bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A strategy to prevent post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography bleeding in end-stage renal disease patients
Authors: Wang Sheng-Fu , Wu Chi-Huan , Lee Mu-Hsien , Tsou Yung-Kuan , Lin Cheng-Hui , Liu Nai-Jen , Yeh Chau-Ting , Wang Yu-Ching , Sung Kai-Feng
Published: January 2023

Background:
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a risk factor of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) bleeding, which may prolong hospitalization or increase the mortality rate. Hemodialysis is known to correct platelet dysfunction from ESRD but whether it can decrease post-ERCP bleeding is still uncertain. Endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD) had been reported to decrease post-ERCP bleeding but lacks evidence on whether replacing endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST).
Aims:
To explore the predictive factors of post-ERCP bleeding and if hemodialysis could decrease post-ERCP bleeding in ESRD patients. Furthermore, to investigate if the post ERCP bleeding rate, the severity of hemorrhage, and difficulty of treatment differ between EST and EPBD.
Materials and Methods:
This retrospective study acquired patient data from Chang Gung Memorial Hospitals by using Chang Gung Research Database (CGRD) from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2020. We enrolled ESRD patients who underwent EST or EPBD on the naïve major papilla. First, we analyze the protective factors to prevent post-ERCP bleeding. And to compare the severity of post-ERCP bleeding and difficulty of hemostatic treatment between EST or EPBD with bleeding.
Results:
Total 580 patients enrolled, and we found hemodialysis significantly decreased post ERCP bleeding in the group of eGFR < 15 mL / min / 1.73m2 (p = 0.039, OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.43–0.98). Although the bleeding incidence was similar between EST and EPBD groups, there were significantly more patients in the EST bleeding group who required invasive hemostasis procedures (p = 0.001, N = 30/41, 73.17%). Patients who required two or more hemostasis procedures, such as trans-arterial embolization or endoscopic hemostasis, were exclusively in the EST bleeding group.
Conclusion:
Hemodialysis can decrease post ERCP bleeding rate in patients with eGFR < 15 mL / min / 1.73m2. Although the bleeding incidence is similar between EST and EPBD in ESRD patients, hemostatic treatments were more complicated in EST with bleeding than in EPBD.
Barriers to Help-seeking in Medical Students With Anxiety at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville
Authors: Kaiser Helen , Grice Tori , Walker Brittany , Kaiser Jacob
Published: January 2023

Anxiety levels in medical students have been reported as higher than the aged-matched general population, yet medical students are less likely to seek care for mental health issues. Medical students carry high levels of self-stigma about their own mental health and fear the negative consequences of seeking care. The purpose of this study was to examine the student population at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (UofSC SOMG) for anxiety levels and determine the self-stigma attitudes this population carries. UofSC SOMG students were surveyed using the GAD7, questions about mental health stigma, and open-ended questions on barriers to mental health care in medical students. Anxiety levels were compared to student responses. 31% of students reported moderate-severe anxiety levels. Stigma was the most frequently listed barrier to care, however, students with moderate-severe anxiety were more likely to report cost as a barrier to care than students with minimal anxiety levels. Despite free and accessible mental health care, medical students at UofSC SOMG still have anxiety at rates higher than the general population. Future work should help to provide interventions to the barriers of care, so medical students can better utilize mental health care resources.
Nickelalumite, ideally NiAl4(SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3 , a new-old mineral from the Kara-Tangi uranium deposit, Kyrgyzstan
Authors: Karpenko Vladimir Yu. , Agakhanov Atali A. , Pautov Leonid A. , Bekenova Galiya K. , Uvarova Yulia A. , Sokolova Elena , Dikaya Tamara V. , Hawthorne Frank C.
Published: January 2023

