bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Underwater Endoscopic Mucosal Resection of Small Rectal Neuroendocrine Tumors
Authors: Okada Masahiro , Shinozaki Satoshi , Ikeda Eriko , Hayashi Yoshikazu , Takezawa Takahito , Fukuda Hisashi , Morikawa Takaaki , Kitamura Masafumi , Arita Munefumi , Nomura Tatsuma , Sakamoto Hirotsugu , Sunada Keijiro , Fukushima Noriyoshi , Lefor Alan Kawarai , Yamamoto Hironori
Published: April 2022

Background and Study Aims

The resection strategy for rectal neuroendocrine tumors (NET) < 10 mm is not uniform. We compared the utility of underwater endoscopic mucosal resection (UEMR) to endoscopic submucosal resection with a ligation device (ESMR-L) to resect rectal NETs.

Patients and Methods

Patients with rectal NET < 10 mm treated with UEMR or ESMR-L were included. Their medical records were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Thirty-two patients were divided into a UEMR group (n = 7) and an ESMR-L group (n = 25). Histopathological diagnosis of NET by biopsy was known before resection in 43% (3/7) in the UEMR group and 68% (17/25) in the ESMR-L group, (p = 0.379). UEMR was performed on an outpatient basis for all patients, and 92% of ESMR-L (23/25) were performed as inpatient procedures (p < 0.001). The procedure time was significantly shorter in the UEMR group than in the ESMR-L group [median (IQR), min, 6 (5–8) vs. 12 (9–14), p = 0.002]. En bloc resection and R0 resection rates were 100% in both groups. Pathological evaluations were predominantly NET G1 in both groups (UEMR: 7/7, 100% and ESMR-L: 23/25, 92%). Two patients in the ESMR-L group developed delayed bleeding, controlled by endoscopic hemostasis. Device costs were significantly higher in the ESMR-L group than the UEMR group by approximately US$180 [median (IQR), $90.45 (83.64–108.41) vs. $274.73 (265.86–292.45), P < 0.001].

Conclusion

UEMR results in similar resection quality with shorter procedure time and lower costs compared to ESMR-L. We recommend UEMR for the resection of rectal NET < 10 mm.
Endolymphatic Hydrop Phenotype in Familial Norrie Disease Caused by Large Fragment Deletion of NDP
Authors: Gong Yuerong , Liu Zhang , Zhang Xiaolin , Shen Shuang , Xu Qijun , Zhao Hongchun , Shang Jing , Li Weiguo , Wang Yanfei , Chen Jun , Liu Xiuzhen , Zheng Qing Yin
Published: April 2022

Norrie disease (ND; OMIM 310600), a rare X-linked recessive genetic disorder, is characterized by congenital blindness and occasionally, sensorineural hearing loss, and developmental delay. The congenital blindness of ND patients is almost untreatable; thus, hearing is particularly important for them. However, the mechanism of hearing loss of ND patients is unclear, and no good treatment is available except wearing hearing-aid. Therefore, revealing the mechanism of hearing loss in ND patients and exploring effective treatment methods are greatly important. In addition, as a serious monogenic genetic disease, convenient gene identification method is important for ND patients and their family members, as well as prenatal diagnosis and preimplantation genetic diagnosis to block intergenerational transmission of pathogenic genes. In this study, a Norrie family with two male patients was reported. This pedigree was ND caused by large fragment deletion of NDP (norrin cystine knot growth factor NDP) gene. In addition to typical severe ophthalmologic and audiologic defects, the patients showed new pathological features of endolymphatic hydrops (EH), and they also showed acoustic nerves abnormal as described in a very recent report. PCR methods were developed to analyze and diagnose the variation of the family members. This study expands the understanding of the clinical manifestation and pathogenesis of ND and provides a new idea for the treatment of patients in this family and a convenient method for the genetic screen for this ND family.
The Roles of Optogenetics and Technology in Neurobiology: A Review
Authors: Chen Wenqing , Li Chen , Liang Wanmin , Li Yunqi , Zou Zhuoheng , Xie Yunxuan , Liao Yangzeng , Yu Lin , Lin Qianyi , Huang Meiying , Li Zesong , Zhu Xiao
Published: April 2022

Optogenetic is a technique that combines optics and genetics to control specific neurons. This technique usually uses adenoviruses that encode photosensitive protein. The adenovirus may concentrate in a specific neural region. By shining light on the target nerve region, the photosensitive protein encoded by the adenovirus is controlled. Photosensitive proteins controlled by light can selectively allow ions inside and outside the cell membrane to pass through, resulting in inhibition or activation effects. Due to the high precision and minimally invasive, optogenetics has achieved good results in many fields, especially in the field of neuron functions and neural circuits. Significant advances have also been made in the study of many clinical diseases. This review focuses on the research of optogenetics in the field of neurobiology. These include how to use optogenetics to control nerve cells, study neural circuits, and treat diseases by changing the state of neurons. We hoped that this review will give a comprehensive understanding of the progress of optogenetics in the field of neurobiology.
A Longitudinal Research on the Distribution and Prognosis of Intracerebral Hemorrhage During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Lin Gangqiang , Xu Xueqian , Luan Xiaoqian , Qiu Huihua , Shao Shengfang , Wu Qingsong , Xu Wei , Huang Guiqian , He Jincai , Feng Liang
Published: April 2022

Purpose

Globally, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common cerebrovascular disease. At the beginning of 2020, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the allocation of medical resources and the patient treatment and referrals were affected to varying degrees. We aimed to determine the characteristics and prognoses and associated factors of patients with ICH.

