bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Card Sorting: A new pedagogy for understanding challenges in Mathematics during Emergencies and Crises
Authors: Paea Sione , Sharma Bibhya , Bulivou Gabiriele , Paea Mele Katea
Published: May 2021

Interest in challenges faced by university students during COVID-19 has led to research and development initiatives that include educational, technological, economical and socio-cultural provisions. Despite these initiatives, little is known about the usage of open card sorting, similarity matrix, and Hierarchical Clustering Method - 3D Cluster View algorithm in understanding and analysing mathematics challenges in a regional university during emergencies and crisis. This paper presents findings from a study that explored the challenges encountered by first-year mathematics students in a South Pacific institution. The findings reveal seven challenges: i) financial hardship; ii) motivational challenge; iii) moodle issues; iv) lack of face to face interactions; v) problem with course delivery; vi) internet challenge; and vi) home disturbances. A heptagon model is presented with possible solutions for the challenges identified by participants. The findings point to the complex inter-relationship between the institution’s emergency remote teaching, students’ learning needs, and students’ dynamic socio-cultural environments as important factors for delivering quality mathematics learning during a pandemic. This paper highlights the contribution of card sorting, as a new pedagogy, to the field of educational research as a provider of new learning analytics for desirable learning outcomes in a given pandemic. Decisionmakers and Policymakers of Higher Education Institutions around the world may benefit from these findings while formulating strategies to support first-year mathematics students during the current and future pandemics.
A single-nucleotide polymorphism involved in alternative splicing of PTEN is associated with chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer in Chinese population
Authors: Wang Jing , Zhang Shasha , Zhang Zhongliang , Ma Qinglong , Chen Xiaohua , Zhao Dapeng , Zhao Meie , Wang Chunwei , Di Cuixia , xie xiaodong
Published: May 2021

Background: Chemoresistance is still the main reason for the failure of breast cancer treatment and is the main cause of death of breast cancer patients. Although many studies have shown the association between genetic polymorphisms of PTEN and chemotherapy resistance, the molecular mechanism of breast cancer chemotherapy has not been further studied. This study aims to investigate the potential association between PTEN gene polymorphism and breast chemotherapy resistance in the Chinese population, and explore whether alternative splicing of the PTEN gene is affected by the gene polymorphism. Methods: The study included 234 patients with breast cancer chemotherapy, 157 chemotherapy sensitive cases and 77 chemotherapy resistant cases. rs786204926 of PTEN gene was analyzed by Sanger sequence and Sequenom MassArray typing technology. Furthermore, we used silicon analysis to predict whether polymorphism affects the process of alternative splicing and to analyze how it affects. Results: In genotyping and allelic analysis, there was a significant association between rs786204926 polymorphism and breast cancer chemotherapy resistance. Carrying the G allele or AG genotype will reduce the risk of breast cancer-based resistance to chemotherapy with anthracyclines. Silicon analysis showed that the mutation of rs786204926 produced a new receptor site, which might affect alternative splicing of PTEN gene. Conclusions: We speculate that the mechanism of breast cancer chemotherapy resistance might be caused by a change in the alternative splicing caused by the rs786204926 of the PTEN gene. Thus, our study might provide theoretical guidance for the individualized treatment of clinical breast cancer patients.
Transfer and accumulation of cadmium in soil, forages and animals: Risk assessment
Authors: Sultana Razia , Ge Xiaoping , Chen Fu , Anwar Sidra , Ma Jing , Ahmad Kafeel , Khan Zafar Iqbal , Ashfaq Asma , Nadeem Muhammad , Ahmed Tasneem , Ugulu llker
Published: May 2021

Over past several years pollution in industrialized areas is the most attention seeking issue. Higher level of heavy metals especially cadmium is accumulated in atmosphere evolved from smoke of automobiles. Living system present around the contaminated areas accumulate heavy metals in their bodies. Heavy metals have been accumulated in soil, water, forages and animals so study was conducted in industrialized area Faisalabad to evaluate the possible risk. Three sites was selected to check the accumulation of cadmium in soil, water, forages and animals. These sampling sites was areas along the roadsides of Chak Jhumra, Jaranwala and Samundri. Sample of soil, forages,water and blood,hair feces of animals was collected from these sites. The digestion of samples was carried out with the help of nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to evaluate heavy metal analysis. Analysis of variance was done by using SPSS Software (version no. 20) and two ways ANOVA. Result indicated that concentration of Cd was higher in soil irrigated with municipal wastewater and concentration of Cd was highest in forages C. album present at site III. Higher concentration of Cd was observed in blood of sheep higher than critical value. Concentration of cadmium was higher than critical in blood of animals indicating transfer of metal via intake of contaminated forages. The sample collected from site III showed high daily intake of metals (DIM), health risk index (HRI), pollution load index (PLI), enrichment factor (EF) and Bioconcentration factor (BCF). This study will bring consideration concerning the development of approaches in order to overcome the toxic effects of cadmium.
Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Study of an Enhanced Nonlinear Energy Sink
Authors: Geng Xiao-Feng , Ding Hu
Published: May 2021

