bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FOXM1 modulates docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer by regulating KIF20A
Authors: Yu Hongbo , Xu Zheng , wang weiwan , xu zhibin , zhu gangyi , zhang chenyang , lin jianzhong
Published: March 2020

Background：Resistance to docetaxel is an important factor which affects the prognosis in advanced prostate cancer (PCa). The precise mechanisms remain unclear. The transcription factor Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1), participating in cell cycle progress and cell proliferation, has been reported to affect the sensitivity of chemotherapy. The present study aims to explore the role of FOXM1 in docetaxel resistance of PCa and how FOXM1 is associated with kinesin family member 20 A (KIF20A), which has been demonstrated to promote the development of therapeutic resistance in some cancers.Methods: We monitored cell growth by MTT and colony formation assays and cell apoptosis and cell cycle through flow cytometry. Wound-healing and transwell assays were performed to detect cell migration and invasion. Gene expression was analyzedby quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. We determined the binding of FOXM1 on the KIF20A promoter by the ChIP assay. Tumorigenicity in nude mice was employed to assess tumorigenicity in vivo.Results: FOXM1 knockdown induced cell apoptosis and G2/M cell cycle arrest while hampered cell migration and invasion in docetaxel-resistant PCa cell lines (DU145-DR and VCaP-DR). The opposite trend was found in their parental cells with exogenous FOXM1 overexpression. Furthermore, thiostrepton, a specific inhibitor for FOXM1, significantly attenuated docetaxel resistance in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, we found that FOXM1 and KIF20A were consistently overexpressed and highly correlated in PCa cells and tissues. Further studies demonstrated that FOXM1 regulated the expression of KIF20A at the transcriptional level directly through a Forkhead response element (FHRE) in its promoter. Moreover, KIF20A overexpression could partially reverse the effects of FOXM1 depletion on cell proliferation, cell cycle proteins (cyclinA2, cyclinD1 and cyclinE1) and apoptosis protein (Bcl-2 and PARP).Conclusions: our findings suggest that FOXM1 may promote docetaxel resistance partly through the induction of KIF20A expression and provide insights into novel chemotherapeutic strategies for docetaxel resistance in PCa.
Mortality of severely injured patients after ICU discharge: An underestimated problem?
Authors: Hamsen Uwe , Drotleff Niklas , Lefering Rolf , Gerstmeyer Julius , Schildhauer Thomas Armin , Waydhas Christian
Published: March 2020

Background Most trauma patients admitted to the hospital alive and die later on, decease during the initial care in the emergency department or the intensive care unit (ICU). However, a number of patients pass away after having been discharged from the ICU during the initial hospital stay. On first sight these cases could be seen as “failure to rescue” of potentially salvageable patients. A low rate of such patients might be a potential indicator of quality for trauma care on ICUs and surgical wards. Methods Retrospective analysis of the TraumaRegister DGU® with data from 2015-2017. Patients that died during the initial ICU stay were compared to those who were discharged from the initial ICU stay for at least 24 hours but died later on. Results A total of 82,313 trauma patients were included in the TraumaRegister DGU®. In total, 6,576 patients (8.0%) died during their hospital stay. Out of those, 5,481 were admitted to the ICU alive and 972 patients (17.7%) were discharged from ICU and died later on. Those were older (mean age: 77 vs. 68 years), less severely injured (mean ISS: 23.1 vs. 30.0 points) and had a longer mean ICU length of stay (10 vs. 6 days). A limitation of life-sustaining therapy due to a documented living will was present in 46.1% of all patients who died during their initial ICU stay and in 59.9% of patients who died after discharge from their initial ICU stay. Conclusions 17.7% of all non-surviving severely injured trauma patients died within the hospital after discharge from their initial ICU treatment. Their death can partially be explained by a limitation of therapy due to a living will. In conclusion, the rate of such late deaths may represent patients that died of potentially avoidable or treatable complications.
Exogenous 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine alleviates salinity stress in maize by enhancing photosynthetic capacity, improving water status and maintaining K+/Na+ homeostasis
Authors: Li Lijie , Gu Wanrong , Zhang Liguo , Li Congfeng , Chen Xichang , Qian Chunrong , Wang Zhenhua , Li Wenhua , Zuo Shiyu , Wei Shi
Published: March 2020

