bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health Education with Media Leaflet Against Women's Knowledge of Cervical Cancer Screening
Authors: Sumiaty Sumiaty , Hasnawati Hasnawati
Published: August 2022

Background: Cervical cancer is the second-leading cancer of death in women in Indonesia. The prevalence of cancer in Central Sulawesi Province increased from 0.9% to 2.3%. The low number of early detection examinations of cervical cancer in Central Sulawesi Province aged 30-50 years is only 8.06%. Objective: to determine the effect of health education using leaflet media on the knowledge of women of childbearing age about cervical cancer screening. Methods: Quasy experimental with one group pre-posttest design without control. The sample number of 32 women of childbearing age with purposive sampling techniques. The data is analyzed with univariate tests and bivariate tests. Bivariate test analysis using Paired t-test Results: The average knowledge value before being given health education is 59.06 and after obtaining health education is 86.16. Average increase in knowledge of 27.10 with a Pvalue value of 0.000. Conclusion: There is an effect of health education with leaflet media on women's knowledge about cervical cancer screening. It is expected that health workers will regularly provide health education.
CaSilico: A versatile CRISPR package for in silico CRISPR RNA designing for Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14
Authors: Asadbeigi Adnan , Norouzi Milad , Vafaei Sadi Mohammad Sadegh , Saffari Mojtaba , Bakhtiarizadeh Mohammad Reza
Published: August 2022

The efficiency of the CRISPR-Cas system is highly dependent on well-designed CRISPR RNA (crRNA). To facilitate the use of various types of CRISPR-Cas systems, there is a need for the development of computational tools to design crRNAs which cover different CRISPR-Cas systems with off-target analysis capability. Numerous crRNA design tools have been developed, but nearly all of them are dedicated to design crRNA for genome editing. Hence, we developed a tool matching the needs of both beginners and experts, named CaSilico, which was inspired by the limitations of the current crRNA design tools for designing crRNAs for Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14 CRISPR-Cas systems. This tool considers a comprehensive list of the principal rules that are not yet well described to design crRNA for these types. Using a list of important features such as mismatch tolerance rules, self-complementarity, GC content, frequency of cleaving base around the target site, target accessibility, and PFS (protospacer flanking site) or PAM (protospacer adjacent motif) requirement, CaSilico searches all potential crRNAs in a user-input sequence. Considering these features help users to rank all crRNAs for a sequence and make an informed decision about whether a crRNA is suited for an experiment or not. Our tool is sufficiently flexible to tune some key parameters governing the design of crRNA and identification of off-targets, which can lead to an increase in the chances of successful CRISPR-Cas experiments. CaSilico outperforms previous crRNA design tools in the following aspects: 1) supporting any reference genome/gene/transcriptome for which an FASTA file is available; 2) designing crRNAs that simultaneously target multiple sequences through conserved region detection among a set of sequences; 3) considering new CRISPR-Cas subtypes; and 4) reporting a list of different features for each candidate crRNA, which can help the user to select the best one. Given these capabilities, CaSilico addresses end-user concerns arising from the use of sophisticated bioinformatics algorithms and has a wide range of potential research applications in different areas, especially in the design of crRNA for pathogen diagnosis. CaSilico was successfully applied to design crRNAs for different genes in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, as some of the crRNAs have been experimentally tested in the previous studies.
Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis of Oil Palm Biomass: Multi-Optimisation of Solid Char Yield and Its Calorific Value Using Response Surface Methodology
Authors: Idris Siti Shawalliah , Rahman Norazah Abd , Ismail Khudzir , Mohammed Yunus Mohammed Faisal , Mohd Hakimi Noor Irma Nazashida
Published: August 2022

Recovery of oil palm resources is essential towards conserving environment. This study investigated the behaviour of oil palm kernel shells (PKS), palm mesocarp fibre (PMF) and empty fruit bunch (EFB) through microwave assisted pyrolysis. Power level (300–1,000 W), exposure time (10–30 min) and mass loading (20–50 g) were varied to determine its influence on char yield and calorific value at one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) analysis. Model equations obtained from Box-Behnken design was used for Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in determining the optimum operating condition. It was found that the power level has least important influence on the solid char yield of EFB and PMF. No significant impact on the solid char yield of PMF beyond 10 min of exposure. Maximum mass inside the pyrolyser for EFB, PMF, and PKS are 40, 50, and 25 g, respectively. Calorific values of solid char produced were comparable to a low rank coal (>22 MJ/kg). From the RSM analysis, the optimum conditions for obtaining high char yield and calorific values have been determined with power level of 300 W, exposure time in the range of 16.7–32 min, and biomass mass in the range of 20–40.4 g. The outcome from this analysis is vital as it provides an alternative solution to utilise oil palm industrial wastes to be converted to solid fuel as source of renewable fuel and reduce its pollution to the environment.
Refined Chelator Spacer Moieties Ameliorate the Pharmacokinetics of PSMA-617
Authors: dos Santos José Carlos , Schäfer Martin , Bauder-Wüst Ulrike , Beijer Barbro , Eder Matthias , Leotta Karin , Kleist Christian , Meyer Jan-Philip , Dilling Thomas R. , Lewis Jason S. , Kratochwil Clemens , Kopka Klaus , Haberkorn Uwe , Mier Walter
Published: August 2022

