bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subway Tunnel Construction Settlement Analysis Based on the Combination of Numerical Simulation and Neural Network
Authors: Ma Qiangqiang , Li Wentao , Zhang Yongjun
Published: October 2021

Under the background of rapid economic development and the continuous expansion of city size, people’s travel is deeply troubled by the problem of urban traffic congestion. Subway is an effective way to relieve traffic pressure and plays an important role in its use. In the process of building the city subway, the excavation of the underground tunnel is the most critical. However, the excavation of the tunnel will inevitably disturb the nearby soil, change the stratum stress conditions, and make the stress distribution uneven. If the surface settlement is too large, it will not only affect the normal construction of the tunnel but also cause damage to the surrounding buildings (structures), roads, underground pipelines, and so on, resulting in very serious malignant consequences. In this study, Cuobuling Station is taken as a case study. First, the construction status of the subway tunnel in the station is analyzed, and then the monitoring results are analyzed. According to the cross-section settlement law, the numerical simulation and neural network are used to build a model, calculate the numerical simulation results, and carry out a risk assessment of regression model. Finally, combined with the tunnel construction situation of the station, according to the risk assessment results, the concrete measures are put forward to deal with the subway tunnel construction settlement problem.
The Formation of Melanocyte Apoptotic Bodies in Vitiligo and the Relocation of Vitiligo Autoantigens under Oxidative Stress
Authors: Tian Jun , Wang Yaojun , Ding Ming , Zhang Yue , Chi Jiaoni , Wang Tao , Jiao Bin , Jian Zhe , Yi Xiuli , Huang Ye , Liu Ling , Li Kai , Chen Jiaxi , Wang Gang , Gao Tianwen , Li Chunying , Li Qiang
Published: October 2021

Background. Oxidative stress has a vital role in the early stages of vitiligo. Autoantigens released from apoptotic melanocytes (MC) under oxidative stress are involved in the presentation and recognition of antigens. However, the transport of autoantigens to the cell surface and their release to the extracellular environment are still unclear. Apoptotic bodies (ABs) have always been considered as a key source of immunomodulators and autoantigens. Yet, the role of ABs in the immune mechanism of vitiligo is still unknown. Purpose. To explore whether MC’s autoantigens translocate into ABs during oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis and study the molecular mechanisms underlying autoantigen migration and AB formation. Methods. PIG3V (an immortalized human vitiligo melanocyte cell line) were treated with H2O2, and ABs were separated. Transmission electron microscopy, flow cytometry, Western blot, mass spectrometry, and other methods were used to determine the relocation of specific antigens in PIG3V cells to ABs. After pretreatment with specific inhibitors (Rho kinase (Y‐27632), myosin light chain kinase (MLCK, ML‐9), pan‐caspase (zVAD‐FMK), and JNK (SP600125)), the pathway of autoantigen translocation into ABs and the formation of apoptotic bodies were determined. Results. When treated with 0.8 mM H2O2, ABs were released from these cells. Autoantigens such as tyrosinase‐related protein 1 (TYRP‐1) and cleavage nuclear membrane antigen Lamin A/C (Asp230) were concentrated in ABs. The expression of autoantigens and the formation of ABs increased in a time‐ and dose‐dependent manner after treatment with H2O2, while the application of specific inhibitors inhibited the formation of apoptotic bodies, i.e., the expression of antigens. Conclusion. Vitiligo autoantigens translocate into ABs in the process of apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. The cytoskeletal protein activation pathway and the JNK‐related apoptosis pathway are involved in the transport of autoantigens and the formation of ABs. ABs may be the key bridge between MC cell apoptosis and cellular immunity.
A Method of Recommending Physical Education Network Course Resources Based on Collaborative Filtering Technology
Authors: Zhang Zhihao
Published: October 2021

Through the current research on e-learning, it is found that the present e-learning system applied to the recommendation activities of learning resources has only two search methods: Top-N and keywords. These search methods cannot effectively recommend learning resources to learners. Therefore, the collaborative filtering recommendation technology is applied, in this paper, to the process of personalized recommendation of learning resources. We obtain user content and functional interest and predict the comprehensive interest of web and big data through an infinite deep neural network. Based on the collaborative knowledge graph and the collaborative filtering algorithm, the semantic information of teaching network resources is extracted from the collaborative knowledge graph. According to the principles of the nearest neighbor recommendation, the course attribute value preference matrix (APM) is obtained first. Next, the course-predicted values are sorted in descending order, and the top T courses with the highest predicted values are selected as the final recommended course set for the target learners. Each course has its own online classroom; the teacher will publish online class details ahead of time, and students can purchase online access to the classroom number and password. The experimental results show that the optimal number of clusters k is 9. Furthermore, for extremely sparse matrices, the collaborative filtering technique method is more suitable for clustering in the transformed low-dimensional space. The average recommendation satisfaction degree of collaborative filtering technology method is approximately 43.6%, which demonstrates high recommendation quality.
Efficacy of Three Renal Replacement Therapy Modalities for the Treatment of Acute Kidney Injury Caused by Wasp Sting
Authors: Li Fugang , Liu Li , Chen Dezheng , Zhang Yong , Wang Mingli , Zhou Dongmei , Peng Li , Lin Wujun
Published: October 2021

