bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Subcutaneous soft tissue metastases from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation: Case report and literature review
Authors: Geng Xiaotao , Liu Jie , Sun Huimin , Song Zhenguo , Qin Shaoyong , Li Yang , Zhang Yanan , Hao Furong , Cai Yuanyuan
Published: August 2022

Background

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is the predominant subtype of esophageal cancer in China and so differs from presentations in Western countries. Common metastatic locations of esophageal cancer include the liver, lung, bone, and brain. In contrast, metastases in subcutaneous soft tissue are exceedingly rare.

Case presentation

We present the experience of a 57-year-old man with a complaint of hand and leg dysfunction on the right side. He had a past medical history of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Further imaging workup revealed a solitary brain metastasis, thickening of the esophageal wall, swollen lymph nodes in the mediastinum, and right adrenal gland metastasis. Gamma knife radiosurgery of the brain metastasis and intensity-modulated radiotherapy of the esophagus and lymph nodes were administered. After 1.5 months, he was admitted to our hospital again, and nodules were identified in the anterior abdominal wall and left posterior chest wall. Ultrasound, CT, and radical excision of the abdominal wall mass were undertaken and revealed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation. We administered immunotherapy followed by targeted therapy. A PET/CT scan was performed to identify other organ metastases; the scan revealed multiple areas of fluorodeoxyglucose uptake and foci in the esophagus, lung, liver, bone, and right adrenal gland; and in various lymph nodes. In addition, an intensely hypermetabolic lesion was localized in the left posterior thorax.

Conclusion

This case highlights the diagnosis and treatment of uncommon metastases of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. We hope that our clinical experience provides insights into these uncommon metastases.
Estimation risk of lymph nodal invasion in patients with early-stage cervical cancer: Cervical cancer application
Authors: Guani Benedetta , Gaillard Thomas , Teo-Fortin Ly-Ann , Balaya Vincent , Feki Anis , Paoletti Xavier , Mathevet Patrice , Plante Marie , Lecuru Fabrice
Published: August 2022

Introduction

Lymph node status is a major prognostic factor in early-stage cervical cancer. Predicting the risk of lymph node metastasis is essential for optimal therapeutic management. The aim of the study was to develop a web-based application to predict the risk of lymph node metastasis in patients with early-stage (IA1 with positive lymph vascular space invasion, IA2 and IB1) cervical cancer.

Materials and methods

We performed a secondary analysis of data from two prospective multicenter trials, Senticol 1 and 2 pooled together in the training dataset. The histological risk factors were included in a multivariate logistic regression model in order to determine the most suitable prediction model. An internal validation of the chosen prediction model was then carried out by a cross validation of the ‘leave one out cross validation’ type. The prediction model was implemented in an interactive online application of the ‘Shinyapp’ type. Finally, an external validation was performed with a retrospective cohort from L’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec in Canada.

Results

Three hundred twenty-one patients participating in Senticol 1 and 2 were included in our training analysis. Among these patients, 280 did not present lymph node invasion (87.2%), 13 presented isolated tumor cells (4%), 11 presented micrometastases (3.4%) and 17 macrometastases (5.3%). Tumor size, presence of lymph-vascular space invasion and stromal invasion were included in the prediction model. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve from this model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.79 (95% CI [0.69– 0.90]). The AUC from the cross validation was 0.65. The external validation on the Canadian cohort confirmed a good discrimination of the model with an AUC of 0.83.

Discussion

This is the first study of a prediction score for lymph node involvement in early-stage cervical cancer that includes internal and external validation. The web application is a simple, practical, and modern method of using this prediction score to assist in clinical management.
TMAO as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for chronic kidney disease: A review
Authors: Zixin Ye , Lulu Chen , Xiangchang Zeng , Qing Fang , Binjie Zheng , Chunyang Luo , Tai Rao , Dongsheng Ouyang
Published: August 2022

The gut microbiota and its metabolites have become a hotspot of recent research. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) metabolized by the gut microbiota is closely related to many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes, etc. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important contributor to morbidity and mortality from non-communicable diseases. Recently, increasing focus has been put on the role of TMAO in the development and progress of chronic kidney disease. The level of TMAO in patients with chronic kidney disease is significantly increased, and a high level of TMAO deteriorates chronic kidney disease. This article describes the relationship between TMAO and chronic kidney disease and the research progress of drugs targeted TMAO, providing a reference for the development of anti-chronic kidney disease drugs targeted TMAO.
Edaravone use in acute intracerebral hemorrhage: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Qin Mingzhen , Feng Luda , Yang Chinyu , Wei Dawei , Li Tingting , Jiang Ping , Guan Jinzhi , Zhang Xinyue , Shi Xinyi , Liang Ning , Lai Xinxing , Zhou Li , Zhang Chi , Gao Ying
Published: August 2022

Background: Edaravone alleviates neurological deficits among patients with intracerebral hemorrhage; however, its effects on mortality and long-term functional outcomes remain unknown.

Objective: To assess clinical outcomes associated with edaravone initiated within 7 days of symptoms onset in intracerebral hemorrhage.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CiNii, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese VIP information, Wanfang Data, and SinoMed for relevant randomized controlled trials from their inception to 1 May 2021 and conducted a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42019147801). All-cause mortality and long-term functional outcomes were taken as the primary outcomes.

