bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant Potentials of Aqueous and Ethanolic Extracts of Morus mesozygia Linn Stapf Twigs in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats
Authors: Joshua Marcella Tari , Wachuku Edna O. , Boisa N. , Nduka Nsirim
Published: September 2021

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the antioxidant effects of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of Morus mesozygia Linn. Stapf. Twigs in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

Study Design: The study is an experimental case-controlled study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out at the Biochemistry Research Laboratory, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria, between June, 2018 and April, 2019.

Methodology: A total of 65 male albino rats that weighed between 150g to 200g were used for this research study. Three different extracted solvents; aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic twig extracts were administered to different groups of the rats. The male albino rats for this study were induced with a single dose of 40mg/kg b.wt, intraperitoneally of streptozotocin in 0.1M of citrate buffer, pH 4.5. The diabetic male rats were those whose fasting blood glucose (FBG) were from 250mg/dl or 13mmol/L and above. They were then divided into different groups and treated with different concentrations of aqueous, ethanolic and methanolic extracts of the plant material. At the end of treatment period, the rats were kept on fasting for 6 hours prior to the process of euthanasia, they were sacrificed and blood samples were collected through cardiac puncture for analysis into lithium heparin bottle for the estimation of oxidative stress markers, malondaldehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), and antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAS). Statistical analysis was done using GraphPad prism (version 6.1) software. Data generated were represented as mean and standard deviations (Mean ±S. D). Level of significant at Tukey’s Multiple Comparative Test was tested at p<0.0001. Charts were made possible with the application of Minitab version 2019.

Results: The results showed that there were significant increases in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD, 414.2±1.30) ng/ml, total antioxidant status (TAS, 82.97±7.71) mU/ml, total oxidant status (TOS, 355.02± 14.02) mU/ml activity, a reduced oxidative stress index of 4.29±0.26 and concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA of 18.67± 0.26mmol/L) when rats were treated with 400mg/kg of aqueous leaves of Morus mesozygia Linn. S. When compared with those of rats treated with 200mg/kg of aqueous leaf extracts of MMLS. there was a significant increases and decreases respectively. Other methods of extractions (methanolic and ethanolic), also improved the antioxidant statuses of the diabetes induced and treated rats after treatment of the extracts.

Conclusion: The three extracts of Morus mesozygia Linn. S showed tremendous antioxidant effects against Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, with the methanolic extract showing the most potent effect.
Analysis of Liver Function Biomarkers and Histopathology in Plasmodium Berghei-Infected Albino Mice Treated with Sodium Bicarbonate
Authors: Sunday Haruna G. , Okey Enemali M. , Isiah Achimugu I. , Ali Andafu T. , Jimoh Yusuf Z. , Nweze Chibuzo C.
Published: September 2021

Malaria still remains an endemic disease especially in Sub-saharan Africa. The current study was aimed at evaluating liver function biomarkers and histology in albino mice following their infection with Plasmodium berghei and treated with Sodium Bicarbonate. Twenty mice were divided into five groups of four each. Groups 1; normal control, group 2; infected with P. berghei, untreated, groups 3, 4, 5; infected, treated 84mg/kg NaHCO3 once, twice and thrice respectively. Blood samples and liver were collected for analysis of liver function biomarkers and histopathology by standard procedures. AST was significantly (p<0.05) higher in group 5 (13.33±0.707) when compared to the control (11.33±0.707). ALP activity increased significantly (p<0.05) in group 5 (11.76±0.707) when compared to the control (10.29±0.707). Total protein increased significantly (p<0.05) in all the test groups; 2 (4.29±0.007), 3 (4.09±0.007), 4 (4.46±0.007) and 5 (4.65±0.007) when compared to the control (4.05±0.007). Albumin increased significantly (p<0.05) in all the test groups; 2 (3.58±0.007), 3 (3.76±0.007), 4 (3.61±0.007) and 5 (3.58±0.007) compared to the control (3.57±0.007). Total bilirubin concentration significantly (p<0.05) decreased in groups 3 (0.42±0.007), 4 (0.47±0.007) and 5 (0.48±0.007) compared to the control. Direct bilirubin concentration was significantly (p<0.05) higher in groups 4 (0.20±.007) and 5 (0.22±.007) compared to the control (0.15±.007). Photomicrograph images showed inflammation in group 2; infected, not treated. Sodium bicarbonate did not play ameliorative role against plasmodium berghei infected liver.
Gender-Based Assessment of Haematological Parameters of Obese Individuals in Omisanjana Area of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Authors: Obeagu Emmanuel Ifeanyi , Omotunde Precious , Obeagu Getrude Uzoma , Eze Richard I. , Edward Ukamaka , Okafor Chukwuma J. , Vincent C. C. N. , Chukwurah Ejike Felix , Akalonu Blessing Oluchi
Published: September 2021

Background: Obesity is a serious health problem, it increases heart-related diseases and its prevalence continues to increase due to genetic and lifestyle influences. This study aims to evaluate the hematological parameters of obese individuals based on gender in the Omisanjana region of Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state. Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: The research is based on a cross-sectional study of obese and non-obese individuals in hospitals. The study was carried out in the Omisanjana area of ​​Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state. Fifty (50) obese individuals and fifty (50) apparently non-obese individuals were recruited as controls and participated in the study. The data are shown in the table and are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, and are analyzed using the Student's t test of the statistical software package for social sciences (SPSS, version 20.0), and the level of significance is established at p≤ 0.05.

