bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel Mutation in the Kringle IV Domain of LPA Gene Leading to Familial Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Li Youran , Zhang Xinyue , Wang Yizhong , Gong Fan , Yu Xiaofei , Zhang Ting
Published: February 2020

Background
This study aims to investigate the clinical characterization and causative genetic defect of a four-generation Chinese Han family with cardiovascular diseases.
Methods
The combined use of next-generation sequencing and qPCR technique was performed to investigate genetic pathology of familial cardiovascular diseases.
Results
The clinical manifestations of the family members include coronaty artery disease, early-onset hypertension, lipoma, cerebral infarction and even unexplained sudden death, and a novel heterozygous deletion of 3-16 exon of LPA gene was identified to be causative for the symptoms in the family.
Conclusions
A novel deletion in the LPA gene was identified in a Chinese family associated with elevated Lp(a) levels and cardiovascular diseases, which expands the spectrum of the LPA mutation and its associated phenotypes.
Keywords
Copy number variation; Cardiovascular diseases；Kringle IV; Lipoprotein(a); LPA;
Association between gene polymorphisms of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and hypertension in the Dai people of China: a case-control study
Authors: Huang LiFan , Chu Yan , Huang Xiaoqin , Ma Shaohui , Lin Keqin , Huang Kai , Sun Hao , Yang Zhaoqing
Published: February 2020

Background : Abnormal calcium homeostasis related to the development of hypertension. As the key regulator of intracellular calcium concentration, voltage-gated calcium channels (VDCCs), the variations in these genes may have important effects on the development of hypertension. Here we evaluate VDCCs variability with respect to hypertension in the Dai ethnic group of China.

Methods : A total of 1034 samples from Dai individuals were collected, of which 495 were used as cases, and 539 were used as controls. Blood pressure was measured using a standard mercury measurement method, three times with a rest for 5 min, and the average was used for analyses. Seventeen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the four protein-coding genes ( CACNA1A, CACNA1C, CACNA1S, CACNB2 ) of VDCCs were identified by multiplex PCR-SNP typing technique. Chi-square tests and regression models were used to analyse the associations of SNPs with hypertension.

Results: The results of chi-square tests showed that the allele frequencies of 5 SNPs were significantly different between the case and the control groups (P<0.05), but the statistical significance was lost after Bonferroni’s correction. However, after adjusting for BMI, age, sex and other factors by logistic regression analyses, the results showed that 5 SNPs consistent with chi-square tests (rs2365293, rs17539088, rs16917217, rs61839222 and rs10425859) were still statistically positive.

Conclusions: This finding suggested that the significant association of these SNPs with hypertension may be noteworthy in future studies.
Improving early recognition and intervention in people at increased risk for the development of bipolar disorder - Study protocol of a prospective-longitudinal, naturalistic cohort study (Early-BipoLife)
Authors: Pfennig Andrea , Leopold Karolina , Martini Julia , Boehme Anne , Lambert Martin , Stamm Thomas , Bermpohl Felix , Reif Andreas , Kittel-Schneider Sarah , Juckel Georg , Fallgatter Andreas J. , Kircher Tilo , Jansen Andreas , Pfeiffer Steffi , Berndt Christina , Rottmann-Wolf Maren , Sauer Cathrin , Ritter Philipp , Correll Christoph U. , Bechdolf Andreas , Falkenberg Irina , Bauer Michael
Published: February 2020

Background

Bipolar disorders (BD) belong to the most severe mental disorders, characterized by an early onset and recurrent, severe episodes or a chronic course with poor psychosocial functioning in a proportion of patients. Many patients with BD experience substantial symptomatology months or even years before full BD manifestation. Adequate diagnosis and treatment is often delayed, which is associated with a worse outcome. This study aims to prospectively evaluate and improve early recognition and intervention strategies for persons at-risk for BD.

Methods and Results

Early-BipoLife is a prospective-longitudinal cohort study of 1,419 participants (aged 15-35 years) with at least five waves of assessment over a period of at least 2 years (baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months). A research consortium of ten university and teaching hospitals across Germany conducts this study. The following risk groups (RGs) were recruited: RG I: help-seeking youth & young adults consulting early recognition centres/facilities presenting ≥1 of the proposed risk factors for BD, RG II: in-/outpatients with unipolar depressive syndrome, and RG III: in-/ outpatients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The reference cohort was selected from the German representative IMAGEN cohort. Over the study period, the natural course of risk and resilience factors, early symptoms of BD and changes of symptom severity (including conversion to manifest BD) are observed. Psychometric properties of recently developed, structured instruments on potential risk factors for conversion to BD and subsyndromal symptomatology (Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale, Bipolar at-risk criteria, EPI bipolar ) and biomarkers that potentially improve prediction are investigated. Moreover, actual treatment recommendations are monitored in the participating specialized services and compared to recently postulated clinical categorization and treatment guidance in the field of early BD.