Based on theoretical and experimental investigations, this paper proposes a nonlinear energy sink (NES) with piecewise linear springs to enhance vibration suppression effects. A cubic nonlinear oscillator is coupled with a piecewise linear spring to form an enhanced NES (E-NES). Without adding a new resonance region and changing the resonance frequency of the primary system, the enhanced NES can achieve better vibration suppression effects. Based on the free vibration and the forced vibration, the influence of piecewise linear stiffness on the vibration suppression is profoundly examined. The results show that the E-NES has a better suppression effect on the vibration of the primary structure than that of the cubic NES in most cases. Furthermore, the piecewise stiffnesses and gap displacements are optimized through the differential evolution algorithm. The best damping effect of the E-NES on the free vibration is presented. However, it also happens that the vibration suppression effect of the E-NES is weaker than that of the conventional NES. Moreover, the experimental results verify the analytical and numerical results. The vibration elimination efficiency of the E-NES exceeds 90%. Therefore, this research on using piecewise springs to enhance the vibration suppression efficiency will attract attention.
Left Atrium With Dysphagia:Case Report
Authors: Song qing , Wang Xiaoyong , Jia Chuanliang , Mou Yakui , Song Xicheng
Published: May 2021

Background: Left atrium in 27 to 38 mm is normal and over 80mm is called giant left atria. Giant left atria is mostly caused by rheumatic mitral valve regurgitation. Pain, dysphagia and reflux are the common symptoms. Case presentation: We report a case with dysphagia for the reason of rheumatic heart disease with left atrium enlargement. He also had difficulty swallowing, but never had an inability to eat. And further the inner diameter did not fit the standard of giant left atria, but there was obvious compressive symptom of the esophagus and severe stricture of the esophageal lumen. Conclusions: There are many reasons for dysphagia, which need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. The patient with dysphagia after eating is likely to be confused with an esophageal foreign body, and a careful history should be taken.
Whole Exome Sequencing as a Diagnostic Tool of Primary Complement Component Deficiencies: A Multicenter Experience of Three Novel Mutations
Authors: Shamriz Oded , Simon Amos J , Frizinsky Shirly , Megged Orli , Barel Ortal , Tal Yuval , Somech Raz , Toker Ori
Published: May 2021

Diagnosis of primary complement deficiencies requires a high index of suspicion. Thus, susceptible patients are often underdiagnosed and untreated. Here, we present a multi-center experience with three novel inborn errors of the classical complement system. This is a retrospective multicenter analysis of computerized medical records of children (> 18 years) admitted in the period between 2003 and 2018 at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, Tel-Hashomer Medical Center, in Ramat Gan, Israel. Patients were genetically diagnosed by a complimentary immune work-up. We identified 5 patients (3 males) from four different consanguineous families harboring three novel mutations in the complement components C6-C8. Genetic mutations were identified by whole exome sequencing. Clinical manifestations consisted of meningitis with or without meningococcemia. The immune work-up demonstrated nearly absent levels of CH50, compatible with a complement pathway defect. The mean diagnosis delay was 10.56 (0–30) years. Conclusion: Invasive meningococcal infections may be life-threatening and cause severe neurological sequela. Awareness of risk factors for primary complement deficiencies, even at the firs infectious episode, should facilitate prompt immune and genetic investigations, commencing diagnosis and proper treatment.
Regulatory effect of kainic acid on microglia in different inflammatory states
Authors: Wang Dan , Zhou Zhulin , Zhang Bo , Zhu Jie
Published: May 2021

BackgroundNerve injury is a crucial factor in the development of various neurodegenerative diseases in the central nervous system (CNS). It was demonstrated that neuroinflammatory response mediated by reactive microglia with different activated phenotypes plays an important role in different stages of nerve injury. Nerve injury leads to glutamate spillover, which also causes damage surrounding neurons, neurotoxic reactions, and neuroinflammatory so that glutamate spillover is one of the important mechanisms of nerve injury, among which the kainic acid (KA) signal pathway of glutamate ionotropic receptor induces neurotoxicity most significantly. In addition to inducing nerve damage, KA has been found to regulate microglia, further to induce the functional response of microglia.MethodsIn the present study, we constructed the different phenotypes of microglia stimulated with KA to activate the KA receptor signal pathway of microglia. The activity of microglia, Nitric oxide (NO) levels, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) production, and cytokine levels were further investigated to explore the different immune response effects of different phenotypes of microglia during the KA stimulation and their role in disease development.ResultsOur results show that after 24 hours (h) of cell culture, KA activation causes a large consumption of pro-inflammatory microglia phenotype, the release of NO and pro-inflammatory cytokines decreased, and the anti-inflammatory cytokines increased. The resting microglia and anti-inflammatory microglia phenotype stimulated with KA are well tolerated after activation. After 48 h of culture, during the KA stimulation, the cell survival rate increased after activation of the pro-inflammatory microglia, and the secretion of NO, pro-inflammatory, and anti-inflammatory cytokines increased. The activation of resting microglia and anti-inflammatory microglia leads to decreased cell survival and decreased secretion of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. After 72 h of culture, the cell survival rate and NO release decreased after KA stimulation of the pro-inflammatory microglia. The anti-inflammatory microglia treated by KA increased cell activity and survival rate after activation.ConclusionsOur results may reveal the situation for the massive consumption of microglia after the KA stimulation in the early phase of nerve injury, at the same time, it was revealed that anti-inflammatory microglia not only had a high survival rate in the high concentration of glutamate but also could produce anti-inflammatory cytokines and play a protective role. It may provide a novel strategy for the treatment and recovery, suggest a scheme for the protection of microglia and resistance to secondary injury.
Research On The Influence Of The Piston Number On The Churning Losses In Axial Piston Pumps
Authors: Li Ying , Chen Xing , Luo Hao , Zhang Jun-Hui , Zhang Jin
Published: May 2021