Background/Aim: This study mainly aimed to explore the therapeutic effects of 3 renal replacement therapy (RRT) modalities on acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by wasp stings. Methods: A retrospective study from September 2016 to December 2019 was conducted. Thirty-one patients with AKIs caused by wasp sting were selected and divided into 3 groups according to the initial RRT modality received, namely, (1) the intermittent hemodialysis combined with hemoperfusion (IHD + HP) group, (2) the continuous veno-venous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) group, and (3) the CVVHDF combined with HP (CVVHDF + HP) group. The laboratory results were measured and analyzed before treatment on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th days of treatment. The renal function outcomes and survival of the patients were investigated at 3 months follow-up. Results: The laboratory results of enzyme measures and inflammatory indicators in wasp sting patients increased significantly in the early stage and 3 RRT modalities were effective in reducing these indicators. In addition, continuous RRT modality (CVVHDF and CVVHDF + HP) showed better clearance of myoglobin than IHD + HP. The serum creatinine levels of patients in the 3 groups did not recover to baseline within 14 days after beginning treatment. Nevertheless, the CVVHDF + HP group was better than the CVVHDF group, and CVVHDF was better than the IHD + HP group on the 3rd day. The interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-10 levels in CVVHDF + HP and IHD + HP groups were obviously lower than those in the CVVHDF group on the 3rd day. In the follow-up study, the recovery rate of renal function in CVVHDF and CVVHDF + HP groups was significantly better than that in the IHD + HP group. Conclusion: Early RRT was effective in the treatment of patients with A KI caused by wasp sting. CVVHDF + HP and CVVHDF modalities were better than the IHD + HP group in venom clearance and renal function recovery.
Effects of Rhythmic Interventions on Cognitive Abilities in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Roesch Anne Dorothée , Gschwandtner Ute , Handabaka Ivana , Meyer Antonia , Taub Ethan , Fuhr Peter
Published: October 2021

Objective: The objective of this study is to compare 2 different rhythmic, high-intensive interventions, that is, rhythmic speech-language therapy (rSLT) versus rhythmic balance-mobility training (rBMT), against a no-therapy (NT) condition in patients with Parkinson’s disease and against healthy controls (HCs) with regard to the change in or enhancement of cognitive abilities. Methods: The 4 groups (rSLT: N = 16; rBMT: N = 10; NT: N = 18; and HC: N = 17) were matched for age, sex, and educational level and were tested in 6 cognitive domains: working memory, executive function, visuo-construction, episodic memory, attention, and word retrieval. Assessments took place at baseline, at 4 weeks (T1), and at 6 months (T2). Rhythmic interventions were provided 3 times per week for 4 weeks in total. To analyze true intervention effects between groups and across time, statistical analyses included reliable change index. Intergroup differences were assessed with multivariate assessment of variance, while differences within groups were assessed with 95% confidence intervals of mean difference. Results: The rSLT improved working memory and word retrieval (p < 0.05), possibly a beneficial transfer effect of the training method per se. In contrast, the NT group worsened in phonemic and semantic shifting (p < 0.01). Observed improvements in flexibility and in episodic memory in the HC may be linked to training effects of retesting. Conclusions: Rhythmic cues are resistant to neurodegeneration and have a strong motivating factor. As thus, these may facilitate high-intensive and demanding training. Although both trainings were superior to NT, the improvement of cognitive abilities depends on the specific training method. Further, therapy may be more effective when delivered by a therapist rather than by an impersonal computer program.
Drug Adherence and Persistence of Patients with Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Treated with Biologic Medications in a US Commercially Insured Population
Authors: Xu Chang , Teeple Amanda , Wu Bingcao , Fitzgerald Timothy , Feldman Steven R.
Published: October 2021

Background: Adalimumab (ADA), certolizumab pegol (CER), etanercept (ETA), guselkumab (GUS), ixekizumab (IXE), secukinumab (SEC), and ustekinumab (UST) are biologic medications approved in the USA for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. We examined drug adherence and persistence of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis who initiated these seven biologic medications. Methods: Adult patients with ≥1 pharmacy/medical claim for any of the seven psoriasis medications and ≥1 diagnosis of psoriasis in the previous 6 months between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2019 were selected from the IBM MarketScan® Commercial Claims and Encounters Database. The index date was defined as the date of the first prescription fill. Patients were required to have continuous health plan enrollment during the 6 months prior to their index date and ≥9 months after. Patients were grouped into seven study cohorts based upon their index biologic medication. Adherence was measured using the proportion of days covered (PDC) and defined by a PDC ≥80%. Adherence and persistence with index biologic medications were examined during fixed follow-up periods of 3, 6, and 9 months, with a subpopulation analysis carried out among patients with 12 months of follow-up. Results: Among psoriasis patients with ≥9 months of continuous enrollment included in the study population, the number of those who initiated each biologic medication was 10,324 for ADA, 431 for CER, 3,092 for ETA, 821 for GUS, 1,766 for IXE, 4,132 for SEC, and 5,441 for UST. The mean age at the time of initiating biologic treatment was 46.9 years. During the 9-month follow-up period, the proportions of adherent patients (i.e., PDC ≥80%) were numerically higher among those treated with UST (59.9%) and GUS (56.9%), followed by those treated with SEC (46.1%), IXE (45.5%), ADA (44.7%), ETA (33.9%), and CER (22.0%). The proportions of patients who were persistent with their index biologic medication during the 9-month follow-up period were numerically higher among those treated with UST (70.1%) and GUS (67.8%), followed by those treated with IXE (47.3%), SEC (46.9%), ADA (28.7%), CER (14.8%), and ETA (10.7%). Conclusions: In this large healthcare claims database analysis of psoriasis patients treated with seven different biologic medications, adherence was numerically higher among those treated with UST or GUS. UST and GUS were also associated with numerically greater persistence.
The Value of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses in Surgery
Authors: Knight Simon R.
Published: October 2021

