bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A drug free solution for improving the quality of life of fibromyalgia patients (Fibrepik): study protocol of a multicenter, randomized, controlled effectiveness trial.
Authors: CHIPON Emilie , BOSSON Jean-Luc , MINIER Laure , DUMOLARD Anne , VILOTITCH Antoine , CROUZIER David , MAINDET Caroline
Published: July 2022

Background: Fibromyalgia is a form of chronic widespread pain that is defined as a syndrome of chronic symptoms of moderate to severe intensity, including diffuse pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, and numerous somatic complaints. To date, there is no specific drug treatment for fibromyalgia but only symptomatic treatments. A drug free solution based on a wristband which emits millimeter waves associated with a therapeutic coaching program was developed. The application of millimeter waves on an innervated area have been described to have a neuromodulating effect, due to endorphin release stimulation and parasympathetic activation. Coaching is carried out to improve patient’s adherence and to increase compliance and effectiveness of the treatment. Regular use of this solution by fibromyalgia patients is expected to improve sleep quality, reduce anxiety and pain level, and at the end, increase the quality of life.Methods: This trial is performed over 8 French inclusion centers for a total of 170 patients. The effectiveness of the solution is evaluated according to the primary objective, the improvement of the quality of life measured through the dedicated Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire after 3 months. Patients are randomized in two groups, Immediate or Delayed. The Immediate group has access to the solution just after randomisation in addition to standard care, while Delayed has access to the standard of care and wait for 3 months to have the solution. The purpose of this methodology is to limit deception bias and facilitate inclusion. The solution consists in using the device for three sessions of 30 minutes per day and four coaching sessions spread over the first two months of wristband usage.Discussion: The objective is to confirm the effect of the integrative approach based on endorphin stimulation and a therapeutic coaching program in nociplastic pain, and specifically for patient suffering from fibromyalgia. If the effectiveness of the solution is demonstrated, we will be able to respond to the demand of fibromyalgia patients for access to an effective non-medicinal treatment to improve their quality of life.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05058092
Turmeric Powder Supplementation in Broiler Diet Improves Growth Performance and Immunity via Increasing mRNA Expression of Growth Hormone, Insulin Like Growth Factor-1, Interferon Gamma and Interleukin12
Authors: Shawky Sherif , Fathalla Said , Orabi Sahar , El-Mosalhi Huda , Abu-Alya Ibrahim
Published: July 2022

Background
The research was carried out to assess how adding turmeric powder to the diet affected Cobb broiler chickens' productivity and immunity. A total of 150 broiler chicks were divided into two groups with 3 replicates of 25 birds each. The control group was given the basal diet. The Turmeric group was given turmeric in a dose of 5g/Kg ration.
Results
Statistical analysis showed that turmeric powder significantly improved final body weight (FW), weight gain (WG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), IgM, IgG, globulins (alpha 1 globulin and gamma globulin) in serum. In addition, turmeric significantly increases mRNA expression of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), interferon-gamma (INF-γ), and Interleukin 12 (IL-12p35) in comparison to the control group
Conclusion
The Turmeric powder added to the diet showed the best effects on productivity and immunological response.
Modified Emden type Oscillator Equations with Exact Harmonic Solutions
Authors: YESSOUFOU Akim Boukola , ADJAÏ Kolawolé Kêgnidé Damien , AKANDE Jean , MONSIA Marc Delphin
Published: July 2022

This paper is devoted to investigating the existence of exact harmonic solutions and limit cycles of certain modified Emden-type equations. The exact and general solutions obtained are in opposition to the predictions of classic existence theorems.
Reaching adolescents with health services: systematic development of an adolescent health check-ups programme in Ghana (Y-Check, Ghana)
Authors: Weobong Benedict , Glozah Franklin N , Abdulai Hannah B T , Koka Eric , Addae Nancy , Alor Stanley , Kohl Kid , Banati Prerna , Adongo Philip B , Ross David A
Published: July 2022

