bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transcriptomic profiling and regulatory pathways of cardiac resident macrophages in aging
Authors: Xia Guofang , Zhu Simeng , Liu Yujia , Pan Jingwei , Wang Xiaoqing , Shen Chengxing , Du Ailian , Xu Congfeng
Published: May 2024

Cardiovascular diseases are an array of age-related disorders, and accumulating evidence suggests a link between cardiac resident macrophages (CRMs) and the age-related disorders. However, how does CRMs alter with aging remains elusive. In the present study, aged mice (20 months old) have been employed to check for their cardiac structural and functional alterations, and the changes in the proportion of CRM subsets as well, followed by sorting of CRMs, including C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 2 (CCR2)+ and CCR2– CRMs, which were subjected to Smart-Seq. Integrated analysis of the Smart-Seq data with three publicly available single-cell RNA-seq datasets revealed that inflammatory genes were drastic upregulated for both CCR2+ and CCR2– CRMs with aging, but genes germane to wound healing were downregulated for CCR2– CRMs, suggesting the differential functions of these two subsets. More importantly, inflammatory genes involved in damage sensing, complement cascades, and phagocytosis were largely upregulated in CCR2– CRMs, implying the imbalance of inflammatory response upon aging. Our work provides a comprehensive framework and transcriptional resource for assessing the impact of aging on CRMs with a potential for further understanding cardiac aging.
Genome wide inherited modifications of the tomato epigenome by trans-activated bacterial CG methyltransferase
Authors: Kumar Bapatla Kesava Pavan , Beaubiat Sébastien , Yadav Chandra Bhan , Eshed Ravit , Arazi Tzahi , Sherman Amir , Bouché Nicolas
Published: May 2024

Background

Epigenetic variation is mediated by epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation occurring in all cytosine contexts in plants. CG methylation plays a critical role in silencing transposable elements and regulating gene expression. The establishment of CG methylation occurs via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway and CG methylation maintenance relies on METHYLTRANSFERASE1, the homologue of the mammalian DNMT1.

Purpose

Here, we examined the capacity to stably alter the tomato genome methylome by a bacterial CG-specific M.SssI methyltransferase expressed through the LhG4/pOP transactivation system.

Results

Methylome analysis of M.SssI expressing plants revealed that their euchromatic genome regions are specifically hypermethylated in the CG context, and so are most of their genes. However, changes in gene expression were observed only with a set of genes exhibiting a greater susceptibility to CG hypermethylation near their transcription start site. Unlike gene rich genomic regions, our analysis revealed that heterochromatic regions are slightly hypomethylated at CGs only. Notably, some M.SssI-induced hypermethylation persisted even without the methylase or transgenes, indicating inheritable epigenetic modification.

Conclusion

Collectively our findings suggest that heterologous expression of M.SssI can create new inherited epigenetic variations and changes in the methylation profiles on a genome wide scale. This open avenues for the conception of epigenetic recombinant inbred line populations with the potential to unveil agriculturally valuable tomato epialleles.
PRKN-linked familial Parkinson’s disease: cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease-linked variants
Authors: Clausen Lene , Okarmus Justyna , Voutsinos Vasileios , Meyer Morten , Lindorff-Larsen Kresten , Hartmann-Petersen Rasmus
Published: May 2024

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common and incurable neurodegenerative disorder that arises from the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and is mainly characterized by progressive loss of motor function. Monogenic familial PD is associated with highly penetrant variants in specific genes, notably the PRKN gene, where homozygous or compound heterozygous loss-of-function variants predominate. PRKN encodes Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase important for protein ubiquitination and mitophagy of damaged mitochondria. Accordingly, Parkin plays a central role in mitochondrial quality control but is itself also subject to a strict protein quality control system that rapidly eliminates certain disease-linked Parkin variants. Here, we summarize the cellular and molecular functions of Parkin, highlighting the various mechanisms by which PRKN gene variants result in loss-of-function. We emphasize the importance of high-throughput assays and computational tools for the clinical classification of PRKN gene variants and how detailed insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of PRKN gene variants may impact the development of personalized therapeutics.
Personal AI, deception, and the problem of emotional bubbles
Authors: Mlonyeni Philip Maxwell Thingbø
Published: May 2024

Personal AI is a new type of AI companion, distinct from the prevailing forms of AI companionship. Instead of playing a narrow and well-defined social role, like friend, lover, caretaker, or colleague, with a set of pre-determined responses and behaviors, Personal AI is engineered to tailor itself to the user, including learning to mirror the user’s unique emotional language and attitudes. This paper identifies two issues with Personal AI. First, like other AI companions, it is deceptive about the presence of their emotions, which undermines the moral value of companionship. Second, Personal AI leads to a distinctly new form of deception concerning the origins of its emotions. Its emotional attitudes appear to belong to it, when in fact they are only reflections of the user. This results in what I dub “emotional bubbles”—the false impression that personal emotions are externally validated—which have at least two troubling implications. First, emotional bubbles prevent us from encountering emotional attitudes that differ from our own, which is likely to cripple emotional growth and the ability to form diverse social and emotional relationships. Second, if we assume, as some philosophers claim, that shared emotions are constitutive of shared values, it follows that Personal AI subverts joint moral deliberation. Users believe their personal values are externally validated, when they are only validated by themselves. Because of the absence of technovirtues able to handle this problem, I suggest that we proceed very cautiously with the development and marketing of Personal AI.
Acoustic resolvent analysis of turbulent jets
Authors: Bugeat Benjamin , Karban Ugur , Agarwal Anurag , Lesshafft Lutz , Jordan Peter
Published: May 2024