Background: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are generally regarded as sitting atop the hierarchy of clinical evidence. The unbiased summary of current evidence that a systematic review provides, along with the increased statistical power from larger numbers of patients, is invaluable in guiding clinical decision-making and development of practice guidelines. Surgical specialties have historically lagged behind other areas of medicine in the application of evidence-based medicine, perhaps due to the unique challenges faced in the conduct of surgical clinical trials. These challenges extend to the conduct of systematic reviews, due to issues with the quality and heterogeneity of the underlying literature. Summary: Recent years have seen an improvement in the quality of randomized controlled trials in surgical topics and an explosion in the publication of systematic reviews. This review explores recent trends in systematic reviews in surgery and discussed some of the aspects in conducting and interpreting reviews that are unique to surgical topics, including blinding, surgical heterogeneity and learning curves, patient and clinician preference, and industry involvement. Key Messages: Clinical trials, and therefore systematic reviews, of surgical interventions pose unique challenges which are important to consider when conducting them or applying the findings to clinical practice. Despite the challenges, systematic reviews still represent the best level of evidence for development of surgical practice guidelines.
A Preclinical Feasibility Study of Endoscopic Barostat: A Possible Diagnostic Tool for Visceral Hypersensitivity in Functional Dyspepsia
Authors: Ushimaru Yuki , Masaoka Tatsuhiro , Matsuura Noriko , Yamasaki Yasushi , Takeuchi Yoji , Yamashita Kotaro , Saito Takuro , Tanaka Koji , Yamamoto Kazuyoshi , Makino Tomoki , Takahashi Tsuyoshi , Kurokawa Yukinori , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Doki Yuichiro , Nakajima Kiyokazu
Published: October 2021

Introduction: Diagnosing functional dyspepsia requires excluding organic disease and gastrointestinal function evaluation; however, there are no modalities to evaluate these simultaneously. This preclinical study examined the possibility of an endoscopic barostat. Methods: Ultrathin endoscopy and our newly developed pressure-regulated endoscopic insufflator, which insufflates the gastrointestinal tract until the preset pressure is achieved, were used. The actual intragastric pressure was measured using an optical fiber manometer placed in the stomach. Experiment-1: in an ex vivo experiment, we insufflated the isolated stomach and verified whether the intragastric pressure reached the preset pressure. Experiment-2: we inserted the endoscope orally in a porcine stomach, insufflated the stomach, and verified whether the intragastric pressure reached the preset pressure. Finally, we insufflated the stomach at a random pressure to verify the functional tests for proof-of-concept. Results: Experiment-1: the intragastric pressure reached the preset pressure. After reaching the plateau, the pressure remained stable at the preset pressure (Huber M value: 1.015, regression line: 0.988, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.994–0.994). Experiment-2: the intragastric pressure reached the preset pressure. After reaching the plateau, the pressure remained stable at the preset pressure (Huber M value: 1.018, regression line: 0.971, 95% CI: 0.985–0.986). At randomly preset pressures, the transendoscopic theoretical intragastric pressure detected by using the insufflator was correlated with the actual pressure measured by using the pressure manometer. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept study shows that a pressure-regulated endoscopic insufflator provides stable intragastric pressure at the preset level, with the potential of an endoscopic barostat to assess the visceral hypersensitivity related to functional dyspepsia.
Exercícios de resolução de equações diferenciais com séries de potências
Authors:   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Linares Juan López
Published: October 2021

Este é o primeiro livro eletrônico do autor dedicado à resolução de exercícios do curso de Cálculo IV da FZEA-USP. A obra apresenta e promove uma discussão detalhada de mais de vinte questões aplicadas na resolução de equações diferenciais ordinárias pelo método das séries de potências. O texto conta com dezenove figuras que facilitam, ao leitor, acompanhar as soluções. Muitos dos problemas têm como complemento gráficos interativos no site do Geogebra e vídeos no YouTube. O conteúdo é organizado em quatro capítulos: Séries de Taylor e Maclaurin, Resolução de equações diferenciais perto de um ponto ordinário, Equação de Cauchy Euler e Resolução de equações diferenciais perto de um ponto singular regular. A proposta do autor é que a obra possa, de fato, ser lida e estudada por estudantes dos primeiros anos de cursos de Engenharias.
Construção e validação de modelo lógico para Centros Especializados em Reabilitação
Authors: Valentim Regis de Souza , Dantas Thaissa Hamana de Macedo , Machado Flavia Christiane de Azevedo , Araújo Camilla Medeiros , Silva Marilene Soares da , Castaneda Luciana , Dantas Diego
Published: October 2021