Background: Routine health check-ups may improve adolescent health, but global guidelines are lacking. Phase 1 of the WHO-coordinated Y-Check Research Programme involved three African cities (Chitungwiza - Zimbabwe, Mwanza - Tanzania, Cape Coast - Ghana) to co-produce a programme of adolescent health check-ups. In this article, we describe a systematic approach to developing a routine adolescent health check-ups programme (Y-Check) to contribute evidence on whether adolescent health check-ups should be part of routine health services in Ghana.Methods: Y-Check Phase 1 was conducted in four communities in Cape Coast Ghana, over two stages using a variety of methods: (a) needs assessment and landscape analysis on the health of adolescents (existing policies/programmes, school system, adolescent health conditions) was conducted through desk-review and interviews with key informants to identify the potential content, delivery strategy and settings for adolescent health check-ups in this context; (b) co-designing the Y-Check intervention framework through person-centred participatory workshops and a consensus-building workshop with multiple stakeholders, including adolescents and their parents. The study was conducted between August 2019 and October 2020.Results: The formulated Y-Check health promotion intervention in Ghana consists of two check-ups with content that is tailored to the needs of younger adolescents (10-14 years) and older adolescents (15-19 years); delivered at both school and community settings by a team of trained staff (youth researcher, medical laboratory scientist, and nurses/clinicians) in multiple steps involving up to four stations (registration and screening questionnaire, physical examination, laboratory examination, and clinical assessment). Y-Check includes a referral system for adolescents with any problems that cannot be investigated or treated on-the-spot.Conclusions: Our systematic approach to co-producing Y-Check has resulted in an intervention whose content and structure is determined by the local context, and which was adjudged by multiple stakeholders to be likely to be both useful and acceptable, and which builds on best practice. As a logical next step, the Y-Check intervention will be subjected to pilot testing and implementation research to rigorously evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, coverage, yield of previously undiagnosed conditions and cost of these health check-ups for adolescents aged 10 years to 19 years.
Tuberculosis treatment adherence in the era of COVID-19
Authors: Lippincott Christopher , Perry Allison , Munk Elizabeth , Maltas Gina , Shah Maunank
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUNDIn-person directly observed therapy (DOT) is commonly used for tuberculosis (TB) treatment monitoring in the US, with increasing usage of video-DOT (vDOT). We evaluated the impact of COVID-19 on TB treatment adherence, and utilization and effectiveness of vDOT.METHODSWe abstracted routinely collected data on individuals treated for TB disease in Baltimore, Maryland between April 2019 and April 2021. Our primary outcomes were to assess vDOT utilization and treatment adherence, defined as the proportion of prescribed doses (7 days/week) verified by observation (in-person versus video-DOT), comparing individuals in the pre- and post-COVID (April 2020) periods.RESULTSAmong 52 individuals with TB disease, 24 (46%) received treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. vDOT utilization significantly increased post-COVID (18/24[75%]) compared to pre-COVID (12/28[43%], p=0.02). Overall, median verified adherence was similar pre- and post-COVID (65% versus 68%, respectively, p=0.96). Adherence was significantly higher overall when using vDOT (median 86% [IQR 70-98%]) compared to DOT (median 59% [IQR 55%-64%], p<0.01); this improved adherence with vDOT was evident in both the pre-COVID (median 98% vs 58%, p<0.01) and post-COVID period (median 80% vs 62%, p=0.01). CONCLUSION vDOT utilization increased post-COVID and was more effective than in-person DOT at verifying ingestion of prescribed treatment.
Comparative transcription profiling of mRNA and lncRNA in pulmonary arterial hypertension after C75 treatment
Authors: Hou Cuilan , Xie Lijian , Wang Tingxia , zheng Junmin , Zhao Yuqi , Qiu Qingzhu , Yang Yi , Xiao Tingting
Published: July 2022

Objectives: To investigate mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profiles in monocrotaline (MCT)- mice.Materials and Methods: Lung tissues (Control-Vehicle, MCT-Vehicle, and MCT-C75) were examined by high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Aberrantly expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs were analysed by bioinformatics. Cell proliferation and cell cycle analysis were performed to detect the potential protective effects of C75, an inhibitor of fatty acid synthase. The signal pathways associated with inflammatory responses were verified by RT-PCR.Results: RNA sequencing data reveals 285 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 147 lncRNAs in the MCT-Vehicle group compared to the control group. After five-week of C75 treatment, 514 DEGs and 84 lncRNAs are aberrant compared to the MCT-Vehicle group. Analysis of DEGs and lncRNA target genes reveals that they were enriched in pathways related to cell cycle, cell division, and vascular smooth muscle contraction that contributes to the PAH pathological process. Subsequently, the expression of eight DEGs and three lncRNAs is verified using RT-PCR. Differentially expressed lncRNAs (ENSMUSG00000110393.2, Gm38850, ENSMUSG00000100465.1, ENSMUSG00000110399.1) may associate in PAH pathogenesis as suggested by co-expression network analysis. C75 can protect against MCT-induced PAH through its anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferation.Conclusions: These DEGs and lncRNAs can be considered as novel candidate regulators of PAH pathogenesis. We propose that C75 treatment can partially reverse PAH pathogenesis through modulating cell cycle, cell proliferation, and anti-inflammatory.
Intestinal malrotation in a female newborn affected by Osteopathia Striata with Cranial Sclerosis due to a de novo heterozygous nonsense mutation of the AMER1 gene
Authors: Serra Gregorio , Antona Vincenzo , Pace Maria Rita Di , Giuffrè Mario , Morgante Giusy , Piro Ettore , Pirrello Roberto , Salerno Sergio , Schierz Ingrid Anne Mandy , Verde Vincenzo , Corsello Giovanni
Published: July 2022

