bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Maternal mortality study in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Ramazani Imani Bin-Eradi , Ntela Simon-Decap Mabakutuvangilanga , Ahouah Mathieu , Ishoso Daniel Katuashi , Monique Rothan-Tondeur
Published: May 2022

Background

The reduction of maternal mortality in developing countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) still raises many questions. Indeed, this large country in the heart of Africa ranks 4th among the eight countries that alone account for more than 50% of maternal deaths in the world, behind India, Nigeria and Pakistan. However, there is no up-to-date data on maternal mortality in eastern DRC. This study measures the mortality rate rate in health facilities in eastern DRC and identifies the associated risk factors.

Methods

This analytical epidemiological study was based on retrospective data materna deaths recorded in 59 health facilities, in three health zones in the southern part of Maniema province in east DRC. The study was conducted from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2020. Descriptive, bi and multivariate analyses were used.

Results

The maternal mortality rate was estimated at 620 deaths per 100,000 live births, of which 46% of maternal deaths were related to a parturients’ delayed decision in seeking healthcare in time (first delay). Maternal deaths were significantly associated with extreme ages (≤ 19 years and ≥ 40 years: p =  < 0.001), patient parity (in primigravidas and in large multiparas: p = 0.001), complications such as hemorrhagic, (p =  < 0.001), uterine ruptures:(p =  < 0.001), infections, (p =  < 0.001), and dystocia (p =  < 0.001).

Conclusion

Despite the efforts made by the DRC and its partners in the fight against maternal mortality, women continue to lose their lives when they decide to give birth. The results imply that it is imperative to strengthen both women and health professionals’ knowledge about pregnancy and maternal health and their power to reduce instances of first delay by supporting women in formulating their birth plans.
Prediction of PTSD related to COVID-19 in emergency staff based on the components of self-compassion and perceived social support
Authors: Shahsavarinia Kavous , Amiri Parastoo , Mousavi Zahra , Gilani Neda , Saadati Mohammad , Soleimanpour Hassan
Published: May 2022

Background

On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) proclaimed Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic. In addition to severe health problems, the disease has had a major psychological impact on the public. The aim of this research was to examine the association between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) related to COVID-19 in emergency staff and self-compassion and perceived social support.

Methods

Data were collected from 222 emergency staff working in two referral educational and health centers for COVID-19 affiliated to Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The participants were recruited six months following the first case of hospitalization for COVID-19 in these two hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Four questionnaires were used to measure the variables, including a researcher-made demographic checklist, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS) and the Self-Compassion Scale.

Results

The findings showed that age (r = 0.17, P = 0.034), self-judgment (r = 0. 36, P < 0.001), isolation (r = 0.44, P < 0.001) and over-identification (r = 0.15, P = 0.031) were associated with PTSD score, and there was also a statistically significant inverse relationship between the score of the self-kindness (r = - 0.19, P = 0.006) subscale and the overall score of PTSD in the emergency staff.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency staff have persistently faced potentially traumatic situations as first-line healthcare workers, suggesting the direness of this group’s mental health. By identifying the predisposing factors of the psychological pathology under study, this research can be applied in clinical practice and provide useful information for designing special interventions and protocols for emergency staff.
mTOR pathway gene mutations predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in multiple cancers
Authors: Cheng Lei , Wang Yanan , Qiu Lixin , Chang Yuanyuan , Lu Haijiao , Liu Chenchen , Zhang Bo , Zhou Yan , Bai Hao , Xiong Liwen , Zhong Hua , Nie Wei , Han Baohui
Published: May 2022

Background

mTOR pathway is known to promote cancer malignancy and influence cancer immunity but is unknown for its role in immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapy.

Methods

Using Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center dataset (MSKCC), we extracted mTOR pathway gene mutations for stepwise Cox regression in 1661 cancer patients received ICI. We associated the mutation of the gene signature resulted from the stepwise Cox regression with the 1661 patients’ survival. Other 553 ICI-treated patients were collected from 6 cohorts for validation. We also performed this survival association in patients without ICI treatment from MSKCC as discovery (n = 2244) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as validation (n = 763). Pathway enrichment analysis were performed using transcriptome profiles from TCGA and IMvigor210 trial to investigate the potential mechanism.

Results

We identified 8 genes involved in mTOR pathway, including FGFR2, PIK3C3, FGFR4, FGFR1, FGF3, AKT1, mTOR, and RPTOR, resulted from stepwise Cox regression in discovery (n = 1661). In both discovery (n = 1661) and validation (n = 553), the mutation of the 8-gene signature was associated with better survival of the patients treated with ICI, which was independent of tumor mutation burden (TMB) and mainly attributed to the missense mutations. This survival association was not observed in patients without ICI therapy. Intriguingly, the mutation of the 8-gene signature was associated with increased TMB and PD1/PD-L1 expression. Immunologically, pathways involved in anti-tumor immune response were enriched in presence of this mutational signature in mTOR pathway, leading to increased infiltration of immune effector cells (e.g., CD8 + T cells, NK cells, and M1 macrophages), but decreased infiltration of immune inhibitory M2 macrophages.

