bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Distinguishing Edema from Tumor Infiltration in High-Grade Glioma Patients: Initial Insights from quantitative MRI using Relaxometry
Authors: de Souza Letícia Mansano , Filho Sérgio Lourenço Polo , de Campos Brunno Machado , Cendes Fernando , de Souza Thiago Magalhães , Formentin Cleiton , Giglio Marcus Vinicius , Matias Leo Gordiano , Ghizoni Enrico
Published: October 2023

Introduction: The differentiation between edema and tumor infiltration in high-grade gliomas is fundamental for surgical planning. However, this distinction is challenging using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Relaxometry is a new technique for quantitative diagnosis using MRI, currently under assessment for some neurological disorders.
Methods: In this study, we report our initial experience using T2 multiecho relaxometry to differentiate perilesional edema from tumor infiltration in patients with high-grade gliomas. In order to have values for a comparative analysis, we assumed T2-hyperintensity surrounding the enhancing tumor represented vasogenic edema on meningiomas or metastasis, while it could be vasogenic edema or tumor infiltration on high-grade gliomas.
Results: Twenty patients with high-grade gliomas and 10 patients with metastases or meningiomas were included. Images were analyzed using Relaxo software. Mean T2 value in regions of hypersignal for the metastasis group was 196.8, compared to 407.3 in high-grade gliomas.
Discussion: Difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Our results suggest that the LNI relaxo software could be a helpful tool to differentiate edema and tumor infiltration in patients with high-grade gliomas, allowing for a more efficient preoperative planning and postoperative assessment of tumor infiltration resection rate.
Identification of Novel and De Novo Mutation in the SCN1A Gene By Exome Sequencing Confirms Dravet Syndrome in Moroccan Child: A Case Report
Authors: MOUHI Hinde EL , AMLLAL Nada , ABBASSI Meriame , NEDBOUR Ayoub , JALTE Meryem , LYAHYAI Jaber , ELALAOUI Siham CHAFAI , BOUGUENOUCH Laila , CHAOUKI Sana
Published: October 2023

Dravet syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy characterised by recurrent seizures and cognitive impairment. It is mainly caused by mutations in the SCN1A gene in 90% of cases, which codes for the α subunit of the voltage-gated sodium channel. In this study, we present one suspected case of Dravet syndrome in Moroccan child that underwent exome analysis and were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The mutation was identified in the SCN1A gene, and is a new mutation that has never been described in the literature. The mutation was found de novo in our case, indicating that it was not inherited from the parents. The mutation, SCN1A c.965-2A > G p.(?), is located at the splice site and results in an unknown modification of the protein. This mutation is considered pathogenic on the basis of previous studies. These results contribute to our knowledge of the SCN1A gene mutations associated with Dravet syndrome and underline the importance of genetic analysis in the diagnosis and confirmation of this disorder. Further studies are needed to better understand the functional consequences of this mutation and its implications for therapeutic strategies in Dravet syndrome.
A MRI radiomics-based model for prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis in cervical cancer
Authors: Wang Tao , Li Yan-Yu , Ma Nan-Nan , Wang Pei-An , Zhang Bei
Published: October 2023

Background
Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy of the female reproductive tract, and preoperative prediction of lymph node metastasis (LNM) is essential. This study aim to design and validate a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiomics-based predictive model capable of detecting LNM in patients diagnosed with CC.
Methods
This retrospective analysis incorporated 86 and 38 CC patients into the training and testing groups, respectively. Radiomics features were extracted from MRI T2WI, T2WI-SPAIR, and axial apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) sequences. Selected features identified in the training group were then used to construct a radiomics scoring model, with relevant LNM-related risk factors having been identified through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. The resultant predictive model was then validated in the testing cohort.
Results
In total, 16 features were selected for the construction of a radiomics scoring model. LNM-related risk factors included worse differentiation (P < 0.001), more advanced International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages (P = 0.03), and a higher radiomics score from the combined MRI sequences (P = 0.01). The equation for the predictive model was as follows: -0.0493-2.1410×differentiation level + 7.7203×radiomics score of combined sequences + 1.6752×FIGO stage. The respective area under the curve (AUC) values for the T2WI radiomics score, T2WI-SPAIR radiomics score, ADC radiomics score, combined sequence radiomics score, and predictive model were 0.656, 0.664, 0.658, 0.835, and 0.923 in the training cohort, while these corresponding AUC values were 0.643, 0.525, 0.513, 0.826, and 0.82 in the testing cohort.
Conclusions
This MRI radiomics-based model exhibited favorable accuracy when used to predict LNM in patients with CC. Relative to the use of any individual MRI sequence-based radiomics score, this predictive model yielded superior diagnostic accuracy.
Integrated genomic analysis of lung squamous cell carcinoma subtypes characterized by immunogenic cell death-relevant gene signature
Authors: Wang Yuhan , Wang Shuang , Ding Ran , Kong Jing , Xie Tian , Xu Bin , Fu Liming , Zhang Zequn , Zhang Erli
Published: October 2023

