bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Methylene Blue Removal Using Modified PGMA Powder as a Low-Cost Sorbent in Batch Mode: Kinetic and Equilibrium Studies
Authors: Kara Gülnihal , Temel Farabi , Özaytekin İlkay
Published: August 2023

Industrial textile wastewater contains large amounts of cationic dye material. Therefore, a new adsorbent was synthesized as modified poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (mPGMA) with a fluorine group-containing compound 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP). mPGMA was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). The proposed adsorbent has been used to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions by the adsorption process. In further experiments, the removal efficiency of sorbent in both powder (˂600 µm) and granular form was compared from aqueous solutions by adsorption process. Furthermore, the effects of changing parameters such as adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH, temperature, and initial dye concentration on methylene blue adsorption were investigated. Also, Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherms have been used to describe the equilibrium characteristics of adsorption. Finally, the experimental data fitted well by Langmuir isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 17.5 mg g− 1. The experimental data were applied to pseudo-first and second-order models. The experimental results were better fitted for the pseudo-second-order model than the other model. Consequently, the experimental results showed that mPGMA is a suitable low-cost adsorbent with great potential benefit in removing methylene blue from aqueous solutions.
Alterations of the gut microbiota in patients with postherpetic neuralgia
Authors: Jiao Bo , Cao Xueqin , Zhang Caixia , Zhang Wencui , Yu Shangchen , Zhang Mi , Zhang Xianwei
Published: August 2023

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a prevalent, intricate, and intractable form of neuropathic pain. The available evidence indicates that alterations in the gut microbiota are significant environmental determinants in the development of chronic neuropathic pain. Nevertheless, the correlation between the gut microbiota and PHN remains elusive. A cross-sectional study was performed on a cohort of 27 patients diagnosed with PHN and 27 matched healthy controls. Fecal samples were collected and subjected to microbiota analysis using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Comparable levels of bacterial richness and diversity were observed in the gut microbiota of PHN patients and healthy controls. A significant difference was observed in 37 genera between the two groups. Furthermore, the LEfSe method revealed that the abundance levels of Escherichia-Shigella, Streptococcus, Ligilactobacillus, and Clostridia_UCG-014_unclassified were elevated in PHN patients, while Eubacterium_hallii_group, Butyricicoccus, Tyzzerella, Dorea, Parasutterella, Romboutsia, Megamonas, and Agathobacter genera were reduced in comparison to healthy controls. Significantly, the discriminant model utilizing the predominant microbiota exhibited efficacy in distinguishing PHN patients from healthy controls, with an area under the curve value of 0.824. Moreover, Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated noteworthy correlations between various gut microbiota and clinical symptoms, including disease course, anxiety state, sleep quality, heat pain, pain intensity, and itching intensity. Gut microbiota dysbiosis exists in PHN patients, microbiome differences could be used to distinguish PHN patients from normal healthy individuals with high sensitivity and specificity, and altered gut microbiota are related to clinical manifestations, suggesting potentially novel prevention and therapeutic directions of PHN.
Dietary factors and the risk of urolithiasis: A Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Li Xing , Zhang Lei , Li Yanjun , Lu Tefei , Zhou Libin
Published: August 2023

Background
Observational studies have indicated that dietary factors are correlated with the risk of developing urolithiasis. However, the potential factors contributing to this association remain unclear. Therefore, we adopted the Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis for assessing the causal relationship of dietary factors with the risk of developing urolithiasis.
Methods
A two-sample MR analysis (univariable MR and multivariable MR) was performed to study the association of several dietary factors (processed meat, beef, pork, poultry, lamb, non-oily fish, oily fish, tea, fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, cheese, cereal, as well as alcoholic drinks) with the risk of developing urolithiasis. The exposure data were acquired from the UK biobank and published genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and the obtained outcome data were from the FinnGen database. For the purpose of assessing the causal association, we adopted inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median methods.
Results
The MR analysis demonstrated that several genetically predicted dietary factors, including fresh fruit intake the odds ratio (OR) = 0.507; 95% confidence interval [CI] = < 0.258, 0.995>; p = 0.048), and tea intake (OR = 0.561; 95% CI = < 0.351, 0.898>; p = 0.016) decreased the risk of urolithiasis. Multivariable MR revealed fresh fruits and tea intake affected the risk of developing urolithiasis to varying degrees after adjusting the excretion of citrate, urate, calcium, and phosphate.
Conclusion
Our findings offer the first genetic evidence of the causality of genetically predicted fresh fruits and tea intake with the risk of developing urolithiasis. Our results suggest that tea and fresh fruit consumption can be used as preventive measures for urolithiasis.
Attitude of European Citizens towards Biodiversity Issues in Germany
Authors: Agyemang Richard , Dong Liang , Mahmoud Hatem , Wuni Ibrahim Yahaya , Akpor Rexford-Newton , Lamptey Eunice Naa Odarley
Published: August 2023

