bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Genetic Modification of Human Embryos: Limits
Authors:   RUDN university, Savvina Olga V.
Published: July 2022

The article analyses the moral justification of human germline editing and the tendency to its legalization. The study is based on documents of international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), national bioethics committees and others that regulate the usage of technologies for human germline editing or issue related recommendations. The paper an­alyzes the impact of the introduction of new technologies on human germline editing recom­mendations. It is concluded that that the development of biotechnologies contributes to lib­eral attitude towards human germline editing, slowly canceling the technologies’ usage ban firstly for therapeutic purposes, and then for the human enhancement purposes. The article suggests that the development of biotechnologies makes it difficult to apply the old bioethics principles; and exacerbates the discussion about the boundaries of the new biotechnologies’ application. Despite the shock and condemnation of the first experiments that violate ban (as in the cases with CRISPR/Cas9 in 2015 and 2018 in China), the scientific community, international organizations and governments return to the issue concerning gene editing technologies limitation. The inability to be guided by the old bioethics principles forces to look for new ethical grounds for gene editing. Now old principles and values are applied with utilitarian approach in ethics, that cancel ban and raises the issue of human germline editing limitation. The article also describes the limits of permissible interventions in the is­sue of human germline editing at the end of 2021.
Moral Sanctions in the Ethics of O.G. Drobnitskii
Authors:   RAS Institute of Philosophy, Prokofyev Andrey V.
Published: July 2022

The paper reconstructs O.G. Drobnitskii’s view on moral sanctions and fits it into the history of studying this phenomenon in ethics, sociology and anthropology. The description of moral sanction proposed by O.G. Drobnitskii generally coincides with the tradition of its un­derstanding that links it with public condemnation of a transgressor. In his first analysis of the problem, in The Short Dictionary of Ethics, he defines moral sanction as a spiritual im­pact on a transgressor that does not affect her real position and material interest. Here moral sanction consists in censure. In his monograph The Concept of Morality: Historical-Critical Essay, he further develops this idea and proposes the conception of the be-polar character of moral sanction: the first pole is external (the public condemnation itself), and the second pole is internal (the acceptance of the condemnation by a transgressor and her feelings of shame, repentance, and remorse). This is what makes morality different from custom which rests upon the sheer ‘emotional-volitional pressure’. So the ‘ideal character’ of moral sanc­tion reveals itself not only in the absence of physical coercion but in the proper ‘subjective attitude [of a transgressor] to herself’. The second tradition of understanding of moral sanc­tions includes among them the very self-condemnation of a transgressor and her negative emotions of self-appraisal. Drobnitskii got closer to this tradition in a few fragments of his dissertational thesis.
Some Remarks on How to Interpret the Concept of “Intermediate Appropriate” Action in Early Stoic Ethics
Authors:   RAS Institute of Philosophy, Seregin Andrei V.
Published: July 2022

This paper examines two alternative ways to interpret the early Stoic concept of “inter­mediate appropriate” action (μέσον καθῆκον). According to the first interpretation, which the author calls “dichotomous”, appropriate actions can be “intermediate” or morally neutral only when viewed in abstracto, i.e. without reference to the virtuous or vicious disposition of those who commit them, whereas in practice they always become either morally right or morally wrong depending on this disposition. According to the second interpretation, which the author calls “trichotomous”, “intermediate appropriate” actions constitute a separate class of morally neutral actions along with morally right and morally wrong ones. The author believes that the dichotomous interpretation is preferable. On the whole, it fits much better with the early Stoic view that all moral agents are divided into virtuous sages who only per­form morally right actions (κατορθώματα) and vicious fools who only commit morally wrong transgressions (ἁμαρτήματα). Nevertheless, some Stoic fragments contain statements that might seem to support the trichotomous reading. The author offers a detailed analysis of these fragments, demonstrating that they do not in fact contradict the dichotomous interpre­tation – either because on closer examination these texts prove to be quite compatible with it and even to some extent confirm it or because they do not provide evidence for authentically Stoic teaching at all.
Sermons on Reverence for Life (February 1919)
Authors: Schweitzer Albert
Published: July 2022

Translation by edition: Schweitzer A. Predigten 1898–1948. Werke aus dem Nachlaß / Hrsg. von R. Brüllmann, E. Gräser. München, 2001. S. 1233–1239.
Non-linear association between daily dietary folate intake and cognitive performance in elder America: A population-based cross-sectional study
Authors: Wu Xiaohua , Wang Chaoqun , Wang Yan , Yuan Lingmei , Deng Li , Gao Lijie
Published: July 2022

