bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Periodic Heat Stress Licenses EMSC Differentiation into Osteoblasts via YAP Signaling Pathway Activation
Authors: Shi Wentao , Wang Zhe , Bian Lu , Wu Yiqing , HuiYa Mei , Zhou Yanjun , Zhang Zhijian , Wang Qing , Zhao Peng , Lu Xiaojie
Published: March 2022

Background. The repair and regeneration of large bone defects represent highly challenging tasks in bone tissue engineering. Although recent studies have shown that osteogenesis is stimulated by periodic heat stress, the thermal regulation of osteogenic differentiation in ectomesenchymal stem cells (EMSCs) is not well studied. Methods and Results. In this study, the direct effects of periodic heat stress on the differentiation of EMSCs into osteoblasts were investigated. EMSCs derived from rat nasal respiratory mucosa were seeded onto culture plates, followed by 1 h of heat stress at 41°C every 7 days during osteogenic differentiation. Based on the results of the present study, periodic heating increases alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, upregulates osteogenic-related proteins, and promotes EMSC mineralization. In particular, increased YAP nuclear translocation and YAP knockdown inhibited osteogenic differentiation induced by heat stress. Furthermore, the expression and activity of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) were significantly increased after YAP nuclear translocation. Conclusion. Together, these results indicate that YAP plays a key role in regulating cellular proteostasis under stressful cellular conditions by modulating the TG2 response.
A Small Network MicronNet-BF of Traffic Sign Classification
Authors: Fang Hai-Feng , Cao Jin , Li Zhi-Yuan
Published: March 2022

One of a very significant computer vision task in many real-world applications is traffic sign recognition. With the development of deep neural networks, state-of-art performance traffic sign recognition has been provided in recent five years. Getting very high accuracy in object classification is not a dream any more. However, one of the key challenges is becoming making the deep neural network suitable for an embedded system. As a result, a small neural network with as less parameters as possible and high accuracy needs to be explored. In this paper, the MicronNet which is a small but powerful convolutional neural network is improved by batch normalization and factorization, and the proposed MicronNet-BN-Factorization (MicronNet-BF) takes advantages about reducing parameters and improving accuracy. The effect of image brightness is reduced for feature recognition by the elimination of mean and variance of each input layer in MicronNet via BN. A lower number of parameters are realized with the replacement of convolutional layers in MicronNet, which is the inspiration of factorization. In addition, data augmentation is also been changed to get higher accuracy. Most important, the experiment shows that the accuracy of MicronNet-BF is 99.383% on German traffic sign recognition benchmark (GTSRB) which is much higher than the original MicronNet (98.9%), and the most influence factor is batch normalization after the confirmation of orthogonal experimental. Furthermore, the handsome training efficiency and generality of MicronNet-BF indicate the wide application in embedded scenarios.
A Novel Glucose‐Sensitive Scaffold Accelerates Osteogenesis in Diabetic Conditions
Authors: Jiang Ying , Li Weihao , Bao Congyun
Published: March 2022

Mandibular bone regeneration is still a big challenge in those diabetic patients with poorly controlled blood glucose. In this study, we prepared a novel glucose‐sensitive controlled‐release fiber scaffold (PVA‐HTCC/PEO‐rhBMP2‐glucose oxidase (PHPB‐G)), which contained the recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP2) by coaxial cospinning and grafted with glucose oxidase (GOD). We presented evidence that PHPB‐G could undergo a series of structural changes with the blood glucose and promoted bone regeneration in diabetic rat. PHPB‐G expanded the voids in nanofibers when blood glucose levels elevated. More importantly, its slow‐release rhBMP2 effectively promoted the healing of bone defects. These data suggested that the PHPB‐G delivery system may provide a potential treatment strategy for patients with severe diabetic alveolar bone defects.
Cardiorenal Disease in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Sifaat Muhtasham , Patel Pinak , Sheikh Razan , Ghaffar Dawood , Vaishnav Hitesh , Nahar Ludmila , Rupani Sonia , Quadri Syed
Published: March 2022

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Mutations in the genetic coding and the variations in the spike proteins are critical for the virus’s mechanism of facilitating fusion with the human host, making the disease more severe. Recent research indicates that comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, renal disease, heart failure, and atherosclerosis play a significant role in the severity and high mortality rates of (COVID-19), suggesting that perhaps the metabolic syndrome and its components are associated with COVID-19 morbidity. Primarily, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor is identified as the entrance receptor of SARS-CoV-2. Increased ACE2 expression, endothelial dysfunction plays a vital role in the progression and severity of complications developed due to COVID-19. In this review, we will discuss the association and management of cardiorenal disease and COVID-19.
Optimal Load Distribution in DG Sources Using Model Predictive Control and the State Feedback Controller for Switching Control
Authors: Sayedi Iman , Fatehi Mohammad H. , Simab Mohsen
Published: March 2022

