bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the effect Mongolian Medicine Qiwei Qinggan Powder on Hepatic Fibrosis through JAK2/STAT3 Pathway
Authors: Liang Jie , Menggensilimu Menggensilimu , Wang Feng , Yuan Hongwei , Yan Yuxin , Bao Xiaomei , Xiao Rui , Wang Haisheng , Zhang Chunyan , Jin Rong , Ma Lijie , Zhang Jianyu , Hurilebagen Hurilebagen , Su Xiaoli , Ma Yuehong
Published: May 2020

Background: To study the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect and explore the mechanism of Qiwei Qinggan Powder (QGS-7) in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-treated rats and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were used. Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were detected in serum of rats in each group, hydroxyproline (HYP) was detected in liver tissue. Formalin-fixed liver specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) reagent, Masson trichrome, and then analyzed. The expression of Alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in liver was detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression level of Collagen I, α-SMA, Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) mRNA were determined by real Time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Meanwhile, the protein expression levels of α-SMA, Collagen I, JAK2, phosphorylation-JAK2 (p-JAK2), STAT3 and phosphorylation-STAT3 (p-STAT3) were determined by Western Blot. The proliferation of HSC was detected by MTT and the apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Results: QGS-7 treatment significantly improved the liver function of rats as indicated by decreased serum enzymatic activities of ALT, AST and ALP. Meanwhile, the HYP of liver was significantly decreased. Histopathological results indicated that QGS-7 alleviated liver damage and reduced the formation of fibrosis septa. Moreover, QGS-7 significantly attenuated expressions of α-SMA, Collagen I, JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3, p-STAT3 relative mRNA and protein level in the rat hepatic fibrosis model and HSCs. And QGS-7 can inhibit HSCs proliferation and promote it apoptosis. Conclusion: Mongolian medicine QGS-7 has the effect of treating hepatic fibrosis and can inhibit the activation, proliferation and promote apoptosis of HSCs. Meanwhile, in the process of anti-hepatic fibrosis, QGS-7 can reduce the expression of JAK2, p-JAK2, STAT3 and p-STAT3 in JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Therefore, we speculate that QGS-7 may affect HSCs through JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, so as to play an anti-hepatic fibrosis role.
The Anti-RA Activities of a Couplet Medicinals, Gastrodia Elata and Radix Aconitic Lateralis preparata, Explored by Untargeted Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology.
Authors: Yang Jie , SHEN Xiang-Chun , LI Wei-Hong , FAN Guang-Zhong , GUO Bu-Fa , PENG Qi-Lun , YAO Wei-Yi , GONG Di-Hong , DING Wei-Jun
Published: May 2020

Background

The couplet Medicinals, Gastrodia Elata and Radix Aconitic Lateralis preparata (GERA), is an established formula extensively used in Chinese medicine for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the anti-RA mechanisms of GERA are still unclear. This paper aims to explore the anti-RA mechanisms of GERA by a combined strategy of untargeted metabolomics and network pharmacology.
Methods

Three water extracts were prepared as propotions: Gastrodia Elata compared with Radix Aconitic Lateralis (w/w): 1:1, 3:2, or 2:3. The untargeted metabolomics were executed with UPLC-MS. The metabolites were annotated and identified by Human metabolome database (HMDB) and Lipid maps database. Finally, key genes and pathways related to anti-RA activities of GERA were mined by network pharmacology.
Results

The untargeted metabolomics profile displayed that four differentially expressed metabolites were involved in isoflavonoid biosynthesis and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). Among these differential metabolites, the essential ingredients of GERA were linoleic acid, daidzein, and daidzin. The principal targets of anti-RA activities of GERA were IL-6, TNF, VEGFA, TP53, CASP3 and PTGS2. Thirty anti-RA targets of GERA were majorly belonged to pathways response for anti-inflammation, endothelial function and apoptosis, suggesting the fundamental process of RA treatment.
Conclusion

The anti-RA activities of GERA were based on the inhibition of inflammation and regulation of endothelial function and apoptosis.
The study of neuroprotective effects and underlying mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule on ischemia stroke mice
Authors: Luo Lvkeng , Wu Shuling , Chen Ruiqi , Rao Hongyu , Peng Wei , Su Weiwei
Published: May 2020

Background
Naoshuantong capsule (NSTC) is an oral Chinese medicine formula composed of Typhae Pollen (TP), Radix Paeoniae Rubra (PR), Curcumae Radix (CR), Gastrodiae Rhizoma (GR) and Radix Rhapontici (RR). It has been widely used at the acute and recovery stage of ischemic stroke since 2001. Comparing with its wide clinical application, there are only few studies emphasize on investigating its pharmacological effects.
Methods
To more generally elucidate the underlying mechanisms in this study, we identified active ingredients in NSTC by a network pharmacology approach based on transcriptomics analysis and pharmacological experiments. Modified neurological severity scores (mNSS) and morphometric analysis using Nissl staining were employed to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of NSTC on ischemia stroke in mice.
Results
The results showed that NSTC had preventive and protective effects on ischemia stroke, featuring repair of brain tissue during the sub-acute stage of stroke. This may attribute to the underlying mechanisms including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic activities, as well as an attenuation of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) toxicity of the active ingredients, especially the most active apigenin, from NSTC. Specifically, naringenin, calycosin, gastrodin, caffeic acid, paeoniflorin, and β -elemene seem to be also pharmacological active substances responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects. Meanwhile, 13-hydroxygemone, gastrodin, and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol contributed to the attenuation of EAAs toxicity Furthermore, apigenin, naringenin, calycosin, gastrodin, and β-elemene accelerated the repair of brain ischemic tissue by up-regulating the expression of TGF-β1 levels.
Conclusions
The present study identifies the active ingredients of NSTC and illustrates the underlying mechanism using a combination of network pharmacology, transcriptomics analysis, and pharmacological experiments.
Potential of resveratrol in enrichment of neural progenitor-like cells induction of human stem cells from apical papilla
Authors: Songsaad Anupong , Gonmanee Thanasup , Ruangsawasdi Nisarat , Phruksaniyom Chareerut , Thonabulsombat Charoensri
Published: May 2020