Nickelalumite, ideally NiAl4(SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3, is a newly approved mineral from the Batken region, Kyrgyzstan, where it occurs in the Kara-Tangi and Kara-Chagyr uranium deposits. It is found in the zone of hydrothermal alteration of U–V-bearing carbon-rich silicified schists, in association with quartz, calcite, alumohydrocalcite, allophane, crandallite, kyrgyzstanite, ankinovichite and an unknown Al–OH-mineral. Nickelalumite formed by hydrothermal alteration of U–V bearing carbon-rich silicified schists. It occurs as aggregates of colourless to pistachio-green radiating bladed crystals from 0.05 to 0.50 mm long. It is vitreous to transparent in thin flakes, has a white streak, and shows no fluorescence under long-wave or short-wave ultraviolet light. Cleavage is perfect parallel to {001} and no parting was observed. Mohs hardness is 2, it is brittle and has a splintery fracture. The calculated density is 2.231 g.cm–3. In transmitted plane-polarized white light, nickelalumite is non-pleochroic, biaxial, α = 1.542(2), γ = 1.533(2), β could not be measured due to the almost negligible thickness of the flakes. Electron-microprobe analysis gave Al2O3 39.94, SiO2 0.17, SO2 12.16, V2O3 0.29, FeO 0.15, NiO 8.00, ZnO 6.21, (H2O)calc. 31.87, sum 98.79 wt%, H2O was determined by crystal-structure analysis, and the empirical formula is as follows: (Ni0.55Zn0.39V0.02Fe0.01)Σ0.97(Al3.99Si0.01)Σ4.00 (SO4)(OH)12(H2O)3 based on 4 (Al + Si) cations. There is considerable variation in substitution of Zn, Cu and Fe for Ni and V for S. The crystal structure of nickelalumite was refined to an R1 index of 5.66% and consists of interrupted [NiAl4(OH)12] sheets intercalated with layers of {(SO4)2(H2O)3}; nickelalumite is a member of the chalcoalumite group.
Interleukin-5 deficiency promotes macrophage differentiation and exacerbates cardiac remodeling via the STAT3 pathway in angiotensin II-infused mice Running title: IL-5 alleviates cardiac remodeling
Authors: Shen Caijie , Wu Nan , Peng Jianye , Feng Mingjun , Yu Yibo , Wang Jian , Chen Xiaomin
Published: January 2023

Interleukin-5 (IL-5) was reported to participate in cardiovascular diseases, this study aimed to investigate the effects of IL-5 on cardiac remodeling. Mice were infused with angiotensin II (Ang II), and we found cardiac IL-5 expression was time- and dose-dependently decreased after Ang II infusion, and was mainly derived from cardiac macrophages. Additionally, the effects of IL-5 knockout on Ang II-induced cardiac remodeling were observed, and the results exhibited that IL-5 deficiency significantly increased the expression of cardiac hypertrophy markers, elevated myocardial cell cross-sectional areas, and worsened cardiac dysfunction in Ang II-infused mice. IL-5 deletion also promoted M2 macrophage differentiation and exacerbated cardiac fibrosis. Effects of IL-5 on cardiac remodeling and M2 macrophage differentiation were reversed by S31-201. IL-5 knockout significantly increased the Ang II-induced mRNA expression of cardiac hypertrophy markers in myocardial cells that were co-cultured with macrophages, and this effect was also reversed by S31-201. Similar trends in the mRNA levels of fibrosis markers were observed when cardiac fibroblasts and macrophages were co-cultured. Our study suggests that IL-5 deficiency promotes M2 macrophages differentiation and exacerbating cardiac remodeling by activating the STAT3 pathway in Ang II-infused mice. IL-5 may be a potential target for the clinical prevention of cardiac remodeling.
Assessment for bone health in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma after postoperative TSH suppression therapy: A new Fracture Risk Assessment Algorithm
Authors: Jia Huiran , Qu Wei , cai Xiaoting , Li Meiye , Qian Ying , Jiang Zhaoshun , Zhang Zongjing
Published: January 2023

Purpose In the general population, the Fracture Risk Assessment tool (FRAX) is used to assess the 10-year risk of major site and hip fractures; however, it is unclear whether this tool can be applied to patients receiving levothyroxine-based Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) suppressive therapy for postoperative differentiated thyroid cancer patients.
Methods Sixty-four postoperative differentiated thyroid cancer patients and 30 gender-and-age-matched controls were selected. The FRAX was used to calculate the fracture risk with and without bone mineral density (BMD). Thyroid function include TSH were detected and then TSH level were converted to an age-weighted score to calculate the fractures risk of postoperative differentiated thyroid cancer patients. Dual-energy X-ray bone mineral density measurement T score was used as the gold standard to diagnose osteoporosis. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis.
Results The T score of bone mineral density in the disease group was lower than that in the control group (-1.09 vs -1.36, P<0.05). The area under the curve of FRAX without BMD for predicting major osteoporotic fractures (PMOF) and hip fractures (PHF) was 0.694 and 0.683, respectively. The cut-off values were 2.15% and 0.25%, respectively. The area under the curve of FRAX with BMD for PMOF and PHF was 0.976 and 0.989, respectively, and the cut-off values were 4.15% and 1.1%, respectively. The area under the curve of FRAX without BMD for PMOF and PHF was 0.708 and 0.72 respectively, and the cut-off values were 5.5% and 1.55%, respectively.
Conclusions The FRAX is suitable for postoperative differentiated thyroid cancer patients after TSH suppressive therapy. In the absence of BMD, TSH weighted by age can improve the specificity of FRAX in the diagnosis of osteoporosis in this population.
Burnout and Quality of Life in Cancer Palliative Care - a Preliminary Study
Authors: Gonçalves Florbela , Gaudêncio Margarida
Published: January 2023