Purpose
A kind of regulatory cell death known as immunogenic cell death (ICD) can trigger anti-tumor immunity and aid in the adjustment of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Due to the very diverse and invasive nature of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), the identification of the immunogenic cell death related biomarkers for the distinction and prognosis of LUSC subtypes is essential for its therapy.
Patients and methods
504 LUSC samples' rna sequencing data was reviewed in our investigation. Unsupervised clustering methodology was used to examine the distinctive pattern of gene expression in the tumor microenvironment for genes associated to immunogenic cell death. A number of ICD-related subtypes and clinical traits are connected to the effectiveness of immunotherapy through these expression patterns. The presence of the immunological status and prognostic characteristics is then confirmed using the test data set.
Results
Through the consistent clustering of ICD-related gene expression profiles, subtypes with significant differences in immune score, immune cell infiltration level and prognosis survival were found in the two groups. At the same time, the prognosis prediction model of patients was constructed according to the differentially expressed immunogenic cell death-related genes, which can provide guidance for clinical treatment.
Conclusion
This research developed a prognostic model of LUSC with ICD-associated genes, which will help us better understand ICD and determine how to manage LUSC patients.
Application of Endoscopic Aspirator on Gasless Transoral Endoscopic Vestibular Thyroidectomy
Authors: Shao Shuai , Zeng Qinxin , Yu Huimin , Wang Haobin , Wu Jian , Wu Guoyang
Published: October 2023

BackgroundTransoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) is gradually becoming mature.At the same time, the disadvantages of CO2 inflatable TOETVA are also widely recognized, and there is no uniform standard alternative.Here, we report our initial experience and discuss the safety and effectiveness of maintaining the operative space with endoscopic suction support in TOETVA.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 60 patients treated with our laparoscopic aspirator-supported TOETVA from March 2022 to June 2023.We extended the three-hole endoscopic suction device from the median incision of the oral vestibule into the operation space, pressed it down, and fixed it to support and maintain the stability of the space.Evaluate its surgical safety and prognosis.ResultsThe study included 60 patients who were treated with endoscopic aspirator-supported TOETVA.The average operation time was 141. 14±36. 15min.The average number of dissected lymph nodes was 4. 67±3. 75.Two of them were converted to laparotomy, and no serious postoperative complications occurred in any of the patients.Postoperative complications included 1 case of transient recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, 1 case of transient hypoparathyroidism, and 8 cases of transient lower lip numbness.There was 1 case of postoperative skin injury and 4 cases of postoperative skin ecchymosis.Two cases of temporary loss of smell or taste recovered within 1-3 months.There is no evidence of specific complications associated with the use of suction to support the surgical space.ConclusionThe operation space of TOETVA is supported by a laparoscopic suction device, which is easy to operate, convenient to obtain materials, and optimizes the clarity of the surgical field, which has the potential for wide application.
Incorporating Topic and Property For Knowledge Base Synchronization
Authors: Tong Jiajun , Wang Zhixiao , Rui Xiaobin
Published: October 2023

Open domain knowledge bases have been widely used in many applications, and it is critical to maintain their freshness. Most existing studies update an open knowledge base by predicting the change frequencies of the entities and then updating those unstable ones. In this work, we propose a novel topic-aware entity stability prediction framework which incorporates property and topic features of the entities to facilitate the prediction on their stability with graph structures, so that a knowledge base could be updated accordingly with favorable time and computation efficiency. Specifically, we first build an entity property graph for each entity, with its property names as edges and the property values as nodes, which models the various properties of the entities. Then, with the constructed entity property graph, we develop a Topic Classifier to label the topic information for the entity via unsupervised clustering. Finally, we treat the prediction task as a binary classification problem and solve it with an Entity Stability Predictor, which is designed to comprise two layers of Graph Convolution Networks, one pooling layer and one fully connected layer.The Entity Stability Predictor then predicts the stability of an entity based on its revision history acquired from the source encyclopedia webpage, wherein the topic information serves as strong supervision. Extensive experiments on collections of real-world entities have demonstrated the superior performance of our proposed method, and also well shown the benefits of each new module in our framework.
Pork Intake and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Zhao yibin , Xu Fu
Published: October 2023

Background: A few of cohort studies declared an converse association between pork intake and cardiovascular diseases, but the causal relationship is ambiguous.
Objective: To evaluate the causal relationship between pork intake, and cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular biomarkers.
Methods: We adopted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, based on inverse variance weighting as the dominate method. Besides, we performed sensitivity analyses, repeated analyses, and instrumental variable strength assessment for certifying the results reliability.
Results：We found that increased pork intake per standard deviation could add the risk of transient ischemic attack (odds ratio (OR) =5.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.71–18.59; p= 0.004), and we also observed suggested proof of a converse association between pork intake and myocardial infarction. No associations were discovered for hypertension, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, heart failure, type 2 diabetes, pulmonary embolism and peripheral artery disease. There is proof that pork intake is positively correlated with adiponectin. Body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, inflammation biomarkers, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, fasting glucose were not affected by pork intake.
Conclusions: A causal connection between pork intake and the risk of transient ischemic attack is indicated in our research. Any convincing evidence had been failed to find to suggest that pork intake is causally related to the risk of other cardiovascular diseases and their biomarkers.
Preparation and adsorption properties of cotton linters and coal- gangue-based cellulose/SiO 2 composite aerogels
Authors: Hu Canming , Yang Xupeng , An Xiongfei , Chen Xiaojiao , Ding Chengli
Published: October 2023

