bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ras small GTPase RSR1 regulates cellulase production in Trichoderma reesei
Authors: Li Ni , Qiu Zhouyuan , Cai Wanchuan , Shen Yaling , Chen Yumeng , Wang Wei
Published: February 2023

Background: Lignocellulose is known to be the most abundant renewable resource in the world and has attracted widespread attention because of its ability to produce sugars from the hydrolysis of cellulases and hemicellulases secreted by filamentous fungi. Several studies have revealed that the Ras small GTPase superfamily regulate important cellular physiological processes, including synthesis of metabolites, sporulation, cell growth, cell differentiation, and apoptosis. However, how and to what extent Ras small GTPases are participated in cellulase production remain unknown.
Results: In this study, we found that the putative Ras small GTPase RSR1 repressed the expression of cellulases and xylanases. Knockout of rsr1 (∆rsr1) significantly increased cellulase production and decreased the expression levels of ACY1-cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway genes and intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels. Loss of acy1 based on ∆rsr1 (∆rsr1∆acy1) could further increase the cellulase production and expression levels of cellulase genes, while overexpression of acy1 based on ∆rsr1 (∆rsr1-OEacy1) significantly reduced the cellulase production and transcriptional levels of cellulase genes. Our results revealed that RSR1 repressed cellulase production via ACY1-cAMP-PKA pathway. Transcriptome analysis revealed significantly increased expression of three G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs;tre62462, tre58767, tre53238) on rsr1 knockout and approximately two-fold higher expression of ACE3 and XYR1, which transcriptionally activated cellulases. ∆rsr1∆ tre62462 exhibited a decrease in enzyme activity compared to ∆rsr1, while ∆rsr1∆tre58767 and ∆rsr1∆tre53238 showed a remarkable improvement compared to ∆rsr1. We revealed that GPCRs on the membrane sense extracellular signals and transmit them to rsr1 and then to ACY1-cAMP-PKA, thereby repressing the expression of the cellulase activators ACE3 and XYR1. These data indicated the crucial role of Ras small GTPase in regulating cellulase gene expression.
Conclusions: Here, we demonstrate that some G-protein-coupled receptors and Ras small GTPases play a key role in signal transduction and cellulase gene regulation in T. reesei. Understanding the roles of these components in the regulation of cellulase gene transcription and understanding the signaling processes in T. reesei can lay the groundwork for understanding and transforming other filamentous fungi.
Phenomenological theory of the Stern-Gerlach experiment
Authors: Rashkovskiy Sergey
Published: February 2023

We propose a phenomenological theory of spin behavior in a magnetic field, which explains from the point of view of classical physics the two-valued result of the Stern-Gerlach experiment. The behavior of the spin and intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron wave of an atom in an external magnetic field is considered. We show that in a weak magnetic field, the intrinsic magnetic moment of an electron wave is always oriented parallel to the magnetic field strength vector, while in a strong magnetic field, depending on the initial orientation of the intrinsic magnetic moment, two orientations are realized: either parallel or antiparallel to the magnetic field strength vector. Within the framework of classical electrodynamics, the calculation of the motion of an atomic beam in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is carried out, which reproduces the results of the Stern-Gerlach experiment.
Utility of urinary presepsin in the diagnosis of pyelonephritis: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Yamashita Ryo , Izumi Yusuke , Nakada Koji , Hiramoto Jun
Published: February 2023

Background: Presepsin is produced during the phagocytosis of bacteria by granulocytes. Presepsin increases at the site of infection; however, thesignificance of urinary presepsin in pyelonephritis is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate whether measuring urinary presepsin can distinguish between pyelonephritis and non-pyelonephritis.
Methods: Across-sectional study of patients with suspected pyelonephritis was conducted. Urinary presepsin at admission was compared between the pyelonephritis and non-pyelonephritis groups using the Mann–Whitney test. The predictive accuracy of urinary presepsin for diagnosing pyelonephritis was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysiscurve.
Results: A total of 35 eligible participants were included in the pyelonephritis group and 25 in the non-pyelonephritis group. The median urinary presepsin level was 2232.0 (interquartile range [IQR], 1029.0–3907.0) pg/mL in the pyelonephritis group and 1348.0 (IQR, 614.5–2304.8) pg/mL in the non-pyelonephritis group. Urinary presepsin concentrations were significantly higher in the pyelonephritis group than in the non-pyelonephritis group (P = 0.023). ROC analysis of urinary presepsin revealed a cutoff value of 3650 pg/mL to distinguish between the pyelonephritis and non-pyelonephritis groups. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio for the diagnosis of pyelonephritis were 0.40 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24–0.58), 0.96 (95% CI, 0.79–1.00), 0.93 (95% CI, 0.68–1.00), 0.52 (95% CI, 0.37–0.68), 9.60 (95% CI, 1.35–68.23), and 0.62 (95% CI, 0.47–0.83), respectively.
Conclusions: The measurement of urinary presepsin is useful in differentiating pyelonephritis from other diseases.
Identification and immunological characterization of cuproptosis-related molecular clusters in Ulcerative Colitis
Authors: Pu Yunfei , Meng Xianzhi* , Zou Zhichen
Published: February 2023

