bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐ovarian cancer potential, in silico studies, and anti‐Alzheimer's disease effects of some natural compounds as cholinesterase inhibitors
Authors: Fu Meng , Ji Chaofeng , Yang Tao , Mao Fenqin , Shati Ali A. , El‐Kott Attala F. , El‐Maksoud Mona M. Abd , Negm Sally , Ji Yanlan
Published: December 2022

Ovarian cancer ranks seventh in the most common malignant tumors in females and seriously threatens women's reproductive health. Natural sources may lead to basic research on potential bioactive components as lead compounds in drug discovery and, ultimately, therapeutic treatments for ovarian cancer and other diseases. Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ovarian cancer are complex diseases of aging that impose an enormous public health burden worldwide. Additionally, people with AD have low levels of acetylcholine in their brains. Enzymes called cholinesterases break down acetylcholine in the brain. If their action is inhibited, more acetylcholine is available for communication among brain cells. In this study, pregnanolone, diethylstilbestrol (DES), flavokawain C, and methyl 3,4,5‐trihydroxybenzoate molecules obtained excellent‐to‐good inhibitory against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) enzymes with IC50 values ranging between 77.18 ± 8.62 to 461.35 ± 28.54 μM for AChE and 23.86 ± 4.07 to 306.62 ± 32.46 μM for BuChE. The calculations revealed the probable interactions and their characteristics at an atomic level. Indeed, the docking scores of DES, flavokawain C, pregnanolone, and methyl 3,4,5‐trihydroxybenzoate for AChE are −6.685, −6.247, −6.672, and −5.183 (kcal/mol), respectively. This value for the compounds against BuChE is −6.042, −8.851, −5.655, and −5.898 (kcal/mol), respectively. Additionally, these compounds significantly decreased ovarian cancer cell viability. Additionally, 100 μM dose of all molecules caused good reductions in ovarian cancer cell viability.
Reference centers for tissue and body donations: Compulsory requirements in Italy
Authors: Boscolo‐Berto Rafael , Porzionato Andrea , Stecco Carla , Macchi Veronica , De Caro Raffaele
Published: December 2022

Recent Italian legislation (Law No. 10/2020) establishes the legal, ethical and technical requirements governing how individuals can donate their bodies or tissues post‐mortem for study, training, and scientific research purposes. A ministerial working group has recently approved some of the law's implementing rules relating to technical issues. The rules for implementing the new legislation, retrieved from the legal databases and translated into English, are discussed. For the first time in Italy, the law establishes compulsory requirements and minimum characteristics—in terms of logistics, safety, availability of staff, space, and equipment—for institutions to be recognized as reference centers for the conservation and use of bodies and tissues donated post‐mortem for study, training and scientific research purposes. This makes it possible to standardize the features of such reference centers nationwide, and to coordinate their activities and potential future development, while ensuring basic operational efficiency and workplace safety, the provision of adequate facilities, buildings and equipment, and staff training. The law and its implementing rules discussed here are the first to establish criteria and compulsory requirements for centers receiving body and tissue donations in Italy. This is a step forward for the whole anatomy community, providing practical guidelines for body donation programs and related facilities in other countries too.
Build a resilient team to help your office thrive
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: December 2022

Working together for about 10 years, Kris Anderson, Heather Pearson, and Heather Kretz experienced professional triumphs and failures. Their team experienced marriages, deaths of loved ones, and other events that impacted team members in positive and negative ways.
Take steps to prevent game‐day confrontations between student‐athletes, fans
Authors: O'Brien Timothy
Published: December 2022

There are lessons to be learned from the widespread media coverage of assaults that have occurred after an individual play or competition had ended.
Did court dismiss student's Title IX case?
Authors: Lyerly Eric
Published: December 2022

A female student at Rutgers University called campus police when a naked and inebriated university football player trespassed into her on‐campus apartment at 4 a.m.
Ligand‐Guided Investigation of a Series of Formamidine‐Based Thiuram Disulfides as Potential Dual‐Inhibitors of COX‐1and COX‐2
Authors: Oladipo Segun D. , Akinpelu Olayinka I. , Omondi Bernard
Published: December 2022

A series of thiuram disulfides 1–6 which had been previously synthesized and characterized,[1] were studied for their potential therapeutic properties. Target‐fishing analyses through HitPick and SwissTarget prediction identified COX1 and COX2, which are essential biomolecules in cancer‐related inflammations, as the possible targets for compounds 1 and 4 among all the compounds tested. These two proteins have enjoyed interest as targets for treating some neoplastic cancer types such as breast, colorectal, skin, pancreatic, haematological and head cancers. The inhibitory potency of 1 and 4 as lead anticancer drug candidates with dual‐target ability against COX1 and COX2 was examined through molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and post‐MD analyses such as binding energy calculation, RMSD, RMSF, and RoG. The two compounds had better docking scores and binding energies than the known inhibitors of COX1 and COX2. Insights from the RMSD, RMSF, and RoG suggested that both 1 and 4 showed observable influence on the structural stability of these targets throughout the simulation. The reported observations of the effects of 1 and 4 on the structures of COX1 and COX2 indicate their probable inhibitory properties against these target proteins and their potential as lead anticancer drug candidates.
Design, Synthesis and Bioassay of 2‐Phenylglycine Derivatives as Potential Pesticide Candidates
Authors: Zhang Hong , Zhao Cailong , Zheng Huanlin , Chen Xiaocui , Chen Biao , Wu Zhibing
Published: December 2022