Conclusion

Findings from this study will contribute to an improved knowledge about the natural course of BD, from the onset of first noticeable symptoms (precursors) to fully developed BD, and about mechanisms of conversion from subthreshold to manifest BD. Moreover, these generated data will provide information for the development of evidence-based guidelines for early-targeted detection and preventive intervention for people at risk for BD.
Astaxanthin-loaded polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles (ATX-LPN) Assessment of potential otoprotective effects
Authors: Gu Jiayi , Chen Yuming , Tong Ling , Wang Xueling , Yu dehong , Wu Hao
Published: February 2020

Background

Ototoxicity is one of the major side effects of platinum-based chemotherapy, especially cisplatin therapy. To date, no FDA approved agents to alleviate or prevent this ototoxicity are available. However, ototoxicity is generally believed to be produced by excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the inner ear, thus leading to the development of various antioxidants, which act as otoprotective agents. Astaxanthin (ATX) is an interesting candidate in the development of new therapies for preventing and treating oxidative stress-related pathologies, owing to its unique antioxidant capacity.

Methods and Results

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the potential antioxidant properties of ATX in the inner ear by using the HEI-OC1 cell line, zebrafish, and guinea pigs. Because ATX has poor solubility and cannot pass through round window membranes (RWM), we established lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPN) for loading ATX. The LPN enabled ATX to penetrate RWM and maintain concentrations in the perilymph in the inner ear for 24 h after a single injection. ATX-LPN were found to have favorable biocompatibility and to strongly affect cisplatin-induced generation of ROS, on the basis of DCFHDA staining in HEI-OC1 cells. JC-1 and MitoTracker Green staining suggested that ATX-LPN successfully reversed the decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential induced by cisplatin in vitro and rescued cells from early stages of apoptosis, as demonstrated by FACS stained with Annexin V-FITC/PI. Moreover, ATX-LPN successfully attenuated OHC losses in cultured organ of Corti and animal models (zebrafish and guinea pigs) in vivo. In investigating the protective mechanism of ATX-LPN, we found that ATX-LPN decreased the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins (caspase 3/9 and cytochrome-c) and increased expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2. In addition, the activation of JNK induced by CDDP was up-regulated and then decreased after the administration of ATX-LPN, while P38 stayed unchanged.

Conclusions

To best of our knowledge, this is first study concluded that ATX-LPN as a new therapeutic agent for the prevention of cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.
Value of T1 Mapping on Gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for Microvascular Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Rao Chenyi , Wang Xinquan , Li Minda , Zhou Guofeng , Gu Hongmei
Published: February 2020

Background: To evaluate the utility of non-invasive parameters driving from T1 mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 94 patients with single HCC undergoing partial hepatectomy was analyzed in the retrospective study. Preoperative T1 mapping and DWI on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI was performed. The parameters including precontrast, postcontrast and reduction rate of T1 relaxation time and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values were measured for differentiating MVI-positive HCCs (n=38) from MVI-negative HCCs (n=56). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was analyzed to compare the diagnostic performance of the calculated parameters. Results: MVI-positive HCCs demonstrated a significantly lower reduction rate of T1 relaxation time than that of MVI-negative HCCs (39.4% vs 49.9, P<0.001). The areas under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.587, 0.728, 0.824 and 0,690 for precontrast, postcontrast, reduction rate of T1 relaxation time and ADC, respectively. The cut-off value of the reduction rate and ADC calculated though maximal Youden index in ROC analyses was 44.9% and 1553.5 s/mm2. To achieve a better diagnostic performance, the criteria that combining the reduction rate lower than 44.9% and the ADC value lower than 1553.5 s/mm2 was proposed with a high specificity of 91.8% and accuracy of 80.9%. Conclusions: The criteria that combining the reduction rate of T1 relaxation time lower than 44.9% and the ADC value lower than 1553.5 s/mm2 on gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI holds promise for evaluating MVI status of HCC.
Screening, cloning and expression patterns of phosphorus-related genes of Burkholderia multivorans WS-FJ9 at different phosphorus levels
Authors: Liu Yuqing , Wang Yahui , Kong Weiliang , Liu Wanhui , Xie Xingli , Wu Xiaoqin
Published: February 2020