The study aimed to explore the attitudes of Europeans, with a specific focus on the German population, towards biodiversity issues. Data from the Eurobarometer database was used to gain insights into public perceptions regarding biodiversity-related concerns. The findings revealed that gender plays a significant role in shaping attitudes towards biodiversity among German citizens, underscoring the importance of considering gender as a crucial factor when addressing biodiversity concerns. This result suggests that men and women possess differing perspectives, values, and levels of engagement with biodiversity issues. Moreover, the study observed a more positive attitude towards biodiversity among younger individuals, indicating a generational shift towards heightened environmental awareness and concern. Additionally, highly educated individuals exhibited more favorable attitudes, likely due to their increased exposure to environmental education and awareness programs. Surprisingly, unemployed individuals expressed positive attitudes, possibly because of their increased leisure time and engagement with nature. Understanding these gender differences can aid in developing targeted strategies and interventions to foster positive attitudes and engagement in biodiversity conservation. However, the study acknowledges certain limitations and calls for future research to address these limitations and explore potential interactions between variables. This would contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how various factors impact attitudes towards biodiversity.
Synergistic effects between adsorption and chemical reduction towards the effective Cr(Ⅵ) removal in the presence of the sulfur-doped biochar material
Authors: Ma Rui , Xu Xiangning , Zhang Yichu , Zhang Dandan , Ping Xiangguo , Chen Yongjun , Qian Jin , Yi Shouliang
Published: August 2023

As the major by-products of municipal sewage treatment, the waste activated sludge (WAS) gives rise to secondary pollution to the environment and threatens human health without proper disposal. On the other side, hexavalent chromium (Cr(Ⅵ)) is among the 17 chemicals that pose the most detrimental effects to human beings. Herein, the anaerobic sludge withdrawn from thickener in a sewage treatment plant served as the precursor for sludge-based bichoar fabrication, which was further modified via the sulfur (S) heteroatom doping (i.e. S-BC). The S atom doping resulted in the adjustment of the physicochemical properties towards the carbon material, endowment of abundant functional groups on biochar surface, as well as increasing the binding sites between biochar and Cr(Ⅵ). Compared to the primary biochar (i.e. biochar without heteroatomic doping, named BC), S-BC exhibiting the rough surface, had remarkable advantages in ash content, specific surface area, and pore volume. and its specific surface area was 16.7 m2/g, which was significantly larger than BC-500 (9.4 m2/g). The existence of graphene carbon crystal structure for S-BC was confirmed through S-BC by XRD and FTIR analysis. The removal of Cr(Ⅵ) efficiency by S-BC could reach 91.8% under initial Cr(Ⅵ) concentration of 30 mg/L, S-BC amount of 0.8 g and pH of 3.0. The analysis of adsorption kinetics and isotherms showed that pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir model more fitted the results of of Cr(Ⅵ) removal behavior in the presence of S-BC. Therefore, the chemisorption and monolayer adsorption were the primary mechanisms involved in the Cr(Ⅵ) removal process. Additionally, XPS analysis results illustrated the aqueous Cr(Ⅵ) was efficiently eliminated through the synergistic effect of chemisorption and reduction to Cr(Ⅲ) in the presence of S-BC. Moreover, S-BC could still achieve the Cr(VI) eliminating efficiency of 85.31% after five cycles with functional group and crystal structure almost unchanged.
Enhancing Cell Growth with PAN/PVA-Gelatin 3D Scaffold: A Novel Approach using In-situ UV Radiation Electrospinning and Plasma Treatment
Authors: Khavari Rahimeh , Jahanfar Mehdi , Anaghizi Saeed Javadi , Khademi Ahmad , Farivar Shirin , Ghomi Hamid
Published: August 2023

The hydrophobic nature of synthetic polymers poses a substantial barrier since it limits cell-seeding and proliferation scaffold performance. To overcome this challenge, the present research attempts to employ in-situ UV electrospinning and plasma surface modification techniques to fabricate a three-dimensional PAN/PVA-gelatin scaffold. The proposed scaffold holds great potential in mitigating hydrophobicity limitations, thereby facilitating enhanced cell adhesion and proliferation. The SEM results indicated that exposure to UV irradiation resulted in the formation of wavy shapes in the PAN microstructures and crosslinking between fibers within the scaffold. Moreover, plasma treatment induced the formation of pores on the PAN surface, with an average diameter of 43 µm, corresponding to the size range of mouse fibroblast cells. Furthermore, the plasma treatment provided roughness augmentation of the scaffold surface, which played a crucial role in enhancing cell adhesion and elongation on the modified scaffold surface. Comparatively, the plasma-modified scaffolds exhibited a higher proportion of viable cells than the unmodified scaffolds (p < 0.05). Moreover, the implementation of perforations in the PAN layer via plasma treatment reduced the number of necrosis cells in comparison to the other samples. In contrast, the unmodified scaffold showed a higher percentage of apoptosis cells (p < 0.05).
Predictors of cognitive performance in healthy older adults
Authors: Bugallo-Carrera César , Dosil-Díaz Carlos , Pereiro Arturo X. , Anido-Rifón Luis , Gandoy-Crego Manuel
Published: August 2023

