bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neurological sequelae after encephalitis associated with herpes simplex virus in children: systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Rocha Natalie Duran , de Moura Sara Kvitko , Silva Gabriel Aude Bueno da , Mattiello Rita , Sato Douglas Kazutoshi
Published: October 2022

Background
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the cerebral parenchyma manifested by acute symptoms such as fever, headaches, and other neurological disorders. Its etiology is mostly viral, with herpes simplex virus being a frequent etiological agent in children. The development of neurological sequelae is a serious outcome associated with this infection.
Objective
To assess the general prevalence and types of neurological sequelae in children after a case of acute viral encephalitis caused by HSV.
Methods
This systematic review and meta-analysis was developed following the PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was carried out in the MEDLINE, Embase, SciELO, LILACS, Cochrane, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Studies were included of children with confirmed HSV infection and that presented a description of neurological sequelae associated with that infection. For the meta-analysis of general prevalence and of the types of neurological sequelae a random effects model was used.
Results
Of the 2827 articles chosen in the initial search, nine studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The general prevalence of neurological sequelae was 50.7% (95% CI: 39.2–62.2). The most frequent sequelae were related to mental disability, with a 42.1% prevalence (95% CI: 30–55.2); on the other hand, the least frequent sequelae were those related with visual impairment, with a 5.9% prevalence (95% CI: 2.2–14.6). The included studies presented regular quality and substantial heterogeneity.
Conclusion
Even with antiviral therapy, half of patients will develop some type of disability.
A Compact, Ultra-thin UWB Microstrip Antenna for Microwave Imaging Applications
Authors: Samadianfard Rasoul , Nourinia Javad , Ghobadi Changiz , Shokri Majid , samadianfard Roghayeh
Published: October 2022

This article deals with the study, design, fabrication, and measurement of a ultra-thin ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip antenna. As the proposed antenna design is compact, ultra-thin, and optimized in size, it can be used for microwave imaging and wearable applications. Innovation has been used to design the UWB microstrip antenna, which has increased the efficiency and performance of the antenna. This innovation has considered the feed structure, geometry, modifications in the slots, and the use of an ultra-thin dielectric substrate with a thickness of 0.25 mm. The proposed technique is a unique tuning mechanism located under the feed line of the proposed UWB microstrip antenna. The antenna's compact and ultra-thin design is desirable for reducing the complexity of the physical array structure and achieving a degree of body fit. Parametric studies are performed to compare this performance after changes in patch and ground plane length. Finally, the simulated performance parameters were analyzed and compared with the measured results. Due to its small size, new shape, and impressive functions, the proposed antenna is well suited to multifunctional healthcare applications and sports performance monitoring.
Fluorescein diacetate hydrolytic activity as a sensitive tool to quantify nitrogen/sulfur gene content in urban river sediments in China
Authors: Zhang Chao , Li Meng , Sun Jingmei , Huang Jianjun , Chang Suyun
Published: October 2022

The relative abundance of functional genes used to quantify the abundance of functional genes in communities is controversial. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) technology offers a powerful tool for quantifying functional gene abundance. However, humic substances can inhibit qPCR in sediment/soil samples. Therefore, finding a convenient and effective quantitative analysis method for sediment/soil samples is necessary. The functional genes and physicochemical properties in sediments with different-level pollutions were analyzed in this study. Correlations between physicochemical properties and the relative abundance of functional genes were used to test whether relative abundance in gene prediction quantifies the abundance of functional genes. The abundance of functional genes could be corrected by multiplying the fluorescein diacetate (FDA) hydrolytic rates by the relative abundance of functional genes since the FDA assay has been widely used as a rapid and sensitive method for quantifying microbial activity in sediments. Redundancy analysis showed significant interrelations between the functional genes and the physicochemical properties of sediments. The relative abundance of functional genes is unreliable for quantifying the abundance of functional genes because of the weak correlation (R < 0.5, P < 0.05) between different pollutants and the relative abundance of functional genes. However, a significant positive correlation between concentrations of different pollutants and the activities of associated enzymes was obtained (R > 0.933, P < 0.05), which revealed that the abundance of functional genes could be reliably quantified by the relative abundance and FDA hydrolytic rate. This study proposed an alternative method besides qPCR to quantify the absolute abundance of functional genes, which overcomes the problem of humic interference in the quantitative analysis of sediment/soil samples.
The Prognostic Potential of Cuproptosis and Cuproptosis-Related Alteration of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Xing Zhaoyu , Cui Li , Feng Yuehua , Yang Yang , He Xiaozhou
Published: October 2022