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) binding tracers are promising agents for the targeting of prostate tumors. To further optimize the clinically established radiopharmaceutical PSMA-617, novel PSMA ligands for prostate cancer endoradiotherapy were developed. A series of PSMA binding tracers that comprise a benzyl group at the chelator moiety were obtained by solid-phase synthesis. The compounds were labeled with 68Ga or 177Lu. Competitive cell-binding assays and internalization assays were performed using the cell line C4-2, a subline of the PSMA positive cell line LNCaP (human lymph node carcinoma of the prostate). Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and biodistribution studies were conducted in a C4-2 tumor bearing BALB/c nu/nu mouse model. All 68Ga-labeled ligands were stable in human serum over 2 h; 177Lu-CA030 was stable over 72 h. The PSMA ligands revealed inhibition potencies [Ki] (equilibrium inhibition constants) between 4.8 and 33.8 nM. The percentage of internalization of the injected activity/106 cells of 68Ga-CA028, 68Ga-CA029, and 68Ga-CA030 was 41.2 ± 2.7, 44.3 ± 3.9, and 53.8 ± 5.4, respectively; for the comparator 68Ga-PSMA-617, 15.5 ± 3.1 was determined. Small animal PET imaging of the compounds showed a high tumor-to-background contrast. Organ distribution studies revealed high specific uptake in the tumor, that is, approximately 34.4 ± 9.8% of injected dose per gram (%ID/g) at 1 h post injection for 68Ga-CA028. At 1 h p.i., 68Ga-CA028 and 68Ga-CA030 demonstrated lower kidney uptake than 68Ga-PSMA-617, but at later time points, kidney time–activity curves converge. In line with the preclinical data, first diagnostic PET imaging using 68Ga-CA028 and 68Ga-CA030 revealed high-contrast detection of bone and lymph node lesions in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. The novel PSMA ligands, in particular CA028 and CA030, are promising agents for targeting PSMA-positive tumor lesions as shown in the preclinical evaluation and in a first patient, respectively. Thus, clinical translation of 68Ga-CA028 and 68Ga/177Lu-CA030 for diagnostics and endoradiotherapy of prostate cancer in larger cohorts of patients is warranted.
Investigation of carbon dioxide solubility in various families of deep eutectic solvents by the PC-SAFT EoS
Authors: Parvaneh Khalil , Haghbakhsh Reza , Duarte Ana Rita C. , Raeissi Sona
Published: August 2022

Having been introduced in 2003, Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) make up a most recent category of green solvents. Due to their unique characteristics, and also their tunable physical properties, DESs have shown high potentials for use in various applications. One of the investigated applications is CO2 absorption. The thermodynamic modeling of CO2 solubility in DESs has been pursued by a number of researchers to estimate the capacity and capability of DESs for such tasks. Among the advanced equations of state (EoSs), the Perturbed Chain-Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (PC-SAFT) is a well-known EoS. In this study, the performance of the PC-SAFT EoS for estimating CO2 solubility in various DESs, within wide ranges of temperatures and pressures, was investigated. A large data bank, including 2542 CO2 solubility data in 109 various-natured DESs was developed and used for this study. This is currently the most comprehensive study in the open literature on CO2 solubility in DESs using an EoS. For modeling, the DES was considered as a pseudo-component with a 2B association scheme. CO2 was considered as both an inert and a 2B-component and the results of each association scheme were compared. Considering the very challenging task of modeling a complex hydrogen bonding mixture with gases, the results of AARD% being lower than 10% for both of the investigated association schemes of CO2, showed that PC-SAFT is a suitable model for estimating CO2 solubilities in various DESs. Also, by proposing generalized correlations to predict the PC-SAFT parameters, covering different families of DESs, the developed model provides a global technique to estimate CO2 solubilities in new and upcoming DESs, avoiding the necessity of further experimental work. This can be most valuable for screening and feasibility studies to select potential DESs from the innumerable options available.
Cryoballoon ablation guided by a novel wide-band dielectric imaging system
Authors: Rottner Laura , Obergassel Julius , My Ilaria , Kirchhof Paulus , Ouyang Feifan , Reissmann Bruno , Metzner Andreas , Rillig Andreas
Published: August 2022

Background and aim

To investigate the feasibility, acute efficacy, periprocedural safety, and procedural parameters of CB-based PVI guided by KODEX-EPD using different occlusion tool software versions.

Methods and results

A total of 173 patients (60/173 (35%) paroxysmal AF, 64 ± 12 years, 66/173 (38%) female), underwent CB-based PVI guided by KODEX-EPD between August 2019 and October 2021. Acute PVI was achieved in all the patients. Total fluoroscopy time and dye volume were 13.9 [10.6–19.4] min and 47.5 [20–70] ml. Periprocedural complications occurred in 3 (2%) of the 173 patients. As part of the continued development program, different software versions were used, including 1.4.6 on 38 (22%), 1.4.6a on 33 (19%), 1.4.7 on 41 (24%), and 1.4.8 on 61 (35%) of the patients. Outcomes were compared between software versions by a univariate analysis. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for confounders. Median fluoroscopy time was decreased by 6.4 min (37.3%), and the median volume of dye was decreased by 32.5 ml (52%) from versions 1.4.6 to 1.4.8. Software version was a significant predictor of fluoroscopy time and dye volume, while reductions in procedure duration and dose area product were observed but mainly explained via confounders.

