bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics, management strategies and outcomes of patients with recurrent venous thromboembolism in the real world
Authors: Yamashita Yugo , Morimoto Takeshi , Kadota Kazushige , Takase Toru , Hiramori Seiichi , Kim Kitae , Oi Maki , Akao Masaharu , Kobayashi Yohei , Toyofuku Mamoru , Inoko Moriaki , Tada Tomohisa , Chen Po-Min , Murata Koichiro , Tsuyuki Yoshiaki , Nishimoto Yuji , Sakamoto Jiro , Togi Kiyonori , Mabuchi Hiroshi , Takabayashi Kensuke , Kato Takao , Ono Koh , Kimura Takeshi
Published: December 2022

There is a paucity of data on management strategies and clinical outcomes after recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). In a multicenter registry enrolling 3027 patients with acute symptomatic VTE, the current study population was divided into the following 3 groups: (1) First recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy (N = 110); (2) First recurrent VTE after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy (N = 116); and (3) No recurrent VTE (N = 2801). Patients with first recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy more often had active cancer (45, 25 and 22%, P < 0.001). Among 110 patients with first recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy, 84 patients (76%) received warfarin at recurrent VTE with the median prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) value at recurrent VTE of 1.6, although patients with active cancer had a significantly higher median PT-INR value at recurrent VTE compared with those without active cancer (2.0 versus 1.4, P < 0.001). Within 90 days after recurrent VTE, 23 patients (20.9%) during anticoagulation therapy and 24 patients (20.7%) after discontinuation of anticoagulation therapy died. Active cancer was a major cause of recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy as a patient-related factor, while sub-optimal intensity of anticoagulation therapy was a major cause of recurrent VTE during anticoagulation therapy as a treatment-related factor, particularly in patients without active cancer.
Unexpected self-lofting and dynamical confinement of volcanic plumes: the Raikoke 2019 case
Authors: Khaykin S. M. , de Laat A. T. J. , Godin-Beekmann S. , Hauchecorne A. , Ratynski M.
Published: December 2022

Recent research has provided evidence of the self-lofting capacity of smoke aerosols in the stratosphere and their self-confinement by persistent anticyclones, which prolongs their atmospheric residence time and radiative effects. By contrast, the volcanic aerosols—composed mostly of non-absorptive sulphuric acid droplets—were never reported to be subject of dynamical confinement. Here we use high-resolution satellite observations to show that the eruption of Raikoke volcano in June 2019 produced a long-lived stratospheric anticyclone containing 24% of the total erupted mass of sulphur dioxide. The anticyclone persisted for more than 3 months, circumnavigated the globe three times, and ascended diabatically to 27 km altitude through radiative heating of volcanic ash contained by the plume. The mechanism of dynamical confinement has important implications for the planetary-scale transport of volcanic emissions, their stratospheric residence time, and atmospheric radiation balance. It also provides a challenge or “out of sample test” for weather and climate models that should be capable of reproducing similar structures.
CD46 protects the bladder cancer cells from cetuximab-mediated cytotoxicity
Authors: Do Manh-Hung , Thanh Hien Duong , To Phuong Kim , Kim Min Soo , Moon Changjong , Jung Chaeyong
Published: December 2022

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an effective target for those patients with metastatic colorectal cancers that retain the wild-typeRASgene. However, its efficacy in many cancers, including bladder cancer, is unclear. Here, we studied the in vitro effects of cetuximab monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting EGFR on the bladder cancer cells and role of CD46. Cetuximab was found to inhibit the growth of both colon and bladder cancer cell lines. Furthermore, cetuximab treatment inhibited AKT and ERK phosphorylation in the bladder cancer cells and reduced the expression of CD46 membrane-bound proteins. Restoration of CD46 expression protected the bladder cancer cells from cetuximab-mediated inhibition of AKT and ERK phosphorylation. We hypothesized that CD46 provides protection to the bladder cancer cells against mAb therapies. Bladder cancer cells were also susceptible to cetuximab-mediated immunologic anti-tumor effects. Further, cetuximab enhanced the cell killing by activating both antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) in bladder cancer cells. Restoration of CD46 expression protected the cells from both CDC and ADCC induced by cetuximab. Together, CD46 exhibited a cancer-protective effect against both direct (by involvement of PBMC or complement) and indirect cytotoxic activity by cetuximab in bladder cancer cells. Considering its clinical importance, CD46 could be an important link in the action mechanism of ADCC and CDC intercommunication and may be used for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Phase separation of rotor mixtures without domain coarsening driven by two-dimensional turbulence
Authors: Hrishikesh Bhadra , Takae Kyohei , Mani Ethayaraja , Tanaka Hajime
Published: December 2022