As important plant growth promoting rhizobacteria, phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) fix nitrogen, dissolve potassium, promote growth, improve the soil microenvironment, and enhance soil fertility. A high-efficiency PSB strain from the pine tree rhizosphere, Burkholderia multivorans WS-FJ9, was screened in our laboratory. In this study, we using a Bio Screener fully automatic microbial growth curve meter to determine the growth of the WS-FJ9 strain in phosphate-removing medium, the growth and mineral phosphate solubilization of WS-FJ9 were obtained by Mo-Sb colorimetry and organophosphate-degradation plate assays. Second-generation sequencing technology was used to obtain genomic information and analyze possible phosphorus decomposition genes. The quantitative expression of these genes under different phosphorus levels was determined by real-time PCR. The results showed that WS-FJ9 had strong adaptability and capacity for mineral phosphate solubilization at low phosphorus levels, which is characterized by its low phosphorus induction and high phosphorus inhibition.and the amount of solubilized mineral phosphate could exceed 140 mg/L. The total length of WS-FJ9 was 7,497,552 bp after splicing, and the GC content was 67.37%. Eight phosphate-related genes were selected for further study of their expression patterns at different phosphorus levels. Among them, AP-2, GspE and GspF were only related to organic phosphorus, HlyB was only related to inorganic phosphorus, and PhoR, PhoA, AP-1 and AP-3 were related to both. The strain utilizes multiple pathways for mineral phosphate solubilization, and the degradation processes of different phosphorus sources are interrelated and independent, indicating that WS-FJ9 can adapt to different phosphorus source environments and has good application potential.
Adenosine deaminase (ADA) characterization in saliva and serum samples of different animal species
Authors: Contreras-Aguilar María Dolores , Tvarijonaviciute Asta , Monkeviciene Ingrida , Martín-Cuervo María , Franco Lorena , Cerón José Joaquín , Tecles Fernando , Escribano Damian
Published: February 2020

Background The enzymatic activity of total adenosine deaminase (tADA) and its isoenzymes ADA1 and ADA2 were studied in canine, equine, porcine and bovine serum and saliva. Erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine (EHNA) was used as a specific ADA1 inhibitor at different concentrations, and the distribution of the isoenzymes in serum and saliva was studied in different inflammatory situations in each species. Results Total ADA was present in serum and saliva of healthy animals of the four species. EHNA concentration of 0.47mM was needed for ADA1 inhibition in canine and porcine samples (serum and saliva) and bovine saliva, whereas for equine saliva 0.94mM was needed. ADA2 activity was not detected in bovine serum and was very low or absent in equine serum and bovine saliva. An automated procedure to measure ADA2 consisting of adding EHNA to a commercial reagent for tADA measurement provided repetitive (coefficients of variation <8.8% in serum and <10% in saliva) and accurate (linearity under dilution approaches gave R 2 >0.90) results, being equivalent to a manual incubation of the sample with EHNA at a similar concentration. Salivary tADA, as well as ADA1 and ADA2, were higher in dogs with leishmaniosis, horses with acute abdominal disease and pigs with lameness than in healthy animals. ADA showed significant correlation with serum ferritin in dogs ( r = 0.602, P < 0.01; r = 0.555, P < 0.05; and r = 0.632, P < 0.01; respectively for tADA, ADA1 and ADA2) and serum C-reactive protein in pigs ( r = 0.700, P < 0.01, for both tADA and ADA1; r = 0.770, P < 0.001, for ADA2), whereas salivary ADA2 significantly correlated with serum amyloid A in the horse ( r = 0.649, P < 0.01). In the cow, salivary tADA and ADA1 significantly increased after calving, being correlated with total white blood cell count ( r = 0.487, P < 0.05, both). Conclusions ADA activity, as well as its isoenzymes, can be measured in serum and saliva of different animal species, and the salivary levels of these analytes could potentially be inflammatory biomarkers in these species.
Awareness and perception of husbands towards obstetric danger signs in northern Ethiopia
Authors: Fitwi Awot , Buruh Gerezgiher , Rejeu Mohammedseid , Amare Mikias , Getie Addisu , Belete Yemisrach , Meikena Henok Kumsa
Published: February 2020

Background The Ethiopian demographic and health survey indicate that maternal mortality in Ethiopia is one of the highest in the world. The national reproductive strategy of Ethiopia has given emphasis to maternal and newborn health so as to reduce the high maternal and neonatal mortality. One of the targets in the strategies is to ensure that 80% of all families recognize at least three danger signs. However, a few researches have been focused on husband’s awareness towards obstetric danger signs. Objective This study was aimed to assess awareness and perception of husbands towards obstetric danger sign and associated factors in northern Ethiopia, 2018 Methods Community based cross sectional study was done from February 2018 to March 2018, in Mekelle city, Tigray region, Ethiopia. Multi stage sampling was used to reach 620 husbands. Data were entered, cleaned using Epi info version 7 and analyzed by SPSS version 22.0. Results are presented by frequencies, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Binary and multivariable logistic analyses were employed to identify variable associated with awareness and perception of obstetrics danger signs. In multivariable logistic analyses variables with P-value < 0.05 were declare statistically significance. Result About 49.7% and 33.4% of husbands had good awareness and high perception on obstetric danger signs respectively. Husbands with daily labor occupation had 80% (AOR=0.2:95%CI; 0.13-0.44) less likely to have good awareness than governmental employee. Husbands with monthly income of 501-1000 birr had 5.8 times (AOR= 5.8, 95% CI: 1.22-27.89) high perception compared to those with monthly income of less than 500 birr. Conclusion one in two and one in three husbands was having good awareness and high perception about obstetric danger sign respectively. Source of information, occupation of husband, income, occupation of mother and education of husband were significantly associated with husband’s awareness on obstetric danger sign. Moreover variables like monthly income, occupation of mother and number of children were significantly associated with of husband’s perception on obstetric danger signs of their wives. Interventions are needed in creating awareness and perception of husbands’ in obstetric danger signs to recognize its complications.
Enhanced production of recombinant proteins in Corynebacterium glutamicum by construction a bicistronic gene expression system
Authors: Sun Manman , Gao Xiong , Zhao Zihao , Li An , Wang Yali , Liu Xiuxia , Yang Yankun , Bai Zhonghu
Published: February 2020