High-value comprehensive utilization of coal gangue solid waste, reducing synthesis cost and environmental hazards has become an important research direction for green development. In this study, acid-alkali treated coal gangue was used as the silica source, and abundant cotton short staple in Xinjiang was used as the raw material of aerogel. Cellulose/SiO2 composite aerogels were prepared by sol-gel method using N-N methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as cross-linking agent and hydrochloric acid (HCl) as catalyst. The samples were characterized and analyzed by XRD, SEM, FT-IR, XPS, EDS, BET, and mechanical property tests. The results show that the composites exhibit low density and high porosity. The density ranges from 0.177–0.371 g/cm− 3 with a high porosity of 88.7%. SEM and BET results showed that the composites showed a three-dimensional mesh structure, and the specific surface area was as high as 325.742 m2/g, with a pore size of 21.997nm, which is a mesoporous material. The adsorption performance of the composite aerogel was tested by choosing the dye methylene blue (MB) to simulate wastewater, and the results showed that the adsorption amount of MB was 81.3 mg/g, and the adsorption amount showed a tendency of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase of SiO2. It still showed good adsorption after 5 cycles of adsorption experiments. Therefore, the results of this study provide a good application prospect for composite aerogels and a theoretical basis for the development of low-cost novel advanced materials.
Co-developing journey maps with older adult patients with cancer to contextualize and incorporate patient- reported data into practice
Authors: Kwon Jae-Yung , Moynihan Melissa , Wolff Angela C. , Irlbacher Geraldine , Joseph Amanda L. , Wilson Lorraine , Horlock Hilary , Hung Lillian , Lambert Leah K. , Sawatzky Richard
Published: October 2023

PurposeSupporting clinicians in contextualizing PROM data to better understand patients’ health stories could lead to improved person-centred cancer care. Integrating PROMs into journey maps is one way to assist clinicians in making sense of PROMs data. This project co-developed PROM-informed journey maps in partnership with older adults who have cancer and received radiation therapy as a knowledge translation strategy to support clinicians in effectively using PROMs in their practice.MethodsSix older adults who received radiation therapy as part of their cancer treatment participated in individual semi-structured interviews to co-develop journey maps. Participants were asked about their health care experiences and well-being with a focus on their feelings, tasks, and influences during four phases of their cancer journey: pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment. Reflecting on their experiences, participants completed the well-being item from the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System revised (ESAS-r) questionnaire for each phase. This information was used in the context of journey maps to understand how and why participants’ well-being scores changed.ResultsAcross the six journey maps, several opportunities to discuss and address older adult cancer patients’ well-being were identified from the PROM data. This included providing education on early detection and preventing recurrence of cancer, as well as having conversations throughout the cancer journey to address patients’ well-being and mental health needs over time.ConclusionAs a knowledge translation tool, journey maps have the potential to support clinicians in using PROMs data to contextualize patient experiences and better understand their health stories and changing needs during their cancer care trajectory.
Revealing new bacterial functions in the plant rhizoplane
Authors: Saati-Santamaría Zaki , González-Dominici Lihuén Iraí , Jiménez-Gómez Alejandro , Morais Daniel , Tláskal Vojtěch , Benada Oldřich , Qi Li , Sheng Yang , Rivas Raúl , Baldrian Petr , García-Fraile Paula
Published: October 2023

Background Microorganisms play important ecological roles during interactions with plants. Although some microorganisms promote plant performance and are applied as biofertilizers, the molecular cross-talk of bacteria and plants is not fully understood. We aim to reveal which bacterial genes are tightly associated with the adaptation to the plant host by merging the outcomes of RNA-Seq data of a bacterium colonizing roots and comparative genomics analyses.Results Here, we show the expression of genes in a plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas strain interacting with plant roots. Our findings highlight that many of the upregulated genes have not been previously associated with this interaction. The occurrence of 184 of the upregulated bacterial genes in the interaction was higher in Pseudomonas isolates from plants compared to bacteria from other habitats, such as soils, animals or water. We argue that these genes may play relevant biological roles in this host, but only a few have been previously shown to be associated with plant-bacteria interactions. One of these genes is the yafL gene, encoding a cysteine peptidase with an NlpC/P60 hydrolytic domain, for which we demonstrate its involvement in bacterial plant growth promotion through the comparison of a wild-type bacterium with a yafL knockout strain.Conclusions Microbial plant growth promotion is a complex process with potential involvement of numerous bacterial genes, many of which still await characterization. By integrating the outcomes from in vivo RNA-Seq experiments and comparative genomic analyses, we have revealed several plant-associated genes and functions. Moreover, we have experimentally demonstrated the role of one of these genes in plant growth promotion.
Multi-omic data and modelling analyses reveal that HAP complex integrates TORC1/PKA and SNF1 signalling pathways
Authors: Henriques David , Moimenta Artai , Balsa-Canto Eva
Published: October 2023