Results: A total of 38 randomized controlled trials including 3,454 participants with acute intracerebral hemorrhage were included. The selected articles were of poor quality. Meta-analysis revealed that edaravone could not reduce all-cause mortality [relative risk (RR) = 0.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.11–2.32); p = 0.38]. No studies reported on long-term functional outcomes in those trials. In addition, edaravone alleviated neurological deficits [mean difference (MD) = −5.44; 95% CI (−6.44 to −4.44); p<0.00001], improved the activities of daily living [MD = 8.44; 95% CI (7.65–9.23); p<0.00001], reduced the hematoma volume [MD = −4.71; 95% CI (−5.86 to −3.56); p<0.00001], and increased treatment response [RR = 1.26; 95% CI (1.22–1.31); p<0.00001]. In terms of safety outcome, there was no significant difference between the edaravone group and the control groups [RR = 1.67; 95% CI (0.92 to 3.06); p = 0.09].

Conclusion: Till date, edaravone does not associate with mortality reduction when initiated within 7 days of intracerebral hemorrhage onset. The effect of edaravone on long-term functional outcomes remains unknown due to lack of data. Although edaravone alleviated neurological deficits, improved activities of daily living, and reduced hematoma volume, we cautiously interpreted the results owing to the overall poor quality and high heterogeneity of the included trials. Presently, the results are insufficient to support edaravone as a routine treatment option for acute intracerebral hemorrhage.
Screening for severe drug-drug interactions in patients with multiple sclerosis: A comparison of three drug interaction databases
Authors: Hecker Michael , Frahm Niklas , Bachmann Paula , Debus Jane Louisa , Haker Marie-Celine , Mashhadiakbar Pegah , Langhorst Silvan Elias , Baldt Julia , Streckenbach Barbara , Heidler Felicita , Zettl Uwe Klaus
Published: August 2022

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) often undergo complex treatment regimens, resulting in an increased risk of polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs). Drug interaction databases are useful for identifying pDDIs to support safer medication use.

Objective: To compare three different screening tools regarding the detection and classification of pDDIs in a cohort of MS patients. Furthermore, we aimed at ascertaining sociodemographic and clinical factors that are associated with the occurrence of severe pDDIs.

Methods: The databases Stockley’s, Drugs.com and MediQ were used to identify pDDIs by screening the medication schedules of 627 patients. We determined the overlap of the identified pDDIs and the level of agreement in pDDI severity ratings between the three databases. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine patient risk factors of having a severe pDDI.

Results: The most different pDDIs were identified using MediQ (n = 1,161), followed by Drugs.com (n = 923) and Stockley’s (n = 706). The proportion of pDDIs classified as severe was much higher for Stockley’s (37.4%) than for Drugs.com (14.4%) and MediQ (0.9%). Overall, 1,684 different pDDIs were identified by at least one database, of which 318 pDDIs (18.9%) were detected with all three databases. Only 55 pDDIs (3.3%) have been reported with the same severity level across all databases. A total of 336 pDDIs were classified as severe (271 pDDIs by one database, 59 by two databases and 6 by three databases). Stockley’s and Drugs.com revealed 47 and 23 severe pDDIs, respectively, that were not included in the other databases. At least one severe pDDI was found for 35.2% of the patients. The most common severe pDDI was the combination of acetylsalicylic acid with enoxaparin, and citalopram was the drug most frequently involved in different severe pDDIs. The strongest predictors of having a severe pDDI were a greater number of drugs taken, an older age, living alone, a higher number of comorbidities and a lower educational level.

Conclusions: The information on pDDIs are heterogeneous between the databases examined. More than one resource should be used in clinical practice to evaluate pDDIs. Regular medication reviews and exchange of information between treating physicians can help avoid severe pDDIs.
The link between English foreign language teacher’s professional identity and their critical thinking that leads to teacher’s success in the Chinese context: Leaders motivational language as a moderator
Authors: Ding Fangfang , Liu Xingyu , Amin Abdalla Alaa , Latif Khan Muhammad , Akram Fouzia
Published: August 2022

The purpose of this study is to examine the link between English foreign language teacher’s professional identity and employee success via mediating role of critical thinking. Further, we examined the moderating role of leader motivational language between employee professional identity and critical thing and also indirect effect on employee success via critical thinking. We collected data from Chinese MNC’s school by using time lagged study design. We used hierarchical linear regression for direct hypotheses and Hayes PROCESS model’s for mediation, moderation, and mediation moderation analysis. The results show that there is positive relation between employee’s professional identity and teacher’s success. Further, critical thinking mediates the link between professional identity and employee success. The results of the moderated mediation analysis show that critical thinking mediated the interaction of employee’s professional identity and leader’s motivational language on teacher’s success.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household financial asset allocation: A China population study
Authors: Jia Hongwen , Fan Shugang , Xia Miao
Published: August 2022

