bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Aggregated and Exosome-Associated α-Synuclein in Brain Tissue and Cerebrospinal Fluid Using Specific Immunoassays
Authors: Anagnostou Dimitrios , Sfakianaki Garifalia , Melachroinou Katerina , Soutos Miltiadis , Constantinides Vassilios , Vaikath Nishant , Tsantzali Ioanna , Paraskevas George P. , Agnaf Omar El , Vekrellis Kostas , Emmanouilidou Evangelia
Published: June 2023

Even though it is currently well-established that α-synuclein aggregation is closely associated with the pathological events in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and several other neurodegenerative disorders, collectively called synucleinopathies, the mechanistic link between α-synuclein aggregates and the onset and progression of neurodegeneration in these diseases remain unclear. The process of aggregation initiates from a structurally distorted monomer that gradually oligomerizes to generate a repertoire of fibrillar and oligomeric multimers that deposit within diseased cells in the brain. Total α-synuclein has been proposed as a potential biomarker in PD, but most of the studies do not discriminate between distinct α-synuclein conformers. To correlate protein measurements to disease pathology, we have developed a conformation-specific ELISA method that selectively detects fibrillar and oligomeric forms of α-synuclein without cross-reacting with monomers. We have used this assay to determine the levels of aggregated α-synuclein in human and mouse brain tissue as well as in CSF and CSF-derived exosomes from patients with synucleinopathy and control subjects. Our results verify the ability of the new assay to detect aggregated α-synuclein in complex matrices and support the idea that the levels of these conformers are related to the age of onset in PD patients, while CSF analysis showed that these species exist in low abundance in CSF and CSF-derived exosomes. Future studies will be required to fully assess the diagnostic usefulness of this ELISA in synucleinopathies.
Inter-Rater Agreement for Diagnosing Adenomyosis Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Transvaginal Ultrasonography
Authors: Andersson Johanna K. , Mucelli Raffaella Pozzi , Dueholm Margit , Fridsten Susanne , Grigoriadis Aristeidis , Guerriero Stefano , Leone Francesco Paolo , Valentin Lil , Van Den Bosch Thierry , Voulgarakis Nikolaos , Gemzell-Danielsson Kristina , Epstein Elisabeth
Published: June 2023

Our aim was to compare the inter-rater agreement about transvaginal ultrasonography (TVS) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with regard to diagnosing adenomyosis and for assessing various predefined imaging features of adenomyosis, in the same set of women. The study cohort included 51 women, prospectively, consecutively recruited based on a clinical suspicion of adenomyosis. MRIs and TVS videoclips and 3D volumes were retrospectively assessed by four experienced radiologists and five experienced sonographers, respectively. Each rater subjectively evaluated the presence or absence of adenomyosis, as well as imaging features suggestive of adenomyosis. Fleiss kappa (κ) was used to reflect inter-rater agreement for categorical data, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to reflect the reliability of quantitative data. Agreement between raters for diagnosing adenomyosis was higher for TVS than for MRI (κ = 0.42 vs. 0.28). MRI had a higher inter-rater agreement in assessing wall asymmetry, irregular junctional zone (JZ), and the presence of myometrial cysts, while TVU had a better agreement for assessing globular shape. MRI showed a moderate to good reliability for measuring the JZ (ICC = 0.57–0.82). For TVS, the JZ was unmeasurable in >50% of cases, and the remaining cases had low reliability (ICC = −0.31–0.08). We found that inter-rater agreement for diagnosing adenomyosis was higher for TVS than for MRI, despite the fact that MRI showed a higher inter-rater agreement in most specific features. Measurements of JZ in the coronal plane with 3D TVS were unreliable and thus unlikely to be useful for diagnosing adenomyosis.
Two-Dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography-Based Diagnosis of Right Ventricular Aneurysm: A Neglected Issue in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: Case Series and Literature Review
Authors: Sharifkazemi Mohammadbagher , Rahnamun Zahra , Jumana Zehra , Khosropanah Shahdad
Published: June 2023

Right ventricular (RV) aneurysm is a very rare ventricular lesion. An aneurysm is formed mainly as a complication of myocardial infarction (MI). As an RV aneurysm is a potentially life-threatening occurrence, its appropriate diagnosis is of great significance. However, right-sided heart diseases, especially RV aneurysms, have been neglected for years. Recent studies in the literature have elucidated the role of the right side of the heart in patients’ prognosis and response to treatment. However, RV aneurysm has been scarcely investigated, and most of the attention has been given to the left ventricular aneurysm in patients with ischemic heart diseases (IHD). Herein, we investigated a total of 625 patients with IHD referred for two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (2D TTE), among whom 18 were diagnosed with RV aneurysms through precise examination of several TTE views. The characteristics of these cases, including demographics, medical history, and results of cardiac tests (which the patients underwent previously), were recorded and presented. This study emphasized the importance of performing a meticulous 2D TTE evaluation and a thorough examination of different views by an expert echocardiographer, with special attention to the presence of an RV aneurysm in a patient suffering from IHD who presented either with acute coronary syndrome, including MI, or chronic IHD. The scarcity of information, especially in terms of complications and the most appropriate diagnostic methods, calls for further studies in this regard.
Genetic Characterization of Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto Isolated from Human Cysts from Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Santucciu Cinzia , Bonelli Piero , Peruzzu Angela , Fancellu Alessandro , Farà Antonella , Mastrandrea Scilla , Drocchi Giovanni , Cossu Antonio , Profili Stefano , Porcu Alberto , Masala Giovanna
Published: June 2023

