bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health Inequality as the Consequence of Drinking and Smoking in Case of the Czech Republic
Authors: Gavurova Beata , Tarhanicova Miriama , Kulhanek Adam , Gabrhelik Roman
Published: November 2020

Background: Drinking and smoking have economic consequences and are the main risk factors of mortality and morbidity. Disease-specific deaths attributable to using substances present the primary health indicator in this study. This analysis focuses on mortality in productive age, 15 to 64 years since those deaths are considered the highest economic burden. Method: In the analytical part, data from the Registry of deaths of the Czech Republic for 1994 to 2017 were used. The number of deaths attributable to smoking and drinking was calculated using attributable fractions, based on literature review. This research aimed to reveal the gender differences in deaths attributable to drinking and smoking, according to age, and the differences in deaths regarding smoking or drinking. Results: The mortality attributable to smoking and drinking differs across age groups and genders. The highest median share of tobacco-related deaths is in the age group, 60—64 years. The highest median share of alcoholic deaths is in the age group of 50—54 years. Conclusions: There are significant differences between genders in both, smoking and drinking. A prevention program should be targeted to different age groups.
Gamma-Divergence. An Introduction to New Divergence Family
Authors: Riveaud Leonardo , Diego Mateos , Lamberti Pedro Walter
Published: November 2020

Divergences have become a very useful tool for measuring similarity (or dissimilarity) between probability distributions. Depending on the field of application, a more appropriate measure may be necessary. In this paper we introduce a family of divergences called γ-Divergences. They are based on the convexity property of the functions that generate them. We demonstrate that these divergences verify all the usually required properties, and we extend them to weighted probability distribution. In addition, we define a generalised entropy closely related to the γ-Divergences. Finally, we apply our findings to the analysis of simulated and real time series.
Модель гидродинамического механизма перемещения наномоторов
Authors: Мартынов Сергей Иванович , Martynov Sergei Ivanovich , Ткач Леонилла Юрьевна , Tkach Leonilla Yu
Published: November 2020

На основе экспериментов по перемещению биметаллического стержня Pt / Au в
растворе перекиси водорода предлагается модель гидродинамического механизма
такого движения. Предлагаемая модель основывается на уравнениях гидродинамики вязкой жидкости и динамики частиц и учитывает гидродинамическое взаимодействие всех заряженных частиц в жидкости между собой и стержнем. Стержень
и индуцированный реакцией заряд моделируется как дипольный агрегат, а ионы -
как облако мелких заряженных частиц в окружающей его вязкой жидкости. Численное моделирование и визуализация расчетов проведено с использованием специально разработанного программного комплекса. Проведенные численные расчеты подтвердили возможность дипольного агрегата перемещаться в результате действия гидродинамической силы, создаваемой формируемым течением окружающей жидкости, во всех рассмотренных случаях распределения мелких частиц и их
суммарного заряда. Получено качественное согласие модельных значений скорости и потенциала диполя с экспериментальными данными.
Динамика распространения информации в социуме в условиях ажиотажа
Authors: Михайлов Александр Петрович , Mikhailov Aleksandr Petrovich , Юхно Людмила Филипповна , Yukhno Ludmila Fillipovna
Published: November 2020

Рассматривается процесс распространения информации в обществе среди ее возможных адептов (названных так для краткости индивидов, воспринимающих эту
информацию) при наличии недоверия, под которым понимается снижение уровня
интереса к усвоению предлагаемой информации. При этом предполагается, что
степень влияния недоверия определяется ажиотажем, т.е. скоростью изменения количества адептов по времени. Рассмотрена математическая модель этого процесса,
которая представляет собой задачу Коши для нелинейного обыкновенного дифференциального уравнения, зависящего от нескольких числовых параметров. В результате проведенного исследования сформулированы условия, которым должны
удовлетворять параметры задачи для ее корректной разрешимости. Полученные
условия, кроме того, могут быть использованы при прогнозировании, а также при
моделировании описанных режимов изучаемого процесса.
A construção do plano de ensino de história da África no ensino superior: desafios, temas e referências
Authors: Felipe Delton Aparecido
Published: November 2020

Esse artigo problematiza os desafios de se construir o plano de ensino de História da África para um curso de licenciatura. Propomos uma reflexão sobre os caminhos trilhados para organizar uma disciplina que ajudasse a desconstruir os inúmeros estereótipos e preconceitos vivenciados pela população negra africana e seus diaspóricos sem, com isso, desconsiderar as dinâmicas internas e os processos de sociabilidades dentro do continente no decorrer de sua história. Apresentamos, no texto, temas e conteúdos selecionados, assim como referências que permitiram trabalhar com uma historiografia que focalizasse o olhar de estudiosos africanos sobre o seu continente, além de demonstrar algumas relações possíveis entre a história da África e do Brasil.
A construção do conhecimento histórico escolar nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental: algumas implicações metodológicas
Authors: Malverdes Clara Zandomenico , Salim Maria Alayde Alcântara
Published: November 2020

