bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Acute effect of bronchodilator on intrathoracic airway wall compliance in COPD patients
Authors: Pini Laura , Ziletti Giulia Claudia , Ciarfaglia Manuela , Giordani Jordan , Tantucci Claudio
Published: April 2022

Purpose
In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), the bronchial responsiveness after acute administration of short-acting bronchodilators is conventionally assessed by measuring the improvement of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) during a maximal forced expiratory maneuver. The study aimed to measure the variation of intrathoracic airway wall compliance (AWC) after acute administration of beta-2 agonist with rapid onset of action in COPD patients since this might influence the final modification of airway caliber during maximal expiratory effort and the resulting bronchodilation as inferred by FEV1 changes.
Methods
In a group of 10 patients suffering from COPD, intrathoracic AWC was measured at middle (50% of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and low (75% of FVC) lung volumes using the interrupter method during forced expiratory maneuver in basal conditions and after acute inhalation of salbutamol (400 mcg by MDI). Ten healthy subjects were examined similarly as a control group.
Results
Lower values of baseline intrathoracic AWC at both lung volumes were found in COPD patients (1.72 ± 0.20 ml/cmH2O and 1.08 ± 0.20 ml/cmH2O, respectively) as compared to controls (2.28 ± 0.27 ml/cmH2O and 1.44 ± 0.22 ml/cmH2O, respectively) (p < 0.001). In COPD patients, AWC increased significantly at both lung volumes after salbutamol, amounting to 1.81 ± 0.38 ml/cmH2O and 1.31 ± 0.39 ml/cmH2O, respectively (p < 0.01), but the relative change was not different from that observed in controls.
Conclusions
In COPD patients, AWC is reduced compared to controls, but after bronchodilator, the intrathoracic airways become more compliant. The consequent increase of their collapsibility under high positive pleural pressure could limit the airway caliber improvement seen after bronchodilator, as assessed by the FEV1 changes during the forced expiratory maneuver, underestimating the effective bronchodilation achieved in these patients.
Optical and fractal properties of sputter deposited TiO2 films
Authors: Shakoury Reza , Nahvifard Elaheh , Arman Ali , Astinchap Bandar , Jurečka Stanislav , Mardani Mohsen , Rad Ghasem Amraee , Mirzaei Saeed
Published: April 2022

In this study, TiO2 films were deposited on the glass and silicon substrates at different pressures using a DC magnetron sputtering system. Surface topography, fractality, particle size, transparency spectra, and roughness of the deposited films were analyzed through atomic force microscopy (AFM) in non-contact mode and spectrophotometer (UV-visible) analysis. The surface morphology, absorption spectra, transparency, and conductivity of the films were studied through analytical and mathematical relations, including fractal and multifractal dimensions of the films. The pressure influenced the particle size leading to the changes in the surface roughness and fractality of the films. When the working pressure increased above 8×10− 3 Torr, the nonuniformity in the distribution of surface properties and multifractality increased. Additionally, using optical data and the Tauc ́s method, their energy gap was calculated. It was revealed that the TiO2 coatings have a relatively large energy gap of ~ 4eV, probably due to their small grain size.
Investigating Energy Consumption in Social Aware Opportunistic Networks with High Data Traffic
Authors: Soares Diogo , Santos Gilmara , Carvalho Celso , Mota Edjair
Published: April 2022

In Opportunistic Networks (OppNets), mobility of and contact between nodes are explored to create communication opportunities, exchange messages, and information. In the era of data sharing, the data traffic from messages may be higher with nodes exchanging text messages, media or streaming. The use of social aspects to find better relay nodes has become popular in forwarding strategies to increase network performance. However, due to resource constraints such as energy level and buffer space, social aspects applied to forwarding strategies may lead to unexpected behaviors or even harvest more energy from the chosen relay nodes. This work designed a set of experiments to investigate the relationship between energy consumption and social aspects. It is evaluated three trace-based mobility models with increasing contact densities. In addition, it is implemented and collected some social aspects from the investigated scenarios: centrality, betweenness, and local clustering coefficient (LCC). The results presented that the mean contact time of node has more correlation to energy consumption than social aspects (Pearson correlation= 0.99792) for the mobility traces evaluated. Further, when the mean contact time is extensive, the energy consumption increases from 210% to the more sparse to the denser scenario. We also verified that when the conditions for message exchanges are better, i.e., when contact time is enough to exchange all messages, the correlation between centrality and energy consumption is higher. Finally, with the extensive contact time, the energy of popular nodes was entirely harvested in our densest scenario.
Transgenic TDP-43 and endogenous TDP-1 Caenorhabditis elegans ALS models show motor deficits and age-dependent neurodegeneration
Authors: Parker J. Alex , Duhaime Sarah , Bretonneau Constantin
Published: April 2022

