bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of potentially inappropriate medication and polypharmacy in elderly: a repeated cross-sectional study
Authors: Thorell Kristine , Midlöv Patrik , Fastbom Johan , Halling Anders
Published: June 2019

Background

Potential inappropriate medications (PIM) have an increased risk for adverse drug reactions (ADR) in an elderly population. With increasing age, multimorbidity is growing along with the use of medications. For several years, polypharmacy has been found to increase in western societies. Polypharmacy is associated with an increased risk of ADR. In this study, we analysed the prevalence of PIM in an elderly population and in different strata of the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy and how that prevalence changed over time.

Methods

This is a registry based repeated cross-sectional study including two cohorts included. Individuals aged 75 or older listed at a primary care center in Blekinge on the 31 of March 2011 (cohort 1) or on the 31 of December 2013 (cohort 2) were included in the respective cohorts. Using a chi2 test, the two cohorts were compared on the variables age, gender, number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Use of five or more medications at the same time was the definition for polypharmacy.

Results

Use of PIM decreased from 10.60% to 7.04% (p-value <0.001) between 2011 and 2013, while prevalence of five to seven chronic conditions increased from 20.55% to 23.66% (p-value <0.001). Use of PIM decreased in all strata of the variables age, gender number of chronic conditions and polypharmacy. Except for age 80 to ≤ 85 and males, where it increased, prevalence of polypharmacy was stable in all strata of the variables.

Conclusions

Use of potentially inappropriate medications had decreased in all variables between 2011 and 2013. Polypharmacy does not increase significantly compared to the rest of the population.
Statistical risk prediction models for adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in severe preeclampsia in a low-resource setting, Mpilo Central Hospital, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A PhD Research Proposal.
Authors: Ngwenya Solwayo , Jones Brian , Mwembe Desmond
Published: June 2019

A PhD Research Proposal submitted to the National University of Science and Technology
Digital tools in the Informed Consent process: a systematic review
Authors: Francesco Gesualdo , Palazzani Laura , Dimitriou Dimitris , Domingo Javier Diez , Fons-Martinez Jaime , Jackson Sally , Vignally Pascal , Tozzi Alberto , Rizzo Caterina
Published: June 2019

Background: Providing understandable information to patients is necessary to achieve the two main aims of the Informed Consent process: respecting and promoting patients’ autonomy and protecting patients from harm. In recent decades, new, primarily digital, technologies have been used to apply and test innovative formats of Informed Consent. We conducted a systematic review to explore the impact of using digital tools for Informed Consent in both clinical care and clinical trials. Understanding, comprehension, satisfaction and participation were compared for digital tools versus the traditional Informed Consent process.

Methods: We searched for studies on available electronic databases, including Pubmed, ISI web of science (WoS), and Cochrane. Studies were identified using specific Mesh-terms/keywords. We included studies, published from January 2012 to April 2018, that focused on the use of digital Informed Consent tools for surgery, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic interventions, and clinical research. Digital interventions were defined as interventions that used multimedia or audio-video to provide information to patients. We classified the interventions into 3 different categories: video only, non-interactive multimedia, and interactive multimedia.

Results: Our search yielded 1046 publications. After title and abstract screening 182 studies were retained for full-text analysis, of which 38 publications were included. Studies examined interactive multimedia (17/38), non-interactive multimedia (11/38), and videos (10/38), and most (34/38) studies were conducted on adults. Innovations in consent were tested for clinical/surgical procedures (26/38) and RCTs (12/38). For RCTs, 21 outcomes were explored, with a positive effect on at least one of the studied outcomes being observed in 8/12 studies. For clinical/surgical procedures 49 outcomes were explored, and 21/26 studies reported a positive effect on at least one of the studied outcomes.

Conclusions: Digital technologies for informed consent were not found to affect negatively any of the outcomes, and overall, interactive multimedia tools seem desirable. Interactive multimedia tools indicated a higher impact than passive videos. Presence of a researcher may potentially enhance efficacy of different outcomes. Studies were heterogeneous in design, making evaluation of impact challenging. Robust study design including standardisation is needed to conclusively assess impact.
Diagnostic value of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase among the patients with pleural tuberculosis
Authors: Rousta Fariborz , Sokouti Mohsen , Rouy Samad Beheshty , Parsay Sina
Published: June 2019

Purpose

Extra-pulmonary tuberculosis occurs in about 10-20% of patients most commonly as tuberculous lymphadenitis or pleural effusion. Pleural fluid Adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity considered as a useful biomarker for detecting pleural tuberculosis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid adenosine deaminase level in patients with pleural tuberculosis.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 113 patients with exudative pleural effusion with unknown underlying diagnosis, were enrolled. Physical examination, chest CT, measurement of ADA level of pleural fluid, direct thoracoscopic examination, and biopsy of pleura were performed for all individuals.

Results

The diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy was established in 40 individuals regarding the pathology report of biopsy samples. The mean ADA level of the TB and the non-TB group was 39.90±22.93 IU/L and 30.74±38.27 IU/L respectively, which was not statistically significant (P-value=0.167). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ADA test were 35%, 86.30%, 58.33%, and 70.79%, respectively.

