bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO POSTOPERATIVE ADVERSE EVENTS IN PATIENTS WITH INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS
Authors: Arroyo coral Serrano , Ramírez Denisse Guzmán , Delgado Nancy Guzmán , Aguilar Luis Aguilar , Jiménez José Gámez , Pérez Annet Cázares
Published: January 2024

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infrequent intracardiac
disease with high morbidity and mortality if treatment is not instituted
opportunely Objective: To determine the echocardiographic
characteristics related to postoperative adverse events (PAE) in
patients with IE. Material and methods: Retrospective, single-center,
observational cohort study in patients with IE undergoing surgical
treatment between January 2018 and January 2020. 57 patients were
included to evaluate the relationship between the echocardiographic
characteristics and the development of post-surgical complications.
Results: Average age 43 ± 14.6 years, 64.9% were male. 52.6% (n=30)
presented PAE; Acute kidney injury being the most frequent 24.6%, heart
failure 19.3%, major bleeding 19.3%, surgical reoperation 17.5%,
arrhythmias 14%, septic shock 12.3%, mediastinitis 5.3%, and acute
myocardial infarction 1.8%. The echocardiographic characteristics that
were related to PAE were sPAP> 55% in 23.5%, p 0.004 and
the presence of more than 2 vegetations with p 0.025, OR 1.84, 95% CI
(1.03-3.28). Major bleeding was associated with the presence of 2 or
more vegetations p 0.003, OR 9.23, 95% CI (1.27-66.81). Vegetation in
both cardiac chambers were associated with heart failure p 0.008, OR
4.095, 95% CI (1.53-10.92) and septic shock p 0.001, OR 8.19, 95% CI
(2.30-29.04). Mortality observed in the postoperative period was 21.1%.
Conclusions: The location of vegetations in both cardiac chambers, the
presence of 2 or more endocardial vegetations, as well as a
sPAP> 55mmHg, are associated with a higher incidence of PAE
in patients with IE.
Survey, pathogenicity and characterization of different Colletotrichum spp. associated with Chilli anthracnose
Authors: Chowdary GBS Manikantha , R Sutha Raja Kumar
Published: January 2024

A survey was conducted in 2019 – 2020, to study the disease incidence
in major chilli growing areas of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and also
to study the cultural, morphological and pathogenicity of different
isolates of Colletotrichum spp. The disease severity ranged from 8.13%
to 38.66%. The highest disease incidence was recorded from Ramarkoodal
village of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu and lowest disease
incidence was recorded from Palur village of Cuddalore district in Tamil
Nadu. In pathogenicity test among all the isolates, CC 7 from Kamapatti
exhibited maximum disease incidence (fruit rot incidence) and was found
to be more virulent.
COVID-19: role of the NLRP3 inflammasome
Authors: Gallo Claudio , Zippi Maddalena , Tateo Fabio , Posabella Giovanni , Antonacci Donato , Tropeano Antonio , Hong Wandong , Fornelli Adele , Lari Federico , Fiorino Sirio , Biase Dario de
Published: January 2024

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) pandemic
represents a very serious health public concern. This pathogen causes
Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19). It is a clinical condition,
asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic in most of the patients, although, in a
variable number of cases, it can be characterized by the development of
very serious complications and by death. The pathogenetic mechanisms,
responsible for this syndrome, are not fully understood and further
studies are needed. However, according to our knowledge, after the early
phase of viral infection, interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and host take
place, and a state of immune system response dysregulation and
hypercoagulability occurs. The individuals affected by SARS-CoV-2
infection experience an inflammatory response of different magnitude. In
this review, we examine the events originating during COVID-19 disease
and focus mainly on the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and IL-1β as
well as on the generation of the excessive systemic inflammatory
response with the development of endotheliitis, thrombosis, and
micro-thrombosis, detectable in this syndrome. Furthermore, we describe
in brief the process of immune system dysregulation associated with
SARS-CoV-2 infection and the onset of some life-threatening conditions,
such as Acute Lung Injury (ALI), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
(ARDS), and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), which are observed in
some patients with COVID-19.
Multiple butterflies recognition based on deep residual learning and image analyze
Authors: Xi Tianyu , Wang Jiangning , Han Yan , Lin Congtian , Ji Liqiang
Published: January 2024

1 Insects recognition is crucial for taxonomy. It helps researchers to
process tremendous and various ecology data. Most studies focus on
fine-tuning the deep learning network or altering the algorithm to
enhance the identification accuracy, and some useful tools have been
generated with these methods. 2 This study focuses on the influence of
image data on the recognition model. The data set source of the existing
automated identification tools is relatively single, and the
competition-based data set was released only focus on evaluating the
model at present. For the first time, this article integrates butterfly
image data sets from multiple sources, covered illustrated books, and
butterfly popular science websites. The image types include standard
specimen images, illustrated book scan images and camera shots. In
addition, these images concluded not only fixed poses, but also various
other images of butterflies in natural poses. The size of these images
is also various. Testing data set is new data that is not belongs to the
training set, which also verifies the generalizability of the model,
indicating that in practical applications, this model can identify new
images. 3 We designed different data sets using the ResNet18 network to
train a classifier, which achieves a validation accuracy of 86 % in the
end of analyze. By adjusting the data sets, the accuracy changes as
well. This study provides a method to recognize hundreds of butterfly
species and analyzes the testing progress from the point of view of
data. 4 It is the first to combine butterflies from multiple countries
in the world to a single data set, with a recognition accuracy that
outperforms previous experiments, to the best of our knowledge. We
further analyze the testing results of butterfly recognition at the
family and genus level.
Regulatory mechanism of silicon in strengthening cadmium immobilization in the foliar cell wall of a grain low-cadmium rice line
Authors: Guo Jingyi , Ye Daihua , Zhang Xizhou , Huang Huagang , Wang Yongdong , Zheng Zicheng , Li Tingxuan , Yu Haiying
Published: January 2024