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government implemented a “dynamic zero” epidemic prevention policy, which led to an increase in the likelihood of business shutdowns, increased uncertainty about people's income, and changes in people's psychological expectations, which in turn influenced their behavioral choices. This study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 and other major public health emergencies on household financial asset allocation. To do so, we conducted an online survey of 712 people in China to measure household financial asset allocation behavior during three different time periods: pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and post-pandemic. At the same time, we analyzed the impact of sociodemographic characteristics on risk attitudes and the differences in household asset allocation decisions at different pre-pandemic time points among people with different risk attitudes. The results show that household financial asset allocation changed significantly before, during, and after the pandemic, and residents' precautionary savings increased. In addition, gender, education level, occupation, and annual income have significant effects on risk preferences. The pandemic leads to increased uncertainty in economic and social development, people's psychological expectations of economic development play an important role in household financial asset allocation.
The direct and indirect effects of length of hospital stay on the costs of inpatients with stroke in Ningxia, China, between 2015 and 2020: A retrospective study using quantile regression and structural equation models
Authors: Su Ming , Pan Dongfeng , Zhao Yuan , Chen Chen , Wang Xingtian , Lu Wenwen , Meng Hua , Su Xinya , Liang Peifeng
Published: August 2022

Importance

Length of hospital stay (LOHS) is the main cost-determining factor of hospitalization for stroke patients. However, previous analyses involving LOHS did not consider confounding or indirect factors, or the effects of other factors on LOHS and inpatient costs.

Objective

To investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on the hospitalization costs of inpatients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

Design, setting, and participants

This was a population-based, retrospective, and observational study that analyzed data acquired from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2015 and 2020 relating to ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in Ningxia, China.

Main outcomes and measures

Hospitalizations were identified by the International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10). Inpatient costs were described by the median M (P25, P75). We used a quantile regression model to estimate the linear relationships between a group of independent variables X and the quantile of the explained variable hospitalization cost (Y). A structural equation model (SEM) was then used to investigate the direct and indirect effects of LOHS on inpatient costs.

Results

The study included 129,444 patients with ischemic stroke and 15,525 patients with hemorrhagic stroke. The median LOHS was 10 (8–13) days for ischemic stroke and 15 (10–22) days for hemorrhagic stroke. The median M (P25, P75) of inpatient costs was $1020 (742–1545) for ischemic stroke and 2813 (1576–6191) for hemorrhagic stroke. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs was 0.795 in patients with ischemic stroke. The effect of yearof discharge (X4) and CCI (X8) on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through the LOHS. The indirect effect was −0.071 (84.52% of the total effect value) and 0.034 (69.39% of the total effect value), respectively. The total effect of LOHS on inpatient costs in patients with hemorrhagic stroke was 0.754. The influence of CCI on inpatient costs was dominated by an indirect effect through LOHS; the indirect effect value was −0.028 (77.78% of the total effect value). The payment type, surgery, method of discharge, and hospital level also exerted an impact on inpatient costs by direct and indirect effects through the LOHS.

Conclusions and relevance

Length of hospital stay (LOHS) was identified as the main factor influencing hospitalization costs. However, other social factors were shown to indirectly influence hospitalization costs through the LOHS. Taking effective measures to further reduce hospitalization costs remains an effective way to control hospitalization costs for stroke patients.
Scoping review of the current landscape of AI-based applications in clinical trials
Authors: Cascini Fidelia , Beccia Flavia , Causio Francesco Andrea , Melnyk Andriy , Zaino Andrea , Ricciardi Walter
Published: August 2022

Background

Clinical trials are essential for bringing new drugs, technologies and procedures to the market and clinical practice. Considering the design and the four-phase development, only 10% of them complete the entire process, partly due to the increasing costs and complexity of clinical trials. This low completion rate has a huge negative impact in terms of population health, quality of care and health economics and sustainability. Automating some of the process' tasks with artificial intelligence (AI) tools could optimize some of the most burdensome ones, like patient selection, matching and enrollment; better patient selection could also reduce harmful treatment side effects. Although the pharmaceutical industry is embracing artificial AI tools, there is little evidence in the literature of their application in clinical trials.

Methods

To address this issue, we performed a scoping review. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we performed a search on PubMed for articles on the implementation of AI in the development of clinical trials.

Results

The search yielded 772 articles, of which 15 were included. The articles were published between 2019 and 2022 and the results were presented descriptively. About half of the studies addressed the topic of patient recruitment; 12 articles reported specific examples of AI applications; five studies presented a quantitative estimate of the effectiveness of these tools.

Conclusion

All studies present encouraging results on the implementation of AI-based applications to the development of clinical trials. AI-based applications have a lot of potential, but more studies are needed to validate these tools and facilitate their adoption.
Digital finance development and manufacturing emission reduction: An empirical evidence from China
Authors: Yin Yikun
Published: August 2022

The implementation of carbon peak and carbon neutral goals cannot be achieved without the effective support of digital finance. This paper studies the inverted N-curve relationship between digital finance and carbon intensity, and identifies the emission reduction effects of digital finance development from the enterprise level. The study found that the development of digital finance has an inverted-N dynamic impact on the carbon intensity of the manufacturing industry. The emission reduction effects of the development of digital finance have typical multi-dimensional heterogeneous characteristics at the regional and enterprise levels. Mechanism analysis shows that the emission reduction effect of digital finance development depends on the combined effect of scale and technology. The initial stage of digital finance development can promote carbon emission reduction through the “scale effect” of reduction, and the digital finance development in the intermediate stage can increase carbon intensity through the “scale effect” of expansion, while long-term emission reductions can be achieved based on technological effect caused by the digital finance development in the mature stage.
Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Solving Coupled Stokes–Darcy Equation
Authors: Pu Ruilong , Feng Xinlong
Published: August 2022