Conclusion

Based on low sensitivity and specificity of ADA test, in patients with unexplained exudative pleural effusion especially in those who were suspicious for tuberculous pleurisy, despite the low level of ADA, direct thoracoscopic pleural observation and multiple biopsies of pleura is highly recommended.
Costs and Health-Related Quality of Life in Relation to Caries
Authors: Kastenbom Lisa , Falsen Alexandra , Larsson Pernilla , Sunnegårdh-Grönberg Karin , Davidson Thomas
Published: June 2019

Background

Dental caries remains a common and expensive disease for both society and affected individuals. Furthermore, caries often affect individuals’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Health economic evaluations are needed to understand how to efficiently distribute dental care resources. This study aims to evaluate treatment costs and QALY weights for caries active and inactive adult individuals, and to test whether the generic instrument EQ-5D-5L can distinguish differences in this population.

Methods

A total of 1200 randomly selected individuals from dental clinics in Västerbotten County, Sweden, were invited to participate. Of these, 79 caries active and 179 caries inactive patients agreed to participate (response rate of 21.7%). Inclusion criteria were participants between 20-65 years old and same caries risk group categorization in two consecutive check-ups between 2014 and 2017.

Results

Treatment costs showed to be twice as high in the caries active group compared to the caries inactive group and were three times higher in the caries active age group 20-29 compared to the caries inactive age group 20-29. Differences between the groups was found for number of intact teeth according to age groups. In the EQ-5D-5L instrument, more problems relating to the dimension anxiety/depression was seen in the caries active group. QALY weights showed tendencies (non-significant) to be lower in the caries active group.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the need for efficient treatments and prevention strategies as well as adequate money allocation within dentistry. However, further research is needed to assess appropriate instruments for health economic evaluations.
DETERMINATION OF DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF HEAT FIRE DETECTORS
Authors: Abramov Yuriy , Kalchenko Yaroslav , Liashevska Olena
Published: June 2019

The proposed methods for determining the dynamic characteristics of heat fire detectors in the time and frequency domains, focused on the use of existing thermal chambers. The proposed method for determining the transition function of the detector is implemented as follows. Heat fire detector creates a thermal effect in the form of a linearly increasing function. The response of the output signal to the influence of this type is measured and approximated using the Heaviside function at regular intervals.

It is shown that information on the transition function of a heat fire detector can be used to determine its frequency characteristics by approximating it with Heaviside functions at the same time intervals. This method of determining the frequency characteristics will significantly reduce the time to determine them compared to the classical method, and also eliminate the need for additional equipment.

As a result of the studies, the choice of the sampling interval was justified on the example of a class A1 heatfire detector and certain sampling intervals for determining their transition function (τ0≤1.05 s), amplitude-frequency characteristic (τ0≤0.27 s) and phase-frequency characteristic (τ0≤2.0 s).

The proposed methods for determining the dynamic characteristics of heat fire detectors open up new opportunities for developing methods for monitoring their technical condition. This is because the information about the transition function of the detector can be used in two ways. The first method involves comparing a certain transition function of the detector with an exemplary one. The second method consists in determining other characteristics of the detector based on information about its transient function and comparing them with standard values.
EFFECT OF FLOW STEERING ANGLE TOWARD THE HYDROKINETIC TURBINE PERFORMANCE
Authors: Soenoko Rudy , Wijaya Hastono
Published: June 2019

The kinetic turbine is one of the solutions for use in low-speed river flows ranging from 0.01–2.8 m/s. This kinetic turbine is used as a conversion equipment to convert the water kinetic energy into an electrical energy. The working principle of a kinetic turbine is utilizing and relies on the water kinetic energy. Water flowing into the turbine area will produce a momentum on the turbine blades. This momentum change would then push the turbine blades and finally spin the turbine runner. The aim of research is thedetermination of the effect of water flow steering angle (a) and water flow rate variation in the kinetic turbine performance. This research uses vertical axis kinetic turbines with eight curve blade attached to the turbine runner. The variables used are two values of water flow steering angle, namely 25°and 35°. The water flow rate variation of 30 m3/h, 35 m3/h, 40 m3/h and 45 m3/h. The method used in this study uses a real experimental method. These two variations would then compare with the result of a hydrokinetic turbine performance done on the previous research.

The results show that the water flow steering angle a affected the kinetic turbine performance (power, efficiency and torque). From these several water flow steering angle and water flow rate variations, the turbine performance with a 35° water flow steering angle get the highest performance compared with the use of 25° and 14° water flow steering angle. The greater the flow angle and the greater the water flow rate, the greater the torque, power and efficiency. The highest turbine power produced, P=17.5 W, occurs on the 35° water steering angle, and on a Q=45 m3/h water flow rate and on a 80 rpm turbine rotation. While the highest turbine efficiency, h=27 %, occurred on the Q=30 m3/h water flow rate, on a 60 rpm turbine rotation and on a water flow steering angle a=35°. The highest turbine torque, 3.1 Nm, occurs at Q=45 m3/h water flow rate at a maximum turbine braking and on a water steering angle a=35°.
ELABORATION OF MAIN METHODS OF USING COLORISTICS AT CREATING THE ECOLOGICAL INTERIOR SPACE INCLUDING ARTWORKS
Authors: Pilipchuk Oksana , Kolomiiets Yurii
Published: June 2019