Conclusion

CB-based PVI guided by KODEX-EPD is feasible and safe. Progressive software improvements appear to be associated with lower fluoroscopy duration and dye use. Further studies are needed to evaluate the advantage of KODEX-EPD-guided compared to conventional CB-PVI.
At-home blood collection and stabilization in high temperature climates using homeRNA
Authors: Brown Lauren G. , Haack Amanda J. , Kennedy Dakota S. , Adams Karen N. , Stolarczuk Jennifer E. , Takezawa Meg G. , Berthier Erwin , Thongpang Sanitta , Lim Fang Yun , Chaussabel Damien , Garand Mathieu , Theberge Ashleigh B.
Published: August 2022

Expanding whole blood sample collection for transcriptome analysis beyond traditional phlebotomy clinics will open new frontiers for remote immune research and telemedicine. Determining the stability of RNA in blood samples exposed to high ambient temperatures (>30°C) is necessary for deploying home-sampling in settings with elevated temperatures (e.g., studying physiological response to natural disasters that occur in warm locations or in the summer). Recently, we have developed homeRNA, a technology that allows for self-blood sampling and RNA stabilization remotely. homeRNA consists of a lancet-based blood collection device, the Tasso-SST™ which collects up to 0.5 ml of blood from the upper arm, and a custom-built stabilization transfer tube containing RNAlater™. In this study, we investigated the robustness of our homeRNA kit in high temperature settings via two small pilot studies in Doha, Qatar (no. participants = 8), and the Western and South Central USA during the summer of 2021, which included a heatwave of unusually high temperatures in some locations (no. participants = 11). Samples collected from participants in Doha were subjected to rapid external temperature fluctuations from being moved to and from air-conditioned areas and extreme heat environments (up to 41°C external temperature during brief temperature spikes). In the USA pilot study, regions varied in outdoor temperature highs (between 25°C and 43.4°C). All samples that returned a RNA integrity number (RIN) value from the Doha, Qatar group had a RIN ≥7.0, a typical integrity threshold for downstream transcriptomics analysis. RIN values for the Western and South Central USA samples (n = 12 samples) ranged from 6.9–8.7 with 9 out of 12 samples reporting RINs ≥7.0. Overall, our pilot data suggest that homeRNA can be used in some regions that experience elevated temperatures, opening up new geographical frontiers in disseminated transcriptome analysis for applications critical to telemedicine, global health, and expanded clinical research. Further studies, including our ongoing work in Qatar, USA, and Thailand, will continue to test the robustness of homeRNA.
An endometrial receptivity scoring system basing on the endometrial thickness, volume, echo, peristalsis, and blood flow evaluated by ultrasonography
Authors: Zhang Chun-hui , Chen Cheng , Wang Jia-rui , Wang Yue , Wen Si-xi , Cao Yan-pei , Qian Wei-ping
Published: August 2022

Background

Establishing a successful pregnancy depends on the endometrium and the embryo. It is estimated that suboptimal endometrial receptivity account for one-third of implantation failures. Despite the indepth understanding of the processes associated with embryo-endometrial cross-talk, little progress has been achieved for diagnosis and treatments for suboptimal endometrial receptivity.

Methods

This retrospective study included women undergoing their first frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles at our reproductive medicine center from March 2021 to August 2021. Transvaginal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound was performed in the morning on the day of embryo transfer for all the thawed embryo transfer patients, to evaluate endometrial receptivity, including endometrial thickness, echogenicity, volume, movement and blood flow.

Results

A total number of 562 patients of FET with 315 pregnancies (56.0%) was analyzed. It was found that only the echo of the endometrial central line was different between the pregnant group and non-pregnant group. Other parameters, such as endometrial thickness, volume, endometrial peristalsis, or the endometrial blood flow were not statistically different between the two groups. Then, according to the relationship between the different groups and the clinical pregnancy rate, a score of 0 to 2 was respectively scored. The sum of the scores for the six items was the patient’s endometrial receptivity score. It showed that the clinical pregnancy rate increased as the endometrial receptivity score increased, and when the receptivity score reaches at least 5, the clinical pregnancy rate is significantly improved (63.7% versus 49.5%, P=0.001).

Conclusion

We developed an endometrial receptivity scoring system and demonstrated its validity. It may aid clinicians in choosing the useful marker in clinical practice and for informing further research.
A Technology Development Matrix for Carbon Capture: Technology Status and R&D Gap Assessment
Authors: Baker Ryan , Alizadeh Sahraei Ommolbanin , Dal-Cin Mauro Mario , Bensebaa Farid
Published: August 2022