Cadmium (Cd) remobilization in leaves is the major source of Cd
accumulation in brown rice, which is affected by whether Cd is stored in
nonlabile subcellular compartments. Silicon (Si) can improve mechanical
and chemical properties of cell wall in plant, however its influence in
Cd immobilization in cell wall hasn’t been entirely understood. In this
research, we found the isolated foliar cell wall of a rice line
YaHui2816 exhibited a lower capacity for Cd chemisorption but a higher
desorption amount than a contrasting line C268A, which was resulted from
its fewer relative peak areas of functional groups in cell wall, such as
carboxyl C=O and OH stretching. Foliar Si application increased the Cd
concentration in pectin and hemicellulose 1 of foliar cell wall in
YaHui2816. Combined with RNA-seq analysis, this strengthening of Cd
binding in the cell wall mainly resulted from i) depressing the metal
transporter OsZIP7 and ii) promoting the cell wall polysaccharide
metabolism under upregulation of OsCht1 (chitinase 1) and genes
participating in UDP-glucose metabolism. Overall, we revealed the
mechanism by which foliar Si fertilizer improves of Cd binding onto
foliar cell walls in rice, inspiring further avenues to ensure food
safety in rice grains.
Connecting nonlinear $(\varpi-F_{\mathcal{C}})$-contractions and fractional operators in the modelling of novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2
Authors: HAZARIKA BIPAN , Panda Sumati , VIJAYAKUMAR V. , Gopinadh B
Published: January 2024

There is still a dramatic increase for using mathematical modelling in
the study of epidemiology diseases. Mathematical models were developed
to predict how infectious diseases advance to explain the potential
outcome of an outbreak, and better facilitate initiatives in global
policy. In this article, we present new insights of existence and
uniqueness solutions of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2 model
via fractional derivatives by using
$(\varpi-F_{\mathcal{C}})$-contractions.
Clinical Outcomes After Radiofrequency Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation in South America: A Centre-Level Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Data
Authors: Boissonnet Carlos , Giorgi Mariano , Köhler Gastón , Roura Luciano García , Ginestar Juan , Guetta Javier
Published: January 2024

Objectives To profile patients’ characteristics, in-hospital results and
recurrence rates after radiofrequency ablation of atrial fibrillation
(RAAF) in South America through a systematic review and meta-analysis of
observational data. Methods We comprehensively searched for papers
published in peer-reviewed medical journals and for abstracts presented
in medical conferences of the region from January 1st, 2010, through
June 29th, 2020. We included single-centre studies from South America
with ≥10 patients receiving RAAF, excluding those reports aimed to
specific populations such as permanent atrial fibrillation, patients
with structural cardiopathy, or re-do procedures. Results Twenty-seven
cohorts from 5 countries pooling 3909 patients were included in a
random-effects meta-analysis. Pooled estimates for patients
characteristics were age 57.6 years (95% CI 55.7-59.5), male gender
71.5% (95% CI 67.0%-75.6%), hypertension 54.2% (95% CI
45.4%-62.8%), paroxysmal atrial fibrillation 79.8% (95% CI
71.3%-94.5%), CHAD2 score 1.2 (95% CI 0.5-1.9). Pooled estimate rate
of acute procedural success was 91.1% (95% CI 82.2-95.8%; I2 87.5%),
and those of in-hospital complications were: stroke 0.6% (95% CI
0.3-1.2%; I2 0%), cardiac tamponade 2.3% (95% CI 1.4%-3.7%; I2
46.3%), hematoma 3.5% (95% CI 2.0-6.1; I2 57.0%), pseudoaneurysm
1.2% (95% CI 0.6-2.3; I2 0%), arteriovenous fistula 2.5% (95% CI
1.6-4.1; I2 0%), with no cases of oesophageal-atrial fistula nor death.
Pooled estimate for arrhythmia recurrence (excluded 3-months blanking
period) at 12 months was 19.9% (95% CI 17.0-23.1), at 24 months 26.9%
(95% CI 21.7-32.8) and at 36 months 29.9% (95% CI 22.5-38.4).
Conclusion In-hospital results of RAAF in South America were worse than
published international registries, even when included populations
profile was of lower risk as reflected in younger age and less
prevalence of non-paroxysmal AF. Late and very late recurrence rates
were appropriate. This study provides a real-life framework for the
analysis of the performance of this technology in the region.
Effect of lopinavir/ritonavir treatment on COVID-2019 transmissibility: A possible option to reduce isolation time
Authors: Kim Dong-Min , Chung Jae Keun , Kim Choon-Mee , Bang Mi-Seon , Tariq Misbah , Lee You Mi , Seo Jun-Won , Kim Da Young , Yun Na Ra , Seo Jinjong , Kim Yuri , Kim Min Ji , Cho Nam-Hyuk
Published: January 2024