Plant diseases can seriously affect the growth of food crops and economic crops. To date, pesticides are still among the most effective methods to prevent and control plant diseases worldwide. Consequently, to develop potential pesticide molecules, a series of novel 2‐phenylglycine derivatives containing 1,3,4‐oxadiazole‐2‐thioethers were designed and synthesized. The bioassay results revealed that G19 exhibited great in vitro antifungal activity against Thanatephorus cucumeris with an EC50 value of 32.4 μg/mL, and in vivo antifungal activity against T. cucumeris on rice leaves at a concentration of 200.0 μg/mL (66.9 %) which was close that of azoxystrobin (73.2 %). Compounds G24 (80.2 %), G25 (89.4 %), and G27 (83.3 %) exhibited impressive in vivo inactivation activity against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) at a concentration of 500.0 μg/mL, which was comparable to that of ningnanmycin (96.3 %) and markedly higher than that of ribavirin (55.6 %). The antibacterial activity of G16 (63.1 %), G26 (89.9 %), G27 (78.0 %), and G28 (68.0 %) against Xoo at a concentration of 50.0 μg/mL was higher than that of thiadiazole copper (18.0 %) and bismerthiazol (38.9 %). Preliminary mechanism studies on the antifungal activity against T. cucumeris demonstrated that G19 can affect the growth of mycelia by disrupting the integrity of the cell membrane and altering the permeability of the cell. These studies revealed that the amino acid derivatives containing a 1,3,4‐oxadiazole moiety exhibited certain antifungal, antibacterial, and anti‐TMV activities, and these derivatives can be further modified and developed as potential pesticide molecules.
Toxic epidermal necrosis following Sinopharm COVID‐19 vaccine (BBIBP‐CorV): A case report and literature review
Authors: Shakoei Safoura , hadizadeh Alireza
Published: December 2022

This study reports a patient developing TEN after the first dose of (BBIBP‐CorV). He developed numerous purpuric and dusky patches with flaccid bullae and areas of epidermal detachment covered more than 30% of the body area within 6 days. After treatment with dexamethasone and cyclosporin, he recovered within 14 days.
Quadriplegia after ECMO therapy with sluggish recovery in a COVID‐19 patient: A case report with a 14‐month follow‐up
Authors: Sasano Nobuko , Yasuda Masami , Yamada Gohei
Published: December 2022

COVID‐19 patients often develop neuromuscular complications, and critically ill patients often develop ICU‐acquired weakness. We report a COVID‐19 patient who developed flaccid quadriplegia after ECMO therapy and achieved a slow but consistent recovery during a 14‐month period of sustained holistic rehabilitation including early mobilization to an outdoor environment.
Differential privacy: Review of improving utility through cryptography‐based technologies
Authors: Huang Wen , Zhuo Ming , Zhu Tianqing , Zhou Shijie , Liao Yongjian
Published: December 2022

Due to successful applications of data analysis technologies in many fields, various institutions have accumulated a large amount of data to improve their services. As the speed of data collection has increased dramatically over the last few years, an increasing number of users are growing concerned about their personal information. Therefore, privacy preservation has become an urgent problem to be solved. Differential privacy as a strong privacy preservation tool has attracted significant attention. In this review, we focus on improving data utility of differentially private mechanisms through technologies related to cryptography. In particular, we first focus on how to improve data utility through anonymous communication. Then, we summarize how to improve data utility by combining differentially private mechanisms with homomorphic encryption schemes. Next, we summarize hardness results of what is impossible to achieve for differentially private mechanisms' data utility from the view of cryptography. Differential privacy borrowed intuitions from cryptography and still benefits from the progress of cryptography. To summarize the state‐of‐the‐art and to benefit future researches, we are motivated to provide this review.
A hybridized channel selection approach with deep convolutional neural network for effective ovarian cancer prediction in periodic acid‐Schiff‐stained images
Authors: Ramasamy Sathya , Kaliyaperumal Vaidehi
Published: December 2022

In today's world, cancers are becoming a crucial warning in current medical applications where they show a significant part in the prognosis and appraisal of ovarian malignancies in histopathological imaging. Automated approaches to systematize the formation and categorization of cancers in periodic acid‐Schiff (PAS)‐stained images have recently been quickly growing in the area of digital pathology. However, the existing literature lacks computerized approaches to systematize the localization and categorization of cancers in PAS‐stained images. In this work, a new deep fully connected convolutional neural network (DFCNN) along with hybridized channel selection (HCS) strategy has been proposed to diagnose ovarian cancers accurately in PAS‐stained images. Primarily, the HCS strategy selects the optimal channel for managing the input dataset. Afterward, the DFCNN is employed to extract the influential features from the PAS‐stained images. The autoencoder modeling can be carried out to build the proposed DFCNN layers. The appropriate layer selection in the proposed model facilitates to obtaining accurate cancer classification with minimal misclassification errors. The performance results manifest that the proposed model achieves a superior accuracy of 99.22% when compared with existing CNN+softmax, CNN+decision tree, and CNN+radial basis function models.
SPoFC: A framework for stream data aggregation with local differential privacy
Authors: Yang Mengmeng , Lam Kwok‐Yan , Zhu Tianqing , Tang Chenghua
Published: December 2022