Crabtree-positive yeast species such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae produce most of their ATP through alcoholic fermentation in the presence of oxygen and abundant glucose. This seemingly inefficient growth strategy leads to substantial industrial losses. Thus, many research efforts have focused on formulating hypotheses and computational growth models to explain this phenomenon, but have not given much attention to the development of dynamic models that integrate growth and mechanistic regulation of protein expression. From a regulatory point of view, this phenotype implies rapid growth and repression of respiratory genes. When intracellular glucose levels are low, SNF1 and the HAP complex control respiration activation. Among the proteins in the HAP complex, only HAP4 is believed not to be constitutively expressed and is considered the signal transduction element in this pathway. The transcription of genes from the translation machinery is primarily associated with TORC1 and PKA. Here, we have formulated an integrated dynamic model of respiro-fermentative growth and regulation of S. cerevisiae using two proteomic data sets obtained during diauxic shift experiments. After analysing the model and data, we concluded that HAP5 is also up-regulated in response to decreasing glucose levels, and this regulation occurs downstream of the TORC1 and PKA pathways. These two hypotheses were validated using independent transcriptomics data sets. Given its architecture, we postulate that the HAP complex integrates information from the PKA/TORC1 and SNF1 pathways. Our findings provide valuable information on the evolution of the Crabtree effect and can help design strategies to reduce its impact.
The miR-181b, miR-155 and miR-454 Expression in ctRNA in the Peripheral Blood Circulation of the Patients with Uveal Malignant Melanoma
Authors: Hassani Masoumeh , Doğan Tunay , Akdeniz Demet , Tuncer Samuray , Yazıcı Hülya
Published: October 2023

The Discovery of new non-invasive biomarkers in malignant melanoma is essential for the early diagnosis and follow-up of the disease. The aim of the study is to identify the expression levels of miR-181b and miR-155 and miR-454 in the ctRNA of serum/plasma samples of patients, and compare the differences with the healthy controls. The expression levels of miR-181b, miR-155, and miR-454 were examined and compared with the healthy controls on the cell-free RNA (ctRNA) extracted from the peripheral blood serum/plasma samples of the 72 uveal malignant melanoma patients, and 72 healthy individuals. The analysis showed that the expression level of the miR-181b has increased 9.25 fold, and expression level of miR-155 has increased 6.67 fold, and miR-454 expression level has increased 4.14 fold in the patient group compared with the levels in the control group. We found that the expression levels of the three miRNAs were statistically significant in patients compared with the expression levels in the healthy control group. The statistical evaluations between miRNA expression levels and clinical data showed that miR-155 had significant association with radiation therapy, and miR-454 showed a significant association with smoking and alcohol use. The significantly higher expression levels of miR-181b, miR-155 and miR-454 in plasma/serum RNAs in the peripheral bloodstream of uveal melanoma patients compared with the levels in the control group suggest that these molecules can be evaluated both as the drug targets for the early diagnosis and follow-up of the disease.
MoVN-coated MoNi4 -MoO2 nanorods as a bifunctional electrode for Electrochemical water splitting
Authors: Kumaran Yamini , Gherasoiu Iulian , Thandavarayan Maiyalagan , Efstathiadis Haralabos
Published: October 2023

MoVN/MoNi4-MoO3 nanorods are synthesized using a two-step fabrication process consisting of the hydrothermal method and DC(V) and RF(Mo) magnetron co-sputtering technique. The resulting electrode exhibits a high surface area, that together with its intrinsic catalytic activity, achieves a synergistic effect, thereby improving the reaction kinetics of overall water splitting. The performance of the electrodes was tested in 1M KOH solution, to understand the reaction mechanisms and catalytic efficiency of both the half-cell reactions (Hydrogen Evolution Reaction and Oxygen Evolution Reaction). The electrodes performed exceptionally well with overpotentials of only 14 mV and 244 mV at 10 mA/cm2 for HER and OER respectively compared to other electrode materials described previously in literature. Further, the stability of the electrodes was tested for 12 hours showing a negligible change in current density for both HER and OER reactions. Overall electrolysis was performed for 12 hours with the best electrode MoVN/MoNi4-MoO2 needing only 1.56 V to reach 10 mA/cm2. Material characterization using X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Transmission Electron Microscopy were carried out for crystal structure and morphological analysis. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed to understand the nature of the surface species of the best-performing electrode and to study the degradation effects after electrolysis. Hence, this work uncovers the outstanding properties of the MoVN/MoNi4-MoO2 electrode material with relatively high electrochemical surface area, low overpotential, and negligible degradation which could provide a competitive path to the fabrication of low-cost and highly effective electrodes for application in commercial electrolyzers.
Survival impact of pathologic features after salvage lung resection following definitive chemoradiotherapy or systemic therapy for initially unresectable lung cancer
Authors: Oka Naoyuki , Hishida Tomoyuki , Kaseda Kaoru , Suzuki Yuri , Okubo Yu , Masai Kyohei , Asakura Keisuke , Emoto Katsura , Asamura Hisao
Published: October 2023