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by a progressive and selective loss of motor neurons. ALS is incurable and there are no effective treatments available for people living with the disease. About 90% of the cases are sporadic whereas 10% are familial, and patients usually die two to five years after symptom onset. Many genes are associated with ALS, including mutations in the gene encoding TDP-43. We developed a transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans model expressing human mutant TDP-43(Q331K) in GABAergic motor neurons. We also obtained by mutagenesis and CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing physiologically accurate models based on mutations in tdp-1, the C. elegans orthologue of TARDBP. Our results show that both transgenic TDP-43 and endogenous TDP-1 models recapitulate key aspects of ALS such as motor deficits and age-dependent neurodegeneration causing paralysis. However, only the TDP-43 mutation had a negative effect on lifespan. These models provide different physiological expression of mutant proteins and thus phenotypes of varying intensity levels. They will be useful tools to elucidate new pathogenic mechanisms of ALS as well as being suitable for drug discovery and therapeutic development.
Optimization, kinetic and phenomenological modeling of ultrasound- assisted extraction process of bioactive compounds from raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.)
Authors: Teixeira Bárbara Avancini , Stringheta Paulo César , Vidigal Márcia Cristina Teixeira Ribeiro , Júnior Bruno de Castro Leite , Vieira Érica Nascif Rufino , Martins Eliane Maurício Furtado
Published: April 2022

Bioactive compounds are of considerable interest due to their antioxidant properties and potential beneficial health effects. Thus, this study aimed to optimize and model the ultrasound-assisted extraction process (UAE) of response variables total anthocyanins (TA) and total phenolic content (TPC) from raspberries, and to compare the optimized extraction process with the conventional one. The variables used were time (5 to 75 min), temperature (30 to 70°C), and solid: liquid ratio (1:5 to 1:15 m/v), applied to the Box-Behnken Design (BBD). The optimal condition of the UAE process occurs at a temperature of 70°C and a solid: liquid ratio of 1:12.5 m/v, for both response variables. The optimal time for extraction of TA occurs in 22.5 min predicting the content of 23.181 mg/100 g of the fruit and for TPC occurs in 57.5 min predicting the content of 156.30 mg GAE/100 g of the fruit. On validation of the optimized conditions, less than a 5% difference ware found between the predicted and experimental values (24,131 mg/100 g of fruit for TA, and 149.226 mg GAE/100 g of fruit for TPC). When comparing the optimized UAE with the conventional extraction, it wares observed that UAE increased (p < 0.05) the extraction of TA content by 18.28% and TPC by 28.88%. The process time reduction from 24h in conventional extraction to less than 1h in optimized UAE stands out. Thus, the study indicates that the UAE process is an efficient methodology for recovering bioactive compounds from raspberries.
Fabrication of a versatile aptasensing chip for aflatoxin B1 in photothermal and electrochemical dual modes
Authors: Wang Chengquan , Zhao Xin , Gu Chengdong , Xu Foyan , Zhang Wuhao , Huang Xingyi , Qian Jing
Published: April 2022

The dual-mode sensing strategy not only has the inherent characteristics of each response mode, but also can mutually verify the detection results obtained by different modes, which will effectively improve the accuracy and reliability of detection. The electrochemical-photothermal dual-mode not only has two mode signals, but also has the advantages of fast response, high sensitivity, good selectivity, low cost and simple operation. Efficient integration and accurate detection of pathogenic bacteria to achieve early warning of food safety is one of the most valuable antifouling methods. Here, we report an integrated design strategy to establish a photothermal and electrochemical dual modes for sensitive detection of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1). The aptasensor was fabricated by loading the Au@Fe3O4 onto the indium tin oxides (ITO) conductive glass modified AuNPs nano-layer (ITO/AuNPs) surface through DNA hybridization between aptamer and cDNA. After adding AFB1, aptamer tends to form aptamer-AFB1 complex, resulting in part of Au@Fe3O4 falling off the ITO/AuNPs surface and entering the reaction solution. 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 system produces color change under the catalysis of Au@Fe3O4 and realizes the conversion of light and heat under the excitation of near-infrared light. Photothermal signal analysis is realized with the help of thermometer. In addition, combined with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis with ITO/AuNPs electrode, a dual channel method is provided for AFB1 detection. Under the optimal conditions, the developed aptasensor realized sensitive and specific detection of AFB1 from 10 pg mL− 1 to 300 ng mL− 1 with low detection limit of 5 pg mL− 1 in photothermal mode. Importantly, this work provided a promising prospect for the application of photothermal effect coupled with electrochemical aptasensor in food safety.
Sleep Duration and Risk of Atherosclerosis --A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Han Xu , Xiaozhuo Xu , Huang Yilin
Published: April 2022

Background:Observational studies have suggested associations between sleep duration and atherosclerosis(AS).However,it’s role as a risk factor or as a subeffect because of atherosclerosis is uncertain.Methods:We performed a literature search of genome-wide studies that evaluate sleep duration.We used a two -sample Mendelian randomization approach to evaluate the causality of sleep duration on atherosclerosis risk,using 2 cohorts:MRC-IEU (n=460,099)and UK Biobank(n=361,194).The two-sample MR study was conducted to estimate causal relationship between sleep duration and AS,with the inverse-variance weighted (IVW)method,Robust adjusted profile score (RAPS),simple-and weighted-median method.Moreover,MR-Egger regression,RadialMR,MR-PRESSO and leave-one-out analysis were performed to evaluate the potential pleiotropy effect.Results:Genome-wide association studies of sleep duration were evaluated.No associations were found in relation to atherosclerosis(odds ratio=0.90[95% CI,0.98-1.00];p-value=1.86×10−1).MR-Egger,MR-PRESSO,and leave-one-out analysis did not indicate horizontal pleiotropy.Conclusion:Our MR study suggested that genetically predicted sleep duration was not causally associated with AS among the European populations.
Robotic Colorectal Surgery - Assessment of the Quality of Patient Information Available on the Internet using WebScraping
Authors: Taha-Mehlitz Stephanie , Ochs Vincent , Taha Anas
Published: April 2022

