bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development of mechanical strengthened, UV-shielding and antibacterial hydroxyethyl cellulose-based composite films
Authors: Zhang Xueqin , Guo Haoqi , Luo Wenhan , Chen Guojian , Xiao Naiyu , Xiao Gengsheng , Liu Chuanfu
Published: June 2022

Hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)-based semi-transparent, mechanical strengthened, UV-shielding and antibacterial ternary composite films were developed. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) were respectively used as reinforcing agent and antibacterial agent, and covalent bonds among these three components were constructed with epichlorohydrin (ECH) to achieve chemical cross-linking. The mechanical properties of the composite films were largely enhanced by chemical cross-linking, and the maximum tensile strength and elongation at break were 95.9 ± 4.1 MPa and 148.8 ± 2.6%, respectively. FT-IR and XRD analyses indicated that chemical structure of the composite films could be well controlled by varying component proportion. From UV-Vis analysis, the optimum values of the percentage of blocking from UV-A and UV-B and UPF values were 98.35%, 99.99% and 60.25, respectively. Additionally, the composite films showed moderate water vapor permeability and swelling behavior. Moreover, the presence of ε-PL contributed to the good antibacterial activity of the composite films.
Post translational modifications in the complement system associated with idiopathic membranous nephropathy
Authors: Zhang Shaolei , Liu Dongwei , Zhang Yu , Tian Fei , Zhao Zihao , Chen Fengmei , Liu Zhangsuo , Yang Jing-Hua
Published: June 2022

Objective: To explore the molecular pathogenesis of idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) at the level of post-translational modifications (PTMs) using the shotgun proteomics and a modified open search analysis. Methods: Serum proteins from 41 IMN patients and 92 healthy people were analyzed by high resolution mass spectrometry. The mass differences between the coding and observed amino acid residues crossing the proteomes, termed the amino acid variations or polymorphisms, were determined with the open search engine followed by multivariate clustering, Gaussian regression and amino acid localization. The biological functions and interaction networks of these amino acid variants were correlated with the pathogenesis of IMN using bioinformatics analysis. Results: A total of 2627 clustered delta masses were identified, spreading over 27597 sites on 457 proteins. Among them, the levels of amino acid variants at 159 proteins were upregulated in patients with IMN, and 20 downregulated. The proteins with dysregulated amino acid variants were predominantly related to LXR/RXR activation, acute phase response signaling, coagulation system as well as the complement system. Markedly, the complement factors such as C3, C4B, C4BPA, C8g and CFH were the top proteins with Leu/Ile>Val and Asn>Asp substitutions, binding with calcium ions, and unknown PTMs, such as C4BPA@372N>D, C4B@141L>V, C7@389S>T, and CFH@339X>T. The functional analysis of proteins showed that nephrotoxicity (Global injury, renal inflammation, renal nephritis, kidney failure, renal damage) was associated with kidney disease, involving 28 kinds of proteins, including C4A/C4B. Through IPA analysis, we found that C4A/C4B interacted with many molecules, such as extracellular, cytoplasmic and nuclear. Conclusion: Complement pathway plays an important role in the pathogenesis of membranous nephropathy. The post-translational modification of C4B may be the most important pathogenesis of membranous nephropathy in the complement pathway.
Phytoremediation of Methylene blue dye (triarylmethane) and Congo red (azo) by Trachyspermum ammi: Kinetic studies
Authors: Kaur Navjeet , Kaushal Jyotsna , Mahajan Pooja
Published: June 2022

Phytoremediation developed as a green-clean, solar-driven and innovative technique for the eradication of contaminants from the environment from last two decades. In the present research work, phytoremediation potential of an ornamental plant Trachyspermum ammi L. (T. ammi) was examined for the removal of a triarylmethane-Methylene blue (MB) and di-azo-Congo red (CR) dye. The various parameters such as initial dye concentration, contact time, and pH were focused to explore the dye removal capability of T. ammi. in wastewater. The increase in initial dye concentration affects the decolorization potential of the T. ammi. The decolorization potential of T. ammi found to be reduced with enhancing the initial dye concentration of both the dyes. The plant achieved condition of equilibrium after the 40 h of contact time with both MB and CR dyes. The kinetics of phytoremediation reaction with both MB and CR dyes were studied with the help of pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, and Elovich models and the results were well appropriated to pseudo-first order with the correlation value R2 ≥ 0.99 for MB and R2 ≥ 0.97 for CR. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms studies of phytoremediation reaction found in favor of Freundlich equilibrium isotherm with correlation R2 ≥ 0.99 for both MB and CR dyes. The finding of analytical studies disclosed that the phytoremediation mechanisms of MB and CR by T. ammi firstly, involves phytoadsorption through electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding and then degradation of dyes occur through desulfurization and denitrification.
Dynamic alternations in mother-infant dyad’s gut microbiota over the period of six months
Authors: Yang Lan , Sakandar Hafiz Arbab , Sun Zhihong , Zhang Heping
Published: June 2022

