bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Narrating the End of the World: The Pandemic, the Climate and The Death of Virgil
Authors: Johansson Sven Anders
Published: January 2022

There is a widespread narrative today that, due to climate change, we are living in the end of times. What does this apocalyptic narrative tell us about our relation to death? A peculiarity with the climate discourse is that “we”, i.e., mankind, are given a position that is both external and internal to the problems described. On the one hand, there is an all-encompassing apocalyptic mood, on the other hand, death appears as a scandal, something we had abolished. In order to capture this peculiarity, the article adopts the narratological concept of the “focalizer”. After comparing the way climate change is addressed by the philosophers Martin Hägglund and Roy Scranton, respectively, the article turns to Hermann Broch’s novel The Death of Virgil (1945). Here, another perspective on dying and the end of civilization may be found. In that way, Broch’s novel provides a much needed perspective on today’s apocalyptic narratives. With Broch, one may argue that the end of the world takes place all the time.
Monitoring Patients with Light Chain (AL) Amyloidosis during and after Therapy: Response Assessment and Identification of Relapse
Authors: Milani Paolo , Cibeira M. Teresa
Published: January 2022

Light chain amyloidosis is a complex disease where a small B-cell clone produces a monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain that causes deposits and specific organ dysfunction. The available treatment strategies aim to reduce or eliminate amyloidogenic light chain production in order to avoid amyloid deposition and allow the repair of organ damage. An international effort allowed the definition of validated hematologic and organ response criteria based on biomarkers. Recently, new methods for the assessment of minimal residual disease were also proposed but still need international validation. Lastly, a joint effort is also required to accurately define relapse/progression criteria in order to apply timely therapeutic interventions. In this review, we describe the validated response criteria and report on the future direction for the definition of progression criteria in this disease.
The Effect of the Double Reasoned Maturation (DMR) Method on the Chemical Composition of the Juice and Wine of the Bianca Grape Cultivar
Authors: Nyitrainé Sárdy Diána Ágnes , Németh Erzsébet Krisztina , Matolcsi Réka , Szabó Anna , Varga Zsuzsanna
Published: January 2022

This paper aims to detect the effects of DMR (double reasoned maturation) method, and if it is able to increase the quality of Hungary’s most distributed white wine variety, Bianca. The resistant interspecific hybrid Bianca cultivar can accumulate high sugar content during ripening, but it is prone to drastic acid loss, which can lead to deficient microbiological stability of wines. The DMR method is suitable for achieving fruit with better sugar/acid ratio due to the shrinking of the berries. The DMR treatment was found to be a possible tool for avoiding rapid acid loss in Bianca juices. Early cutting of one-year-old wood and early harvest were found to be the ideal combination for increasing quality.
Can We Identify Patients in Danger of Complications in Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery?—A Retrospective Risk Factors Analysis
Authors: Ratajczak Jakub Marek , Hladun Taras , Krenz Bartosz , Bromber Krzysztof , Salagierski Maciej , Marczak Michał
Published: January 2022

Retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) is an innovative and effective method of kidney stones treatment, as it had great influence on the development of endoscopy in urology. The increasing prevalence of urolithiasis together with the rapid development of endourology leads to a rise in the number of procedures related to the disease. Flexible ureteroscopy is constantly being improved, especially regarding the effectiveness and safety of the procedure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate intraoperative and early post-operative complications of RIRS in the treatment of kidney stones. A retrospective analysis of medical records was performed. A series was comprised of 207 consecutive operations performed from 2017 to 2020. Complications occurred in 19.3% (n = 40) of patients. Occurrence according to the Clavien-Dindo scale was: 11.1% for grade I, 5.8% for grade II and 2.4% for grade IV. Infectious complications included SIRS (5.3%, n = 11) and sepsis (2.4%, n = 5). Statistical analysis revealed a correlation between acute post-operative infections and positive midstream urine culture, history of chronic or recurrent urinary tract infections, and increased body mass index (BMI). Furthermore, a significant correlation was observed between pain requiring the use of opioids with BMI over 25. Consequently, history of urinary tract infections, positive pre-operative urine culture, and increased BMI are considered risk factors and require appropriate management.
Examining Cultural Differences in the Associations between Appraisals and Emotion Regulation and PostTraumatic Stress Disorder in Malaysian and Australian Trauma Survivors
Authors: Jobson Laura , Haque Shamsul , Abdullah Siti Zainab , Lee Bryan , Li Haoxiang , Reyneke Tamsyn , Tan Britney Kerr Wen , Lau Winnie , Liddell Belinda
Published: January 2022