Human aging is a physiological, progressive, heterogeneous global process that causes a decline of all body systems, functions, and organs. Throughout this process, cognitive function suffers an incremental decline with broad interindividual variability. The first objective of this study was to examine the differences in cognitive performance per gender and the relationship between cognitive performance and the variables age, years of schooling, and depressive symptoms. The second objective was to identify predictor factors for global cognitive performance and of the domains orientation, language, memory, attention/calculation, visuospatial and executive function, abstraction, and identification. Five hundred seventy-three (573) cognitively healthy older adults aged ≥ 50 years were included in the study. The sociodemographic GDS-15 questionnaire and the Spanish version of the MoCA Test (v 7.3) were administered to assess depression symptoms and evaluate cognitive performance, respectively. Differences in cognitive performance per gender was assessed with Student's t-test for independent samples. The bivariate Pearson correlation was applied to examine the relationship between total scoring of cognitive performance and the variables age, years of schooling, and depressive symptoms. Different linear multiple regression analyses were performed to determine predictive variables for cognitive performance. We found gender-related cognitive performance differences. An association between age, years of schooling, and severity of depressive symptoms was observed. Age, years of schooling, and severity of depressive symptoms allow predicting cognitive performance, while gender does not.
Integrative analysis of the Quality of Work Life in critical care units
Authors: Rozo Laura del Pilar Quiñones , Erazo Gladys Eugenia Canaval
Published: August 2023

Background
Health professionals in many parts of the world are cases, work in precarious conditions and intend to migrate to other countries in search of better living conditions for themselves and their families, which results in inadequate distribution worldwide and in the quality of care throughout the health system, which can ultimately influence the quality of life of patients in their health-disease processes.
Purpose
To analyze what quality of life at work is like for the health workforce in adult critical care (ACC) from an integrative approach.
Methods
This is an investigation of convergent parallel mixed methods that are integrated by means of a matrix in terms of convergence, divergence and complementarity. Two simultaneous moments of an analytical transversal type and another in narrative are included. Three instruments were applied to 209 Human Talent in Health to study the relationship among the Quality of Life at Work, exposure to psychosocial risks, compassion fatigue and the intention to rotate, and organizational practices in critical care were explored from the experiences narrated by 10 participants.
Results
The health workforce is dissatisfied with the management of their free time (77%). An unfavorable aspect for health is associated with the pace of work (84%), and there is an intention to migrate to another country (66%); they have high compassion satisfaction (67%). The narrative results in discrimination/harassment as normalized practices and faceless spirituality. The integration of mixed methods shows convergence between the use of the instrument that measures quality of life at work and the narratives of the participants, complementarity with the other instruments, and divergence regarding the intention to rotate to another health institution.
Conclusion
This study highlights the fact that the healthcare workforce is highly engaged, resilient, and adaptive in favor of an organizational culture that resists leaving the critical care ranks for a limited time.
Did COVID-19 affect the loss to follow-up in long-term periodontal treatment: A retrospective study based on phone call survey
Authors: Wang Mengli , Xu Yuxin , Fang Wen , Pan Weiyi , Wang Qianting
Published: August 2023

Background
COVID-19 and the subsequent intermittent lockdown measures from 2020 to 2022 in China critically disrupted regular medical activities, including dental care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on long-term follow-up at the Stomatology Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine and to evaluate potential causes of loss to follow-up.
Methods
A retrospective phone call survey based on a questionnaire of 19 questions was conducted among patients who met the eligibility criteria. Data were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis using R (v4.2.3) software.
Results
A total of 536 (50.47%) valid questionnaires were collected from 1062 patients. Personal factors (42.5%), instead of the COVID-19 epidemic (20.0%), were the main factors that impacted the loss to follow-up in long-term periodontal treatment, while work factors (19.8%), hospital factors (16.4%), and transportation or distance factors (14.7%) were all important factors. A family history of periodontitis [odds ratio (OR) = 0.603, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.414–0.878, p = 0.008)], as well as frequent use of dental devices (OR = 0.539, 95% CI: 0.371–0.784, p = 0.001), were significantly associated with a "negative" attitude toward follow-up visits.
Conclusion
This survey suggests that COVID-19 epidemic factors contributed to the loss to follow-up of periodontitis patients, but the subjective personal factor of lack of periodontal health awareness of the individual remained the most important reason. Patients had mostly negative attitudes toward subsequent continued participation in supportive care, something that was even more pronounced among patients with a family history of periodontitis and among those with better oral hygiene habits.
Utilization and Outcome of Abnormal 2PN Human Embryos
Authors: Li Heng-li , Wang Yan , Shan Xu-dong , Liang Xin , Zhao Qing-mei , Yang Xian-ying , Lv Zi-li
Published: August 2023