Introduction: Stem cell transplantation of exogenous neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has emerged as a promising approach of neurodegenerative disease. Human stem cells from apical papilla (hSCAPs) are derived from migratory neural crest stem cells, and exhibit a potential of neuronal differentiation. However, their neuronal differentiation is low and unpredictable. Resveratrol has been described as a sirtuin 1 ( SIRT1 ) activator which plays an important role in enhancing neuronal differentiation. In this study, we investigate the potential of resveratrol as an enhancer on neuronal differentiation through NPCs induction of hSCAPs. Methods: Stem cells were isolated from human apical papilla, and characterized as MSCs. The cellular toxicity of resveratrol treatment to the characterized hSCAPs was investigated by MTT assay. The non-cellular toxicity concentrations of resveratrol were assessed with various pre-treatment times to select the optimal condition that highly expressed the neural progenitor gene, NES . Consequently, the optimal condition of resveratrol pre-treatment was synergistically performed with a neuronal induction medium to trigger neuronal differentiation. The differentiated cells were visualized, the genes profiling was quantified, and the percentage of neuronal differentiation was calculated. Results: The cellular toxicity of resveratrol was not observed for up to 50 µM for 12 hours. Interestingly, hSCAPs pre-treated with 10 µM resveratrol for 12 hours (RSV-hSCAPs) significantly expressed NES , which is determined as the optimal condition. Under neuronal induction, both of hSCAPs and RSV-hSCAPs were differentiated (d-hSCAPs, and RSV-d-hSCAPs) as they exhibited neuronal-like appearances. Additionally, the neuronal induction medium actively promotes neural progenitor marker expression in both d-hSCAPs, and RSV-d-hSCAPs . The highest expression of NES was observed in RSV-d-hSCAPs. Importantly, the neuronal differentiation of RSV-d-hSCAPs was significantly increased for 4 times. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that pre-treatment of resveratrol strongly induces neural progenitor marker gene expression which synergistically enhances neural progenitor-like cells’ induction with neuronal induction medium.
Comparison of the properties of bone marrow-derived dedifferentiated fat cells and mesenchymal stem cells in humans
Authors: Lu Wei , Yu Yehua , Yang Shaoxin , Zhai Yuanmei , Zhao Chong , Wei Yanyu , Shi Jun
Published: May 2020

Background

Dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells have been studied as a potential tool for various aspects of tissue engineering. However, the understanding of DFAT cells is mainly derived from studies of inguinal subcutaneous or visceral white adipose tissues rather than human bone marrow (BM). Here, we focused on DFAT cells dedifferentiated from bone marrow adipocytes.
Methods

A plate ceiling culture method and light microscope were used to observe the morphological changes in bone marrow adipocytes. RT-qPCR analysis, immunofluorescence and immunocytochemistry were used to compare gene and protein expression before and after the adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of BM-DFAT cells and mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow (BM-MSCs). CCK8 assays and annexin V-PI staining were used to assess the effect of BM-DFAT cells on the proliferation and chemoresistance of leukaemic cells.
Results

We found that bone marrow adipocytes can dedifferentiate into fibroblast-like multipotent cells, and BM-DFAT cells exhibited similar a morphology, immunophenotype, multipotent gene expression, proliferation ability and osteogenic differentiation in comparison with BM-MSCs. Interestingly, BM-DFAT cells possessed a higher potential for adipogenic differentiation than BM-MSCs, since they expressed a lower level of Pref-1, an inhibitor of adipogenesis. Meanwhile, our results revealed the significantly enhanced proliferation of leukaemic cell lines in the BM-DFAT cell group compared with that in the BM-MSC group. However, the effects of BM-DFAT cells were not as obvious as those of BM-MSCs on the chemoresistance of leukaemic cells.
Conclusions

This is the first study to illustrate the properties of BM-DFAT cells. We determined that BM-DFAT cells may be a useful cell source to study the role of bone marrow adipocytes and might be utilized for clinical applications in regenerative medicine.
Induced neural stem cell grafts exert neuroprotection through an interaction between Crry and Akt in a mouse model of closed head injury
Authors: Gao Mou , Dong Qin , Wang Wenjia , Yang Zhijun , Lu Yingzhou , Ding Boyun , Chen Lihua , Zhang Jianning , Xu Ruxiang
Published: May 2020

