bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Facilitating Women Prosperity with Higher Purpose at Vyomini
Authors: Mishra Oly , Sharma Richa , Agrawal Bindu
Published: March 2020

The theory of conscious capitalism is based on the idea that when business is done consciously, it promotes humanity intrinsically. This philosophy is rooted in the four tenets of higher purpose, stakeholder integration, conscious leadership and conscious culture and management as given by Mackey and Sisodia (2013). All social entrepreneurs are motivated by a higher purpose to provide sustainable solutions to neglected problems with the help of positive externalities (Santos, 2012). They have the capacity to envision, share and execute the deep-seated higher purpose (Mourkogiannis, 2006). Such a higher purpose with a social angle has been depicted in the case of Vyomini. The case is about a social entrepreneur Prachi Kaushik, the founder of Vyomini. She works for menstrual health and hygiene of unprivileged and rural women in India. Prachi’s constant endeavour was to create an ecosystem for the economic and social upliftment of these women through financial inclusion and livelihood training. She understood the problem, empathized with the women and provided a simple, economical manufacturing technique using locally available, biodegradable raw materials to provide an inclusive solution. This case describes her journey in creating an innovative business model by the adoption of design thinking and implementation of higher purpose in the business.

Dilemma: For ensuring menstrual health and hygiene among less privileged rural women should the sanitary napkins of big brands be distributed at a subsidized cost or design and develop a special product suitable for this segment of the market?

Theory: Entrepreneurial inclusive business model

Type of the case: Experience-based applied single case study

Protagonist: The owner of the firm

Options

Distribute existing brands at a subsidized cost. Develop a new product that is biodegradable, free of carcinogenic compounds and cost-effective. Get it manufactured by subcontractors. The design also a cost-effective manufacturing process and empower women of less privileged background to manufacture and sell.

Discussions and Case Questions

How can the sources of supply and manufacturing be made robust so that they can be scaled up? Should the product be offered to different segments of the market with differential pricing? In order to expand reach, which channels should be added for a taboo product like sanitary napkins?
Role of Multiple Stakeholders in Value Co-creation and Effects on Medical Tourism
Authors: Chakraborty Prabal , Poddar Moumita
Published: March 2020

Medical tourism is a continuously growing industry, and hospitals of the home country are the service providers for the foreign patients. Hospitals are focusing on quality improvement, infrastructure development, networking, and cost minimizations to attract foreign patients due to stiff competitions. Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2004) explained value co-creation, which ultimately achieved through Dialogue, Access, Risk, Transparency) DART concept. Another seminal research in this arena is the development of “service-dominant logic” concept by Vargo and Lusch (2004). The purpose of this article is to understand the collaboration of multiple stakeholders in co-creation process in the context of healthcare sector, which ultimately effects medical tourism. Our study also suggests a model that demonstrates the relationship between the factors responsible for brand co-creation in medical tourism and patient retention in multispecialty hospitals.

We took help from past literatures to frame the model. Our study conceptualizes the collaboration of multiple stakeholders for value co-creation in the healthcare sector which ultimately affects Medical Tourism and proposes a framework. This study also examines role of patients and multiple stakeholders in value co-creation process and model we proposed where we explained the factors responsible for brand co-creation in medical tourism and patients’ retention. The result of the study—in line with the study performed by Dijk, Antonides, and Schillewaertz (2014), we may conclude that “co-creation has an element in marketing and branding strategies of an organization.”
Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis to the Gallbladder
Authors: Grewal Kulraj , Bajaj Tushar , Petersen Greti , Munoz Augustine , Froush Arman , Heidari Arash
Published: March 2020

Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by inhalation of arthroconidia produced by dimorphic fungi in the genus Coccidioides. Forty percent of patients will develop an influenza-like illness with symptoms suggestive of a mild and self-limited respiratory infection; however, 5% of these individuals will develop extrapulmonary disseminated disease. An immunocompromised patient presented with right upper quadrant pain, ultrasound with pericholecystic fluid, in which a percutaneous cholecystostomy contained biliary fluid that grew the fungus Coccidioides immitis. Patient was initiated on intravenous amphotericin therapy and was followed closely with postoperative bile drainage with eventual laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We present a very rare case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis to the gallbladder.
Bacterial Endocarditis Caused by Actinomyces oris: First Reported Case and Literature Review
Authors: Phichaphop Chanita , Apiwattanakul Nopporn , Wanitkun Suthep , Boonsathorn Sophida
Published: March 2020