The distributed energy management of interconnected microgrids, which is based on model predictive control (MPC), relies on the cooperation of all the agents (i.e., microgrids). Model predictive control or MPC is widely used in industrial applications as an effective tool for dealing with multivariable limited control problems. MPC uses an explicit system model to predict the future horizon of the system and its outputs. This predictability allows calculating the optimal order of inputs to minimize output errors over a limited horizon, which is effected by the limitations of the system. This study presents a distributed economic model predictive control method using the new state feedback controller to control the switching of interface converters and compensate for the unbalanced and nonlinear loads. In this model, the islanding mode and the reconnection of the grid are considered to improve the transient behavior of the system to achieve steady-state power distribution. It has been proposed that it could obtain better results in predictive control, utilizing similarity transform in the state matrix and its modification. First, this model is simulated on distributed generation sources with power-sharing and local loads using the state feedback controller in MATLAB Simpower. Then, the performance of the proposed method is evaluated, confirming that it is more reliable than the FS-MPC and DSVM-MPC methods.
Exploring the Multicomponent Synergy Mechanism of Yinzhihuang Granule in Inhibiting Inflammation‐Cancer Transformation of Hepar Based on Integrated Bioinformatics and Network Pharmacology
Authors: Zhang Jingyuan , Huang Zhihong , Liu Xinkui , Wu Chao , Zhou Wei , Ye Peizhi , Stalin Antony , Lu Shan , Tan Yingying , Wu Zhishan , Fan Xiaotian , Zhang Xiaomeng , Wang Miaomiao , Li Bingbing , Cheng Guoliang , Mou Yanfang , Wu Jiarui
Published: March 2022

Background. The Chinese patent drug Yinzhihuang granule (YZHG) is used to treat hepatitis B. This research is aimed at exploring the multicomponent synergistic mechanism of YZHG in the treatment of inflammation‐cancer transformation of hepar and at providing new evidence and insights for its clinical application. Methods. To retrieve the components and targets of Yinzhihuang granules. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of hepar inflammation‐cancer transformation were obtained from TTD, PharmGKB, and GEO databases. Construct the compound‐prediction target network and the key module network using Cytoscape 3.7.1. Results. The results show that hepatitis B and hepatitis C shared a common target, MMP2. CDK1 and TOP2A may play an important role in the treatment with YZHG in hepatitis B inflammatory cancer transformation. KEGG pathway enrichment showed that key genes of modules 1, 2, and 4 were mainly enriched in the progesterone‐mediated oocyte maturation signaling pathway and oocyte meiosis signaling pathway. Conclusion. The multicomponent, multitarget, and multichannel pharmacological benefits of YZHG in the therapy of inflammation‐cancer transition of hepar are directly demonstrated by network pharmacology, providing a scientific basis for its mechanism.
Application of Digital Image Processing Technology in the Remote Interactive Art Teaching System
Authors: Meng Gang
Published: March 2022

Modern distance teaching activities have occupied an important position in current education and teaching activities. This research mainly discusses the application of digital image processing technology in remote interactive art teaching systems. In order to avoid complicated calculation and a huge amount of calculation, reduce the difficulty of calculation, and improve the correction speed of distorted image and for qualitative recognition and correction of a large background and small target (or medium and small target) digital images (video is regarded as a special form of continuous image, method-like) that appear in a large number of remote teaching activities, this paper proposes a direct look-up method based on coordinate interpolation, that is, to establish the approximate correspondence between the image coordinate positions before and after the distortion and build a reference model for comparing the two image coordinates through experimental data. The system design includes overall design, functional module design, and database design. To realize the function of distance education, it must have characteristics different from ordinary networks and the most important thing is that its transmission bandwidth should be large. Because the distance education platform needs to be able to transmit the teaching text, hear the teacher’s voice, see the teacher’s teaching image content, and even see the carefully designed animation, the distance education system must have a very wide bandwidth. The database tables are designed using entity attribute diagrams and E-R diagrams. E-R diagram is also called entity-connection diagram, which provides a way to express entity types, attributes, and connections. It is used to describe the conceptual model of the real world. Remote online test management includes test content perform operations such as addition. The art teaching management system designed in the article will make teachers and students no longer be restricted by time and place and can inquire about students’ information, choose courses freely, inquire about grades, and understand the teaching plan anytime and anywhere. This research helps to promote the development of remote interactive technology.
A Metro Freight Plan for Mixed Passenger and Freight Transportation
Authors: Ye Yutao , Guo Junhua , Yan Lixin
Published: March 2022

This study proposes a metro freight plan for mixed passenger and freight transportation. First, this study explores the problem of single-line metro train service under mixed passenger and freight transportation. Then, comprehensively considering the constraints of metro train freight capacity, loading and unloading time, and train schedules, a metro freight service model was established, and an efficient and accurate train schedule and freight distribution plan were developed to minimize metro freight costs. Finally, through actual case studies, an improved variable neighborhood search algorithm (VNS) was used to verify the effectiveness of the model, and the sensitivity of different train capacities, train headway, and cargo operation cost to the cost of metro freight was also discussed. The cost of cargo operation is the main factor that affects the cost of metro freight. The metro freight plan proposed in this study can provide decision support for the setting of train schedules and freight distribution plans.
Cybersecurity Awareness Based on Software and E-mail Security with Statistical Analysis
Authors: Alqahtani Mohammed A.
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study is to discover the impact of software security and e-mail security on overall cybersecurity among the students of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam. Another main purpose to conduct this study is to know the level of knowledge students have in the developing countries about the cybersecurity and how much are they mindful of cyber-attacks and the level of awareness among the university students. Two important hypotheses were studied to discover their importance in awareness of cybersecurity. One is software security, and the other is e-mail security. A total of 11 relevant questions were drafted, and then these questions were distributed among the university students, and around 390 responded to the questionnaires. Statistical analysis was performed on the responses using tools. Initial tests such as validity and reliability test, feasibility test of a variable, correlation test, multicollinearity test, multiple regression, and Heteroskedasticity test were conducted using SPSS. And furthermore, multiple linear regression model and coefficient of determination, hypothesis test, ANOVA test, and partial test were conducted using ANOVA. The outcome of the analysis is software security variable (X1) that has a significant and positive effect on cybersecurity awareness (

