bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childhood Poisoning - Associated Factors and Clinical Profile in a Tertiary Care Hospital
Authors: Parvin Most Firoza , Ara Chaman , Momotaj Tanjila , Mia Sanaul Haque , Uddin Md Belal , Begum Fardoushi , Rashid Md Mamun Ur
Published: January 2023

Background: Acute poisoning is a common medical emergency in the pediatric unit. It is a common preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Most of the poisoning in children less than five years of age is accidental. This study aimed to determine the associated factors and clinical profile of childhood poisoning.

Material & Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 69 children aged six months to 12 years with a history of poisoning over six months. History, clinical examination, and details of the poisoning were obtained by using a structured questionnaire during admission. Analysis was done through standard statistical tests.

Result: Among the 69 children of poisoning, 92.8% were accidental, and 7.2% were suicidal. Most cases (79.7%) were from the 6 - 59 months age group with male-female ratio 1.7:1. Most of the fathers (65.2%) and mothers (75.4%) had primary education, and 75.4% were poor. The most common cause of the poisoning was insecticide (60.9%), and the poison was stored at an available site (91.3%) in an unsealed container (47.8%). Accidental poisoning was more common in younger age group (<5 years) in male (70.31%) patients with normal family relationships (78.1%), whereas suicidal poisoning was more common in older age group (>10 years) in females (80%) patient with h/o familial disharmony (60%).

Conclusion: Insecticides and kerosene were the common cause of poisoning. Most of the materials were stored in an unsafe place and stored in an attractive bottle. Poison should be stored in a safe home with a sealed container. Simple and active family preventive measures can reduce accidental poisoning.

TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 75-82
Impact of Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices on the Nutritional Status of Children in Northern Bangladesh
Authors: Ali Md Yousuf , Das Mrinal Kanti , Sharmin Laila Shamima , Islam Md Manirul , Karim Md Rezaul , Mia Md Sanaul Haque , Uddin Md Belal
Published: January 2023

Background: Proper feeding practices are essential for attaining and maintaining optimum nutrition, health, and development of infants and children. Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding for two years, together with age-appropriate, nutritionally adequate complementary feeding initiated after six months of age, are optimum Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices. However, often many aspects of infant and young child feeding practices are not optimum, with serious consequences for the child.

Objective: To determine the impact of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices on the nutritional status of children.  Materials and Method: This Cross-sectional descriptive type of study was conducted among 314 children from 6 months to 24 months of age at the Pediatric Outpatient Department and EPI center of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital during the period of January 2017 to December 2018. Collected data were analyzed by using 'SPSS version 16.

Result: Among 314 children exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) rate was 68.2% for the first six months, and timely started complementary feeding was 58.5% of cases. In 214 exclusive breastfed infants, only 4.7% and 1.4% of children were moderate to severely wasted and stunted, respectively. On the other hand, among 97 infants who were not exclusively breastfed, the percentage of moderate to severe wasting and stunting was 11.4% and 13.4%, respectively. Among the 175 timely started complementary feeding children, only 12% and 6% were moderate to severely underweight and wasted, respectively, no one was stunted, but among the inappropriately started complementary children, 20.2%, 12.5%, and 12.8% were moderately to severely underweight, wasted and stunted respectively.

Conclusion: Most of the children who were given exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months and started complementary food at an appropriate time after six months had normal nutritional status. Both moderate to severe stunting and wasting were common in those children who were non-exclusively breastfed and started complementary feeding either early or late.

TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 83-91
Noncompliance to Antihypertensive Medication in Patients with Essential Hypertension attending Dhaka Medical College Hospital
Authors: Rashid Md Mamun ur , Haque Md Mohaimenul , Islam Md Shafiqul , Parvin Most Firoza , Kahhar Azizul
Published: January 2023

Introduction: Medication noncompliance is a necessary but neglected factor for the negative cardiovascular outcome. Despite various studies on the issue, the factors behind noncompliance still need to be explored properly. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the magnitude and factors associated with noncompliance with antihypertensive Medication.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 200 hypertensive patients in Dhaka Medical College Hospital for six months. Patients were included by purposive sampling, aged 18-70 years, and the duration of diagnosis of at least three months. In addition, demographic data, hypertension diagnosis, antihypertensive drugs, factors related to noncompliance, knowledge of hypertension, perception, and family support were included in the questionnaire.

Result: About 85% of the patients were non-compliant with treatment in their course of illness, and the main reason behind it was forgetfulness (48.2%). Other factors were inability to buy, side effects, busy schedule, intentionally, bored, and traveling. The highest prescribed drug was beta blockers (41%). Eighty percent of the patients knew that uncontrolled hypertension could lead to stroke, and 54% knew it could lead to heart disease. The majority (87.5%) of the participant went for follow-up only when they felt hypertensive.  Regarding perception, 63% of patients felt hypertension is not a curable disease. Furthermore, though all patients were asked for follow-up by their physician, 94% missed their follow-up.

Conclusion: Despite the availability of various types of effective antihypertensive drugs, many patients experience difficulty controlling hypertension due to noncompliance. Patient and family member education efficiently prevented many factors behind the disobedience. However, further studies with large sample sizes in multiple centers could explain this more precisely.