Background: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering. Palliative care health professionals are considered a risk group for the development of burnout, since they live with severe disease and death, on a daily basis. With this work, the authors intend to evaluate the quality of life and risk of burnout in a group of health professionals, who work in a tertiary hospital dedicated to cancer patients.
Material and methods: The authors conducted a quantitative, descriptive, correlational and transversal study on palliative care professionals working with cancer patients. The evaluation protocol used to collect data included a sociodemographic questionnaire, WHO Quality of life Assessment instrument and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS®Statistics program (version 21.0 for Windows®, IBM®). In all statistical evaluations, a p value of 0,05 or less was considered statistically significant.
Results: In the sample, there is a predominance of female gender (79,4%) with a mean age of 43,2 +/- 10,8 years. The most representative professional group was nursing (47,1%). Analyzing Maslach Burnout Inventory score, it appears that physicians and nurses have higher levels of exhaustion when compared to the other groups. In relation to quality of life (QoL), it was observed that in all dimensions, there was a homogeneous distribution of responses. It was verified that it was not possible to establish any relationship between the dimensions of burnout and QoL. Thus, the various dimensions behaved independently.
Discussion and conclusions: Physicians and nurses had the highest burnout levels in the most dimensions of Burnout score, in which they were followed by the operational assistants, who had moderate scores. Despite hight prevalence of Burnout, there is no correlation between Burnout and quality of life in this population. The perception of QoL is very satisfactory in the sample studied may result from the fact that these individuals have developed adequate self-protection strategies, thus preventing QoL from being affected by Burnout.
Synthesis and molecular docking study of new thiazolidinones incorporating a benzoate moiety as anti-HepG2 cancer agents, EGFR inhibitors and apoptosis inducers
Authors: Eldaly Salwa Magdy , Zakaria Dalia Salama , Metwally Nadia Hanafy
Published: January 2023

Synthesis of new anticancer candidates with protein kinases inhibitory potency is a major goal of pharmaceutical science and synthetic research. This current work represents the synthesis of a series of substituted thiazolidinones incorporating a benzoate moiety, starting from 4-formylphenyl benzoate 1a and 4-formyl-2-methoxyphenyl benzoate 1b. Most prepared thiazolidinones 5a-j, 7a-h and 9a-j, were evaluated in vitro for their potential anticancer activity against three cell lines (HepG2, MCF-7 and HeLa). The most active cytotoxic compounds 3a, 3b, 5a, 5c and 5h were then further tested against the normal cell line WI38. All of these were shown be more effective toward anticancer cell lines. Thiazolidinones 5c and 5h were further evaluated to be kinase inhibitors against EGFR showing effective inhibitory impact. Furthermore, 5c and 5h were tested for their effects on cell cycle and apoptosis induction capability in HepG2 cell lines by DNA-flow cytometry analysis and annexin V-FITC apoptosis assay, respectively. The results showed that they have effect of disrupting the cell cycle and causing cell mortality by apoptosis in the treated cells. Moreover, molecular docking studies by the Moe 2015 program showed better binding patterns for 5c and 5hwith the active site of the EGFR protein kinase [PDB code 1M17]. Finally, toxicity risk and physicochemical characterization was performed for most of the compounds, revealing excellent properties as possible drugs, especially compounds 5c and 5h.
Dynamics of LacMeta’s role in the complete degradation and detoxification of malachite green
Authors: Lima Natalia Sarmanho Monteiro , Gomes-Pepe Elisângela Soares , Kock Flavio Vinicius Crizostomo , Colnago Luiz Alberto , Lemos Eliana Gertrudes de Macedo
Published: January 2023