The piston is a key rotating component in the axial piston pump, and its churning losses will reduce the performance and efficiency. To improve the performance and efficiency of the axial piston pump, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation model of churning loss was established, and the effect of piston number on the churning loss was studied in detail. The simulation analysis results show that the churning losses initially increases as the number of pistons increases. However, when the number of pistons increased from 6 to 9, the torque of churning losses began to decrease due to the hydrodynamic shadowing effect. In addition, in the analysis of cavitation results, it is found that the cavitation area of the axial piston pump is mainly concentrated around the piston, and the cavitation becomes more and more serious as the speed increases. By comparing the simulation results with and without cavitation model, it can be found that the cavitation phenomenon is beneficial to the reduction of churning losses. In this paper, a piston churning losses test rig which can eliminate other friction losses is established to verify the correctness of the simulation results. The comparative analysis shows that the simulation results are consistent with the actual situation. In addition, this study also carried out a simulation study on the 7 piston pump and the 9 piston pump with the same displacement. The simulation results show that the churning losses of 7 pistons are generally greater than that of 9 pistons under the same displacement. Besides, in the case of the same piston number and displacement, reducing the pitch circle radius of piston bores is the best way to reduce churning loss. This study has certain guiding significance for the structural design and model selection of axial piston pumps.
Empathy and Burnout in Medical Staff: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction and Job Commitment
Authors: YUE Zongpu , Qin Yang , Li Ying , Wang Jian , Nicholas Stephen , Maitland Elizabeth , Liu Cai
Published: May 2021

Background: Burnout is a growing problem among medical staff worldwide and empathy has been described as an essential competence to attenuate burnout. Previous studies found job satisfaction and job commitment were affected by the empathy and associated with burnout. This study explores the effect and mechanism of empathy on burnout on medical staff and investigates the mediating role of job satisfaction and job commitment in the relationship between empathy and burnout among medical staff.Methods: Based on a self-administered questionnaire, 335 responses from medical staff in Tianjin City, China, yielded data on socio-demographic characteristics, empathy, burnout, job satisfaction and job commitment. Bivariate correlation and structured equation modeling (SEM) analyzed the relationships between empathy, job satisfaction, job commitment and burnout multi-group invariant analysis was used to evaluate whether the model was consistent across different type and level of hospitals and different job and employment type subgroups. Results: A total of 202 (60.3%) medical staff had low level burnout, 115 (34.3%) staff had the moderate level and 18 (5.4%) staff had the high level burnout. The results of the SEM showed that empathy not only have a direct negative effect on burnout (\(\beta =-0.401, Pcript>\), but also had an indirect impact through job satisfaction (\(\beta =-0.373, Pcript>\) and job commitment (\(\beta =0.489, Pcript>\). Job commitment was negatively associated burnout (\(\beta =-0.513, Pcript>\) but, unexpectantly, job satisfaction was positively associated with burnout (\(\beta =0.177, Pcript>\). The results also indicated the model was consistent across employment type (\(\varDelta {\chi }^{2}\) = 5.904, p > 0.05) and hospital type (\(\varDelta {\chi }^{2}\) = 7.748, p > 0.05), but was inconsistent across hospital level (\(\varDelta {\chi }^{2}\) = 42.930, p < 0.05) and job type (\(\varDelta {\chi }^{2}\) = 52.912, p < 0.05).Conclusions: Our results confirm the important role that empathy plays in the prevention of burnout and by managing job satisfaction and increasing the job commitment burnout can be attenuated. We recommend that government should increase pay for medical staff and continue to reform the resourcing of different hospital levels and that hospital managers implement additional training and strengthening psychological testing and counseling, to reduce medical staff burnout.
Biglycan Overexpression Predicts Poor Prognosis of Gastric Cancer
Authors: Huang Xin-zhou , Chen Hui , Song Wen-ming , Wang Ying-ying , Zhou Meiyuan , Zhao Huichuan , Li Na , Zheng Bing , Gong Quan , Liu Ke-bin , Xin Hongwu
Published: May 2021