BackgroundOsteopathia Striata with Cranial Sclerosis (OS-CS), also known as Horan-Beighton Syndrome, is a rare genetic disease, with about 90 cases reported to date. It is associated to mutations (heterozygous for female subjects, and hemizygous for males) of the AMER1 gene, located at Xq11.2, and shows an X-linked pattern of transmission. Typical clinical manifestations include macrocephaly, dysmorphic facial features (frontal bossing, epicanthal folds, hypertelorism, depressed nasal bridge, orofacial cleft, prominent jaw), hearing loss and developmental delay. Males have more severe phenotype and multiorgan malformations, and rarely survive. Diagnostic suspicion is based on clinical signs in addition to radiographic findings of cranial and long bones sclerosis and metaphyseal striations, and confirmed by genetic testing.Case presentationHereby, we report on a female newborn with frontal and parietal bossing, narrow bitemporal diameter, dysplastic, low-set and posteriorly rotated ears, microretrognathia, cleft palate, and rhizomelic shortening of lower limbs. Postnatally, she manifested feeding intolerance, with biliary vomiting and abdominal distension. Therefore, in the suspicion of bowel obstruction, she underwent surgery, which evidenced and corrected an intestinal malrotation. Limbs X-ray and skull computed tomography investigations did not show cranial sclerosis and/or metaphyseal striations. Array-CGH analysis revealed normal findings. Then, a target next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis, including the genes involved in skeletal dysplasias, was performed and revealed a de novo heterozygous nonsense mutation of the AMER1 gene. The patient was discharged at 2 months of age, and included in a multidisciplinary follow-up. She currently is 9 months old, and shows growth and developmental delay. The surgical correction of cleft palate is presently planned.ConclusionsOur report shows the uncommon association of intestinal malrotation in a female newborn with OS-CS. It highlights how neonatologists have to consider such diagnosis, also if cranial sclerosis and long bones striations are absent, as they usually appear over time. Other syndromes with craniosynostosis and skeletal dysplasia must be included in the differential diagnosis. Phenotypic spectrum is wide and variable in both genders, and females, for variable X-inactivation, may also show severe and early-onset clinical pictures. A multidisciplinary management and careful, early and long-term follow-up should be guaranteed to these patients, aimed at promptly identifying associated morbidities, and preventing possible complications and adverse outcomes.
Henoch-Schönlein purpura following COVID-19 vaccine in a child: a case report
Authors: Casini Francesca , Magenes Vittoria Carlotta , De Sanctis Marina , Gattinara Maurizio , Pandolfi Marco , Cambiaghi Stefano , Zuccotti Gian Vincenzo , Fabiano Valentina
Published: July 2022

BackgroundHenoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is an IgA-mediated small vessel vasculitis, typical of childhood. It’s a self-limiting disease and it affects different systems. HSP is characterized by dermatological, abdominal, joint and renal clinical manifestations. This condition usually occurs upon infections, mainly upper respiratory tract ones, medications, vaccinations and malignancies. Case presentationWe describe the case of a 11 year-old girl who developed a urticarial rash 12 days after the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech BNT16B2b2 mRNA vaccine and a clear picture of Henoch Schönlein purpura 5 days after administration of the second dose of the same vaccine.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first description of a pediatric patient with Henoch-Schönlein purpura occurring in association with vaccination against COVID-19.
Adapting and validating the Longer-term Unmet Needs after Stroke (LUNS) monitoring tool to assess the unmet post-stroke care needs in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wellappuli Nalinda Tharanga , Perera Hettiarachchige Subashini Rasanja , Kasthuriratne Gunendrika , Chang Thashi , Gunawardena Nalika Sepali
Published: July 2022

BackgroundGlobally, stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity which leaves significant disabilities among survivors. Unmet needs are defined as expressed needs that are not fulfilled by services provided and is considered an important indicator of adequacy and quality of stroke follow-up care. This study aimed to culturally adapt, modify, translate and validate, the Longer-term Unmet Needs after Stroke (LUNS) monitoring tool, in view of assessing unmet needs among Sri Lankan stroke survivors. Methods We followed a phased approach to culturally adapt, translate, establish its factorial validity and to evaluate the convergent and divergent validity, reliability, and overall acceptability. The process to culturally adapt the tool was carried out using a modified Delphi technique. The modified tool was translated to Sinhala and was pretested among 10 stroke survivors. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 119 stroke survivors to establish the factorial validity and convergent and discriminant validity using the GHQ-12 and Barthel Index. Results Two round of iterations conducted, and 5 items of LUNS tool were removed, and 5 items were modified in the process of cultural adaptation. Three new items were added based on expert recommendation. The culturally adapted and translated tool was pretested among 10 stroke survivors. 119 stroke survivors participated in the study to establish factorial validity. Communalities were assessed for 21 items and 2 items were dropped due to communality values < 0.5 level. Factor structure was confirmed with varimax and oblique rotations. In assessing the convergent and discriminant validity, test results revealed that both GHQ 12 and Barthel Index significantly correlated as expected with unmet needs. The results of the Cronbach’s alpha showed that all the factors were acceptably high confirming the reliability of the tool. ConclusionsThe Sinhala version of LUNS monitoring tool is a valid and reliable instrument to assess the unmet needs among stroke survivors. Assessment of unmet needs will add new insight into evaluation of the quantity, quality, and effectiveness of healthcare interventions received by stroke survivors in Sri Lanka.
Gravity and magnetic anomalies of earthquake-prone areas in the southwestern Ulleung Basin margin, East Sea (Sea of Japan)
Authors: Kim Chang Hwan , Kim Kwang Hee , Choi Soon Young , Kim Won Hyuck , Choi Hyun Ok , Park Chan Hong
Published: July 2022