Background: Soil salinity restricts plant growth and productivity. 2-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy) triethylamine (DCPTA) can alleviate salinity stress in plants. However, the mechanism of DCPTA-mediated salinity tolerance has not been fully clarified. We aimed to investigate its role in enhancing photosynthetic capacity, improving water status, maintaining K+/Na+ homeostasis and alleviating salinity stress in maize (Zea mays L.).Results: In present study, maize seedlings were grown in nutrient solutions with a combination of NaCl (0, 150 mM) and DCPTA (0, 20, 100, and 400 μM). And photosynthesis, water status, ion homeostasis and the expression of genes involved in ion uptake and transport were evaluated in the maize seedlings. The results demonstrated that DCPTA alleviated the growth inhibition of maize seedlings exposed to salinity stress by increasing the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and the quantum efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry. DCPTA improved the root hydraulic conductivity, which help maintained the water status. A relatively high K+ concentration but a relatively low Na+ concentration and the Na+/K+ ratio were observed in the presence of DCPTA under salinity stress. Additionally, DCPTA altered the expression of four genes (ZmSOS1, ZmHKT1, ZmNHX1 and ZmSKOR) that encode membrane transport proteins responsible for K+/Na+ homeostasis.Conclusions: DCPTA improved the salinity tolerance of maize may be associated with enhanced photosynthetic capacity, maintenance of water status and altered expression of genes involved in ion uptake and transport.
Sickness absence trajectories following labour market participation patterns: a cohort study in Catalonia (Spain), 2012-2014
Authors: Hernando-Rodriguez JC , Serra L , Benavides FG , Ubalde-Lopez M
Published: March 2020

Background Previous studies have investigated the relationship between employment pathways and health-related outcomes based on cross-sectional or longitudinal approaches. However, little is known about the cumulative effects of employment status mobility on sickness absence (SA) over time. The present study aims to examine the association between prior labour market participation (LMP) patterns and SA trajectories from a life course perspective.Methods Cohort study based on a sample of 11,968 salaried workers affiliated with the Spanish Social Security system, who accumulated more than 15 days on SA at least in one quarter during 2012-2014. Individuals were grouped into three different working life stages: early (18-25 years), middle (26-35 years) and late (36-45 years). Sequence analysis and cluster analysis were applied to identify LMP patterns (2002-2011). Latent class growth modelling was used to identify SA trajectories (2012-2014). Finally, multinomial logistic regression models were applied to assess the relationship between LMP patterns and SA trajectories.Results First, seven LMP patterns were obtained: stable employment (63%-81%), increasing employment (5%-22%), without long-term coverage (7%-8%), decreasing employment (4%-10%), fluctuant employment (13%-14%), steeply inflow into unemployment (9%), and steeply labour market exit (7%-9%). Second, four SA trajectories were identified: low stable (values range: 83%-88%), decreasing (5%-9%), increasing (5%-11%) and high stable (7%-16%). Third, no significant associations were observed among LMP patterns and SA trajectories, except for young men, where an increasing employment pattern was significantly associated with a lower risk to increase days on SA (aOR: 0.21 [95% CI: 0.04-0.96]).Conclusions SA trajectories are not related to prior 10-year LMP patterns at any stage of working life. To disentangle this relationship, future research might benefit from considering working life transitions with a quality of work approach framed with contextual factors closer to the SA course.
High Level of Vaccination and Protection Against Hepatitis B with Low Rate of Hepatitis C HCV infection Markers among Hospital Health Care Personnel in North of Iran: A cross-Sectional study.
Authors: Saffar Hiva , Khoshayand Negar , Parsaei Mohammad-Reza , Ghorbani Gholam-Reza , Aarabi Mohsen , Ghara Ali-Asghar Nadi , Saffar Mohammed-Jafar
Published: March 2020

Background : hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C virus (HCV) are among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Health care personnel (HCP) are subjected to increased risk of these infections. Therefore, HBV vaccination and post-vaccination serologic testing (PVST) are recommended for them.Objectives: study was designed to investigate how well the vaccination guidelines for hospital HCP s were implemented. Moreover, the prevalence rates of HBV and HCV infections were calculated. To determine the presence of immunological memory, vaccinated personnel negative to antibody against HB surface antigen with one dose of HB vaccine were boosted.Methods: from 1 July to 30 November 2017, a cross-Sectional study among HCPs working in public hospitals were conducted. All HCPs from various professional categories potentially at risk of exposure to contaminated sources were included. The information was gathered via interview and self-administered questionnaire. The questions were focused on the demographic characteristics, HB vaccination and immunity status and time elapsed since initial vaccination series, and frequency of needelstick injuries during the past 12 months of their work. HBV seromarkers received a booster dose of the vaccine.Results : A total of 186 out of 766 participants were male and nurses comprised 71% of personnel. Although all HCP were vaccinated, 84% of them completed the course and less than 5% of them received PVST. According to the results, 0.78%, 4.6%, and 83% were serologically positive to HBV surface antigen, antibodies against HBV core, and S antigens, respectively. Approximately, 91% of seronegative participants responded to a booster dose and only 0.91% of the personnel had HCV was Anti-HCV positive.Conclusion : Most HCP received full HBV vaccination course. Although a minority did PVST, the HBV vaccine-induced long-term protection and HBV booster were not required. Therefore, policies should be made to increase the rate PVST after immunization. According to the results, the HCV infection rate was low and thus pre-recruitment screening was not necessary
Gender differences in the efficacy of pioglitazone treatment in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients with abnormal glucose metabolism
Authors: Wang Liu , Wu Weiyun , Chang Xinxia , Xia Mingfeng , Gao Jian , Yan Hongmei
Published: March 2020