OBJETIVO Construir e validar um modelo lógico para a atenção nos Centros Especializados em Reabilitação (CER) a partir da análise do processo de trabalho e de questões organizativas de centros do Rio Grande do Norte. MÉTODOS Estudo metodológico desenvolvido em três etapas: 1) estudo documental de legislações e portarias relacionadas ao serviço de saúde e à Rede de Cuidados à Pessoa com Deficiência (RCPD); 2) realização de grupos focais, com estudo censitário dos CER do Rio Grande do Norte, para compreender e avaliar o cotidiano do serviço; e 3) sistematização das informações coletadas e, por fim, proposição e validação do modelo lógico avaliativo. RESULTADOS O modelo englobou cinco categorias centrais do processo de trabalho e organizacional: “demandas”, “recursos” (insumos, financeiros e força de trabalho), “processos”, “produtos e resultados” e “missão, valores e fatores externos”. CONCLUSÃO O modelo lógico construído foi adequado para representação gráfica do processo de trabalho e questões organizativas dos CER. Evidenciou-se que o funcionamento dos serviços está alinhado com as normativas. Contudo, ainda há lacunas organizacionais que precisam ser abordadas a fim de melhorar a resolutividade do serviço e a articulação com outros pontos da rede.
Recent Advances on the Genetics of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection
Authors: Amrani-Midoun Asma , Adlam David , Bouatia-Naji Nabila
Published: October 2021

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) has been acknowledged as a significant cause of acute myocardial infarction, predominantly in young to middle-aged women. SCAD often occurs in patients with fewer cardiovascular risk factors than atherosclerotic acute myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, SCAD remains underdiagnosed due to a lack of awareness among health care providers leading to misdiagnosis. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of SCAD are not well understood. SCAD occurring in members of the same family has been described, suggesting a potentially identifiable genetically triggered cause in at least some cases. However, thus far, the search for highly penetrant mutations in candidate pathways has had a low yield, often pointing to genes involved in other clinically undiagnosed hereditary syndromes manifesting as SCAD. Recent exploratory efforts using exome sequencing and genome-wide association studies have provided several interesting leads toward understanding the pathogenesis of SCAD. Here, we review recent publications where rare and common genetic factors were reported to associate with a predisposition to SCAD and indicate suggestions for the future strategies and approaches needed to fully address the genetic basis of this intriguing and atypical cause of acute myocardial infarction.
Semisupervised Ordinal Regression Based on Empirical Risk Minimization
Authors: Tsuchiya Taira , Charoenphakdee Nontawat , Sato Issei , Sugiyama Masashi
Published: October 2021

Ordinal regression is aimed at predicting an ordinal class label. In this letter, we consider its semisupervised formulation, in which we have unlabeled data along with ordinal-labeled data to train an ordinal regressor. There are several metrics to evaluate the performance of ordinal regression, such as the mean absolute error, mean zero-one error, and mean squared error. However, the existing studies do not take the evaluation metric into account, restrict model choice, and have no theoretical guarantee. To overcome these problems, we propose a novel generic framework for semisupervised ordinal regression based on the empirical risk minimization principle that is applicable to optimizing all of the metrics mentioned above. In addition, our framework has flexible choices of models, surrogate losses, and optimization algorithms without the common geometric assumption on unlabeled data such as the cluster assumption or manifold assumption. We provide an estimation error bound to show that our risk estimator is consistent. Finally, we conduct experiments to show the usefulness of our framework.
Spatial Attention Enhances Crowded Stimulus Encoding Across Modeled Receptive Fields by Increasing Redundancy of Feature Representations
Authors: Theiss Justin D. , Bowen Joel D. , Silver Michael A.
Published: October 2021

Any visual system, biological or artificial, must make a trade-off between the number of units used to represent the visual environment and the spatial resolution of the sampling array. Humans and some other animals are able to allocate attention to spatial locations to reconfigure the sampling array of receptive fields (RFs), thereby enhancing the spatial resolution of representations without changing the overall number of sampling units. Here, we examine how representations of visual features in a fully convolutional neural network interact and interfere with each other in an eccentricity-dependent RF pooling array and how these interactions are influenced by dynamic changes in spatial resolution across the array. We study these feature interactions within the framework of visual crowding, a well-characterized perceptual phenomenon in which target objects in the visual periphery that are easily identified in isolation are much more difficult to identify when flanked by similar nearby objects. By separately simulating effects of spatial attention on RF size and on the density of the pooling array, we demonstrate that the increase in RF density due to attention is more beneficial than changes in RF size for enhancing target classification for crowded stimuli. Furthermore, by varying target/flanker spacing, as well as the spatial extent of attention, we find that feature redundancy across RFs has more influence on target classification than the fidelity of the feature representations themselves. Based on these findings, we propose a candidate mechanism by which spatial attention relieves visual crowding through enhanced feature redundancy that is mostly due to increased RF density.
Girolamo Mei’s Interpretation of Tragic Katharsis as Culmination of His Aesthetic Thought
Authors: Tsugami Eske
Published: October 2021