Unlike in thermodynamic systems, phase separation can occur without a thermodynamic driving force in active systems. How phase separation of purely hydrodynamic origin proceeds is an intriguing physical question. To this end, we study the phase separation of a binary mixture of oppositely rotating disks in a two-dimensional (2D) viscous fluid at an athermal condition by hydrodynamic simulations, focusing on the inertia effect. At symmetric and off-symmetric compositions, phase separation forms the oppositely flowing bands and a circular rotating droplet in the disordered matrix phase. In both cases, phase separation creates the largest structure directly from a chaotic state without gradual domain coarsening, unlike in the thermodynamic and corresponding dry rotor mixtures. We show that this unusual behaviour results from the nonlinear convective acceleration, i.e., the inverse cascade phenomena characteristic of 2D turbulence. Our finding reveals nontrivial nonlinear hydrodynamic effects on the self-organisation of active/driven particles in a fluid.
Development of a QM/MM(ABEEM) method combined with a polarizable force field to investigate the excision reaction mechanism of damaged thymine
Authors: Liu Cui , Jiang He , Li Yue , Xue Bing , Yao Yu-Ying , Yang Zhong-Zhi
Published: December 2022

The polarization effect and charge transfer are simulated accurately by QM/MM(ABEEM) method. The most important contribution is the piecewise function of valence electronegativity.
Biotinylated Pt(iv) prodrugs with elevated lipophilicity and cytotoxicity
Authors: Spector Daniil , Erofeev Alexander , Gorelkin Peter , Skvortsov Dmitry , Trigub Alexander , Markova Alina , Nikitina Vita , Ul'yanovskiy Nikolay , Shtil’ Alexander , Semkina Alevtina , Vlasova Ksenia , Zyk Nikolay , Majouga Alexander , Beloglazkina Elena , Krasnovskaya Olga
Published: December 2022

A design of Pt(iv) prodrugs with tumor cell targeting moieties leading to increased selectivity is of interest.
Synthesis of olefins by selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignocellulosic ketones
Authors: Han Fengan , Liu Yanting , Li Guangyi , Yuan Lin , Wang Aiqin , Wang Feng , Zhang Tao , Li Ning
Published: December 2022

Zinc molybdate was first synthesized using a simple and environmentally friendly evaporation method and it exhibited good performance for the selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignocellulose derived ketones to their corresponding olefins.
100% atom-economical and highly regio- and stereoselective iodosulfenylation of alkynes: a reagentless and sustainable approach to access (E)-β-iodoalkenyl sulfides and (Z)-tamoxifen
Authors: Satyanarayana Appanapalli N. V. , Mukherjee Nilanjana , Chatterjee Tanmay
Published: December 2022

A 100% atom-economical iodosulfenylation of alkynes is developed using only iodine and disulfides via the in situ formation of the corresponding sulfenyl iodide intermediates to access (E)-β-iodoalkenyl sulfides and (Z)-tamoxifen.
Regulation of the nanostructures self-assembled from an amphiphilic azobenzene homopolymer: influence of initial concentration and solvent solubility parameter
Authors: Sun Hui , Leng Ying , Zhou Xiaoyan , Li Xiao , Wang Tian
Published: December 2022

Controlled preparation of bowl-shaped nanoparticles, nanotubes and nanowires by the self-assembly of an amphiphilic azobenzene homopolymer is achieved via regulating the initial concentration and solvent solubility parameter.
Protective effect of the newly synthesized and characterized charge transfer (CT) complex against arecoline induced toxicity in third-instar larvae of transgenic Drosophila melanogaster (hsp70-lacZ)Bg9: experimental and theoretical mechanistic insights
Authors: Shakya Sonam , Khan Ishaat M. , Shakya Barkha , Siddique Yasir Hasan , Varshney Himanshi , Jyoti Smita
Published: December 2022

Agents that suppress the toxic effect of arecoline (a chemical present in the Areca nut fruit) have become a need of the hour owing to its several harmful effects on human beings.
Preserving the shape of silver nanocrystals
Authors: Yang Tung-Han , Wang Peng , Qin Dong
Published: December 2022

Preserve the shape of silver nanocrystals by decorating a shell or frame composed of a more corrosive resistant metal on their surfaces for applications in plasmonics, catalysis, and electronics.
The Study of Spray-Freeze-Drying Technique for Development of Novel Combination pMDIs, Part II: In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluations
Authors: Xi Quan , Cao Zhen , Miao Jia-Ying , Wang Hao
Published: December 2022

The mometasone furoate (MF) and formoterol fumarate dihydrate (FF) inhalable microparticles prepared by different methods, such as micronized active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), microparticles of APIs prepared by spray-freeze drying technique (SFD APIs), and phospholipid microparticles of APIs prepared by SFD (SFD Lip-APIs), showed different inhaled drug delivery characteristics. Study on the physicochemical characteristics of those microparticles and the effect of matrix excipients on pharmacokinetic (PK) behaviors of inhalable microparticles is helpful for the development of new methods for inhalable microparticles with excellent performance of inhalation characteristics. In this study, the crystal state of the microparticles was investigated by powder X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The density was investigated by a bulk density method. The suspension and dispersion characteristics were determined by observing its state in hydrofluoroalkane (HFA). Meanwhile, the PK behaviors of SFD Lip-APIs in beagle dogs were also investigated by airway administration to evaluate the effect of phospholipids on drug release. The results indicated that the presence of phospholipids prevents the formation of solid bridges bonding to each other during SFD of pure drug solutions. In comparison to the conventional micronized microparticles, inhalable drug–phospholipid microparticles were easily dispersed and suspended in HFA. The embedded drugs were in a crystal state that endowed a better physical stability, and most interestingly, have similar PK behavior to the control (a mixed solution of MF/FF), suggesting that the phospholipids, as matrix excipients, had no effect on absorption. Given above, our designed SFD phospholipid microparticles may represent an efficient carrier for pulmonary delivery of MF and FF for further clinical treatment.
Increased Cancer Risk in Patients with Kidney Disease and Venous Thromboembolism: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Rønnow Sand Jakob , Troelsen Frederikke Schønfeldt , Nagy Dávid , Farkas Dóra Körmendiné , Erichsen Rune , Christiansen Christian Fynbo , Sørensen Henrik Toft
Published: December 2022

