bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlation between health promotion behavior and quality of life in survivors of stanford B aortic dissection
Authors: Zhou Jiamei , Tu Jianxin , Wang Fei , Yin Furong , Zhao benli , Zhang Linxue
Published: April 2022

Background:To understand the current situation of health promotion behavior and quality of life of aortic dissection survivors and the correlation between them. Methods: The associations between stanford B aortic dissection survivors’health promotion behavior scores and health status questionnaire (SF-36) scores was determined with pearson correlation coefficients. Associations between health promotion behaviorscores and health status questionnaire (SF-36) scores were analyzed with multivariable regression analysis. Results: 131 stanford B aortic dissection survivors were evaluated with the self-developed aortic dissection patient health promotion behavior scale and health status questionnaire (SF-36) , the score of aortic dissection health promotion behavior (85.05±11.28), The score of quality of life (61.44±18.41) showed that the health promotion behavior of stanford B AD survivors was positively correlated with the quality of life (r=0.403，P＜0.01). Regression analysis showed that age, education, sick time，behavior motivation and exercise entered the regression equation of quality of life (R2=0.464，P＜0.01) . Conclusion:Stanford B AD survivors had a lower quality of life, Medical staff can formulate intervention measures from two aspects of behavioral motivation and exercise to improve the quality of life of ad survivors.
The primary goblet cell adenocarcinoma of the rectum: A Case Report
Authors: Fan Ruirui , Gao Jie , Zeng Dehua , Fu Xiaoyu , Lu Mingzhi
Published: April 2022

Goblet cell adenocarcinoma (GCA) is a rare tumor, and it is characterized by its unique combination of neuroendocrine and adenocarcinoma. GCA occurs mainly in the appendix. Currently, there is no primary GCA of the rectum in the 2019 World Health Organization classification of colorectal tumors. Here, we report a case of the primary GCA of the rectum that combined examinations via histological morphology, immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and molecular detection. We demonstrate that this tumor is the primary rectum GCA for the first time worldwide. Our work will help to improve the diagnosis of the primary GCA of the rectum and avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.
Locally advanced rectal cancer receiving total neoadjuvant therapy combined with nivolumab: A case report and literature review.
Authors: Mori Ryota , Uemura Mamoru , Sekido Yuki , Hata Tsuyoshi , Ogino Takayuki , Takahashi Hidekazu , Miyoshi Norikatsu , Mizushima Tsunekazu , Doki Yuichiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi
Published: April 2022

Background: The standard treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. However, it has been suggested that intensification of neoadjuvant treatment with polychemotherapy added before CRT instead of as an adjuvant chemotherapy is better tolerated and associated with a higher pathological complete response (pCR) rate. This concept is known as total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT). Recently, the addition of immunotherapy to preoperative CRT has been reported to be useful in LARC patients with mismatch-repair-deficiency and high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H), but there are no reports showing the therapeutic effect of nivolumab in combination with TNT.Case presentation: A 23-year-old man had frequent diarrhea. Preoperative examination revealed two adenocarcinomas in the rectum. The larger tumor was located at the peritoneal reflection, and its anterior border close to the prostate (<1 mm); there were eight enlarged pararectal lymph nodes. Considering the size and depth of the tumor, it was judged that radical resection with sufficient margins would be difficult. Therefore, it was decided that TNT would be performed. At first, CAPOX (capecitabine and L-OHP) was administered, followed by[AK1] preoperative CRT(RT:50.4 Gy and capecitabine). During this period, genetic testing diagnosed this patient as MSI-H, so additional nivolumab was administered after CRT. Colonoscopy revealed that the larger tumor was no longer detectable, so robot-assisted intersphincteric resection and bilateral lateral lymph node dissection was performed. The diagnosis of pCR was made for the larger tumor and partial response was achieved for the smaller tumor, and no lymph node metastasis was found. Major complications were not observed and the patient was discharged on the 14th day after surgery. He was followed up without adjuvant chemotherapy and is alive and recurrence free after 9 months.Conclusion: A case of LARC with MSI-H was treated with TNT with nivolumab, resulting in pCR and complete radical resection. This result suggests that nivolumab in addition to TNT can be an option as a preoperative strategy for LARC with MSI-H. [AK1]We edited this sentence for concision.
Risk assessment of dammed lakes in China based on Bayesian network
Authors: Du Zhenhan , Zhong Qiming , Mei Shengyao , Shan Yibo
Published: April 2022

Scientific risk assessment of dammed lakes is vitally important for emergency response planning. In this study, based on the evolution process of the disaster chain, the logic topology structure of dammed lake risk was developed. Then, a quantitative risk assessment model of dammed lake employing Bayesian network is developed, which includes the three modules of dammed lake hazard evaluation, outburst flood routing simulation, and loss assessment. In the proposed model, the network nodes of each module were quantified through statistical data, empirical model, logical inference, and Monte Carlo method. The failure probability of a dammed lake, and the losses of life and property because of its breaching were calculated. This can be multiplied to assess the risk a dammed lake imposes after the uniformization of each loss type. Based on the socio-economic development and longevity statistics of dammed lakes, a risk level classification method for dammed lakes is proposed. The Baige dammed lake, which emerged in China in 2018, was chosen for a case study and risk assessment was conducted. The calculated results showed that the comprehensive risk value of Baige dammed lake is 0.7339 under the condition without manual intervention, identifying it as the extra-high level according to the classification. These results are in accordance with the actual condition, which corroborates the reasonability of the proposed model. This model can quickly and quantitatively evaluate the overall risk of a dammed lake and provide a reference for decision-making in a rapid emergency response scenario.
Cytotoxic Potentials of Preserved and Preservative-free Brimonidine in Corneal Epithelial Cell Line
Authors: Kucukoduk Ali , Durmus Irem Mukaddes , Aksoy Mustafa , Karakurt Serdar
Published: April 2022