Background: Owing to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic,
there is a shortage of hospital wards to accommodate the increasing
number of patients, especially in intensive care units. Healthcare
systems are collapsing in many countries. Therefore, it is necessary to
reduce isolation time. Methods: We examined the effect of
lopinavir/ritonavir administration in patients with SARS-CoV-2. To
assess the viral load, duration and clearance of viable virus; cell
culture and RT-PCR were performed in parallel. Results: No viable
SARS-CoV-2 could be detected after administration of lopinavir/ritonavir
with median time of viable viral clearance being one day after
administration. The mean viral load in both upper and lower respiratory
tract samples of lopinavir/ritonavir administered group was
significantly lower than the group who were not treated with any
antiviral agent. The duration of viable viral shedding was shorter in
patients with lopinavir/ritonavir treatment compared with those without
treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests that lopinavir/ritonavir
treatment offers a possible method to reduce isolation time of patients
infected with the SARS-CoV-2.
Evaluation Survey Regarding Post Op Management by ENT Surgeons
Authors: Tsur Nir , Reuven Yonatan , Maurer Joachim , Carrasco Marina , Abuhasira Shlomi , Bahar Gideon , Alkan Uri
Published: January 2024

Background: To describe current practice in terms of perioperative
management routines used by otolaryngologists who practice obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) surgical management. Methods: The study comprises an
international, web-based, cross-sectional survey. The authors surveyed
otolaryngologists and maxillofacial surgeons who practice OSA surgical
management worldwide, using an in-house designed survey tool. We
developed a new measure called “experience” (years x patients per
year) and found no correlations with specific recommendations. Results:
The response rate was 62%, with 81% reporting no postoperative oxygen
and 83% no use of postoperative positive airway pressure (PAP) support.
Regarding hospitalization stays, for palatal surgeries, 43 (88% ) of
respondents discharge patients under 24 hours postoperatively, while in
multi-level surgeries, 14% discharge patients after 4-7 days of
hospitalization. Only 59% of respondents reported using opioids for
pain management, 82% administered prophylactic antibiotics, and 86%
said they routinely prescribed steroids. In investigating the different
correlations and various postoperative management decisions, we did not
find any significant differences among groups with few exceptions: (1) a
positive correlation between prescribing prophylactic antibiotics
(Pv=0.043) and recommending postoperative oxygen support (Pv=0.01) among
physicians who prescribe pre-operative steroids, and (2) for physicians
who recommend postoperative oxygen support, a positive correlation
between recommending postoperative PAP support (Pv=0.03) and intensive
care unit or intermediate unit monitoring (Pv=0.02). Conclusion: This
survey study elucidated the heterogeneity of pre-operative and
postoperative management tools for surgical patients suffering from OSA
who undergo surgical intervention. Keywords: Obstructive Sleep Apnea;
postoperative management; postoperative monitoring; antibiotic; steroids
Comparison of the patients with COVID-19 pre-diagnosis admitted to the emergency department in terms of acid-base imbalance
Authors: Akman Canan , Bakirdogen Serkan
Published: January 2024

Objective During the course of COVID-19 disease, respiratory acidosis,
respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis and metabolic alkalosis may
occur. This study aims to determine the acid-base imbalance by
interpreting the blood gas of the patients with COVID-19 pre-diagnosis
admitted to the emergency department. Method The study was planned
retrospectively. Blood gas samples of all patients pre-diagnosed with
COVID-19 were taken at first admission to the emergency department and
analysed in the laboratory. According to clinical, radiological and
microbiological evaluation, the patients were divided into two groups as
COVID-19 (+) (n=171) and control group [(COVID-19 (-)] (n=129). Data
analysis was conducted using SPSS version 19.0. p<0.05 was
accepted for the level of statistical significance. Results In the
control group, normal blood gas levels were observed more frequently
than in the COVID-19 (+) group (p <0.05). Ionized calcium and
potassium levels in blood gas were found to be lower in the COVID-19 (+)
group than in the control group (p <0.05). Conclusion It is
extremely important to take blood gas samples from the patients with
COVID-19 pre-diagnosis in terms of guiding the treatment to be conducted
in the emergency department.
Optimized Process Operations Reduce Product Retention and Column Clogging in ATF-based Perfusion Cell Cultures
Authors: Su Yuning , Wei Zhaohui , Miao Yana , Sun Liuliu , Shen Yina , Tang Ziran , Li Le , Quan Yufen , Yu Haiyang , Wang Wei-Chun , Zhou Weichang , Tian Jun
Published: January 2024

Product retention in the hollow fibers is a common issue in ATF-based
cell culture system. In this study, the effects of four major process
factors on product (therapeutic antibody/recombinant protein) retention
were investigated using Chinese hamster ovary cell. Hollow fibers made
of polysulfone presented a product retention rate from 15% ± 8% to
43% ± 18% higher than those made of polyether sulfone varying with
specific processes. Higher harvest flowrate and ATF exchange rate
increased product retention by 13% ± 10% and up to 31% ± 13%,
respectively. Hollow fibers with larger pore sizes (0.65 μm) appeared to
have increased product retention by 38% ± 7% compared with smaller
ones (0.2 μm) in this study. Further investigation revealed that the
effects of pore size on retention could be correlated to the particle
size distribution in the cell culture broth. A hollow fiber with a
larger pore size (>0.5 μm) may reduce protein retention
when small particles (approximately 0.01-0.2 μm in diameter) are
dominant in the culture. However, if majority of the particles are
larger than 0.2 μm in diameter, hollow fiber with smaller pore sizes
(0.2 μm) could be a solution to reducing product retention.
Alternatively, process optimization may modulate particle size
distribution towards reduced production retention with selected ATF
hollow fibers. This study for the first time highlights the importance
of matching proper pore sizes of hollow fibers with the cell culture
particles distribution and offers methods to reducing product retention
and ATF column clogging in perfusion cell cultures.
In-silico evidence of ADAM Metalloproteinase Pathology in Cancer Signalling Networks
Authors: Sen Plaboni , Kandasamy Thirukumaran , Ghosh Siddhartha
Published: January 2024