Background: Biglycan (BGN) encodes an extracellular matrix (ECM) proteoglycan. However, the potential diagnostic and prognostic value of BGN in gastric cancer (GC) have not yet been reported. In this analysis, BGN expression in GC was evaluated across the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and Oncomine databases, and verified using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The relationship between BGN expression and clinicopathological parameters was assessed by chi-square test and logistic regression. We analyzed the prognostic value of BGN. Then, Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to screen the signaling pathways involved in high BGN expression datasets in GC. Finally, CIBERSORT was used to evaluate the infiltration of immune cells in GC tissues, and the correlation between BGN and infiltrating immune cells was analyzed.Results: The results showed that the mRNA levels of BGN were significantly up-regulated in GC compared with normal tissues (all P <0.001). The Kaplan-Meier plotter online database suggested that patients with high BGN expression had a poor prognosis (P=1.3e-10). In addition, using gene sets analysis, we found that pathways of bladder cancer, Wnt-signaling, TGF-beta signaling, and ECM-receptor interaction were differentially activated in high-expression BGN tissues. Furthermore, CIBERSORT analysis for the proportion of TICs revealed that macrophages M2 was positively correlated with BGN expression. Conclusions: In conclusion, BGN can be used as potential diagnostic markers of GC, and immune cell infiltration plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of GC. The finding may have significant implication for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of GC.
Chamoli Disaster: Pronounced Changes in Water Quality and Flood Plains Using Sentinel Data
Authors: Meena Sansar , Chauhan Akshansha , Bhuyan Kushanav , SINGH Ramesh P
Published: May 2021

The Himalayan rivers are vulnerable to devastating flooding caused by landslides and outbreak of glacial lakes. On 7 February 2021, a deadly disaster occurred near the Rishi Ganga Hydropower Plant in the Rishi Ganga River, killing more than 100 people. During the event, a large volume of debris and broken glacial fragments flooded the Rishi Ganga river and washed away the Rishi Ganga Hydropower plant ongoing project. This study presents the impact of the Chamoli disaster on the water quality of Rishi Ganga river in upstream near Tapovan and Ganga river in downstream near Haridwar through remote sensing data. We used five points at different locations across the two study areas and used three different indices, Normalized difference water index (NDWI), Normalized difference turbidity Index (NDTI), and Normalized difference chlorophyll index (NDCI), to analyze changes in water quality. We also compared the spectral signatures and backscattering coefficients derived from Sentinel-2 Optical and Sentinel-1 SAR data. It was evident from the water quality indices and spectral signatures that the flood plains changed significantly. Using spectral signatures and different indices, we also found that the water in the Cheema dam canal near Haridwar decreased after the Chamoli disaster event as the flood gates were closed to stop the deposit of sediments in the canal. Our results suggest changes in water quality parameters (turbidity, chlorophyll concentration, NDWI) at the five locations near the deadly site and far away at Haridwar along the Ganga river. Our study is a preliminary qualitative analysis showing changes in river flood plain and water quality after the Chamoli disaster.
Whole-Genome Sequencing On 220 Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.) Accessions Identified Association of DREB1C Gene With Fall Dormancy Height
Authors: Zhang Fan , Kang Junmei , Long Ruicai , Li Mingna , Sun Yan , Wang Zhen , Zhang Zhiwu , Yang Qingchuan
Published: May 2021

Fall dormancy (FD) is one of the most important traits of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) for cultivar selection to overcome winter stress. Although transcriptomics, proteomics analysis, and QTL mapping have revealed some important genes correlated with FD, the genetic architecture of this trait is still unclear. There are no applicable genes or markers for selection, which hinders progress in the genetic research and molecular breeding for the trait. We conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on 220 alfalfa accessions at 10x depth. Among the 875,023 SNPs, four of them were associated with FD height using GWAS. One SNP located on chromosome 6 is in linkage disequilibrium with dehydration-responsive element-binding protein 1C (DREB1C). Furthermore, seven DREB genes are clustered in this region, one of which has previously been shown to enhance freezing tolerance in the model plant Medicago truncatula. The candidate genes uncovered by our research will benefit the transgenic and CRISPR-Cas9 research of FD in alfalfa. This gene will also be useful for molecular marker development and marker-associated breeding of FD for alfalfa.
Immunogenomic Profiling and Pathological Response Results From a Clinical Trial of Docetaxel and Carboplatin in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Ademuyiwa Foluso O. , Chen Ina , Luo Jingqin , Rimawi Mothaffar F. , Hagemann Ian S. , Fisk Bryan , Jeffers Gejae , Skidmore Zachary L. , Basu Anamika , Richters Megan , Ma Cynthia X. , Weilbaecher Katherine , Davis Jennifer , Suresh Rama , Peterson Lindsay L. , Bose Ron , Bagegni Nusayba , Rigden Caron E. , Frith Ashley , Rearden Timothy P. , Hernandez-Aya Leonel , Roshal Anna , Clifton Katherine , Opyrchal Mateusz , Akintola-Ogunremi Olaronke , Lee Byung Ha , Ferrando-Martinez Sara , Church Sarah E. , Anurag Meenakshi , Ellis Matthew J. , Gao Feng , Gillanders William , Griffith Obi L. , Griffith Malachi
Published: May 2021