OBJECTIVE
There are not a few embryos derived from abnormal 2PN zygotes or embryo. For patients with non-normal available embryos, whether such embryos are discarded or continue to be transplanted have always been a concern of clinicians. This paper conducts research and analysis on this issue.
STUDY DESIGN:
This is a retrospective control study. All data collected was based on two IVF center between July 2011 and July 2021. We analyzed the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate derived from four kinds of abnormal 2PN embryos transplanted at the cleavage phases or blastocyst phases over the past 10 years. These data were statistically analyzed compared with the normal 2PN control group.
RESULTS
Among 50271 zygotes or embryos obtained from oocyte retrieval, 2PN, 0PN, 1PN,MNB and SERa accounted for 58.02%, 13.77%, 4.93%, 0.78% and 0.54%, respectively. After the transplantation of 3250 frozen-thawed cleavage embryos included in the study criteria, the clinical pregnancy rates of 2PN, 0PN, 1PN,MNB and SERa were: 48.6%, 18.6%, 12.4%, 25.5%, 10.7%, and the live birth rates were: 41.9%, 13.1%, 10.0%, 20.8%, 8.0%, respectively. After the transplantation of 3618 frozen-thawed blastocysts included in the study criteria, the clinical pregnancy rates of 2PN, 0PN, 1PN,MNB and SERa were: 59.4%, 48.3%, 47.6%, 51.7%, 53.1%, and the live birth rates were: 50.3%, 38.9%, 40.1%, 43.2%, 42.9%, respectively. Further analysis showed that the live birth rate of0PN, 1PN,MNB and SERacleavage embryo transplantation was only 19.1%-49.6%of normal 2PN cleavage embryo, while the live birth rate of 0PN, 1PN,MNB and SERablastocyst transplantation was 77.3%-85.9% of normal 2PN blastocyst.
CONCLUSION
When no normal 2PN embryos are available for transplantation, abnormal 2PN embryos are transplanted after being cultured to the blastocyst and the live birth rate close to that of a normal 2PN embryo can be obtained.
SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among healthcare workers in Haiti, December 2021
Authors: MICHEL Edwige , Jean-Denis Gladzdin , Denis Hetsner , Bouilly Roberta , Pierre Jean Samuel , Lafontant Donald , Alboth Jocelyne André , Pierre Manise , Dély Patrick , Boncy Jacques , Birmingham Maureen , Marseille Samson
Published: August 2023

Background: Healthcare workers are an exposed group for SARS-CoV-2, and this exposure is a public health priority. Transmission can occur from infected patients to staff and from infected staff to patients and co-workers, thus undermining the health care system. This study estimated the seroprevalence in this population and identified some associated factors.
Methods: We analyzed the exposure of healthcare workers in ten (10) large hospitals providing care to patients with COVID-19 by testing for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Potential risk factors such as age, vaccination history, and barrier measures such as masking were explored through a questionnaire.
Results: From December 06 to 15, 2021, among 3743 health care workers in major hospitals providing care to patients with COVID-19, a sample of 566 had received serological testing for SARS-CoV-2. The mean age was 39 years, 62% were female, and approximately 12% had hypertension. The vast majority did not reveal any signs or symptoms compatible with COVID-19, and 62% had already received the anti-COVID-19 vaccine.
The national prevalence regardless of vaccination status was 44%, with a predominance of male gender, age group 60 and older, and the Western Department. The prevalenceamong unvaccinated persons was 11.59%, and never wearing masks was associated with an increased risk of developing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.
Conclusion: Among health care workers, COVID-19 affects both sexes with a female predominance. The age group over 60 years is the most affected, and not wearing a mask is a risk factor associated with virus detection.
Smart City Construction and Urban Green Development: Empirical Evidence from China
Authors: Zhang Youzhi , Liu Yinke , Zhao Jing , Wang Jingyi
Published: August 2023

Smart city construction represents an advanced stage of China's urbanisation process and plays an important role in promoting green economic growth and sustainable development. Propensity score matching is combined with the difference-in-difference method to analyse the data of 221 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2020 to assess the impact of smart city construction on urban green development. We found that smart city construction can significantly contribute to urban green development; this contribution has long-term benefits. Further analysis shows that smart city construction promotes urban green development via industrial structure and green technology innovation and that smart city construction has a significant positive spatial spillover effect, i.e., it promotes urban green development locally while significantly contributing to urban green development in neighbouring regions.
Identification of lncRNA expression profiles associated with ovarian development and ageing process in mice
Authors: Chen Siyuan , Zhou Zixue , Yang Xi , Pan Yuncheng , Liu Renbin , Mo Jitong , Jallow Muhammed Boye , Zhang Feng , Wu Yanhua
Published: August 2023

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) participates in various biological processes, however, neither the expression profile nor the biological role of lncRNAs in mammalian ovaries has been fully studied. In this work, the lncRNA transcriptomic analysis of postnatal mice ovaries was performed by using bulk RNA sequencing in C57BL/6 mice. A total of 5,302 lncRNAs were found in mouse ovaries, and 1836 lncRNAs were differentially expressed during the development and ageing process, of which targets were enriched in the developmental process, reproduction, etc. Developmental stage specific lncRNAs showed functions in system development, inflammatory response, myeloid leukocyte activation, etc. Moreover, a co-expression network analysis based on reproduction-related genes reveals lncRNAs that may regulate multiple mRNA targets in ovaries, including Neat1, Gm11613 and Gm43915. Two cis-acting lncRNAs, Ptgs2os and Gm14705, showed correlated expression pattern with their potential targets Ptgs2 and Aff2 respectively, and these lncRNA-mRNA pairs were conserved in mice and humans. WGCNA further identified 10 co-expressed modules with distinct expression patterns associated with ovarian development and ageing. Taken together, our results reveal a transcriptomic profile of mouse ovaries over the reproductive lifespan, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms of ovarian development and ageing.
Mutating BnEOD1 via CRISPR-Cas9 increases the seed size and weight in Brassica napus
Authors: Gu Jianwei , Chen Jiayin , Zhao Chenqi , Hong Dengfeng
Published: August 2023