Appraisals and emotional regulation play a central role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite research demonstrating cultural differences in everyday appraisals and emotion regulation, little research has investigated the influence of culture on these processes in PTSD. This study examined cultural differences in the associations between appraisals, emotion regulation and PTSD symptoms using trauma survivors from an individualistic Western culture (Australia) and a collectivistic Asian culture (Malaysia). Trauma survivors (N = 228; 107 Australian with European cultural heritage, 121 Malaysian with Malay, Indian or Chinese cultural heritage) completed an on-line survey assessing PTSD (PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 with Life Events Checklist), appraisals (trauma-related, fatalism, cultural beliefs about adversity) and emotion regulation (suppression, reappraisal, interpersonal). The Malaysian group reported significantly greater fatalism, cultural beliefs about adversity, suppression and interpersonal emotion regulation than the Australian group. Greater trauma-specific appraisals, greater suppression, fewer cultural beliefs about adversity, and less use of social skills to enhance positivity were generally associated with greater PTSD symptom severity, with little evidence of cultural group moderating these associations. Interdependent self-construal mediated the relationships between cultural adversity beliefs, enhanced positivity, reappraisal, perspective taking and PTSD symptoms. Independent self-construal mediated the relationships between fatalism and perspective taking and PTSD symptoms. Cultural group did not moderate these indirect effects. Interdependent self-construal mediated the associations between interpersonal regulation strategies of soothing and social modelling with PTSD symptoms for the Malaysian but not the Australian group. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering self-construal and culture in understanding factors associated with PTSD.
A Comprehensive Instrument to Measure Teachers’ Attitude towards Quality Management in the Context of Online Education
Authors: Tzafilkou Katerina , Mâță Liliana , Curpănaru Gabriela Livia , Stoica Ionuț Viorel , Voinea Lucian Nicolae , Șufaru Constantin
Published: January 2022

The purpose of this study is to elaborate and validate a scale for the evaluation of the teachers’ attitude towards quality management, by integrating elements of online education. Nine hundred and forty-two teachers from Romania have participated in the study. The exploratory factor analysis has led to the identification of three main dimensions of the scale: (1) communication and alignment; (2) needs and opportunities; and (3) training and support. Teachers participating in managing positions or in quality assurance boards indicated a more positive attitude towards the three components. Furthermore, teachers of a higher teaching experience reported higher values in the needs and opportunities component. The results are useful to educational institutions, program designers and policy makers to evaluate the teachers’ attitude towards quality management.
The Effect of Body Composition on Gait Variability Varies with Age: Interaction by Hierarchical Moderated Regression Analysis
Authors: Lee Yungon , Shin Sunghoon
Published: January 2022

Although body composition has been found to affect various motor functions (e.g., locomotion and balance), there is limited information on the effect of the interaction between body composition and age on gait variability. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of body composition on gait according to age. A total of 80 men (40 young and 40 older males) participated in the experiment. Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), and gait parameters were measured with seven-dimensional inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors as each participant walked for 6 min at their preferred pace. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis, including height as a control variable and age as a moderator variable, was performed to determine whether body composition could predict gait parameters. In young males, stride length decreased as body fat percentage (BFP) increased (R2 = 13.4%), and in older males, stride length decreased more markedly as BFP increased (R2 = 26.3%). However, the stride length coefficient of variation (CV) of the older males increased significantly as BFP increased (R2 = 16.2%), but the stride length CV of young males did not change even when BFP increased. The increase in BFP was a factor that simultaneously caused a decrease in gait performance and an increase in gait instability in older males. Therefore, BFP is more important for a stable gait in older males.
Therapeutic Targets and Emerging Treatments in Advanced Chondrosarcoma
Authors: Miwa Shinji , Yamamoto Norio , Hayashi Katsuhiro , Takeuchi Akihiko , Igarashi Kentaro , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki
Published: January 2022

Due to resistance to standard anticancer agents, it is difficult to control the disease progression in patients with metastatic or unresectable chondrosarcoma. Novel therapeutic approaches, such as molecule-targeting drugs and immunotherapy, are required to improve clinical outcomes in patients with advanced chondrosarcoma. Recent studies have suggested several promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets for chondrosarcoma, including IDH1/2 and COL2A1. Several molecule-targeting agents and immunotherapies have shown favorable antitumor activity in clinical studies in patients with advanced chondrosarcomas. This review summarizes recent basic studies on biomarkers and molecular targets and recent clinical studies on the treatment of chondrosarcomas.
Inflammatory Arthritis and Bone Metabolism Regulated by Type 2 Innate and Adaptive Immunity
Authors: Omata Yasunori , Frech Michael , Saito Taku , Schett Georg , Zaiss Mario M. , Tanaka Sakae
Published: January 2022

While type 2 immunity has traditionally been associated with the control of parasitic infections and allergic reactions, increasing evidence suggests that type 2 immunity exerts regulatory functions on inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, and also on bone homeostasis. This review summarizes the current evidence of the regulatory role of type 2 immunity in arthritis and bone. Key type 2 cytokines, like interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13, but also others such as IL-5, IL-9, IL-25, and IL-33, exert regulatory properties on arthritis, dampening inflammation and inducing resolution of joint swelling. Furthermore, these cytokines share anti-osteoclastogenic properties and thereby reduce bone resorption and protect bone. Cellular effectors of this action are both T cells (i.e., Th2 and Th9 cells), but also non-T cells, like type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2). Key regulatory actions mediated by type 2 cytokines and immune cells on both inflammation as well as bone homeostasis are discussed.
Current and New Challenges in the Management of Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: The Role of miRNA-Based Approaches as New Reliable Biomarkers
Authors: Havasi Andrei , Sur Daniel , Cainap Simona Sorana , Lungulescu Cristian-Virgil , Gavrilas Laura-Ioana , Cainap Calin , Vlad Catalin , Balacescu Ovidiu
Published: January 2022