Purpose
Salvage surgery for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is expected to become increasingly more common; however, the association between pathologic features and the postoperative prognosis remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the survival impact of pathologic characteristics after salvage lung resection.
Methods
Twenty-three patients who underwent salvage surgery following definitive chemoradiotherapy or systemic therapy for initially unresectable NSCLC from 2010 to 2020 were enrolled in this study. The tumor slides were reviewed to determine the size of the tumor bed and the proportions of viable tumor, necrosis, and stroma according to the recent recommendations from the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Results
Initially, 18 patients (79%) had clinical stage IIIB-IV disease. Six (26%) received chemoradiotherapy and 17 (74%) received systemic therapy alone. A major pathologic response (MPR, ≤10% of viable tumor) was observed in 6 patients, and 4 patients achieved a pathological complete response. The 3-year overall and recurrence-free survival rates (OS and RFS) were 78.6% and 59.2%, respectively. There was no significant difference in OS between patients with and without MPR, and even non-MPR patients achieved a favorable 3-year OS of 70.2%. Meanwhile, patients with high (≥30%) stroma showed significantly better OS than those with low (<30%) stroma (3-year OS: 100% vs. 23.3%, p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The proportion of stroma based on the recent IASLC recommendations was an important feature for predicting long-term survival after salvage lung resection. A low-stroma signature may serve as an indicator for considering proactive postoperative therapies after salvage surgery.
Trial registration number and date of registration
This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee of Keio University School of Medicine on September 16th, 2020 (registration no. 20200092).
Medium-chain inulin alleviates the obesity and improves systemic health in diet-induced obese mice via mediating the gut microbiome and metabolome
Authors: Wang Yunpeng , Kim Eunyoung , Cui Jiamei , Zhang Chongyu , Guo Cuihua , Lee Yunkyoung , Zhang Guiguo
Published: October 2023

Background Inulin is well known as a natural dietary fiber with multiple beneficial effects on promoting the physiological and intestinal health of hosts. However, it is unclear whether medium-chain inulin can inhibit high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity in mice and its mechanism(s) that underlie such effects. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that medium-chain inulin consumption can counteract the obesity in HFD-fed mice by selectively modulating the gut microbiota, metabolome, and metabolic pathways.
Results The results shown that the medium-chain inulin is a polymer primarily consisting of fructose linked 2,1 glycosidic bonds with an average degree polymerization of 12. Among them, molecules of different chain lengths form spherical or cross-linked network spatial structures by folding and coiling. Medium-chain inulin supplementation (3% or 5%) reduced lipid deposition in tissues, ameliorated intestinal health, and thus prevented diet-induced obesity in mice. Furthermore, dietary inclusion of inulin shaped a significantly different microbial community by specially increasing the abundances of Bacteroidota, Faecalibaculum, Bifidobacterium, Parasutterella, Lactobacillaceae, Bacteroides, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Akkermansia in inulin-supplemented groups compared with the HFD group. Additionally, dietary inulin supplementation enhanced the concentrations of nicotinamide, indole-3-acetate, 5-hydroxytryptophan, maltose, taurocholic acid, aldosterone 5α-dihydrotestosterone, and corticosterone in gut content of HFD-fed mice, and thus modulated certain energy utilization-related metabolic pathways. Especially, those significantly modulated microbes and metabolites by inulin supplementation positively correlated with ameliorated healthy parameters. Therefore, medium-chain inulin inhibits HFD-induced obesity by specifically modulating key gut microbes and metabolites, thereby affecting the inulin-gut microbiota/metabolome-tissue (phenotype) axis.
Conclusions Taken together, dietary inulin supplementation improved the gut barrier and physiological health, while alleviated HFD-induced obesity and complications of mice, including fat deposition and metabolic disorders, etc. This beneficial effect was attributed to the fact that feeding medium-chain inulin could specifically promote certain key beneficial gut bacteria and metabolites, and thus arouse energy utilization-related metabolic pathways alteration. Thus, medium-chain inulin can be employed as a potential functional food or therapeutic agent to prevent or treat diet-induced obesity in the host.
Morphological and molecular diversity of underutilized and cultivated Allium species from India
Authors: Benke Ashwini Prashant , Vijay Mahajan , Digambar Mokat N.
Published: October 2023