Purpose: This study aims to compare the cytotoxic, apoptotic, and oxidative effects of preserved and preservative-free forms of brimonidine 0.15% on the human corneal epithelial cell (HCEC) line.Methods: Time-dependent cytotoxicity studies were performed at 5 and 15 minute and 1, 6, and 24 hour with the Alamar Blue method in HCEC treated with test solutions. For apoptotic studies, Annexin-V and 7-AAD staining were performed and flow cytometry was used. To support this, mRNA expressions and protein expressions of BAX, BCL-2, and caspase-3, -9, -12, which are among the proapoptotic genes, were evaluated by qRT-PCR and Western-Blot method, respectively.Results: Cell viability was 76.4% with the preserved solution and 36.05% with the preservative-free solution at the 5th minute. No significant difference was observed with either solution at the 15-minute mark, while cell viability did not change significantly after 1 hour. In the apoptosis evaluation, it was observed that the preservative-free solution increased the early apoptotic activity to a greater degree (2.91-fold, p<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the ROS levels of either solution compared to the control group. It was determined that the preservative-free solution more prominently triggers apoptosis by activating pro-apoptotic genes and the caspase cascade.Conclusion: It was demonstrated that the preserved solution is less cytotoxic to the HCEC line in the early period, has less early apoptotic activity, and does not significantly increase ROS levels. Further investigations of individual components are necessary to fully understand the toxicity of these ophthalmic solutions.
Withdrawing or Withholding Treatments in Health Care Rationing: An Interview Study on Ethical Views and Implications
Authors: Strand Liam , Sandman Lars , Tinghög Gustav , Nedlund Ann-Charlotte
Published: April 2022

Background
When rationing health care, a commonly held view among ethicists is that there is no ethical difference between withdrawing or withholding medical treatments. In reality, this view does not generally seem to be supported by practicians nor in legislation practices, by for example adding a ‘grandfather clause’ when rejecting a new treatment for lacking cost-effectiveness. Due to this discrepancy, our objective was to explore physicians’ and patient organization representatives’ experiences- and perceptions of withdrawing and withholding treatments in rationing situations of relative scarcity.
Methods
Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted in Sweden with physicians and patient organization representatives, thematic analysis was used.
Results
Participants commonly express internally inconsistent views regarding if withdrawing or withholding medical treatments should be deemed as ethically equivalent. Participants express that in terms of patients’ need for treatment (e.g., the treatment’s effectiveness and the patient’s medical condition) withholding and withdrawing should be deemed ethically equivalent. However, in terms of prognostic differences, and the patient-physician relation and communication, there is a clear discrepancy which carry a moral significance and ultimately makes withdrawing psychologically difficult for both physicians and patients, and politically difficult for policy makers.
Conclusions
We conclude that the distinction between withdrawing and withholding treatment as unified concepts is a simplification of a more complex situation, where different factors related differently to these two concepts. Following this, possible policy solutions are discussed for how to resolve this experienced moral difference by practitioners and ease withdrawing treatments due to health care rationing. Such solutions could be to have agreements between the physician and patient about potential future treatment withdrawals, to evaluate the treatment’s effect, and to provide guidelines on a national level.
First report of Przhevalskiana silenus derived recombinant hypodermin C based indirect ELISA for serodiagnosis of goat warble fly myiasis
Authors: Yadav Anish , Rafiqi Shafiya Imtiaz , Yadav Vikas , Kushwaha Anand , Godara Rajesh , Sood Shilpa , Bhat Mohammad Altaf , Katoch Rajesh , Fontan Rosario Panadero
Published: April 2022

Goat warble fly infestation (GWFI) is a subcutaneous myiasis caused by larvae of Przhevalskiana silenus, an insect belonging to the order Diptera. The diagnosis of GWFI is challenging in the early larval instars (L1 & L2) as they are occult under the skin and hair coat causing prolonged economic loss in form of meat and hide damage. This necessitates early diagnosis for disease control at herd level and its prophylactic management to prevent economic losses. Hypodermins, a class of serine proteases from Hypoderminae subfamily have been used as serodiagnostic antigens for the past four decades for diagnosis of warble fly myiasis. In this study, immunodominant antigen Hypodermin C (HyC) from P. silenus has been recombinantly expressed in E. coli and immunogenic characterisation of expressed protein was done. The protein shows hallmark residues in conserved cysteine and catalytic triad typical of serine proteases along with similar profile of immunoreactivity towards Hypoderminae infestation. The present study reports an optimised indirect-ELISA based on recombinant HyC derived from P. silenus for early diagnosis of GWFI. The optimised indirect ELISA provides a sensitive and specific immunodiagnostic for mass surveillance of the GWFI with diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of 96% & 100%, respectively and not showing any cross reactivity against other important parasitic and bacterial diseases of goats. This study presents the first report of indirect ELISA based on recombinant Hypodermin C antigen derived from P. silenus for the serosurveillance of goat warble fly disease.
Tracking Glioma Evolution in human brain for precision medicine by integrating real-time in vivo tumour genomes
Authors: Bu Xingyao , Deng Kaiyuan , Sheng Zhiyuan , Xu Sensen , Bu Yage , Wu Shuang , Zhang Ziyue , Guo Guangzhong , Liu Guanzheng , Yu Jinliang , Gao Yushuai , Yan Zhaoyue , Bu Chaojie , Gu Jianjun , Kong Lingfei , Liu Gang , Wang Meiyun , Li Tianxiao
Published: April 2022