Background
Ulcerative colitis is one of the two main forms of inflammatory bowel disease. Cuproptosis is reported to be a novel mode of cell death.
Methods
We examined clusters of cuproptosis related genes and immune cell infiltration molecules in 86 ulcerative colitis samples from the GSE179285 dataset. We identified the differentially expressed genes according to the clustering method, and the performance of the SVM model, the random forest model, the generalized linear model, and the limit gradient enhancement model were compared, and then the optimal machine model was selected. To assess the accuracy of the learning predictions, the nomogram and the calibration curve and decision curve analyses showed that the subtypes of ulcerative colitis have been accurately predicted.
Results
Significant cuproptosis-related genes and immune response cells were detected between the ulcerative colitis and control groups. Two cuproptosis-associated molecular clusters were identified. Immune infiltration analysis indicated that different clusters exhibited significant heterogeneity. The immune scores for Cluster2 were elevated. Both the residual error and root mean square error of the random forest machine model had clinical significance. There was a clear correlation between the differentially expressed genes in cluster 2 and the response of immune cells. The nomogram and the calibration curve and decision curve analyses showed that the subtypes of ulcerative colitis had sufficient accuracy.
Conclusion
We examined the complex relationship between cuproptosis and ulcerative colitis in a systematic manner. To estimate the likelihood that each subtype of cuproptosis will occur in ulcerative colitis patients and their disease outcome, we developed a promising prediction model.
Evaluation of prolonged magnesium infusion after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant
Authors: Seago Kelsea , Goodner Joshua , Dillaman Megan , Wen Sijin , Veltri Lauren , Ross Kelly , Cumpston Aaron
Published: February 2023

Purpose Calcineurin inhibitor use after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is associated with significant magnesium wasting. Utilization of a prolonged magnesium infusion is thought to lead to a lower serum peak concentration and therefore, decreased renal wasting of magnesium. In November 2017, our institution implemented a modification to our inpatient electrolyte replacement protocol for allo-HCT recipients that extended the magnesium infusion rate from 4 g/2 h to 4 g/4 h based on this theoretical advantage.
The primary objective of this study was to compare the median magnesium requirements per day of admission between patients who received magnesium 4 g/2 h to patients who received magnesium 4 g/4 h. Secondary objectives included a comparison of the per-patient median serum magnesium concentration during admission, as well as the median incremental difference in serum magnesium concentration after intravenous replacement per patient per admission.
Methods: Allo-HCT recipients who received prolonged infusion magnesium infusions were compared to a historical cohort of allo-HCT patients who received shorter IV magnesium infusions. Admissions were included if the patient had received an allo-HCT within 100 days prior, was admitted to the Transplant and Cellular Therapy Unit at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and received at least one magnesium infusion and one dose of cyclosporine or tacrolimus. Admissions were excluded if the patient received oral magnesium, total parenteral nutrition, aminoglycosides, amphotericin, carboplatin, cisplatin, or foscarnet.
Results: The pre-implementation group consisted of 81 admissions (n=64 patients), while the post-implementation group consisted of 90 admissions (n=60 patients). Median magnesium requirements per day of admission were not different between groups at 1.4 grams of magnesium in the pre-implementation group and 1.9 grams of magnesium in the post-implementation group (P = 0.25). Median serum magnesium concentrations and median incremental difference in serum magnesium concentration after intravenous replacement were also not different between groups; 1.65 mg/dL vs 1.60 mg/dL (P = 0.65) and 0.30 mg/dL vs 0.28 mg/dL (P = 0.67), respectively.
Conclusions: Prolonged infusion of magnesium in allo-HCT recipients receiving CNI therapy does not result in improvement in magnesium retention.
(Cost-)effectiveness of a Personalized Multidisciplinary eHealth Intervention for Knee Arthroplasty Patients to Enhance Return to Activities of Daily life, Work and Sports – Rationale and Protocol of the Multicentre ACTIVE Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Straat A. Carlien , Maarleveld Jantine M. , Smit Denise J.M. , Visch Lara , Hulsegge Gerben , Huirne Judith A.F. , Dongen J. M. van , Geenen Rutger C. van , Kerkhoffs Gino M.M.J. , Anema Johannes R. , Coenen Pieter , Kuijer P. Paul F. M.
Published: February 2023