The paper analyses harmonization conditions of a color solution, obtained as a result of combining colors that create the united coloristic space-color field, able to create the esthetically full-value tonality of an accommodation. There have been elaborated main methods of using coloristics at achieving the ecological space and harmony of a color solution, including artworks. There has been proved a necessity to organize the subject-spatial environment by laws and means of coloristics at realizing ecological problems and esthetically improving the environment of human life activity. It has been noted, that under conditions of sustainable development of the environment, at searching for innovative approaches to methods of ecologization of an interior of different destinations, there is a necessity of special scientific methods, theoretical and practical steps that would be instruments for modern artists and designers. There have been defined a series of unalienable factors of the color environment, connected with each other that can be instruments of ecologization of an accommodation by means of coloristics. There has been offered a series of functional possibilities of artworks, placed in the coloristics of the spatial environment for creating optimally comfort conditions for human being in it. Using the conducted analysis and given examples, realized by the author of the paper, there are presented main methods that can be the same instrument in the work of an artist-designer that allows him/her to solve the problem of improving ecologization of the interior environment with more professionalism, and also the creative task in placing artworks in the coloristic space of an interior.
IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF YOUNG NOVICE DRIVERS
Authors: Hajdukova Tatiana , Becková Daniela
Published: June 2019

An important element of internal safety of a society is the maintenance of a functioning transport connection throughout the territory of the country. The line between safety and unsafety is often very thin. That is why we cannot explore safety without being aware of the danger. The study evaluates the development and current state of the road traffic accidents resulting in the death of road users in EU countries. Attention is paid to the countries with the best results of fatal accidents, which are examples of good practice for other countries. The slowdown in improving EU results over recent years is evidence that the most effective remedial measures have already been applied. The results of other measures will no longer be as effective as they have been so far and will require more money, energy and effort to be invested with slower progress than 15 years ago.
The analytical part of the study points to the causes of traffic accidents resulting in injury or death of the road users in Slovakia. Multidimensional scaling has been used to identify differences in the causes of traffic accidents according to the age of drivers, the culprits of traffic accidents. The results point to the need for a graduated licensing system for young novice drivers.
DEVELOPMENT OF HPLC-MS METHOD OF VOGLIBOSE AND QUERCETIN QUANTITATION IN HYPOGLICEMIC ACTION TABLETS
Authors: Kovalevska Inna , Ruban Olena , Khanin Vadim
Published: June 2019

Aim. The purpose of our study was to develop a method for simultaneous quantitation of voglibose and quercetin in a solid dosage form.

Materials and methods. The objects of the study were voglibose, quercetin, tablets containing voglibose - 0.2 mg and quercetin 100 mg. Measurements were carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) according to SPHU, supp. 1, 2.2.29, N, using the following equipment: a mass-selective detector Agilent 6530 Q-TOF was used as the detecting system.

Results. According to the developed method, the quantitative determination of voglibose and quercetin in the tablets of hypoglycaemic action was investigated. The following results were obtained: the content of C 10 H 21 NO 7 (voglibose) in one dosage unit of the test drug was 0.2 mg; and the content of C 15 H 10 O 7 (quercetin) -0.105 g, which suggests the validability of the proposed method for quantitation of the active substances in tablets for the prevention and treatment of type II diabetes mellitus.

Conclusions. In the course of the study, a method was developed for determination of voglibose and quercetin in a hypoglycaemic action preparation using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a gradient mode of elution. It has been established that the chosen chromatographic conditions allow quantitative determination of the active pharmaceutical ingredients studied in a solid dosage form with a tolerance of ±5 %. Validation of the developed methodology has been conducted and its suitability for the simultaneous quantification of quercetin and voglibose in tablets has been demonstrated. The reproducibility of this method has been proved.
Dynamic capital structure in Indonesian case: do industry-specific variables affect adjustment speeds?
Authors: Budi Cahyono Satriyo , Singh Chawla Arvinder
Published: June 2019

The authors investigate the firm’s capital structure in the dynamic framework and adjustment speeds toward target leverage among Indonesian firms from 2005 to 2016. The sample firms are 407 non-financial listed companies and classified into 8 sectors based on Jakarta Industrial Sector Classification (JASICA).The explanatory variables consist of firm-level variables viz. size, growth opportunity, profitability, asset structure, liquidity, and firm risk; as well as industry-specific variables viz. industry concentration, munificence, and dynamism. By using dynamic adjustment model, it was found Indonesian firms have target leverages, and they tend to adjust toward their desired debt ratio. Based on country-level analysis, adjustment speeds toward target leverage are from around 30.20% to 36.97% per year. Meanwhile, on sector-level analysis, paces of adjustment indicate variety of adjustment speeds across sectors ranged from 26.00% to 48.32% per year.The authors also demonstrate that industry-specific variables have substantial influences on adjustment speeds toward target leverage. Industry concentration and industry munificence positively affect adjustment speeds, whereas however industry dynamism fails to show significant effect.
European smart specialization for Ukrainian regional development: path from creation to implementation
Authors: Polishchuk Yevheniia , Ivashchenko Alla , Britchenko Igor , Machashchik Pavel , Shkarlet Serhiy
Published: June 2019