Background : Pioglitazone is a promising therapeutic method for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis patients with or without type 2 diabetes. However, there is a remarkable variability in treatment response. We analyzed our previous randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of gender and other factors on the efficacy of pioglitazone treatment in liver fat content in Chinese nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients with abnormal glucose metabolism.Methods : This is a secondary post hoc analysis of a previous randomized, parallel controlled, open-label clinical trial (RCT)* with an original purpose of evaluating the efficacy of berberine and pioglitazone on NAFLD. The per protocol population (n= 184) was randomly divided into three groups: lifestyle intervention (LSI), LSI plus pioglitazone (PGZ) 15mg qd, and LSI plus BBR 0.5g tid, respectively, for 16 weeks. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) was used to assess liver fat content.Results : As compared with LSI, PGZ plus LSI treatment induced further decreased liver fat content in women [-8.26% (-17.18%, -0.65%), p = 0.025], but relatively increased liver fat content in men [9.79% (0.37%, 19.21%), p = 0.046]. There was a significant interaction between gender and efficacy of pioglitazone before ( p = 0.003) and after ( p = 0.011) adjustment for age, smoking, drinking, baseline BMI, BMI change, and treatment adherence.Conclusion : For Chinese NAFLD patients with abnormal glucose metabolism, pioglitazone treatment is recommended for women, but not for men, based on lifestyle interventions.* Trial registration: Role of Pioglitazone and Berberine in Treatment of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NCT00633282. Registered 3 March 2008, https://register.clinicaltrials.gov.
Characterizing the human APOE epsilon 4 knock-in transgene in female and male rats with multimodal magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Kulkarni Praveen , Grant Simone , Morrison Thomas , Cai Xuezhu , Iriah Sade , Kristal Bruce , Honeycutt Jennifer , Brenhouse Heather , Hartner Jochen , Madularu Dan , Ferris Craig
Published: March 2020

Background: The APOE Ɛ4 genotype is the most prevalent genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Women carriers of Ɛ4 have higher risk for an early onset of AD than men. Human imaging studies suggest apolipoprotein E4 may affect brain structures associated with cognitive decline in AD many years before disease onset. It was hypothesized that female APOE Ɛ4 carriers would present with decreased cognitive function and neuroradiological evidence of early changes in brain structure and function as compared to male carriers. Methods: Six-month old wild-type (WT) and human APOE Ɛ4 knock-in (TGRA8960), male and female Sprague Dawley rats were studied for changes in brain structure using voxel-based morphometry, alteration in white and gray matter microarchitecture using diffusion weighted imaging with indices of anisotropy, and functional coupling using resting state BOLD functional connectivity. Images from each modality were registered to, and analyzed, using a 3D MRI rat atlas providing site-specific data on over 168 different brain areas. Results: Quantitative volumetric analysis revealed areas involved in memory and arousal were significantly different between Ɛ4 and wild-type (WT) females, with few differences between male genotypes. Diffusion weighted imaging showed few differences between WT and Ɛ4 females, while male genotypes showed significant different measures in fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient. Resting state functional connectivity showed Ɛ4 females had greater connectivity between areas involved in cognition, emotion, and arousal compared to WT females, with male Ɛ4 showing few differences from controls. Interestingly, male Ɛ4 showed increased anxiety and decreased performance in spatial and episodic memory tasks compared to WT males, with female genotypes showing little difference across behavioral tests.Conclusion: The sex differences in behavior and diffusion weighted imaging suggest male carriers of the Ɛ4 allele may be more vulnerable to cognitive and emotional complications compared to female carriers early in life. Conversely, the data may also suggest that female carriers are more resilient to cognitive/emotional problems at this stage of life perhaps due to altered brain volumes and enhanced connectivity.
T-cadherin deficiency promotes endometriosis progression through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: guan yutao , Zhang Fu-bin , Huang Yan-qing , Zhou Ling-ling , Li Wei-feng , Zhang Xiao-lu , Chen Yang-ping , Xu Li-jiang , Wang Li-wei , Chen Li-xin , Cui Li-ning , Xie Yong , Wang Gang
Published: March 2020