Results: The results showed no significant difference in PCV (p=0.3783), WBC (p=0.501), LYM (p=0.149), GRAN (p=0.336), MID (p=0.242), ,RBC (p=0.243), HGB (p=0.086), HCT (p=0.323), MCV (p=0.943), MCH p=0.097), MCHC (p=0.922), PLT (p=0.941), when compared between obese individuals and non-obese individuals based on sex respectively.

Conclusion: The study showed no statistically significant changes, and it may be because there are no significant changes in the physiological factors and the growth factors of the precursor cells in the bone marrow, so the body mass index (BMI) has no effect on hematological parameters.
Nutritional Awareness and Weight Status of Nursing College Students during COVID 19 Lockdown
Authors: Selvi K. Silambu , Kanniammal C. , Jayabharathi B. , Lakshmi E.
Published: September 2021

Aim: The present study aim was to assess the BMI status and level of nutrition knowledge among nursing college students during covid19 lockdown

Methods: This cross sectional survey was carried out during covid19 lockdown period in Tamil Nadu among 247 nursing college students .The tool used in the data collection comprised of a Google link form structured questionnaire with two sections. Section an included height, weight, socio-demographic variables and Section B elicited 45 Nutrition knowledge questions with 3 sub sections. Data were tabulated and analyzed statistically.

Results: The nutrition knowledge level results showed that majority of 54.8% had moderate knowledge, 35.7% had adequate knowledge and only 9.6% of students had inadequate knowledge. Body mass index (BMI) status revealed that 58.5% of the students were in obese II stage,36% were in obese I stage, 3.7% were overweight, 1.1% were normal and 0.7% were found to be under weight .No significant association was found between level of nutritional knowledge and body mass index at 5% level (p=0.079). High significant association was found between “programme (p = 0.000), year of study (p = 0.000) and the level of nutritional knowledge at 1% level. There was significant association between Age (p = 0.020) Family income (p = 0.021) and the level of nutritional knowledge at 5% level.

Conclusion: Students had moderate level of nutritional knowledge and majority of them were found to be Obese. No significant association and correlation was found between level of nutritional knowledge and body mass index. Transformation of nutritional knowledge into practice and creating awareness about impact of obesity, healthy life style and dietary habits would enhance their knowledge and create positive attitude towards health challenges
Evaluation of Anti-oxidant and Anti-pyretic Activity of Leaf of Dendrobium chrysanthum
Authors: Basak Mrinmoy , Gogoi Pal , Ansari Sajidul Hoque , Dey Biplab Kumar , Sen Saikat , Laskar Moksood Ahmed
Published: September 2021

This investigation is based on a very remarkable and interesting orchid of the genus Dendrobium widely available in Meghalaya (India) and it is the world second largest orchid genus. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the anti-oxidant and anti-pyretic activity of leaf of Dendrobium chrysanthum. As the plants believed traditionally to have some anti-inflammatory activity used by the rural people of Meghalaya, use of medicinal plants and plants extract  for the health procurement has always remain a common choice for the North- eastern people of India since ancient time. The leaf of Dendrobium c. was collected from Shillong, Meghalaya and extraction is done by using methanol as a solvent. The methanol extract found to have the constituents such as carbohydrate, glycoside, alkaloids, phenol and flavonoids. Acute anti-pyretic activity for the extract was investigated in pyrexia rat. Temperature level was determined after 1hours, 2 hours, 4 hours and 6 hours after giving the extract dose of 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg body weight, and it was found to show potent anti-pyretic activity by reducing the temperature in rat. In-vitro anti-oxidant activity was studied by DPPH radical scavenging method of methanolic extract which shows 36.20 as IC50 (µg/ml) whereas the standard Ascorbic acid in the same concentration shows 32.81 IC50 (µg/ml). The obtained result justified the traditional use of Dendrobium c. as anti-pyretic and antioxidant purpose.
Antibiotics Using Pattern in Surgery Department of a Maternity and Children Hospital
Authors: Ahmed Nehad J. , Alharbi Abdulrahman G.
Published: September 2021

Aim: This study aimed to identify antibiotics using pattern in surgery department of a maternity and children hospital in Alkharj.

Methodology: This is a retrospective review of the drugs that were prescribed in maternity and children hospital in Alkharj from January 2018 to August 2020.

Results: The most prescribed antibiotics by emergency department for surgery patients were metronidazole (45.59%) and ceftriaxone (42.65%). Metronidazole IV was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic (38.73%) by inpatient department for surgery patients followed by ceftriaxone (38.73%). Vancomycin vial (43.75%) was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic by critical care unit for surgery patients. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic outpatient department and day case unit for surgery patients by was fusidic acid ointment (35.00%).

Conclusion: The study showed that the most commonly prescribed antibiotics for surgery patients were metronidazole and ceftriaxone. Continuous monitoring for antibiotics prescribing is vital to increase the judicious use of these medications and more educational programs and awareness workshops for surgeons are needed.
A Comparative Analysis of Penetration and Adaptation of Two Types of Light Cure Pit and Fissure Sealants: An In-vitro Study
Authors: Sharma Garima Mukesh , Patil Jayashree Rajesh , Madhu Priyanka Paul , Chhabra Kumar Gaurav , Reche Amit
Published: September 2021

Background: Pit and fissure sealants are well-known for their ability to prevent occlusal caries. Given the difficulties of maintaining complete isolation for longer periods of time when treating young patients, a streamlined sealant application process is needed. As a result, the goal of the present study is to compare the penetration and adaption of 2 types of light cure sealants.