Este artigo propõe uma reflexão a respeito de questões sobre a construção do conhecimento histórico escolar nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental.  Neste trabalho abordamos o ensino de História nesta etapa da aprendizagem considerando sua relevância para a formação de uma consciência crítica e descoberta de si como agente de transformação social. Para tanto analisamos a aplicabilidade, em uma escola da rede pública de ensino do município da Serra-ES, de uma metodologia de ensino chamada “Imaginando” que consiste na utilização de imagens produzidas por alunos para representar conceitos trabalhados em sala de aula, com intuito de produzir um conhecimento individual e compreensão do conteúdo proposto. Tendo como metodologia do trabalho a pesquisa participante, abordamos o conceito de tempo, reconhecido como objeto de estudo da história e de importância fundamental na construção do conhecimento histórico. No contexto investigado constata-se a possibilidade do uso da imagem fotográfica como fonte histórica para o trabalho pedagógica, focalizando suas possibilidades para a organização dos conceitos e a compreensão dos conteúdos.
A Didática Reconstrutivista da História: uma proposta teórica e metodológica para o Ensino de História
Authors: Pina Max Lanio Martins , Silva Maria Da Conceição
Published: November 2020

A resenha apresenta o livro a Didática Reconstrutivista da História publicado em 2020 pela editora CRV, Curitiba, da historiadora e pesquisadora Maria Auxiliadora Moreria dos Santos Schmidt. A presente obra é uma proposta teorica e metodologica para o Ensino de História que está pautado na ciência de referência e buscou influências no pensamento intelectual germânico, anglo-saxônico, ibérico e americano.
Formação continuada de professores e educação antirracista: ensino de história, africanidades e rompimento de estereotipias
Authors: Furtado Tanara Forte , Meinerz Carla Beatriz
Published: November 2020

O artigo tematiza impactos do estudo das Africanidades na formação continuada de docentes, no Curso de Aperfeiçoamento UNIAFRO/UFRGS, que atuam na educação infantil e nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental. Compartilha considerações de estudo em andamento, na área da pesquisa em Educação, articulados no objetivo de compreender a implementação do ensino de história afro-brasileira como ação afirmativa no campo do currículo. Os resultados parciais demonstram a existência de processos de construção de estereotipias e de desestabilização de subjetividades docentes, na consolidação da Educação das Relações Étnico-Raciais nos espaços escolares. São referências analíticas as pensadoras Azoilda Loretto da Trindade, Nilma Lino Gomes e Petronilha Beatriz Gonçalves e Silva.
Mix of Destinations and Sedentary Behavior Among Brazilian Adults: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: Florindo Alex Antonio , Turrel Gavin , Garcia Leandro Martin Totaro , Barbosa Joao Paulo dos Anjos Souza , Cruz Michele Santos , Failla Marcelo Antunes , Aguiar Breno Souza , Barrozo Ligia Vizeu , Goldbaum Moises
Published: November 2020

Background: Sedentary behavior is influenced by contextual, social and individual factors, including the built environment. However, associations between the built environment and sitting time have not been extensively investigated in countries with economies in transition such as Brazil. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between sitting-time and access to a mix of destinations for adults from Sao Paulo city, Brazil. Methods: This study uses data from the Sao Paulo Health Survey. Sedentary behavior was assessed by questionnaire using two questions: total sitting time in minutes on a usual weekday; and on a usual weekend day. Mix of destinations was measured by summing the number of facilities (comprising bus stops, train/subway stations, parks, squares, public recreation centres, bike paths, primary health care units, supermarkets, food stores, bakeries, and coffee-shops) within 500m of each participant’s residence. Minutes of sitting time in a typical weekday and weekend day were the outcomes and mix of destinations score in 500m buffers was the exposure variable. Associations between mix of destinations and sitting time were examined using multilevel linear regression: these models accounted for clustering within census tracts and households and adjusted for environmental, sociodemographic, and health-related factors. Results: After adjustment for covariates, mix of destinations was inversely associated with minutes of sitting time on a weekday (β=-8.8, p=0.001) and weekend day (β=-6.1, p=0.022). People who lived in areas with a greater mix of destinations had shorter average sitting times. Conclusion: Greater mix of destinations within 500m of peoples’ residences were inversely associated with sitting time on a typical weekday and weekend day. In Latin American cities like Sao Paulo built environments more favorable for walking may contribute to reducing sedentary behavior and prevent associated chronic disease.
A Simple, Affordable, Rapid, Stabilized, Colorimetric, Versatile RT-LAMP assay to detect SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Diego Juan García-Bernalt , Fernández-Soto Pedro , Domínghez-Gil Marta , Belhassen-García Moncef , Bellido Juan Luis Muñoz , Muro Antonio
Published: November 2020

The SARS-Cov-2 pandemic has forced all countries worldwide to rapidly develop and implement widespread testing to control and manage the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). RT-qPCR is the gold standard molecular diagnostic method for COVID-19, mostly in automated testing platforms. These systems are accurate and effective, but also costly, time-consuming, high technological, infrastructure dependent and currently suffer from commercial reagent supply shortages. The reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) can be used as alternative testing method. Here, we present a novel versatile (real-time and colorimetric) RT-LAMP for the simple (one-step) and rapid (as soon as 9 min) detection of SARS-CoV-2 and demonstrate the assay on RT-qPCR-positive clinical samples. We further transformed the RT-LAMP into a dry format for room-temperature storage suitable for potentially ready-to-use COVID-19 diagnosis. After further testing and validation, the Dry-RT-LAMP could be easily applied both in developed and in low-income countries yielding rapid and reliable results.
Aligning Oxygen Vacancies Oriently: Electric-Field Inducing Conductive Channels in TiO2 Film to boost Photocatalytic Conversion of CO2 into CO
Authors: Li Junming , Su Wenxia , Li Jun , Wang Lu , Ren Jun , Zhang Sheng , Cheng Pengtao , Hong Hong , wang Dunhui , Zhou Yong , Mi Wenbo , Du Youwei
Published: November 2020

