bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of Hub Genes Associated with Development of Lung Adenocarcinoma by Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Li Jinglei , Hou Wei
Published: June 2021

Purpose: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has high heterogeneity and poor prognosis, posing a major challenge to human health worldwide. Therefore, it is necessary to improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism of LUAD in order to be able to better predict its prognosis and develop new therapeutic strategies for target genes.Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus, were selected to comprehensively analyze and explore the differences between LUAD tumors and adjacent normal tissues. Critical gene information was obtained through weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), differential gene expression analysis, and survival analysis.Results: Using WGCNA and differential gene expression analysis, 29 differentially expressed genes were screened. The functional annotation analysis showed these genes to be mainly concentrated in heart trabecula formation, regulation of inflammatory response, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, and metalloendopeptidase inhibitor activity. Also, in the protein–protein interaction network analysis, 10 central genes were identified using Cytoscape's CytoHubba plug-in. The expression of CDH5, TEK, TIMP3, EDNRB, EPAS1, MYL9, SPARCL1, KLF4, and TGFBR3 in LUAD tissue was found to be lower than that in the normal control group, while the expression of MMP1 in LUAD tissue was higher than that in the normal control group. According to survival analysis, the low expression of MYL9 and SPARCL1 was correlated with poor overall survival in patients with LUAD. Finally, through the verification of the Oncomine database, it was found that the expression levels of MYL9 and SPARCL1 were consistent with the mRNA levels in LUAD samples, and both were downregulated.Conclusion: Two survival-related genes, MYL9 and SPARCL1, were determined to be highly correlated with the development of LUAD. Both may play an essential role in the development LUAD and may be potential biomarkers for its diagnosis and treatment in the future.
Association Between Serum Microcystins Levels and Chronic Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: a Case-control Study
Authors: Zhu Na , Wang Xiaolan , Tan Jia , Xu Shuaishuai , Peng Yanhong , Gao Hong
Published: June 2021

Microcystins(MCs) have been reported to be closely related to the occurrence and development of inflammation by animal and cell experiments, but there are no study on the relationship between serum microcystin-LR(MC-LR) and chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) risk in populations. We designed a clinical case-control study to investigate the relationship between serum MC-LR and CPID risk. From October 2020 to March 2021, 50 patients diagnosed with CPID and 50 controls (frequency matched by age) were recruited from the First Hospital University of South China, in Hengyang, Central China. The basic information on lifestyle and history of disease was acquired through questionnaires. Blood samples were analyzed for MC-LR by ELISA. Binary logistic regression analyses and chi-square test were used to evaluate the effects of MC-LR on CPID risk. With the increase of serum MC-LR level (Q2, Q3 and Q4), the AOR of CPID risk increased (0.139, 0.167 and 0.040, respectively). The serum MC-LR(0.06 ~ 0.66µg/L) was an independent protective factor for CPID in humans, and the protective effect of concentrations ≥ 0.25μg/L was more obvious. Within the certain concentration range, MC-LR was an independent protective factor for the risk of CPID in humans, which will provide a scientific basis for the study of the relationship between serum microcystins and inflammation.
Adhesive Ability of Different Oral Pathogens to Various Dental Materials: An in Vitro Study
Authors: Tu Yan , Lin Xiaolong , Wang Yuan , Deng Shuli
Published: June 2021

This study provides a basis for selecting dental materials and lays a foundation for developing new dental materials. Four dental restorative materials were divided into two groups: Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus, five root canal sealing materials were divided into two groups: Porphyromonas gingivalis and Enterococcus faecalis. Each material block was immersed in the corresponding group of the bacterial solution and cultured under anaerobic conditions at 37°C for 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 h. The adhesion of bacteria was observed, the number of different bacteria adhering to various material model disks was calculated at different time intervals under a scanning electron microscope. 24 hours later, the number of Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus that adhered to the surface of the resin and the zinc phosphate cement material disks was the maximum. The number of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Enterococcus faecalis adhering to the surface of the AH Plus sealer block was the maximum. Streptococcus mutans and Actinomyces viscosus exhibited the strongest adhesion ability to the resin and the zinc phosphate cement material block. Porphyromonas gingivalis and Enterococcus faecalis showed the highest adhesion ability to the AH Plus sealer block.
APC Overexpression Suppresses the Pyroptosis of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Model Cells through Regulating NLRP3 Inflammasome Pathway
Authors: Yan Ai , Pan Xuyan , Wen Xianqiang , Nie Xiaohu , Li Yuntao
Published: June 2021