Purpose: Patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) who do not achieve pathological complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy have a high risk of recurrence and death. Molecular characterization may identify patients unlikely to achieve pCR. This neoadjuvant trial was conducted to determine the pCR rate with docetaxel and carboplatin, and to identify molecular alterations and/or immune gene signatures predicting pCR.Experimental Design: Patients with clinical stages II/III TNBC received 6 cycles of docetaxel and carboplatin. The primary objective was to determine if neoadjuvant docetaxel and carboplatin would increase the pCR rate in TNBC compared to historical expectations. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) and immune profiling on pre-treatment tumor samples to identify alterations that may predict pCR. Thirteen matching on-treatment samples were also analyzed to assess changes in molecular profiles.Results: Fifty-eight of 127 (45.7%) patients achieved pCR. There was a non-significant trend towards higher mutation burden for patients with residual cancer burden (RCB) 0/I versus RCB II/III (median 80, versus 68 variants, p 0.88). TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene, observed in 85.7% of tumors. EGFR, RB1, RAD51AP2, SDK2, L1CAM, KPRP, PCDHA1, CACNA1S, CFAP58, COL22A1, and COL4A5 mutations were observed almost exclusively in pre-treatment samples from patients who achieved pCR. Seven mutations in PCDHA1 were observed in pre-treatment samples from patients who did not achieve pCR. Several immune gene signatures including IDO1, PD-L1, interferon gamma signaling, CTLA4, cytotoxicity, tumor inflammation signature, inflammatory chemokines, cytotoxic cells, lymphoid, PD-L2, exhausted CD8, Tregs, and immunoproteosome were upregulated in pre-treatment samples from patients who achieved pCR.Conclusions: Neoadjuvant docetaxel and carboplatin resulted in a pCR of 45.7%. WES and immune profiling differentiated patients with and without pCR. Trial registration: Clinical trial information: NCT02124902, Registered 24 April 2014, & NCT02547987, Registered 10 September 2015.
IVF in a Woman with Cogenital Hypofibrinogenemia ---Case Report
Authors: Fan Ruiqi , Feng Liping , Ren Chune , Jiang Junyi , Jiang Aifang , Yang Tingting
Published: May 2021

Background: Cogenital hypofibrinogenemia is a rare inherited coagulation disorder and the complications of this disease are bleeding and thrombosis. Pregnant women with cogenital hypofibrinogenemia are at high risk of abortion and placental abruption. This report is intended as a reference for IVF in women with congenital hypofibrinogenemia.Case presentation: A 31-year-old woman with cogenital hypofibrinogenemia and secondary sterility who was treated with IVF and cryoprecipitate. After ten months she delivered a live boy.Conclusion: During IVF,elevated HCG increases the risk of thrombogenesis. So we didn’t get as much fibrinogen supplementation as the literature suggested when we did FRT.
Does Corporate Environmental Investment Impede Financial Performance of Chinese Enterprises? The Moderating Role of Financial Constraints
Authors: AKBAR AHSAN , Jiang Xinfeng , Qureshi Muhammad Azeem , Akbar Minhas
Published: May 2021

China has emerged as the world’s largest pollutant emitter due to rapid industrialization and a remarkable economic upsurge in recent decades. Rising carbon emissions have exerted more social and regulatory pressure on Chinese corporations to undertake environmental protection investments. However, the implications of such investments on the financial fundamentals of a firm remain unclear. Especially little is known about how environmental protection investments affect the performance of financially constrained firms. This study explores the mediating role of financial constraints in the nexus between corporate environmental protection investment and the accounting and market performance of Chinese listed firms during 2009–2016. The empirical outcomes of the generalized method of moments (GMM) based regressions reveal that environmental investments of non-constrained firms have a positive impact on the accounting and market performance of such firms measured by ROA and Tobin's q respectively. Interestingly, environmental protection investments have a significant negative association with both the accounting and market performance proxies of firms that are facing financial constraints. These findings imply that in pursuit of environment preservation and pollution abatement, policymakers shall provide more financial flexibility and enabling environment to financially constrained firms to optimize their role in pollution abatement.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Parents of Children With Type 1 Diabetes During Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Carducci C. , Rapini N. , Deodati A. , Pampanini V , Cianfarani S. , Schiaffini R.
Published: May 2021

Introduction.

The Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a group of persistent psychological and physiological symptoms due to a traumatic, severe, event. Only few studies focused on the effects of Covid-19 on psychosocial outcomes in children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and their parents.
Aim of the study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence PTSD in parents of children with T1D during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
Patients and Methods.

In the period between March and May 2020 we submitted the “Impact of Event Scale – Revised” (IES-R) questionnaire to the parents of 34 children with Type 1 Diabetes, asking them to express their emotions about the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Results.

A total of thirty mothers (mean age 43.0 ± 4.2 years) and 25 fathers (mean age 45.6 ± 5.9 years) participated in the survey and completed the questionnaires. 29.1% of parents had a score that allows to define a clinically relevant level of PTSD; ten mothers and 6 fathers had a PTSD clinically relevant score, corresponding, respectively, to 28.4% and 24% of total mothers and fathers. Finally, mothers and fathers, both express PTSD symptoms mainly in the form of intrusion and hyperarousal.
Conclusions.