The focus of the research is to develop recommendations of smart specialization (SS) for Ukrainian policymakers using European approaches. The authors revealed that the main SS projects are presented in such sectors as agri-food, industrial modernization and energy. More than 12 EU countries were the plot for conducted analysis of SS, as a result of which the level of activity of each country was determined. The creation of consortiums, including SMEs, associations, universities and other participants, disclosed the successful way of SS realization. The structure of SME’s innovative potential in Ukraine was identified underlining their main characteristic features like types of innovations and innovative activity, differentiation according to enterprise size, their regional distribution. The authors explored lack of innovations on regional and national level and significant territorial disparities, which could be eliminated through policy implementation of regional SS. The existing legislative norms for possibility of SS implementation in Ukraine were analyzed due to correspondence with the EU ones. The analysis provides the opportunity to consider them only as general framework documents without any action plans and sectoral prioritization at all. The weak points of these law documents are emphasized. As a result of research, the authors developed recommendations presented by direct action plan for Ukrainian policymakers, which include such activities as underlining key priorities (especially ICT applicability in every SS project) and their correspondence with the EU ones; eliminating regional imbalances by focusing on innovation development and reorientation of some regions according to SS priorities; respecting regional existing capacities; providing organizational mechanism for cooperation of stakeholders and financial mechanism for SS support through the EU structural funds.
Repositioning of HIV Aspartyl Peptidase Inhibitors for Combating the Neglected Human Pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Sangenito Leandro S. , Menna-Barreto Rubem F.S. , d'Avila-Levy Cláudia M. , Branquinha Marta H. , Santos André L.S.
Published: June 2019

Chagas disease, caused by the flagellate parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a wellknown neglected tropical disease. This parasitic illness affects 6-7 million people and can lead to severe myocarditis and/or complications of the digestive tract. The changes in its epidemiology facilitate co-infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), making even more difficult the diagnosis and prognosis. The parasitic infection is reactivated in T. cruzi/HIV co-infection, with the appearance of unusual manifestations in the chronic phase and the exacerbation of classical clinical signs. The therapeutic arsenal to treat Chagas disease, in all its clinical forms, is restricted basically to two drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both drugs are extremely toxic and the therapeutic efficacy is still unclear, making the clinical treatment a huge issue to be solved. Therefore, it seems obvious the necessity of new tangible approaches to combat this illness. In this sense, the repositioning of approved drugs appears as an interesting and viable strategy. The discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Aspartyl Peptidase Inhibitors (HIV-PIs) represented a milestone in the treatment of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and, concomitantly, a marked reduction in both the incidence and prevalence of important bacterial, fungal and parasitic co-infections was clearly observed. Taking all these findings into consideration, the present review summarizes the promising and beneficial data concerning the effects of HIV-PIs on all the evolutionary forms of T. cruzi and in important steps of the parasite’s life cycle, which highlight their possible application as alternative drugs to treat Chagas disease.
Potential Regulation Mechanisms of P-gp in the Blood-Brain Barrier in Hypoxia
Authors: Ding Yidan , Wang Rong , Zhang Jianchun , Zhao Anpeng , Lu Hui , Li Wenbin , Wang Chang , Yuan Xuechun
Published: June 2019

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a barrier of the central nervous system (CNS), which can restrict the
free exchange of substances, such as toxins and drugs, between cerebral interstitial fluid and blood, keeping the
relative physiological stabilization. The brain capillary endothelial cells, one of the structures of the BBB, have a
variety of ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC transporters), among which the most widely investigated is Pglycoprotein
(P-gp) that can efflux numerous substances out of the brain. The expression and activity of P-gp are
regulated by various signal pathways, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)/protein kinase C-β (PKC-
β)/sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1P), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/Src kinase, etc. However,
it remains unclear how hypoxic signaling pathways regulate the expression and activity of P-gp in brain
microvascular endothelial cells. According to previous research, hypoxia affects the expression and activity of the
transporter. If the transporter is up-regulated, some drugs enter the brain's endothelial cells and are pumped back
into the blood by transporters such as P-gp before they enter the brain tissue, consequently influencing the drug
delivery in CNS; if the transporter is down-regulated, the centrally toxic drug would enter the brain tissue and
cause serious adverse reactions. Therefore, studying the mechanism of hypoxia-regulating P-gp can provide an
important reference for the treatment of CNS diseases with a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) component. This
article summarized the mechanism of regulation of P-gp in BBB in normoxia and explored that of hypoxia.
The Effect of Dihydroartemisinin on the Malignancy and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Gastric Cancer Cells
Authors: Li Nan , Zhang Suyun , Luo Qiong , Yuan Fang , Feng Rui , Chen Xiangqi , Yang Sheng
Published: June 2019

Objective:

This study aimed to observe the effects of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on the proliferation,
apoptosis, invasion, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of the human
gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 cultured in vitro.