Aim
To study whether the novel copper ionophores induced cell death would impact the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and subsequently influence the tumor microenvironment (TME).
Methods
The differential expression of 10 cuproptosis and 40 TME-pathway-related genes were measured between 531 tumor samples and 71 adjacent kidney samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The risk score model was constructed with LASSO-cox to predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients in the training cohort (331 patients). Afterward, the risk model was reinforced in the validation cohort and the entire cohort. To study the biological function of the hub genes in-depth, nomogram and function enrichment were employed. Subsequently, the ESTIMATE analysis, TMEscore analysis and CIBERSORT algorithm were employed to To further observe the impact of these hub-genes on the TME.
Results
Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between tumor and normal samples. Twenty-one DEGs were used for the construction of LASSO-cox regression and a risk model with 10 hub genes were screened out to predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Patients from the High-Score group had a worse overall survival (OS). Besides, though many immunosuppressive cytokines encoding genes contributed to the High-Score group, this group showed a better immune response when compared to the Low-Score group. In addition, the High-Score group exhibited a significantly higher proportion of several anti-tumor lymphocytes and a lower proportion of immunosuppressive M2-like macrophages. However, the T follicular helper cells and regulatory T cells also showed higher proportion in the High-Score group.
Conclusion
The risk score model showed promising and predictive accuracy for the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Besides that, the cuproptosis based therapy is worth further studying regarding the ccRCC tumor and TME.
A unified approach to access β-branched organoboron through coupling of boron-stabilized organozinc with alkyl halides
Authors: Guo Panchi , Hao Jin , Han Jinhui , Xu Liang , Li Pengfei , Zhan Miao
Published: October 2022

A general and efficient strategy for the preparation ofβ-branched organoboron compounds through Ni-catalyzed coupling of BpinCH2ZnI with alkyl halides had been developed. In comparison with known methods such as Matteson homologation and the functionalization of 1,1-bisborylmethane, this reaction is more step-economical and has broader functional-group compatibility. Primary, secondary and the challenging tertiary alkyl halides are appropriate substrates to accomplish this transformation. The synthetic practicability of the preparedβ-quaternary organoboronates was demonstrated by their conversion to other useful compounds.
Frozen section in amniotic infection, an underutilized diagnostic tool?
Authors: Ladino Karen , Caicedo-Marmolejo Beatriz E , Vargas Yaris Anzully , Jaramillo Luis F , Olaya-C Mercedes
Published: October 2022

Introduction: Chorioamnionitis and funisitis produce high impact maternal, fetal and neonatal repercussions; intra-amniotic infections are present in 40-70% of preterm deliveries; additionally, intrauterine infections trigger systemic inflammatory conditions in 50% of exposed fetuses. On the contrary, maternal symptoms register low sensitivity for diagnosis of intrauterine infections. Herein, we discuss the need for a new diagnostic tool that will allow for early capture of subclinical cases.
Methods: Between 2020 and 2022, we included 30 patients born with (Group 1:15) or without (Group 2:15) suspected intra-amniotic infection . We compared frozen sections to final paraffin sections, we correlated conventional process to neonate clinical outcome, taking into account changes in treatment based on early diagnosis of the infection.
Results: Group 1 presented the largest number of cases for preterm delivery, low birth weight, complications and total hospital stay. Furthermore, in Group 1, we found 33.3% early sepsis diagnosis, as opposed to 6.67% in Group 2; following positive pathology report, both duration of antibiotic management and length of clinical observation: it was extended over a greater length of time than expected as standard.
Discussion: Research has validated the premise on which we based our study, a clear relation between chorioamnionitis and fetal death and preterm delivery, the outcome of which also results in an increase in comorbidities. Early diagnosis of infection, especially of funisitis, is clinically useful for subsequent intervention.
Conclusions: The use of frozen biopsy in ascending subclinical infection can aid in reaching early chorioamniontis/funisitis diagnosis, thereby providing guidance in medical interventions. This technique has proven its performance in predicting definitive infection outcomes. However, there is still a need for further studies on how to profile patients with subclinical infections who would benefit from frozen biopsy analysis.
Chitosan-modified magnetic carbon nanomaterials with high efficiency, controlled motility and reusability - for removal of chromium ions from real wastewater
Authors: Li zhishuncheng , Yang Can , Qu GuangFei , Cui Qingyuan , Yang Yixin , Ren Yuanchuan , Yang Yuyi , Wang Fang
Published: October 2022

Hexavalent chromium Cr(Ⅵ) is one of the most hazardous oxygen-containing anions to human health and the environment. Adsorption is considered to be an effective method for the removal of Cr(Ⅵ) from aqueous solutions. Based on an environmental perspective, we used renewable biomass cellulose as carbon source and chitosan as functional material to synthesize chitosan coated magnetic carbon（ MC@CS ）Materials. The synthesized chitosan magnetic carbons are uniform in diameter (~20 nm) and contain a large number of abundant hydroxyl and amino functional groups on the surface, meanwhile owning excellent magnetic separation properties. The MC@CS exhibited high adsorption capacity (83.40 mg/g) at pH 3 and excellent cycling regeneration ability when applied to Cr(VI) removal in water, removal rate of Cr(VI) (10mg/L) was still over 70% after 10 cycles. FT-IR and XPS spectra shows that electrostatic interaction and reduction with Cr (VI) are the main mechanisms of Cr (VI) removal by MC@CS nanomaterial. This work provide an environment-friendly adsorption material that could be reused for the removal of Cr(VI) in multiple cycles.
Integrating knowledge from Case Report: a medical-ontology based multimodal information system with structured summary
Authors: Bai Tian , Huang Lan , Guo Shuyu , Liu Yichen , Wu Minfei , Gu Guishan , Luo Xiao
Published: October 2022

