bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Novel and Sensitive DNA Methylation Marker for the Urine-Based Liquid Biopsies to Detect Bladder Cancer
Authors: Deng Leihong , Chao Haichao , Deng Huanhuan , Yu Zhaojun , Zhao Rongsong , Huang Longwu , Gong Yun , Zhu Yueting , Wang Qingping , Li Feng , Liu Lirong , He Lei , Tang Zhimin , Liao Caizhi , Qi Yan , Wang Xianshu , Zeng Tao , Zou Hongzhi
Published: January 2022

Background

Better prognostic outcome is closely correlated with early detection of bladder cancer. Current nonvasive urianalysis relies on simultaneously testing multiple methylation markers to achieve relatively high accuracy. Therefore, we have developed an easy-to-use, convenient, and accurate single-target urine-based DNA methylation test for the malignancy.
Methods

By analyzing TCGA data, 366 candidate markers with 446 primer pairs and probe sets were synthesized and systematically screened in cancer cell lines, paired tissue specimens, and urine sediments from bladder cancer patients and normal controls. The identified marker was further validated in large case-control cohorts. Wilcoxon rank sum tests and c2 tests were performed to compare methylation levels between case-control groups and correlate methylation levels with demographic and clinical characteristics. In addition, MSP, qMSP and RT-PCR, western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry were performed to measure levels of DNA methylation, mRNA expression, and protein level in cancer cell lines and tissues.
Results

A top-performing DMRTA2 marker identified was tested in both training and validation sets, showing similar sensitivity and specificity for bladder cancer detection. Overall sensitivity in the aggregate set was 82.9%(179/216). The specificity, from a control group consisting of patients with lithangiuria, prostatoplasia, and prostatitis, is 92.5%(468/506). Notably, the methylation assay had the highest sensitivities for tumors at stages of T1(90.4%) and T2(95.0%) compared with Ta(63.0%), T3(81.8%), T4(81.8%), and unknown (85.2%) stages. Furthermore, the test showed admirable detection rate of 80.0%(24/30) for recurring cancers. While methylation was observed in 39/54(72.2%) urine samples from patients with carcinomas of renal pelvis and ureter, it was detected at extremely low rate of 6.0%(8/133) in kidney and prostate cancers. Compared with SV-HUC-1, the normal bladder epithelial cell line, DMRTA2 was hypermethylated in 8/9 bladder cancer cell lines, consistent with the results of MSP and qMSP, but not correlated with mRNA and protein expression levels in these cell lines. Similarly, DMRTA2 immunostaining was moderate in some tissues but weak in others. Further studies are needed to address functional implications of DMRTA2 hypermethylation.
Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that a single-target DNA methylation signature, mDMRTA2, could be highly effective to detect both primary and recurring BC via urine samples.
Focal Points of the Preanesthesia Evaluation for Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients with Depression: A Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Characteristics in Nonremission
Authors: Zou Lei , Li Xiao , Chen Qibin , Lv Feng , Min Su
Published: January 2022

Background: This study explored the patient clinical characteristics that may affect electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) efficacy, to enable improved focus during the evaluation and preparation before ECT.Methods: Patients enrolling for ECT at the Department of Psychiatry and Anesthesiology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from December 2017 to January 2019.Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for nonremission. Variables with statistical significance in the univariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis to determine independent risk factors.Results: In total, 874 cases showed efficacy in this study. After ECT treatment, 255 cases (29.2%) exhibited nonremission. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of variables was performed, and the results showed that atherosclerosis (OR 8.072, 95% CI 2.442 to 16.675; p = 0.001), COPD (OR 2.919, 95% CI 1.240 to 6.871; p = 0.014), diabetes (OR 2.202, 95% CI 1.115 to 4.348; p = 0.023) and smoking (OR 1.519, 95% CI 1.015 to 2.273; p = 0.042) were independent risk factors for nonremission.Conclusion: In the retrospective analysis, we found that atherosclerosis, diabetes, COPD or smoking may be high-risk factors for nonremission.
A Novel Role of FoxO3a in the Migration and Invasion of Trophoblast Cells: From Metabolic Remodeling To Transcriptional Reprogramming
Authors: Chen Hao , Wang Shi-Han , Chen Chang , Yu Xin-Yang , Zhu Jia-Nan , Mansell Toby , Novakovic Boris , Saffery Richard , Baker Philip N. , Han Ting-Li , Zhang Hua
Published: January 2022

Background

The forkhead box O3a protein (FoxO3a) has been reported to involve in the migration and invasion, but their underlying mechanisms in the trophoblast remain unknown. In this study, we aim to explore the transcriptional and metabolic regulations of FoxO3a on the migration and invasion of early placental development.
Methods

Lentiviral vectors were used to knock down the expression of FoxO3a of the HTR8/SVneo cells. Western blot, matrigel invasion assay, wound healing assay, seahorse, gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolomics, fluxomics, and RNA-seq transcriptomics were performed.
Results

We found that FoxO3a depletion restrained the migration and invasion of HTR8/SVneo cells. Metabolomics, fluxomics, and seahorse demonstrated that FoxO3a knockdown resulted in a switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiration and increased utilization of aromatic amino acids and long-chain fatty acids from extracellular nutrients. Furthermore, our RNA-seq also demonstrated that the expression of COX-2 and MMP9 decreased after FoxO3a knockdown, and these two genes were closely associated with the migration/invasion progress of trophoblast cells.
Conclusions