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be a harbinger of cancer in the general population. Patients with kidney disease have an a priori increased VTE risk. However, it remains unknown how a VTE affects subsequent cancer risk in these patients.

Objectives To examine the cancer risk in patients with kidney disease following a VTE.

Methods We conducted a nationwide population-based cohort study in Denmark (1996–2017), including all VTE patients with a diagnosis of kidney disease. We calculated absolute risks of cancer (accounting for competing risk of death) and age-, sex-, and calendar-period standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) comparing the observed cancer incidence with national cancer incidence rates and cancer incidence rates of VTE patients without kidney disease.

Results We followed 3,362 VTE patients with kidney disease (45.9% females) for a median follow-up time of 2.4 years (interquartile range: 0.6–5.4). During follow-up, 464 patients were diagnosed with cancer, of whom 169 (36.4%) were diagnosed within the first year. The 1-year absolute risk of any cancer was 5.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.3–5.8), with a SIR of 2.9 (95% CI: 2.5–3.4) when compared with the general population, and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.8–2.4) when compared with VTE patients without kidney disease. During subsequent years of follow-up, the SIRs declined to 1.5 (95% CI: 1.3–1.6) when compared with the general population, and 1.1 (95% CI: 0.9–1.2) compared with VTE patients without kidney disease.

Conclusion Patients with hospital-diagnosed kidney disease have increased cancer risk after VTE, especially within the first year following the VTE diagnosis.
The role of social value orientation in modulating vaccine uptake in the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Moosa Sheena , Abdul Raheem Raheema , Riyaz Aminath , Musthafa Hawwa Shiuna , Naeem Aishath Zeen
Published: December 2022

COVID-19 vaccination is the only pharmaceutical measure available to control the pandemic and move past the current crisis. As such, the Maldives, a small island country, invested heavily on securing and vaccinating the eligible population through an intensive risk communication campaign to create awareness on vaccination benefits. This paper reports on the vaccine coverage after a year of COVID-19 vaccine being introduced into the country, based on data obtained from the Values in Crisis Survey – Wave Two among Maldivian adults (n = 497). The findings show a vaccine coverage of 94%, with only 2.2% of the respondents indicating they will not get vaccinated. No significant differences were observed by age, gender, income earning, educational status or residential area. No significant relationship was observed in vaccine behaviour and confidence in government, health sector and experts. Social value orientations, particularly conservation and self-transcendence value orientations determined positive vaccine behaviour (rs = 0.180,p < 0.01 and 0.136p < 0.01 respectively), yet conservation was the only predictor that contributed significantly to the regression model (B = 0.158,p < 0.01). The findings indicate that, despite the uncertainties around COVID-19 vaccinations, the prosocial value orientations were instrumental in achieving a high COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Further theoretical and conceptual exploration of vaccine behaviour in crisis situations is needed to inform future pandemic situations. The vaccination rollout and behaviour change strategies also need an examination of social value orientations in order to achieve a high coverage and sustain pro-vaccine behaviour post-pandemic.
Disruption of nucleosomes by DNA groove binders of clinical significance and implications for chromatin remodeling
Authors: Lorch Yahli , Kornberg Roger D. , Maier-Davis Barbara
Published: December 2022

Small molecules that bind in the minor groove of DNA are in clinical use as antibiotics and antitumor drugs. Two members of this class of molecules, netropsin and chromomycin, are shown here to displace DNA from the nucleosome and promote transfer of the histone octamer to an acceptor protein. The effects of these groove-binding molecules are exploited to address an outstanding problem in the mechanism of the RSC chromatin remodeling complex. RSC and other remodeling complexes are DNA translocases, acting near the center of the nucleosomal DNA, but translocation is apparently impossible because DNA cannot slide across the histone surface in the nucleosome. Netropsin and chromomycin promote the release of DNA from the histone surface, enhance the formation of a RSC–nucleosome complex, and synergize with RSC in chromatin remodeling. These findings are in keeping with an involvement of bulge translocation in chromatin remodeling.
Evolutionary norm-breaking and extinction in the marine tropics
Authors: Vermeij Geerat J.
Published: December 2022