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are rare tumors; however, their incidence greatly increases with age, and they occur more frequently among the elderly. They represent 5% of all pancreatic tumors, and despite the fact that low-grade tumors often have an indolent evolution, they portend a poor prognosis in an advanced stages and undifferentiated tumors. Additionally, functional pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors greatly impact quality of life due to the various clinical syndromes that result from abnormal hormonal secretion. With limited therapeutic and diagnostic options, patient stratification and selection of optimal therapeutic strategies should be the main focus. Modest improvements in the management of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors have been achieved in the last years. Therefore, it is imperative to find new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies to improve patient survival and quality of life, limiting the disease burden. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous molecules that modulate the expression of thousands of genes and control numerous critical processes involved in tumor development and progression. New data also suggest the implication of miRNAs in treatment resistance and their potential as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this review, we discusses the current and new challenges in the management of PanNETs, including genetic and epigenetic approaches. Furthermore, we summarize the available data on miRNAs as potential prognostic, predictive, or diagnostic biomarkers and discuss their function as future therapeutic targets.
Cytokine Receptors—Regulators of Antimycobacterial Immune Response
Authors: Druszczyńska Magdalena , Godkowicz Magdalena , Kulesza Jakub , Wawrocki Sebastian , Fol Marek
Published: January 2022

Cytokine receptors are critical regulators of the antimycobacterial immune response, playing a key role in initiating and coordinating the recruitment and activation of immune cells during infection. They recognize and bind specific cytokines and are involved in inducing intracellular signal transduction pathways that regulate a diverse range of biological functions, including proliferation, differentiation, metabolism and cell growth. Due to mutations in cytokine receptor genes, defective signaling may contribute to increased susceptibility to mycobacteria, allowing the pathogens to avoid killing and immune surveillance. This paper provides an overview of cytokine receptors important for the innate and adaptive immune responses against mycobacteria and discusses the implications of receptor gene defects for the course of mycobacterial infection.
Oestrogenic Regulation of Mitochondrial Dynamics
Authors: Beikoghli Kalkhoran Siavash , Kararigas Georgios
Published: January 2022

Biological sex influences disease development and progression. The steroid hormone 17β-oestradiol (E2), along with its receptors, is expected to play a major role in the manifestation of sex differences. E2 exerts pleiotropic effects in a system-specific manner. Mitochondria are one of the central targets of E2, and their biogenesis and respiration are known to be modulated by E2. More recently, it has become apparent that E2 also regulates mitochondrial fusion–fission dynamics, thereby affecting cellular metabolism. The aim of this article is to discuss the regulatory pathways by which E2 orchestrates the activity of several components of mitochondrial dynamics in the cardiovascular and nervous systems in health and disease. We conclude that E2 regulates mitochondrial dynamics to maintain the mitochondrial network promoting mitochondrial fusion and attenuating mitochondrial fission in both the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Air Plasma-Activated Medium Evokes a Death-Associated Perinuclear Mitochondrial Clustering
Authors: Suzuki-Karasaki Manami , Ando Takashi , Ochiai Yushi , Kawahara Kenta , Suzuki-Karasaki Miki , Nakayama Hideki , Suzuki-Karasaki Yoshihiro
Published: January 2022

Intractable cancers such as osteosarcoma (OS) and oral cancer (OC) are highly refractory, recurrent, and metastatic once developed, and their prognosis is still disappointing. Tumor-targeted therapy, which eliminates cancers effectively and safely, is the current clinical choice. Since aggressive tumors are substantially resistant to multidisciplinary therapies that target apoptosis, tumor-specific activation of another cell death modality is a promising avenue for meeting this goal. Here, we report that a cold atmospheric air plasma-activated medium (APAM) can kill OS and OC by causing a unique mitochondrial clustering. This event was named monopolar perinuclear mitochondrial clustering (MPMC) based on its characteristic unipolar mitochondrial perinuclear accumulation. The APAM caused apoptotic and nonapoptotic cell death. The APAM increased mitochondrial ROS (mROS) and cell death, and the antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prevented them. MPMC occurred following mitochondrial fragmentation, which coincided with nuclear damages. MPMC was accompanied by mitochondrial lipid peroxide (mLPO) accumulation and prevented by NAC, Ferrostatin-1, and Nocodazole. In contrast, the APAM induced minimal cell death, mROS generation, mLPO accumulation, and MPMC in fibroblasts. These results suggest that MPMC occurs in a tumor-specific manner via mitochondrial oxidative stress and microtubule-driven mitochondrial motility. MPMC induction might serve as a promising target for exerting tumor-specific cytotoxicity.
Do We Have Viable Protective Strategies against Anesthesia-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity?
Authors: Useinovic Nemanja , Maksimovic Stefan , Near Michelle , Quillinan Nidia , Jevtovic-Todorovic Vesna
Published: January 2022