Patients and Methods

The baseline demographic characteristics and ICH outcomes were compared between patients diagnosed with ICH between January and June 2020 (the 2020 group) and between January and June 2019 (the 2019 group). COVID-19 positive patients were excluded from the study. A 30-day data from patients in the 2019 and 2020 groups were analyzed to create survival curves for these patients. We also used regression models to identify the significant determinants of poor outcomes [modified Rankin score (mRS): 3–6] and death.

Results

The number of patients diagnosed with ICH was slightly lower in the 2020 group (n = 707) than in the 2019 group (n = 719). During the lockdown period (February 2020), the admission rates for ICH decreased greatly by 35.1%. The distribution of the patients' domicile (P = 0.002) and the mRS (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the years. The survival curve revealed that the highest risk of death was in the acute stage (especially in the first 5 days) of ICH. At 30 days, mortality was 19.8% in February 2019 and 29.4% in February 2020 (P = 0.119). Multivariate analysis revealed age, baseline mRS, postoperative complications, massive brainstem hemorrhage, and creatinine as factors significantly associated with poor outcomes and death following ICH. Neurosurgery and massive supratentorial hemorrhage were only correlated with the risk of death.

Conclusion

During the lockdown period, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in the admission rates and severe conditions at admission due to strict traffic constraints for infection control. This led to high mortality and disability in patients with ICH. It is necessary to ensure an effective green channel and allocate adequate medical resources for patients to receive timely treatment and neurosurgery.
AFENet: Attention Fusion Enhancement Network for Optic Disc Segmentation of Premature Infants
Authors: Peng Yuanyuan , Zhu Weifang , Chen Zhongyue , Shi Fei , Wang Meng , Zhou Yi , Wang Lianyu , Shen Yuhe , Xiang Daoman , Chen Feng , Chen Xinjian
Published: April 2022

Retinopathy of prematurity and ischemic brain injury resulting in periventricular white matter damage are the main causes of visual impairment in premature infants. Accurate optic disc (OD) segmentation has important prognostic significance for the auxiliary diagnosis of the above two diseases of premature infants. Because of the complexity and non-uniform illumination and low contrast between background and the target area of the fundus images, the segmentation of OD for infants is challenging and rarely reported in the literature. In this article, to tackle these problems, we propose a novel attention fusion enhancement network (AFENet) for the accurate segmentation of OD in the fundus images of premature infants by fusing adjacent high-level semantic information and multiscale low-level detailed information from different levels based on encoder–decoder network. Specifically, we first design a dual-scale semantic enhancement (DsSE) module between the encoder and the decoder inspired by self-attention mechanism, which can enhance the semantic contextual information for the decoder by reconstructing skip connection. Then, to reduce the semantic gaps between the high-level and low-level features, a multiscale feature fusion (MsFF) module is developed to fuse multiple features of different levels at the top of encoder by using attention mechanism. Finally, the proposed AFENet was evaluated on the fundus images of preterm infants for OD segmentation, which shows that the proposed two modules are both promising. Based on the baseline (Res34UNet), using DsSE or MsFF module alone can increase Dice similarity coefficients by 1.51 and 1.70%, respectively, whereas the integration of the two modules together can increase 2.11%. Compared with other state-of-the-art segmentation methods, the proposed AFENet achieves a high segmentation performance.
Mediastinal Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma Treated With Arterial Interventional Therapy: A Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Zhang Guiyuan , Wen Chunyong , Chen Bin , Dai Haitao , Lin Run , Huang Yonghui , Xiang Xianhong
Published: April 2022

Hepatoid adenocarcinoma (HAC) is an extremely rare extrahepatic carcinoma, which is pathologically featured by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and marked by producing alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). HAC of mediastinum is extremely rare. For inoperable patients, the curative treatment options have not been established, and the outcome of HAC is usually poor. Here, we present a case of mediastinal HAC with normal serum AFP level who achieved well-controlled and good response after local–regional interventional approach combined with systemic PD-1 inhibitor. A 53-year-old male who complained of chest pain was admitted to our hospital in February 2021. A chest CT scan revealed several tumors in his mediastinum. The laboratory data showed normal serum AFP level. HAC was diagnosed through pathological assessment of biopsy. Surgery was not available due to the infiltration of sternum. Local regional FOLFOX chemotherapy was given by transarterial infusion, followed by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, and thereafter combined with systemic anti-PD-1 treatment. The patient achieved favorable disease control and apparent symptom relief. So transarterial interventional therapy combined immunotherapy may be a possible and promising treatment for mediastinal HAC.
Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Well Child Care and Vaccination
Authors: Onimoe Grace , Angappan Dhanalakshmi , Chandar Marie Christianne Ravie , Rikleen Sarah
Published: April 2022

Objectives

The COVID-19 virus is highly contagious primarily via aerosol transmission and has a high mortality rate. On March 13, 2020, the United States declared a national emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to enumerate the effect of the pandemic on vaccination rates during the COVID-19 lockdown and the aftermath in pediatric patients aged 6weeks-6 years.