Actinomyces species are gram-positive, facultative anaerobic bacilli. Infection caused by Actinomyces species is usually limited to cervicofacial, thoracic, and abdominopelvic regions. Infective endocarditis due to Actinomyces species is extremely rare with only 30 reported cases since 1939. We report a case of Actinomyces oris endocarditis in a 14-year-old boy who had a 2-week history of dyspnea on exertion without other constitutional signs. Transthoracic echocardiography was suggestive of perforation of the right coronary cusp of aortic valve. No organisms were isolated from blood cultures. The patient underwent surgical valve repair due to deteriorated cardiac function. Valve tissue culture did not initially identify the organism. However, the terminal subculture in a thioglycolate broth grew gram-positive bacilli. The matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was compatible with Actinomyces oris. After 6 weeks of intravenous ampicillin, the patient remained well with improved cardiac function. We reviewed all reported cases of infective endocarditis caused by Actinomyces species, commenting on clinical characteristics and factors associated with unfavorable outcomes in infective endocarditis due to Actinomyces species. Although infective endocarditis caused by Actinomyces spp is rare, it could be considered in a case of culture-negative endocarditis since the clinical features might be indistinguishable from other bacterial endocarditis. Additionally, MALDI-TOF MS is a useful diagnostic tool for the identification of Actinomyces spp to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.
Leber Congenital Amaurosis With Coats-Like Reaction and 3 Novel Sequence Variants: A Short Report
Authors: Tavakoli Mehdi , Huang Amy M. , Cernichiaro-Espinosa Linda , Santiesteban Carlos E. Mendoza , Berrocal Audina M.
Published: March 2020

Purpose:

This report discusses a patient with Leber congenital amaurosis who presented with severe bilateral Coats-like reaction and 3 novel sequence variants in 2 different genes.

Methods:

The patient underwent complete ophthalmic and retinal evaluations including fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography as well as genetic studies. She was treated with intravitreal injection of intravitreal bevacizumab and laser photocoagulation.

Results:

Genetic analysis of the patient identified 2 novel sequence variants in the CEP290 (centrosomal protein 290) gene and another novel sequence variant in the RPGRIP1 (RPGR interacting protein 1) gene.

Conclusions:

The clinical presentation of Coats-like reaction in Leber congenital amaurosis can be associated with sequence variants in certain genes. The presence of multiple gene sequence variants in this patient may have contributed to the severity of disease.
Why is it important to diagnose hemicrania continua?
Authors: Wagner Marilena , Sandor Peter S , Gantenbein Andreas R
Published: March 2020

Hemicrania continua (HC) is an indomethacin-responsive primary headache which belongs to the trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias. Although the first description of HC was 35 years ago, there are still different views regarding the clinical course, the diagnostic criteria, and the treatment. The high clinical heterogeneity of HC, missed diagnosis, and the delay to the correct diagnosis are important in patient care. Central features of HC are continuous side-locked headaches (with superimposed exacerbations) and the response to indomethacin. We are describing the case of a 29-year-old women who developed right-sided headache 3 weeks after the excision of a right-sided vestibular schwannoma. She tried different painkillers and also was started on a prophylactic treatment with oxcarbazepine, acupuncture, and physiotherapy. But nothing really helped. She was then admitted for an inpatient withdrawal program for medication overuse headache. Again the pain did not change. She has then been treated with indomethacin 50-mg tds, where after the headache improved rapidly within 3 days. This educational case presentation and review of the literature aims to consider HC as a possible differential diagnosis in chronic headache, especially when side-locked and shows that indomethacin maybe a quick therapeutic option before putting the patients on a long treatment odyssey with analgesics and other drugs.
Effects of adopting the Global Lung Function Initiative 2017 reference equations on the interpretation of carbon monoxide transfer factor
Authors: Brazzale Danny J. , Seccombe Leigh M. , Welsh Liam , Lanteri Celia J. , Farah Claude S. , Ruehland Warren R.
Published: March 2020

The recently published Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) carbon monoxide transfer factor (TLCO) reference equations provide an opportunity to adopt a current, all-age, widely applicable reference set. The aim of this study was to document the effect of changing to GLI from commonly utilised reference equations on the interpretation ofTLCOresults.

33 863TLCOresults (48% female, 88% Caucasian, n=930 aged <18 years) from clinical pulmonary function laboratories within three Australian teaching hospitals were analysed. The lower limit of normal (LLN) and proportion of patients with aTLCObelow this value were calculated using GLI and other commonly used reference equations.

The averageTLCOLLN for GLI was similar or lower than the other equations, with the largest difference seen for Crapoequations (median: −1.25, IQR: −1.64, −0.86 mmol·min−1·kPa−1). These differences resulted in altered rates of reducedTLCOfor GLI particularly for adults (+1.9%versusMillerto −27.6%versusCrapo), more so than for children (−0.8%versusKimto −14.2%versusCotes). For adults, the highest raw agreement for GLI was with Millerequations (94.7%), while for children it was with Kimequations (98.1%). Results were reclassified from abnormal to normal more frequently for younger adults, and for adult females, particularly when moving from Rocato GLI equations (30% of femalesversus16% of males).