Since its invention, general anesthesia has been an indispensable component of modern surgery. While traditionally considered safe and beneficial in many pathological settings, hundreds of preclinical studies in various animal species have raised concerns about the detrimental and long-lasting consequences that general anesthetics may cause to the developing brain. Clinical evidence of anesthetic neurotoxicity in humans continues to mount as we continue to contemplate how to move forward. Notwithstanding the alarming evidence, millions of children are being anesthetized each year, setting the stage for substantial healthcare burdens in the future. Hence, furthering our knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity is crucially important and should enable us to develop protective strategies so that currently available general anesthetics could be safely used during critical stages of brain development. In this mini-review, we provide a summary of select strategies with primary focus on the mechanisms of neuroprotection and potential for clinical applicability. First, we summarize a diverse group of chemicals with the emphasis on intracellular targets and signal-transduction pathways. We then discuss epigenetic and transgenerational effects of general anesthetics and potential remedies, and also anesthesia-sparing or anesthesia-delaying approaches. Finally, we present evidence of a novel class of anesthetics with a distinct mechanism of action and a promising safety profile.
Fosfomycin Resistance Evolutionary Pathways of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Different Growing Conditions
Authors: Gil-Gil Teresa , Martínez José L.
Published: January 2022

The rise of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens and the lack of novel antibiotics to address this problem has led to the rescue of old antibiotics without a relevant use, such as fosfomycin. Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative, non-fermenter opportunistic pathogen that presents a characteristic low susceptibility to several antibiotics of common use. Previous work has shown that while the so-far described mechanisms of fosfomycin resistance in most bacteria consist of the inactivation of the target or the transporters of this antibiotic, as well as the production of antibiotic-inactivating enzymes, these mechanisms are not selected in S. maltophilia fosfomycin-resistant mutants. In this microorganism, fosfomycin resistance is caused by the inactivation of enzymes belonging to its central carbon metabolism, hence linking metabolism with antibiotic resistance. Consequently, it is relevant to determine how different growing conditions, including urine and synthetic sputum medium that resemble infection, could impact the evolutionary pathways towards fosfomycin resistance in S. maltophilia. Our results show that S. maltophilia is able to acquire high-level fosfomycin resistance under all tested conditions. However, although some of the genetic changes leading to resistance are common, there are specific mutations that are selected under each of the tested conditions. These results indicate that the pathways of S. maltophilia evolution can vary depending on the infection point and provide information for understanding in more detail the routes of fosfomycin resistance evolution in S. maltophilia.
Effect of Myosin Isoforms on Cardiac Muscle Twitch of Mice, Rats and Humans
Authors: Prodanovic Momcilo , Geeves Michael A. , Poggesi Corrado , Regnier Michael , Mijailovich Srboljub M.
Published: January 2022

To understand how pathology-induced changes in contractile protein isoforms modulate cardiac muscle function, it is necessary to quantify the temporal-mechanical properties of contractions that occur under various conditions. Pathological responses are much easier to study in animal model systems than in humans, but extrapolation between species presents numerous challenges. Employing computational approaches can help elucidate relationships that are difficult to test experimentally by translating the observations from rats and mice, as model organisms, to the human heart. Here, we use the spatially explicit MUSICO platform to model twitch contractions from rodent and human trabeculae collected in a single laboratory. This approach allowed us to identify the variations in kinetic characteristics of α- and β-myosin isoforms across species and to quantify their effect on cardiac muscle contractile responses. The simulations showed how the twitch transient varied with the ratio of the two myosin isoforms. Particularly, the rate of tension rise was proportional to the fraction of α-myosin present, while the β-isoform dominated the rate of relaxation unless α-myosin was >50%. Moreover, both the myosin isoform and the Ca2+ transient contributed to the twitch tension transient, allowing two levels of regulation of twitch contraction.
An Optimized MRM-Based Workflow of the l-Arginine/Nitric Oxide Pathway Metabolites Revealed Disease- and Sex-Related Differences in the Cardiovascular Field
Authors: Porro Benedetta , Eligini Sonia , Conte Edoardo , Cosentino Nicola , Capra Nicolò , Cavalca Viviana , Banfi Cristina
Published: January 2022