In this paper, a grid-free deep learning method based on a physics-informed neural network is proposed for solving coupled Stokes–Darcy equations with Bever–Joseph–Saffman interface conditions. This method has the advantage of avoiding grid generation and can greatly reduce the amount of computation when solving complex problems. Although original physical neural network algorithms have been used to solve many differential equations, we find that the direct use of physical neural networks to solve coupled Stokes–Darcy equations does not provide accurate solutions in some cases, such as rigid terms due to small parameters and interface discontinuity problems. In order to improve the approximation ability of a physics-informed neural network, we propose a loss-function-weighted function strategy, a parallel network structure strategy, and a local adaptive activation function strategy. In addition, the physical information neural network with an added strategy provides inspiration for solving other more complicated problems of multi-physical field coupling. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified by numerical experiments.
SOC Estimation of Lithium-Ion Battery Based on Equivalent Circuit Model with Variable Parameters
Authors: Wang Qi , Gao Tian , Li Xingcan
Published: August 2022

The state of charge (SOC) of the battery is an important basis for the battery management system to perform state monitoring and control decisions. In this paper, by identifying the internal parameters of the battery model at different temperatures and SOCs of the lithium-ion battery, the specific factors that affect the change of the parameters are analyzed, the segmentation basis of the model and the fitting method of related parameters are discussed, the second-order equivalent circuit model of the lithium-ion battery whose parameters vary with SOC and temperature is established, the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is used to estimate the SOC of the lithium-ion battery, and an improved SOC estimation method based on optimized equivalent circuit model is proposed. Simulation and experimental results show that the improved SOC estimation strategy can obtain high estimation accuracy in a wide temperature range.
Inhibition of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Improves Acetylcholine-Mediated Relaxation in the Aorta of Type-2 Diabetic Rats
Authors: Mustapha Sagir , Azemi Ahmad Khusairi , Wan Ahmad Wan Amir Nizam , Rasool Aida Hanum Ghulam , Mustafa Mohd Rais , Mokhtar Siti Safiah
Published: August 2022

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to insulin resistance and macro- and microvascular complications associated with diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ER stress inhibition on endothelial function in the aorta of type-2 diabetic rats. Type-2 diabetes was developed in male Sprague–Dawley rats using a high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin. Rat aortic tissues were harvested to study endothelial-dependent relaxation. The mechanisms for acetylcholine-mediated relaxation were investigated using pharmacological blockers, Western blotting, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers. Acetylcholine-mediated relaxation was diminished in the aorta of diabetic rats compared to control rats; supplementation with TUDCA improved relaxation. In the aortas of control and diabetic rats receiving TUDCA, the relaxation was mediated via eNOS/PI3K/Akt, NAD(P)H, and the KATP channel. In diabetic rats, acetylcholine-mediated relaxation involved eNOS/PI3K/Akt and NAD(P)H, but not the KATP channel. The expression of ER stress markers was upregulated in the aorta of diabetic rats and reduced with TUDCA supplementation. The expression of eNOS and Akt were lower in diabetic rats but were upregulated after supplementation with TUDCA. The levels of MDA, IL-6, and SOD activity were higher in the aorta of the diabetic rats compared to control rats. This study demonstrated that endothelial function was impaired in diabetes, however, supplementation with TUDCA improved the function via eNOS/Akt/PI3K, NAD(P)H, and the KATP channel. The improvement of endothelial function was associated with increased expressions of eNOS and Akt. Thus, ER stress plays a crucial role in the impairment of endothelial-dependent relaxation. Mitigating ER stress could be a potential strategy for improving endothelial dysfunction in type-2 diabetes.
Potential Therapeutic Mechanism of Traditional Chinese Medicine on Diabetes in Rodents: A Review from an NMR-Based Metabolomics Perspective
Authors: Huang Yinli , Lu Jiahui , Zhao Qihui , Chen Junli , Dong Wei , Lin Minjie , Zheng Hong
Published: August 2022

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat diabetes for a long time, but its application has not been widely accepted due to unstandardized product quality and complex pharmacological mechanisms. The modernization of TCM is crucial for its further development, and in recent years the metabolomics technique has largely driven its modernization. This review focuses on the application of NMR-based metabolomics in diabetic therapy using TCM. We identified a series of metabolic pathways that altered significantly after TCM treatment, providing a better understanding of the metabolic mechanisms of TCM for diabetes care.
Nanobiotechnological Approaches to Enhance Drought Tolerance in Catharanthus roseus Plants Using Salicylic Acid in Bulk and Nanoform
Authors: Salem Dina , El-Garhy Hoda A. S. , Ismail Ismail A. , Dessoky Eldessoky S. , Samra Bassem N. , Shoala Tahsin
Published: August 2022