Evolutionary innovations, defined as character states that transcend clade norms, are often studied in an exclusively phylogenetic context, but their distribution in time and space indicates that geography also influences the evolution of new ecological, morphological, and physiological traits. In an analysis of 99 fossillzable, norm-breaking innovations in tropical marine Neogene molluscan clades that arose uniquely in either (but not in both) the Indo-West Pacific (IWP) or Atlantic-East Pacific (AEP) realms, I show that there are far more innovations in the IWP (79%) than those in the AEP (21%). Most of the innovations are interpretable as defensive or competitive adaptations or as indicators of extreme habitat specialization. Although the innovations arose in taxonomically rich biotas, only 9% are associated with subclades comprising 10 or more species each, indicating that they contributed little to overall taxonomic richness. Compilations of extant species in 30 pantropical molluscan clades show that the IWP accounts for 71% of tropical shallow-water species, implying that the per-species incidence of norm-breaking innovations is higher there than in the AEP. Only 5% of innovations became extinct in the IWP as compared with 38% in the AEP, mirroring a similar difference in the magnitudes of Late Miocene and later taxonomic extinction in the two realms. These data imply that large-scale disruption strongly limits norm-breaking innovation. Opportunities for adaptive innovation are therefore likely to be few in today’s heavily overexploited and disturbed biosphere.
Measurement of remanent magnetic moment using a torsion pendulum with single frequency modulation method
Authors: Qiao Min-Na , Liu Lu-Hua , Cai Bo-Song , Zhang Ya-Ting , Wang Qing-Lan , Xu Jia-Hao , Liu Qi
Published: December 2022

In TianQin spaceborne gravitational-wave detectors, the stringent requirements on the magnetic cleanliness of the test masses demand the high resolution ground-based characterization measurement of their magnetic properties. Here we present a single frequency modulation method based on a torsion pendulum to measure the remanent magnetic moment m
r of 1.1 kg dummy copper test mass, and the measurement result is (6.45±0.04(stat)±0.07(syst)) × 10−8 A⋅m2. The measurement precision of the m
r is about 0.9 nA⋅m2, well below the present measurement requirement of TianQin. The method is particularly useful for measuring extremely low magnetic properties of the materials for use in the construction of space-borne gravitational wave detection and other precision scientific apparatus.
Predicting novel atomic structure of the lowest-energy Fe
n
P13–n
(n = 0–13) clusters: A new parameter for characterizing chemical stability
Authors: Jiang Yuanqi , Peng Ping
Published: December 2022

A series of novel atomic structure of lowest-energy Fe
n
P13–n
(n = 0–13) clusters via density functional theory (DFT) calculations and an unbiased structure search using Crystal structure AnaLYsis by Particle Swarm Optimization (CALYPSO) code. Our research results show that the global minimum geometry structure of neutral Fe13–n
P
n
(n = 0–6) clusters tend to form cage structures but the lowest-energy Fe13–n
P
n
(n = 7–13) clusters are gradually evolution from a cage structure to a chain shape geometric structure. Their geometric structure should responsible for the raise of binding energy from Fe7P6 to P13 clusters rather than chemical components. This is completely different from a linear relation of the binding energy with chemical components in our previous research for Cu
n
Zr13–n
(n = 3–10) clusters (J. Mol. Liq.
343 117603 (2021)). Hence, in order to characterize the global chemical stability of target cluster, we proposed a new parameter (jyq = η/χ) that the chemical hardness of isolated cluster is used to be divided by its electronegativity. One of the biggest advantages of this parameter is successful coupling the ability of a resistance to redistribution of electrons and the ability to attract electrons from other system (such as atom, molecular or metallic clusters). Moreover, it is found that the P13 cluster shows typical insulator characteristics but the Fe12P1 shows typical conductor characteristics, which phenomena can be attributed to the remarkable delocalized and localized electrons in Fe12P1 and P13, respectively. In terms of nearly-free-electron mode, we also found that the number of electrons on Femi level (N(E
F)) are obviously tended to toward a lower value when Fe was replaced gradually with P from Fe13 to P13, and a non-magnetic can be observed in Fe13, Fe2P11, Fe1P12, and P13 that mainly because their perfect symmetrical between spin-up and spin-down of density of states of electrons.
Plasma density transition-based electron injection in laser wake field acceleration driven by a flying focus laser
Authors: Geng Pan-Fei , Chen Min , An Xiang-Yan , Liu Wei-Yuan , Zhu Xin-Zhe , Li Jian-Long , Li Bo-Yuan , Sheng Zheng-Ming
Published: December 2022

