bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Insoluble Dietary Fiber from Soybean Residue (Okara) Exerts Anti-Obesity Effects by Promoting Hepatic Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation
Authors: Zhang Jiarui , Wang Sainan , Wang Junyao , Liu Wenhao , Gong Hao , Zhang Zhao , Lyu Bo , Yu Hansong
Published: May 2023

Numerous investigations have shown that insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) has a potentially positive effect on obesity due to a high-fat diet (HFD). Our previous findings based on proteomic data revealed that high-purity IDF from soybean residue (okara) (HPSIDF) prevented obesity by regulating hepatic fatty acid synthesis and degradation pathways, while its intervention mechanism is uncharted. Consequently, the goal of this work is to find out the potential regulatory mechanisms of HPSIDF on hepatic fatty acid oxidation by determining changes in fatty acid oxidation-related enzymes in mitochondria and peroxisomes, the production of oxidation intermediates and final products, the composition and content of fatty acids, and the expression levels of fatty acid oxidation-related proteins in mice fed with HFD. We found that supplementation with HPSIDF significantly ameliorated body weight gain, fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis caused by HFD. Importantly, HPSIDF intervention promotes medium- and long-chain fatty acid oxidation in hepatic mitochondria by improving the contents of acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (ACOX1), malonyl coenzyme A (Malonyl CoA), acetyl coenzyme A synthase (ACS), acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1). Moreover, HPSIDF effectively regulated the expression levels of proteins involved with hepatic fatty acid β-oxidation. Our study indicated that HPSIDF treatment prevents obesity by promoting hepatic mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation.
Evolutionary Adaptation of Genes Involved in Galactose Derivatives Metabolism in Oil-Tea Specialized Andrena Species
Authors: Lin Gonghua , Huang Zuhao , He Bo , Jiang Kai , Su Tianjuan , Zhao Fang
Published: May 2023

Oil-tea (Camellia oleifera) is a woody oil crop whose nectar includes galactose derivatives that are toxic to honey bees. Interestingly, some mining bees of the genus Andrena can entirely live on the nectar (and pollen) of oil-tea and are able to metabolize these galactose derivatives. We present the first next-generation genomes for five and one Andrena species that are, respectively, specialized and non-specialized oil-tea pollinators and, combining these with the published genomes of six other Andrena species which did not visit oil-tea, we performed molecular evolution analyses on the genes involved in the metabolizing of galactose derivatives. The six genes (NAGA, NAGA-like, galM, galK, galT, and galE) involved in galactose derivatives metabolism were identified in the five oil-tea specialized species, but only five (with the exception of NAGA-like) were discovered in the other Andrena species. Molecular evolution analyses revealed that NAGA-like, galK, and galT in oil-tea specialized species appeared under positive selection. RNASeq analyses showed that NAGA-like, galK, and galT were significantly up-regulated in the specialized pollinator Andrena camellia compared to the non-specialized pollinator Andrena chekiangensis. Our study demonstrated that the genes NAGA-like, galK, and galT have played an important role in the evolutionary adaptation of the oil-tea specialized Andrena species.
Accuracy of Eye and Hair Color Prediction in Mexican Mestizos from Monterrey City Based on ForenSeqTM DNA Signature Prep
Authors: Aguilar-Velázquez José Alonso , Llamas-de-Dios Blanca Jeannete , Córdova-Mercado Miranda Fabiola , Coronado-Ávila Carolina Elena , Salas-Salas Orlando , López-Quintero Andrés , Ramos-González Benito , Rangel-Villalobos Héctor
Published: May 2023

Forensic genomic systems allow simultaneously analyzing identity informative (iiSNPs), ancestry informative (aiSNPs), and phenotype informative (piSNPs) genetic markers. Among these kits, the ForenSeq DNA Signature prep (Verogen) analyzes identity STRs and SNPs as well as 24 piSNPs from the HIrisPlex system to predict the hair and eye color. We report herein these 24 piSNPs in 88 samples from Monterrey City (Northeast, Mexico) based on the ForenSeq DNA Signature prep. Phenotypes were predicted by genotype results with both Universal Analysis Software (UAS) and the web tool of the Erasmus Medical Center (EMC). We observed predominantly brown eyes (96.5%) and black hair (75%) phenotypes, whereas blue eyes, and blond and red hair were not observed. Both UAS and EMC showed high performance in eye color prediction (p ≥ 96.6%), but a lower accuracy was observed for hair color prediction. Overall, UAS hair color predictions showed better performance and robustness than those obtained with the EMC web tool (when hair shade is excluded). Although we employed a threshold (p > 70%), we suggest using the EMC enhanced approach to avoid the exclusion of a high number of samples. Finally, although our results are helpful to employ these genomic tools to predict eye color, caution is suggested for hair color prediction in Latin American (admixed) populations such as those studied herein, principally when no black color is predicted.
Sleep Quality in Women with Premenstrual Syndrome Is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome-Related Variables
Authors: Chun Hyejin , Doo Miae
Published: May 2023