The present study confirms a high prevalence symptoms related to PTSD in mothers and fathers of children with Type 1 Diabetes. We believe that psychosocial outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken into account in the planning of the next future assistance for children with T1D.
Antimalarial Activity of Brusatol Against Plasmodium Berghei Infected Mice and the Mechanism Revealed by Whole Transcriptome Sequencing (RNA-Seq) Analysis
Authors: Ren Yixin , Xu Shanshan , Gao Yuan , Chen Yufeng , Dai Xiaodong , Shi Lei , Zhao Feng , Qin Yuanhua
Published: May 2021

BackgroundRecently, artemsinin-resistant malaria strains and clinical cases have appeared in Southeast Asia. Reportedly, there are malaria mutants in Africa that are resistant to artemisinin and its derivatives. Thus, it’s imminent to develop new antimalarial drugs. Brucea javanica is an effective antimalarial drug recorded in Chinese traditional medicine, which has been widely used in the folk for hundreds of years. Brusatol is the main active constituent of Brucea Javanica, thus we studied the effects of brusatol on prevention of malaria infection in vivo. MethodsTo determine the antiplasmodial activity of brusatol, a four-day suppressive test was used by dividing 56 mice into 7 groups of 8 mice each and given 4mg/kg, 3mg/kg, 2mg/kg, 1mg/kg, 0.5mg/kg of brusatol, the standard drug ((artesunate of 140 mg/kg) and the vehicle (normal saline). The best effective dose was used in the following test. The effects of brusatol to plasmodium berghei transcription were tested through RNA-seq and the results were confirmed by RT-qPCR. We also explored the expression of TNF -α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-12 to evaluate antimalarial mechanism of brusatol to host by ELISA.ResultsThe results showed that brusatol effectively inhibited plasmodium berghei infection, the best effective dose was 2mg/kg, and the side effects of brusatol to liver and kidney were slight and reversible. The expressions of GSK3β, ATP6A, ATP6B, ATP6M, MSP-2, EMP1, CTCS in plasmodium were significantly lower after brusatol treatment compared with control, while the expression of AMA-1 was significantly increased. The serum concentrations of IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-4 in artesunate and brusatol group decreased significantly compared with the control group, while there was no statistical difference of the serum concentrations of IL-12.ConclusionsTaken together, these results demonstrated brusatol could be a priority candidate for antimalarial medicine development.
GPR143 is a Prognostic Biomarker Associated with Immune Infiltration in Melanoma
Authors: Xing Zixuan , Wu Shaobo , Zang Qijuan , Lei Hao , Wei Yi , Zhang Chaonan , Dai Bingling
Published: May 2021

Background: Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is considered one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers of the skin. G-protein coupled receptor 143 (GPR143), which has been reported to cause congenital nystagmus, belongs to the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. Methods and Results: We analyzed the expression of GPR143 and survival of SKCM patients in SKCM via Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA). Then, logistic regression and multivariate cox analysis was used to analyze the influence of GPR143 expression on clinicopathological elements and survival. We explored the immune response of 22 TIICs in SKCM via CIBERSORT and used TIMER to assess the correlation of GPR143 expression and immune infiltration level. Finally, we used gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to assess the TCGA dataset. The outcomes suggest that GPR143 expression in tumor samples is remarkedly higher than in normal samples and high GPR143 expression is associated with poorer prognosis. The result of multivariate analysis indicated that increased GPR143 expression is an independent prognostic factor for prognosis. We found GPR143 expression level has prominent negative correlations with infiltrating levels of B cell, CD8+ T cells, etc. GSEA indicated that pigment metabolic process, pigment biosynthetic process and other pathways were identified as differentially enriched pathways in Gene Ontology (GO). Oxidative phosphorylation, Parkinson’s disease and other pathways were showed significantly differential enrichment in GPR143 high expression phenotype in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG).Conclusions: In conclusion, GPR143 may be a novel prognostic biomarker and associated with immune infiltrates in SKCM.
How Do Healthcare Professionals Make Decisions Concerning Low Value Care Practices? Study Protocol of a Factorial Survey Experiment on De-Implementation
Authors: Roczniewska Marta , Schwarz Ulrica von Thiele , Augustsson Hanna , Nilsen Per , Ingvarsson Sara , Hasson Henna
Published: May 2021

Background

A large number of practices used in health care lack evidence of effectiveness and may be unnecessary or even cause harm. As such, they should be de-implemented. While there are multiple actors involved in de-implementation of such low value care (LVC) practices, ultimately, the decision to abandon a practice is often made by each health care professional. A recent scoping review identified 6 types of factors affecting the utilization vs. abandonment of LVC practices. These factors concern: health care professionals, patients, outer context, inner context, processes, as well as the characteristics of LVC practice itself. However, it is unclear how professionals weigh these different factors in, and how these determinants influence their decisions about abandoning LVC practices. This project aims to investigate how health care professionals account for various factors as they make decisions regarding de-implementation of LVC practices.
Methods

This project will be carried out in two main steps. First, a factorial survey experiment (a vignette study) will be applied to empirically test the relevance of factors previously identified in the literature for health care professionals’ decision-making about de-implementation. Second, interactive workshops with relevant stakeholders will be carried out to develop a framework for professionals’ decision-making and to offer suggestions for interventions to support de-implementation of LVC practices.
Discussion