This study involved 20 patients affected by cystic echinococcosis (CE) who were referred to different hospitals of Sardinia (Italy) from 2017 to 2022. By means of a multidisciplinary approach, diagnosis was confirmed for CE in 18 patients and for different aetiologies in two subjects. Moreover, serology was positive for 15 subjects. Since multiple CE cysts were found in five patients, a total of 27 lesions were collected; however, only one for each patient was investigated for genetic characterization of E. granulosus s.s. DNA isolates. Our results included 15 fertile cysts that underwent DNA extraction and amplification by three different PCRs targeting nuclear (calreticulin) and mitochondrial genes (cox1 and nad5). DNA was sequenced, and by neighbour-joining phylogenetic trees we determined 10 G1 and five G3 genotypes previously reported in Sardinia. These sequences were used to construct a network, along with those circulating in Mediterranean areas. The haplotype network calculated on cox1 evidenced seven different haplotypes of the 15 isolates, with SAR2 the most represented, carried by seven cysts, and SAR17 never described in the Mediterranean area. Meanwhile, the nad5 sequences showed the most common haplotype as nd5SAR7, as well as two new haplotypes not previously described, nd5SAR13, isolated from a Sardinian patient, and nd5SAR14, isolated from a Romanian patient.
Phosphoric Acid Etch Partially Restores the Initial Bond Strength of Composite to Silver Diamine Fluoride–Treated Enamel Using Universal Adhesives
Authors: Jabbour Zaher , Kim Mijoo , Hayashi Marc , Kim Reuben
Published: June 2023

Background: Restoring bonding composite to silver diamine fluoride (SDF)-treated enamel is challenging. This study investigates if phosphoric acid etch restores composite bond strength to SDF-treated enamel using universal adhesives. Methods: Twenty-four recently extracted permanent teeth were randomly divided into 4 (2 experimental (SDF) and 2 control (CTR)) groups: SDF+Water: SDF (1 min) then water rinse (15 mL); CTR+Water: no treatment and water rinse (15 mL); SDF+Etch+Water: SDF (1 min), 35% phosphoric acid (40 s) then water rinse (15 mL); CTR+Etch+Water no treatment, 35% phosphoric acid (40 s) then water rinse (15 mL). The enamel surface in all the groups was bonded (All-Bond Universal) to 4–5 mm composite blocks (Z-250). Each sample was sectioned, and 6–8 beams (1 mm × 1 mm) were selected. The micro-tensile bond strength was measured by dividing the micro-tensile force peak by the adhesive surface area. Univariate ANOVA and Chi-square were used for between-group comparisons with p < 0.05. Results: SDF+Water had significantly lower tensile strength compared to all the groups (p < 0.05). Although no difference was found in the tensile strength between the SDF+Etch+Water and the CTR+Etch+Water, the SDF+Etch+Water had significantly more adhesive failures compared to the CTR+Etch+Water (p = 0.047). Conclusions: While phosphoric acid etch seems to restore the initial composite bond strength to SDF-treated enamel, the long-term success of composite restorations bonded to SDF-treated enamel may need further investigation.
Nature-Inspired Algorithms from Oceans to Space: A Comprehensive Review of Heuristic and Meta-Heuristic Optimization Algorithms and Their Potential Applications in Drones
Authors: Darvishpoor Shahin , Darvishpour Amirsalar , Escarcega Mario , Hassanalian Mostafa
Published: June 2023

This paper reviews a majority of the nature-inspired algorithms, including heuristic and meta-heuristic bio-inspired and non-bio-inspired algorithms, focusing on their source of inspiration and studying their potential applications in drones. About 350 algorithms have been studied, and a comprehensive classification is introduced based on the sources of inspiration, including bio-based, ecosystem-based, social-based, physics-based, chemistry-based, mathematics-based, music-based, sport-based, and hybrid algorithms. The performance of 21 selected algorithms considering calculation time, max iterations, error, and the cost function is compared by solving 10 different benchmark functions from different types. A review of the applications of nature-inspired algorithms in aerospace engineering is provided, which illustrates a general view of optimization problems in drones that are currently used and potential algorithms to solve them.
Claiming Your Own Identity and Positionality: The First Steps toward Establishing Equity and Social Justice in Science Education
Authors: Rodriguez Alberto J. , Navarro-Camacho Marianela
Published: June 2023

If there is one major aspect that calls for science education reform in both Costa Rica and the United States have in common is that in both countries, science teachers are expected to establish an inclusive environment where students feel free to engage in discussions and investigations of real-world (socially relevant) issues. However, one aspect that teacher education programs in both countries have also in common is taking for granted the complexity of developing a teacher identity with the kind of cultural awareness, relevant pedagogy and content knowledge, and positionality necessary to meet the ambitious calls for science education reform. In our study, we sought to contribute to the understanding of these issues by assisting 17 pre-service high school science teachers in Costa Rica explore how their identity development and positionality might impact their abilities to establish culturally inclusive and socially relevant science classrooms. To this end, we offered participants culturally and socially relevant science teaching and curriculum development workshops for the last year and a half of their teacher professional program. Findings from the project’s first phase of analysis indicate significant growth in the participants’ identity development as culturally inclusive teachers responsible for making the science curriculum relevant for everyone.
An L-MOOC to Improve Communicative Competence: From Blended Learning to OERs in the University Classroom
Authors: Rovira-Collado José , Ruiz-Bañuls Mónica , Mateo-Guillen Copelia
Published: June 2023