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a kind of hemorrhagic stroke with high mortality. Activated protein C (APC) was implicated to play a neuroprotective role in central nervous system diseases. However, its role in SAH remains unclear. Our study aims to investigate the role of APC and its regulatory mechanism in SAH. The SAH rat model was constructed by internal carotid artery puncture. The SAH cell model was established by the application of oxygen hemoglobin. ELISA was performed to detect the level of cytokines. Flow cytometry was used to detect the population of pyroptosis cells. Neurological functions of rats were estimated using modified Garcia scoring and balance beam test. SAH hemorrhage was estimated using modified Sugawara's scoring. APC was significantly increased and NLRP3 was decreased in SAH rat model in a time-dependent manner. The application of APC recombinant protein 3K3A-APC could notably ameliorate SAH hemorrhage and improve neurological functions. Besides, 3K3A-APC could inhibit pyroptosis in a dose-dependent manner in SAH cell model. Moreover, the inhibition of NLRP3 could reverse the effects induced by the knockdown of APC. Our study revealed that APC could ameliorate SAH-induced EBI by suppressing pyroptosis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome, which would provide a novel strategy for the treatment of SAH.
The Involvement of the Fcεri Signaling Pathway in the Pathogenesis of Lacrimal Gland Benign Lymphoepithelial Lesions
Authors: Li Jing , Liu Rui , Sun Mei , Wang Jinjin , Wang Nan , Zhang Xuan , Ge Xin , Ma Jianmin
Published: June 2021

Objective: Benign lymphoepithelial lesion of lacrimal gland (LGBLEL) is a common orbital inflammatory disease with unknown pathogenesis. T his paper analyzed the role of the FcepsilonRI (FcεRI) signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of LGBLEL.Methods: Transcriptome sequencing and proteome sequencing were performed on LGBLEL and orbital CH diag nosed by histopathology in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, between July 2010 and October 2013. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were used to jointly analyze the differentially expressed ge nes and proteins related to FcεRI signaling pathway. Four LGBLEL and three orbital CH diagnosed by histopathology in Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, between October 2018 and August 2019 were randomly selected as the experimental group and the control group, respectively. RT PCR, immunohistochemical staining, and western blotting were used to verify the genes and proteins related to the FcεRI signaling pathway.Results: Combined transcriptome and proteome analysis showed that the FcεRI signaling pathway was up regulated in LGBLEL (P=0.0040), and that the important proteins such as SYK, p38, JNK, PI3K, and ERK were highly expressed in LGBLEL tissues. RT PCR results showed that the mRNA expression levels of SYK, p38, JNK, PI3K, and ERK wer e significantly increased in the LGBLEL group (P=0.0066, P=0.0002, P=0.0003, P<0.0001, P<0.0001, respectively). Immunohistochemical staining results showed that the protein expression levels of SYK, p38, JNK, PI3K, and ERK in LGBLEL tissues were significan tly higher than in orbital CH. Western Blotting showed that the protein contents of p SYK, p p38, p JNK, p PI3K, and p ERK were significantly higher than in orbital CH (P=0.0169, P=0.0074, P=0.0046, P=0.0157, P=0.0156, respectively). Conclusion: The genes and proteins related to the FcεRI signaling pathway are up regulated in LGBLEL, indicating that the FcεRI signaling pathway participates in the pathogenesis of LGBLEL.
Using Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid for Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis Laboratory Diagnosis
Authors: Han Mei , Guo Jian-Qiong , Yan Xiao-Feng , Yue Wu-Yang , Qiu Qian , Wang Le-Le , Sun Qiang-Zhong , Jiang Ling , Li Tong-Xin , Fan You-Ming , Yang Song
Published: June 2021

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for MycobacteriumTuberculosis (MTB) infection using laboratory methods. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in patients diagnosed with active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB) and lacking sputum quality/quantity. BALF collected during the operation processes of Electric bronchoscopy were tested using Ziehl-Neelsen staining acid-fast bacilli smear microscopy (Z-N-AFB-SM), GeneXpert MTB/RIF（Xpert），loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), or culturing with BACTEC™ Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube™ 960 (MGIT). Chi-square test was used for statistic analysis. Results: 331 suspected APTB patients were enrolled in this study. 224 of them were sputum-scarce. 89 were sputum-sufficient andnegative in both Z-N-AFB-SM and MGIT 960 testing. Of the sputum sufficient patients, BALF-testing confirmed APTB diagnosis in 20.2% (18/89) via Z-N-AFB-SM, and 53.0% (35/89) via MGIT. The total positive rates of BALF testing via four aforementioned methods were 18.2% (57/313), 66.4% (168/253), 61.0% (83/136) and 48.2% (140/290) respectively. The positive rate of MTB discovered in BALF collected by well-trained respiratory physicians are significantly higher than those collected by anesthetists (χ2=22.48, P<0.01). Total adverse events incidence of BAL was 1.9% (6/313). Conclusion: BALF has a similar sensitivity and specificity for APTB laboratory diagnosis. It can be used as a complementary diagnostic method for APTB when sputum availability is poor. The proficiency of BALF collection is an important factor affecting the detection results.
Ex Vivo Microsphiltration Profile of Plasmodium Falciparum Infected Red Blood Cells in Patients with Malaria in Kéniéroba, Mali: Exploring the Spleen in Vivo Retention Function
Authors: KEITA Bourama , Diakité Seidina A.S. , Guindo Agnes M. , Konaté Drissa S. , Traoré Karim , Sangaré Modibo , Diawara Sory I. , Sanogo Ibrahim , Diarra Bakaina , Diakité Mahamadou
Published: June 2021