Purpose: Literature mining portrays major role of ADAM17 in cancer and
inflammation, but due to its structural similarity of the catalytic site
to that of the MMPs, it is a challenging task to design a candidate drug
for targeting ADAM17. Herein, we have exploited the analogues of some
existing inhibitors, with an aim at discovering a potent inhibitor,
which might be repurposed as a drug against ADAM17 inflicted cancer
progression. Methods: STRINGS database provided us with the ADAM17
mediated protein-protein interaction network. Gene ontology analysis was
performed using WebGestalt to obtain the interacting proteins in
biological processes, along with their role in signalling pathway and
the gene-disease associations. The analogues were screened using the
PubChem database. Molecular docking and MD-simulation studies were
performed to obtain the dynamic properties of the protein-inhibitor
complex. Furthermore, the pharmacodynamic properties of the compounds
ascertained their inhibitory and drug-likeliness properties. Results:
Our analysis provided sufficient evidence in considering ADAM17 as an
eminent regulator of various cancer signalling pathways, which can be
considered as a predominant marker in cancer patients. Upon screening of
the existing analogues, we delineated our choice into two specific
compounds (I6 and I9, analogues of IK862), possessing the lowest binding
energy (-9.1 Kcal/mol), stable MD-simulation studies and superior
pharmacodynamic properties. Conclusion: The present information paves
the avenue to persuade further in-vitro and in-vivo research to provide
the efficacy of inhibiting ADAM17 with small molecular compounds (I6 and
I9) in the treatment of various malignancies.
Existence of the weak solution and the difference approximation for a second-order nonlinear parabolic equation
Authors: Zhang JiHong , Li YongFei , Liang Bo , Wang JieXin
Published: January 2024

In this paper, we prove the existence of the weak solution for a
second-order parabolic equation with a nonlinear diffusion term and
present the finite difference method to solve it. We prove the existence
of the approximate solution and the generalized solution.Then we provide
the difference scheme to approximate the temporal derivatives and
spatial derivative. The numerical results show that the proposed
difference scheme is simple, easy to implement with high accuracy. In
addition, the implicit scheme could be employed while the long-time
behavior is considered.
Dose of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Risk of Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Older Adults
Authors: Li Yuhsien , Hang Liang-Wen , Muo Chih-Hsin , Chen PC
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been
associated with increased risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB)
in older patients, but little is known about the risk associated with
individual SSRI drugs and doses. METHODS: We conducted a nested
case-control study within a cohort of 9,295 patients aged ≥65 years
treated with SSRIs from 2000 to 2013 using claims data of a universal
health insurance in Taiwan. Incident cases of UGIB during follow-up
period were identified and matched with three control subjects for age,
sex, and follow-up duration. Conditional logistic regression was used to
estimate odds ratio (OR) of UGIB associated with use of individual SSRI
drugs and cumulative dose. RESULTS: UGIB risk increased with the
increasing cumulative doses of SSRIs (adjusted OR: 1.28, 95% confidence
interval [CI]: 1.02–1.62 for the highest vs. the lowest tertile).
Compared with users of other SSRIs, Fluoxetine users were at had an
increased risk of UGIB (adjusted OR: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03–1.50), whereas
paroxetine users had 29% decreased odds (95% CI: 0.56–0.91). A
dose-response manner was observed between fluoxetine use and UGIB
(adjusted OR [95% CI] for tertiles of cumulative dose vs. use of
other SSRI classes: tertile 1, 1.04 [0.78-1.39]; tertile 2, 1.25
[0.96-1.63]; tertile 3, 1.44 [1.11–1.87]). The increased risk
was only observed among current fluoxetine users. CONCLUSIONS: Among
older adults treated with SSRIs, fluoxetine therapy was associated with
increased risk of UGIB in a dose-response manner. Careful considerations
in treatment dosage are needed when providing care to older people.
Parsers, Data Structures, and Algorithms for Macromolecular Analysis Toolkit (MAT): Design and Implementation
Authors: Kalyan Gazal , Junghare Vivek , S S. John , Mitra Pralay , Chattopadhyay Anupam , Hazra Saugata
Published: January 2024