TAJ 2022; 35: No-2: 103-110
Pengembangan Peta Bahaya Gempabumi di Batuan Dasar untuk Daerah Cilacap dan Sekitarnya
Authors: Ridwan Mohammad , Soehaimi Asdani , Sinung Baskoro S.R , Sopian Yayan , Setianegara Robi , Cita Akbar
Published: January 2023

Perkembangan pemetaan bahaya gempa untuk skala perkotaan (mikrozonasi) semakin popular dan sudah mulai dipertimbangkan untuk kepentingan tata ruang kota pengurangan risiko bencana. Seperti diketahui bahwa wilayah kota Cilacap termasuk kota besar dimana banyak aset penting seperti kilang minyak dan bangunan-bangunan penting lainnya. Selain memiliki potensi kegempaan yang cukup tinggi karena banyak sumber-sumber gempabumi di sekitarnya, wilayah kota Cilacap memiliki kondisi geologi yang cukup rentan terhadap goyangan gempa dikarenakan wilayah ini tersusun oleh endapan Kuarter. Penilaian bahaya gempabumi untuk kota Cilacap dalam makalah ini merupakan tahap awal untuk mengetahui tingkat bahaya gempabumi di batuan dasar sebelum dilakukan analisis bahaya gempabumi di permukaan dengan memperhitungkan kondisi geologi lokal. Hasil analisis tingkat bahaya gempabumi di daerah kajian memperlihatkan nilai PGA untuk periode ulang 2500 tahun berada dalam rentang 0.31 – 0.51g, spectrum percepatan (Sa) untuk periode 0.2 detik antara 0.65 – 1.10g dan untuk periode 1.0 detik berada pada rentang 0.37 – 0.52g dimana penyebarannya meningkat ke arah selatan yang kemungkinan dipengaruhi oleh sumber gempa megathrust yang berada di bagian selatan. Hasil tersebut memperlihatkan kesesuaian yang sangat baik dengan peta bahaya gempa nasional untuk periode ulang yang sama.
Kata Kunci: Seismic hazard, microzonation, Cilacap
Redacción académica y consideraciones gramaticales y ortográficas
Authors: Zelada-Vásquez María
Published: January 2023

La finalidad de este artículo es registrar información sobre el conocimiento del tema, qué importancia tiene este tema en el siglo XXI,  qué enfoque tiene nuestro país respecto del tema, identificación de contradicciones de algunas entidades e investigadores sobre el tema por último identificar variable asociada al tema de estudio; además que permita responder a las preguntas de investigación tales como;  cuánto se conoce sobre el tema y sobre la población universitaria con más dificultad en redacción, para ello se utilizó la metodología de estudio de revisión bibliográfica en revistas científicas teniendo en cuenta artículos relacionados con las variables, por lo que la búsqueda bibliográfica es de fuentes confiables, se consideró la técnica de lectura veloz y crítica de los resúmenes y resultados de cada investigación necesarias para responder a la investigación,  se consideró  estudios de los seis últimos años, como resultado de estas consultas se analizó 60 artículos de los que 20 contextualizan las reglas gramaticales  como ortográficas y 40 tratan de la redacción académica; estos estudios coinciden que la redacción no es homogénea en los estudiantes demostrándose en diferentes estudios que existe diferencia en la calidad de redacción por facultades, por lo que se coincide en reforzar estrategias de redacción académica teniendo como base la utilización de las reglas gramaticales y ortográficas.
Componentes estratégicos en el cumplimiento de la responsabilidad social empresarial en organizaciones inmobiliarias ecuatorianas
Authors: Quiroz-Peña Jaime , Rizo-Vélez Dayana
Published: January 2023

La industrialización, los medios de producción y el auge tecnológico son estratagemas que han aumentado a nivel mundial, fomentando el crecimiento de las organizaciones en todos sus procesos y procedimientos de producción e industrialización, mismos que van teniendo impacto en el medio en el que se desenvuelven. En este sentido, aparecen las prácticas de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa (RSE), las mismas que nacen de la necesidad de retribuir al medio donde desarrollan las actividades económicas organizacionales, dentro de las dimensiones ambientales, sociales, laborales, comunitarias y culturales. Incrementándose estas prácticas en las empresas, puesto que son una estrategia empresarial que general valor agregado institucional. Por ello, el objetivo de esta investigación fue identificar las dimensiones y aplicaciones de responsabilidad social empresarial en organizaciones del sector inmobiliario ecuatoriano y describir un modelo basado en la identificación de los stackeholders, con el fin de definir una guía práctica a usarse al implementar prácticas RSE. Para esto, se realizó un estudio de tipo descriptivo, bajo un enfoque cuantitativo, de corte transversal y de carácter exploratorio, diagnosticando el estado actual de las prácticas de RSE en el sector inmobiliario. Los resultados denotaron que a nivel de organizaciones del sector inmobiliario solo un 44,67% aplican prácticas de RSE y que estas en su mayoría son grandes empresas con un 44,06%, donde el enfoque ha sido principalmente el medio ambiental. Este estudio determina la necesidad de que las organizaciones empiecen a fomentar prácticas RSE partiendo de su filosofía corporativa como estrategia comercial que permita ganar imagen corporativa sostenible.
Comercio social del sector inmobiliario: una prospectiva de las ventas en la provincia de Tungurahua
Authors: Robalino-Yautibug Jonathan , Saragosin-Tandalla Johana , Quisimalin-Santamaría Hernán
Published: January 2023