The adoption of GLITLCOreference equations in adults will result in altered interpretation depending on the equations previously used and to a greater extent in adult females. The effect on interpretation in children is less significant.
Adipose-derived stromal cells in regulation of hematopoiesis
Authors: Zhang Jing , Liu Yunsheng , Yin Wen , Hu Xingbin
Published: March 2020

Over the past decade, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) found in the bone marrow microenvironment have been considered to be important candidates in cellular therapy. However, the application of MSCs in clinical settings is limited by the difficulty and low efficiency associated with the separation of MSCs from the bone marrow. Therefore, distinct sources of MSCs have been extensively explored. Adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs), a cell line similar to MSCs, have been identified as a promising source. ASCs have become increasingly popular in many fields, as they can be conveniently extracted from fat tissue. This review focuses on the properties of ASCs in hematopoietic regulation and the underlying mechanisms, as well as the current applications and future perspectives in ASC-based therapy.
Bacteria increase host micronutrient availability: mechanisms revealed by studies in C. elegans
Authors: Maynard Claire , Weinkove David
Published: March 2020

Micronutrients cannot be synthesized by humans and are obtained from three different sources: diet, gut microbiota, and oral supplements. The microbiota generates significant quantities of micronutrients, but the contribution of these compounds to total uptake is unclear. The role of bacteria in the synthesis and uptake of micronutrients and supplements is widely unexplored and may have important implications for human health. The efficacy and safety of several micronutrient supplements, including folic acid, have been questioned due to some evidence of adverse effects on health. The use of the simplified animal-microbe model,Caenorhabditis elegans, and its bacterial food source,Escherichia coli,provides a controllable system to explore the underlying mechanisms by which bacterial metabolism impacts host micronutrient status. These studies have revealed mechanisms by which bacteria may increase the bioavailability of folic acid, B12, and iron. These routes of uptake interact with bacterial metabolism, with the potential to increase bacterial pathogenesis, and thus may be both beneficial and detrimental to host health.
Males benefit more from cold water immersion during repeated handgrip contractions than females despite similar oxygen kinetics
Authors: Baláš Jiří , Kodejška Jan , Krupková Dominika , Giles David
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the present study was to assess the effect of different water immersion temperatures on handgrip performance and haemodynamic changes in the forearm flexors of males and females. Twenty-nine rock-climbers performed three repeated intermittent handgrip contractions to failure with 20 min recovery on three separate laboratory visits. For each visit, a randomly assigned recovery strategy was applied: cold water immersion (CWI) at 8 °C (CW8), 15 °C (CW15) or passive recovery (PAS). While handgrip performance significantly decreased in the subsequent trials for the PAS (p < 0.05), there was a significant increase in time to failure for the second and third trial for CW15 and in the second trial for CW8; males having greater performance improvement (44%) after CW15 than females (26%). The results indicate that CW15 was a more tolerable and effective recovery strategy than CW8 and the same CWI protocol may lead to different recovery in males and females.
Identification of methylation states of DNA regions for Illumina methylation BeadChip
Authors: Luo Ximei , Wang Fang , Wang Guohua , Zhao Yuming
Published: March 2020

Background

Methylation of cytosine bases in DNA is a critical epigenetic mark in many eukaryotes and has also been implicated in the development and progression of normal and diseased cells. Therefore, profiling DNA methylation across the genome is vital to understanding the effects of epigenetic. In recent years the Illumina HumanMethylation450 (HM450K) and MethylationEPIC (EPIC) BeadChip have been widely used to profile DNA methylation in human samples. The methods to predict the methylation states of DNA regions based on microarray methylation datasets are critical to enable genome-wide analyses.

Result

We report a computational approach based on the two layers two-state hidden Markov model (HMM) to identify methylation states of single CpG site and DNA regions in HM450K and EPIC BeadChip. Using this mothed, all CpGs detected by HM450K and EPIC in H1-hESC and GM12878 cell lines are identified as un-methylated, middle-methylated and full-methylated states. A large number of DNA regions are segmented into three methylation states as well. Comparing the identified regions with the result from the whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) datasets segmented by MethySeekR, our method is verified. Genome-wide maps of chromatin states show that methylation state is inversely correlated with active histone marks. Genes regulated by un-methylated regions are expressed and regulated by full-methylated regions are repressed. Our method is illustrated to be useful and robust.

Conclusion

Our method is valuable for DNA methylation genome-wide analyses. It is focusing on identification of DNA methylation states on microarray methylation datasets. For the features of array datasets, using two layers two-state HMM to identify to methylation states on CpG sites and regions creatively, our method which takes into account the distribution of genome-wide methylation levels is more reasonable than segmentation with a fixed threshold.
A framework using topological pathways for deeper analysis of transcriptome data
Authors: Zhao Yue , Piekos Stephanie , Hoang Tham H. , Shin Dong-Guk
Published: March 2020

Background

Pathway analysis is one of the later stage data analysis steps essential in interpreting high-throughput gene expression data. We propose a set of algorithms which given gene expression data can recognize which portion of sub-pathways are actively utilized in the biological system being studied. The degree of activation is measured by conditional probability of the input expression data based on the Bayesian Network model constructed from the topological pathway.

Results

We demonstrate the effectiveness of our pathway analysis method by conducting two case studies. The first one applies our method to a well-studied temporal microarray data set for the cell cycle using the KEGG Cell Cycle pathway. Our method closely reproduces the biological claims associated with the data sets, but unlike the original work ours can produce how pathway routes interact with each other above and beyond merely identifying which pathway routes are involved in the process. The second study applies the method to the p53 mutation microarray data to perform a comparative study.