Since birth, the human microbiome plays a pivotal role in health. It is intriguing to understand the establishing roles of intestinal microbiota in infants. This study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes in maternal and infant’s gut microbiota, the interaction between intestinal microbiota, and the function of intestinal microbiota. This study recruited one pregnant woman > 35 weeks gestational age. Faeces of the mother-infant dyad were regularly collected until six months of infant’s age for metagenomic analysis. The results showed the infant’s gut microbiota was different from the mother’s, majorly, encompassing Bacteroides fragilis, Ruminococcus gnavus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Klebsiella michiganensis. Infant- or mother-specific differential metabolic pathways were found between the mother and infant’s gut microbiome, implicating differences in the intestinal metagenomic potential/function. In conclusion, the gut microbes and functions were gradually established as infant grew.
WITHDRAWN: Pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy to treat parotid adenocarcinoma with pulmonary metastasis: a case report
Authors: Wu YaDi , Zhang HouYun , Wang He , Zhang LiFang , Liu YanTing , Zhou HongYan , Lu Ping , Zhang Min
Published: June 2022

Background: Our research for treating parotid adenocarcinoma was relatively slow due to its rare incidence. The consensus for treating pulmonary metastasis from parotid adenocarcinoma remains unclear as modern medicine is ineffective for patients with distant metastasis of primary parotid adenocarcinoma.Case presentation: A male patient with pulmonary metastasis from primary parotid adenocarcinoma was presented and received three courses of pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment. After which, there was an opportunity for surgery. No tumor cells were found in postoperative pathology. The patient achieved a complete response (CR) that continued on a follow-up of more than one year.Conclusions: This case emphasizes a definitive multimodal approach, with immunotherapy being a promising treatment in patients with pulmonary metastasis from parotid adenocarcinoma.
Synthesis of a novel poly-carboxylic acids via click reaction and its application for easy-care treatment of cotton fabrics
Authors: Hu Hanchang , Li Fuqiang , Dong Xia , Zhao Qiangqiang , Wu Rongliang , Meng Chen , Xu Jiani , Cai Tingwei , He Jinxin
Published: June 2022

Maleic acids (MA) have been studied to replace formaldehyde-based crosslinking agents for anti-wrinkle treatment of cotton fabrics due to its low cost. However, the resilience of cotton fabrics treated by MA is not acceptable for human being. In this study, a novel poly-carboxylic acid of Ethyldimercaptan Disuccinic Acid (EDMDSA) was synthesized by MA and 1,2-Dimercaptoethane via click reaction and applied on anti-wrinkle finishing of cotton fabrics. The chemical structure of EDMDSA was confirmed by NMR and MS spectra. The results indicated that the recommended anti-wrinkle finishing condition were 0.3 mol. L-1 EDMDSA, 0.3 mol. L-1 SHP, curing temperature of 170°C and curing time of 90 s. After treating, the Wrinkle Recovery Angle of cotton fabrics finished by EDMDSA increased from 137.2 ° of untreated fabrics to 251.3 °, which was significantly higher than 216 ° of those treated by MA. Besides, due to more flexible structure of EDMDSA, the finished cotton fabrics have slightly weaker anti-wrinkle performance but higher strength retention than those treated by BTCA. Positively, facile synthesis and purification of EDMDSA as well as its excellent crosslinking performance indicates it has a potential industrial-scale application in the field of non-formaldehyde anti-wrinkle treatment.
Radiologic findings of immunocompromised and immunocompetent COVID-19 patients with semi-quantitative chest CT score system
Authors: Ghadery Abdolkarim Haji , Abbasian Ladan , Jafari Fatemeh , Yazdi Niloofar Ayoobi , Ahmadinejad Zahra
Published: June 2022

Background: As effects of immunosuppression are not still clear on COVID-19 patients, we conducted this study to identify clinical and laboratory findings associated with pulmonary involvement in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent patientsMethods: 107 immunocompromised and 107 immunocompetent COVID-19 patients matched for age and sex with either positive RT-PCR or clinical-radiological findings suggestive of COVID-19 enrolled in the study. Their initial clinical features, laboratory findings and chest CT scans, and short-term outcomes (hospitalization time and ICU admission) were recorded. In addition, pulmonary involvement was assessed with the semi-quantitative scoring system (0-25).Results: Pulmonary involvement was significantly lower in immunocompromised patients in contrast in immunocompetent patients especially in RLL (p-value=0.001), LUL (p-value=0.023), and both central and peripheral (p-value=0.002), and peribronchovascular (p-value=0.004) sites of lungs. Patchy (p-value<0.001), wedged (p-value=0.002), confluent (p-value=0.002) lesions with both ground glass and consolidation pattern (p-value<0.001) were significantly higher among immunocompetent patients.Initial sign and symptoms of immunocompromised patients including dyspnea (p-value=0.008) and hemoptysis (p-value=0.036*), respiratory rate of over 25 (p-value <0.001), and spo2 of below 93% (p-value= 0.01) was associated with higher pulmonary involvement. Total chest Ct score was also associated with longer hospitalization (p-value=0.016) and ICU admission (p-value=0.04) among immunocompromised patients.Conclusions: Immunocompromised patients had less severe pulmonary involvement, and initial clinical findings (dyspnea, hemoptysis, higher RR, and lower Spo2) could better predict pulmonary involvement than laboratory findings.
The Role of Meteorin-Like Peptide and TRPM2 in Differential Diagnosis in Benign, Premalignant and Malignant Lesions of the Endometrium
Authors: Balta Hilal , Kocaman Nevin
Published: June 2022