El sector inmobiliario de la provincia de Tungurahua ha mantenido un margen mínimo de inversión en el factor publicitario durante el periodo 2019-2021, con relación al desarrollo del comercio social en medios digitales. Se tiene como objetivo analizar el efecto financiero en las ventas frente a la inversión en costos operativos y gastos publicitarios, mediante un análisis financiero que permitió determinar los efectos en las variables. Las empresas participantes fueron 6 seleccionadas según el muestreo no probabilístico por conveniencia, pues se utilizó información financiera publicada por la Superintendencia de Compañías bajo criterios relacionados a ventas y costos. Los resultados determinaron que este sector no desarrolla una inversión constante en medios de publicidad y desarrollo de plataformas digitales que dinamicen la actividad comercial. Se concluyó que, la inclusión de herramientas digitales para promocionar bienes y servicios, permitirá el fortalecimiento de la comunicación entre oferentes y demandantes al generar una ventaja competitiva.
Cultura organizacional y su incidencia en el clima laboral de la Cooperativa Intercantonal de Transporte Ayacucho, provincia de Manabí
Authors: Vera-Briones María , Mendoza-Vera Cristina
Published: January 2023

La interacción entre la cultura organizacional y el clima laboral se basa específicamente en que las políticas, misión, valores que se manejen dentro de la empresa, es decir, la cultura incide en la conducta, estos temas tienen su importancia en las entidades para evidenciar el comportamiento del talento humano y lo que este contribuye de forma positiva o negativa en los resultados y posicionamiento de las empresas. El objetivo de la presente investigación se centró en analizar la incidencia de la cultura organizacional en el clima laboral de la Cooperativa Intercantonal de Transporte Ayacucho, provincia de Manabí. Se aplicó un enfoque metodológico cuantitativo por cuanto se trató de comprender frecuencias, patrones a seguir por parte del personal que labora en la empresa; las técnicas utilizadas para la presente investigación fue la encuesta aplicada al personal y la observación directa en la organización objeto de estudio. Los resultados que se derivan de esta investigación evidencian que la cultura organizacional y el clima laboral de la Cooperativa están basados en cualidades, principios e ideales regidos al reglamento interno de la misma. Se puede concluir mencionando que si bien es cierto que dentro de la institución existe una buena cultura organizacional y un buen clima laboral se deberían mejorar procesos que ayuden al logro de los objetivos propuestos.
Periodo de adaptación: estudio de revisión
Authors: Romero-Gallardo Milagritos
Published: January 2023

El período de adaptación en el preescolar actualmente es un gran reto para el niño por lo que se considera necesario que haya estrecha relación entre docente, familia y comunidad, ya que este trae consigo aspectos negativos y positivos, los cuales definirán el desarrollo integral del estudiante; las estrategias utilizadas en este lapso son importantes porque ello definirá la construcción de su personalidad; con mira a un sistema educativo cuya prioridad es brindar una educación de calidad. El objetivo de esta investigación es un estudio acerca de las publicaciones de los últimos cinco años de los aportes investigativos, frente al periodo de adaptación.
Lamiaceae Martinov no município de Alagoinhas, Bahia, Brasil
Authors: Alves David dos Santos , Almeida Gracineide Selma Santos de , Santana Itajilanda do Nascimento
Published: January 2023

Lamiaceae Martinov é a sexta maior família das Angiospermas, contendo cerca de 240 gêneros e 7.200 espécies. No Brasil, também apresenta alta riqueza, representada por 70 gêneros e aproximadamente 590 espécies. Apesar disso, é uma família relativamente pouco representada em estudos florísticos regionais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a florística e taxonomia das espécies de Lamiaceae ocorrentes no município de Alagoinhas, Bahia, Brasil. O levantamento foi realizado tanto por coletas do material botânico, quanto por consulta em materiais depositados em acervos de herbários da região como o HUNEB e o HUEFS. A família está representada no município por 16 espécies distribuídas em 13 gêneros e 4 tribos. Dentre essas espécies, se destaca Mesosphaerum caatingense, que teve seu primeiro registro para o estado da Bahia e para a Mata Atlântica realizado neste trabalho. São apresentadas descrições, fotografias de campo, comentários sobre as espécies e uma chave de identificação.
GAMBARAN SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING DI PEKERJA HARIAN CV. CA
Authors:   Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya, Setioko Yohanes Darmawan , Apsari FlorentinaYuni ,   Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
Published: January 2023

Subjective well-being is defined as individual’s cognitive and affective evaluation towards individual’s own life, which can be observed through positive self-esteem, perceived control, extroversion, optimism, positive social relationship and feelings of purposeful and meaningful life. Subjective well-being is also influenced by individual’s work experience. Basing on the above-mentioned definition, this study is conducted to obtain a snapshot of the subjective well-being of daily workers that is considered one of the unstandardized employment. This study was conducted using qualitative approach of phenomenology. Data analysis was done using inductive thematic analysis. Informants of the study are daily workers who have long work experience in CV. CA. Result shows that daily workers of CV. CA fulfilled six aspects of subjective well-being including positive self-esteem, optimism, positive social relationship, perceived control, extraversion and feelings of purposeful and meaningful life. Keywords: subjective well-being, daily workers
GAMBARAN WORK-LIFE BALANCE PADA MOMPRENEUR
Authors:   Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya, Prasartika Brigitta , Repi Andhika Alexander ,   Universitas Katolik Widya Mandala Surabaya
Published: January 2023