In this study, we examined whether metabolic syndrome (MetS)-related variables are simultaneously affected by sleep quality, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dietary consumption. In this cross-sectional study, data for 307 premenopausal women were available. The results showed that women experiencing PMS had significantly lower sleep quality and were more depressed and anxious (p < 0.001 for all). After the subjects were divided into groups according to PMS, the effect of sleep quality on MetS-related variables or MetS components significantly differed; only among women who experienced PMS were poor sleepers significantly higher in waist circumference (p = 0.018) and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.012) than good sleepers. Among the MetS components, abdominal obesity in women with poor sleep quality was approximately three (16.9% vs. 3.0%, p= 0.020) times more common than in those with good sleep quality. However, these findings were not observed among those who did not experience PMS. Poor sleepers among women experiencing PMS consumed 2.8 times more alcoholic drinks than good sleepers (p = 0.006). The MetS-related variables in Korean women experiencing PMS are associated with sleep quality, and these associations may be modified by dietary habits.
Automated Uterine Fibroids Detection in Ultrasound Images Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks
Authors: Shahzad Ahsan , Mushtaq Abid , Sabeeh Abdul Quddoos , Ghadi Yazeed Yasin , Mushtaq Zohaib , Arif Saad , ur Rehman Muhammad Zia , Qureshi Muhammad Farrukh , Jamil Faisal
Published: May 2023

Fibroids of the uterus are a common benign tumor affecting women of childbearing age. Uterine fibroids (UF) can be effectively treated with earlier identification and diagnosis. Its automated diagnosis from medical images is an area where deep learning (DL)-based algorithms have demonstrated promising results. In this research, we evaluated state-of-the-art DL architectures VGG16, ResNet50, InceptionV3, and our proposed innovative dual-path deep convolutional neural network (DPCNN) architecture for UF detection tasks. Using preprocessing methods including scaling, normalization, and data augmentation, an ultrasound image dataset from Kaggle is prepared for use. After the images are used to train and validate the DL models, the model performance is evaluated using different measures. When compared to existing DL models, our suggested DPCNN architecture achieved the highest accuracy of 99.8 percent. Findings show that pre-trained deep-learning model performance for UF diagnosis from medical images may significantly improve with the application of fine-tuning strategies. In particular, the InceptionV3 model achieved 90% accuracy, with the ResNet50 model achieving 89% accuracy. It should be noted that the VGG16 model was found to have a lower accuracy level of 85%. Our findings show that DL-based methods can be effectively utilized to facilitate automated UF detection from medical images. Further research in this area holds great potential and could lead to the creation of cutting-edge computer-aided diagnosis systems. To further advance the state-of-the-art in medical imaging analysis, the DL community is invited to investigate these lines of research. Although our proposed innovative DPCNN architecture performed best, fine-tuned versions of pre-trained models like InceptionV3 and ResNet50 also delivered strong results. This work lays the foundation for future studies and has the potential to enhance the precision and suitability with which UF is detected.
What Are The Core Symptoms of Antenatal Depression? A Study Using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 among Japanese Pregnant Women in the First Trimester
Authors: Kitamura Toshinori , Usui Yuriko , Wakamatsu Mikiyo , Minatani Mariko , Hada Ayako
Published: May 2023

Background: Depression is frequently seen among pregnant women. This is called antenatal depression (AND). Aim: Our aim was to identify clusters of AND and its core symptoms. Methods: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE-24), and Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy Quality of Life Questionnaire (NVP-QOL) were distributed to 382 pregnant women with a gestational age of 10 to 13 weeks who were attending antenatal clinics. The two PHQ-9 subscale scores were entered into a 2-step cluster analysis. The PHQ-9 items’ capacity to identify AND were examined in terms of the area under curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The selected symptom items were examined for their diagnostic capability in terms of the graded response model (GRM) in the item response theory (IRT) analysis. Results: Three clusters emerged. Cluster 3 scored highly in the scores of the two PHQ-9 subscales and the two emesis scales. In the ROC, five items showed an AUC > 0.80. The GRM identified four items with high information: ‘loss of interest’, ‘depressed mood’, ‘self-esteem’, and ‘poor concentration’. Conclusions: The core symptoms of antenatal depression were four non-somatic symptoms; particularly, ‘depressed mood’ and ‘loss of interest’. AND did not exist alone, but was accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Hence, we propose a new category: emesis–depression complex among pregnant women.
Predictive Factors of the Fatality of Motor Vehicle Passengers Involved in Far-Side Lateral Collisions: A National Crash Database Study
Authors: Masumitsu Akane , Hitosugi Masahito , Baba Mineko , Nakamura Mami , Koike Kaoru , Ida Hitoshi , Aoki Masashi
Published: May 2023

Although the risks faced by passengers in near-side lateral collisions are understood, and despite the presence of side airbags for injury prevention, passengers involved in far-side lateral collisions also suffer serious and fatal injuries. The objective of this study was to determine the independent predictive factors of fatality of motor vehicle passengers involved in far-side lateral collisions. Using 2010 records from the National Automotive Sampling System/Crashworthiness Data System (NASS/CDS), we selected 86 fatal and 325 non-fatal passengers with an Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score of 2 or more. The background and injury severity of the passengers and collision characteristics were compared between the two groups. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, variables independently associated with fatalities were female sex (Ref, male) (odds ratio [OR], 0.396), age (OR, 1.029), body mass index (OR, 1.057), total delta-V (OR, 1.031), head AIS score (OR, 1.679), chest AIS score (OR, 1.330), and abdomen AIS score (OR, 1.294). This is the first report to determine factors affecting fatality in passengers involved in far-side lateral collisions. Improving the safety of the vehicle interior, such as by including additional seatbelt systems or a side airbag that deploys between seats, might help to avoid fatalities, and reduce injury severity.
Cost-Effectiveness of Cerebrolysin after Ischemic Stroke: Secondary Analysis of the CARS Study
Authors: Strilciuc Stefan , Radu Constantin , Grad Diana-Alecsandra , Stan Adina Dora , Vladescu Cristian , Buzoianu Anca Dana , Muresanu Dafin
Published: May 2023

