bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selection for CD26- and CD49A+ cells from pluripotent stem cells-derived islet-like clusters improves therapeutic activity in diabetic mice
Authors: Molakandov Kfir , Berti Denise A. , Beck Avital , Elhanani Ofer , Walker Michael D. , Soen Yoav , Yavriyants Karina , Zimerman Michal , Volman Ella , Toledo Itzik , Eruhimovich Anna , Levy Alon M. , Hasson Arik , Itskovitz-Eldor Joseph , Chebath Judith , Revel Michel
Published: April 2021

Background. Cell therapy of diabetes aims at restoring the physiological control of blood glucose by transplantation of functional pancreatic islet cells. A potentially unlimited source of cells for such transplantations would be islet cells derived from an in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hESC/hiPSC). The islet-like clusters (ILC) produced by the known differentiation protocols contain various cell populations. Among these, the β-cells that express both insulin and the transcription factor Nkx6.1 seem to be the most efficient to restore normoglycemia in diabetes animal models. Our aim was to find markers allowing selection of these efficient cells. Methods. Functional Cell-Capture Screening (FCCS) was used to identify markers that preferentially capture the cells expressing both insulin and Nkx6.1, from hESC-derived ILC cells. In order to test whether selection for such markers could improve cell therapy in diabetic mouse models, we used ILC produced from a clinical-grade line of hESC by a refined differentiation protocol adapted to up-scalable bioreactors. Re-aggregated MACS sorted cells were encapsulated in microspheres made of alginate modified to reduce foreign body reaction. Implantation was done intraperitoneally in STZ-treated C57BL/6 immuno-competent mice. Results. CD49A (integrin alpha1) was identified by FCCS as a marker for cells that express insulin (or C-peptide) as well as Nkx6.1 in ILC derived by hESC differentiation. The ILC fraction enriched in CD49A+ cells rapidly reduced glycemia when implanted in diabetic mice, whereas mice receiving the CD49A depleted population remained highly diabetic. CD49A-enriched ILC cells also produced higher levels of human C-peptide in the blood of transplanted mice. However, the difference between CD49A-enriched and total ILC cells remained small. Another marker, CD26 (DPP4), was identified by FCCS as binding insulin-expressing cells which are Nkx6.1 negative. Depletion of CD26+ cells followed by enrichment for CD49A+ cells increased insulin+/Nkx6.1+ cells fraction to ~70%. The CD26-/CD49A+ enriched ILC exhibited improved function over non-sorted ILC or CD49A+ cells in diabetic mice and maintain prolonged blood C-peptide levels.Conclusions. Refining the composition of ILC differentiated from hPSC by negative selection to remove cells expressing CD26 and positive selection for CD49A expressing cells could enable more effective cell therapy of diabetes.
Role of pre-transplant corneal injective anti VEGF treatment in high risk transplantation corneas
Authors: Fasciani Romina , crincoli Emanuele , Mosca Luigi , Guccione Laura , Caristia Alice , Rizzo Stanislao
Published: April 2021

Background

In “high-risk” corneal graft recipients, like those with neovascularization of the cornea, the failure rate can exceed 35% at three years, the main cause being graft rejection. The main purpose of the study is to demonstrate the efficacy of pre-transplant Bevacizumab corneal injection in long term lowering of the prevalence of graft failure and rejection in high risk corneal transplantations.

Methods

This retrospective single-centre case-control study analyzed 37 eyes with significant corneal neovascularization and eligible for corneal transplantation at baseline. One group (BT group) included patients who were treated with a 3 months preoperative cycle of subconjunctival and/or intrastromal 5 mg/0.2 ml Bevacizumab injected at the limbus with a 27 G needle. The control group (NT group) didn’t receive the preoperative treatment. The main outcome was the prevalence of graft failures and rejections during the follow up period. Secondary outcomes included the prevalence of adverse events and the prevalence of patients who avoided corneal transplantation due to the treatment.

Results

BT group included 24 eyes with a follow up duration of 61.2 ± 24 months. Eight patients (33.3%) avoided transplant surgery after the injection. In the BT group 5 cases of graft failure (20.8%), 1 of which due to graft rejection (4%), occurred during the follow up. The NT group registered 6 cases (46.1%) of immune rejection of the graft and no additional graft failures from other causes.

Conclusions

Pre-transplant bevacizumab corneal injections are a safe and effective method to prevent graft rejection in neovascularized corneas.
Breathing modulates cortico-hippocampal dynamics during offline states
Authors: Karalis Nikolaos , Sirota Anton
Published: April 2021

Network dynamics have been proposed as a mechanistic substrate for the information transfer across cortical and hippocampal circuits. During sleep and offline states, synchronous reactivation across these regions underlies the consolidation of memories. However, little is known about the mechanisms that synchronize and coordinate these processes across widespread brain regions. Here we address the hypothesis that breathing acts as an oscillatory pacemaker, persistently coupling distributed brain circuit dynamics. Using large-scale recordings from seven cortical and subcortical brain regions in quiescent and sleeping mice, we identified a novel global mechanism, termed respiratory corollary discharge, that co-modulates neural activity across these circuits. Analysis of inter-regional population activity and optogenetic perturbations revealed that breathing rhythm couples hippocampal sharp-wave ripples and cortical DOWN/UP state transitions by jointly modulating excitability in these circuits. These results highlight breathing, a perennial brain rhythm, as an oscillatory scaffold for the functional coordination of the limbic circuit, supporting the segregation and integration of information flow across neuronal networks during offline states.
Stimulating Lifestyle is associated with Maintenance of White Matter Integrity with Age
Authors: Ducharme-Laliberté Gabriel , Mellah Samira , Belleville Sylvie
Published: April 2021