Background
The primary goal of this study is to assess the current patient information available on the internet concerning robotic colorectal surgery. The study is a review, and acquiring this information is relevant to understanding the subject's current and future scope.
Methods
We acquired data for this study through a web-scraping algorithm. The algorithm used two Python packages: Beautiful Soup and Selenium. The long-chain keywords incorporated into the Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines for this study were "Da Vinci Colon-Rectal Surgery", “Colorectal Robotic Surgery” and “Robotic Bowel Surgery”. After sorting the 207 websites, 5 investigators evaluated the websites according to the Ensuring quality information for patients (EQIP) score.
Results
Of the 207 websites visited, 49 belonged to the subgroup of hospital websites (23.6%), 46 to Medical Centers (22.2%), 45 to Practitioners (21.7%), 42 to Health Care Systems (20,2%), 11 to News Services (5.3%), 7 to Web Portals (3.3%), 5 to the Industry (2.4%), and 2 to Patient Groups (0.9%).
Conclusion
The quality of the information available on the internet concerning robotic colorectal surgery is low since only 82 websites received a high rating. Most of the information on the different websites is inaccurate, consequently medical facilities involved in robotic colorectal surgery, robotic bowel surgery and related should develop credible websites to guide patient decisions.
Early-stage antibody kinetics after the third dose of BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination measured by a point-of-care fingertip whole blood testing
Authors: Hagiya Hideharu , Nakano Yasuhiro , Furukawa Masanori , Sunada Naruhiko , Hasegawa Toru , Sakurada Yasue , Hasegawa Kou , Yamamoto Koichiro , Ogawa Hiroko , Obara Takafumi , Ageta Kouhei , Matsumoto Naomi , Matsuo Rumi , Kadowaki Tomoka , Higashikage Akihito , Hikita Takao , Yorifuji Takashi , Toyooka Shinichi , Maeda Yoshinobu , Yokokura Yoshinori , Otsuka Fumio , Nakayama Masanori
Published: April 2022

Background
Amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, we aimed to demonstrate the accuracy of the fingertip whole blood sampling test (FWT) in measuring the antibody titer and uncovering its dynamics shortly after booster vaccination.
Methods
Mokobio SARS-CoV-2 IgM & IgG Quantum Dot immunoassay (Mokobio Biotechnology R&D Center Inc., MD, USA) was used as a point-of-care FWT in 226 health care workers (HCWs) who had received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech) at least 8 months prior. Each participant tested their antibody titers before and after the third-dose booster up to 14-days.
Results
The effect of the booster was observed as early as the fourth day after vaccination, which exceeded the detection limit (> 30,000 U/mL) by 2.3% on the fifth day, 12.2% on the sixth day, and 22.5% after the seventh day. Significant positive correlations were observed between the pre- and post-vaccination (the seventh and eighth days) antibody titers (correlation coefficient, 0.405; p < 0.001).
Conclusion
FWT is useful for examining antibody titers as a point-of-care test. Rapid response of antibody titer started as early as the fourth day post-vaccination, while the presence of weak responders to mRNA vaccination was indicated.
A survey of retracted articles in the three high-impact journals
Authors: Tang Xiaowei , Zou Kang , Huang Shu , Jiang Jiao , Xu Huan , Pu Xinxin , Lü Yinqin , Peng Yan , Lü Muhan
Published: April 2022

Objectives: The effect of a retracted publication can be significant, especially in high-impact journals. We aimed to identify the characteristics of retracted articles in three high-impact clinical journals, including The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Lancet, and The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).Methods: The Retraction Watch database was searched from inception to March 21, 2021. Data collected for each article included title, article type, reasons for retraction, journal, publisher, publication year, retraction year, first author, country of origin, and times a retracted article was cited. Data analysis was performed by GraphPad Prism version 8.00 (La Jolla, CA, United States), and SPSS Statistics 26.0. Results: A total of 77 articles were retracted, of which 20 were from JAMA, 31 from Lancet, and 26 from NEJM. Over one-half of papers were retracted within the last decade (n=44, 57.1%). Since 2005, the number of retracted articles had increased dramatically. The United States (n=29, 37.7%) was the country with the highest number of retracted publications in the three journals, followed by the United Kingdom (n=9, 11.7%) and China (n=5, 6.5%). The most common reasons for retractions were “Error” (n=20, 26.0%), “Fraud” (n=19, 24.7%) and “Reliability” (n=18, 23.4%) in these three journals. The media number of citations was 79 (range 0-2677). The media time to retraction was 651 (range 2-8474) days. The time was longer when an article was retracted because of fraud than that because of error. Conclusions: By analyzing the features of retracted articles in the three high-impact journals, we could identify the reason for retraction more comprehensively and benefit in improving the quality of biomedical literature.
A Comparison of Spindle Activity Measurements: Automated Spindle Detection Helps Distinguish Changes in Spindle Activity
Authors: Palepu Kalyan , Sadeghi Kolia , Kleinschmidt Dave , Donoghue Jacob , Chapman Seth , Arslan Alex , Westover M. Brandon , Cash Sydney S. , Pathmanathan Jay
Published: April 2022