Numerous carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies are under development to reduce CO2 emissions. To evaluate the status of a CCUS technology under development and identify potential gaps for further advancement, we have established a new technology assessment framework and are developing a decision-making tool, the technology development matrix (TDM), starting with available carbon capture technology (CCT) data. TDM is a data inventory system and screening tool. As a screening tool, it can be used for resource allocation decisions in research, development, and deployment (RD&D) by academia, government, and industry. It shares data with techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) tools as an inventory system. By using available data, this TDM framework has been demonstrated on amine-based (monoethanolamine) absorption post-combustion CO2 capture, for pulverized coal (PC) power plant flue gas, as the best available technology (BAT) for comparison. Three groups of promising post-combustion CCTs under development are presented as Alternative Technology (Alt Tech) case studies, including membrane, solid adsorption, and calcium-based chemical looping. By using available data, preliminary analysis enabled technology benchmarking and highlighted knowledge, data, and technology gaps, all providing potential future RD&D focus.
Exploring the Effect of Digital Economy on PM2.5 Pollution: The Role of Technological Innovation in China
Authors: Sun Xiangxiang , Chen Zhangwang , Loh Lawrence
Published: August 2022

PM2.5 emission causes serious harm to health and hinders the sustainable development of economy and society. Among all the factors affecting PM2.5 pollution, the role of new economic forms and information technology innovation is lacking. This study aims to explore the impact of digital economy on PM2.5 pollution and its influencing mechanism using data from 281 prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2016. The empirical results demonstrate that digital economy is conducive to reducing PM2.5 pollution. In other words, the digital economy is conducive to alleviating PM2.5 pollution. Further analysis shows that the digital economy promotes technological innovation, which is an important mediating mechanism affecting PM2.5 pollution. Additionally, the inhibitory effect of digital economy on PM2.5 pollution is more significant in the eastern and central regions. Unfortunately, the negative impact of digital economy on PM2.5 pollution is not significant in the western region. The conclusions provide a new strategy for reducing pollution emissions and improving environmental quality and technological innovation.
dialogi: Utilising NLP With Chemical and Disease Similarities to Drive the Identification of Drug-Induced Liver Injury Literature
Authors: Katritsis Nicholas M. , Liu Anika , Youssef Gehad , Rathee Sanjay , MacMahon Méabh , Hwang Woochang , Wollman Lilly , Han Namshik
Published: August 2022

Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI), despite its low occurrence rate, can cause severe side effects or even lead to death. Thus, it is one of the leading causes for terminating the development of new, and restricting the use of already-circulating, drugs. Moreover, its multifactorial nature, combined with a clinical presentation that often mimics other liver diseases, complicate the identification of DILI-related (or “positive”) literature, which remains the main medium for sourcing results from the clinical practice and experimental studies. This work–contributing to the “Literature AI for DILI Challenge” of the Critical Assessment of Massive Data Analysis (CAMDA) 2021– presents an automated pipeline for distinguishing between DILI-positive and negative publications. We used Natural Language Processing (NLP) to filter out the uninformative parts of a text, and identify and extract mentions of chemicals and diseases. We combined that information with small-molecule and disease embeddings, which are capable of capturing chemical and disease similarities, to improve classification performance. The former were directly sourced from the Chemical Checker (CC). For the latter, we collected data that encode different aspects of disease similarity from the National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus and the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Following a similar procedure as the one used in the CC, vector representations for diseases were learnt and evaluated. Two Neural Network (NN) classifiers were developed: a baseline model that accepts texts as input and an augmented, extended, model that also utilises chemical and disease embeddings. We trained, validated, and tested the classifiers through a Nested Cross-Validation (NCV) scheme with 10 outer and 5 inner folds. During this, the baseline and extended models performed virtually identically, with F1-scores of 95.04 ± 0.61% and 94.80 ± 0.41%, respectively. Upon validation on an external, withheld, dataset that is meant to assess classifier generalisability, the extended model achieved an F1-score of 91.14 ± 1.62%, outperforming its baseline counterpart which received a lower score of 88.30 ± 2.44%. We make further comparisons between the classifiers and discuss future improvements and directions, including utilising chemical and disease embeddings for visualisation and exploratory analysis of the DILI-positive literature.
RETRACTED: Cytokinin and abiotic stress tolerance -What has been accomplished and the way forward?
Authors: Mandal Sayanti , Ghorai Mimosa , Anand Uttpal , Samanta Dipu , Kant Nishi , Mishra Tulika , Rahman Md. Habibur , Jha Niraj Kumar , Jha Saurabh Kumar , Lal Milan Kumar , Tiwari Rahul Kumar , Kumar Manoj , Radha  , Prasanth Dorairaj Arvind , Mane Abhijit Bhagwan , Gopalakrishnan Abilash Valsala , Biswas Protha , Proćków Jarosław , Dey Abhijit
Published: August 2022

More than a half-century has passed since it was discovered that phytohormone cytokinin (CK) is essential to drive cytokinesis and proliferation in plant tissue culture. Thereafter, cytokinin has emerged as the primary regulator of the plant cell cycle and numerous developmental processes. Lately, a growing body of evidence suggests that cytokinin has a role in mitigating both abiotic and biotic stress. Cytokinin is essential to defend plants against excessive light exposure and a unique kind of abiotic stress generated by an altered photoperiod. Secondly, cytokinin also exhibits multi-stress resilience under changing environments. Furthermore, cytokinin homeostasis is also affected by several forms of stress. Therefore, the diverse roles of cytokinin in reaction to stress, as well as its interactions with other hormones, are discussed in detail. When it comes to agriculture, understanding the functioning processes of cytokinins under changing environmental conditions can assist in utilizing the phytohormone, to increase productivity. Through this review, we briefly describe the biological role of cytokinin in enhancing the performance of plants growth under abiotic challenges as well as the probable mechanisms underpinning cytokinin-induced stress tolerance. In addition, the article lays forth a strategy for using biotechnological tools to modify genes in the cytokinin pathway to engineer abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The information presented here will assist in better understanding the function of cytokinin in plants and their effective investigation in the cropping system.
Coagulation and complement: Key innate defense participants in a seamless web
Authors: Pryzdial Edward L. G. , Leatherdale Alexander , Conway Edward M.
Published: August 2022