Objectives:

To evaluate the adaptation and penetration of Conseal f ‘pit and fissure sealant’.

To evaluate the adaptation and penetration of PF seal SE ‘pit and fissure sealant’.

To evaluate comparison of adaptation and penetration between two types of light cure sealants.

Methodology: This will be an in-vitro comparative study, which will consist of 2 categories - Group I (acid-etch fissure sealant, Conseal f) and Group II (self-etch fissure sealant, PF seal SE). A total of 20 extracted permanent teeth will then be classified into 2 groups of 10 teeth respectively and stereomicroscope will be used to compare the penetration and adaptation between two types of light cure pit and fissure sealants.

Expected Results: The study will evaluate the penetration and adaptation of two types of light cure sealants on the tooth surface which will provide the efficacy of the sealant.

Conclusion: The study will determine the sealing and penetration and adaption capacity of the sealant by the light cure method. And the sealants are beneficial and biocompatible in preventing, stopping the advancement of non-cavitated carious lesions. Additional study is needed to determine the relative advantages of the various categories of sealant material. In practice, the benefits of sealing should be examined locally, and practitioners should follow specific standards.
The Preferences of Male Students for Different Pharmacy Sectors in Research Project Course
Authors: Ahmed Nehad J.
Published: September 2021

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the students' preferences for different pharmacy departments in research project course in Al-Kharj.

Methodology: This study included a web-based survey using google forms delivered to the students about the students’ research interest. The students ranked the pharmacy departments according to their preferences. The descriptive data were represented as frequencies and percentages.

Results: The cumulative grade of 78.85% of the students was more than or equal to 3 out of 5. About 33.66% of them ranked pharmacology as their first choice and 33.66% of them selected clinical pharmacy as their first choice.

Conclusion: Pharmacy students were interested in conducting researched mainly in pharmacology and clinical pharmacy department. Training programs, workshops and lectures are required to enhance pharmacy students’ research capabilities.
Bacteriological Evaluation of Non-Regulated Herbal Remedies Sold in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Authors: Ndukwu C. L. C. , Akani N. P. , Wemedo S. A. , Sampson T.
Published: September 2021

An essential mandate of food and drug regulatory agencies is to ensure that products offered for public consumption are free from such level of microbial contamination as to endanger the health of consumers. A number of herbal remedies offered to the public were found not to be regulated as evidenced by the absence of regulation numbers on the labels. Thus, this study sought to determine the level of bacterial contamination of packaged, labeled, non-regulated herbal remedies sold in Port Harcourt.  Seventy two samples of twelve different locally produced, liquid, packaged, labeled, orally administered, non-regulated herbal remedies were purchased randomly from retail outlets within Port Harcourt metropolis. They were assessed for total heterotrophic bacterial counts (THBC) and total coliform counts (TCC). One hundred and sixty four bacterial strains obtained were characterized and identified by standard techniques employing Gram staining and biochemical methods. The mean THBC was 3.77±0.77 Log10cfu/ml ranging from 3.20±0.99 to 4.37±0.91Log10cfu/ml. The mean TCC was 3.17±1.02 Log10cfu/ml; with the range between 2.32±1.81 and 3.98±0.47 Log10cfu/ml. All 164 bacterial isolates belong to eleven genera, and 22 species namely Staphylococcus aureus (59;36.0%), Enterobacter cloacae (13; 7.9%), Enterobacter pyrinus (10; 6.1%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (10; 6.1%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10; 6.1%), Bacillus subtilis, (8; 4.9%) Enterobacter aerogenes (7;4.3%), Serratia rubidaea (7;4.3%), Proteus (Cosenza) myxofaciens (6;3.7%), Staphylococcus epidimidis (6;3.7%) Serratia marcescens  (4;2.4%) Bacillus cereus (3;1.8%), Citrobacter rodentium (3;1.8%), Enterobacter hormaechei, (3;1.8%) Klebsiella oxytoca, (3;1.8%)  Proteus mirabilis (3;1.8%). Hafnia alvei (2;1.2%), Salmonella pullorum (2;1.2%), Streptococcus pyogenes (2;1.2%) Enterobacter cancerogenus (1; 0.6%) Salmonella enterica (1; 0.6%), Salmonella typhi (1; 0.6%). Given that these products were processed, packaged, labeled and offered for sale to the public without regulatory numbers, it is suggested that regulatory agencies should ensure that all such products are brought within the ambits of the regulatory laws.
Deformable registration of chest CT images using a 3D convolutional neural network based on unsupervised learning
Authors: Zheng Yongnan , Jiang Shan , Yang Zhiyong
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The deformable registration of 3D chest computed tomography (CT) images is one of the most important tasks in the field of medical image registration. However, the nonlinear deformation and large‐scale displacement of lung tissues caused by respiratory motion cause great challenges in the deformable registration of 3D lung CT images.