Conclusions

We show that our method achieves comparable performance against all other pathway analysis systems included in this study in identifying p53 altered pathways. Our method could pave a new way of carrying out next generation pathway analysis.
OffScan: a universal and fast CRISPR off-target sites detection tool
Authors: Cui Yingbo , Liao Xiangke , Peng Shaoliang , Tang Tao , Huang Chun , Yang Canqun
Published: March 2020

Background

The Type II clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) is a powerful genome editing technology, which is more and more popular in gene function analysis. In CRISPR/Cas, RNA guides Cas nuclease to the target site to perform DNA modification.

Results

The performance of CRISPR/Cas depends on well-designed single guide RNA (sgRNA). However, the off-target effect of sgRNA leads to undesired mutations in genome and limits the use of CRISPR/Cas. Here, we present OffScan, a universal and fast CRISPR off-target detection tool.

Conclusions

OffScan is not limited by the number of mismatches and allows custom protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), which is the target site by Cas protein. Besides, OffScan adopts the FM-index, which efficiently improves query speed and reduce memory consumption.
Detecting horizontal gene transfer: a probabilistic approach
Authors: Sevillya Gur , Adato Orit , Snir Sagi
Published: March 2020

Background

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the event of a DNA sequence being transferred between species not by inheritance. HGT is a crucial factor in prokaryotic evolution and is a significant source for genomic novelty resulting in antibiotic resistance or the outbreak of virulent strains. Detection of HGT and the mechanisms responsible and enabling it, is hence of prime importance.Existing algorithms rely on a strong phylogenetic signal distinguishing the transferred sequence from its recipient genome. Closely related species pose an even greater challenge as most genes are very similar and therefore, the phylogenetic signal is weak anyhow. Notwithstanding, the importance of detecting HGT between such organisms is extremely high for the role of HGT in the emergence of new highly virulent strains.

Results

In a recent work we devised a novel technique that relies on loss of synteny around a gene as a witness for HGT. We used a novel heuristic for synteny measurement, SI (Syntent Index), and the technique was tested on both simulated and real data and was found to provide a greater sensitivity than other HGT techniques. This synteny–based approach suffers low specificity, in particular more closely related species. Here we devise an adaptive approach to cope with this by varying the criteria according to species distance. The new approach is doubly adaptive as it also considers the lengths of the genes being transferred. In particular, we use Chernoff bound to decree HGT both in simulations and real bacterial genomes taken from EggNog database.

Conclusions

Here we show empirically that this approach is more conservative than the previous χ2 based approach and provides a lower false positive rate, especially for closely related species and under wide range of genome parameters.
Gene expression analysis reveals the tipping points during infant brain development for human and chimpanzee
Authors: Tang Hui , Tang Ying , Zeng Tao , Chen Luonan
Published: March 2020

Background

Postpartum developmental delay has been proposed as an important phenotype of human evolution which contributes to many human-specific features including the increase in brain size and the advanced human-specific cognitive traits. However, the biological processes and molecular functions underlying early brain development still remain poorly understood, especially in human and primates.

Results

In this paper, we comparatively and extensively studied dorsolarteral prefrontal cortex expression data in human and chimpanzee to investigate the critical processes or biological events during early brain development at a molecular level. By using the dynamic network biomarker (DNB) model, we found that there are tipping points around 3 months and 1 month, which are crucial periods in infant human and chimpanzee brain development, respectively. In particular, we shown that the human postnatal development and the corresponding expression changes are delayed 3 times relative to chimpanzee, and we also revealed that many common biological processes are highly involved in those critical periods for both human and chimpanzee, e.g., physiological system development functions, nervous system development, organismal development and tissue morphology. These findings support that the maximal rates of brain growth will be in those two critical periods for respective human and primates. In addition, different from chimpanzee, our analytic results also showed that human can further develop a number of advanced behavior functions around this tipping point (around 3 months), such as the ability of learning and memory.

Conclusion

This work not only provides biological insights into primate brain development at a molecular level but also opens a new way to study the criticality of nonlinear biological processes based on the observed omics data.
Genome-wide identification of loci associated with growth in rainbow trout
Authors: Ali Ali , Al-Tobasei Rafet , Lourenco Daniela , Leeds Tim , Kenney Brett , Salem Mohamed
Published: March 2020

Background

Growth is a major economic production trait in aquaculture. Improvements in growth performance will reduce time and cost for fish to reach market size. However, genes underlying growth have not been fully explored in rainbow trout.