Study Design

A retrospective review of medical records was performed of missed well childcare visits at MetroHealth from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. The sample size of 400 children aged 6 weeks to 6 years were randomly selected. Demographic data, number of calls made to attempt, scheduled WCC, no show rates for clinic appointments, number of missed WCC, location of MH facility, insurance type, vaccination status prior to the pandemic were collected. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software (IBM Corp. Released 2020. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 27.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp).

Results

From this descriptive study, we found that 43.5% of patients were not up to date on their childhood vaccination. The mean age was 24.38 months (SD 20.15). There were slightly more males (52.8%) in the study than females (47.3%) and most children were of African American descent. More than 50% of patients missed a scheduled well child appointment and 27% had a missed at least two consecutive appointments.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt made a significant mark on health care; the effects would be both immediate and delayed, with vulnerable population being the most impacted. There is an urgent need to prevent a large-scale health disaster of catastrophic potential that could occur if an effective vaccination strategy is not implemented rapidly.
Disulfiram Protects Against Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury in Mice
Authors: Yuan Qingwen , Peng Renjun , Yu Huijie , Wang Sinian , Chen Zhongmin , Dong Suhe , Li Wei , Cheng Bo , Jiang Qisheng , Cong Yuwen , Li Fengsheng , Li Changzheng
Published: April 2022

Radiation-induced intestinal injury (RIII) occurs after high doses of radiation exposure. RIII restricts the therapeutic efficacy of radiotherapy in cancer and increases morbidity and mortality in nuclear disasters. Currently, there is no approved agent for the prevention or treatment of RIII. Here, we reported that the disulfiram, an FDA-approved alcohol deterrent, prolonged the survival in mice after lethal irradiation. Pretreatment with disulfiram inhibited proliferation within 24 h after irradiation, but improved crypt regeneration at 3.5 days post-irradiation. Mechanistically, disulfiram promoted Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) survival and maintained their ability to regenerate intestinal epithelium after radiation. Moreover, disulfiram suppresses DNA damage accumulation, thus inhibits aberrant mitosis after radiation. Unexpectedly, disulfiram treatment did not inhibit crypt cell apoptosis 4 h after radiation and the regeneration of crypts from PUMA-deficient mice after irradiation was also promoted by disulfiram. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that disulfiram regulates the DNA damage response and survival of ISCs through affecting the cell cycle. Given its radioprotective efficacy and decades of application in humans, disulfiram is a promising candidate to prevent RIII in cancer therapy and nuclear accident.
Ferroptosis and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI): Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potentials
Authors: Feng Qi , Yu Xiaoyue , Qiao Yingjin , Pan Shaokang , Wang Rui , Zheng Bin , Wang Hui , Ren Kai-Di , Liu Hui , Yang Yang
Published: April 2022

Acute kidney injury (AKI), a common and serious clinical kidney syndrome with high incidence and mortality, is caused by multiple pathogenic factors, such as ischemia, nephrotoxic drugs, oxidative stress, inflammation, and urinary tract obstruction. Cell death, which is divided into several types, is critical for normal growth and development and maintaining dynamic balance. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent nonapoptotic type of cell death, is characterized by iron overload, reactive oxygen species accumulation, and lipid peroxidation. Recently, growing evidence demonstrated the important role of ferroptosis in the development of various kidney diseases, including renal clear cell carcinoma, diabetic nephropathy, and AKI. However, the exact mechanism of ferroptosis participating in the initiation and progression of AKI has not been fully revealed. Herein, we aim to systematically discuss the definition of ferroptosis, the associated mechanisms and key regulators, and pharmacological progress and summarize the most recent discoveries about the role and mechanism of ferroptosis in AKI development. We further conclude its potential therapeutic strategies in AKI.
The Effects of Social Distance and Asymmetric Reward and Punishment on Individual Cooperative Behavior in Dilemma Situations
Authors: Zhang Lei , Jin Yan , Xia Lin , Xu Bibo , Syed Abdullah Syed Mohamad
Published: April 2022

The behavior decisions in social dilemmas are highlighted in sociological, economic, and social psychological studies. Across two studies, the iterated prisoner’s dilemma is used as a basic paradigm to explore the effects of social distance and asymmetric reward and punishment on an individual’s cooperative behavior. Experiment 1 (N = 80) used a 2 (social distance: intimacy vs. strangeness) × 2 (symmetry of rewards: symmetric rewards vs. asymmetric rewards) within-subject design and demonstrated that when there were only two options, namely, cooperation and defection, cooperative behavior was influenced by social distance and symmetry of rewards, respectively, and the interaction was not significant. Experiment 2 (N = 80) used a 2 (social distance: intimacy vs. strangeness) × 2 (symmetry of punishment: symmetric punishment vs. asymmetric punishment) within-subject design and showed that the cooperative behavior of participants decreased when the punishment option was added, and the two levels of symmetry and asymmetry were set. Specifically, compared with the symmetric punishment group, the asymmetric punishment group was more likely to choose a defection strategy and less likely to use a punishment strategy. Moreover, there was a marginal interaction effect between social distance and symmetry of punishment, and symmetry of punishment was a significant mediator in the relationship between social distance and individual cooperation. Specifically, asymmetric punishment reduced only the cooperation rate (CR) between participants and their friends. In conclusion, in dilemma situations, asymmetric reward did not influence individual cooperative behavior at different social distances, while asymmetric punishment did, because the sense of loss was more likely to awaken an individual’s social comparison motives.
Effects of Virtual Reality-Based Distraction of Pain, Fear, and Anxiety During Needle-Related Procedures in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Wang Yan , Guo Liangmei , Xiong Xinjuan
Published: April 2022