Collecting and analysing customers' data plays an essential role in the more intense market competition. It is critical to perform data analysis effectively while ensuring the user's privacy, especially after various privacy regulations are enacted. In this paper, we consider the problem of aggregating the stream data generated from wearable devices in a specific time period in a privacy‐preserving manner. Specifically, we adopt the local differential privacy mechanism to provide a strong privacy guarantee for users. One major challenge is that all values of the stream need to be perturbed. The additive noise makes it hard to release an accurate data stream. One way to reduce the noise scale is to select some data points to perturb instead of all. The intuition is that more privacy budgets are applied to a single data point, which ensures the statistical accuracy. The perturbed data points are used to predict the un‐selected data points without consuming an extra privacy budget. Based on this idea, we propose a novel stream data statistical framework, which includes four components, data fitting, skeleton point selection, noisy stream generation, and data aggregation. Extensive experiment results show that our proposed method achieves a much smaller mean square error given a fixed privacy budget compared with the state‐of‐the‐art.
Three‐Dimensional MAX‐Ti3AlC2 Nanomaterials for Dual‐Selective and Highly Efficient Enrichment of Phosphorylated and Glycosylated Peptides
Authors: Yang Shi‐Shu , Wang Chen , Jiang Yu‐Fei , Zhang Hua
Published: December 2022

Dual‐selective enrichment of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides of post‐translational modifications (PTMs) in the complex biological samples are challenging. In this work, considering the versatile properties including surface abundant metal sites and electrostatic attraction between Ti3C2‐layers and Al‐layers, layered ternary carbides Ti3AlC2 nanomaterials was successfully applied for the first time as an affinity adsorbent for the dual‐selective capture of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides. Especially, the Ti3AlC2 nanomaterials had an excellent detection sensitivity for phosphopeptides (1×10−11 M) and a good selectivity for glycopeptides with a low molar ratio of 1 : 500 of HRP (horseradish peroxidase) to BSA (bovine serum albumin). Furthermore, Ti3AlC2 nanomaterials was also applied for dual‐selective enrichment of phosphopeptides and glycopeptides from mouse brain neocortex lysate and human serum lysate respectively before mass spectrometry (MS) analysis, yielding twenty‐two unique phosphopeptides from thirteen phosphoproteins and fifty‐three unique glycopeptides from thirty‐seven glycoproteins, respectively. This work will open a new avenue and will greatly promote sample preparation for mass spectrometric analysis in phosphoproteomics and glycoproteomics research.
Promoting Clinical Trial Diversity: A Highlight of Select US FDA Initiatives
Authors: Ramamoorthy Anuradha , Araojo Richardae , Vasisht Kaveeta P. , Fienkeng Mathilda , Green Dionna J. , Madabushi Rajanikanth
Published: December 2022

Although the population in the United States is diverse, there are disparities in healthcare outcomes in some populations, for example, based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, sex, gender, age, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. Despite disproportionate healthcare outcomes, certain populations are frequently under‐represented in clinical trials intended to support applications requesting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market a drug or biologic. Additionally, safety and efficacy of therapeutic products may vary based on intrinsic (e.g., sex, age, race, and ethnicity) and/or extrinsic (e.g., drug interactions and medical practice) factors. Enrolling diverse populations in clinical trials can aid in addressing disparities and better inform the use of medical products in all patients who will use them upon approval. Herein, we outline a few initiatives and activities, such as policy development, regulatory review, regulatory research, and stakeholder engagement, that the FDA has undertaken to promote diversity in clinical trials, to support submission of such information in marketing applications for subgroup analyses, and to communicate information to the public.
Development of Therapeutic Proteins for a New Subcutaneous Route of Administration After the Establishment of Intravenous Dosages: A Systematic Review
Authors: Xu Zhenhua , Leu Jocelyn H. , Xu Yan , Nnane Ivo , Liva Sophia G. , Wang‐Lin Shun Xin , Kudgus‐Lokken Rachel , Vermeulen An , Ouellet Daniele
Published: December 2022