Submarine earthquakes have increased in the southwestern Ulleung Basin adjacent to the Korean Peninsula. This study analyzed the gravitational and magnetic properties of the three earthquake-prone areas (Hupo Bank and offshore regions near Pohang and Ulsan) in the basin. The basin was affected by tensile and compressive stresses during the formation of the East Sea. The southern Hupo Bank and the Pohang offshore exhibited high gravity anomalies and strong magnetic anomalies. Hupo Bank was separated from the peninsula and earthquakes in this region have been influenced by crustal fractures that facilitated igneous activities during the formation of the basin. Dense volcanic rocks and seaward dipping reflectors along the Pohang coast and continental slope suggest magmatic activities during the formation of the East Sea. Comparatively, the Ulsan offshore, with a thick sedimentary layer, exhibited a slightly higher gravity anomaly than the surrounding area, but no significant differences in the magnetic anomaly. Sequential tensile and compressive stresses related to the creation of the basin produced complex tectonic structures in this region. The magnetic tilt derivative results suggest that earthquakes were located near magnetic source boundaries. The results show that it is important to monitor earthquake-prone areas with gravity and magnetic anomalies.
Erring on the side of caution: People misperceive energy consumption metrics more when energy goals are not achieved
Authors: Holford Dawn , Jolles Daniel , Juanchich Marie , Buchanan Kathryn
Published: July 2022

Tackling the energy crisis will require a concerted effort to reduce energy consumption. Setting energy goals to meet could help people to adjust their energy consumption. However, people will struggle to know how well they are doing with respect to the goal unless they receive meaningful energy feedback that they are able to interpret consistently and accurately—which energy displays may not support. In this paper, we report four experiments (total n = 2086) that showed participants systematically misperceived the same fixed energy quantity shown on a visual analogue gauge depending on whether they were achieving or not achieving their energy goal and whether the energy display used kilowatts, currency, or carbon dioxide emission units. We found that participants tended to provide underestimates of quantities—whether these are amounts of energy consumed or saved—and they were extra cautious with estimations when the display signalled that they were performing poorly.
Maternal employment and childhood malnutrition in Ecuador
Authors: Andrade José Carlos , Gil Joan
Published: July 2022

Background: This paper estimates the causal impact of maternal employment on several childhood malnutrition outcomes in Ecuador, to understand the trade-off between the time mothers devote to work and child-caring activities.Methods: We use exogenous regional variation in maternal labour market conditions to account for the potential endogeneity of mothers’ employment. The analysis employs the Ecuadorian National Health and Nutrition Survey 2018 and the Living Conditions Survey 2014.Results: The instrumental variable estimations indicated that maternal employment increases the probability of having stunted children by between 4.3 and 18.2 percent, while no significant effect was found on children suffering from wasting, underweight or overweight. We found that children with more educated, richer mothers appeared to be the most negatively affected. Inconclusive effects by mother’s overweight status were reported. The results were robust to several robustness checks.Conclusions: Overall our findings suggest that the maternal time devoted to childcare and feeding activities is far more important for children’s health than the additional income that a working mother may obtain and this is even stronger for children from more affluent and educated mothers. These results are aligned with other evidence pointing out to the need of eliminating the administrative and policy downsides of the government programs for achieving a national strategy to combat children malnutrition in Ecuador.JEL classification: I15, J22, C21
Proposed Methodology for Risk Assessment of Buildings in Low-to-Moderate Seismic zones in India.
Authors: Pammi vyas Raghu Nandan , Prakke Bharat , Velani Pulkit Dilip , Supriya Yerramsetty Lakshmi , Kumar R. Pradeep , Gupta Sushil
Published: July 2022

The current seismic zonation of India is based on limited earthquake data, and hence significant revisions are anticipated in the near future. Once revised, existing region-specific risk, calculated as a combination of Hazard (H), Vulnerability (V), and Exposure (E), need to be upgraded, rendering the previous risk metrics derived outdated. The current work proposes a methodology for developing fragility functions derived from field-based detailed qualitative assessment, i.e., Earthquake Disaster Risk Index (EDRI). The methodology introduces a term hazard factor, a function of the seismic zone, soil type, and spectral amplification embedded into fragility functions. The hazard factor is incremented, and the probability of exceedance of EDRI in each damage state, i.e., slight, moderate, severe, and collapse, is evaluated. To reinforce the results, fragility functions are developed by employing the capacity spectrum method, a detailed quantitative assessment. Finally, hybrid vulnerability functions for low to moderate seismic zones are proposed.
Effect of a nurse-led structured home visit program on quality of life and adherence to treatment in hemodialysis patients: a quasi-experimental research
Authors: Pooresmaeil M , Iranpour S , Aghamohammadi M
Published: July 2022