Methods:

We applied varying concentrations of DHA to SGC7901 cells. Cell proliferation was measured
using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Flow cytometry, Transwell invasion assay, and cell scratch
assay were used to investigate the cells’ apoptosis, invasion, and migration. Western blot was used to
assess the expression levels of EMT markers E-cadhein and Vimentin, protein kinases Akt and phosphorylated
AKT (p-AKT), and the cell transcription factor Snail.

Results:

DHA can effectively inhibit the malignant proliferation of gastric cancer cells in a time- and
dose-dependent manner. In this study, with longer incubation times and increased drug concentrations,
the antiproliferation effect of DHA on SGC7901 cells increased gradually (P<0.05). In addition, with
the increase of drug concentration, the expression levels of E-cadhein, an epithelial-mesenchymal transition
marker, remarkably increased, whereas the protein expression levels of the mesenchymal markers
Vimentin, Akt, p-Akt, and Snail significantly decreased (P<0.05).

Conclusion:

DHA can effectively inhibit the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of the gastric cancer
cell line SGC7901 and induce cancer cell apoptosis. DHA can also downregulate PI3K/AKT and
Snail activities and inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of gastric cancer cells. The potential
anticancer effects of DHA deserve further investigation.
Protein Misfolding Diseases and Therapeutic Approaches
Authors: Yadav Kusum , Yadav Anurag , Vashistha Priyanka , Pandey Veda P. , Dwivedi Upendra N.
Published: June 2019

Protein folding is the process by which a polypeptide chain acquires its functional, native 3D structure. Protein misfolding, on the other hand, is a process in which protein fails to fold into its native functional conformation. This misfolding of proteins may lead to precipitation of a number of serious diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) etc. Protein Quality-control (PQC) systems, consisting of molecular chaperones, proteases and regulatory factors, help in protein folding and prevent its aggregation. At the same time, PQC systems also do sorting and removal of improperly folded polypeptides. Among the major types of PQC systems involved in protein homeostasis are cytosolic, Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) and mitochondrial ones. The cytosol PQC system includes a large number of component chaperones, such as Nascent-polypeptide-associated Complex (NAC), Hsp40, Hsp70, prefoldin and T Complex Protein-1 (TCP-1) Ring Complex (TRiC). Protein misfolding diseases caused due to defective cytosolic PQC system include diseases involving keratin/collagen proteins, cardiomyopathies, phenylketonuria, PD and ALS. The components of PQC system of Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) include Binding immunoglobulin Protein (BiP), Calnexin (CNX), Calreticulin (CRT), Glucose-regulated Protein GRP94, the thiol-disulphide oxidoreductases, Protein Disulphide Isomerase (PDI) and ERp57. ER-linked misfolding diseases include CF and Familial Neurohypophyseal Diabetes Insipidus (FNDI). The components of mitochondrial PQC system include mitochondrial chaperones such as the Hsp70, the Hsp60/Hsp10 and a set of proteases having AAA+ domains similar to the proteasome that are situated in the matrix or the inner membrane. Protein misfolding diseases caused due to defective mitochondrial PQC system include medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD)/Short-chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (SCAD) deficiency diseases, hereditary spastic paraplegia. Among therapeutic approaches towards the treatment of various protein misfolding diseases, chaperones have been suggested as potential therapeutic molecules for target based treatment. Chaperones have been advantageous because of their efficient entry and distribution inside the cells, including specific cellular compartments, in therapeutic concentrations. Based on the chemical nature of the chaperones used for therapeutic purposes, molecular, chemical and pharmacological classes of chaperones have been discussed.
Homocysteine Serum Levels as Prognostic Marker of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Thrombosis
Authors: Latteri Saverio , Malaguarnera Giulia , Catania Vito Emanuele , La Greca Gaetano , Bertino Gaetano , Borzì Antonio Maria , Drago Filippo , Malaguarnera Michele
Published: June 2019

Background:

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) is a common complication of endstage
hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

:

The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of Homocysteine (Hcy) in HCC patient with
PVT. Hcy is a sulphur amino-acid involved in two pathways, trans-sulphuration and
remethylation, that involve vitamins B6, B12 and folates.

Methods:

We recruited 54 patients with HCC and PVT, 60 patients with HCC and
without PVT and 60 control subjects. We measured serum levels of Hcy, folate, vitamins
B6 and B12.

Results:

The comparison between HCC patients with PVT versus HCC without PVT
was shown that mean values of Hcy were 6.4 nmol/L (p<0.0073) higher, LDL cholesterol
were 4.8 mg/dl (p<0.0079) lower, vitamin B6 were 4.6 nmol/L(p=0.0544) lower, vitamins
B 12 were 22.1 pg/ml (p=0.0001) lower.