Therapeutic proteins may first be developed as intravenous (i.v.) therapies with new subcutaneous (s.c.) dosage forms being subsequently developed to provide an alternative route of administration. As of August 2022, there have been 9 therapeutic proteins which were developed as a new s.c. dosage form after the approval of the corresponding i.v. product. This article provides a systematic review of prior experiences in the i.v. to s.c. switch development programs. We describe what types of clinical studies were conducted to support the i.v. to s.c. switch for these nine therapeutic proteins. Publicly available scientific advice from health authorities is summarized, particularly regarding recommendations on overall development strategy, dose selection, immunogenicity assessment, and indication extrapolation. The clinical data from these i.v. to s.c. development programs demonstrate that: (1) when switching from i.v. dosing to s.c. dosing, trough drug concentration (Ctrough) from s.c. dosing should not be inferior to i.v. dosing with average drug concentration (Cavg; equivalent to AUC, area under the curve after correcting for dosing intervals between i.v. and s.c. administration) being matched or non‐inferior to i.v. dosing; and (2) with appropriate s.c. dose regimens, treatment with s.c. therapeutic proteins can generally achieve similar efficacy and safety as the corresponding i.v. products, suggesting that the much higher maximum concentration (Cmax) after i.v. infusion as compared with that from s.c. injection is often not relevant to the treatment effect.
Cation‐Doped SrTaO2N Prepared through a Flux Method for Visible‐Light‐Driven Water Splitting
Authors: Obata Keisuke , Higashi Tomohiro , Ye Feifan , Katayama Masao , Takanabe Kazuhiro
Published: December 2022

Semiconductor photocatalysts for water splitting is considered one of the most promising technologies for solar energy conversion. SrTaO2N has a band gap of 2.1 eV and is a candidate for achieving visible‐light‐driven water splitting. However, its poor charge separation efficiency limits its water splitting efficiency, which can be attributed to the charge recombination induced by reduced Ta4+ sites, which act as recombination centers. This study focuses on the improvement of photocatalytic activity of SrTaO2N by introducing foreign metal cations with a low oxidation state to suppress the formation of reduced Ta4+ sites. Among the investigated samples, 1.0 mol % Ga3+‐doped SrTaO2N was found to improve the photocatalytic activity significantly. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data show that the formation of Ta4+ species is suppressed after Ga doping, which might be responsible for the photocatalytic activity improvement of SrTaO2N.
Understanding the temporal dynamics of estimated environmental niche hypervolumes for marine fishes
Authors: Vilas Daniel , Fletcher Robert J. , Siders Zachary A. , Chagaris David
Published: December 2022

Understanding how species respond to the environment is essential in ecology, evolution, and conservation. Abiotic factors can influence species responses and the multi‐dimensional space of abiotic factors that allows a species to grow represents the environmental niche. While niches are often assumed to be constant and robust, they are most likely changing over time and estimation can be influenced by population biology, sampling intensity, and computation methodology. Here, we used a 12‐year time series of survey data to fit annual ecological niche models (ENMs) for 10 marine fish species by using two regression and two machine learning algorithms to evaluate the variation and differentiation of environmental niches. Fitted ENMs were used to develop multi‐dimensional annual and pooled hypervolumes that were evaluated over time and across ENM algorithms, species, and years by computing volume, distance, and dissimilarity metrics for each annual estimated niche. We then investigated potential drivers of estimated hypervolume dynamics including species abundance, species occurrence, sampling effort, salinity, red tides severity, and algorithm. Overall, our results revealed that estimated niches varied over time and across ENM, species, and algorithms. Niche estimation was influenced over time by multiple factors suggesting high complexity on niche dynamics interpretation. Species with high occurrence tended to have a closer representation of the pooled niche and years with higher abundance tended to produce niche expansion. ENM algorithm, sampling effort, seawater salinity, and red tides explained the deviations from the pooled niche. Greater sampling effort led to more comprehensive and complete estimates of species niches. High red tides severity triggered niche contraction. Our results emphasize the predictable effects of population, sampling, and environment on species niche estimation and interpretation, and that each should be considered when performing and interpreting ecological niche analyses. Our niche analysis approach may contribute to effectively quantifying and assessing niche dynamics.
Field‐based adipose tissue quantification in sea turtles using bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy validated with CT scans and deep learning
Authors: Kophamel Sara , Ward Leigh C. , Konovalov Dmitry A. , Mendez Diana , Ariel Ellen , Cassidy Nathan , Bell Ian , Balastegui Martínez María T. , Munns Suzanne L.
Published: December 2022

Loss of adipose tissue in vertebrate wildlife species is indicative of decreased nutritional and health status and is linked to environmental stress and diseases. Body condition indices (BCI) are commonly used in ecological studies to estimate adipose tissue mass across wildlife populations. However, these indices have poor predictive power, which poses the need for quantitative methods for improved population assessments. Here, we calibrate bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy (BIS) as an alternative approach for assessing the nutritional status of vertebrate wildlife in ecological studies. BIS is a portable technology that can estimate body composition from measurements of body impedance and is widely used in humans. BIS is a predictive technique that requires calibration using a reference body composition method. Using sea turtles as model organisms, we propose a calibration protocol using computed tomography (CT) scans, with the prediction equation being: adipose tissue mass (kg) = body mass − (−0.03 [intercept] − 0.29 * length2/resistance at 50 kHz + 1.07 * body mass − 0.11 * time after capture). CT imaging allows for the quantification of body fat. However, processing the images manually is prohibitive due to the extensive time requirement. Using a form of artificial intelligence (AI), we trained a computer model to identify and quantify nonadipose tissue from the CT images, and adipose tissue was determined by the difference in body mass. This process enabled estimating adipose tissue mass from bioelectrical impedance measurements. The predictive performance of the model was built on 2/3 samples and tested against 1/3 samples. Prediction of adipose tissue percentage had greater accuracy when including impedance parameters (mean bias = 0.11%–0.61%) as predictor variables, compared with using body mass alone (mean bias = 6.35%). Our standardized BIS protocol improves on conventional body composition assessment methods (e.g., BCI) by quantifying adipose tissue mass. The protocol can be applied to other species for the validation of BIS and to provide robust information on the nutritional and health status of wildlife, which, in turn, can be used to inform conservation decisions at the management level.
Differentiation of various drive cycles for estimating an electric four wheeler's energy utilisation for efficacious performance
Authors: Wankhede Sagar , Kamble Laxman , Thorat Prajwal
Published: December 2022