Conclusions

These results suggested that mTOR pathway gene mutations were predictive of better survival upon ICI treatment in multiple cancers, likely by its association with enhanced anti-tumor immunity. Larger studies are warranted to validate our findings.
Role of chemokine-mediated angiogenesis in resistance towards crizotinib and its reversal by anlotinib in EML4-ALK positive NSCLC
Authors: Wang Shasha , Lou Ning , Luo Rongrong , Hao Xuezhi , Liu Yutao , Wang Lin , Shi Yuankai , Han Xiaohong
Published: May 2022

Background

The identification of early plasma biomarkers for clinical outcomes and drug resistance has key importance for risk stratification in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the anti-angiogenic drug anlotinib can reverse the resistance of ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (ALK-TKI) crizotinib, and no research has explored the effect of anlotinib combined with crizotinib on ALK-positive patients.

Methods

In this study, 76 baseline and longitudinal plasma samples from 61 ALK-positive NSCLC patients receiving crizotinib treatment were analyzed by Luminex liquid suspension chip for 40 chemokines. RNA sequence (RNA-seq) was used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between H3122 and H3122-crizotinib resistant (H3122CR) cells. Tube formation assay was performed to investigate the effect of chemokines on angiogenesis. And H3122CR-derived xenograft model was constructed to validate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib combined with crizotinib in vivo.

Results

Baseline and progression plasma samples detection suggested that CCL20 played a crucial role in monitoring and predicting the clinical response of crizotinib (hazard ratio for progression-free survival: 2.27 (1.13–4.58); for overall survival: 2.7 (1.23–5.8)). RNA-seq results for H3122 and H3122CR cells showed that high expression of chemokines and angiogenesis pathways were involved in crizotinib resistance. Subsequently, in vitro experiments indicated that CCL20 may induce crizotinib resistance by activation of angiogenesis via JAK2/STAT3-CCL20-VEGFA/IL6 axis. We further found that anti-angiogenic TKI anlotinib could reverse crizotinib resistance by inhibiting chemokines-induced angiogenesis, and anlotinib combined with crizotinib has a better antitumor effect than monotherapy in vitro & in vivo.

Conclusions

Overall, CCL20-mediated angiogenesis is involved in crizotinib resistance and could be overcome by using anlotinib in EML4-ALK positive NSCLC. The combination of anlotinib and crizotinib is a promising strategy for patients resistant to ALK-TKIs.
Alpinetin promotes hair regeneration via activating hair follicle stem cells
Authors: Fan Xiaojiao , Chen Jing , Zhang Yajun , Wang Siyi , Zhong Wenqian , Yuan Huipu , Wu Xia , Wang Chaochen , Zheng Yixin , Wei Yuan , Xiao Ying
Published: May 2022

Background

Alopecia affects millions of individuals globally, with hair loss becoming more common among young people.  Various traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have been used clinically for treating alopecia, however, the effective compounds and underlying mechanism are less known. We sought to investigate the effect of Alpinetin (AP), a compound extracted from Fabaceae and Zingiberaceae herbs, in hair regeneration.

Methods

Animal model for hair regeneration was mimicked by depilation in C57BL/6J mice. The mice were then topically treated with 3 mg/ml AP, minoxidil as positive control (PC), or solvent ethanol as vehicle control (VC) on the dorsal skin. Skin color changes which reflected the hair growth stages were monitored and pictured, along with H&E staining and hair shaft length measurement. RNA-seq analysis combined with immunofluorescence staining and qPCR analysis were used for mechanism study. Meanwhile, Gli1CreERT2; R26RtdTomato and Lgr5EGFP−CreERT2; R26RtdTomato transgenic mice were used to monitor the activation and proliferation of Gli1+ and Lgr5+ HFSCs after treatment. Furthermore, the toxicity of AP was tested in keratinocytes and fibroblasts from both human and mouse skin to assess the safety.

Results

When compared to minoxidil-treated and vehicle-treated control mice, topical application of AP promoted anagen initiation and delayed catagen entry, resulting in a longer anagen phase and hair shaft length. Mechanistically, RNA-seq analysis combined with immunofluorescence staining of Lef1 suggested that Lgr5+ HFSCs in lower bulge were activated by AP via Wnt signaling. Other HFSCs, including K15+, Lef1+, and Gli1+ cells, were also promoted into proliferating upon AP treatment. In addition, AP inhibited cleaved caspase 3-dependent apoptosis at the late anagen stage to postpone regression of hair follicles. More importantly, AP showed no cytotoxicity in keratinocytes and fibroblasts from both human and mouse skin.