Background
Recently, growing evidence has indicated an important role of the complement system, a crucial component of immunity, in mediating neuroinflammation and promoting neuronal apoptosis following closed head injury (CHI). We previously reported that transplanted induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) pre-treated with CHI mouse serum could enhance complement receptor type 1-related protein y (Crry) expression and ameliorate complement-mediated damage in mouse CHI models. However, the mechanism underlying the elevated levels of Crry expression remains elusive.
Methods
CHI models were established using a standardized weight-drop device and CHI mouse serum was collected at 12 h post-trauma. Complement deposition assay, Akt inhibition assay, cell viability assay, functional assay, cell transplantation, morphological and molecular biological analyses were performed.
Results
In the present study, we observed dramatic increases in the levels of Crry expression and Akt activation in iNSCs receiving CHI mouse serum treatment. Remarkably, Akt inhibition led to the reduction of Crry expression in iNSCs. Intriguingly, the treatment of iNSC-derived neurons with recombinant complement receptor 2-conjugated Crry (CR2-Crry), which inhibits all complement pathways, substantially enhanced Crry expression and Akt activation in neurons after CHI mouse serum treatment. In subsequent in vitro experiments of pre-treatment of iNSCs with CR2-Crry, we observed significant increases in the levels of Crry expression and Akt activation in iNSCs, iNSC-derived astrocytes and neurons post-treatment with CHI mouse serum. Additionally, an in vivo study showed that intracerebral-transplanted iNSCs pre-treated with CR2-Crry markedly enhanced Crry expression in neurons and protected neurons from complement-dependent damage in the brains of CHI mice.
Conclusions
In summary, iNSCs receiving CR2-Crry pre-treatment increased the levels of Crry expression in iNSCs, iNSC-derived astrocytes and neurons and attenuated complement-mediated injury following CHI.
Differential transcriptomics in sarcoidosis lung and lymph node granulomas with comparisons to pathogen-specific granulomas
Authors: Casanova Nancy G. , Gonzalez-Garay Manuel L , Sun Belinda , Bime Christian , Knox Kenneth S. , Crouser Elliot , Sun Xiaoguang , Sammani Nora , Gregory Taylor , Natt Bhupinder , Chaudhary Sachin , Lussier Yves , Garcia Joe G. N.
Published: May 2020

Rationale: Despite the availability of multi-“omics” strategies, insights into the etiology and pathogenesis of sarcoidosis have been elusive. This is partly due to the lack of reliable preclinical models and a paucity of validated biomarkers. As granulomas are a key feature of sarcoidosis, we speculate that direct genomic interrogation of sarcoid tissues, may lead to identification of dysregulated gene pathways or biomarker signatures.Objective: To facilitate the development sarcoidosis genomic biomarkers by gene expression profiling of sarcoidosis granulomas in lung and lymph node tissues (most commonly affected organs) and comparison to infectious granulomas (coccidiodomycosis and tuberculosis). Methods: Transcriptomic profiles of immune-related gene from micro-dissected lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes sarcoidosis granulomas was compared to infectious granulomas. Differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) were profiled, compared among the three granulomatous diseases and analyzed for functional enrichment pathways. Results: Despite histologic similarities, DEGs and pathway enrichment markedly differed in sarcoidosis granulomas from lymph nodes and lung. Lymph nodes showed a clear immunological response, whereas a structural regenerative response was observed in lung. Sarcoidosis granuloma gene expression data corroborated previously reported genomic biomarkers, excluded others and identified new genomic markers present in lung and lymph nodes, ADAMTS1, CXCL2, FABP4. Comparisons between sarcoidosis and pathogen granulomas identified pathway divergences and commonalities at gene expression level.Conclusion: These findings suggest the importance of tissue and disease-specificity evaluation when exploring sarcoidosis genomic markers. This relevant translational information in two commonly affected tissue in sarcoidosis and other two histopathological similar infections provides meaningful specific genomic-derived biomarkers for sarcoidosis diagnosis and prognosis.
Noninvasive KRAS mutation estimation in colorectal cancer using a deep learning method based on CT imaging
Authors: He kan , Liu Xiaoming , Li Mingyang , Li Xueyan , Yang Hualin , Zhang Huimao
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACT
Background: The detection of Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog ( KRAS )gene mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) is key to the optimal design of individualized therapeutic strategies. The noninvasive prediction of the KRAS status in CRC is challenging. Deep learning (DL) in medical imaging has shown its high performance in diagnosis, classification, and prediction in recent years. In this paper, we investigated predictive performance by using a DL method with a residual neural network ( ResNet ) to estimate the KRAS mutation status in CRC patients based on pre-treatment contrast-enhanced CT imaging.
Methods: We have collected a dataset consisting of 157 patients with pathology-confirmed CRC who were divided into a training cohort (n = 117) and a testing cohort (n = 40). We developed an ResNet model that used portal venous phase CT images to estimate KRAS mutations in the axial, coronal, and sagittal directions of the training cohort and evaluated the model in the testing cohort. Several groups of expended region of interest （ROI）patches were generated for the ResNet model，to explore whether tissues around the tumor can contribute to cancer assessment. We also explored a radiomics model with the random forest classifier (RFC) to predict KRAS mutations and compared it with the DL model.
Results: The ResNet model in the axial direction achieved the higher area under the curve (AUC) value (0.90) in the testing cohort and peaked at 0.93 with an input of “ROI and 20-pixel” surrounding area. AUC of radiomics model in testing cohorts were 0.818. In comparison, the ResNet model showed better predictive ability .
Conclusions: Our experiments reveal that the computerized assessment of the pre-treatment CT images of CRC patients using a DL model has the potential to precisely predict KRAS mutations. This new model has the potential to assist in noninvasive KRAS mutation estimation.
Keywords: Colorectal Neoplasm, Mutation, Deep Learning
Airway managed by emergency physicians or anaesthesiologists in trauma patients: A retrospective cohort analysis of outcomes
Authors: Tang Cathy , Yang Marc L.C. , Chan Annie , Ho Paul H.F.
Published: May 2020