Background
The increasing number of patients with renal failure requiring hemodialysis has increased the importance of paying attention to the quality of life and adherence to treatment in this group of patients. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of a nurse-led structured home visit program on quality of life and adherence to treatment in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Methods
The present study was a quasi-experimental research in which 62 hemodialysis patients referred to medical centers in Ardabil participated in two groups of intervention (n = 31) and control (n = 31). Data collection tools were demographic information form and quality of life for kidney patients (KDQOL– SFTM1/ 3) and adherence to treatment (ESRD_AQ) questionnaires, which were completed by patients before and the end of the first month, second month, and third month of intervention. SPSS software and descriptive and analytical tests (independent t-test, chi-square, and paired t-test) were used for data analysis.
Results
The results showed a significant increase in the mean scores of quality of life and adherence to treatment in patients undergoing home visits compared to before the intervention (P < 0.05). However, no significant change was observed in the mean scores of quality of life and adherence to treatment in the control group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
According to the significant improvement in quality of life and adherence to treatment in patients following a home visit program during three months, these interventions can be employed to improve quality of life and adherence to treatment of patients undergoing hemodialysis.
Trial registration:
Trial registration: IRCT20210614051575N1. Registered 2021-09-30.
Evaluating renal iron overload in diabetes mellitus by blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging: a longitudinal experimental study
Authors: Geng Weiwei , Pan Liang , Shen Liwen , Sha Yuanyuan , Sun Jun , Yu Shengnan , Qiu Jianguo , Xing Wei
Published: July 2022

Background
Iron overload plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Non-invasive evaluation of renal iron overload in diabetes in the management and intervention of diabetic nephropathy is of great significance. This study aimed to explore the feasibility of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating renal iron overload in diabetes using a rabbit model.
Methods
The rabbits were randomly divided into control (C), iron-overload (I), diabetes (D), and diabetes with iron-overload (DI) groups (each n = 19). The diabetes models were generated by injecting intravenous alloxan solution, and the iron-overload models were generated by injecting intramuscular iron-dextran. BOLD MRI was performed immediately (week 0) and at week 4, 8, and 12 following modeling. The differences in renal cortex (CR2*) and outer medulla R2* (MR2*) and the ratio of MR2* to CR2* (MCR) across the different time points were compared.
Results
Iron was first deposited in glomeruli in the I group and in proximal tubular cells in renal cortex in the D group. In the DI group, there was iron deposition in both glomeruli and proximal tubular cells at week 4, and the accumulation increased subsequently. The degree of kidney injury and iron overload was more severe in the DI group than those in the I and D groups at week 12. At week 8 and 12, the CR2* and MR2* in the DI group were higher than those in the I and D groups (all P < 0.05). The MCR in the I, D, and DI groups decreased from week 0 to 4 (all P < 0.001), and that in the I group increased from week 8 to 12 (P = 0.034). CR2* and MR2* values displayed different trends from week 0 to 12. Dynamic MCR curves in the D and DI groups were different from that in the I group.
Conclusion
It presents interactions between diabetes and iron overload in kidney injury, and BOLD MRI can be used to evaluate renal iron overload in diabetes.
Impact of sample preparation methods on single cell X-ray microscopy and light elemental analysis evaluated by combined Low Energy X-ray Fluorescence, STXM and AFM
Authors: Merolle Lucia , Pascolo Lorella , Zupin Luisa , Parisse Pietro , Bonanni Valentina , Gariani Gianluca , Kenig Sasa , Bedolla Diana , Crovella Sergio , Ricci Giuseppe , Iotti Stefano , Malucelli Emil , Kourousias George , Gianoncelli Alessandra
Published: July 2022

Background X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) microscopy has become a widespread method to observe the location of elemental components within cell. Although it is becoming a widely used technique in many laboratories and synchrotron facilities, sample preparation for this microscopy remains one of the main concerns. Indeed, the information available to researchers on how to treat samples are insufficient and not clear, sometimes leading to waste of time and/or compromising the success of the experiment. It is indeed recognised that a correct sample preparation is the first important step in performing a successful and meaningful analysis, i.e. achieving a condition in which the cells are closer to their physiological state. The majority of the commonly used protocols of cell fixation for X-ray microscopy have been mainly imported and adapted from immunocytochemistry. Therefore, many fixation methods are described, but none of them have been tested in a systematic way and declared the most eligible for synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy. Methods HEC-1-A endometrial cell line, human spermatozoa and Human Embryonic Kidney HEK-293 cell line were chosen as cellular models; all type of cells were fixed using both organic solvents and cross-linking methods, as follow: 70% ethanol, paraphormaldehyde at 3.7 % and 2%; in addition HEK-293 cells were also subjected to methanol/acetone treatment and to cryofixation. Comparison among the different fixation methods was conducted by coupling Low Energy X-ray fluorescence (LEXRF), with Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy (STXM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Results Organic solvents induce greater cellular dehydration, with the maximal impact on the distribution and depletion of the diffusive elements. Paraphormaldehyde seems to be able to provide robust and replicable data. Finally, the cryofixed cells give the best results both in terms of morphology and elemental content. Conclusion Although cryofixation appears to be the most appropriate method as it allows the cell to be kept closer to physiological conditions, it has some technical limitations. PFA, when used at conventional concentration of 3.7%, is also an excellent alternative method for X-ray microscopy.
Tyrosine phosphorylation of CARM1 promotes its enzymatic activity and alters its target specificity
Authors: Itonaga Hidehiro , Mookhtiar Adnan , Greenblatt Sarah , Liu Fan , Martinez Concepcion , Grozovsky Renata , Bilbao Daniel , Rains Masai , Hamard Pierre-Jacques , Sun Jun , Umeano Afoma , Duffort Stephanie , Chen Chuan , Man Na , Mas Gloria , Schurer Stephan , Nimer Stephen
Published: July 2022

Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is overexpressed in cancer, and it has emerged as an important target in acute myeloid leukemia and other hematologic malignancies. Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), that is activated by mutation in a variety of myeloid malignancies, can dictate chromatin structure via multiple effects. Here, we find that the hyperactivated JAK2-V617F mutant kinase phosphorylates CARM1, increasing its methyltransferase activity and altering its target specificity. Phospho-CARM1 binds and methylates the RUNX1 transcription factor, and the asymmetric dimethylation of R223 and R319 in RUNX1 is lost in engineered to express only non-phosphorylatable CARM1 mutant proteins in JAK2-V617F+ cell lines. The decreased CARM1 activity found in these cell lines impairs cell-cycle progression and induces apoptosis. We have established a link between activated JAK2 and CARM1 activity, and demonstrate that dual targeting of JAK2 and CARM1 is more effective than monotherapy in phospho-CARM1+ cell lines.
A Light-weighted Network Traffic Intrusion Detection Method Based on Grid-Density Peak Clustering
Authors: Zhang Zedong , Wei Songjie
Published: July 2022

The malicious traffic generated by attack behaviors shows similarity in character distribution, and specific types of malicious traffic also have differences in spatial distribution due to their formation methods and attack methods. Aiming at these two characteristics, we propose a network traffic intrusion detection method based on grid-density peak clustering(GDPC). It uses grid clustering to form clusters, and then uses the density peak clustering algorithm to distinguish different local densities belong the clusters. We apply the Autoencoder to reduce the dimensionality of the data. After learning and recording the malicious traffic distribution, our saved data only contains less than 500 records of cluster information, which is light-weighted. In the experiment on the CIC-IDS2018 dataset, the classification accuracy of six types of malicious traffic is not less than 95%, and the classification accuracy of unknown malicious traffic has reached 80%. Experiment shows that our proposed method has smaller time complexity than other common cluster algorithms, and our GDPC is not only effective in the known malicious traffic but also has better identification ability for unknown malicious traffic, which is a feasible intrusion detection method.
Enhancing Context-aware Recommendation using Trust-based Contextual Attentive Autoencoder
Authors: S ABINAYA , A SHERLY ALPHONSE , S ABIRAMI , M.K. KAVITHADEVI
Published: July 2022

Context-aware recommender systems (CARS) are intended primarily to consider the circumstances under which a user encounters an item to provide better-personalized recommendations. Users acquire point-of-interest, movies, products, and various online resources as suggestions. Classical collaborative filtering algorithms are shown to be satisfactory in a variety of recommendation activities processes, but cannot often capture complicated interactions between item and user, along with sparsity and cold start constraints. Hence it becomes a surge to apply a deep learning-based recommender model owing to its dynamic modeling potential and sustained success in other fields of application. In this work, a Trust-based Attentive Contextual Denoising Autoencoder(TACDA) for enhanced Top-N context-aware recommendation is proposed. Specifically, the TCADA model takes the sparse preference of the user that is integrated with trust data as input into the autoencoder to prevail over the cold start and sparsity obstacle and efficiently accumulates the context condition into the model via attention framework. Thereby, the attention technique is used to encode context features into a latent space of the user's trust data that is integrated with their preferences, which interconnects personalized context circumstances with active user's choice to deliver recommendations suited to that active user. Experiments conducted on Epinions and Caio dataset make obvious the efficiency of the TACDA model persistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Defining post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS) by an epigenetic biosignature in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Authors: Nikesjö Frida , Sayyab Shumaila , Karlsson Lovisa , Apostolou Eirini , Rosén Anders , Hedman Kristofer , Lerm Maria
Published: July 2022

Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS) has been defined as symptoms persisting after clearance of a COVID-19 infection. We have previously demonstrated that alterations in DNA methylation (DNAm) status persists in individuals who recovered from a COVID-19 infection, but it is currently unknown if PACS is associated with epigenetic changes. We compared DNAm patterns in patients with PACS with those in controls and in healthy COVID-19 convalescents and found a unique DNAm signature in PACS patients. This signature unravelled modified pathways that regulate angiotensin II and muscarinic receptor signalling and protein-protein interaction networks that have bearings on vesicle formation and mitochondrial function.
Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) to assess the effectiveness of capping in old unlined landfills
Authors: Morita Alice K. M. , Pelinson Natalia S. , Wendland Edson
Published: July 2022