Background: Endometriosis is a progressive and benign disease characterized by the presence of endometrial glands and stroma tissue outside of the uterine cavity. Though endometriosis is a benign disease, it has the characteristics of malignant tumour growth. Abnormal expression of T-cadherin is involved in the occurrence and progression of many tumours. We aimed to investigate whether T-cadherin promotes the migration and invasion of endometriosis cells through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Methods: Ectopic and eutopic endometrial samples from 62 female patients with endometriosis and endometrial samples from 51 female patients without endometriosis were collected. The immortalized endometrial stromal cell line hEM15A was cultured. Real-time RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the expression of T-cadherin, phospho-PI3K/Akt/mTOR and matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2). Transfection technology was employed to upregulate T-cadherin expression. The migration and invasion abilities of hEM15A cells were measured by the transwell assay with uncoated or Matrigel-coated membranes. Results: The mRNA and protein expression of T-cadherin was significantly decresed in the ectopic tissues of the patients with endometriosis, while the mRNA and protein expression in the eutopic endometrial tissues of the same patients did not significantly differ from that in the patients without endometriosis. The migration and invasion ability and phospho-PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MMP-2 expression levels were decreased in hEM15A cells with high T-cadherin expression compared with the corresponding parameters in the normal control group. However, everolimus and BEZ235 inhibited cell migration and invasion in cells with low T-cadherin expression, and weakened overexpression of T‑cadherin significantly attenuated MMP-2 protein expression. Conclusion: Loss of T-cadherin promotes cell migration and invasion in endometriosis via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway.
G2S: a new deep learning tool for predicting stool microbiome structure from oral microbiome data
Authors: Rampelli Simone , Candela Marco , Biagi Elena , Brigidi Patrizia , Turroni Silvia
Published: March 2020

Background Deep learning methodologies have revolutionized prediction in many fields and show the potential to do the same in microbial metagenomics. However, deep learning is still unexplored in the field of microbiology, with only a few software designed to work with microbiome data. In the frame of meta-community theory, we foresee new perspectives for the development and application of deep learning algorithms in microbiology, with a great potential in the field of human microbiome. Results G2S is a bioinformatic tool for the taxonomic prediction of the human stool microbiome directly from oral microbiome data of the same individual. The tool uses a deep convolutional neural network trained on data of the Human Microbiome Project, allowing to infer the stool microbiome at the family level more accurately than other approaches. G2S was validated on already characterized oral and fecal sample pairs, and then applied to ancient microbiome data from dental calculi, to derive putative intestinal components in medieval subjects. Conclusions G2S infers the family-level taxonomic configuration of the stool microbiome mirroring the real composition with exceptional performance. G2S can be used with modern samples, allowing to predict the eubiotic/dysbiotic state of the gut microbiome when fecal sampling is missing, and especially with ancient samples, as a unique opportunity in the field of paleomicrobiology to recover data related to ancient gut microbiome configurations.
Seroprevalence of the hepatitis E virus among blood donors in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alhatlani Bader , Aljabr Waleed , Almarzouqi Mohammed , Alhatlani Sami , Alzunaydi Rayan , Alsaykhan Abeer , Almaiman Sulaiman , Aleid Ahmed , Alsughayir Ammar , Beshawri Yara , Almusallam Abdulrahman
Published: March 2020

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of hepatitis E virus (HEV), a major public health issue worldwide with the potential for transmission via blood transfusion, in blood donors in the Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. Serum samples (n = 1,078) were collected from volunteer blood donors from January to April 2019 and tested for the presence of anti-HEV IgG and IgM by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results Overall, the seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG and IgM among blood donors was 5.7% and 1.3%, respectively. Additionally, the seropositive rates of anti-HEV IgG and IgM were significantly higher in non-Saudi donors (22.1% and 7.8%) than in Saudi donors (3% and 0.2%). The seroprevalence of anti-HEV IgG increased with age; however, there was no correlation between gender and anti-HEV IgG and/or IgM. The seroprevalence of HEV among blood donors in the Qassim Region was lower than previous estimates for other regions of the country. Further studies covering a wider geographical area are needed to validate and expand the findings and to determine the importance of HEV screening in the region.
Characterization of a big family cluster infection associated with SARS-Cov-2 in Nanjing district
Authors: Chen Wei , Hu Chunmei , Huang Lili , zhang Yongchen , Hu Zhiliang , Zeng Yi , Wang Weixiao , Zhang Xia , Yi Yongxiang
Published: March 2020

Background: Outbreak of COVID-19 has brought catastrophe to huge numbers of families. However, even though numerous tragedies occurred, there were few reports about family cluster infection in the academic journals. Methods: The electronic medical records of 10 COVID-19 patients in a big family were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Results: These 10 patients, 4 males and 6 females, were infected through two successive family feasts during Spring Festival. The infection source was a family member at asymptomatic state, who lived in Hubei but travelled to Nanjing. The median age of these 10 patients was 61.5, with the oldest 95 and youngest 38. The incubation period varied from 3 to 17 days, with the median of 5.5. Of them, 2 patients were asymptomatic. The most common symptoms at onset were fever (6/10) and dry cough (6/10). All of them displayed lesions on the chest CT. 40% of them had leukopenia, neutropenia and lymphopenia. After anti-virus treatment, all the patients significantly improved and were discharged. Conclusions: SARS-Cov-2 was highly contagious and so crafty that a varied incubation period did exist. Part of patients might be asymptomatic, which was the potential source of transmission. More measures for protection or quarantine should be taken at home if family member had travel history nearby the epidemic area. Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2, family cluster, asymptomatic, incubation period.
Effect of an Alltech soil health product on entomopathogenic nematodes, root-knot nematodes and on the growth of tomato plants in the greenhouse
Authors: Pulavarty Anusha , Horgan Karina , Kakouli-Duarte Thomais
Published: March 2020