By using a high-intensity flying focus laser, the dephasingless [Phys. Rev. Lett.
124 134802 (2020)] or phase-locked [Nat. Photon.
14 475 (2020)] laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA) can be realized, which may overcome issues of laser diffraction, pump depletion, and electron dephasing which are always suffered in usual LWFA. The scheme thus has the potentiality to accelerate electrons to TeV energy in a single acceleration stage. However, the controlled electron injection has not been self-consistently included in such schemes. Only external injection was suggested in previous theoretical studies, which requires other accelerators and is relatively difficulty to operate. Here, we numerically study the actively controlled density transition injection in phase-locked LWFA to get appropriate density profiles for amount of electron injection. The study shows that compared with LWFA driven by lasers with fixed focus, a larger plasma density gradient is necessary. Electrons experience both transverse and longitudinal loss during acceleration due to the superluminal group velocity of the driver and the variation of the wakefield structure. Furthermore, the periodic deformation and fracture of the flying focus laser in the high-density plasma plateau make the final injected charge also depend on the beginning position of the density downramp. Our studies show a possible way for amount of electron injection in LWFA driven by flying focus lasers.
Semi-analytical steady-state response prediction for multi-dimensional quasi-Hamiltonian systems
Authors: Ye Wen-Wei , Chen Lin-Cong , Yuan Zi , Qian Jia-Min , Sun Jian-Qiao
Published: December 2022

The majority of nonlinear stochastic systems can be expressed as the quasi-Hamiltonian systems in science and engineering. Moreover, the corresponding Hamiltonian system offers two concepts of integrability and resonance that can fully describe the global relationship among the degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) of the system. In this work, an effective and promising approximate semi-analytical method is proposed for the steady-state response of multi-dimensional quasi-Hamiltonian systems. To be specific, the trial solution of the reduced Fokker–Plank–Kolmogorov (FPK) equation is obtained by using radial basis function (RBF) neural networks. Then, the residual generated by substituting the trial solution into the reduced FPK equation is considered, and a loss function is constructed by combining random sampling technique. The unknown weight coefficients are optimized by minimizing the loss function through the Lagrange multiplier method. Moreover, an efficient sampling strategy is employed to promote the implementation of algorithms. Finally, two numerical examples are studied in detail, and all the semi-analytical solutions are compared with Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) results. The results indicate that the complex nonlinear dynamic features of the system response can be captured through the proposed scheme accurately.
Features of transport induced by ion-driven trapped-electron modes in tokamak plasmas
Authors: Li Hui , Li Ji-Quan , Wang Feng , Luan Qi-Bin , Sun Hong-En , Wang Zheng-Xiong
Published: December 2022

As an obstacle in high-performance discharge in future fusion devices, disruptions may do great damages to the reactors through causing strong electromagnetic forces, heat loads and so on. The drift waves in tokamak are illustrated to play essential roles in the confinement performance as well. Depending on the plasma parameters and mode perpendicular wavelength, the mode phase velocity is either in the direction of electron diamagnetic velocity (namely, typical trapped electron mode) or in the direction of ion diamagnetic velocity (namely, the ubiquitous mode). Among them, the ubiquitous mode is directly investigated using gyro-fluid simulation associating with gyro-fluid equations for drift waves in tokamak plasmas. The ubiquitous mode is charactered by the short wavelength and propagates in ion diamagnetic direction. It is suggested that the density gradient is essential for the occurrence of the ubiquitous mode. However, the ubiquitous mode is also influenced by the temperature gradients and other plasma parameters including the magnetic shear and the fraction of trapped electrons. Furthermore, the ubiquitous mode may play essential roles in the turbulent transport. Meanwhile, the relevant parameters are scanned using a great number of electrostatic gyro-fluid simulations. The stability map is taken into consideration with the micro-instabilities contributing to the turbulent transport. The stability valley of the growth rates occurs with the assumption of the normalized temperature gradient equaling to the normalized density gradient.
Experimental and theoretical investigations of the photoelectrochemical and photo-Fenton properties of Co-doped FeOCl
Authors: Ma Jin-Huan , Wei Zhi-Qiang , Ding Mei-Jie , Zhao Ji-Wei , Lu Cheng-Gong
Published: December 2022

For the first time, two-dimensional FeOCl (Fe1−x
Co
x
OCl) doped with Co was successfully applied to the photocatalytic and photo-Fenton degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The photocatalytic and photo-Fenton experiments showed that the degradation rates of RhB by Fe0.94Co0.06OCl are 82.6% and 98.2% within 50 min under neutral solution, room temperature and visible light. The inclusion of Co resulted in lattice imperfections on the surface of FeOCl, which was advantageous for the photogenerated electron–hole pair separation efficiency (consistent with the density functional theory calculation). Moreover, the RhB removal rate decreased from 98% to 82% during five successive cycles, showing good structural stability. Finally, based on the radical capture experiment, a potential mechanism for RhB degradation by Fe1−x
Co
x
OCl catalyst was proposed. The idea of a synergistic mechanism for Fe1−x
Co
x
OCl also offers a fresh concept for catalysts used in doping modification.
Relationship Between Obesity and Hypertension From Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Fan Ji-lin , Zhu Ting-ting , Tian Xiao-ling , Xue Zhen-yu , Guo Jing-qi , Ren Wen-qing , Zhang Shi-liang
Published: December 2022

Background

To explore the relationship between obesity and hypertension using bioinformatics analyses.

Methods

Disease databases (GeneCards, OMIM, CTD, TTD, DisGeNET, and Drugbank) were used to obtain hypertension and obesity-related targets. The intersection targets of obesity and hypertension were constructed using Venn diagrams. STRING online platform was used to obtain protein–protein interaction networks of common targets, and Cytohubba plug-in was used to screen the core targets. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and the enrichment analysis of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) were carried out using DAVID database.