LacMeta is suitable for the complete degradation and detoxification of malachite green (MG) dye and did not form leucomalachite (LCM, analogous compound). The optimal pH and temperature parameters of LacMeta were 5.0 and 50 °C, respectively (MG as substrate). LacMeta was tolerant of up to 10 mmol L-1 EDTA (82%ds) and up to 5% (V/V) acetone (91%ds) and methanol (71%ds), while SDS promoted severe inhibition. For ions, a high tolerance to cobalt, zinc, manganese, and calcium (10 mmol L-1) was also observed (> 90%ds). Even under high-salinity conditions (1 mol L-1 NaCl), the residual bleaching activity of the dye remained at 61%ds. Furthermore, the bleaching product of MG did not inhibit the germination of sorghum and tomato seeds and was inert to the vegetative structures of the germinated seedlings. Additionally, this treatment effectively reduced the cytotoxic effect of the dye on microorganisms (Escherichia coli and Azospirillum brasilense), which can be explained by H-NMR spectral analysis results since LacMeta completely degraded the peak signals corresponding to the aromatic rings in the dye, demonstrating extreme efficiency in the bioremediation of the xenobiotic at high concentrations (50 mg L-1).
Data-dependent and -independent acquisition lipidomics analysis reveals the tissue-dependent effect of metformin on lipid metabolism
Authors: Scheidemantle Grace , Duan Likun , Lodge Mareca , Cummings Magdalina J , Hilovsky Dalton , Pham Eva , Wang Xiaoqiu , Kennedy Arion , Liu Xiaojing
Published: January 2023

Introduction
Despite the well-recognized health benefits, the mechanisms and site of action of metformin remains elusive. Metformin-induced global lipidomic changes in plasma of animal models and human subjects have been reported. However, there is a lack of systemic evaluation of metformin-induced lipidomic changes in different tissues. Metformin uptake requires active transporters such as organic cation transporters (OCTs), and hence, it is anticipated that metformin actions are tissue-dependent. In this study, we aim to characterize metformin effects in non-diabetic male mice with a special focus on lipidomics analysis. The findings from this study will help us to better understand the cell-autonomous (direct actions in target cells) or non-cell-autonomous (indirect actions in target cells) mechanisms of metformin and provide insights into the development of more potent yet safe drugs targeting a particular organ instead of systemic metabolism for metabolic regulations without major side effects.
Objectives
To characterize metformin-induced lipidomic alterations in different tissues of non-diabetic male mice and further identify lipids affected by metformin through cell-autonomous or systemic mechanisms based on the correlation between lipid alterations in tissues and the corresponding in-tissue metformin concentrations.
Methods
Lipids were extracted from tissues and plasma of male mice treated with or without metformin in drinking water for 12 days and analyzed using MS/MS scan workflow (hybrid mode) on LC-Orbitrap Exploris 480 mass spectrometer using biologically relevant lipids-containing inclusion list for data-independent acquisition (DIA), named as BRI-DIA workflow followed by data-dependent acquisition (DDA), to maximum the coverage of lipids and minimize the negative effect of stochasticity of precursor selection on experimental consistency and reproducibility.
Results
Lipidomics analysis of 6 mouse tissues and plasma using MS/MS combining BRI-DIA and DDA allowed a systemic evaluation of lipidomic changes induced by metformin in different tissues. We observed that 1) the degrees of lipidomic changes induced by metformin treatment overly correlated with tissue concentrations of metformin; 2) the impact on lysophosphorylcholine and cardiolipins was positively correlated with tissue concentrations of metformin, while neutral lipids such as triglycerides did not correlate with the corresponding tissue metformin concentrations.
Conclusion
The data collected in this study from non-diabetic mice with 12-day metformin treatment suggest that the overall metabolic effect of metformin is positively correlated with tissue concentrations and the effect on individual lipid subclass is via both cell-autonomous mechanisms (cardiolipins and lysoPC) and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms (triglycerides).
Therapeutic outcomes and analysis of Doppler findings
in 25 patients with Non-ischemic Priapism
Authors: von Stempel Conrad , Shahzad Rohaan , Walkden Miles , Castiglione Fabio , Muneer Asif , Ralph David , Kirkham Alex
Published: January 2023

Non-ischemic priapism (NiP) is painless partial tumescence caused by genital trauma and the formation of intracorporal arterio-venous fistula (AVF). This retrospective study aims to determine the long-term erectile function (EF) after NiP and to correlate this with colour doppler ultrasound (CDUS) parameters in 25 patients. EF was assessed by IIEF domain A questionnaire and CDUS parameters (mean velocity (MV), peak systolic velocity (PSV), end diastolic velocity (EDV) and Resistive Index (RI)) at diagnosis and follow up. At a median follow-up of 24 months: 16 men had normal EF (64%) with median IIEF score 29; nine had erectile dysfunction (ED) (36%) with a median IIEF-EF score 17. Raised MV and EDV on late follow-up CDUS traces demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with developing ED: median MV 5.3cm/sec vs 2.95cm/sec and median EDV 4.0cm/sec vs 0cm/sec in patients with ED compared to those with normal EF p < 0.002 and p < 0.004. The abnormal low resistance blood flow suggests ED may be attributed to persistent arterio-venous shunting.
Asset mapping score analysis: A novel public health research methodology applied to maternal and child health resources in New Orleans
Authors: Healy Jack , Ramirez Shokufeh , Knapp Megan , Johnson Carolyn
Published: January 2023