We perform a resolvent analysis of a compressible turbulent jet, where the optimisation domain of the response modes is located in the acoustic field, excluding the hydrodynamic region, in order to promote acoustically efficient modes. We examine the properties of the acoustic resolvent and assess its potential for jet-noise modelling, focusing on the subsonic regime. Resolvent forcing modes, consistent with previous studies, are found to contain supersonic waves associated with Mach wave radiation in the response modes. This differs from the standard resolvent in which hydrodynamic instabilities dominate. We compare resolvent modes with SPOD modes educed from LES data. Acoustic resolvent response modes generally have better alignment with acoustic SPOD modes than standard resolvent response modes. For the optimal mode, the angle of the acoustic beam is close to that found in SPOD modes for moderate frequencies. However, there is no significant separation between the singular values of the leading and sub-optimal modes. Some suboptimal modes are furthermore shown to contain irrelevant structure for jet noise. Thus, even though it contains essential acoustic features absent from the standard resolvent approach, the SVD of the acoustic resolvent alone is insufficient to educe a low-rank model for jet noise. But because it identifies the prevailing mechanisms of jet noise, it provides valuable guidelines in the search of a forcing model (Karban et al. in J Fluid Mech 965:18, 2023).

Graphical abstract
Compression of boundary integral operators discretized by anisotropic wavelet bases
Authors: Harbrecht Helmut , von Rickenbach Remo
Published: May 2024

The present article is devoted to wavelet matrix compression for boundary integral equations when using anisotropic wavelet bases for the discretization. We provide a compression scheme for boundary integral operators of order $$2q$$

2
q

on patchwise smooth and globally Lipschitz continuous mainfolds which amounts to only $$\mathcal {O}(N)$$

O
(
N
)

relevant matrix coefficients in the system matrix without deteriorating the accuracy offered by the underlying Galerkin scheme. Here, $$N$$
N
denotes the degrees of freedom in the related trial spaces. By numerical results we validate our theoretical findings.
Prediction and MDL for infinite sequences
Authors: Milovanov Alexey
Published: May 2024

We combine Solomonoff’s approach to universal prediction with algorithmic statistics and suggest to use the computable measure that provides the best “explanation” for the observed data (in the sense of algorithmic statistics) for prediction. In this way we keep the expected sum of squares of prediction errors bounded (as it was for the Solomonoff’s predictor) and, moreover, guarantee that the sum of squares of prediction errors is bounded along any Martin-Löf random sequence. An extended abstract of this paper was presented at the 16th International Computer Science Symposium in Russia (CSR 2021) (Milovanov 2021).
Apparent diffusion coefficient and tissue stiffness are associated with different tumor microenvironment features of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Chen Jie , Wu Zhenru , Zhang Zhen , Chen Yidi , Yin Meng , Ehman Richard L. , Yuan Yuan , Song Bin
Published: May 2024

Objectives

To investigate associations between tissue diffusion, stiffness, and different tumor microenvironment features in resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Seventy-two patients were prospectively included for preoperative magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging and MR elastography examination. The mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and stiffness value were measured on the central three slices of the tumor and peri-tumor area. Cell density, tumor-stroma ratio (TSR), lymphocyte-rich HCC (LR-HCC), and CD8 + T cell infiltration were estimated in resected tumors. The interobserver agreement of MRI measurements and subjective pathological evaluation was assessed. Variables influencing ADC and stiffness were screened with univariate analyses, and then identified with multivariable linear regression. The potential relationship between explored imaging biomarkers and histopathological features was assessed with linear regression after adjustment for other influencing factors.

Results

Seventy-two patients (male/female: 59/13, mean age: 56 ± 10.2 years) were included for analysis. Inter-reader agreement was good or excellent regarding MRI measurements and histopathological evaluation. No correlation between tumor ADC and tumor stiffness was found. Multivariable linear regression confirmed that cell density was the only factor associated with tumor ADC (Estimate = −0.03, p = 0.006), and tumor-stroma ratio was the only factor associated with tumor stiffness (Estimate = −0.18, p = 0.03). After adjustment for fibrosis stage (Estimate = 0.43, p < 0.001) and age (Estimate = 0.04, p < 0.001) in the multivariate linear regression, intra-tumoral CD8 + T cell infiltration remained a significant factor associated with peri-tumor stiffness (Estimate = 0.63, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Tumor ADC surpasses tumor stiffness as a biomarker of cellularity. Tumor stiffness is associated with tumor-stroma ratio and peri-tumor stiffness might be an imaging biomarker of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment.