An accurate and efficient biological tool for various utilities is
required for the structural information of biological macromolecules
stored in .pdb, .cif and lately .mmtf files. Here, we present
Macromolecular Analysis Toolkit (MAT) that can parse all of these files;
and build a hierarchical data structure from the given input. This
original program is written in C++ to ensure flexibility and
performance. The novelty of the program lies in the addition of new
structure-based biological algorithms and applications. This package
also stands out from other similar libraries by being fast and accurate.
We also provide a detailed comparison of available parsers on the whole
PDB database. The same data structure is extended to accommodate
information from the mmCIF and MMTF parsers. Tokenization of the data
allows the extraction of information from disordered text, making it
compatible for accurate identification of the entities present in the
.pdb file. The parser of MAT is designed in such a way that it allows
quick extraction and efficient loading of the core data structure.
Additionally, we add a new approach by creating a few derived data
structures, namely kD-Tree, Octree, and graphs. For certain applications
that need spatial coordinate calculations, these can be subsequently
constructed.
Ixazomib induces apoptosis and suppresses proliferation in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through activation of the c-Myc/NOXA pathway
Authors: Wang Tian-Xiao , Zhang Pengying , Chen Lu , Qi Huijie , Chen Haifei , Zhu yongjun , Zhang Liudi , Zhong Mingkang , Shi Xiaojin , Li Qunyi
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one
of the major subtypes of esophageal cancer. More than half of the ESCC
patients in the world are in China, and the 5-year survival rate is less
than 10%. As a new oral proteasome inhibitor, ixazomib has shown strong
therapeutic effect in many solid tumors. In this study, we aimed to
investigate the effects of ixazomib on the proliferation inhibition and
apoptosis of ESCC cells. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We used four human ESCC
cell lines, cell viability assay, cell cycle and apoptosis assay,
RT-PCR, Western blot, immunohistochemistry and ESCC xenografts model to
clarify the roles of the therapeutic effect and mechanism of ixazomib in
ESCC. KEY RESULTS Ixazomib significantly inhibited the proliferation and
induced apoptosis in ESCC cells. RT-PCR results showed that the
expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related gene NOXA and c-Myc
significant increase after treatment with ixazomib in ESCC cell. Then we
knockdown the NOXA and c-Myc by siRNA, the therapeutic effect of
ixazomib markedly decrease, which confirmed that c-Myc/NOXA pathway
played a key role in the treatment of ESCC with ixazomib. In vivo, the
xenograft ESCC model mice were given 10 mg/kg of ixazomib every other
day for 30 days. The results showed that the tumor size in the treatment
group was significantly smaller than the control group CONCLUSIONS AND
IMPLICATIONS These results suggested that ixazomib is known to suppress
proliferation and induce apoptosis in an ESCC cell lines, and this
effect was likely mediated by increased activation of the c-Myc/NOXA
signaling pathways.
Optimum ligand affinity for competition-based primary screens.
Authors: Shave Steven , Pham Nhan , Auer Manfred
Published: January 2024

Background and Purpose A simplistic assumption in setting up a
competition assay is that a low affinity labelled ligand can be more
easily displaced from a target protein than a high affinity ligand,
which in turn produces a sensitive assay. An often-cited paper
recommends the use of the highest affinity ligand available for all
competition-based screens. We demonstrate that this suggestion can lead
to reduced assay sensitivity, increased false negatives and ultimately,
the discarding of potentially valuable active compounds. Experimental
Approach Using our recently developed PyBindingCurve software for
mechanistic understanding of complex biological interaction systems, we
have simulated competition experiments using protein, ligand, and
inhibitor concentrations common to drug screening campaigns. Key Results
Our simulations reveal a labelled ligand affinity range based on assay
parameters, rather than a general rule to optimise assay sensitivity. We
provide source code to carry out these simulations, a video summarising
the key findings, along with a simple lookup table allowing all
scientists the ability to identify and visualise optimal dynamic ranges
for a competition assay. Conclusion and Implications In primary drug
screening the highest assay sensitivity is required to not miss low
affinity binders like for protein-protein interactions. Compounds are
prioritised for hit to lead phase projects in which more detailed
inhibitor affinity determination is achieved. The application of our
freely available software and lookup tables will reduce false negative
rates and lead to the consistent creation of more performant primary
screens identifying valuable compounds.
Cluster consensus and cluster formation for nonlinear fractional-order multi-agent systems
Authors: yaghoubi zahra
Published: January 2024

This paper concerns the cluster consensus for multi-agent systems with
fractional-order nonlinear dynamics. The agents can be divided into
several clusters and Cluster consensus means that states/outputs of all
agents in the same cluster converge to fixed values or paths which are
different between clusters. A sufficient condition is investigated for
proving Mittag-Leffler stability of the considered closed loop system.
In addition, cluster formation of fractional-order multi-agent systems
with nonlinear dynamics is studied in this paper which means each
cluster makes the specific pattern. The performance improvement of the
considered control law by using fractional-order Lyapunov stability and
graph theories is shown. It is shown that if there is a directed
spanning tree in the graph and the information exchange between two
clusters is balanced, the cluster formation can be obtained. Finally, a
number of examples are simulated to show the performance of the obtained
results.
Why we should treat COVID-19 Long-Hauler Syndromes with Convalescent Plasma; Contained Suppressive Exosomes are likely COVID antigen-specific
Authors: askenase phil
Published: January 2024

There have been numerous very disappointing results of Convalescent
Plasma Therapy (CPT) in active infections with COVID-19 virus, raises a
question of how to account for this, given the huge history of seeming
benefit of CPT in a variety of infectious diseases over more than the
past 100 years. We propose the following as a possible explanation,
based on our experimental evidence. In CPT there is a collision between
developed desirable viral resistance promoting hyper-immune antibodies
and undesirable convalescent exosomes antigen (Ag)-specifically
suppressing cellular immune responses stimulated by the prior now
recovered acute viral disease. These inhibiting exosomes, that act to
suppress Ag presenting cells and anti-COVID-19-Ag-specific effector T
cells, are appropriate to convalescence, but when given early in
infection may interfere with endogenous early developing profitable
cellular immune anti-viral responses. To account for the high incidence
of the Long Haulers post COVID patients, we postulate that these are due
to immune reactivity to Ag remnants of the virus and not residual
infection. These are postulated to held by and augmented by remnants of
highly pathogenetic neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). We propose
that CPT with its content of potential broadly COVID Ag-specific
suppressive exosomes be considered for possible effective treatment of
the COVID-19 Long Hauler Syndromes. This certainly is so compared to the
purported value of therapy with vaccines, as the diverse Ag-specific
extracellular vesicles in the convalescent plasma would be an inhibitory
influence on multiple COVID Ag-specific responses, beyond just to the
spike protein of the virus.
TREE DIVERSITY EFFECTS ON FOREST PRODUCTIVITY: DISENTANGLING THE EFFECTS OF TREE SPECIES ADDITION VS. SUBSTITUTION
Authors: toïgo maude , Castagneyrol Bastien , Jactel Hervé , Morin Xavier , Meredieu Céline
Published: January 2024