Girolamo Mei (1519–94) is known in the history of Western music as a humanist who stimulated the birth of the operatic form by his description of ancient tragedy. According to him, it was a wholly musical drama, with all the words sung from beginning to end. However, scholars have been silent about the details of his thought, including the way he conceived tragedy. As a result, the birth of opera has often been considered to be a product of a misunderstanding. However, his interpretation of the form of tragedy is firmly based on the words of Aristotle’s Poetics. It follows from this that his picture of ancient tragedy is a proper one. This paper deals with Mei’s intepretation of tragic katharsis, which corroborates and also is corroborated by his view of ancient tragedy and music, and which at the same time is the culmination of his aesthetic thought.
A Cultural Synaesthesia from the Prism of Raphael’s “School of Athens”: Visual Art, Music, Philosophy
Authors: Masliakova Anna
Published: October 2021

Understanding cultural practices including music from the visual may look like a daring endeavour. To disclose the synaesthetic relationships between such practices, this article offers a nomadic journey through different interpretive aspects of the visual arts, music history and even philosophy, starting from the prism of Raphael’s famous fresco “The School of Athens” (1509–1511).
Dipcadi janae-shrirangii (Asparagaceae), a new species from the lateritic plateaus of Konkan region of Maharashtra, India
Authors: CHANDORE ARUN NIVRUTTI , BORUDE DEVIDAS BHAUSAHEB , BHALEKAR PARESH PANDHARINATH , MADHAV NILESH APPASO , GOSAVI KUMAR VINOD CHHOTUPURI
Published: October 2021

Dipcadi janae-shrirangii is described and illustrated as a new species from the lateritic plateaus of Konkan region of Maharashtra, India. The new species is allied to the D. concanense (Dalzell) Baker, but differ in its small flowers and perianth tube as long as the lobes. Coloured photographs, illustrations of new species and key to the Indian species of Dipcadi having shiny white flowers and brownish black seeds are provided to facilitate the identification.
New species and host plant records for Neotropical Rhagoletis Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae)
Authors: RODRIGUEZ PEDRO ALEXANDER , NORRBOM ALLEN L. , CAICEDO GUADALUPE , PEÑARANDA EMILIO ARÉVALO , BALSEIRO FRANCISCO
Published: October 2021

Rhagoletis antioquiensis Rodriguez & Norrbom, a new species of fruit fly in the striatella species group of Rhagoletis Loew, is described and illustrated. New distribution records are reported for two other species of the striatella group: R. nicaraguensis Hernández-Ortiz & Frías, 2000 is reported from Costa Rica, and R. solanophaga Hernández-Ortiz & Frías, 2000 from Bolivia. A lectotype is designated for Urophora scutellaris Macquart, 1851 (= R. macquartii (Loew)). New host plant relationships for three species of Rhagoletis, all reared from fruits, are reported: Acnistus arborescens (L.) Schrtdl. and Witheringia solanacea L’Her for R. jamaicensis Foote, 1981 from Colombia; Lycianthes pseudolycioides (Chod. & Hassl.) Bitter for R. solanophaga from Bolivia; and Solanum pseudocapsicum L., Solanum tuberosum L. subsp. andigenum (Juz. & Burkasov) Hawkes, Solanum interandinum Bitter from Colombia and Solanum americanum Mill. in Peru for undetermined species of the psalida group. The key to species of the striatella group of Hernández-Ortiz & Frías (2000) is modified to include R. antioquiensis.
Nano-Particulated Erlotinib Compound System in Alleviation of Lung Cancer
Authors: Zhu Yiping , Shen Liwei , Zhou Yaozheng
Published: October 2021

To produce an effective nanoparticle-loaded delivery system for the tumor drug erlotinib for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) therapy, we loaded poly(lactic co glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles with erlotinib and used them to transport the drug to a target area. NCI-H1650 cells
were cultured to test the permeability, efficiency, and anti-tumor capacity of PLGA and polyethyleneimine (PEI) drug delivery systems, and an NSCLC mouse model was prepared to further test the anti-tumor efficiency of PLGA. In tests using NCI-H1650 cells, we found that PLGA could effectively
transport erlotinib into tumor cells, and release the loaded drug instantly. The infiltration efficiency was significantly higher than that of the PEI delivery system, and the same results were obtained in animal tests. PLGA-erlotinib could promote apoptosis and inhibit the migration of tumor
cells more effectively than PEI-erlotinib. In the NSCLC mouse model, PLGA could more effectively reduce the tumor volume and the extent of tumor markers than the PEI delivery system. Immune function was also better rescued with the use of the PLGA system. We concluded that PLGA-erlotinib may
be a good choice for lung cancer therapy in the future.
Research Progress in the Synthesis of Targeting Organelle Carbon Dots and Their Applications in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
Authors: Fan Jiangbo , Li Qiang , Chen Lin , Du Jinglei , Xue Wenqiang , Yu Shiping , Su Xiuqin , Yang Yongzhen
Published: October 2021