Drought has a detrimental effect on crop production, affecting economically important plants’ growth rates and development. Catharanthus roseus is an important medicinal plant that produces many pharmacologically active compounds, some of which have significant antitumor activity. The effect of bulk salicylic acid (SA) and salicylic acid nanoparticles (SA-NPs) were evaluated on water-stressed Catharanthus roseus plants. The results showed that SA and SA-NPs alleviated the negative effects of drought in the treated plants by increasing their shoot and root weights, relative water content, leaf area index, chlorophyll content, and total alkaloids percentage. From the results, a low concentration (0.05 mM) of SA-NPs exerted positive effects on the treated plants, while the best results of the bulk SA were recorded after using the highest concentration (0.1 mM). Both treatments increased the expression level of WRKY1, WRKY2, WRKY40, LEA, and MYC2 genes, while the mRNA level of MPKK1 and MPK6 did not show a significant change. This study discussed the importance of SA-NPs in the induction of drought stress tolerance even when used in low concentrations, in contrast to bulk SA, which exerts significant results only at higher concentrations.
Polyelectrolyte Precipitation: A New Green Chemistry Approach to Recover Value-Added Proteins from Different Sources in a Circular Economy Context
Authors: Gómez-García Ricardo , Vilas-Boas Ana A. , Vilas-Boas Ana Martins , Campos Débora A. , Pintado Manuela
Published: August 2022

Proteins have always been vital biological molecules used for industrial purposes, human nutrition and health. Nowadays, seeking new alternatives and sources of these biomolecules is becoming an increasing research trend derived from the present consumer awareness between food consumption and health promotion, but also on environmental sustainability. Although there are different consolidated/traditional downstream processes to obtain proteins, such as chromatography tools, alkali hydrolysis, precipitation by inorganic salts and organic solvents, their industrial-scale application still demands urgent innovation due to the poor recovery yields, high costs and time-consuming steps, environmental impact as well as some toxic concerns. Polyelectrolyte precipitation represents a green, innovative alternative for protein recovery; however, there are reduced data regarding its pilot or industrial-scale application. In this literature work, the action mechanism and principles with regards to its functionality and insights for its application on a big scale are reviewed. Overall, this review discusses the novelty and sustainability of protein precipitation by polyelectrolytes from different sources against traditional techniques as well as highlights the relationship between protein source, production relevance and bioactive properties that are key factors to maximize the application of this extractive method on a circular economy context.
Insights and Advancements in Biomaterials for Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry
Authors: Heboyan Artak , Zafar Muhammad Sohail , Rokaya Dinesh , Khurshid Zohaib
Published: August 2022

It is always difficult to avoid subjectivism in the assessment of the properties of prosthodontics materials due to the ambiguity in the evaluation criteria of dental research [...]
Composition, Color Stability and Antioxidant Properties of Betalain-Based Extracts from Bracts of Bougainvillea
Authors: Wu Qiang , Fu Xueying , Chen Zhuo , Wang Huafeng , Wang Jian , Zhu Zhixin , Zhu Guopeng
Published: August 2022

Betalains in bracts of Bougainvillea are of great application potential as natural food colorants and antioxidants. This study explored the color, spectra, composition, storage stability, and antioxidant properties of betalain-based Bougainvillea bracts extracts (BBEs) to verify their application value. The results showed that Bougainvillea bract color variance is due to varied contents and proportions of betacyanins (Bc) and betaxanthins (Bx). Bc or Bx alone determined hues of purple or yellow, respectively; the co-existence of Bc and Bx would produce varied hues of red. BBEs showed bright color and good antioxidant properties under a wide pH range. The pH range of 5–6 was optimal for the highest color stability, and pHs 3–8 were optimal for stronger antioxidants. Bc mainly underwent color fading during storage, while Bx easily produced dark precipitates or melanism under strong acidic (pH < 4) or alkaline conditions (pH > 8). However, Bougainvillea Bx showed 3–4 times higher antioxidant ability than Bc. Different considerations for Bc and Bx are needed for varied application purposes. The purple bracts containing only Bc would be more suitable as colorant sources, while additional Bx can bring enhancement of antioxidant ability and richness of Bougainvillea extract color.
Computer-Aided Screening of Phytoconstituents from Ocimum tenuiflorum against Diabetes Mellitus Targeting DPP4 Inhibition: A Combination of Molecular Docking, Molecular Dynamics, and Pharmacokinetics Approaches
Authors: Sajal Harshit , Patil Shashank M. , Raj Ranjith , Shbeer Abdullah M. , Ageel Mohammed , Ramu Ramith
Published: August 2022