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in developed countries, and Type 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma develops from the background of atypical hyperplasia. Early diagnosis is effective on mortality and morbidity, and immunohistochemical biomarkers are the most helpful diagnostic method.The samples of this retrospective study were obtained from the pathology laboratory of the Fırat University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pathology. A total of 60 patient samples were used, with 10 samples in each group. The cases of proliferative endometrium, simple endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, simple atypical endometrial hyperplasia, complex endometrial hyperplasia without atypia, complex atypical endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma were included in the study. The tissue samples were treated and evaluated with Meteorin-like peptide (METRNL) and TRPM2 in all groups.Statistically significant relationships were detected between endometrial hyperplasia without complex atypia, endometrial hyperplasia with complex atypia, and Type-1 endometrial adenocarcinoma in terms of METRNL and TRPM2 immunoreactivity.The study results support the presence of a significant association in terms of the expression of METRNL and TRPM2 in endometrial tumors. The results of the present study confirm that both markers have diagnostic value for endometrioid carcinoma.
Biochemical and Microbiological Aspects of the Oral Cavity of Children and Young People With Neurological Impairment and Oropharyngeal Dysphagia
Authors: Duarte Janaina Costa Marangon , Costa Isabela Bazzo , Teixeira Daniel De Bortoli , Fregatto Luiz Fernando , Mendes Claudemir Gregorio , Mascarin Aline Maria Noli , Junior Salum Bueno Silveira , Serva Bianca Eduarda Bapstitella Mesquita , Comar Livia Picchi , Silva Roberta Gonçalves , Agostinho Francisco , Cola Paula Cristina
Published: June 2022

Objective
To compare the oral hygiene, biochemical, and microbiological aspects of the oral cavity of children and young people with neurological impairment and oropharyngeal dysphagia.
Method
Forty children and young people with neurological impairment and oropharyngeal dysphagia were enrolled and divided into two groups: group I, including 20 participants fed via gastrostomy; and group II, including 20 participants fed via the oral route. Oral hygiene and salivary pH and flow were assessed, and polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the messenger RNA expressions of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tanerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola.
Results
In groups I and II, the mean Oral Hygiene Index - Simplified scores were 4 and 2, respectively, showing a significant difference; the mean Calculus Index scores were 2 and 0, respectively, showing a significant difference; and the mean pH was 7.5 and 6.0, respectively, showing a significant difference. Bacterial analysis indicated no association between the two groups.
Conclusion
Children and young people who use gastrostomy had a poorer oral hygiene, greater dental calculus deposition, and higher salivary pH. Saliva of patients in both groups contained Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tanerella forsythia, and Treponema denticola.
Learning Curve of Microwave Ablation for Liver Cancers
Authors: Dou Jianping , Yu Jie , Cheng Wen , Wei Qiang , Luo Yanchun , Han Zhiyu , Cheng Zhigang , Liu Fangyi , Yu Xiaoling , Liang Ping
Published: June 2022

Background
Microwave ablation (MWA) has been increasing accepted as a curative therapy in small liver tumors but its learning curve is still unknown. This study aims to evaluate MWA efficacy and safety by cumulative MWA volume and interventional experience.
Materials
This study included 3113 primary liver cancers treated by MWA by 7 operators. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate within-operators effects of increasing cumulative MWA volume per year on major complication, technical success (TS) and local tumor progression (LTP) rates were adjusted for treatment-level characteristics. Changes were also evaluated by subgroups of tumor size and tumor location.
Results
Lower severe complication rate was detected only in higher MWA volume (P = 0.02). Previous interventional experience had no influence on major complication rate. TE rates increased with the increase of MWA volume (all P < 0.00) per year. Similar results were found in subgroup analysis of interventional experience. LTP rates were similar regardless of MWA volume and interventional experience. MWA volume per year larger than 150 cases could reduce the major complication rate for tumors smaller than 5cm (P = 0.03) and tumors in higher risk location (P = 0.03). The increase of MWA volume per year could significantly increase the TS rate in all tumor size, expect for tumors in high-risk location.
Conclusion
Early and intensive performance of MWA procedures would reduce major complication rates regardless of tumor size and tumor location, but could not improve TS rate in high-risk locations.
Prevalence and risk factors of pelvic floor disorders after delivery in Japanese women using the PFDI-20: A single-center retrospective cohort survey
Authors: Suemitsu Tokumasa , Mikuni Kazumi , Matsui Hiroki , Suzuki Makoto , Takahashi Tomoko
Published: June 2022