Published Case Report literature, as an important medical information carrier, records invaluable new discoveries of rare diseases, diagnoses and novel therapies as well as unique clinical experiences. Millions of Case Reports following formatted content have been collected in PubMed sharing medical knowledge across worldwide healthcare community. However, the ability of searching and viewing a vast number of Case Reports, and grasping most relevant and essential content in a time-constrained environment has been severely limited with most existing keyword-based retrieval tools due to their inherent limitation in handling the scale, unstructuredness and heterogeneity of Case Reports. To alleviate such limitations, we have developed CRFinder, a comprehensive multimodal information system with powerful interfaces for searching, visualizing and analyzing Case Report. In this paper, we will discuss the extraction pipeline of clinical knowledge in Case Report and core functional components of proposed system. The efficacy of our pipeline and system is demonstrated using 52949 open access case reports published from 2000 to 2021 in PubMed Central, from which CRFinder builds structured case summary by automatically extracting clinical and biological entities, medical images of different modalities. All the different types of essential information can be conveniently and effectively searched, displayed and analyzed in a well-structured and correlated manner. The access of CRFinder system is now available online (http://49.235.104.183:8080/).
Isolation, purification, and identification of antifungal protein produced by Bacillus subtilis SL-44 and anti-fungal resistance in apple
Authors: Chen Wumei , Wu Zhansheng , He Yanhui
Published: October 2022

Apple anthracnose is a fruit fungal disease that is currently recognized as one of the most serious threats to apples worldwide. In this study, antifungal protein from B. subtilis SL-44 was isolated, purified, identified, and applied for apple anthracnose control. The antagonistic experiment showed that SL-44 had an excellent broad spectrum against plant pathogenic fungi. Initial pH, inoculum volume, and rotation speed were evaluated by single-factor experiments and Box-Behnken Design and which were optimized to be 7, 2%, and 180 rpm, respectively. Under these conditions, the yield of antifungal protein increased by 45.83% compared to that before optimization. The crude protein from SL-44 was isolated and purified by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, DEAE-Sepharose fast flow column, and Sephadex G-100 column. TEM revealed that antifungal protein could severely disrupt the mycelial of C. gloeosporioides, resulting in the loss of its intracellular contents. LC-MS analyzed that antifungal protein was likely to be an uncharacterized protein YefB with a molecular weight of 35 kDa. Additionally, antifungal protein significantly alleviated the size of the lesion to more than 70% in the apple infection protection test. In conclusion, B. subtilis SL-44 and its main antimicrobial components have remarkable potential in the development of fungicides for biological control of apple anthracnose.
Bile Acids Are Substrates for Amine N-Acyl Transferase Activity by Bile Salt Hydrolase
Authors: Patterson Andrew , Rimal Bipin , Collins Stephanie , Granda Megan , Koo Imhoi , Solanka Sumeet , Hoque Nushrat , Gentry Emily , Yan Tingting , Bisanz Jordan , Krausz Kristopher , Desai Dhimant , Amin Shantu , Rocha Edson , Coleman James , Shah Yatrik , Gonzalez Frank , Heuvel John Vanden , Dorrestein Pieter , Weinert Emily
Published: October 2022

Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (GI) produce a variety of amino acid bile acid amidates that impact host-mediated metabolic processes; however, the bacterial gene(s) responsible for their production remain unknown. Herein, we report that bile salt hydrolase (BSH) possesses dual functions, including a new role in bile acid metabolism by functioning as an amine N-acyl transferase that conjugates amines to form bacterial bile acid amidates (BBAAs). To characterize this new amine N-acyl transferase role for BSH, we used pharmacological inhibition of BSH, heterologous expression of bsh in Escherichia coli, and generated a bsh knockout and knockin in Bacteroides fragilis to demonstrate that BSH is necessary and sufficient for BBAA production. Lastly, we report that BBAAs activate host ligand-activated transcription factors including the farnesoid X receptor, pregnane X receptor, constitutive androstane receptor, and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. These new findings expand our understanding and appreciation for the important roles that bacteria play in shaping the bile acid metabolic network.
Bile salt hydrolase/aminoacyltransferase shapes the microbiome
Authors: Guzior Douglas , Okros Maxwell , Hernandez Christian Martin , Shivel Madison , Armwald Bruin , Hausinger Robert , Quinn Robert
Published: October 2022