The project has the potential to contribute to improved understanding of the decision-making involved in de-implementation of LVC practices. We will identify which factors are more important when they make judgments about utilizing versus abandoning LVC practices. The results will provide the basis for recommendations concerning appropriate interventions to support de-implementation decision-making processes.
A Unique RGO Aerogel/TiO2/MoS2 Composite Photocatalyst with a 3D Sandwich Network for the Removal of Organic Dyes by the Cooperative Action of Adsorption and Photocatalysis
Authors: Zhang Yujuan , Qi Haojie , Zhang Liang , Wang Yao , Zhong Lvling , Zheng Yage , Wen Xin , Zhang Xiaomin , Xue Juanqin
Published: May 2021

A unique composite with a three dimensional (3D) sandwich network structure consisting of reduced graphene oxide aerogel/titanium dioxide/molybdenum disulfide (abbreviated as RGO aerogel/TiO2/MoS2) was developed for the removal of organic dyes from solution cooperatively by adsorption and photocatalytic degradation mechanisms. The composite was successfully synthesized by stepwise hierarchical assembly integration, including sol-gel and physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods. The resulting multicomponent composite material featured a high specific surface area (255.441 m2/g) absorption capacity manifested by the myriad negatively charged carboxylate function groups on the surface of the composite. The composite material demonstrated ideal optical and photocatalytic properties, including a large absorbance in the visible light region and a fast transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, resulting in a superb photodegradation performance. The RGO aerogel/TiO2/MoS2 also exhibited a high cationic dyes removal efficiency through the cooperative adsorption and photocatalytic degradation mechanisms. Moreover, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis and reactive oxygen species scavenging experiments confirmed that superoxide radicals (O2•−), holes (h+), and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) were involved in photocatalytic degradation of the organic dyes.
Multi-physics Coupling Analysis and Bench Experiment Research of Brake
Authors: Su Xuwu , Cheng Yi , Xia Hailong
Published: May 2021

In order to explore the comprehensive performance of a new type of brake-circular disc brake, a multi-physics coupling analysis was established using ANSYS Workbench software to study the heat generation mechanism and air-cooled heat dissipation effect of the brake under different working conditions. Under the condition of a single braking condition, the maximum temperature of the peripheral disc brake is 98.1℃; under the condition of continuous braking, the maximum temperature of the brake is 170.22℃, and the highest temperature occurs on the outer surface. A thermo-fluid-solid coupling analysis of the peripheral disc brake is established. Compared with the heat generation of a single braking condition, the maximum temperature of the brake is reduced by 14.77℃, which shows that the effect of forced air cooling is not obvious. Use the test bench to compare the finite element analysis results. It can be seen from the bench experiment that as the cyclic braking progresses, the maximum temperature of each braking cycle basically increases in a gradient manner, and the experimental and simulation results are basically consistent. The maximum error between the experiment and the finite element simulation is 8.29℃ , Verified the reliability of finite element analysis.
Differential proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 Secretion in Human Pre-implantation Embryos at Day 5 of Development.
Authors: Olvera-Valencia Mercedes , Acuña-González Ricardo Josué , Iyune-Cojab Esther , Vázquez-Cárdenas Paola , López-Canales Jorge Skiold , Lozano-Cuenca Jair , Osorio-Caballero Mauricio , Flores-Herrera Héctor
Published: May 2021

Background: The most commonly used non-invasive criterion for evaluating the probable success of transferring in vitro human embryos for implantation is their morphological development. With this criterion, however, embryos in cellular arrests go unnoticed. Extracellular matrix metalloproteases type 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 are key markers of embryonic development and the implantation process, according to various animal studies. The current study investigated the proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 expression in the culture media developing human embryos that were transferred for implantation. Methods: Forty-two patients were accepted in the Department of Reproductive Biology of a Hospital in México City, based on the Institutional inclusion criteria for in vitro fertilization. On day 5 of development, embryos were transferred to women, and the culture medium was stored at -70 to await assessment of the activity of proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 in substrate gel zymography. Results: The patients showing embryo sac development were assigned to the pregnant group (n =17) or non-pregnant (n =25). In both groups, the activity of proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 was evaluated in substrate gel zymography. Our results indicate for all 17 women able to achieve a full-term pregnancy, the activity band of proMMP-2 was found in the corresponding culture medium. For 11 of them, the band of proMMP-9. Regarding the other 25 patients, the expression band for proMMP-2 detected in 3 and that proMMP-9 in 11 individuals. Conclusions: On day 5 of embryo development, the evaluation of proMMP-2 and proMMP-9 in the embryo culture medium is a reliable indicator of embryo quality and capacity to establish pregnancy.
Improving Prognosis of Surrogate Assay for Breast Cancer Patients by Absolute Quantitation of Ki67 Protein Levels using Quantitative Dot Blot (QDB) Method
Authors: Hao Junmei , Lv Yan , Zou Jiarui , Zhang Yunyun , Xie Shuishan , Jing Lili , Tang Fangrong , Lv Jiahong , Zhang Wenfeng , Zhang Jianbo , Wang Xunting , Chen Kuisheng , Zhang Jiandi
Published: May 2021