Diabetes mellitus is a major global health concern in the current scenario which is chiefly characterized by the rise in blood sugar levels or hyperglycemia. In the context, DPP4 enzyme plays a critical role in glucose homeostasis. DPP4 targets and inactivates incretin hormones such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) as physiological substrates, which are essential to regulate the amount of insulin that is secreted after eating. Since the inactivation of incretins occurs, the hyperglycemic conditions continue to rise, and result in adverse physiological conditions linked with diabetes mellitus. Hence, inhibition of DPP4 has been the center of focus in the present antidiabetic studies. Although few DPP4 inhibitor drugs, such as alogliptin, saxagliptin, linagliptin, and sitagliptin, are available, their adverse effects on human metabolism are undeniable. Therefore, it becomes essential for the phytochemical intervention of the disease using computational methods prior to performing in vitro and in vivo studies. In this regard, we used an in-silico approach involving molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and binding free energy calculations to investigate the inhibitory potential of Ocimum tenuiflorum phytocompounds against DPP4. In this regard, three phytocompounds (1S-α-pinene, β-pinene, and dehydro-p-cymene) from O. tenuiflorum have been discovered as the potential inhibitors of the DPP4 protein. To summarize, from our in-silico experiment outcomes, we propose dehydro-p-cymene as the potential lead inhibitor of DPP4 protein, thereby discovering new a phytocompound for the effective management of hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus. The reported compound can be taken for in vitro and in vivo analyses in near future.
AdaSG: A Lightweight Feature Point Matching Method Using Adaptive Descriptor with GNN for VSLAM
Authors: Liu Ye , Huang Kun , Li Jingyuan , Li Xiangting , Zeng Zeng , Chang Liang , Zhou Jun
Published: August 2022

Feature point matching is a key component in visual simultaneous localization and mapping (VSLAM). Recently, the neural network has been employed in the feature point matching to improve matching performance. Among the state-of-the-art feature point matching methods, the SuperGlue is one of the top methods and ranked the first in the CVPR 2020 workshop on image matching. However, this method utilizes graph neural network (GNN), resulting in large computational complexity, which makes it unsuitable for resource-constrained devices, such as robots and mobile phones. In this work, we propose a lightweight feature point matching method based on the SuperGlue (named as AdaSG). Compared to the SuperGlue, the AdaSG adaptively adjusts its operating architecture according to the similarity of input image pair to reduce the computational complexity while achieving high matching performance. The proposed method has been evaluated through the commonly used datasets, including indoor and outdoor environments. Compared with several state-of-the-art feature point matching methods, the proposed method achieves significantly less runtime (up to 43× for indoor and up to 6× for outdoor) with similar or better matching performance. It is suitable for feature point matching in resource constrained devices.
SYSTEMATIC STRUCTURE OF BRIOFLORA OF BORIVSKY FORESTRY OF POLTAVA DISTRICT, POLTAVA REGION
Authors: Gapon S. , Kononenko O. , Gapon Yu.
Published: August 2022

The systematic structure of bryoflora of Borivsky forestry of Poltava district, Poltava region is analyzed in the article. According to the results of our research, it has been established that the species composition of bryophytes includes 71 species of bryophytes, which belong to two divisions, five classes, 14 orders, 25 families, 44 genera. The division Marchantiophyta is represented by six species, which belong to four families, five genera. Division Bryophyta is represented by 65 species belonging to 21 families, 39 genera. The taxonomic structure of the bryoflora is characterized by the predominance of small species.The range of leading families includes 12 families, numbering 57 species (80.28%), headed by the family Brachytheciaceae. In second and third place, respectively, are the families Dicranaceae, Polytrichaceae, (7 species). The forest character of the bryoflora is also indicated by species-silvants from the families Bryaceae, Hylocomiáceae, Hypnaseae, Lophocoleaceae, Mniaceae, Orthotrichaceae, Plagiotheciaseae. Pylaisiadelphaceae, Radulaceae and others. The presence of wetlands is evidenced by the presence in the studied bryoflora of species of the families Amblystegiaceae, Sphagnaceae.Further analysis of the bryoflora of Borivsky forestry will allow to establish its ecological-biological, biomorphological, ecological-coenotic and geographical features.
BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF NEW PERSPECTIVE RESERVES WITHIN POLTAVA TOWN TERRITORIAL COMMUNE
Authors: Davydov D. , Gomlya L.
Published: August 2022

The article includes a brief botanical description of three new proposal objects of Ukrainian nature reserve fund – «Zhukivskyi» and «Buhayivskyi» local landscape reserves and «Kostochky» local botanical reserve. These territories are one of the most valuable natural vegetation areas within Poltava town territorial commune and their creation will protect the localities of six plant species ftom «The Red Data Book of Ukraine» (Colchicum versicolor Ker Gawl., Crocus reticulatus Steven ex Adam, Tulipa quercetorum Klokov & Zoz, Stipa capillata L., Adonis vernalis L., Astragalus dasyanthus Pall.),22 regionally rare vascular plant species within Poltava region (Veratrum nigrum L., Iris aphylla L., Bellevalia speciosa Woronow, Hyacinthella leucophaea (K. Koch) Schur, Muscari neglectum Guss. ex Ten., Scilla siberica Haw., Convallaria majalis L., Aegilops cylindrica Host, Aconitum lasiostomum Rchb. ex Besser, Clematis integrifolia L., Lathyrus pannonicus (Jacq.) Garcke, Oxytropis pilosa (L.) DC., Prunus avium (L.) L., P. fruticosa Pall., Rosa chrshanovskii Dubovik, Dianthus eugeniae Kleopow, Asyneuma canescens (Waldst. & Kit.) Griseb. & Schenk, Campanula persicifolia L., Aster bessarabicus Bernh. ex Rchb., Cota tinctoria (L.) J. Gay, Jurinea multiflora (L.) B. Fedtsch., Valeriana officinalis L.) and three rare associations of the steppe vegetation (Stipetum capillatae purum, Stipetum (capillatae) festucosum (valesiacae), S. koeleriosum (macranthae)) from the one formation included in «The Green Data Book of Ukraine». The location, area, main vegetation types, number of rare plants species and rare associations were indicated for all proposed reserves.
PECULIARITIES OF THE MESOSTRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE LEAF AND ANATOMICAL STRUCTURE OF THE TOBACCO STEM UNDER THE ACTION OF GROWTH INHIBITORS
Authors: Rohach V. , Talalayeva O. , Kuryata V. , Rohach T.
Published: August 2022