Language MOOCs (L-MOOCs) are the MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) that focus on language learning. They may often present several problems in their design and development, such as their feasibility to improve students’ linguistic levels or in their materials’ adequacy and variety. Many of these courses have subsequently become Open Educational Resources (OERs), and their activities can be implemented in different learning situations. Our paper discusses the evaluation of the integration of the L-MOOC titled “Learn academic Spanish” (Aprende español académico) into existing curricula and the validation process carried out to evaluate its validity for the purpose of learning languages. The L-MOOC was developed within the MOOC2move project between 2018–2021 and was designed by the Open University, with the collaboration of the Spanish universities of León and Alicante. The evaluation and validation were carried out in October 2020. In an exceptional hybrid teaching situation, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the L-MOOC was taken by 345 students from the Faculty of Education of the University of Alicante. The validation of the course consisted of taking the L-MOOC, participating in the forums on the MOOC and completing the questionnaires to improve the materials. In our study, a quantitative analysis was carried out through two questionnaires provided to the students before and after implementing this L-MOOC. The results obtained underlined the effectiveness of this L-MOOC. This course and the materials provided allowed the use of OERs to practice academic Spanish and improve communicative competence of its users.
Flexible Load Multi-Step Forecasting Method Based on Non-Intrusive Load Decomposition
Authors: Chen Tie , Wan Wenhao , Li Xianshan , Qin Huayuan , Yan Wenwei
Published: June 2023

Accurate forecasting of flexible loads can capture the potential of their application and improve the adjustable space of the distribution network. Flexible load data, such as air conditioning (AC) and electric vehicles (EV), are generally included in the total load data, making it difficult to forecast them directly. To this end, this paper proposes a multi-step flexible load prediction model based on the non-intrusive load decomposition technique and Informer algorithm. The CNN-BiLSTM model is first used to decompose the flexible load from the total load via feature extraction and feature mapping of the flexible load to the overall load. The Informer model is then used to predict the flexible load and the residual load separately in multiple steps, and the prediction results are summed to obtain the overall prediction results. In this paper, the model is validated using two datasets, where in dataset 1, the prediction coefficients of determination for flexible load air conditioning and electric vehicles are 0.9329 and 0.9892. The predicted value of the total load is obtained by adding the flexible load to the residual load. At a prediction step of 1, the total load prediction coefficient of determination is 0.9813, which improves the prediction coefficient of determination by 0.0069 compared to the direct prediction of the total load, and prediction decision coefficient improves by 0.067 at 20 predicted steps. When applied to data set 2, the prediction coefficient of determination for flexible load air conditioning is 0.9646.
Multi-Sampling Rate Finite Control Set Model Predictive Control and Adaptive Method of Single-Phase Inverter
Authors: She Yunfeng , Huo Xiaoxiao , Tong Xiaoshan , Wang Chunjie , Fu Kunkun
Published: June 2023

With the development of power switches and processor performance in recent years, the control frequency of inverters has been significantly improved. However, limited by technology and price, the sensor sampling frequency in large-scale industrial applications is much lower than the inverter control frequency that can be realized. This frequency mismatch limits the performance improvement of the inverter. In this article, the current and voltage at the non-sampling time are reconstructed using the current prediction control principle and the input observer theory, allowing a single-phase inverter to implement multi-sampling rate control with a low sampling frequency and high control frequency. In addition, an improved adaptive controller is designed to solve the effect of incorrect model parameters, which realizes adaptive control when the sampling frequency and control frequency are mismatched. Finally, the effectiveness of the method is verified through a simulation and experiments. The proposed method can solve the problem of high-speed switching for inverters under low-sampling-frequency conditions, improving the inverter’s adaptive performance and robustness.
A New Data-Balancing Approach Based on Generative Adversarial Network for Network Intrusion Detection System
Authors: Jamoos Mohammad , Mora Antonio M. , AlKhanafseh Mohammad , Surakhi Ola
Published: June 2023