Materials and methods

We proposed an end‐to‐end fast registration method based on unsupervised learning, optimized the classic U‐Net, and added inception modules between skip connections. The inception module attempts to capture and merge information at different spatial scales to generate a high‐precision dense displacement vector field. To solve the problem of voxel folding in flexible registration, we put the Jacobian regularization term into the loss function to directly penalize the singularity of the displacement field during training to ensure a smooth displacement vector field. In the stage of data preprocessing, we segmented the lung fields to eliminate the interference of irrelevant information in the network during training. The existing publicly available datasets cannot implement model training. To alleviate the problem of overfitting caused by limited data resources being available, we proposed a data augmentation method based on the 3D‐TPS (3D thin plate spline) transform to expand the training data.

Results

Compared with the experimental results obtained by using the VoxelMorph deep learning method and registration packages, such as ANTs and Elastix, we achieved a competitive target registration error of 2.09 mm, an optimal Dice score of 0.987, and almost no folding voxels. Additionally, the proposed method was much faster than the traditional methods.

Conclusions

In this study, we have shown that the proposed method was efficient in 3D chest image registration. The promising results demonstrated that our method showed strong robustness in the deformable registration of 3D chest CT images.
Dicyanopyrazine‐derived Chromophore as An Efficient Photocatalyst for α‐amino C‐H Bond Functionalization
Authors: Wu Wentao , Wang Hong , Chen Jun , Bao Xiaoze , Tan Choon‐Hong , Ye Xinyi
Published: September 2021

A formal method for C−H bond functionalization of amines with Michael acceptors and β‐fluorinated gem‐diols via α‐aminoalkyl radicals generated using organic photoredox catalysis is reported. Under transition‐metal free conditions, the α‐aminoalkyl radicals are produced by dicyanopyrazine‐derived photocatalyst through single electron transfer and subsequent deprotonation of C−H bonds, then the functionalized products are formed through later addition of generated radicals to electron‐deficient alkenes. This work demonstrates the synthetic utilization of α‐aminoalkyl radicals and photoredox potential of dicyanopyrazine‐derived chromophore as a photocatalyst.
A biomarker‐based study of prenatal smoking exposure and autism in a Finnish national birth cohort
Authors: Cheslack‐Postava Keely , Sourander Andre , Hinkka‐Yli‐Salomäki Susanna , McKeague Ian W. , Surcel Heljä‐Marja , Brown Alan S.
Published: September 2021

Maternal exposure to tobacco smoke during pregnancy is a common and persistent exposure linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in the offspring. However, previous studies provide mixed evidence regarding the relationship between prenatal smoking and offspring autism. This study used cotinine level, a biomarker for nicotine, to investigate the relationship between prenatal smoking and autism. The authors conducted a population‐based case–control study nested in a national cohort of all births in Finland from 1987 to 2005. Cases diagnosed with childhood autism (ICD‐10/9 code F84.0/299.0) through 2007 were identified using data from linked national registers. Each case was matched with a control on date of birth (±30 days), sex, and place of birth (N = 962 pairs). Maternal serum cotinine levels were prospectively measured in first‐ to early second‐trimester serum samples archived in a national biobank using a quantitative immunoassay. Data were analyzed using conditional logistic regression. Prenatal maternal levels of serum cotinine were not associated with the odds of autism, whether cotinine was classified continuously, by deciles, or using previously defined categories corresponding to probable maternal smoking status. After adjusting for maternal age, paternal age, previous births, and any history of parental psychiatric disorder, the odds ratio for categorical high versus low cotinine, using a 3‐level exposure variable, was 0.98 (95% CI = 0.76, 1.26; p = 0.88). In conclusion, this national birth cohort‐based study does not provide evidence for an association between maternal cotinine, a biomarker of maternal smoking, and risk of autism.

Lay Summary

This study explored whether prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke in mothers is related to the diagnosis of autism in their children, by measuring the levels of cotinine, a biomarker for tobacco exposure, in stored serum samples drawn from mothers during pregnancy. The levels of cotinine in the mothers of children diagnosed with autism were similar to those in the mothers of control children of similar age and gender distribution.
The use of performance criteria for determining “mastery” in discrete‐trial instruction: A call for research
Authors: Fienup Daniel M. , Carr James E.
Published: September 2021

The performance criterion (also known as the mastery criterion) is the operationalized performance standard that behavior must reach before instruction ceases, changes, or becomes focused on other goals, such as stimulus generalization and response maintenance. Although performance criteria are widely used in skill‐acquisition research and practice, there has been little experimental research on the topic. Thus, we provide a review of relevant research and offer suggestions for future research based on the different performance‐criterion components.
Control of gene expression in engineered mammalian cells with a programmable shear‐stress inducer
Authors: Strittmatter Tobias , Argast Paul , Buchman Peter , Krawczyk Krzysztof , Fussenegger Martin
Published: September 2021