Malaria pathophysiology is not still fully understood. The main mechanisms of malaria involve the synergistic interactions between host and parasite. Although, the role of the spleen has been mentioned in various clinical forms of malaria, a supportive clinical evidence is still needed. We conducted a pilot study to determine the impact of the spleen functional state in different clinical forms of malaria.Ex vivo microsphiltration was used to assess the splenic function in patients received during routine consultation with malaria at the Kéniéroba health center, a ​​high malaria endemic area in Mali.A total of 25 patients were enrolled for microsphiltration. Two patients (8%) had a no palpable spleen (Hackett stage 0), 22 patients (88%) had a palpable spleen with at deep inspiration (Hackett stage 1) and only one patient (4%) presented a palpable spleen (Hackett stage 2). Parasitaemia ranged from 5360 trophozoites/µl to 342720 trophozoites/µl with a mean parasitemia of 50774 trophozoites/µl ± 65540 trophozoites/µl; the mean hemoglobin rate was 11.2 ± 1.2 g/dl with the extremes of 8.7 g/dl and 13.4 g/dl. The retention rate of the infected red blood cell ranged from 11.11% to 94.44% with an average of 65.4% ± 23.7%. A higher ex vivo retention rate of infected red blood cells was observed in patients with Hackett stages greater than or equal to 1 (p= 0.03). This pilot study proved the feasibility of the exploration of the spleen filtering function in malaria patients using the ex vivo microsphiltration.
Effect of Solvents on Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Padina Tetrastromatica and Gracilaria Tenuistipitata Seaweeds Collected From Bangladesh
Authors: Sobuj Mohammad Khairul Alam , Islam Md. Ariful , Islam Md. Shoebul , Islam Md. Mohidul , Mahmud Yahia , Rafiquzzaman S.M.
Published: June 2021

Seaweeds are now recognized as a treasure of bioactive compounds. However, the seaweed of Bangladesh is still unexplored. So, this study was designed to explore the secondary metabolites and antioxidant activities of solvent extracts of Padina tetrastromatica and Gracilaria tenuistipitata. Phytochemical screening and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) confirm the diverse type of bioactive compounds. Antioxidant activity of extracts were evaluated by 1, 1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2, 2-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), reducing power (RP), phosphomolybdenum and hydrogen peroxide assays. Here, methanolic extract of P. tetrastromatica showed the highest amount of total phenolic content (85.61 mg of GA/g), total flavonoid content (41.77 mg of quercetin/g), which showed as potent antioxidant properties confirmed by DPPH (77.07%), ABTS (77.65%), RP (53.24 mg AAE/g), phosphomolybdenum (31.58 mg AAE/g) and hydrogen peroxide (67.89%) assays followed by ethanol and water. This study concluded that bioactive compound and antioxidant activities are dose and solvent-dependent and seaweed type.
Hospital Costs of Immunopreventable Diseases in the Economically Active Population in Brazil
Authors: Costa Élide Sbardellotto Mariano , Hyeda Adriano , Maluf Eliane M C P
Published: June 2021

Background: Immunopreventable diseases are a public health reality in Brazil and worldwide. Methods: A population, observational, descriptive, retrospective study was conducted with secondary information from DATASUS to discriminate the hospitalizations associated with immunopreventable diseases in Brazil and their care costs, within the Scope of the SUS, between 2008 and 2018, in the economically active population (20 to 59 years). Results: It was analyzed for 457,479 hospitalizations, total of 127,746 hospitalizations (27.92% of all hospitalizations) were observed for immunopreventable diseases in the adult population, totaled R$115,682,097.54 (29.72% of the total values. The trend analysis of the time series of hospitalizations in this population showed a stationary trend. Conclusions: It were identified an opportunity of increasing the immunization coverage in the workforce population, for avoided hospitalizations and their costs for the health system.
The Implementation of Welfare Technology in Municipal Care: A Qualitative Study of Procurement Practices in Sweden
Authors: Kuoppamäki Sanna
Published: June 2021

Background: Welfare technology has been launched as a concept to accelerate digital transformation in care services, but the implementation of these technologies is still hindered by organisational resistance, lack of infrastructure, and juridical and ethical issues. This paper investigates the decision-making among municipal actors in the implementation of welfare technology in a specific task that is procurement. The study explores the perceptions and negotiations in purchasing welfare technology in each stage of the procurement model revealing the impact of technical, economic, juridical and ethical competence on the mapping and planning, procurement, implementation and management of welfare technology. Methods: The study presents empirical findings from a qualitative interview study for municipal actors in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were gathered among procurement managers, IT managers, and managers in social administrators in three different municipalities in 2020 (N=8). Inductive content analysis and systematic categorisation were employed resulting to 17 sub-categories, 9 generic categories and 3 main categories of procurement practices. Results: Challenges in the procurement practices occur in all stages of the procurement model. In mapping and planning, municipal actors outline barriers the need analysis, requirement specification and market analysis. In procurement stage, economic resources, standardisation and interoperability hinder the procurement process. Implementation and management is complicated by supplier assessment, legislation, cross-organisational collaboration and political strategy. Building on these findings, the study defines the procurement competence to consist of technical, economic, juridical and ethical expertise to assess and evaluate welfare technology. Technical and ethical competence is needed in early stages of the procurement, whereas juridical and economic competence relates to later stages of the model.Conclusions: Procurement competence is associated with the implementation of welfare technology in 1) assessment of the end-users needs, 2) estimation of the costs and benefits of welfare technology, and 3) management of the juridical and legislation issues in data management. Economic and juridical decisions to purchase welfare technology are not value-neutral, but rather associated with socially shared understandings of technological possibilities in care provision. Optimisation of procurement process requires a combination of capabilities to implement welfare technology that meet the demands and needs of end-users.
Automated Guided Method for Roadheader fuselage
Authors: Chen Hongyue , Yang Wei , Zhang Desheng , Xiao Song
Published: June 2021