Background: Female pelvic floor disorders (PFD) include various clinical conditions, such as urinary and fecal incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. PFD assessment has been facilitated by developing disease-specific questionnaires, such as the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20). We aimed to investigate the prevalence of PFD in Japanese women after delivery and the association of PFD with epidural anesthesia.Methods: This retrospective study included women who gave birth at our institution. The PFDI-20 questionnaire (validated in Japanese) was used to evaluate PFD symptoms 6–15 months postpartum. Results: Of 212 postpartum women, 156 (73.6%) manifested PFD symptoms. The most prevalent PFD symptom was urinary distress in 114 (53.8%) women, wherein 79 (37.3%) women experienced urine leakage related to increased abdominal pressure.Conclusion: A comparison of the epidural and non-epidural groups regarding the association between PFD and delivery mode revealed a higher disease burden score by 8.67 points in the epidural group. Therefore, correct diagnosis of women along with appropriate and regular follow-up until improvement of their symptoms would be significant. Healthcare workers should, therefore, inform pregnant women whether to choose vaginal delivery with or without anesthesia. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to investigate whole postpartum PFD in Japan. Trial registration: Retrospectively registered.
Transparent liver tumor imaging for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE): cancer treatment mechanism in TACE
Authors: Hong Sera , Choi Won Seok , Purushothaman Baskaran , Koh Jaemoon , Kim Hyo-Cheol , Chung Jin Wook , Song Joon Myong , Choi Jin Woo
Published: June 2022

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the current standard of care for patients with intermediate-stage HCC. While TACE has been widely used for the treatment of HCC, there are unsolved questions on the use of chemotherapeutics agents in TACE. TACE has been thought to induce necrosis in HCC due to the complex effects of embolism and intra-arterial delivery of anticancer drugs; however, it is unclear how far a drug is delivered from the arteries before the tumor undergoes necrosis induced by embolization-induced ischemia.Methods: In this study, the drug delivery effect, time-dependent embolic effect, and immunogenic response were compared following conventional TACE (cTACE), drug-eluting embolic TACE (DEE-TACE), and transarterial embolization (TAE) in a rat model of HCC. Following each treatment, three-dimensional drug delivery was evaluated via the transparent liver tumor imaging. Time-dependent tumor necrosis was analyzed by serial tumor harvesting and histological staining. Early (24-h) and residual (7-day) immune responses were evaluated by flow cytometric analyses and immunohistochemistry. Results: The intratumoral blood vessel structure became damaged after treatment due to embolization-induced ischemia. The more severe the vascular damage caused over time or by treatment type, the greater the distance traveled by drugs. In the first 24-h, most chemotherapeutic agents were located within 80 and 110 µm of the nearest vessels after cTACE and DEE-TACE, respectively, while 85.3–97.2% of tumor cells underwent necrosis. The percentages of CD4 and IL-17+ CD4 T cells were significantly increased following treatment, but drug loading did not affect the early and residual immune responses. Conclusion: Transarterially delivered chemotherapeutic agents appeared to exert a limited role, owing to the rapid and overwhelming effect of embolization.
A case report of ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone syndrome in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Amoateng Magdelene , Ibrahim Eiman Y , Rodriguez Abraham , Vera Armando , Hulinksy Ilja
Published: June 2022

Background:Accurate and early diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome is challenging. Ectopic production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) by carcinoid tumors is relatively rare and may not be detected.The tumors that produce ectopic ACTH are usually bronchopulmonary or thymic in origin and are rarely of gastrointestinal origin. To our knowledge, there is only one published case of an ectopic ACTH secreting primary hepatic carcinoid tumor with consistent biochemical markers and symptoms that resolved with resection.Patient findings:This report describes a rare case of a patient who had Cushing syndrome from the ectopic secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone by a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with neuroendocrine features.Conclusions:Ectopic ACTH secretion is typically a clinical diagnosis that is confirmed after surgical resection of the ectopic source. Only few reports were found to describe ectopic ACTH secretion in HCC. Our case illuminates the significance of clinical and immunohistochemical studies to establish the appropriate diagnosis in patients with tumors believed to secrete ACTH. Additionally, absent immunostaining has been also described in some patients with ectopic ACTH secretion.
Clinical value of serum lncRNA MIAT in lung cancer
Authors: hou yulei , Zhang Jianhong , He Jing , Zhang Xiaoyue , Yuan Jinshan , Miao Guihua , Tang Wei , Chen Hui
Published: June 2022

The long noncoding RNA myocardial infarction associated transcript (MIAT) played a critical role in lung cancer. Present study aimed to measure serum MIAT levels and investigate its clinical value in lung cancer. Serum was collected from 109 lung cancer and 61 healthy controls, and MIAT levels were measured using RT-qPCR and compared. The relations between serum MIAT and the clinical characteristics of cancer were explored. Diagnostic power of MIAT for lung cancer was analyzed by plotting an ROC curve. Serum MIAT levels were significantly higher in lung cancer than in healthy controls (t = 3.288, P < 0.01). Serum MIAT levels were increased significantly in patients at middle-late stages than in those at early stages(t = 2.862, P < 0.01), and significantly higher in patients with lymph node metastasis than in those without (t = 4.112, P < 0.01). The cut-off value of serum MIAT for the diagnosis of lung cancer was 0.945, with a sensitivity of 66.1%, specificity of 63.9%, and area under the curve of 0.65 (95% confidence interval, 0.57–0.73). Serum MIAT levels were increased significantly among lung cancer and related to TNM stage or lymph node metastasis, suggesting the potential of MIAT as a marker of lung cancer.
Factors influencing consistent use of bed nets for the control of malaria among children under five years in Soroti District, North Eastern Uganda
Authors: Akello Anne Ruth , Byagamy John Paul , Etajak Samuel , Okadhi Charles Stephen , Yeka Adoke
Published: June 2022