In 1969, Dr. Oscar Ratnoff, a pioneer in delineating the mechanisms by which coagulation is activated and complement is regulated, wrote, “In the study of biological processes, the accumulation of information is often accelerated by a narrow point of view. The fastest way to investigate the body’s defenses against injury is to look individually at such isolated questions as how the blood clots or how complement works. We must constantly remind ourselves that such distinctions are man-made. In life, as in the legal cliché, the devices through which the body protects itself form a seamless web, unwrinkled by our artificialities.” Our aim in this review, is to highlight the critical molecular and cellular interactions between coagulation and complement, and how these two major component proteolytic pathways contribute to the seamless web of innate mechanisms that the body uses to protect itself from injury, invading pathogens and foreign surfaces.
The cytoplasmic LSm1-7 and nuclear LSm2-8 complexes exert opposite effects on Hepatitis B virus biosynthesis and interferon responses
Authors: Rahman Naimur , Sun Jiazeng , Li Zhili , Pattnaik Aryamav , Mohallem Rodrigo , Wang Mengbo , Kazemian Majid , Aryal Uma K. , Andrisani Ourania
Published: August 2022

Despite many studies on host or viral gene expression, how the cellular proteome responds to internal or external cues during the infection process remains unclear. In this study, we used a Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) replication model and performed proteomic analyses to understand how HBV evades innate immunity as a function of cell cycle progression. Specifically, we performed proteomic analyses of HBV-replicating cells in G1/S and G2/M phases, as a function of IFN-α treatment. We identified that the conserved LSm (Like-Sm1-8) proteins were differentially regulated in HBV replicating cells treated with IFN-α. Specifically, in G2/M phase, IFN-α increased protein level of LSm1, the unique subunit of cytoplasmic LSm1-7 complex involved in mRNA decay. By contrast, IFN-α decreased LSm8, the unique subunit of nuclear LSm2-8 complex, a chaperone of U6 spliceosomal RNA, suggesting the cytoplasmic LSm1-7 complex is antiviral, whereas the nuclear LSm2-8 complex is pro-viral. In HBV replication and infection models, siRNA-mediated knockdown of LSm1 increased all viral RNAs. Conversely, LSm8 knockdown reduced viral RNA levels, dependent on N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) of the epsilon stem-loop at the 5′ end of pre-Core/pregenomic (preC/pg) RNA. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) assays demonstrated reduced viral RNA methylation by LSm8 knockdown, dependent on the 5’ m6A modification, suggesting the LSm2-8 complex has a role in mediating this modification. Interestingly, splicing inhibitor Cp028 acting upstream of the LSm2-8 complex suppressed viral RNA levels without reducing the 5’ m6A modification. This observation suggests Cp028 has novel antiviral effects, likely potentiating IFN-α-mediated suppression of HBV biosynthesis.
Estimating the impacts of climate change on the habitat suitability of common minke whales integrating local adaptation
Authors: Sun Bin , Zhao Linlin , Shao Fei , Lu Zhichuang , Tian Jiashen , Liu Changdong
Published: August 2022

Climate change is exerting unprecedented effects on the habitats of marine mammals. Common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) have suffered immense harm from commercial whaling, and the recovery of this species is likely threatened by climate change. To better manage and conserve this species, it is important to predict its current habitat distribution and the potential change under future climate change scenarios. Such predictions are typically generated by species distribution models (SDMs), which construct a correlation between species occurrence data and its habitat environmental variables. SDMs are commonly constructed at the species level, assuming a homogenous response of the species to climatic variables across their entire geographic range. Spatially segregated populations from the same species inhabit distinct environments and gradually adapt to the local conditions, resulting in niche differentiation among populations. Species-level SDMs that ignore the effects of local adaptation mask differences in population responses to climate change and might present an unrealistic picture of potential species distributions. Based on morphological and genetic evidence, the common minke whale was divided into three populations: the North Atlantic population (NAP), Southern Hemisphere population (SHP) and North Pacific population (NPP); these populations inhabit isolated geographic areas with distinct environmental conditions. We quantified the realized niches of these populations and found evidence of significant ecological niche differentiation. We then constructed SDMs at the species and population levels and compared the predictions from these two types of models under different climate change scenarios. Both types of models projected similar change trends in species range, with a contraction of future suitable habitats for the NAP and SHP and an expansion for the NPP. However, the magnitudes of this change differed; the population-level model projected more optimistic results for the SHP and NAP, indicating less habitat loss. This study highlighted the importance of considering local adaptation when estimating the impact of climate change on species habitat suitability. These spatiotemporal predictions provide essential knowledge for designing climate-adaptive conservation and management strategies, such as the delimitation of mobile marine protected areas (MPAs).
A literature review [2000–2022] on vehicle acoustics: Investigations on perceptual parameters of interior soundscapes in electrified vehicles
Authors: Münder Mara , Carbon Claus-Christian
Published: August 2022