Background
The association between daily dietary folate intake and cognitive performance in older populations is unclear.
Methods
This study aimed to investigate whether a dose-dependent association exists between dietary folate levels and cognition performance. The 2011–2014 datasets from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were collected. Data from adults aged ≥ 60 years who completed all three cognitive tests with daily dietary data were analyzed. Weighted smooth curve fitting and multiple linear regression models were applied to study the association between folate intake and cognitive performance. Age, sex, race, education, smoking status, alcohol intake, body mass index, hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and depression were adjusted using a weighted multiple regression model.
Results
Data from 1,255 participants were analyzed. The mean age of the study population was 69.3 years. Males accounted for a weighted 48.8% of the total population. Daily dietary folate was not significantly associated with delayed recall (per 10 mcg/day increment, β 0.003, 95% CI -0.002–0.009, P = 0.23). Below the cut-off of 250 mcg/day, dietary folate intake was positively associated with immediate recall (per 10 mcg/day increment, β 0.01, 95% CI 0.00–0.02, P = 0.05) and animal fluency test score (per 10 mcg/day increment, β 0.02, 95% CI 0.00–0.03, P = 0.05). However, above this cut-off, the association was not significant. Dietary folate intake was not significantly associated with an increase in the digit symbol substitution test score until dietary the folate intake reached 250 mcg/d (per 10mcg/d increment, β 0.29, 95% CI 0.05-0.53, P = 0.04).
Conclusion
Daily dietary folate intake was non-linearly associated with cognitive performance in the older American population.
Relationship between medical students’ perceived instructor role and their approaches to using online learning technologies in a cloud-based virtual classroom
Authors: Wang Rong , Han Jiying , Liu Chuanyong , Wang Lixiang
Published: July 2022

Background
Students can take different approaches to using online learning technologies: deep and surface. It is important to understand the relationship between instructor role and student approaches to using online learning technologies in online learning settings supported by cloud computing techniques.
Methods
A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to analyze the relationships between medical students’ perceptions of instructor role (instructor support, instructor-student interaction, and instructor innovation) and students’ approaches to using online learning technologies in cloud-based virtual classrooms. A 25-item online questionnaire along with a sheet with basic demographic was administered to all medical students at Qilu Medical Schools of Shandong University China. Overall, 213 of 4000 medical students (5.34%) at the medical school participated in the survey.
Results
The results showed high levels of medical students’ perceived instructor support, instructor-student interaction and instructor innovation. Most students adopted the deep approaches to using online learning technologies. Instructor support, instructor-student interaction and innovation were positively related to students’ deep approaches to using online learning technologies. Instructor support was negatively related to students’ surface approaches to using online learning technologies.
Conclusions
The relationship between instructor role (instructor support, instructor-student interaction and instructor innovation) and students’ approaches to using online learning technologies highlight the importance of instructor support and innovation in facilitating students’ adoption of desirable approaches to learning from the application of technologies.
Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B infection risks of school employees in special schools for pupils with disabilities: Results of a cross- sectional study
Authors: Lang Felix , Schoene Klaus , Goessler Felix , Rose Dirk-Matthias , Kegel Peter
Published: July 2022

BackgroundAim of this project was to assess occupational biological hazards with regard to the risk of HAV and HBV and the need for occupational health care in schools for pupils with special needs.MethodsTeachers and pedagogical staff were surveyed about activities potentially providing exposure to biological agents and their individual immune status regarding HAV and HBV by questionnaire. Descriptive analyses, group comparisons and logistic regression were performed to identify factors influencing the HAV and HBV immune status.Results1398 teachers and educational staff took part. 1381 respondents reported having physical contact with pupils at work (98.8%). Daily contact was reported by up to 84.4% of all employees. Being scratched, bitten or spat at was reported by up to 92.7%. Hazardous activities are performed by both teachers and educational staff. The vaccination rate was reported to be 57.7% for HAV and 64.3% for HBV. In regression analyses, failing to receive vaccine counselling (OR 0.36) or instruction on infection prevention (OR 0.68) were found to be significant predictors of lower vaccination rates.ConclusionsOccupational health care, including instruction on infection prevention and vaccination against HAV and HBV, should be offered to all employees.
Validation of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) in Cypriot Pregnant and Postpartum Women
Authors: Vogazianos Paris , Motrico Emma , Domínguez-Salas Sara , Christoforou Andri , Hadjigeorgiou Eleni
Published: July 2022

Background
Anxiety is increasingly acknowledged as a common mental health issue during the perinatal period. Its prevalence as well as the associated adverse effects constitute screening imperative. This study evaluates the psychometric properties and underlying factor structures of a Greek version of GAD-7 among pregnant and postpartum women (up to 6 months) in Cyprus.
Methods
This study was conducted from June to December 2020. A total of 457 Cypriot women in the perinatal period (222 pregnant and 235 postpartum) were surveyed. The assessment included anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (EPDS), and psychosocial factors related with anxiety. The internal consistency and factor structure of GAD-7 were evaluated using reliability coefficients, Cronbach’s Alpha and McDonald's Omega, and factor analysis, both Exploratory as well as Confirmatory.
Results
GAD-7 demonstrated good internal consistency (α = 0.907; Ω = 0.909). Horn's parallel analysis indicated a single factor as the most appropriate. EFA for a single factor gave KMO = 0.917 and Bartlett’s sphericity test, p < 0.001. CFA using the standard ML method indicated a good model fit, χ2 = 21.207, p = 0.096; CFI = 0.999; SRMR = 0.027. More studies are needed to determinate the cut-off point and the maximisation of the scale’s sensitivity and specificity in pregnant and postpartum Greek Cypriot women
Conclusions
GAD-7 is a valid and reliable measure and healthcare professionals should utilize GAD-7 as a standard instrument for the screening of anxiety symptoms in pregnant and postpartum Greek Cypriot women.
Performance Analysis of Ionospheric TECmodelsoverthe Africanregion during the geomagnetic storm of March 2015
Authors: Jean de Dieu Nibigira , DEVANABOYINA VENKATA RATNAM , kondaveeti sivakrishna
Published: July 2022