Background

Needle-related pain, fear, and anxiety can be a deterrent to treatments in children and adolescents. Virtual reality (VR) can be used to manage the poor experience of needle procedures.

Objective

This meta-analysis aimed to examine the effects of VR on pain, fear, and anxiety related to needle procedures in children and adolescents.

Methods

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched for potentially eligible studies published up to June 2021. The outcomes were pain assessed by the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale (WBS) or Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS), fear assessed by Children's Fear Scale (CFS), and anxiety assessed by Children's Anxiety Meter (CAM), VAS, or CFS. Because of expected heterogeneity among studies, all analyses were conducted using the random-effects model.

Results

Ten studies were included (571 children in the VR group and 575 in the control group). Based on the WBS, VR reduced pain, either self-reported (WMD = −2.17, 95%CI: −3.37, −0.97), parent-reported (WMD = −3.52, 95%CI: −4.62, −2.42), nurse-reported (WMD = −3.29, 95%CI: −5.59, −0.99), and physician/investigator-reported (WMD = −3.48, 95%CI: −5.93, −1.04). Using the FPS-R, VR reduced needle-related pain compared with controls (WMD = −0.85, 95%CI: −1.64, −0.06). Similar results were observed for fear (children/adolescents: WMD = −1.52, 95%CI: −2.18, −0.86; parents: WMD = −1.71, 95%CI: −2.30, −1.13; nurses: WMD = −1.55, 95%CI: −2.47, −0.63; physicians/investigators: WMD = −0.59, 95%CI: −1.00, −0.18) and anxiety (self-reported: WMD = −2.79, 95%CI: −4.07, −1.54; parent-reported: WMD = −3.87, 95%CI: −5.58, −2.15; nurse-reported: WMD = −4.64, 95%CI: −6.56, −2.71; physician/investigator-reported: WMD = −2.06, 95%CI: −4.13, −0.00).

Conclusion

A VR-based intervention could reduce needle-related pain, fear, and anxiety in children and adolescents.
Can The Size of a Fish Mother Determine the Size of Her Offspring?
Authors: Hamel Emily M. , Roethler Margaret G. , Tremewan Caitlin A. , Kindsvater Holly K.
Published: April 2022

What affects the size and health of fish babies? The size of a young fish may strongly influence its chance of survival after hatching, so it is important to understand why fish are born in the condition they are. One answer could be the age and size of the mother, but this has been hard to study in the wild. Sheepshead swordtail females carry their eggs until the baby fish are born swimming. Therefore, since most of the growing happens inside the mother, her offspring can only grow so big. This means that scientists can determine the condition of the babies by trapping the mother and measuring her age and size. Our research group used sheepshead swordtails to check if a mother’s age and size affects the size and health of her offspring. We found that larger, older swordtails produce larger offspring!
Application of an Ultrasensitive NGS-Based Blood Test for the Diagnosis of Early-Stage Lung Cancer: Sensitivity, a Hurdle Still Difficult to Overcome
Authors: Van der Linden Malaïka , Van Gaever Bram , Raman Lennart , Vermaelen Karim , Demedts Ingel , Surmont Veerle , Himpe Ulrike , Lievens Yolande , Ferdinande Liesbeth , Dedeurwaerdere Franceska , Van der Meulen Joni , Claes Kathleen , Menten Björn , Van Dorpe Jo
Published: April 2022

Diagnosis of lung cancer requires histological examination of a tissue sample, which in turn requires an invasive procedure that cannot always be obtained. Circulating tumor DNA can be reliably detected in blood samples of advanced-stage lung cancer patients and might also be a minimally invasive alternative for early-stage lung cancer detection. We wanted to explore the potential of targeted deep sequencing as a test for the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer in combination with imaging. Mutation detection on cell-free DNA from pretreatment plasma samples of 51 patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer was performed and results were compared with 12 control patients undergoing surgery for a non-malignant lung lesion. By using a variant allele frequency threshold of 1%, somatic variants were detected in 23.5% of patients with a median variant allele fraction of 3.65%. By using this threshold, we could almost perfectly discriminate early-stage lung cancer patients from controls. Our study results are discussed in the light of those from other studies. Notwithstanding the potential of today’s techniques for the use of liquid biopsy-based cell-free DNA analysis, sensitivity of this application for early-stage lung cancer detection is currently limited by a biological background of somatic variants with low variant allele fraction.
A Bioinformatics Evaluation of the Role of Dual-Specificity Tyrosine-Regulated Kinases in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Laham Amina Jamal , El-Awady Raafat , Lebrun Jean-Jacques , Ayad Maha Saber
Published: April 2022