p

value ≤0.001, β = 0.192). This shows that having a thorough understanding of software security can raise cybersecurity awareness up to 19.2%. E-mail security variable (X2) has a significant and positive effect on cybersecurityawareness (

p

-value ≤0.000). This shows that having a thorough understanding of email security can raise cybersecurity awareness up to 31.3%. Software security (X1) and e-mail security (X2) variables simultaneously have a significant effect on cybersecurity awareness (

p

-value ≤0.000) with a correlation coefficient of 12.1% (R2 = 0.121). This shows that the independent variable used can explain the level of cybersecurity awareness up to 12.1%. Research results show that students are aware of software or application updates. Furthermore, students’ awareness of email security is also good.
Amelioration of Nephrotoxicity in Mice Induced by Antituberculosis Drugs Using Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman Corm Extract
Authors: Dubiwak Abebe Dukessa , Gerema Urge , Abdisa Daba , Tofik Ebsa , Reta Wondu
Published: March 2022

Background. Antituberculosis drugs are antimicrobial agents important for treating a communicable disease called tuberculosis. Despite their importance, antituberculosis drugs such as isoniazid and rifampicin have severe adverse effects like nephrotoxicity with acute renal failures. Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman is a nutritional herbaceous perennial plant, and it has indigenous ethnomedicinal values for the society. This study aimed to evaluate the protective role of the Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman corm extract (EVCE) against nephrotoxicity induced by isoniazid and rifampicin in mice. Methods. The present study was conducted on thirty Swiss albino mice randomly allocated into five groups. Group-I (only distilled water), Group-II (only isoniazid 75 mg/kg and rifampicin150 mg/kg), Group-III (isoniazid and rifampicin along with 200 mg/kg EVCE), Group-IV (isoniazid and rifampicin along with 400 mg/kg EVCE), and Group-V (isoniazid and rifampicin along with silymarin) were treated for thirty days. At the end of the study, the experimental animals were sacrificed after being injected with anesthetic drug, blood was drawn for a kidney function test, and the kidney was also taken from each experimental animal for histopathological evaluation. Data were entered and analyzed by using one-way ANOVA of SPSS version 25. Results and Conclusion. Serum levels of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and uric acid of the Group-II mice were significantly (

P
<
0.01

) elevated, and serum levels of total proteins and albumin of Group-II mice were significantly (

P
<
0.01

) decreased as compared to Group-I. The group of mice treated with an EVCE reinstated those derangements. The kidney section of Group-II mice showed an abnormality in kidney structure; however, these deformities were not detectable in group-IV mice. The EVCE has sufficient nephroprotective potential against antituberculosis drug-induced kidney injury.
Effect Of Open-Pit Blasting Vibrations on a Hanging-Wall Slope: A Case Study of the Beizhan Iron Mine in China
Authors: Xiao Yong-gang , Cao Jie , Liu Xiao-min , Li Chang-hong
Published: March 2022

With the increase in the depth of large-scale open-pit mining, many mines have to face problems such as what is the effect of open-pit blasting on the rock slope and how to ensure the stability of a high-steep slope. The east slope of the Beizhan iron mine in Hejing County, Xinjiang, belongs to the typical open-pit high and steep slope of mined hanging-wall ore. To study the effect of open-pit blasting vibrations on hanging-wall slope stability, the intelligent blasting vibration detector was used to monitor the open-pit blasting wave of the Beizhan iron mine and the corresponding numerical model was established. We fitted the transmission law of slope blasting vibration by Sodev’s regression formula and calculated stress, strain, and vibration velocity of the whole slope by numerical simulation. The result showed that the fitting functional relationship was correct and could be the basic rule of predicting the maximum charge amount per delay interval and minimum safe distance for this area. The estimated open-pit blasting charge weight was reasonable and blasting vibrations would have little effect on the hanging-wall slope. The research method and conclusions in this article have numerous reference values for studying the hanging-wall slope’s kinetic stability.
Caristi’s Fixed Point Theorem in Cone Metric Space
Authors: Lael Fatemeh , Saleem Naeem , George Reny
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we provide a short, comprehensive, and brief proof for Caristi-Kirk fixed point result for single and set-valued mappings in cone metric spaces. In addition, we partially addressed an open problem in which Caristi-Kirk fixed point result in cone metric spaces reduces to a classical result in metric spaces and provided a brief justification for a partial positive answer to this open problem using Caristi-Kirk fixed point theorem on uniform space. The proofs given to Caristi-Kirk’s result vary and use different techniques.
Road Performance Comprehensive Evaluation of Polymer Modified Emulsified Asphalt Fiber Microsurfacing
Authors: Xia Yifeng , Jia Jie , Chen Qian
Published: March 2022