The cost-effectiveness of Cerebrolysin as an add-on therapy for moderate–severe acute ischemic stroke is a topic that remains understudied. This study aims to address this gap by performing a comprehensive cost-utility analysis using both deterministic and probabilistic methods from a payer perspective and within the Romanian inpatient care setting. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated using partial individual patient data from the 2016 Cerebrolysin and Recovery After Stroke (CARS) trial, utilizing three different health state valuation models. Cost data was extracted from actual acute care costs reported by Romanian public hospitals for reimbursement purposes for patients included in the CARS study. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were calculated for each treatment arm for the duration of the clinical trial. Deterministic analysis based on sample mean values indicates Cerebrolysin would be cost-effective at a threshold between roughly 18.8 and 29.9 thousand EUR, depending on valuation techniques. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis results indicate an 80% chance probability of cost-effectiveness of Cerebrolysin as an add-on therapy for acute ischemic stroke, considering a willingness-to-pay threshold of 50,000 EUR in a 90-day timeframe after stroke. Further economic evaluations of Cerebrolysin are needed to strengthen these findings, covering a timeframe of at least 12 months after the acute incident, which would account for treatment effects spanning beyond the first 90 days after ischemic stroke. These should be conducted to determine its cost-effectiveness under various care settings and patient pathways. Most importantly, modelling techniques are needed to answer important questions such as the estimates of population gain in QALYs after acute administration of Cerebrolysin and the potential offsetting of direct medical costs as a result of administering the intervention.
Virtual Reality for Upper Extremity Rehabilitation—A Prospective Pilot Study
Authors: Tokgöz Pinar , Wähnert Dirk , Elsner Andreas , Schack Thomas , Cienfuegos Tellez Miguel Angel , Conrad Jens , Vordemvenne Thomas , Dockweiler Christoph
Published: May 2023

Applications related to virtual reality are a rapidly growing area. Thus, these technologies are also increasingly used in the field of medicine and rehabilitation. The primary objective of this prospective pilot study was to investigate the feasibility, user experience and acceptance of a virtual-reality-based system for upper extremity rehabilitation. The study was conducted as a single-center trial over 16 weeks. The eligibility criteria included rehabilitants with upper extremity injuries of at least 18 years of age who were fluent in spoken and written German. After detailed instruction, each participant was asked to complete daily 30 min exercises over 15 training sessions with the virtual reality system consisting of three different training modules. Outcomes were assessed pre-study and post-study using standardized clinical measures. In addition, qualitative interviews with rehabilitants as well as therapists regarding user experience and acceptance were conducted. Six participants were recruited for the pilot study, of which five underwent virtual-reality-based rehabilitation. Overall, the clinical measures showed a positive tendency over the course of the study, even if the results were not significant. Furthermore, the virtual-reality-based training was well accepted by the participants as well as therapists. Given these findings, it will be beneficial to evaluate virtual reality for rehabilitation in further research.
Factors Associated with Job Stress and Their Effects on Mental Health among Nurses in COVID-19 Wards in Four Hospitals in Korea
Authors: Kim Insu , Kim Hae Ran
Published: May 2023

Increased workload during the COVID-19 pandemic has threatened nurses’ mental health. This study aimed to identify factors associated with job stress in COVID-19 nurses compared to other nurses. Nurses were recruited from four hospitals in Republic of Korea in November 2020. The general sociodemographic questionnaire, job stress, anxiety (GAD-7), and depression (PHQ-9) were used to conduct an online survey. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with job stress. A total of 290 participants were analyzed: 122 in the dedicated ward and 168 in the nondedicated ward nurse groups. Job stress, anxiety, and depression were higher in nurses dedicated to COVID-19 (4.19 ± 0.59, 5.98 ± 3.92, and 6.97 ± 4.47, respectively) than in the nondedicated group (3.92 ± 0.72 (p = 0.001), 4.98 ± 4.20 (p = 0.042), and 5.92 ± 4.36 (p = 0.047), respectively). Among COVID-19 nurses, job stress levels were higher in 30–39 year olds than in 20–29 year olds (3.71 ± 0.43 vs. 4.04 ± 0.54, p = 0.006) and in non-smokers compared with smokers (3.85 ± 0.49 vs. 3.38 ± 0.53, p = 0.24). Anxiety (β = 0.34, standard error (SE) = 0.01, p < 0.001) and clinical experience of 5–10 years (β = 0.23, SE = 0.10, p = 0.004) were associated with job stress. These findings can be applied when devising response strategies for infectious diseases and developing psychological and organizational intervention programs for alleviating job stress in nurses.
Translation and Validation of the Arabic Version of the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire
Authors: Alhowimel Ahmed S. , Alenazi Aqeel M. , Alshehri Mohammed M. , Alqahtani Bader A. , Al-Jamaan Abdulaziz , Alodaibi Faris , Alshehri Yasir S. , Charest Jonathan
Published: May 2023