Nowadays married women who do not work nine-to-five and choose to become housewives can be productive by generating high-achieving and income-generating works, one of which is by opening a business at home. Housewives who open businesses at home are commonly referred to as mompreneurs. However, being a mompreneur is not easy. A mompreneur needs to strive for a balance between her work life and also her personal life to maintain the sustainability of her business and her family. This study aims to observe how the work-life balance of the mompreneur is depicted, where work-life balance is an individual effort to balance work life and personal life. This research was conducted using qualitative phenomenological methods that applied the theory-led thematic analysis technique. The informants of this study are mompreneurs, who have been managing a business in the house which is operated online or offline with the business age is <2 years, and have or are currently nurturing a child <18 years old. Informants were selected using purposive and snowball techniques. The results of this study illustrate that the two informants show that there are three aspects of work-life balance, namely time balance, involvement balance, and satisfaction balance. Additionally, this study also found a new aspect of work-life balance, namely emotional balance, and the factors that affect the work-life balance of the two informants are the characteristics of the informant's trait or attitude, continuous learning, social support, and work overload.
PENGARUH PREOCCUPIED ATTACHMENT DAN AUTHORITARIAN PARENTING STYLE TERHADAP SELF-ESTEEM PADA REMAJA SMA DI SURABAYA
Authors:   Universitas Ciputra Surbaya Indonesia, Sanjaya Ersa Lanang , Wilda Maghrizkia Aulia ,   Universitas Ciputra Surbaya Indonesia
Published: January 2023

This study aimed to determine the effect of Preoccupied Attachment Style and Authoritarian Parenting Style on Self-Esteem in high school adolescents in Surabaya. This research was conducted with a correlational quantitative design. The subjects of this study were 121 high school students in Surabaya. The sampling technique used is non-probability incidental sampling with the Slovin formula. Retrieval of data using the State Self Esteem Scale (Heatherton & Polivy, 1991), Attachment Style Scale (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991), Parental Authority (Buri, 1991). These three scales were adapted to Indonesian. Data analysis in this study used simple regression analysis with JASP version 9.2 software. The results of the regression test showed that when tested together, preoccupied attachment and authoritarian parenting style had a significant effect on adolescent self-esteem, but if we examined the relationship between each variable, preoccupied attachment had a negative effect on self-esteem, while authoritarian parenting style had no effect on self-esteem.
MiR-15a-5p Accelerated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Viabilities and Migratory Abilities via Targeting Bcl-2
Authors: PENG H , WANG J , LI S
Published: January 2023

Aortic dissection (AD) caused by the tear in the aortic wall threatens aorta, causing severe chest pain, syncope and even death. Fortunately, development of genetic technology provides promising approaches for AD treatment. To analyze impacts of miR-15a-5p on modulating cell viability and migratory ability of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Ang II (0, 0.05 and 0.1 μM) treatment were applied for inducing inflammatory reactions of VSMCs. RNA expressions of miR-15a-5p with Bcl-2 was examined using RT-qPCR. CCK-8 and transwell evaluated cell viability and migratory ability, respectively. The binding about miR-15a-5p with Bcl-2 were detected by luciferase reporter assay. Western blot detected protein expressions of Bcl-2, MCP-1 and MMP-9. Ang II treatment not only accelerated VSMCs viability and migratory abilities, but also upregulated MCP-1 and MMP-9 protein expressions. MiR-15a-5p was detected to be promoted by Ang II. However, miR-15a-5p inhibitor decreased VSMC cell viability and migratory ability and suppressed protein expressions of MCP-1 and MMP-9. Bcl-2 was targeted and downregulated by miR-15a-5p. Nevertheless, high VSMC cell viability and migration caused by miR-15a-5p overexpression were hindered with overexpressed Bcl-2. MiR-15a-5p mimics also elevated MCP-1 and MMP-9 protein expressions, which were inhibited by Bcl-2 upregulation.
Stavovi Hamze Hume o jeziku i književnosti u autorskom tekstu o nacionalizmu u bh. književnosti
Authors: M ulavdić Vedad
Published: January 2023

The paper discuses Hamza Humo’s text “Nationalism in BH literature” published in 1929 in the book Effort of Bosnia and Herzegovina for liberation and unification. The text presents an overview of development of Bosnian literature from the 17th century to the beginning of the First World War. Humo’s attitude towards language and literature in the works of some writters is observed, as well as Humo’s language in the text itself. Bosniak literature and the Bosnian language are not specifically presented in this text, but only as part of the development of literature and language in the wider Yugoslav area. Nevertheless, the name Bosnian language is mentioned in the text, and it is treated more as label for the dialect and the literary realisation of that speech, considering the fact that the classical processes of language standardization had not yet begun. Many writers mentioned in this text also spokes about language in their works, which Humo underlines only occasionally. This text is also significant for the study of the history of literature and language in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the interwar period.
LKPD BERBASIS GROUP INVESTIGATION: PENGEMBANGAN MEDIA PADA MATERI PENCEMARAN LINGKUNGAN
Authors: Dwinda Agustin  , Nur Hayati
Published: January 2023