Bile acids (BAs) are steroid detergents in bile that contribute to the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins while shaping the gut microbiome due to their antimicrobial properties. Recently, a novel mechanism of BA metabolism by the gut microbiota was identified involving conjugation with various amino acids. Here, we show this unique biochemistry is mediated by bile salt hydrolase acting as an aminoacyltransferase or transpeptidase (BSH/T). Clostridium perfringens BSH/T rapidly performed acyl-transfer when provided various amino acids and taurocholate, glycocholate or cholate, with an optimum at approximately pH 5.3. Amino acids selected for incorporation by CpBSH/T were pH-dependent and broad in range, though proline and aspartic acid conjugates were not observed. BA conjugation was widespread among gut bacteria but showed unique amino acid preferences depending on the organism. Members of the family Lachnospiraceae had closely related BSH/T amino acid sequences and exhibited similar amino acid conjugation profiles, while horizontal gene transfer of bsh in some species increased conjugation diversity. Tertiary structure mapping of BSH/T from different gut bacteria implicates active site structure in amino acid selectivity. The products of BSH/T aminoacyltransferase activity were potent antimicrobials but this depended on the amino acid conjugated, with phenylalanine and leucine-conjugates acting as the best inhibitors of other gut commensals and known pathogens. This inhibitory property translated in vivo, as oral gavage of mice with different microbially conjugated bile acids altered the cecal and fecal microbiomes. This study shows that transpeptidase activity of BSH/T is a widespread and common property of the enzyme that greatly diversifies the bile acid pool, with the potential to shape the human microbiome.
Factors associated with subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in rheumatoid arthritis patients with low or no disease activity- A RA ultrasound registry study
Authors: Wang Yu-Wei , Chen Jia-Feng , Ko Chi-Hua , Cheng Tien-Tsai , Chiu Wen-Chan , Yu Shan-Fu , Hsu Chung-Yuan , Chen Ying-Chou
Published: October 2022

Background
Evaluate factors to predict subclinical inflammation of wrist joints in patients with RA who are in clinical remission or low disease activity
Methods
Gray scale and power Doppler ultrasound were performed on the dorsal radio-lunate of both wrists. The presence of synovitis, comorbidities, and use of disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were recorded. A Multivariable logistical regression model was used to identify factors associated with subclinical inflammation.
Results
There were 1248 patients (1010 females, 238 males; mean age: 60.0 ± 10.5 years ). 57.4% of patients in complete remission and low disease activity had sonographic inflammation. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that male sex, smoking, and liver disease are positively associated with inflammation and that age, alcohol consumption, hypertension, gastrointestinal disease, and use of methotrexate, glucocorticoid, or a biological therapy are negatively associated with inflammation. Use of biological agents decreased the risk of inflammation by 40.9%.
Conclusions
There was evidence of subclinical inflammation in most patients who were in low or no disease activity, those with biological therapy had lower risk of subclinical inflammation.
WITHDRAWN: Molecular diagnosis of autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive congenital cataract families from North India
Authors: Goyal Shiwali , Singh Ravijit , Singh Jai Rup , Vanita Vanita
Published: October 2022

Background
To investigate the underlying genetic defects in two autosomal dominant (ADCC) and an autosomal recessive (ARCC) congenital cataract families from North India.
Methods
Detailed family history was collected, and pedigrees drawn followed by slit-lamp examination and lens photography. Mutation screening performed using Sanger sequencing in the known candidate genes for crystallins, connexins, and membrane proteins. Various bioinformatics tools were used to assess the pathogenicity of the identified variants.
Results
In two ADCC families with posterior lenticonus cataract, a novel change (c.263C > T; p.P88L) in GJA3 (CC-281 family) and a previously reported substitution (c.388C > T; p.R130C) in LIM2 in second ADCC family (CC-3015) was observed. In an ARCC family (CC-3005) having bilateral central pulverulent cataract, a novel frameshift deletion c.764delT; p.L255R46fs) in GJA3 was detected. The observed variants segregated completely with the phenotypes in the affected members and were neither present in unaffected family members nor in the ethnically matched 150 controls, hence excluding these as polymorphisms.
Conclusions
Present study identified two novel mutations i.e., c.263C > T (p.P88L) and c.764delT (p.L255R46fs) in GJA3 in an ADCC and an ARCC family having posterior lenticonus and central pulverulent cataract, respectively. In second ADCC family with posterior lenticonus cataract, a previously reported mutation c.388C > T (p.R130C) in LIM2 was observed. This indicates R130 a mutation hotspot as previously two ADCC families one each of European and Chinese descent also harbored the same substitution, however, with different phenotypes i.e., pulverulent and nuclear cataracts. Findings in the present study thus expand the mutation spectrum and phenotypic heterogeneity linked with GJA3 and LIM2.
Do Operational Facilitating Conditions and Subjective Norms Improve the Intention to use Social Distancing Nudge during a Pandemic: A Case of SARS-CoV-2(COVID-19) Outbreak in India
Authors: Kumar Anup
Published: October 2022