Background: The use of insecticide treated bed nets has been proven to be effective in reducing malaria transmission in highly endemic areas. Use of Long-Lasting Insecticide-treated Nets (LLINs) has been embraced by many malaria endemic countries. The LLINs are up to 95% effective in inhibiting blood feeding when used consistently even after seven years. The challenge however is enhancing their consistent use, especially by the most vulnerable groups (children under five years and pregnant women). The study established factors associated with consistent use of bed nets for malaria control among children under five years in Soroti district.Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design, with multi-stage sampling of households. A total of 400 Households (HH) were sampled and the HH head in each household interviewed. Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) were conducted with 7 key informants who were knowledgeable on the subject matter. Data analysis was done using SPSS 17.0 at Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariable levels; after entry and cleaning. Key informants’ data were summarized manually; verbatim quotes and text used to reinforce quantitative data in line with objectives.Results: Only 56.8% of the 690 children under five years used bed nets consistently. The factors affecting consistent bed net use were age of the child, their use of bed nets the previous night, occupation of caretaker, respondents’ perceived susceptibilty, perceived risk of getting malaria, size and shape of the bed nets. Rectangular nets were difficult to hang daily in huts according to most key informants. Conclusion: Consistent bed net use among under fives is still below the RBM target of 85% by 2015 and can be enhanced by providing conical bed nets and setting aside a health education program to emphasize the effectiveness of even one mosquito in spreading malaria at night to the entire household and ability of bed nets to stop transmission better than other methods.
A Novel Method for Solving Response of Stochastic Vibro-impact Systems with Two-sided Barriers
Authors: Ma Shichao , Ning Xin , Wang Liang , Jia Wantao , Han Ping
Published: June 2022

The research of stochastic steady-state response of vibration systems including bilateral impacts and gaps has important theoretical and practical significance. At present, conventional analytical methods destroy the inherent non-smooth of the systems because of many approximate transformations when solving response. In order to deal with this problem, we propose a new method to preserve the velocity jump under the bilateral impact without nonsmooth transformation in this paper. A complete process is regarded as the one-step transition probability that the stochastic trajectories start from one barrier, and return to the original barrier after impacting with another barrier. Then, the intervals of response are established based on the initial barrier to ensure of the continuity of the state space. We analyzed the steady-state response of a bilateral Rayleigh vibro-impact oscillator and a piezoelectric energy harvesting device with two symmetric barriers by utilizing the proposed method, respectively. Comparing with Monte Carlo simulations, it is fully demonstrated the effectiveness of this method. At the same time, it is found that the cases using our proposed method have wide applicability under different position of barriers, restitution coefficient, noise excitation and system parameters.
Projection and Assessment of Performance of Software Reuse Using Data Mining
Authors: Jha Pooja
Published: June 2022

In today’s world, there is improvement in hardware performance, storage capacity, architectures. So, there exists an opportunity to design and control the software based on requirements. Software reuse is an optimistic approach to achieve software productivity and software quality. The paper presents a method for predicting and analysing performance of software reuse to understand whether reuse can lead to success or failure of the product. The technique of data mining is exploited to improve the Accuracy, Error rate, and Kappa statistics. It is supported by the Weka-tool. The pre-processing filtering techniques are used to improve the speed of computation by removing the missing values. To validate the output of proposed algorithm comparison is done with J48 classifier.
Unravelling interplay between molecule-based spin-state switching and electron transport in a single-crystal 3D metal-organic framework
Authors: Costa José , Martinez-Martinez Ana , Piñeiro-Lopez Lucia , Resines-Urien Esther , Fernandez-Blanco Angel , Mariano Antonio , Poloni Roberta , Rodriguez-Velamazan Jose Alberto , Sañudo Eva , Burzurí Enrique
Published: June 2022

Molecule-based Spin Crossover (SCO) materials display likely one of the most spectacular switchable processes. The SCO involves reversible changes in their physicochemical properties (i.e. optical, magnetic, electronic and elastic) that are coupled with the spin-state change under an external perturbation (i.e. temperature, light, magnetic field or the inclusion of analytes). Although very promising for their future integration into electronic devices, most of the SCO compounds show two major drawbacks: i) their intrinsic low conductance and ii) the unclear mechanism connecting the spin-state change and the electrical conductivity. Herein, we report the controlled single-crystal-to-single-crystal temperature-induced transformation in a robust metal-organic framework (MOF), [Fe2(H0,67bdt)3]·9H2O (1), being bdt2− = 1,4-benzeneditetrazolate, exhibiting a dynamic spin-state change concomitant with an increment in the anisotropic electrical conductance. 1 remains intact during the SCO process even after approximately a 15% volume reduction. The experimental and theoretical rationalization of the electronic orbital delocalization in the MOF points to a direct correlation between the spin-state of the iron and the electronic conductivity of the 3D structure.
Observer-based event-triggered optimal control for unknown nonlinear stochastic multi-agent systems with input constraints
Authors: Liu Chen , Liu Lei , Wu Zhaojing , Cao Jinde , Qiu Jianlong
Published: June 2022