Objectives In some trauma centres, anaesthesiologists (AN) has the primary responsibility of managing airway in trauma resuscitation. However, as emergency physicians(EP) establishes a separate specialty with airway management and endotracheal intubation being one of the core skills, role delineation within trauma members may vary. In this cohort study, we aim to determine the difference in mortality of trauma patients requiring intubation in the Emergency Department between EP and AN. Methods We screened all 1588 patients in the hospital trauma registry from 2015 to 2018. We included all patients requiring endotracheal intubation and aged 18 or above but excluded those with pregnancy, presented with cardiac arrest and secondarily transferred from other hospitals. 349 eligible patients were sorted into two cohorts according to the physicians who performed intubations (AN 205 patients, EP 144 patients). Patients' baseline demographics, 30-day all-cause mortality, and other predefined secondary outcomes were compared by statistical tests. Stepwise logistic regression of 30-day all-cause mortality were performed. Results Our study has shown that intubation by emergency physicians was not associated with higher 30-day all-cause mortality after potential confounders were controlled by logistic regression. (adjusted OR 1.253, p = 0.607) Both group also did not differ in other clinical important secondary outcomes, including proportion of successful intubations, use of surgical airway or rescue manoeuvres, respiratory and airway complications , mortality in intensive care or high-dependency unit, post-intubation cardiac arrest , post-intubation hypotension and post-intubation hypoxia. Conclusion Endotracheal intubation by EP is not associated with increased 30-day all-cause mortality when compared to AN after accounting for confounders.
Quantitative CT-based Image Registration Metrics Provide Different Ventilation and Lung Motion Patterns in Prone and Supine Positions in Healthy Subjects
Authors: Shin Kyung Min , Choi Jiwoong , Chae Kum Ju , Jin Gong Yong , Eskandari Ali , Hoffman Eric A. , Hall Chase , Castro Mario , Lee Chang Hyun
Published: May 2020

Background Previous studies suggested that the prone position (PP) improves oxygenation and reduces mortality among patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the mechanism of this clinical benefit of PP is not completely understood. The aim of the present study was to quantitatively compare regional characteristics of lung functions in the PP with those in the supine position (SP) using inspiratory and expiratory computed tomography (CT) scans.Methods 90 subjects with normal pulmonary function and inspiration and expiration CT images were included in the study. Thirty-four subjects were scanned in PP, and 56 subjects were scanned in SP. Non-rigid image registration-based inspiratory-expiratory image matching assessment was used for regional lung function analysis. Tissue fractions (TF) were computed based on the CT density and compared on a lobar basis. Three registration-derived functional variables, relative regional air volume change (RRAVC), volumetric expansion ratio (J), and three-dimensional relative regional displacement (s*) were used to evaluate regional ventilation and deformation characteristics. Results J was greater in PP than in SP in the right middle lobe (P = 0.025), and RRAVC was increased in the upper and right middle lobes (P < 0.001). The ratio of the TF on inspiratory and expiratory scans, J, and RRAVC at the upper lobes to those at the middle and lower lobes and that ratio at the upper and middle lobes to those at the lower lobes of were all near unity in PP, and significantly higher than those in SP (0.98-1.06 vs 0.61-0.94, P < 0.001).Conclusion We visually and quantitatively observed that PP not only induced more uniform contributions of regional lung ventilation along the ventral-dorsal axis but also minimized the lobar differences of lung functions in comparison with SP. These findings may help clarify the benefits of applying PP to the patients with ARDS or other gravitationally dependent pathologic lung diseases.Trial registration Retrospectively registered.
Clustering and superspreading potential of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in Hong Kong
Authors: Adam Dillon , Wu Peng , Wong Jessica , Lau Eric , Tsang Tim , Cauchemez Simon , Leung Gabriel , Cowling Benjamin
Published: May 2020

Superspreading events have characterised previous epidemics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infections. Using contact tracing data, we identified and characterized SARS-CoV-2 clusters in Hong Kong. Given a superspreading threshold of 6-8 secondary cases, we identified 5-7 probable superspreading events and evidence of substantial overdispersion in transmissibility, and estimated that 20% of cases were responsible for 80% of local transmission. Among terminal cluster cases, 27% (45/167) ended in quarantine. Social exposures produced a greater number of secondary cases compared to family or work exposures (p<0.001) while delays between symptom onset and isolation did not reliably predict the number of individual secondary cases or resulting cluster sizes. Public health authorities should focus on rapid tracing and quarantine of contacts, along with physical distancing to prevent superspreading events in high-risk social environments.
Gross tumor volume determines toxicity and quality of life for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with simultaneously integrated boost technique
Authors: Huang Tai-Lin , Chuang Hui-Ching , Huang Chun-Chieh , Chien Chih-Yen , Li Shau-Hsuan , Tsai Wen-Ling , Lee Tsair-Fwu , FANG FU-MIN
Published: May 2020