Conclusion

This study clarified the effect of AP in promoting hair regeneration by activating HFSCs via Wnt signaling. Our findings may contribute to the development of a new generation of pilatory that is more efficient and less cytotoxic for treating alopecia.
Recent advances and public health implications for environmental exposure to Chlamydia abortus: from enzootic to zoonotic disease
Authors: Turin Lauretta , Surini Sara , Wheelhouse Nick , Rocchi Mara Silvia
Published: May 2022

Environmental transmission of Chlamydia abortus as a result of enzootic disease or disease outbreaks and the threats posed by this pathogen has been previously reported, however a state-of-the-science review of these reports and the identification of future research priorities in this area is still lacking. This study provides an overview of the current knowledge of host–pathogen–environment interactions, addressing public health risks and identifying critical questions and research gaps. We performed a systematic PubMed and Web of Science search for publications related to Chlamydia abortus in the past four decades, and we reviewed and combined the evidence critically discussing and commenting the results. A total of 182 studies, 5 chapters of specific books and the “OIE terrestrial manual” were included in this review. There were substantial variations between the studies in topic addressed and experimental design. Overall, the literature largely supports the crucial role played by environmental exposure on the acquisition of zoonotic disease caused by Chlamydia abortus. We also identify the paucity of information related to interspecies transmission and pathogen adaptation in relation to environmental dissemination and zoonotic risk. This analysis further highlights the need for additional research given that environmental transmission represents a serious risk not only to susceptible patients (pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals), but also for other species including wildlife.
State or trait: the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa — contributions of a functional magnetic resonance imaging study
Authors: Göller Selma , Nickel Kathrin , Horster Isabelle , Endres Dominique , Zeeck Almut , Domschke Katharina , Lahmann Claas , Tebartz van Elst Ludger , Maier Simon , Joos Andreas A. B.
Published: May 2022

Background

The understanding of the cerebral neurobiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) with respect to state- versus trait-related abnormalities is limited. There is evidence of restitution of structural brain alterations with clinical remission. However, with regard to functional brain abnormalities, this issue has not yet been clarified.

Methods

We compared women with AN (n = 31), well-recovered female participants (REC) (n = 18) and non-patients (NP) (n = 27) cross-sectionally. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed to compare neural responses to food versus non-food images. Additionally, affective ratings were assessed.

Results

Functional responses and affective ratings did not differ between REC and NP, even when applying lenient thresholds for the comparison of neural responses. Comparing REC and AN, the latter showed lower valence and higher arousal ratings for food stimuli, and neural responses differed with lenient thresholds in an occipital region.

Conclusions

The data are in line with some previous findings and suggest restitution of cerebral function with clinical recovery. Furthermore, affective ratings did not differ from NP. These results need to be verified in intra-individual longitudinal studies.
Growing up during a public health crisis: a qualitative study of Born in Bradford early adolescents during Covid-19
Authors: Lockyer Bridget , Endacott Charlotte , Dickerson Josie , Sheard Laura
Published: May 2022

Background

Whilst children and young people have not often been at forefront of the immediate Covid-19 pandemic health response there has been concern about the indirect consequences of Covid-19 on children’s physical and mental health and what the effect of the pandemic will be throughout their lifetimes. Early adolescence is a time of transition and reorientation. This study considers the impact of the first UK Covid-19 lockdown on early adolescents.

Methods

The study topic was identified through a consultation process which aimed to provide appropriate evidence to local decision makers in Bradford, UK and plan for future interventions. A group of children and their parents from the longitudinal Born in Bradford (BiB) cohort study were randomly selected and then purposively sampled by ethnicity, age, sex and deprivation. The BiB cohort is made up of 13,776 children and their families and were recruited at Bradford Royal Infirmary between 2007 and 2011. 41 interviews (with 20 families: 20 parents and 21 children) were carried out between August and September 2020. Interview data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

The transitional age of the children interviewed had an important influence on their experience Covid-19 and the first UK lockdown. Their age combined with lockdown and school closures meant that they missed out on key learning and social opportunities at a crucial time in their lives. Covid-19 and lockdown also disrupted their daily mental wellbeing and led to increased anxiety, lethargy and low moods, during a period of personal change and social transition.

Conclusion

For children at the start of their adolescence undergoing change and formation, the experiences and feelings Covid-19 has set in motion will likely have an impact on their mental and cognitive functioning as they develop further. It is important to acknowledge these early adolescent experiences and continue to monitor and provide targeted support to this group of young people.
Ramifications of incorrect image segmentations; emphasizing on the potential effects on deep learning methods failure
Authors: Al-Dmour Hayat
Published: May 2022

Introduction

Detecting failure cases is critical to ensure a secure self-driving system. Any flaw in the system directly results in an accident. In genuine class, the model’s probability reflects better-reflected model confidence. As a result, the confidence distributions of failed predictions were changed to lower values. In contrast, accurate predictions were remained associated with high values, allowing for considerably more excellent separability between such prediction types. The study investigates the association of ramifications with computational color constancy that can negatively influence CNN’s image classification and semantic segmentation.

Methodology

Image datasets were used to conduct different scales and complexity experiments. For instance, minimal and straightforward images of digits were comparatively provided through MNIST and SVHN datasets. The dataset’s standard validation set was employed to test and compute additional metrics because ground truth that is not publicly available for some test sets.