To further improve the road performance of microsurfacing, two kinds of polymer modified emulsified asphalt and three kinds of fibers were selected to prepare a variety of microsurfacing mixtures. The composition of the microsurfacing was optimized and verified. The effects of polymer modified emulsified asphalt and fiber types on the road performance of the microsurfacing were analyzed. Based on TOPSIS method of entropy weight, the road performance of the microsurfacing was comprehensively evaluated, and the microsurfacing with the best comprehensive road performance was optimized. The results show that the addition of waterborne polyurethane can further improve the water stability and low-temperature crack resistance of the waterborne epoxy resin modified emulsified asphalt fiber microsurfacing. Adding fiber can effectively improve the road performance of the microsurfacing. After adding polypropylene fiber, the bonding performance and water damage resistance of polymer modified emulsified asphalt microsurfacing were improved to the maximum. After adding basalt fiber, the deformation resistance, the 60°C dynamic stability, and the −10°C splitting strength of polymer modified emulsified asphalt microsurfacing reached the maximum. Among the three fibers, polypropylene fiber microsurfacing has the best comprehensive road performance, followed by basalt fiber microsurfacing.
Cross-Domain Traffic Scene Understanding by Integrating Deep Learning and Topic Model
Authors: Yang Yuanfeng , Dong Husheng , Liu Gang , Zhang Liang , Li Lin
Published: March 2022

Understanding cross-domain traffic scenarios from multicamera surveillance network is important for environmental perception. Most of existing methods select the source domain which is most similar to the target domain by comparing entire domains for cross-domain similarity and then transferring the motion model learned in the source domain to the target domain. The cross-domain similarity between overall different scenarios with similar local layouts is usually not utilized to improve any automatic surveillance tasks. However, these local commonalities, which may be shared across multiple traffic scenarios, can be transferred across scenarios as prior knowledge. To address these issues, we present a novel framework for cross-domain traffic scene understanding by integrating deep learning and topic model. This framework leverages the labeled samples with activity attribute labels from the source domain to annotate the target domain, where each label represents the local activity of some objects in the scene. When labeling the activity attributes of the target domain, there is no need to select the source domain, which avoids the phenomenon of performance degradation or even negative transfer due to wrong source domain selection. The effectiveness of the proposed framework is verified by extensive experiments carried out using public road traffic data.
A Novel Immune-Related Prognostic Signature Predicting Survival in Patients with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Li Xiaomian , Xie Jun , Zhu Qian , Yuan Yufeng
Published: March 2022

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) carries the lowest survival rate of all major organ cancers, which is of dismal prognosis and high mortality rate. Thus, the present study attempted to identify a few novel prognostic biomarkers and establish an immune-related prognostic signature which could predict the prognosis of PAAD. Four prognostic immune-related genes (IRGs) including S100A6, S100A10, S100A16, and SDC1 were screened by differentially expressed gene (DEG) identification and weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Subsequent analysis proved the high expression of these IRGs in PAAD tissues, suggested by TCGA-PAAD data, merged microarray-acquired dataset (MMD), GEPIA, and Oncomine webtool. By using MMD and TCGA-PAAD data, S100A6 (MMD: AUC = 0.897; TCGA: AUC = 0.843), S100A10 (MMD: AUC = 0.880; TCGA: AUC = 0.780), S100A16 (MMD: AUC = 0.878; TCGA: AUC = 0.838), and SDC1 (MMD: AUC = 0.885; TCGA: AUC = 0.812) exhibited excellent diagnostic efficiency for PAAD. By conducting connectivity map (CMap) analysis, we concluded that three molecule drugs (sulpiride, famotidine, and nalidixic acid) might have worked in the treatment of PAAD. Then, an immune-related prognostic index was constructed, which was validated as an independent prognostic factor for PAAD patients (

P
=
0.004

). We further constructed a nomogram by using this immune-related signature and age, the prognostic value of which was validated by using concordance index (C-index = 0.780) and area under curve (AUC = 0.909). Moreover, the immune-related prognostic signature was associated with response to anti-PD-1/L1 immunotherapy. To sum up, four IRGs were screened out and verified to be novel immune-related prognostic biomarkers in PAAD. Besides, sulpiride, famotidine, and nalidixic acid might be potential choices in the treatment of PAAD. An immune-related signature was established to show great potential for prognosis prediction for PAAD, independently, which might guide more effective immunotherapy strategies. A nomogram is further established by using this immune-related prognostic index, which might contribute to more effective prognosis prediction in PAAD patients.
The Association of Serum Anti-Lysosomal-Associated Membrane Protein-2 Antibody with Vasculitis Combined with Hypertension
Authors: Zhu Bin , Cai Xintian , Zhu Qing , Wu Ting , Liu Shasha , Liu Shanshan , Hong Jing , Li Nanfang
Published: March 2022