Clinical data indicate that low circulating l-homoarginine (HArg) concentrations are associated with cardiovascular (CV) disease, CV mortality, and all-cause mortality. A high number of LC-based analytical methods for the quantification of HArg, in combination with the l-arginine (Arg)-related pathway metabolites, have been reported. However, these methods usually consider a limited panel of analytes. Thus, in order to achieve a comprehensive picture of the Arg metabolism, we described an improved targeted metabolomic approach based on a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous quantification of the Arg/nitric oxide (NO) pathway metabolites. This methodology was then employed to quantify the plasma concentrations of these analytes in a cohort of individuals with different grades/types of coronary artery disease (CAD) in order to increase knowledge about the role of HArg and its associated metabolites in the CV field. Our results showed that the MRM method here implemented is suitable for the simultaneous assessment of a wide panel of amino acids involved in the Arg/NO metabolic pathway in plasma samples from patients with CV disease. Further, our findings highlighted an impairment of the Arg/NO metabolic pathway, and suggest a sex-dependent regulation of this metabolic route.
Arachidin-1, a Prenylated Stilbenoid from Peanut, Induces Apoptosis in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells
Authors: Mohammadhosseinpour Sepideh , Ho Linh-Chi , Fang Lingling , Xu Jianfeng , Medina-Bolivar Fabricio
Published: January 2022

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is unresponsive to typical hormonal treatments, causing it to be one of the deadliest forms of breast cancer. Investigating alternative therapies to increase survival rates for this disease is essential. The goal of this study was to assess cytotoxicity and apoptosis mechanisms of prenylated stilbenoids in TNBC cells. The prenylated stilbenoids arachidin-1 (A-1) and arachidin-3 (A-3) are analogs of resveratrol (RES) produced in peanut upon biotic stress. The anticancer activity of A-1 and A-3 isolated from peanut hairy root cultures was determined in TNBC cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-436. After 24 h of treatment, A-1 exhibited higher cytotoxicity than A-3 and RES with approximately 11-fold and six-fold lower IC50, respectively, in MDA-MB-231 cells, and nine-fold and eight-fold lower IC50, respectively, in MDA-MB-436 cells. A-1 did not show significant cytotoxicity in the non-cancerous cell line MCF-10A. While A-1 blocked cell division in G2-M phases in the TNBC cells, it did not affect cell division in MCF-10A cells. Furthermore, A-1 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis through the intrinsic pathway by activating caspase-9 and PARP cleavage, and inhibiting survivin. In conclusion, A-1 merits further research as a potential lead molecule for the treatment of TNBC.
Application of Alginate Hydrogels for Next-Generation Articular Cartilage Regeneration
Authors: Liu Wei , Madry Henning , Cucchiarini Magali
Published: January 2022

The articular cartilage has insufficient intrinsic healing abilities, and articular cartilage injuries often progress to osteoarthritis. Alginate-based scaffolds are attractive biomaterials for cartilage repair and regeneration, allowing for the delivery of cells and therapeutic drugs and gene sequences. In light of the heterogeneity of findings reporting the benefits of using alginate for cartilage regeneration, a better understanding of alginate-based systems is needed in order to improve the approaches aiming to enhance cartilage regeneration with this compound. This review provides an in-depth evaluation of the literature, focusing on the manipulation of alginate as a tool to support the processes involved in cartilage healing in order to demonstrate how such a material, used as a direct compound or combined with cell and gene therapy and with scaffold-guided gene transfer procedures, may assist cartilage regeneration in an optimal manner for future applications in patients.
PSMA-Targeting Imaging and Theranostic Agents—Current Status and Future Perspective
Authors: Debnath Sashi , Zhou Ning , McLaughlin Mark , Rice Samuel , Pillai Anil K. , Hao Guiyang , Sun Xiankai
Published: January 2022

In the past two decades, extensive efforts have been made to develop agents targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for prostate cancer imaging and therapy. To date, represented by two recent approvals of [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [18F]F-DCFPyL by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to identify suspected metastases or recurrence in patients with prostate cancer, PSMA-targeting imaging and theranostic agents derived from small molecule PSMA inhibitors have advanced to clinical practice and trials of prostate cancer. The focus of current development of new PSMA-targeting agents has thus shifted to the improvement of in vivo pharmacokinetics and higher specific binding affinity with the aims to further increase the detection sensitivity and specificity and minimize the toxicity to non-target tissues, particularly the kidneys. The main strategies involve systematic chemical modifications of the linkage between the targeting moiety and imaging/therapy payloads. In addition to a summary of the development history of PSMA-targeting agents, this review provides an overview of current advances and future promise of PSMA-targeted imaging and theranostics with focuses on the structural determinants of the chemical modification towards the next generation of PSMA-targeting agents.
Metallic Structures: Effective Agents to Fight Pathogenic Microorganisms
Authors: Pereira Diana , Carreira Tiago Soares , Alves Nuno , Sousa Ângela , Valente Joana F. A.
Published: January 2022

The current worldwide pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had alerted the population to the risk that small microorganisms can create for humankind’s wellbeing and survival. All of us have been affected, directly or indirectly, by this situation, and scientists all over the world have been trying to find solutions to fight this virus by killing it or by stop/decrease its spread rate. Numerous kinds of microorganisms have been occasionally created panic in world history, and several solutions have been proposed to stop their spread. Among the most studied antimicrobial solutions, are metals (of different kinds and applied in different formats). In this regard, this review aims to present a recent and comprehensive demonstration of the state-of-the-art in the use of metals, as well as their mechanisms, to fight different pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Comprehensive Profiling of Paper Mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) Crotonylome Reveals the Significance of Lysine Crotonylation in Young Leaves
Authors: Dong Yibo , Chen Chao
Published: January 2022