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide and has an increasing incidence in younger populations. The dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase (DYRK) family has been implicated in various diseases, including cancer. However, the role and contribution of the distinct family members in regulating CRC tumorigenesis has not been addressed yet. Herein, we used publicly available CRC patient datasets (TCGA RNA sequence) and several bioinformatics webtools to perform in silico analysis (GTEx, GENT2, GEPIA2, cBioPortal, GSCALite, TIMER2, and UALCAN). We aimed to investigate the DYRK family member expression pattern, prognostic value, and oncological roles in CRC. This study shed light on the role of distinct DYRK family members in CRC and their potential outcome predictive value. Based on mRNA level, DYRK1A is upregulated in late tumor stages, with lymph node and distant metastasis. All DYRKs were found to be implicated in cancer-associated pathways, indicating their key role in CRC pathogenesis. No significant DYRK mutations were identified, suggesting that DYRK expression variation in normal vs. tumor samples is likely linked to epigenetic regulation. The expression of DYRK1A and DYRK3 expression correlated with immune-infiltrating cells in the tumor microenvironment and was upregulated in MSI subtypes, pointing to their potential role as biomarkers for immunotherapy. This comprehensive bioinformatics analysis will set directions for future biological studies to further exploit the molecular basis of these findings and explore the potential of DYRK1A modulation as a novel targeted therapy for CRC.
Integrated Network Pharmacology Approach for Drug Combination Discovery: A Multi-Cancer Case Study
Authors: Federico Antonio , Fratello Michele , Scala Giovanni , Möbus Lena , Pavel Alisa , del Giudice Giusy , Ceccarelli Michele , Costa Valerio , Ciccodicola Alfredo , Fortino Vittorio , Serra Angela , Greco Dario
Published: April 2022

Despite remarkable efforts of computational and predictive pharmacology to improve therapeutic strategies for complex diseases, only in a few cases have the predictions been eventually employed in the clinics. One of the reasons behind this drawback is that current predictive approaches are based only on the integration of molecular perturbation of a certain disease with drug sensitivity signatures, neglecting intrinsic properties of the drugs. Here we integrate mechanistic and chemocentric approaches to drug repositioning by developing an innovative network pharmacology strategy. We developed a multilayer network-based computational framework integrating perturbational signatures of the disease as well as intrinsic characteristics of the drugs, such as their mechanism of action and chemical structure. We present five case studies carried out on public data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, including invasive breast cancer, colon adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate adenocarcinoma. Our results highlight paclitaxel as a suitable drug for combination therapy for many of the considered cancer types. In addition, several non-cancer-related genes representing unusual drug targets were identified as potential candidates for pharmacological treatment of cancer.
DNA Methylation Regulates a Set of Long Non-Coding RNAs Compromising Hepatic Identity during Hepatocarcinogenesis
Authors: Recalde Miriam , Gárate-Rascón María , Herranz José María , Elizalde María , Azkona María , Unfried Juan P. , Boix Loreto , Reig María , Sangro Bruno , Fernández-Barrena Maite G. , Fortes Puri , Ávila Matías A. , Berasain Carmen , Arechederra María
Published: April 2022

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as key players in cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we identify the mechanism implicated in the HCC inhibition of a set of lncRNAs, and their contribution to the process of hepatocarcinogenesis. Methods and Results: The top-ranked 35 lncRNAs downregulated in HCC (Top35 LNDH) were validated in several human HCC cohorts. We demonstrate that their inhibition is associated with promoter hypermethylation in HCC compared to control tissue, and in HCC human cell lines compared to primary hepatocytes. Moreover, demethylating treatment of HCC human cell lines induced the expression of these lncRNAs. The Top35 LNDH were preferentially expressed in the adult healthy liver compared to other tissues and fetal liver and were induced in well-differentiated HepaRG cells. Remarkably, their knockdown compromised the expression of other hepato-specific genes. Finally, the expression of the Top35 LNDH positively correlates with the grade of tumor differentiation and, more importantly, with a better patient prognosis. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that the selected Top35 LNDH are not only part of the genes that compose the hepatic differentiated signature but participate in its establishment. Moreover, their downregulation through DNA methylation occurs during the process of hepatocarcinogenesis compromising hepatocellular differentiation and HCC patients’ prognosis.
Caveat emptor: On the Need for Baseline Quality Standards in Computer Vision Wood Identification
Authors: Ravindran Prabu , Wiedenhoeft Alex C.
Published: April 2022

Computer vision wood identification (CVWID) has focused on laboratory studies reporting consistently high model accuracies with greatly varying input data quality, data hygiene, and wood identification expertise. Employing examples from published literature, we demonstrate that the highly optimistic model performance in prior works may be attributed to evaluating the wrong functionality—wood specimen identification rather than the desired wood species or genus identification—using limited datasets with data hygiene practices that violate the requirement of clear separation between training and evaluation data. Given the lack of a rigorous framework for a valid methodology and its objective evaluation, we present a set of minimal baseline quality standards for performing and reporting CVWID research and development that can enable valid, objective, and fair evaluation of current and future developments in this rapidly developing field. To elucidate the quality standards, we present a critical revisitation of a prior CVWID study of North American ring-porous woods and an exemplar study incorporating best practices on a new dataset covering the same set of woods. The proposed baseline quality standards can help translate models with high in silico performance to field-operational CVWID systems and allow stakeholders in research, industry, and government to make informed, evidence-based modality-agnostic decisions.
Mobile Shopping during COVID-19: The Effect of Hedonic Experience on Brand Conspicuousness, Brand Identity and Associated Behavior
Authors: Jiang Wanjing , Song Yao
Published: April 2022