Background
With the worldwide rising obesity epidemic and the aging population, it is essential to deliver (cost-)effective care that results in enhanced societal participation among knee arthroplasty patients. The purpose of this study is to describe the development, content, and protocol of our cost-effectiveness study that assesses a perioperative integrated care program, including a personalized eHealth app, for knee arthroplasty patients aimed to enhance societal participation post-surgery compared to care as usual.
Methods
The intervention will be tested in a multicentre randomized controlled trial with eleven participating Dutch medical centers (i.e., hospitals and clinics). Working patients on the waiting-list for a total- or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty with the intention to return to work after surgery will be included. After pre-stratification on medical centre with or without eHealth as usual care, operation procedure (total- or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty) and recovery expectations regarding return to work, randomization will take place at the patient-level. A minimum of 138 patients will be included in both the intervention and control group, 276 in total. The control group will receive usual care. On top of care as usual, patients in the intervention group will receive an intervention consisting of three components: 1) a personalized eHealth intervention called ikHerstel (‘I Recover’) including an activity tracker, 2) goal setting using goal attainment scaling to improve rehabilitation and 3) a referral to a case-manager. Our main outcome is quality of life, based on patient-reported physical functioning (using PROMIS-PF). (Cost-)effectiveness will be assessed from a healthcare and societal perspective. Data collection has been started in 2020 and is expected to finish in 2024.
Discussion
Improving societal participation for knee arthroplasty is relevant for patients, health care providers, employers and society. This multicentre randomized controlled trial will evaluate the (cost-)effectiveness of a personalized integrated care program for knee arthroplasty patients, consisting of effective intervention components based on previous studies, compared to care as usual.
Trial registration
trialsearch.who.int; reference no. NL8525, reference date version 1: 14-04-2020
Hematological Indicator-Based Machine Learning Models for Preoperative Prediction of Lymph Node Metastasis in Cervical Cancer
Authors: Zhao Huan , Wang Yuling , Sun Yilin , Wang Yongqiang , Zhang Sai , Liu Jian , Shi Bo
Published: February 2023

Background
Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is an important prognostic factor for cervical cancer (CC) and determines the treatment strategy. Hematological indicators have been reported as being useful biomarkers for the prognosis of a variety of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of machine learning models characterized by preoperative hematological indicators to predict the LNM status of CC patients before surgery.
Methods
The clinical data of 236 patients with pathologically confirmed CC were retrospectively analyzed at the Gynecology Oncology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from November 2020 to August 2022. Recursive feature elimination (RFE) was used to select 12 features from 35 hematological indicators and for the construction of 6 machine learning predictive models, including Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost), Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB), and Logistic Regression (LR), as well as Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machines (SVM), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Evaluation metrics of predictive models included the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score.
Results
There was no significant difference in the 10-fold cross-validated AUC between XGBoost and RF (XGBoost, AUC = 0.903 vs. RF, AUC = 0.908; P = 0.889, DeLong test). XGBoost showed the best overall predictive performance. The specific performance indicators of XGBoost were AUC (0.903, 95% CI: 0.829–0.977), accuracy (0.841, 95% CI: 0.759–0.923), precision (0.850, 95% CI: 0.774–0.926), recall (0.837, 95% CI: 0.755–0.919), and F1-score (0.832, 95% CI: 0.739–0.925).
Conclusions
XGBoost and RF based on preoperative hematological indicators that are easily available in clinical practice showed superior performance in the preoperative prediction of CC LNM. However, investigations on larger external cohorts of patients are required for further validation of our findings.
Related factors and characteristics of malocclusion in Japanese preschool children aged 3–6 years
Authors: Otsugu Masatoshi , Sasaki Yumi , Mikasa Yusuke , Kadono Maika , Sasaki Hidekazu , Kato Takafumi , Nakano Kazuhiko
Published: February 2023

Background
Malocclusion is a multifactorial condition associated with genetic and environmental factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of occlusal traits, oral habits, and nose and throat conditions by age and to assess the association between malocclusion and its environmental factors in Japanese preschool children.
Methods
A total of 503 Japanese children (258 boys and 245 girls aged 3–6 years) were recruited. Occlusal traits were assessed visually to record sagittal, vertical, and transverse malocclusion, and space discrepancies. Lip seal was recorded by an examiner, and oral habits (finger sucking, lip sucking or lip biting, nail biting, chin resting on a hand) and nose and throat conditions (tendency for nasal obstruction, allergic rhinitis, palatine tonsil hypertrophy) were assessed by a questionnaire completed by the parents. The prevalence of each item was calculated, and binary logistic regression was used to examine the factors related to malocclusion.
Results
62.0% of preschool children in the present study exhibited malocclusion, and 27.8% exhibited incompetent lip seal. Nail biting was the most frequent oral habit with a prevalence of 18.9%. Nasal obstruction was recorded in 30.4% of children. The results of binary logistic regression showed that incompetent lip seal was significantly related to malocclusion, and that nail biting was significantly negatively related.
Conclusions
Incompetent lip seal is significantly associated with malocclusion, but nail biting may not necessarily be a deleterious habit for the occlusion in Japanese preschool children.
Inter-species and inter-pathology self-supervised pre-training of deep learning models: a resource to improve the classification of veterinary thoracic radiographs
Authors: Celniak Weronika , Wodziński Marek , Jurgas Artur , Burti Silvia , Zotti Alessandro , Atzori Manfredo , Müller Henning , Banzato Tommaso
Published: February 2023