Autonomous Navigation of roadheader is a hot topic in recent research. The subject of this paper mainly focuses on the motion control of the roadheader fuselage. Because of the particularity of its work content and operational environment, the motion control is different from that of the traditional differential-drived vehicle. This paper introduces a method to detect the position and posture of roadheader fuselage in harsh underground environment, which lays a foundation for motion control. In addition, a path planning method based on prediction model is proposed to reduce the control effort while ensuring enough control accuracy. Then the kinematics characteristics of roadheader fuselage with and without the path planning process are analyzed and compared by simulation. The result shows that the proposed method makes the movement of the roadheader smoother and more suitable for the tunneling process compared with the conventional method.
Model Tests and Numerical Simulations of Grouted Connections in Offshore Wind Turbines Under Low Circumferential Repeated Loads
Authors: Zhong Weiqiu , Li Wuxu , Yin Rui
Published: June 2021

Background: Grouted connection sections are widely used to connect the support structure of offshore wind turbines to the foundation, and their mechanical performance is crucial to the reliability of the whole wind turbine. In order to find a suitable stress evaluation method for the grouted connection section, finite element simulation analysis is conducted in this paper.Methods: The stress analysis of the grouted connection section under different frequency loads was explored by establishing a scaled-down model and numerical analysis, and the influence of various parameters on the mechanical properties of the connection section was investigated and its engineering applicability was evaluated.Results: The results of scaling tests and numerical analysis showed that the specimens without shear keys in the axial direction had the worst engineering practicality, and the specimens with shear keys in the taper had the best engineering applicability.Conclusions: The results of the reduced-scale tests and numerical analysis can provide a reference for the design of grouted joint sections, and the relationship between them can be applied to the preliminary evaluation of the mechanical properties of grouted joint sections under low circumferential repeated loads.
The Relationship Between Ultrasound and Semen Parameters in Male Infertility: Size and Elasticity Matters!
Authors: Pásztor Norbert , Veréb Dániel , Király István , Kincses Zsigmond Tamás , Palkó András , Németh Gábor , Bajory Zoltán , Fejes Zsuzsanna
Published: June 2021

ObjectivesTesticular ultrasound is important in the assessment of male infertility and adding strain elastography to the protocol can help clarify the underlying etiology. Material and Methods78 participants (64 with abnormal, 14 with normal semen parameters) underwent sperm analysis and testicular US including strain elastography. Semen parameters, testicular volumes, strain elastography parameters were compared between groups using independent samples T-tests, least squares regression, Spearman’s rank correlation. ResultsParticipants with abnormal semen parameters exhibited reduced testicular volumes (left: p<0.0003, right: p<0.0004) and epididymis diameters (left: p<0.01, right: p<0.006), and higher strain ratios (left: p<0.006, right: p<0.001). The first PLS latent variable explained a significant amount of variance in semen parameters (p<0.0002) and showed that bilateral strain ratios, left testicular volume and left appendix size were the most important predictors. Elevated strain ratios came with reduced sperm cell number (right: R=-0.45, p<0.0001; left: R=-0.46, p<0.0001), sperm concentration (right: R=-0.46, p<0.0001; left: R=-0.48, p<0.0001), total (right: R=-0.39, p<0.001) and progressive motility (right: R= -0.4, p<0.001), non-motility (left: R=-0.37, p<0.003) normal morphology (right: R=-0.37, p<0.003). ConclusionWe confirm previous reports of correlation between sperm parameters, testis volume and epididymis diameter. Furthermore, we show that strain elastography parameters are strong predictors of semen parameters.
MRI Detection of Active Sacroiliitis in First Degree Relatives of Ankylosing Spondylitis Patients with Clinical and Laboratory Correlations
Authors: Obaid Haron , Milosavljevic Stephan , Okpalauwaekwe Udoka , Bath Brenna , Trask Catherine , Leswick David , Bussey Melanie D. , Katselis George , Loeppky Rhonda , Lovo Stacey , Taylor-Gjevre Regina , Nair Bindu
Published: June 2021