Conclusion:

High serum levels of Hcy are an established thrombotic risk factor in the
general population. We found significantly higher levels of Hcy in HCC patients with PVT
versus both HCC patients without PVT and controls.
Evaluation of Phytopolyphenols for their gp120-CD4 Binding Inhibitory Properties by In Silico Molecular Modelling & In Vitro Cell Line Studies
Authors: Mirani Amit , Kundaikar Harish , Velhal Shilpa , Patel Vainav , Bandivdekar Atmaram , Degani Mariam , Patravale Vandana
Published: June 2019

Background:

Lack of effective early-stage HIV-1 inhibitor instigated the need for screening of novel gp120-CD4 binding inhibitor. Polyphenols, a secondary metabolite derived from natural sources are reported to have broad spectrum HIV-1 inhibitory activity. However, the gp120-CD4 binding inhibitory activity of polyphenols has not been analysed in silico yet.

Objectives:

To establish the usage of phytopolyphenols (Theaflavin, Epigallocatechin (EGCG), Ellagic acid and Gallic acid) as early stage HIV-1 inhibitor by investigating their binding mode in reported homology of gp120-CD4 receptor complex using in silico screening studies and in vitro cell line studies.

Methods:

The in silico molecular docking and molecular simulation studies were performed using Schrödinger 2013-2 suite installed on Fujitsu Celsius Workstation. The in vitro cell line studies were performed in the TZM-bl cell line using MTT assay and β-galactosidase assay.

Results:

The results of molecular docking indicated that Theaflavin and EGCG exhibited high XP dock score with binding pose exhibiting Van der Waals interaction and hydrophobic interaction at the deeper site in the Phe43 cavity with Asp368 and Trp427. Both Theaflavin and EGCG form a stable complex with the prepared HIV-1 receptor and their binding mode interaction is within the vicinity 4 Å. Further, in vitro cell line studies also confirmed that Theaflavin (SI = 252) and EGCG (SI = 138) exert better HIV-1 inhibitory activity as compared to Ellagic acid (SI = 30) and Gallic acid (SI = 34).

Conclusions:

The results elucidate a possible binding mode of phytopolyphenols, which pinpoints their plausible mechanism and directs their usage as early stage HIV-1 inhibitor.
Leaf Aqueous Extract of Argania spiniosa Exhibits Antihyperglycemic Effect in Diabetic Rats
Authors: Hebi Morad , Eddouks Mohamed
Published: June 2019

Introduction:

Argania Spinosa L. (Sapotaceae) is an endemic species from south-western
Morocco. This plant has many traditional uses including its use in the treatment of diabetes.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to evaluate the antidiabetic activity of Argania Spinosa
Leaf Aqueous Extract (A.S.L.A.E).

Methods:

The antidiabetic effect of A.S.L.A.E was evaluated in both normal and streptozotocin
(STZ)-induced diabetic rats treated at a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight for 15 days. The histopathological
changes in the liver were evaluated. In addition, the antioxidant activity of this extract was
also studied.

Results:

Single oral administration of A.S.L.A.E (20 mg/kg) showed no significant change in blood
glucose levels in both normal and STZ induced diabetic rats after 6 hours of administration. Furthermore,
in normal rats, repeated oral administration of A.S.L.A.E reduced blood glucose levels. Moreover,
blood glucose levels decreased in STZ diabetic rats after fifteen days of treatment. According to
the oral glucose tolerance test, the A.S.L.A.E (20 mg/kg) was shown to prevent significantly the increase
in blood glucose levels in normal treated rats. Moreover, A.S.L.A.E showed antioxidant activity.

Conclusion:

The results show that Argania spinosa leaf aqueous extract possesses significant antihyperglycemic
activity.
Neuroprotective Methodologies of Co-Enzyme Q10 Mediated Brain Hemorrhagic Treatment: Clinical and Pre-Clinical Findings
Authors: Rajdev Kajal , Mehan Sidharth
Published: June 2019

:

Cerebral brain hemorrhage is associated with the highest mortality and morbidity despite only constituting approximately 10-15% of all strokes classified into intracerebral and intraventricular hemorrhage where most of the patients suffer from impairment in memory, weakness or paralysis in arms or legs, headache, fatigue, gait abnormality and cognitive dysfunctions. Understanding molecular pathology and finding the worsening cause of hemorrhage will lead to explore the therapeutic interventions that could prevent and cure the disease. Mitochondrial ETC-complexes dysfunction has been found to increase neuroinflammatory cytokines, oxidative free radicals, excitotoxicity, neurotransmitter and energy imbalance that are the key neuropathological hallmarks of cerebral hemorrhage. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), as a part of the mitochondrial respiratory chain can effectively restore these neuronal dysfunctions by preventing the opening of mitochondrial membrane transition pore, thereby counteracting cell death events as well as exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by influencing the expression of NF-kB1 dependent genes thus preventing the neuroinflammation and energy restoration. Due to behavior and biochemical heterogeneity in post cerebral brain hemorrhagic pattern different preclinical autologous blood injection models are required to precisely investigate the forthcoming therapeutic strategies. Despite emerging pre-clinical research and resultant large clinical trials for promising symptomatic treatments, there are very less pharmacological interventions demonstrated to improve post operative condition of patients where intensive care is required. Therefore, in current review, we explore the disease pattern, clinical and pre-clinical interventions under investigation and neuroprotective methodologies of CoQ10 precursors to ameliorate post brain hemorrhagic conditions.
Link Stability Based Approach for Route Discovery in MANET Using DSR
Authors: Wadhwani Ganesh K. , Khatri Sunil K. , Muttoo Sunil K.
Published: June 2019

Background:

Mobile Ad-hoc network is a set of devices which are capable of communicating
with each other without the help of any central entity or fixed infrastructure. The absence of fixed access
points makes MANET flexible and deployable at the extreme geographical territories. Each device has
routing capabilities to facilitate communication among nodes in the network.