Analysis of veterinary radiographic imaging data is an essential step in the diagnosis of many thoracic lesions. Given the limited time that practitioners can devote to a single patient, it would be valuable to implement an automated system to help clinicians make faster but still accurate diagnoses. Currently, most of such systems are based on supervised deep learning approaches. However, the problem with these solutions is that they need a large database of labelled data. Access to such data is often limited, as it requires a great investment of both time and money. Therefore, in this work we present a solution that allows higher classification scores to be obtained using knowledge transfer from inter-species and inter-pathology self-supervised learning methods. Before training the network for classification, pretraining of the model was performed using self-supervised learning approaches on publicly available unlabelled radiographic data of human and dog images, which allowed to substantially increase the number of images for this phase. %Manfredo: to be checkedThe self-supervised learning approaches included the Beta Variational Autoencoder, the Soft-Introspective Variational Autoencoder, and a Simple Framework for Contrastive Learning of Visual Representations. After the initial pretraining, fine-tuning was performed for the collected veterinary dataset using 20\% of the available data. Next, a latent space exploration was performed for each model after which the encoding part of the model was fine-tuned again, this time in a supervised manner for classification. Simple Framework for Contrastive Learning of Visual Representations proved to be the most beneficial pretraining method. Therefore, it was for this method that experiments with various fine-tuning methods were carried out. We achieved mean ROC AUC score of 0.77 and 0.66 respectively for LL and DV projection dataset. The results show significant improvement compared to using model without any pretraining approach.
Relationship between occupational exposure and clinical features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease（COPD）
Authors: Yuan Rui , Peng Cong , Chen Yao , Liu Jie , Xue Ning , Song Pingping , Yan Yongjian
Published: February 2023

Background: The effect of occupational risk factors on the clinical features of COPD is still unclear, and the purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of occupational exposure on the clinical features of COPD.
Methods: A total of 908 patients from Grade-A hospitals were analyzed as study subjects, and self-reported occupational exposure was recorded.
Results:A total of 258 COPD patients (28.4%) were exposed to VGDF. Several characteristics were significantly associated with VGDF exposure: respiratory symptoms such as cough and sputum, airflow limitation, and mMRC score of 2-4 (41.1%vs32.3%, P＜0.05); CAT score (17.45±1.683 vs 16.61±2.402, P＜0.001). As COPD patients' exposure to occupational factors increased, so did the incidence of respiratory symptoms (P＜ 0.05).
Conclusions: In this series of COPD patients, subjects exposed to VDGF had more severe clinical symptoms, including respiratory symptoms, severity of airflow restriction, and CAT score. In occupational risk factor exposure, exposure level is the main influencing factor.
Ten-year evaluation of microbiological contamination on surfaces in three operational realities in the food sector for improvement of preventive actions.
Authors: marras luisa , bertolino giacomo , Sanna Adriana , Coroneo Valentina
Published: February 2023

Food sector operators are responsible for monitoring the production cycle in order to offer a safe product from a sanitary point of view for marketing and consumption. The main goal of the work was to evaluate the degree of contamination of various surfaces in different production companies and therefore the effectiveness of the sanitization procedures performed at critical points in the aforesaid process (CCPs). As a result of this initial analysis, suggestions are then made on how to strengthen the prevention and reduce the risk of microbial contamination of the entire workflow and also on how to prevent foodborne infectious diseases and drug resistance. The analytical investigation activity was carried out in our province in the period between 2011–2020 and involved commercial catering environments, large-scale distribution, small retail centers and small producers. Significant differences emerged from the results regarding the contamination of surfaces in the operational situations considered (contamination with Enterobacteriaceae spp. was more frequent in retail centers than in the other food sectors (16.3% vs 33.0%; p < 0.001) whilst a higher possibility of finding a positive sample was more probable for large-scale distribution equipment (24.3% vs 40.4%; p = 0.005). It was also observed how the collecting technique performed by contact plate gave more positive results than collecting samples with a swab (10.1% vs 5.7%; p = 0.002) and how some types of surfaces require more attention. In conclusion, from a risk prevention perspective, the results were satisfactory but could be further implemented through better sanitization practices that were recommended in the event of positive sampling.
Ethylene glycol intoxication presenting as a mimic of acute stroke: report of three cases
Authors: Héja Máté , Oláh László
Published: February 2023

Background: Stroke is a major cause of death and disability presenting with acute focal neurological symptoms of vascular origin. Several other disorders may cause symptoms similar to a stroke, referred as stroke mimics. Misdiagnosis of stroke mimics may lead to potentially harmful treatments, including thrombolysis. Intoxication is a rare, but possible cause of stroke mimic. We present three cases of ethylene glycol poisoning presenting as acute stroke mimic within the time window of thrombolytic therapy.
Case presentations: The first patient (54-year-old, male) had nystagmus, dysarthria and truncal ataxia on admission. Cerebral CT and CT-angiography were negative. Vertebrobasilar stroke was suspected and intravenous thrombolysis was performed. A few hours later confusion, somnolence and hyperventilation developed. Arterial blood gas analysis showed metabolic acidosis. Toxicology screening revealed the presence of ethylene glycol in a toxic range. Due to the prompt treatment the patient was discharged 9 days later in a symptom-free state. The second patient (78-year-old, male) was admitted with central type of nystagmus, gaze palsy, dysarthria and ataxia. In the absence of exclusion criteria, thrombolysis was performed. A few hours later his condition deteriorated, he became comatose and tetraplegic with partially absent brainstem reflexes. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed severe metabolic acidosis. The ethylene glycol level was 159 mg/dL. Despite the appropriate treatment, he died. The third patient (54-year-old, male) with a history of chronic alcoholism was presented after an epileptic seizure with mixed aphasia and confusion. Stroke could not be excluded, therefore thrombolysis was performed. Arterial blood gases were normal, however toxicological screening revealed a serum etyhlene-glycol concentration of 16,54 mg/dL. Six days after admission he became symptom-free and was discharged home.
Conclusions: Our cases show that ethylene glycol intoxication in its early phase may mimic acute stroke resulting in an unnecessary thrombolytic therapy. Symptoms not characteristic of a stroke, such as hyperventilation, agitation, and disturbance of consciousness, may appear later and warn of intoxication. The final diagnosis of ethylene-glycol intoxication can be established by a severe metabolic acidosis and toxicological screening. Close monitoring of symptoms might contribute to early recognition of ethylene-glycol intoxication and its effective treatment.
Headache following vaccination against COVID-19 among healthcare workers with a history of COVID-19 infection: A cross-sectional study in Iran with a meta-analytic review of the literature
Authors: Nasergivehchi Somayeh , Togha Mansoureh , Jafari Elham , Sheikhvatan Mehrdad , Shahamati Donya
Published: February 2023