With increasing knowledge about diseases at the histological, cytological to sub-organelle level, targeting organelle therapy has gradually been envisioned as an approach to overcome the shortcomings of poor specificity and multiple toxic side effects on tissues and cell-level treatments using the currently available therapy. Organelle carbon dots (CDs) are a class of functionalized CDs that can target organelles. CDs can be prepared by a “synchronousin situsynthesis method” and “asynchronous modification method.” The superior optical properties and good biocompatibility of CDs can be preserved, and they can be used as targeting particles to carry drugs into cells while reducing leakage during transport. Given the excellent organelle fluorescence imaging properties, targeting organelle CDs can be used to monitor the physiological metabolism of organelles and progression of human diseases, which will provide advanced understanding and accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancers. This study reviews the methods used for preparation of targeting organelle CDs, mechanisms of accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment of cancer, as well as their application in the area of cancer diagnosis and treatment research. Finally, the current difficulties and prospects for targeting organelle CDs are prospected.
Photodynamic Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Using Chlorin e6-Loaded Poly(lactide-co-glycolide)- Based Nanoparticles
Authors: Lin Beibei , Xu Xuegu , Zhang Xiaobi , Yu Yinfei , Wang Xiaoling
Published: October 2021

We prepared poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) encapsulated with chlorin e6 (Ce6) in an effort to increase the stability and efficiency of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). We determined that Ce6-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (PLGA-Ce6 NPs) had drug-loading efficiency of 5%.
The efficiency of encapsulation was 82%, the zeta potential was- 25 mV, and the average diameter was 130 nm. The encapsulation of Ce6 in PLGA nanoparticles showed excellent stability. The nanoparticles exhibited sustained Ce6 release profiles with 50% released at the end of 3 days, whereas
free Ce6 showed rapid release within 1 day. Ce6 release patterns were controlled by encapsulation into PLGA. The uptake of PLGA-Ce6 NPs was significantly enhanced by endocytosis in the first 8 hours in the HCT-116 cell line. An intracellular reactive oxygen species assay revealed the enhanced
uptake of the nanoparticles. An in vitro anti-tumor activity assay showed that the PLGA-Ce6 NPs exhibited enhanced phototoxicity toward HCT-116 cells and a slightly lower IC50 value in HCT-116 cells than Ce6 solution alone. Exposure of HCT-116 cell spheroids to PLGA-Ce6 NPs
penetrated more profoundly and had better phototoxicity than pure drugs. These findings suggest that PLGA-Ce6 NPs might serve as PDT for colorectal cancer.
A Study of Hydrophobically Modified Pullulan Nanoparticles with Different Hydrophobic Densities on the Effect of Anti-Colon Cancer Cell Efficiency
Authors: Zhang Yi , Jiang Qing , Liu Xinyi , Peng Liping , Tang Xinyi , Li Ling , Ling Xiao , Yang Xiaoping , He Chunlian , Tao Xiaojun , Hou Defu
Published: October 2021

To discuss the effect of hydrophobic groups of a polymer on the structural properties and function of polymer nanoparticles (NPs), we grafted chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) with pullulan (PU) to form hydrophobically modified PU (PUC). Three PUC polymers, namely, PUC-1, PUC-2, and PUC-3,
with different degrees of substitution were designed by changing the feed ratio of CDCA and PU. 1H-NMR spectra showed that the PUC polymer was successfully synthesized, and the degrees of hydrophobic substitution for PUC-1, PUC-2, and PUC-3 were calculated to be 10.66%, 13.92%,
and 16.94%, respectively. The PUC NPs were prepared by the dialysis method and were shown to be uniformly spherical by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The average sizes were about (220±10) nm, (203±7) nm, and (163±6) nm under dynamic light scattering (DLS) for
PUC-1 NPs, PUC-2 NPs, and PUC-3 NPs, respectively. Drug release experiments showed that the three PUC/DOX NPs exhibited good sustained release. At 48 h, the IC50 of doxorubicin in inhibiting colon cancer HCT116 cells was 0.0904 μg/mL. A cell study showed that PUC-3/DOX NPs had
the highest uptake efficiency by HCT116 cells with the most cytotoxicity and inhibited the migration of HCT116 cells with the highest efficiency. The structural properties and function of polymer NPs were closely related to the hydrophobic groups in the polymer, and NPs with higher hydrophobicity
showed a smaller size, higher drug capacity, and greater cell efficiency.
Lubricating effect of graphene during ultra-precision mechanical polishing by atomic scale simulation
Authors: Dai Houfu , Wu Weilong , Hu Yang
Published: October 2021