Sleep improves the cognitive and physical performance of athletes. A detailed questionnaire that detects sleep disruptions is required to identify sleep-deprived athletes. This study evaluates the translated Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), a tool suggested by the International Olympic Committee, among Arabic-speaking athletes. The ASSQ was translated into Arabic and examined for floor or ceiling effects, internal consistency, and validity among Arabic-speaking athletes. The Arabic Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was employed to assess convergent validity. Ninety athletes (28.9% women) participated and completed this study’s questionnaires. The Cronbach’s alpha for the ASSQ-Sleep Difficulty Score (SDS) was 0.435, and that of the ASSQ-chronotype was 0.632. The SDS and chronotype subset of the ASSQ demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.84 and 0.938, respectively. The ASSQ-SDS correlated positively with the PSQI (0.734, p = 0.001). The ASSQ-chronotype was inversely associated with the PSQI (p = 0.001). This study’s findings can assist clinicians in assessing sleep disorders in sports. The Arabic version of the ASSQ has satisfactory psychometric qualities and can identify clinically relevant sleep problems in athletes.
Health Service Protection vis-à-vis the Detection of Psychosocial Risks of Suicide during the Years 2019–2021
Authors: Puig-Amores Ismael , Cuadrado-Gordillo Isabel , Martín-Mora-Parra Guadalupe
Published: May 2023

Health services are especially relevant in suicide prevention and intervention, representing a favourable environment in which to implement specific strategies to detect and address suicidal behaviours. Indeed, a significant proportion of people who die by suicide (DBS) present at primary care and mental health services during the last year, month, or even days before committing suicide. The objective of this descriptive and cross-sectional study of all registered cases of death by suicide (N = 265) in Extremadura (Spain) was to determine which of those people who died by suicide had mental health problems (MHP) and what type of assistance they had requested. Diagnoses, previous suicide attempts, type of health service, and last visit before death were explored with univariate analyses and logistic regressions. The proportion of people without MHP was found to be high, and these people had hardly visited the health services at all in their last year. People with MHP, between the ages of 40 and 69, and with previous suicide attempts were more likely to have visited the mental health service in the three months prior to their death. It is, thus, necessary to provide health professionals with tools and training in the prevention of and approach to suicide. Efforts must be directed towards effectively assessing mental health and the risk of suicide since a large proportion of people who die by suicide may go unnoticed.
Heritage and the Regeneration of Urban Brownfields: Insights on Public Perception in Tehran, Iran
Authors: Ghabouli Elias , Soltani Ali , Ranjbar Ehsan
Published: May 2023

Brownfields particularly in old city centers reveal the story of abandonment and concealment, shaping the identity and collective memory of urban areas. Therefore, research and practice must prioritize both reutilization and heritage values. This study centers on the regeneration of historical brownfields in Tehran, the capital of Iran, and assesses public perceptions of redeveloped historical brownfields. Based on their approach to patrimony, the study categorized reclaimed brownfields as interpretive, cultural, or ecological sites. A questionnaire was administered to citizens who visited three sampled sites (n = 385) to collect data. According to the results of principal component analysis (PCA), women preferred the non-economic component, which includes environmental, social, heritage, and aesthetic dimensions, while men and older, highly educated respondents preferred the economic dimension in relation to brownfields. Despite positive attitudes towards brownfield regeneration, environmental and heritage dimensions, especially intangible heritage, are less well-known. However, heritage justifies and determines brownfield redevelopment. Increasing commitment to preserving heritage during brownfield regeneration has a positive effect on the perception of respondents.
Application of Cinnamaldehyde Solid Lipid Nanoparticles in Strawberry Preservation
Authors: Li Shangjian , Chen Jiajia , Liu Yuntong , Zheng Qinhua , Tan Weijian , Feng Xiaolin , Feng Kexin , Hu Wenzhong
Published: May 2023

Strawberries are a popular food. However, the growth and reproduction of microorganisms on the surface of strawberries change their quality and may cause food poisoning. We compared the effects of solid lipid nanoparticles containing cinnamaldehyde (SLN-CA) and unencapsulated cinnamaldehyde on the freshness of strawberries stored for seven days. The impacts of SLN-CA at different concentrations on strawberry firmness, weight loss, rate of fruit rot, and sensory quality were investigated at 25 °C. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities and malonaldehyde (MDA) and vitamin C contents of strawberry cell homogenates were measured during storage. The experimental results showed that SLN-CA treatment can effectively reduce the probability of decay in strawberries without causing excessive weight loss. SLN-CA can reduce softening, maintain a high level of SOD activity in cells, reduce the accumulation of MDA and consumption of organic acids, and improve the sensory characteristics of strawberries and thereby their shelf life. Therefore, SLN-CA is a promising preservation method to increase the shelf life and safety of strawberries.
LCA Analysis Decarbonisation Potential of Aluminium Primary Production by Applying Hydrogen and CCUS Technologies
Authors: Peppas Antonis , Politi Chrysa , Kottaridis Sotiris , Taxiarchou Maria
Published: May 2023