In humans, cellular mechanoperception serves as the basis of touch sensation and proprioception, contributes to the proper programming of cell fate during embryonic development, and plays a pivotal role in the development of mechanosensitive tissues. Molecular mechanoreceptors can respond to their environment by mediating transient adjustments of ion homeostasis, which subsequently trigger calcium‐dependent alteration of gene expression via specific signaling pathways such as the nuclear factor of the activated T‐cells pathway. Although, mechanoreceptors are potential drug targets for various diseases, current techniques to study mechanically gated processes are often based on custom‐tailored microfluidic systems, which require special setups or have limited throughput. Here, we present a platform to characterize shear‐stress‐triggered, calcium‐mediated gene expression, which employs a programmable, 96‐well‐format, shear‐stress induction device to examine the effects of imposing various mechanical loads on mammalian adherent cell lines. The presented method is suitable for high‐throughput experiments and provides a large tunable parameter space to optimize conditions for different cell types. Our findings indicate that the device is an effective tool to explore conditions in terms of frequency, intensity, intervals as well as extracellular matrix composition alongside the evaluation of different combinations of mechanosensitive proteins for mechanically activated gene expression. We believe our results can serve as a platform for further investigations into shear stress‐controlled gene expression in basic research and drug screening.
Angiogenesis induction in breast cancer: A paracrine paradigm
Authors: Badodekar Nilaja , Sharma Akshita , Patil Vikrant , Telang Gaurang , Sharma Rakesh , Patil Shankargouda , Vyas Nishant , Somasundaram Indumathi
Published: September 2021

Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer among women globally. Angiogenesis contributes significantly to breast cancer progression and dissemination. Neovascularization is concurrent with the progression and growth of breast cancer. Breast cancer cells control angiogenesis by secreting pro‐angiogenic factors like fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, interleukin, transforming growth factor‐β, platelet‐derived growth factor and several others. These pro‐angiogenic factors trigger neovascularization, and thereby lead to breast cancer development and metastasis. The hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐regulated angiogenesis cascade is a crucial underlying factor in breast cancer growth and metastasis. To that end, several efforts have been made to identify druggable targets within the HIF‐angiogenesis components. However, escape pathways are a major hindrance for targeted therapies against angiogenesis. Thus, understanding the key factors that trigger breast cancer angiogenesis is critical in elucidating ways to inhibit breast cancer. The current review provides an overview of the key growth factors that trigger breast cancer angiogenesis.
Prosthetic valve endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement in low‐risk patients
Authors: Medranda Giorgio A. , Rogers Toby , Ali Syed W. , Zhang Cheng , Shea Corey , Sciandra Kathryn A. , Case Brian C. , Forrestal Brian J. , Sutton Joseph A. , McFadden Eugene P. , Malla Prerna , Gordon Paul , Ehsan Afshin , Wilson Sean R. , Levitt Robert , Parikh Puja , Bilfinger Thomas , Torguson Rebecca , Asch Federico M. , Weissman Gaby , Ben‐Dor Itsik , Shults Christian C. , Garcia‐Garcia Hector M. , Satler Lowell F. , Waksman Ron
Published: September 2021

Objectives

We sought to report details of the incidence, organisms, clinical course, and outcomes of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in low‐risk patients.

Background

PVE remains a rare but devastating complication of aortic valve replacement. Data regarding PVE after TAVR in low‐risk patients are lacking.

Methods

We performed a detailed review of all patients in the low‐risk TAVR trials who underwent TAVR from 2016 to 2020 and were adjudicated to have definitive PVE by the independent Clinical Events Committee.

Results

We analyzed 396 low‐risk patients who underwent TAVR (including 72 with bicuspid valves). PVE occurred in 11 patients at a median 379 days (210, 528) from TAVR. The incidence within the first 30 days was 0%; days 31–365, 1.5%; and after day 365, 2.8%. The most common organism identified was Streptococcus (n = 4/11). Early PVE (≤ 365 days) occurred in five patients, of whom three demonstrated evidence of embolic stroke and two underwent surgical aortic valve re‐intervention. Late PVE (> 365 days) occurred in six patients, of whom thee demonstrated evidence of embolic stroke and only one underwent surgical aortic valve re‐intervention. Of the six patients with evidence of embolic stroke, two died, two were discharged to rehabilitation, and two were discharged home with home care.

Conclusions

PVE was infrequent following TAVR in low‐risk patients but was associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Embolic stroke complicated the majority of PVE cases, contributing to worse outcomes in these patients. Efforts must be undertaken to minimize PVE in TAVR.
LBR‐GWO: Layered based routing approach using grey wolf optimization algorithm in wireless sensor networks
Authors: Dwivedi Bhanu , Patro Bachu Dushmanta Kumar , Srivastava Vivek , Jadon Shimpi Singh
Published: September 2021

The sensors deployed inside a wireless sensor network (WSN) have limited energy sources, significantly impacting the network throughput. This article's research objective is to increase network lifetime by developing an energy‐efficient layered‐based routing algorithm for WSNs using the grey wolf optimization (LBR‐GWO) algorithm. In this, the grey wolf's leadership hierarchy has followed, which improves the network's energy capability. The entire region of the deployed nodes divides into four layers. In these nodes, layer one is chosen as cluster heads. If more than two nodes are present in layer one, then the cluster head is selected based on the game theory model; otherwise, the decision is made based on the node's residual energy. While the existing algorithm has several complex control parameter points, the current algorithm has fewer complex parameters. Therefore, in comparison to other algorithms, this algorithm is easy to apply in cluster‐based sensor networks. Simulation findings prove the LBR‐GWO algorithm supremacy for balancing energy consumption across the nodes and improving the network's lifetime compared to the LEACH, HEED, and PSO protocols.
Isobutane Transformation to Aromatics on Zn‐Modified Zeolites: Intermediates and the Effect of Zn2+and ZnO Species on the Reaction Occurrence Revealed by13C MAS NMR
Authors: Gabrienko Anton A. , Lashchinskaya Zoya N. , Arzumanov Sergei S. , Toktarev Alexander V. , Freude Dieter , Haase Jürgen , Stepanov Alexander G.
Published: September 2021