Seed weight, which is highly positively correlated to seed size, considered as a critical agronomic trait that determines the plant yield of Brassica napus. However, there have been limited researches on the genes involved in regulating seed size. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ENHANCER OF DA1 (EOD1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase gene, has been identified as a significant negative regulator in controlling organ size, but the function of its homologues in rapeseed remains unknown. Only two homologous of EOD1 have been found In B.napus. In this study, these two homologous of EOD1, BnaEOD1.A04 and BnaEOD1.C04, were mutated by the CRISPR-Cas9 system. Three T-DNA-free lines, T2-157-1-C8, T2-390-2-B8 and T2-397-2-E2, were identified from the homozygous T2 mutant lines. The BnaEOD1.A04 showed a similar type of editing in these mutants, whereas the BnaEOD1.C04 in T2-397-2-E2 was only missing 26 amino acids and the translation was not prematurely terminated, which was a difference with other two mutants. In parallel, the mutation in BnaEOD1s resulted in a noteworthy augmentation of both seed size and seed weight in the three editing lines. Additionally, there was a significant decline in the SPS and SL in T2-157-1-C8 and T2-390-2-B8, however, T2-397-2-E2 did not show any significant changes in the SPS and SL, possibly due to distinct types of editing in the three lines. The above results indicate the conserved function of EOD1 homologues and provides promising germplasm for breeding novel high-yield rapeseed varieties by improving seed size and thousand-seed weight.
Designing a Contactless, AI System to Measure the Human Body using a Single Camera for the Clothing and Fashion Industry
Authors: Montazerian Mohammad , Leymarie Frederic Fol
Published: August 2023

We present a system that estimates upper human body measurements using a
set of computer vision and machine learning techniques. In a nutshell, the main
steps involve: (1) using a portable camera (such as from a smartphone); (2)
improving the image quality; (3) isolating the human body from the surrounding
environment; (4) performing a calibration step; (5) extracting features of the
body from the image; (6) indicating markers on the image; (7) producing refined
final results. Using a single RGB camera to obtain accurate body dimensions
rather than measuring these manually or via more complex multi-camera or more
expensive laser-based sensors, has a high application potential for the apparel
(fashion) industry. We also present in this paper, ellipse-like approximations with
the aim of minimizing the difference between the results of direct (hand) and
software measurements. The human body circumferences can be well approximately
represented by varying elliptic cross sections, and these can be adapted
to each individual. We show that better results than the current state-of-theart
are obtained based on a simple criterion. In our study, we selected a set of
two equations, out of many other possible choices, to best estimate upper human
body horizontal cross sections. We experimented with the system on a diverse
sample of participants. The results for the upper human body measurements in
comparison to the traditional manual method of tape measurements, when used
as a reference, show ±1cm average differences, which is sufficient for a number
of applications.
Impact of volume overload on cardiac connexin-43 and extracellular matrix of normotensive and hypertensive Ren-2 transgenic rats: Effects of treatment with Trandolapril and Losartan
Authors: Sykora Matus , Kratky Vojtech , Červenka Luděk , Kopkan Libor , Tribulova Narcis , Bacova Barbara Szeiffova
Published: August 2023

Heart failure (HF) is life-threatening disease due to electro-mechanical dysfunction associated with hemodynamic overload, while alterations of extracellular matrix (ECM) along with perturbed connexin-43 (Cx43) might be key factors involved. We aimed to explore an impact of volume overload due to aorto-caval fistula (ACF) on Cx43 and ECM as well as effect of renin-angiotensin blockade. Hypertensive Ren-2 transgenic rats (TGR) and normotensive Hannover Sprague–Dawley rats (HSD) that underwent ACF were treated for 15-weeks with Trandolapril or Losartan. Blood serum and heart tissue samples of the right (RV) and left ventricles (LV) were used for analyses. ACF-HF increased RV and LV mass in HSD and to lesser extent in TGR, while treatment attenuated it and normalized serum ANP and TBARS. Cx43 protein and its ser368 variant along PKCε were lower in TGR vs HSD and suppressed in both rat strains due to ACF but prevented more by trandolapril. Pro-hypertrophic PKCδ, collagen I and hydroxyproline were elevated in TGR and increased due to ACF in both rat strains. While Smad2/3 and MMP2 levels were lower in TGR vs HSD and reduced due to ACF in both strains. Findings point out the strain-related differences in response to volume overload. While disorders of Cx43 and ECM signalling may contribute not only to HF but also to malignant arrhythmia risk. There is benefit of treatment with trandolapril and losartan indicating their pleitropic antiarrhytmic potential. It may provide novel input to therapy.
Drought-Responsive Genes in Tomato: Meta-Analysis of Gene Expression Using Machine Learning
Authors: Chowdhury Rabiul Haq , Eti Fatiha Sultana , Ahmed Rayhan , Gupta Shipan Das , Jhan Pijush Kanti , Islam Tofazzal , Bhuiyan Md. Atiqur Rahman , Khayer Abul , Rubel Mehede Hassan
Published: August 2023