Our results suggested novel biological roles of FoxO3a in early placental development. FoxO3a exerts an essential effect on trophoblast migration and invasion owing to the regulations of COX2, MMP9, aromatic amino acids, energy metabolism, and oxidative stress.
Long-term Trends of Regolith Movement on the Surface of Small Bodies
Authors: Huang Chenyang , Yu Yang , Cheng Bin , Wang Qingyun
Published: January 2022

This paper studies the long-term migration of disturbed regolith materials on the surface of Solar System small bodies from the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamics. We propose an approximation model for secular mass movement, which combines the complex topography and irregular gravitational field. Choosing asteroid 101955 Bennu as a representative, the global change of the dynamical environment is examined, which presents a division of the creeping-sliding-shedding regions for a spun-up asteroid. In the creeping region, the dynamical equation of disturbed regolith grains is established based on the assumption of "trigger-slide" motion mode. The equilibrium points, local manifolds and large-scale trajectories of the system are calculated to clarify the dynamical characteristics of long-term regolith movement. Generally, we find that for a low spin rate, the surface regolith grains flow toward the middle latitudes from the polar/equatorial regions, which is dominated by the gradient of the geopotential. While spun up to a high rate, regolith grains tend to migrate toward the equator, which happens in parallel with a topological shift of the local equilibria at low latitudes. From a long-term perspective, we find the equilibrium points dominate the global trends of regolith movements. Using the methodology developed in this paper, we give a prospect or retrospect to the secular motion of regolith materials during the spin-up process, and the results reveal a significant regulatory role of the equilibria. Through a detailed look at the dynamical scheme under different spin rates, we achieve a macro forecast of the global trends of regolith motion during the spin-up process, which explains the global geologic evolution driven by the long-term movements of regolith materials.
Comparison of Long-term Clinical and Radiographical Outcomes Between the Anterior and Combined Anterior and Posterior Approaches for Treating Lumbosacral Tuberculosis
Authors: Zhou Zhong-jie , Zhang Zhuang , Hu Bo-wen , Wang Lin-nan , Li Tao , Yang Hui-liang , Liu Li-min , Song Yue-ming
Published: January 2022

Background: Both the anterior and combined anterior and posterior approaches have been used to treat lumbosacral tuberculosis. However, long-term follow-up studies of each approach have not been conducted. We aimed to compare the long-term clinical and radiographical outcomes between the two approaches.Methods: We included 49 patients with a minimum 6-year follow up between January 2008 to March 2012. Twenty-four patients underwent the anterior approach (group A) and 25 underwent the combined anterior and posterior approach (group B). We collected clinical data, such as visual analogue scale scores, Oswestry disability index scores and neurological status, and radiographical data, such as lumbosacral angle and lumbar lordosis. Furthermore, operative time, length of stay, and intraoperative and postoperative blood loss (IBL, PBL) were recorded.Results: Both groups had satisfactory clinical and radiographical outcomes until follow up. All patients achieved bony fusion, and no group differences were found in any of the clinical indices. Both groups corrected and maintained lumbosacral angle and lumbar lordosis. However, operative time, length of stay, maximum Hb drop, IBL, and PBL of group A (140.63 ± 24.73 min, 12.58 ± 2.45 d, 28.33 ± 9.70 g/L, 257.08 ± 110.47 mL, and 430.60 ± 158.27 mL, respectively) was significantly lower than those of group B (423.60 ± 82.81 min, p < 0.001; 21.32 ± 3.40 d, p < 0.001; 38.48 ± 8.03 g/L, p < 0.001; 571.60 ± 111.04 mL, p < 0.001; and 907.01 ± 231.99 mL, p < 0.001).Conclusions: This retrospective study demonstrated long-term efficacy of the anterior approach, which was as effective as that of the combined anterior and posterior approach, with the advantage of less trauma.
Real-time Deep Learning Based Image Processing for Pose Estimation and Object Localization in Autonomous Robot Applications
Authors: Upadhyay Ritam , Asi Abhishek , Nayak Pravanjan , Prasad Nidhi , Mishra Debasish , Pal Surjya K.
Published: January 2022

Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping manufacturing to make it smarter, intelligent, and autonomous. Presently, flexible robots have been introduced that collaborate with humans on the shop floor to enhance productivity and efficiency. In an autonomous robotic system, object classification and pose estimation are crucial problems for proper grasping. Extensive research is being conducted to achieve low-cost, computationally efficient, and real-time assessments. However, most of the existing approaches are computationally expensive and constraint to previous knowledge of the 3D structure of an object. This article presents an AI-based solution, which generalizes cuboid- and cylindrical-shaped objects’ grasping in real-time, irrespective of the dimensions. It is identified without the knowledge of the objects’ 3D model. The pose is estimated in real-time, accurately. The integrated solution has been implemented in a robotic system fitted with two grippers, a conveyor system, and sensors. Results of several experiments have been reported in this article, which validates the solution.
Leadership, Politics, and Communication: Epidemiology Workforce Roles and Challenges During Emergency Response; a Global Survey of Applied Epidemiologists, 2019-2020
Authors: Parry Amy Elizabeth , Kirk Martyn D , Colquhoun Samantha , Durrheim David N , Housen Tambri
Published: January 2022