An intrusion detection system (IDS) plays a critical role in maintaining network security by continuously monitoring network traffic and host systems to detect any potential security breaches or suspicious activities. With the recent surge in cyberattacks, there is a growing need for automated and intelligent IDSs. Many of these systems are designed to learn the normal patterns of network traffic, enabling them to identify any deviations from the norm, which can be indicative of anomalous or malicious behavior. Machine learning methods have proven to be effective in detecting malicious payloads in network traffic. However, the increasing volume of data generated by IDSs poses significant security risks and emphasizes the need for stronger network security measures. The performance of traditional machine learning methods heavily relies on the dataset and its balanced distribution. Unfortunately, many IDS datasets suffer from imbalanced class distributions, which hampers the effectiveness of machine learning techniques and leads to missed detection and false alarms in conventional IDSs. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a novel model-based generative adversarial network (GAN) called TDCGAN, which aims to improve the detection rate of the minority class in imbalanced datasets while maintaining efficiency. The TDCGAN model comprises a generator and three discriminators, with an election layer incorporated at the end of the architecture. This allows for the selection of the optimal outcome from the discriminators’ outputs. The UGR’16 dataset is employed for evaluation and benchmarking purposes. Various machine learning algorithms are used for comparison to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed TDCGAN model. Experimental results reveal that TDCGAN offers an effective solution for addressing imbalanced intrusion detection and outperforms other traditionally used oversampling techniques. By leveraging the power of GANs and incorporating an election layer, TDCGAN demonstrates superior performance in detecting security threats in imbalanced IDS datasets.
Creating Value from Acidogenic Biohydrogen Fermentation Effluents: An Innovative Approach for a Circular Bioeconomy That Is Acquired via a Microbial Biorefinery-Based Framework
Authors: Sekoai Patrick T. , Chunilall Viren , Ezeokoli Obinna
Published: June 2023

As a response to the environmental and societal issues that emanate from the high reliance on fossil fuels, the world is now transitioning toward a circular bioeconomy. Acidogenic biohydrogen production is envisaged as a clean fuel of the future due to its non-polluting features and affordability. The major encumbrance for the industrialization of this process is due to the accumulation of metabolic inhibitors (volatile fatty acids (VFAs)), which lower the H2 yields. This review discusses novel methods that can be adopted to valorize the acidogenic VFAs via a “cascade microbial biorefinery-based” approach that enables this process to be economically feasible as it leads to the concomitant production of diverse high-value-added products. The work also elucidates the key setpoint parameters governing the recovery of VFAs during the acidogenic H2 process. It further explores the recent advances in the use of VFAs in microbial biorefineries. Finally, the paper provides some recommendations that might help develop acidogenic microbial biorefineries in the future. Studies focusing on microbial biorefineries tailored towards the valorization/beneficiation of acidogenic VFAs are very scarce in the literature. This work aims to provide new insights into microbial biorefinery-based processes involving the use of acidogenic VFAs as substrates.
Engineering the Metabolic Profile of Clostridium cellulolyticum with Genomic DNA Libraries
Authors: Freedman Benjamin G. , Lee Parker W. , Senger Ryan S.
Published: June 2023

Clostridium cellulolyticum H10 (ATCC 35319) has the ability to ferment cellulosic substrates into ethanol and weak acids. The growth and alcohol production rates of the wild-type organism are low and, therefore, targets of metabolic engineering. A genomic DNA expression library was produced by a novel application of degenerate oligonucleotide primed PCR (DOP-PCR) and was serially enriched in C. cellulolyticum grown on cellobiose in effort to produce fast-growing and productive strains. The DNA library produced from DOP-PCR contained gene-sized DNA fragments from the C. cellulolyticum genome and from the metagenome of a stream bank soil sample. The resulting enrichment yielded a conserved phage structural protein fragment (part of Ccel_2823) from the C. cellulolyticum genome that, when overexpressed alone, enabled the organism to increase the ethanol yield by 250% compared to the plasmid control strain. The engineered strain showed a reduced production of lactate and a 250% increased yield of secreted pyruvate. Significant changes in growth rate were not seen in this engineered strain, and it is possible that the enriched protein fragment may be combined with the existing rational metabolic engineering strategies to yield further high-performing cellulolytic strains.
New Functional Foods with Cactus Components: Sustainable Perspectives and Future Trends
Authors: Monteiro Shênia Santos , Almeida Raphael Lucas , Santos Newton Carlos , Pereira Emmanuel Moreira , Silva Amanda Priscila , Oliveira Hugo Miguel Lisboa , Pasquali Matheus Augusto de Bittencourt
Published: June 2023

The growing interest in a healthy lifestyle has contributed to disseminating perspectives on more sustainable natural resource management. This review describes promising aspects of using cacti in the food industry, addressing sustainable, nutritional, and functional aspects of the plant’s production. Our study provides an overview of the potential of cacti for the food industry to encourage the sustainable cultivation of underutilized cactus species and their commercial exploitation. The commercial production of cacti has advantages over other agricultural practices by mitigating damage to ecosystems and encouraging migration to sustainable agriculture. The application of cactus ingredients in food development has been broad, whether in producing breads, jellies, gums, dyes, probiotics, and postbiotic and paraprobiotic foods. However, in the field of probiotic foods, future research should focus on technologies applied in processing and researching interactions between probiotics and raw materials to determine the functionality and bioactivity of products.
Chitinase-Like Protein PpCTL1 Contributes to Maintaining Fruit Firmness by Affecting Cellulose Biosynthesis during Peach Development
Authors: Xu Ze , Dai Jieyu , Liang Liping , Zhang Yonglan , He Yaojun , Xing Libo , Ma Juanjuan , Zhang Dong , Zhao Caiping
Published: June 2023