Brain maintenance refers to the fact that some older adults experience few age-related changes in the brain, which helps maintain their cognition. Objectives. The goals of this study are to assess maintenance of white matter integrity, test whether lifestyle factors affect the maintenance of white matter integrity, and measure whether maintenance of white matter integrity explains inter-individual differences in working memory (WM). Methods. Forty-one cognitively healthy older adults received a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination to measure white matter lesions. They completed an n-back WM task with different loads (1- & 2-back), along with a questionnaire on their lifestyle. Results. There was a positive association between age and volume of white matter lesions. This association was no longer found in those with higher lifestyle scores. In addition, smaller volumes of white matter lesions were associated with better performance than expected for age in the 1-back WM task. Discussion. Better WM in older adults is associated with maintenance of white matter integrity, which in turn is linked to a more stimulating lifestyle throughout life.
FLAG: Fuzzy Logic Augmented Game Theoretic Hybrid Hierarchical Clustering Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Naik Chandra , D Pushparaj Shetty
Published: April 2021

Stability of the Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) is the most critical factor in real-time and data-sensitive applications like military and surveillance systems. Many energy optimization techniques and algorithms have been proposed to extend the stability of a wireless sensor network. Clustering is a well regarded method in the research communities among them. Hence, this paper presents hybrid hierarchical artificial intelligence based clustering techniques, named FLAG and I-FLAG. The first phase of these algorithms use game theoretic technique to elect suitable cluster heads(CHs) and later phase of the algorithms use fuzzy inference system to select appropriate super cluster heads(SCHs) among CHs. The I-FLAG is an improved version of FLAG where additional parameters like energy and distance are considered to elect CHs. Simulations are performed to check superiority of the proposed algorithms over the existing protocols like LEACH, CHEF, and CROSS. Simulation results show that the average stability period of WSN is better in FLAG and I-FLAG compared to other protocols, and so is the throughput of WSN during the stability period.
The Deceleration of Radio/Light Transmission; A Collision Mechanism Dependent Radio Signal Emission, Transmission, and Reception
Authors: Zhang Jing
Published: April 2021

The fast and slow fading of radio signal transmissions or laser beam itself and its spare light confirm the presence of two kinds of collisions --- electron-photon and photon-photon collision. Photon transmissions of radio signals are either in consecutive dense photon groups in slow fading process or widespread group pattern in fast fading form. The photon transmission shapes are irregular and dynamical changes. The radio frequency shift and the wavelength reduction by the calculation demonstrate decelerations of radio/light transmission speeds due to the gradual reduced distance between two consecutive photon groups along the transmission pathway. Photons from radio signals are able to affect electron movements in radio signal receiving process and electrons able to kick photons into space during radio signal emission. The pattern of free electron movement under the influence of local electromagnetic force in antenna is consistent with the randomly dynamic changes of radio signal in space. The fast fading is due to the collision of consecutive photon groups of signals in slow fading with free photons in space. The mathematical equation for the relationship between light/radio transmission speeds before and after photons collisions is established. The equation is confirmed by the calculations of well-known difference of light transmission speeds in different media. The gravities from Earth and Sun play little role during light/radio transmission.
Drilling Vibration Modes and Penetration Rate Modeling using Artificial Neural Network and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis in Khoman Formation at the Egyptian Western Desert
Authors: Ezz Sherif A. , Farahat Mohamed S. , Kamel Said , Nouh Ahmed Z.
Published: April 2021

Drill string vibrations are one of the most serious problems encountered while drilling as the bit and drill string interaction with formations under certain drilling conditions usually induces complex shocks and vibrations into the drill string components resulting in premature failure of the equipment and reduced drilling penetration rate. In severe cases where shocks and vibrations accumulated into drill string till exceeded its maximum yield or torsional strength, fatigue will occur and thereby increase the field development costs associated with replacing damaged components, fishing jobs, lost-in-hole situations, and sidetracks. Thus, real-time monitoring for downhole generated vibrations and accordingly adjusting drilling parameters including weight on bit, rotary speed, and circulation rate play a vital role in reducing the severity of these undesirable conditions. Vibration optimization must be done incorporation with the penetration rate, as a minimum economical penetration rate is required by the operator. In this study, three penetration rate and vibration level models were developed for axial, lateral, and stick-slip drilling modes using both MATLAB™ Software neural network and multiple regression analysis. It is found that the three models' results for vibration level and penetration rate; as compared with those recorded drilling data; showed an excellent match within an acceptable error of average correlation coefficient (R) over 0.95. The prediction of penetration rate and vibration level is thoroughly investigated in different axial, lateral, and stick-slip vibration drilling modes to be able to best select the optimum safe drilling zone. It is found that the axial vibration could be dampened by gradually increasing the weight on bit and increasing rotary speed while both the lateral and torsional vibrations are enhanced by increasing the rotary speed and decreasing the weight on bit.
Porous Covalent Organic Nanotubes and Toroids: A Carbon Nanotube Analogue
Authors: Banerjee Rahul , Koner Kalipada , Karak Shayan , Kandambeth Sharath , Karak Suvendu , Thomas Neethu , Leanza Luigi , Perego Claudio , Pesce Luca , Capelli Riccardo , Moun Monika , Bhakar Monika , Ajithkumar T. G. , Pavan Giovanni
Published: April 2021