Electric vehicles (EVs) have gained popularity due to unforeseen environmental issues which are on board due to use of fossil fuels. Considering the performance of EVs is mostly driven by two main parameters the range of EVs and energy consumption per kilometre driven by the vehicles. The range of EVs is inversely proportional to the energy consumption per kilometre. Drive cycles are designed to help estimate energy consumption per kilometre of the vehicle. The various DCs used are Indian Drive Cycle (IDC), New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) and many more. The article analyses the vehicle dynamics specifications of TATA NEXON EV and calculations based on the used DCs to estimate the range of the vehicle in NEDC and IDC which was found to be 330 and 288 km, respectively. The article highlights the importance of estimating or calculating the energy consumption as it is important to determine the range of the vehicle. All automobile makers in the world are trying to decrease the energy consumption per kilometre consumption to enhance range thereby making changes in design of the vehicle but without compromising the safety of the customers. The article finally focuses on the importance of proper infrastructure facilities of roads and signalling system across the roads along with efficient battery cooling techniques helps enhance the range and life of EVs and lithium‐ion batteries. An electric four‐wheeler with the identical specifications utilised less energy when tested on the NEDC as opposed to the IDC.
A global synthesis of trends in human experience of nature
Authors: Cazalis Victor , Loreau Michel , Barragan‐Jason Gladys
Published: December 2022

The popular perception that humans are undergoing a global extinction of “experience of nature” (EoN) is poorly supported by empirical evidence. Here, we provide – to the best of our knowledge – the first global systematic review of trends in EoN, identifying only 18 studies that measured temporal trends in EoN. Of those 18 studies, several reported negative trends over time for both direct EoN (for example, in‐person visits to parklands) and vicarious EoN (specifically, the presence of nature in cultural products, such as movies or books), and all were biased toward North America, Western Europe, and Japan. As an initial proxy for understudied regions, we calculated past trends in three metrics of global EoN opportunities and show that, over the past decades, the locations where humans live have shifted away from the natural world and become more urban, while forest cover in cities has decreased. Overall, our results suggest that while EoN may be declining globally, existing evidence is insufficient to assess the magnitude and generality of this phenomenon.
The cortical regions and white matter tracts underlying auditory comprehension in patients with primary brain tumor
Authors: Zhang Jie , Yao Ye , Wu Jin‐song , Rolls Edmund T. , Sun Ce‐chen , Bu Ling‐hao , Lu Jun‐feng , Lin Ching‐po , Feng Jian‐feng , Mao Ying , Zhou Liang‐fu
Published: December 2022

The comprehension of spoken language is one of the most essential language functions in humans. However, the neurological underpinnings of auditory comprehension remain under debate. Here we used multi‐modal neuroimaging analyses on a group of patients with low‐grade gliomas to localize cortical regions and white matter tracts responsible for auditory language comprehension. Region‐of‐interests and voxel‐level whole‐brain analyses showed that cortical areas in the posterior temporal lobe are crucial for language comprehension. The fiber integrity assessed with diffusion tensor imaging of the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus was strongly correlated with both auditory comprehension and the grey matter volume of the inferior temporal and middle temporal gyri. Together, our findings provide direct evidence for an integrated network of auditory comprehension whereby the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, the posterior parts of the middle and inferior temporal gyri serve as auditory comprehension cortex, and the arcuate fasciculus and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus subserve as crucial structural connectivity. These findings provide critical evidence on the neural underpinnings of language comprehension.
Occult metastases of oral maxillary squamous cell carcinoma: Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: de la Fuente Carlos , Prat‐Valero Nil , Alberola‐Ferranti Margarita , Mis‐Castell David , Sáez‐Barba Manel , Pujol‐Pina Rosa , Pamias‐Romero Jorge , Bescós‐Atín Coro
Published: December 2022

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity. The performance of END (elective neck dissection) in cases of maxillary SCC is controversial because the literature traditionally classified maxillary tumors as having low metastatic potential. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to determine the percentage of occult cervical metastases in maxillary SCC to identify in which cases there is the need to perform an END. We searched the PubMed database to select articles dated from 2000 to 2020 that fulfilled our inclusion criteria; finally, we reviewed 27 manuscripts. We show that the overall cervical and occult metastases rate was 35% and 19%, respectively. For T1, the percentage of occult metastasis rate was 11%; for T2, it was 16%; for T3, it was 20%; and for T4, it was 32%. We suggest END (levels I–II–III) as treatment to T3/T4 cN0 patients.
Radiation‐induced sarcoma of head and neck: Clinical characteristics and molecular signatures
Authors: Liao Yu‐Hao , Hsu Chia‐Lang , Leu Chih‐Yu , Lai Shih‐Fan , Huang Yen‐Lin , Hsieh Min‐Shu , Chen Tseng‐Cheng , Chen Chun‐Nan , Wang Cheng‐Ping , Yang Tsung‐Lin , Tsai Mong‐Hsun , Lin Mei‐Chun , Lou Pei‐Jen
Published: December 2022

Background

Radiation‐induced sarcoma of the head and neck (RISHN) is a rare yet devastating potential complication of radiotherapy treatment. We aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and molecular signatures of RISHN in patients who underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (HNC) to identify high‐risk patients and enable earlier cancer detection.