Objectives:

1) To selects the stable path which has lowest hop count.

2) To use backup path in case of link break up to minimize delay incurred in finding out the alternate path.

Methods:

Dynamic source routing is modified to choose the most stable path and a backup path is cached
to save the route discovery time in case of link failure.

Results:

The modified-DSR based on Link stability and hop count is performing better as compared to
DSR most of the time.

Conclusion:

A modified-DSR is proposed that selects the path using hop count and link stability as parameters.
The advantage of modified-DSR is that if a link breaks in between data communication then
back up path can be used for carrying out the data transfer. Analysis is done by varying the node density
and counting number of packets received .Modified-DSR gives better results for light to moderate network
and DSR performs better if the number of nodes increases beyond a certain limit.
Prediction of Tetralogy of Fallot using Fuzzy Clustering
Authors: Devi K.R. Kosala , Deepa V.
Published: June 2019

Background:

Congenital Heart Disease is one of the abnormalities in your heart's structure.
To predict the tetralogy of fallot in a heart is a difficult task. Cluster is the collection of data objects,
which are similar to one another within the same group and are different from the objects in the other
clusters. To detect the edges, the clustering mechanism improve its accuracy by using segmentation,
Colour space conversion of an image implemented in Fuzzy c-Means with Edge and Local Information.

Objective:

To predict the tetralogy of fallot in a heart, the clustering mechanism is used. Fuzzy c-Means
with Edge and Local Information gives an accuracy to detect the edges of a fallot to identify the congential
heart disease in an efficient way.

Methods:

One of the finest image clustering methods, called as Fuzzy c-Means with Edge and Local Information
which will introduce the weights for a pixel value to increase the edge detection accuracy value.
It will identify the pixel value within its local neighbor windows to improve the exactness. For evaluation
, the Adjusted rand index metrics used to achieve the accurate measurement.

Results:

The cluster metrics Adjusted rand index and jaccard index are used to evaluate the Fuzzy c-
Means with Edge and Local Information. It gives an accurate results to identify the edges. By evaluating
the clustering technique, the Adjusted Rand index, jaccard index gives the accurate values of 0.2,
0.6363, and 0.8333 compared to other clustering methods.

Conclusion:

Tetralogy of fallot accurately identified and gives the better performance to detect the edges.
And also it will be useful to identify more defects in various heart diseases in a accurate manner.
Fuzzy c-Means with Edge and Local Information and Gray level Co-occurrence matrix are more promising
than other Clustering Techniques.
A Method for Webpage Classification Based on URL Using Clustering
Authors: Sunita  , Singh Gurvinder , Rana Vijay
Published: June 2019

Background:

Pattern mining is the mechanism of extracting useful information from a
large dataset of information. A sub-field of web mining is sequential Noisy data extraction from user
query, which is considered along with redundancy handling. This redundancy handling mechanism employed
in the existing literature is known as ambiguity handling. The clustering mechanism employed in the
existing system includes k means, semantic search and incremental growth of the internet.

Aims:

The proposed works comprise an analysis of techniques used to extract useful URLs to replace
noisy data.

Methods:

We consider noisy data extraction from user query considered along with the redundancy
handling. This redundancy handling mechanism employed in the existing literature is known as ambiguity
handling. The clustering mechanism used in the existing system includes k means and semantic
search. These mechanisms are static, causing performance degradation in terms of execution
time. It suggests the performance improvement mechanism in this literature.

Results:

The methods MPV (Most-Probable-Values) clustering and N-gram techniques for improvement
considered in existing literature can further be improved using the research methodology
specified through this literature.

Conclusion:

In the proposed system, results are based on MPV clustering with N-grams techniques.
N-gram analyzes the instances of a word or phrase across all query data. The parameters fetch the
results in terms of execution time and the number of URLs retrieves for web page classification.
In the Back Drop of Overuse of Synthetic Drugs, can Botanicals be One of the Answers: A Pilot Study on the Medicinal Use of Chlorophytum and Curcuma by Tribals of Central India
Authors: Miraj Shaima S.A. , Parveen Naima , Chaudhari Sangita A.
Published: June 2019

Background:

In several recent surveys, it has been found that more people suffer
because of over and indiscriminate use of synthetic drugs, chemicals and antibiotics, particularly
with regard to issues like drug sensitivity, resistance, immune disturbances, and economic
burdens, ultimately leading to a weak prognosis of a large number of diseases, eventually
defeating the purpose of medicinal efficacy. We propose the old age use of scientifically
validated natural compounds of plants and their products for a strong immune system
along with a successful treatment regimen which can be effective as well as safe without side
effects.