Clinical relevance statement

Tissue stiffness could potentially serve as an imaging biomarker of the intra-tumoral immune microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma and aid in patient selection for immunotherapy.

Key Points

Apparent diffusion coefficient reflects cellularity of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tumor stiffness reflects tumor-stroma ratio of hepatocellular carcinoma and is associated with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.

Tumor and peri-tumor stiffness might serve as imaging biomarkers of intra-tumoral immune microenvironment.
Long-term outcome of patients with Ménière’s disease following cochlear implantation: a comprehensive outcome study with validated assessment tools
Authors: Yılmaz Topçuoğlu Miray-Su , Plinkert Peter K. , Praetorius Mark , Euteneuer Sara
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Patients suffering from Ménière’s disease (MD) experience vertigo, and impairments in hearing and quality of life (QoL). This study aims to investigate the impact of cochlear implantation (CI) on various aspects affecting patients with MD.

Methods

A single tertiary centre’s CI database for CI recipients with MD between 2014 and 2022 was screened retrospectively. Hearing, vertigo, tinnitus symptoms, and hearing-related QoL were assessed. Pre- and postoperative hearing tests in conjunction with subjective outcome measures by visual analogue scale (VAS) and validated tools such as the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) and Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ), as well as the assessment of the pre- and postoperative Functional Level Scale (FLS) were examined.

Results

Eleven ears were included (median age: 59 years at implantation). Following implantation, there was a significant enhancement in Word Recognition Scores at sound levels of 65 dB and 80 dB compared to before treatment (preop vs. 12 months postop: p = 0.012). However, no significant enhancement was observed for 50 dB. MD-related impairments improved significantly postoperatively, as measured by the VAS (vertigo: p = 0.017; tinnitus: p = 0.042), DHI (p = 0.043), THI (p = 0.043) and NCIQ (p < 0.001). The FLS improved significantly (p = 0.020).

Conclusion

CI has positive effects on all areas examined in our cohort. However, discrimination of speech at low sound pressure levels remained problematic postoperatively. In patients suffering from MD, the prioritized treatment goals include not only improved hearing but also the rehabilitation of vertigo and tinnitus, as well as the enhancement of QoL. Validated instruments are useful screening tools.
Time, valence, and imagination: a comparative study of thoughts in restricted and unrestricted mind wandering
Authors: Li Halleyson , Hills Thomas
Published: May 2024

William James’ “stream of thought” is a key component of human cognition. Such thoughts arise in both restricted and unrestricted contexts, either with or without the presence of a secondary task. This study examines the similarities and differences in thoughts produced in these two contexts, which we call restricted and unrestricted mind wandering. Participants performed a mindfulness task representing restricted mind wandering and an unrestricted thought task where they spontaneously explored thoughts, reporting them as they arose. Participants then self-rated their thoughts based on valence, temporal orientation (past/present/future), and reality orientation (imaginary vs. real). Participants’ emotional states were also evaluated using the Emotion Recall Task (ERT) and the PANAS questionnaire. Unrestricted mind wandering generated more thoughts, which were more positive and future-oriented than those in restricted mind wandering. Additionally, participants’ thought valence correlated with their PANAS and ERT scores. Approximately 1 out of 4 thoughts in both restricted and unrestricted mind wandering were imaginary, with increased future orientation linked to more imaginative thought. Despite the statistical differences separating restricted and unrestricted thought, effect sizes were predominantly small, indicating that the thoughts arise during these two types of mind wandering are largely of the same kind.
A novel tRNA-derived fragment tRF-17-18VBY9M works as a potential diagnostic biomarker for gastric cancer
Authors: Mao Chunyan , Zhang Zhihan , Fang Ronghua , Yuan Wentao , Wu Yi , Cong Hui
Published: May 2024

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. The low effectiveness of common biomarkers for the detection of early GC makes it essential to seek new biomarkers to improve diagnostic efficacy. tsRNAs (transfer RNA-derived small RNAs) are related to the growth of malignant tumors. In this article, we focused on whether tsRNAs may be employed as biomarkers for GC.

Methods

tRF-17-18VBY9M was screened in the tsRFun database as a research object. The methodological efficacy of tRF-17-18VBY9M was evaluated using Sanger sequencing, agarose gel electrophoresis assays, and gradient dilution. The χ2 test was applied to assess the interaction between tRF-17-18VBY9M expression and clinicopathologic characteristics. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was utilized to investigate the clinical efficiency of tRF-17-18VBY9M in GC.

Results

The Chi-square test demonstrated that high-expressed tRF-17-18VBY9M was closely associated with the T stage, tumor node metastasis stage (TNM), lymph node metastasis, and neurological/vascular invasion. ROC curve analysis revealed that the diagnostic value of tRF-17-18VBY9M in GC was superior to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199), and carbohydrate antigen 724 (CA724).