The firmness of the flesh fruit is a very important feature in the eating process. Peach fruit is very hard during development, but its firmness slightly decreases in the later stages of development. While there has been extensive research on changes in cell wall polysaccharides during fruit ripening, little is known about the changes that occur during growth and development. In this study, we investigated the modifications in cell wall components throughout the development and ripening of peach fruit, as well as its impact on firmness. Our findings revealed a significant positive correlation between fruit firmness and cellulose content at development stage. However, the correlation was lost during the softening process, suggesting that cellulose might be responsible for the fruit firmness during development. Members of the chitinase-like protein (CTL) group are of interest because of their possible role in plant cell wall biosynthesis. Here, two CTL homologous genes, PpCTL1 and PpCTL2, were identified in peach. Spatial and temporal expression patterns of PpCTLs revealed that PpCTL1 exhibited high expression abundance in the fruit and followed a similar trend to cellulose during fruit growth. Furthermore, silencing PpCTL1 expression resulted in reduced cellulose content at 5 DAI (days after injection), this change that would have a negative effect on fruit firmness. Our results indicate that PpCTL1 plays an important role in cellulose biosynthesis and the maintenance of peach firmness during development.
Microwave-Induced Behavior and Digestive Properties of the Lotus Seed Starch—Chlorogenic Acid Complex
Authors: Jiang Xiangfu , Wang Jianyi , Li Lanxin , Zheng Baodong , Zheng Shuyi , Lu Xu
Published: June 2023

The effect of chlorogenic acid (CA) on the dielectric response of lotus seed starch (LS) after microwave treatment, the behavior and digestive characteristics of the resulting starch/chlorogenic acid complex (LS-CA) at different degrees of gelatinization and the inhibition of α-amylase by chlorogenic acid were investigated. The variation in dielectric loss factor, ε″, and dielectric loss tangent, tanδε, of the microwave thermal conversion indicated that LS-CA had a more efficient microwave-energy-to-thermal-energy conversion efficiency than LS. This gelatinized LS-CA to a greater extent at any given temperature between 65 and 85 °C than LS, and it accelerated the degradation of the starch crystalline structure. The greater disruption of the crystal structure decreased the bound water content and increased the thermal stability of LS-CA compared to LS. The simulated in vitro digestion found that the presence of the LS-CA complex improved the slow-digestion property of lotus seed starch by increasing its content of resistant and slowly digested starch. In addition, the release of chlorogenic acid during α-amylase hydrolysis further slowed starch digestion by inhibiting α-amylase activity. These findings provide a foundation for understanding the correlation between the complex behavior and digestive properties of naturally polyphenol-rich, starch-based foods, such as LS, under microwave treatment, which will facilitate the development of starch-based foods with tailored digestion rates, lower final degrees of hydrolysis and glycemic indices.
The Effects of Emulsifier Addition on the Functionalization of a High-Oleic Palm Oil-Based Oleogel
Authors: Perez-Santana Melissa , Cedeno-Sanchez Victor , Carriglio John C. , MacIntosh Andrew J.
Published: June 2023

Alternatives to oils with high saturated fatty acid content are often liquid oils (high in unsaturated fatty acids) that have a modified structure created either through additives or processing. Emulsifiers are additives that can be used as structuring agents of liquid fats; this process results in products such as oleogels, which can broaden the applications of these oils. This study assessed and compared the effects of mono- and diglycerides at 3%, 5%, 7% and 10% w/w on the mechanical and thermal properties of high-oleic palm oil (HOPO) oleogels. HOPO was heated to 75 °C and mixed with mono- or diglycerides at those four concentrations. The thermomechanical properties of the melted oleogels were assessed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The melted oleogels were cooled to final temperatures of 5 °C, 10 °C and 15 °C under identical cooling rates, after which a puncture test (via a texture analyzer) was used to assess their textures. Finally, polarized light microscopy was used to assess the mechanical changes induced through emulsifier addition. The results showed that the use of mono- and diglycerides significantly modified the thermal and mechanical properties of the oleogels. The addition of saturated monoglycerides promoted a higher-temperature nucleation stage that did not previously occur in HOPO. The onset crystallization temperature increased with the addition of diglycerides, promoting crystallization at higher temperatures of the high-melting fraction of HOPO. The hardness of the oleogel generally increased with emulsifier addition and a reduction of the temperature. The effect of the temperature on the hardness was significantly greater in the diglyceride oleogel than in the monoglyceride oleogel. This study shows that the addition of mono- and diglycerides allows companies to customize their formulations to achieve desired results that may not previously have been possible, thereby facilitating novel uses for these oils within the industry.
Editorial on the Special Issue “Chitosan Functional Hydrogels: Synthesis and Applications”
Authors: Nyanhongo Gibson S.
Published: June 2023

Chitin, a polysaccharide composed of β-(1–4)-linked 2-deoxy-2-acetamido-d-glucose units, is found in cell walls of different organisms, including crustaceans, fungi, insects, some algae, microorganisms, and some invertebrate animals, and its deacetylation into chitosan confers it with incredible chemical versatility allowing it to be processed into numerous products [...]
Occurrence of L1M Elements in Chromosomal Rearrangements Associated to Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML): Insights from Patient-Specific Breakpoints Characterization
Authors: L’Abbate Alberto , Moretti Vittoria , Pungolino Ester , Micheloni Giovanni , Valli Roberto , Frattini Annalisa , Barcella Matteo , Acquati Francesco , Reinbold Rolland A , Costantino Lucy , Ferrara Fulvio , Trojani Alessandra , Ventura Mario , Porta Giovanni , Cairoli Roberto
Published: June 2023