The COVID-19 outbreak reached a critical stage where it became imperative for public health systems to act decisively and design potential behavioral operational strategies that aim at containment of the pandemic. Isolation through social distancing plays a key role in achieving this objective. This research study is conducted to examine the factors affecting the intention of individuals towards social distancing in India. Correlation survey study is conducted on the samples of Pan Indian (N = 499) residents. Online questionnaire was floated consisting of Health Belief Model, and Theory of Planned Behavior Model, with respect to social distancing behavior at an initial occasion. Finally, Structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses. The results show that Perceived susceptibility, Facilitating Conditions and Subjective Norms are the major predictors of Attitude towards social distancing with the effect size of 0.277, 0.132, and 0.551 respectively. The result also confirms that the Attitude towards social distancing, perceived Usefulness of social distancing, and Subjective Norms significantly predicted the Intention to use the social distancing with the effect size of 0.355, 0.197, and 0.385 respectively. The non-significant association of Perceived Susceptibility(PS) with Social Distancing Intention (IN) (H1b) is rendering the fact that Attitude (AT) mediates the relationship between PS and IN similarly, the non-significant association of Facilitating Conditions (FC) with IN (H5) is rendering the fact that AT mediates the relationship between FC and IN. Results of the study is helpful to the policy makers to handle operations management of nudges like social distancing. The research is one of its kind that explores the behavioral aspects of handling social nudges.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 Induces Senescence by Inhibiting Telomerase Activity in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Kwon Ahreum , Chae Hyun Wook , Lee Woo Jung , Kim JungHyun , Kim Ye Jin , Ahn Jungmin , Oh Youngman , Kim Ho-Seong
Published: October 2022

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) has been known to inhibit the proliferation of various cell types in an insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-independent manner. In this study, we aimed to show that IGFBP-3 induces cellular senescence via suppression of telomerase activity, thereby inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. We found that the induction of IGFBP-3 in MCF-7 cells inhibited cell proliferation. Flow cytometry revealed that the percentage of non-cycling cells was higher in IGFBP-3-expressing cells than in controls. Induction of IGFBP-3 also resulted in morphological changes, such as a flattened cytoplasm and increased granularity, suggesting that IGFBP-3 induces senescence-like phenotype. The percentage of cells containing senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity was 3.3 times higher in IGFBP-3 expressing cells compared to control cells. Telomeric repeat amplification and real-time PCR showed that IGFBP-3 decreased telomerase activity by decreasing the expression of the RNA component (hTR) and catalytic protein component with reverse transcriptase activity (hTERT) of telomerase. These results suggest that IGFBP-3 functions as a negative regulator of breast cancer cell growth by inducing a senescence through the inhibition of telomerase activity.
Study on Deep drawing Forming Process of Wheel Disks
Authors: Song Jie , Feng Jun , Li Junzhou , Hou Rui , Tian Haiping , Sun An
Published: October 2022

In the deep drawing forming process of wheel disks, the wall thickness at the rounded corners tends to be thinned. Using DEFORM software analysis, two stages of the deep drawing forming process are used to study the wheel disk forming. A finite element model of deep drawing and forming was established based on the theoretical analysis of the deep drawing and forming process. The stress and strain field distribution during the forming process of the circular blank was simulated and analyzed. The analysis shows that different punch feed rates and friction coefficients greatly influence the thinning rate and forming load of the wheel forming. The thinning rate reached 15.4% when the punch feed rate was 180 mm/s. The maximum forming load increases with the increase of friction coefficient, and the total forming load reaches 424 kN when the friction coefficient is 0.20. The effect of r p /t 0 and r d /t 0 on the wall thickness of the second pass forming was also analyzed. The results show that when r p /t 0 is 1.6~2.4 and rd/t0 is 2~3, the minimum wall thickness is larger, ΔX is also the smallest, and the forming quality is the best. The optimal set of parameters was obtained: punch feed rate of 120 mm/s, friction coefficient of 0.12, and r p /t 0 of 2.4. Physical tests were conducted on the self-designed forming machine, and the results were consistent with the simulation results, which verified the feasibility of the forming solution.
Risk factors for nonhealing wounds and the clinical value of the gracilis-myofascial flap in abdomino-perineal resection: a case control study
Authors: Lin Zhiyu , Zhang Xinling , Sun Yidan , Chen Yujie , Yang Xin , Zhao Zhenmin
Published: October 2022

Background:Risk factors for nonhealing wounds after abdomino-perineal resection (APR) remain inconclusive. And the pelvic floor reconstruction after APR based on gracilis-myofascial flaps (GMFs) is still controversial. This study aims to evaluate the risk factors for nonhealing wounds and demonstrate the clinical application of GMF reconstruction after APR.Methods:APR patients at Peking University Third Hospital from December 2010 to January 2021 were analyzed retrospectively, including 81 with primary suture and 5 with GMF reconstruction. The data collected included general information, comorbidities, pre/postoperative laboratory tests, surgical data and pathological results. Univariate analysis and multifactor binary logistic regression analysis was used.Results:There were 62 (71.2%) patients in the healing group (HG) and 24 (27.9%) patients in the nonhealing group (nHG). Old age (p = 0.011), hyperlipidemia (p = 0.042) and higher pathological Broders Grading (p = 0.048) were risk factors for nonhealing wounds. The mean hospitalization time (p = 0.002) and expense (p = 0.017) of the nHG were greater than HG. Multifactor binary logistic regression analysis showed age and hyperlipidemia were independent risk factors for nonhealing wounds after APR. Five patients with GMF reconstruction recovered well without any postoperative complications.Conclusion:Old age, hyperlipidemia and high Broders Grading are risk factors for nonhealing perineal wounds after APR, and age and hyperlipidemia are independent risk factors. GMF has satisfactory outcomes for pelvic floor reconstruction and lower probability of nonhealing wounds. Our study may provide new insights for the prevention and treatment of nonhealing perineal wounds after APR.
Adsorption of Arsenic From Synthetic Wastewaters: Linear and Non-linear of 2-parameters Adsorption Equilibrium Isotherm Models
Authors: AMOKO Justinah Solayide , OJO Babatunde Moses , BABATOLU Ayotunde Oluwaseun , DEMEHIN Abidemi Iyewumi , OKE Isaiah Adesola
Published: October 2022