Background: Improving the epidemiological response to emergencies requires an understanding of who the responders are, their role and skills, and the challenges they face during responses. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to learn more about epidemiologists who respond to public health emergencies. The online survey included open and closed-ended questions on challenges faced whilst responding, the roles of epidemiology responders, self-rating of skills, and support needed and received. We used purposive sampling to identify participants and a snowballing approach thereafter. We compared data by a number of characteristics, including national or international responder on their last response prior to the survey. We analysed the data using descriptive, content, and exploratory factor analysis. Results: We received 166 responses from individuals with experience in emergency response. The most frequently reported challenge was navigating the political dynamics of a response, which was more common for international responders than national. National responders experienced fewer challenges related to culture, language, and communication. Epidemiology responders reported a lack of response role clarity, limited knowledge sharing, and communication issues during emergency response. Sixty-seven percent of participants reported they needed support to do their job well; males who requested support were statistically more likely to receive it than females who asked. Conclusion: Our study identified that national responders have additional strengths such as better understanding the local political environment, language, and culture, which may in turn support identification of local needs and priorities. This research builds on emerging evidence on how to strengthen public health emergency response and provides a platform to begin a global conversation to address operational issues and the role of the international epidemiology responder.
Therapeutic efficacy of antibodies and antivirals against a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
Authors: Uraki Ryuta , Kiso Maki , Imai Masaki , Yamayoshi Seiya , Ito Mutsumi , Ujie Michiko , Furusawa Yuri , Iwatsuki-Horimoto Kiyoko , Sakai-Tagawa Yuko , Kawaoka Yoshihiro
Published: January 2022

The spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the major antigen stimulating the host's protective immune response. A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, designated Omicron, first identified in South Africa and possess many spike protein mutations. Here, we assessed the efficacy of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against an Omicron variant in Syrian hamsters. Of the mAbs tested (i.e., REGN10987/REGN10933, COV2-2196/COV2-2130, and S309), only COV2-2196/COV2-2130 efficiently inhibited the replication of the Omicron variant in the lungs of hamsters. We also found that treatment of Omicron-infected hamsters with molnupiravir (an inhibitor of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of SARS-CoV-2) or S-217622 (an inhibitor of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2) led to a dramatic reduction of virus replication in the lungs. These findings suggest that treatment with the mAb combination COV2-2196/COV2-2130 or the antiviral compounds molnupiravir and S-217622 may be effective against the Omicron variants.
Effect of Oxidative Stress-Induced Autophagy on Proliferation and Apoptosis of hMSCs
Authors: Liu Zhijun , Liu Shaojin , Zheng Weipeng , Liao Zhihao , Chen Sheng , Wei Hewei
Published: January 2022

Background:Objective:To observe the effect of H2O2 induced oxidative stress on autophagy and apoptosis of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs).Method: The hBMSCs were separated and cultured by density gradient centrifugation combined with adherence method. They were divided into blank group (with medium only), 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor) pretreatment group (with 2 ml of 5 mM 3-MA medium), H2O2 Intervention group (add 2ml medium containing 0.05mM H2O2), H2O2+3-MA treatment group (add 2ml medium containing 5mM 3-MA, then add 2ml medium containing 0.05mM H2O2). DCFH-DA staining was used to detect cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels,and CCK-8 analysis was used to detect the effects of different concentrations (0,50,100,200,400μmol/L) of H2O2 on the proliferation of hBMSCs; Monodansylcadaverine(MDC) Fluorescent amine probe staining, Lysosome Red Fluorescent Probe (Lyso-Tracker Red) staining to observe the level of autophagy; Immunofluorescence staining to detect the expression of LC3A/B; Flow cytometry (Annexin V/PI) to detect cell apoptosis Circumstances; Protein chip detection of autophagy-related proteins; Western blot detection of Beclin1, mTOR, p-mTOR, LC3A/B, and Cleaved caspase-3 protein expression.Result: After treating hBMSCs with different concentrations of H2O2 (0,50,100,200,400μmol) for 24h ,48h, and 72h, with the increase of H2O2 concentration, the cell proliferation ability decreased; while with the extension of time, the cell proliferation ability increased not significantly; 50μmol cell proliferation ability is the strongest. Compared with the blank group and 3-MA group, the H2O2 intervention group increased the level of intracellular ROS, increased autophagosomes, and significantly decreased the apoptosis rate; up-regulated Beclin1, mTOR, LC3A/B and Cleaved caspase-3 protein expression, and down-regulated p-mTOR Protein expression level. Compared with the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA group, the H2O2+3-MA group increased the level of intracellular ROS, increased autophagosomes, and did not significantly increase the apoptosis rate; up-regulated the protein expression of Beclin1, mTOR, LC3A/B and Cleaved caspase-3 Down-regulate the expression of p-mTOR protein.Conclusion: H2O2 can induce hMSCs to produce oxidative stress response. Under oxidative stress conditions, hMSCs can promote protective autophagy and reduce cell apoptosis or the level of apoptosis caused by excessive autophagy.
“ An Efficient One Pot Multicomponent Synthesis of Dihydro Pyrazolyl Bithiazole Derivatives as Potential Anticancer Agents and Their Molecular Docking Studies”
Authors: V Anjaneyulu , VAARLA KRISHNAIAH , Kesharwani RajeshKumar , Panaganti Leelavathi
Published: January 2022