Despite the noteworthy progress made in the nanotubular architectures with well-defined lengths and diameter, the synthesis of a purely covalent bonded organic nanotube, so far, proved to be elusive. Our work includes a hitherto unavailable structure, "Covalent Organic Nanotubes (CONTs)," to the repertoire. Strong covalent bonds between C, N, and O imparts high thermal and chemical stability of CONTs. This novel bottom-up approach provides an edge over the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in functionalization, synthetic conditions, and porosity. CONT-1 exhibits a BET surface area of 321 m2g-1. These flexible CONTs intertwine with each other. The computational studies establish the role of solvent as the critical driving force for this type of convolution. Upon ultrasonication, the intertwined CONT-1 coil to form the toroidal superstructure.
Polymorphism of MMP-3 Gene and Imbalance Expression of MMP-3 / TIMP-1 in Articular Cartilage Are Associated With an Endemic Osteochondropathy, Kashin- Beck Disease
Authors: Shi Bohui , Guo Xiong , lv Aili , Zhang Zengtie , Shi Xiaowei
Published: April 2021

Background: The etiology of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD), an endemic osteochondropathy, is largely unknown. Matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) plays a central role in the initiation and progression of cartilage destruction, however，no study has reported on the relationship between KBD and MMP-3. The objective of this study was to explore the polymorphism of MMP-3 gene and expression of MMP-3 / TIMP-1(Tissue inhibitors of matrixmetalloproteinases-1) in the pathogenesis of KBD.Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping was conducted in 274 KBD cases and 248 healthy controls for eight SNPs in MMP-3 using the Sequenom MassARRAY system. Additionally, the expression of MMP-3、TIMP-1 in different layers of the articular cartilage was analyzed by immunohistochemistry for 22 KBD patients, 15 osteoarthritis (OA) patients and 21 controls.Results: The results showed that six SNPs (rs520540、rs591058、rs679620、rs602128、rs639752 and rs678815) in MMP-3 were associated with the increased risk of KBD, however, after Bonferroni correction, only the SNP rs679620 in the recessive model remained significant difference (OR=2.31, 95%CI=1.29-4.14, P=0.0039), homozygous for “T” allele have a risk for KBD than "C" allele carriers. Moreover, the percentages of cells expressing MMP-3 in articular cartilage were significantly higher in the KBD and OA groups than in the controls (t=5.37 and 4.19，P＜0.01).While the KBD and OA groups had lower levels of TIMP-1 positive staining compared with the controls (t=5.23and 5.06，P＜0.01). And there was no significant different between KBD and OA for the levels of MMP-3 and TIMP-1 positive staining (t=0.05and 0.28，P＞0.05). Conclusions: MMP-3 is associated with the susceptibility of KBD, and the imbalance expression of MMPs / TIMPs leading to cartilage degradation may play an important role in cartilage degradation and osteoarthritis formation in OA and KBD.
Validation of Molecular Markers Linked to Fusarium Wilt Resistance in Recombinant Inbred Lines of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Lal Dalpat , Ravikumar Rampura Lakshmipathi , Jingade Pavankumar , Subramanya Sunil
Published: April 2021

Molecular markers closely linked to Fusarium wilt resistance in chickpea were identified from earlier studies with an objective to validate them. The recombinant inbred line (RIL) mapping population (F11) derived from JG62 (FW susceptible) and WR315 (FW resistant) was used for validation of linked markers. The RILs were phenotyped for FW resistance over two seasons in a wilt sick field at ICRISAT and in wilt sick pots under the green house condition. A total of 42 markers linked to Fusarium wilt (FW) resistance in chickpea were selected from earlier reports for validation. Among 42 markers selected 23 markers were polymorphic among the parental lines of RIL population and hence these markers were used for genotyping the mapping population. The genotyping data together with phenotyping data over two seasons and wilt sick pots identified 12 markers linked to wilt resistance by single marker analysis. The markers TA96, CS27, TA110 and TA59 were more consistently related to FW resistance in this and previous studies. The composite interval mapping has identified two major loci; one each in LG1 and LG2 flanked by markers H4G11 and CaM1402 and H3A12 and CS27, respectively. These two loci are considered as major loci for FW resistance explaining up to 76.66% of phenotypic variation for FW resistance. The results presented here and those published earlier confirm the emerging picture of two hotspots in chickpea genome for resistance to Fusarium wilt. The QTL flanking markers, H4G11, CaM1402, CS27, and H3A12 are most promising and reliable for deployment in chickpea breeding.
Toxic leukoencephalopathy caused by chemotherapeutic drugs other than methotrexate
Authors: Park Sung-Hye , Lim Ka Young , Kim Seong-Ik , Kim Hyunhee , Kang Jeongwan , Park Jin Woo , Won Jae Kyung , Shin Dong-Yeop
Published: April 2021