The aim of this study was to explore the association of serum anti-lysosomal-associated membrane protein-2 (anti-LAMP-2) antibody with vasculitis combined with hypertension (VAS-HTN). A total of 51 VAS-HTN patients, 46 essential hypertension (EH) patients, and 46 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. Serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody levels are increased in VAS-HTN patients as compared with EH and HC (allP<0.05). Serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody levels were significantly higher in active stage patients than those in non-active stage patients and HC (allP<0.05). The correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody levels and the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) (allP<0.05). Among the subsets of VAS-HTN, the levels of serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody were remarkably higher in all VAS-HTN subsets compared with HC (allP<0.05). More interestingly, the levels of serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody were remarkably increased in polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) patients compared with ANCA-associated vasculitis and Takayasu arteritis patients (allP<0.05). In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody levels and BAVS and Hs-CRP in PAN patients (allP<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the anti-LAMP-2 antibody was independently associated with VAS-HTN. The levels of serum anti-LAMP-2 antibody were remarkably increased in VAS-HTN patients compared to EH and HC and might reflect the disease activity. The anti-LAMP-2 antibody may be a potential biomarker for diagnosis and estimating the disease activity in VAS-HTN.
Stiff Person-Like Syndrome: An Unusual Presentation of Pituitary Macroadenoma with Panhypopituitarism
Authors: Goh Kian Guan , Yusof Khan Abdul Hanif Khan , Nasruddin Azraai
Published: March 2022

Pituitary adenoma can manifest as pituitary hypofunction, which can cause symptoms of panhypopituitarism. Commonly, symptoms of hormonal deficiencies such as lethargy, weight change, cold intolerance, and sexual dysfunction are reported. Optic chiasmal compression leads to visual field changes and the discovery of the pituitary lesion. However, limb stiffness is a rare presentation of hypopituitarism, especially hypocortisolism. We report a 68-year-old man who presented with progressive lower limb stiffness associated with truncal instability mimicking a stiff person syndrome (SPS). Hypoglycaemia and hyponatraemia prompted the discovery of pituitary macroadenoma with panhypopituitarism. Investigation showed pituitary macroadenoma on magnetic resonance imaging with hypocortisolism, hypothyroidism, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. After initiating hydrocortisone replacement, the patient had complete resolution of lower limb stiffness with no permanent neurological sequelae. It is postulated that hypocortisolism and hyponatraemia disrupt the metabolic function of muscle leading to stiffness. As a result, lower limb rigidity, flexion deformities, and pain are more common. Differentiating adrenal insufficiency associated with rigidity and SPS is important as the response to treatment for both conditions differs. Prompt treatment leads to fast resolution and prevents contractures in adrenal insufficiency-associated rigidity. Thus, recognizing limb rigidity as the first presentation of hypopituitarism is important to avoid long-term complications.
Efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life in Early Psychosis: Results from the Multi-Center INTERACT Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Myin-Germeys Inez , van Aubel Evelyne , Vaessen Thomas , Steinhart Henrietta , Klippel Annelie , Lafit Ginette , Viechtbauer Wolfgang , Batink Tim , van Winkel Ruud , van der Gaag Mark , van Amelsvoort Therese , Marcelis Machteld , Schirmbeck Frederike , de Haan Lieuwe , Reininghaus Ulrich
Published: March 2022

Introduction/Objective: This study aimed to investigate efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL), combining face-to-face therapy with an Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI), in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) for psychotic distress, in comparison to TAU. Methods: Individuals aged 15–65 years with clinically established ultra-high risk or first episode of psychosis were randomly assigned to TAU or ACT-DL+TAU. ACT-DL+TAU consisted of 8 ACT-sessions augmented with an EMI-app. The primary outcome was psychotic distress assessed with the Comprehensive Assessment scale of At Risk Mental State (CAARMS) at post-intervention and 6- and 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were functioning, symptom severity, and momentary psychotic distress. We performed multivariate mixed models according to intent-to-treat principles. Results: Between June 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018, 668 participants were referred, of whom 148 were randomized to ACT-DL+TAU (n = 71) or TAU (n = 77). One hundred and fifteen (78%) provided primary outcome data at least at one follow-up assessment. There was no evidence of greater reduction in the primary outcome measure CAARMS distress in ACT-DL+TAU compared to TAU (χ2(3) = 2.36; p = 0.50). However, out of the tested secondary outcomes, global functioning (χ2(3) = 9.05; p = 0.033), and negative symptoms (χ2(3) = 19.91; p<0.001) improved in ACT-DL+TAU compared to TAU, as did momentary psychotic distress (χ2(3) = 21.56; p < 0.001). Conclusions: INTERACT did not support a significant effect of ACT-DL over TAU on the primary outcome measure of psychotic distress as assessed with the CAARMS. Although significant improvements were found for some secondary outcome measures, further replication studies are needed to confirm the strength and specificity of these effects.
Long-Term Adherence to Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Gulpen Anouk J.W. , Braeken Dionne C.W. , Schalla Simon , Ten Cate Hugo , Crijns Harry J. , Ten Cate-Hoek Arina J.
Published: March 2022