Background. Detection of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in the preclinical stage could help prevent long term morbidity in this patients’ population. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of active sacroiliitis in first-degree relatives of AS patients using MRI with clinical and laboratory correlations as these patients may benefit from MRI screening and early treatment.Methods. Seventeen first-degree relatives of AS patients were recruited prospectively. AS screening questionnaires (Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index & Visual Analogue Scale), blood tests (C-Reactive Protein, HLA-B27), and an MRI of the SIJs were taken. Two musculoskeletal radiologists interpreted the MRI scans, and two physiotherapists applied four symptom provocation tests (Gaenslen's test, posterior pelvic pain provocation test, Patrick's Faber (PF) test and palpation of the long dorsal SIJ ligament test), and two functional movement tests (active straight leg raise and Stork test). Results. Seven (41%) of the 17 participants demonstrated MRI evidence of active sacroiliitis. Of the 7 participants with active sacroiliitis, two (29%) had no history of recent low back pain (LBP), two (29%) had negative HLA-B27, and one (14%) participant had neither back pain nor positive HLA-B27. The Cohen's Kappa score for the interobserver agreement between the radiologists was 1.00 (p-value <0.0001). Despite fair to strong between therapist agreement for the physical test outcomes (Kappa 0.26 to 1.00), the physical test results per se did not have any predictive association with a positive MRI.Conclusions. MRI detected active sacroiliitis in 41% of first-degree relatives of AS patients. The lack of a history of prior LBP or positive HLA-B27 in active sacroiliitis participants might suggest that MRI screening for this high-risk population is warranted; however, further larger studies are needed to help elucidate its cost-effectiveness and long-term benefits.
Quantitative Analysis of Lysine Acetylation in Vero Cells Infected With Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus
Authors: Meng Xuelian , Zhu Xueliang , Zhang Rui , Zhang Zhidong
Published: June 2021

Background: Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is a negative-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family and causes acute, highly contagious disease in small ruminants. Lysine acetylation plays central role in regulating gene expression. However, the extent and function of lysine acetylation in host cells during PPRV infection remains unknown. Methods: Lysine acetylation of PPRV-infected Vero cells was tested and differentially expressed lysine acetylation was found. The acetylated peptides were enriched using specific antibody and labeled with demethylation. Proteins with acetylation sites were identified. Subsequently, intensive bioinformatics analysis of succinylome of PPRV-infected Vero cells was were performed. In this study, intensive proteomic quantification analysis of the proteome and acetylome of PPRV-infected Vero cells was performed using dimethylation labeling-based quantitative proteomics. Results: We identified 4729 cellular proteins and 1068 proteins with 2641 modification sites quantifiable detected by mass spectrometry, of which 304 proteins with 410 acetylation sites were significantly acetylated in response to PPRV infection. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that the differentially acetylated proteins mainly participated in carbohydrate catabolic and DNA metabolic process, and were associated with multifarious functions, suggesting that intracellular activities were extensively changed after PPRV infection. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the identified proteins further indicated that a variety of chaperone and ribosome processes were modulated by acetylation. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study on acetylome in host cell infected with PPRV. It provides an important baseline to future study the roles of acetylation in the host response to PPRV replication.
Reproductive Factors and Risk of Dementia in Natural Postmenopausal Women: a Cross-sectional Study
Authors: Gan Jinghuan , Chen Zhichao , Liu Shuai , Wang Fei , Wang Xiaodan , Hu Wenzheng , Du Xiaoshan , Zhu Han , Ma Lingyun , Shi Zhihong , Ji Yong
Published: June 2021

Background: Women comprise more than half of people suffering cognitive impairment. This study aims to evaluate the association or interaction between reproductive factors and the risk of dementia in Chinese women with natural menopause.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in 112 community primary health care centers in rural northern China between April 2019 and January 2020. A total of 4,275 women aged ≥ 65 years who had natural menopause were included. Reproductive factors were recorded by self-report. Reproductive period was calculated as age at menopause minus age at menarche.Results: Compared to those without dementia, women with dementia were significantly older at menarche and younger at menopause; had significantly shorter duration of reproductive period; and had more pregnancies and parities. There were 0.757, 0.698, and 0.708 times to get dementia for women who experienced reproductive periods with 31-33 years, 34-36 years, and ≥ 37 years, respectively, as compared with ≤ 30 years. Reproductive period could positively predict MMSE score (β = 0.112) and negative prediction of the number of parities (β = -0.449); the number of parities could negatively predict MMSE score (β = -0.851) as well.Conclusions: Longer duration of reproductive period, directly or through lower number of pregnancies/parities indirectly, lowers the risk of dementia in late life.
Sentinel Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy In Breast Cancer: Real Life Results
Authors: Bello Marcelo Adeodato , Bergmann Anke , Aguiar Suzana Sales , Barbosa Marcelo Morais , Valente Emanuelle Narciso Alvarez , Thuler Luiz Claudio Santos
Published: June 2021