Conclusion

tRF-17-18VBY9M is up-regulated in both GC sera and tissues. Differential tRF-17-18VBY9M expression distinguishes GC patients from healthy donors and gastritis patients, which suggests tRF-17-18VBY9M could act as a diagnostic biomarker in GC.
Machine learning identifies the role of SMAD6 in the prognosis and drug susceptibility in bladder cancer
Authors: Chen Ziang , Ou Yuxi , Ye Fangdie , Li Weijian , Jiang Haowen , Liu Shenghua
Published: May 2024

Background

Bladder cancer (BCa) is among the most prevalent malignant tumors affecting the urinary system. Due to its highly recurrent nature, standard treatments such as surgery often fail to significantly improve patient prognosis. Our research aims to predict prognosis and identify precise therapeutic targets for novel treatment interventions.

Methods

We collected and screened genes related to the TGF-β signaling pathway and performed unsupervised clustering analysis on TCGA-BLCA samples based on these genes. Our analysis revealed two novel subtypes of bladder cancer with completely different biological characteristics, including immune microenvironment, drug sensitivity, and more. Using machine learning classifiers, we identified SMAD6 as a hub gene contributing to these differences and further investigated the role of SMAD6 in bladder cancer in the single-cell transcriptome data. Additionally, we analyzed the relationship between SMAD6 and immune checkpoint genes. Finally, we performed a series of in vitro assays to verify the function of SMAD6 in bladder cancer cell lines.

Results

We have revealed two novel subtypes of bladder cancer, among which C1 exhibits a worse prognosis, lower drug sensitivity, a more complex tumor microenvironment, and a ‘colder’ immune microenvironment compared to C2. We identified SMAD6 as a key gene responsible for the differences and further explored its impact on the molecular characteristics of bladder cancer. Through in vitro experiments, we found that SMAD6 promoted the prognosis of BCa patients by inhibiting the proliferation and migration of BCa cells.

Conclusion

Our study reveals two novel subtypes of BCa and identifies SMAD6 as a highly promising therapeutic target.
Quantitative assessment of the troCarWash™ system for automated laparoscopic camera cleaning
Authors: Ahmed Maaz , Gowda Ashok , Alavi Naini Fatemeh , Le Alexander , Treffalls John , Torres Robin , Burt Bryan M.
Published: May 2024

Background

Soilage of the surgical endoscope occurs frequently during minimally invasive surgery. The resultant impairment of visualization of the surgical field compromises patient safety, prolongs operative times, and frustrates surgeons. The standard practice for cleaning the surgical camera involves a disruption in the conduct of surgery by completely removing the endoscope from the field, manually cleaning its lens, treating it with a surfactant, and reinserting it into the patient; after which the surgeon resumes the procedure.

Methods

We developed an automated solution for in vivo endoscope cleaning in minimally invasive surgery- a port that detects the position of the endoscope in its distal lumen, and precisely and automatically delivers a pressurized mist of cleaning solution to the lens of the camera. No additions to the scope and minimal user interaction with the port are required. We tested the efficacy of this troCarWash™ device in a porcine model of laparoscopy. Four board-certified general surgeons were instructed to soil and then clean the laparoscope using the device. Representative pre- and post-clean images were exported from the surgical video and clarity was graded (1) digitally by a canny edge detection algorithm, and (2) subjectively by 3 blinded, unbiased observers using a semi-quantitative scale.

Results

We observed statistically significant improvements in clarity by each method and for each surgeon, and we noted significant correlation between digital and subjective scores.

Conclusion

Based on these data, we conclude that the troCarWash™ effectively restored impaired visualization in a large animal model of laparoscopy.
The relationship between quality of life and sex role of women with gynecological cancers undergoing brachytherapy
Authors: Cerit Esin , Arslan Dilek Efe , Aslan Dicle
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This study aims to analyze the relationship between the quality of life and sex roles of women diagnosed with cancer and undergoing brachytherapy.

Methods

The research is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The sample of the study included 116 women over 35 years old who were diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer and underwent intracavitary brachytherapy at the Radiation Oncology Department of a university hospital. Personal information form, SF-36 the Quality of Life Scale, and BEM Sex Role Inventory were used in the study. The researcher collected the data through face-to-face interview. The data were collected in the nurses’ room after 3 different brachytherapy treatments that patients received weekly.

Results

It was found that the average score of the physical functioning subscale was 32.80 ± 24.33, the average score of role physical was 15.43 ± 28.78, the average score of role emotional was 17.81 ± 28.96, the average score of vitality was 39.13 ± 16.12, the average score of social functioning was 43.53 ± 20.55, the score average of pain was 50.0 ± 20.09, the average score of general health was 42.67 ± 14.61, and the general health of mental health was 55.86 ± 16.12. In the BEM sex roles scale, the average score of BEM femininity was 105.56 ± 13.95, and the average score of BEM masculinity was 80.61 ± 12.77. In our study, a very low, negative, and significant relationship was determined between the role of femininity and emotional role limitation, physical functionality, social functionality, and general health perception in the women undergoing brachytherapy (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Based on the findings of the present study, we can state that an increase in the “role of femininity” in women undergoing brachytherapy was effective in the decrease in the quality of lives of women. It can be claimed that the results will be a guidance for the nurses who will play an important role in increasing the quality of lives of the women undergoing brachytherapy.
Multi-class vulnerability prediction using value flow and graph neural networks
Authors: McLaughlin Connor , Lu Yi
Published: May 2024