Background: Targeted therapy of glioma is unsatisfactory due to the variable heterogeneity of tumors. We tracked glioma genomic alterations in vivo to provide a boost to precision medicine.Methods: We collected tumor tissue samples from glioma patients (including recurrent tumors) and serially collected Tumor in situ fluid (TISF) after surgery. Glioma-derived DNA from these samples was sequencing by next-generation DNA sequencing. We longitudinally analysed the genomes of glioma patients in tumor and TISFs, and explored the relationship between characteristic alterations in glioma evolution and targeted therapies, key clinical treatment options, imaging, treatment response.Results: We validated the representativeness of TISF circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to the tumor genome, 100% (33/33) of the mutations detected in the recurrent tumors were detectable in the TISF samples. there was a significant correlation between recurrent tumors variant allele frequencies (VAFs) and the TISF ctDNA VAFs (R2= 0.9029, 0.9189). In addition, TISF ctDNA is associated with glioma progression and prognosis. The significant alterations observed after tumor progression were KIT (P = 0.0156), NF1 (P = 0.0078), TSC2 (P = 0.0313), FAT1 (P = 0.0313), SMO (P = 0.0313), RTK/RAS/PI3K pathway (P = 0.0028) and MMR gene (P = 0.0234). And we captured the glioma genomic landscape real-time in vivo and found a complete subclonal selection process of PDGFRA, CDKN2A and mismatch repair gene related mutations which were suggested to be actionable for targeted agents. We also identified the progressively increased number and proportion of temozolomide-related C>T/G>A transitions in glioma genome under temozolomide treatment. These key genetic alterations are associated with clinical progression confirmed on imaging, suggesting their driving role for tumor recurrence and the significance to precise therapy.Conclusions: Increased TISF ctDNA were associated with disease progression and prognosis. Serial ctDNA testing identified progression alterations. Longitudinal ctDNA evaluation could monitor tumour genomic evolutionary patterns and guide precision medicine.
FOXO1/miR-506/ETS1 feedback loop promotes chemosensitivity to temozolomide and suppresses invasiveness in glioblastoma
Authors: Chen Chao , Liu Yu’e , Wang Hongxiang , Zhang Xu , Shi Yufeng , Chen Juxiang
Published: April 2022

Purpose Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal brain tumor which is characterized of high invasiveness and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. Forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) might play a key role in multidrug resistance (MDR) and invasiveness of GBM, while the upstream and downstream molecular mechanisms are not yet elucidated.Methods The roles of FOXO1 and miR-506 in proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, autophagy and TMZ sensitivity were explored in U251 cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. The interaction between FOXO1and miR-506 was also explored.Results In this study, we found FOXO1/ miR-506 axis suppresses GBM cells invasion and migration, and promotes chemosensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) which was mediated by autophagy. FOXO1 upregulates miR-506 by binding to its promoter to enhance transcriptional activation. miR-506 could down-regulate ETS1 expression by targeting its 3’-UTR. Interestingly, ETS1 promotes FOXO1 translocation from nucleus to cytosol and further suppresses FOXO1-miR-506 axis in GBM cells. Consistently, both miR-506 inhibition and ETS1 overexpression can rescue FOXO1 overactivation mediated TMZ chemosensitivity in mouse models. Conclusions These results demonstrate a negative feedback loop of FOXO1/miR-506/ETS1/FOXO1 in GBM to regulate invasiveness and chemosensitivity, which might be a promising therapeutic target for GBM.
Mechanical reinforcement in nylon 6 nanocomposite fiber incorporated with dopamine reduced graphene oxide
Authors: Han Jian , Zhao Yonghuan , Meng Yang , Zhu Feichao , Su Juanjuan
Published: April 2022