Results

A previously developed 50 K gene-transcribed SNP chip, containing ~ 21 K SNPs showing allelic imbalances potentially associated with important aquaculture production traits including body weight, muscle yield, was used for genotyping a total of 789 fish with available phenotypic data for bodyweight gain. Genotyped fish were obtained from two consecutive generations produced in the NCCCWA growth-selection breeding program. Weighted single-step GBLUP (WssGBLUP) was used to perform a genome-wide association (GWA) analysis to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with bodyweight gain. Using genomic sliding windows of 50 adjacent SNPs, 247 SNPs associated with bodyweight gain were identified. SNP-harboring genes were involved in cell growth, cell proliferation, cell cycle, lipid metabolism, proteolytic activities, chromatin modification, and developmental processes. Chromosome 14 harbored the highest number of SNPs (n = 50). An SNP window explaining the highest additive genetic variance for bodyweight gain (~ 6.4%) included a nonsynonymous SNP in a gene encoding inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase OCRL-1. Additionally, based on a single-marker GWA analysis, 33 SNPs were identified in association with bodyweight gain. The highest SNP explaining variation in bodyweight gain was identified in a gene coding for thrombospondin-1 (THBS1) (R2 = 0.09).

Conclusion

The majority of SNP-harboring genes, including OCRL-1 and THBS1, were involved in developmental processes. Our results suggest that development-related genes are important determinants for growth and could be prioritized and used for genomic selection in breeding programs.
Multi-locus phylogeny and taxonomy of an unresolved, heterogeneous species complex within the genus Golovinomyces (Ascomycota, Erysiphales), including G. ambrosiae, G. circumfusus and G. spadiceus
Authors: Qiu Peng-Lei , Liu Shu-Yan , Bradshaw Michael , Rooney-Latham Suzanne , Takamatsu Susumu , Bulgakov Timur S. , Tang Shu-Rong , Feng Jing , Jin Dan-Ni , Aroge Temitope , Li Yu , Wang Li-Lan , Braun Uwe
Published: March 2020

Background

Previous phylogenetic analyses of species within the genus Golovinomyces (Ascomycota, Erysiphales), based on ITS and 28S rDNA sequence data, revealed a co-evolutionary relationship between powdery mildew species and hosts of certain tribes of the plant family Asteraceae. Golovinomyces growing on host plants belonging to the Heliantheae formed a single lineage, comprised of a morphologically differentiated complex of species, which included G. ambrosiae, G. circumfusus, and G. spadiceus. However, the lineage also encompassed sequences retrieved from Golovinomyces specimens on other Asteraceae tribes as well as other plant families, suggesting the involvement of a plurivorous species. A multilocus phylogenetic examination of this complex, using ITS, 28S, IGS (intergenic spacer), TUB2 (beta-tubulin), and CHS1 (chitin synthase I) sequence data was carried out to clarify the discrepancies between ITS and 28S rDNA sequence data and morphological differences. Furthermore, the circumscription of species and their host ranges were emended.

Results

The phylogenetic and morphological analyses conducted in this study revealed three distinct species named, viz., (1) G. ambrosiae emend. (including G. spadiceus), a plurivorous species that occurs on a multitude of hosts including, Ambrosia spp., multiple species of the Heliantheae and plant species of other tribes of Asteraceae including the Asian species of Eupatorium; (2) G. latisporus comb. nov. (≡ Oidium latisporum), the closely related, but morphologically distinct species confined to hosts of the Heliantheae genera Helianthus, Zinnia, and most likely Rudbeckia; and (3) G. circumfusus confined to Eupatorium cannabinum in Europe.

Conclusions

The present results provide strong evidence that the combination of multi-locus phylogeny and morphological analysis is an effective way to identify species in the genus Golovinomyces.
Novel myocardial markers GADD45G and NDUFS5 identified by RNA-sequencing predicts left ventricular reverse remodeling in advanced non-ischemic heart failure: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Iwahana Togo , Okada Sho , Kanda Masato , Oshima Motohiko , Iwama Atsushi , Matsumiya Goro , Kobayashi Yoshio
Published: March 2020

Background

Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) has been detected in non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM) patients following optimal treatment. However, its prediction with only conventional modalities is often difficult. This study sought to examine whether RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of myocardium tissue samples could predict LVRR in NIDCM.

Methods

A total of 17 advanced NIDCM patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) below 30% who underwent cardiac biopsy from Left ventricle (LV) were prospectively recruited. They received optimal treatment and followed with echocardiogram every 6 months. Based on LVRR status after 12 months of treatment, patients were divided into the reverse remodeling (RR) or non-RR group. Tissue samples were analyzed by RNA-seq, and a functional analysis of differentially expressed genes was carried out.

Results

There were eight and nine patients in the RR and non-RR groups, respectively. No difference was found in age, sex, disease duration, LV end-diastolic diameter, and LVEF between the two groups. There were 155 genes that were differentially expressed between the two groups. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit (NDUF)S5 and Growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible protein (GADD)45G, along with several genes related to the mitochondrial respiratory chain and ribosome, were significantly downregulated in the RR as compared to the non-RR group.

Conclusion

GADD45G and NDUFS5 are potential biomarkers for LVRR in patients with advanced NIDCM.
Recombinant Klotho protein enhances cholesterol efflux of THP-1 macrophage-derived foam cells via suppressing Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Liu Wei , Chen Xiujuan , Wu Min , Li Lin , Liu Jiani , Shi Jing , Hong Tian
Published: March 2020

Background

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the basis of cardiovascular diseases, characterized by chronic inflammatory and lipid metabolism disorders. Although the anti-inflammatory effect of Klotho in AS has been clearly shown, its lipid-lowering effect is unclear. In this study, we examined the effects of recombinant Klotho (Re-KL) protein on lipid accumulation in foam cells.