Results

A total of 459 and 551 targets were obtained for obesity and hypertension, respectively. Among them, 135 were targets for both obesity and hypertension in which tumor necrosis factor (TNF), cell tumor antigen p53 (TP53), chemokine 2 (CCL2), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukin (IL) 1B, nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3), IL-6, and serine/threonine protein kinase 1 (AKT1) were key targets for regulating obesity and hypertension. Enrichment analysis yielded 306 GO entries [P < 0.05, false discovery rate (FDR) <0.05], which were involved in positive regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade, positive regulation of nitric oxide biosynthetic process, cilium basal body, hormone activity, and RNA polymerase II repeating transcription factor binding. The 86 enriched KEGG entries (P < 0.05, FDR <0.05) included adipocytokine signaling pathway, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, PI3K–Akt signaling pathway and forkhead transcription factor O (FoxO) signaling pathway.

Conclusions

TNF, TP53, CCL2, TLR4, IL-1B, NOS3, IL-6, AKT1, and the key pathways including adipocytokine signaling pathway, regulation of adipocyte lipolysis, PI3K–Akt and FoxO signaling pathway play a regulatory role in interactions between obesity and hypertension. These findings provide new insights into the complex interactions between obesity and hypertension.
HCovDock: an efficient docking method for modeling covalent protein–ligand interactions
Authors: Wu Qilong , Huang Sheng-You
Published: December 2022

Covalent inhibitors have received extensive attentions in the past few decades because of their long residence time, high binding efficiency and strong selectivity. Therefore, it is valuable to develop computational tools like molecular docking for modeling of covalent protein–ligand interactions or screening of potential covalent drugs. Meeting the needs, we have proposed HCovDock, an efficient docking algorithm for covalent protein–ligand interactions by integrating a ligand sampling method of incremental construction and a scoring function with covalent bond-based energy. Tested on a benchmark containing 207 diverse protein–ligand complexes, HCovDock exhibits a significantly better performance than seven other state-of-the-art covalent docking programs (AutoDock, Cov_DOX, CovDock, FITTED, GOLD, ICM-Pro and MOE). With the criterion of ligand root-mean-squared distance < 2.0 Å, HCovDock obtains a high success rate of 70.5% and 93.2% in reproducing experimentally observed structures for top 1 and top 10 predictions. In addition, HCovDock is also validated in virtual screening against 10 receptors of three proteins. HCovDock is computationally efficient and the average running time for docking a ligand is only 5 min with as fast as 1 sec for ligands with one rotatable bond and about 18 min for ligands with 23 rotational bonds. HCovDock can be freely assessed at http://huanglab.phys.hust.edu.cn/hcovdock/.
Logistic tensor decomposition with sparse subspace learning for prediction of multiple disease types of human–virus protein–protein interactions
Authors: Ma Yingjun , Zhong Junjiang
Published: December 2022

Viral infection involves a large number of protein–protein interactions (PPIs) between the virus and the host, and the identification of these PPIs plays an important role in revealing viral infection and pathogenesis. Existing computational models focus on predicting whether human proteins and viral proteins interact, and rarely take into account the types of diseases associated with these interactions. Although there are computational models based on a matrix and tensor decomposition for predicting multi-type biological interaction relationships, these methods cannot effectively model high-order nonlinear relationships of biological entities and are not suitable for integrating multiple features. To this end, we propose a novel computational framework, LTDSSL, to determine human–virus PPIs under different disease types. LTDSSL utilizes logistic functions to model nonlinear associations, sets importance levels to emphasize the importance of observed interactions and utilizes sparse subspace learning of multiple features to improve model performance. Experimental results show that LTDSSL has better predictive performance for both new disease types and new triples than the state-of-the-art methods. In addition, the case study further demonstrates that LTDSSL can effectively predict human-viral PPIs under various disease types.
Efficacy of a multicomponent singing intervention on communication and psychosocial functioning in chronic aphasia: a randomized controlled crossover trial
Authors: Siponkoski Sini-Tuuli , Pitkäniemi Anni , Laitinen Sari , Särkämö Essi-Reetta , Pentikäinen Emmi , Eloranta Heidi , Tuomiranta Leena , Melkas Susanna , Schlaug Gottfried , Sihvonen Aleksi J , Särkämö Teppo
Published: December 2022

The ability to produce words through singing can be preserved in severe aphasia, but the benefits of group-based singing rehabilitation in aphasia are largely unknown. Our aim was to determine the efficacy of a multicomponent singing intervention on communication and speech production, emotional-social functioning and caregiver well-being in aphasia. Fifty-four patients with acquired brain injury and chronic aphasia and their family caregivers (n = 43) were recruited. Using a crossover randomized controlled trial design, participants were randomized to two groups who received a 4-month singing intervention either during the first or second half of the study in addition to standard care. The intervention comprised weekly group-based training (including choir singing and group-level melodic intonation therapy) and tablet-assisted singing training at home. At baseline, 5- and 9-month stages, patients were assessed with tests and questionnaires on communication and speech production, mood, social functioning, and quality of life and family caregivers with questionnaires on caregiver burden. All participants who participated in the baseline measurement (n = 50) were included in linear mixed model analyses. Compared with standard care, the singing intervention improved everyday communication and responsive speech production from baseline to 5-month stage, and these changes were sustained also longitudinally (baseline to 9-month stage). Additionally, the intervention enhanced patients’ social participation and reduced caregiver burden. This study provides novel evidence that group-based multicomponent singing training can enhance communication and spoken language production in chronic aphasia as well as improve psychosocial wellbeing in patients and caregivers.