An organic product that consists of proprietary blend of fermentation and plant extracts with micronutrients (ACS 5075, Alltech®, Inc., Nicholasville, KY USA) was evaluated against four strains of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN): Steinernema feltiae (SB12(1), a wild enviroCORE strain and a commercial form e-NEMA), Steinernema carpocapsae (e-NEMA), and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. The effects on egg hatching and survival of root-knot nematodes (RKN) were also examined. The sensitivity to the product was tested by estimating mortality and survival of EPN infective juveniles (IJ) after 24-hr treatment with four different concentrations of product (4, 7, 8, and 10%) compared with the control in a 96-well plate. There was no significant difference in survival of IJ with 4% product compared to the control. A twofold reduction in survival was observed when the EPN were exposed to the product at 7%. A 10.5% RKN egg hatching was observed when RKN were exposed to 3% ACS 5075 concentration compared to 100% hatching in the untreated. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in juvenile survival was observed at 0.5% treatment, however, it dropped to 0 when 1% and above was used for M. javanica. Juveniles did not survive with all treatment concentrations in the case of M. incognita. The improvement in tomato plant growth and development were also observed when plants were treated with 1 and 3% ACS 5075. The product shows potential as a sustainable soil health alternative causing no harm to beneficial nematodes (EPN) at concentrations below 4%, while is promising against plant parasitic nematodes (PPN) and toward plant growth promotion.
Natural occurrence and distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae, Heterorhabditidae) in Viti Levu, Fiji Islands
Authors: Kour Sumeet , Khurma Uma , Brodie Gilianne , Hazir Selcuk
Published: March 2020

In Fiji, little or no attention has been given to entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in biocontrol programs due to the lack of awareness about their occurrence and distribution in Fiji. A survey of EPNs was conducted for the first time in Fiji Islands in 2012 and 2013, throughout the eight provinces in Viti Levu to determine the occurrence and distribution across different habitat in Viti Levu. The soil samples from various habitats were collected and assayed for the presence of EPN using Galleria mellonella as baits. EPNs were recovered from five out of seven provinces with 35 positive sites (7.3%) out of 478 sites sampled. The only EPN genera encountered was Heterorhabditis. Steinernema was not isolated from any of the samples. Characterization of isolates was done by using morphometric and molecular examinations and isolates were identified as Heterorhabditis indica. H. indica isolates were primarily recovered from leeward side of the Viti Levu Island along the coastline and riversides, being more prevalent in lighter soil with pH > 6. Further, this study found significant association between habitat type, soil type, soil pH, average annual rainfall and EPN occurrence. This is the first record of naturally occurring EPNs in Fiji. The found nematodes will serve as the basis for efficacy screening with the ultimate aim of delivering effective, more sustainable and environmentally safe control for agricultural pests in Fiji.
YÜKLENİCİNİN ESER MEYDANA GETİRME BORCU
Authors: AKBULUT Pakize Ezgi
Published: March 2020

Yüklenicinin eseri doğrudan kendisinin meydana getirmesi veya kendi yönetimi altında yaptırması gerekir (TBK 471 III, c. 1). Ancak TBK 471 III, c. 2’de, eserin meydana getirilmesinde yüklenicinin kişisel özelliklerinin önem taşımadığı hallerde, işi başkasına da yaptırabileceği ifade edilmiştir. Çalışmamızda yüklenicinin eser meydana getirme borcu kapsamında hangi hallerde eseri doğrudan ﻿kendisinin meydana getirmesi gerektiği, hangi hallerde kendi yönetimi halinde yaptırabileceği incelenmiş ve eserin meydana getirilmesini alt yüklenicilere devredebilmesine yönelik şartlar değerlendirilmiştir. Bununla birlikte yüklenicinin eseri doğrudan kendisinin meydana getirmesi gerektiği hallerde, yardımcı kişi kullanmasının sonuçları incelenmiş ve yetkisi olduğu hallerde eserin yapımını alt yüklenicilere devretmesi halinde, alt yüklenici ile asıl eser sözleşmesi taraflarının arasındaki hukuki ilişki ele alınmıştır. Bu hukuki ilişki çerçevesinde yüklenicinin alt yüklenici kullanma yetkisinin bulunmadığı hallerde iş sahibinin başvurabileceği hukuki yollar araştırılmıştır. Ayrıca yüklenicinin yetkisi olmaksızın eserin meydana getirilmesini alt yükleniciye devrettiği hallerde, alt yüklenicinin eylemlerinden doğan zarardan sorumluluğu ile alt yüklenici kullanma yetkisinin bulunduğu hallerde meydana gelen zarardan iş sahibine karşı sorumluluğu konuları incelenmiştir.
Cuidado a través de la frontera: trayectorias transfronterizas de cuidados en la región Tijuana-San Diego
Authors: López Estrada Silvia
Published: March 2020