Background: Corynebacterium glutamicum is a traditional food-grade industrial microorganism， in which an efficient endotoxin-free recombinant protein expression factory is under developing in recent years. However, the intrinsic disadvantages of low recombinant protein expression levels need to be solved. Here, according to the bacteria-specific polycistronic feature, trials have been made of inserting a leading peptide upstream of target genes as an expression enhancer, and we found it improving the expression level of proteins under the control of inducible tac promoter in C. glutamicum CGMCC1.15647 . Results: In this research, the Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) tac promoter combined with 24 different fore-cistron sequences were constructed in a bicistronic manner in C. glutamicum. Three strong bicistronic vectors were isolated and exhibited higher strength under different culture conditions. The compatibility of these bicistronic vectors was further validated using six model proteins- aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), RamA (regulator of acetate metabolism), Bovine interferon-a (BoIFN-a), glycoprotein D protein (gD) of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) and procollagen type I N-terminal peptide (PINP). All examined proteins were highly expressed compared with the original vector of tac promoter. Large-scale production of PINP was also performed in fed-batch cultivation, and the highest PINP production level was 1.2 g/L. Conclusions: In this study, we improved the strength of the inducible promoter tac promoter for C. glutamicum by screening and inserting fore-cistron in front of the target genes. Those vectors with bicistronic expression pattern have strong compatibility for expressing various heterogeneous proteins in high level. This new strategy could be used to further improve the performance of inducible promoters, achieving double competence of inducible control and high yield.
Comparative Analysis of Enoxaparin versus Rivaroxaban in the Treatment of Cancer Associated Venous Thromboembolism: Experience from a Tertiary Care Cancer Centre
Authors: Faqah Anadil , Sheikh Hassan , Bakar Muhammad Abu , Tayyaab Fatima , Khawaja Sahrish
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND VTE in cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis and remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. The purpose of this study was to access if rivaroxaban, a oral factor Xa inhibitor would be an appealing alternate choice to treat cVTE compared with LMWH. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of comparison between the efficacy and safety profile of enoxaparin versus rivaroxaban in the treatment of venothromboembolism (VTE) in 150 patients with cancer after developing a symptomatic DVT or PE. Baseline patient characteristics and laboratory values were assessed in each arm. Primary efficacy outcome was measured by radiographically confirmed VTE recurrence at different intervals. Primary safety outcome was measured by presence of major and minor bleeding using the ISTH scale. RESULTS Our results showed that there was no statistically significant difference between the incidence of VTE recurrence at 6 months between the Enoxaparin and Rivaroxaban arm (10% vs 14.2%, p=0.42). Historically significant risk factors for VTE in cancer patients such as high platelet count, high leukocyte count, low hemoglobin level, high risk gastrointestinal, genitourinary and lung cancers were not found to be independently significantly associated with the risk of VTE recurrence. Primary safety outcome analysis also showed no statistically significant difference in major (11.2% vs 11.4%) and minor (15% vs 10%) bleeding between enoxaparin versus rivaroxaban arm respectively, (p=0.65). CONCLUSION We conclude that there was no significant difference seen between the efficacy and safety profile of enoxaparin and rivaroxaban in our cancer patient population.
Prevalence of Hookah smoking and associated factors among male high school students in Iraq.
Authors: Al-Delaimy Ahmed K. , Al-Ani Waleed AT
Published: February 2020

Background The use of the hookah-smoking device is increasing at a large scale in the Eastern Mediterranean region and reaching to Western countries. Hookah smoke users are exposed to a lot of chemical compounds and several chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of hookah use among male high school students and to study different associated factors linked with hookah smoking.Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among students in three high schools in Al-Karkh District, Baghdad. The study period was from Oct. 2017 till Jan. 2019 and included 847 male students. A structured Knowledge Attitude and Practice questionnaire was used to identify their knowledge and use of hookah smoking. Descriptive, chi-square, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis of data was carried out using the available software statistical package of SPSS-25.Results The overall prevalence of hookah smoking among high school male students was high (46%). More than two-thirds (70.6%) of them think that waterpipe smoking is acceptable socially more than cigarette smoking. More than half of the participants (55%) first heard about hookah smoking from friends and friends constitute close to two-thirds (65.2%) of those who smoke hookah around students. Almost half of the respondents think hookah smoking is not encouraged in the faith of Islam (47.3%) and less than a quarter (20.9%) think it's completely forbidden in Islam.Conclusions Hookah smoking is increasing among high school students and becoming a socially acceptable behavior that needs preventive strategies targeting this age group.
Canadian after-school care providers’ perceived role promoting healthy lifestyles: A focused ethnography
Authors: Elias Pierrette H. , Montemurro Genevieve , Sulz Lauren , Torrance Brian , Storey Kate Elizabeth
Published: February 2020