Methods

This study retrospectively evaluated 24 sarcoma patients who received radiotherapy for HNC between 1994 and 2019. Patients were divided into two groups based on RISHN latency period. Patient demographics, initial tumor staging, risk factors, and survival between groups were analyzed, and whole‐exome sequencing (WES) of selected samples was performed.

Results

The median age at diagnosis of RISHN was 54 years, and the male‐to‐female ratio was 2:1. The latency period ranged from 0.8 to 64.4 years (median 6.5 years), with a median survival of 21.5 months. Primary cancer in the oral cavity, treatment with alkylating agents, alcohol consumption, betel nut chewing, and smoking were identified as risk factors for short (<5 years) latency periods. The majority of RISHN cases occurred in the oral cavity (58.3%). WES analysis showed that tumor necrosis factor and cell cycle checkpoint pathways were differentially involved in both patient groups.

Conclusions

Although case numbers were small, our cohort represents the largest case series of RISHN from a single institution to date. Clinicians must be aware of factors affecting RISHN development and latency, and risk factor identification may lead to earlier detection and prevention in the future.
Engineering Glyco‐Enzymes for Substrate Identification and Targeting
Authors: Burns Mary W. N. , Kohler Jennifer J.
Published: December 2022

Glycoconjugates are assembled by the coordinate actions of glycosyltransferases, which add sugars, and glycosidases, which remove sugars. These glyco‐enzymes comprise families of enzymes that catalyze the same reaction, making it difficult to identify the direct substrates of each isozyme. To solve this challenge, mutagenesis of glyco‐enzymes has been used to enable incorporation of unnatural sugar analogs that can be employed to tag and isolate the protein substrates of an individual glycosyltransferase. A second challenge arises in efforts to determine which substrates mediate biological effects. Engineering a glycosyltransferase to target its activity toward select acceptor substrates allows deconvolution of the roles of specific glycosylation events. Similarly, glycosidases can be engineered to target specific substrates, with basic science and translational applications. This review describes recent efforts at engineering glyco‐enzymes to identify and target their distinct substrates.
Anticardiolipin and anti‐beta 2‐glycoprotein I antibodies in patients with unexplained articular manifestations
Authors: Melayah Sarra , Ghozzi Mariem , Ghedira Ibtissem , Mankaï Amani
Published: December 2022

Objective

To determine the frequency of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with unexplained articular manifestations.

Material and Methods

Three hundred thirteen patients suffering from arthritis or arthralgia without evident cause and 266 healthy blood donors (HBD) were included in the study. Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and anti‐beta 2‐glycoprotein I antibodies (aβ2GPI) were measured by ELISA.

Result

Out of the 313 patients, 250 were females and 63 were males. The mean age of patients was 49 ± 14 years (17–87 years). One hundred eleven patients have arthralgia and 202 have arthritis. The frequency of aCL and/or aβ2GPI (24.9%) was significantly higher in patients than in HBD (10.9%). The frequency of aβ2GPI was 23.6% in patients and 9.4% in the control group (p < 10−3). aβ2GPI‐IgA was significantly more frequent in patients than in the control group (20.4% vs. 7.5%, p < 10−3). aβ2GPI was most commonly observed than aCL in patients (23.6% vs. 6.4%, p < 10−6). IgA isotype of aβ2GPI was the most frequent in 20.4% of patients while IgG and IgM were detected in 5.4% and 2.9% respectively.

Conclusion

This study showed that aPL were common in patients with articular manifestations and were mainly directed against β2GPI. The role of these antibodies remains to be specified.
AdipoRon enhances healthspan in middle‐aged obese mice: striking alleviation of myosteatosis and muscle degenerative markers
Authors: Selvais Camille M. , Davis‐López de Carrizosa María A. , Nachit Maxime , Versele Romain , Dubuisson Nicolas , Noel Laurence , Gillard Justine , Leclercq Isabelle A. , Brichard Sonia M. , Abou‐Samra Michel
Published: December 2022

Background

Obesity among older adults has increased tremendously. Obesity accelerates ageing and predisposes to age‐related conditions and diseases, such as loss of endurance capacity, insulin resistance and features of the metabolic syndrome. Namely, ectopic lipids play a key role in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and myosteatosis, two severe burdens of ageing and metabolic diseases. Adiponectin (ApN) is a hormone, mainly secreted by adipocytes, which exerts insulin‐sensitizing and fat‐burning properties in several tissues including the liver and the muscle. Its overexpression also increases lifespan in mice. In this study, we investigated whether an ApN receptor agonist, AdipoRon (AR), could slow muscle dysfunction, myosteatosis and degenerative muscle markers in middle‐aged obese mice. The effects on myosteatosis were compared with those on NAFLD.