1. Mixture effect on stand productivity is usually apprehended through a
substitutive approach, whereby productivity in mixed stands is compared
to productivity in monocultures, at equivalent stand density. This
approach has proved that in many cases mixed stands perform better than
monospecific forests, however, we do not yet have a solid theory about
species behaviour in the mixture or even guidelines for combining
species. The addition of a second tree species to an existing
mono-specific stand has received much less consideration. Yet, this
approach has the potential to separate the facilitation effect from the
complementarity effect. 2. We compared the effect of tree species
substitution vs. addition on the productivity of maritime pine and
silver birch in a young tree diversity experiment implemented in 2008 in
SW France. 3. Substituting pines with birches to create two-species
mixtures resulted in an increase of tree productivity at stand level
beyond what was expected from monocultures (i.e., overyielding). In
contrast, creating mixture through the addition of birches to pine
stands had no effect on the maritime pine stand productivity
(transgressive mixture effect not significant). This absence of effect
is produced by two distinct density-dependence responses at an
individual level. 4. Our results allow clarifying the cases in which a
mixed stand can be considered as an alternative to a monoculture of a
productive species. In particular, the addition of a pioneer and soil
low-demanding species during young developmental stages is a possibility
to diversify the stand and potentially to increase ecosystem services
without altering the productivity of the target species.
Three-year outcome with autologous cryopreserved decellularized glutaraldehyde-treated human pericardium for redo aortic valve repair
Authors: Abdurakhmanov Zufar , Yemets Illya
Published: January 2024

We report a case presentation of an asymptomatic 18-year-old girl with a
recurrent severe aortic regurgitation and moderately dilating ventricle
as a result of right cusp replacement done at 15 years of age that
became necessary severe regurgitation after the performance of balloon
dilatation at 3 months. A successful redo right coronary cusp
replacement was implemented with a cryopreserved decellularized
glutaraldehyde-treated autopericardial patch. We observed improvement in
left ventricle function and a good hemodynamic profile of aortic valve
at 3 years of follow-up. Autologous cryopreserved decellularized
glutaraldehyde-treated pericardium appeared to facilitate aortic valve
reconstruction by providing a reproducible off-the-shelf material to
preclude Ross- and mechanical valve replacement-associated drawbacks for
a time.
Chromosome-level genome assembly and transcriptome of the tomato hind, Cephalopholis sonnerati (Serranidae, Perciformes)
Authors: Xie Zhen-Zhen , Peng Cheng , Wang Dengdong , Wang Qing , Li Shuisheng , Lin Haoran , Zhang Yong
Published: January 2024

The tomato hind Cephalopholis sonnerati (Valenciennes) (Serranidae),
belonging to the genus Cephalopholis, is a bottom dwelling coral reef of
12–120-m depth in the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea. C. sonnerati has also
been characterized by complex social structures and behavioural
mechanisms. However, due to the lack of genomic resource for C.
sonnerati, molecular-genetic studies and genomic breeding remain
unexplored in this species. In this study, we reported the
chromosome-level genome assembly of C. sonnerati using PacBio sequencing
and Hi-C sequencing technologies. We obtained a total length of 1043.66
Mb with an N50 length of 2.49 Mb, containing 795 contigs assembled into
24 chromosomes. Overall 95.8% of the complete BUSCOs were identified in
the assembled genome, suggesting the completeness of the genome. Then,
we predicted 26,130 protein-coding genes, of which 94.26% were
functionally annotated. In addition, C. sonnerati diverged from its
common ancestor with E. lanceolatus and E. akaara approximately 41.7
million years ago. Finally, we found tissue-specific expression of 8,108
genes. Functional analyses showed that they mainly consisted of
complement and coagulation cascades, DNA replication, synaptic vesicle
cycle, long-term potentiation and other glycan degradation. Furthermore,
comparative genome analyses indicated that the expanded genes families
were highly enriched in the sensory system, which was different from the
enrichment analysis of the tissue-specific expression genes. In brief,
to our knowledge, we reported the first chromosome-level genome assembly
of C. sonnerati, which will provide a valuable genome resource for
studies on the genetic conservation, resistance breeding, and
evolutionary of C. sonnerati.
Learning Curve for Totally Thoracoscopic Lobectomy in Treating Pediatric Patients with Congenital Lung Malformation
Authors: He Taozhen , Sun Xiaoyan , Yang Yang , Yang Gang , Yuan Miao , Cheng Kaisheng , xu chang
Published: January 2024