Oxide semiconductors are widely used in the photocatalytic fields and introducing oxygen vacancies is an effective strategy to reduce the band gap, and consequently, improve their photocatalytic efficiency. However, oxygen vacancies in bulk often act as the recombination centers of electron-hole pairs, which would accelerate the recombination of electron-hole pairs and reduce carrier migration rate. Therefore, for achieving excellent photocatalytic performance in oxide photocatalysts, taking good advantage of oxide vacancies is very crucial. In this paper, we propose a strategy of electric field treatment and apply it in the TiO2 film with oxygen vacancies to promote the photocatalytic efficiency. After treated by an electric field, conductive channels consisting of oxygen vacancies are formed in TiO2 film, which makes the resistance greatly decreased by almost 6×103 times. In the photocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction, the yield of CO in the electric-field-treated TiO2 film can reach up to 1.729 mmol·gcat-1·h-1, which is one of the best performance among the reported TiO2-based catalysts. This work provides an effective and feasible way for enhancing photocatalytic activity through electric field and this method is promising to be widely used in the field of catalysis.
Anxiety increases the willingness to be exposed to COVID-19 risk among young adults in France
Authors: Etilé Fabrice , Geoffard Pierre-Yves
Published: November 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak has generated significant uncertainty about the future, especially for young adults. Health and economic threats, as well as more diffuse concerns about the consequences of COVID-19, can trigger feelings of anxiety, leading individuals to adopt uncertainty-reducing behaviours. We tested whether anxiety was associated with an increase in willingness to be exposed to the risk of COVID-19 infection (WiRE) using an online survey administered to 3,110 French individuals aged between 18 and 35 years old during the lockdown period (April 2020). Overall, 56.5% of the sample declared a positive WiRE. Unemployment was associated with a higher WiRE (+8.2 percentage points (pp); 95% CI +0.9-15.4 pp). One standard deviation increases in income (+1160€) and psychological state anxiety raised the WiRE by +2.7 pp (95% CI: +1.1-4.4 pp) and +3.9 pp (95% CI: +1.6-6.2 pp),respectively. A one standard deviation increase in perceived hospitalisation risk was associated with a -4.1 pp (95% CI: -6.2-2.1 pp) decrease in the WiRE. Overall, our results suggest that both the prospect of economic losses and psychological anxiety can undermine young adults’ adherence to physical distancing recommendations. Public policies targeting young adults must consider both their economic situation and their mental health, and they must use uncertaintyreducing communication strategies.
Enhanced Anticancer Potency of Hydroxytyrosol and Curcumin by PLGA-PAA Nano-Encapsulation on PANC-1 Pancreatic Cancer Cell Line
Authors: Farhoudi Mahdieh , Shadman Behrouz , Chavoshi Reza , Seyyedsani Nasrin , Aghaei Elnaz , Taheri Elham , Goleij Pouya , Hajazimian Saba , Karamad Vahidreza , Isazadeh Alireza , Baradaran Behzad
Published: November 2020

Background: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly aggressive malignancy associated with low survival rates. Many chemotherapeutic regimens have been investigated for advanced unresectable and metastatic PC, but with only minimal improvement in survival and prognosis. The present study aimed to investigate the anti-cancer function of free and nano-encapsulated hydroxytyrosol (Hyd) and curcumin (Cur), and its combinations (Hyd-Cur) on the PANC-1 cell line.Methods: The poly lactide-co-glycolide-co-polyacrylic acid (PLGA-co-PAA) nano-encapsulated Hyd and Cur were synthesized, and MTT assay was performed to evaluate cytotoxic effects of free and nano-encapsulated Hyd, Cur, and Hyd-Cur. Moreover, effects of free and nano-encapsulated Hyd, Cur, and Hyd-Cur were evaluated on viability, migration, morphological alterations, colony formation, and apoptosis on PANC-1 cell line. The mRNA expression levels of MMP2, MMP9, BAX, BCL-2, and Cas9 genes were assessed after treated PANC-1 cells with free and nano-encapsulated Hyd, Cur, and Hyd-Cur.Results: The obtained results showed that free and nano-encapsulated Hyd, Cur, and Hyd-Cur treatments significantly decreased the viability, migration, and colony formation in the PANC-1 cells. Furthermore, apoptosis rates in PANC-1 cells were increased in a concentration and time dependent manner in all of the treatment groups. Moreover, anti-proliferative activity of nano-encapsulated Hyd-Cur was significantly more than other treatments.Conclusions: According to our results, Hyd-Cur combination and nano-encapsulation therapy exerts more profound apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects on PANC-1 cell line than free Hyd or Hyd monotherapy.
Analysis of prognostic immune and stromal- related genes in melanoma microenvironment
Authors: Chen Chen , Zhang Chao , Yang Jun-Mei , Guo Jia-Hui , Yin Shan-Shan , Liu Feng , Liu Hua , Gao Feng-Hou
Published: November 2020