Background: There is evidence of the occurrence of headache after vaccination against COVID-19. However, only a few studies have examined the headache characteristics and related determinants, especially among healthcare workers with a history of COVID-19 infection.
Methods: We evaluated the incidence of headaches after injection of different types of COVID-19 vaccine to determine factors relating to the incidence of headache after vaccination among the Iranian healthcare workers who had previously contracted COVID-19. A group of 334 healthcare workers with a history of COVID-19 infection were included and vaccinated (at least one month after recovery without any COVID-19 related symptoms) with different COVID-19 vaccines. The baseline information, headache characteristics and vaccine specifications were recorded.
Results: Overall, 39.2% reported experiencing a post-vaccination headache. Of those with a previous history of headache, 51.1% reported migraine-type, 27.4% tension-type and 21.5% other types. The mean time between vaccination and headache appearance was 26.78±6.93 h, with the headache appearing less than 24 h after vaccination in most patients (83.2%). The headaches reached its peak within 8.62±2.41 hours. Most patients reported a compression-type headache. The prevalence of post-vaccination headaches was significantly different according to the type of vaccine used. The highest rates were reported for AstraZeneca, followed by Sputnik V. In regression analysis, the vaccine brand, female gender and initial COVID-19 severity were the main determinants for predicting post-vaccination headache.
Conclusion: Participants commonly experienced a headache following vaccination against COVID-19. Our study results indicated that this was slightly more common in females and in those with a history of severe COVID-19 infection.
On some new weighted maximal operators of Fejér means of Walsh-Fourier series
Authors: Areshidze Nika , Baramidze Davit Davit , Persson Lars-Erik , Tephnadze George
Published: February 2023

In this paper we introduce and investigate a new restricted weighted maximal operator of Fejér means of Walsh-Fourier series and prove that the it is bounded from the martingale Hardy space H1/2(G) to the Lebesgue space L1/2(G). The sharpness of this result is also proved. As a consequence we obtain both some new and well-know results.
2020 Mathematics Subject Classification. 26015, 42C10, 42B30.
Roles of the structural units, glycotopes / mammalian N-glycans for Con A - Glycan interactions, their codes, and their recognition Factors
Authors: Wu Albert M.
Published: February 2023

The binding property of Con A has been studied intensively and applied widely to glycoconjugates / glycobiology for over 80 years. However, its role and functional relationship of Con A with these mammalian structural units, glycotopes, N-glycan chains, as well as their polyvalent forms in N-glycoproteins involved in the Con A- glycan interactions have not been all defined and organzied. In this study, the recognition factors involved in these inteactions were azalyzed by our well developed method- the enzyme linked lectinosorbent (ELLSA) and inhibition assay. Based on all data obtained, it is concluded that Con A, as previous report, has a relatively broad and wide recognition ability with the Manα1→ and Glcα1→ related glycans. In addition to it reacted strongly with yeast mannan and glycogens, it also bound well with a large number of mammalian N-glycans, including the N-glycans of rat sublingual gp (RSL), human Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THGP), thyroglobin and lactosferrin. The recognition specificity of Con A towards ligands, expressed by Molar Relative Potency (Molar R.P.), in a decreasing order is as follows: a1→3, a1→6 Mannopentaose (M5) and Biantennary N-linked core pentasaccharide (MDi) ≥ a1→3, a1→6 Mannotriose (M3) > Mana1→3Man (α1→3Mannobiose), Mana1→2Man (α1→2Mannobiose), Mana1→6Man (α1→6Mannobiose), Mana1→4Man (α1→4Mannobiose) > GlcNAcb1→2Man (b1→2 N-Acetyl glucosamine-mannose) > Mana1→/Glcα1→ > Man > Glc, while Gal / GalNAc were inactive. Furthermore, the Man related code system, in this study, is proposed to express by both numbers of Man and GlcNAcb1→ branches (M3 to M9 / MMono to Penta etc.) and a table of three Mana1→ and Glca1→ related biomasses of six recognition factors involved in the Con A-glycan interactions has also been demonstrated. These themes should be one of the most valuable advances since 1980s.
Prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in patients with liver cirrhosis during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Zhu Kai , Zhang Xiaobo , Xiong Yingzhu , Zhuang Zhijie , Dai Minhui , Zhang Yuhua , Liu Zhonghe
Published: February 2023