COVID-19 has impacted economic and social conditions around the globe. In a post-pandemic world, the labor models have been shifting in favor of working from home and shopping toward online purchasing through mobile devices. The pandemic has, in addition to disrupting the world economy, triggered changes in consumer behavior that require a rethinking of marketing efforts from the consumer’s perspective and a fundamental shift in branding strategies and managerial thinking. This paper expanded the understanding of the mobile consumer behavior of Generation Z consumers in China by examining the changes in their behavior in response to the pandemic. We used a structural equation model (SEM) to show that, in mobile shopping, the hedonic experience has played an essential role in signaling brand conspicuousness and product aesthetics, in turn promoting brand identity and associated behavioral reactions. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these changes for branding identity and brand management.
Talking about Climate Change and Environmental Degradation with Patients in Primary Care: A Cross-Sectional Survey on Knowledge, Potential Domains of Action and Points of View of General Practitioners
Authors: André Hélène , Gonzalez Holguera Julia , Depoux Anneliese , Pasquier Jérôme , Haller Dagmar M. , Rodondi Pierre-Yves , Schwarz Joëlle , Senn Nicolas
Published: April 2022

Purpose: General practitioners (GPs) could play a role in mitigating climate change by raising awareness of its impact on human health and implementing changes to improve population health and decreasing environmental footprints. The aim of this study was to assess GPs’ knowledge and perspectives about the health impacts of climate change. Method: A questionnaire was sent to 1972 GPs in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Knowledge of the impact of environmental degradations and climate change on health and willingness to address climate change with patients, to be exemplary and to act as role models were surveyed as well as demographic characteristics of GPs. Results: Respondents (N = 497) expressed a high level of self-reported knowledge regarding climate change, although it was lower for more specific topics, such as planetary health or health–environment co-benefits. Participants mostly agreed that it is necessary to adapt clinical practice to the health impacts of climate change and that they have a role in providing information on climate change and its links to human health. Conclusion: Most of the GPs were concerned about environmental and climate degradation. However, this study revealed a gap between the willingness of GPs to integrate the impact of climate change on health into their clinical activities and their lack of overall knowledge and scientific evidence on effective interventions. A promising way forward may be to develop co-benefit interventions adapted to the clinical setting on diet, active mobility and connecting with nature.
Evaluation of Coping Strategies among Students with Type D Personality
Authors: Sumin Alexey N. , Prokashko Ingrid Yu. , Shcheglova Anna V.
Published: April 2022

Objective: Personality type D may be associated with a predisposition to develop stress under external adverse influences, for example, in the COVID-19 pandemic. Likewise, type D personality is associated with higher burnout levels; thus, it may contribute to the development of diseases symptoms. The current study was designed to examine the coping strategies in young healthy persons with personality type D. Methods: The study included 98 medical students, with 30 being males. The participants completed questionnaires to identify personality type D (DS-14) and the coping strategies. Depending on the results of the DS-14 questionnaire, four subgroups were distinguished with different levels of points on the NA and SI subscales. Results: For persons with type D personality, the escape–avoidance strategy was used more often, the accepting responsibility and self-controlling strategies were less common compared with non-type-D individuals. When type D was adjusted for the NA and SI subscales, the correlation remained only with escape–avoidance strategy. We did not find a synergistic effect of the NA and SI subscales in regard to coping. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a link between personality type D and maladaptive coping strategies. The predominance of the maladaptive coping strategy in type D is a possible point of application for psychosocial training in such individuals that requires further research.
Untargeted Metabolomics Profiling of Bioactive Compounds under Varying Digestate Storage Conditions: Assessment of Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity
Authors: Lu Jiaxin , Muhmood Atif , Tsapekos Panagiotis , Cui Xian , Guo Yuwen , Zheng Yi , Qiu Yizhan , Wang Pan , Ren Lianhai
Published: April 2022

The rapid development of biogas plants in China has generated large quantities of digestate. The disparity between the continuity of biogas plant operation and the seasonality of digestate utilization has led to the need to store digestate. Therefore, untargeted profiling of bioactive compounds in the digestate stored under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was performed. The antioxidant and antifungal activity of digestate stored under varying conditions was likewise assessed. The results delineated that digestate storage under varying conditions brought about the degradation of organic acids, alkenes, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, ethers, amino acids and their derivatives, and esters, leading to the stabilization of digestate components. Together, these new data revealed that digestate storage for up to 20 days under aerobic conditions promotes glycine, serine, and threonine degradation pathways and enhances biotin and vitamins production. In contrast, anaerobic storage enhances the taurine and hypotaurine metabolic pathways and increases the derivation of antimicrobial substances, such as indole alkaloids. Moreover, digestate storage under anaerobic conditions promotes antioxidant and antifungal activity more than storage under aerobic conditions. These findings can contribute to the future development of high-value agricultural products from digestate and the sustainability of biogas plants. Further studies are required for the untargeted metabolomic of digestate under storage to explore the underlying mechanisms of promoting disease resistance by the digestate upon land application.
The Anthropometric Measure ‘A Body Shape Index’ May Predict the Risk of Osteoporosis in Middle-Aged and Older Korean People
Authors: Kim Bokun , Kim Gwon-min , Kim Eonho , Park Joonsung , Isobe Tomonori , Mori Yutaro , Oh Sechang
Published: April 2022