BACKGROUND: After-school care (ASC) programs have garnered interest in recent years as the hours of 3:00–6:00p.m. are an opportune time for children to engage in healthy behaviours, specifically healthy eating (HE) and physical activity (PA). Care providers are major influencers within the ASC setting, impacting HE and PA opportunities for children. However, little is known regarding the role care providers play in health promotion interventions in the ASC setting, specifically those using comprehensive approaches. The purpose of this research was to explore care providers’ perceptions and experiences implementing the ASC health promotion intervention School’s Out…Let’s Move (SOLMo). SOLMo was guided by the evidence-based comprehensive school health (CSH) framework, and included a focus on HE and PA. METHODS: This research was guided by the qualitative method focused ethnography. Semi-structured interviews with care providers (n=13) taking part in SOLMo were conducted to explore their perceptions of the intervention. Participant observation was included as part of data generation to further understand care providers’ roles. RESULTS: Through latent content analysis, five themes emerged: 1) enhanced awareness; 2) improved programming; 3) strong relationships; 4) collaborative approach; and 5) role tension. CONCLUSIONS: As major influencers, care providers’ play a crucial role, and these results will contribute to implementation strategies used to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours for children.
Air Ducted Blade Design for Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines
Authors: Yigit Cemil
Published: February 2020

Background: Medium and small-scale wind turbines with no pitch control are cheaper than their controlled equivalents but are much more affected by aerodynamic stall, and local boundary layer separation occurs on the blade when critical wind speed is exceeded. As a result, they produce relatively low power. In this study, the delay of separation of the boundary layer from the surface was investigated by increasing the kinetic energy of the low-momentum fluid behind the surface utilizing the airflow from the air ducts added on the blade. Methods: To obtain the optimum performance from the blade, a computer-aided optimization study was conducted by taking the slope, diameter, number, and angle of attack parameters of the air ducts. The response surface methodology, a goal-oriented and multi-purpose method, was used as an optimization method to provide the best possible design according to the constraints and targets set for the parameters. Results: Optimum parameter values were determined using computational fluid dynamics analysis, and air ducted blade design was compared with the air duct-free blade design, and as a result, the power coefficient obtained from the blade was improved between 3.4% and 4.4% depending on wind speed. Conclusions: Opening air ducts up to a critical number of ducts increase viscous forces. this provides more power from the rotor. On the other hand, with the extra airflow coming from the air ducts, the flow separation behind the wing is delayed and the stall effect is shifted to higher wind speeds and the rotor can work for a longer time at nominal power. Besides, since all this is done with passive flow control, a remarkable increase in annual electricity production from the turbine is provided.
Assessment of risk factors of lymph node metastasis and prognosis of Siewert II/III adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction: a retrospective study
Authors: Zheng Zhi , Zhang Haiqiao , Xu Rui , Yin Jie , Cai Jun , Zhang Jun , Chen Guangyong , Zhang Zhongtao
Published: February 2020

Background Adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction (AEG) has a high incidence, while the extent of lymph node dissection (LND) and prognosis are still controversial. The present study aimed to explore the risk factors of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognosis in Siewert II/III AEG patients. Methods A total of 134 patients who underwent surgical operation between July 2013 and December 2019 at the Beijing Friendship Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were followed up until January 2020. The data were analyzed using logistic regression. Survival analyses were performed using Cox regression. Results Multivariate analysis revealed that the parameters infiltration depth (OR=4.341, 95%CI: 2.498-7.545, P=0.000), gross type (OR=3.626, 95% CI: 1.425-9.228, P=0.007) and intravascular cancer embolus (OR=2.888, 95%CI: 1.106-7.544, P=0.030) correlated with LNM. For all patients, the lymph nodes No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11 indicated higher lymph node metastatic rate in the abdominal cavity. However, No.5 and No. 6 indicated different tendency, which was higher in Siewert III AEG and lower in Siewert II AEG patients. Mediastinal LNM of Siewert II AEG mainly occurred in No. 110 and No. 111 cases corresponding to 7.1 and 3%, respectively, compared with those noted in Siewert III AEG patients. The 3-year overall survival analysis revealed that LNM ( P= 0.046) and chemotherapy ( P= 0.007) exhibited significant differences. Conclusion The infiltration depth, gross type and intravascular cancer embolus were independent risk factors of LNM. For Siewert II AEG patients, it is reasonable to remove both celiac and mediastinal lymph nodes. This was noted notably for No.1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 110 and No.111. For No.5 and No.6 lymph nodes dissection was not required. For Siewert III AEG patients, mediastinal LND was not required. However, it was necessary to perform pyloric lymphadenectomy, which was performed for No.5 and No.6 lymph nodes. In addition, patients with LNM exhibited worse long-term prognosis. The data indicated that perioperative chemotherapy could improve the prognosis of AEG patients.
The Activation of NLRP3 Inflammasome Potentiates the Immunomodulatory Abilities of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Murine Colitis Model
Authors: Ahn Ji-Su , Seo Yoojin , Oh Su-Jeong , Yang Ji Won , Shin Ye Young , Lee Byung-Chul , Kang Kyung-Sun , Sung Eui-Suk , Lee Byung-Joo , Shin Tae-Hoon , Kim Hyung-Sik
Published: February 2020