Este artículo analiza el trabajo transfronterizo de cuidados a través de las trayectorias laborales de mujeres mexicanas residentes de Tijuana que trabajan cuidando niños y adultos mayores y enfermos en San Diego. Debido a que el estudio de las cadenas globales de cuidado ha dado mayor atención a lo transnacional, se enfatiza la dimensión transfronteriza como un elemento novedoso de análisis. Con base en las entrevistas realizadas a un grupo de trabajadoras de cuidados se argumenta que sus trayectorias son transfronterizas debido a que sus arreglos laborales están asociados al cruce de la frontera, en tanto que la rotación laboral está relacionada al curso de vida de las personas a las que se cuida. Asimismo, se encuentra que los elementos que organizan las trayectorias laborales son las motivaciones para el trabajo, el cruce fronterizo, las responsabilidades familiares, el curso de vida y las características individuales de las trabajadoras de cuidados.
Analysis of the Non-Specific Binding Proteins in the RNA Pull-Down Experiment
Authors: Yang Baicai , Zhang Yali , Hei Kaiwen , Xiao Mingming , Chen Ruibing , Li Yongmei
Published: March 2020

Background:

To investigate the interactions between RNA and proteins is essential to understand how these macromolecule complexes exert their functions. RNA pull-down is a classic technique to enrich RNA binding proteins, however, a large number of non-specific binding proteins may be enriched during sample preparation, interfering with the downstream mass spectrometric analyses and also causing false positives.

Objective:

In this study we examined the background contaminates in RNA pull-down experiment using mass spectrometric analysis. Method Antisense MALAT1 was first synthesized using in vitro transcription and incubated with cellular proteins extracted from HepG2 cells. The non-specific binding proteins were isolated using streptavidin conjugated magnetic beads and separated on SDS-PAGE. Each gel lane was divided into nine bands and digested with trypsin for the downstream LC-MS/MS analyses.

Methods:

Antisense MALAT1 was first synthesized using in vitro transcription and incubated with
cellular proteins extracted from HepG2 cells. The non-specific binding proteins were isolated using
streptavidin conjugated magnetic beads and separated on SDS-PAGE. Each gel lane was divided into
nine bands and digested with trypsin for the downstream LC-MS/MS analyses.

Results:

191 protein groups were identified as non-specific binding proteins in RNA pull-down
samples. In addition, a comparison between different sample preparation conditions showed that
the level of background contaminates was mostly induced by the solid phase support rather than
the studied RNA. In addition, using more stringent detergent and streptavidin magnetic beads with
smaller size could reduce the amount of background interfering proteins.

Conclusion:

This study provides a reference to distinguish bona fide RNA interacting proteins
from the background contaminants. The results also demonstrate that different sample preparation
conditions have great impacts on the level of enriched background contaminates, shedding new
light on the optimization of RNA pull-down experiments.
Landmark Studies of Targeted Therapies for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Guide for Pulmonologists
Authors: Costantini Adrien , Katsikas Theodoros , Bostantzoglou Clementine
Published: March 2020

Over the past decade, major breakthroughs in the understanding of lung cancer histology
and mutational pathways have radically changed diagnosis and management. More specifically, in
non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), tumour characterisation has shifted from differentiating based
solely on histology to characterisation that includes genetic profiling and mutational status of
Epidermal Growth Factor (EGFR), Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK), c-ros oncogene 1 (ROS1)
and BRAF. These genetic alterations can be targeted by specific drugs that result in improved
progression-free survival, as well as higher response rates and are currently standard of care for
NSCLC patients harbouring these mutations. In this a narrative, non-systematic review we aim to
handpick through the extensive literature and critically present the ground-breaking studies that lead
to the institution of tailored treatment options as the standard of care for the main targetable genetic
alterations.
Relationship Between Health Literacy and Social Support and the Quality of Life in Patients With Cancer: Questionnaire Study
Authors: Kobayashi Rei , Ishizaki Masato
Published: March 2020

Background

Low health literacy is associated with factors such as not taking medication as prescribed as well as poor health status and increased hospitalization and mortality risk, and has been identified as a risk factor for decreased physical function in older individuals. Health literacy is becoming an increasingly important issue because of the increased number of people affected by cancer who must make complicated treatment decisions. Health literacy has been shown to be positively associated with quality of life (QOL), and social support has been identified as important for addressing health-related problems and reducing the relative risk of mortality in patients with cancer. However, few studies have examined the relationship between health literacy, social support, age, and QOL.