Increasing evidence has showed the immune response is an important indicator for predicting therapeutic efficacy, and the prognosis value of the infiltration degree of immune and stromal cells within the tumor microenvironment has been extensively explored. It is necessary to better understand the prognosis value of genes concerning the immune and stromal cells in melanoma patients. A total of 714 up-regulated genes in the high immune and stromal score groups compared with low immune and stromal score groups. Then, a total of 104 hub genes of these differential genes were screened by protein-protein interaction network, and their functional enrichment and signal pathway enrichment analysis showed that they mainly affected tumor microenvironment by cytokine and cytokine receptors interaction, chemokine signaling pathway and T cell receptor signaling pathway involved in regulating Th1, Th2, Th17 differentiation. a single factor risk analysis of survival was performed and found 59 low-risk genes. On this basis, multi-factor risk analysis was carried out, and 10 genes risk model was constructed in TCGA-SKCM. Compared with clinically relevant parameters, the risk models established by these 10 genes showed that these 10 genes could be used as independent factors to predict the prognosis of SKCM patients. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to calculate immune cell subtypes. In the high-risk group, the infiltration of B cells naïve, monocytes and Macrophages M2 was significantly higher than that in the low-risk group. Finally, we validated these 10 gene in a different melanoma cohort extracted from the GEO database. we identified a list of melanoma immune-related genes that might predict outcomes of melanoma patients. These findings indicated that monitoring and manipulating the melanoma microenvironment could be a promising strategy for precision immunotherapy.
Does second-look endoscopy reduce the bleeding after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection for patients receiving antithrombotic therapy?
Authors: Uozumi Takeshi , Sumiyoshi Tetsuya , Tomita Yusuke , Tokuchi Kaho , Sakano Hiroya , Yoshida Masahiro , Fujii Ryoji , Minagawa Takeyoshi , Okagawa Yutaka , Morita Kotaro , Yane Kei , Ihara Hideyuki , Hirayama Michiaki , Kondo Hitoshi
Published: November 2020

Background: In patients with average risk of bleeding, second-look endoscopy does not reportedly reduce bleeding after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection. However, effectiveness of second-look endoscopy for patients with high risk of bleeding such as those who are taking antithrombotic agents remains controversial. Hence, this study aims to clarify the effectiveness of second-look endoscopy for patients with antithrombotic therapy.Methods: We studied 142 consecutive patients with 173 gastric epithelial neoplasms who were routinely taking antithrombotic agents and were treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection at Tonan Hospital between November 2013 and December 2019. They were classified into two groups: those with second-look endoscopy (SLE group, 69 patients with 85 lesions) and those without second-look endoscopy (non-SLE group, 73 patients with 88 lesions). The incidence of post-endoscopic submucosal dissection bleeding was compared between the SLE and non-SLE groups.Results: There were no statistical differences in the rate of patients undergoing single antiplatelet therapy, single anticoagulant therapy, and multiple therapy between the SLE and non-SLE groups (SLE group vs. non-SLE group; 32 [46.4%], 16 [23.2%], and 21 [30.4%] patients vs. 37 [50.7%], 20 [27.4%], and 16 [21.9%] patients, respectively; p = 0.50). Post-endoscopic submucosal dissection bleeding incidence was 21.7% (15/69) and 21.9% (16/73) in the SLE and non-SLE groups, respectively, and did not significantly differ between the two groups (p = 0.98).Conclusions: For patients taking antithrombotic agents, the incidence of post-endoscopic submucosal dissection bleeding was not reduced by second-look endoscopy.
Lived Experience of Women Suffering from Breast Cancer about the Meaning of Life: Evidences from the Society of Iranian Women.
Authors: Mokhtari Leila , Feizi Aram , Khalkhali Hamid Reza , Markani Abdollah Khorami
Published: November 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Effect of ARID1A mutation and expression on prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma: a meta-analysis
Authors: Meng Guangxiao , Yan Lun-Jie , Dong Zhao-Ru , Chen Zhi-Qiang , Yang Ya-Fei , Ding Zi-Niu , Li Hai-Chao , Liu Kai-Xuan , Yao Sheng-Yu , Yan Yu-Chuan , Yang Chun-Cheng , Li Tao
Published: November 2020

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma are the most common liver malignant tumors worldwide. Investigating the molecular basis of these malignancies is vital to the development of new treatments. Recent studies have found that mutation and abnormal expression of ARID1A, are frequently shown in HCC and cholangiocarcinoma. Herein, we aimed to estimate the effects of ARID1A mutation and expression on prognosis of HCC and cholangiocarcinoma.Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library for studies evaluating the relationship between ARID1A mutations or expression and the survival of HCC or cholangiocarcinoma patients. Meta-analysis was performed to generate a combined HR with a 95% confidence interval (CI) for overall survival (OS).Results: We identified 12 articles that evaluated the impact of ARID1A mutation or expression on the prognosis of patients with HCC or cholangiocarcinoma. Six studies provided data on HCC survival and 6 studies examined cholangiocarcinoma survival. For HCC, ARID1A mutation carriers or patients with low ARID1A expression had worse OS (HR = 1.75; 95% CI = 1.22–2.51) than non-carriers or patients with high ARID1A expression. For cholangiocarcinoma, ARID1A mutation carriers or patients with low ARID1A expression also had significantly shorter OS (HR = 3.70, 95% CI = 2.88–4.76).Conclusions: Our study suggests that ARIDIA mutation or low expression is strongly associated with poor prognosis of patients with HCC or cholangiocarcinoma, and may be considered as a potential prognostic biomarker for these patients.
Modulation of C5a-C5aR interactions against murine mammary cancer cell line
Authors: Kamaruddin Nurul Hazwani , Bachek Noor Farhana , Hassim Hasliza Abu , Ahmad Hafandi , Azizan Tengku Rinalfi Putra Tengku , Noor Mohd Hezmee Mohd
Published: November 2020