This paper investigates the diurnal variations of modelled and observed Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) over the African region (40oN to + 40oS, 25oW to 65oE) obtained from ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. The investigations on ionospheric response during the super geomagnetic storm time (17 March 2015) is very crucial, especially over African low latitudes. Hence, the performance of ionospheric models has been evaluated in this paper. The VTEC predictability by regional/global ionospheric models (AfriTEC, IRI-2016, IRI-Plas 2017, GIM-CODE and Nequick-G) is evaluated by using root mean square error (RMSE) method and percentage deviation by comparing the GPS/GNSS-VTEC obtained from 10 IGS (International GNSS Service) stations with the modelled-VTEC values over African region. It is observed that peculiarity in VTEC values is evident during the superstorm sudden commencement when compared to the pre and post-storm periods. Northern hemisphere stations data showed/revealed a twin peak in the diurnal VTEC patterns. The enhanced VTEC values were observed over all the 10 IGS stations on the storm day than on other quiet days. Moreover, during the post-storm days (18–20 March 2015), these VTEC values decreased more than on quiet days over the IGS stations in southern hemisphere (MBAR, MAYG, HARB, SBOK). On the other hand, during the post-storm days (18–20 March 2015), the VTEC values remained high over the geomagnetic northern hemisphere (NOT1, SFER, MAS1, CPVG, NKLG). It is worth mentioning that three northern IGS stations (NOT1, SFER and MAS1) displayed a VTEC increase record of approximately 75–90%, which is due to the extension of Equatorial Ionization Anomaly (EIA) during the geomagnetic storm whereas the other northern stations at EIA trough region (CPVG, BJCO, NKLG) registered a VTEC increment of 7%, 26% and 25% respectively. Southern IGS stations registered an enhancement in VTEC of about 5%. The VTEC maps from AfriTEC, IRI-2016 and Nequick-G were able to predict the feature of Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly (EIA) at around 200N/150S. The GPS-VTEC values at IGS stations located on the geomagnetic EIA crests (in both northern and southern hemispheres) and in the trough (equatorial stations) are higher than those of the IGS stations situated at midlatitudes. AfriTEC, which is a regional model, recorded lowest RMSE values over all the stations. The prediction results show that the regional model performance is better than the global ionospheric models (IRI-2016 and Nequick-G models) especially over EIA latitudes of African region.
DA-UNet: Deep Supervision and Atrous Inception-based U-Net Combining CRF for Automatic Liver Segmentation from CT
Authors: Lv Peiqing , Wang Jinke , Zhang Xiangyang , Shi Changfa
Published: July 2022

Due to low contrast and the blurred boundary between liver tissue and neighboring organs sharing similar intensity values, the problem of liver segmentation from CT images has not yet achieved satisfactory performance and remains a challenge. To alleviate these problems, we introduce deep supervision (DS) and atrous inception (AI) technologies with conditional random field (CRF) and propose three major improvements that are experimentally shown to have substantive and practical value. First, we replace the encoder's standard convolution with the residual block. Residual block can increase the depth of the network. Second, we provide AI module to connect the encoder and decoder. AI allows us to obtain multi-scale features. Third, we incorporate the DS mechanism into the decoder. This helps to make full use of information of the shallow layers. In addition, we employ the Tversky loss function to balance the segmented and non-segmented regions and perform the further refinement with a dense CRF. Finally, we extensively validate the proposed method on three public databases: LiTS17, 3DIRCADb, and SLiver07. Compared to the state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods, the proposed method achieved increased segmentation accuracy for the livers with low contrast and the fuzzy boundary between liver tissue and neighboring organs and is, therefore, more suited for automatic segmentation of these livers.
Tetramethylpyrazine Suppresses the Enhanced Ca2+ Sensitivity through Inhibiting the Expression of RhoA-ROCK in Artery of Simulated Weightlessness Rats
Authors: Wang Huiping , Yang Huajian , Kong Yong , Li Dan , Mou Rong , Zhao Zeyu , Li Yuanrui , Sun Yize , Cui Yanling , Gao Yunfang
Published: July 2022

Under weightlessness condition, the vasoconstriction will present the regional specific change. This study is to explore the role of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and its regulator RhoA-ROCK in these alterations, and the effect of tetramethylpyrazine on it. Female SD Rats tail suspending was used to simulate weightlessness. This study found that in weightless carotid artery, the vasoconstriction induced by PHE and KCl enhanced. The Ca2+ sensitivity, the protein expression of RhoA and ROCK II, and the phosphorylation level of MYPT1 and MLC increased. Tetramethylpyrazine administration for weightless rats could weaken the vasoconstriction, decrease the Ca2+ sensitivity, and reduce the above protein expressions and phosphorylation levels. Pretreatment with Y-27632 to inhibit the ROCK activity could decrease the vasoconstriction and the Ca2+ sensitivity in weightless rats, but have no effect in weightlessness plus tetramethylpyrazine administration rats. In weightless mesenteric artery, the vasoconstriction weakened. The Ca2+ sensitivity, the above protein expressions and phosphorylation levels decreased. Both tetramethylpyrazine administration and pretreatment with Y-27632 had no effects in weightlessness rats. These results suggest that the distinct alteration of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity regulated by RhoA-ROCK possibly is the key factor resulting in the weightless vasoconstriction presenting different changes. Tetramethylpyrazine can inhibit the RhoA-ROCK protein expression to depress the enhanced weightless vasoconstriction in anterior part of body, but has no influence on the weakened vasoconstriction in posterior part of body. The present study clarifies the change of Ca2+ sensitivity and its mechanism in weightless artery, and broadens the application of tetramethylpyrazine in the treatment of vascular weightless dysfunction.
Construction of electrochemiluminescence aptasensor for acetamiprid detection using flower-liked SnO 2 nanocrystals encapsulated Ag3PO4 composite as luminophore
Authors: Su Chang , Dong Chunping , Jiang Ding , Shan Xueling , Chen ZhiDong
Published: July 2022