https://www.clinicaltrials.gov, Unique identifier: NCT03501797.
Selective extinction and habitat nestedness are the main drivers of lizard nestedness in the Zhoushan Archipelago
Authors: Zhang Minchu , Tang Chaonan , Zhang Qing , Zhan Chengxiu , Chen Chuanwu , Wang Yanping
Published: December 2022

Nested subset pattern (nestedness) is an important part of the theoretical framework of island biogeography and community ecology. However, most previous studies often used nestedness metrics or randomization algorithms that are vulnerable to type I error. In this study, we investigated the nestedness of lizard assemblages on 37 islands in the Zhoushan Archipelago, China. We used the line-transect method to survey species occurrence, abundance, and habitat types of lizards on 37 islands during 2 breeding seasons in 2021 and 2022. We applied the nested metric WNODF and the conservative rc null model to control for type I error and quantify the significance of nestedness. Spearman rank correlations were used to evaluate the role of 4 habitat variables (island area, 2 isolation indices, and habitat diversity) and 4 ecological traits (body size, geographic range size, clutch size, and minimum area requirement) in generating nestedness. The results of WNODF analyses showed that lizard assemblages were significantly nested. The habitat-by-site matrix estimated by the program NODF was also significantly nested, supporting the habitat nestedness hypothesis. The nestedness of lizard assemblages were significantly correlated with island area, habitat diversity, clutch size, and minimum area requirement. Overall, our results suggest that selective extinction and habitat nestedness were the main drivers of lizard nestedness in our system. In contrast, the nestedness of lizard assemblages was not due to passive sampling or selective colonization. To maximize the number of species preserved, our results indicate that we should protect both large islands with diverse habitats and species with large area requirement and clutch size.
Network analysis reveals context-dependent structural complexity of social calls in serrate-legged small treefrogs
Authors: Deng Ke , He Qiao-Ling , Wang Tong-Liang , Wang Ji-Chao , Cui Jian-Guo
Published: December 2022

Vocal communication plays an important role in survival, reproduction, and animal social association. Birds and mammals produce complex vocal sequence to convey context-dependent information. Vocalizations are conspicuous features of the behavior of most anuran species (frogs and toads), and males usually alter their calling strategies according to ecological context to improve the attractiveness/competitiveness. However, very few studies have focused on the variation of vocal sequence in anurans. In the present study, we used both conventional method and network analysis to investigate the context-dependent vocal repertoire, vocal sequence, and call network structure in serrate-legged small treefrogs Kurixalus odontotarsus. We found that male K. odontotarsus modified their vocal sequence by switching to different call types and increasing repertoire size in the presence of a competitive rival. Specifically, compared with before and after the playback of advertisement calls, males emitted fewer advertisement calls, but more aggressive calls, encounter calls, and compound calls during the playback period. Network analysis revealed that the mean degree, mean closeness, and mean betweenness of the call networks significantly decreased during the playback period, which resulted in lower connectivity. In addition, the increased proportion of one-way motifs and average path length also indicated that the connectivity of the call network decreased in competitive context. However, the vocal sequence of K. odontotarsus did not display a clear small-world network structure, regardless of context. Our study presents a paradigm to apply network analysis to vocal sequence in anurans and has important implications for understanding the evolution and function of sequence patterns.
Acid exposure time is sensitive for detecting gastroesophageal reflux disease and is associated with long-term survival after lung transplant
Authors: Yang Nancy Y , Parish Alice , Posner Shai , Shimpi Rahul A , Wood Richard K , Finn R Thomas , Fisher Deborah A , Hartwig Matthew G , Klapper Jacob A , Reynolds John , Niedzwiecki Donna , Leiman David A
Published: December 2022