Methods

THP-1 cells were exposed to 100 nM phorbol myristate acetate for 24 h and then to oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL; 80 mg/mL) to induce foam cell formation. Subsequently, the foam cells were incubated with Re-KL and/or DKK1, an inhibitor of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Results

Oil red O staining and cholesterol intake assay revealed that the foam cell model was constructed successfully. Pre-treatment of the foam cells with Re-KL decreased total cholesterol level, up-regulated the expression of ATP binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) and G1 (ABCG1), and down-regulated the expression of acyl coenzyme a-cholesterol acyltransferase 1 (ACAT1) and members of the scavenger family (SR-A1 and CD36). In addition, the expression of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related proteins in foam cells was significantly decreased by the stimulus of Re-KL. Interestingly, the effect of Re-KL was similar to that of DKK1 on foam cells.

Conclusions

The Re-KL-induced up-regulation of reverse cholesterol transport capacity promotes cholesterol efflux and reduces lipid accumulation by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in foam cells.
Identifying long-term psychological distress from single measures: evidence from a nationally representative longitudinal survey of the Australian population
Authors: Welsh J. , Korda R. J. , Banks E. , Strazdins L. , Joshy G. , Butterworth P.
Published: March 2020

Background

Single time-point assessments of psychological distress are often used to indicate chronic mental health problems, but the validity of this approach is unclear. The aims of this study were to investigate how a single assessment of distress relates to longer-term assessment and quantify misclassification from using single measures to indicate chronic distress.

Methods

Data came from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, a nationally representative study of Australian adults. Psychological distress, measured with the Kessler10 and categorised into low (scores:10- < 12), mild (12- < 16), moderate (16- < 22) and high (22–50), has been assessed in the Survey biennially since wave 7. Among respondents who were aged ≥25 years and participated in all waves in which distress was measured, we describe agreement in distress categories, and using a mixed linear model adjusting for age and sex we estimate change in scores, over a two-, four-, six- and eight-year follow-up period. We applied weights, benchmarked to the Australian population, to all analyses.

Results

Two-years following initial assessment, proportions within identical categories of distress were 66.0% for low, 54.5% for mild, 44.0% for moderate and 50.3% for high, while 94.1% of those with low distress initially had low/mild distress and 81.4% with high distress initially had moderate/high distress. These patterns did not change materially as follow-up time increased. Over the full eight-year period, 77.3% of individuals with high distress initially reported high distress on ≥1 follow-up occasion. Age-and sex- adjusted change in K10 scores over a two-year period was 1.1, 0.5, − 0.7 and − 4.9 for low, mild, moderate and high distress, respectively, and also did not change materially as follow-up time increased.

Conclusion

In the absence of repeated measures, single assessments are useful proxies for chronic distress. Our estimates could be used in bias analyses to quantify the magnitude of the bias resulting from use of single assessments to indicate chronic distress.
False positive finding from malignancy-like lesions on FDG PET/CT: case report of tuberculosis patients
Authors: Hutomo Febby , Yudistiro Ryan , Mulyanto Ivana Dewi , Budiawan Hendra
Published: March 2020

Background

The F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has become an established diagnostic imaging for malignancy. However, there are other diseases that can also be identified with FDG, some of them are infections such as tuberculosis.

Case presentation

In this case report, two patients showed multiple hypermetabolic tuberculosis lesions on FDG PET/CT, with one of the patients having history of malignancy. The objective of the present case report is to emphasize the need to use other differential diagnosis techniques for tuberculosis especially in tuberculosis-endemic countries when interpreting FDG PET/CT.

Conclusion

By analyzing diagnostic imaging alone, there is a high chance of misinterpreting asymptomatic tuberculosis patient as having malignancy. Therefore, there is need for correlation with clinical data as well as other imaging modalities and PET/CT with more specific tracer in order to differentiate malignancy from benign disease such as tuberculosis.
Renal medullary carcinoma masquerading as renal infection: a case report
Authors: Huang Zhong-Ming , Wang Hai , Ji Zhi-Gang
Published: March 2020

Background

Renal medullary carcinoma is a rare and aggressive tumor and often seen in young adults with sickle cell hemoglobinopathies.

Case presentation

We report a case of renal medullary carcinoma in a 29-year old male patient with an occupying renal lesion who presented with fever, flank pain and hematuria. The patient received intensive antibiotics treatment, but no improvement was seen. The symptoms disappeared after laparoscopic radical left nephrectomy. Postoperative pathological study showed that the mass was renal medullary carcinoma.