Acetamiprid is a kind of broad-spectrum pesticides that has been largely applied in agriculture and household pest control. In this paper, a simple, novel and highly sensitive electrochemiluminescence aptamer sensor (ECL aptasensor) based on Ag3PO4-NH2-SnO2 was proposed. The ECL signal was greatly amplified with the synergistic effect of Ag3PO4 and NH2-SnO2 (Ag3PO4-NH2-SnO2) which was dropped on a glass carbon electrode (GCE) and used as working electrode. We designed an “on–off” ECL sensing strategy for the sensitive and specific detection of acetamiprid. Under the optimal conditions, the linear range of the sensor for acetamiprid detection was 1.0 × 10− 11 ~ 1.0 × 10− 5 M, with a detection limit of 2.5 × 10− 12 M (S/N = 3). The method showed simple and fast operation, high sensitivity and selectivity, strong anti-interference ability and good stability. More importantly, the developed aptasensor exhibited excellent recognition ability towards residual acetamiprid in actual water samples, which might open promising avenues to develop new ECL systems for biological analysis and environmental water monitoring.
Successful allogenic bone marrow transplant post reduced-intensity conditioning chemotherapy in an adult patient with severe phenotype Glanzmann thrombasthenia: A case report
Authors: AlQurashi Wejdan Salem , AlJohani Naif I.
Published: July 2022

Background: In patients with severe Glanzmann thrombasthenia (GT), a genetic platelet surface receptor disorder of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (integrin αIIbβ3) that results in prolonged and chronic bleeding, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative treatment option. Unfortunately, approximately 30% of all patients undergoing HSCT die from this toxic procedure, owing to the associated risk of infection or chronic graft-versus-host disease, with adults at a higher risk.Case presentation: Herein, we describe the case of a 21-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia who had symptomatic GT for the past 15 years and underwent HSCT following a modified reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) protocol. This is the fifth reported case of the use of HSCT for treating an adult patient with GT in which RIC HSCT has resulted in long term sustained chimerism with minimal toxicity. The patient was genetically confirmed to have GT since childhood. Owing to recurrent severe bleeding events, the patient had received multiple blood and platelet transfusions and hormonal therapy affecting her quality of life. In September 2019, the patient underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation from her HLA-matched healthy brother, who was genetically negative for GT. A reduced-intensity conditioning chemotherapy regimen of anti-thymocyte globulin, fludarabine/busulfan (9.6 mg/kg), and a dose of 2.96 × 106 CD34+ cells were administered. The patient experienced moderate mucositis with associated oral mucosal bleeding during HSCT, which was managed. Low cytomegalovirus viremia occurred 25 days after transplant and resolved with treatment. Neutrophil engraftment occurred on day +23, and platelet engraftment on day +27. A platelet aggregation test repeated after 1 year and 10 months was negative. At 24 months following HSCT, the patient was well and graft versus host disease-free, had no bleeding tendency, and discontinued all immunosuppressant therapy.Conclusion: HSCT in adults with severe phenotype GT is possible if indicated, but careful consideration of different aspects of care should be considered and strictly followed for a successful outcome. Future research through more case reports or series utilizing similar reduced intensity conditioning HSCT is needed to fill the knowledge gap given the rarity of indication and the new protocol.
Psychological Impact Assessment of Covid-19 on Migrants in Jammu City and Peripheral Area, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Authors: Singh Harpreet , sharma sanjana
Published: July 2022

Introduction: In Indian economy, the internal migrants are the major role player in the informal sector. During Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown millions of internal migrants were severely affected. Migrants are more prone to social, economic, and psychological issues. It is quite relevant to know the impact of Covid-19 on the psychological health of migrants. The fear of starvation, fear of not being able to meet their family members, fear of getting infected, fear of death, loss of wages were the main psychological problems they faced. This paper focuses on the psychological assessment of impact of Covid-19 on migrants in the Jammu city and its peripheral areas, Union Territory Jammu & Kashmir, India. Methodology: Data is collected by personal interview method with the help of questionnaire. For analyzing the psychological impacts of Covid-19 on migrants, we used Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. 100 persons are surveyed during the study. Results: 69 percent respondent reflected that they had fear of death during pandemic period. Most of the respondent said that they were feeling nervous, helpless for not being able to attend the health needs of family even they were not able to concentrate properly and had little interest in doing things.Conclusion: the outcome of the study shows that more than half of the respondents are dealing with the psychological issues, thus along with looking at the physical needs there is need of taking care of mental health is also especially in the time of the pandemic.
Pipsqueak family genes dan/danr antagonize nuclear Pros and prevent premature decommission of neural stem cells in Drosophila third instar larval brains
Authors: An Huanping , Yu Yue , Ren Xuming , Zeng Minghua , Bai Yu , Liu Tao , Zheng Huimei , Sang Rong , Zhang Fan , Cai Yu , Xi Yongmei
Published: July 2022