Contamination of groundwater with arsenic (Asic) has become emerging health and environmental problem around the world. This problem has received signiﬁcant attention amongst scientists for the development of new adsorbents to remediate Asic -contaminated water. The ability of the immobilized powdered eggshell (Poes), as adsorbent, to remove Asic was studied under batch conditions. Equilibrium data were analysed using non-linear and linearized two-parameter adsorption isotherms models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Elovich, Flory–Huggins, Temkin, Frenkel- Hasley- Hill; Langmuir- Vageler, Hill-de Boer, Kiselev, Fowler- Guggenheim, Dubinin – Radushkevich, Jovanovic, Harkins–Jura and Halsey). The performance of adsorption equilibrium isotherm models was evaluated statistically using the following analysis of variance (ANOVA), model of' selection criterion (MSC), Coefficient of Determination (CD), Correlation coefficient (R) and Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). The study revealed that for non-linear equilibrium isotherm models, Freundlich (0.986 and 3.906) > Fowler—Guggenheim (0.996 and 5.176) and Hasley (0.986 and 3.906) performed well in predicting experimental data based on the values of R and MSC. For linearized equilibrium isotherm models, Kiselev (0.9999 and 8.856) > Temkin (0.994 and 4.701) and Dubinin – Radushkevich (0.993 and 4.621) are the best isotherm models for Asic adsorption onto Poes. It was concluded that Poes particles are with various inorganic materials for Asic adsorption. Based on the performance indicators and to ensure reliable results of adsorption equilibrium data analysis through the adsorption isotherm models, it is necessary that these data sets should be evaluated by both linear and non-linear regression analyses.
The application research of deep neural networks in colonic polyp segmentation
Authors: LI Jun , Wang Fang , Yang Haima , Qiu Lihua , Liu Jin , Fu Le , Zhang Dawei , Hong Weibin , Song Yeye
Published: October 2022

Background: In the study of medical images segmentation, U-Net is a good choice with better performance. But it will cause some problems such as gradient problems or information loss.
Methods: In this paper, we introduce a new model based on such an encoder-decoder structure. We mixed a full connection and encoder output in per layer and we add an axial attention to solve gradient problem and keep the connection with pixel from long distance. After pooling, we add a module which has three atrous Convolution processes with different expansion rate and a non-local Self attention to increase the feeling field and fix the problem of losing spatial information. In decoder part, we put a dual channel gate to point out 'what' and 'where' feature we need by the union of Channel Attention and Spatial Attention.
Results: We use 4 public dataSets are CVC-ClinicDB, Kvasir-SEG, CVC-ColonDB and CVC-T. We compared more than 10 groups other different models with these 4 group dataSets and marked some evaluating indicators such as mIou, mDice and so on. We also did some ablation experiments to verify that our model structure is reasonable and effective.
Conclusions: The comparative training of 12 models in 4 different datasets verifies the feasibility and the good effectiveness of the proposed ideas. We also did some ablation experiments to verify that our model structure is reasonable and effective. The basic structure of the encoder decoder in semantic segmentation has been greatly improved.
WITHDRAWN: Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound attenuates postoperative neurocognitive impairment and salvages hippocampal synaptogenesis in aged mice
Authors: Wang Qian , Liu Taotao , Chang Huixian , Li Zhengqian , Chen Lei , Xing Huayi , Wang Xiaoxiao , Hong Jingshu , Liu Kaixi , Li Yitong , Han Dengyang , Li Yue , Yang Ning , Li Xiaoli , Li Yingwei , Guo Xiangyang
Published: October 2022

Background Postoperative neurocognitive impairment is an urgent problem with global aging accelerating. The prevention and treatment of postoperative neurocognitive impairment have been widely investigated but lack effective strategies. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a non-invasive tool, has shown an effect on neuroprotection, but whether it could attenuate the postoperative neurocognitive impairment and the underlying mechanism remains unknow. Methods An experimental set-up for LIPUS stimulation of the hippocampus was well established. HE staining was used to determine the morphology of hippocampus after LIPUS application. A laparotomy model in aged mice was applied, and Morris water maze was used to assess cognitive function. RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to detect levels of inflammatory cytokines, synapse associated protein in the hippocampus, respectively. Immunofluorescent staining was also used to determine the neural activation and Piezo1 expression. Results After the anesthesia/surgery, the hippocampus of aged mice showed increased levels of inflammation and decreased synaptogenesis, while LIPUS intervention improved cognitive impairment, reduced hippocampal neuroinflammation, and improved synaptogenesis. We further found that LIPUS might improve synaptogenesis through the Piezo1-mediated calpain1/extracellular regulated protein kinases (Erk) pathway. Conclusion Our results suggested that LIPUS could be used as an effective physical intervention to improve postoperative cognitive dysfunction in the aged population.
Measurement and evaluation of noise levels inside and outside the industrial area of Ferronikeli
Authors: Veliu Agron
Published: October 2022