Background Inflammasomes are cytosolic, multiprotein complexes which act at the frontline of the immune responses by recognizing pathogen or danger-associated molecular patterns of pathogens or abnormal host molecules. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to possess multipotency to differentiate into various cell types and immunoregulatory effects which make them a promising treatment for regenerative medicine and immune-related diseases, respectively. However, little is known about the expression and role of the inflammasome in adult stem cells. In this study, we investigated the expression and functional regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome in human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs). Methods The expression of NLR Family Pyrin Domain Containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was detected in hUCB-MSCs. Cell proliferation, death and differentiation were analyzed after NLRP3 inflammasome activation. To investigate the changes in immunoregulatory functions of hUCB-MSCs, naïve or NLRP3 inflammasome-stimulated cells were infused into chemically induced colitic mice and symptoms were monitored. Results NLRP3 inflammasome activation suppressed the differentiation of hUCB-MSCs into osteoblasts, which was restored when the expression of adaptor proteins for inflammasome assembly was inhibited. Moreover, the suppressive effects of MSCs on T cell responses and the macrophage activation were augmented in response to NLRP3 activation. In vivo studies using colitic mice revealed that the protective abilities of hUCB-MSCs increased after NLRP3 stimulation. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the NLRP3 inflammasome components are expressed in hUCB-MSCs and its activation can regulate the differentiation capability and the immunomodulatory effects of hUCB-MSCs.
Exosomes derived from human umbilical cord MSCs rejuvenate aged MSCs and enhance their functions for myocardial repair
Authors: Zhang Ning , Zhu JinYun , Ma QunChao , Zhao Yun , Wang YingChao , Hu XinYang , Chen JingHai , Zhu Wei , Han ZhongChao , Yu Hong
Published: February 2020

Backhround: Age and other cardiovascular risk factors have been reported to impair the activities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which will affect the efficacy of stem cell transplantation. The objective of the study is to investigate whether exosomes derived from human umbilical cord MSCs (UMSCs) could enhance the activities of bone marrow MSCs from old person (OMSCs), and improve their capacity for cardiac repair. Methods: Exosomes extracted from conditioned medium of UMSCs were used to treat OMSCs to generate OMSCsExo. The key molecule in the exosomes that have potential to rejuvenate aged MSCs were screened, and the role of OMSC was tested in the mouse model of mycardiac infarction(MI). Results: We found the activity of senescence-associated β-galactosidase and the expression of aging-related factors such as p53, p21, and p16 were significantly higher in OMSCs than those in UMSCs. After treatment with UMSC exosomes, these senescence phenotypes of OMSCs were remarkably reduced. The proliferation, migration, differentiation, anti-apoptotic and paracrine effect were increased in OMSCsExo. In vivo study, mice with cardiac infarction had significantly better cardiac function, less fibrosis, and more angiogenesis after they were injected with OMSCsExo as compared with those with OMSC. There was more miR-136 expression in UMSCs and OMSCsExo than in OMSCs. Upregulation of miR-136 by transfection of miR-136 mimic into OMSCs significantly attenuated the apoptosis and senescence of OMSCs. Apoptotic peptidase activating factor (Apaf1) was found to be the downstream gene that is negatively regulated by miR-136 via directly targeting at its 3’UTR. Conclusion: Our data suggest that exosomes from young MSCs can improve activities of aged MSCs and enhance their function for myocardial repair by transferring exosomal miR-136 and downregulating Apaf1.
Knockdown of lncRNA LINC00958 inhibits the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells by miR-204-3p/KIF2A axis
Authors: Qi Guan-Bin , Li Lei
Published: February 2020

Background: LINC00958, a newly identified lncRNA, has been reported to be closely linked to tumorigenesis in multiple cancers. However, its specific role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear.Methods: The expression of LINC00958 was determined by RT-qPCR analysis. Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated by CCK-8 and transwell assays, respectively. Xenograft tumor models were established to examine the effect of LINC00958 on tumor growth in vivo. Luciferase reporter assays were performed to determine the interaction between LINC00958 and miR-204-3p and the interaction between miR-204-3p and KIF2A.Results: We found that LINC00958 was up-regulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Down-regulation of LINC00958 inhibited cell proliferation and migration in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Mechanically, we revealed that LINC00958 influenced NSCLC progression partly by sponging miR-204-3p and regulating KIF2A expression.Conclusions: Our study provided new insights into the role of LINC00958 as a promising prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for NSCLC.
Association between the nurse work environment and severe maternal morbidity in high-income countries: A systematic review protocol
Authors: Brown Kyrah K , Smith Jessica G. , Jeffers RaeAnna L , Pierre Claudy Jean
Published: February 2020