Abstract Purpose: To evaluate our learning curve of pediatric totally
thoracoscopic lobectomy (TTL), we review the safety and efficiency of
our initial experiences with TTL on pediatric patients with congenital
lung malformation. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study
of all the pediatric patients undergoing TTL between March 2011 and
January 2017. Cumulative summation (CUSUM) analysis of operative time
(OT) was used. Results: One hundred and three patients were
retrospectively analyzed and were divided chronologically into two
phases, ascending phase (A) and descending phase (B), through CUSUM of
OT. Phases A and B comprised 52 and 51 cases, respectively. OT decreased
significantly from phases A to B (P < 0.05). No significant
differences were observed in the demographic factors (except for age and
body weight) and the conversion or the complication rates between the
two phases. Six cases were converted to open surgery (5.8%). Four
conversions occurred within the first third of the series and two in the
last third. There were no mortalities. Conclusions: Repeated
standardized training play a role in overcoming the learning curve for
totally thoracoscopic lobectomy in children, and CUSUMOT indicates that
the learning curve of around 52 cases is required in our institute.
Temporal Dynamics of Alien Species' Impacts
Authors: Volery Lara , Wegmann Daniel , Bacher Sven
Published: January 2024

Alien populations keep establishing at alarming rates and often have
highly detrimental impacts on recipient environments. Quantifying the
magnitude of their impact is essential for prioritization and management
and is commonly done by comparing ecological variables between invaded
and uninvaded states. Such estimates are highly uncertain and often
biased because they ignore the temporal dynamics of the system. This has
hampered the understanding and prediction of impacts, and hence
management. To address this, we propose a framework to quantify impacts
by contrasting the trajectory of ecological variables in presence of an
alien with that forecasted in the absence of the alien. We discuss how
trajectories in absence of the alien can be forecasted statistically and
how uncertainty in these forecasts can be accounted for when estimating
impacts. This framework readily allows for comparisons of alien species’
impacts across taxa and regions, as well as with impacts caused by other
stressors.
The student's voice to Improve OSCE exam
Authors: raziani yosra , Othman Brwa Salah
Published: January 2024

Background: Nursing involves “hands-on” psychomotor skills and
clinical decisions in the affective and psychomotor domains which needs
to be evaluate in a method that cover both domains. Through different
methods of assessment objective structured clinical examination (OSCE)
could be mentioned as an appropriate way for evaluating the medical
students specially nursing students. objective: investigating the
student’s views toward OSCE Design: A qualitative, exploratory study
designed according to COREQ checklist Methods: twenty-five students who
experienced OSCE exam were selected purposively. The data were collected
by using semi structured interviews. The interviews were verbatim
transcribed and analyzed according to the qualitative content analysis
based on Graneheim and Lundman method. Results: Two main themes emerging
during data analysis were: 1- Management aspects problem, that includes
3 categories: 1) supervisor’s behavior, 2) time management,3)
Facilities, and 2- Educational aspects problem including three
categories of 1) Simulation, 2) Educational background, 3) Question
design which are key factors in conducting a more rational and helpful
OSCE exam. Conclusion: results could be highly effective in promoting
both clinical skills evaluation and educational programs. using more
student-center methods in teaching and providing facilities to bring
students to the real world of profession helping them to improve their
ability in clinical decision making.
Reproductive variances within Paciﬁc salmon populations under hatchery stocking
Authors: Niwa Hiro-Sato , Yanagimoto Takashi
Published: January 2024

Shallow gene genealogies have been reported in some Pacific salmon
populations. Many salmon runs have been supplemented with commercial
hatchery production, which may lead to the distortion of genealogies. We
show that, while the genealogical tree in a naturally-reproducing
population is the standard Kingman coalescent, the trees in populations
supplemented by hatcheries are coalescents with multiple mergers of
ancestral lineages (i.e. Λ- or Ξ-coalescents). This distortion indicates
that allele-frequency changes occur in jumps, reflecting the
reproductive dominance of few lineages. Our focus is to understand
among-individual variation of reproductive success within salmon
populations under hatchery stocking. Under high reproductive-variance
conditions, we compute the distribution of heterozygosity across
generations. The result shows that zero heterozygosity is not achieved,
implying that salmon populations under hatchery stocking may decline
without evident loss of genetic variation. We also point out that
reproductive skew leads to shifting of peaks (singularities) of the
heterozygosity distribution. By looking for peak shifts across many
loci, one can distinguish the multiple-merger from the Kingman
coalescent (which is applicable to other species as well).
Fluid shear stress regulates the stemness of cancer cells
Authors: Dash Sanat , Patra Bamadeb , Sharma Vineeta , Das Sarit , Verma Rama
Published: January 2024

Fluid shear stress (FSS) has been acknowledged as an important cue in
cancer development and growth. Cancer cell stemness is known to change
with FSS signal. However it is not clear how the stemness changes with
different orders of FSS magnitude. HeLa cancer cell proliferation,
intracellular reactive oxygen species and stemness were analysed with
different assays like flow cytometer analysis, RT-pcr,
immunocytochemistry etc. in a logarithmic microfluidic device with wide
physiological FSS. Less number of cells in G0/G1 phase was detected
after FSS treatment, indicating enhanced cell proliferation or S/G2/M
phase arrest. EdU staining revealed medium to low FSS increased cell
proliferation whereas high shear reduced it. FSS also increased
capability to withstand higher intracellular ROS and mitochondrial
membrane potential in HeLa. We could see increment in stemness
characteristics of cancer cells in magnitude dependent manner through
gene expression (Sox2, N-cadherin, Vimentin), cell surface markers
(CD44, CD33, CD117) and colony forming ability analysis. This increment
trend was also found in drug resistance capability of HeLa to
doxorubicin after FSS treatment. These data indicates increase in
stemness and drug resistance characteristics of cancer cells with FSS
magnitude which is experienced during metastasis and in native tissues.
Three-dimensional multicellular spheroid-induced 5-fluorouracil drug resistance provokes global alterations of HeLa carcinoma cells: a multi-omics analysis
Authors: Wang Lin , Wang Xueting , Wang Tong , Zhuang Ying-Ping , Wang Guan
Published: January 2024