Lysine crotonylation is a newly discovered and reversible posttranslational modification involved in various biological processes, especially metabolism regulation. A total of 5159 lysine crotonylation sites in 2272 protein groups were identified. Twenty-seven motifs were found to be the preferred amino acid sequences for crotonylation sites. Functional annotation analyses revealed that most crotonylated proteins play important roles in metabolic processes and photosynthesis. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that lysine crotonylation preferentially targets a variety of important biological processes, including ribosome, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism, carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms, proteasome and the TCA cycle, indicating lysine crotonylation is involved in the common mechanism of metabolic regulation. A protein interaction network analysis revealed that diverse interactions are modulated by protein crotonylation. These results suggest that lysine crotonylation is involved in a variety of biological processes. HSP70 is a crucial protein involved in protecting plant cells and tissues from thermal or abiotic stress responses, and HSP70 protein was found to be crotonylated in paper mulberry. This systematic analysis provides the first comprehensive analysis of lysine crotonylation in paper mulberry and provides important resources for further study on the regulatory mechanism and function of the lysine crotonylated proteome.
Induced Neurodifferentiation of hBM-MSCs through Activation of the ERK/CREB Pathway via Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields and Physical Stimulation Promotes Neurogenesis in Cerebral Ischemic Models
Authors: Park Hee-Jung , Choi Ju-Hye , Nam Myeong-Hyun , Seo Young-Kwon
Published: January 2022

Stroke is among the leading causes of death worldwide, and stroke patients are more likely to live with permanent disabilities even after treatment. Several treatments are being developed to improve the quality of life of patients; however, these treatments still have important limitations. Our study thus sought to evaluate the neural differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) at various pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) frequencies. Furthermore, the effects of selected frequencies in vivo were also evaluated using a mouse ischemia stroke model. Cell proliferation decreased by 20% in the PEMF group, as demonstrated by the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) secretion increased by approximately 10% in an LDH release assay. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis demonstrated that CD73 and CD105 were downregulated in the PEMF group at 60 Hz. Moreover, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) and neurofilament light chain (NF-L) were upregulated in cell cultures at 60 and 75 Hz. To assess the effects of PEMF in vivo, cerebral ischemia mice were exposed to a PEMF at 60 Hz. Neural-related proteins were significantly upregulated in the PEMF groups compared with the control and cell group. Upon conducting rotarod tests, the cell/PEMF group exhibited significant differences in motor coordination at 13 days post-treatment when compared with the control and stem-cell-treated group. Furthermore, the cell and cell/PEMF group exhibited a significant reduction in the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the induced ischemic area compared with the control. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that PEMFs at 60 and 75 Hz could stimulate hBM-MSCs neural differentiation in vitro, in addition to promoting neurogenesis to enhance the functional recovery process by reducing the post-stroke inflammatory reaction.
Structural Insights into the Ligand-Binding and -Releasing Mechanism of Helicoverpa armigera Pheromone-Binding Protein PBP1
Authors: Zheng Jiangge , Yang Meiting , Dong Kun , Zhang Jianbo , Wang Huali , Xie Mengjia , Wu Wei , Zhang Yong-Jun , Chen Zhongzhou
Published: January 2022

Cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) is a worldwide agricultural pest in which the transport of pheromones is indispensable and perceived by pheromone-binding proteins (PBPs). However, three-dimensional structure, pheromone binding, and releasing mechanisms of PBPs are not completely illustrated. Here, we solved three structures of the cotton bollworm HarmPBP1 at different pH values and its complex with ligand, Z-9-hexadecenal. Although apo-HarmPBP1 adopts a common PBP scaffold of six α-helices surrounding a predominantly hydrophobic central pocket, the conformation is greatly distinct from other apo-PBPs. The Z-9-hexadecenal is bound mainly by hydrophobic interaction. The pheromone can enter this cavity through an opening between the helices α5 and α6, as well as the loop between α3 and α4. Structural analysis suggests that ligand entry into the pocket is followed by a shift of Lys94 and Lys138, which may act as a lid at the opening of the pocket. Acidic pH will cause a subtle structural change of the lid, which in turn affects its ligand-binding ability, differently from other family proteins. Taken together, this study provides structural bases for the interactions between pheromones and PBPs, the pH-induced conformational switch, and the design of small inhibitors to control cotton bollworms by disrupting male–female chemosensory communication.
Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of Laser Versus Pneumatic Intracorporeal Lithotripsy for Treatment of Bladder Stones in Children
Authors: Abd Ziad H. , Muter Samir A.
Published: January 2022