Background: Long-term treatment with direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) is required for the majority of patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (AF) to prevent ischemic stroke and systemic embolism. Adherence to therapy may impact clinical outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the potential impact of structured follow-up on long-term adherence to DOAC therapy compared to standard care. Methods: This is a cross sectional study on the implementation phase of medication adherence to DOACs, comparing patients with AF following completion of structured follow-up of minimally 1 year with those who received standard care. All patients used DOACs for more than 2 years and completed a questionnaire on adherence. Adherence was measured with the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 (MMAS-8) score and assessed via an online web portal. Results: A total of 212 patients were included. The mean MMAS-8 score was 7.55 (SD 0.93) after structured follow-up and 7.25 (SD 1.01) for standard care; p = 0.045. Following structured follow-up 64.1% of patients had a high adherence (MMAS score of 8) compared to 50% receiving standard care; p = 0.05. Patients following structured follow-up on a once daily DOAC regime had higher MMAS-8 scores compared to those on a twice daily regime; 7.74 (SD 0.74) versus 7.00 (SD 1.22); p < 0.001. The rates of minor bleedings were 10.6% versus 21.4% respectively, p = 0.038. Conclusion: In patients on long-term DOAC treatment, adherence to therapy was significantly increased after receiving an initial period of structured follow-up compared to standard care. Additionally, adherence to DOAC therapy was higher with once-daily treatment regimen. Significant more minor bleedings were reported in the standard care group. These results indicate that implementation of structured follow-up of patients with AF using DOACs merits further evaluation.
Cervicomedullary Gliomas in Pediatric Age: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Tertiary Care Center Experience
Authors: Trezza Andrea , de Laurentis Camilla , Biassoni Veronica , Carrabba Giorgio G. , Schiavello Elisabetta , Canonico Francesco , Remida Paolo , Moretto Alessandra , Massimino Maura , Giussani Carlo
Published: March 2022

Introduction: Cervicomedullary gliomas (CMGs) are usually low-grade tumors often found in the pediatric age. Histological findings, treatments, and classification have been much the same for 40 years, although histological and molecular classifications have largely been developed for other pediatric CNS tumors. The management and treatment of pediatric CMG are still conducted by many authors according to their anatomical location and characteristics, independently from histology. Methods: We conducted a literature review in PubMed (Medline) to identify relevant contributions about pediatric CMG published until December 31, 2021. We also analyzed a series of 10 patients with CMG treated from 2006 to 2021 at IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori. The aim of the present review was to see whether and how the diagnosis, treatment, and classification of CMGs in children have developed over time, especially in the context of molecular advancements, and to analyze our single-center experience in the last 15 years. Results: Thirty articles have been included in the review. Articles have been divided into two historical periods (1981–2000 and 2001–2021) and data from different series were analyzed to see how much the management and treatment of pediatric CMG have changed during years. Analysis of our series of 10 patients affected by CMG was also performed to compare it with the literature. Discussion: Management and classification of CMG in children have not dramatically changed during years. However, new insight from molecular diagnostics and target therapies and the development of radiological, neurophysiological, and radiotherapy techniques have updated treatment modalities in the last 20 years. Treatment modalities and their innovations have been reviewed and discussed. Further studies are needed to standardize and customize treatment protocols for these tumors.
Therapeutic Targets for Heart Failure Identified Using Proteomics and Mendelian Randomization
Authors: Henry Albert , Gordillo-Marañón María , Finan Chris , Schmidt Amand F. , Ferreira João Pedro , Karra Ravi , Sundström Johan , Lind Lars , Ärnlöv Johan , Zannad Faiez , Mälarstig Anders , Hingorani Aroon D. , Lumbers R. Thomas ,   HERMES and SCALLOP Consortia
Published: March 2022

Background:

Heart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent disorder for which disease mechanisms are incompletely understood. The discovery of disease-associated proteins with causal genetic evidence provides an opportunity to identify new therapeutic targets.

Methods:

We investigated the observational and causal associations of 90 cardiovascular proteins, which were measured using affinity-based proteomic assays. First, we estimated the associations of 90 cardiovascular proteins with incident heart failure by means of a fixed-effect meta-analysis of 4 population-based studies, composed of a total of 3019 participants with 732 HF events. The causal effects of HF-associated proteins were then investigated by Mendelian randomization, using
cis
-protein quantitative loci genetic instruments identified from genomewide association studies in more than 30 000 individuals. To improve the precision of causal estimates, we implemented an Mendelian randomization model that accounted for linkage disequilibrium between instruments and tested the robustness of causal estimates through a multiverse sensitivity analysis that included up to 120 combinations of instrument selection parameters and Mendelian randomization models per protein. The druggability of candidate proteins was surveyed, and mechanism of action and potential on-target side effects were explored with cross-trait Mendelian randomization analysis.

Results:

Forty-four of ninety proteins were positively associated with risk of incident HF (
P
<6.0×10
–4
). Among these, 8 proteins had evidence of a causal association with HF that was robust to multiverse sensitivity analysis: higher CSF-1 (macrophage colony-stimulating factor 1), Gal-3 (galectin-3) and KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule 1) were positively associated with risk of HF, whereas higher ADM (adrenomedullin), CHI3L1 (chitinase-3-like protein 1), CTSL1 (cathepsin L1), FGF-23 (fibroblast growth factor 23), and MMP-12 (matrix metalloproteinase-12) were protective. Therapeutics targeting ADM and Gal-3 are currently under evaluation in clinical trials, and all the remaining proteins were considered druggable, except KIM-1.