Background: To evaluate the impact of gross tumor volume (GTV) on toxicities and quality of life (QoL) for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy with simultaneously integrated boost technique (chemo-SIB-IMRT). Methods: A total of 278 NPC patients with stage II-IVb treated by chemo-SIB-IMRT were enrolled. Toxicities were evaluated according to CTCAE version 4.03. QoL outcomes (n=219) were measured by using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and HN35 questionnaires at the time point of 12 months after chemo-SIB-IMRT. Results: A higher GTV was observed to be significantly associated with a higher mean or maximal dose in most organs at risk, together with more severe acute (mucositis, dermatitis, weight loss, and use of analgesic) and late toxicities (xerostomia, neck fibrosis, and radiation neuropathy). A linear regression model revealed that a higher GTV was significantly associated with a decline in role functioning and an increment in taste/smell, speech, social eating, opening mouth, dry mouth, and sticky saliva. Conclusion: GTV is the determining factor of some acute and late toxicities and QoL scales for NPC patients treated by chemo-SIB-IMRT.
A non-invasive ultrasound imaging method to measure acute radiation-induced bladder wall thickening in rats
Authors: Spinelli Antonello Enrico , Bresolin Andrea , Zuppone Stefania , Perani Laura , Fallara Giuseppe , Muzio Nadia Di , Vago Riccardo , Fiorino Claudio , Cozzarini Cesare
Published: May 2020

Background. Methods for the non-invasive quantification of changes in bladder wall thickness (BWT) as potential predictors of radiation cystitis (RC) in pre-clinical research would be desirable. The use of ultrasound (US) for this aim seems promising, but is still relatively unexplored. A method using US for BWT quantification in rats was developed and applied to measure early radiation-induced BWT changes.
Methods. Two groups (n=9 each) of female Fischer rats were treated with a single radiation dose of 25-30 and 35-40Gy respectively, using an image-guided micro-irradiator; six untreated rats were monitored as a control group. Empty, half-filled and fully-filled bladder volumes were determined for four non-irradiated rats by measuring axes from US 3D-images and applying the ellipsoid formula. Mean BWT was estimated for both ventral and dorsal bladder sides through the measurement of the bladder wall area along a segment of 4mm in the central sagittal scan, in order to minimize operator-dependence on the measurement position. US acquisitions of all fully-filled rat bladders were also acquired immediately before, and 4 and 28 days after irradiation. Mean BWTs normalized to the baseline value and corrected for filling were then used to evaluate acute bladder wall thickening and to quantify the dose-effect.
Results. The relationship between mean BWT and bladder volume in unirradiated rats showed that for a bladder volume >1.5mL the BWT is almost constant and equal to 0.30mm with variations within ±15%. The average ratios between BWT-post and BWT-pre irradiation showed a dose-effect relationship. Bladder wall thickening was observed for the 25-30 Gy and 35-40 Gy groups in 2/9 (22%) and 5/9 (56%) cases at day 4 and in 4/9 (44%) and 8/9 (89%) cases at day 28, respectively. The two groups showed significantly different BWTs both relative to the control group (p<0.0001) and between them (p=0.022). The BWT increment was on average 1.32±0.41, and was 1.30±0.21 after 25-30Gy and 1.47±0.29 and 1.90±0.83 after 35-40Gy at days 4 and 28 respectively.
Conclusions. The feasibility of using US on a preclinical rat model to detect BWT changes after bladder irradiation was demonstrated, and a clear dose-effect relationship was quantified. Although preliminary, these results are promising in addressing the potential role of this non-invasive approach in quantifying RC.
Non-synonymous Mutations of SARS-Cov-2 Leads Epitope Loss and Segregates its Varaints
Authors: Gupta Aayatti Mallick , Mandal Sukhendu
Published: May 2020

The non-synonymous mutations of SARS-Cov-2 isolated from across the world have been identified during the last few months. The surface glycoprotein spike of SARS-Cov-2 forms the most important hotspot for amino acid alterations followed by the ORF1a/ORF1ab poly-proteins. It is evident that the D614G mutation in spike glycoprotein and P4715L in RdRp is the important determinant of SARS-Cov-2 evolution since its emergence. P4715L in RdRp, G251V in ORF3a and S1498F of Nsp3 is associated with the epitope loss that may influence pathogenesis caused by antibody escape variants. Phylogenomics distinguished the ancestral viral samples from China and most part of Asia, isolated between Dec, 2019 to Feb, 2020 and the evolved variants isolated from Europe and Americas from Mar, 2020 to April, 2020. The evolved variants have been found to predominant globally with the loss of epitopes from its proteins. These have implications for SARS-Cov-2 transmission, pathogenesis and immune interventions.
Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Different Animal Manure and their Derived Organic Fertilizer
Authors: Xu Yan , Li Houyu , Shi Rongguang , Lv Jiapei , Li Bihan , Yang Fengxia , Zheng Xiangqun , Xu Jian
Published: May 2020