The interior soundscape of a vehicle is an essential asset for experienced comfort and feedback of a car’s driver, especially in the premium automotive industry. Here we offer a literature review on the perception of acoustic characteristics of electrified vehicles (EVs) and the impressions and associations they convey to the individual—the driver, the customer, the user. The reduction of the overall sound pressure level (SPL) in EVs offers the opportunity to create exceptional quiet interior soundscapes. At the same time, the reduced SPL challenges NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness) engineers to reduce remaining noises that are no longer masked by operational combustion while creating vehicle-adequate acoustics with pleasingly comfort-assets and operational feedback of the current driving mode. The analyzed body of literature covers research from the 21st century (2000–2022). We aim to comprise the current state of research highlighting specific achievements already made. Furthermore, we show evident gaps that need to be filled and considered in future research.
Automated detection of knee cystic lesions on magnetic resonance imaging using deep learning
Authors: Xiongfeng Tang , Yingzhi Li , Xianyue Shen , Meng He , Bo Chen , Deming Guo , Yanguo Qin
Published: August 2022

Background

Cystic lesions are frequently observed in knee joint diseases and are usually associated with joint pain, degenerative disorders, or acute injury. Magnetic resonance imaging-based, artificial intelligence-assisted cyst detection is an effective method to improve the whole knee joint analysis. However, few studies have investigated this method. This study is the first attempt at auto-detection of knee cysts based on deep learning methods.

Methods

This retrospective study collected data from 282 subjects with knee cysts confirmed at our institution from January to October 2021. A Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) inception attention-based You only look once version 5 (SE-YOLOv5) model was developed based on a self-attention mechanism for knee cyst-like lesion detection and differentiation from knee effusions, both characterized by high T2-weighted signals in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Model performance was evaluated via metrics including accuracy, precision, recall, mean average precision (mAP), F1 score, and frames per second (fps).

Results

The deep learning model could accurately identify knee MRI scans and auto-detect both obvious cyst lesions and small ones with inconspicuous contrasts. The SE-YOLO V5 model constructed in this study yielded superior performance (F1 = 0.879, precision = 0.887, recall = 0.872, all class mAP0.5 = 0.944, effusion mAP = 0.945, cyst mAP = 0.942) and improved detection speed compared to a traditional YOLO model.

Conclusion

This proof-of-concept study examined whether deep learning models could detect knee cysts and distinguish them from knee effusions. The results demonstrated that the classical Yolo V5 and proposed SE-Yolo V5 models could accurately identify cysts.
Gut microbiomes of cyprinid fish exhibit host-species symbiosis along gut trait and diet
Authors: Liu Yaqiu , Li Xinhui , Li Yuefei , Li Jie , Zhu Shuli
Published: August 2022

Teleost omnivorous fish that coexist partially sharing resources are likely to modify their gut traits and microbiome as a feedback mechanism between ecological processes and evolution. However, we do not understand how the core gut microbiome supports the metabolic capacity of the host and regulates digestive functions in specialized omnivorous fish gut traits. Therefore, we evaluated the gut microbiome of eight omnivorous fish from a single family (i.e., Cyprinidae) in the current study. We examined the correlation between host phylogeny, diet composition, and intestinal morphological traits related to the intestinal microbiome. The results indicated that cyprinid fish with similar relative gut lengths had considerable gut microbiome similarity. Notably, the SL (short relative gut length) group, as zoobenthos and zooplankton specialists, was abundant in Proteobacteria and was less abundant in Firmicutes than in the ML (medium relative gut length) and LL (long relative gut length) groups. These fish could extract nutrients from aquatic plants and algae. Additionally, we found the relative abundance of Clostridium and Romboutsia to be positively correlated with host relative gut length but negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Cetobacterium, Plesiomonas, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus, and host-relative gut length. We also show a positive linear relationship between host gut microbiome carbohydrate metabolism and relative gut length, while the amino acid and lipid metabolism of the gut microbiome was negatively correlated with host-relative gut length. In addition, omnivorous species competing for resources improve their ecological adaptability through the specialization of gut length, which is closely related to variation in the synergy of the gut microbiome. Above all, specialized gut microbiota and associated gut morphologies enable fish to variably tolerate resource fluctuation and improve the utilization efficiency of nutrient extraction from challenging food resources.
Bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of uropathogens causing urinary tract infection in the eastern part of Northern India
Authors: Bhargava Kanika , Nath Gopal , Bhargava Amit , Kumari Ritu , Aseri G. K. , Jain Neelam
Published: August 2022