Conclusions

Our case suggests that renal medullary carcinoma should be considered in differential diagnoses of patients with occupying renal lesions who have fever of unknown origin.
The association of kidney function and cognitive decline in older patients at risk of cardiovascular disease: a longitudinal data analysis
Authors: Zijlstra Laurien E. , Trompet Stella , Mooijaart Simon P. , van Buren Marjolijn , Sattar Naveed , Stott David J. , Jukema J. Wouter
Published: March 2020

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been identified as a significant direct marker for cognitive decline, but controversy exists regarding the magnitude of the association of kidney function with cognitive decline across the different CKD stages. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association of kidney function with cognitive decline in older patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease, using data from the PROspective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk (PROSPER).

Methods

Data of 5796 patients of PROSPER were used. Strata were made according to clinical stages of CKD based on estimated glomerular filtration rate; < 30 ml/min/1.73m2 (stage 4), 30-45 ml/min/1.73m2 (stage 3b), 45-60 ml/min/1.73m2 (stage 3a) and ≥ 60 ml/min/1.73m2 (stage 1–2). Cognitive function and functional status was assessed at six different time points and means were compared at baseline and over time, adjusted for multiple prespecified variables. Stratified analyses for history of vascular disease were executed.

Results

Mean age was 75.3 years and 48.3% participants were male. Mean follow-up was 3.2 years. For all cognitive function tests CKD stage 4 compared to the other stages had the worst outcome at baseline and a trend for faster cognitive decline over time. When comparing stage 4 versus stage 1–2 over time the estimates (95% CI) were 2.23 (0.60–3.85; p = 0.009) for the Stroop-Colour-Word test, − 0.33 (− 0.66–0.001; p = 0.051) for the Letter-Digit-Coding test, 0.08 (− 0.06–0.21; p = 0.275) for the Picture-Word-Learning test with immediate recall and − 0.07 (− 0.02–0.05; p = 0.509) for delayed recall. This association was most present in patients with a history of vascular disease. No differences were found in functional status.

Conclusion

In older people with vascular burden, only severe kidney disease (CKD stage 4), but not mild to modest kidney disease (CKD stage 3a and b), seem to be associated with cognitive impairment at baseline and cognitive decline over time. The association of severe kidney failure with cognitive impairment and decline over time was more outspoken in patients with a history of vascular disease, possibly due to a higher probability of polyvascular damage, in both kidney and brain, in patients with proven cardiovascular disease.
Psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in a middle-income Latin American country
Authors: Caqueo-Urízar Alejandra , Flores Jerome , Escobar Carolang , Urzúa Alfonso , Irarrázaval Matías
Published: March 2020

Background

Child and adolescent mental health has scarcely been studied in developing countries, though it is an important aspect of health. Mental health problems in youth often continue into adulthood if not diagnosed or treated in time.

Methods

TheSistema de Evaluación de Niños y Adolescentes (SENA)[Child and Adolescent Evaluation System] was used to evaluate mental health indicators in a sample of students in Northern Chile. Two age-appropriate versions of the assessment were applied to a total sample of 5043 students, which included an elementary education sample of 1953 schoolchildren from fourth grade through sixth grade (ages 8 to 13 years), and a Secondary School sample of 3090 schoolchildren from seventh grade (the last year of elementary school) through the last year of Secondary school (senior high school) (ages 12 to 19 years). For each group, the version of the assessment used was determined by the students’ grade level. Both samples included municipal, government-subsidized, and private schools.

Results

In this student population, depression, anxiety, and behavioral disorders were the main mental health problems identified, and indicators revealed a progressive increase in cases over the years, coinciding with the global epidemiological scenario. Males showed a greater presence of externalizing behaviors related to mental health problems associated with aggression and defiant behavior. However, females showed the highest number of mental health issues overall, especially regarding problems related to internalization. There are significant differences between school types.

Conclusions

Our sample population analysis indicates that early intervention is necessary for the diagnosis and treatment of youth, with the goal of reducing the probability that psychiatric disorders will be prolonged, evolving, and worsening in adulthood.
LncRNA MAGI2-AS3 is downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and may be a sponge of miR-25
Authors: Sui Yutong , Chi Wencheng , Feng Li , Jiang Jiakang
Published: March 2020

Background

This study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA MAGI2-AS3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

Expression levels of MAGI2-AS3 and RECK mRNA in two types of tissues (non-tumor and NCSLC) were measured by qPCR. To further investigate the interaction between MAGI2-AS3 and RECK, MAGI2-AS3 and RECK expression vectors were transfected into H1993 cells.

Results

We found that MAGI2-AS3 and RECK were upregulated and positively correlated in NSCLC. In NSCLC cells, MAGI2-AS3 overexpression led to upregulated RECK. Bioinformatics analysis showed that MAGI2-AS3 may bind miR-25, which can directly target RECK. In NSCLC cells, miR-25 overexpression led to downregulated RECK and attenuated the effects of MAGI2-AS3 overexpression, while MAGI2-AS3 and miR-25 failed to affect each other. Cell invasion and migration analysis showed decreased NSCLC cell invasion and migration rates after MAGI2-AS3 and RECK overexpression. MiR-25 showed opposite role and reduced the effects of MAGI2-AS3 overexpression.

Conclusion

Therefore, MAGI2-AS3 may sponge miR-25 to upregulate RECK, thereby inhibiting NSCLC cell invasion and migration.