Background & Objective Chemotherapy-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy is clinically characterized by progressive cognitive loss, often resulting in sudden death. The objective of this study is to share distinctive clinicopathological features of chemotherapy-induced brain change.Methods The brains of a 64-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man who suffered from rapid deterioration of consciousness were autopsied. The initial clinical impressions were central nervous system (CNS) graft versus host disease (GVHD), infectious or autoimmune encephalitis. Both patients had been treated with multidrug chemotherapy, including cytarabine arabinoside, daunorubicin, fludarabine, azacitidine, and busulfan, and allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation because of hematological malignancy (acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome). Results The autopsies revealed a vacuolar change of the white matter with axonal spheroids, reactive gliosis, and foamy macrophage infiltration in the brain, predominantly in the visual pathway of the occipital and temporal lobes. There was no lymphocytic infiltration in the brain tissue, which is characteristic of CNS-GVHD or encephalitis, suggesting these syndromes were not the cause of brain illness. Conclusion The leukoencephalopathy found in our cases is often occur after methotrexate treatment, but our autopsy cases showed that it can also be caused by a regimen of chemotherapeutic drugs other than methotrexate.
A Trend of Eight-Years Big Data Analytics of Electronic Medical Records to Review and Study Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease in Different Genders
Authors: Panahiazar Maryam , Bishara Andrew M. , Chern Yorick , Alizadehsani Roohallah , Perri Jennifer , Hadley Dexter , Arnaout Rima , Beygui Ramin
Published: April 2021

Background: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) in particular, is one of the leading causes of death, morbidity, and mortality in the United States. Notably, women continue to have worse outcomes than men. The causes of these discrepancies have yet to be fully elucidated. The main objective of this study is to detect gender discrepancies in outcome using data analytics to risk stratify ~ 32,000 patients with CAD of the total 960,129 patients treated at UCSF Medical Center during an eight years. As an implementation of clinical care, this study’s long-term goal is to improve precision diagnosis and ultimately management of CAD for both early detection and identification of patients at risk for rapid progression of the disease.Methods: We designed and implemented a multidimensional framework to trace patients from admission through treatment as a path of events. The time between events for a similar set of paths was calculated. Then the average waiting time for each step of the treatment was calculated for men and women. Finally, we applied statistical analysis to determine differences in time between diagnosis and treatment steps for men and women.Discussions: There were statistically significant gender-based differences in the common path of diagnosis and treatment of patients with CAD. The average time for women from the first visit to diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization was more than 2 months than for men (358.77 vs. 291.83 days). By contrast, the average time from diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization to treatment Cardiac Catheterization and Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) was not significant. Women with CAD requiring revascularization have a significantly longer interval between their first physician encounter indicative of CVD and their first diagnostic cardiac catheterization compared to men. Avoiding the delay in diagnosis and treatment will provide a better outcome for patients at risk.
Pedagogical intervention to improve didactics through science and innovation
Authors: Sierra Antonio Jesús Pérez , Brown Julio Montes , Maldonado Denisse Danya Rodríguez , Sainz Héctor Manuel Sarabia , González Juan Francisco Viera
Published: April 2021

The main objective of the article is to analyze the pedagogical intervention to improve didactics through science and innovation in the teaching-learning process of Sport Sciences and Physical Activity. The research presented is qualitative, the study is descriptive, based on a non-experimental design. The participating subjects were selected intentionally, confirmed by the 31 eighth semester students of the Bachelor's Degree in Physical Culture and Sports of the University of Sonora, 16 of them are related to the female gender (51.62%), the other students are male 15 (48.38%). Of the eight teachers, five are female (62.5%), while three are male (37.5%). The methods applied were observation, questionnaire, review of documents, inclusion criteria and statistical analysis verifying the levels of reliability and validity of the data, which gave us a confidence interval of (90%), with a significance value of p=0.1. The SPSS program version 23 to determine the statistics presented in the materials and methods to deepen the importance of the art of teaching and integrating science and innovation as part of the structural categories that make up the didactics as: content, objectives, methods, means and evaluation for the welfare of the quality of education.
Novel Prognostic Implications of PAQR3 Expression in Breast Cancer after Curative Resection and Systemic Therapy
Authors: Zeng Shiyan , Lei Sun , Xiao Yun , Wang Qian , Zhang Purong
Published: April 2021

Background: This study aimed to explore the impact of progestin and adipoQ receptor 3 (PAQR3) on the outcomes for breast cancer patients who received curative resection and systemic therapy.Methods: The online databases consisting of 2,352 breast cancer patients were used to explore the association between PAQR3 expression and clinicopathological features. Univariate and multivariate survival analysis were performed to identify the survival predictive role of PAQR3. The internal validation strategies were applied.Results: PAQR3 expression was inversely correlated with estrogen receptor (ER) expression (P<0.0001), progesterone receptor (PR) expression (P<0.0001) and tumor grade (P<0.0001). Higher PAQR3 expression independently predicted shorter overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio (HR)=1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.06-1.37, P=0.0055) and recurrence free survival (RFS) (HR=1.28, 95%CI=1.04-1.45, P=0.0170) in breast cancer patients. In ER+ breast cancer and PR+ breast cancer, PAQR3 was associated with shorter OS (ER+: HR=1.28, 95%CI=1.11-1.48, P=0.0006; PR+: HR=1.30, 95%CI=1.09-1.56, P=0.0037) and RFS (ER+: HR=1.46, 95%CI=1.19-1.77, P=0.0002; PR+: HR=1.48, 95%CI=1.16-1.89, P=0.0016), but no such prognostic values of PAQR3 expression were found in ER- breast cancer and PR- breast cancer.Conclusions: PAQR3 serves as an independent outcomes predictor for breast cancer.
Effects of Long-Term Discharge of Acid Mine Drainage from Abandoned Coal Mines on Soil Microorganisms: Microbial Community Structure, Interaction Patterns and Metabolic Functions
Authors: Chen Di , Feng Qiyan , Liang Haoqian
Published: April 2021