Background: The prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in animal manure poses threats to the environmental safety. Organic fertilizers fermented by livestock and poultry manure are directly applied to farmland, which would cause the potential outbreak of bacterial resistance in agricultural environment. This study investigated the composition of ARGs in different animal manure and their derived organic fertilizers. Results: Results showed that the abundance of several ARGs, such as sul 2, Tet B-01, Tet G-01 and Tet M-01 in organic fertilizer samples was 12%~96% lower than in animal manure. However, there was an increasing of Tet K and erm C abundance from animal manure to the organic fertilizers. No correlation between ARGs and environmental factors such as pH, TN, antibiotics was observed by Redundancy analysis (RDA). Procrustes analysis revealed the significant correlation between bacterial community structures and the ARGs abundance (r=0.799, p<0.01). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis suggested that microorganisms in organic fertilizer may be derived from animal manure. Additional, pathogenic bacteria (especially Actinomadura ) would proliferate rather than decrease from manure to organic fertilizer. Conclusion: Overall, this research suggests that the composting treatment of manure could effectively reduce these ARGs and pathogens,even cause partial ARGs and pathogens proliferation. It also shows that the microorganism might significantly influence ARGs profiles in composting.
Food Groups Intake in Relation to Stunting Among Exceptional Children
Authors: Nachvak Seyyed Mostafa , Moradi Shima , Sadeghi Omid , Esmailzadeh Ahmad , Mostafai Roghayeh
Published: May 2020

Background Although several studies have examined the link between different food groups intake and stunting among children, no study, to our knowledge, was done on exceptional children. The aim of this study was assessed the association of dietary intake and stunting in Iranian exceptional children.Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 470 exceptional children (226 mentally retarded, 182 deaf and 62 blind children), aged 5–15 years. Height was measured using standard tool. Stunting was defined as height-for-age z-score of <-1. A validated dietary habit questionnaire was applied to assess dietary intakes.Results Mean age of children was 10.02 ± 2.04 years. Stunting was prevalent among 50.6% of children. Compared with children in the lowest category of dairy consumption, those in the highest category had lower odds of stunting. This association remained significant even after adjusting for covariates (OR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.29–0.87). In addition, moderate consumption of egg (1–3 time/wk) was inversely associated with stunting either before or after controlling for potential confounders (OR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.21–0.64). Such finding was also seen among mentally retarded children (OR: 0.38, 95% CI: 0.16–0.89). No other significant association was seen between intakes of other food groups (including meat, fruits and vegetables) and stunting.Conclusion We found that higher intake of dairy products and egg was associated with lower risk of stunting. However, intakes of other food groups including meat, fruits and vegetables were not significantly related to stunting.
Virulence factors and molecular characteristics of Shigella flexneri isolated from calves with diarrhea
Authors: Zhu Zhen , Wang Weiwei , Cao Mingze , Liu Guanhui , Zhou Xuzheng , Li Bing , Shi Yuxiang , Zhang Jiyu
Published: May 2020

Background: The natural hosts of Shigella are conventionally humans and other primates; however, the host range of Shigella has been shown to expand to many animals. Although Shigella is becoming a huge threat to animals, there is limited information on the genetic background of local strains. The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of virulence factors and the molecular characteristics of S. flexneri isolated from calves with diarrhea.Methods: From 2014 to 2016, 54 S. flexneri isolates were collected from diarrhea, and their biochemical characteristics were determined according to API20E and virulence factors via PCR. The molecular characteristics of the isolates were studied by MLST, MLVA and PFGE.Results: Fifty-four S. flexneri isolates possessed four typical biochemical characteristics of Shigella. The prevalences of ipaH, virA, ipaBCD, ial, sen, set1A, and set1B were 100%, 100%, 77.78%, 79.63%, 48.15% and 48.15%, respectively. None of the studied strains possessed the stx gene. Regarding the differences in virulence factor distributions, the 54 S. flexneri isolates fell into seven gene profile types. Among these VTs, VT4 and VT6 were the most common, accounting for 74.07% of all VTs. MLVA based on 8 VNTR loci discriminated the isolates into 39 different MTs, PFGE based on NotI digestion divided the 54 isolates into 31 PTs, and MLST based on 15 housekeeping genes differentiated the isolates into 7 STs, with 1 ST (ST227) being novel.Conclusion: Our findings provide baseline information on the distribution of virulence genes in and the molecular characteristics of S. flexneri collected from diarrheal calves, which is a potential threat to public safety. These data will be important for addressing clinical and epidemiological issues regarding Shigellosis.
Arterial and vein related catheters thrombosis in a patient with COVID-19 : a case report.
Authors: Haoudar Amal , Kantri Aziza , Ziati Jihane , Aidaoui Karim , Elkettani Chafik
Published: May 2020

Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to infection with the novel coronavirus SARS-COV2 are currently considered at high risk of developing thromboembolic complications in both venous and arterial vessels. The use of anticoagulants for preventive or curative purposes should be considered to reduce the risk of thromboembolic events. We report a case of a patient with severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome who consecutively developed a right femoral deep vein thrombosis related to the femoral central line and acute ischemia of the left upper limb related to a radial arterial line. He was under a therapeutic dose of low molecular weight heparin twice a day three days before. The femoral vein was free of thrombosis while the central line was placed under a duplex ultrasound.Thromboembolic events can occur in patients with severe COVID-19 despite therapeutic anticoagulants. Close monitoring of vascular access with duplex ultrasound may be required.
Forecasting COVID-19 Pandemic: A Data-Driven Analysis
Authors: Nabi Khondoker Nazmoon
Published: May 2020