The energy intensity and high emissions of extractive industries bring a major need for decarbonisation actions. In 2021, extraction and primary processing of metals and minerals were responsible for 4.5 Gt of equivalent CO2. The aluminium industry specifically accounted for total emissions of 1.1 Gt CO2 eq. per year. Reaching the European milestone of zero emissions by 2050, requires a 3% annual reduction. To achieve this, the industry has searched for innovative solutions, considering the treatment of emitted CO2 with techniques such as Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS), or the prevention of CO2 formation on the first place by utilising alternative fuels such as hydrogen (H2). This study aims to comprehensively compare the overall environmental performance of different strategies for addressing not only greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction potential, but also emissions to air in general, as well as freshwater and terrestrial ecotoxicity, which are commonly overlooked. Specifically, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is conducted, analysing four scenarios for primary Al production, utilising (1) a combination of fossil fuels, specifically Natural Gas (NG), Light Fuel Oil (LFO) and Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) (conventional approach); (2) carbon capture and geological storage; (3) Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) for methanol (MeOH) production and (4) green H2, replacing NG. The results show that green H2 replacing NG is the most environmentally beneficial option, accounting for a 10.76% reduction in Global Warming Potential (GWP) and 1.26% in Photochemical Ozone Formation (POF), while all other impact categories were lower compared to CCUS. The results offer a comprehensive overview to support decision-makers in comparing the overall environmental impact and the emission reduction potential of the different solutions.
To Get Vaccinated or Not? The Vaccination Decision-Making by Healthcare Professionals Working in Haematology: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Tunisi Gian Luca , Ambrosi Elisa , Zulianello Giorgia , Allegrini Elisabetta , Provenzano Domenico , Rizzello Tiziana , Canzan Federica
Published: May 2023

Haematological patients are more susceptible to infections. Vaccination has always been the most effective primary prevention strategy, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the efficacy of vaccines for some haematological patients is low. Although vaccination of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) could protect patients from vaccine-preventable diseases, there is evidence of a high level of hesitation among healthcare workers in Italy. The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes towards vaccination of HCWs caring for haematology patients. Qualitative descriptive design was conducted. Twenty-one HCWs were interviewed. Content analysis was applied to the qualitative data. The following themes were generated from the analysis: “Trust”, “Decision-making process focusing on individual health”, “Decision-making process focusing on community health”, “Changing opinion”, and “Two sides of vaccination commitment”. The most hesitant HCWs were oriented towards individual health. They perceived a lack of benefit from vaccines, feared side effects, or were influenced by negative experiences of others. In contrast, community-health-oriented HCWs showed more positive attitudes towards vaccination. Some hesitant HCWs changed their opinion on vaccination because they began to reflect on the importance of vaccination for the community. The change in opinion of some HCWs interviewed provided insight into the importance of focusing organisational efforts on collective responsibility.
Who Stays, Who Moves on and the Host Population: A Picture of Adolescents’ Perceived Well-Being and Risk Behaviours
Authors: Charrier Lorena , Comoretto Rosanna Irene , Bersia Michela , Dalmasso Paola , Koumantakis Emanuele , Borraccino Alberto , Baban Adriana , Berchialla Paola , Lemma Patrizia
Published: May 2023

The study aims to evaluate the health profile of first- and second-generation Romanian immigrants living in Italy compared to their adolescent peers in the country of origin (Romania) and the host population (Italian-borns). Analyses were performed on the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey data. Romanian natives showed lower levels of health complaints and higher life satisfaction than Romanian migrants, who were similar to the host population, especially the second-generation ones. A comparable prevalence of being bullied was registered among Romanians, both native and immigrant, with significantly lower levels among Italian natives. Bullying others showed the second-generation migrants share a similar prevalence with the host population. The prevalence of liking school a lot was three times higher among the Romanian natives than among their peers living in Italy. Thanks to the HBSC data, this study is the first to examine the health of adolescent migrants from both the perspective of the host country and the population of origin. The results highlight the need for a more nuanced approach to studying immigrant populations, taking into account both the host country’s perspective and the health patterns of the population of origin.
Modelling Systemic Risk in Morocco’s Banking System
Authors: Kyoud Ayoub , El Msiyah Cherif , Madkour Jaouad
Published: May 2023

The Moroccan banking system suffered a significant impact due to the extreme market conditions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, which led to an increase in non-performance loans. This, in turn, reduced the value of banks’ assets and their ability to meet their obligations, implicitly raising systemic risk. In such circumstances, the collapse of one financial institution could cause a series of bankruptcies and endanger the overall state of the economy. Given the limited attention devoted to the analysis of systemic risk in the Moroccan banking system, this paper aimed to fill this gap by analyzing the Moroccan banks’ systemic risk exposure and assessing their stability during the COVID-19 crisis, using Quantile Regression Neural Network (QRNN) optimized by Adam algorithm to calibrate the Conditional Value at Risk (CoVaR). This study revealed a significant increase in systemic risk during the pandemic crisis and highlights the suitability of more complex QRNN in assessing systemic risk. The findings emphasize the need for regulators to pay close attention to banks’ risk exposures when implementing measures to mitigate systemic risk, such as increasing banks’ capital requirements or increasing the amount of high-quality liquid assets.
MAAFEU-Net: A Novel Land Use Classification Model Based on Mixed Attention Module and Adjustable Feature Enhancement Layer in Remote Sensing Images
Authors: Zhang Yonghong , Zhao Huajun , Ma Guangyi , Xie Donglin , Geng Sutong , Lu Huanyu , Tian Wei , Lim Kam Sian Kenny Thiam Choy
Published: May 2023