The emergence of the graphene-based polymer composite fibers provides a new opportunity to study the high-performance and functional chemical fibers. In this work, we have developed an efficient and convenient method with polydopamine (PDA) to functionalize and reduce graphene oxide (GO) simultaneously, and the modified graphene nanosheets can obtain uniform dispersion and strong interfacial bonding in nylon 6(PA6). Furthermore, the reinforced PA6 composite fibers were prepared through mixing PDA-rGO into the PA6 polymer matrix and then melt spinning. The functional modification was characterized by surface analysis and structural testing including SEM, TEM, FTIR and Raman. When the addition amount of the modified GO was 0.15wt%, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the composite fiber reached 310.4 MPa and 462.3MPa, respectively. The results showed a meaningful reinforcement with effect compared to the pure nylon 6 fiber. Moreover, the composite fiber also exhibited an improved crystallinity and thermal stability as measured by DSC and TGA.
Kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism and hospital mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a prospective cohort study in metabolomics analysis
Authors: Chiu Li-Chung , Tang Hsiang-Yu , Fan Chun-Ming , Lo Chi-Jen , Hu Han-Chung , Kao Kuo-Chin , Cheng Mei-Ling
Published: April 2022

Background
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) involves dysregulated immune-inflammatory responses following direct or indirect injury, characterized by severe hypoxemia respiratory failure and high mortality. At present, no conclusive diagnostic, predictive, or prognostic biomarkers have been developed for ARDS. Metabolites modulating inflammatory and immune responses may play a central role in the pathogenesis of ARDS. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of metabolic signatures in the clinical outcomes of patients with ARDS.
Methods
We conducted a prospective metabolomics study of 69 patients with ARDS. Metabolic profiling (on serum and urine) was performed and clinical variables were collected for analysis at day 1, day 3, and day 7 after ARDS onset. We also recruited 30 healthy control subjects (i.e., without significant comorbidities).
Results
Among the 69 ARDS patients, overall hospital mortality was 52.2%. Between day 1 and day 7 after ARDS onset, plasma kynurenine levels and the kynurenine/tryptophan ratio were significantly higher among nonsurvivors than among survivors (all p < 0.05). Urine metabolic profiling revealed a significantly higher prevalence of tryptophan degradation and higher concentrations of metabolites downstream of the kynurenine pathway among nonsurvivors than among survivors at the time of ARDS onset. Plasma kynurenine concentration was significantly correlated with organ failure. Cox regression models revealed that plasma kynurenine levels and the plasma kynurenine/tryptophan ratio at day 1 were independently associated with hospital mortality (adjusted HR = 1.017 [95% CI 1.003–1.032], p = 0.017 and adjusted HR = 1.761 [95% CI 1.204–2.576], p = 0.004, respectively). The 90-day hospital mortality of patients with high kynurenine levels (> 15.12 µM) at ARDS onset was significantly higher than that of patients with low kynurenine levels ( ≦ 15.12 µM) (66.7% vs. 25%, p = 0.003; log-rank test).
Conclusion
Activation of the kynurenine pathway was associated with mortality in patients with ARDS. Metabolic phenotypes and modulating metabolic perturbations of the kynurenine pathway could perhaps serve as prognostic markers or as a target for therapeutic interventions aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality in cases of ARDS.
Coronary artery disease classification with support vector machines tuned via randomized search cross-validation
Authors: Akyol Kemal
Published: April 2022

Coronary artery disease outstands health problem that causes high mortality in the world population. This disease brings with it fateful problems such as heart attack and heart failure in patients with cardiovascular problems. Early diagnosis of coronary artery disease is essential for timely administration of the right treatment and reduction of mortality. Angiography is the most preferred method for CAD detection. However, the complications and costs of this method have led researchers to forage alternative methods through machine learning algorithms. By developing a machine learning model with high generalization ability, prediction errors can be minimized. Thus, these models could potentially be useful for specialist physicians in the effective detection of coronary artery disease. The main focus of this study is to perform coronary artery disease detection with improved support vector machines. k-fold cross-validation experiments were performed on the Z-Alizadeh Sani dataset to evaluate the performance of the models. According to the results obtained, support vector machines with randomize search cross validation provided best performance when compared to other models. 87.102% average accuracy, 91.176% average sensitivity, 90.852% average precision, 76.996% average specificity, and also 8.824% average false negative rate obtained by 5-fold cross validation competes with the known approaches in the literature.
Genome-scale analysis of protein function distribution of extremophilic archaea using COG database
Authors: Ubidia-Incio Roberto , Rodríguez Sofía CA. , Orozco Karen L , Rojas-Zumaran Víctor , Moya-Salazar Jeel
Published: April 2022

Extremophilic archaea have a variety of adaptations that they have developed in order to cope with their environmental conditions. In this study, we analyze the distribution of protein-coding genes of the archaea listed in NCBI’s COG database in order to observe changes in the way these genes have been distributed among functional categories for the different types of extremophilic groups. We found that the category T (Signal transduction mechanisms) presents variations that are more related to the extremophilic adaptations than other categories, and that some metabolic categories seem to be related indirectly to the extreme environments in which these groups thrive. These findings could be useful in studying how the distribution of protein functions affects life in unexplored extreme environments on Earth or elsewhere, and when designing modified organisms that can be used for human exploration support in these environments.
New network analysis of therapeutic targets of human urine stem cells after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion
Authors: Chen Ji-Lin , Li Na , Liu Wen-Qiang , Zuo Zhong-Fu , Wang Ting-Hua
Published: April 2022