Objective:

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the various medicinal uses and applicability
of Chlorophytum borivilianum, Chlorophytum tuberosum and Curcuma longa as
natural plant-based ingredients by tribal communities.

Methods:

A survey was carried on the rural folks who used natural botanicals for alleviating
their several common disorders successfully. Chlorophytum species of Liliaceae and Curcuma
of Zingiberaceae are traditional rare Indian medicinal herbs widely used in the indigenous
system of medicine since ancient time. A total number of 196 individuals were interviewed
which included both men and women, in which the main objective was to explore the
different forms of these medicinal plant species used with water or with milk by tribal folk
for their wide range of common ailments such as pain in joints, loss of appetite, cold, sore
throat, fever and general weakness.

Results:

The tribal people were found to use these plants for many of their problems such as
physical weakness, natal and postnatal problems, lactation problems, cold and fever, sore
throat, inflammation, joint pain, etc. Many of them (60-80%) were able to overcome their
varied health problems to a great extent such as inflammation (69.4%), joint pain and arthritis
(66.6%), sore throat and cold (87.5%), physical weakness (66%), natal and postnatal
problems (75%).

Conclusion:

The findings strongly support the use of natural compounds for a safe and effective
means of treating loss of appetite, general weakness, pain of the joints, inflammation
and other related ailments by the people of tribal areas of Border States of MP and Maharashtra,
having little access to modern health care facilities.
Complicações do diabetes mellitus
Authors: Fonseca Kathlem Pereira , Rached Chennyfer Dobbins Abi
Published: June 2019

Entre as complicações da DM a neuropatia diabética é a de maior incidência a longo prazo, sendo as alterações sensoriais e motoras as de maior impacto, pelo fato de levar a manifestação do conhecido Pé Diabético. Trata-se de uma das mais graves e onerosas complicações do DM, e uma amputação de extremidades inferior ou parte dela e geralmente consequência de uma ulcera no pé. É um trabalho com base em uma revisão bibliográfica de literatura em narrativa, baseado em evidências cientificas com a coletas de dados de artigos, revistas nacionais. Com o objetivo de compreender a importância da orientação da enfermagem diante das complicações do Diabetes Mellitus e conceituar o tema pé diabético É de grande necessidade que os profissionais de saúde avaliem os pés das pessoas com diabetes de forma minuciosa e com frequência regular, desenvolvendo atividades educativas, para melhorar o autocuidado, principalmente a manutenção de um bom controle glicêmico. O presente estudo se dá devido aos altos números de pacientes portadores de diabetes e que por falta de cuidados dos mesmos estão levando ao pé diabético e outras complicações. Discorre sobre a importância da assistência de enfermagem diante das complicações do Diabetes Mellitus.
Social Media Coverage of Scientific Articles Immediately After Publication Predicts Subsequent Citations - #SoME_Impact Score: Observational Analysis
Authors: Sathianathen Niranjan Jude , Lane III Robert , Murphy Declan G , Loeb Stacy , Bakker Caitlin , Lamb Alastair D , Weight Christopher J
Published: June 2019

Background

Social media coverage is increasingly used to spread the message of scientific publications. Traditionally, the scientific impact of an article is measured by the number of citations. At a journal level, this conventionally matures over a 2-year period, and it is challenging to gauge impact around the time of publication.

Objective

We, therefore, aimed to assess whether Web-based attention is associated with citations and to develop a predictive model that assigns relative importance to different elements of social media coverage: the #SoME_Impact score.

Methods

We included all original articles published in 2015 in a selection of the highest impact journals: The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, the Journal of the American Medical Association, Nature, Cell, and Science. We first characterized the change in Altmetric score over time by taking a single month’s sample of recently published articles from the same journals and gathered Altmetric data daily from the time of publication to create a mixed effects spline model. We then obtained the overall weighted Altmetric score for all articles from 2015, the unweighted data for each Altmetric component, and the 2-year citation count from Scopus for each of these articles from 2016 to 2017. We created a stepwise multivariable linear regression model to develop a #SoME_Score that was predictive of 2-year citations. The score was validated using a dataset of articles from the same journals published in 2016.

Results

In our unselected sample of 145 recently published articles, social media coverage appeared to plateau approximately 14 days after publication. A total of 3150 articles with a median citation count of 16 (IQR 5-33) and Altmetric score of 72 (IQR 28-169) were included for analysis. On multivariable regression, compared with articles in the lowest quantile of #SoME_Score, articles in the second, third, and upper quantiles had 0.81, 15.20, and 87.67 more citations, respectively. On the validation dataset, #SoME_Score model outperformed the Altmetric score (adjusted R2 0.19 vs 0.09; P<.001). Articles in the upper quantile of #SoME_Score were more than 5 times more likely to be among the upper quantile of those cites (odds ratio 5.61, 95% CI 4.70-6.73).

Conclusions

Social media attention predicts citations and could be used as an early surrogate measure of scientific impact. Owing to the cross-sectional study design, we cannot determine whether correlation relates to causation.