Background: Complement C5a is a potent inflammatory chemoattractant and might be a beneficial therapeutic target for the induction of an effective anti-tumour response. C5a agonist and antagonist modulation have demonstrated to have either promotes or inhibits tumour development, EMT6 murine mammary cancer cells through both in vitro and in vivo studies. Methods: For the in-vitro studies, Alamar Blue cell viability assay was used for cell viability determination and immunofluorescence assay was used to determine the location of C5aR expression on EMT6 cell line. For the in-vivo experiment, female Balb/c mice were subcutaneously injected with EMT6 tumour cells and subsequently treated with both C5aR agonist and antagonist peptides. At the end of in-vivo study period of 14 days, liver and tumour samples were obtained for an ELISA assay to quantify the levels of TNF-α, caspase-3, C5a and VEGF-A signals following the treatment with both C5aR agonist and antagonist. One-way ANOVA test was performed to evaluate the differences between the mean of treatments given in a group and that of the negative controlResults: The in-vitro experiment revealed an expression of C5aR was found on the cell membrane of the EMT6 cells and treatment with EP54; which is the C5aR agonist has shown low cell viability after 48 hours post-treatment. For the in-vivo experiment, the ELISA assay outcome have shown that EP54 significantly promote high numbers of circling of signaling proteins except for VEGF-A, suggesting that the C5aR agonist modulation might inhibits tumour development and also trigger the induction of apoptosis. Conclusion: C5aR modulation through the influence of EP54 agonism may have beneficial effects in terms of reduction of the tumour size and attenuation of its development.
Targeting EZH2-mediated methylation of histone 3 inhibits proliferation of pediatric acute monocytic leukemia cells in vitro
Authors: Ghabkari Abdulhameed , Narendran Aru
Published: November 2020

Background: Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) is a histone methyltransferase and a catalytic subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) that catalyzes the mono-, di-, and tri-methylation of histone H3 at Lys 27 (H3K27me3) to facilitate chromatin remodeling and gene silencing functions. The overexpression of EZH2 is associated with high levels of H3K27me3 in various types of cancers. Previous reports showed a significant association of EZH2 aberrations in pediatric cancers such as soft tissue sarcomas and glioblastoma. Recent reports in human subjects and animal models have also suggested a central role of EZH2 in the induction and progression of acute myeloid leukemia. Methods: In this study, we aimed to investigate the molecular status of EZH in cell lines derived from distinct pediatric leukemia to assess the efficacy of targeting EZH2 to suppress cancer cell survival and proliferation. Cell cytotoxicity and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) were measured by Alamar blue cytotoxicity assay. The molecular status of EZH2 was profiled by DNA sequencing and western blot analysis of EZH2 protein levels in THP-1, SEM, and MV4:11. In addition, Methylation of histone H3 was evaluated by immunoblotting and immunostaining analyses. Results: Our results showed that EZH2 protein is overexpressed in the pediatric monocytic cell line THP-1 , but not in other leukemia derived cell lines MV4;11 and SEM. Screening a panel of methyltransferase inhibitors revealed that three inhibitors; GSK126, UNC1999 and EPZ-5687 are the most potent inhibitors that suppressed EZH2 activity selectively on lysine 27 which resulted in increased apoptosis and inhibition of AKT and ERK protein phosphorylation in THP-1 cells. Our data demonstrated a significant increase in apoptosis in cells treated with drug combination (EZH2i and selinexor) compared to EZH2i inhibitors alone. Conclusions: Taken together, our data provide initial evidence that targeting EZH2 is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of subtypes of pediatric AML. Also, combining EZH2 inhibitors with selinexor may increase the treatment efficacy in these patients. Findings from this study indicate further evaluation and consideration of these compounds for early phase clinical studies in selected pediatric malignancies in the future.
Linc00342 serves as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma:A Comprehensive Study Based on Data mining, Clinical Analysis, and in vitro Validation
Authors: Guan Di , Liu Yuexin , Ping Hao
Published: November 2020

Background: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), as the most common type of renal cancer, has a high mortality and recurrence rate due to the fact that many patients are in advanced stage at the time of consultation. Finding a biological marker for early-stage KIRC has become a top priority. Recently, accumulating studies have shown that lncRNA can serve as a target for diagnosis and prognosis of malignancy. However, the involvement and mechanism of linc00342 has never been researched in KIRC. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of linc00342 in KIRC, and to explore the effects of linc00342 on the biological functions of KIRC cells.Methods: We downloaded the linc00342 expression data and clinical information of KIRC from the TCGA database and constructed a prognostic prediction model. In vitro, the effect of knocking down linc00342 on KIRC cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and invasion was measured by colony-formation assay, flow cytometric analysis, wound-healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively.Results: Our nomogram predictive model suggested linc00342 can serve as an independent prognostic factor for KIRC. GO functional analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed linc00342 was involved in various biological functions of KIRC, and experiments in vitro verified this. In vitro, linc00342 was overexpressed in KIRC cells as shown by RT-qPCR. Moreover, we found that linc00342 can inhibit cell apoptosis and promote cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.Conclusions: Our study is the first to examine the diagnostic and prognostic value of linc00342 in KIRC and provides new ideas for the treatment of KIRC.
Transcriptional reprogramming of the bud-mutation loquat YongLu emerging freezing resistant
Authors: Chen Fangyong , Wang Yin , Ni Haizhi , Yan Bangguo
Published: November 2020