More than twenty abandoned coal mines in the Yudong River basin of Guizhou Province have discharged acid mine drainage (AMD) for a long time. The revelation of microbial community composition, interaction patterns and metabolic functions can contributes to the ecological remediation of AMD pollution. In this study, reference and contaminated soils were collected along the AMD flow path for high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the long-term AMD pollution promoted the evolution of γ-Proteobacteria, and the acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria Ferrovum (relative abundance of 15.50%) and iron-reducing bacteria Metallibacterium (9.87%) belonging to this class became the dominant genera. Co-occurrence analysis revealed that the proportion of positive correlations among bacteria increased from 51.02% (reference soil) to 75.16% (contaminated soil), suggesting that acidic pollution promotes the formation of mutualistic interaction networks of microorganisms. Metabolic function prediction (Tax4Fun) revealed that AMD contamination enhanced the microbial functions such as translation, repair, and biosynthesis of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide etc., which may be an adaptive mechanism for microbial survival in extremely acidic environment. In addition, the acidic pollution promoted the high expression of nitrogen fixing genes in soil, and the discovery of autotrophic nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Ferrovum provided the possibility of bioremediation of AMD pollution.
BCL7A as a novel prognostic biomarker for glioma patients
Authors: Liu Junhui , Gao Lun , Ji Baowei , Geng Rongxin , Chen Jing , Tao Xiang , Cai Qiang , Chen Zhibiao
Published: April 2021

Background: Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor and represents one of the most aggressive and lethal types of human cancer. BCL7 family has been found in several cancer types and could be involved in tumor progression. While the role of BCL7 family in human glioma has remained to be elucidated.Methods: Paraffin-embedded tumor samples were obtained to detect BCL7 expression by performing in glioma. Data (including normalized gene expression and corresponding clinical data) were obtained from Gliovis, CGGA, GEO, cBioportal and Oncomine and were used to investigate BCL7 genes expression in glioma. Survival analyses were calculated by Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression analysis in TCGA and CGGA. Gene Set Enrichment Analyses (GSEA) and gene ontology (GO) analysis was employed to perform the biological processes enrichment.Results: BCL7A expression in glioma tissues was lower compared to non-tumor brain tissues (NBT), and exhibited a negative correlation with glioma grades. Results from Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and public dataset validation demonstrated that BCL7B and BCL7C were highly expressed in glioma tissues compared to NBT. Cox regression analysis identified BCL7A as the only gene in the BCL7 family that was independently associated with the prognosis of lower-grade glioma (LGG) and glioblastoma (GBM). GO and GSEA analyses revealed the potential contribution of BCL7A in adaptive immune response and neutrophil activation in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, we found taht BCL7A had no prognostic effect on the overall survival of GBM patients who received IR only; however, patients who received chemotherapy (TMZ) combined with IR in the high BCL7A group survived longer than patients in the low BCL7A group (HR=0.346, P<0.05).Conclusion: BCL7A is a new tumor suppressor gene and can be adopted as a biomarker for independent prognosis in glioma and to evaluate response to TMZ.
Repair Effects of NGF and FPS-ZM1 on brains of epileptic rats
Authors: CHEN Qiao-bin , LI Dong-mei , FANG Qiong , CHEN Lang , ZHENG Xin
Published: April 2021

Background Epilepsy in children seriously affects the quality of life and learning ability of children.And it is very important for repairing the brain function of children after seizure.In this study ,we will investigates the neuroprotective effects of NGF and FPS-ZM1 by measuring HMGB1of hippocampus and serum after intervening the rats with NGF and FPS-ZM1. It would provide theoretical basis for the treatment of brain injury caused by epilepsy. Methods 130 Wistar male young rats were randomly divided into three groups: Group A (normal control group including 31 rats), group B (epilepsy group including 33 rats), group C (NGF group including 33 rats), group D (FPS-ZM1 group including 33 rats).9 living rats were randomly selected at 3hours,24hours and 72hours after the intervention from each group, blood samples and the hippocampus were taken .The expression of HMGB1 in hippocampus was measured by Western-blot, and the content of HMGB1 in serum was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The expression of HMGB1 in hippocampus and serum at each time point of group B was significantly higher than that of group A (P < 0.01 ). And there was no significant difference among of 3h, 24h and 72h. The expression of HMGB1 in hippocampus and serum of group C and D was lower than that of group B at each time point, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In group D, the expressions of HMGB1 in hippocampus and serum of group D were lower than that of group C at 3hours and 24 hours, the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), But there was no significant difference between group C and group D at 72 hours (P > 0.05). Conclusion HMGB1 was significantly increased in hippocampus and serum of epileptic rats, it was suggested that HMGB1 was involved in the inflammatory process of epilepsy and HMGB1 could be used as a marker of brain injury degree after seizure. NGF and FPS-ZM1 had the effect of repairing the brain after seizure. FPS-ZM1 is superior to NGF in the protection of nervous system.
Coexistence of dominant marine phytoplankton species sustained by nutrient specialization
Authors: Masuda Takako , Inomura Keisuke , Mareš Jan , Kodama Taketoshi , Shiozaki Takuhei , Matsui Takato , Suzuki Koji , Takeda Shigenobu , Deutsch Curtis , Prášil Ondřej , Furuya Ken
Published: April 2021

Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are the two dominant picocyanobacteria in the low-nutrient surface waters of the subtropical ocean, but the basis for their coexistence in these biomes is still unclear. Here we combine in situ microcosm experiments and an ecological model to show that this coexistence can arise from specialization in the uptake of distinct nitrogen (N) substrates. In field incubations, the response of both Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus to nanomolar N amendments demonstrates N limitation of growth in both populations, but Prochlorococcus showed a higher affinity to ammonium whereas Synechococcus was more adapted to nitrate uptake. A simple ecological model demonstrates that the differential nutrient affinity of these species can explain their coexistence. Phylogenetic analysis of the presence of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase further support the higher nitrate affinity of Synechococcus compared to Prochlorococcus. Our study suggests that the evolution of differential nutrient affinities is an important mechanism for sustaining coexistence of species under resource competition.
Tracking the early depleting transmission dynamics of COVID-19 with a time-varying SIR model
Authors: Law Kian Boon , Peariasamy Kalaiarasu M , Gill Balvinder Singh , Singh Sarbhan Singh Lakha , Sundram Bala Murali , Rajendran Kamesh , Dass Sarat Chandra , Lee Yi Lin , Goh Pik Pin , Ibrahim Hishamshah Mohd , Abdullah Noor Hisham
Published: April 2021

The susceptible-infectious-removed (SIR) model offers the simplest framework to study transmission dynamics of COVID-19, however, it does not factor in its early depleting trend observed during a lockdown. We modified the SIR model to specifically simulate the early depleting transmission dynamics of COVID-19 to better predict its temporal trend in Malaysia. The classical SIR model was fitted to observed total (I total), active (I), and removed (R) cases of COVID-19 before lockdown to estimate the basic reproduction number. Next, the model was modified with a partial time-varying force of infection, given by a proportionally depleting transmission coefficient, βt, and a fractional term, z. The modified SIR model was then fitted to observed data over 6 weeks during the lockdown. Model fitting and projection were validated using the mean absolute percent error (MAPE). The transmission dynamics of COVID-19 was interrupted immediately by the lockdown. The modified SIR model projected the depleting temporal trends with lowest MAPE for I total, followed by I, I daily, and R. During lockdown, the dynamics of COVID-19 depleted at a rate of 4·7% each day with a decreased capacity of 40%. For 7–day and 14–day projections, the modified SIR model accurately predicted I total, I, and R. The depleting transmission dynamics for COVID-19 during lockdown can be accurately captured by time-varying SIR model. Projection generated based on observed data is useful for future planning and control of COVID-19.
Improving Drought Tolerance in Tobacco By Application of Salicylic Acid
Authors: Feng Yuqing , Zhao Yuanyuan , Li Yafei , Zhou Jun , Shi Hongzhi
Published: April 2021

Drought causes not only the decrease of tobacco yield and quality, but also the lowering of net photosynthetic rate, leading to reactive oxygen species accumulation and even the death of plants. Salicylic Acid is involved in regulating many plant physiological processes and has increasingly been applied to improve tolerance in plants exposed to drought stress. To explore the regulating mechanism of SA, flue-cured tobacco K326 was used in the hydroponic experiments to design PEG drought stress. The photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant enzymes activities and osmotic regulatory substances contents of tobacco seedlings under drought stress were investigated after 0.3 mmol L-1 SA treatment. Transcriptome sequencing and GO/KEGG analysis were also performed. The main results showed that SA-applied greatly increased the activities of SOD, POD, CAT activity, Pn, proline and soluble protein by 44.27%, 50.18%, 26.23%, 45.74%, 34.67% and 24.91% while reduced the MDA content by 23.89%. GO and KEGG analysis showed that SA treatment was able to up-regulate the genes involved in photosynthesis, carbon metabolism, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, photosynthesis-antenna proteins. The conclusion is that SA application would effectively improve the ability of pigment biosynthesis and photosystem repair of tobacco under drought conditions, thus enhance the photosynthesis, reduce the accumulation of ROS and increase drought resistance, which would provide a measure for alleviating the damage of tobacco caused by drought stress.
Fault Location Measurement of Sensor Nodes based on Fuzzy Control Algorithm
Authors: Yu Nuo
Published: April 2021

Aiming at the problems of the traditional fault location measurement method for sensor nodes, such as more energy consumption and longer measurement time, a fault location measurement method for sensor nodes based on fuzzy control algorithm is designed and proposed. First of all, the fuzzy control algorithm is analyzed; then the clustering based on cluster head diagnosis is carried out for the network, that is, the nodes that meet the cluster head conditions and are set as normal cluster heads are selected as cluster heads. Finally, combined with the fuzzy control algorithm, the fault location of each cluster member node is measured directly by cluster head nodes. The simulation results show that the proposed method has good performance.
Comparison of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Monocyte Distribution Width and Procalcitonin in Sepsis Cases in the Emergency Department: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: LI CHIH-HUANG , Seak Chen-June , Chaou Chung-Hsien , Su Tse‐Hsuan , GAO SHI-YING , Chien Cheng-Yu , NG CHIP-JIN
Published: April 2021