Objective: In order to verify that human urine stem cells can improve the neurological function of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion through animal experiments, and then analyze the changes of gene network of human urine stem cell transplantation on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion through bioinformatics. Methods: Human urine stem cells were cultured, and then the model was established in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Human urine stem cells were transplanted through the lateral ventricle. The success of the model was verified by behavioral NSS score. Using the keywords "Cerebral reperfusion" and "human urine stem cells", gene targets were searched and downloaded in Genecards, and the downloaded gene targets were made into The Venny intersection plot, and the resulting intersection genes were used. PubMed and CN.ORG searched literatures by keywords "Cerebral ischemia reperfusion, Stem cell transplantation" and sorted out genes that had been reported and not reported in the intersection genes. GO analysis, KEGG pathway analysis and PPI protein interaction map were used to analyze the interaction between genes. Results: Behavioral NSS score data were obtained on 1 day. Compared with the SHAM group, the neurological function of THE BI rats was significant. After injection of human urine stem cells into the lateral ventricle, the neurological function injury of the BI+USCs=LV group was higher than that of the BI group, P=0.028, which was statistically significant. There were 258 overlapping genes between Cerebral ischemia and human urine stem cells, and the remaining 252 overlapping genes were screened by PubMed and CNKI. GO enrichment analysis mainly involved neutrophil degranulation, neutrophil activation involved in immune response and platelet Positive regulation of degranulation, Hemostasis, blood coagulation, coagulation, etc. KEGG pathway analysis mainly involved Complement and coagulation cascades, ECM-receptor interaction, Glutathione metabolism and Proteoglycans in the correlation between the first 10 genes of cancer, Legionellosis, and Focal adhesion were that ACE: APOB, ACE: C3, APOB: C3, APOB: CD36, C3: CD59, C3: CD55, CD14: CD44, CD14: CD36, CD44: RAC1, CD44: CD55, CD44: CD59, CD55: CD59. Conclusion: Through animal experiments, it has been verified that human urine stem cells can improve the neural function of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats, and by studying their interaction relationship, enrichment analysis and pathway analysis, it has been expounded that human urine stem cells can regulate the functional recovery of cerebral ischemia.
The Effects of Visual Context on Visual-Vestibular Mismatch Revealed by Electrodermal and Postural Response Measures
Authors: ALSharif Doaa S. , Tucker Carole A. , Coffman Donna L. , Keshner Emily A.
Published: April 2022

BACKGROUND
No objective criteria exist for diagnosis and treatment of visual-vestibular mismatch (VVM).
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether measures of electrodermal activity (EDA) and trunk acceleration will identify VVM when exposed to visual-vestibular conflict.
METHODS
A modified VVM questionnaire identified the presence of VVM (+ VVM) in 13 of 23 young adults (34 ± 8 years old) diagnosed with vestibular migraine. Rod and frame tests and outcome measures for dizziness and mobility were administered. Participants stood on foam while viewing two immersive virtual environments. Trunk acceleration in three planes and electrodermal activity (EDA) were assessed with wearable sensors. Linear mixed effect (LME) models were used to examine magnitude and smoothness of trunk acceleration and tonic and phasic EDA. Welch’s t-test and associations between measures were assessed with a Pearson Correlation Coefficient. Effect sizes of group mean differences were calculated using Cohen’s d test.
RESULTS
Greater than 80% of all participants were visually dependent. Outcome measures were significantly poorer in the + VVM group: tonic EDA was lower (t(417)=-4.31,p < 0.001) and phasic EDA higher (t(417) = 4.35, p < 0.001). Postural accelerations varied across groups; LME models indicated a relationship between visual context, postural, and ANS responses in the + VVM group.
CONCLUSIONS
Lower tonic EDA with + VVM suggests canal-otolith dysfunction. The positive association between vertical acceleration, tonic EDA, and visual dependence suggests that increased vertical segmental adjustments are used to compensate. Visual context of the spatial environment emerged as an important variable to control when testing or treating VVM.
Validation of regional physics-based ground motion scenarios: the case of the Mw 4.9 2019 Le Teil earthquake in France
Authors: Smerzini Chiara , Vanini Manuela , Paolucci Roberto , Renault Philippe , Traversa Paola
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a comprehensive validation exercise of 3D physics-based numerical simulations (PBS) of seismic wave propagation is presented for a low-to-moderate seismicity area in the south east of France, within the Rhône River Valley, that hosts several operating nuclear installations. This area was hit on Nov 11, 2019, by an unusually damaging Mw 4.9 earthquake (Le Teil event). The numerical code SPEED (http://speed.mox.polimi.it/), developed at Politecnico di Milano, Italy, was used to validate the simulations against the available recordings. When comparing simulations with records, a good to excellent agreement was found up to 8–10 Hz, showing that, even without a very detailed 3D numerical model of the medium, the PBS may provide realistic broadband predictions of earthquake ground motion. This also demonstrates that PBS, if suitably calibrated and validated, may be either an alternative or a useful complement to empirical ground motion models. Referring to the seismic risk evaluation of strategic and critical structures, infrastructures and industrial plants, such as nuclear power plants, the failure of which during an earthquake may endanger safety of population and cause environmental disasters, the 3D PBS may throw light on region- and site-specific features of ground shaking, especially in near-source conditions, that are typically poorly constrained in empirical models.
Metabolism toxicity and susceptibility of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) exposure on BRL cells with insulin resistance
Authors: Mao Guanghua , Tang Junjie , Liao Taotao , Shi Xiaoxiang , Dong FangYuan , Feng Weiwei , Chen Yao , Zhao Ting , Wu XiangYang , Yang LiuQing
Published: April 2022