Background
Patients with cirrhosis are prone to mental and psychological problems. However, data on mental and psychological problems in patients with cirrhosis during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are lacking. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in this population.
Methods
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale were used to collect mental health data in this cross-sectional study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relevant influencing factors of anxiety and depression.
Results
The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression in patients with cirrhosis were 21.3% and 29.9%, respectively. Anxiety risk was higher among patients with cirrhosis who had significant abdominal pain and treatment interruption; COVID-19 vaccination was associated with anxiety reduction as a protective factor. Depression risk was higher among patients with cirrhosis for > 10 years, significant abdominal pain within one week, and treatment interruption. Course of cirrhosis of 5–10 years and COVID-19 vaccination were associated with the reduction of depression as protective factors.
Conclusion
COVID-19 vaccination is a protective factor for both depression and anxiety. Our findings may help healthcare professionals to develop appropriate treatment strategies and timely psychological interventions.
Utilizing Modified Maize Cobs as an Agricultural Waste Adsorbent for Removing Zinc (II) and Chromium (VI) Ions from Wastewater
Authors: Kulmedov Begmyrat , Mohammed Ado
Published: February 2023

The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of maize cob carbon powder as an adsorbent for the removal of zinc (II) and chromium (VI) ions from industrial effluent. The non-degradable and toxic nature of these metal ions make their removal from wastewater crucial prior to discharge into the environment. Despite the many techniques that have been developed for the removal of heavy metals, many have proven to be inefficient, generate sludge, and are expensive. Adsorption processes have been shown to be one of the most efficient methods for the removal of toxic metal ions from contaminated water. Activated carbon is commonly used for this purpose but is expensive. Considering this, the search for more economical and safe options has led to the investigation of low-cost adsorbents as alternatives to activated carbon. In this study, maize cob carbon powder was chosen as the adsorbent due to its low cost, non-toxicity, and availability. A batch experimental approach was utilized to investigate the effects of temperature, pH, adsorbent loading, contact time, and initial metal ion concentration on the adsorption process. The results of the study indicate that maize cob carbon powder can be effectively used as an economical adsorbent for the treatment of contaminated water.
A Biochemomechanical Model of Collagen Turnover in Arterial Adaptations to Hemodynamic Loading
Authors: Tilahun Hailu G. , Mullagura Haritha N. , Humphrey Jay D. , Baek Seungik
Published: February 2023

The production, removal, and remodeling of fibrillar collagen is fundamental to arterial homeostasis, including dynamic morphological and microstructural changes that occur in response to sustained changes in blood flow and pressure under physiological conditions. These dynamic processes involve complex, coupled biological, chemical, and mechanical mechanisms that are not completely understood. Nevertheless, recent simulations using constrained mixture models with phenomenologically motivated constitutive relations have demonstrated a capability to predict salient features of the progression of certain vascular adaptations and disease processes. Collagen turnover is modeled, in part, via stress-dependent changes in collagen half-life, typically taken within the range of 10–70 days. By contrast, in this work we introduce a biochemomechanical approach to model the cellular synthesis of procollagen as well as its transition from an intermediate state of assembled microfibrils to mature cross-linked fibers, with mechano-regulated removal. The resulting model can simulate temporal changes in geometry, composition, and stress during early vascular adaptation (weeks to months) for modest changes in blood flow or pressure. It is shown that these simulations capture salient features from data presented in the literature from different animal models.
Next-Generation sequencing genomic landscape of Chinese thyroid tumors
Authors: Chen Xu-Feng , Yu Peng-Cheng , Ye Wei-Dong , Han Pei-Zheng , Wang Yu-Long
Published: February 2023

Objective: Clinical practice can benefit greatly from the use of next-generation sequencing to identify gene alterations in thyroid cancer. Our study aimed to clarify the thyroid cancer’s gene alterations of Chinese.
Methods: We retrospectively collected next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and clinicopathological features of 2844 cases of thyroid samples. The association between gene alterations and clinicopathological features were analyzed.
Results: BRAF (71%), RAS (4%), TERT (3%), TP53 (1.4%), RET (2.2%), RET/PTC (3.3%), and other gene alterations were detected. For Fine-needle autopsy samples, combined with cytology and NGS, the sensitivity of diagnosis was significantly increased from 0.76 to 0.91, while the specificity was significantly decreased, which temporarily failed to explain the authenticity of the diagnostic experiment. BRAF mutation-positive PTC patients have lower recurrence rate, vascular invasion and tumor size, higher age and tumor multiformity. TERT mutation-positive patients have higher age, recurrence rate, tumor size, tumor invasiveness, and TNM stage, indicating a poor prognosis. And the frequency of TERT Prompter co-mutation with BRAF or RAS is high.
Conclusions:
We provide a large-scale NGS landscape to detect the genomic alteration of Chinese thyroid tumors. A total of 2844 cases with effective gene detection reports were counted. The common gene mutation types are BRAF (71%), RAS (4%), TERT (3%), TP53 (1.4%), RET (2.2%), RET/PTC (3.3%). BRAF mutation is an excellent molecular change for assisting in the diagnosis of PTC and no clear correlation between BRAF V600E and the prognosis of PTC patients. TERT promoter mutation may be a late molecular event of the tumor, promoting the malignant transformation of the tumor together with the early molecular event of the induced tumor.
Variational Temporal Deconfounder for Individualized Treatment Effect Estimation with Longitudinal Observational Data
Authors: Feng Zheng , Prosperi Mattia , Guo Yi , Bian Jiang
Published: February 2023