This paper addresses the observer-based event-triggered optimal control (ETOC) for nonlinear Itô-type stochastic multi-agent systems (SMASs) with unknown internal states and input constraints. To begin with, the event-triggered stochastic Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation with input constraints is presented for the first time. Next, the observer-based identifier network is utilized to recover the knowledge of unknown system dynamics. After that, the approximate event-triggered optimal controller is designed via adaptive critic designs (ACDs) whose weights are only updated at the triggering instants. It is worth mentioning that there is no published literature on the ETOC for nonlinear SMASs with unknown internal states and input constraints via the framework of ET-ACDs. This study is the first attempt to solve this problem. Moreover, it is also proved that the Zeno behavior does not exist in the closed-loop system. Finally, we present two examples to further verify the validity of the ETOC scheme.
Airway and lung organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells can be used to assess CFTR conductance
Authors: Demchenko Anna , Kondrateva Ekaterina , Tabakov Vyacheslav , Efremova Anna , Salikhova Diana , Bukharova Tatiana , Goldshtein Dmitry , Balyasin Maxim , Bulatenko Natalia , Amelina Elena , Lavrov Alexander , Smirnikhina Svetlana
Published: June 2022

Background: Airway (AOs) and lung (LOs) organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are current models for personalized drug screening, cell-cell interaction studies, and lung disease research. We analyzed the existing differentiation protocols and identified the optimal conditions for obtaining organoids. In this article, we describe a step-by-step protocol for differentiating hiPSCs into airway and lung organoids.Methods: hiPSCs were differentiated into AOs and LOs according to previously published protocols with modification of some stages of differentiation. Immunocytochemical staining, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy were performed to determine the cellular composition of AOs and LOs. To assess the functional activity of the CFTR channel, forskolin-induced swelling (FIS) in AOs and LOs was performed. FIS images were analysed with ilastik and CellProfiler software. Statistical analysis of data was performed using GLMM models with post-hoc Tukey's tests.Results: Airway and lung organoids obtained from a healthy donor and from two donors with a homozygous F508del mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and demonstrated that the airway organoid area was significantly different. Analysis of the cellular composition of airway and lung organoids showed that airway organoids contain proximal lung epithelial cells, while lung organoids contain both proximal and distal lung epithelial cells. Forskolin-induced swelling of organoids derived from a healthy donor showed that lung organoids, as well as airway organoids, contain functional epithelial cells and swell after 24-hour exposure to forskolin, which makes it a good model for analyzing the CFTR channel conductance in vitro. Conclusions: This study demonstrate the feasibility of generating and characterizing airway and lung organoids from hiPSCs, which can be used for a variety of future applications, such as assess the CFTR channel conductance, drug screening, disease modeling and other.
MELTF might regulate ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy in Platelet-Rich Plasma-mediated endometrial epithelium regeneration
Authors: Mao Yanhong , Wang Mei , Xiong Yao , Wen Xue , Zhang Ming , Ma Ling , Zhang Yuanzhen
Published: June 2022

Endometrial basal layer is essential for the endometrial regeneration, whose disruption leads to thin endometrium or intrauterine adhesion (IUA) with unsatisfactory prognosis. Emerging data indicate that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can promote endometrial proliferation, but the mechanism by which PRP regulates endometrial regeneration remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic effects and possible mechanisms of PRP on endometrial regeneration. IUA animal model was generated by sham, mechanically damaging endometrium with or without PRP for 10 days. Uterine section in Model group showed degenerative changes with narrow endometrial lumen, atrophic columnar epithelium, decreased number of endometrial glands, decreased endometrial thickness and increased collagen deposition. The above disruption could be ameliorated by the PRP. Transcriptome sequencing analysis displayed that retinol metabolism pathway and extra cellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction pathway were up-regulated and enriched in differential expression gene (DEGs). Melanotransferrin (MELTF) was the key up-regulated gene in PRP-induced endometrial regeneration, which was verified in vivo and in vitro. Ferroptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis were down-regulated in PRP-treated Ishikawa cells. Conclusively, PRP might promote the endometrium regeneration through up-regulating the retinol metabolism and ECM receptor interaction pathway with MELTF. Meanwhile, PRP could also inhibit endometrial epithelial cells death by regulating ferroptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis.
Effects of Open-Source Image Preprocessing on Glaucoma and Glaucoma Suspect Fundus Image Differentiation with CNN
Authors: Seker Mustafa Ege , Koyluoglu Yilmaz Onat , Celebi Ali Riza Cenk , Bayram Bugrahan
Published: June 2022