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease characterized by insulin resistance (IR) and has attracted worldwide attention due to its high prevalence. As a typical persistent organic pollutant, decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) has been detected in food and human samples and the concentration trends to increase year by year. In addition, it has been proved to have the potential to increase the risk of IR, but it is rarely reported whether it could aggravate IR in T2DM. Therefore, in this study, the IR-BRL (Buffalo Rat Liver cells with IR) model was applied to study the metabolism toxicity and susceptibility of BDE-209. Results showed that BDE-209 could inhibit the glucose absorption and increase the levels of TC and TG, ultimately lead to the disorder of glucolipid metabolism in IR-BRL cells. Besides, it also could cause cell damage by increasing the levels of AST, ALT and MDA in cells. Moreover, its potential mechanisms were to: (1) affect the transport of glucose, synthesis of glycogen and fatty acid via IRS-1/GLUT4 and IRS-1/PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β pathways; (2) impact the proliferation and differentiation by regulating the expression of Mek1/2, Erk1/2 and mTOR proteins and genes. Furthermore, susceptibility analysis showed that there was a significant synergism interaction between IR and BDE-209, which suggested that IR-BRL cells were more susceptible to the metabolism toxicity induced by BDE-209.
A Novel Prediction Model for Pathological Complete Response Based on Clinical and Blood Parameters in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Authors: Wang Hao , Lu Siyi , Liu Zhenzhen , Wang Yuxia , Meng Yan , Ran Peng , Qu Ruize , Zhang Zhipeng , Fu Wei
Published: April 2022

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate whether clinical and blood parameters can be used for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 226 patients with LARC [allocated in a 7:3 ratio to a training (n = 158) or validation (n = 68) cohort] who received nCRT before radical surgery. Backward stepwise logistic regression was performed to identify clinical and blood parameters associated with achieving pCR. Models based on clinical parameters (CP), blood parameters (BP), and clinical-blood parameters (CBP) were constructed for comparison with previously reported Tan’s model. The performance of the four models was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA) in both cohorts. A dynamic nomogram was constructed for the presentation of the best model.Results: The CP and BP models based on multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that interval, Grade, CEA and fibrinogen–albumin ratio index (FARI), sodium-to-globulin ratio (SGR) were the independent clinical and blood predictors for achieving pCR, respectively. The area under the ROC curve of the CBP model achieved a score of 0.818 and 0.752 in both cohorts, better than CP (0.762 and 0.589), BP (0.695 and 0.718), Tan (0.738 and 0.552). CBP also showed better calibration and DCA than other models in both cohorts. Moreover, CBP revealed significant improvement compared with other models in training cohort (P < 0.05), and CBP showed significant improvement compared with CP and Tan’s model in validation cohort (P < 0.05).Conclusion: We demonstrated that CBP predicting model have potential in predicting pCR to nCRT in patient with LARC.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis to estimate one-repetition maximum for leg press in healthy young adults
Authors: Sue Keita , Kobayashi Yukino , Ito Mitsuru , Minorikawa Maiko , Karasawa Shunichi , Katai Satoshi , Momose Kimito
Published: April 2022

Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) obtained using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is often correlated with isometric muscle strength; furthermore, it might also have correlations with one-repetition maximum (1RM). Accurate prediction of 1RM is important because it is useful for determining progress in resistance training. This study examined the relationship between BIA measurements and 1RM and developed prediction models for 1RM using BIA measurements. Thirty-five healthy young Japanese adults were included in this cross-sectional observational study. The SMM of the dominant leg and the skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) were obtained using a BIA device. The 1RM for the dominant leg was measured using a unilateral leg-press (LP) machine. The correlations between BIA measurements and 1RM were calculated, and simple regression analyses were performed to predict 1RM from the BIA variables. The results showed significant correlations between 1RM and dominant-leg SMM (R=0.845, P=0.0001) and SMI (R=0.910, P=0.0001). The prediction models for 1RM for LP derived from SMM of the dominant leg and SMI were Y=8.21x + 8.77 (P=0.0001), R2=0.73, and Y=15.53x − 36.33 (P=0.0001), R2=0.83, respectively. Our results indicate that SMI may be used to accurately predict the 1RM for LP.
Landscape features drive insectivorous bat activity in Indian rice fields
Authors: Bhalla Iqbal Singh , Razgour Orly , Rigal François , Whittaker Robert J.
Published: April 2022