In this paper, a new Susceptible-Exposed-Symptomatic Infectious-Asymptomatic Infectious-Quarantined-Hospitalized-Recovered-Dead (SEIDIUQHRD) deterministic compartmental model has been proposed and calibrated for interpreting the transmission dynamics of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The purpose of this study is to give a tentative prediction of the epidemic peak for Russia, Brazil, India and Bangladesh which could become the next COVID-19 hotspots in no time by using a Trust-region-reflective (TRR) algorithm which one of the well-known real data fitting techniques. Based on the publicly available epidemiological data from late January until 10 May, it has been estimated that the number of daily new symptomatic infectious cases for the above mentioned countries could reach the peak around the beginning of June with the peak size of 15, 774 (95% CI, 13,814-17,734) symptomatic infectious cases in Russia, 26, 449 (95% CI, 23,489-29,409) cases in Brazil, 9, 504 (95% CI, 8,378-10,630) cases in India and 2,209 (95% CI, 1,878-2,540) cases in Bangladesh. As of May 11, 2020, incorporating the infectiousness capability of asymptomatic carriers, our analysis estimates the value of the basic reproduction number (R0) as of May 11, 2020 was found to be 4.234 (95% CI, 3.764-4.7) in Russia, 5.347 (95% CI, 4.737-5.95) in Brazil, 5.218 (95% CI, 4.56-5.81)in India, 4.649 (95% CI, 4.17-5.12) in the United Kingdom and 3.53 (95% CI, 3.12-3.94) in Bangladesh. Moreover, Latin hypercube sampling-partial rank correlation coeffcient (LHS-PRCC) which is a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) method is applied to quantify the uncertainty of our model mechanisms, which elucidates that for Russia, the recovery rate of undetected asymptomatic carriers, the rate of getting home-quarantined or self-quarantined and the transition rate from quarantined class to susceptible class are the most influential parameters, whereas the rate of getting home-quarantined or self-quarantined and the inverse of the COVID-19 incubation period are highly sensitive parameters in Brazil, India, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom which could signicantly affect the transmission dynamics of the novel coronavirus. Our analysis also suggests that relaxing social distancing restrictions too quickly could exacerbate the epidemic outbreak in the above-mentioned countries.
Correlation between Land Surface Temperature and Urban Heat Island with COVID-19 in New Delhi, India
Authors: Mukherjee Semonti , Debnath Aniruddha
Published: May 2020

This study aims to analyses the correlation between Urban Heat Island (UHI), Land Surface Temperature (LST) with COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease) pandemic in New Delhi, India. This study engaged a secondary data analysis of surveillance data of COVID-19 from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Government of India and temperature data from MODIS (MOD11A1 & MOD11A2). The significant relation in between COVID-19 confirmed cases and LST in day time postulate a positive significance (p value <0.05) with R2=81% and for night time this is R2= 86%.
Antioxidant Activity of Uric Acid and its Correlation with Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Prasad P. Siva , Prasad P. Hari , Sudhakar T. , Rajkumar B. , Raj Adithya , Bheem K. Jai
Published: May 2020

Objective: Uric acid is an end product of purine metabolism and it has two different functions such as pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant. Where, pro-oxidant and anti-oxidants are opposite in action. Oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction are a foremost cause of complications in diabetes mellitus, where uric acid may play a major role in this process. Hence, the present study has been designed to evaluate antioxidant activity of uric acid and its correlation with oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetic subjects. Methods: We included 120 subjects in this study with age group of 39 -60 years. Among these 60 were type 2 diabetic subjects and 60 were healthy controls. The estimation of biochemical parameters such as blood sugar, lipid profile, uric acid, and homocysteine are measured in fully auto-analyzer with well recognized methods. MDA measured by TBARS method, total antioxidant capacity as FRAP and NO estimated by Kinetic cadmium method in spectrophotometer. Results: The study was found significant elevation of triglyceride, LDL and MDA and significant lower level of FRAP and NO in T2DM than healthy control. Uric acid was insignificant in T2DM compared to healthy control. However, uric acid has significant correlation with FRAP (r=0.2116, p=0.02) and moderate correlation with triglyceride (r=0.1736, p=0.0579) and homocysteine (r=0.1779, p=0.0519). MDA was negatively and NO was positively correlated with uric acid but statistically insignificant. Conclusion: We have found antioxidant activity of uric acid where it was determined by significant positive correlation with FRAP in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
STUDY OF MESH REFINEMENT ON THE AERODYNAMIC COEFFICIENTS FOR NACA2412 PROFILE WITH DIFFERENT ANGLE OF ATTACK AND k - w TURBULENCE MODEL
Authors: Oliveira Nícolas Lima , Loureiro Eric Vargas , Hallak Patrícia Habib
Published: May 2020

This work presents the studies  obtained using OpenFOAM OpenSource Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Software. Experiments were performed to predict lift coefficient and drag coefficient curves for the NACA2412 profile. Subsequently, the results obtained were compared with the results of the bibliography and discussed.
AN IMAGING-DRIVEN, MECHANICAL DEFORMATION-COUPLED REACTION-DIFFUSION MODEL FOR DESCRIBING TUMOR DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Resende Anna Claudia Mello de , Queiroz Rafael Alves Bonfim de , Lima Ernesto Augusto Bueno da Fonseca , Naozuka Gustavo Taiji , Almeida Regina Célia Cerqueira de
Published: May 2020