In recent years, machine learning models have been increasingly used to detect security vulnerabilities in software, due to their ability to achieve high performance and lower false positive rates compared to traditional program analysis tools. However, these models often lack the capability to provide a clear explanation for why a program has been flagged as vulnerable, leaving developers with little reasoning to work with. We present a new method which not only identifies the presence of vulnerabilities in a program, but also the specific type of error, considering the whole program rather than just individual functions. Our approach utilizes graph neural networks that employ inter-procedural value flow graphs, and instruction embedding from the LLVM Intermediate Representation, to predict a class. By mapping these classes to the Common Weakness Enumeration list, we provide a clear indication of the security issue found, saving developers valuable time which would otherwise be spent analyzing a binary vulnerable/non-vulnerable label. To evaluate our method’s effectiveness, we used two datasets: one containing memory-related errors (out of bound array accesses), and the other a range of vulnerabilities from the Juliet Test Suite, including buffer and integer overflows, format strings, and invalid frees. Our model, implemented using PyTorch and the Gated Graph Sequence Neural Network from Torch-Geometric, achieved a precision of 96.35 and 91.59% on the two datasets, respectively. Compared to common static analysis tools, our method produced roughly half the number of false positives, while identifying approximately three times the number of vulnerable samples. Compared to recent machine learning systems, we achieve similar performance while offering the added benefit of differentiating between classes. Overall, our approach represents a meaningful improvement in software vulnerability detection, providing developers with valuable insights to better secure their code.
Object search by a concept-conditioned object detector
Authors: Rigoni Davide , Serafini Luciano , Sperduti Alessandro
Published: May 2024

Object detectors are used for searching all objects belonging to a pre-defined set of categories contained in a given picture. However, users are often not interested in finding all objects, but only those that pertain to a small set of categories or concepts. Nowadays, the standard approach to solve this task involves initially employing an object detector to identify all objects within the image, followed by refining the outcomes to retain only the ones of interest. Nevertheless, the object detector does not take advantage of the user’s prior intent that, when used, can potentially improve the detection performance of the model. This work presents a method to condition an existing object detector with the user’s intent, encoded as one or more concepts from the WordNet graph, to find just those objects of interest. The proposed approach takes advantage of existing datasets for object detection without the need for new annotations, and it allows to adapt the already existing object detector models with minor changes. The evaluation, performed on the COCO and the Visual Genome datasets considering several object detector architectures, shows that conditioning the search on concepts is actually beneficial. The code and the pre-trained model weights are released at: https://github.com/drigoni/Concept-Conditioned-Object-Detector.
How Stress Barriers and Fracture Toughness Heterogeneities Arrest Buoyant Hydraulic Fractures
Authors: Möri Andreas , Peruzzo Carlo , Garagash Dmitry , Lecampion Brice
Published: May 2024

In our study, we investigated the impact of changes in Mode I fracture toughness and stress barriers on fully developed planar, buoyant hydraulic fractures assuming linear elastic hydraulic fracture mechanics. We present scaling-based arguments to predict the interaction type and use numerical simulations to validate our findings. Through a two-dimensional simplification, we estimate the lower limit for the fracture to feel a change in fracture toughness (so-called immediate breakthrough). Our simulations show that this approach only captures the order of magnitude of the toughness jump necessary for immediate breakthrough compared to the actual value due to three-dimensional solid effects, emphasizing their importance in such systems. We show that we can estimate the occurrence of indefinite containment at depth by considering that lateral spreading occurs at an approximately constant height. However, timing predictions in the case of a transient containment suffer from our simplified approach, which cannot model the injection history of the spreading constant height fracture. The same observations regarding immediate breakthrough and indefinite containment hold when considering stress barriers using pressure-scale-based arguments. Our study shows that the required toughness changes for fracture arrest are more significant than the observed values in the field. In contrast, stress barriers with a magnitude of around 1 MPa are generally sufficient to contain buoyant hydraulic fractures indefinitely. Stress barriers, in combination with other arrest mechanisms, are thus the most prominent mitigation factor of buoyant growth in industrially created hydraulic fractures.
Variation of resection margins in oral cancer in dependence of tumor stage and subsite – a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Moratin Julius , Horn Dominik , Oehme Marcel , Semmelmayer Karl , Flechtenmacher Christa , Ristow Oliver , Held Thomas , Engel Michael , Hoffmann Jürgen , Freudlsperger Christian
Published: May 2024

Objectives

Surgical resection is a key component of the treatment of head and neck cancer and the achievement of free surgical margins are essential for the patients’ outcome in terms of survival. While there is a general recommendation for a free resection range of 5 mm, up to date, there is a lack of investigations on the quality of tumor resection in dependence of affected subsite and tumor stage. In the presented study, predictors for the achieved resection margins in surgically treated oral squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed.

Materials and methods

A cohort of 567 patients was included in a retrospective analysis and resection status with exact margin ranges were analysed. Tumor stage, affected subsite and the results of the intraoperative frozen section analysis were assessed. Primary endpoint was the achieved resection margin in mm, secondary endpoints were overall and progression-free survival.