Cervical cancer is a serious health problem in women around the globe,
with 600 thousand new cases each year. However, the use of clinical drug
is seriously dampened by the development of drug resistance, which has
been evidenced to be associated with metabolic reprogramming and
heterogeneity in tumor cells. Efficient in vitro tumor model is
essential to improve the efficiency of drug screening and the accuracy
of clinical application. Multicellular tumor spheroids (MTSs) can in a
way recapitulates tumor traits in vivo, thereby representing a powerful
transitional model between 2D monolayer culture and xenograft. In this
study, based on the liquid overlay method, a protocol for rapid
generation of the MTSs with uniform size and high reproducibility in a
high-throughput manner was established. As expected, the cytotoxicity
results showed that there was enhanced 5-FU resistance of HeLa carcinoma
cells in 3D MTSs than 2D monolayer culture with a resistance index of
5.72. In the presence of both glucose and glutamine, HeLa carcinoma
cells preferentially used glutamine as a bioenergetic substrate to
support cell proliferation and maintenance under all conditions, while
the ubiquitous by-product ammonium might be only recycled in the 3D
MTSs. Furthermore, in order to obtain a holistic view of the molecular
mechanisms that drive 5-FU resistance in 3D HeLa carcinoma cells, a
multi-omics study was applied to discover hidden biological
regularities. We found that in the 3D MTSs mitochondrial
function-related proteins and the metabolites of the tricarboxylic acid
cycle (TCA cycle) were significantly decreased, and the cellular
metabolism was shifted towards glycolysis. The differences in the
protein synthesis, processing, and transportation between 2D monolayer
cultures and 3D MTSs was significant, mainly in the heat shock protein
family, with the upregulation of protein folding function in endoplasmic
reticulum (ER) which promoted the maintenance of ER homeostasis in the
3D MTSs. In addition, at the transcript and protein level, the
expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (e.g., laminin and
collagen) were up-regulated in the 3D MTSs, which enhanced the physical
barrier of drug penetration. Summarizing, this study formulates a rapid,
scalable and reproducible in vitro model of MTS for drug screening
purposes, and the findings establish a critical role of glycolytic
metabolism, ER hemostasis and ECM proteins expression profiling in tumor
chemoresistance of HeLa carcinoma cells towards 5-FU.
An esophageal foreign body invading the heart accompanied by acute cerebral infarction: a case report
Authors: He Yao , Yang Mingming , Yu Shaomei
Published: January 2024

Esophageal foreign bodies are common in clinical practice, with
fishbone-associated esophageal foreign bodies being the most common ones
in adults. Asia shows a higher incidence compared with western
countries.While a case of the foreign body-induced esophageal
perforation and rupture of the posterior wall of the left atrium, which
causes periatrial abscess and eventually results in systemic embolism is
quite rare. Therefore, here we report a case of acute cerebral
infarction secondary to a fishbone piercing the left atrium and
periatrial abscess formation.
Correlations between risk factors and clinical features in patients with cerebellar infarction: A new perspective based on clinical data
Authors: Wang Peijun , Wei Lai , Zhang Kangwei , Meng Jinqian , Ni Jiong
Published: January 2024

Background: Cerebellar infarction in different populations have
different characteristics. This study analyzed the correlations between
the risk factors, etiology, distribution of blood vessels involved,
infarct lesion size and scope, and blood glucose, blood lipids and
D-dimer levels. Methods: A total of 83 patients with acute cerebellar
infarction were included in this analysis. The NIHSS score and TOAST
classification were evaluated independently by double blind. Head CT and
MRI examinations were performed and CTA and MRA were carried out
subsequently. The levels of blood lipids, blood glucose and D-dimer were
analyzed by automatic biochemical analyzer. Results: Carotid
atherosclerosis (97.6%), hyperlipidemia (66.3%) and hypertension
(77.1%) were the main risk factors for cerebellar infarction in these
patients. Ataxia (67.5%) and brainstem syndrome (60.2%) were main
clinical manifestations. SAO (43.3%) and LAA (50.6%) accounted for the
majority of TOAST classifications. The number of patients with
cerebellar infarction caused by SCA stenosis was significantly higher
than that caused by other blood supply arteries (P<0.05). CTA
and MRA are equivalent in displaying narrow cerebellar artery
(P>0.05), but compared with CT, MRI has absolute advantages
in displaying the lesions of cerebellar infarction (P<0.05).
The serum concentrations of D-dimer, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are
correlated with the patient’s NIHSS scores, TOAST classification and
lesion size (P<0.05). Conclusions: The occurrence of
cerebellar infarction is directly related to hypertension,
hyperlipidemia and carotid atherosclerosis. CTA and MRA are equivalent
in showing narrow blood vessels but MRI showed an absolute advantage in
showing the lesion of cerebellar infarction compared with CT. The serum
concentrations of D-dimer, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides are helpful to
the diagnosis and evaluation of cerebellar infarction.