Results

The results depicted that baseline methods were outperformed through the proposed approach with a considerable variant on minimal datasets or models in every context. Therefore, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is appropriate in failure prediction, and ConfidNet is competent to be fulfilled as confidence criterion. Further, one of the solutions would be to elevate the validation set size, but this would influence the prediction performance of a failure model. On the contrary, the confidence estimation was based on models with test predictive performance levels, similar to baselines.

Conclusions

The gap between validation accuracy and training accuracy was significant on CIFAR-100, which indicates the modest enhancement for failure detection via the validation set.
AraXLNet: pre-trained language model for sentiment analysis of Arabic
Authors: Alduailej Alhanouf , Alothaim Abdulrahman
Published: May 2022

The Arabic language is a complex language with little resources; therefore, its limitations create a challenge to produce accurate text classification tasks such as sentiment analysis. The main goal of sentiment analysis is to determine the overall orientation of a given text in terms of whether it is positive, negative, or neutral. Recently, language models have shown great results in promoting the accuracy of text classification in English. The models are pre-trained on a large dataset and then fine-tuned on the downstream tasks. Particularly, XLNet has achieved state-of-the-art results for diverse natural language processing (NLP) tasks in English. In this paper, we hypothesize that such parallel success can be achieved in Arabic. The paper aims to support this hypothesis by producing the first XLNet-based language model in Arabic called AraXLNet, demonstrating its use in Arabic sentiment analysis in order to improve the prediction accuracy of such tasks. The results showed that the proposed model, AraXLNet, with Farasa segmenter achieved an accuracy results of 94.78%, 93.01%, and 85.77% in sentiment analysis task for Arabic using multiple benchmark datasets. This result outperformed AraBERT that obtained 84.65%, 92.13%, and 85.05% on the same datasets, respectively. The improved accuracy of the proposed model was evident using multiple benchmark datasets, thus offering promising advancement in the Arabic text classification tasks.
Effects of Intermittent Hypoxia–Hyperoxia on Performance- and Health-Related Outcomes in Humans: A Systematic Review
Authors: Behrendt Tom , Bielitzki Robert , Behrens Martin , Herold Fabian , Schega Lutz
Published: May 2022

Background

Intermittent hypoxia applied at rest or in combination with exercise promotes multiple beneficial adaptations with regard to performance and health in humans. It was hypothesized that replacing normoxia by moderate hyperoxia can increase the adaptive response to the intermittent hypoxic stimulus.

Objective

Our objective was to systematically review the current state of the literature on the effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia–hyperoxia (IHH) on performance- and health-related outcomes in humans.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science™, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in accordance with PRISMA guidelines (January 2000 to September 2021) using the following inclusion criteria: (1) original research articles involving humans, (2) investigation of the chronic effect of IHH, (3) inclusion of a control group being not exposed to IHH, and (4) articles published in peer-reviewed journals written in English.

Results

Of 1085 articles initially found, eight studies were included. IHH was solely performed at rest in different populations including geriatric patients (n = 1), older patients with cardiovascular (n = 3) and metabolic disease (n = 2) or cognitive impairment (n = 1), and young athletes with overtraining syndrome (n = 1). The included studies confirmed the beneficial effects of chronic exposure to IHH, showing improvements in exercise tolerance, peak oxygen uptake, and global cognitive functions, as well as lowered blood glucose levels. A trend was discernible that chronic exposure to IHH can trigger a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The evidence of whether IHH exerts beneficial effects on blood lipid levels and haematological parameters is currently inconclusive. A meta-analysis was not possible because the reviewed studies had a considerable heterogeneity concerning the investigated populations and outcome parameters.

Conclusion

Based on the published literature, it can be suggested that chronic exposure to IHH might be a promising non-pharmacological intervention strategy for improving peak oxygen consumption, exercise tolerance, and cognitive performance as well as reducing blood glucose levels, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in older patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases or cognitive impairment. However, further randomized controlled trials with adequate sample sizes are needed to confirm and extend the evidence. This systematic review was registered on the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO-ID: CRD42021281248) (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).
Preparation of gamma poly-glutamic acid/hydroxyapatite/collagen composite as the 3D-printing scaffold for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Nguyen Thu-Trang , Hu Chih-Chien , Sakthivel Rajalakshmi , Nabilla Sasza Chyntara , Huang Yu-Wen , Yu Jiashing , Cheng Nai-Chen , Kuo Yi-Jie , Chung Ren-Jei
Published: May 2022

Background

All types of movements involve the role of articular cartilage and bones. The presence of cartilage enables bones to move over one another smoothly. However, repetitive microtrauma and ischemia as well as genetic effects can cause an osteochondral lesion. Numerous treatment methods such as microfracture surgergy, autograft, and allograft, have been used, however, it possesses treatment challenges including prolonged recovery time after surgery and poses a financial burden on patients. Nowadays, various tissue engineering approaches have been developed to repair bone and osteochondral defects using biomaterial implants to induce the regeneration of stem cells. 