Background
Neural stem cell fate is regulated for the systematic production of a precise quantity of neurons during the development of the central nervous system.
Results
Here we found that two Drosophila pipsqueak family genes, distal antenna (dan) and distal antenna-related (danr), promote the proliferation of neural stem cells, termed neuroblasts (NBs), in third instar larval brains. In the absence of Dan and Danr (Dan/Danr), the NBs produce fewer daughter cells with smaller MARCM clone (lineage) sizes. The larval brain NBs in dan/danr clones show premature accumulation of nuclear Prospero (Pros), which only appears in the wildtype (wt) terminating NBs at early pupal stage. The premature nuclear Pros leads to NBs cell cycle defects and NB marker loss. Removal of Pros from dan/danr MARCM clones prevents lineage size shrinkage and rescues the loss of NB marker expression. Our data show that the appearance of nuclear Pros is behind the downregulation of Dan/Danr in the wt terminating NBs. We demonstrate that Dan/Danr and nuclear Pros are mutually exclusive in NBs. In addition, Dan/Danr are partially required for the late temporal regulator, Grainyhead (Grh), in third instar larval brain NBs.
Conclusion
Together our study uncovers the novel function of Dan/Danr in NB cell fate maintenance. Dan/Danr antagonize nuclear Pros, preventing NBs from premature decommission in Drosophila third instar larval brains.
Effect of nitrate on power generation and nitrogen removal and bacterial community in Microbial fuel cell (MFC)
Authors: Wang Luyu , Xue Hongbin , Gong Lei , Jia Qinwei , Ma Xiaofan , Zhou Jun , Zhao Yuhang , Wang Jin
Published: July 2022

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology has the function of decarburization and denitrification and is considered advantageous in treating wastewater with a low carbon-nitrogen ratio. In the current study, MFC treats different concentrations of nitrate nitrogen. And compared with abiotic electrode treatment and microbial treatment only, MFC showed obvious treatment advantages. The best treatment effect was recorded when the nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) concentration was 414 mg/L. The running of the MFC system showed that it produced a stable output voltage up to 0.17 V within 160 h; And showed a power density up to 40.18 mW/m2, which was 1.58 times of M1 (138 mg/L, 25.49 mW/m2), 4.48 times of non-biological electrode; The removal rate of NO3-N was 97.48%, but the lack of anode electron supply resulted in the incomplete reduction of nitrate nitrogen and accumulation of nitrite-nitrogen (188.83 mg/L). Nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the study had no significant impact on microbial population diversity. However, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria increased from 47.3% to 65.4% when NO3-N concentration increased from 138 to 414 mg/L. Results from this study are promising for a theoretical basis for microbial cathode denitrification.
Establishment of animal models for NASH and utilization for mining associated gut microbiota
Authors: Sheen Lee-Yan , Panyod Suraphan , Wu Wei-Kai , Hsieh Ya-Chi , Tseng Yea-Jing , Peng Sin-Yi , Chen Rou-An , Huang Huai-Syuan , Chen Yi-Hsun , Shen Ting-Chin David , Ho Chi-Tang , Liu Chun-Jen , Chuang Hsiao-Li , Huang Chi-Chang , Wu Ming-Shiang
Published: July 2022

A high-fat diet (HFD) animal model has an indispensable role in the research of gut-liver axis by generating an imbalance of gut microbiota and intestinal leakage, resulting in translocation of harmful bacterial metabolites and lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) to the liver, triggering immune responses, and stimulating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Replacing trans-fat with palm oil in HFDs is an emerging animal model with human translatability in terms of liver biopsy phenotype and transcriptome changes. We developed the NASH and fibrosis mouse model using a palm oil-containing high-fat diet (P-HFD) combined with LPS to simulate gut dysbiosis and endotoxemia and examined the role of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) on the gut-liver axis. The mice were fed P-HFD with or without intraperitoneal LPS/CCl4 injections. NASH/fibrosis progression and gut microbiota shift were examined at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 weeks (n = 192). The P-HFD animal model showed obesogenic and metabolic changes, hepatomegaly, NASH phenotype, increased gut dysbiosis, changes in gut microbiota and its function, reduced beneficial bacteria, increased pathogenic related microbiome, intestinal leakage, and endotoxemia. P-HFD with LPS supplementation resulted in comparable NASH phenotypes compared with the P-HFD group, but worsened the degree of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis by increasing the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria and reducing beneficial microbiota. P-HFD with CCl4 resulted in a liver fibrosis phenotype and produced a more severe gut microbiota shift. These mouse models could be informative for a researcher focused on the gut-liver axis and could be used as valuable tool for preclinical drug testing.
A Randomised Trial of Ultrasonographic Assessment of Gastric Emptying Following Water Ingestion in Healthy Volunteers
Authors: Headdon William , Ballisat Ben , Thompson Christopher , Klepsch Peter , Leary Sam , Hunt Linda , Ness Andy , Atkinson Charlotte
Published: July 2022

