickel (II)) of 1-(E-(2, 4-dibromophenylimino) methyl) naphthalene-2-ol (HL) ligand, which were virtually designed in silico evaluation as efficient candidates for drug discovery applications. The mono deprotonated (L) ligand act as a bidentate coordinated to transition metal ions through the N and O donor atoms. The studied complexes have been physico-chemically characterized. The structure of the metal (II) complexes analysed through spectral data showed four coordinated tetrahedral complexes with 1:2 (metal: ligand) stoichiometry. The values of quantum yield and fluorescence intensity of metal (II) complexes were found to be more in comparison to HL. The preliminary tests were also conducted and reported in the theoretical biological activities. The photophysical and optical properties of the titled complexes was also incorporated in the study. Furthermore, the quantum computational methods are used for the calculation of linear polarizability, nonlinear optical polarizability, which shows the synthesized complexes as effective NLO materials. Frontier molecular orbitals, total density of state and partial density of state are also studied. Thus, we hope that the present study will provoke not only the interest of material chemists in materials designing but also incite the drug designing community within the medicinal chemistry.
Editorial
Authors: Sawsen Lakhal , Cleveland-Innes Martha
Published: May 2022

We are pleased to publish the final 2021 issue of CJLT/RCAT which includes five empirical articles and a book review. Articles focus on teacher professional development and the use of technology in teaching and learning in elementary, secondary, and higher education.
Collectively, CJLT Volume 47 Issue 3, 2021 brings together research findings from Africa (Tunisia, Kenya, and Nigeria), Asia (India), and Canada in primary, secondary, and higher education. CJLT has supported the advancement of research on teaching and learning with digital technologies in Canada and around the world and will continue to do so in the coming years. We hope that you will find in our journal some answers to the many questions that have arisen from the pedagogical transformations that have been necessary over the past two years to adapt to the pandemic context, and which open the door to pedagogical innovations in the future.
We sincerely thank our reviewers for their time in reviewing the manuscripts.