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infectious disease that affects men and women. It is a significant health concern due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) organisms. Therefore, it is necessary to have a current understanding of the antibiotic susceptibility (AS) pattern of uropathogens to manage UTI effectively. Since the bacterial pathogen causing UTI and its AS vary with time and place, the prevailing AS pattern of the causative agents are essential for empirical antibiotic therapy. This study aims to determine the prevalence and AS of uropathogens isolated from UTI patients in the eastern part of Northern India. The study was carried out between November 2018 and December 2019. Clean catch midstream urine samples were collected and processed using standard guidelines for microbiological procedures. Positive microbiological cultures were found in 333 of the 427 patients, where 287 were gram-negative bacteria (GNB), and 46 were gram-positive bacteria (GPB). Females had a higher prevalence of UTI (60.7%) than males (39.3%) (p= 0.00024). The most susceptible age group in females was 18–50 years as compared to males, whereas at the age of 51–80 years and >80 years males were more susceptible than females (p= 0.053). The most prevalent pathogen identified wereEscherichia coli(55.0%), followed byProteussp. (6.9%),Klebsiella pneumoniae(6.6%),Pseudomonas aeruginosa(6.3%), of which 96.0% were MDR bacteria. The susceptibility pattern of our study also revealed that amikacin, gentamycin and imipenem were the most effective drugs against GNB. In contrast, nitrofurantoin, vancomycin, and chloramphenicol were the most effective drugs against GPB. According tothe findings, MDR pathogens are very much prevalent. Since UTI is one of the most frequent bacterial diseases, proper management necessitates extensive investigation and implementation of antibiotic policy based on AS patterns for a particular region.
Potential antifungal targets based on histones post-translational modifications against invasive aspergillosis
Authors: Li Yiman , Song Zhihui , Wang Ente , Dong Liming , Bai Jie , Wang Dong , Zhu Jinyan , Zhang Chao
Published: August 2022

As a primary cause of death in patients with hematological malignancies and transplant recipients, invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a condition that warrants attention. IA infections have been increasing, which remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. During the past decade, antifungal drug resistance has emerged, which is especially concerning for management given the limited options for treating azole-resistant infections and the possibility of failure of prophylaxis in those high-risk patients. Histone posttranslational modifications (HPTMs), mainly including acetylation, methylation, ubiquitination and phosphorylation, are crucial epigenetic mechanisms regulating various biological events, which could modify the conformation of histone and influence chromatin-associated nuclear processes to regulate development, cellular responsiveness, and biological phenotype without affecting the underlying genetic sequence. In recent years, fungi have become important model organisms for studying epigenetic regulation. HPTMs involves in growth and development, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and virulence in Aspergillus. This review mainly aims at summarizing the acetylation, deacetylation, methylation, demethylation, and sumoylation of histones in IA and connect this knowledge to possible HPTMs-based antifungal drugs. We hope this research could provide a reference for exploring new drug targets and developing low-toxic and high-efficiency antifungal strategies.
Accelerated neuronal aging in vitro ∼melting watch ∼
Authors: Inagaki Emi , Yoshimatsu Sho , Okano Hideyuki
Published: August 2022

In developed countries, the aging of the population and the associated increase in age-related diseases are causing major unresolved medical, social, and environmental matters. Therefore, research on aging has become one of the most important and urgent issues in life sciences. If the molecular mechanisms of the onset and progression of neurodegenerative diseases are elucidated, we can expect to develop disease-modifying methods to prevent neurodegeneration itself. Since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), there has been an explosion of disease models using disease-specific iPSCs derived from patient-derived somatic cells. By inducing the differentiation of iPSCs into neurons, disease models that reflect the patient-derived pathology can be reproduced in culture dishes, and are playing an active role in elucidating new pathological mechanisms and as a platform for new drug discovery. At the same time, however, we are faced with a new problem: how to recapitulate aging in culture dishes. It has been pointed out that cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells are juvenile, retain embryonic traits, and may not be fully mature. Therefore, attempts are being made to induce cell maturation, senescence, and stress signals through culture conditions. It has also been reported that direct conversion of fibroblasts into neurons can reproduce human neurons with an aged phenotype. Here, we outline some state-of-the-art insights into models of neuronal aging in vitro. New frontiers in which stem cells and methods for inducing differentiation of tissue regeneration can be applied to aging research are just now approaching, and we need to keep a close eye on them. These models are forefront and intended to advance our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of aging and contribute to the development of novel therapies for human neurodegenerative diseases associated with aging.
Induction of A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs 1 by a rare variant or cognitive activities reduces hippocampal amyloid-β and consequent Alzheimer’s disease risk
Authors: Qiu Yunjie , Sha Longze , Zhang Xiuneng , Li Guanjun , Zhu Wanwan , Xu Qi
Published: August 2022