The Allium is the most diverse genus of family Alliaceae among horticultural crops. It holds unknown potential for commercial traits such as vegetables, medicines, spices and ornamental uses. The genus deals with controversy among species and subspecies sectioning due to huge agro-morphological diversity. The current study demonstrated the effectiveness of morphological descriptors for capturing intra- and inter-species variability in the Allium genus. Here, 13 qualitative and 8 quantitative features on the inflorescence, leaf, scape, and seed of 27 Allium accessions from 14 Allium species were assessed. These characteristics clearly distinguish the species and subspecies. The thirteen qualitative characteristics elucidate the species' taxonomic relationships. Additionally, the UPGMA dendrogram created using these attributes supported the basal location of species and the differences between them. The two major groups formed on basis of leaf type and further sub-classified with other traits. Further random set of 50 ILP markers evaluated for polymorphism among 27 Allium accessions including A. cepa and A. sativum. The species had a high level of transferability and locus conservation (20.6–96.50%). A. sativum recorded the highest cross-specific amplification (> 82%), followed by A. przewalskianum and A. macranthum, whereas A. hookeri had the lowest amplification. ILP markers have an average PIC value of 0.21, with a range of 0.06 to 0.40. More polymorphism and variety among Allium species were found in this study than in other studies. In order to promote horticultural traits through breeding activities, the descriptor created through qualitative trait can be successfully employed for Allium interspecific diversity investigations.
A Systematic Review on The Applications of Machine Learning for Fetal Birth Weight Prediction
Authors: Mane Deepak T. , Mante Jyoti , Bakare Anuradha Amar , Gandhi Yatin , Khetani Vinit , Mahajan Rupali Atul
Published: October 2023

In order to protect the maternal and infant safety, birth weight is an important indicator during fetal development. A doctor's experience in clinical practice, however, helps estimate birth weight by using empirical formulas based on the experience of the doctors. Recently, birth weights have been predicted using machine learning (ML) technologies. A machine learning model is built on the basis of a collection of attributes learns to predict predefined characteristics or results. Using a machine learning model, input and output are modeled together and then a set of models are trained on the data. It is possible to use machine learning for a variety of tasks such as predicting risks, diagnosing diseases, and classifying objects due to its scalability and flexibility, which are advantages over conventional methods. This research reviews the machine learning classification models used previously by various researchers to predict fetal weight. In this paper 85 studies were reviewed. Machine learning approach was considered as a better option to predict the fetal weight in all the studies included in this paper. The findings of this research show that the accuracy rate of using machine learning applications for fetal birth weight prediction is above 60% in all the studies reviewed.
In vitro and in vivo evaluation of Noscapine as a potential antimalarial vis-à-vis standard Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7, P. falciparum clinical isolate Pf140/SS and P. berghei ANKA
Authors: Babu Swaraj Kumar , Maharana Sameer , Chhatria Satyaranjan , Sahoo Dibya Ranjan , Nanda Ashirbad , kanhar Satish , Behera Prativa K. , Mohanty Sanjib , Naik Pradeep Kumar , Sahu Praveen Kishore
Published: October 2023

Malaria is a global public health menace. The quest for new antimalarials and adjuvants for malaria in the backdrop of artemisinin resistance has been enormous. This study evaluates the comprehensive antimalarial activity of the natural phytochemical compound Noscapine, against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain (Pf3D7), clinical isolate (Pf140/SS) and in Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA), inhibiting in vitro and in vivo parasite growth under controlled conditions as evaluated through the ring-stage survival assay, phenotypic assessments and SYBR-green based fluorescence assay. Cytotoxicity of Noscapine was evaluated against the J774. A.1 murine macrophage cell line besides profiling its hemolysis activities against human RBCs. The antimalarial efficacy of Noscapine against Pf3D7 and Pf140/SS was similar or better than standard antimalarial Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), with the IC50 value of 7.68±0.88 and 5.57±0.74 nM/mL respectively along with more than 95% inhibition in infected Wister albino rats with PbA after 4-day suppressive test. Importantly, unlike DHA, no toxicity symptoms were observed with CC50 value 1748 nM/mL or hemolysis with Nospcapine, even at extremely high concentrations. Based on the published literature as on date, this is the first report on native Noscapine, which has shown potent antimalarial efficacy and safety profiles vis-à-vis standard antimalarial DHA, demonstrated through in vitro and in vivo models of animal and clinical malaria parasites.
Acupuncture for insomnia in patients with breast cancer: a single-center, single-blind, randomised, controlled trial protocol
Authors: Ma Tingting , Yin Xiaohui , Yi Runxi , Lu Wei , Zhao Bingcong , Yu Mingwei , Zhang Ganlin , Zhang Qing , Xu Yongmei , Zhang Yi , Pan Yuancan , Yuan Zichun , Li Haiming , Wang Xiaomin
Published: October 2023

