bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potencial produtivo de frutos de pepino (Cucumis sativus L.) para conserva sob diferentes sistemas de condução
Authors: Prevital Everaldo , Gastaldi Ana Carolina Rumão , Novakoski Adeline dos Santos , Francisco João Paulo , Silva Rubens Adriano da , Lopes Ana Daniela
Published: January 2022

Com o objetivo de avaliar o potencial de produção de pepino para conserva, foi conduzido um experimento em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com três cultivares e dois manejos, adotando-se quatro repetições. As parcelas foram distribuídas em quatro linhas de plantio, via semeadura direta, com espaçamento de 1,50 m × 0,45 m entre plantas. Adotou-se dois manejos: manejo 1) sem desbrota e sem poda apical; manejo 2) com desbrota e com poda apical. Após 70 dias de plantio, avaliou-se massa fresca total de frutos por planta, número médio de frutos por planta e produtividade. Entre as cultivares, destacaram-se Marinda e Amour F1 para o manejo 1, com rendimentos de massa fresca total de 1762,75 g e 1026,71 g respectivamente, e 135,69 e 79,62 número médio de frutos por planta. No manejo 2, as cultivares Marinda e Eureka obtiveram melhor rendimento, sendo a massa fresca total 1966,94 g e 1605,31 g respectivamente, e 146,17 e 90,09 número médio de frutos por planta. A cultivar Marinda tanto para o manejo 1 quanto para o manejo 2 foi a que obteve a melhor produtividade. Entre as cultivares testadas, sugere-se o cultivo das cultivares Marinda e Eureka associada à poda e capação apical.
A queda capilar pode ser considerada uma das consequências da COVID-19?
Authors: Natário Juliana Amorim Alfaix , Oliveira Laís Regina , Queiroz Caio Caetano de , Paula Maria Vitória Maluf , Moreira Carla Beatriz Giopato , Menezes Laura Gualberto , Martin Maria Fernanda Okuyama , Guareschi Nikelly , Silva Fernanda Moreno da , Lima Diana Gonçalves
Published: January 2022

A COVID-19 é uma doença infecciosa causada pelo coronavírus SARS-CoV-2 e é capaz de afetar diferentes pessoas de diferentes formas. Apesar de seus sintomas e seus agentes causadores serem bem conhecidos, seus efeitos deletérios são ainda, considerados um mistério, tanto com relação às suas extensões, quanto com relação a sua duração. Um dos efeitos que têm chamado bastante a atenção dos cientistas é a queda capilar. O objetivo principal deste trabalho pauta-se em investigar e entender a relação entre a queda de cabelo e a COVID-19, bem como sobre os tratamentos mais adequados para tal. Para que o objetivo fosse atingido, uma revisão integrativa do tipo qualitativa e descritiva foi aplicada, considerando-se os termos de busca ("COVID-19" [DeCS]) OR (“coronavírus” [DeCS]) AND (“queda de cabelo” [DeCS]) na plataforma Publish or Perish. A pesquisa foi realizada no dia 08 de dezembro de 2021 e utilizou as bases: Google scholar, PubMed, e Lilacs. Embora não haja evidências científicas da relação direta entre a COVID-19 e a queda capilar, estudos demontram a existência de uma relação indireta. Sintomas da COVID-19 como por exemplo: febre e estresse (entre outras alterações psicossociais) são considerados potencializadores da queda, bem como as respostas aos medicamentos utilizados para a cura da COVID-19. Com relação ao tratamento, ainda que existam alguns estudos acerca de alguns medicamentos que apresentam-se mais efetivos que outros, o mais indicado é que se busque um especialista, para que o tratamento seja assertivo e individual.
North American rain-on-snow ablation climatology
Authors: Suriano ZJ
Published: January 2022

Rain-on-snow ablation events carry a relatively high risk for rapid snowmelt and runoff due to the combination of liquid precipitation and generally high turbulent fluxes into the snowpack. Determining the variability in rain-on-snow ablation is critical in describing local hydroclimate. This study uses a gridded observational snow dataset to examine spatiotemporal variations in North American rain-on-snow ablation over a 50 yr period. Here we show rain-on-snow ablation represents approximately 33% of all ablation events in the eastern third of the continent, compared to <20% in its interior. Rain-on-snow ablation was most frequent along the western and eastern coasts of the continent, with >10 events observed per year on average. A central band of enhanced event frequencies propagated meridionally during the calendar year, most prominently in the eastern half of the continent. Seasonal (September to August) event frequency from 1960-2009 significantly decreased by approximately 50% across much of northern Quebec and in the southern Appalachians, while it significantly increased in portions of British Columbia and southeastern Quebec. Interannual variations in event frequency were primarily forced by variations in seasonal-scale snowfall and snow depth, and only moderately associated with variations in air temperatures.
Faktor yang Mempengaruhi Kecanduan Gadget terhadap Perilaku Remaja
Authors: Pratiwi Rezky Graha , Malwa Rosyidah Umpu
Published: January 2022