Study Objectives.
Sleep spindle activity is commonly estimated by measuring sigma power during stage 2 non-rapid eye movement (NREM2) sleep. However, spindles account for little of the total NREM2 interval and therefore sigma power over the entire interval may be misleading. This study compares derived spindle measures from direct automated spindle detection with those from gross power spectral analyses for the purposes of clinical trial design.
Methods.
We estimated spindle activity in a set of 8,440 overnight electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from 5,793 patients from the Sleep Heart Health Study using both sigma power and direct automated spindle detection. Performance of the two methods was evaluated by ability to distinguish NREM2 from other NREM sleep stages and by determining the sample size required to detect decline in age-related spindle coherence with each method in a simulated clinical trial.
Results.
Mean sigma power in NREM2 was indistinguishable from other NREM states in 25% of recordings, vs only 7% for direct spindle measurement (P < 0.001). These percentages were 34% and 14% respectively for sigma coherence comparisons. In a simulated clinical trial, sigma power required a sample size of 115 to achieve 95% power to identify age-related changes in sigma coherence, while automated spindle detection required a sample size of only 60.
Conclusions.
Measurements of spindle activity utilizing automated spindle detection outperformed conventional sigma power analysis by a wide margin, suggesting that many studies would benefit from incorporation of automated spindle detection. These results further suggest that some previous studies which have failed to detect changes in sigma power or coherence may have failed simply because they were underpowered.
Disruptive lysosomal-metabolic signaling and neurodevelopmental deficits that precede Purkinje cell loss in a mouse model of Niemann-Pick Type-C disease
Authors: Kim Sarah , Ochoa Kathleen , Melli Sierra , Yousufzai Fawad , Zerian Barrera , Williams Aela , McIntyre Gianna , Delgado Esteban , Bolish James , Wilson Vincent , Maloney Kelly , Padron Zachary , Khan Amaal , Blanco Rosa , Soto Ileana
Published: April 2022

Purkinje cell (PC) loss occurs at an early age in patients and animal models of Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC), a lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the Npc1 or Npc2 genes. Degeneration of PCs occurs early in NPC, however little is known about how NPC1 deficiency affects the postnatal development of PCs. Using the Npc1nmf164 mouse model, we found that NPC1 deficiency significantly affected the postnatal development of PC dendrites and synapses. The developing dendrites of Npc1nmf164 PCs were significantly deficient in mitochondria and lysosomes. Furthermore, anabolic (mTORC1) and catabolic (TFEB) signaling pathways were not only perturbed but simultaneously activated in NPC1-deficient PCs, suggesting a loss of metabolic balance. We also found that mice with conditional heterozygous deletion of the Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Deleted on Chromosome 10 gene (Pten-cHet), an inhibitor of mTORC1, showed similar early dendritic alterations in PCs to those found in Npc1-deficient mice. However, in contrast to Npc1nmf164 mice, Pten-cHet mice exhibited the overactivation of the mTORC1 pathway but with a strong inhibition of TFEB signaling, along with no dendritic mitochondrial reductions by the end of their postnatal development. Our data suggest that disruption of the lysosomal-metabolic signaling in PCs causes dendritic and synaptic developmental deficits that precede and promote their early degeneration in NPC.
CEP55 3’-UTR promotes epithelial–mesenchymal transition and enhances tumorigenicity of bladder cancer cells by acting as a ceRNA regulating miR- 497-5p
Authors: Yang Chenglin , Yang Yue , Wang Wei , Zhou Wuer , Zhang Xiaoming , Xiao Yuansong , Zhang Huifen
Published: April 2022

Background: Centrosomal protein 55 (CEP55) is implicated in the tumorigenesis of bladder cancer (BC) but the detailed molecular mechanisms are unknown. We aim to develop a potential competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network related with CEP55 in BC.Methods: We first extracted the expression profiles of RNAs from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and used bioinformatic analysis to establish ceRNAs in BC. Real-time quantity PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemical analysis were performed to measure CEP55 expression in different bladder cell lines and different grades of cancer. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assays were conducted to predict potential binding sites among miR-497-5p, CEP55, parathyroid hormone like hormone (PTHLH) and high mobility group A2 (HMGA2). Tumor xenograft model was used to show the effect of CEP55 3’-UTR on cisplatin therapy. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase assays, and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5’RACE) were to explore the function of CEP55 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) on targeting miR-497-5p. Western blot and immunofluorescence assays were to detect the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) induction of CEP55 3’-UTR.Results: CEP55 expression as well as the expression levels of the oncogenic proteins PTHLH and HMGA2 were upregulated in BC cells while miR-497-5p was downregulated. Low miR-497-5p expression and high CEP55 and HMGA2 expression levels were associated with more advanced tumor clinical stage and pathological grade. Overexpression of the CEP55 3’-UTR promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the EJ cell line in vitro and accelerated EJ-derived tumor growth in nude mice, while inhibition of the CEP55 3’-UTR suppressed all of these oncogenic processes. In addition, CEP55 3’-UTR upregulation reduced the cisplatin sensitivity of BC cell lines and xenograft tumors. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase assays, and 5’RACE suggested that the CEP55 3’-UTR functions as a ceRNA targeting miR-497-5p, leading to miR-497-5p downregulation and disinhibition of PTHLH and HMGA2 expression. Further, CEP55 downregulated miR-497-5p transcription by promoting NF-kB signaling. In turn, PTHLH and HMGA2 activated p38MAPK and ERK 1/2 pathways, and induced EMT of BC cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that a ceRNA regulatory network involving CEP55 upregulates PTHLH and HMGA2 expression by suppressing endogenous miR-497-5p in bladder cancer.
Does covering prepared sterile back tables with Innovative Cover better than recommended Two-drape method?
Authors: Zarei Mohammadreza , Babajani-Vafsi Saeed , Kazemi-Galougahi Mohammad Hassan , Bakhshi Ashraf , Ajorpaz Neda Mirbagher , Ghorbani Mahdi
Published: April 2022