Plants have diverse molecular mechanisms to protect themselves from biotic and abiotic stressors and adapt to changing environments. To uncover the genetic potential of plants, it is crucial to understand how they adapt to adverse conditions by analyzing their genomic data. We analyzed RNA-Seq data from different tomato genotypes, tissue types, and drought durations. We used a time series scale to identify early and late drought-responsive gene modules and applied a machine learning method to identify the best responsive genes to drought. We demonstrated six candidate genes of tomato viz. Fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein 2 (FLA2), Amino acid transporter family protein (ASCT), Arginine decarboxylase 1 (ADC1), Protein NRT1/PTR family 7.3 (NPF7.3), BAG family molecular chaperone regulator 5 (BAG5) and Dicer-like 2b (DCL2b) were responsive to drought. We constructed protein-protein interaction networks to identify their potential interactors and found them drought-responsive. The identified candidate genes can help to explore the adaptation of tomato plants to drought. Furthermore, these candidate genes can have far-reaching implications for molecular breeding and genome editing in tomatoes, providing insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie drought adaptation. This research underscores the importance of the genetic basis of plant adaptation, particularly in changing climates and growing populations.
The development of a hiPSC-based platform to identify tissue-dependencies of IDH1 R132H
Authors: Kahlert Ulf , Mehjardi Nargis , Sanin Ahmed , Picard Daniel , Westhoff Philipp , Nickel Ann-Christin , Uhlmann Constanze , Shi Wenjie , Steiger Hans-Jacob , Remke Marc , Keitel-Anselmino Verena , Fischer Igor , Croner Roland
Published: August 2023

Hotspot mutations in the DNA encoding for the R132 codon of the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is a common molecular feature of different tumors. The oncogenic potential of IDH1R132 and its clinical prognostic value however, varies strongly between tumors of different tissues. Technologies to conduct functional investigations of isogentic controlled IDH1R132 in dependency of differentiation status offers a chance to understand underlying mechanisms of this heterogeneity or identify new tissue-dependent features of IDH1 mutation. Here we genetically engineered the first IDH1MUT model using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) for inducible overexpression of IDH1R132H or its wildtype paralog. Confirming the known relevance of IDH1R132H, we identified a transcriptomic switch of hiPSC cells towards pro-angiogenetic program meanwhile suppression of p53 signaling upon oncogene induction. We chose neural differentiation of the cells and drug sensitivity testing to compare the influence of IDH1R132H on functional properties of the cells in tissue-specific context. Our results reveal the augmentation of drug resistance levels to clinical approved kinase inhibitors in induced neural stem cells, which was not observed in the pluripotent counterpart. Applying our technology in follow-up projects, such as comparing isogenic progenitor cells of different differentiation lineages, might help to understand a variety of tissue-related functions of IDH1 mutations. Moreover, given the fact that patient-derived human neuronal in vitro models with constitutive active IDH1R132H are challenging to establish, the presented work supports to overcome this limitation.
Comparative Analysis of End Device and Field Test Device Measurements for RSSI, SNR and SF Performance Parameters in an Indoor LoRaWAN Network
Authors: Aksoy Ataberk , Yıldız Ömer , Karlık Associate Professor Sait Eser
Published: August 2023

Internet of things (IoT) phenomenon has brought up distinctive technologies that are using wireless communication and appearing in smart city applications. Long range (LoRa) modulation technique has pulled up the market and forced the announcement of LoRa wide area network (LoRaWAN) standard in 2021 by ITU-T with Y.4480 standard code. LoRaWAN is a medium access control protocol using low power wide area network approaches with the aim of long-range coverage and management of many edge devices. LoRaWAN networks are emerging all over the world with some existing optimization, planning and network allocation problems that need to be overcome. This paper focuses on comparative analysis and interpretation of measurements performed in a LoRaWAN network deployed in an 18-floor building with a LoRaWAN gateway on the roof. The research covers results of comparative measurements between end device and Adeunis field test device (AFTD) for received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and spreading factor (SF). End devices have been randomly selected from 18th, 12th, 6th and 1st floors and their daily performance data have been gathered through the network server. AFTD has been used to get 10 sample measurements for each floor in the same day. Minimum RSSI values measured by end devices are better than the ones measured with AFTD except the case in 1st floor. All SNR values measured with end devices are better than measurements performed with AFTD. SF measurements show that SF differs with increasing distances from 7 to 12 in order as expected with theoretical computations.
Advances in diffusion barrier coatings for high-temperature applications
Authors: Narita Toshio , Kato Yasumichi , Narita Takuro , Ara Mayumi
Published: August 2023

Diffusion barrier coating (DBC) systems on heat resistant alloys consist of a multi-layer structure: an outer Al-reservoir layer and an inner diffusion barrier layer. The outer Al-reservoir layer forms a protective Al2O3 scale and the inner layer acts as a barrier layer against alloy interdiffusion. Three kinds of diffusion barrier layers (DBL) were developed, containing Re on Ni-based super alloys, W on stainless steels, and Cr on Ni-Cr alloys. It was found that DBC systems have excellent mechanical properties (creep and fatigue), improving alloy substrate performance, and enhance the anti-exfoliation properties of YSZ in thermal barrier coatings (TBC) in addition to providing excellent oxidation resistance. At temperatures higher than 1,300℃, however, the DBC design based on kinetics (diffusion) is insufficient to form and maintain a protective Al2O3 scale. In this case a self-maintaining coating (SMC) system designed on the basis of thermodynamics (phase stability) is required. The SMC system formed on Nb-Hf (C-103) alloy consists of a multi-layer structure: an outer Re (Al, Si)1.8 and inner NbSi2 layers, plus a transient Nb5Si3 layer formed during oxidation. At temperatures higher than 1,300℃ the Al2O3 can be formed by changing the Al/Si ratio in the Re (Al, Si)1.8 in which Si was supplied from the decomposition reaction of NbSi2 to Si + Nb5Si3 during selective oxidation of Al. It is proposed that coatings alloy should be designed for not only high temperature oxidation, but also alloy substrate mechanical properties and anti-exfoliation of oxide scales, based on both kinetic principles (DBC system) and thermodynamics (SMC system).
Identification of a novel gene signature related to prognosis and metastasis in gastric cancer
Authors: Matheu Ander , Elizazu Joseba , Otaegi-Ugartemendia Maddalen , Moncho-Amor Veronica , Artetxe-Zurutuza Aizpea , Carrasco-García Estefania
Published: August 2023