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengembangkan LKPD berbasis GI pada materi pencemaran lingkungan serta menjelaskan proses dari pengembangan LKPD pada materi pencemaran lingkungan. Prosedur pengembangan yang digunakan yakni sesuai dengan tahapan ADDIE. Proses pengembangan ini dengan tujuan untuk mendeskripsikan kelayakan berdasarkan nilai validitas yang diperoleh. Uji kelayakan dilakukan oleh 2 ahli yakni ahli materi dan ahli media serta 1 guru IPA. Penelitian pengembangan ini menghasilkan LKPD berbasis GI pada materi pencemaan lingkungan. Pengembangan yang dilakukan terbatas pada tahap Analyze, Design, Development, dan Evaluation. LKPD yang dikembangkan disesuaikan dengan langkah Group Investigation. Pengembangan yang telah dilakukan dengan menggunakan uji kelayakan. Hasil nilai kelayakan dari validator dihitung dengan menggunakan rumus hitung kemudian dimasukkan dalam kriteria validitas LKPD. Analisis data yang digunakan yakni analisis validitas LKPD yang diperoleh dari angket penilaian kelayakan LKPD. Nilai validitas menunjukkan bahwa LKPD GI mendapatkan skor rata-rata sebesar 3,68 termasuk dalam kategori sangat valid.
The effects of nutritional level and body condition score on cytokines in seminal plasma of beef bulls
Authors: Harrison Taylor D. , Chaney Elizabeth M. , Brandt Kiernan J. , Ault-Seay Taylor B. , Payton Rebecca R. , Schneider Liesel G. , Strickland Lew G. , Schrick F. Neal , McLean Kyle J.
Published: January 2023

Introduction

High quality semen is essential for reproductive efficiency. Nutrition and environmental factors impact the ejaculate components, like cytokines, that are essential for pregnancy establishment. We hypothesized that differing nutritional periods and body condition scores would affect seminal plasma cytokine concentrations of bulls.

Methods

Mature Angus bulls (n=11) were individually housed and randomly assigned to either over-fed (n=5) or restricted (n=6) treatment pathways. Bulls were fed different volumes of a single ration creating 8 individual treatment periods. Body weight and body condition scores were taken every 14 d to manage intake volumes. Ejaculates were collected every 84 d to determine seminal plasma cytokine profiles. A complete randomized design was used to evaluate seminal plasma cytokines after each nutritional treatment. Initial cytokine concentrations and volume of the ejaculate were included as covariates.

Results

All cytokines returned to initial concentrations following maintenance treatments at an ideal body condition score of 6. Nutritional treatments affected (P ≤ 0.05) IFN-γ, IL-8, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, TNF-α, IL-1β, and VEGF-A. However, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and MIP-1α had the greatest impact on cytokine profile.

Discussion

Nutritional levels and adiposity altered seminal plasma cytokine concentrations which could potentially impact the inflammatory balance of the uterus and the immune responses necessary for pregnancy establishment.
Versatile electrical stimulator for cardiac tissue engineering—Investigation of charge-balanced monophasic and biphasic electrical stimulations
Authors: Gabetti Stefano , Sileo Antonio , Montrone Federica , Putame Giovanni , Audenino Alberto L. , Marsano Anna , Massai Diana
Published: January 2023

The application of biomimetic physical stimuli replicating the in vivo dynamic microenvironment is crucial for the in vitro development of functional cardiac tissues. In particular, pulsed electrical stimulation (ES) has been shown to improve the functional properties of in vitro cultured cardiomyocytes. However, commercially available electrical stimulators are expensive and cumbersome devices while customized solutions often allow limited parameter tunability, constraining the investigation of different ES protocols. The goal of this study was to develop a versatile compact electrical stimulator (ELETTRA) for biomimetic cardiac tissue engineering approaches, designed for delivering controlled parallelizable ES at a competitive cost. ELETTRA is based on an open-source micro-controller running custom software and is combinable with different cell/tissue culture set-ups, allowing simultaneously testing different ES patterns on multiple samples. In particular, customized culture chambers were appositely designed and manufactured for investigating the influence of monophasic and biphasic pulsed ES on cardiac cell monolayers. Finite element analysis was performed for characterizing the spatial distributions of the electrical field and the current density within the culture chamber. Performance tests confirmed the accuracy, compliance, and reliability of the ES parameters delivered by ELETTRA. Biological tests were performed on neonatal rat cardiac cells, electrically stimulated for 4 days, by comparing, for the first time, the monophasic waveform (electric field = 5 V/cm) to biphasic waveforms by matching either the absolute value of the electric field variation (biphasic ES at ±2.5 V/cm) or the total delivered charge (biphasic ES at ±5 V/cm). Findings suggested that monophasic ES at 5 V/cm and, particularly, charge-balanced biphasic ES at ±5 V/cm were effective in enhancing electrical functionality of stimulated cardiac cells and in promoting synchronous contraction.
Modification of bacterial cells for in vivo remotely guided systems
Authors: Rybkin Iaroslav , Pinyaev Sergey , Sindeeva Olga , German Sergey , Koblar Maja , Pyataev Nikolay , Čeh Miran , Gorin Dmitry , Sukhorukov Gleb , Lapanje Aleš
Published: January 2023