Background: Surgical site infection (SSIs) are the most significant postoperative complication. We hypothesized that (1) covering the PSBTs in an operating room (OR) during static and dynamic testing would significantly decrease the bioburden of airborne bacteria-carrying particles (ABCPs) settling on surface of them, (2) using Innovative Cover (IC) would be more effective in decreasing the bioburden of ABCPs than Two-drape method during static and dynamic testing and (3) starting airborne bacterial contamination (ABC) of the uncovered PSBTs during static testing would have longer than the same PSBTs during dynamic testing. Methods: The bioburden of ABCPs of the PSBTs was evaluated by 6 agar settle plates (n= 918 in total) on each PSBT in static and dynamic OR conditions. At each time-point, this set-up was repeated on 2 occasions else during data collection, establishing 81 PSBTs in total. Tested groups included PSBTs covered with Two-drape method, IC, or no cover. Plates were collected after 15, 30, 45, 60, 120, 180, 240 min and 24 h.Results: Covering the PSBT during static and dynamic OR conditions lead to a signiﬁcantly decreased bioburden of ABCPs on the PSBT (P < 0.05). No differences were seen between recommended Two-drape method by Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) and IC (P > 0.05).Conclusions: Our results showed a signiﬁcant decrease in bioburden of ABCPs on the PSBTs when the they were covered during static and dynamic OR conditions, indicating the efficiency for covering the PSBTs during periods of nonuse and during active surgery. We found that there is no preference for using IC than Two-drape method.
The molecular prognostic score , a classifier for risk stratification of high-grade serous ovarian cancer
Authors: Sarkar Siddik , Saha Sarbar Ali , Sarkar Poulomi , Banerjee Sarthak , Mitra Pralay
Published: April 2022

Background
Clinopathological parameters such as age, residual tumor, grade and stage are often used to predict the survival of ovarian cancer patients, but still the 5-year survival of high grade serous ovarian cancer remains > 30%. Here we established a molecular gene signature-based scoring system using data of ovarian cancer cohorts that could potentially determine the median overall survival of high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients.
Methods
The data mining and analysis of raw expression data spanning over HGSOC cohorts (n = 4784) deposited in various data repositories were performed. The feature extraction/ selection tool using Cox, LASSO regression was conducted on training data to obtain predicted genes along with the coefficients that contribute to obtaining molecular prognostic score (mPS). The receiver operator characteristics curve were plotted to study prediction efficiency of mPS .
findings:
The 20 gene-based mPS predicted the 5-year overall survival with 70% efficiency both in training (n = 491) and test datasets (n = 491) and also applicable in training OTTA-SPOT HGSOC samples (n = 3762). The mPS has significant impact (HR [95%CI] = 6.1 [3.65–10.3]; p < 0.0001) on prognosis of HGSOC and prediction is more sensitive and specific as compared to clinopathological parameters: FIGO, age, residual disease. It was found that focal-adheson, Wnt, Notch signaling pathways are significantly upregulated whereas antigen processing and presentation are downregulated in high risk HGSOC cohorts.
Interpretation:
The molecular prognostic score derived from 20-gene signature is the prognostic marker or the risk classifier of HGSOC. It could be potentially harnessed in clinical settings to determine the overall survival of ovarian cancer.
Imperatorin inhibits proliferation, migration and inflammation via blocking NF-κB and MAPK pathways in rheumatoid fibroblast-like synoviocytes
Authors: Liu Mei , Lin Wei , Chen Gang , Mao Yuhang , Ma Xuemei , Zhou Junnan , Yu Xiaolu , Wang Chaoliang
Published: April 2022

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic joint inflammatory disease that is associated with the aberrant activation of fibroblast‐like synoviocytes (FLSs). Searching for natural compounds that may suppress the activation of FLSs has become a complementary approach for RA treatment. Here, we investigated the effects and mechanisms of imperatorin (IPT) on proliferation, migration, and inflammation in primary cultured arthritic FLSs.Methods: Cell viability was evaluated by an MTS assay. The effects of IPT on FLS proliferation, apoptosis and migration were determined by the EdU incorporation assay, flow cytometry and wound healing assay, respectively. Inflammation was assessed by detecting the expression of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines using quantitative real-time PCR. Western blot and immunofluorescent staining were used to analyze the potential underlying molecular mechanisms. Statistical comparisons were performed using one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s post hoc analysis.Results: we found that IPT significantly suppressed TNFα-induced proliferation and migration of arthritic FLSs, but showed little effects on survival and apoptosis. In addition, IPT treatment significantly reduced TNFα-induced transcripts of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8) in arthritic FLSs. Further mechanism studies suggested that IPT inhibited the activations of p38 and ERK. Also, IPT blocked NF-κB activation via suppressing degradation of IκBα, and preventing the translocation of p65.Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that IPT could inhibit the over-activated phenotypes of arthritic FLSs via MAPK (p38 and ERK) and NF-KB pathways. These findings suggested IPT has the potential to be developed as a novel agent for RA treatment.
Xanthoma of Rib: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Mottola Emilia , Adotti Flavia , Pernazza Angelina , Rocca Carlo Della , D’Amati Giulia , Nardis Piergiorgio , Vannucci Jacopo , Bassi Massimiliano , Venuta Federico , Anile Marco
Published: April 2022