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a rare myeloproliferative disorder caused by the reciprocal translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11) in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This chromosomal translocation results in the formation of an extra-short chromosome 22, called a Philadelphia chromosome (Ph), containing the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene responsible for the expression of a constitutively active tyrosine kinase that causes uncontrolled growth and replication of leukemic cells. Mechanisms behind the formation of this chromosomal rearrangement are not well known, even if, as observed in tumors, repetitive DNA may be involved as core elements in chromosomal rearrangements. We have participated in the explorative investigations of the PhilosoPhi34 study to evaluate residual Ph+ cells in patients with negative FISH analysis on CD34+/lin- cells with gDNA qPCR. Using targeted next-generation deep sequencing strategies, we analyzed the genomic region around the t(9;22) translocations of 82 CML patients and one CML cell line and assessed the relevance of interspersed repeat elements at breakpoints (BP). We found a statistically higher presence of LINE elements, in particular belonging to the subfamily L1M, in BP cluster regions of both chromosome 22 and 9 compared to the whole human genome. These data suggest that L1M elements could be potential drivers of t(9;22) translocation leading to the generation of the BCR-ABL1 chimeric gene and the expression of the active BCR-ABL1-controlled tyrosine kinase chimeric protein responsible for CML.
Genotypic and Haplotypic Association of Catechol-O-Methyltransferase rs4680 and rs4818 Gene Polymorphisms with Particular Clinical Symptoms in Schizophrenia
Authors: Sagud Marina , Tudor Lucija , Nedic Erjavec Gordana , Nikolac Perkovic Matea , Uzun Suzana , Mimica Ninoslav , Madzarac Zoran , Zivkovic Maja , Kozumplik Oliver , Konjevod Marcela , Svob Strac Dubravka , Pivac Nela
Published: June 2023

Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) gene variants are involved in different neuropsychiatric disorders and cognitive impairments, associated with altered dopamine function. This study investigated the genotypic and haplotypic association of COMT rs4680 and rs4618 polymorphisms with the severity of cognitive and other clinical symptoms in 544 male and 385 female subjects with schizophrenia. COMT rs4818 G carriers were more frequent in male patients with mild abstract thinking difficulties, compared to CC homozygotes or C allele carriers. Male carriers of COMT rs4680 A allele had worse abstract thinking (N5) scores than GG carriers, whereas AA homozygotes were more frequent in male subjects with lower scores on the intensity of the somatic concern (G1) item, compared to G carriers. Male carriers of COMT rs4818–rs4680 GA haplotype had the highest scores on the G1 item (somatic concern), whereas GG haplotype carriers had the lowest scores on G2 (anxiety) and G6 (depression) items. COMT GG haplotype was less frequent in female patients with severe disturbance of volition (G13 item) compared to the group with mild symptoms, while CG haplotype was more frequent in female patients with severe then mild symptoms. These findings suggest the sex-specific genotypic and haplotypic association of COMT variants with a severity of cognitive and other clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.
Insights into Segmentation Methods Applied to Remote Sensing SAR Images for Wet Snow Detection
Authors: Guiot Ambroise , Karbou Fatima , James Guillaume , Durand Philippe
Published: June 2023

Monitoring variations in the extent of wet snow over space and time is essential for many applications, such as hydrology, mountain ecosystems, meteorology and avalanche forecasting. The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) measurements from the Sentinel-1 satellite help detect wet snow in almost all weather conditions. Most detection methods use a fixed threshold to a winter image ratio with one or two reference images (with no snow or dry snow). This study aimed to explore the potential of image segmentation methods from different families applied to Sentinel-1 SAR images to improve the detection of wet snow over the French Alps. Several segmentation methods were selected and tested on a large alpine area of 100 × 100 km2. The segmentation methods were evaluated over one season using total snow masks from Sentinel-2 optical measurements and outputs from forecasters’ bulletins combining model and in-situ observations. Different metrics were used (such as snow probability, correlations, Hamming distance, and structure similarity scores). The standard scores illustrated that filtering globally improved the segmentation results. Using a probabilistic score as a function of altitude highlights the interest in some segmentation methods, and we show that these scores could be relevant to calibrate the parameters of these methods better.
Impact of Agricultural Land Use on Nematode Diversity and Soil Quality in Dalmada, South Africa
Authors: Shokoohi Ebrahim
Published: June 2023