Purpose: compare demographic, clinical and treatment characteristics of women undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer (BC) treatment according to the axillary approach and analyze factors associated with the indication of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in a real-life scenario. Methods: retrospective cohort study in women diagnosed with BC with indication for NAC. Demographic, clinical, tumor, surgical and adjuvant treatment variables were obtained.. A univariate logistic regression was performed to evaluate the independent factors associated with SLNB indication and a multiple model was applied for adjustments. Results: A total of 918 patients were included in this study, 161 (17.5%) of whom underwent SLNB, 105 (11.4%) who underwent SLNB followed by AL and 652 (71.0%) who underwent AL only. Concerning the adjusted model, women in stage III were 95% less likely to be submitted to an SLNB (OR = 0.05 95% CI 0.01-0.17; p<0.001) compared to those in stage I. Women who underwent mastectomies exhibited a 90% lower chance of undergoing SLNB than those who underwent conservative surgery (95% CI 0.06-0.17; p <0.001). Considering NAC responses, cases with no response or presenting disease progression exhibited a 55% lower chance of undergoing SLNB compared to those displaying a total response (OR = 0.45 95% CI 0.24-0.82; p = 0.009). Conclusion: SLNB was performed in 29% of the patients following NAC. Patients presenting a more advanced clinical stage of the disease with a worse NAC response and those who underwent mastectomies were less likely to undergo SLNB.
Revealing the host antiviral protein ZAP-S as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 programmed ribosomal frameshifting
Authors: Zimmer Matthias , Kibe Anuja , Rand Ulfert , Pekarek Lukas , Cicin-Sain Luka , Caliskan Neva
Published: June 2021

Programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF) is a fundamental gene expression event in many viruses including SARS-CoV-2, which allows production of essential structural and replicative enzymes from an alternative reading frame. Despite the importance of PRF for the viral life cycle, it is still largely unknown how and to what extent cellular factors alter mechanical properties of frameshifting RNA molecules and thereby impact virulence. This prompted us to comprehensively dissect the interplay between the host proteome and the SARS-CoV-2 frameshift element. Here, we reveal that zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP-S) is a direct and specific regulator of PRF in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. ZAP-S overexpression strongly impairs frameshifting and viral replication. Using in vitro ensemble and single-molecule techniques, we further demonstrate that ZAP-S directly interacts with the SARS-CoV-2 RNA and ribosomes and interferes with the folding of the frameshift RNA. Together these data illuminate ZAP-S as de novo host-encoded specific inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 frameshifting and expand our understanding of RNA-based gene regulation.
StemSC: A Cross-dataset Human Stemness Index for Single-cell Samples
Authors: Zheng Hailong , Xie Jiajing , Song Kai , Yang Jing , Xiao Huiting , Zhang Jiashuai , Li Keru , Yuan Rongqiang , Zhao Yuting , Gu Yunyan , Zhao Wenyuan
Published: June 2021

Background: Stemness is defined as the potential of cells for self-renewal and differentiation. Many transcriptome-based methods for stemness evaluation have been proposed. However, all these stemness indexes showed low correlations with differentiation time and the limitation to identify the high-stemness cells across datasets. Methods: Here, we constructed a stemness index for single-cell samples (StemSC) based on relative expression orderings (REO) of gene pairs. Firstly, we identified the stemness-related genes by selecting the genes significantly related to differentiation time in all five datasets. Then, we used 13 RNA-seq datasets from both the bulk and single-cell ESC samples to construct the reference REOs. Finally, the StemSC value of a given sample was calculated as the percentage of gene pairs with the same REOs as the ESC samples.Results: We validated the StemSC by its higher correlations with differentiation time in eight normal datasets and its higher correlations with tumor dedifferentiation in three colorectal cancer datasets and four glioma datasets. By using the StemSC, we can recognize the tissue-specific stem genes and automatically construct the cell differentiation trajectories. StemSC also could provide the same threshold to identify high-stemness cells across datasets. Results showed that the tumor cells with high-stemness had fewer interactions with anti-tumor immune cells. Besides, the immunotherapy-treated patients with high-stemness had worse survival than those with low-stemness. Conclusions: All above results showed StemSC is a better stemness index to calculate the stemness across datasets, which can help researchers explore the effect of stemness on other biological processes.
Bio-efficacy and Wash-fastness of a Lamda-cyhalothrin Long-lasting Insecticide Treatment Kit (ICON® Maxx) Against Mosquitoes on Various Polymer Materials
Authors: Tungu Patrick , Sudi Wema , Kaur Harparkash , Magesa Stephen , Rowland Mark
Published: June 2021

BackgroundLong-lasting efficacy of insecticide treated nets is a balance between adhesion, retention and migration of insecticide to the surface of netting fibres. ICON® Maxx is a twin-sachet ‘home-treatment kit’ of pyrethroid plus binding agent, recommended by the World Health Organization for long-lasting, wash-fast treatment of polyester nets. While knitted polyester netting is widely used, fine woven polyethylene netting is increasingly available and nets made of cotton and nylon are common in Africa and Asia. It is important to investigate whether ICON Maxx is able to fulfill the WHO criteria of long-lasting treatment on a range of domestic fabrics to widen the scope for malaria protection.Method This study was a controlled comparison of the bio-efficacy and wash-fastness of lambda-cyhalothrin CS, with or without binder, on nets made of cotton, polyethylene, nylon, dyed and undyed polyester. Evaluation compared an array of bioassays, WHO cone and cylinder, median time to knockdown and WHO tunnel tests using Anopheles mosquitoes. Chemical assay revealed further insight. ResultsICON Maxx treated polyethylene and polyester netting met the WHO cone and tunnel test bio-efficacy criteria for LLIN after 20 standardized washes. Although nylon and cotton netting failed to meet the WHO cone and cylinder criteria, both materials passed the WHO tunnel test criterion of 80% mortality after 20 washes. All materials treated with standard lambda-cyhalothrin CS without binder failed to meet any of the WHO bio-efficacy criteria within 5 washes. ConclusionThe bio-efficacy of ICON Maxx against mosquitoes on netting washed up to 20 times demonstrated wash durability on a range of synthetic polymer and natural fibres: polyester, polyethylene, nylon and cotton. This raises the prospect of making the insecticide-binder kit into an effective approach for turning untreated nets, curtains, military clothing, blankets - and tents and tarpaulins as used in disasters and humanitarian emergencies - into effective malaria prevention products. It may provide a solution to the problem of reduced LLIN coverage between campaigns by converting commercially sourced untreated nets into LLINs through community or home treatment. It may also open the door to binding of non-pyrethroid insecticides to nets and textiles for control of pyrethroid resistant vectors.
Ageism Among Dentists in Greece. A Quantitative Survey
Authors: Voultsos Polychronis , Tsiantou Dimitra , Chatzinikolaou Fotios , Papana Angeliki , Deliliga Aspasia
Published: June 2021