A body shape index (ABSI) is a recently introduced index of abdominal adiposity, relative to body mass index and height, and represents an alternative to body mass index and waist circumference. We aimed to determine whether ABSI is associated with osteoporosis and the ability of ABSI to predict osteoporosis, to investigate the relationship between obesity and osteoporosis In total, 6717 Korean participants (3151 men and 3566 women; 63.6 ± 8.5 years) were recruited and placed into the Normal, Osteopenia, or Osteoporosis groups on the basis of the minimum T-scores of the lumbar spine, proximal femur, and femoral neck. The T-scores of each region and ABSI were compared among the groups and odds ratios and cut-off values of ABSI for osteoporosis were calculated. In participants of both sexes, ABSI tended to increase as bone health deteriorated. The men and women in the highest quartile of ABSI were 1.887 and 2.808 times more likely to have osteoporosis, respectively, and the potential ABSI cut-off values for osteoporosis were 0.0813 and 0.0874 for male and female participants, respectively. These findings suggest that augmentation of ABSI and obesity is associated with a higher risk of osteoporosis and that ABSI may predict the risk of osteoporosis.
Properties of the Omicron Variant of SARS-CoV-2 Affect Public Health Measure Effectiveness in the COVID-19 Epidemic
Authors: Furuse Yuki
Published: April 2022

Nonpharmaceutical and pharmaceutical public health interventions are important to mitigate the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. However, it is still unclear how the effectiveness of these interventions changes with the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) novel variants. This simulation study utilized data from Japan and investigated how the characteristic properties of the Omicron variant, which emerged in late 2021, influence the effectiveness of public health interventions, including vaccination, the reduction of interpersonal contact, and the early isolation of infectious people. Although the short generation time of the Omicron variant increases the effectiveness of vaccination and the reduction of interpersonal contact, it decreases the effectiveness of early isolation. The latter feature may make the containment of case clusters difficult. The increase of infected children during the Omicron-dominant epidemic diminishes the effects of previously adult-targeted interventions. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring viral evolution and consequent changes in epidemiological characteristics. An assessment and adaptation of public health measures against COVID-19 are required as SARS-CoV-2 novel variants continue to emerge.
Validation of Psychometric Properties of the Nursing Work Index—Revised Scale in Portugal
Authors: Anunciada Sara , Benito Patrícia , Gaspar Filomena , Lucas Pedro
Published: April 2022

The use of instruments designed to assess the nursing practice environment is crucial to improve the quality of nursing care, to anticipate problems and difficulties that may arise in organizations, and allow nurse managers to implement changes and improvements in key areas. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Nursing Work Index—Revised Portuguese version (NWI-R-PT) scale. A quantitative, observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was conducted. Methods: The sample consisted of 767 nurses from 4 public Portuguese hospitals. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were used to test the distinct structural models. The scale’s accuracy was evaluated through internal consistency, using Cronbach’s alpha. Results: NWI-R-PT internal consistency was 0.91. The NWI-R-PT model with six factors, namely “Management Support,” “Professional Development,” “Fundamentals of Nursing,” “Nurse–Physician Relationship,” “Endowments,” and “Organization of Nursing Care,” was supported by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The NWI-R-PT scale presents adequate goodness-of-fit indices concerning the final factorial model and the convergent validity. Conclusions: The NWI-R-PT scale has a competent and reliable structure. The scale’s validity is confirmed; therefore, it may be employed in all contexts in clinical practice, research, and nursing management. The NWI-R-PT is a useful and valid instrument to assess the nursing environment in hospitals, primary care, long-term care, and nursing homes. The scale has significance in improving the quality of nursing care and patient safety, the professional development of nurses, and organizational results.
Youth Water Polo Performance Determinants: The INEX Study
Authors: Noronha Francisco , Canossa Sofia , Vilas-Boas João P. , Afonso José , Castro Flávio , Fernandes Ricardo J.
Published: April 2022