Purpose
This paper proposes a new approach, Variational Temporal Deconfounder (VTD), for estimating individualized treatment effects (ITE) from longitudinal observational data, where we address the hidden confounding issues by using proxies (i.e., surrogate variables that serve for unobservable variables).
Methods
We build VTD by incorporating a variational recurrent autoencoder that learns the latent encodings of hidden confounders from observed proxies and an ITE estimation network that takes the learned hidden encodings to predict the probability of receiving treatments and potential outcomes.
Results
We test VTD on both synthetic and real-world clinical data, and the results from synthetic data experiments demonstrate VTD's effectiveness in deconfounding by outperforming existing methods, while results from two real-world datasets (i.e., Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care version III [MIMIC-III] and the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center [NACC] database) suggest that the performance of the VTD model outperforms existing baseline models, however, varies depending on the assumptions of underlying causal structures and availability of proxies for hidden confounders.
Conclusion
The VTD offers a unique solution to address the confounding bias without the "unconfoundedness" assumption when estimating the ITE from longitudinal observational data. The elimination of the requirement for the "unconfoundedness" assumption makes the VTD more versatile and practical in real-world clinical applications of personalized medicine.
A Differential Diagnostic Model for Moyamoya Disease and Non- moyamoya Ischemic Stroke: A Highly Efficient Clinical Approach
Authors: Teng Yongshi , Dai Shuhua , Liu Huiqin , Jiang Yushu , Qin Lingzhi , Wang Xiaojuan , zhang Milan , He Qian , Xu Jiajia , Xue Hongfei , li wei
Published: February 2023

Purpose: Many moyamoya disease (MMD) ischemic strokes were misdiagnosed and could not be treated effectively. To address this question, we aimed to screen easily obtainable clinical variables to construct a differential diagnostic model between MMD and non-MMD ischemic stroke.
Methods: A total of 300 patients (150 MMD and 150 non-MMD ischemic strokes) in Henan Provincial People's Hospital were selected and divided into training (210) and validation cohorts (90). Binary logistic regression analysis, lasso regression, and support vector machine (SVM) were used to construct the diagnostic model. The optimal model was visualized by nomograms, and the discriminant ability of the nomogram was tested in the training and validation cohorts, respectively.
Results: Among the three models, binary logistic regression has the most significant C statistic (0.87 and 0.88) in the training cohort and validation cohort, respectively. The variables that showed a significant difference in the multivariate logistic regression analysis were systolic blood pressure (SBP), total cholesterol (TC), albumin (ALB), free triiodothyronine (FT3), homocysteine (HCY), and age. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test P values of nomograms in the training and validation cohorts were 0.28 and 0.19, respectively, and the calibration curves were well corrected. Patients with nomogram scores below or above 168 were considered to have a low or high risk of ischemic stroke in MMD, respectively.
Conclusion:Using nomograms to identify MMD and non-MMD ischemic stroke, the model has been validated to have a good discriminatory ability in both the training and validation cohorts, improving clinicians’ awareness of MMD ischemic stroke.
Influence of anti-coagulant therapy in the first trimester uterine flow indices
Authors: Souka Athena , Tasias Konstantinos , Asimakopoulos George , Pilalis Athanasios
Published: February 2023

Purpose: to explore the impact of anticoagulants (aspirin and/or low molecular weight heparin (LMWH)) in the uterine artery flow at 11-13 weeks of gestation.
Materials and Methods: retrospective study on singleton viable pregnancies presenting for routine 11-13 weeks’ ultrasound scan. Maternal and fetal variables were assessed as to their influence on uterine artery pulsatility index (UtA-PI).
Results: 5,606 pregnancies were analyzed. Increasingmaternal age, higher BMI, large fibroids and higher PAPP-A levels were associated with lower Ut-A PI, whereas history of pre-eclampsia/hypertension in a previous pregnancy, smoking and increased fetal ductus venosus PI were associated with higher Ut-A PI levels. The strongest effect was exerted by history of PET/hypertension, maternal PAPP-A MoM and fetal ductus venosus PI. Anticoagulant treatment had no significant influence.
Conclusion: prior treatment with aspirin and/or LMWH does not alter the Ut-A PI. Screening models for pre-eclampsia can be used in women receiving anti-coagulant therapy.
Ex vivo RSA and Pfkelch13 targeted-amplicon deep sequencing reveal parasites susceptibility to artemisinin in Senegal, 2017
Authors: Yade Mamadou Samb , Dièye Baba , Coppée Romain , Mbaye Aminata , Diallo Mamadou Alpha , Diongue Khadim , Bailly Justine , Mama Atikatou , Fall Awa , Thiaw Alphonse Birane , Ndiaye Ibrahima Mbaye , Ndiaye Tolla , Gaye Amy , Tine Abdoulaye , Diédhiou Younouss , Mbaye Amadou Mactar , Doderer-Lang Cécile , Garba Mamane Nassirou , Bei Amy Kristine , Ménard Didier , Ndiaye Daouda
Published: February 2023