ContextThe conversion of natural land for agriculture is a crippling threat to biodiversity. The effect of this conversion can be minimised by understanding the habitat requirements of local species and incorporating them into agricultural landscapes. Insectivorous bats, which have been shown to control a number of agricultural insect pests, exhibit species-specific responses to the surrounding landscape, tied closely to their morphology and foraging mode. The activity and distribution patterns of bats are therefore influenced by the landscape characteristics. ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine which features in the landscape surrounding rice fields influence the activity levels of insectivorous bats, and at what scales they were most influential.MethodsWe collected acoustic recordings to determine activity levels of seven bat sonotypes in rice fields surrounded by a variety of landcover types in the Nagaon district of Assam, India. Using this, we determined the most important set of features in the surrounding landscape, and the scales at which they were most predictive, for each sonotype. ResultsOur results suggest that variables related to tree cover are the most important predictors of bat activity in rice fields. Distance to nearest forest, area of forest within 1km, distance to nearest forest edge, and landscape heterogeneity influenced all five of the analysed bat sonotypes. Also important were the amount of urban land within 1km, which exerted a negative effect on the activity of one sonotype, and moonlight activity, which negatively influenced the activity levels of one sonotype. ConclusionOur results demonstrate that when in rice fields, bat activity is most influenced by presence and proximity of trees. Increasing tree cover in agricultural landscapes will increase bat activity and likely the level of pest control.
Effect of intermittent microwave drying on nutritional quality and drying characteristics of persimmon slices
Authors: Qin Yanting , Duan Zhenhua , Zhou Siyun Zhou , Wei Zhenzhen
Published: April 2022

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in dried fruits, despite the fact that many of their nutritional components are easily lost during the drying process. The novelty of this paper was to evaluation the effect of intermittent microwave drying (IMD) on the nutritional quality and drying characteristics of persimmon slices. Persimmon slices were treated with IMD at the microwave power levels of 280, 350, 420, 490, and 560 W, and the drying characteristics and nutritional components such as soluble sugar, soluble protein, and other nutrients were determined and analyzed. The results showed that the drying process of persimmon slices could be divided into three stages; increasing speed, constant speed, and decreasing speed. Meanwhile, the higher the microwave power, the shorter the drying time and the higher the drying rate. The critical point of moisture content in the drying process was between 80.28%~157.56% on a dry basis moisture rate. With the increase of microwave power, the contents of soluble sugar, soluble tannin, vitamin C, and ash increased gradually, but had no obvious effect on the content of insoluble tannin, while the contents of soluble protein and vitamin E decreased gradually. In this study, the comprehensive scoring method was used for dried persimmon slices. The optimal microwave power for IMD persimmon slices was determined to be 490 W, which could effectively improve the drying rate and nutritional value. Therefore, it is concluded that IMD is a potential method for obtaining high-quality dried persimmon slices.
Isolation and characterization of bacteriocin-like substances from Bacillus paranthracis strain MHSD3, a potential probiotic
Authors: Diale Mamonokane Olga , Abrahams Adrian , Serepa-Dlamini Mahloro Hope
Published: April 2022

Bacteriocins have gained attention as alternative therapeutic agents in pharmaceuticals and are also used as preservatives in the food industry. This study focused on the characterization of bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLISs) produced by a potential probiotic strain Bacillus paranthracis strain MHSD3 and evaluations of their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic strains using disc diffusion method. The inhibitory substances were characterized based on their sensitivity to heat, pH, enzymes, and treatment with organic solvents. Inhibitory activity was observed against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, S. saprophyticus and S. epidermidis. The BLIS remained active over different ranges of temperature, pH, enzymes, and solvents, but was sensitive to chloroform. Furthermore, proteomic analysis using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) revealed the presence of peptides with potential bacteriocin-like characteristics. These results indicates that the BLIS may be a potential candidate to be used as a therapeutic agent.
3T Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the bovine carpus
Authors: Hagag Usama , Nahas Ayman El , Almohamad Zakriya Ali , Brehm Walter , Gerlach Kerstin
Published: April 2022

Background: Lameness in cattle is a major health problem and causes great economic losses. Carpal injury is a common cause of forelimb lameness in cattle. Radiography and/or ultrasonography of the carpus is a challenge due to complex anatomy of the joint. Additional imaging using computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be indispensable for reaching a decisive diagnosis. Precise evaluation of the clinical CT and MRI images necessitates an in-depth knowledge of the normal CT and MRI tissue variants. Therefore, our purpose was to provide a detailed description of the normal CT and MRI appearance of the osseous and soft tissue structures of twelve cadaveric bovine carpi using CT and 3 Tesla MRI. Carpi were frozen, transected in sagittal, dorsal and transverse planes then adjoined to their corresponding CT and MRI images.Results: The clinically significant articular and peri-articular structures of the bovine carpus were identified and characterized on the CT and MRI images. CT images provided a remarkable delineation of the cortical, subchondral, and cancellous bone. The high-field 3 Tesla MRI offered high definition and distinction of the delicate soft tissues of the bovine carpus. Conclusions: 3 Tesla high-field MRI offers new opportunities in soft tissue tomography but cannot be compared with CT in terms of bone imaging. Clinicians have to determine whether CT, MRI or both imaging techniques are required in clinical situations.
Efficacy and safety of adjuvant EGFR-TKIs for non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutations after surgery: an updated meta-analysis
Authors: Yuan Qian , Chen Hua , Gan Jun-Wen , Wang Xiao-jin , Wu Xiang-wen , Zhong Hong-cheng , Cao Qing-dong
Published: April 2022