This study aims to determine how big the influence of gadget addiction on the behavior of class VIII students at Mts Ma'Ariful Ulum Talang Keramat Banyuasin. The hypothesis proposed in this study is that there is an influence between gadget addiction on the behavior of class VIII students at Mts Ma'Ariful Ulum Talang Keramat Banyuasin. The population in this study was all students of class VIII as many as 110 students, the subjects of this study were 55 students and random sampling technique. Collecting data using addiction and behavior scales, data processing techniques using SPSS. The results of the regression analysis showed R square = 0.277, F = 20.286 and p = 0.000 (p <0.05) with N = 55 and an rtable of 0.266. This shows that addiction has an influence on behavior. Thus, the hypothesis of this study can be accepted that the contribution of addiction to behavior is 27.7%.
Strategi Penjualan Batako UKM Areta Agung Agung Dengan Marketing Mix Dan Produktivitas Parsial
Authors: Adi W Yoseph Tulus
Published: January 2022

Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) of Areta Agung is a brick-and-mortar SME in the city of Palembang. The purpose is to increase the productivity of brick sales. The results based on sales data Market Share as much as 24%. Before improving the strategy formulate external and internal factors. Externally using benchmarking data, namely the comparison of similar SME factors and internal results from brainstorming, namely data obtained from the results of SME of Areta Agung. In this study SWOT analysis is used to find out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats faced by SME. After that, the SWOT matrix generates an improvement strategy, which is then improved using the Marketing Mix (4P). Its implementation includes products, namely receiving services outside of operations. Price is the addition of price variations for shipping outside the city. Promotion, namely making online sales advertisements, sales promotions, publicity, personal selling. The place is to add a building depot subscription. The results obtained by Partial Productivity before preparation were 0.565.
Results of complex treatment of patients with operable pancreatic head cancer using preoperative intra-arterial chemotherapy in combination with radiation therapy in multifractionation mode
Authors: Sklyar D. A. , Pavlovsky A. V. , Polikarpov A. A. , Popov S. A. , Moiseenko V. E. , Meshechkin A. V. , Korytova L. I. , Granov D. A.
Published: January 2022

The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of treating patients with operable pancreatic cancer after preoperative intra-arterial infusion of chemotherapy combined with conformal radiation therapy in a multi-fractionation mode. Patients (n = 40) were randomized into two groups: the main one – intra-arterial infusion of chemotherapy + radiation therapy + surgery (n = 20), and control – intra-arterial infusion of chemotherapy + surgery (n = 20). Neoadjuvant therapy consisted of intra-arterial infusion of chemotherapy (chemoembolization of a pancreatic head tumor with oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2) followed by intra-arterial chemo infusion with gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2. In the main group, radiation therapy was also carried out in two fractions per day, 2 Gy with an interval of 4–6 hours, 5 days a week, up to a total dose of 50 Gy. In the main group, the lower incidence of postoperative pancreatitis and the pancreatic fistulas were statistically confirmed, the incidence of grade 2 therapeutic pathomorphisis increased, as well as the median life expectancy.
Surgical treatment as option in treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer after prior drug treatment
Authors: Khakimova Sh. G. , Khakimova G. G. , Khakimov G. A. , Sadullaev J. B.
Published: January 2022

Currently, there is no consensus on the place of prostatectomy in the complex treatment of patients with metastatic prostate cancer. A description of a clinical case of complex treatment and observation of a patient with prostate cancer with an unfavorable baseline prognosis and the presence of bone metastases with a good clinical result is presented.
On Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Dynamics With Inverse-Quadratic Power-Law Acceleration
Authors: Hill D. L. , Abarzhi S. I.
Published: January 2022

Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) and Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instabilities occur in many situations in Nature and technology from astrophysical to atomic scales, including stellar evolution, oceanic flows, plasma fusion, and scramjets. While RT and RM instabilities are sister phenomena, a link of RT-to-RM dynamics requires better understanding. This work focuses on the long-standing problem of RTI/RMI induced by accelerations, which vary as inverse-quadratic power-laws in time, and on RT/RM flows, which are three-dimensional, spatially extended and periodic in the plane normal to the acceleration direction. We apply group theory to obtain solutions for the early-time linear and late-time nonlinear dynamics of RT/RM coherent structure of bubbles and spikes, and investigate the dependence of the solutions on the acceleration’s parameters and initial conditions. We find that the dynamics is of RT type for strong accelerations and is of RM type for weak accelerations, and identify the effects of the acceleration’s strength and the fluid density ratio on RT-to-RM transition. While for given problem parameters the early-time dynamics is uniquely defined, the solutions for the late-time dynamics form a continuous family parameterised by the interfacial shear and include special solutions for RT/RM bubbles/spikes. Our theory achieves good agreement with available observations. We elaborate benchmarks that can be used in future research and in design of experiments and simulations, and that can serve for better understanding of RT/RM relevant processes in Nature and technology.
3D-Printed Cold Preservation Device in Renal Autotransplantation for the Treatment of a Patient With Renal Artery Stenosis
Authors: Cui Dong , Wu Bin , He Dali , Wang Yanen , Jiao Yong , Zhang Bo
Published: January 2022

Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTRA) is a common treatment method for renal vascular disease (RVD). However, PTRA may not be effective in patients with abnormal vascular disease. Renal autotransplantation (RAT) has been used as an alternative therapy for these diseases. Restrictions due to intracorporeal kidney cold preservation and the renal function of intracorporeal RAT were not as well protected compared with open operation. We developed this technique of 3D-printed polylactide (PLA) cold jackets for laparoscopic complete intracorporeal RAT for the purpose of better protecting the renal function and determining the feasibility of this novel procedure. The procedure was successfully applied to a 51-year-old woman with bilateral renal artery stenosis. The operation time was 5 hours, and blood loss was 200 ml. The patient’s blood pressure remained constant throughout the operation, and the pressure was maintained at 120-140/70–90 mmHg without antihypertensive drugs 1 week after the operation. B-ultrasound showed that the blood flow signal of the transplanted kidney was normal and the boundary between the skin and medulla was clear. The patient was discharged 2 weeks after surgery. One year postoperatively, Doppler ultrasound of the autotransplant showed that the transplanted kidney was normal in size and shape. Radionuclide renal dynamic imaging revealed that the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of the transplanted kidney was 36.9 ml/min. 3D-printed polylactide (PLA) cold jackets for laparoscopic complete intracorporeal RAT are a safe and effective method for the treatment of renal artery stenosis and represent a feasible method for preserving the renal function of severe renal artery stenosis patients; however, the technology is still at the exploratory stage and has room for further improvements.
The Danaid Theory of Aging
Authors: Wensink Maarten J. , Cohen Alan A.
Published: January 2022

The classical evolutionary theories of aging suggest that aging evolves due to insufficient selective pressure against it. In these theories, declining selection pressure with age leads to aging through genes or resource allocations, implying that aging could potentially be stalled were genes, resource allocation, or selection pressure somewhat different. While these classical evolutionary theories are undeniably part of a description of the evolution of aging, they do not explain the diversity of aging patterns, and they do not constitute the only possible evolutionary explanation. Without denying selection pressure a role in the evolution of aging, we argue that the origin and diversity of aging should also be sought in the nature and evolution of organisms that are, from their very physiological make up, unmaintainable. Drawing on advances in developmental biology, genetics, biochemistry, and complex systems theory since the classical theories emerged, we propose a fresh evolutionary-mechanistic theory of aging, the Danaid theory. We argue that, in complex forms of life like humans, various restrictions on maintenance and repair may be inherent, and we show how such restrictions are laid out during development. We further argue that there is systematic variation in these constraints across taxa, and that this is a crucial factor determining variation in aging and lifespan across the tree of life. Accordingly, the core challenge for the field going forward is to map and understand the mosaic of constraints, trade-offs, chance events, and selective pressures that shape aging in diverse ways across diverse taxa.
The Role of m6A RNA Methylation-Related lncRNAs in the Prognosis and Tumor Immune Microenvironment of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Wenlong , Shen Cong , Zhao Yunzhe , Sun Botao , Qiu Xiangyuan , Yin Shujuan , Chen Jiaxin , Li Xinying
Published: January 2022

Emerging evidence has indicated that N6-methylandenosine (m6A) RNA methylation plays a critical role in cancer development. However, the function of m6A RNA methylation-related long noncoding RNAs (m6A-lncRNAs) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has never been reported. This study aimed to investigate the role of m6A-lncRNAs in the prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME) of PTC. Three subgroups (clusters 1, 2, and 3) were identified by consensus clustering of 19 prognosis-related m6A-lncRNA regulators, of which cluster 1 is preferentially related to unfavorable prognosis, lower immune scores, and distinct immune infiltrate level. A risk-score model was established based on 8 prognosis-related m6A-lncRNAs. Patients with a high-risk score showed a worse prognosis, and the ROC indicated a reliable prediction performance for patients with PTC (AUC = 0.802). As expected, the immune scores, the infiltration levels of immune cells, and ESTIMATE scores in the low-risk subgroups were notably higher (p < 0.001) when compared with those in high-risk subgroups. Furthermore, GSEA analysis revealed that tumor associated pathways, hallmarks, and biological processes were remarkably enriched in the high-risk subgroup. Further analysis indicated that the risk score and age were independent prognostic factors for PTC. An integrated nomogram was constructed that accurately predicted the survival status (AUC = 0.963). Moreover, a lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulated network was established based on seven prognosis-related m6A-lncRNAs. In addition, 30 clinical samples and different PTC cells were validated. This is the first study to reveal that m6A-lncRNAs plays a vital role in the prognosis and TME of PTC. To a certain degree, m6A-lncRNAs can be considered as new, promising prognostic biomarkers and treatment targets.
Folic Acid Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Osteoporosis Through the AMPK Signaling Pathway
Authors: He Haiting , Zhang Yaxi , Sun Yue , Zhang Yanwei , Xu Jingjing , Yang Yuzhen , Chen Jihua
Published: January 2022

Objective: Obesity caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) will expand adipose tissue and cause chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, leading to osteoporosis. Folic acid (FA) is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an essential role in regulating blood lipids and antioxidants. However, the effects and underlying mechanisms of FA in osteoporosis induced by an HFD remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of FA on bone health by using HFD-induced osteoporosis mice.

Materials and Methods: Mice were fed a normal diet, HFD or an HFD supplemented with FA (20 μg/ml in drinking water) for 16 weeks. Throughout the 16 weeks study period, the rats were weighed once every week. GTT, ITT and lipid indexes were detected to evaluate the effects of FA on lipid metabolism in the HFD-fed mice. Morphological and structural changes of the femur and tibial bone were observed using micro-CT, HE staining and bone conversion parameters. The expression of MDA, SOD and inflammatory factors were detected to evaluate the effects of FA on oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the HFD-fed mice. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot (WB) were used to investigate the AMPK signaling pathway.