A novel series of dihydropyrazolyl bithiazoles were efficiently synthesized through simple reaction conditions via one pot multicomponent reaction of 2-bromo-1-(4-methyl-2-phenyl thiazol-5-yl)ethan-1-one (1), thiosemicarbazide (2) and chalcones (3 a-k) in the presence of sodium hydroxide in ethanol under reflux condition. The reaction generates two potential five membered heterocylic pharmacophores i.e. Hantzsch thiazole and dihydropyrazole in one step through operational simplicity, shorter reaction time with high yields. The newly synthesized compounds were well characterized by IR, 1H, 13C NMR and Mass spectral data. All the newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anticancer activity against human cancer cell lines and calculated their binding energy values with respect to 3ert protein. The compounds 4f, 4g, 4h and 4j exhibited excellent activity against MCF-7 cancer cell line with IC50 Values of 3.47 ± 0.28, 1.36 ± 0.74, 3.76 ± 0.35 and 4.14 ± 0.26 µM concentrations and studied molecular interaction of probable target protein human Estrogen Receptor Alpha protein (3ert.pdb) using docking simulation.
Comparison of Leg Dynamic Models for Quadrupedal Robots with Compliant Backbone
Authors: Ricaurte Edgar Andres Parra , Pareja Jesus , Dominguez Sergio , ROSSI CLAUDIO
Published: January 2022

Many quadrupeds are capable of power efficient gaits, especially trot and gallop, thanks to their flexible trunk. The oscillations of the system that includes the backbone, the tendons and musculature, store and release elastic energy, helping a smooth deceleration and a fast acceleration of the hindquarters and forequarters, which improves the dynamics of running and its energy efficiency. Forelegs and hindlegs play a key role in generating the bending moment in the trunk. In this paper we present our studies aimed at modeling and reproducing such phenomena for efficient quadrupedal robot locomotion. We propose a model, called mass-mass-spring model, that overcomes the limitation of existing models, and demonstrate that it allows studying how the masses of the legs generate a flexing force that helps the natural bending of the trunk during gallop. We apply our model to two representative animals, the cheetah and the horse, that adopt different galloping patterns, and compare their energy efficiency.
Translation And Psychometric Testing of The Simplified Version of The Health-Related Diet And Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale In China
Authors: Mao Xia , Zeng Xuefang , Zhong Qinyi , Guo Jia
Published: January 2022

Background: Measuring health-related diet and exercise self-efficacy is an important first step in improving healthy behaviors and health outcomes. However, we did not find a self-efficacy measurement in Chinese that is specifically targeted at diet and exercise self-efficacy among healthy adults.Aim: The present study aimed to translate the Health-Related Diet and Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale -simplified version into Mandarin Chinese (HRDESES) and evaluate its reliability and validity in Chinese healthy adults. Methods: The HRDESES was translated and adapted to the Chinese context, with a good content validity of 0.86 among seven experts. The survey was then carried out in 216 adults in Hunan, China. Testing of the reliability included internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability, while validity included content validity, construct validity, and criterion validity. Results: The Cronbach's α of the HRDESES was 0.87 for the total scale, 0.86 for the diet subscale and 0.91 for the exercise subscale, demonstrating good internal consistency. The test-retest reliability was 0.88 for the total scale, 0.81 for the diet subscale and 0.82 for the exercise subscale, demonstrating good test-retest reliability. For construct validity, the scale effectively distinguished subjects by age, gender, education, occupation, marital status, and family income, showing good discriminant validity. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported a two-factor structure of the scale: diet and exercise subscale. Finally, the HRDESES was highly associated with the General Self-Efficacy Scale, with a correlation coefficient of 0.86 (p<0.05), demonstrating high criterion validity. Conclusion: The HRDESES had good reliability and validity and could be used as a simple and effective tool for assessing the health-related diet and exercise self-efficacy in Chinese healthy adults.
The First-Principles Study On Mo-Doped Monolayer ReS2
Authors: Li He , Wang Ying , Liu Guili , Wei Lin , Wang Duo
Published: January 2022

Based on first-principles calculations, the electronic structure and optical properties of the Mo-doped monolayer rhenium disulfide (ReS2) model are calculated, as well as the system stability, bond length, charge difference density, band structure, photoabsorption coefficient, system stability, and reflectivity are analyzed. The calculation results show that doping changes the structural stability of the system, which gradually decreases with an increasing concentration of doping. The calculation of bond structure and density of states is indicated that the band gap value of the system decrease continuously to zero with increasing doping concentration, while the average charge population of atoms at doping sites keeps increasing with the better electron-losing ability of atoms. Compared with the intrinsic monolayer ReS2, the peak of systemic reflectivity at different doping concentrations has corresponding degrees of redshift in a certain wavelength range, as demonstrated by the optical properties.
Anxiety, Depression and Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Congenital Hyperinsulinism
Authors: Roeper Marcia , Hoermann Henrike , Dafsari Roschan Salimi , Koestner Felix , Mayatepek Ertan , Kummer Sebastian , Reinauer Christina , Meissner Thomas
Published: January 2022