Background: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) based-surrogate assay is the prevailing method in daily clinical practice to determine the necessity of cytotoxic therapy for Luminal-like breast cancer patients worldwide. It relies on Ki67 scores to separates Luminal A-like from Luminal B-like breast cancer subtypes. Yet, IHC method is plagued with subjectivity and inconsistency. We attempted to circumvent these issues by measuring Ki67 levels absolutely, quantitatively and objectively.Methods: The Ki67 protein levels in a cohort of 253 specimens were measured with IHC and Quantitative Dot Blot (QDB) methods respectively, and used to assign these specimens into Luminal A-like and Luminal B-like subtypes accordingly. Their performances were compared with the Kaplan-Meier, univariate and multivariate survival analyses of the overall survival (OS) of Luminal-like patients.Results: The surrogate assay based on absolutely quantitated Ki67 levels (cutoff at 2.31 nmole/g) subtyped the Luminal-like patients more effectively than those based on Ki67 scores (cutoff at 14%) (Log rank test, p=0.00052 vs p=0.031). It is also correlated better with OS in multivariate survival analysis [Hazard Ratio (HR) at 6.89 (95%CI: 2.66-17.84, p=0.0001) vs 2.14 (95%CI: 0.89-5.11, p=0.087)].Conclusions: Our study showed the performance of surrogate assay may be improved significantly by measuring Ki67 levels absolutely, quantitatively and objectively.
A new classification for retinitis pigmentosa including multifocal electroretinography to evaluate the disease severity
Authors: Oner Ayse , Kahraman Neslihan Sinim
Published: May 2021

Aim: To establish a useful and objective classification for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) to evaluate the disease severity.Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Visual acuity (VA), visual field width, ellipsoid zone width on optic cohorence tomography and multifocal electroretinography values were obtained from medical records of patients with RP. A scoring criterion was developed wherein each variable was assigned a score from 0 to 5 depending on its distribution. The cumulative score (from 0 to 20) was used to classify disease severity from grade 0 to 5. The scores were correlated with each other and the final grade.Results: Data of 152 eyes of 92 patients who had the results of all tests were reviewed. The mean age was 41.2 years. The mean VA of the patients was 0.13±0.16 Snellen lines. The majority of patients had a VA less than 20/40 (88.6%), a visual field smaller than 20° (78%), and an ellipsoid zone width smaller than 7° (84.4%). The majority of the patients (85.4%) were in advanced stage of the disease (Grade 4 and 5). Conclusions: We present a simple, objective and easy to use disease severity classification for RP which can be used to categorise patients and to evaluate and compare treatment results.
Bilateral Retinal Artery Occlusion; A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Presentation and Management
Authors: Kumar Jayant , Adenuga Olukorede Olusoga , Chhablani Deepesh , Parida Haemoglobin , Muraleedharan Sabareesh , Kannan Naresh B. , Ramasamy Kim
Published: May 2021

Purpose; Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) is an ophthalmologic emergency and involvement of both eyes is rare. The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of presentation of bilateral RAO in south India and the associated systemic disorders.Methods; A retrospective review of the medical records of patients with bilateral RAO seen at a tertiary eye hospital in south India over a period of eight years was carried out. The patients’ demographic and clinical data were extracted from the case files, and analysed using Epi Info statistical software.Results; Six hundred and seventy-four eyes of 662 patients were seen with RAO during the period of the study with 12 (1.8%) patients having bilateral involvement. The mean age of the patients was 58.3 years and males comprised 66.7%. There were 22 (91.7%) eyes with CRAO, and two (8.4%) with branch RAO. Three (25%) patients had simultaneous RAO. The median interval for involvement of the fellow eye was 90 days. Hypertension and diabetes were the most common associated systemic disorders.Conclusion; Bilateral RAO is very rare and usually nonsimultaneous. Patients need to be aware of the possibility of involvement of the fellow eye after a unilateral RAO, and the importance of seeking medical care promptly if this occurs.
Fruit Evaluation of 103 Acerola (Malpighia Emarginata D. C.) Phenotypes from the Subtropical Region of Brazil
Authors: Farinelli Daniela , Silvia Portarena , Silva Daniel Fernandes , Chiara Traini , Menegazzo Silva Giordana , Costa Silva Edvan , Ferreira Veiga Joice , Paola Pollegioni , Fabiola Villa
Published: May 2021

Acerola fruit is one of the richest natural sources of ascorbic acid ever known. As a consequence, acerola fruit and its products are demanded worldwide for the production of health supplements and for the development of functional products. Acerola phenotypes (103) were selected from Western Paraná State and evaluated to obtain information on fruit quality characteristics with the aim of using them in genetic breeding programs for improving acerola in the subtropical region of Brazil. Multivariate analysis of the dissimilarity among the phenotypes was performed using the heat map clustering method and principal component analysis. Results obtained using the two methods were comparable, and the methods were effective in discriminating between samples and variables. This indicates variability among phenotypes with potential for its use in breeding programs. Based on the mean values of the chemical and physical characteristics of fruits and considering the differences among the phenotypes, nine crosses are suggested to generate a future improved population, namely between phenotype numbers 37, 4, 14, 29 and phenotype numbers 99, 60 and 66, belonging to the two different clusters and characterized by high vitamin C content and yield or higher values of fruit size and color parameters.