Results: After the intervention of FA, the body fat rate of obese mice was reduced, and related metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and systemic inflammation were alleviated. In correlation with those modifications, FA attenuated bone loss and improved bone microarchitecture, accompanied the number of osteoclasts and adipocytes decreased. Furthermore, FA promoted the phosphorylation of AMPK, thereby promoting the expression of Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1), nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2) and antioxidant enzymes.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that FA may modulate lipid metabolism and oxidative stress responses activating the AMPK signaling pathway, thereby alleviating HFD-induced osteoporosis. The results from our study provide experimental evidence to prevent HFD-induced osteoporosis.
Clinical Performance of the Xpert® CT/NG Test for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: A Multicenter Evaluation in Chinese Urban Hospitals
Authors: Han Yan , Shi Mei-Qin , Jiang Qing-Ping , Le Wen-Jing , Qin Xiao-Lin , Xiong Han-Zhen , Zheng He-Ping , Tenover Fred C. , Tang Yi-Wei , Yin Yue-Ping
Published: January 2022

Background

We aimed to evaluate the clinical performance of the GeneXpert® (Xpert) CT/NG assay for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) using urine and cervical swabs collected from patients in China.

Methods

This study was conducted from September 2016 to September 2018 in three Chinese urban hospitals. The results from the Xpert CT/NG test were compared to those from the Roche cobas® 4800 CT/NG test. Discordant results were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.

Results

In this study, 619 first void urine (FVU) specimens and 1,042 cervical swab specimens were included in the final dataset. There were no statistical differences between the results of the two tests for the detection of CT/NG in urine samples (p > 0.05), while a statistical difference was found in cervical swabs (p < 0.05). For CT detection, the sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert test were 100.0% (95%CI = 96.8–99.9) and 98.3% (95%CI = 96.6–99.2) for urine samples and 99.4% (95%CI = 96.5–100.0) and 98.6% (95%CI 97.5–99.2) for cervical swabs, respectively. For NG detection, the sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert test were 99.2% (95%CI = 94.9–100.0) and 100.0% (95%CI = 99.0–100.0) for urine and 100% (95%CI = 92.8–100.0) and 99.7% (95%CI = 99.0–99.9) for cervical swabs, respectively.

Conclusion

The Xpert CT/NG test exhibited high sensitivity and specificity in the detection of CT and NG in both urine and cervical samples when compared to the reference results. The 90-min turnaround time for CT and NG detection at the point of care using Xpert may enable patients to receive treatment promptly.
Occurrence of NDM-1, VIM-1, and OXA-10 Co-Producing Providencia rettgeri Clinical Isolate in China
Authors: Shen Siquan , Huang Xiangning , Shi Qingyu , Guo Yan , Yang Yang , Yin Dandan , Zhou Xun , Ding Li , Han Renru , Yu Hua , Hu Fupin
Published: January 2022

Providencia rettgeri is a nosocomial pathogen associated with urinary tract infections related to hospital-acquired Infections. In recent years, P. rettgeri clinical strains producing New Delhi Metallo-β-lactamase (NDM) and other β-lactamase which reduce the efficiency of antimicrobial therapy have been reported. However, there are few reports of P. rettgeri co-producing two metallo-β-lactamases in one isolate. Here, we first reported a P. rettgeri strain (P138) co-harboring blaNDM-1, blaVIM-1, and blaOXA-10. The specie were identified using MALDI-TOF MS. The results of antimicrobial susceptibility testing by broth microdilution method indicated that P. rettgeri P138 was resistant to meropenem (MIC = 64μg/ml), imipenem (MIC = 64μg/ml), and aztreonam (MIC = 32μg/ml). Conjugation experiments revealed that the blaNDM-1-carrying plasmid was transferrable. The carbapenemase genes were detected using PCR and confirmed by PCR-based sequencing. The complete genomic sequence of the P. rettgeri was identified using Illumina (Illumina, San Diego, CA, USA) short-read sequencing (150bp paired-end reads), and many common resistance genes had been identified, including blaNDM-1, blaVIM-1, blaOXA-10, aac(6’)-Il, aadA5, ant(2’’)-Ia, aadA1, aac(6’)-Ib3, aadA1, aph(3’)-Ia, aac(6’)-Ib-cr, qnrD1, qnrA1, and catA2. The blaNDM-1 gene was characterized by the following structure: IS110–TnpA–IntI1–aadB–IS91–GroEL–GroES–DsbD–PAI–ble–blaNDM-1–IS91–QnrS1–IS110. Blast comparison revealed that the blaNDM-1 gene structure shared >99% similarity with plasmid p5_SCLZS62 (99% nucleotide identity and query coverage). In summary, we isolated a P. rettgeri strain coproducing blaNDM-1, blaVIM-1, and blaOXA-10. To the best of our acknowledge, this was first reported in the world. The occurrence of the strain needs to be closely monitored.
Integrated miRNA and mRNA Expression Profiles Reveal Differentially Expressed miR-222a as an Antiviral Factor Against Duck Hepatitis A Virus Type 1 Infection
Authors: Sui Nana , Zhang Ruihua , Jiang Yue , Yu Honglei , Xu Guige , Wang Jingyu , Zhu Yanli , Xie Zhijing , Hu Jiaqing , Jiang Shijin
Published: January 2022