Objective

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of health literacy, social support, and age on the QOL of patients with cancer.

Methods

An anonymous, self-administered online questionnaire was conducted from March 28 to 30, 2017, in Japan on patients with lung, stomach, or colon cancer that were voluntarily registered with an internet survey company. The survey covered basic attributes, health literacy, social support, and QOL. The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire, a comprehensive measure of health literacy instrument, was used to measure health literacy; the Japanese version of the Social Support Scale was used to measure social support; and the Japanese version of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (7-item version) assessment tool was used to measure QOL.

Results

A total of 735 survey invitations were randomly sent to patients with lung, stomach, or colorectal cancer, and responses were obtained from 619 (82.2% response rate). Significant effects on the QOL in patients with lung, stomach, or colon cancer were observed for health literacy, social
support, and age, and for the interactions of health literacy and social support and of social support and age. Health literacy, social support, and the interaction between these variables also showed a significant effect on the QOL in patients 50 years or older, but not on those younger than 50 years.

Conclusions

The results of this study revealed that higher health literacy, social support, and age were associated with the QOL in patients with cancer. In addition, the relationship with QOL was stronger for social support than for health literacy. These findings suggest the importance of health literacy and social support and indicate that social support has a greater effect on QOL than does health literacy, while the QOL in patients with cancer aged younger than 50 years was lower than that of those 50 years or older. Therefore, elucidating the needs of these patients and strengthening social support based on those needs may improve their QOL.
Document-Level Biomedical Relation Extraction Leveraging Pretrained Self-Attention Structure and Entity Replacement: Algorithm and Pretreatment Method Validation Study
Authors: Liu Xiaofeng , Fan Jianye , Dong Shoubin
Published: March 2020

Background

The most current methods applied for intrasentence relation extraction in the biomedical literature are inadequate for document-level relation extraction, in which the relationship may cross sentence boundaries. Hence, some approaches have been proposed to extract relations by splitting the document-level datasets through heuristic rules and learning methods. However, these approaches may introduce additional noise and do not really solve the problem of intersentence relation extraction. It is challenging to avoid noise and extract cross-sentence relations.

Objective

This study aimed to avoid errors by dividing the document-level dataset, verify that a self-attention structure can extract biomedical relations in a document with long-distance dependencies and complex semantics, and discuss the relative benefits of different entity pretreatment methods for biomedical relation extraction.

Methods

This paper proposes a new data preprocessing method and attempts to apply a pretrained self-attention structure for document biomedical relation extraction with an entity replacement method to capture very long-distance dependencies and complex semantics.

Results

Compared with state-of-the-art approaches, our method greatly improved the precision. The results show that our approach increases the F1 value, compared with state-of-the-art methods. Through experiments of biomedical entity pretreatments, we found that a model using an entity replacement method can improve performance.

Conclusions

When considering all target entity pairs as a whole in the document-level dataset, a pretrained self-attention structure is suitable to capture very long-distance dependencies and learn the textual context and complicated semantics. A replacement method for biomedical entities is conducive to biomedical relation extraction, especially to document-level relation extraction.
The Role of the Global Health Development/Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network and the Eastern Mediterranean Field Epidemiology Training Programs in Preparedness for COVID-19
Authors: Al Nsour Mohannad , Bashier Haitham , Al Serouri Abulwahed , Malik Elfatih , Khader Yousef , Saeed Khwaja , Ikram Aamer , Abdalla Abdalla Mohammed , Belalia Abdelmounim , Assarag Bouchra , Baig Mirza Amir , Almudarra Sami , Arqoub Kamal , Osman Shahd , Abu-Khader Ilham , Shalabi Dana , Majeed Yasir
Published: March 2020