This study aimed to assess the mental health, family burden, and quality of life in parents of children with persisting congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI). Forty-eight individual parents (75% female) of children with CHI completed self-reported questionnaires and screening tools for anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-8), quality of life (ULQIE), and family burden (FaBeL). Additional data on sociodemographics, social support, and child- and disease-related data were recorded.29.8% of parents showed major depressive symptoms and 38.3% had a probable general anxiety disorder, including 20.8% who had both. Family burden was moderate and parental assessment of quality of life (PQoL) yielded average scores. Neurological impairment in an affected child (p =.002; p <.001) and lower number of working hours (p =.001; p =.012) were the most powerful predictors of elevated GAD-7 and PHQ-8 scores and poor PQoL.Further, comorbidities in the affected child (p =.007) were significantly associated with lower PQoL. Mothers presented with significantly higher scores for anxiety symptoms (p =.006) and lower PQoL (p =.035) than fathers. A higher number of caretakers beyond parents was associated with decreased family burden (p =.019), improved PQoL (p <.001), and improved mental health (p =.021 and p =.016).Conclusions: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are alarmingly prevalent in parents of children with CHI. Psychological screening of parents should be initiated to ensure early identification of psychological strains and psychosocial support should be offered as needed. A good support network and regular professional activities can improve parental mental health and well-being.
Exosome-Mediated Delivery of an Anti-Angiogenic Peptide Inhibits Corneal Neovascularization via VDAC1 and Autophagy
Authors: Chen Wen-Qian , Du Wei , Yu Wen-Zhen
Published: January 2022

Background: Angiogenesis is a crucial reason for the poor prognosis of corneal diseases. KV11, an undecanoic peptide from Kringle Ⅴ domain derived from apolipoprotein(a) is identified to inhibit angiogenesis significantly. Given the poor permeability and instability of small peptide, we aim to use exosome and its anchoring peptide CP05 to deliver KV11 to alkali-burn cornea tissue and inhibit corneal neovascularization.Methods: In vitro, we tested the effect of EXO-KV11 on inhibition of angiogenesis with the method of tube formation, transwell migration assay and CCK-8. In vivo, we used subconjunctival injection of EXO-KV11 to the alkali-burn cornea-induced corneal neovascularization rat model and fluorescent angiography to directly detect the impact on corneal neovascularization. We also revealed the underlying mechanism by western blot.Results: EXO-KV11 was verified to suppress endothelial cells tube formation, migration and proliferation in vitro by tube formation assay, transwell migration assay and CCK-8 assy. EXO-KV11 was more efficiently delivered to cornea tissue and suppressed more corneal neovascularization in alkali burn-induced corneal neovascularization model. Furthermore, VDAC1 might be potential receptor for KV11 and KV11 stimulated PERK and blocked up autography flux.Conclusions: We used exosomes to delivery KV11 into cells and cornea tissue. We reported that EXO-KV11 could inhibit angiogenesis more than KV11 both in vitro and in vivo. Thus exosome-CP05 drug delivery system has promising prospect in the future.
Modeling Clinical and Non-clinical Determinants of Intrapartum Stillbirths in Singletons in Six Public Hospitals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana: A Case-control Study
Authors: Vanotoo Linda , Dwomoh Duah , Laar Amos , Kotoh Agnes , Adanu Richard
Published: January 2022

Background The Greater Accra Region (GAR) of Ghana records 2000 stillbirths annually and 40 % of them occur intrapartum. An understanding of the contributing factors will facilitate the development of preventive strategies to reduce the huge numbers of intrapartum stillbirths. This study identified determinants of intrapartum stillbirths in GAR.MethodA retrospective 1:2 unmatched case-control study was conducted in six public hospitals in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A multivariable ordinary logistic regression model used to quantify the effect of exposures on intrapartum stillbirth. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve and the Brier scores were used to screen potential risk factors and assess the predictive performance of the regression models. Results The following maternal factors increased the odds of intrapartum stillbirths: pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) [adjusted Odds Ratio; aOR=3.72, 95% CI:1.71-8.10, p<0.001]; antepartum haemorrhage (APH) [aOR=3.28, 95% CI: 1.33-8.10, p<0.05] and premature rupture of membranes (PROM) [aOR=3.36, 95% CI: 1.20-9.40, p<0.05]. Conclusions Improved management of PIH, APH, PROM, and preterm delivery will reduce intrapartum stillbirth. Hospitals should improve on the quality of monitoring women during labor. Auditing of intrapartum stillbirths should be mandatory for all hospitals and Ghana Health Service (GHS) should include fetal autopsy in stillbirth auditing to identify other causes of fetal deaths. Interventions to reduce intrapartum stillbirth must combine maternal, fetal, and service delivery factors to make them effective.
Spatial distribution pattern of dominant tree species in different disturbance plots in the Changbai Mountain
Authors: Zhang Mengtao , Zhang Yuyuan , Kang Xingang
Published: January 2022