To clarify the effects of different Zn species, zeolite topology and acidity (quantity of Brønsted acid sites, BAS) on alkane aromatization, isobutane transformation on Zn2+/H‐ZSM‐5, Zn2+/H‐BEA, and ZnO/H‐BEA zeolites has been monitored with13C MAS NMR. The alkane transformation has been established to occur by aromatization and hydrogenolysis pathways. Zn2+species is more efficient for the aromatization reaction because aromatic products are formed at lower temperatures on Zn2+/H‐BEA and Zn2+/H‐ZSM‐5 than on ZnO/H‐BEA. The larger quantity of BAS in ZnO/H‐BEA seems to provide a higher degree of the hydrogenolysis pathway on this catalyst. The mechanism of the alkane aromatization is similar for the zeolites of different topology and containing different Zn species, with the main reaction steps being the following: (i) isobutane dehydrogenation to isobutene via isobutylzinc; (ii) isobutene stabilization as a π‐complex on Zn sites; (iii) isobutene oligomerization via the alkene insertion into Zn−C bond of methyl‐σ‐allylzinc formed from the π‐complex; (iv) oligomer dehydrogenation with intermediate formation of polyene carbanionic structures; (v) aromatics formation via further polyene dehydrogenation, protonation, cyclization, deprotonation steps with BAS involvement.
Blood small extracellular vesicles derived miRNAs to differentiate pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma from chronic pancreatitis
Authors: Guo Shiwei , Qin Hao , Liu Ke , Wang Huan , Bai Sijia , Liu Shiyi , Shao Zhuo , Zhang Yanan , Song Bin , Xu Xiaoya , Shen Jing , Zeng Peng , Shi Xiaohan , Chen Hao , Gao Suizhi , Xu Jiajia , Pan Yaqi , Xiong Lei , Li Fugen , Zhang Dadong , Jiao Xiaodong , Jin Gang
Published: September 2021

Background

The differential diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) from chronic pancreatitis (CP) is clinically challenging due to a lack of minimally invasive diagnosis methods. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) derived from small extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the blood have been reported as a promising diagnosis biomarker for various types of cancer. However, blood small EV miRNA signatures and their diagnostic value to differentiate between PDAC and CP remain to be determined.

Methods

In this study, 107 patients with PDAC or CP were recruited, and 90 patients were finally enrolled for a training cohort (n = 48) and test cohort (n = 42). Small RNA sequencing was used to assess the expression of blood small EV miRNAs in these patients.

Results

The linear model from the differentially expressed blood small EV miR‐95‐3p divided by miR‐26b‐5p showed an average sensitivity of 84.1% and an average specificity of 96.6% to identify PDAC from CP in the training cohort and the test cohort, respectively. When the model was combined with serum carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA19‐9), the average sensitivity increased to 96.5%, and the average specificity remained at 96.4% of both cohorts, which demonstrated the best performance of all the published biomarkers for distinguishing between PDAC and CP. The causal analysis performed using the Bayesian network demonstrated that miR‐95‐3p was associated with a “consequence” of “cancer” and miR‐26b‐5p as a “cause” of “pancreatitis.” A subgroup analysis revealed that blood small EV miR‐335‐5p/miR‐340‐5p could predict metastases in both cohorts and was associated with an overall survival (p = 0.020).

Conclusions

This study indicated that blood small EV miR‐95‐3p/miR‐26b‐5p and its combination with serum levels of CA19‐9 could separate PDAC from CP, and miR‐335‐5p/miR‐340‐5p was identified to associate with PDAC metastasis and poor prognosis. These results suggested the potentiality of blood small EV miRNAs as differential diagnosis and metastases biomarkers of PDAC.
Environmental associations of cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) seasonal presence along the U.S. Atlantic Coast
Authors: Bangley Charles W. , Edwards Michelle L. , Mueller Claire , Fisher Robert A. , Aguilar Robert , Heggie Keira , Richie Kimberly , Ahr Bonnie J. , Ogburn Matthew B.
Published: September 2021

Identifying the mechanistic drivers of migration can be crucial in shaping conservation and management policies. The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a relatively poorly understood elasmobranch species that occurs along the U.S. Atlantic coast and undergoes large‐scale seasonal migrations. To better understand the drivers and timing of cownose ray seasonal migration in order to inform potential management measures, we analyzed telemetry detections of 51 mature cownose rays (38 female, 13 male) tagged with acoustic transmitters in the Maryland and Virginia portions of Chesapeake Bay. Detections within their summer habitat in Chesapeake Bay and winter habitat in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, Florida, were matched with publicly available sea surface temperature (SST) data recorded by data buoys near the areas of tag detections and with local photoperiod and day of year. These variables were used in boosted regression tree models of ray presence (all rays combined, females only, and males only) in each seasonal habitat. Models were developed for presence during the entire summer and winter season, and for the time periods of arrival and departure from both summer and winter habitats. Seasonal presence in both summer and winter habitats was associated with distinct temperature, photoperiod, and date ranges, with temperature as the most influential variable in seasonal models. In models of arrival and departure periods, southward migration (departure from Chesapeake Bay and arrival off Cape Canaveral) was strongly associated with SST for all rays and arrival in the Chesapeake Bay region after northward migration was most strongly associated with day of year. The most influential variable during the period of northward departure from Cape Canaveral differed between males (day of year) and females (SST). This suggests that mature female northward migration may be driven by temperature while male northward migration may be driven by endogenous cues. These findings provide detailed information on the timing of cownose ray arrival at, presence in, and departure from seasonal habitats and provide potential justification for including the species in cross‐taxa comparative studies on migratory behavior.
H2O2‐Induced Oxidative Dissolution of UO2 in Saline Solutions
Authors: El Jamal Ghada , Li Junyi , Jonsson Mats
Published: September 2021