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) as adjuvant therapy for resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harboring EGFR mutations compared with adjuvant chemotherapy or placebo, including the latest updated data.Methods: A comprehensively systematic search for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to analyse disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). For dichotomous data, risk ratio (RR) of severe adverse events and relapse patterns was calculated as effect measures. Results: Nine RCTs involving 1,835 completely resected patients with NSCLC with EGFR mutations were included in the meta-analysis. The use of EGFR-TKIs resulted in a significant improvement in DFS when compared to non-EGFR-TKIs based treatment (HR:0.45; 95% CI=0.29–0.71, P < 0.0005), but no OS benefit was shown (HR:0.79; 95%CI=0.54–1.16, P =0.23). In subgroup analyses, adjuvant EGFR-TKIs elevated DFS significantly compared to single-agent chemotherapy (HR: 0.50; 95%CI = 0.30–0.82, P = 0.006). Adjuvant EGFR-TKIs following chemotherapy also improved DFS significantly compared with single-agent chemotherapy (HR:0.34; 95%CI=0.16–0.69, P=0.003). No differences were found in DFS between adjuvant EGFR-TKIs versus placebo (HR:0.51; 95% CI=0.18 –1.47, P=0.21). Patients with a median treatment time over 12 months (HR:0.42; 95% CI=0.20–0.86; P =0.02) or diagnosed with stage III non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC (HR:0.42;95% CI = 0.20–0.86; P =0.02) induced better DFS. Elevated DFS from adjuvant EGFR-TKIs was still observed regardless of EGFR Mutation Status. Nevertheless, in subgroup analysis, neither subgroup analysis of therapeutic strategies nor median treatment duration observed any benefit from adjuvant EGFR-TKIs in OS. Moreover, adjuvant EGFR-TKIs decreased the risk of lung recurrence (RR: 0.63 ;95%CI=0.44 –0.89). Rash (RR:15.28; 95% CI = 4.71–49.55), Diarrhea (RR:3.08; 95% CI = 1.26–7.52) and ALT or AST increase (RR:8.85; 95% CI = 4.14–18.90) were several common grades 3 or higher adverse events (AEs) of EGFR-TKIs treatment.Conclusions: EGFR-TKIs treatment exhibited significant improvement in DFS with fewer manageable toxicities for NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations completely resection compared with non-EGFR-TKIs treatment. However, prolonged DFS did not produce any benefits for the OS.
Evaluation of Sella Turcica Types Using Cone-beam Computed Tomography
Authors: Yalcin Eda Didem , Dogan Mehmet Emin
Published: April 2022

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
Intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy to investigate hidden kinetics at hybrid perovskite-electrolyte interface
Authors: Srivast Priya , Kumar Ramesh , Ronchiya Hemant , Bag Monojit
Published: April 2022

The numerous assorted accounts to the fundamental questions of ion migration in hybrid perovskites are making the picture further intricate. The review of photo-induced ion migration using small perturbation frequency domain techniques other than impedance spectroscopy is more crucial now. Herein, we probe into this by investigating perovskite-electrolyte (Pe-E) and polymer-aqueous electrolyte (Po-aqE) interface using intensity modulated photocurrent spectroscopy (IMPS) in addition to photoelectrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS). We reported that the electronic-ionic interaction in hybrid perovskites including the low-frequency ion/charge transfer and recombination kinetics at the interface leads to the spiral feature in IMPS Nyquist plot of perovskite-based devices. This spiral trajectory for perovskite-electrolyte interface depicts three distinct ion kinetics going on at the different time scales which can be more easily unveiled by IMPS rather than PEIS. Hence, IMPS is a promising alternative to PEIS. We used Peter’s method of interpretation of IMPS plot in photoelectrochemistry to estimate charge transfer efficiency \(\left({Q}_{ste}\right)\) from the Rate Constant Model. The \({Q}_{ste}\) at low-frequency for Pe-E interface exceeds unity due to ion migration induced modified potential across the perovskite active layer. Hence, ion migration and mixed electronic-ionic conductivity of hybrid perovskites are responsible for the extraordinary properties of this material.
Sulfated glycosaminoglycans inhibit transglutaminase 2 by stabilizing its closed conformation
Authors: Müller Claudia Damaris , Ruiz-Gómez Gloria , Cazzonelli Sophie , Möller Stephanie , Wodtke Robert , Löser Reik , Freyse Joanna , Dürig Jan-Niklas , Rademann Jörg , Hempel Ute , Pisabarro M. Teresa , Vogel Sarah
Published: April 2022

Transglutaminases (TGs) catalyze the covalent crosslinking of proteins via isopeptide bonds. The most prominent isoform, TG2, is associated with physiological processes such as extracellular matrix (ECM) stabilization and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of e.g., fibrotic diseases, cancer and celiac disease. Therefore, TG2 represents a pharmacological target of increasing relevance. The glycosaminoglycans (GAG) heparin (HE) and heparan sulfate (HS) constitute high-affinity interaction partners of TG2 in the ECM. Chemically modified GAG are promising molecules for pharmacological applications as their composition and chemical functionalization may be used to tackle the function of ECM molecular systems, which has been recently described for hyaluronan (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS). Herein, we investigate the recognition of GAG derivatives by TG2 using an enzyme-crosslinking activity assay in combination with in silico molecular modeling and docking techniques. The study reveals that GAG represent potent inhibitors of TG2 crosslinking activity and offers atom-detailed mechanistic insights.