Tobacco plants of Ternopil 14 variety were treated with gibberellin inhibitors 2-CEPA, EW-250 and CCC-750. Under the influence of antigibberellins, the leaf blades of tobacco thickened due to the growth of chlorenchyma. The greatest increase in leaf thickness was found after the use of 2-CEPA and EW-25. These same drugs increased the volume of the cells of the columnar parenchyma. The size of the cells of the spongy parenchyma under the action of gibberellin inhibitors was reduced significantly.CCC-750 was found to increase the number of epidermal cells per unit abaxial leaf surface, while 2-CEPA and EW-250 decreased. All growth inhibitors reduced the number of stomata and increased the area of the stomata. All drugs thickened the layer of the primary periderm, and retardants thickened the layer of the collenchyma. EW-250 increased the size of sclerenchymal fiber cells, while other drugs reduced them. All antigibberellins thickened the membranes of sclerenchyma cells. Ethylene producer increased the thickness of the layer of the secondary periderm, and other drugs reduced this figure. EW-250 increased, 2-CEPA decreased, and CCC-750 did not change the thickness of the xylem layer. The diameter of the largest vessels decreased with 2-CEPA and CCC-750 and did not change after treatment with EW-250.
Ajo sobre los parámetros productivos y morfometría intestinal en cuyes
Authors: Cuenca Condoy Mercy del Cisne , Iñiguez Heredia Franklin Alfredo , Naula Camas Jenny Margarita , Vega Cárdenas Lisseth Estefanía
Published: August 2022

Ciertas propiedades del ajo, tienen la facultad de actuar como alimento para las diversas bacterias buenas del intestino, generando interés de estudio. Se evaluó el efecto prebiótico del ajo sobre los parámetros productivos y morfometría intestinal en cuyes, utilizando 90 cobayos machos destetados, distribuidos bajo un Diseño Completo Aleatorio en tres tratamientos: T0 (Testigo), T1 (Ajo 0,5%), T2 (Ajo 1%) por kilo de concentrado, incluyendo tres repeticiones por tratamiento y diez animales por repetición. Las variables estudiadas fueron: incremento de peso, consumo de alimento, eficiencia alimenticia, rendimiento a la canal, porcentaje de mortalidad, altura y ancho de vellosidad intestinal, y profundidad de criptas de Lieberkühn. El programa nutricional, plan sanitario y parámetros ambientales del galpón fue similar para todas las unidades experimentales. Los resultados no reportaron diferencia estadística significativa (p>0.05) entre tratamientos sobre los parámetros productivos de los cobayos y morfometría intestinal; no obstante, se determinó diferencia numérica, siendo el tratamiento T2 (Ajo 1%) quien consiguió los mejores parámetros morfométricos y productivos de los cobayos a partir de la tercera semana del experimento. Se concluye que, la adición del ajo en la ración alimenticia de los cobayos, ejerce impacto positivo sobre el comportamiento productivo y morfometría intestinal de los cuyes.
Alteração da força elástica de meias de compressão de uso médico, novas e após ciclos de lavagem
Authors: De Azevedo Carlos Alberto Gomes , Da Costa Sirlene Maria , Benassi Jean Cesar , Da Costa Silgia Aparecida
Published: August 2022

A terapia de compressão aplicada através do uso de meias elásticas é um tratamento considerado efetivo pela comunidade médica. A compressão que atua na interface entre as meias e as pernas é gerada pela força elástica criada pelo alongamento das diferentes estruturas têxteis das meias. Este trabalho evidenciou as alterações da força elástica de 3 tipos de meias novas ao longo do tempo em que estas estão alongadas em dispositivo especial e comparou esses valores àqueles obtidos em mesmos tipos de meias que foram submetidos a 50 ciclos de lavagem. As amostras foram alongadas em 40% utilizando um dispositivo do tipo ponta-bola conforme a norma ASTM D6797-15, tendo sido medidas as forças elásticas geradas nas regiões correspondentes ao tornozelo e à panturrilha. De modo geral, foram verificadas forças elásticas maiores na região do tornozelo do que na panturrilha. A força elástica das meias medidas logo após o alongamento vai diminuindo ao longo do tempo em percentuais que variam entre 16% e 28% após 3 horas de teste. Para 2 dos 3 tipos de meias, as 50 lavagens realizadas fizeram com que as forças elásticas tivessem um aumento de até 27%, principalmente aquelas forças medidas nos primeiros minutos de ensaio. Em um dos tipos de meia houve uma pequena diminuição da força elástica em função das lavagens, cujo percentual máximo foi de 5%.
Experimentos de baixo custo em eletricidade e magnetismo para o ensino médio
Authors: Fernandes Junior Alfredo Sotto , Arcanjo Filho Miguel
Published: August 2022