Background
Patients with breast cancer have a high incidence of insomnia, which is often accompanied by anxiety, depression, and fatigue. Acupuncture is considered useful for insomnia and emotional disorders and is becoming increasingly acceptable for patients with cancer. However, few studies have been conducted on acupuncture for patients with breast cancer who are suffering from insomnia. This study aims to describe a protocol for an 8-week acupuncture intervention to explore the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy using the “regulating spirit and soothing liver” method for treating insomnia patients with breast cancer.
Methods
This study is a single-center, single-blind, randomised, controlled trial. We aim to recruit 70 females, aged 18-60 years, who will be randomly allocated to the intervention (acupuncture) or control (sham acupuncture) groups. The intervention will include an 8-week acupuncture therapy followed by a 3-month follow-up period. The primary outcome is the Pittsburgh Sleep Scale(PSQI) measured every two weeks. Secondary outcomes are the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer (FACT-B) to assess emotional health and quality of life. We will also record the drug name and quantity given to treat severe insomnia. We also will measure serum 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) concentrations at baseline and again at 4 and 8 weeks. Adverse events will be recorded in detail throughout the trial. Intention-to -treat analyses will be conducted, and the data will be assessed using a global statistical test.
Ethical approval for this trial was granted by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University(2022BL02-059-02). Written informed consent was obtained from enrolled patients and will last throughout the trial. The trial results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conferences.
Discussion
Patients with breast cancer are more likely to experience insomnia, and it may influence the curative effect of their treatments. Undoubtedly, more attention is needed regarding insomnia in these patients; however, there is no established principle or guideline for patients with breast cancer who take multiple different medicines. Therefore, acupuncture may be useful as a less harmful intervention.
Trial registration number ISRCTN12913513, 7 March,2023
Novel Clinical prognostic model to predict survival in hepatocellular carcinoma after LR or LT should be considered including biological characteristics and inflammation score
Authors: Chen Qing , Pan Li-chao , Wang Han-xuan , Zhao Yang , Jia Ya-nan , Wang Jing , Li Xian-liang , Du Guo-Sheng , He Qiang , Lang Ren , Zhou Lin
Published: October 2023

Background:Since prognostic value of neutrophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (NLR) alone in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients is limited, incorporating tumor biological characteristics may further improve its prognostic ability.Methods:Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors affecting prognosis of 430 inlcuded HCC patients and the novel NLR (noNLR) model was established by taking correlation coefficient of Cox analysis results as the weight ratio. Then nomogram was used to verify the validity and reliability of this novel model. Patients were divided into high and low noNLR index group with the cutoff value of noNLR calculated by ROC curve. Finally, the predictive value of this novel model in predicting survival benefits was evaluated.Results:The noNLR model was established with independent risk factors for prognosis including NLR, AFP, tumor size and vascular invasion. The AUC of the training (0.7090 vs. 0.7599) and validation (0.6880 vs.0.7594) samples for the nomogram and noNLR models further demostrated the superiority of noNLR model. High noNLR was closely associated with shorter survival time with high recurrence risk and lower 5-year survival rate.Conclusion:noNLR model incorporating tumor biological characteristics can be qualified as a novel model to predict the prognosis of HCC patients after LR or LT.
Asset Pricing and Deep Learning
Authors: Zhang Chen
Published: October 2023

The relentless evolution of machine learning technologies has led to profound advancements across diverse financial disciplines, with asset pricing emerging as a pivotal application. This research ventures into the intricate fusion of advanced deep learning methodologies within the domain of asset pricing, with a particular emphasis on enhancing risk premium measurement to facilitate a deeper understanding of financial phenomena. This study evaluates an array of state-of-the-art deep learning architectures, including Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Transformers, and others fortified with memory mechanisms and attention features. All these models are uniformly tested on a consistent set of predictive signals, comprising firm characteristics, systematic risks, and macroeconomic indicators. Empirical evidence gleaned from this study underscores the superior predictive capabilities of these models, with special recognition given to RNNs and Transformers equipped with memory and attention mechanisms. Concurrently, the research emphasizes the substantial economic advantages that investors can reap by deploying deep learning forecasts, thereby attesting to the instrumental role of these technologies in contemporary financial operations. Notwithstanding these technological strides, the study underscores the critical need for integrating domain-specific knowledge and financial theories into the design of these models, hence fostering a harmonious convergence between AI advancements and traditional financial acumen. Further, the research exposes unique challenges that asset return prediction tasks present to deep learning models, particularly the issue of time-varying distribution. This invariably leads to a distribution shift problem, a crucial facet for accurate financial time series prediction. Through rigorous experimentation, the study substantiates the potential of deep learning methodologies in significantly enhancing asset risk premium measurement. With the continual evolution of the deep learning field, such methodologies can consistently broaden our understanding of the underlying economic mechanisms that govern asset pricing. In conclusion, this research not only reasserts the indispensable role of deep learning in the burgeoning field of financial technology but also delineates its superior potential and advantages over traditional machine learning techniques. Such insights illuminate a path for future research, aiming to harness the power of deep learning to foster a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics that underpin asset pricing.
Deepfake audio detection and justification with Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)
Authors: Govindu Aditi , Kale Preeti , Hullur Aamir , Gurav Atharva , Godse Parth
Published: October 2023