Duck hepatitis A virus 1 (DHAV-1) is a highly contagious etiological agent that causes acute hepatitis in young ducklings. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in response to pathogens. However, the interplay between DHAV-1 infection and miRNAs remains ambiguous. We characterized and compared miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in duck embryo fibroblasts cells (DEFs) infected with DHAV-1. In total, 36 and 96 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs, and 4110 and 2595 DE mRNAs, were identified at 12 and 24 h after infection. In particular, 126 and 275 miRNA–mRNA pairs with a negative correlation were chosen to construct an interaction network. Subsequently, we identified the functional annotation of DE mRNAs and target genes of DE miRNAs enriched in diverse Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, which may be important for virus resistance, cell proliferation, and metabolism. Moreover, upregulated miR-222a could negatively regulate DHAV-1 replication in DEFs and downregulate integrin subunit beta 3 (ITGB3) expression by targeting the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), indicating that miR-222a may modulate DHAV-1 replication via interaction with ITGB3. In conclusion, the results reveal changes of mRNAs and miRNAs during DHAV-1 infection and suggest miR-222a as an antiviral factor against DHAV-1.
A Universal Screening Tool for Dyslexia by a Web-Game and Machine Learning
Authors: Rauschenberger Maria , Baeza-Yates Ricardo , Rello Luz
Published: January 2022

Children with dyslexia have difficulties learning how to read and write. They are often diagnosed after they fail school even if dyslexia is not related to general intelligence. Early screening of dyslexia can prevent the negative side effects of late detection and enables early intervention. In this context, we present an approach for universal screening of dyslexia using machine learning models with data gathered from a web-based language-independent game. We designed the game content taking into consideration the analysis of mistakes of people with dyslexia in different languages and other parameters related to dyslexia like auditory perception as well as visual perception. We did a user study with 313 children (116 with dyslexia) and train predictive machine learning models with the collected data. Our method yields an accuracy of 0.74 for German and 0.69 for Spanish as well as a F1-score of 0.75 for German and 0.75 for Spanish, using Random Forests and Extra Trees, respectively. We also present the game content design, potential new auditory input, and knowledge about the design approach for future research to explore Universal screening of dyslexia. universal screening with language-independent content can be used for the screening of pre-readers who do not have any language skills, facilitating a potential early intervention.
Prognosis Between ST-Elevation and Non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction in Older Adult Patients
Authors: Chang Shih-Sheng , Lu Chiung-Ray , Chen Ke-Wei , Kuo Zhe-Wei , Yu Shao-Hua , Lin Shih-Yi , Shi Hong-Mo , Yip Hei-Tung , Kao Chia-Hung
Published: January 2022

Background: Whether there is a difference in prognosis between elderly patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains mysterious.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study by analyzing the data in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) in Taiwan to explore differences between STEMI and NSTEMI with respect to in-hospital and long-term (3-year) outcomes among older adult patients (aged ≥65 years). Patients were further stratified based on whether they received coronary revascularization.

Results: In total, 5,902 patients aged ≥65 years with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who underwent revascularization (2,254) or medical therapy alone (3,648) were included. In the revascularized group, no difference was observed in cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality during hospitalization or at 3-year follow-up between the two AMIs. Conversely, in the non-revascularized group, patients with NSTEMI had higher crude odds ratio (cOR) for all-cause death during hospitalization [cOR: 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07–1.65] and at 3-year follow-up (cOR: 1.47, 95% CI = 1.21–1.91) relative to patients with STEMI. However, after multivariable adjustments, only NSTEMI indicated fewer in-hospital CV death [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.75, 95% CI = 0.58–0.98] than STEMI in non-revascularized group. Moreover, major bleeding was not different between patients with STEMI or NSTEMI aged ≥65 years old.

Conclusion: Classification of AMI is not associated with the difference of in-hospital or 3-year CV and all-cause death in older adult patients received revascularization. In a 3-year follow-up period, STEMI was an independent predictor of a higher incidence of revascularization after the index event. Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction had more incidence of MACE than patients with STEMI did in both treatment groups.
Favorable Cardiovascular Health Is Associated With Lower Hepatocyte Growth Factor Levels in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Authors: Osibogun Olatokunbo , Ogunmoroti Oluseye , Ferraro Richard A. , Ndumele Chiadi E. , Burke Gregory L. , Larson Nicholas B. , Bielinski Suzette J. , Michos Erin D.
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine released in response to endothelial injury and a potential biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. We examined the association between cardiovascular health (CVH) and HGF in a multi-ethnic cohort of adults free from CVD at baseline.

Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021 used MESA baseline examination data (2000–2002) from 6,490 US adults aged 45–84 years. The independent variable was CVH measured by the CVH score and number of ideal metrics. The score was derived from seven metrics: smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, total cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose. Each metric was scored 0 points (poor), 1 point (intermediate) and 2 points (ideal). The total CVH score ranged from 0 to 14. An inadequate score was 0–8, average, 9–10 and optimal, 11–14. The dependent variable was logarithmically transformed HGF. We used regression analyses to estimate associations between CVH and HGF adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Results: Participants' mean (SD) age was 62 (10) years. Fifty-three percent were female. A one-unit increment in the CVH score was significantly associated with 3% lower HGF levels. Average and optimal CVH scores were significantly associated with 8% and 12% lower HGF levels, respectively, compared to inadequate scores. Additionally, a greater number of ideal metrics was associated with lower HGF levels.

Conclusion: Favorable CVH was significantly associated with lower HGF levels in this ethnically diverse cohort. Interventions aimed at promoting and preserving favorable CVH may reduce the risk of endothelial injury as indicated by lower serum HGF levels.
Arrhythmia Patterns in Patients on Ibrutinib
Authors: Fazal Muhammad , Kapoor Ridhima , Cheng Paul , Rogers Albert J. , Narayan Sanjiv M. , Wang Paul , Witteles Ronald M. , Perino Alexander C. , Baykaner Tina , Rhee June-Wha
Published: January 2022

Introduction: Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used primarily in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, has been associated with increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), with limited data on its association with other tachyarrhythmias. There are limited reports that comprehensively analyze atrial and ventricular arrhythmia (VA) burden in patients on ibrutinib. We hypothesized that long-term event monitors could reveal a high burden of atrial and VAs in patients on ibrutinib.

Methods: A retrospective data analysis at a single center using electronic medical records database search tools and individual chart review was conducted to identify consecutive patients who had event monitors while on ibrutinib therapy.

Results: Seventy-two patients were included in the analysis with a mean age of 76.9 ± 9.9 years and 13 patients (18%) had a diagnosis of AF prior to the ibrutinib therapy. During ibrutinib therapy, most common arrhythmias documented were non-AF supraventricular tachycardia (n = 32, 44.4%), AF (n = 32, 44%), and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (n = 31, 43%). Thirteen (18%) patients had >1% premature atrial contraction burden; 16 (22.2%) patients had >1% premature ventricular contraction burden. In 25% of the patients, ibrutinib was held because of arrhythmias. Overall 8.3% of patients were started on antiarrhythmic drugs during ibrutinib therapy to manage these arrhythmias.

Conclusions: In this large dataset of ambulatory cardiac monitors on patients treated with ibrutinib, we report a high prevalence of atrial and VAs, with a high incidence of treatment interruption secondary to arrhythmias and related symptoms. Further research is warranted to optimize strategies to diagnose, monitor, and manage ibrutinib-related arrhythmias.
Effect of Coronary Calcification Severity on Measurements and Diagnostic Performance of CT-FFR With Computational Fluid Dynamics: Results From CT-FFR CHINA Trial
Authors: Zhao Na , Gao Yang , Xu Bo , Yang Weixian , Song Lei , Jiang Tao , Xu Li , Hu Hongjie , Li Lin , Chen Wenqiang , Li Dumin , Zhang Feng , Fan Lijuan , Lu Bin
Published: January 2022

Aims: To explore the effect of coronary calcification severity on the measurements and diagnostic performance of computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR; CT-FFR).

Methods: This study included 305 patients (348 target vessels) with evaluable coronary calcification (CAC) scores from CT-FFR CHINA clinical trial. The enrolled patients all received coronary CT angiography (CCTA), CT-FFR, and invasive FFR examinations within 7 days. On both per-patient and per-vessel levels, the measured values, accuracy, and diagnostic performance of CT-FFR in identifying hemodynamically significant lesions were analyzed in all CAC score groups (CAC = 0, > 0 to <100, ≥ 100 to <400, and ≥ 400), with FFR as reference standard.

Results: In total, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, accuracy, and area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of CT-FFR were 85.8, 88.7, 86.9, 87.8, 87.1%, 0.90 on a per-patient level and 88.3, 89.3, 89.5, 88.2, 88.9%, 0.88 on a per-vessel level, respectively. Absolute difference of CT-FFR and FFR values tended to elevate with increased CAC scores (CAC = 0: 0.09 ± 0.10; CAC > 0 to <100: 0.06 ± 0.06; CAC ≥ 100 to <400: 0.09 ± 0.10; CAC ≥ 400: 0.11 ± 0.13; p = 0.246). However, no statistically significant difference was found in patient-based and vessel-based diagnostic performance of CT-FFR among all CAC score groups.

Conclusion: This prospective multicenter trial supported CT-FFR as a viable tool in assessing coronary calcified lesions. Although large deviation of CT-FFR has a tendency to correlate with severe calcification, coronary calcification has no significant influence on CT-FFR diagnostic performance using the widely-recognized cut-off value of 0.8.
CovNet: A Transfer Learning Framework for Automatic COVID-19 Detection From Crowd-Sourced Cough Sounds
Authors: Chang Yi , Jing Xin , Ren Zhao , Schuller Björn W.
Published: January 2022