The increasing awareness of the public of environmental issues such as CO2 emissions, carbon footprints and waste recycling has brought the issue of environmental noise to the fore.
Many of the demands of modern society result in the creation of noise sources such as larger airports, additional power stations or heavy industry and higher road traffic levels. In addition, the expansion of towns and cities, driven by the demand for housing, has often resulted in the development of land near existing noise sources. These trends have meant that many more industries are now required to monitor their environmental noise impact.
Environmental noise, caused by traffic, industrial and recreational activities, is one of the main local environmental problems in many countries of Europe and the source of an increasing number of complaints from the public.
Generally, however, action to reduce environmental noise has had a lower priority than that taken to address other environmental problems such as air and water pollution.
In the past, the noise generated by different sources, including industries, was not as obvious in trends within Kosovo Country. Gllogoc is a town that is a part of the Pristina region, located in the central part of the Republic of Kosovo. In this town the smelter plant ‘NewCo Ferronikeli’ which is well known as an industrial complex for ferronickel alloy production is located.
This study was a simple assessment of the noise levels around the NewCo Ferronikeli company. However, this study is based on the Directive 2002/49/EC of The European Parliament and of the Council of 25 June 2002 relating to the assessment and management of environmental noise.
Dietary Patterns and the Risk of Sarcopenia: a cross‑sectional study of 1059 participants in China
Authors: Wang Boshi , Zhang Xue , Shao Lin , Li Wei , Zhao Shilong , Liu Peng
Published: October 2022

Background: Sarcopenia, defined as the loss of muscle mass and strength, has been associated with increased hospitalization and mortality. Due to different diagnostic criteria and target populations, the prevalence of sarcopenia varies greatly. Dietary pattern analysis is a whole diet approach used to investigate the relationship between diet and sarcopenia. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia and explore possible factors associated with it among a large population in Beijing, China.
Methods: A cross-sectional study with 1059 participants aged more than 50 years was performed. Sarcopenia was defined based on the guidelines of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. The total score of the MNA-SF questionnaire was used to analyse nutrition status. The baseline demographic information, diet structure and eating habits were collected by clinicians trained in questionnaire data collection and anthropometric and bioimpedance measurements.
Results: The overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 8.8% and increased with age: 5%, 5.8%, 10.3% and 26.2% in the 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, and ≥80 years groups, respectively. Marital status (with or withouta spouse) was not an independent factor associated with sarcopenia orincome status. However, nutritional risk or malnutrition, vegetable diet, advanced age and spicy eating habits were risk factors for sarcopenia. Meanwhile, daily fruit, dairy and nut consumption were protective factors against sarcopenia.
Conclusions: Although further studies are required to explorethe association between healthy dietary patterns and the risk of sarcopenia, the present study would help to provide basic data for establishing dietary guidelines for the prevention of sarcopenia in Chinese elderly individuals.
M0 pancreatic cancer: treatment and prognosis by primary site
Authors: Deng Zhongming , Zhang Zelin , Ding Zhenghua , Cao Ping
Published: October 2022

Background
Pancreatic cancer is very individual and treatment varies from patient to patient. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of surgery, radiotherapy and treatment patterns on the risk of death in patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer with different primary sites. There have been few studies on the incidence and survival of patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer. Our aim was to examine the difference in prognosis between head and body and tail tumors in patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cance. And, the difference of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in different primary sites.
Methods
A retrospective cohort study of patients with non-metastatic pancreatic cancer between 2004 and 2016 obtained from the SEER database. SPSS software was used for analysis. We use kaplan-Meier method based on logarithmic rank test to estimate survival distribution. COX univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed with variables such as race, sex, age at diagnosis, stage, surgery, and radiotherapy. A propensity score matching model was used to further validate prognostic factors associated with survival.
Results
For 5859 M0 pancreatic cancer patients in the SEER database, ancreatic head tumors accounted for 4824 (82.3%) and pancreatic tail tumors accounted for 1034 (17.7%). The incidence of LN + was higher in pancreatic head than in pancreatic bodytail tumors (OR 1.621, 95%CI 1.381–1.917, P < 0.01). 91.0% of pancreatic head tumor patients and 89.2% with pancreatic bodytail tumor patients received chemotherapy. More pancreatic head tumors were treated with radiation (73.3% vs 66%, P < 0.05) than pancreatic bodytail tumros. for pancreatic head tumors, size, Grade amd T stage, LN+, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are risk factors of survival。However, size, LN+, and chemotherapy showed no association to the prognosis of pancreatic bodytail tumors. Primary site is not an independent risk factor affecting prognosis. We further verified the above conclusion with a 1:1 propensity score matching.
Conclusion
We found that primary site is not a risk factor for survival of pancreatic cancer patients, but pancreatic head and body tail pancreatic cancer have different characteristics. In addition, the effects of radiation and chemotherapy differed in the two groups.
Human and infrastructure exposure to large wildfires in the United States
Authors: ModaresiRad Arash , Abatzoglou John , Kreitler Jason , Alizadeh Mohammad Reza , AghaKouchak Amir , Hudyma Nicholas , Nauslar Nicholas , Sadegh Mojtaba
Published: October 2022