Background:
Current guidance on pre-operative fasting for clear fluids to reduce aspiration risk may result in unnecessary dehydration and more liberal fluid regimes are being advocated.
Methods:
This randomised single blinded crossover study used an established ultrasound protocol to measure the gastric volume of 15 healthy volunteers following the 2011 European Society of Anaesthesia (ESA) ‘Perioperative Fasting in Adults and Children’ guidelines (nil-by-mouth two hours before induction of anaesthesia) and the 2005 Scandinavian guidelines (150 mL water with medication up to 1 hour before induction of anaesthesia).
Results:
We observed that gastric volumes increased following ingestion of water in all individuals compared to their fasted states. Water left the stomach within 30 minutes following ingestion in ten individuals, and within an hour in three individuals (gastric volume < 1.5 ml kg− 1). A reduction in thirst was observed in the group allowed to drink water, whereas hunger and anxiety scores were unaffected.
Multiplexed digital spatial protein profiling reveals a unique protein signature for advanced liver fibrosis
Authors: Lee Jaejun , Kim Chang Min , Cha Jung Hoon , Park Jin Young , Yu Yun Suk , Wang Hee Jung , Sung Pil Soo , Jung Eun Sun , Bae Si Hyun
Published: July 2022

Background and Aims:
Intrahepatic mononuclear phagocytes (MPs) are critical for the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis. In this study, using multiplexed digital spatial protein profiling, we aimed to derive a unique protein signature predicting advanced liver fibrosis.
Methods
Snap-frozen liver tissues from various chronic liver diseases were subjected to spatially defined protein-based multiplexed profiling (Nanostring GeoMX™). Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was performed using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets from normal and cirrhotic livers.
Results
Sixty-four portal regions of interest (ROIs) were selected for the spatial profiling. Combined analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data from GEO datasets (GSE136103) and spatially-defined, protein-based multiplexed profiling revealed that most proteins upregulated in F0–F2 livers in portal CD68+ cells were specifically marked in tissue monocytes whereas proteins upregulated in F3 and F4 livers were marked in SAMacs and tissue monocytes. Internal validation using mRNA expression data with the same cohort tissues demonstrated that mRNA levels TREM2, CD9, and CD68 are significantly higher in livers with advanced fibrosis. Using the results from the CD68+ area, a highly sensitive and specific immune-related protein signature (CD68, HLA-DR, OX40L, phospho-c-RAF, STING, and TIM3) was developed to predict advanced (F3 and F4) fibrosis.
Conclusions
In patients with advanced liver fibrosis, portal MPs consist heterogeneous populations composed of SAMacs, Kupffer cells, and tissue monocytes. Using digital spatial protein profiling, the protein signature with high accuracy in predicting advanced fibrosis was developed.
Improving wheat yield and water use efficiency by optimizing irrigations in northern China
Authors: Zhang Xin , Xue Jiaxin , Zhang Jiangwei , Zhang Jianheng , Wang Guiyan
Published: July 2022

Recently, to achieve the goal of increasing both crop yield and water/nitrogen use efficiency with a better irrigation regime is a major challenge in semi-arid areas. In this study, we presented a two seasonal-field experiment that considers irrigation regimes, i.e., no irrigation (W0), irrigated in jointing (W1), both in jointing and flowering (W2) after the re-greening, and varieties (S086; J22) to compare the response of the sensitivity of wheat leaf physiological indicators, yield, water/N use efficiency and soil water consumption to irrigation regimes. The results showed that the WUE, IWUE and soil water-holding consumption (SWC) decreased with the increase in amount of irrigation. Additionally, 45.5% of the excessive irrigation water input did not promote wheat yield (W1 vs. W2). The degree of SWC in the 0–120 cm soil layer was highly related to wheat growth. S086 was beneficial for the usage of SWC under a low amount of irrigation. As well, irrigation positively affected the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the flag leaf (P<0.05) during crop yield production. A decrease of irrigation helped to increase the concentrations of SS and Pro and decrease of amount of MDA for S086. Thus, a high yield of S086 was found under deficit irrigation (W1, a 31.3% reduction of irrigation water than that of W2). Thus, our studies suggested that one irrigation event in jointing stage for the S086 variety was essential to meet the win-win goal of high crop yield and water use efficiency with low groundwater consumption.
Naked-eye optical recognition of ammonia vapor and melamine in water using a fluorophore appended polymer matrix
Authors: Bhuin Shouvik , Chakravarty Manab
Published: July 2022

The generation of solid-state emitters is a challenge due to the intrinsic aggregation-caused quenching feature of the fluorophores. A conformationally twisted pyridyl π-conjugate as a solid-state emitter is appended with well-known and inexpensive poly(methylmethacrylate) [PMMA] to afford a handy, portable, and reusable solid-state emitting polymer matrix. Entrapment of the probe is noticed through non-covalent interactions, resulting in a green-emitting platform. It quickly accepts a proton upon acid vapor exposure and switches emission from green to red with a significant 107 nm redshift. This shift is reversible with red to green emissions while exposed to base vapor. Thus, polymer-blended, homogeneous red-emitting pyridyl salt is employed as potential material to detect various basic vapor optically. Among different bases, naked-eye detection of essential analytes such as ammonia vapor and melamine shows potential demands. Hence, we have established an easy detection of ammonia vapour and aqueous melamine as low as 2.5 and 0.126 ppm, respectively, using this solid-state emitter that displays an emission color change with an enhancement of emission intensity even in aqueous solution.
Characterization of the Primary Antibody Response to Plasmodium falciparum Antigens in Infants Living in a Malaria-Endemic Area
Authors: Yunga Samuel Tassi , Siriwardhana Chathura , Fouda Genevieve G. , Bobbili Naveen , Sama Grace , Chen John J. , Leke Rose F.G. , Taylor Diane Wallace
Published: July 2022