Since the COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, developing a digital diagnostic tool to detect COVID-19 from respiratory sounds with computer audition has become an essential topic due to its advantages of being swift, low-cost, and eco-friendly. However, prior studies mainly focused on small-scale COVID-19 datasets. To build a robust model, the large-scale multi-sound FluSense dataset is utilised to help detect COVID-19 from cough sounds in this study. Due to the gap between FluSense and the COVID-19-related datasets consisting of cough only, the transfer learning framework (namely CovNet) is proposed and applied rather than simply augmenting the training data with FluSense. The CovNet contains (i) a parameter transferring strategy and (ii) an embedding incorporation strategy. Specifically, to validate the CovNet's effectiveness, it is used to transfer knowledge from FluSense to COUGHVID, a large-scale cough sound database of COVID-19 negative and COVID-19 positive individuals. The trained model on FluSense and COUGHVID is further applied under the CovNet to another two small-scale cough datasets for COVID-19 detection, the COVID-19 cough sub-challenge (CCS) database in the INTERSPEECH Computational Paralinguistics challengE (ComParE) challenge and the DiCOVA Track-1 database. By training four simple convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in the transfer learning framework, our approach achieves an absolute improvement of 3.57% over the baseline of DiCOVA Track-1 validation of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC) and an absolute improvement of 1.73% over the baseline of ComParE CCS test unweighted average recall (UAR).
Rainfall Infiltration Process of a Rock Slope with Considering the Heterogeneity of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity
Authors: Zhang Qingqing , Wang Laigui , Zhang Huabin
Published: January 2022

In order to analyze the effects of rainfall events on the stability of an open-pit rock slope, with considering the spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity, based on the unsaturated seepage theory and the random filed theory, modified functions of the unit saturation, the hydraulic conductivity (k), and the shear strength parameters are established for unsaturated slope, by using FISH and the non-intrusive stochastic method. A saturated-unsaturated seepage random field model is proposed. And then the impacts of the rainfall intensity, the rainfall duration, and the spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity (ks) on the infiltration process and stability of the unsaturated rock slope are analyzed. The results show that the proposed model can estimate rainfall infiltration of rock slope accurately. Rainfall mainly affects the seepage field in the shallow layer of the slope, where a transient saturated zone can be formed. With the development of the rainfall duration, the weight of the rock mass increased, the matric suction reduced, the negative pore pressure, the degree of saturation, and the infiltration depth of the rock slope increased, and the water in the slope root connects with the initial water table gradually, the unsaturated zone shrinks, which causes the safety factor of the model decreases, but the trend of change slows down gradually. As the rainfall intensity strengthened, the infiltration depth increased and the safety factor of the slope reduced, while the changing rate increases first and then decreases. Increasing the correlation length of k can reduces the infiltration depth and safety factor of the slope. Increasing the variation coefficient of k will increase the infiltration depth, while the safety factor of the slope decreases. The infiltration depth and safety factor of the slope are most affected by rainfall duration, but its sensitivity to the variability coefficient of k will be strengthened when the rainfall intensity exceeds the infiltration capacity. This conclusion can provide reference significance for the risk estimation of slope geological hazards, which are induced by the rainfall infiltration.
Baf45a Mediated Chromatin Remodeling Promotes Transcriptional Activation for Osteogenesis and Odontogenesis
Authors: Busby Theodore , Chen Yuechuan , Godfrey Tanner C. , Rehan Mohammad , Wildman Benjamin J. , Smith Caris M. , Hassan Quamarul
Published: January 2022

Chromatin remodeling, specifically the tissue-specific regulation in mineralized tissues, is an understudied avenue of gene regulation. Here we show that Baf45a and Baf45d, two Baf45 homologs belong to ATPase-dependent SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, preferentially expressed in osteoblasts and odontoblasts compared to Baf45b and Baf45c. Recently, biochemical studies revealed that BAF45A associates with Polybromo-associated BAF (PBAF) complex. However, the BAF45D subunit belongs to the polymorphic canonical BRG1-associated factor (cBAF) complex. Protein profiles of osteoblast and odontoblast differentiation uncovered a significant increase of BAF45A and PBAF subunits during early osteoblast and odontoblast maturation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) during the bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) differentiation showed higher histone H3K9 and H3K27 acetylation modifications in the promoter of Baf45a and Baf45d and increased binding of bone and tooth specific transcription factor RUNX2. Overexpression of Baf45a in osteoblasts activates genes essential for the progression of osteoblast maturation and mineralization. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated knockdown of Baf45a in odontoblasts leads to markedly altered genes responsible for the proliferation, apoptosis, DNA repair, and modest decrease in dentinogenic marker gene expression. Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) assay in Baf45a knockout osteoblasts revealed a noticeable reduction in chromatin accessibility of osteoblast and odontoblast specific genes, along with transcription factor Atf4 and Klf4. Craniofacial mesenchyme-specific loss of Baf45a modestly reduced the mineralization of the tooth and mandibular bone. These findings indicated that BAF45A-dependent mineralized tissue-specific chromatin remodeling through PBAF-RUNX2 crosstalk results in transcriptional activation is critical for early differentiation and matrix maturation of mineralized tissues.
Electroacupuncture Stimulation Regulates Adipose Lipolysis via Catecholamine Signaling Mediated by NLRP3 Suppression in Obese Rats
Authors: Lu Mengjiang , Yu Ziwei , Li Qian , Gong Meirong , An Li , Xu Tiancheng , Yuan Mengqian , Liang Chao , Yu Zhi , Xu Bin
Published: January 2022