Background: Gastric Cancer (GC) presents poor outcome, which is consequence of the high incidence of recurrence and metastasis at early stages. GC patients presenting recurrent or metastatic disease display a median life expectancy of only 8 months. The mechanisms underlying GC progression remain poorly understood.
Methods: We took advantage of public available GC datasets from TCGA using GEPIA, and identified the matched genes among the 100 genes most significantly associated with overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS). Results were confirmed in ACRG cohort and in over 2,000 GC cases obtained from several cohorts integrated using our own analysis pipeline. The Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used for prognostic significance and linear modelling and correlation analyses for association with clinic-pathological parameters and biological hallmarks. In vitro and in vivo functional studies were performed in GC cells with candidate genes and the related molecular pathways were studied by RNA sequencing.
Results: High expression of ANKRD6, ITIH3, SORCS3, NPY1R and CCDC178 individually and as a signature was associated with poor prognosis and recurrent disease in GC. Among the 5 genes, ANKRD6, ITIH3 and NPY1R represented independent prognostic factors determined through multivariate Cox regression analyses. Moreover, the expression of ANKRD6 and ITIH3 was significantly higher in metastasis and its levels associated to EMT and stemness markers. Moreover, ANKRD6 silencing in GC metastatic cells showed impairment in GC tumorigenic activity and EMT in functional studies in vivo and in molecular pathways in transcriptomic studies.
Conclusions: Our study identified a novel signature involved in GC malignancy and prognosis, and revealed a novel pro-metastatic role of ANKRD6 in GC.
Personalized mRNA Vaccine Combined with PD-1 Inhibitor Therapy in a Patient with Advanced Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Bin , Peng Xiao-Bo , Li Jie , Wang Yi-Ran , Chen Long-Pei , Wu Mei-Hong , Zhang Ying-Yi , Wang Wei , Feng Dan , Tang Shu-Hui , Zhang Lin-Li , Zhan Xianbao
Published: August 2023

Background Therapeutic cancer vaccines serve as a valuable tool to educate the immune system to fight tumors precisely. Cancer cells have characteristics of genetic instability and rapidly accumulate somatic mutations rapidly, which can result in the production of tumour-specific antigens (TSAs) called neoantigens. The main goal of neoantigen-based cancer vaccines is to activate the immune system and effective tumor-specific T-cell responses against cancer cells. Patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who achieved partial remission after personalized mRNA vaccine treatment have not been reported. As personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapies are emerging, we report a case in which mRNA vaccines were used to treat advanced ESCC firstly.Methods Samples of tissues from the recurrence focus in the esophagus were subjected to whole transcriptome sequencing. The neoantigens were identified by bioinformatics analyses and the top 20 neoantigens were selected. These 20 neoantigens, composing the polyneoantigen vaccine, were administered at 1 mg every 3 weeks for 4 cycles in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor, and the patient was boosted with a single dose of the PD-1 inhibitor 8 weeks after the 4th cycle. In addition, immune responses were evaluated before and after the 4 cycles of vaccine therapy. The lesions were evaluated by imaging examination.Results Our results revealed that neoantigen-based vaccines significantly activated the tumour-specific immune response. TCR V-J pairing analysis showed that the abundance of oligoclonal TCRs was increased, that is, the homogeneity was improved. No other grade 3 or higher drug-related adverse events were observed, except for grade 4 thrombocytopenia, which was caused by PD-1 inhibitor treatment. The patient reported here achieved a partial response (PR).Conclusions Our report showed that combining the personalized mRNA vaccine therapy with PD-1 blockade therapy may be an effective treatment strategy for this patient with advanced esophageal cancer. However, further study should be performed in clinical trials to confirm the efficacy and safety of personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapies in the treatment of advanced ESCC .
Effect L-fucose on the metabolism of peritoneal macrophages of Muc2 −/− mice in vitro
Authors: Arzhanova Elena L. , Makusheva Yulia S. , Pershina Elena G. , Medvedeva Snezhanna S. , Litvinova Ekaterina A.
Published: August 2023