Background: Freezing seriously affects loquat, an originally subtropical fruit. Here, a wide-spread cultivar loquat bud mutation ‘Yonglu’ (YL) was found to be more resistant to freezing than the parental ‘Ruantiaobaisha’ (RT), especially the fruits. The freezing resistance mechanism of YL was analyzed by physiological and transcriptomic methods. Results: After freezing treatment, only the fruits of YL showed a significant accumulation of proline (which increased by 1.5-fold). Interestingly, abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in YL showed no difference after freezing treatment. Moreover, the stomatal density, area, and apertures of YL significantly decreased. All these results suggested that the proline content and stomatal closure contributed to the enhanced freezing tolerance. Further, the transcriptional profiles of freezing tissues were obtained and compared. Functional enrichment analysis showed that aside from basic nutrients and energy metabolisms, such as citrate cycle and oxidative phosphorylation, the fruits and flowers of YL have different systems to enhance freezing tolerance, suggesting a progressive freezing-resistant network. Signaling transduction of nearly all hormones, including ABA, was significantly differentially expressed. Several key genes, such as PP2C and SnRK2, which are crucial for transducing ABA signals, were significantly down- and upregulated, respectively. But the genes of neither ABA biosynthesis nor ABA transduction pathway significantly differentially expressed between two freezing varieties, suggesting they contribute limit in enhancing freezing tolerance of YL. Conclusion: Concludingly, the bud mutation YL loquat has stronger freezing tolerance than its parental RT due to the increasing proline and more effective regulation of stomatal closure. Furthermore, the bud mutation YL loquat reprogrammed its entire transcriptional profiles to enhance their abilities to adapt to freezing stress. However, ABA biosynthesis, ABA transduction pathway and CBF pathway, which are common reasons in cold response, were not the main reason for the increasing freezing tolerance of YL. There must be unknown regulation mechanisms for the bud mutation to freezing resistant.
Transcriptome-wide identification and characterization of microRNAs in diverse phases of wood formation in Populus trichocarpa
Authors: Wang Ruiqi , Ren Mengxuan , Tian Shuanghui , Liu Cong , Cheng He , Liu Yingying , Zhang Huaxin , Muhammad Saqib , Wei Hairong , Wei Zhigang
Published: November 2020

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that have important regulatory functions in plant growth and development. However, the miRNAs that are involved in different developmental stages of tree stems have not been systemically characterized. In this study, we applied miRNA expression profiling method to the Populus trichocarpa trunks of the three distinct developmental stages defined as the primary stem (PS), transitional stem (TS), and secondary stem (SS) to investigate the miRNA species, their dynamic regulation and functions during the transitions of wood formation in different developmental stages at the genome-wide scale by Solexa sequencing.Results: We obtained 892, 872, and 882 known miRNAs and 1,727, 1,723, and 1,597 novel miRNAs, from PS, TS, and SS, respectively. And identified 114, 306, and 152 differentially expressed miRNAs (DE-miRNAs) with 921, 2,639, and 2,042 candidate target genes (CTGs), which formed 158, 855, and 297 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs in PS vs TS, PS vs SS, and TS vs SS , respectively. Among these, 47, 439, and 71 DE-miRNA-CTG pairs showed a significant negative correlation, respectively. Finally, we identified 39, 9, and 92 miRNA-CTG pairs involved in PS, TS, and SS, respectively. These DE-miRNA-CTG pairs in poplar or whose counterparts in other plant species are known to be transcriptional factors or structural genes involved in cell division and differentiation, cell wall modification, secondary cell wall (SCW) biosynthesis, lignification, and programmed cell death processes of wood formation. Moreover, qRT–PCR analysis confirmed that the results of small RNA-seq were robust and reliable and most miRNA-CTG pairs exhibited an inverse correlation.Conclusions: This is the first report on an integrated analysis of genome-wide mRNA and miRNA profiling of diverse phases of wood formation in poplar trunks. We showed that even though miRNAs involved in diverse developmental phases were not in a considerable number, their roles in the regulatory network that govern wood formation during different developmental stages cannot be negligible or underestimated. The information and data obtained in this paper significantly advanced our understanding of these miRNAs and their essential, dynamic and diversified roles as well as functions in diverse phases of wood formation in tree species.
Detection and Segmentation of Lesion Areas in Chest CT Scans For The Prediction of COVID-19
Authors: Ter-Sarkisov Aram
Published: November 2020