H2O2 is one of the oxidants responsible for driving the process of radiation‐induced dissolution of spent nuclear fuel in geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel. As the groundwater composition will vary depending on geographical location as well as on the age of the repository (in relation to glacial cycles, etc.), it is important to elucidate the impact of different groundwater constituents. While several studies have addressed the impact of HCO3− and halide ions on the radiation chemistry of water in general and radiation‐induced oxidative dissolution of spent nuclear fuel in particular, very few studies have addressed the impact of halide ions on the mechanism of the reaction between H2O2 and UO2. In this work, the impact of Cl−, Br− and ClO4− on the mechanism and kinetics of H2O2‐induced oxidative dissolution of UO2‐powder in aqueous suspensions with and without added HCO3− has been studied experimentally. The experiments reveal both ionic strength effects and specific ion effects on the kinetics of the reactions involved. These are discussed in connection to the results.
One Pot Synthesis of Dithiolane Dendron Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles
Authors: Perton Francis , Palluel Marlène , Kiefer Céline , Freis Barbara , Mertz Damien , Begin‐Colin Sylvie
Published: September 2021

The theranostic properties of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) depend on their size and shape but also on their challenging coating. Indeed, the GNPs coating step is not easy to perform and often affects their colloidal stability and aggregation state. We investigated the one‐pot synthesis of GNPs with a size higher than 10 nm and coated with dendrons by testing different synthesis processes. With the Brust‐Schriffin method, the very fast reduction of HAuCl4 affects the growth step. The decrease of the reduction kinetics by tuning the reaction temperature and the NaBH4 injection speed led to spherical GNPs with a size ∼30 nm. The seed mediated method conducted always to the presence of very small nuclei beside bigger GNPs despite a Ostwald ripening treatment. Finally, the modification of the gold precursor by tuning the pH of gold salt suspensions was shown very promising to better control the nucleation and growth steps and obtain dendronized GNPs in a one‐pot step (ratio 100 : 1 and pH=2.3).
The Effect of Harvesting Time on Olive Fruits and Oils Quality Parameters of Tortiglione and Dritta Olive Cultivars
Authors: Flamminii Federica , Marone Elettra , Neri Lilia , Pollastri Luciano , Cichelli Angelo , Di Mattia Carla Daniela
Published: September 2021

Despite the fact that Italy holds the most important olives heritage in the world, with about 800 cultivars, most of them are still underestimated, in particular those from Abruzzo, a region located in the center of the peninsula. The aim of this work is to study the changes in quality parameters of olive fruits and related oils of two autochthonous Abruzzo olive cultivars, Tortiglione and Dritta during ripening (from September to November 2017). Both cultivar and ripening time affect the chemical parameters of olive fruits. Results highlight an increasing trend of the oil content with final values, based on fresh matter, of 38.7 ± 0.3% and 38.1 ± 0.9% for Tortiglione and Dritta, respectively. Olive oils chemical composition is also affected by ripening time and cultivar, with Tortiglione oils resulting generally richer than Dritta oils; on the first sampling time (30th of October) values for total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and chlorophylls are 803.8 ± 68.2 mg gallic acid equivalent kg−1, 2.7 ± 0.5 mmol trolox equivalent kg−1, and 30.8 ± 1.6 mg pheophytin a kg−1, respectively. Tocopherols seem to be more affected by ripening time than by cultivar, in particular for Dritta.

Practical Application: The results on Abruzzo minor olive cultivars indicate that olive fruits and olive oil composition are strongly influenced by both cultivar and ripening time, giving rational indications about the optimal cultivar specific harvesting time and opening interesting opportunities for olive oil producers in a perspective of sustainable production to obtain high quality fruits and oils. The research provides detailed information about Tortiglione and Dritta olive cultivar, useful in the global context of revaluation of Italian minor olive varieties.
Lipidomics Screening of Polyunsaturated Phospholipid Molecular Species in Crab (Portunus trituberculatus) Muscular Tissue: A Nontarget Approach by HILIC‐MS
Authors: Zhang Yunfeng , Zhang Min , Dong Linpei , Chang Jing , Wang Haixing , Shen Qing
Published: September 2021

The phospholipid molecular species (PMS) in the muscular tissue of the swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) are extracted and quantified using aminopropyl coated silica‐based solid‐phase extraction (SPE) and hydrophilic interaction chromatography‐mass spectrometry (HILIC‐MS), respectively. Once the lipidomics profile is acquired, the contents of PMS are semiquantitatively determined using linear regression models. It is found that in swimming crab, phosphatidylcholine (PC, 14.30 mg g−1) is the most abundant phospholipid class, followed by phosphatidylethanolamine (PE, 8.20 mg g−1), phosphatidylinositol (PI, 1.60 mg g−1), and phosphatidylserine (PS, 9.83 mg g−1). The nutritional eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid structured phospholipids exist in swimming crabs, such as PC 18:0/20:5, PE 18:1/20:5 and 16:0/22:6, PI 18:0/20:5. Besides, plasmalogens are detected, such as PC o‐16:0/22:6 and PE o‐18:0/20:5. Finally, this method is validated to be efficient and accurate in terms of linearity (correlation coefficients, R2 0.9976 to 0.9993), sensitivity (limit of detection, LOD, 0.22–0.33 µg mL−1), precision (relative standard deviation, RSDintra‐day ≤ 4.11%), and recovery (78% to 85%, RSD ≤ 5.79%). In conclusion, swimming crab is rich in health‐beneficial phospholipids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid and/or docosahexaenoic acid structured phospholipids and plasmalogens, and the muscular tissue is proved to be of high nutritional value.