Deepfake audio refers to synthetically generated audio, often used as legal hoaxes to impersonate human voices. This paper generates fake audio from Fake or Real (FoR) dataset using Generative Adversarial Neural Networks (GANs). FoR dataset has the advantage of a diversity of speakers across 195,000 samples. The proposed work analyses the quality of the generated fake data using the Fréchet Audio Distance (FAD) score. FAD evaluation score of 23.814 indicates good quality fake has been produced by the generator. The study further enables glass box analysis of deepfake audio detection through Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) models of LIME, SHAP and GradCAM. This research assists in understanding impact of frequency bands in audio classification based on the quantitative analysis of SHAPLey values and qualitative comparison of explainability masks of LIME and GradCAM. The use of FAD metric provides a quantitative evaluation of generator performance. XAI and FAD metrics help in the development of deepfake audio through GANs with minimal data input. The results of this research are applicable to detection of phishing audio calls and voice impersonation.
Aberrant choroid plexus formation in human cerebral organoids exposed to radiation
Authors: Durante Marco , Bender Tamara , Schickel Esther , Mayer Margot , Debus Jürgen , Grosshans David , Schroeder Insa
Published: October 2023

Brain tumor patients are commonly treated with radiotherapy, but the efficacy of the treatment is limited by its toxicity, particularly the risk of radionecrosis. We used human cerebral organoids to investigate the mechanisms and nature of postirradiation brain image changes commonly linked to necrosis. Irradiation of cerebral organoids lead to increased formation of ZO1+/AQP1+/CLN3+-choroid plexus (CP) structures. Increased CP formation was triggered by radiation via the NOTCH/WNT signaling pathways and associated with delayed growth and neural stem cell differentiation, but not necrosis. The effect was more pronounced in immature than in mature organoids, reflecting the clinically-observed increased radiosensitivity of the pediatric brain. Protons were more effective than X-rays at the same dose, as also observed in clinical treatments. We conclude that radiation-induced brain image-changes can be attributed to aberrant CP formation, providing a new cellular mechanism and strategy for possible countermeasures.
Therapeutic Potential of Salidroside in Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction: Attenuation of Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis via Upregulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway
Authors: Li Zhenghao , Jia Bin , Guo Zhongkai , Zhang keqin , Li Ziheng , Fu Qiang
Published: October 2023

The primary objective of this research was to delve into the potential therapeutic advantages and intricate molecular mechanisms of salidroside in enhancing erectile function in rats afflicted with DMED, addressing both the animal and cellular dimensions. We utilized Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to establish DMED models and conduct an in vivo investigation. The DMED rats were treated with varying doses of salidroside and the effects of different doses of Salidroside on DMED were compared. The evaluation of erectile function involved the application of electrical stimulation to the cavernous nerves and the measurement of intracavernous pressure in real time. The penile tissue underwent histological examination and was subsequently analyzed through Western blotting. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was employed in the in vitro trial to induce an oxidative stress condition for the purpose of identifying alterations in cell viability. The CCK8 assay was used to measure the viability of CCSMCs treated with or without salidroside. Flow cytometry was utilized to detect alterations in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Apoptosis was assessed through Western blotting and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (Tunel) staining. Ultimately, we found that the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway may be upregulated by Salidroside, leading to the improvement of erectile function in diabetic male rats by alleviating oxidative stress,and reducing apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum tissue.
β-Cyclodextrin modified Nano γ-alumina Synthesized by Co-precipitation Method for Absorption Properties Improvement of Nano Alumina
Authors: Esfanjani Leila , Farhadyar Nazanin , Shahbazi Hamid Reza , Fathi Fereshteh
Published: October 2023

In recent years, an exponential trends in the field of nano absorbents synthesis for water pollution especially heavy metals has been observed. Herein, we report the synthesis of γ-alumina/ β-cyclodextrin nanostructure as heavy metal adsorbent by co-precipitation method and characterization by the Fourier Transmission Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X- ray powder Diffraction (XRD) and, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results of XRD and SEM showed nano γ-Al2O3/β-cyclodextrin with 20-30 nm. It has been demonstrated that this nanostructure can be perceived to be potential adsorbent for heavy metal adsorptions.
Benefit analysis of carbon emission reduction in the pilot construction of"zero-waste city " in Chongqing
Authors: Liu YueTing , Zhang Qiang , Xie WenHao , Yuan XiaoHong
Published: October 2023

The construction of "zero-waste city" is an effective program to realize China's reduction of pollution and carbon emissions and promote circular economy. In this paper, the carbon reduction potential of solid waste source reduction and disposal in Chongqing around the implementation of the Zero-waste city policy is calculated based on the emission factor method using the WARM model developed by the EPA. The results show that the carbon emisssion of waste producted of various types of solid waste is mainly concentrated in the field of general industrial solid waste and livestock and poultry manure, and the carbon emisssion reduction in disposal comes from five major types of waste: general industrial solid waste, construction waste, hazardous waste, livestock and poultry manure, and straw. The "Zero-waste city" policy is an effective program to achieve carbon emission reduction in Chongqing, increasing the proportion of recycling and reduce the amount of solid waste to landfill as far as possible is the key to emission reduction in all types of solid waste disposal process. The trend of carbon emission reduction in 2025 is predicted to decrease in both "BAU" and "PLAN" scenarios, which indicates that the upgrading and transformation of local industries and the scaling up of the recycling industry have achieved good carbon emission reduction benefits.