The classification of land use information is important for land resource management. With the purpose of extracting precise spatial information, we present a novel land use classification model based on a mixed attention module and adjustable feature enhancement layer (MAAFEU-net). Our unique design, the mixed attention module, allows the model to concentrate on target-specific discriminative features and capture class-related features within different land use types. In addition, an adjustable feature enhancement layer is proposed to further enhance the classification ability of similar types. We assess the performance of this model using the publicly available GID dataset and the self-built Gwadar dataset. Six semantic segmentation deep networks are used for comparison. The experimental results show that the F1 score of MAAFEU-net is 2.16% and 2.3% higher than the next model and that MIoU is 3.15% and 3.62% higher than the next model. The results of the ablation experiments show that the mixed attention module improves the MIoU by 5.83% and the addition of the adjustable feature enhancement layer can further improve it by 5.58%. Both structures effectively improve the accuracy of the overall land use classification. The validation results show that MAAFEU-net can obtain land use classification images with high precision.
STO2Vec: A Multiscale Spatio-Temporal Object Representation Method for Association Analysis
Authors: Chen Nanyu , Yang Anran , Chen Luo , Xiong Wei , Jing Ning
Published: May 2023

Spatio-temporal association analysis has attracted attention in various fields, such as urban computing and crime analysis. The proliferation of positioning technology and location-based services has facilitated the expansion of association analysis across spatio-temporal scales. However, existing methods inadequately consider the scale differences among spatio-temporal objects during analysis, leading to suboptimal precision in association analysis results. To remedy this issue, we propose a multiscale spatio-temporal object representation method, STO2Vec, for association analysis. This method comprises of two parts: graph construction and embedding. For graph construction, we introduce an adaptive hierarchical discretization method to distinguish the varying scales of local features. Then, we merge the embedding method for spatio-temporal objects with that for discrete units, establishing a heterogeneous graph. For embedding, to enhance embedding quality for homogeneous and heterogeneous data, we use biased sampling and unsupervised models to capture the association strengths between spatio-temporal objects. Empirical results using real-world open-source datasets show that STO2Vec outperforms other models, improving accuracy by 16.25% on average across diverse applications. Further case studies indicate STO2Vec effectively detects association relationships between spatio-temporal objects in a range of scenarios and is applicable to tasks such as moving object behavior pattern mining and trajectory semantic annotation.
Parkin Precipitates on Mitochondria via Aggregation and Autoubiquitination
Authors: Ardah Mustafa T. , Radwan Nada , Khan Engila , Kitada Tohru , Haque M Emdadul
Published: May 2023

The loss of the E3 ligase Parkin, in a familial form of Parkinson’s disease, is thought to cause the failure of both the polyubiquitination of abnormal mitochondria and the consequent induction of mitophagy, resulting in abnormal mitochondrial accumulation. However, this has not been confirmed in patient autopsy cases or animal models. More recently, the function of Parkin as a redox molecule that directly scavenges hydrogen peroxide has attracted much attention. To determine the role of Parkin as a redox molecule in the mitochondria, we overexpressed various combinations of Parkin, along with its substrates FAF1, PINK1, and ubiquitin in cell culture systems. Here, we observed that the E3 Parkin monomer was surprisingly not recruited to abnormal mitochondria but self-aggregated with or without self-ubiquitination into the inner and outer membranes, becoming insoluble. Parkin overexpression alone generated aggregates without self-ubiquitination, but it activated autophagy. These results suggest that for damaged mitochondria, the polyubiquitination of Parkin substrates on the mitochondria is not indispensable for mitophagy.
Interaction of Bacteria, Immune Cells, and Surface Topography in Periprosthetic Joint Infections
Authors: Belgiovine Cristina , Pellegrino Luca , Bulgarelli Alberto , Lauta Francesca Cecilia , Di Claudio Alessia , Ciceri Roberta , Cancellara Assunta , Calcaterra Francesca , Mavilio Domenico , Grappiolo Guido , Chiappetta Katia , Loppini Mattia , Rusconi Roberto
Published: May 2023

The incidence of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) is ~2% of total procedures and it is expected to rise due to an ageing population. Despite the large burden PJI has on both the individual and society, the immune response to the most commonly isolated pathogens, i.e., Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, remains incompletely understood. In this work, we integrate the analysis of synovial fluids from patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery with in-vitro experimental data obtained using a newly developed platform, mimicking the environment of periprosthetic implants. We found that the presence of an implant, even in patients undergoing aseptic revisions, is sufficient to induce an immune response, which is significantly different between septic and aseptic revisions. This difference is confirmed by the presence of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in synovial fluids. Moreover, we discovered that the immune response is also dependent on the type of bacteria and the topography of the implant surface. While S. epidermidis seems to be able to hide better from the attack of the immune system when cultured on rough surfaces (indicative of uncemented prostheses), S. aureus reacts differently depending on the contact surface it is exposed to. The experiments we performed in-vitro also showed a higher biofilm formation on rough surfaces compared to flat ones for both species, suggesting that the topography of the implant could influence both biofilm formation and the consequent immune response.
Biomarkers of Pediatric Cataracts: A Proteomics Analysis of Aqueous Fluid
Authors: Theophanous Christos N. , Wolfgeher Donald J. , Farooq Asim V. , Hilkert Rodriguez Sarah
Published: May 2023