Background: The primary antibody (Ab) response to Plasmodium falciparum is a critical step in developing immunity to malaria. Information on the initial Ab responses of babies in malaria-endemic areas is incomplete, in part, because babies receive maternal IgG via transplacental-transfer and usually become infected before maternal IgG wanes. The study aimed toidentify the primary IgM and IgG Ab responses to malarial antigens in Cameroonian babies. Methods: Infants (n=70) living in a high malaria transmission area were followed from birth throughout the first year of life (mean 341 ± 42 days, an average of 8.5 time points per infant). Malaria infection was assessed by microscopy and PCR, and IgM and IgG antibodies (Abs) were measured using a multiplex immunoassay to AMA1, EBA-175, MSP1-42, MSP2, MSP3, RESA, LSA1, and CSP. Results: The half-life of maternal IgG varied among the antigens, ranging from 0.7 to 2.5 months. The first infection of 41% of the babies was submicroscopic and only 11% to 44% of the babies produced IgM to the above antigens; however, when the first infection was detected by microscopy, 59-82% of the infants made IgM Abs to the antigens. Infants were able to produce IgM even when maternal IgG was present, suggesting maternal Abs did not suppress the baby’s initial Ab response. Using longitudinal regression models that incorporated time-varying covariates, infants were found to produce IgG Ab to only AMA-1 when the first infection was submicroscopic, but they produced IgG Abs to MSP1-42 (3D7, FVO), AMA1 (3D7, FVO) MSP2-FC27, MSP3, RESA, and LSA1, but not MSP 2-3D7, EBA-175, and CSP during their first slide-positive infection. Notably, the primary and secondary IgG responses were short-lived with little evidence of boosting. Conclusions: The primary Ab response of babies who had maternal IgG was similar to that reported for primary infections in malaria-naïve adults.
Effect of Non-Biocide Chemical and Thermal Modifications on Stability and Durability of Short Rotation Teak Wood from Plantation
Authors: Basri Efrida , Hanif Nisrina , Martha Resa , Rahayu Istie S. , Darmawan Wayan , Gérardin Philippe
Published: July 2022

Short rotation teak from plantation has been around 30 cm in diameter at the age of 15 years, however the wood is low quality especially in dimensional stability and durability. The short rotation teak wood was treated by non-biocide chemicals of Citric Acid (CA) and Benzophenone Tetracarboxylic Acid (BPTCA). The objective of this study was to improve dimensional stability and durability of the short rotation teak by modification treatment of Citric Acid and Benzophenone Tetracarboxylic Acid. Short rotation teak sapwood was impregnated by 20% and 40% of both CA and BPTCA followed by heated in oven at 150 °C (HT150oC) for 2 h. Dimensional stability was characterized by anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), water uptake (WU), and termite durability was determined by weight loss (WL) and percentage of damage of the wood samples. The results show that the ASE values increased in the average of 46% and 50% after CA and BPTCA treatments, respectively. The WU values decreased in the average of 34% and 22% after CA and BPTCA treatments, respectively. These phenomena indicated a remarkable improvement in dimensional stability of the treated teak wood. Weight losses of treated teak woods due to termites were in the average of 1.0% and 1.5% after CA and BPTCA treatments, respectively, which categorized their durability to be class 1 (very durable). The results showed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) indicate that chemical reaction of wood lignin with CA and BPTCA chemicals was occurred. The non-biocide CA and BPTCA treatment can be applied for improving the quality of short rotation teaks for high quality wood product utilization.
A cohort study of intrapartum group B streptococcus prophylaxis on atopic dermatitis in 2-year-old children
Authors: Hong Zhang , Jing Ren , Hui Li , Kang Xu , Chunmei Zhang , Yang Wang , Baojian Zhou , Xin Ding , Xiaoping Yin
Published: July 2022

Objective
To understand the occurrence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children aged 2 years on exposure to maternal group B streptococcus (GBS) antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP).
Design
Retrospective cohort study of 2909 mother-child pairs.
Setting
Taixing People's Hospital in Eastern China.
Participants
Term infants born 2018–2019, followed longitudinally from birth to 2 years.
Exposures
The GBS-IAP was defined as therapy with intravenous penicillin G or ampicillin or cefazolin ≥ 4 hours from delivery. Reference infants were defined as born with intrapartum antibiotic exposure via cesarean sections.
Outcomes
The logistic regression models were employed to analyze the effect of intrapartum GBS prophylaxis on AD in 2-year-old children during delivery. Analysis was a priori stratified according to the mode of delivery and adjusted for relevant covariates.
Results
Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models before and after covariate-adjusted treatment simultaneously showed that preventive GBS-IAP was associated with increased incidence of AD in children delivered vaginally (OR: 6.719,95% CI: 4.730–9.544,P < 0.001;aOR: 6.562,95% CI: 4.302–10.008, P < 0.001), whereas cesarean delivery in 2-year-old children (OR: 0.555,95% CI: 0.276–1.117, P = 0.099;aOR: 0.560,95% CI: 0.271–1.155, P = 0.116) was not related to AD.
Conclusion
Prophylactic treatment of intrapartum GBS may raise the risk of AD in vaginally delivered children. Children delivered through cesarean section, on the other hand, did not have an elevated risk of AD. These findings highlight the need to better understand the risk between childhood AD and current GBS-IAP intervention strategies.
Successful repair of quadricuspid aortic valve- case report
Authors: Luo Wenzong , Hu Peng , Ma Liang
Published: July 2022