Results

The observed mean values of minimal resection margins differed significantly between the investigated subsites (p = 0.042),pathological tumor stages (p < 0.001) and in tumors which demonstrated perineural infiltration (Pn1, p = 0.002). Furthermore, there was a significant impact of the results of the intraoperative frozen section analysis on progression-free and overall survival (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our data clearly indicate that resection status differs between tumors of different subsites and tumor stages.

Clinical relevance

Clinical procedures should be adapted in order to achieve similar certainty in all resections, and, thus to improve patients’ outcome.
The effect of VR on fine motor performance by older adults: a comparison between real and virtual tasks
Authors: Brazil Cristiane K. , Rys Malgorzata J.
Published: May 2024

Virtual Reality (VR) technology has the potential to support the aging population and improve testing of daily abilities to detect functional decline. In multiple research studies, VR performance of participants has been assessed by measuring time to complete test, but the effect of learning how to use the VR system and differences between real and virtual environments have been understudied, especially for fine motor tasks. In this study, 20 older adults ages 65–84 performed a task that required fine motor skills in real-life and then in a VR replica of the same task. All participants completed the task in each setting with no difficulties. A clear learning effect was observed in VR, which was attributed to learning how to use the device itself. Still, participants could not reach the same level of performance (time) in VR as in real-life. Participants rated the VR task more mentally and physically demanding than in real-life, as well as more stressful, but with an overall low cognitive demand. In an exploratory cluster analysis, participants with an average age of 69 years old had more technological devices, found the VR system more usable and realistic than participants in the group with an average of 76 years old. This study demonstrated that VR influences time to complete a fine motor task, and that learning effects related to the system could be confounded with actual task performance if not properly considered in VR studies with older adults.
Comprehensive Scientific Creativity Assessment (C-SCA): A New Approach for Measuring Scientific Creativity in Secondary School Students
Authors: Xu Shiyu , Reiss Michael J. , Lodge Wilton
Published: May 2024

This study introduces a Comprehensive Scientific Creativity Assessment (C-SCA) instrument and empirically tests its reliability and validity. While existing instruments to measure scientific creativity generally focus on a single dimension, such as divergent thinking, the C-SCA incorporates scientific knowledge, motivation in scientific creativity and thinking styles within its assessment framework. In this study, the three dimensions of C-SCA were measured using modifications of existing instruments. We provide two versions of the test, to allow tests of the effectiveness of educational interventions on scientific creativity. We incorporated ChatGPT into the scientific creativity scoring process to enhance the objectivity of the scores. Looking ahead, technological advancements hold promise for further improvements in scientific creativity assessment.
Aspergillus awamori: potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activities in acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in rats
Authors: Abd-Ellatieff Hoda A. , Georg Kristen , Abourawash Abdel-Rahman. A. , Ghazy Emad. W. , Samak Dalia. H. , Goda Wael. M.
Published: May 2024

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic colonic inflammation with a significant health hazard. Aspergillus awamori (A. awamori) is a microorganism with various bioactive compounds with natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present work aimed to elucidate the protective and therapeutic effects of varying concentrations of A. awamori against acetic acid (AA)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in rats. Nine groups of albino male rats were established: a control negative group (G1), a control positive group (G2,AA), and preventive protocol groups (including G3A, G4A, and G5A) that received 100 mg, 50 mg, and 25 mg/kg b.w, respectively, of A. awamori orally and daily from the 1st day of the experiment and for 7 consecutive days. Then, they were subjected to one dose of AA intrarectally on day 8th. G3B, G4B, and G5B were termed as curative protocol groups that received one dose of AA on day 8th and then administered 100 mg, 50 mg, and 25 mg/kg b.w. of A. awamori, respectively, on day 9th and continued receiving these doses daily until day 16th. Rats in the AA group exhibited marked histopathological alterations of the distal colon, with an exaggeration of the DAI. In addition, a remarkable increase in oxidative stress was represented by the elevation of MDA and NO levels with a decline in SOD and GPx activities. In addition, upregulation of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β mRNA expressions and downregulation of Muc2 and Nrf2 levels were detected. Unambiguously, a remarkable anti-inflammatory effect was noticed either in A. awamori prevented or treated groups expounded by reducing and regulating TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β with improved pathological lesion scoring. The Muc2, Nrf2, and bcl-2 gene levels were upregulated and restored also. In summary, the findings in this work reveal that A. awamori supplementation successfully alleviated the UC induced by AA, which had a better effect when administered before colitis induction.
A Review Exploring the Wound-Healing Activity of Self-Healing Hydrogels: Fabrication, Characterization, Mechanism, and Biomedical Applications
Authors: Abd-ElSalam Heba-Alla H. , Refaeey Omar A. , Waked Khaled G. , Elsherbiny Khaled A. , Aleam Aya M. , Ibrahim Mariam Q. , Farag Marina H. , Nasef AbdelRahman M. , ElMeshad Aliaa N.
Published: May 2024

The natural physiological response to skin injury is wound healing. However, to restore skin continuity, wound healing is a complicated process that involves the collaboration of a variety of cell types and other mediators. This process ultimately results in tissue regeneration and the restoration of skin barrier function. Hydrogels are appealing dosage forms for biomedical regenerative medicine since they are composed of 3D networks with high water content and flexible rheological features. Hydrogels that can self-heal are particularly interesting for wound treatment because they can autonomously restore their original functionalities and repair structural damage. Recently, the use of self-healing hydrogels as biomedical materials has attracted increased interest. In this review, the self-healing systems used in tissue regeneration, especially wound healing, will be explored. A focus on the fabrication methods, characterization tests, and mechanism of self-healing will be introduced, along with the biomedical applications of self-healing hydrogels loaded with conventional and therapeutic biomaterials. In addition, the differences between hydrogels and self-healing hydrogels will be discussed.