Conclusions:

We identified 44 circulating proteins that were associated with incident HF, of which 8 showed evidence of a causal relationship and 7 were druggable, including adrenomedullin, which represents a particularly promising drug target. Our approach demonstrates a tractable roadmap for the triangulation of population genomic and proteomic data for the prioritization of therapeutic targets for complex human diseases.
TÜRKİYE'DE İNSANA YAKIŞIR İŞ: BAĞLAM, KAVRAMSALLAŞTIRMA VE DEĞERLENDİRME: BİR ALAN ARAŞTIRMASI
Authors: ACA Zeynep , AKDAMAR Emrah
Published: March 2022

Çalışmanın amacı Türkiye’de insana yakışır işi bir alan araştırmasıyla incelemedir. Araştırma, çalışma iradesi, işin anlamı, güvencesiz çalışma koşulları ve yaşam doyumu ile insana yakışır iş arasında nedensel bir bağ olduğu modeline dayandırılmıştır. Çalışma, 395 katılımcıyla gerçekleştirilmiş ve araştırmada, katılımcıların demografik özellikleriyle insana yakışır iş arasındaki ilişki de incelenmiştir. Bağımsız İki Örneklem t Testi, Tek Yönlü Varyans Analizi, Korelasyon ve çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizlerinin kullanıldığı araştırmada; kadınların insana yakışır iş skorlarının erkeklerden düşük olduğu, boşanmış kadınların en düşük insana yakışır iş skorlarına sahip olduğu, eğitim düzeyi ve gelir arttıkça insana yakışır iş skorunun arttığı, çalışma iradesinin, işin anlamının, yaşam doyumunun insana yakışır işe pozitif yönde, güvencesiz çalışmanın ise insana yakışır işe negatif yönde etki ettiği saptanmıştır.
TÜRKİYE’DE DİPLOMALI İŞSİZLİK: İŞSİZ ÜNİVERSİTE MEZUNLARININ İŞ PİYASASI ÖRÜNTÜLERİ
Authors: PELEK Selin
Published: March 2022

Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de diplomalı işsizlik olgusunu eğitim alanlarını merkeze alarak inceleme amacı taşımaktadır. 2014-2019 yıllarını kapsayan Hanehalkı İşgücü Anketi mikro veri setleri kullanılarak mezuniyet alanları sekiz grupta toplanmış ve mezunların işgücü piyasasındaki geçiş matrisleri gösterilmiştir. Heckman iki aşamalı tahmincisi ile örneklem seçim yanlılığı kontrol edilerek işsizlik-mezuniyet alanı ilişkisi ekonometrik olarak test edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlar eğitimli işsizliğinin kalıcı karakterine işaret etmektedir. Sağlık ve sosyal hizmet bölümleri, eğitim bilimleri ve kişisel hizmetler, ulaşım, güvenlik bölümlerinden mezun olanların işsizlik ihtimali göreceli olarak daha düşük bulunmuştur.
The Jerusalem Temple and Jewish Identity between Pseudo-Hegesippus and Sefer Yosippon: The Discursive Aftermath of Josephus’ Temple Ekphrasis
Authors: Bay Carson
Published: March 2022

Josephus’ Temple ekphrasis in his Jewish War (5.136–247) is a significant literary monument. The description of this quintessential Jewish holy place has a great deal to do with Jewish identity. In the late fourth century, the Latin Christian author Pseudo-Hegesippus, in his work On the Destruction of Jerusalem, rewrote the Temple description to emphasize Christian identity as central to the Temple’s construction, not Jewish identity. In the tenth century, the Jewish author of the Hebrew Sefer Yosippon rewrote the Temple description again to emphasize Jewish identity. By reading these Greek, Latin, and Hebrew Temple descriptions comparatively, one may identify an ongoing identity discourse about Jewish and/or Christian identity vis-à-vis the Jerusalem Temple. These three accounts, with each subsequent account based on the one that came before, illustrate a back-and-forth discussion between Jewish and Christian authors across a millennium about what the Temple means and is/was for Jews and Christians.
Being a Jewish Soldier in the Grande Armée: The Memoirs of Jakob Meyer during the Napoleonic Wars (1808–1813)
Authors: Renard Nils
Published: March 2022

The Memoirs of Jakob Meyer offer a precious account of what Jewish soldiers experienced during the Napoleonic wars. Written in German in 1836–1838, they were translated into French and published, thanks to the work of Ernest Kallmann and Françoise Lyon-Caen (J. Meyer, Jakob Meyer, soldat de Napoléon. Mes aventures de guerre, 1808–1813 [Paris 2009]). The narrative of Meyer’s experience is a unique testimony of the way Jewish soldiers experienced their being Jewish, while indicating the way in which Jews reacted to wars. From his idealistic enlistment in the army, driven by hopes of emancipation, to the disaster of the Russian campaign and retreat, we follow Meyer, who seems to get closer to Jewish communities and his Jewish identity, while the dislocation of the Grande Armée makes these communities’ help increasingly more valuable. This narrative can be interrogated through the anthropological categories of ‘Jewish Warrior’ and ‘War Jew.’
Palestine
Authors: Awawda Osayd
Published: March 2022