As a new two-dimensional material with unique friction and wear properties, graphene often serves as a solid lubricant. In order to better understand the lubrication effect of graphene in the process of three-body polishing of single crystal silicon with diamond abrasive, a molecular dynamics model of this process was established in this study. Further, the changes of coordination number, friction coefficient, temperature, potential energy, stress, and surface/subsurface damage in the process of three-body polishing were analyzed in detail. The results showed that graphene lubrication could enhance the heat dissipation and reduce the number of defect atoms, friction coefficient, potential energy, stress, and chips. Therefore, less subsurface damage and material resistance were observed in the workpiece with graphene lubrication during machining. In general, graphene can be used as a high-quality solid lubricant in the three-body polishing of single crystal silicon using diamond abrasive because of its excellent lubricating effect.
Genome-wide identification, classification, and expression analysis of the JmjC domain-containing histone demethylase gene family in birch
Authors: Chen Bowei , Ali Shahid , Zhang Xu , Zhang Yonglan , Wang Min , Zhang Qingzhu , Xie Linan
Published: October 2021

Background

Histone methylation occurs primarily on lysine residues and requires a set of enzymes capable of reading, writing, and erasing to control its establishment and deletion, which is essential for maintaining chromatin structure and gene expression. Histone methylation and demethylation are contributed to plant growth and development, and are involved in adapting to environmental stresses. The JmjC domain-containing proteins are extensively studied for their function in histone lysine demethylation in plants, and play a critical role in sustaining histone methylation homeostasis.

Results

In this study, a total of 21 JmjC domain-containing histone demethylase proteins (JHDMs) in birch were identified and classified into five subfamilies based on structural characteristics and phylogenetic relationships among Arabidopsis, rice, maize, and birch. Although theBpJMJgenes displayed significant schematic variation, their distribution on the chromosomes is relatively uniform. Additionally, theBpJMJgenes in birch have never experienced a tandem-duplication event proved by WGD analysis and were remaining underwent purifying selection (Ka/Ks < < 1). A typical JmjC domain was found in allBpJMJgenes, some of which have other essential domains for their functions. In the promoter regions ofBpJMJ genes, cis-acting elements associated with hormone and abiotic stress responses were overrepresented. Under abiotic stresses, the transcriptome profile reveals two contrasting expression patterns within 21BpJMJgenes. Furthermore, it was established that mostBpJMJgenes had higher expression in young tissues under normal conditions, withBpJMJ06/16having the highest expression in germinating seeds and participating in the regulation ofBpGA3ox1/2gene expression. Eventually,BpJMJgenes were found to directly interact with genes involved in the “intracellular membrane” in respond to cold stress.

Conclusions

The present study will provide a foundation for future experiments on histone demethylases in birch and a theoretical basis for epigenetic research on growth and development in response to abiotic stresses.
Genome-centric metagenomics reveals insights into the evolution and metabolism of a new free-living group in Rhizobiales
Authors: Lemos Leandro Nascimento , de Carvalho Fabíola Marques , Gerber Alexandra , Guimarães Ana Paula C. , Jonck Celio Roberto , Ciapina Luciane Prioli , de Vasconcelos Ana Tereza Ribeiro
Published: October 2021

Background

The Rhizobiales (Proteobacteria) order is an abundant and diverse group of microorganisms, being extensively studied for its lifestyle based on the association with plants, animals, and humans. New studies have demonstrated that the last common ancestor (LCA) of Rhizobiales had a free-living lifestyle, but the phylogenetic and metabolism characterization of basal lineages remains unclear. Here, we used a high-resolution phylogenomic approach to test the monophyly of the Aestuariivirgaceae family, a new taxonomic group of Rhizobiales. Furthermore, a deep metabolic investigation provided an overview of the main functional traits that can be associated with its lifestyle. We hypothesized that the presence of pathways (e.g., Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis) and the absence of pathogenic genes would be associated with a free-living lifestyle in Aestuariivirgaceae.

Results

Using high-resolution phylogenomics approaches, our results revealed a clear separation of Aestuariivirgaceae into a distinct clade of other Rhizobiales family, suggesting a basal split early group and corroborate the monophyly of this group. A deep functional annotation indicated a metabolic versatility, which includes putative genes related to sugar degradation and aerobic respiration. Furthermore, many of these traits could reflect a basal metabolism and adaptations of Rhizobiales, as such the presence of Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis pathway and the absence of pathogenicity genes, suggesting a free-living lifestyle in the Aestuariivirgaceae members.

Conclusions

Aestuariivirgaceae (Rhizobiales) family is a monophyletic taxon of the Rhizobiales with a free-living lifestyle and a versatile metabolism that allows these microorganisms to survive in the most diverse microbiomes, demonstrating their adaptability to living in systems with different conditions, such as extremely cold environments to tropical rivers.
The challenges of physicians’ participation in hospital accreditation programs: a qualitative study in Iran
Authors: Ebrahimipour Hosein , Hooshmand Elahe , Varmaghani Mehdi , Javan-Noughabi Javad , Mojtabaeian Seyyed Morteza
Published: October 2021

Background

Due to the increasing pressure on hospitals to enhance the quality of services, the participation of physicians in accreditation programs has become more important than ever. The present study was conducted to describe challenges of physicians’ participation in hospital accreditation programs in Iran using a qualitative approach.

Methods

We conducted interviews with 11 managers, 9 physicians and 8 experts in the field of hospital accreditation. Interviewees were selected through purposive snowball sampling. In-depth unstructured and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. The data obtained were analyzed in ATLAS.ti using the conceptual framework method.