It was shown recently that bacterial strains, which can act specifically against malignant cells, can be used efficiently in cancer therapy. Many appropriate bacterial strains are either pathogenic or invasive and there is a substantial shortage of methods with which to monitor in vivo the distribution of bacteria used in this way. Here, it is proposed to use a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) approach that can encapsulate individual bacterial cells with fluorescently labeled polyelectrolytes (PE)s and magnetite nanoparticles (NP)s. The NP enable remote direction in vivo to the site in question and the labeled shells in the far-red emission spectra allow non-invasive monitoring of the distribution of bacteria in the body. The magnetic entrapment of the modified bacteria causes the local concentration of the bacteria to increase by a factor of at least 5. The PEs create a strong barrier, and it has been shown in vitro experiments that the division time of bacterial cells coated in this way can be regulated, resulting in control of their invasion into tissues. That animals used in the study survived and did not suffer septic shock, which can be attributed to PE capsules that prevent release of endotoxins from bacterial cells.
Definition, measurement, and function of pore structure dimensions of bioengineered porous bone tissue materials based on additive manufacturing: A review
Authors: Peng Wen , Liu Yami , Wang Cheng
Published: January 2023

Bioengineered porous bone tissue materials based on additive manufacturing technology have gradually become a research hotspot in bone tissue-related bioengineering. Research on structural design, preparation and processing processes, and performance optimization has been carried out for this material, and further industrial translation and clinical applications have been implemented. However, based on previous studies, there is controversy in the academic community about characterizing the pore structure dimensions of porous materials, with problems in the definition logic and measurement method for specific parameters. In addition, there are significant differences in the specific morphological and functional concepts for the pore structure due to differences in defining the dimensional characterization parameters of the pore structure, leading to some conflicts in perceptions and discussions among researchers. To further clarify the definitions, measurements, and dimensional parameters of porous structures in bioengineered bone materials, this literature review analyzes different dimensional characterization parameters of pore structures of porous materials to provide a theoretical basis for unified definitions and the standardized use of parameters.
Conditioned medium from human cord blood mesenchymal stem cells attenuates age-related immune dysfunctions
Authors: Sun Bo , Meng Xianhui , Li Yumin , Li Yanlong , Liu Rui , Xiao Zhongdang
Published: January 2023

Aging is accompanied with progressive deterioration of immune responses and tissue’s function. Using 12-month-old mice as model, we showed that conditioned medium of human cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (CBMSC-CM) significantly reduced the population percentage of CD3−CD335+ NK and CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cells in peripheral blood. The CBMSC-CM administration also increased naïve T-cells number and restored the ratio of naïve to memory T-cells in CD4+ T-cells population. These results indicated that CBMSC-CM improved the immune response efficiency of aged mice. Moreover, we also found CBMSC-CM treatment significantly reduced the number of senescenT-cells in kidney tissues. Finally, we demonstrated that CBMSC-CM remarkably attenuated hydrogen peroxide triggered T-cell response and ameliorated oxidative stress induced cellular senescence. All of these data suggest a prominent anti-aging effect of secretome of CBMSCs.
Mesenchymal stromal/stem cell-derived exosomes and genitourinary cancers: A mini review
Authors: Salehpour Aria , Balmagambetova Saule , Mussin Nadiar , Kaliyev Asset , Rahmanifar Farhad
Published: January 2023

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cell- (MSC-) derived exosomes are gaining popularity for their involvement in tissue repair and repressing various tumors through extensive patterns. Nevertheless, the impact of extracellular vesicles produced by stem cells on tumor formation and progression is controversial and seems to depend on several factors. The utilization of MSCs’ various capabilities in urogenital neoplasms is widely regarded as a potential future therapeutic as well. These genitourinary neoplasms include prostatic neoplasms, ovarian neoplasms, cervical neoplasms, endometrial neoplasms, bladder neoplasms, and renal cell neoplasms. The present study has concentrated on the most recent information on genitourinary neoplasms employing MSCs derived exosomes’ many capabilities, such as delivering effective RNAs, extensive tissue compatibility, and specificity with tumor identification without inherent limitations of cell therapy.
Expected value of first Zagreb connection index in random cyclooctatetraene chain, random polyphenyls chain, and random chain network
Authors: Raza Zahid , Akhter Shehnaz , Shang Yilun
Published: January 2023