Background The United States has the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rates compared to its high-income peer nations. In high-income nations, a considerable amount of maternal morbidity cases are preventable and linked to provider-related factors. Better nurse work environments are associated with positive patient outcomes, but little is known about its impact on maternal morbidity. In this systematic review, we aim to identify the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity, specifically in high-income countries. Methods This systematic review will include original articles on the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity. CINAHL, PubMed/Medline and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be searched to retrieve potential original articles that are published between 1990 and 2019 in English language. Citations will be screened by two reviewers, in two rounds, for inclusion based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data extraction templates will be populated with data to evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of each study. A combination of structured narrative synthesis and quantitative summaries in tabular format will allow for discussion and recommendations for future research. Discussion Results from this systematic review will provide evidence to elucidate the association between nurse work environment and maternal morbidity. While there is strong evidence demonstration the relation between nurse work environment and general patient outcomes, less is known about its influence on maternal morbidity. Findings from this review will help to guide research in the field and nursing professional in the development of targeted practices and policies aimed at reducing the rates of maternal morbidity.
Pursue today and assess tomorrow - how students’ subjective perceptions influence their preference for self- and peer assessments
Authors: Melser Meskuere Capan , Lettner Stefan , Bäwert Andjela , Puttinger Claudia , Holzinger Anita
Published: February 2020

Background Alternative assessments engage students in the assessment process to improve both short- and long-term outcomes by developing their judgments and responsibility about their own learning, and that of their peers. In this study, we investigated students’ perception towards self- and peer-assessment, their objectivity and impact on students’ learning. Methods The study was conducted at the Medical University of Vienna. Attitudes of second year undergraduate medical students towards self- and peer-assessment, and their objectivity, appropriateness, and the impact of these assessments on students’ learning activities, was inquired using a self-developed questionnaire. Results 423 students participated in this study. Self-assessment was found more appropriate method to assess students’ knowledge. Most of students agreed that peer-assessment is not objective (M= -0.07). Majority of students evaluated that peer assessment has no or little impact on their active and passive learning (M= -0.23, -0.35), on the other hand self-assessment was reported as a helpful tool for gaining long-term knowledge (M= 0.13) and following the content of courses (M= 0.16). Conclusion Based on our results, students’ perspective on peer assessment were negative, on the whole, students had positive attitudes towards self-assessment and negative attitudes towards peer-assessment. This study also determined that self-assessment leads to the promotion of students’ learning.
Characterization of spike glycoprotein of 2019-nCoV on virus entry and its immune cross-reactivity with spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV
Authors: Ou Xiuyuan , Liu Yan , Lei Xiaobo , Li Pei , Mi Dan , Ren Lili , Guo Li , Chen Ting , Hu Jiaxing , Xiang Zichun , Mu Zhixia , Chen Xing , Chen Jieyong , Hu Keping , Jin Qi , Wang Jianwei , Qian Zhaohui
Published: February 2020

Since beginning of this century, there have already been three zoonotic outbreaks caused by beta coronaviruses (CoV), SARS-CoV in 2002-2003, MERS-CoV in 2012, and the newly identified 2019-nCoV in late 2019, Wuhan, China. As to Feb 10th, 2020, there are over 40,000 confirmed cases and over 900 deaths. However, little is known about the biology of this newly emerged virus. Here we developed a lentiviral based pseudovirus system for S protein of 2019-nCoV to study virus entry in BSL2 settings. First, we confirmed that human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is the main entry receptor for 2019-nCoV. Second, we found that 2019-nCoV S protein mediated entry on 293/hACE2 cells was mainly through endocytosis, and PIKfyve, TPC2, and cathepsin L are critical for virus entry. Third, 2019-nCoV S protein is less stable than SARS-CoV, and it could trigger protease-independent and receptor dependent cell-cell fusion, which might help virus rapidly spread from cell to cell. Finally and more importantly, polyclonal anti-SARS S1 antibodies T62 effectively inhibited entry of SARS-CoV S pseudovirions, but almost had no effect on entry of 2019-nCoV S pseudovirions. Further studies using sera from one recovered SARS-CoV patient and five 2019-nCoV patients showed that there was only limited cross-neutralization activities between SARS-CoV and 2019-nCoV sera, suggesting that recovery from one infection might not protect against the other. Our results present potential targets for development of drugs and vaccines for 2019-nCoV.
Blepharoptosis among Korean adults: Age-related prevalence and threshold age for evaluation
Authors: Paik Ji-Sun , Han Kyungdo , Yang Suk-Woo , Park Yongkyu , Na Kyungsun , Cho Wonkyung , Jung Su-Kyung , Kim Sungeun
Published: February 2020