The effects of disturbance on spatial patterns and species interactions provide critical information on community structure and species coexistence. Two standard plots of 1-ha were set, one of them was a sample plot with retrograde succession after disturbance, and the other one was undisturbed. Spatial indices and Spatial patterns statistics were used to analyze the spatial pattern and inter-specific correlation of main tree species in two plots. Our results showed that the diameter distributions of different species have reverse J-shape, unimodal and bimodal distribution in the disturbed plot, while bell-shaped curves were observed in the undisturbed plot. The distributions of tree species were mainly random through the uniform angle indices, but the results of univariate pair correlation function g(r) for most standing trees showed clustered patterns in almost all scales. Some similar results of the classification of Wiegand scheme of species association consistent with the consequences of the bivariate pair correlation. The mark variograms showed positive autocorrelation at a coarse scale. The current study may aid in efforts of forest management planning and ecosystem services. Meanwhile, different research methods of spatial distribution also help to improve the accuracy of spatial distribution and the interspecific association of tree species.
Deep Learning-Based Fully Automatic Segmentation of the Maxillary Sinus on Cone-Beam Computed Tomographic Images
Authors: Choi Han Seung , Jeon Kug Jin , Kim Young Hyun , Ha Eun-Gyu , Lee Chena , Han Sang-Sun
Published: January 2022

This study proposes a deep learning-based method for fully automatic segmentation of the maxillary sinus, including clear or hazy states, on cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images. The model, which consisted of a U-Net architecture with post-processing, was developed using 19,350 CBCT images from 90 maxillary sinuses (34 clear sinuses, 56 hazy sinuses). Post-processing was performed to improve the accuracy of the prediction results of U-Net. Model performance was evaluated compared to manual labeling by an oral radiologist. The artificial intelligence (AI) prediction results before post-processing were DSC of 0.9071 ± 0.1842, HD of 2.6207 ± 4.9279 in clear sinuses and DSC of 0.9107 ± 0.1988, HD of 2.7812 ± 4.2835 in hazy sinuses. After post-processing, the results all improved (DSC: 0.9072 ± 0.1842, HD: 2.4057 ± 2.4496 in clear sinuses and DSC: 0.9123 ± 0.1977, HD: 1.9158 ± 2.0887 in hazy sinuses). The proposed deep learning model showed good performance for clear and hazy maxillary sinus segmentation with minimal time and effort, and the post-processing method improved the accuracy of automatic segmentation.
Centralized Fusion Robust Steady-state Estimator for Networked Uncertain System With Coloured Noises, One-step Random Delay and Packet Dropouts
Authors: Liu Wenqiang , Li Shuang , Tao Guili
Published: January 2022

This study is aimed to address the centralized fusion (CF) robust estimation problems for a class of multisensor networked systems with mixed uncertainties, which include coloured noises, same multiplicative noises in system parameter matrices, additive white noise, uncertain noise variances, as well as the one-step random delay and packet dropouts (PD). To deal with this kind of systems, one-step random delay and inconsecutive packet dropouts are described by two Bernoulli distributed random variables. By using the augmentation, de-randomization and fictitious noise techniques, the original system has transformed into an augment model with only uncertain noise variances. In the light of the minimax robust estimation principle, based on the worst-case CF system with conservative upper bounds of uncertain noise variances, the robust CF steady-state Kalman estimators (predictor, filter, and smoother) are presented. By providing a novel approach, consist of non-negative definite matrix method and Lyapunov equation approach, prove the robustness of the CF estimator. Finally, a UPS simulation example illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed CF estimation algorithms.
Fruit Recognition Method for a Harvesting Robot with RGB-D Cameras
Authors: Yoshida Takeshi , Kawahara Takuya , Fukao Takanori
Published: January 2022

In this study, we present a recognition method for a fruit-harvesting robot to automate the harvesting of pears and apples on joint V-shaped trellis. It is necessary to recognize the three-dimensional position of the harvesting target for harvesting by the fruit-harvesting robot to insert its end-effector. However, the RGB-D (red, green, blue and depth) camera on the harvesting robot has a problem in that the point cloud obtained in outdoor environments can be inaccurate. Therefore, in this study, we propose an effective method for the harvesting robot to recognize fruits using not only three-dimensional information obtained from the RGB-D camera but also two-dimensional images and information from the camera. Furthermore, we report a method for determining the ripeness of pears using the information on fruit detection. Through experiments, we confirmed that the proposed method satisfies the accuracy required for a harvesting robot to continuously harvest fruits.
A Multifunctional Composite Hydrogel as an Intrinsic and Extrinsic Coregulator for Enhanced Therapeutic Efficacy for Psoriasis
Authors: Xu Jiangmei , Chen Hao , Chu Zhaoyou , Li Zhu , Chen Benjin , Sun Jianan , Lai Wei , Ma Yan , He Yulong , Qian Haisheng , Wang Fei , Xu Yunshen
Published: January 2022

Background
Psoriasis is a chronic relapsing immunological skin disease characterized by multiple cross-talk inflammatory circuits which are relevantly associated with abnormal cross-reactivity between immune cells and keratinocytes (KCs). It may be inadequate to eradicate complicated pathogenesis only via single-mode therapy. To provide optimal combinatory therapeutics, a nanocomposite-based hydrogel was constructed by loading methotrexate (MTX) into ZnO/Ag to realize synergistic multiple target therapy of psoriasis.
Results
In this composite hydrogel, ZnO hybrid mesoporous microspheres were utilized both as drug carriers and ROS-scavenging nanoparticles. A proper amount of Ag nanoparticle-anchored ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO/Ag) was functionalized with inherent immunoregulatory property. The experiments showed that ZnO/Ag nanoparticles could exhibit a self-therapeutic effect that was attributed to reducing innate cytokine profiles by inactivating p65 in proinflammatory macrophages and abrogating secretion of adaptive cytokines in KCs by downregulating ROS-mediated STAT3-cyclin D1 signaling. A preferable antipsoriatic efficacy was achieved via topical administration of this hydrogel on the IMQ-induced psoriasis mice model, demonstrating the superior transdermal delivery and synergistic enhancement of therapeutic efficacy caused by intrinsic nanoparticles and extrinsic MTX.
Conclusion
this composite hydrogel could serve as a multifunctional, nonirritating, noninvasive and effective transcutaneous nanoagent against psoriasis.
Predicting Calmness, Anxiety, and Depression using Wearable Sensors
Authors: Borthakur Rajlakshmi , Sharma Natwar , Pattanaik Priya
Published: January 2022