Purpose: Investigating whether a Keras-based Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) model could detect glaucoma suspect cases from glaucoma cases without a visual field test and the effects of open-source data preprocessing in AI based glaucoma detection.Methods: 398 glaucoma and 378 glaucoma suspect cases approved by a glaucoma specialist ophthalmologist were enrolled in this study. Fundus images were retrieved from an optical coherence tomography device. An open-source graphic software was used to create training sets. There were three distinct groups: fundus-centered cropped images, grayscale version of said images with an auto white balance option to enhance the features and in addition to the conversions stated above, horizontal, vertical, and horizontal plus vertical flips were applied in the third group. Cropped images were used to train our Keras-based CNN model with 49 deep layers. Model fit was designed at 50 epochs per run and the performance metrics for each run were recorded. Normality was assessed with the Shapiro-Wilk test. A one-way ANOVA was applied to analyze each image set's validation accuracy. Bonferroni corrections were applied if appropriate. Demographics of the patients were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney-U test and the chi-2 test.Results: The mean age of glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspected patients showed a statistically significant difference (P-value < 0.001, mean ± standard deviation 62 ± 15 and 45 ± 15 respectively). Gender did not show a statistically significant difference between groups (P-value = 0.388). Validation accuracy scores in groups 1,2 and 3 were 0.71 ± 0.02, 0.77± 0.02 and 0.85±0.03 respectively (mean ± standard deviation) (P-value < 0.001). The sensitivities and specificities between groups were different and those differences were found to be statistically significant (P-value < 0.001 and P-value < 0.001, respectively).Conclusion: In this report, we introduce open-source and easy-to-deploy image pre-processing methods to improve the outcome of glaucoma detection from glaucoma suspected cases in stereoscopic optic disc photography-derived fundus images that could be used with any CNN-based computer-aided diagnosis system without requiring a visual field test, contributing to decreasing the burden associated with undiagnosed glaucoma progression.
Oncological and Functional Outcomes of High-Risk and Very High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients after Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy
Authors: Chen Wei-Hsin , Lee Yu Khun , Kuo Hann-Chorng , Wang Jen-Hung , Jiang Yuan-Hong
Published: June 2022

This study investigated the oncological and functional outcomes of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RaRP) in high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer patients. One hundred prostate cancer patients who underwent RaRP were retrospectively enrolled, including 53 in the below high-risk group and 47 in the high-risk/very high-risk group. The mean age was 69.7 ± 7.4 years with a median follow-up of 26.4 (range 3.3–71.3) months. The median biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival of the entire cohort was 53.1 months. The high-risk/very high-risk group without adjuvant treatment had significantly worse BCR-free survival than the high-risk/very high-risk group with adjuvant treatment and the below high-risk group (19.6 vs. 60.5 and 53.1 months, p = 0.0015). The rates of postoperative stress urinary incontinence (SUI) at 1 week, 1 month, and 12 months were 50.7%, 43.7%, and 8.5%, respectively. High-risk/very high-risk patients had significantly higher rates of SUI at postoperative week 1 (75.8% vs. 28.9%) and month 1 (63.6% vs. 26.3%) than the below high-risk group (both p < 0.01). High-risk and very high-risk patients who received both RaRP and adjuvant treatment had BCR-free survival rates comparable with the below high-risk patients. High or very high-risk impeded early but not long-term recovery of continence after RaRP.
Association between sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices and the risk of osteoarthritis: an NHANES study
Authors: Chen Shuai , Sun Xiaohe , Zhou Guowei , Jin Jie , Li Zhiwei
Published: June 2022

Objectives:Thyroid hormones play an instrumental role in chondrogenic differentiation and matrix maturation. However, studies investigating the relationship between thyroid function and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) remain scarce. This study was designed to investigate the correlation between thyroid status and OA from a novel perspective of sensitivity to thyroid hormones.Methods:The study included 8,478 people from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010. The sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices included Thyrotroph Thyroxine Resistance Index (TT4RI), Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHI), Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index (TFQI), and Free Triiodothyronine /Free thyroxine (FT3/FT4), which were calculated based on serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Considering the complex survey design and sample weights, we employed multivariate linear regression models and stratified analysis to evaluate the correlation between sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices and OA. Results:Study results indicated that participants with OA had elevated TT4RI, TSHI, and TFQI levels, and lower FT3/FT4 levels compared to those with non-arthritis. After adjusting for other covariates, FT3/FT4 was negatively associated with the risk of OA (OR= 1.162, 95%CI: 1.048-1.478, P= 0.021); (OR= 1.261, 95%CI: 1.078-1.623, P= 0.042). In subgroup analyses stratified by gender and BMI, participants with OA had higher TFQI levels compared to those without OA in both genders. (OR= 1.491, 95%CI: 1.070-2.077, P= 0.018); (OR= 2.548, 95%CI: 1.929-3.365, P<0.001). The higher TFQI levels were consistently associated with the increased prevalence of OA in the BMI (<18.5 kg/m2) group after adjusting for different covariates, but not in other BMI groups. In, addition, TFQI performed better than FT3/FT4, TSHI, and TT4RI on ROC analyses for OA prediction. Conclusions:The levels of FT3/FT4, TSHI, TT4RI, and TFQI are strongly associated with the prevalence of OA, which illustrates the complex correlation between the thyroid system and chondrogenic differentiation. TFQI may be used as a helpful indicator to predict OA and provide novel ideas for the evaluation and treatment of OA.
Structure-Mechanical Analysis of Various Fixation Constructs for Basicervical Fractures of the Proximal Femur and clinical implications: Finite Element Analysis
Authors: Kim Joon-Woo , Oh Chang-Wug , Kim Beom-Soo , Jeong Se-Lin , Jung Gu-Hee
Published: June 2022