Trial registration

HLJCM20163358592, registered by First Affiliated Hospital, Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine at March 3, 2016, prospectively.
Daily physical activity and related risk factors in COPD
Authors: Albarrati Ali M. , Gale Nichola S. , Munnery Maggie M. , Cockcroft John R. , Shale Dennis J.
Published: March 2020

Background

Factors associated with reduced daily physical activity (DPA) in patients with COPD are still controversial. Physical inactivity in COPD increases risk of cardiovascular disease, frequent exacerbations, reduced health status, and increased symptoms. We hypothesised that reduced DPA in patients with COPD is independent of traditional risk factors including age and spirometry.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, DPA (over 7 days) was assessed on 88 community stable patients with COPD and 40 controls free from cardiorespiratory disease. Spirometry, body composition, number of exacerbations, handgrip strength (HGS), modified Medical Research Council (mMRC), arterial stiffness, 6-min walking distance (6MWD) and BODE index were also determined. Frequent exacerbation was defined as ≥2 and non-frequent exacerbation < 2.

Results

Patients with COPD had reduced DPA and exercise capacity compared with controls similar in age, BMI and gender, p < 0.001. Frequent exacerbators had less DPA than infrequent exacerbators and both less than controls, p < 0.001. Patients with higher BODE index were less active than those with lower index. Time spent on moderate activity was related to cardiovascular risk factors including arterial stiffness. The DPA in patients was independent of age, gender, spirometry, body composition and HGS, p > 0.05. The level of breathlessness was superior to lung function in predicting the level of DPA.

Conclusion

The level of DPA in COPD was independent of traditional risk factors. Breathlessness score is a better predictor of the DPA than lung function and handgrip strength.
Longitudinal assessment of the health-related quality of life among older people with diabetes: results of a nationwide study in New Zealand
Authors: Shamshirgaran Seyed Morteza , Stephens Christine , Alpass Fiona , Aminisani Nayyereh
Published: March 2020

Background

The current work examined experiences of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) among older adults with a diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) over time compared to those without a diagnoses DM.

Methods

The sample was drawn from six biennial waves of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement survey, a prospective population-based cohort study of older adults 55–70 years at baseline. Data on sociodemographic factors, health behaviours, chronic disease diagnoses and physical and mental HRQOL (SF-12v2) were obtained using six biennial surveys administered 2006–2016. Generalised Estimating Equation models, adjusted for time-constant and -varying factors, were employed to compare HRQOL and its determinants over time for older adults with and without a diagnosis of DM.

Results

DM was negatively associated with physical HRQOL [β (95% CI) − 7.43 (− 8.41, − 6.44)] with older adults affected by DM reporting scores 7.4 points lower than those without DM. Similarly, the mean Mental HRQOL score was lower among those affected by DM [β = − 4.97 (− 5.93, − 4.01)] however, scores increased over time for both groups (p < 0.001). Greater age, more chronic conditions, sight and sleep problems, obesity, lower annual income, and fewer years of education were predictors of poorer HRQOL among older adults.

Conclusions

Older adults affected by diabetes experienced poorer physical and mental HRQOL compared to those not affected when controlling for a range of sociodemographic and health related indices. A management aim must be to minimise the gap between two groups, particularly as people age.
Clinical effects of switching from minodronate to denosumab treatment in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis: a retrospective study
Authors: Kobayashi Masaki , Sawada Kenjiro , Yoshimura Akihiko , Yamamoto Misa , Shimizu Aasa , Shimura Kotaro , Komura Naoko , Miyamoto Mayuko , Ishida Kyoso , Kimura Tadashi
Published: March 2020

Background

Denosumab is a major treatment option for patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, the evidence for its use is lacking. Therefore, in this 24-month retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of switching from minodronate (MIN) to denosumab in these patients.

Methods

Patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis either switched from MIN to denosumab (Group 1; n = 32) or continued MIN treatment (Group 2; n = 24). Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L2–L4) and femoral neck was assessed at baseline and every 6 months for 24 months. Serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and N-terminal telopeptide were measured at baseline, 12 months, and 24 months.

Results

Twenty-nine of the 32 patients (90.6%) in group 1 and all patients (24/24) in group 2 completed the 24-month follow-up. Switching from MIN to denosumab (Group 1) significantly increased lumbar BMD at 12, 18, and 24 months (6.1, 7.4, and 9.6%, respectively) and femoral neck BMD at 12, 18, and 24 months (2.8, 3.2, and 3.4%, respectively), whereas MIN continuous treatment (Group 2) showed no significant difference from baseline. Switching therapy also showed a significant decrease in serum BAP from baseline to 12 and 24 months (− 19.3 and − 26.5%, respectively) and serum NTX from baseline to 12 months (− 13.1%), whereas continuous MIN treatment failed to show any significant differences from baseline.

Conclusion

Switching from MIN to denosumab in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis showed clinical benefits with regard to BMD and bone turnover markers in comparison with continuous MIN treatment. It may therefore be a valid treatment option in the clinical setting.