One of the main reasons for the high prevalence of mental disorders is that there is no technology to aid diagnosis or to report on recovery factors like effect of therapeutic interventions and medicines. To enable faster access to screening and to measure recovery, we propose a wearables-based framework for the automatic prediction of the states of anxiety, depression and calmness in individuals. The framework called H2SEC is based on the integrated measurements of Habituation, Hypoactivity, Synchronization, Experience and Calmness (H2SEC) through a unified framework. The framework also enables the tracking of these states in realtime, showing transition from one state of consciousness to another.

To build and validate the H2SEC framework, we collected Electrodermal Activity (EDA) and Blood Volume Pulse (BVP) data, sampled at 100 Hz using a wearable device from 61 Neutral, 60 Depressed and 110 subjects with Anxiety, while they performed the experimental task. By tracking the timeseries data in centiseconds, we identified segments of time in the subjects’ data where their per-minute state of Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) was lower compared to the previous minutes. Within these segments called Sympathetic Transition Points (STPs), we calculated scores related to the H2SEC parameters of Habituation, Hypoactivity, Synchronization, Experience and Calmness and compared them against similar scores from non-STP segments. We thus arrived at the physiological coordinates of the Neutral, Anxiety, and Depression groups, apart from identifying the intrinsic nature of calmness in each group.

We implemented multi-output, multi-label machine learning (ML) algorithms to predict mental states(Neutral, Anxiety, and Depression) along with the nature of calmness (Calm, Approaching Calmness, and Not Calm) in each subject. We report 100% F1, along with 100% Precision and Recall in identifying both the states. Our methodology is the state-of-the-art in terms of mental health monitoring, and to the best of our knowledge we are the first to report on mental health disorders (anxiety and depression) and recovery mechanism (calmness) using an integrated methodology.
A Liquid-pressure-adaptive Superhydrophobic Surface
Authors: Deng Xu , Tan Yao , Yang Jinlong , Li Yong , Li Xiaomei , Wu Qiao , Yu Fanfei , Cui Jiaxi , Chen Longquan , Wang Dehui , Fan Yue
Published: January 2022

The dynamic application environments of superhydrophobic surfaces, such as in the manufacturing, chemical, and garment industries, require the fast adaptiveness of the surfaces to their surroundings. Despite the progress in materials and structural design of superhydrophobic surfaces, simultaneously achieving high superhydrophobic stability and low adhesion by traditional design is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate a liquid-pressure-adaptive superhydrophobic surface with self-adjustable solid-liquid stability and adhesion when reacting to the dynamic environmental requirements. To understand the underlying adaptive processes, we imaged the liquid impalement dynamics in three dimensions by confocal microscope and measured the stability and superhydrophobicity in varied systems. We envision our design strategy of liquid-pressure-adaptive superhydrophobic surfaces with dynamic anti-infiltration capability could guide the development of stable superhydrophobicity under complex wetting conditions.
Combined Hormone Receptor and Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2 Expression Reflects Inter-and Intra-tumor Heterogeneity in Hormone Receptor-positive/human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-2-positive Breast Cancer
Authors: Yuan Peng , Ju Jie , Du Feng , Gao Song-Lin , Si Yi-Ran , Hu Nan-Lin , Liu Dong-Xu , Wang Xue , Yue Jian , Zheng Fang-Chao , Kang Yi-Kun , Yang Zi-Xuan , Ma Fei , Xu Bing-He
Published: January 2022