Objective: This present study was conducted to determine the structural-mechanical stability of various fixation constructs through finite element (FE) analysis following simulation of a basicervical fracture and to introduce the clinical implications.Materials and Methods: We simulated fracture models by using a right synthetic femur (SAWBONES®). We imported the implant models into ANSYS® for placement in an optimal position. Five assembly models were constructed: (1) multiple cancellous screws (MCS), (2) FNS (femoral neck system®), (3) dynamic hip screw (DHS), (4) DHS with anti-rotation 7.0 screw (DHS + screw), and PFNA-II (Proximal Femoral Nail Antirotation-II®). The femur model’s distal end was completely fixed and 7° abducted. We set the force vector at a 3° angle laterally and 15° posteriorly from the vertical ground. Analysis was done using Ansys® software with von Mises stress (VMS) in megapascals (MPa) and displacement (mm)Results: The displacements of the proximal femur were 10.25 mm for MCS, 9.66 mm for DHS, 9.44 mm for DHS + screw, 9.86 mm for FNS, and 9.31 mm for PFNA-II. The maximum implant VMS was 148.94 MPa for MCS, 414.66 MPa for DHS, 385.59 MPa for DSH + screw, 464.07 MPa for FNS, and 505.07 MPa for PFNA-II. The maximum VMS at the fracture site was 621.13 MPa for MCS, 464.14 MPa for DHS, 64.51 MPa for DHS + screw, 344.54 MPa for FNS, and 647.49 MPa for PFNA-II. The maximum VMS at the fracture site was in the superior area with the high point around the posterior screw in the MCS, anterosuperior corner in the DHS, the posteroinferior site of the FNS, and posterosuperior site around the entry point in the PFNA-II. In the DHS + screw, the stresses were distributed evenly and disappeared at the maximum VMS fracture site. Conclusion: Based on the fracture site and implant's stress distribution, the model receiving the optimal load was a DHS + screw construct, and the FNS implant could be applied to anatomically reduced fractures without comminution. Considering the high-stress concentration around the entry point, a PFNA-II fixation has a high probability of head-neck fragment rotational instability.
Human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells prevent pregnancy loss in a rat by JAK/STAT-mediated immunomodulation
Authors: Ding Xiaoying , Wu Rongrong , Yang Tingting , Jin Beibei , Zhu Chunyu , Zhang Yuquan , Yang Xiaoqing
Published: June 2022

Spontaneous abortion (SA) is a syndrome with many origins. Among them, signal transduction or immune imbalance are major risk factors for SA. Wharton's jelly-mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) are considered to be able to treat abortion. However, molecular signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms to exert immune tolerance and maintain pregnancy of WJ-MSCs are poorly understood. We establish a rat abortion model using the subcutaneous injection of bromocriptine and inject WJ-MSCs into the rat through the tail vein on the 9th day of gestation. One experimental group included the cells treated with JAK/STAT inhibitor to test the contribution of this pathway. Here, we show that WJ-MSCs significantly lowered the rate of embryo resorption in the spontaneous abortion model. WJ-MSCs reduced Th1-related cytokines while increasing Th2 and Th3-related cytokines. Our observation that the ability of WJ-MSCs to prevent spontaneous abortion and alter cytokine profiles was lost upon inhibition of JAK/STAT signaling shows JAK/STAT signaling’s an important role to mediate SA. Together, these results reveal that WJ-MSCs prevent bromocriptine-induced spontaneous abortion in rats via JAK / STAT-mediated promotion of Th2 / Th3 cytokine responses and concurrent suppression of Th1 response and may offer a potential therapeutic target to prevent SA.
An Integrative Pan-Cancer Analysis of FASN in Human Tumors
Authors: 谭 明 , lin xiaoyu , chen huiying , ye wanli , Yi Jianqi , Su Jiping
Published: June 2022

Background
The reprogramming of lipid metabolism in tumor cells has led to a new focus on the study of lipid metabolism, which provides raw materials and energy for tumor cell growth and also serves as an intracellular second messenger involved in cell growth and proliferation. There is increasing evidence that fatty acid synthase( FASN), a key enzyme in lipid metabolism, is overexpressed in many cancers in association with cancer progression. However, there is no systematic pan-cancer analysis of FASN.
Methods
We used the available public databases TIMER2.0, GEPIA2, cBioPortal, UALCAN, and TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) to analyze FASN expression and its correlation with prognosis, clinicopathological staging, immune cell infiltration, and potential mechanisms of carcinogenesis in a variety of cancers.
Results
The expression of FASN was significantly increased in a variety of tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues, and its expression was significantly correlated with the prognosis of tumor cases. The present study also showed that genetic alterations in FASN were also correlated with the prognosis of some cancers. We also found that FASN phosphorylation at S724 S725, S1174, S1411, and T2204 was significantly decreased in breast cancer, and in renal clear cell carcinoma FASN phosphorylation at S207, S2198 was also significantly decreased, but in lung adenocarcinoma, FASN phosphorylation at S207 was significantly increased. In addition, FASN expression in several tumors was positively correlated with cancer-associated fibroblasts, and FASN was involved in the co-expression of genes related to fatty acid metabolism.
Conclusion
This pan-cancer analysis identified significant upregulation of FASN in various cancers and correlated with poor prognosis and immune infiltration in a variety of cancers, and provided further insight into the mechanisms of FASN's role in cancer progression.