Methods

Three groups of mice were studied up to 62 weeks of age: One group received normal diet (ND), another, high‐fat diet (HFD); and the last, HFD combined with AR given orally for almost 1 year. An additional group of young mice under an ND was used. Treadmill tests and micro‐computed tomography (CT) were carried out in vivo. Histological, biochemical and molecular analyses were performed on tissues ex vivo. Bodipy staining was used to assess intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) and lipid droplet morphology.

Results

AR did not markedly alter diet‐induced obesity. Yet, this treatment rescued exercise endurance in obese mice (up to 2.4‐fold, P < 0.05), an event that preceded the improvement of insulin sensitivity. Dorsal muscles and liver densities, measured by CT, were reduced in obese mice (−42% and −109%, respectively, P < 0.0001), suggesting fatty infiltration. This reduction tended to be attenuated by AR. Accordingly, AR significantly mitigated steatosis and cellular ballooning at liver histology, thereby decreasing the NALFD activity score (−30%, P < 0.05). AR also strikingly reversed IMCL accumulation either due to ageing in oxidative fibres (types 1/2a, soleus) or to HFD in glycolytic ones (types 2x/2b, extensor digitorum longus) (−50% to −85%, P < 0.05 or less). Size of subsarcolemmal lipid droplets, known to be associated with adverse metabolic outcomes, was reduced as well. Alleviation of myosteatosis resulted from improved mitochondrial function and lipid oxidation. Meanwhile, AR halved aged‐related accumulation of dysfunctional proteins identified as tubular aggregates and cylindrical spirals by electron microscopy (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Long‐term AdipoRon treatment promotes ‘healthy ageing’ in obese middle‐aged mice by enhancing endurance and protecting skeletal muscle and liver against the adverse metabolic and degenerative effects of ageing and caloric excess.
Effect of sintering optimization on the photoelectrochemical performance of Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystal films
Authors: Heidari Sahar , Pan Lixia , Wu Jiazhe , Liu Longjie , Zhang Wenshuai , Li Rui , Chen Yubin
Published: December 2022

BACKGROUND

Semiconductor‐based photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting represents one attractive route to generate clean hydrogen. Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) is considered a promising photoelectric material for PEC water splitting due to its high absorption coefficient, small bandgap, nontoxicity, and earth‐abundant elements. Only a few critical parameters limit the performance of CZTS nanocrystal films. Of those, heat treatment is essential for producing high‐performance films.

RESULTS

In this work, CZTS nanocrystals were produced by a facile method and applied in making CZTS films for PEC water reduction. Therefore, the influences of heat treatment parameters on the performance of films were investigated in the low‐temperature heat treatment range. The surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) in the films could not be completely decomposed at low heat treatment temperatures, leading to film resistance that was harmful to the PEC process. Meanwhile, SnSx impurities would arise at temperatures over 400 °C, thus reducing the PEC performance.

CONCLUSION

The best activity for PEC water reduction was obtained at 385 °C for 10 min. Furthermore, the PEC performance of CZTS films generated by fast heating (10 °C s−1) was superior to that of films generated by slow heating (10 °C min−1) due to the inhibition from the development of SnSx impurities. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).
Immunotactoid glomerulopathy and chronic lymphocytic leukemia: The need for a multidisciplinary approach
Authors: Rago Angela , Pettorini Laura , Andriani Alessandro , Caravita di Toritto Tommaso
Published: December 2022

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common type of leukemia in western countries. The association between CLL and glomerular disease (GD) is rare. The most frequent GD associated with CLL is membranoproliferative membranous glomerulonephritis (GN) (MPGN) (45%) types I and II, followed by membranous glomerulonephritis, with the same reports of immunotactoid glomerulopathy (ITG). We report a case of ITG diagnosed on kidney biopsy in a CLL patient and the response of renal parameters to drug treatment for CLL. The patient was treated with several lines of therapies with a good response.
Political meddling in social assistance programme: Panel data evidence from India
Authors: Unnikrishnan Vidhya , Dey Subhasish
Published: December 2022

This paper examines the role of the horizontal and vertical network in aiding eligible individuals to receive Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. A vertical network refers to a household's political connection, and a horizontal network denotes the interconnectedness with others in the society. We have used data from all India representative individual level (2004–2005 and 2011–2012) panel data released by the India Human Development Survey. Our estimated results from the individual level fixed effects model suggest that programme eligible individuals with vertical networks have a higher probability of receiving the programme. Sub‐sample heterogeneities are detailed in the paper.
Dual‐view holographic AR display based on Bragg mismatched reconstruction of the holographic optical element
Authors: Qin Xiujuan , Sang Xinzhu , Li Hui , Xiao Rui , Zhong Chongli , Yan Binbin , Sun Zhi , Dong Yu
Published: December 2022