Background: Xanthomas are well-circumscribed benign proliferative lesions seen mainly in soft tissues. Usually, they are found in hyperlipidemia and hyperlipoproteinemia family. Histologically, are characterized by macrophage-like mononuclear cells, multinucleated giant cells and abundant foam cells. The bone involvement, however, is notoriously rare and rib localization is extremely rare. Case presentation: A 55-year-old man performed a chest X-Ray and a subsequent chest Computed Tomography (CT) scan showing a rib lesion that was surgically removed and a diagnosis of rib xanthoma was made. The patient presented an unknown condition of hyperlipidemia. Conclusion: Rib xanthoma can be discovered accidentally and can be helpful in identifying an unrecognized condition of hyperlipidemia.
MICAL2 contributes to gastric cancer cell migration via Cdc42- dependent activation of E‑cadherin/β-catenin signaling pathway
Authors: Wang Qianwen , Qi Chenxiang , Min Pengxiang , Wang Yueyuan , Ye Fengwen , Xia Tianxiang , Zhang Yujie , Du Jun
Published: April 2022

Background
Gastric cancer is a common and lethal human malignancy worldwide and cancer cell metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. MICAL2, a flavoprotein monooxygenase, is an important regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of MICAL2 on gastric cancer cell migration and determine the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Methods
Cell migration was examined by wound healing and transwell assays. Changes in E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling were determined by qPCR and analysis of cytoplasmic and nuclear protein fractions. E-cadherin/β-catenin binding was determined by co-immunoprecipitation assays. Cdc42 activity was examined by pulldown assay.
Results
MICAL2 was highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues. The knockdown of MICAL2 significantly attenuated migratory ability and β-catenin nuclear translocation in gastric cancer cells while LiCl treatment, which activates β-catenin signaling, reversed these MICAL2 knockdown-induced effects. Meanwhile, E-cadherin expression was markedly enhanced in MICAL2-depleted cells. MICAL2 knockdown led to a significant attenuation of E-cadherin ubiquitination and degradation in a Cdc42-dependent manner, then enhanced E-cadherin/β-catenin binding, and reduced β-catenin nuclear translocation.
Conclusions
Together, our results indicated that MICAL2 promotes E-cadherin ubiquitination and degradation, leading to enhanced β-catenin signaling via the disruption of the E-cadherin/β-catenin complex and, consequently, the promotion of gastric cell migration.
The application of internal traction technique in retroperitoneal robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for renal ventral tumors
Authors: Jiang Xiao-Lu , OuYang Kui , Yang Rui , Yu Xiao-Yang , Yang Dian-Dong , Wu Ji-Tao , Zhao Hong-Wei
Published: April 2022

BackgroundFor patients with prior intra-abdominal surgery or multiple arteries, the retroperitoneal robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (rRAPN) is a better choice. The renal ventral tumor poses an additional challenge due to poor tumor exposure. This study is determined to assess the feasibility of an internal traction technique (ITT) in rRAPN for the management of renal ventral tumors.MethodsFrom November 2019 to March 2021, a total of 28 patients with renal ventral tumor underwent rRAPN. All patients had prior abdominal surgery or multiple arteries. The ITT group (20 patients), which improved the tumor exposure by traction of the kidney with suture, was compared with the traditional technique group (8 patients) in terms of warm ischemia time, estimated blood loss and postoperative hospital stay, retroperitoneal drainage, R.E.N.A.L. score and serum creatinine. Differences were considered significant when P < 0.05. ResultsAll rRAPN surgeries were successful without conversion to radical nephrectomy or open partial nephrectomy. The warm ischemia time was lower in the ITT group (17.10 min vs. 24.63 min; p<0.05). Estimated blood loss in the traditional technique group was 324.88±79.42 mL, and in the ITT group was 117.45±35.25 mL (p<0.05). No significant differences with regards to postoperative hospital stay, retroperitoneal drainage, R.E.N.A.L. score and serum creatinine were observed between both groups. Surgical margins were negative and no intraoperative complications occurred in all the patients. After 10 months follow-up, no recurrence or metastasis occurred in all cases.ConclusionITT is a feasible, safe, and valid procedure in rRAPN for renal ventral tumors. Application of ITT improved the exposure and reduces warm ischemic time in comparison with conventional procedure.
Average-Case Competitive Ratio of Scheduling Algorithms of Multi-User Cache
Authors: Berend Dani , Dolev Shlomi , Hassidim Avinatan , Kogan-Sadetsky Marina
Published: April 2022

The goal of this paper is to present an efficient realistic metric for evaluating cache scheduling algorithms in multiuser multi-cache environments. In a previous work, the requests sequence was set deliberately by an opponent (offline optimal) algorithm in an extremely unrealistic way, leading to an unlimited competitive ratio and to extremely unreasonable and unrealistic cache management strategies. In this paper, we propose to analyze the performance of cache management in a typical scenario, i.e., we consider all possibilities with their (realistic) distribution. In other words, we analyze the average case and not the worst case of scheduling scenarios. In addition, we present an efficient, according to our novel average case analysis, online heuristic algorithm for cache scheduling. The algorithm is based on machine-learning concepts, it is flexible and easy to implement.
Early-phase efficacy and adverse effects of liposomal amikacin inhalation for refractory Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease: A case series
Authors: Morita Atsuho , Namkoong Ho , Yagi Kazuma , Asakura Takanori , Hosoya Makoto , Tanaka Hiromu , Lee Ho , Ogawa Takunori , Kusumoto Tatsuya , Azekawa Shuhei , Nakagawara Kensuke , Kamata Hirofumi , Ishii Makoto , Ozawa Hiroyuki , Fukunaga Koichi , Hasegawa Naoki
Published: April 2022