The Zagreb connection indices are the known topological descriptors of the graphs that are constructed from the connection cardinality (degree of given nodes lying at a distance 2) presented in 1972 to determine the total electron energy of the alternate hydrocarbons. For a long time, these connection indices did not receive much research attention. Ali and Trinajstić [Mol. Inform. 37, Art. No. 1800008, 2018] examined the Zagreb connection indices and found that they compared to basic Zagreb indices and that they provide a finer value for the correlation coefficient for the 13 physico-chemical characteristics of the octane isomers. This article acquires the formulae of expected values of the first Zagreb connection index of a random cyclooctatetraene chain, a random polyphenyls chain, and a random chain network with l number of octagons, hexagons, and pentagons, respectively. The article presents extreme and average values of all the above random chains concerning a set of special chains, including the meta-chain, the ortho-chain, and the para-chain.
SnS@C nanoparticles anchored on graphene oxide as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Mei Jing , Han Jinlu , Wu Fujun , Pan Qichang , Zheng Fenghua , Jiang Juantao , Huang Youguo , Wang Hongqiang , Liu Kui , Li Qingyu
Published: January 2023

Tin (II) sulfide (SnS) has been regarded as an attractive anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity. However, sulfide undergoes significant volume change during lithiation/delithiation, leading to rapid capacity degradation, which severely hinders its further practical application in lithium-ion batteries. Here, we report a simple and effective method for the synthesis of SnS@C/G composites, where SnS@C nanoparticles are strongly coupled onto the graphene oxide nanosheets through dopamine-derived carbon species. In such a designed architecture, the SnS@C/G composites show various advantages including buffering the volume expansion of Sn, suppressing the coarsening of Sn, and dissolving Li2S during the cyclic lithiation/delithiation process by graphene oxide and N-doped carbon. As a result, the SnS@C/G composite exhibits outstanding rate performance as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries with a capacity of up to 434 mAh g−1 at a current density of 5.0 A g−1 and excellent cycle stability with a capacity retention of 839 mAh g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 450 cycles.
Gum katira-silver nanoparticle-based bionanocomposite for the removal of methyl red dye
Authors: Saruchi  , Kumar Vaneet , Bhatt Diksha , El-Serehy Hamed A. , Pandey Sadanand
Published: January 2023

The present study aimed to synthesize gum katira-silver nanoparticle-based bionanocomposite. Different characterization techniques were used to analyze the synthesized bionanocomposite, such as Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). AgNPs were formed and were 6–20 nm in size. Thermo-gravimetric analysis showed that synthesized nanocomposites are more thermally stable than gum katira. All the reaction conditions, such as time, temperature, pH, solvent, amount of nanoparticles, the concentration of the initiator, crosslinker, and monomer were optimized with respect to swelling. The results showed that the highest percentage swelling (Ps) of Gk-cl-poly(AA) was 796%, and 867% of AgNPs were imbibed by Gk-cl-poly(acrylic acid)-AgNPs. Synthesized bionanocomposite was used as an adsorbent material for the adsorption of methyl red (MR) dye. The effects of different reaction conditions were also optimized to attain maximum adsorption of MR dye. The maximum dye adsorption through Gk-cl-poly(AA)-AgNPs bionanocomposite was 95.7%. Diverse kinetic and isotherm models were used to study the adsorption data. The R2 value was established as 0.987 and k2 was .02671. The greater R2 value of second-order kinetics over first-order kinetics suggested that MR adsorption by nanocomposite is best explained by pseudo-second-order kinetics, indicating that dye adsorption occurred through chemisorption. The R2 value was determined to be .9954. The correlation coefficient values of Gk-cl-poly(AA)-AgNPs were best fitted by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Overall, synthesized bionanocomposite is a proficient material for removing of MR dye from wastewater.
Comparative genome analysis reveals high-level drug resistance markers in a clinical isolate of Mycobacterium fortuitum subsp. fortuitum MF GZ001
Authors: Alam Md Shah , Guan Ping , Zhu Yuting , Zeng Sanshan , Fang Xiange , Wang Shuai , Yusuf Buhari , Zhang Jingran , Tian Xirong , Fang Cuiting , Gao Yamin , Khatun Mst Sumaia , Liu Zhiyong , Hameed H. M. Adnan , Tan Yaoju , Hu Jinxing , Liu Jianxiong , Zhang Tianyu
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Infections caused by non-tuberculosis mycobacteria are significantly worsening across the globe. M. fortuitum complex is a rapidly growing pathogenic species that is of clinical relevance to both humans and animals. This pathogen has the potential to create adverse effects on human healthcare.

Methods

The MF GZ001 clinical strain was collected from the sputum of a 45-year-old male patient with a pulmonary infection. The morphological studies, comparative genomic analysis, and drug resistance profiles along with variants detection were performed in this study. In addition, comparative analysis of virulence genes led us to understand the pathogenicity of this organism.

Results

Bacterial growth kinetics and morphology confirmed that MF GZ001 is a rapidly growing species with a rough morphotype. The MF GZ001 contains 6413573 bp genome size with 66.18 % high G+C content. MF GZ001 possesses a larger genome than other related mycobacteria and included 6156 protein-coding genes. Molecular phylogenetic tree, collinearity, and comparative genomic analysis suggested that MF GZ001 is a novel member of the M. fortuitum complex. We carried out the drug resistance profile analysis and found single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations in key drug resistance genes such as rpoB, katG, AAC(2')-Ib, gyrA, gyrB, embB, pncA, blaF, thyA, embC, embR, and iniA. In addition, the MF GZ001strain contains mutations in iniA, iniC, pncA, and ribD which conferred resistance to isoniazid, ethambutol, pyrazinamide, and para-aminosalicylic acid respectively, which are not frequently observed in rapidly growing mycobacteria. A wide variety of predicted putative potential virulence genes were found in MF GZ001, most of which are shared with well-recognized mycobacterial species with high pathogenic profiles such as M. tuberculosis and M. abscessus.