Engineered capping systems are efficient tools for the safety concept for landfills and contaminated land, consisting of multilayer barriers installed at the top of the deposited waste, even years after its closure. The efficiency of such systems is closely associated with avoiding rainwater infiltration into the waste body, a process that can be assessed and monitored with geophysical methods, such as Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT). A surface geomembrane capping of approximately 900m² was installed over an abandoned unlined landfill in southeastern Brazil and ERT surveys were adopted to assay the effectiveness of the intervention measure. It was possible to verify significantly more resistive regions below the geomembrane and an increase in conductivity values only at approximately 6 m, at the groundwater level of the area. Thus, the reduction of rainwater input possibly, even in the short term, reduces the moisture content and prevents the formation of leachate sheets in unlined landfills, leading the deposit to be more isolated from the surroundings. Lateral flow affected distances as far as 2.5 m from the capping borders, showing that about 70% of the capped area was effectively isolated from the rainfall infiltration. Therefore, capping contributed to reducing leachate production and can be considered an effective method for mitigating impacts from old unlined landfills.
The Quantum Realization of Image Linear Gray Enhancement
Authors: Liu Kai , Li Hai-Sheng
Published: July 2022

Linear gray enhancement is a spatial domain image enhancementtechnique commonly used in classical computers, mainly including image negative, image contrast stretching, and piecewise linear gray transformation. Inorder to realize these three linear gray enhancement techniques in the quantumcomputers, this paper proposes three types of linear gray transformationschemes for quantum images based on the generalized model of novel enhancedquantum image representation(GNEQR), and the quantum circuits that realizethese three transformation methods are constructed according to theschemes. The proposed circuits take advantage of efficient quantum arithmeticoperations and parallel Controlled-NOT modules to factor classical transformationsinto basic unitary operators such as the Controlled-NOT gates andthe Toffoli gates. The results show that the linear gray enhancement algorithmfor quantum images is better than the classical algorithm in both spatialcomplexity and time complexity.
Impact of age on long-term mortality and net survival benefit of radiotherapy for early-stage follicular lymphoma from the SEER database (2000-2015)
Authors: Li Ye-Xiong , Zhong Qiu-Zi , Liu Ye , Wu Yunpeng , Liu Xin , Chen Si-Ye , Chen Bo , Su Fei , Li Gao-Feng , Xu Yonggang , Liu Lipin , Chen Fan , Qi Shu-Nan
Published: July 2022

Background: The effect of age on long-term mortality and net survival benefit of radiotherapy (RT) for early-stage follicular lymphoma (FL) was not evaluated. Methods: 8,803 patients with early-stage FL in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2015) were identified for this study. Primary therapy included RT (27.0%), chemotherapy (CT, 29.3%), observation (24.1%), and other/unknown treatments (19.6%). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was conducted to balance the treatment arms. Relative survival (RS), the standardized mortality ratio (SMR), and transformed Cox regression were used to compare survival differences between treatments.Results: The risk of dying from FL and other causes varied over time, dependent of patient age. RT had significantly higher 10-year OS (77.2%) and RS (96.1%), but lower SMR (1.77), compared with CT (65.2%; 82.6%; 2.92; P<0.001), observation (65.5%; 90.1%; 2.18; P<0.001), and other/unknown treatments (66.5%, P<0.001; 89.9%, P=0.136; 2.05, P<0.001). RT was an independent predictor of better OS and RS in multivariate analyses (P<0.001). No significant interaction between age and RT was identified for RS (Pinteraction=0.305) or OS (Pinteraction= 0.272), indicating similar survival benefits across all-ages patients.Conclusions: RT was associated with long-term OS and net survival benefits in early-stage FL.
The effect of placental transfusion on hemodynamics in premature newborns: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Farag Marwa Mohamed , Thabet Mohamed Alaa Eldin Hassan , Abd-Almohsen Ali Mohamed , Mohammed Heba Edris Abu Deif
Published: July 2022

Introduction Despite of growing evidence of the beneficial effects of placental transfusions techniques, no available sufficient data about their effects on vulnerable hemodynamics and myocardium of premature infants.purposeStudy ventricular functions and hemodynamics after different techniques of placental transfusions techniques, Delayed cord clamping (DCC), Cut cord milking (C-UCM), and intact cord milking (I-UCM).methods: Infants delivered whether by Cs-section or vaginal delivery were randomly assigned to undergo C- UCM (20-30cm), I- UCM (3-4 strippings), and DCC (30–60 seconds). Functional echocardiography was done at 24 hour and 72-96 hours of life. This trial was registered in the clinical trial gov NCT04811872.ResultsOf a total 196 preterm infants ≤32 weeks were enrolled in the study 57 infants were eligible and randomly assigned to the three groups. neonates randomly assigned to DCC had significantly higher superior vena cava flow and lower right ventricular systolic function in the first 24 hours of life. This finding vanished at day 3. Neonates undergone different methods of placental transfusions had similar hemoglobin, admission temperature, and mean blood pressure in the first 24 hours of life. Conclusion Placental transfusion techniques may benefit premature neonates ≤32 weeks, but they have been shown to alter their hemodynamics and myocardial function.
Newton’s law of universal gravitation in ocean dynamics
Authors: Chu Peter C.
Published: July 2022