Since 2007, the overall situation in Palestine has been in constant decline on almost all levels: the rule of law, economy, political stability, human rights, and social security. The main reason for this decline is the vicious continuance of the state of emergency following the parliament’s suspension in 2007 and its dissolution by the Supreme Constitutional Court in December 2018. President Abbas (Abu Mazen) is still maliciously exploiting the state of emergency to maintain his grip on power and preserve his clique cohesion. This was noted in two significant events that have taken place in the last year: the assassination of the political and human rights activist Nizar Banat, and the postponement of the parliamentary and presidential elections.
Direct Constitutional Challenges in Kuwait
Authors: Alhamidah Khalifah Thamer
Published: March 2022

While the Kuwaiti Constitution of 1962 instituted a Constitutional Court, the latter was not established by the law until 1973. Yet individuals were forced to resort to it through indirect constitutional challenges. Nevertheless, in 2014, the legislature took a big step toward making the court more accessible to individuals by granting them the ability to raise these challenges through the direct process. This paper focuses on two procedures to challenge the constitutionality of legislation before the constitutional court of Kuwait.
Targeting Fas-associated protein with death domain gene with chitosan-lipid nanoparticles inhibits coronary heart disease progression in mice
Authors: Chen Qinghua , Lin Song
Published: March 2022

Cell apoptosis or programmed cell death is a physiological phenomenon during the development of the body; however, under certain pathological conditions, insufficient, or excessive apoptosis can cause tissue damage and physiological dysfunction. This study investigated the inhibition
of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL)-induced macrophage apoptosis in mice with coronary heart disease by regulating the target Fasassociated protein with death domain (FADD) gene. We used Western blotting to measure the effect of oxLDL on mouse macrophages and observe the effects of
adding simvastatin, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), self-blocking, and other drugs. The results indicated that the target FADD gene played an important role in inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase release by 13%, in the process of oxLDL-induced lipid aggregation in macrophages. The EC50 observed
by dual acridine orange/ethidium bromide fluorescence-staining accounts for the proportion of FADD being reduced by 32%, indicating that the target FADD gene exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on oxLDL-induced macrophage apoptosis in coronary heart disease. This study used a novel chitosan-lipid
nanoparticle as a gene carrier to significantly improve efficacy. Therefore, targeting the FADD gene using novel chitosan-lipid nanoparticles to deliver siRNA could be a potential clinical treatment in coronary heart disease.
Effects of new bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-liposome nanoparticles on DNA methylation status of hepatitis B-related liver cancer
Authors: Chen Jianhong , Zhou Haiyan , Lin Hongfeng
Published: March 2022

Primary liver cancer is the most common tumor in China, with high morbidity and mortality. Nanotechnology has made continuous progress in recent years. In this study, new liposome nanoparticles were used to assemble the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-liposome nano-drug delivery
system, to explore molecular mechanism of this technology in anti-HBV-related liver cancer. In this study, human hepatitis Brelated liver cancer cells were exposed to the novel BMSC-liposome nano-drug delivery system, and specific methylation analysis PCR (MSP) was used to detect cell apoptosis.
Flow cytometry analysis was used to test cell cycle. Proliferation of human hepatitis B-related liver cancer cell line HepG2 was analyzed by MTT, while DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)/hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) methylation status was detected by real time PCR. The new liposomal nanoparticle
BMSC nano-drug delivery system increased the rate of cell apoptosis, inhibited the proliferation of HepG2, and blocked the cells in the G2/M phase. In addition, the new liposomal nanoparticle BMSC nano-drug delivery system reduced the content of hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) in the HepG2
cells, and regulated virus replication by controlling the expression of methyltransferase (DNMT). DNA methylation level is one of the criteria for evaluating virus replication. The results from this study suggest that low-level methylation can contribute to the occurrence and development of
tumors, and regional CpG island hypermethylation can increase DNase, to effectively promote the development of viral related diseases. HBx can effectively promote the progress of liver cancer through the expression of DNMT. In this study, a novel BMSC-liposome drug delivery system effectively
controlled the replication of hepatitis B virus and increased the apoptosis of liver cancer cells. This process is closely related to inhibition of DNA methylase and promotion of HBx methylation.
Application of biological materials in preventing basketball sports injury
Authors: Liu Zhongbiao , Xu Zhengke , Yao Liying , Lu Yanwen , He Jianwei
Published: March 2022

Basketball often leads to injury of the flexor tendon. And surgery is an effective way to perform flexor tendon injuries. Collagen biofilm can effectively prevent postoperative tendon adhesion. Because of this, we analyzed the effect of collagen biofilm in preventing postoperative adhesion
of flexor tendon injury caused by basketball. This article discusses 80 patients who came to our hospital for treatment and were diagnosed with basketball flexor tendon injuries. We randomly divide them into two groups. In the observation group, 3-0 or 4-0 atraumatic suture modified Kessler’s
method, or internal “8” suture was used to repair the flexor tendon with (1–2) × 4 cm biofilm or liquid coating around the suture of the tendon. The control group was treated by suturing the wound after hemostasis. Compare the efficacy of the two and other biological
indicators. The study found statistical differences in the postoperative mobility and excellent and good rate of the two groups of patients. For this reason, we believe that collagen biofilm can be effective in the surgical treatment of flexor tendon injuries caused by basketball. This method
is worthy of clinical application.