Quadricuspid aortic valve (QAV) is rare. Aortic valve replacement is the most frequent treatment for those patients with severe regurgitation or stenosis of quadricuspid aortic valve. However, as our comprehension of the aortic valve grows, to repair a dysfunctional quadricuspid aortic valve becomes more and more feasible. We present a case of successful repair of quadricuspid aortic valve by the surgical strategy of bicuspidization.
Prevalence of Subclinical Keratoconus Among Adults Undergoing Routine, Uncomplicated Age-related Cataract Extraction
Authors: Tran Tu , Mittal Aman , Naik Vihar , Chhadva Priyanka , Wade Matthew , Garg Sumit
Published: July 2022

Purpose
To determine the prevalence of subclinical keratoconus (SKCN) among individuals undergoing routine, uncomplicated age-related cataract extraction.
Methods
At one major academic ophthalmology department in the United States, we reviewed records of patients aged 50 years and older who underwent surgery from January 2011 to April 2021. Patients who had poor-quality or unreliable tomographic data, previous corneal surgery, keratorefractive procedures, and significant vision-limiting pathology were excluded. While the diagnosis of keratoconus (KCN) was achieved clinically with highly deviated tomographic parameters, SKCN was defined by the authors using the Belin-Ambrósio enhanced ectasia index (BAD-D) > 1.7. This cut-off was selected by meta-analysis of large studies and is higher than the established recommended cut-off of 1.6 for a KCN suspect. In addition, for the eye to be considered as SKCN, at least one of three variables needed to deviate from normative values: 1) posterior elevation at thinnest point, 2) index of vertical asymmetry, and 3) index of surface variation. If one eye had manifest KCN, then the individual would be classified as KCN.
Results
Of 4894 eyes (2913 individuals), the prevalence of SKCN was 27.5% (95%CI, 26.2–28.8, 802 individuals), and prevalence of KCN was 1.6% (95% CI, 1.3–2.0, 47 individuals). Prevalence of SKCN did not increase with age and was more prevalent among females and non-white ethnicities. The mean BAD-D for the SKCN group was 2.23 (95%CI, 2.18–2.28), 1.26 (95%CI, 1.12–1.39) for the normal group (ρ < 0.001), and 7.85 (95%CI, 6.85–8.85) for the KCN group.
Conclusion
SKCN is sufficiently prevalent such that, resources permitting, tomography ought to be part of standardized pre-operative evaluation.
Atorvastatin Accelerates Alveolar Bone Loss In Type 1 Diabetic Rats Submitted To Periodontitis
Authors: Angelino Gisele , Veras Karysia , Gondim Delane , Pereira Karuza Maria , Leitão Renata , Chaves Helliada , Marques Mirna , Goes Paula
Published: July 2022

Bone loss caused by periodontitis can be potentiated by diabetes. Atorvastatin (ATV), has been tested in periodontitis due to its anti-inflammatory and antiresorptive activities, but it has been reported to increase the risk of diabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of ATV on alveolar bone of rats with periodontitis and diabetes. For this, 72 Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: Naïve (N), experimental periodontitis (EP), diabetes mellitus (DM) and ATV. DM was induced by streptozotocin (60 mg/kg-ip.), after 12 hours fasting. Following, all animals were submitted to EP. ATV was administered (27 mg/kg, v.o.) 30 minutes before ligature and daily until the 11th day. Animals from N group did not undergo any intervention. After 11 days of EP, all animals had their glycemic rate measured and then were euthanized. Maxillae were collected for macroscopic, micro-tomographic and microscopic analyses. DM caused intense bone loss (60%) marked by reduction on trabecular thickness and bone volume (p<0.05). It was seen a significant reduction on osteoblast with increase on osteoclast counts, as well as, inflammatory infiltrate in the periodontium. ATV was not able to protect bone, improving bone loss by 21%. ATV caused a significant increase (20%) on blood glucose levels. In summary, ATV did not protect alveolar bone loss and did not modulate the inflammation in DM animals submitted to EP. ATV increase of blood glucose levels in these animals. Therefore, the systemic use of ATV in non-controlled diabetic conditions should be carefully evaluated.
Substituent Effects on Fluorescence Properties of AIEgens Based on Coumarin-3-formylhydrazone and their application in cell imaging
Authors: Chen Panpan , Zhao Yang , Niu Zhigang , Wang Enju
Published: July 2022

AIE-active compounds have lately attracted considerable attention owing to their versatile applications, especially in OLED and bioimaging. Herein, a series of coumarin-3-formylhydrazone derivatives (CFH-1, 2, 3 and 4) were developed for investigating their AIE and solid-state luminescence behaviors. All the obtained compounds emit varying degrees of solid-state fluorescence. CFH-1 and 2 show the typical AIE characteristics, while CFH-3 and 4 exhibit stronger solution fluorescence than their aggregation-induced emission. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of CFH-1 and CFH-3 showed that both of them adopt planar conformation and the CH···O hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role in their crystal packing. Meanwhile, there is a notable difference between them. Successive π-π stacking interaction was observed in the crystal packing of CFH-1, while the crystals of CFH-3 contain dimeric π-π stacking interaction. Their distinct crystal packing interactions result in their different fluorescence properties. Moreover, both CFH-1 and CFH-2 displayed excellent bioimaging performances in living cells.