Introduction.
Malaria control is highly dependent on the effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs), the current frontline malaria curative treatments. Unfortunately, the emergence and spread of parasites resistant to artemisinin (ART) derivatives in Southeast Asia and South America, and more recently in Rwanda and Uganda (East Africa), compromise their long-term use in Sub-Saharan Africa where most malaria deaths occur.
Methods.
Here, we evaluated ex vivo susceptibility to dihydroartemisinin (DHA) from 38 P. falciparum isolates collected in 2017 in Thiès (Senegal) expressed with the Ring-stage Survival Assay (RSA). We explored major and minor variants in the full Pfkelch13 gene, the main determinant of ART resistance using a targeted-amplicon deep sequencing (TADS) approach.
Results.
All samples tested in the ex vivo RSA were found to be susceptible to DHA. Both non-synonymous mutations K189T and K248R were observed each in one isolate, as major (99%) or minor (5%) variants, respectively.
Conclusion.
Altogether, investigations combining ex vivo RSA and TADS are a useful approach for monitoring ART resistance in Africa.
The impact of Akkermansia muciniphila and its Extracellular Vesicles in the regulation of Serotonergic Gene Expression in a small intestine of mice “Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins”
Authors: Yaghoubfar Rezvan , BanadKoki Ehsan Zare , Ashrafian Fatemeh , Shahryari Arefeh , Kariman Arian , Davari Mehdi , Fateh Abolfazl , Khatami Shohreh , Siadat Seyed Davar
Published: February 2023

A better understanding of host-microbe interaction as a cross-talk between the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and the gut microbiota by improving the maintenance of GI homeostasis can help treat and prevent GI disorders. Gut microbiota can affect signaling molecules like serotonin, which regulate endocrine systems through the GI tract. While studying the importance of gut microbiota effects in the small intestine is also pivotal in humans' GI health. Here, we investigated the potential role of Akkermansia muciniphila as a next-generation probiotic and its Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) as a post-biotic in regulating the serotonin-related gene system in the duodenum and ileum of the small intestine of mice. A. muciniphila significantly affected the mRNA expression of genes involved in the serotonin system (Tph1, Slc6a4a, Mao, Htr3B, Htr4, and Htr7) in the duodenum and ileum of mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, A. muciniphila-derived EVs could impact the expression of major genes involved in the serotonin system (Tph1, slc6a4a, Mao, Htr3B, Htr4, and Htr7) in the duodenum and ileum of mice (P < 0.05). This study may pave the way for further investigation of the effects of strain-specific probiotics on the serotonergic system, which is currently in its infancy.
Object Identification from Haze Images using Optimal Adaptive Technique for Light and Dark View
Authors: Pandian Buvanesh , Prasath T. Arun , Rajasekaran M. Pallikonda , Vishnuvarthanan G.
Published: February 2023

Images taken in foggy weather frequently have poor visibility. We suggest an effective regularisation technique in this paper to get rid of hazes from an image. An investigation of the transmission function's built-in boundary constraint is very beneficial to our strategy. This restriction is modelled into an optimization problem to estimate the unknown scene transmission. Additionally, a very effective variable splitting-based approach is described to address the issue by transmission refining techniques. The suggested method can restore a high-quality, haze-free image with authentic colours and fine image details with only a few broad assumptions. The usefulness and efficiency of the suggested strategy are demonstrated by experimental results on a range of hazy photographs. Then from the result, five different image quality parameters are identified for both dark and light view to show the quality of the images.
Stathmin regulates the proliferation and differentiation of inflammatory hDPSCs through canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyi , Luo Xinghong , Ma Dandan , Hao Chunbo
Published: February 2023

Objective Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) proliferation and differentiation functions are the basis of pulp injury repair; however, the mechanism of DPSCs functional changes in inflammatory pulp injury is unclear. This study aimed to clarify the regulatory role and mechanism of stathmin protein in inflammatory DPSCs. Study design: Differentially expressed genes between inflamed and healthy dental pulp were first analyzed using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment. Next, human DPSCs were extracted and cultured in a differentiation medium with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Stathmin was knocked down in LPS-DPSCs using lentivirus, and the Wnt/β-catenin activator LiCl was added. Stathmin- and LiCl-induced LPS-DPSCs and control cells were stained for alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alizarin red, and neuronal differentiation markers to observe mineralization and neuronal differentiation. Results Inflamed pulp revealed significantly lower expression of genes associated with cell proliferation, mineralization, and neuronal differentiation than healthy pulp. In stathmin knockout LPS-DPSCs, the expression levels of osteogenic-related genes were significantly reduced, and the neuronal differentiation capacity marker was decreased. Typical Wnt signaling has been studied in stathmin-deficient DPSCs. In contrast, the trend of osteogenic and neuronal differentiation of the cells rebounded significantly after adding LiCl, and the in vivo results also demonstrated the involvement of stathmin and LiCl in restorative dentin formation after pulp injury. Conclusions Our results depict that stathmin regulates the proliferation and differentiation of BMSCs while regulating cellular functions through the typical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which provides new insights into the functional regulation of DPSCs.