This study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of laser lithotripsy and pneumatic lithotripsy, the two most commonly used transurethral lithotripsy methods for treating bladder stones in children in Iraq. Between January 2013 and December 2016, 64 children with bladder stones were included in this prospective randomized study, after ethical committee approval and written consent from the children’s parents or caregivers were obtained. Patients were assigned randomly by computer software to two groups treated with either pneumatic cystolithotripsy or laser lithotripsy. A 9 Fr. semirigid ureteroscope was used to pass the lithotripter through and fragment the stone. A catheter of 8–12 Fr. was then introduced and kept in place for 24 h. All children were hospitalized for 24 h, and the catheter was removed the next morning. Outpatient follow-up was maintained for 6–12 months. In terms of operation outcomes and complications, the laser lithotripsy group had a significantly longer duration of operation (74.5 ± 26.6 min vs. 51.5 ± 17.2 min, p = 0.001), whereas the number of patients requiring an extended hospital stay was significantly higher in the pneumatic lithotripsy group (48.5% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.006). Moreover, pneumatic lithotripsy was associated with a significantly greater risk of having at least one adverse effect (64% greater than that in the laser group). Stone clearance rates did not significantly differ between treatment groups. In conclusion, both pneumatic and laser lithotripters can be used to treat children with bladder stones with high efficacy and safety.
The Logic of Collective Action for Rural Warehouse Condominiums
Authors: Filippi Amanda Cristina Gaban , Guarnieri Patricia , da Cunha Cleyzer Adrian , Wander Alcido Elenor
Published: January 2022

Background: Given several bottlenecks in Brazil in distribution logistics, mainly in transport and warehouse activities, some new forms of collective action have appeared. The Condominiums of Rural Warehouses was conceived of to overcome these bottlenecks and provide better income and competitiveness to small producers in agribusiness. This article aims to analyse aspects of collective action with the focus of Rural Condominiums in the context of Brazilian agribusiness. Methods: We conducted exploratory, descriptive and qualitative research under the Theory of Logic of Collective Action lens for this purpose. Besides conducting a literature review, we conducted a semi-structured interview with the managers of the Rural Warehouse Condominiums. We analysed the data through a Categorial Content Analysis. Results: The main results show an approximation of the rural model of the Condominiums of Rural Warehouses with the Theory of Logic of Collective Action, mainly for small producers. Conclusions: We highlight the feasibility of the warehouse structure collectively, as it strengthens and provides greater efficiency to rural business and producers, inserts and integrates the industry into a competitive market environment, provides economic and social benefits, leads to cost reduction, and increased profit. The economic, social and logistical determinants show the product’s commercialisation, logistical gains, and the producers’ association regarding the development and growth of rural collective action. This paper can be helpful for practitioners and researchers interested in this field.
Revealing a Novel Antigen Repressor of Differentiation Kinase 2 for Diagnosis of Human Visceral Leishmaniasis in India
Authors: Bhattacharyya Anirban , Kamran Mohd , Ejazi Sarfaraz Ahmad , Das Sonali , Didwania Nicky , Bhattacharjee Rahul , Rahaman Mehebubar , Goswami Rama Prosad , Pandey Krishna , Das Vidya Nand Ravi , Das Pradeep , Gayen Saswati , Ali Nahid
Published: January 2022

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is one of the major global health concerns due to its association with morbidity and mortality. All available diagnostic tools have been, until now, unable to provide a very specific and cost-effective mode of detection for VL globally. Therefore, the design of robust, specific, and commercially translatable diagnostic tests is urgently required. Currently, we are attempting to identify and explore the diagnostic potential of a novel parasite antigen. Repressor of differentiation kinase 2 (RDK2), a serine/threonine kinase, has a versatile role in parasite life cycle progression. However, its role as a diagnostic candidate for VL has not been investigated. Herein, we cloned and over-expressed LdRDK2 and studied the recombinant RDK2 for the diagnosis of human VL using serum and urine samples. In silico analysis predicted that RDK2 is conserved among Leishmania species with the least conservation in humans. RDK2 developed immune-reactive bands with antibodies present in VL patients’ sera, and it demonstrated no cross-reactivity with sera from healthy controls and other diseases. Additionally, RDK2 antigen demonstrated a significant reactivity with IgG antibodies of VL patients’ sera, with 78% sensitivity and 86.67% specificity as compared to healthy controls and other diseases. Furthermore, we evaluated its utility for non-invasive diagnosis of VL using patients’ urine samples and found 93.8% sensitivity and 85.7% specificity. RDK2 was found to have better sensitivity and treatment response in patients’ urine compared to serum samples, indicating its role as a promising point of care (POC) antigen. In a nutshell, we explored the role of RDK2 as a potential diagnostic marker for VL in both invasive and non-invasive modes as well as its utility as a promising POC antigen for treatment response cases.
A Place for All People: Louise Nevelson’s Chapel of the Good Shepherd
Authors: Watson Caitlin Turski
Published: January 2022