Amyloid-β (Aβ) derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) hydrolysis is acknowledged as the predominant hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that especially correlates to genetics and daily activities. In 2019, meta-analysis of AD has discovered five new risk loci among which A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin motifs 1 (ADAMTS1) has been further suggested in 2021 and 2022. To verify the association, we re-sequenced ADAMTS1 of clinical AD samples and subsequently identified a novel rare variant c.–2067A > C with watchable relevance (whereas the P-value was not significant after adjustment). Dual-luciferase assay showed that the variant sharply stimulated ADAMTS1 expression. In addition, ADAMTS1 was also clearly induced by pentylenetetrazol-ignited neuronal activity and enriched environment (EE). Inspired by the above findings, we investigated ADAMTS1’s role in APP metabolism in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that ADAMTS1 participated in APP hydrolysis and consequently decreased Aβ generation through inhibiting β-secretase-mediated cleavage. In addition, we also verified that the hippocampal amyloid load of AD mouse model was alleviated by the introduction of ADAMTS1, and thus spatial cognition was restored as well. This study revealed the contribution of ADAMTS1 to the connection of genetic and acquired factors with APP metabolism, and its potential in reducing hippocampal amyloid and consequent risk of AD.
Impact of interhospital transfer vs. direct admission on acute ischemic stroke patients: A subset analysis of the COMPLETE registry
Authors: Hassan Ameer E. , Zaidat Osama O. , Nanda Ashish , Atchie Benjamin , Woodward Keith , Doerfler Arnd , Tomasello Alejandro , Fifi Johanna T.
Published: August 2022

Background

Efficacy of thrombectomy treatment in acute ischemic stroke large vessel occlusion (AIS-LVO) patients is time dependent. Direct admission to thrombectomy centers (vs. interhospital transfer) may reduce time to treatment and improve outcomes. In this subset analysis of the COMPLETE registry, we compared outcomes between direct to thrombectomy center (Direct) vs. transfer from another hospital to thrombectomy center (Transfer) in AIS-LVO patients treated with aspiration thrombectomy.

Methods

COMPLETE was a prospective, international registry that enrolled patients from July 2018 to October 2019, with a 90-day follow-up period that was completed in January 2020. Imaging findings and safety events were adjudicated by core lab and independent medical reviewers, respectively. Pre-defined primary endpoints included post-procedure angiographic revascularization (mTICI ≥2b), 90-day functional outcome (mRS 0–2), and 90-day all-cause mortality. Planned collections of procedural time metrics and outcomes were used in the present post-hoc analysis to compare outcomes between transfer and direct patient cohorts.

Results

Of 650 patients enrolled, 343 were transfer [52.8% female; mean (SD) age, 68.2 (13.9) years], and 307 were direct [55.4% female; 68.5 (14.5) years] admit. Median onset-to-puncture time took longer in the transfer vs. direct cohort (5.65 vs. 3.18 h: 2.33 h difference, respectively; p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in successful revascularization rate, mTICI ≥2b (88.3 and 87.3%), sICH at 24 h (3.8 and 3.9%), median length of hospital stay (7 and 6 days), and 90-day mortality (16.9 and 14.0%) between transfer vs. direct patients, respectively. However, achieving 90-day functional independence was less likely in transfer compared with direct patients (mRS 0–2 was 50.3 vs. 61.7%, p = 0.0056).

Conclusions

In the COMPLETE registry, direct to thrombectomy center was associated with significantly shorter onset-to-puncture times, and higher rates of good clinical outcome across different geographies. Additional research should focus on AIS-LVO detection to facilitate direct routing of patients to appropriate treatment centers.

Clinical trial registration

https://clinicaltrials.gov (Unique identifier: NCT03464565).
Automated scoring of collaterals, blood pressure, and clinical outcome after endovascular treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke and large-vessel occlusion
Authors: Guisado-Alonso Daniel , Camps-Renom Pol , Delgado-Mederos Raquel , Granell Esther , Prats-Sánchez Luis , Martínez-Domeño Alejandro , Guasch-Jiménez Marina , Acosta M. Victoria , Ramos-Pachón Anna , Martí-Fàbregas Joan
Published: August 2022

Introduction

We aimed to determine whether the degree of collateral circulation is associated with blood pressure at admission in acute ischemic stroke patients treated with endovascular treatment and to determine its prognostic value.

Methods

We evaluated patients with anterior large vessel occlusion treated with endovascular treatment in a single-center prospective registry. We collected clinical and radiological data. Automated and validated software (Brainomix Ltd., Oxford, UK) was used to generate the collateral score (CS) from the baseline single-phase CT angiography: 0, filling of ≤10% of the occluded MCA territory; 1, 11–50%; 2, 51–90%; 3, >90%. When dichotomized, we considered that CS was good (CS = 2–3), or poor (CS = 0–1). We performed bivariate and multivariable ordinal logistic regression analysis to predict CS categories in our population. The secondary outcome was to determine the influence of automated CS on functional outcome at 3 months. We defined favorable functional outcomes as mRS 0–2 at 3 months.

Results

We included 101 patients with a mean age of 72.1 ± 13.1 years and 57 (56.4%) of them were women. We classified patients into 4 groups according to the CS: 7 patients (6.9%) as CS = 0, 15 (14.9%) as CS = 1, 43 (42.6%) as CS = 2 and 36 (35.6%) as CS = 3. Admission systolic blood pressure [aOR per 10 mmHg increase 0.79 (95% CI 0.68–0.92)] and higher baseline NIHSS [aOR 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84–0.96)] were associated with a worse CS. The OR of improving 1 point on the 3-month mRS was 1.63 (95% CI, 1.10–2.44) favoring a better CS (p = 0.016).

Conclusion

In acute ischemic stroke patients with anterior large vessel occlusion treated with endovascular treatment, admission systolic blood pressure was inversely associated with the automated scoring of CS on baseline CT angiography. Moreover, a good CS was associated with a favorable outcome.