Chronic low-grade inflammation of visceral adipose tissue can cause obesity-associated insulin resistance, leading to metabolic syndrome. However, anti-inflammatory drugs and those for obesity management can lead to serious side effects such as abnormal heart rate and blood pressure. Consequently, this study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of electroacupuncture stimulation (ES) for obesity and associated chronic inflammation. Sprague-Dawley male rats were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for ten weeks to build an obesity model, and half of the diet-induced obesity (DIO) rats were received ES. The levels of inflammatory factors were detected by ELISA and qPCR analysis. The nerve-associated macrophages were marked with immunofluorescence staining. The molecular mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in ES was determined by the NLRP3 inflammasome activation model. Compared to HDF rats, ES showed decreased body weight and chronic inflammatory damage. Specifically, this occurred via a decrease in monoamine oxidase-A (MAOA) expression, which suppressed noradrenaline degradation. MAOA is expressed in nerve-associated macrophages (NAMs), and ES attenuated NAMs by suppressing the NLRP3 inflammasome. The NLRP3 agonist blocked the noradrenaline degradation-reducing effect of ES, and an increase in lipolysis via the inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome attenuated NAMs. Thus, our findings suggest that ES induced lipolysis via activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in nerve-associated macrophages (NAMs), independently of sympathetic nervous system activity.
qPCR Analysis Reveals Association of Differential Expression of SRR, NFKB1, and PDE4B Genes With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Raza Waseem , Guo Jinlei , Qadir Muhammad Imran , Bai Baogang , Muhammad Syed Aun
Published: January 2022

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a heterogeneous, metabolic, and chronic condition affecting vast numbers of the world’s population. The related variables and T2DM associations have not been fully understood due to their diverse nature. However, functional genomics can facilitate understanding of the disease. This information will be useful in drug design, advanced diagnostic, and prognostic markers.

Aim

To understand the genetic causes of T2DM, this study was designed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the disease.

Methods

We investigated 20 publicly available disease-specific cDNA datasets from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) containing several attributes including gene symbols and clone identifiers, GenBank accession numbers, and phenotypic feature coordinates. We analyzed an integrated system-level framework involving Gene Ontology (GO), protein motifs and co-expression analysis, pathway enrichment, and transcriptional factors to reveal the biological information of genes. A co-expression network was studied to highlight the genes that showed a coordinated expression pattern across a group of samples. The DEGs were validated by quantitative PCR (qPCR) to analyze the expression levels of case and control samples (50 each) using glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as the reference gene.

Results

From the list of 50 DEGs, we ranked three T2DM-related genes (p < 0.05): SRR, NFKB1, and PDE4B. The enriched terms revealed a significant functional role in amino acid metabolism, signal transduction, transmembrane and intracellular transport, and other vital biological functions. DMBX1, TAL1, ZFP161, NFIC (66.7%), and NR1H4 (33.3%) are transcriptional factors associated with the regulatory mechanism. We found substantial enrichment of insulin signaling and other T2DM-related pathways, such as valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis, serine and threonine metabolism, adipocytokine signaling pathway, P13K/Akt pathway, and Hedgehog signaling pathway. The expression profiles of these DEGs verified by qPCR showed a substantial level of twofold change (FC) expression (2−ΔΔCT) in the genes SRR (FC ≤ 0.12), NFKB1 (FC ≤ 1.09), and PDE4B (FC ≤ 0.9) compared to controls (FC ≥ 1.6). The downregulated expression of these genes is associated with pathophysiological development and metabolic disorders.

Conclusion

This study would help to modulate the therapeutic strategies for T2DM and could speed up drug discovery outcomes.
Association Between Serum Furin and Fasting Glucose: A Cross-Sectional Study in Chinese Adults
Authors: He Yan , Zhu Hanyun , Zhang Min , Li Jing , Ma Shengqi , Lu Yin , Chen Linan , Zhang Mingzhi , Peng Hao
Published: January 2022

Background

Furin has been associated with glucose metabolic phenotypes in small sampled clinical studies. However, this association has not yet been studied in Chinese. Here, we aimed to examine the association between serum furin and fasting glucose in Chinese adults.

Methods

Serum furin and fasting plasma glucose were assayed for 2,172 participants (mean aged 53 years, 38% men) in the Gusu cohort. A median regression model was applied to examine the association between serum furin and fasting glucose, adjusting for age, sex, education level, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, obesity, blood pressure, and lipids. To facilitate data interpretation, the association between serum furin and prevalent diabetes was also examined.

Results

Serum furin was negatively associated with fasting glucose (β=-0.18, P<0.001 for log-furin). In participants with diabetes, serum furin was significantly lower than those with normal glucose (median: 0.90 ng/mL vs. 1.05 ng/mL, P=0.001). Compared with participants in the highest quartile of serum furin, those in the lowest quartile had 42% and 80% increased risk of prevalent prediabetes (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.05-1.92, P=0.023) and diabetes (OR=1.80, 95%CI: 1.13-2.91, P=0.015), respectively.

Conclusions

Serum furin was negatively associated with prediabetes and diabetes in Chinese adults. Our findings suggest that serum furin may be a risk factor or a biomarker of diabetes.