Compressive stresses play important roles on tumor cells proliferation and invasion. In this work we propose to inform a tumor growth model with the recovered deformation coming from in vivo imaging data. We investigated the use of an optical flow technique, the well known Lucas-Kanade method, to capture tumor deformation in a synthetic experimental breast cancer setting. We compare displacements and stresses obtained with this method with those derived from a previously developed reaction-diffusion model with mechanical deformation. We show that the considered optical flow technique may capture deformations appearing in breast cancers, being a useful alternative to integrate in vivo data to mathematical tumor models.
A comparison between different Purkinje network generation methods
Authors: Berg Lucas Arantes , Dos Santos Rodrigo Weber
Published: May 2020

Heart diseases are the major cause of deaths worldwide and within this context, the most common disease is cardiac arrhythmia. There is some evidence that the generation and maintenance of those arrhythmias might be related to the properties of the Purkinje system. Mostly because of its complex structure, which is thought to be the source of reentry activity, one of the precursors of dangerous arrhythmias. The objective of this work is to investigate how the morphology and properties of the Purkinje fibers of the heart may affect the electrical activation of the tissue. In order to build the Purkinje networks of this project, three different algorithms were used and their responses in activating the ventricular walls were compared. The monodomain equation was used to mathematically model the electrical activation and a parallel solver was used to speed up the numerical solution of the problem. The results of this work show that together with the geometry of the Purkinje network, properties of the coupling between the terminals of the network and the ventricular tissue also affect the electrical activation by leading to conduction blocks.
Cyanobacteria – insidious foe of the skin?
Authors: Drobac Backović Damjana , Tokodi Nada , Nikolin Borislava , Svirčev Zorica
Published: May 2020

Cyanobacteria are ancient photosynthetic microorganisms that shaped today's atmosphere. Anthropocentric and irresponsible activities are changing the atmosphere which favor the frequent occurrence and mass development of cyanobacteria. Extensive cyanobacterial blooming causes numerous problems, including negative effects on human skin. Climate change, depletion of ozone layer, and the increased ultraviolet radiation also affect the skin and lead to more frequent occurrence of skin cancer. This research, for the first time, attempts to establish a connection between these two factors, or whether, in addition to ultraviolet radiation, cyanobacteria can influence the incidence of melanoma. With this objective in mind, an epidemiological investigation was conducted in Vojvodina, Serbia. It was observed that the incidence of melanoma was higher in municipalities where water bodies used for recreation, irrigation and fishing are blooming; however, results could be considered as inconclusive, because of the restrictions in the cancer database. Nevertheless, results gathered from the reviewed literature support the hypothesis that cyanobacteria could be a new potential risk factor for melanoma, while climate change could be a catalyst that converts these potential risk factors into cofactors, which act synergistically with the main risk factor – ultraviolet radiation – and induce an increase of melanoma incidence.
Forecasting water demand under climate change using artificial neural network: a case study of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Manish , Manandhar Sujal , Shrestha Sangam
Published: May 2020

With a water demand of 370 MLD, Kathmandu Valley is currently facing a water shortage of 260 MLD. The Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP) is an interbasin project aimed at diverting 510 MLD of water in three phases (170 MLD in each phase). Phase I of the project was expected to complete by 2018. Water demand forecasting is the first and important activity in managing water supply. Using the socio-economic factors of number of connections, water tariff and ratio of population to number of university students and climatic factor of annual rainfall, artificial neural network (ANN) was used to predict the water demand of Kathmandu Valley until the year 2040. The analysis suggests that, even after the completion of Phase I of MWSP, the water scarcity in the valley will be 160 MLD in 2020. Therefore, Phase II of MWSP should be completed within 2025 and Phase III should be completed by 2040. The result of this study aids KUKL for better management of the water system. In addition, this research can help in decision making to construct the second and third phase for MWSP, the construction date of which still has not been decided.
An optimal design strategy of decentralized storage tank locations for multi-objective control of initial rainwater quality
Authors: Li Huifeng , Lu Lijun , Huang Xiangfeng , Shangguan Haidong , Wei Zhongqing
Published: May 2020

In recent years, frequent non-point source pollution has raised serious challenges for urban water environmental management. The efficiency and cost of water quality storage tanks, which can prevent and control urban pollution effectively, are significantly affected by their locations. However, few studies have determined the location of decentralized storage tanks with consideration of the characteristics of initial rainwater quality, which has led to unsatisfactory or extravagant design. Therefore, a new design strategy is proposed to optimize the locations of water quality storage tanks using the InfoWorks ICM model in this study. It includes two basic steps. Firstly, the pollution severity of each node in the corresponding subcatchment is evaluated and ranked through the matter element analysis method and analytic hierarchy process. Secondly, all the nodes are precisely sorted by their excessive multiples using the single factor index method. Its application in the design of the decentralized storage tank locations in Fuzhou, China, proved that the proposed strategy can reduce the total volume of decentralized storage tanks to 0.38 times that of a terminal tank. The strategy presented in this study may also be useful in other research on storage tank design in urban pollution prevention and control systems.