In the development of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), macrophages play a huge role. A widely used experimental model of IBD is Muc2 −/− mice. L-fucose is one of monosaccharides present in a variety of glycolipids and glycoproteins produced by mammalian and bacterial cells. It can participate in signaling processes as epithelial and immune cells. Macrophages and dendritic cells have a receptor for fucose recognition (DC-SIGN, also known as CD209). It was shown that peroral treatment of L-fucose had immunomodulatory effect and repolarized mouse peritoneal macrophages in vivo. Activation of macrophages by L-fucose treatment could be mediated through changes in gut microbiota composition and activation due to microbe-associated molecular patterns containing monosaccharides. Also, L-fucose-and fucose-containing glycans of mammalian and bacterial origin could interact with receptors on macrophages and dendritic cells and activate other immune cells by cytokine and chemokine release. We found a decrease in the amount of CD209 + peritoneal macrophages and an increase in the amount of M1-like peritoneal macrophages of Muc2 −/− mice. We investigated the effect of L-fucose on the metabolic and morphological characteristics of peritoneal macrophages in vitro. It was found that L-fucose treatment enhanced the level of ATP and Ca 2+ production and reduced Parp1, Mt-Nd2, and Mt-Nd6 gene expression level, that may be an evidence for a decreased production of pro-inflammatory factors and differentiation of peritoneal macrophages to the M2 type.
The complete chloroplast genome of Meconopsis simplicifolia and its genetic comparison to other Meconopsis species
Authors: Yang Yixi , Li Rui , Zhu Zhidan , Huang Peng
Published: August 2023

M. simplicifolia, an endangered Chinese herb, possesses medicinal properties used in the treatment of various disorders. Despite its importance, there is a lack of genomic information available for M. simplicifolia, hindering our understanding of its molecular biology. Therefore, this study aimed to assemble and compare the chloroplast (cp) genome of M. simplicifolia with other reported Meconopsis cp genomes. The assembled M. simplicifoliaplastome spanned 152,772 bp and exhibited the typical quadripartite structure comprising large (LSC, 83,824 bp) and small (SSC, 17,646 bp) single-copy regions, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,651 bp). Overall, 131 genes were predicted, including 84 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. Additionally, 33 SSRs and 27 long repeat sequences were identified. The seven Meconopsis species shared conserved genomic features in terms of gene structure and gene order. However, a comparison of the IR boundaries of the seven Meconopsis cp genomes revealed minor differences at the IR/SC boundary regions. Interestingly, M. simplicifolia exhibited the loss of the rpl2 gene in the IRb region, which could be valuable for future plant classification research. A phylogenetic analysis including M. simplicifolia and eight other Meconopsis species indicated that M. simplicifolia clustered together with M. betonicifolia. The availability of the cp genome sequence ofM. simplicifolia is of utmost importance for understanding phylogenetic and evolutionary aspects at or above the Meconopsislevel. Comparative analysis of the cp genomes of Meconopsis species will facilitate species identification and enable selective breeding studies of these medicinal plants.
A New Approach for Detecting Process Injection Attacks Using Memory Analysis
Authors: Nasereddin Mohammed , Al-Qassas Raad
Published: August 2023

This paper introduces a new approach for examining and analyzing fileless malware artifacts in computer memory. The proposed approach offers the distinct advantage of conducting a comprehensive live analysis of memory without the need for periodic memory dumping. Once a new process arrives, log files are collected by monitoring the Event Tracing for Windows facility as well as listing the executables of the active process for violation detection. The proposed approach significantly reduces detection time and minimizes resource consumption by adopting parallel computing (programming), where the main software (Master) divides the work, organizes the process of searching for artifacts, and distributes tasks to several agents (Slaves). A dataset of 17411 malware samples is used in the assessment of the new approach. It provided satisfactory and reliable results in dealing with at least six different process injection techniques including classic DLL injection, reflective DLL injection, process hollowing, hook injection, registry modifications, and .NET DLL injection. The detection accuracy rate has reached 99.93% with a false-positive rate of 0.068%. Moreover, the accuracy was monitored in the case of launching several malwares using different process injection techniques simultaneously, and the detector was able to detect them efficiently. Also, it achieved a detection time with an average of 0.052 msec per detected malware.
The Association Between Glaucoma Treatment Adherence with Disease Progression and Loss to Follow-Up
Authors: Oltramari Laura , Mansberger Steven L. , Souza Júlia Mendonça Ponte , Souza Luciene Barbosa , Azevedo Sarah Fumian Milward , Abe Ricardo Yuji
Published: August 2023

Prospective cohort study from Brazil to evaluate glaucoma treatment adherence using a medication event monitoring system (MEMS) device and correlate with glaucoma progression and loss to follow-up (LTF) after one year of follow up. We included glaucoma patients treated with at least one ocular hypotensive eye drop. MEMS devices was used to monitor adherence for 60 days and evaluate the percentage of doses prescribed taken within the 60-day period. We classified patients according to rates of adherence: low adherence (less than 80% from MEMS measurements) and high adherence (more than 80% from MEMS measurements). We applied a questionnaire to investigated self-reported behavior towards treatment behaviors (glaucoma treatment compliance assessment tool, GTCAT). We also correlated rates of treatment adherence with clinical, demographical variables and the occurrence of glaucoma progression or LTF after one year of observation. We included 110 glaucoma patients and found that 28.18% of them were considered low adherent. We identify several variables associated with poor adherence such as glaucoma progression, LTF, younger age, low educational and income levels, absence of health insurance, years of disease and peak intraocular pressure. Several constructs from the self-reported GTCAT were also correlated with the rates of treatment adherence. To date, this is the first study in Latin America to evaluate glaucoma treatment adherence with MEMS devices and correlate adherence rates with glaucoma progression and LTF. We found a low-adherence rate of 28.18% and several additional risk factors were statistically associated with poor adherence.