During a survey on soil nematode diversity, the soil samples were collected from Field-1 (3-months-not-used land), Field-2 (5-years-not-disturbed land), Field-3 (the rhizosphere of tomatoes), and Field-4 (natural land, not disturbed for 50 years), in Dalmada, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A total of 25 nematode genera were found to be associated with the surveyed plant species. The result showed Acrobeloides, Aphelenchus, Aporcella, Ditylenchus, Mesorhabditis, Pratylenchus, and Rotylenchus with a 100% frequency of occurrence. Meloidogyne was detected only in association with Field-3, with a low frequency of occurrence (25%). The study of the relationship between nematodes with physicochemical properties in the soil using Pearson correlation revealed that phosphate of the soil had a positive correlation (r = 0.977) with Bitylenchus and Pseudacrobeles species. In contrast, pH strongly correlated with Nanidorus (r = 0.928), Trypilina (r = 0.925), Xiphinema (r = 0.925), and Zeldia (r = 0.860). The principal component analysis placed Field-4 and Field-3 in two groups, indicating the biodiversity dynamics among the two locations. Soil texture showed that clay was correlated with Rotylenchulus. In contrast, soil texture had no effect on Meloidogyne. The Shannon index was the lowest (1.7) for Field-1 in Dalmada compared to the other Fields, indicating lower nematode diversity. The structure index showed that Field-2 was disturbed with a low C:N ratio. In contrast, Field-3 and Field-4 had suppressive soil but matured and fertile. The network analysis showed that Panagrolaimus was only found in Field-4 and was the most engaging genus describing soil quality in the soil system in Dalmada. In conclusion, Field-2 showed a high diversity of free-living nematodes than the disturbed land of tomatoes. Additionally, plant-parasitic nematodes numbered more in the rhizosphere of tomatoes. The results suggest that the soil nematodes, especially free-living bacterivores, may mediate the effects of ecosystem disturbance on soil health.
Soil, Humipedon, Forest Life and Management
Authors: Zampedri Roberto , Bernier Nicolas , Zanella Augusto , Giannini Raffaello , Menta Cristina , Visentin Francesca , Mairota Paola , Mei Giacomo , Zandegiacomo Gabriele , Carollo Silvio , Brandolese Alessio , Ponge Jean-François
Published: June 2023

In recent years, three sections (Humipedon, Copedon and Lithopedon) were recognized in the soil profile. It was then possible to link the first and most biologically active section to the characteristics of the environment and soil genesis. In particular, it is now possible to distinguish organic horizons, mainly produced by arthropods and enchytraeids in cold and acidic or dry and arid environments, from organo-mineral horizons produced by earthworms in more temperate and mesotrophic environments. Each set of horizons can be associated with a humus system or form, with important implications for forestry. Anecic/endogeic earthworms and Mull or Amphi systems are more abundant in the early and late stages of sylvogenesis; by completely recycling litter, earthworms accelerate the availability of organic and inorganic soil nutrients to roots and pedofauna. On the other hand, arthropods and Moder or Tangel systems characterize the intermediate stages of sylvogenesis, where thickening in the organic horizons and the parallel impoverishment/reduction in the underlying organo-mineral horizons are observed. Recognizing the humus system at the right spatial and temporal scale is crucial for the biological management of a forest. This article includes a data review, new data from a doctoral thesis, and recent comparisons of Italian and French investigations.
Document-Level Relation Extraction with Local Relation and Global Inference
Authors: Liu Yiming , Shan Hongtao , Nie Feng , Zhang Gaoyu , Yuan George Xianzhi
Published: June 2023

The current popular approach to the extraction of document-level relations is mainly based on either a graph structure or serialization model method for the inference, but the graph structure method makes the model complicated, while the serialization model method decreases the extraction accuracy as the text length increases. To address such problems, the goal of this paper is to develop a new approach for document-level relationship extraction by applying a new idea through the consideration of so-called “Local Relationship and Global Inference” (in short, LRGI), which means that we first encode the text using the BERT pre-training model to obtain a local relationship vector first by considering a local context pooling and bilinear group algorithm and then establishing a global inference mechanism based on Floyd’s algorithm to achieve multi-path multi-hop inference and obtain the global inference vector, which allow us to extract multi-classified relationships with adaptive thresholding criteria. Taking the DocRED dataset as a testing set, the numerical results show that our proposed new approach (LRGI) in this paper achieves an accuracy of 0.73, and the value of F1 is 62.11, corresponding to 28% and 2% improvements by comparing with the classical document-level relationship extraction model (ATLOP), respectively.
Comment on Torrellas et al. Effectiveness, Safety and Choroidal Changes of a Fovea-Sparing Technique for the Treatment of Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy with Yellow Subthreshold Laser. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12, 1127
Authors: Fernandez-Vigo Jose Ignacio , Enríquez-Fuentes Jacobo Emilio , Oribio-Quinto Carlos , Alarcón-García Antonio Domingo , Moreno-Morillo Francisco Javier , Donate-López Juan
Published: June 2023

Recently, we read with great interest the article by Torrellas et al. [...]
Verification of Safety and Efficacy of Sleeve Gastrectomy Based on National Registry by Japanese Society for Treatment of Obesity
Authors: Okazumi Shinichi , Oshiro Takashi , Sasaki Akira , Matsubara Hisahiro , Tatsuno Ichiro
Published: June 2023