Cataracts are among the most common causes of childhood vision loss worldwide. This study seeks to identify differentially expressed proteins in the aqueous humor of pediatric cataract patients. Samples of aqueous humor were collected from pediatric and adult cataract patients and subjected to mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis. Samples of pediatric cataracts were grouped by subtype and compared to adult samples. Differentially expressed proteins in each subtype were identified. Gene ontology analysis was performed using WikiPaths for each cataract subtype. Seven pediatric patients and ten adult patients were included in the study. Of the pediatric samples, all seven (100%) were male, three (43%) had traumatic cataracts, two (29%) had congenital cataracts, and two (29%) had posterior polar cataracts. Of the adult patients, seven (70%) were female and seven (70%) had predominantly nuclear sclerotic cataracts. A total of 128 proteins were upregulated in the pediatric samples, and 127 proteins were upregulated in the adult samples, with 75 proteins shared by both groups. Gene ontology analysis identified inflammatory and oxidative stress pathways as upregulated in pediatric cataracts. Inflammatory and oxidative stress mechanisms may be involved in pediatric cataract formation and warrant further investigation.
Mesenchymal-Stromal-Cell-Conditioned Media and Their Implication for Osteochondral Regeneration
Authors: Ivanisova Dana , Bohac Martin , Culenova Martina , Smolinska Veronika , Danisovic Lubos
Published: May 2023

Despite significant advances in biomedical research, osteochondral defects resulting from injury, an autoimmune condition, cancer, or other pathological conditions still represent a significant medical problem. Even though there are several conservative and surgical treatment approaches, in many cases, they do not bring the expected results and further permanent damage to the cartilage and bones occurs. Recently, cell-based therapies and tissue engineering have gradually become promising alternatives. They combine the use of different types of cells and biomaterials to induce regeneration processes or replace damaged osteochondral tissue. One of the main challenges of this approach before clinical translation is the large-scale in vitro expansion of cells without changing their biological properties, while the use of conditioned media which contains various bioactive molecules appears to be very important. The presented manuscript provides a review of the experiments focused on osteochondral regeneration by using conditioned media. In particular, the effect on angiogenesis, tissue healing, paracrine signaling, and enhancing the properties of advanced materials are pointed out.
Special Issue: Metabolic Bone Diseases: Molecular Biology, Pathophysiology and Therapy
Authors: Xourafa Anastasia , Gaudio Agostino
Published: May 2023

Bone is a vital tissue as it carries out various metabolic functions: support of the body, protection of the internal organs, mineral deposit and hematopoietic functions [...]
Global DNA Methylation and Hydroxymethylation Levels in PBMCs Are Altered in RRMS Patients Treated with IFN-β and GA—A Preliminary Study
Authors: Reyes-Mata María Paulina , Mireles-Ramírez Mario Alberto , Griñán-Ferré Christian , Pallàs Mercè , Pavón Lenin , Guerrero-García José de Jesús , Ortuño-Sahagún Daniel
Published: May 2023

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) due to an autoimmune attack on axonal myelin sheaths. Epigenetics is an open research topic on MS, which has been investigated in search of biomarkers and treatment targets for this heterogeneous disease. In this study, we quantified global levels of epigenetic marks using an ELISA-like approach in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) from 52 patients with MS, treated with Interferon beta (IFN-β) and Glatiramer Acetate (GA) or untreated, and 30 healthy controls. We performed media comparisons and correlation analyses of these epigenetic markers with clinical variables in subgroups of patients and controls. We observed that DNA methylation (5-mC) decreased in treated patients compared with untreated and healthy controls. Moreover, 5-mC and hydroxymethylation (5-hmC) correlated with clinical variables. In contrast, histone H3 and H4 acetylation did not correlate with the disease variables considered. Globally quantified epigenetic DNA marks 5-mC and 5-hmC correlate with disease and were altered with treatment. However, to date, no biomarker has been identified that can predict the potential response to therapy before treatment initiation.
An HIV-1/HIV-2 Chimeric Envelope Glycoprotein Generates Binding and Neutralising Antibodies against HIV-1 and HIV-2 Isolates
Authors: Taveira Nuno , Figueiredo Inês , Calado Rita , Martin Francisco , Bártolo Inês , Marcelino José M. , Borrego Pedro , Cardoso Fernando , Barroso Helena
Published: May 2023