In 1973, a church and a bank joined forces to reimagine an entire block of Midtown Manhattan. The church was St. Peter’s, and the bank was First National City Corporation, or Citicorp. The Citicorp Center, now owned jointly by St. Peter’s and the developer Boston Properties, remains an important nexus in Midtown. The following case study considers both the limitations of the site’s privately owned public spaces and how the Nevelson Chapel, a permanent public art installation located within St. Peter’s Church, operates as a counter-hegemonic form of privately owned public space—the sacred public space.
A 3D-Printed Knee Wearable Goniometer with a Mobile-App Interface for Measuring Range of Motion and Monitoring Activities
Authors: Rivera Bryan , Cano Consuelo , Luis Israel , Elias Dante A.
Published: January 2022

Wearable technology has been developed in recent years to monitor biomechanical variables in less restricted environments and in a more affordable way than optical motion capture systems. This paper proposes the development of a 3D printed knee wearable goniometer that uses a Hall-effect sensor to measure the knee flexion angle, which works with a mobile app that shows the angle in real-time as well as the activity the user is performing (standing, sitting, or walking). Detection of the activity is done through an algorithm that uses the knee angle and angular speeds as inputs. The measurements of the wearable are compared with a commercial goniometer, and, with the Aktos-t system, a commercial motion capture system based on inertial sensors, at three speeds of gait (4.0 km/h, 4.5 km/h, and 5.0 km/h) in nine participants. Specifically, the four differences between maximum and minimum peaks in the gait cycle, starting with heel-strike, were compared by using the mean absolute error, which was between 2.46 and 12.49 on average. In addition, the algorithm was able to predict the three activities during online testing in one participant and detected on average 94.66% of the gait cycles performed by the participants during offline testing.
Privacy-Preserving Human Action Recognition with a Many-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm
Authors: Climent-Pérez Pau , Florez-Revuelta Francisco
Published: January 2022

Wrist-worn devices equipped with accelerometers constitute a non-intrusive way to achieve active and assisted living (AAL) goals, such as automatic journaling for self-reflection, i.e., lifelogging, as well as to provide other services, such as general health and wellbeing monitoring, personal autonomy assessment, among others. Human action recognition (HAR), and in particular, the recognition of activities of daily living (ADLs), can be used for these types of assessment or journaling. In this paper, a many-objective evolutionary algorithm (MaOEA) is used in order to maximise action recognition from individuals while concealing (minimising recognition of) gender and age. To validate the proposed method, the PAAL accelerometer signal ADL dataset (v2.0) is used, which includes data from 52 participants (26 men and 26 women) and 24 activity class labels. The results show a drop in gender and age recognition to 58% (from 89%, a 31% drop), and to 39% (from 83%, a 44% drop), respectively; while action recognition stays closer to the initial value of 68% (from: 87%, i.e., 19% down).
Effect of Particle Size and Constraint Conditions on Single Particle Strength of Carbonate Sand
Authors: He Yong , Cai Guojun , Gao Lei , He Huan
Published: January 2022

Carbonate sand is often encountered and utilized as construction material in offshore engineering projects. Carbonate sand particles, which are porous and angular, are found to be highly crushable under high stress conditions, whereas the mechanisms and controlling factors for the crushing of carbonate sand particles are not well developed. The crushability and particle strength of around 400 particles from three fractions (5–10 mm, 2–5 mm, and 1–2 mm) of carbonate sand from the South China Sea were investigated via grain-scale single particle crushing tests. Special emphasis was placed on the effect of external constraint conditions (i.e., coordination number) and intrinsic particle morphology characteristics on the particle strength of carbonate soil. The particle strength of carbonate sand was found to be around half of quartz sand in terms of characteristic stress. Negative correlations, which could be depicted by an exponential equation, were found between the particle size and particle strength. Due to elongated particle shape and tensile stress concentration, a higher coordination number may lower the particle strength, which contradicts what was reported for quartz sands. A series of seven fundamental particle dimensions and five particle shape descriptors was characterized, and the aspect ratio was found to be one of the more influential shape descriptors for particle strength. The results enriched the database for the analysis of highly irregular geomaterial and provided insights into controlling factors of particle strength and crushing mechanisms of the carbonate sand.
A Novel Method for Space Circular Target Detection in Machine Vision
Authors: Hu Wenxue , Chi Jiannan , Liu Jiahui , Yang Zuoyun
Published: January 2022

Computer-vision-based space circular target detection has a wide range of applications in visual measurement, object detection, and other fields. The space circular target is projected into an ellipse in the camera for localization. Traditional methods based on monocular vision use a precise calculation model to calculate the center coordinate and normal vector of the space circular target according to the image’s elliptic parameters. However, this accurate calculation method has the disadvantage of poor anti-interference ability in practical application. Aiming at the shortcomings of the above traditional calculation method, this paper proposes an optimization method for fitting the circular target in 3D space, where the image ellipse is projected back into 3D space and then detects the center coordinate and normal vector of the space circular target. Unlike the traditional method, this approach is not sensitive to the image’s elliptic parameters; it has stronger noise resistance performance and notable application value. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method were verified by both simulation and practical experimental results.