Aims and objectivesThe phenomenon of ageism is a significant threat to elderly people’s well-being. Ageism is a social determinant of their dental health. While a preliminary validation of the Greek version of the ageing scale for dental students has recently been made, there is a literature gap regarding the topic of ageism among dental professionals in Greece. This study aims to contribute to filling this gap.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted. Purposive sampling was used to select participants. A recently validated in Greece 15‐item ageism 6-point Likert-scale for dental students (ASDS) was anonymously administered to dentists. In addition, participants were asked to provide information regarding their socio-demographics. ResultsA total of 365 dentists responded to the questionnaire. As to the internal consistency of the scale, Cronbach's alpha found to be very low (α = 0.590) to support the reliability of a total of 15 Likert-type questions (items) of the scale. However, the factor analysis resulted in three factors that achieved high reliability towards validity: Adherence of the elderly patient to the instructions of the dentist (factor 1), Dentist-elderly patient interaction (factor 2), and Values/ethics of dentists for elderly patients (factor 3). The demographic comparison with these factors and single items revealed statistically significant gender differences (with females appeared more ageist than men) in ageism and differences related to other socio-demographic factors, which however, were related to factors or items individually.ConclusionThe study revealed that the Greek version of the ageism scale for dental students had not further validity and reliability among dentists. However, some items were distributed into three factors that presented significant validity and reliability. The demographic comparison with these factors and single items revealed interesting socio-demographics-related trends in ageism among dentists.
Integrated Strategies to Managing Meloidogyne Incognita and Soil Borne Fungus Infesting Cucumber in Two Consecutive Crop Seasons Under Protected Cultivation
Authors: Patil J. A. , Yadav Saroj , Kumar Anil , Ram Sewak
Published: June 2021

Relative efficacy of various approaches to managing Meloidogyne incognita and soil borne fungus, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum in cucumber for two seasons was tested under protected cultivation. Several management practices adopted such as chemicals (fumigant, non-fumigant, and fungicide), organic amendments (Neem cake, leaves and oil, soil and seed treatment), and biocontrol agents (the egg-parasitic fungus, Purpureocillium lilacinum), all practices combine for the management of disease. Eleven treatments with untreated control in a randomized block design. Two significant parameters were measured: plant growth parameter (plant height, dry root weight and yield) and disease parameters (galls/plant, final nematode population, egg masses/plant and fungal incidence). All treatments significantly improved plant growth parameters and reduced nematode reproduction as compared to untreated check. The integration of formalin and neem oil seed treatment favor the low root galling index compared to all other treatments in both the seasons. Integration of formalin and neem oil seed treatment reduced nematode population and fungus incidence and increased the yield of cucumber during both the seasons.
Optical data transmission at ultrahigh speeds, beyond 40Tb/s, based on a soliton crystal micro-comb chip source
Authors: Moss David
Published: June 2021