O presente trabalho descreve algumas experiências, sobre conceitos de eletromagnetismo, realizadas com turmas da terceira série do ensino médio em escolas do Rio de Janeiro. As experiências foram feitas com materiais de baixo custo e de fácil aquisição. Procura desenvolver nos alunos o gosto pelas práticas experimentais, tentando criar condições para que os conceitos físicos tenham significação real e concreta para esses alunos. Optou-se, neste trabalho, num primeiro momento, pela simples apresentação de tais experimentos, mostrando como podem ser de fácil construção em um tempo reduzido, sem comprometer a qualidade das demonstrações envolvidas. Portanto não discutiremos aqui os resultados de tais atividades junto aos alunos. Para apresentação do conceito de campo elétrico foi utilizado um gerador de alta diferença de potencial de baixo custo e um equipamento de fácil construção para ilustrar as linhas equipotenciais. Na eletrodinâmica, um quadro de lâmpadas foi construído utilizando componentes muito baratos como leds, e pilhas comuns e usando uma entrada USB como fonte de tensão. No magnetismo os campos magnéticos foram ilustrados com limalha de ferro produzida de forma bem simples. Para apresentação do eletromagnetismo foi realizada uma experiência de fácil execução que permite ilustrar a Lei de Lenz e a Lei de Faraday-Neumann.
Uso da plataforma Moodle na educação ambiental: uma revisão sistemática de literatura
Authors: De Oliveira Maria Sinária Laveredo , Palma Reginaldo Manrique , De Oliveira Edenis Cesar
Published: August 2022

Com o objetivo de identificar textos cujo foco de estudo relacionasse a temática da Educação Ambiental (EA) com o uso da plataforma digital Moodle, esta pesquisa lançou mão da Revisão Sistemática de Literatura (RSL) a fim de alcançar o objetivo proposta. A pesquisa foi realizada no Google Scholar com o período definido de 2017 a 2021. A primeira etapa de busca resultou num conjunto de 1.220 documentos a partir da inserção dos critérios pré-estabelecidos. Na segunda etapa, que resultou em 31 documentos, foram excluídas publicações de eventos acadêmicos-científicos (anais), documentos de repositórios institucionais (dissertações e teses). Por fim, na terceira etapa, considerou-se somente os artigos que contivessem pelo menos uma das seguintes palavras-chave, “Ambiente de Aprendizagem Virtual” + “Educação Ambiental”, “Ambientes Virtuais” + “Ambiental” + “Moodle” + “Ciências”, o que reduziu o conjunto analítico a três artigos. Embora a EaD tenha crescido significativamente, não se observou o mesmo avanço no uso do AVA (Moodle) em formação, treinamento e capacitação de crianças, jovens e adultos no que se refere à temática ambiental.
Perfil sociodemográfico e clínico-obstétrico de mulheres diagnosticadas com doença trofoblástica gestacional
Authors: Barreto Andrezza Silvano , Pereira Emanuelly Vieira , de Melo Ana Virginia Fialho , Vidal Cláudia Rejane Pinheiro Maciel , Dos Santos Cristina Poliana Rolim Saraiva , Castro Régia Christina Moura Barbosa
Published: August 2022

Doença trofoblástica gestacional (DTG) é um grupo heterogêneo de distúrbios associados à gravidez, manifestados por proliferação anômala de tecido trofoblástico. Objetivou-se apresentar o perfil sociodemográfico e clínico-obstétrico de mulheres diagnosticadas com DTG. Trata-se de pesquisa descritiva, retrospectiva, transversal, documental com abordagem quantitativa realizada em um hospital de referência em Fortaleza, Ceará, Brasil. A população foi composta por todas as pacientes diagnosticadas com DTG no período de dezembro de 2017 a 2018, sendo a mostra composta por 110 mulheres. A coleta de dados ocorreu de janeiro a julho de 2019. Utilizou-se instrumento composto por dados sociodemográficos, aspectos clínicos e seguimento ambulatorial. Os resultados foram apresentados descritivamente e em tabelas. As participantes encontravam-se com idade mínima 14 e máxima 49, predominantemente com ensino médio completo (38,2%), ocupação do lar (39,1%), parceiro/a sexual (62,7%) e 57,3% eram da região metropolitana ou interiorana. Quanto aos dados obstétricos, as participantes tiveram como média as variáveis gestação de 2,4, parto de 1,12 e aborto de 0, 75. Quanto aos sinais e sintomas, 72,7% apresentaram dor em baixo ventre, 91,8% referiram algum tipo de secreção transvaginal, 20% tiveram hiperêmese gravídica, 2,7% desenvolveram pré-eclâmpsia, em 57,3% apresentaram vólume abdominal aumentado, 18,2% expeliram as vesículas, 20% desenvolveram cistose ovariana e em 78,2% evidenciaram níveis elevados de β-HCG. Conclui-se que os dados sociodemográficos e clínico obstétricos estão em consonância com a literatura encontrada. O procedimento de resolução da patologia é o indicado pela literatura, evidenciando uma excelente assistência prestada.