In this paper we compare the models for the detection and segmentation of Ground Glass Opacity and Consolidation in chest CT scans. These lesion areas are often associated both with common pneumonia and COVID-19. We train a Mask R-CNN model to segment these areas with high accuracy using three approaches: merging masks for these lesions into one, deleting the mask for Consolidation, and using both masks separately. The best model achieves the mean average precision of 44.68% using MS COCO criterion for instance segmentation across all accuracy thresholds. The classification model, COVID-CT-Mask-Net, which learns to predict the presence of COVID-19 vs common pneumonia vs control, achieves the 93.88% COVID-19 sensitivity, 95.64% overall accuracy, 95.06% common pneumonia sensitivity and 96.91% true negative rate on the COVIDx-CT test split (21192 CT scans) using a small fraction of the training data. We also analyze the effect of Non-Maximum Suppression of overlapping object predictions, both on the segmentation and classification accuracy. The full source code, models and pretrained weights are available on https://github.com/AlexTS1980/COVID-CT-Mask-Net.
Can Physical exercise be a priming adjuvant before vaccination? Insights from serological responses and severity of re-infection and reactogenicity of vaccines
Authors: AbdelMassih Antoine , Menshawey Rahma , Hozaien Rafeef , Kamel Aya , Mishriky Fady , Nathan Lauren , Yacoub Elaria , Hanoura Aia Mohamed , AlShehry Nada , Menshawey Esraa , El-Husseiny Nadine , Yasser Reem , Arsanyous Mariem , Husseiny Reem J. , Seyam Mahmoud , Massoud Doaa , Ali Nada , Kassim Assem , AmanAllah Mostafa , Elsayed Rokaya , Sheashaa Hesham , Husseiny Yousef , Hassan Nourhan , Badr Kirollos , Elkhateb Amr , Fouad Verina , Elfishawy Mayada , Medhat Omar , Mustafa Mai , Khalil Noha , Elsayed Rawan , Nada Youssef , Elshawarbi Passant , Abdelmoneim Noha , Hassan Nada , Messiha Mariam , Ghazy Marihan , Abdelfatah Emmy , Nasry Febronia , Gayed Ramy , Eesa Marian , Luis Merna , Eskandar Estfana , Yacoub Shenoda , Rajab Maram , Abdelaziz Mariam , Elgamal Nadine , Jaber Hutaf , Tayssir Sara , Michael Mark , Sabry Ahmed , Shehata Joseph , Abdelaziz Rania , Rateb Sherry , El-Maghraby Ahmed , Mahjoub Yara , Amr Alaa , Amin Amin , Kelada Peter , Saud Alaa , Ragab Shahd , Eltaher Basant , Galal Rahma Hassan , Aly Omnya Mahmoud , Aly Taquwa , AbdelHaleem Rana , ElShaarawy Areeg , Mohamed Omnia
Published: November 2020

Background: As more than 37 million confirmed cases and 1 million deaths worldwide from COVID-19, we flied to think about supporting immunity, So, there are more than 150 coronavirus vaccines and clinical trials are being developed. The success of those vaccines depends mainly on immunologic memory. People who are at high risk of re-infection with COVID-19 don’t show any evidence of having B-cell memory. 10-20% of infected patients don’t develop antibody response. randomized controlled trials and cross-sectional studies proved variant results about the effect of chronic exercise on vaccination function.The aim of this review is to suggest that exercise is an important adjuvant strategy for prevention of re-infection and for development of better protective responses following vaccination.Methods: Embase, Medline and the Cochrane Central Register were used to search for specific keywords such as “COVID-19” OR “SARS-CoV-2” AND “Re-infection” for relevant publications up to 1st of Nov. 2020. The systematic review was performed using PRISMA protocol.Results: According to inclusion criteria, 6 case reports from search and one case from a press conference were identified. The average age of re-infected patients was 36 years. The average intervening period between initial infection and reinfection was 105 days. 75% of cases who have been tested for antibodies after 1st infection were negative, and turned seropositive after second infection. 57% of cases developing re-infection had worse clinical manifestation.Conclusion: Regular moderate intensity exercise not only can enhance the secondary antibody response of B cell memory but also decrease the severity of re-infection and the adverse reactogenicity of potential vaccines under development.
Call your doctor: prospective description study of telemedicine during the first COVID-19 outbreak in a Swiss primary care practice
Authors: Suillot Joëlle , Zuercher Sophie , Zufferey Lydie , Sagez Julien
Published: November 2020

Background: Telemedicine is a healthcare assistance method which has been promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic for the management of patients. The aim of this study is to quantify the type of request that primary care physicians are experiencing, as well as the healthcare assistance modalities and ultimately, how many physical consultations are necessary.Methods: We conducted a prospective, descriptive study in a primary care practice in Switzerland on telephone consultations related to COVID-19. The data collected included the reasons for the call, symptoms, healthcare assistance modalities and follow-up. The categorical variables are expressed as percentages of the total cases or groups.Results: We included 200 calls corresponding to 113 patients. The majority of patients (76.1%) were taken care of solely through telemedicine. The physical consultations were due to the need: for a swab test (12.4%), for a somatic assessment at the practice (9.7%) and for an emergency services consultation (1.8%). In 64.6% of cases, patient assistance required only one phone call. Calls lasted 7.85 minutes on average and were more frequent on Mondays (24%) and Fridays (18.5%). Calls led to the prescription of medication in 12.5% of cases, of a bronchodilator in 3% of cases and of an antibiotic in 0.5% of cases.Conclusion: A rigorous telephone follow-up strategy carried out by primary care physicians requires few physical consultations in patients showing symptoms of COVID-19.
Evaluation of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance system, Kebbi State, Nigeria, 2013-2018
Authors: Bala Hashim Abdulmumin , Mohammed Yahaya , Barau Nyampa , Surajudeen Lukman , Ori Polycarp Uche
Published: November 2020