Micro-combs [1-4] - optical frequency combs generated by integrated micro-cavity resonators – offer the full potential of their bulk counterparts [5,6], but in an integrated footprint. The discovery of temporal soliton states (DKS – dissipative Kerr solitons) [4,7-11] as a means of mode-locking micro-combs has enabled breakthroughs in many fields including spectroscopy [12,13], microwave photonics [14], frequency synthesis [15], optical ranging [16,17], quantum sources [18,19], metrology [20,21] and more. One of their most promising applications has been optical fibre communications where they have enabled massively parallel ultrahigh capacity multiplexed data transmission [22,23]. Here, by using a new and powerful class of micro-comb called “soliton crystals” [11], we achieve unprecedented data transmission over standard optical fibre using a single integrated chip source. We demonstrate a line rate of 44.2 Terabits per second (Tb/s) using the telecommunications C-band at 1550nm with a spectral efficiency – a critically important performance metric - of 10.4 bits/s/Hz. Soliton crystals exhibit robust and stable generation and operation as well as a high intrinsic efficiency that, together with a low soliton micro-comb spacing of 48.9 GHz enable the use of a very high coherent data modulation format of 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulated). We demonstrate error free transmission over 75 km of standard optical fibre in the laboratory as well as in a field trial over an installed metropolitan optical fibre network. These experiments were greatly aided by the ability of the soliton crystals to operate without stabilization or feedback control. This work demonstrates the capability of optical soliton crystal micro-combs to perform in demanding and practical optical communications networks.
Antibody titers decline 3-month post-vaccination with BNT612b2
Authors: Favresse Julien , Bayart Jean-Louis , Mullier François , Elsen Marc , Eucher Christine , Eechhoudt Sandrine Van , Roy Tatiana , Wieers Gregoire , Laurent Christine , Dogné Jean-Michel , Closset Mélanie , Douxfils Jonathan
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Several studies reported on the humoral response in subjects having received theBNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. However, data on the kinetics of antibodies 3 months postvaccinationare currently lacking and are important to drive the future vaccination strategy.Methods: The CRO-VAX HCP study is an ongoing multicenter, prospective and interventional studydesigned to assess the antibody response in a population of healthcare professionals who had receivedtwo doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Two-hundred individuals underwent a blooddrawn within 2 days before the first vaccine dose. One-hundred and forty-two persons (71%) werecategorized as seronegative at baseline while 58 (29%) were seropositive. Samples were then collectedafter 14, 28, 42, 56, and 90 days. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and the receptorbinding domain of the S1 subunit of the spike protein were measured in all individuals at different timepoints.Results: Using a one-compartment kinetics model, the time to maximum concentration was estimatedat 36 ± 3 days after the first dose and the estimated half-life of antibodies was 55 days (95% CI: 37-107days) in seronegative participants. In seropositive participants, the time to maximum concentrationwas estimated at 24 ± 4 days and the estimated half-life was 80 days (95% CI: 46-303 days). Theantibody response was higher in seropositive compared to seronegative participants.Conclusion: In both seropositive and seronegative subjects, a significant antibody decline wasobserved at 3 months compared to the peak response. Nevertheless, the humoral response remainedrobust in all participants.
Nodulation of Shepherdia ×utahensis ‘Torrey’ and the Diversity of Symbiotic Frankia Strains
Authors: Chen Ji-Jhong , Norton Jeanette , Kratsch Heidi , Sun Youping , Rupp Larry
Published: June 2021

Shepherdia ×utahensis ‘Torrey’ (hybrid buffaloberry) is an actinorhizal plant that can form symbiotic nodules with the actinobacterial genus Frankia. However, little research has been conducted to investigate the presence of Frankia in their nodules and the effects on plant growth. In this study, plants were grown in a Metro-Mix® 820 substrate and inoculated with soils collected from Mohave County, AZ, or in a low organic-matter substrate inoculated with soils from North Logan, UT. The presence of Frankia was quantified using PolF/PolR primers to amplify their nitrogenase (nifH) gene sequences. In the Metro-Mix 820 substrate, plants irrigated with nitrogen (N)-free Hoagland’s solution at pH 6.5 formed nodules at week 12 after experiment initiation, whereas those receiving the same solution with 2 mm ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) appeared healthy, but no nodules formed. In the low organic-matter substrate, nodules formed in 5 weeks when plants were irrigated with N-free Hoagland’s solution at pH 7.5. Four 300-bp fragments of query sequences (SU1, SU2, SU3, and SU4) were obtained from nodules. When compared with nifH gene sequences reported in the literature using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), more than 90% similarity to the nifH of Frankia spp. was obtained. The Frankia strains in the nodules shared nifH sequences similar to those of the same host-specific group of Shepherdia. Furthermore, Frankia strains with similar nifH genes have been reported in nodules of Shepherdia argentea (silver buffaloberry). Additionally, Frankia strains belonging to cluster 3 infective strains consisting of Elaeagnaceae and Rhamnaceae infective Frankia showed high similarity to the query sequences. This research demonstrates that nodulation of S. ×utahensis is inhibited at 2 mm NH4NO3. Apart from N, nodule formation may be associated with the substrate type and pH of the nutrient solution. Based on nifH gene sequence amplification, Frankia strains in the root nodules may have the potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2). These Frankia strains have signature gene sequence characteristics of Elaeagnaceae-infective Frankia, suggesting that S. ×utahensis shares Frankia strains similar to its parents.
GMO Turfgrass Introduction to the Market: Acceptance and Market Simulations for Connecticut Consumers
Authors: Campbell Benjamin L. , Campbell Julie H. , Berning Joshua P.
Published: June 2021

Using conjoint analysis and market simulations, the impact of the introduction of certified genetically modified organism (GMO)-free; GMO-free, not certified; and nonlabeled turfgrass was examined for Connecticut consumers. We categorized consumers into five distinct segments according to their preferences. The largest segment consisted of 38% of respondents (multifaceted), whereas the smallest consisted of 8% of respondents (extremely price sensitive). For most consumers GMO labeling was not a major driver for purchasing decisions, accounting for only 11% of purchasing decisions. However, holding all factors constant except GMO labeling and price, 66% of the market preferred a noncertified GMO-free label, with a significant number of consumers willing to pay for the certified GMO-free label. Based on market simulations, the noncertified GMO-free-labeled seed would maximize revenue at a 60% premium whereas the certified GMO-free label maximizes revenue when there is no premium.