Discussion

Our identified novel features of a pathogenic member of the M. fortuitum complex will provide the foundation for further investigation of mycobacterial pathogenicity and effective treatment.
Comprehensive analysis of 84 Faecalibacterium prausnitzii strains uncovers their genetic diversity, functional characteristics, and potential risks
Authors: Bai Zipeng , Zhang Na , Jin Yu , Chen Long , Mao Yujie , Sun Lingna , Fang Feifei , Liu Ying , Han Maozhen , Li Gangping
Published: January 2023

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is a beneficial human gut microbe and a candidate for next-generation probiotics. With probiotics now being used in clinical treatments, concerns about their safety and side effects need to be considered. Therefore, it is essential to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the genetic diversity, functional characteristics, and potential risks of different F. prausnitzii strains. In this study, we collected the genetic information of 84 F . prausnitzii strains to conduct a pan-genome analysis with multiple perspectives. Based on single-copy genes and the sequences of 16S rRNA and the compositions of the pan-genome, different phylogenetic analyses of F. prausnitzii strains were performed, which showed the genetic diversity among them. Among the proteins of the pan-genome, we found that the accessory clusters made a greater contribution to the primary genetic functions of F. prausnitzii strains than the core and specific clusters. The functional annotations of F. prausnitzii showed that only a very small number of proteins were related to human diseases and there were no secondary metabolic gene clusters encoding harmful products. At the same time, complete fatty acid metabolism was detected in F. prausnitzii. In addition, we detected harmful elements, including antibiotic resistance genes, virulence factors, and pathogenic genes, and proposed the probiotic potential risk index (PPRI) and probiotic potential risk score (PPRS) to classify these 84 strains into low-, medium-, and high-risk groups. Finally, 15 strains were identified as low-risk strains and prioritized for clinical application. Undoubtedly, our results provide a comprehensive understanding and insight into F. prausnitzii, and PPRI and PPRS can be applied to evaluate the potential risks of probiotics in general and to guide the application of probiotics in clinical application.
Integrating biological and chemical CO2 sequestration using green microalgae for bioproducts generation
Authors: Abraham Juliana , Prigiobbe Valentina , Abimbola Tobi , Christodoulatos Christos
Published: January 2023

Microalgae cultivation is considered an attractive negative emission technology (NET) due to its ability to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere as well as from flue gases. Moreover, some microalgae can uptake dissolved carbon in the form of bicarbonate (HCO3-) and grow well by removing nutrients from various wastewater effluents without competing with freshwater resources. Conventional carbon mineralization is another NET where carbon is fixed into carbonate minerals such as calcite (CaCO3), magnesite (MgCO3), nesquehonite (MgCO3-3H2O), and nahcolite (NaHCO3), which can be reused in various applications such as construction and cosmetics, and in this case, to supply carbon to microalgae. Previous initial laboratory studies demonstrated the possibility of using metastable carbonates as a source of carbon for biomass growth of the freshwater microalga Scenedesmus obliquus. In this study, we present results from an experimental and modeling work where 100 L open raceway reactors were used to grow an algae polyculture using industrial nitrogen-rich wastewater. In addition, carbonates such as MgCO3-3H2O and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) were added to the ponds to primarily buffer the pH and maintain it within the acceptable algae physiological values and to provide extra carbon to the cultures. Cultures using BG-11 growth medium and without addition of carbonates were run as controls. Continuous online monitoring of pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen was performed while nutrients content and dry weight of algae culture were measured offline daily. A mathematical model coupled with geochemistry was implemented to describe the overall process of algae growth, carbonate dissolution, and solution composition. Biomass harvested from the raceway reactors was concentrated and oil and fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) content were determined. Results showed that biomass and oil content obtained were comparable to controls, indicating a successful metabolic-based pH control by the addition of carbonates in the ammonium-based media. Furthermore, FAME analysis revealed different profiles depending on the source of carbon used. Overall, this study suggests that integrating both types of NET strategies can contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions while producing biomass that can be further processed to generate a variety of bioproducts.
Higher-order transformations for the generation of synchronization infrastructures in blended modeling
Authors: Latifaj Malvina , Ciccozzi Federico , Mohlin Mattias
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Blended modeling aims at boosting the development of complex multi-domain systems by enabling seamless multi-notation modeling. The synchronization mechanisms between notations are embodied in model transformations. Manually defining model transformations requires specific knowledge of transformation languages, and it is a time-consuming and error-prone task. Moreover, whenever any of the synchronized languages or notations evolves, those transformations become obsolete.

Methods

In this paper, we propose an automated solution for generating synchronization transformations in an industrial setting.

Results

The approach entails i) the specification of mapping rules between two arbitrary domain-specific modeling languages leveraging a mapping modeling language, appositely defined for this purpose, and ii) the automatic generation of synchronization model transformations driven by the mapping rules.

Discussion

We validated the proposed approach in two use cases. Although our main goal was to provide a solution for synchronization between graphical and textual notations of UML-RT state machines, the proposed approach is language- and notation-agnostic.