Background: Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with sepsis reduce mortality significantly. In terms of exploring new diagnostic tools of sepsis, monocyte distribution width (MDW), as part of the white blood cell (WBC) differential count, was first reported in 2017. MDW greater than 20 and abnormal WBC count together provided a satisfactory accuracy and was proposed as a novel diagnostic tool of sepsis. This study aimed to compare MDW and procalcitonin (PCT)'s diagnostic accuracy on sepsis in the emergency department.Methods: This was a single-center prospective cohort study. Laboratory examinations including CBC/DC, MDW, PCT were obtained while arriving at the ED. We divided patients into non-infection, infection without sepsis, sepsis, and sepsis-3 groups. This study's primary outcome is the sensitivity and specificity of MDW, PCT, and MDW+WBC in differentiating septic and non-septic patients. The cutoff value for MDW was established to maximize sensitivity at an optimal level of specificity.Results: From May 2019 to September 2020, 402 patients were enrolled for data analysis. Patient number in each group was: non-infection 64 (15.9%), infection without sepsis 82 (20.4%), sepsis 202 (50.2%), sepsis-3 15 (7.6%). The AUC of MDW, PCT, and MDW+WBC to predict sepsis was 0.753, 0.704, and 0.784, respectively. (p<0.01) The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of MDW using 20 as the cutoff in predicting sepsis were 86.4%, 54.2%, 76.4%, and 70%, compared to 32.9%, 88%, 82.5%, and 43.4% using 0.5 ng/mL as the PCT cutoff value. On combing MDW and WBC count, the sensitivity and NPV further increased to 93.4% and 80.3%, respectively. In terms of predicting sepsis-3, the AUC of MDW, PCT, and MDW+WBC was 0.72, 0.73, and 0.70, respectively. MDW, using 20 as cutoff, exhibited sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of 90.6%, 37.1%, 18.7%, and 96.1%, respectively, compared to 49.1%, 78.6%, 26.8%, and 90.6% when 0.5 ng/mL PCT was used as cutoff. Conclusions: In conclusion, MDW is a more sensitive biomarker than PCT in predicting sepsis/sepsis-3 in the ED. MDW <20 shows a higher NPV to exclude sepsis-3. Combining MDW and WBC count further improves the accuracy in predicting sepsis but not sepsis-3.Trial registration: The study was approved by the Institution Review Board of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan (No. 201900442B0) and registered to the ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT04322942).
Outcomes of Minimally Invasive, Small-Incision Unilateral Recession-Resection Surgery and Establishment of an Artificial Intelligence Predictive Mode
Authors: Xu Xin , Guo Lili , Miao Zequn , Ouyang Qianru , Zhang Jingyi , Li Yan , Meng Qingyu , Liang Shuting , Cao Yu , Tang Renhao , Wang Wensi , Wang Lejin
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND: To observe the outcomes after minimally invasive, small-incision unilateral recession-resection (R&R) surgery and to establish an artificial intelligence (AI)-based operation design predictive model for modified strabismus surgery.METHODS: Basic intermittent exotropia (IXT) patients with an exodeviation angle between 20 and 85 prism diopters underwent the modified R&R surgery. The core procedure of the operation is to separate and completely resect the check ligaments. After at least six months of follow-up, the exodeviation angle, postoperative success rate, pre- and postoperative fusional function and change in stereopsis were observed retrospectively. The predictive model was established based on the successful cases; 38 related factors were entered into the model. The machine learning algorithm LightGBM was used to train the model.RESULTS: In all, 113 patients were included: 48 males and 65 females. The average follow-up time was 0.749 years. The surgical success, overcorrection and undercorrection rates were 85.8% (97/113), 2.7% (3/113) and 11.5% (13/113), respectively. There was a significant improvement in the fusional range from 14.61±8.43° preoperatively to 22.70±5.72° postoperatively (t=-9.726, P<0.001).Near stereoacuity improved more than 60% postoperatively. For distance stereoacuity, 47 (41.59%) patients showed recovery, with no significant difference regarding the presence or absence of stereoacuity (chi-square test, c2=3.762, P>0.05). The AI-based operation design predictive model was preliminarily established; the accuracy reached 95%.CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive, small-incision unilateral R&R surgery is effective for treating basic IXT, with a high postoperative success rate and good binocular functional recovery. This could be a better surgical design for treating basic IXT. A preliminary AI predictive model based on this operation was established.
Effects of Early Weaning on the Rumen Bacterial Diversity in Dairy Lambs
Authors: xiaohu su , Ma Ying , Zheng Zhong , Zhang Liguo , Dou Yingjie , Zhang Xiaoran , Bai Urhan , Su Guanghua , Li Guangpeng , Zhang Li
Published: April 2021