An increasing number of wildfire disasters occurred in recent years in the U.S. Here, we demonstrate that cumulative primary human exposure – population residing within large wildfires’ perimeters – was 594,850 people from 2000-2019 across the Contiguous U.S. (CONUS), 82% of which occurred in the Western U.S. Primary population exposure increased by 125% in CONUS in the past two decades, noting large uncertainty ranges. We show that population dynamics from 2000-2019 alone accounted for 24% of the observed increase rate in human exposure, whereas increased wildfire extent drove a majority of the observed trends. Additionally, we document widespread exposure of roads (412,155 km) and transmission powerlines (14,835 km) to large wildfires in CONUS, with an increased rate of 58% and 70% from 2000-2019, respectively. Our findings highlight the benefits of mitigation and adaptation efforts to help societies cope with wildfires.
Highly coherent nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond via rational high-pressure and high-temperature synthesis and treatment
Authors: Zhang Xiaoran , Liu Kang-yuan , Li Fengjiao , Liu Xiaobing , Duan Shuai , Wang Jia-Ning , Liu Gang-Qin , Pan Xin-Yu , Chen Xin , Zhang Ping , Ma Yanming , Chen Changfeng
Published: October 2022

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) centres in diamond offer an excellent platform for device design and development in the emerging fields of quantum sensing and quantum network, but fabrication of quantum-grade diamonds with highly coherent NV- centres needed for advanced applications presents a pressing challenge. Here we report a major advance in generating NV- centres in diamonds via tailored high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) synthesis and post-grown annealing treatment. The resulting well dispersed single NV- centres in type-IIa diamonds exhibit long spin coherence times reaching the highest levels achieved in diamonds prepared by more elaborate and restrictive chemical vapor deposition techniques. Moreover, we produce high-density NV- ensembles in <100>-grown type-Ib diamonds with superb zero-phonon lines considerably sharper than those of native NV- centres in as-grown diamonds. These findings demonstrate a superior synthesis and optimization protocol for creating top-quality NV- centres to meet the most stringent requirements for a wide range of emerging quantum technologies.
A screen for Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite surface protein binding to human hepatocyte surface receptors identifies novel host-pathogen interactions
Authors: Segireddy Rameswara R , Belda Hugo , Yang Annie S. P. , Dundas Kirsten , Knoeckel Julia , Galaway Francis , Wood Laura , Quinkert Doris , Knuepfer Ellen , Treeck Moritz , Wright Gavin J , Douglas Alexander D
Published: October 2022

Sporozoite invasion of hepatocytes is an essential step in the Plasmodium life-cycle and has similarities, at the cellular level, to merozoite invasion of erythrocytes. In the case of the Plasmodium blood-stage, efforts to identify host-pathogen protein-protein interactions have yielded important insights including vaccine candidates. In the case of sporozoite-hepatocyte invasion, the host-pathogen protein-protein interactions involved are poorly understood.
Here, we performed a systematic screen to identify such interactions. We substantially extended previous Plasmodium falciparum and human surface protein ectodomain libraries, creating new libraries containing 88 P. falciparum sporozoite protein coding sequences and 182 sequences encoding human hepatocyte surface proteins. Having expressed recombinant proteins from these sequences, we used a plate-based assay capable of detecting low affinity interactions between recombinant proteins, modified for enhanced throughput, to screen the proteins for interactions. We were able to test 7540 sporozoite-hepatocyte protein pairs under conditions capable of detecting interactions of at least 1.2µM KD.
We report and characterise an interaction between human fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) and the P. falciparum protein Pf34, characterising its affinity and demonstrating blockade of the interaction by reagents including a monoclonal antibody. Furthermore, we identify further interactions between Pf34 and a second P. falciparum rhoptry neck protein, PfRON6, and between human low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and the P. falciparum protein PIESP15.
Conditional genetic deletion confirmed the essentiality of PfRON6 in the blood-stage, consistent with the important role of this protein in parasite lifecycle. Pf34 was refractory to attempted genetic modification. Antibodies to Pf34 abrogated the interaction and had a modest effect upon sporozoite invasion into primary human hepatocytes.
Pf34 and PfRON6 may be members of a functionally important invasion complex which could be a target for future interventions. The modified interaction screening assay, protein expression libraries and P. falciparum mutant parasites we report here may be a useful tool for protein interaction discovery and antigen candidate screening which could be of wider value to the scientific community.