Graphical Abstract
“von kindlichen Träumen belogen”: Joachim Ringelnatz’ (ent-)idealisierte Märchenwelt
Authors: Duleba Maxim
Published: May 2024

Entgegen der Popularität von Joachim Ringelnatz’ (1883–1934) Märchen beim Lesepublikum, fehlt bislang eine diachrone Betrachtung seiner Neigung zur Märchengattung im Gesamtkontext der Entwicklung seiner Poetik. Die Forschungen zu seinen experimentellen Nachkriegsmärchen erläutern deren spezifische tonangebenden, disharmonischen Merkmale und deren Subversion der herkömmlichen Märchenerzählverfahren ausschließlich im Rahmen synchroner—autobiographischer oder parodistischer—Kontexte, welche es nicht ermöglichen, das primäre konstitutive Moment ihres destruktiven Charakters deutlich aufzuzeigen. Daher interpretiert dieser Beitrag Ringelnatz’ bislang unerforschte, auf neoromantische Weise optimistische Einstellung zur Märchengattung im Rahmen seiner Vorkriegswerke: im Gedicht Ein Traum (1906), in den Märchen Der ehrliche Seemann (1908), Der Wunderbrunnen (1913), und in der Märchenerzählung Phantasie (1912). Sein Märchenwerk aus der Vorkriegszeit zeichnet sich durch die Schaffung von Seelenräumen aus, in denen die Neigung zum Seelenleben und zur Kindlichkeit als eine Modalität der transzendentalen Erfahrung der Selbstharmonisierung mit der Welt angedeutet wird. Im Vergleich zur neoromantischen (seelenbeschwörenden) Chronotopik seiner Vorkriegsmärchen erweisen sich die Märchenwerke der Kriegs- und Nachkriegszeit als konzentrierter Ausdruck des enttäuschten Verlusts des Glaubens an das ontologische Potential der Märchengattung und an die inhärente Güte und Transzendenzfähigkeit der menschlichen Innerlichkeit. Ihre Chronotopik stellt eine gezielte Negation der romantischen Märchenchronotopik dar.
Security enhancement of amplitude-shift keying-type asymmetric quantum communication systems
Authors: Wang Tiancheng , Usuda Tsuyoshi Sasaki
Published: May 2024

Recently, we proposed an amplitude-shift keying asymmetric quantum communication system and evaluated its reliability when using the quasi-Bell state and two-mode squeezed vacuum state (TSVS) as an entangled light source. In this paper, we evaluate the security of the system and find that either security or reliability can be enhanced depending on the entangled light sources. We also consider an approach to enhance the security of the system as well as its reliability by increasing the number of signal modes. Interestingly, we find that the quasi-Bell state always performs better than the TSVS under certain conditions.
Unlocking the potential of second cheese whey: a comprehensive review on valorisation strategies
Authors: Fancello Francesco , Zara Giacomo , Hatami Forough , Scano Efisio Antonio , Mannazzu Ilaria
Published: May 2024

The second cheese whey (SCW) is the liquid fraction that remains after the production of whey-cheeses. SCW appears as a white to yellow/green opalescent liquid with suspended solids and contains up to 6% lactose and variable amounts of proteins, fats, and mineral salts. Due to its organic load, SCW is characterized by levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Chemical Oxygen Demand that are significantly higher than urban wastewater. Therefore, it poses an environmental challenge and represents a significant cost and a problem for cheese production facilities when it comes to disposal. On the flip side, SCW contains valuable nutrients that make it a cost-effective substrate for bio-based productions including lactose extraction, and the production of lactic acid, bioethanol, eco-friendly bioplastics, biofuels, beverages, bioactive peptides, and microbial starters. A search in Scopus database indicates that despite the numerous potential applications, interest in SCW exploitation is surprisingly limited and, accordingly, sustainable management of SCW disposal remains an unresolved issue. In this review, which marks the first exclusive focus on SCW, with the aim of contributing to increase the interest of both the scientific community and the stakeholders in the exploitation of this by-product, the processes aimed at SCW valorisation will be described, with particular attention to its use in the production of beverages, food and feed, single cell proteins and as a source of biodegradable bioplastics, organic acids and renewable energy. Moreover, to provide valuable insights into its applications and innovations, an overview on patents regarding the exploitation of SCW will be presented.