BackgroundThe early weaning (EW) technology is an efficient method to improve the economic value of dairy ewes and satisfy the nutritional requirement of lambs which due to multiple fetuses or insufficient milk production of ewes. However, the affection of EW for rumen microflora is needed to evaluation because of the rumen microflora at early life would affect the health of host at whole life. In this study, the rumen microflora of dairy sheep with different EW time (D7, D15 and D25) were analyzed through 16s rDNA sequencing at D90. ResultsThe results showed that the application of EW did not affect the development of rumen. The species richness of the EW25 group was higher than EW7 and EW15 groups, while there was no significant difference in the abundance of microbial species between the CON and EW groups. At the phylum level, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Fibrobacteres, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were the most dominant phyla in all the samples. At tenricutes level, the relative abundance of EW7 group was significantly higher than other three groups (p<0.05). The spearman correlation coefficient analysis showed that pH was positively correlated with Rikenellaceae_RC9, Succiniclasticum, F082_unclassified, etc. (p<0.05), and negatively correlated with Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, Succiniclasticum, Selenomonas, etc. (p<0.05). The content of MCP was positively correlated with CAG-352 and Ruminococcus_2 (p<0.05). The width of rumen papilla was negatively correlated with non-classifiable bacteria (p<0.05). The thickness of rumen muscle layer was positively correlated with Sharpea (p<0.05). ConclusionsIn summary, the EW of dairy lambs does not affect the development of rumen at early life. The rumen bacterial diversity showed some differences between different EW days of age but no obvious effect, which could be a reference for dairy lamb’s EW time selection.
Sterilisation of Wort from Sugarcane Molasses by Electron Beam for Bioethanol Production
Authors: Calegari Rubens Perez , Silva Eric Alberto , Gomes Marcelo Pêgo , Silva Ana Paula Maria , Mota Layna Amorim , Arthur Valter , Baptista Antonio Sampaio
Published: April 2021

The presence of microbial contamination in the wort during the fermentation process results in damages of billions of dollars per year all around the world and promotes the industry dependence of chemicals and antibiotics to control the contamination. For these reasons, this study aimed to use the electron beam to sterilise wort from sugarcane molasses and investigate its bioethanol fermentation. Five treatments (T0 – T4) were carried out using ionizing doses of radiation through the electron accelerator: (0, 10, 20, 40, and 80 kGy) and a positive control (T5-steam by autoclave) were performed. It was evaluated total mesophiles, total bacteria, sugars, phenolics, flavonoids, 5-hidroximetylfurfural, and Furfural. After the irradiation process, it was conducted an alcoholic fermentation assay using baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It was not observed inversion of sugars and formation of the inhibitory by-products flavonoids, furfural, and 5-hidroximetylfurfural, with exception of the phenolic compounds. Only T4 and T5 were able to sterilise the wort. However, T3 was able to eliminate > 99.99% of the microorganisms. In the fermentation T2 promoted the best ethanol yield and productivity among the irradiated treatments, evidencing the possibility of electron beam use in the wort treatment prior to fermentation which may allow a reduction in losses caused by microbial contamination, besides the possibility of promoting fermentation yield and productivity increase. The operation cost for applying the e-beam with a dose of 20 kGy in a standard ethanol plant was estimated at US$ 0.014 per m3 of wort.
International Study of 24-hour Movement Behaviors of Early Years (SUNRISE): A Pilot Study from Bangladesh
Authors: Hossain Mohammad Sorowar , Deeba Iztiba M. , Hasan Mahmudul , Kariippanon Katharina E. , Chong Kar Hau , Cross Penny L. , Ferdous Shameema , Okely Anthony D.
Published: April 2021

Background This pilot study aimed to: (i) determine the proportion of preschool children (ages 3-4 who met the WHO guidelines; (ii) examine the feasibility of the proposed protocol for the SUNRISE study; and (iii) assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on movement behaviors of preschool children in Bangladesh. MethodsTime spent in physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep were objectively measured using two types of accelerometers (ActiGraph wGT3x-BT and ActivPAL4). Screen time and sleep quality were assessed via parent questionnaire. Fine and gross motor skills were measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (3rdediction). Three executive functions were assessed using the Early Years Toolbox. Focus groups were conducted with parents and childcare staffs to determine the feasibility of the protocol. Follow up data during COVID-19 pandemic was collected from parents over phone. ResultsData from 63 preschool aged children and their parents was analysed in this pilot study. Only three children (4.7%) met the all components of the WHO guidelines. Separately, children meeting physical activity, sedentary screen time and sleep guidelines were 71.9% 17.5% and 59.7% respectively. The proportion of all children who were developmentally on-track for the gross and fine motor skills were 58.7% and 50.8%, respectively. Parents and educators reported that the protocol was feasible except for the activPAL-4 accelerometer. Approximately 39% of children (14 out of 37) who wore this device developed itchy skin and rashes resulting in the suspension of using this device mid-way through data collection. During COVID-19, there was a significant decrease in children’s total physical activity (-193 min/day), and time spent outside on weekdays (-75 min/day) and weekend days (-131 min/day) and a significant increase in sedentary screen time (+85 min/day).ConclusionOnly a low proportion of children met WHO guideline. Methods and devices (except ActivPAL4) used in this pilot study were proved to be feasible and therefore it has paved the way to conduct the main SUNRISE study in Bangladesh. Future measures should be taken to address the issue of movement behaviours of children during the time of pandemics like COVID-19.