Oceanographers simplify the Newton’s law of universal gravitation, treat the solid Earth as a point mass located at the Earth’s center, and call it the “gravitational force”. Combination of such defined “gravitational force” with the centrifugal force leads to the effective gravity (geff). This simplification is not feasible because the mass distribution inside the solid Earth is nonuniform. The solid Earth cannot be treated as a point mass. The true gravitational force is the volume integration over all the point masses inside the solid Earth on the point mass in oceans. It leads to the true gravity g. The gravity disturbance vector, δg = g – geff, is a major variable in geodesy and quantified by gravity models with observations. On the contrary, δg is totally neglected in oceanography. After replacement of geff by g (i.e., including δg) in ocean dynamics, new hydrostatic balance, geostrophic balance, thermal wind relation, 1½ layer model with rigid lid, and combined Sverdrup-Stommel-Munk equation are obtained in the effective-geopotential coordinates. Depth dependent nondimensional D-number and depth independent (B, F1, F2) numbers are defined to identify the importance of gravity disturbance vector versus the traditional forcing terms in the thermal wind relation, 1½ layer model, and combined Sverdrup-Stommel-Munk equation, and calculated from three publicly available datasets in climatological, geodetic, and oceanographic communities. Their evidently non-small values demonstrate the urgency to replace geff by g in ocean dynamics.
SLC45A2 Germilne Variants in Colombian Population with Melanoma
Authors: Garcia-Garay Diana , Parra-Tovar David , Gutierrez-Castañeda Luz D
Published: July 2022

The SLC45A2 gene, located at chromosome 5p13.2, is involved in melanin biosynthesis. Single Nucleotide Variant (SNVs) in this gene have been associated with normal variation of skin, eye and hair color in human population. Additionally, there are SNVs like L374F (C/T) and E272K (c/G) that are associated with protection against melanoma. In this project, in a survey of Bogota, Colombia people, both SNVs mentioned before were evaluated in a case and controls study. DNA samples were isolated with commercial kits, prior signing of the informed consent. The genotypification was done through RT-PCR HRM technique. We found that 19% of the individuals were classified as phototype II, 70% phototype III and 11% phototype IV. In addition, 80% of the subjects had brown eyes and dark-brown hair. Both SNVs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Allelic frequencies were C=0.644, T=0.356 and C=0.756, G=0.244 for E272K and L374F, respectively. None of the variants analyzed had association with melanoma developing. Haplotype analysis adjusted by sex and phototype shown a higher risk of having melanoma with individuals having CG genotype, OR:2.75 (IC 95% 1.22-6.22 p=0.021). The frequencies found for the variants of SLC45A2 gene in this project is accord with many other studies done with Latin-American population, were phototype II and III are the prevalent in people.
Gender-specific changes of the gut microbiome correlate with tumor development in murine models of pancreatic cancer
Authors: Kaune Tom , Griesmann Heidi , Theuerkorn Katharina , Hämmerle Monika , Laumen Helmut , Krug Sebastian , Plumeier Iris , Kahl Silke , Junca Howard , Borges Luiz , Michl Patrick , Pieper Dietmar H. , Rosendahl Jonas
Published: July 2022

Background
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a devastating disease with dismal outcome. Recently, microbiome signatures were demonstrated to influence disease progression or to correlate with PDAC development. To improve understanding of sequential microbiome changes during PDAC development we comprehensively and longitudinally analyzed appropriate mouse models of murine pancreatic carcinogenesis (KC mice recapitulating preinvasive PanIN formation, as well as KPC mice recapitulating invasive PDAC) during early tumor development and subsequent tumor progression.
Results
Diversity and community composition were analyzed depending on factors genotype, age, and gender. All three analyzed factors significantly influenced the overall community composition and diversity. Most prevalent genera (59 of 74) were affected by at least one factor. Bacteroidales were typically affected by all three factors whereas Erysipelotrichiaceae were prone to be influenced by gender and Proteobacteria were mainly affected by genotype. Concerning genotype effects, communities in cancer models differed substantially from communities in Pdx-1-Cre control mice, with KC mice harboring preinvasive PanIN lesions often adopting intermediate stages. Genotype clearly influenced microbiota composition at the genus, but to a lesser extent at higher phylogenetic levels. Ten genera/genus level taxa were influenced by all three factors. Here, Bacteroides, Prevotella and Parabacteroides showed similar effects with increasing abundances during ageing, from Pdx1-Cre over KC to KPC mice and, higher levels were observed in female compared to male mice. In few cases, a significant interaction between factors were observed. A genotype effect on the abundance of Parabacteroides and Prevotella was depicted mainly in female mice. Analysis of species level taxa indicated Bacteroides spp to behave similarly, however, species of other genera displayed very distinct characteristics.
Conclusion
Both mouse models demonstrated concordant abundance changes of several genera influenced by one or more of the investigated factors. Abundance was significantly impacted by gender, highlighting the need to further elucidate the impact of gender differences. Distinct behavior on species level probably enabled to react differently to environmental changes. The findings underline the importance of the microbiome in PDAC development and indicate that microbiological screening of patients at risk and targeting the microbiome in PDAC development may be feasible in future.