BackgroundHormone receptor-positive and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2-positive (HR+/HER2+) breast cancer comprise approximately 5-10% of all invasive breast cancers. However, the lack of knowledge regarding the complexity of tumor heterogeneity in HR+/HER2+ disease remains a barrier to more accurate therapies. This study aimed to describe the tumor heterogeneity of HR+/HER2+ breast cancer and to establish a novel indicator to identify the HER2-enriched-like subtype in patients with HR+/HER2+ breast cancer.MethodsFirst, a comprehensive analysis was performed on HR+/HER2+ breast cancer samples from the TCGA (n=141) and METABRIC (n=104) databases. We determined the distribution of PAM50 intrinsic subtypes within the two cohorts and compared the somatic mutational profile and RNA expression features between HER2-enriched and non-HER2-enriched subtypes. We then performed multiplex immunofluorescence to evaluate HER2 and estrogen receptor (ER) expression simultaneously in the third cohort, enrolling 43 cases of early HR+/HER2+ breast cancer from Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS). ResultsAll four main intrinsic subtypes were identified in HR+/HER2+ breast cancer, of which the luminal-B subtype was the most common, followed by the HER2-enriched and luminal-A subtypes. Significantly increased TP53 and ERBB3 and decreased PIK3CA somatic mutation frequency were observed in the HER2-enriched subtype compared with the non-HER2-enriched subtype. In addition, the HER2-enriched subtype was characterized by significantly higher ERBB2 and lower ESR1 expression. We then constructed a marker termed rH/E to reflect the relative expression of ERBB2 to ESR1 in each patient. rH/E discriminates the HER2-enriched subtype from the non-HER2 subtypes better than the expression of ERBB2 or ESR1 alone. In the CAMS cohort, we observed four subtypes of tumor cells: ER+/HER2-, ER+/HER2+, ER-/HER2+, and ER-/HER2-. Tumor cell diversity was common, with 86% of patients having all four subtypes of tumor cells. Moreover, rH/E showed a significant prognostic association in the CAMS cohort. ConclusionsThis study furthers our understanding of the complexity of tumor heterogeneity in HR+/HER2+breast cancer, and suggests that the combined analysis of ERBB2 and ESR1 expression may contribute to identifying patients with specific subtypes in this population.
Nanotechnology Strategy as Antibacterial: a Primer for the Notice.
Authors: Ibisanmi Tope Abraham
Published: January 2022

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria cause a serious threat to any or all fields of bioscience because it may result in treatment failure which might have severe consequences, especially in case of critical patients. The development of a new antibacterial agents cropped up to be a complex process. One of the most important aspect of modern field research is nanotechnology, it deals with synthesis, design and manipulation of particles structures ranging from approximately 1-100nm.Main body: Nanoparticles (NPs) have big selection of applications in areas like health care, cosmetics, food and feed, environmental health e.t.c. Nanoparticles matrix properties and constituent materials can be used to categorized them into inorganic and organic nanosystems. Techniques use within the synthesis of NPs includes; chemical, physical, chemistry, and biological ways. every methodology has its advantages and disadvantages with common issues of value, quantifiability and uniform particle size. celebrated life scientist Sir Alexander Fleming aforesaid that “There is perhaps no therapy drug to that in appropriate circumstances the bacteria can't react by in a way deed fastness.” thus, there's high chance that the organism can also become resistance to freshly developed medication at later stage, additional these medications are highly expensive.Conclusions: To this end NPs are considered to be good antibacterial agents and may overcome the barrier of MDR owing to their multifunctional mechanisms to intervene normal cell functionality, ability to anchor to the bacterial cell wall and subsequently penetrate it, thereby causing structural changes in the cell membrane permeability leading to cell death.
How is People's Awareness of “Biodiversity” Measured ?Using Sentiment Analysis and LDA Topic Modeling in the Twitter Discourse Space from 2010 to 2020
Authors: Ohtani Shimon
Published: January 2022

The importance of biodiversity conservation is gradually being recognized worldwide, and 2020 was the final year of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets formulated at the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP10) in 2010. Unfortunately, the majority of the targets were assessed as unachievable. While it is essential to measure public awareness of biodiversity when setting the post-2020 targets, it is also a difficult task to propose a method to do so. This study provides a diachronic exploration of the discourse on “biodiversity” from 2010 to 2020, using Twitter posts, in combination with sentiment analysis and topic modeling, which are commonly used in data science. Through the aggregation and comparison of n-grams, the visualization of eight types of emotional tendencies using the NRC emotion lexicon, the construction of topic models using Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), and the qualitative analysis of tweet texts based on these models, I was able to classify and analyze unstructured tweets in a meaningful way. The results revealed the evolution of words used with “biodiversity” on Twitter over the past decade, the emotional tendencies behind the contexts in which “biodiversity” has been used, and the approximate content of tweet texts that have constituted topics with distinctive characteristics. While the search for people's awareness through SNS analysis still has many limitations, it is undeniable that important suggestions can be obtained. In order to further refine the research method, it will be essential to improve the skills of analysts and accumulate research examples as well as to advance data science.
Describing long-term opioid use utilizing Nordic Prescription Registers – A Norwegian example
Authors: Hamina Aleksi , Hjellvik Vidar , Handal Marte , Odsbu Ingvild , Clausen Thomas , Skurtveit Svetlana
Published: January 2022

Previous studies have defined long-term opioid use in varying ways, decreasing comparability, reproducibility, and clinical applicability of the research. Based on recommendations from recent systematic reviews, we aimed to develop methodology to estimate the prevalence of use persisting more than three months utilizing one of the Nordic prescription registers. We used the Norwegian Prescription Register (NorPD) to extract data on all opioid dispensations between January 1st, 2004, and October 31st, 2019. New users of opioids (washout 365 days) were defined as long-term users if they filled two criteria: 1) they had ≥2 dispensations of opioids, 91-180 days apart; 2) days 0-90 included ≥90 dispensed administration units (e.g., tablets) of opioids. Overall, there were 2,543,224 new users of opioids during the study period. Of these, 354,666 (13.9%) filled the criteria for long-term opioid use at least once. Compared to those who did not fill the criteria (short-term users), long-term users were older, more likely women, and used tramadol, oxycodone, and buprenorphine more frequently as their first opioid. In conclusion, we found that 1/7 of opioid users continued use longer than 3 months. Future outcome research should identify the clinically most important dose requirements for long-term opioid use criteria.