Background
Amikacin liposome inhalation suspension (ALIS), which efficiently allows amikacin to reach the pulmonary periphery for drug effect while minimising systemic adverse effects, was recently approved for the treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infections. The international phase 3 open-label clinical trials showed promising results, contributing to sputum culture conversion, but few reports have examined the efficacy and adverse effects using real-world data. We have identified the clinical outcome and adverse effects in the early-phase of treatment to use ALIS more effectively and safely in clinical practice.
Methods
The study population consisted of patients with MAC lung disease (MAC-LD) who were introduced to ALIS therapy after July 2021 at Keio University Hospital due to poor response to multidrug therapy. The sputum smear/culture results, symptoms and adverse effects of the early-phase of ALIS inhalation therapy were retrospectively reviewed. The serum amikacin concentrations in the earliest phase were also measured to assess PK/PD.
Results
A total of 11 cases (9 women; median age 64.6 years) were included in this study. The median disease duration of MAC-LD was 13.7 years, and all patients had a positive culture at the beginning of ALIS inhalation. Eight patients (72.7%) completed ALIS inhalation without interruption during the first month of treatment. Five patients (45.5%) were smear-negative at the start and none were positive at the 1 month follow-up. Three of the six patients (50.0%) who were sputum-smear-positive at the initiation were confirmed to have become sputum-smear-negative within one month, including one culture conversion. ALIS inhalation therapy caused some adverse effects in nine patients (81.8%); however, no serious systemic adverse effects were observed. The most common adverse effect was hoarseness (72.7%), which mostly occurred around 1 week after initiation. The medians of peak serum amikacin concentrations were 1.4 and 2.3 µg/mL for the first and third inhalations, respectively. On the other hand, trough serum concentrations just before the third inhalation were < 1.2 µg/mL in all patients.
Conclusions
ALIS therapy might be a treatment option for patients having refractory MAC infection with long disease duration who have had a poor response to guideline-based therapy.
Unraveling of the mVOCs produced by Trichoderma spp. against Sclerotium rolfsii using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Authors: AYYANDURAI M , Akila R , Manonmani K , Mareeswari P , Vellaikumar S , L Mini M.
Published: April 2022

Groundnut is an important oilseed crop, and it severely infected with S. rolfsii. Trichoderma sp. is widely distributed antagonistic fungi that used for the control of Sclerotium rolfsii. Six different Trichoderma spp. in vitro efficacy and it producing microbial Volatile Organic Compounds (mVOCs) assessed against the S. rolfsii through dual culture assay and paired plate assay respectively. The Trichoderma sp. T(SP)-20 exhibited the maximum percentage inhibition (84.44%) followed by T(AR)-10 (75.44%) and TNAU TA (75.33%) in dual culture assay. Among them T. longibrachiatum T(SP)-20 and T. asperellum T(AR)-10 effectively reduced the mycelial growth of S. rolfsii by 61.11 and 54.44 per cent respectively in paired plate assay. Trichoderma spp. co cultured with S. rolfsii produced antimicrobial properties having mVOCs such as Isolongifolan-7-ol,Trans-sesquisabinene hydrate, Bis(2-ethlhexyl)phthalate, Methyl 2-methoxypropenote, Butane,1-propoxy, Pentane,2,dimethyl, 1,3-Dioxolane-4-ethanol,2,2,4-trimethyl, Heptadecane,8-methyl, (1R,5R)-4-methylene-1-(R)-6 methylhept-5 which could induce the plant growth promotion and inhibit the S. rolfsii compared to Trichoderma sp. cultured alone. Trichoderma longibrachiatum effectively reduced the mycelial growth of S. rolfsii. Which exhibited several mode of actions, among them mVOCs effectively reduce the mycelial growth of Sclerotium rolfsii.
A Comparison of FDG PET/CT Segmentation Threshold Methods on Quantification of Brown Adipose Tissue Volume
Authors: Lee Min-Young , Crandall John P. , Wahl Richard L.
Published: April 2022