Background: Since 1988, the incidence of polio has reduced by more than 99 percent, worldwide, according to the WHO. Each year, more than 350,000 children were paralyzed, in more than 125 endemic countries. Today, only two countries are still having transmission of polio: Pakistan and Afghanistan. No wild poliovirus has been reported anywhere in Africa since 2016. A good and effective Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance system is necessary to detect any suspected case of polio to interrupt the transmission of polio within any country. We evaluated the AFP surveillance system to identify gaps in its operations.Methods: We used the updated CDC guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems and the WHO performance standards to assess the system. We also interviewed stakeholders using an adapted questionnaire, and a key informant interview. We also reviewed AFP surveillance data from 2013-2018. We summarized data using means, frequencies, and proportion. Results: A total of 49 respondents were interviewed. Of these, 47 (98%) reported case definitions as being easy to use, and case investigation forms as being easy to fill, 46 (97%) reported data tools could easily accommodate changes, and all the surveillance officers understand the case definition of AFP. All respondents were willing to continue with the system. The non-polio AFP rate (24.6-55.2), stool adequacy (95-99.7%), timeliness, and completeness of reporting were found to be consistently above the WHO minimum standard.Conclusion: The AFP surveillance system in Kebbi State was found to be useful, simple, flexible, acceptable, sensitive, representative, timely, and stable, though donor-driven. The absence of data on 60-day follow up and feedback from the laboratory was a major problem with the system.
Contextual Factors and Mechanisms that Influence Sustainability: A Realist Evaluation of Two Provincially Scaled Evidence-Based Initiatives
Authors: Flynn Rachel , Mrklas Kelly , Campbell Alyson , Wasylak Tracy , Scott Shannon D
Published: November 2020

Background: In 2012, Alberta Health Services created Strategic Clinical NetworksTM (SCNs) to develop and implement evidence-informed, clinician-led and team-delivered health system improvement in Alberta, Canada. SCNs have had several provincial successes in improving health outcomes. Little research has been done on the sustainability of these evidence-based implementation efforts.Methods: We conducted a qualitative realist evaluation using a case study approach to identify and explain the contextual factors and mechanisms perceived to influence the sustainability of two provincial SCN evidence-based interventions, a delirium intervention for Critical Care and an Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics (AUA) intervention for Senior’s Health. The context (C) + mechanism (M) = outcome (O) configurations (CMOcs) heuristic guided our research.Results: We conducted thirty realist interviews in two cases and found four important mechanisms facilitating sustainability: the use of a collaborative approach, audit & feedback, the informal leadership role, and patient stories. Informal leaders were often hands-on and influential to front-line staff. Learning collaboratives broke down professional and organizational silos and encouraged collective sharing and learning, motivating participants to continue with the intervention. Continual audit & feedback interventions motivated participants to want to perform and improve on a long-term basis, increasing the likelihood of sustainability of the two scaled, multi-component interventions. Patient stories demonstrated the interventions’ impact on patient outcomes, motivating staff to want to continue doing the intervention, and increasing the likelihood of its sustainability.Conclusions: There are important contextual factors and mechanisms within sustainability processes that may apply to systems change implementers and decision makers. Our research revealed the causal relationship between implementation and sustainability and how outcomes from implementation shape sustainability contexts. Future work is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of informal leadership, learning collaboratives, audit-feedback, and patient stories as strategies for sustainability, to generate better guidance on planning sustainable improvements with long term impact.
Treatment efficacy and tuberculosis relapses in HIV infected patients with severe immunosuppression who started antiretroviral therapy
Authors: Korzh E. V. , Podchos N. A. , Striga L. V. , Izvekova T. S. , Malyavko N. A.
Published: November 2020

The objective: to analyze treatment efficacy and causes of tuberculosis relapses in HIV-infected patients with severe immunosuppression who have started antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Subjects and methods. 139 case histories were studied, those case history belonged to the patients with TB/HIV co-infection and CD4 count below 100 cells/μl, a median of 33.2 cells/μl – 4.2%, who started ART in the in-patient unit. The efficacy of inpatient treatment was assessed; 89 patients were followed up after discharge from hospital. The follow-up period lasted from January 2011 to May 2019.

Results. ART did not increase the efficacy of the in-patient stage of TB/HIV treatment due to the development of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, which occurred in 34.5% of patients and accounted for 70.0% of hospital lethality cases. After discharge from hospital, 69.7% of patients successfully completed anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy, 25.8% died before completing treatment, the main cause of death was tuberculosis (56.5%), including multiple drug resistance in 30.8% of cases. At the outpatient stage, 29.1% of patients interrupted ART, their death rate was higher (p = 0.007), and tuberculosis and HIV-associated diseases became the cause of death more often (p = 0.042) versus the compliant patients. Tuberculosis relapses developed in 17.7% after 16.7 ± 1.7 months after completion of treatment; 63.6% had multiple drug resistance, patients with tuberculosis relapses interrupted ART more often (p = 0.002), had a lower CD4 count (p = 0.030) versus patients without relapses. As of May 2019, 46.1% of patients survived and had no signs of active tuberculosis; 42.7% died, tuberculosis dominated among the causes of death – 50.0% (in 52.6% – multiple drug resistance) as well as HIV-associated diseases (21.1%).