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the current COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. Countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) have a high vulnerability and variable capacity to respond to outbreaks. Many of these countries addressed the need for increasing capacity in the areas of surveillance and rapid response to public health threats. Moreover, countries addressed the need for communication strategies that direct the public to actions for self- and community protection. This viewpoint article aims to highlight the contribution of the Global Health Development (GHD)/Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) and the EMR’s Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETPs) to prepare for and respond to the current COVID-19 threat. GHD/EMPHNET has the scientific expertise to contribute to elevating the level of country alert and preparedness in the EMR and to provide technical support through health promotion, training and training materials, guidelines, coordination, and communication. The FETPs are currently actively participating in surveillance and screening at the ports of entry, development of communication materials and guidelines, and sharing information to health professionals and the public. However, some countries remain ill-equipped, have poor diagnostic capacity, and are in need of further capacity development in response to public health threats. It is essential that GHD/EMPHNET and FETPs continue building the capacity to respond to COVID-19 and intensify support for preparedness and response to public health emergencies.
Rhythmic Haptic Cueing for Gait Rehabilitation of People With Hemiparesis: Quantitative Gait Study (Preprint)
Authors: Georgiou Theodoros , Holland Simon , van der Linden Janet
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Rhythm, brain, and body are closely linked. Humans can synchronize their movement to auditory rhythms in ways that can improve the regularity of movement while reducing perceived effort. However, the ability to perform rhythmic movement may be disrupted by various neurological conditions. Many such conditions impair mechanisms that control movement, such as gait, but typically without rhythmic perception being affected. This paper focuses on hemiparetic stroke, a neurological condition that affects one side of the body. Hemiparetic stroke can cause severe asymmetries in gait, leading to numerous physical problems ranging from muscle degeneration to bone fractures. Movement synchronization via entrainment to auditory metronomes is known to improve asymmetry and related gait problems; this paper presents the first systematic study of entrainment for gait rehabilitation via the haptic modality.

OBJECTIVE

This paper explores the gait rehabilitation of people with hemiparesis following a stroke or brain injury, by a process of haptic entrainment to rhythmic cues. Various objective measures, such as stride length and stride time, are considered.

METHODS

This study is a quantitative gait study combining temporal and spatial data on haptically cued participants with hemiparetic stroke and brain injury. We designed wearable devices to deliver the haptic rhythm, called Haptic Bracelets, which were placed on the leg near the knee. Spatial data were recorded using a Qualisys optical motion capturing system, consisting of 8 optoelectronic cameras, and 20 markers placed on anatomical lower limb landmarks and 4 additional tracking clusters placed on the right and left shank and thigh. Gait characteristics were measured before, during, and after cueing.

RESULTS

All 11 successfully screened participants were able to synchronize their steps to a haptically presented rhythm. Specifically, 6 participants demonstrated immediate improvements regarding their temporal gait characteristics, and 3 of the 6 improved their gait in terms of spatial characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Considering the great variability between survivors of stroke and brain injury and the limited number of available participants in our study, there is no claim of statistical evidence that supports a formal experimental result of improved gait. However, viewing this empirical gait investigation as a set of 11 case studies, more modest empirical claims can be made. All participants were able to synchronize their steps to a haptically presented rhythm. For a substantial proportion of participants, an immediate (though not necessarily lasting) improvement of temporal gait characteristics was found during cueing. Some improvements over baseline occurred immediately after, rather than during, haptic cueing. Design issues and trade-offs are identified, and interactions between perception, sensory deficit, attention, memory, cognitive load, and haptic entrainment are noted.
Influencing Factors of Continuous Use of Web-Based Diagnosis and Treatment by Patients With Diabetes: Model Development and Data Analysis (Preprint)
Authors: Ju Chunhua , Zhang Shuangzhu
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

The internet has become a major source of health care information for patients and has enabled them to obtain continuous diagnosis and treatment services. However, the quality of web-based health care information is mixed, which raises concerns about the credibility of physician advice obtained on the internet and markedly affects patients’ choices and decision-making behavior with regard to web-based diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, it is important to identify the influencing factors of continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment from the perspective of trust.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of our study was to investigate the influencing factors of patients’ continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment based on the elaboration likelihood model and on trust theory in the face of a decline in physiological conditions and the lack of convenient long-term professional guidance.

METHODS

Data on patients with diabetes in China who used an online health community twice or more from January 2018 to June 2019 were collected by developing a web crawler. A total of 2437 valid data records were obtained and then analyzed using correlation factor analysis and regression analysis to validate our research model and hypotheses.

RESULTS

The timely response rate (under the central route), the reference group (under the peripheral route), and the number of thank-you letters and patients’ ratings that measure physicians’ electronic word of mouth are all positively related with the continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment by patients with diabetes. Moreover, the physician’s professional title and hospital’s ranking level had weak effects on the continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment by patients with diabetes, and the effect size of the physician’s professional title was greater than that of the hospital’s ranking level.

CONCLUSIONS

From the patient's perspective, among all indicators that measure physicians’ service quality, the effect size of a timely response rate is much greater than those of effect satisfaction and attitude satisfaction; thus, the former plays an essential role in influencing the patients’ behavior of continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment services. In addition, the effect size of electronic word of mouth was greater than that of the physician’s offline reputation. Physicians who provide web-based services should seek clues to patients’ needs and preferences for receiving health information during web-based physician-patient interactions and make full use of their professionalism and service reliability to communicate effectively with patients. Furthermore, the platform should improve its electronic word of mouth mechanism to realize its full potential in trust transmission and motivation, ultimately promoting the patient’s information-sharing behavior and continuous use of web-based diagnosis and treatment.