Practical Applications: The study introduces a potential method for the lipidomics screening of polyunsaturated phospholipid molecular species in food.
The effects of wind‐generated currents on velocity asymmetry in tidal basins with varying geometries
Authors: de Ruiter Peter J. , Mullarney Julia C. , Bryan Karin R.
Published: September 2021

Geomorphologic characteristics of tidal basins have been shown to control tidal asymmetry and associated sediment transport potential in coastal regions. In this study, we examine how winds modulate horizontal velocity asymmetry patterns in shallow tidal basins. Numerical modelling experiments for a series of idealized basins in which planform shape and bathymetry were varied, reveal that an increase in wind speed promotes more extreme horizontal velocity asymmetry (larger velocity asymmetry values) without substantially altering the overall spatial pattern of velocity asymmetry throughout the domains. The wind forcing primarily influences mean and peak flow velocities, with a limited effect on tidal harmonics. Changes to the velocity asymmetry patterns are most evident for wind speeds of 6 m/s and greater, and for wind directions parallel to the main axes of the basins’ tidal channels. However, the velocity asymmetry is strongly depth‐dependent. Shallow intertidal basin regions are characterized by a downwind‐directed increase in velocity asymmetry, whereas deeper subtidal channels display asymmetry changes in the opposite direction. Additionally, the timing and duration of a wind event are found to influence the velocity asymmetry patterns. Wind events coinciding with flooding tides result in the most noteworthy differences between the relative size of the peak flood‐ and ebb‐directed currents inside the shallow basins, for wind event durations of both 3 and 6 h.
Comparative Evaluation of the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler in Two Types of Validation Systems Simulating Peak Concentration Events
Authors: Noro Kazushi , Vermeirssen Etiënne L.M. , Banno Arisa , Ono Junko , Yabuki Yoshinori
Published: September 2021

Polar organic chemical integrative sampler (POCIS) devices have been suggested for measuring time-weighted averages (TWAs) of contaminant concentrations resulting from chemical leak accidents in aquatic environments. However, the response of the POCIS device in the emergency condition in natural water remains unclear. The response of the POCIS device to contaminant fluctuation was investigated using a chamber test with tap water and a channel test with natural water. The fluctuation in the chamber and the channel simulated the condition of river water under a chemical leak scenario (maximum concentration: 1–10 μg L–1, half-life: 1 day). The target chemicals were neonicotinoid pesticides (dinotefuran, clothianidin, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, and thiacloprid) and bisphenol A. The ratio of the POCIS measured value to the TWA values of grab samplings (POCIS/TWA) for the channel test (temperature: 15 °C, flow velocity: 15 cm s–1) ranged from 61% (clothianidin) to 133% (thiacloprid). The results indicated that the POCIS device could be effectively used as a monitoring device in an aquatic environment under the chemical leak scenario over a time period of more than14 days. In addition, the POCIS/TWA ratios obtained from the chamber test and the channel test were in the range of 50–150%. Thus, the chamber test could be used to evaluate the POCIS device at a low cost. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:3010–3018. © 2021 SETAC
Investigation and development of the multicycle of CO2 mineralization with wastewater under standard conditions
Authors: Thamsiriprideeporn Chanakarn , Suekane Tetsuya
Published: September 2021

CO2 mineralization is promising for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The multiple reuses of monoethanolamine (MEA) as absorbents for CO2 absorption and carbonate generation with minerals in wastewater between 20 and 25°C at atmospheric pressure (standard conditions) efficiently reduce both cost and energy penalties for industrial application. In this study, the multicycle of CO2 mineralization was performed in three steps: absorption, precipitation, and regeneration. We found that 5 wt.% MEA solution has great potential in terms of 24.26 moles of CO2 absorbing capacity per mole of MEA and 0.1535 moles of carbonate conversion per mole of MEA within less than 1.8 h operation time, which the optimal repetitions was 5‐cycle before MEA complete degradation. To reduce absorption time, we studied packing bed of 2‐, 4‐, 6‐, and 8 mm diameter nonreactive spherical glass beads were operated in the columns with 5 wt.% MEA solutions. The maximum benefit was obtained from the 8‐mm‐packing diameter, which fully accorded 28.85 and 0.1687 moles of CO2 and carbonate, respectively, per mole of 5 wt.% MEA within 44 min, providing the highest conversion in a relatively short time. The efficiency of regenerated MEA absorbent was reduced from 20 to 10% due to degradation. Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy were used to analyze the composition and crystal structure of carbonates. The main product of carbonates was calcite, which was mixed with complex salts, such as aragonite, magnesite, and dolomite. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.