Results

The results of this study extracted 3 main themes including: cultural, organizational and behavioral factors. Also, this study found 12 sub-themes and 57 items. Sub-themes in the cultural domain were motivation, patient demand, mutual trust and evaluation system. The organizational domain consisted of seven sub-themes, including high workload, understanding the role of quality management unit, unrealistic accreditation, nature of accreditation, empowerment of physicians in the field of quality, effective communication, resource constraint. Sub-themes in the behavioral dimension were ambiguity in the role and uncertainty about how to participate in accreditation program.

Conclusion

Physicians’ participation in accreditation programs can be increased through culture building and proper training about accreditation activities in the medical community.
The impact of COVID-19 on supply decision-makers: the case of personal protective equipment in Spanish hospitals
Authors: Morales-Contreras Manuel F. , Leporati Marcelo , Fratocchi Luciano
Published: October 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has been recognized as a trigger for redefining supply chains at the global level, and has created an intense debate within the academic community and among policy-makers and practitioners. Among other industries, health care has been dramatically hit by the scarcity of “medical products,” specifically for personal protective equipment (PPE-like), due to supply chain disruptions coupled with dramatically increased demand. We aimed to analyze how the scarcity of PPE-like during the COVID-19 pandemic has modified the behavior of decision-makers in the PPE-like supply chain at the hospital level, and to explore what changes could be implemented to cope with future PPE-like shortages.

Methods

We used an explorative approach based on semi-structured interviews with key informants in the Spanish health care industry. More specifically, we held interviews to industry experts at three hospitals in three Spanish regions to map the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic onto the buying decision-making process.

Results

Different strategies were developed by decision-makers at hospitals before, during, and after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Our paper offers two main findings: a) decision-makers changed their purchasing behavior from a cost main driver to guaranteeing the availability of supplies; b) they supported the idea of giving more “strategic autonomy” to Spain or Europe through back and nearshoring decisions.

Conclusions

This paper could be of interest to health care management at the national, regional, and hospital levels, as well as for policy-makers, since it could help to establish and configure policies to support the sourcing of medical products (specifically PPE-like) to anticipate potential supply disruptions. Our paper contributes to the limited existing literature on how purchasing strategies at the decision-maker level and supply vary in the health care industry when a public health crisis appears, and what potential solutions might be for policy-makers and practitioners involved in the health care industry.
Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii in small ruminants and genotyping of specimens collected from goats in Poland
Authors: Jodełko Agnieszka , Szymańska-Czerwińska Monika , Rola Jolanta Grażyna , Niemczuk Krzysztof
Published: October 2021

Background

Coxiella burnetiiis the etiological agent of Q fever, a zoonosis affecting many animal species including sheep and goats. The aims of this study were to evaluate the shedding ofCoxiella burnetiiin small ruminant herds and to identify the pathogen’s genotypes and sequence types (STs) using multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and multispacer sequence typing (MST) methods.

Results

Overall, 165 samples from 43 herds of goats and 9 flocks of sheep were collected including bulk tank milk (BTM), individual milk samples, vaginal swabs, tissue sections from stillborn kids, feces and placentas. These were tested by real-time PCR targeting the IS1111element.C. burnetiiinfection was confirmed in 51.16% of the herds of goats and 22.2% of the flocks of sheep. Six out of nine samples originating from goats were successfully genotyped using the MLVA method. The presence was confirmed of two widely distributed MLVA genotypes (I and J) and genotype PL1 previously reported only in cattle. Only one sequence type (ST61) was identified; however, the majority of specimens represented partial STs and some of them may belong to ST61. Other partial STs could possibly be ST74.

Conclusion

This study confirmed the relatively common occurrence ofCoxiella burnetiiin small ruminant herds in Poland. Interestingly, all genotyped samples represent cattle-associated MLVA genotypes.
IL-35 subunit EBI3 alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis via suppressing DNA enrichment of STAT3
Authors: Chen Donghong , Zheng Guofeng , Yang Qing , Luo Le , Shen Jinglian
Published: October 2021

Background

IL-35 subunit EBI3 is up-regulated in pulmonary fibrosis tissues. In this study, we investigated the pathological role of EBI3 in pulmonary fibrosis and dissected the underlying molecular mechanism.

Methods

Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model was established, and samples were performed gene expression analyses through RNAseq, qRT-PCR and Western blot. Wild type and EBI3 knockout mice were exposed to bleomycin to investigate the pathological role of IL-35, via lung function and gene expression analyses. Primary lung epithelial cells were used to dissect the regulatory mechanism of EBI3 on STAT1/STAT4 and STAT3.

Results

IL-35 was elevated in both human and mouse with pulmonary fibrosis. EBI3 knockdown aggravated the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis in mice. EBI3 deficiency enhanced the expressions of fibrotic and extracellular matrix-associated genes. Mechanistically, IL-35 activated STAT1 and STAT4, which in turn suppressed DNA enrichment of STAT3 and inhibited the fibrosis process.

Conclusion

IL-35 might be one of the potential therapeutic targets for bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.