A method for dual‐view holographic display based on Bragg mismatched reconstruction of holographic optical element (HOE) is proposed. Under the Bragg mismatched condition, the reconstructed images are guided into two separated viewing zones to realize dual‐view holographic display. Meanwhile, the viewing angle of each perspective is increased to 11.2°, which is almost 2.5 times as large as the traditional holographic display system. The design process of HOE is simple only by interference of plane reference wave and converging spherical signal wave, which has high practicability. Furthermore, the HOE can mix the virtual 3D image with real‐world scenes, which could implement augmented reality (AR) display. Experiments validate that the proposed system can achieve dual‐view holographic AR three‐dimensional (3D) display with accommodation effect.
Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of cognitive processing therapy in Japanese patients with posttraumatic stress disorder
Authors: Takagishi Yuriko , Ito Masaya , Kanie Ayako , Morita Nobuaki , Makino Miyuki , Katayanagi Akiko , Sato Tamae , Imamura Fumi , Nakajima Satomi , Oe Yuki , Kashimura Masami , Kikuchi Akiko , Narisawa Tomomi , Horikoshi Masaru
Published: December 2022

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is one of the most widely tested evidence‐based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, most studies on CPT have been conducted in Western cultural settings. This open‐label, single‐arm trial investigated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of CPT for treating Japanese patients with PTSD. A total of 25 outpatients underwent 12 CPT sessions. The primary outcome was the assessment of PTSD symptoms using the Clinician‐Administered PTSD Scale for DSM‐IV (CAPS‐IV); secondary outcomes included the assessment of subjective PTSD severity, depressive and anxiety symptoms, trauma‐related cognitions, and subjective quality of life. All outcomes were evaluated at pretreatment (i.e., baseline), posttreatment, and 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups. On average, participants attended 13 sessions of CPT (SD = 1.38), with a completion rate of 96.0%. One serious adverse event (hospitalization) occurred. Significant within‐subjects standardized mean differences in CAPS‐IV scores were found from baseline to treatment completion, g = −2.28, 95% CI [−3.00, −1.56]; 6‐month follow‐up, g = −2.95, 95% CI [−3.79, −2.12]; and 12‐month follow‐up, g = −2.15, 95% CI [−2.89, −1.41]. Moderate‐to‐large effects, gs = −0.77 to −2.45, were found on secondary outcomes. These findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of CPT in a Japanese clinical setting.
Exome Sequencing Expands the Genetic Diagnostic Spectrum for Pediatric Hearing Loss
Authors: Perry Julia , Redfield Shelby , Oza Andrea , Rouse Stephanie , Stewart Candace , Khela Harmon , Srinivasan Tarika , Albano Victoria , Shearer Eliot , Kenna Margaret
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Genetic testing is the standard‐of‐care for diagnostic evaluation of bilateral, symmetric, sensorineural hearing loss (HL). We sought to determine the efficacy of a comprehensive genetic testing method, exome sequencing (ES), in a heterogeneous pediatric patient population with bilateral symmetric, bilateral asymmetric, and unilateral HL.

Methods

Trio‐based ES was performed for pediatric patients with confirmed HL including those with symmetric, asymmetric, and unilateral HL.

Results

ES was completed for 218 probands. A genetic cause was identified for 31.2% of probands (n = 68). The diagnostic rate was 40.7% for bilateral HL, 23.1% for asymmetric HL, and 18.3% for unilateral HL, with syndromic diagnoses made in 20.8%, 33.3%, and 54.5% of cases in each group, respectively. Secondary or incidental findings were identified in 10 families (5.52%).

Conclusion

ES is an effective method for genetic diagnosis for HL including phenotypically diverse patients and allows the identification of secondary findings, discovery of deafness‐causing genes, and the potential for efficient data re‐analysis.

Level of Evidence

4 Laryngoscope, 133:2417–2424, 2023
Comparison of two conchal formers for nonsurgical correction on Conchal Crus
Authors: Zou Qijuan , Zhao Shouqin , Wang Danni , Chen Peiwei , Yang Lin , Gao Mengdie , Liu Yujie , Zhao Chunli , Li Sijia , Yang Jinsong
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Conchal Crus is a kind of congenital auricular deformation which is often overlooked. Few studies reported a large number of cases. We compared the efficacy of EarWell and self‐made conchal formers on Conchal Crus to summarize our experience of correction and to find out the influencing factors.

Methods

Two groups of Conchal Crus babies underwent conchal correction with the EarWell and self‐made conchal formers respectively. The combined auricular deformities in these babies were corrected with EarWell Infant Ear Correction System. Conchal Crus deformity was classified as severe and mild. Auricular and conchal morphologic outcomes were graded as excellent, good, and poor.

Results

The auricular morphologic results were comparable between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the effective (excellent plus good) rate between the two groups, but the excellent rate for conchal results in the Self‐made group was significantly higher than that in the EarWell group. The former incidence of pressure ulcers was significantly lower than the latter. Multinomial regression analysis showed that the more severe conchal deformity was, the less likely the conchal shape tended to be improved.

Conclusion

Both conchal formers could correct Conchal Crus effectively. The self‐made conchal former could make more excellent conchal fossae and lead to less pressure ulcers at the Conchal Crus. The degree of Conchal Crus deformity was an important influencing factor in the conchal correction outcome.

Level of evidence

4