Background: Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a thermogenically active fat that has been identified as a potential target for obesity treatment. BAT presence, activity, and volume are commonly assessed using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) combined with computed tomography (CT) imaging following a cold activation protocol. Accurate segmentation of BAT is necessary in order to effectively characterize metabolic activity and tissue mass. This study aimed to compare various BAT segmentation methods.Methods: Healthy volunteers 18-35 years of age, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or less, were eligible to participate in this prospective, IRB-approved study. Eligible subjects underwent FDG PET/CT following a cold intervention intended to activate BAT. Active BAT was then segmented using the BARCIST 1.0 recommendations and several other published BAT segmentation methods, as well as methods based on the PET response criteria in solid tumors (PERCIST). Areas of FDG uptake where BAT is typically located were segmented manually and then reduced using various thresholds to produce the final BAT volume. In addition, a repeatability assessment was performed on a subset of participants who underwent repeated BAT imaging studies.Results: A total of 32 participants were enrolled in this study and active BAT was detected in 27 subjects. The median active BAT volumes indicated that the individual BAT volume varied based on the segmentation method used. The highest and lowest median(IQR) segmented BAT volumes were 259.6(195.8) and 17.9(59.6) mL, respectively. The BARCIST and a PERCIST methods resulted in visual scores closest to 0 (0.43 and -0.37, respectively), indicating a strong correlation with the qualitative assessment of active BAT seen on FDG PET/CT images. The inclusion of voxels with standardized uptake values (SUV) greater than 1.0 and Hounsfield unit ranges up to -10 resulted in highly repeatable total BAT volumes (CCC>0.95).Conclusions: BAT volume and activity, as determined using FDG PET/CT, highly depend on the quantification criteria used. In this study, a simple method employing a PERCIST 1.0 threshold provided similar absolute volumes qualitatively, but the BARCIST 1.0 method showed superior repeatability performance.
The comparison of food patterns and food expenditures in different socioeconomic statuses of Iranian households
Authors: Nachvak Seyed Mostafa , Gholami Mohammad Saeed , Mostafai Roghayeh , Najafabadi Maryam Sharifi , Kabiri Seyedeh Sarina , Moludi Jalal , Saber Amir
Published: April 2022

Background: Food and nutrition have an undeniably important role in the occurrence of social inequalities in the health of people in society. The household income level, food prices, and the amount of money spent on food are effective factors in food choices and people's health. Our objective was to determine and compare households’ food patterns based on food prices and their income in different socioeconomic statuses (SES).Method: 125 households were randomly selected from five of the Kermanshah city districts based on the SES, including very poor, poor, middle, rich, and very rich. Data were collected using a personal information questionnaire, SES questionnaire, semi-quantitative weekly food purchase registration questionnaire, outdoor food purchase registration questionnaire, and a medium and long-term food purchase reminder questionnaire. The relationship between SES and households’ income with the amount spent for each food group was performed by Spearman's nonparametric correlation technique. Results: The average total cost of households for food per day was 2.51±0.18 $. The highest and lowest daily food expenditures were related to the protein group (39.9%) and the dairy group (3.8%), respectively. Also, dairy and starch groups were the most expensive and cheapest food groups with 5.5 and 0.45 cents per unit. Households in the first SES spent 75.2% of their total income on food and there was a direct and significant correlation between SES, education, and income level with energy, macronutrients, and fiber (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings showed that SES can influence the amount and type of nutrients purchased by households. The households usually met their nutritional requirements by overeating, resulting in food insecurity and cellular starvation. Increasing nutritional knowledge and making the right decisions by food policymakers may reduce food insecurity at the community level.
Classification of rectal cancer according to recurrence types - Comparison of Japanese guidelines and Western guidelines-
Authors: Miyakita Hiroshi
Published: April 2022

ObjectivesLocal recurrence (LR) and lung metastasis are more common in rectal cancer than in colon cancer. However, the diagnosis of rectal cancer is not standardized as there is no global consensus on its definition and classification. The classification of rectal cancer differs between Japanese and Western guidelines. Thus, we aimed to elucidate how rectal cancer is classified by investigating the relationship between rectal cancer localization and recurrence in the patientsMethods A total of 958 patients with cStage II and III colorectal cancer were included in the analysis: 323 with right-sided colon cancer (RC), 284 with left-sided colon cancer (LC), and 351 with rectal cancer. Localization of rectal cancers was assessed by enema examination and rigid endoscopy. Results There were no significant differences between rectal Rs, RC and LC in rates of liver and lung metastasis or LR . Lung metastasis or LR were significantly more common among Rab rectal cancers (in Japan) than among right-sided and left-sided colon cancers (p=0.0043, p=0.0002). Lung metastases and LR occurred at significantly higher rates in rectal cancers measuring ≤12 cm and ≤10 cm than in colon cancers (p=0.0117, p=0.0467, p=0.0036, p=0.0010 respectively). Finally, the liver and lung metastases and LR rates of rectal cancers measuring 11 to 15 cm were 6.9%, 2.8%, and 5.7%, respectively. This indicated Equivalent to colon cancer . Conclusions The upper rectum may have the same treatment strategies as the colon cancer. There was no difference in the classification of colorectal cancer between Japan and western countries
Simultaneous Birefringence and Absorption Mapping in Large-Size Sapphire Substrates for Gravitational-Wave Interferometry
Authors: Zeidler Simon , Li Pengbo , Eisenmann Marc , Bazzan Marco , Leonardi Matteo
Published: April 2022

In high-sensitive laser interferometers, such as the gravitational-wave detector KAGRA, ultra-high quality mirrors are essential. In the case of KAGRA, where cavity-mirrors are cooled down to 20 K, we are using large-size Sapphire crystals as the substrate for the main mirrors to achieve both a good optical quality (i.e., low absorption and uniform refractive index) and optimized thermal behavior under cryogenic temperatures. In order to characterize refractive-index inhomogeneities of large-size uniaxial samples such as the KAGRA Sapphire test-masses, we developed a dedicated setup, allowing to resolve birefringence changes with a sensitivity in the order of ∆n ≈ 10 −10 and a spatial resolution of 0.3 × 0.3 mm 2. In this paper, we will further show how we could draw information of internal stress distributions from the measured birefringence and present for the first time measurements on a KAGRA-sized Sapphire substrate which has been characterized in terms of absorption already in an earlier work. Both birefringence inhomogeneities and absorption distributions will be compared and correlations discussed.