Methods

In this study, a collagen (Col)/γ-polyglutamate acid (PGA)/hydroxyapatite (HA) composite scaffold was fabricated using a 3D printing technique. A Col/γ-PGA/HA 2D membrane was also fabricated for comparison. The scaffolds (four layers) were designed with the size of 8 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm in thickness. The first layer was HA/γ-PGA and the second to fourth layers were Col/γ-PGA. In addition, a 2D membrane was constructed from hydroxyapatite/γ-PGA and collagen/γ-PGA with a ratio of 1:3. The biocompatibility property and degradation activity were investigated for both scaffold and membrane samples. Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (
r
BMSCs) and human adipose-derived stem cells (
h
ADSCs) were cultured on the samples and were tested
in-vitro
to evaluate cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation.
In-vivo
experiments were performed in the rat and nude mice models.

Results

In-vitro
and
in-vivo
results show that the developed scaffold is of well biodegradation and biocompatible properties, and the Col-HA scaffold enhances the mechanical properties for osteochondrogenesis in both
in-vitro
and animal trials.

Conclusions

The composite would be a great biomaterial application for bone and osteochondral regeneration.
The association between different predictive biomarkers and mortality of COVID-19
Authors: Ansari Narges , Jahangiri Mina , Shirbandi Kimia , Ebrahimi Mina , Rahim Fakher
Published: May 2022

Background

Immunocompromised individuals are expected to be more prone to severe diseases and, subsequently, death. Genetic disorders and polymorphisms in genes involved in the immune system, such as human leukocyte antigen (HLA), inflammatory cytokines, and killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors, can be involved in the immune system's response to various pathogens. In the current survey, the data were received from the world health organization, collected around the world.

Results

Spearman's coefficient correlation test for evaluating the relationship between the Daily Death Rates (DDR) and immunological variables showed a statistically significant correlation between the DDR and all immunological variables except TNFa857T, TNFa863A IL2330G, and IL2166T (P < 0.001). Also, there was a statistically significant correlation between the DDR and some HLA markers.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis study shows that predictive biomarkers and mortality of COVID-19 are associated with HLA markers. However, these results should be confirmed in a more structured agreement. It is worth noting that the design of new studies should consider potential diseases with poor prognoses because they are related to these immune genetic markers.
Challenges and measures during management of mounting biomedical waste in COVID-19 pandemic: an Indian approach
Authors: Manekar Snehal S. , Bakal Ravindrakumar L. , Jawarkar Rahul D. , Charde Manoj S.
Published: May 2022

Background

During coronavirus pandemic, an unpredictable pile of biomedical waste (BMW) gathers at the top. India produces 710 tonnes of biomedical waste daily. The contribution of COVID-19 related biomedical waste was 126 tonnes per day in first wave of the pandemic. BMW's rapid growth is putting a strain on current waste management facilities, especially in developing countries. A sudden boost in biomedical waste needs rapid and proper segregation and disposal methods to avoid future consequences.

Main body of the abstract

From literatures and statistical data available on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) it shows that India lags behind in large-scale sorting, collection, careful storage, transfer and disposal of bio waste. India has its own guidelines set by the CPCB to ensure the safe disposal of biomedical waste during diagnosis, treatment and quarantine of COVID-19 patients. Although there are strict guidelines for bio-waste management, many hospitals in the process of implementing them often dispose of waste in inappropriate, chaotic and indiscriminate ways due to negligence or laziness. Often, due to poor separation practices, hospital waste is mixed with general waste, resulting in harmful overall waste flow. Waste disposal handlers are not safe due to their exposure to various health risks and inadequate training in waste management. The present review sheds light on guidelines, measures, and challenges related to biomedical waste management.

Short conclusion

Improper waste separation leads to improper waste disposal. Waste generation and management issues are causing daily problems as they have a profound impact on the dramatically changing global environment, including air, water and soil pollution. In addition, BMW's daily production and its processing are inversely proportional. This situation suggests that India will soon be drowning in its own garbage. The focus of this review is on the generation and disposal of biomedical waste. Based on a review of the literature, this evaluation provides a comparative picture of the current status of waste generation, national waste management strategies, and some measures to contribute to waste management and avoid future disasters.
Chemical composition and bioactivities of Melaleuca alternufolia essential oil and its main constituents against Spodoptera littoralis (Boisaduval, 1833)
Authors: Ismail Seham M. , Hassan Noura A. , Wahba Trandil F. , Shaker N.
Published: May 2022

Background

Spodoptera littoralis is mostly controlled by the use of synthetic insecticides. Nonetheless, the use of these insecticides causes a slew of issues. On this pest, the antifeedant activity of Melaleuca alternifolia essential oil (EO) and its two principal components was investigated.

Results

The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis revealed that the M. alternifolia EO was composed of eleven compounds. Terpinen-4-ol (40.1%) and γ-terpinene (21.9%) were chosen as the major constituents. In terms of antifeedant efficacy, treatment with M. alternifolia EO and these components reduced leaf consumption and the efficiency of food conversion in larvae in a concentration-dependent manner. When compared to untreated larvae, weight, growth, and pupation percentage were all significantly lower.