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of blepharoptosis among Korean adults and the characteristics of blepharoptosis patients, and to determine an appropriate age threshold for recommending blepharoptosis evaluation. Methods: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-V) was conducted in 2010–2012. We extracted data on 17,878 Korean adults aged ≥ 19 years included in KNHANES-V, and determined blepharoptosis prevalence according to age to determine the cutoff age for recommending blepharoptosis evaluation. We also determined the possible association between blepharoptosis and obesity parameters, such as body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Results: There was a strong association between older age and the prevalence of blepharoptosis. The cutoff age for recommending blepharoptosis evaluation was 63 years for males, 70 years for females, and 66 years for all patients. Patients with a high BMI and large WC had a higher prevalence of blepharoptosis in all age groups except for those aged > 80 years. The association of blepharoptosis with BMI according to age group showed that in the 50–59 and 60–69 years age groups, blepharoptosis prevalence and BMI were higher. However, in the 70–79 and 80–89 years age groups, extremely obese patients (BMI > 30) showed a decreased blepharoptosis prevalence. Conclusions: Moderate to severe blepharoptosis can result in poor visual function and exacerbate headaches and depression, leading to decreased quality of life. This study proposed an appropriate age threshold for recommending evaluation of patients with blepharoptosis among the general population of Korea.
Innovation Strategy for Business: Financial Management Aspects
Authors: Kostel Mykola V. , Samoilikova Anastasiia V.
Published: February 2020

Nowadays business is risk-oriented and profit-oriented market activity, the mean of functioning in a market environment, at the same time conditioned by the specifics of a certain branch of the economy. Entrepreneurship is an integral part of the business, its innovative element. Innovation in business is the driving force of economic growth under unstable conditions of the present, requiring rapid adaptation to the dynamic changes of the socio-economic and political situation in Ukraine and abroad. The critical problem of innovation efforts enhancing is the absence of a proper innovation strategy concerned with financial risk and scarce financial capital. Moreover, the market is a stimulus for business development, and the shortage of financial resources (equity and debt) is its limit. In this article, we explore an essence and the role of the innovation strategy for business and its financial management aspects. We argue that the effectiveness of innovation activity depends, above all, on management effectiveness. There are a number of managerial tasks arise coming from peculiarities of innovative projects. The financial management is a key component of the management system of innovation strategies for business, which is very important for ensuring business efficiency under current market conditions. It plays the role of an important means of competition and maintaining a leading position in the markets of goods and services. A timely financial risk assessment of business and the capital structure formation for an innovation strategy are the main prerequisites for ensuring effectiveness. We offer a concept of the innovation strategy for business and, in particular, its financial management aspects.
Key words: business, entrepreneurship, financial management, financial resources, financial risk, innovation, innovation strategy.
Foreign direct investment inflow and employment in Nigeria
Authors: Osabohien Romanus , David Awolola Oluwalayomi , Matthew Oluwatoyin , Queen Itua Osayande , Elomien Esther
Published: February 2020

The advent of globalization has spurred the level of foreign direct investment (FDI), which has increased the employment level and economic growth in countries around the world. This scenario has also been debated in the extant literature. It is on this backdrop that this study was inspired to examine the relationship between FDI and the level of employment in Nigeria. The article uses the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and the Johansen co-integration econometric approach on the data, which were sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI) of the World Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin. The investigation period covered thirty-two years (1985–2017). Also, the authors adopted the theory of absorptive capacity as the baseline for the model. Results obtained from the study showed that foreign direct investment is statistically significant and positively related to the employment level in Nigeria. These findings imply that a 1 unit increase in the inflow of foreign direct investment to the Nigerian economy is capable of increasing the level of employment by about 0.97 units. Therefore, based on findings, the study is concluded by recommendations that the Nigerian economy should become viable through effective trade policies and programs, which are capable of attracting foreign direct investment into the Nigerian economy for employment creation.
Acknowledgment(s) The publication support received from Covenant University Centre for Research, Innovation and Discovery (CUCRID) is appreciated
Meshness of sewer networks and its implications for flooding occurrence
Authors: Reyes-Silva Julian David , Helm Björn , Krebs Peter
Published: February 2020

Understanding the factors that affect the occurrence of failures in urban drainage networks (UDNs) is a key concept for developing strategies to improve the reliability of such systems. Although a lot of research has been done in this field, the relationship between UDN structure (i.e. layout) and its functional failures is still unclear. In this context, the present study focuses first on determining which are the most common sewer layout topologies, based on a data set of 118 UDNs, and then on analyzing the relationship between these and the occurrence of node flooding using eight subnetworks of the sewer system of Dresden, Germany, as a study case. A method to ‘quantify’ the topology of a UDN in terms of similarity to a branched or meshed system, referred to as Meshness, is introduced. Results indicate, on the one hand, that most networks have branched or predominantly branched topologies. On the other hand, node flooding events in networks with higher Meshness values are less likely to occur, and have shorter durations and smaller volumes than in predominantly branched systems. Predominantly meshed systems are identified then as more reliable in terms of flooded nodes and flooding volumes.