The development of immunogens that elicit broadly reactive neutralising antibodies (bNAbs) is the highest priority for an HIV vaccine. We have shown that a prime-boost vaccination strategy with vaccinia virus expressing the envelope glycoprotein gp120 of HIV-2 and a polypeptide comprising the envelope regions C2, V3 and C3 elicits bNAbs against HIV-2. We hypothesised that a chimeric envelope gp120 containing the C2, V3 and C3 regions of HIV-2 and the remaining parts of HIV-1 would elicit a neutralising response against HIV-1 and HIV-2. This chimeric envelope was synthesised and expressed in vaccinia virus. Balb/c mice primed with the recombinant vaccinia virus and boosted with an HIV-2 C2V3C3 polypeptide or monomeric gp120 from a CRF01_AG HIV-1 isolate produced antibodies that neutralised >60% (serum dilution 1:40) of a primary HIV-2 isolate. Four out of nine mice also produced antibodies that neutralised at least one HIV-1 isolate. Neutralising epitope specificity was assessed using a panel of HIV-1 TRO.11 pseudoviruses with key neutralising epitopes disrupted by alanine substitution (N160A in V2; N278A in the CD4 binding site region; N332A in the high mannose patch). The neutralisation of the mutant pseudoviruses was reduced or abolished in one mouse, suggesting that neutralising antibodies target the three major neutralising epitopes in the HIV-1 envelope gp120. These results provide proof of concept for chimeric HIV-1/HIV-2 envelope glycoproteins as vaccine immunogens that can direct the antibody response against neutralising epitopes in the HIV-1 and HIV-2 surface glycoproteins.
Chinese–Vietnamese Pseudo-Parallel Sentences Extraction Based on Image Information Fusion
Authors: Wen Yonghua , Guo Junjun , Yu Zhiqiang , Yu Zhengtao
Published: May 2023

Parallel sentences play a crucial role in various NLP tasks, particularly for cross-lingual tasks such as machine translation. However, due to the time-consuming and laborious nature of manual construction, many low-resource languages still suffer from a lack of large-scale parallel data. The objective of pseudo-parallel sentence extraction is to automatically identify sentence pairs in different languages that convey similar meanings. Earlier methods heavily relied on parallel data, which is unsuitable for low-resource scenarios. The current mainstream research direction is to use transfer learning or unsupervised learning based on cross-lingual word embeddings and multilingual pre-trained models; however, these methods are ineffective for languages with substantial differences. To address this issue, we propose a sentence extraction method that leverages image information fusion to extract Chinese–Vietnamese pseudo-parallel sentences from collections of bilingual texts. Our method first employs an adaptive image and text feature fusion strategy to efficiently extract the bilingual parallel sentence pair, and then, a multimodal fusion method is presented to balance the information between the image and text modalities. The experiments on multiple benchmarks show that our method achieves promising results compared to a competitive baseline by infusing additional external image information.
Comparison of Different Ex-Vivo Preservation Strategies on Cardiac Metabolism in an Animal Model of Donation after Circulatory Death
Authors: Mastrobuoni Stefano , Johanns Manuel , Vergauwen Martial , Beaurin Gwen , Rider Mark , Gianello Pierre , Poncelet Alain , Van Caenegem Olivier
Published: May 2023

Transplantation of heart following donation after circulatory death (DCD) was recently introduced into clinical practice. Ex vivo reperfusion following DCD and retrieval is deemed necessary in order to evaluate the recovery of cardiac viability after the period of warm ischemia. We tested the effect of four different temperatures (4 °C—18 °C—25 °C—35 °C) on cardiac metabolism during 3-h ex vivo reperfusion in a porcine model of DCD heart. We observed a steep fall in high-energy phosphate (ATP) concentrations in the myocardial tissue at the end of the warm ischemic time and only limited regeneration during reperfusion. Lactate concentration in the perfusate increased rapidly during the first hour of reperfusion and slowly decreased afterward. However, the temperature of the solution does not seem to have an effect on either ATP or lactate concentration. Furthermore, all cardiac allografts showed a significant weight increase due to cardiac edema, regardless of the temperature.
Concordance of LDL-C Estimating Equations with Direct Enzymatic Measurement in Diabetic and Prediabetic Subjects
Authors: Bolat Serkan , Ertürk Zararsız Gözde , Doğan Kübra , Kochan Necla , Yerlitaş Serra I. , Cephe Ahu , Zararsız Gökmen , Cicero Arrigo F. G.
Published: May 2023

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established biomarker in the management of dyslipidemia. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the concordance of LDL-C-estimating equations with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic populations. The data of 31,031 subjects included in the study were divided into prediabetic, diabetic, and control groups according to HbA1c values. LDL-C was measured by direct homogenous enzymatic assay and calculated by Martin–Hopkins, Martin–Hopkins extended, Friedewald, and Sampson equations. The concordance statistics between the direct measurements and estimations obtained by the equations were evaluated. All equations evaluated in the study had lower concordance with direct enzymatic measurement in diabetic and prediabetic groups compared to the non-diabetic group. Even so, the Martin–Hopkins extended approach demonstrated the highest concordance statistic in diabetic and prediabetic patients. Further, Martin–Hopkins extended was found to have the highest correlation with direct measurement compared with other equations. Over the 190 mg/dL LDL-C concentrations, the equation with the highest concordance was again Martin–Hopkins extended. In most scenarios, the Martin–Hopkins extended performed best in prediabetic and diabetic groups. Additionally, direct assay methods can be used at low values of the non-HDL-C/TG ratio (<2.4), as the performance of the equations in LDL-C estimation decreases as non-HDL-C/TG decreases.