Conclusions

The findings show that M. alternifolia EO and its components, terpinen-4-ol and γ-terpinene can be effectively combined for cotton leafworm management.
Highlighting the role of global longitudinal strain assessment in valvular heart disease
Authors: Purwowiyoto Sidhi Laksono , Halomoan Reynaldo
Published: May 2022

Background

Echocardiography has been the choice for imaging modality for valvular heart disease. It is less invasive, widely available, and allows valvular structure visualization. Echocardiographic assessment often also determines the management. Left ventricular ejection fraction is the most commonly used indicator during echocardiography assessment. It shows signs of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with valve disease. However, most of the time, the ongoing process of cardiac damage may already occur even with preserved cardiac function; further deteriorated ejection fraction will show irreversible cardiac damage. There is a need for a more advanced diagnostic tool to detect early cardiac dysfunction, to prevent further damage.

Main body

Advanced echocardiography imaging using strain imaging allows a physician to evaluate cardiac function more precisely. A more sensitive parameter than left ventricular ejection fraction, global longitudinal strain, can evaluate subclinical myocardial dysfunction before the symptoms occur by evaluating complex cardiac mechanisms. Global longitudinal strain evaluation provides the chance for physicians to determine the intervention needed to prevent further deterioration and permanent cardiac dysfunction. Global longitudinal strain is proven to be beneficial in many types of valvular heart diseases, especially in mitral and aortic valve diseases. It has an excellent diagnostic and prognostic value for patients with valve disease. This review aims to present the superiority of global longitudinal strain compared to left ventricular ejection fraction in assessing cardiac function in patients with valvular heart disease. Clinical usage of global longitudinal strain in several valvular heart diseases is also presented in this review.

Conclusions

The superiority of global longitudinal strain to left ventricular ejection fraction relies on the mechanism where other strains would compensate for the deterioration of longitudinal strain, which is more vulnerable to damage, so the cardiac function is preserved. Therefore, examination of longitudinal strain would give the physician early signs of cardiac function impairment, and prompt management can be conducted.
Undercarboxylated, But Not Carboxylated, Osteocalcin Suppresses TNF-α–Induced Inflammatory Signaling Pathway in Myoblasts
Authors: Park Danbi , Kim Do-Yeon , Byun Mi Ran , Hwang Hyorin , Ko Seong-Hee , Baek Jeong-Hwa , Baek Kyunghwa
Published: May 2022

Undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOCN) has been considered to be an important endocrine factor, especially to regulate bone and energy metabolism. Even with the mounting evidence showing the consistent inverse correlation of ucOCN levels in chronic inflammatory diseases, however, the mechanism underlying the involvement of ucOCN in the muscular inflammation has not been fully understood. In the present study, we explored 1) the endocrine role of ucOCN in the regulation of inflammation in C2C12 myoblasts and primary myoblasts and the underlying intracellular signaling mechanisms, and 2) whether G protein–coupled receptor family C group 6 member A (GPRC6A) is the ucOCN-sensing receptor associated with the ucOCN-mediated anti-inflammatory signaling pathway in myoblasts. ucOCN suppressed the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)–induced expressions of major inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and inhibited the TNF-α–stimulated activities of transcription factors, including NF-κB, in C2C12 and primary myoblasts. Both knockdown and knockout of GPRC6A, by using siRNA or a CRISPR/CAS9 system, respectively, did not reverse the effect of ucOCN on IL-1β expression in myoblasts. Interestingly, TNF-α–induced IL-1β expression was inhibited by knockdown or deletion of GPRC6A itself, regardless of the ucOCN treatment. ucOCN was rapidly internalized into the cytoplasmic region via caveolae-mediated endocytosis, suggesting the presence of new target proteins in the cell membrane and/or in the cytoplasm for interaction with ucOCN in myoblasts. Taken together, these findings indicate that ucOCN suppresses the TNF-α–induced inflammatory signaling pathway in myoblasts. GPRC6A is not a sensing receptor associated with the ucOCN-mediated anti-inflammatory signaling pathway in myoblasts.
The EWAS Catalog: a database of epigenome-wide association studies
Authors: Battram Thomas , Yousefi Paul , Crawford Gemma , Prince Claire , Sheikhali Babaei Mahsa , Sharp Gemma , Hatcher Charlie , Vega-Salas María Jesús , Khodabakhsh Sahar , Whitehurst Oliver , Langdon Ryan , Mahoney Luke , Elliott Hannah R. , Mancano Giulia , Lee Matthew A. , Watkins Sarah H. , Lay Abigail C. , Hemani Gibran , Gaunt Tom R. , Relton Caroline L. , Staley James R. , Suderman Matthew
Published: May 2022

Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) seek to quantify associations between traits/exposures and DNA methylation measured at thousands or millions of CpG sites across the genome. In recent years, the increase in availability of DNA methylation measures in population-based cohorts and case-control studies has resulted in a dramatic expansion of the number of EWAS being performed and published. To make this rich source of results more accessible, we have manually curated a database of CpG-trait associations (with p<1x10-4) from published EWAS, each assaying over 100,000 CpGs in at least 100 individuals. From January 7, 2022, The EWAS Catalog contained 1,737,746 associations from 2,686 EWAS. This includes 1,345,398 associations from 342 peer-reviewed publications. In addition, it also contains summary statistics for 392,348 associations from 427 EWAS, performed on data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The database is accompanied by a web-based tool and R package, giving researchers the opportunity to query EWAS associations quickly and easily, and gain insight into the molecular underpinnings of disease as well as the impact of traits and exposures on the DNA methylome. The EWAS Catalog data extraction team continue to update the database monthly and we encourage any EWAS authors to upload their summary statistics to our website. Details of how to upload data can be found here: http://www.ewascatalog.org/upload.

The EWAS Catalog is available at http://www.ewascatalog.org.
Practice-Oriented Approaches in Professional Orientation of Schoolchildren
Authors: Frolova Svetlana , Shtan'ko I.
Published: May 2022

A number of state documents in the field of education emphasize the importance of organizing an effective system of career guidance for students. The relevance of this work is due to several reasons, one of which is the strengthening of the dynamics of the labor market and the market of professions. Today, futurologists find it difficult to say which of the professions will be in demand in the future. Today's students should have a clear understanding of what the expression "lifelong education" means and be ready to change their profession.

One of the modern approaches to creating an effective career guidance system is the actual approach, that is, the orientation of the student to the choice of a profession for the "here and now", but at the same time, teachers should warn about a possible reorientation. All this determines the acuteness of the problem of pedagogical support of professional self-determination of students.

In addition, it is quite obvious that the socio-economic development of the country depends on the correct choice of a profession by school graduates, since this choice determines the motivation to receive a quality professional education.

The authors of the article believe that for effective career guidance, an educational organization should use all resources (resource approach), in particular, the resources of additional education.

The authors' material may be useful for teachers working on the creation of a career guidance system based on modern practice-oriented approaches.
Biocontrol Potential of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Soil-borne Pathogens in Rice and Other Crops
Authors:   Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Kalamulla Ruwanthika ,   Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, 50300, Sri Lanka, Karunarathna Samantha C. ,   Center for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China, Asad Suhail ,   State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China, Tibpromma Saowaluck ,   Center for Mountain Futures, Kunming Institute of Botany, Kunming 650201, Yunnan, China, Stephenson Steven L. ,   Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701, USA, Promputtha Itthayakorn ,   Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand, Yapa Neelamanie ,   Faculty of Applied Sciences, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, Mihintale, 50300, Sri Lanka
Published: May 2022

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil-borne fungi that form mutualistic symbiosis with plant roots, and can signifi cantly improve plant nutrient uptake and increase resistance to several biotic and abiotic stresses. Though most rice cultivation systems involved submerged growing conditions, researchers are exploring the potential of AMF colonization and its benefi ts for rice. AMF has a potential of serving as a biocontrol agent in rice plants via direct mechanisms viz. nutrient improvement, competition, integration, morphological, biochemical, and physiological alteration and indirectly via induction of systemic induced resistance (ISR) in plants. Furthermore, other biotic factors (host genotype, age of the plant, species of AMF that is involved, degree of mycorrhization, presence of weed plants) and abiotic factors (soil temperature, moisture, nutrient content, and atmospheric gas composition, crop management systems) can be affected the process of biocontrol by AMF. These different mechanisms cannot be considered completely independent from one another. The potential for biocontrol by AMF depends mainly on all these mechanisms in conjunction with all of the other biotic and abiotic factors that affect mycorrhization. By considering such mechanisms, in this review we discussed the suitability of the application of AMF as a pathogen biocontrol agent in rice and the other crop plants, while reducing the application of chemical agents to control the diseases. However, for considering AMF as a better alternative for the synthetic agrochemicals, more research should be conducted by applying AMF and synthetic chemicals to compare the levels of pathogen control.
Structural Equation Model (SEM) dalam Pemodelan Kemiskinan di Pulau Sumatera
Authors: Zebua Hasrat Ifolala , Harefa Geni Andalria
Published: May 2022

Poverty is a serious issue that must be addressed immediately by countries in the world, including Indonesia. The Indonesian government has implemented a variety of poverty reduction projects, such as providing education and health insurance. The rising poverty rate is due to the poor quality of education and health care. On Sumatra, there are 5,83 million poor people or 22,06 percent of the total number of poor people in Indonesia. This statistic appears to be quite large, and the government should be concerned about it. Factors causing poverty such as education and health are latent variables that cannot be measured directly. The suitable statistical method used is Structural Equation Model (SEM). In SEM analysis, there are three types of model fit tests: measurement model fit with Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), overall model fit, and structural model fit. The results indicated that the model was fit or suitable for the model's tests. From the SEM model that was formed, it was found that health had a negative and significant effect on poverty and education did not have a significant effect on poverty and 77 percent of the variation in poverty could be explained by the SEM model that was formed.