Graphical Abstract
Monitoring of enteropathogenic Gram-negative bacteria in wastewater treatment plants: a multimethod approach
Authors: Stobnicka-Kupiec Agata , Gołofit-Szymczak Małgorzata , Cyprowski Marcin , Górny Rafał L.
Published: May 2024

The wastewater treatment processes are associated with the emission of microbial aerosols, including enteropathogenic bacteria. Their presence in this work environment poses a real threat to the health of employees, both through the possibility of direct inhalation of the contaminated air and indirectly through the pollution of all types of surfaces with such bioaerosol particles. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of enteropathogenic bacteria in the air, on surfaces, and in wastewater samples collected in four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The effectiveness of conventional culture-biochemical, as well as spectrometric and molecular methods for the rapid detection of enteropathogenic bacteria at workstations related to particular stages of wastewater processing, was also evaluated. Bioaerosol, surface swab, and influent and effluent samples were collected from wastewater plants employing mechanical–biological treatment technologies. The air samples were collected using MAS-100 NT impactor placed at a height of 1.5 m above the floor or ground, simulating aspiration from the human breathing zone. Surface samples were collected with sterile swabs from different surfaces (valves, handles, handrails, and coveyor belts) at workplaces. The raw influent and treated effluent wastewater samples were aseptically collected using sterile bottles. The identification of bacterial entheropathogens was simultaneously conducted using a culture-based method supplemented with biochemical (API) tests, mass-spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS), and molecular (multiplex real-time PCR) methods. This study confirmed the common presence of bacterial pathogens (including enteropathogenic and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., and Yersinia enterocolitica) in all air, surface, and wastewater samples at studied workplaces. Higher concentrations of enteropathogenic bacteria were observed in the air and on surfaces at workplaces where treatment processes were not hermetized. The results of this study underline that identification of enteropathogenic bacteria in WWTPs is of great importance for the correct risk assessment at workplaces. From the analytical point of view, the control of enteropathogenic bacterial air and surface pollution using rapid multiplex-PCR method should be routinely performed as a part of hygienic quality assessment in WWTPs.
Exploring the “Urban Advantage” in Access to Immunization Services: A Comparison of Zero-Dose Prevalence Between Rural, and Poor and Non-poor Urban Households Across 97 Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Authors: Santos Thiago M. , Cata-Preta Bianca O. , Wendt Andrea , Arroyave Luisa , Blumenberg Cauane , Mengistu Tewodaj , Hogan Daniel R. , Victora Cesar G. , Barros Aluisio J. D.
Published: May 2024

Urban children are more likely to be vaccinated than rural children, but that advantage is not evenly distributed. Children living in poor urban areas face unique challenges, living far from health facilities and with lower-quality health services, which can impact their access to life-saving vaccines. Our goal was to compare the prevalence of zero-dose children in poor and non-poor urban and rural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Zero-dose children were those who failed to receive any dose of a diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) containing vaccine. We used data from nationally representative household surveys of 97 LMICs to investigate 201,283 children aged 12–23 months. The pooled prevalence of zero-dose children was 6.5% among the urban non-poor, 12.6% for the urban poor, and 14.7% for the rural areas. There were significant differences between these areas in 43 countries. In most of these countries, the non-poor urban children were at an advantage compared to the urban poor, who were still better off or similar to rural children. Our results emphasize the inequalities between urban and rural areas, but also within urban areas, highlighting the challenges faced by poor urban and rural children. Outreach programs and community interventions that can reach poor urban and rural communities—along with strengthening of current vaccination programs and services—are important steps to reduce inequalities and ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.
Physiological Age of Potato Seed Tubers of Contrasting Cultivars Hardly Affects Crop Performance in a Temperate Climate
Authors: Zou Chunmei , van der Putten Peter E. L. , Datema Marieke , Mossink Leon , Lommen Willemien J. M. , Struik Paul C. , van Ittersum Martin K.
Published: May 2024

The physiological age of potato seed tubers influences the subsequent field performance of the crop, conditioning its growth and development. This study investigates the effects of the physiological age of seed tubers on the field performance of four contrasting, currently widely grown cultivars (Agria, Festien, Innovator, Lady Claire) across three sites in the Netherlands over 3 years (Cycles 1—3). Seed tubers were produced annually at a single site under uniform conditions, with variations in physiological age induced by applying different storage temperatures (4, 7, 10, and/or 17 °C). Our previous study revealed varying effects of storage temperature on sprouting behaviour among cultivars, suggesting different rates of ageing. After completing the storage season, in the current study these seed tubers were planted in the field and subsequent crop performance was thoroughly phenotyped. Cultivar-specific effects of storage temperature were evident during early growth stages and when seed tubers were stored at 17 °C in Cycle 3. However, within the storage temperature range of 4 to 10 °C, the influence of storage temperatures was small or inconsistent. Overall, effects on canopy cover, stem and tuber number, yield and quality, and tuber yield explanatory variables were limited. The outcomes suggest that while very high storage temperatures should be avoided in regions with long crop cycles, stringent cold storage regimes are unnecessary to achieve optimal growth vigour in potato seed tubers of the studied cultivars in a temperate climate.