Due to the growing engagement of youth in water polo practice, we aimed to characterize age-grouped players across anthropometric, general and specific motor abilities and contextual domains. We have also examined the associations of players’ specific skills with their anthropometric and general motor characteristics. One-hundred-and-one male water polo players, grouped into 12-, 13- and 14-year age cohorts were recruited. One-way ANOVA explained age-cohort variance, and a multiple linear regression was used to assess the association between variables. The variance in cohorts was explained by arm span (25%), stature, hand breadth and length (17%) fat-free mass (18%), 20 m sprint (16%), sit-ups (18%), medicine ball throw (27%), anaerobic (31%) and aerobic performance (21%), change of direction (18%), and in-water vertical jump (14%). The variance of in-water vertical jump, 10 m sprint, change of direction and aerobic fitness for players’ anthropometric characteristics were, 32, 25, 14 and 10% (respectively). The players’ upper-limb explosive power explained 30, 22 and 17% of variance for in-water vertical jump, 10 m sprint and aerobic fitness, respectively. Body mass had an inverse, and arm span had a direct association with in-water vertical jump and swim velocity capability, arm span had an inverse and direct association with change of direction and aerobic fitness, respectively. The upper limbs’ explosive power related directly to in-water vertical jump and aerobic fitness skills, but inversely with 10 m sprint scores.
Magnetic Nanofibrous Scaffolds Accelerate the Regeneration of Muscle Tissue in Combination with Extra Magnetic Fields
Authors: Hu Xuechun , Liu Wenhao , Sun Lihong , Xu Shilin , Wang Tao , Meng Jie , Wen Tao , Liu Qingqiao , Liu Jian , Xu Haiyan
Published: April 2022

The reversal of loss of the critical size of skeletal muscle is urgently required using biomaterial scaffolds to guide tissue regeneration. In this work, coaxial electrospun magnetic nanofibrous scaffolds were fabricated, with gelatin (Gel) as the shell of the fiber and polyurethane (PU) as the core. Iron oxide nanoparticles (Mag) of 10 nm diameter were added to the shell and core layer. Myoblast cells (C2C12) were cultured on the magnetic scaffolds and exposed to the applied magnetic fields. A mouse model of skeletal muscle injury was used to evaluate the repair guided by the scaffolds under the magnetic fields. It was shown that VEGF secretion and MyoG expression for the myoblast cells grown on the magnetic scaffolds under the magnetic fields were significantly increased, while, the gene expression of Myh4 was up-regulated. Results from an in vivo study indicated that the process of skeletal muscle regeneration in the mouse muscle injury model was accelerated by using the magnetic actuated strategy, which was verified by histochemical analysis, immunofluorescence staining of CD31, electrophysiological measurement and ultrasound imaging. In conclusion, the integration of a magnetic scaffold combined with the extra magnetic fields enhanced myoblast differentiation and VEGF secretion and accelerated the defect repair of skeletal muscle in situ.
The Ameliorative Effect of Dexamethasone on the Development of Autoimmune Lung Injury and Mediastinal Fat-Associated Lymphoid Clusters in an Autoimmune Disease Mouse Model
Authors: Elewa Yaser Hosny Ali , Masum Md Abdul , Mohamed Sherif Kh. A. , Islam Md Rashedul , Nakamura Teppei , Ichii Osamu , Kon Yasuhiro
Published: April 2022

In our previous study, we revealed the ameliorative therapeutic effect of dexamethasone (Dex) for Lupus nephritis lesions in the MRL/MpJ-Fas lpr/lpr (Lpr) mouse model. The female Lpr mice developed a greater number of mediastinal fat-associated lymphoid clusters (MFALCs) and inflammatory lung lesions compared to the male mice. However, the effect of Dex, an immunosuppressive drug, on both lung lesions and the development of MFALCs in Lpr mice has not been identified yet. Therefore, in this study, we compared the development of lung lesions and MFALCs in female Lpr mice that received either saline (saline group “SG”) or dexamethasone (dexamethasone group “DG”) in drinking water as a daily dose along with weekly intraperitoneal injections for 10 weeks. Compared to the SG group, the DG group showed a significant reduction in the levels of serum anti-dsDNA antibodies, the size of MFALCs, the degree of lung injury, the area of high endothelial venules (HEVs), and the number of proliferating and immune cells in both MFALCs and the lungs. A significant positive correlation was observed between the size of MFALCs and the cellular aggregation in the lungs of Lpr mice. Therefore, this study confirmed the ameliorative effect of Dex on the development of lung injury and MFALCs via their regressive effect on both immune cells’ proliferative activity and the development of HEVs. Furthermore, the reprogramming of MFALCs by targeting immune cells and HEVs may provide a therapeutic strategy for autoimmune-disease-associated lung injury.
Applications of Metal-Organic Frameworks as Drug Delivery Systems
Authors: Maranescu Bianca , Visa Aurelia
Published: April 2022

In the last decade, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) have shown great prospective as new drug delivery systems (DDSs) due to their unique properties: these materials exhibit fascinating architectures, surfaces, composition, and a rich chemistry of these compounds. The DSSs allow the release of the active pharmaceutical ingredient to accomplish a desired therapeutic response. Over the past few decades, there has been exponential growth of many new classes of coordination polymers, and MOFs have gained popularity over other identified systems due to their higher biocompatibility and versatile loading capabilities. This review presents and assesses the most recent research, findings, and challenges associated with the use of MOFs as DDSs. Among the most commonly used MOFs for investigated-purpose MOFs, coordination polymers and metal complexes based on synthetic and natural polymers, are well known. Specific attention is given to the stimuli- and multistimuli-responsive MOFs-based DDSs. Of great interest in the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of MOFs for combination therapy and multimodal systems.