Keywords: poverty; education; health; SEM; CFA
Micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems accelerometer based on the Talbot effect of double-layer diffraction gratings
Authors: Jin Liming , Wang Ce , Jin Li , Chen Wenqing , Xu Haodong , Cui Min , Li Mengwei
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we present the design, fabrication, and test of a micro-opto-electro-mechanical systems (MOEMS) accelerometer based on the Talbot effect of double-layer diffraction gratings. The detection of acceleration is realized by using the highly sensitive displacement characteristic of Talbot imaging of near-field diffraction with double-layer gratings. For the purpose of obtaining optimal contrast of the optical interferometric detection, the parameters of the gratings are optimized by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The experimental results indicate that this MOEMS accelerometer with the proposed design can achieve a resolution of 246 µg, sensitivity of 6.1 V/g, and bias stability of 0.02 mg. The proposed accelerometer can be operated at higher accelerations (

∼

80

g

), which shows significant potential for being used in applications that require detection of strong and fast vibrations, especially in vibration sensing of vehicles and geophysical seismic sensing in real time.
Resource allocation algorithm of an indoor OFDMA VLC system
Authors: Shi Huili , Wang Ping , Yang Ting , Che Hui , Zhang Yang , Li Peiyu
Published: May 2022

In
this work, a resource management algorithm is proposed for an indoor
visible light communication (VLC) access network using an orthogonal
frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) scheme. With OFDMA,
adaptive modulation is adopted to improve the frequency spectrum
efficiency of this VLC system. Specifically, the long-term
time-averaged optimization problem is transformed into a series of
single timeslot online problems via a Lyapunov optimization technique.
Then, each user is provided with a separate queue to maintain the
random arrival data by a VLC access point, and a subcarrier allocation
solution is subsequently presented to maximize the transmission rate.
Numerical simulation shows that compared with the best channel state
information (BC) algorithm and round robin (RR) algorithm, the
proposed algorithm can not only ensure the transmission rate but also
greatly improve system stability. In particular, for mean arrival rate

B
=
7

K
b
i
t
s

/

t
i
m
e
s
l
o
t

, the system stability by the proposed
algorithm improves by about 53.36% and 61.36% in comparison with BC
and RR algorithms, respectively. This work will benefit the design and
development of indoor OFDMA VLC systems.
Low-stray-light gratings fabricated with scanning exposure method based on Lloyd’s mirror for a high-contrast near-eye display in augmented reality
Authors: Xu Chenlu , Zhao Yuxuan , Zeng Lijiang
Published: May 2022

The stray light of gratings lowers the image contrast of augmented reality display devices based on lightguide gratings. We propose to reduce the stray light of gratings fabricated with the scanning exposure method in a Lloyd’s mirror interferometer setup. The photoresist-coated substrate is moved in the longitudinal direction parallel to the exposure interference fringes during exposure to average out the laser speckle-induced noise. A phase locking module is designed to compensate for the unwanted lateral displacement caused by the straightness error and vibration of the translation stage. The stability and accuracy of phase locking in the Lloyd’s mirror interferometer are analyzed with control system theory. Low-stray-light lightguide gratings were fabricated successfully. The stray light level was decreased by more than 50%, and the imaging contrast was increased from 65% to 85%.
Die Einflüsse von Arbeitsbelastung auf die Arbeitsqualität agiler Software-Entwicklungsteams
Authors: Sanden Christian , Karnowski Kira , Steinke Marvin , Neumann Michael , Linke Lukas
Published: May 2022

Durch die Covid 19 Pandemie und der damit einhergehenden Effekte auf die Arbeitswelt ist die Belastung der Mitarbeitenden in einen stärkeren Fokus gerückt worden. Dieser Umstand trifft unter anderem durch den umfassenden Wechsel in die Remote Work auch auf agile Software-Entwicklungsteams in vielen Unternehmen zu. Eine zu hohe Arbeitsbelastung kann zu diversen negativen Effekten, wie einem erhöhten Krankenstand, dem Wohlbefinden der Mitarbeitenden oder reduzierter Produktivität führen. Es ist zudem bekannt, dass sich die Arbeitsbelastung in der Wissensarbeit auf die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse auswirkt. Dieser Forschungsbeitrag identifiziert potenzielle Faktoren der Arbeitsbelastung der Mitglieder eines agilen Software-Entwicklungsteam bei der Otto GmbH & Co KG. Auf der Grundlage der Faktoren präsentieren wir Maßnahmen zur Reduzierung von Arbeitsbelastung und erläutern unsere Erkenntnisse, die wir im Rahmen eines Experiments validiert haben. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bereits kleinteilige Maßnahmen, wie das Einführen von Ruhearbeitsphasen während des Arbeitstages, zu positiven Effekten bspw. hinsichtlich einer gesteigerten Konzentrationsfähigkeit führen und wie sich diese auf die Qualität der Arbeitsergebnisse auswirken.