In Japan, bariatric surgical treatment was started in 1982. The Japanese Society for Treatment of Obesity (JSTO) was established in 2007, and then, JSTO started the national registry of bariatric surgery cases and multidisciplinary educational program. A total of 44 facilities registered 4055 bariatric surgical cases until 2021. In this study, the purpose is to clarify the indication, the safety and the effectiveness of the sleeve gastrectomy using national registry database compiled by JSTO. Preoperative BMI ranged from 27.6 to 90.7 kg/m2, and the mean value was 42.7. With regard to gender, men/women was 1/1.3. Age was 42.2 as mean. As preoperative comorbidities, DM ratio was 54.4% of the patients, hypertension 64.5%, dyslipidemia 65.1%, and sleep apnea syndrome 69.8%. As an operation method, laparoscopic method was conducted in 99.7% of the cases. The intraoperative incidence rate was 0.9%. Conversion rate to open method was 1.1%. Postoperative morbidity ratio was 5.6%, and mortality was 0%. Reoperations were performed in 1.5% of the cases. Postoperative hospital stay was 5 days in median value. Body weight loss was 27.6 kg in the mean value after follow-up days of 279 ± 245. As the effect on the preoperative metabolic comorbidities, DM has improved in 82.9% of the cases, hypertension 67.9% and dyslipidemia 66.6%. In conclusion, using JSTO database, we evaluated the indication, postoperative complications and weight loss effect of sleeve gastrectomy in Japan. Regarding the evaluation of the effect on preoperative comorbidities, future follow-up based on more detailed criteria was considered to be necessary.
Intracranial Efficacy of Systemic Therapy in Patients with Asymptomatic Brain Metastases from Lung Cancer
Authors: Sun Min-Gwan , Park Sue Jee , Kim Yeong Jin , Moon Kyung-Sub , Kim In-Young , Jung Shin , Oh Hyung-Joo , Oh In-Jae , Jung Tae-Young
Published: June 2023

There has been controversy over whether to radiologically follow up or use local treatment for asymptomatic small-sized brain metastases from primary lung cancer. For brain tumors without local treatment, we evaluated potential factors related to the brain progression and whether systemic therapy controlled the tumor. We analyzed 96 patients with asymptomatic small-sized metastatic brain tumors from lung cancer. These underwent a radiologic follow-up every 2 or 3 months without local treatment of brain metastases. The pathologies of the tumors were adenocarcinoma (n = 74), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 11), and small cell carcinoma (n = 11). The primary lung cancer was treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy (n = 57) and targeted therapy (n = 39). Patients who received targeted therapy were divided into first generation (n = 23) and second or third generation (n = 16). The progression-free survival (PFS) of brain metastases and the overall survival (OS) of patients were analyzed depending on the age, tumor pathology, number, and location of brain metastases, the extent of other organ metastases, and chemotherapy regimens. The median PFS of brain metastases was 7.4 months (range, 1.1–48.3). Targeted therapy showed statistically significant PFS improvement compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy (p = 0.020). Especially, on univariate and multivariate analyses, the PFS in the second or third generation targeted therapy was more significantly improved compared to cytotoxic chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0.229; 95% confidence interval, 0.082–0.640; p = 0.005). The median OS of patients was 13.7 months (range, 2.0–65.0). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that the OS of patients was related to other organ metastases except for the brain (p = 0.010 and 0.020, respectively). Three out of 52 patients with brain recurrence showed leptomeningeal dissemination, while the recurrence patterns of brain metastases were mostly local and/or distant metastases (94.2%). Of the 52 patients who relapsed, 25 patients received local brain treatment. There was brain-related mortality in two patients (2.0%). The intracranial anti-tumor effect was superior to cytotoxic chemotherapy in the treatment of asymptomatic small-sized brain metastases with targeted therapy. Consequently, it becomes possible to determine the optimal timing for local brain treatment while conducting radiological follow-up for these tumors, which do not appear to increase brain-related mortality. Furthermore, this approach has the potential to reduce the number of cases requiring brain local treatment.
Increased Interleukin-17-Producing γδT Cells in the Brain Exacerbate the Pathogenesis of Sepsis-Associated Encephalopathy and Sepsis-Induced Anxiety in Mice
Authors: Moriyama Naoki , Saito Masafumi , Ono Yuko , Yamashita Kimihiro , Aoi Takashi , Kotani Joji
Published: June 2023

Overactivated microglia play a key role in sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), although the involvement of T cells is unclear. γδT cells in the brain and meninges regulate normal fear responses via interleukin (IL)-17 in healthy mice. In our sepsis model, the mice showed exacerbated anxious behavior at 10 days post-induction (dpi). At 8 dpi, IL-17 mRNA was significantly upregulated in the brains of septic mice compared with those of control mice. Simultaneously, the number of γδT cells increased in the brains of septic mice in a severity-dependent manner. Additionally, IL-17-producing γδT cells, expressing both the C-X-C motif receptor (CXCR) 6 and the C-C motif receptor (CCR) 6, increased in mice brains, dependent on the severity of sepsis. The frequency of γδT cells in the meninges fluctuated similarly to that in the brain, peaking at 8 dpi of sepsis. Behavioral tests were performed on septic mice after the continuous administration of anti-γδTCR (α-γδTCR) or anti-IL-17A (α-IL-17A) antibodies to deplete the γδT cells and IL-17A, respectively. Compared with IgG-treated septic mice, α-γδTCR- and α-IL-17A-treated septic mice showed suppressed microglial activation and improvements in anxious behavior. These results suggested that CCR6+CXCR6+ IL-17-producing γδT cells in the brain and meninges promote the exacerbation of SAE and sepsis-induced psychological disorders in mice.