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is common in patients who have undergone lung transplantation and is associated with poorer outcomes, but guidelines are lacking to direct management strategies in this population. We assessed the diagnostic yield of impedance metrics compared to pH-metry alone for detecting GERD among lung transplant recipients and evaluated their association with clinical outcomes. We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent lung transplantation. Demographic data, acid exposure time (AET), number of reflux episodes, mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI), post-reflux swallowing-induced peristaltic wave index (PSPWI), and clinical outcomes including mortality were collected. The relationship between GERD metrics and clinical outcomes was assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Fisher’s exact test as appropriate. Of the 76 patients studied, 29 (38%) had GERD based on abnormal AET after lung transplantation. One (1.3%) patient had GERD based on elevated number of reflux episodes and abnormal distal MNBI detected GERD in 19 (26%) patients, resulting in 62% sensitivity and 94% specificity. Two (2.6%) patients had normal PSPWI. Patients with low distal MNBI had significantly decreased forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) at 3-year posttransplant compared to those without low distal MNBI (P = 0.03). Three-year survival was significantly worse among patients with elevated AET (66.7% vs. 89.1%, P = 0.03) but not with low distal MNBI (68.4% vs. 84.3%, P = 0.18). Abnormal AET is more sensitive for detecting GERD than other reflux metrics studied and is associated with survival, suggesting pH-metry alone may be sufficient to guide GERD management after lung transplant.
Added value of semi-quantitative analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT for the diagnosis of device-related infections in patients with a left ventricular assist device
Authors: ten Hove Derk , Wahadat Ali R , Slart Riemer H J A , Wouthuyzen-Bakker Marjan , Mecozzi Gianclaudio , Damman Kevin , Witteveen Hester , Caliskan Kadir , Manintveld Olivier C , Sinha Bhanu , Budde Ricardo P J , Glaudemans Andor W J M
Published: December 2022

Aims

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) improve quality of life and survival in patients with advanced heart failure, but device-related infections (DRIs) remain cumbersome. We evaluated the diagnostic capability of [18F]FDG PET/CT, factors affecting its accuracy, and the additive value of semi-quantitative analysis for the diagnosis of DRI.

Methods and results

LVAD recipients undergoing [18F]FDG PET/CT between 2012 and 2020 for suspected DRI were retrospectively included. [18F]FDG PET/CT was performed and evaluated in accordance with EANM guidelines. The final diagnosis of DRI, based on multidisciplinary consensus and findings during surgery, whenever performed, was used as the reference for diagnosis. 41 patients were evaluated for 59 episodes of suspected DRI. The clinical evaluation established driveline infection in 32 (55%) episodes, central device infection in 6 (11%), and combined infection in 2 (4%). Visual analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT achieved a sensitivity and specificity for driveline infections of 0.79 and 0.71, respectively, whereas semi-quantitative analysis achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 0.94 and 0.83, respectively. For central device component infection, visual analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 0.60, respectively. Semi-quantitative analysis using SUVratio achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 1.0 and 0.8, respectively. The increase of specificity for central component infection was statistically significant (P = 0.05).

Conclusions

[18F]FDG PET/CT reliably predicts the presence of DRI in LVAD recipients. Semi-quantitative analysis may increase the specificity of [18F]FDG PET/CT for the analysis of central device component infection and should be considered in equivocal cases after visual analysis.
Postprocedural ascending aortic dissection after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: a case report
Authors: Fujita Hiroshi , Ito Tsuyoshi , Kikuchi Shohei , Seo Yoshihiro
Published: December 2022

Background

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been established as an effective and safe treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). It is reported that vascular complications, especially aortic dissection, are rare. However, aortic dissection may be a serious consequence if it occurs. We experienced a case of delayed onset of ascending aortic dissection after TAVI.

Case summary

An 82-year-old woman presented with dyspnoea and general fatigue. Echocardiography revealed severe AS and she was diagnosed with heart failure associated with AS. She had difficulty controlling heart failure and required the intervention of the aortic valve. We evaluated the aortic valve and access routes with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), which showed marked dilatation of the ascending aorta. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation was performed and the procedure was completed without major complications. Transoesophageal echocardiography during the procedure did not detect any obvious arterial injury. However, on the second postoperative day, the patient suddenly became unconscious and a CT indicated an ascending aortic dissection. Unfortunately, she passed away. An autopsy revealed the fragility of the ascending aorta.

Conclusion

Patients with AS and aortic root dilatation may develop delayed onset of ascending aortic dissection after TAVI.
Function of cell adhesion molecules in differentiation of ray sensory neurons in C. elegans
Authors: Sakai Naoko , Sun Peter , Kim Byunghyuk , Emmons Scott W
Published: December 2022

For proper functioning of the nervous system, it is crucial that neurons find their appropriate partners and build the correct neural connection patterns. Although cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) have been studied for many years as essential players in neural connections, we have yet to unravel the code by which CAMs encode synaptic specificity. We analyzed the effects of mutations in CAM genes on the morphology and synapses of a set of sensory neurons in the Caenorhabditis elegans male tail. B-type ray sensory neurons express 10 genes encoding CAMs. We examined the effect on axon trajectory and localization of pre-synaptic components in viable mutants of nine of these. We found axon trajectory defects in mutants of UNC-40/DCC, SAX-3/ROBO, and FMI-1/Flamingo/Celsr1. None of the mutations caused loss of pre-synaptic components in axons, and in several the level even appeared to increase, suggesting possible accumulation of pre-synapses. B-type sensory neurons fasciculate with a second type of ray sensory neuron, the A-type, in axon commissures. We found a CAM expressed in A-type functions additively with a CAM expressed in B-type in axon guidance, and lack of a CAM expressed in B-type affected A-type axon guidance. Overall, single and multiple mutants of CAM genes had limited effects on ray neuron trajectories and accumulation of synaptic components.