Background
Asset mapping is a commonly used method in public health to identify and describe the resources within a community. However, there is currently a lack of standardization in the methods used for asset mapping, which can make it difficult for users to apply the method and compare results between different studies. In this article, we present a new approach called Asset Mapping Score Analysis (AMSA), which is a framework for collecting and organizing data on community assets. We provide an example of the AMSA method through its application in the evaluation of maternal and child health resources in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Results
The AMSA approach consists of five steps and results in a data collection tool that uses a scoring system to quantify the functional and content areas defined by the users. This method is flexible, reproducible, quantitative, inexpensive, and can be adapted to fit the needs of different geographic areas and fields of study. It can also be repeated over time to monitor changes in systems. We conducted a pilot study to examine the participation of local maternal and child health organizations in four functional areas (education, direct services, policy/advocacy, and research) and 22 content areas.
Conclusions
In addition to describing the AMSA method and providing an example of its application, we also discuss the methodological issues involved in using the AMSA approach. These include considerations related to study design, data analysis, and interpreting results. We assess the strengths, limitations, and potential future directions of the AMSA method. Finally, we present the results of our AMSA study on maternal and child health organizations in New Orleans to illustrate the utility of this approach. Our findings suggest that the AMSA method is a valuable tool for understanding and characterizing the assets and resources within a community.
Polyphyllin D induces necroptosis in neuroblastoma cells (IMR-32 and LA-N-2) in mice
Authors: Watanabe Shunsuke , Inoue Mikihiro , Suzuki Tatsuya , Kondo Yasuhiro , Murayama Mika
Published: January 2023

Background
We previously reported that polyphyllin D, the main component of the traditional herbal medicinal Paris polyphylla, exhibited anticancer effects in vitro against human neuroblastoma cells. The aim of this investigation was to examine in vivo antitumor effects of polyphyllin D.
Methods
Subcutaneous tumors were established in immune-deficient BALB/c nude mice using human neuroblastoma cell lines IMR-32 and LA-N-2. To evaluate the polyphyllin D activity, we used a mouse model of IMR-32 or LA-N-2 cell lines and analyzed subcutaneous tumors.
Results
Subcutaneous tumor models were successfully established in mice using two human neuroblastoma cell lines. In the subcutaneous tumor model, we found that polyphyllin D suppressed both the tumor volume and number of foci. We found that polyphyllin D induces the RIPK3 expression, while IMR-32 phosphorylates Ser358, a kinase domain that induces necroptosis, and LA-N-2 phosphorylates Ser358 and Tyr376, which promote necroptosis.
Conclusion
We developed a mouse model of subcutaneous tumors ofneuroblastoma and demonstrated for the first time that polyphyllin D has an antitumor effect on neuroblastoma. Polyphyllin D can cause necroptosis depending on the cell type. The new drug can be expected by investigating a method to selectively suppress cell death through the analysis of necroptosis.
WITHDRAWN: Effect of water absorption on graphene nanoplatelet and multiwalled carbon nanotubes- impregnated glass-reinforced epoxy composites
Authors: Ahmad M. A.A. , Ridzuan M.J.M. , Majid M. S. Abdul , Sapuan S. M. , Shahriman A. B , Mat Fauziah
Published: January 2023

In this study, the effect of water uptake on graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-impregnated glass-reinforced epoxy composites was examined. The composite was manufactured using a hand lay-up and vacuum bagging technique. The nanofiller was mixed with epoxy using a mechanical stirrer, high-shear mixer, and ultrasonic probe machine. In situ electromechanical testing was performed on the specimens. The study found that the weight content and type of nanofiller impact the composites' water uptake and mechanical properties. The water uptake of GNP–glass, MWCNT–glass, and GNP–MWCNT–glass hybrid composites decrease with the addition of different nanofiller contents. Adding a 1.5 GNP–MWCNT hybrid mixture increased the composite's tensile and flexural strengths to 269.3 and 294.4 MPa, respectively. The GNP–MWCNT–glass hybrid composite shows a positive synergy effect on the enhancement of water-ageing with self-sensing ability, while the GNP–glass, MWCNT–glass composites show a less positive effect on water ageing sensing behaviour. The nanofillers dispersion and fracture surface morphological observations were disclosed using a field emission scanning electron microscope. The results established that the GNP–MWCNT–glass hybrid exhibits good potential for in situ damage monitoring of composites and can support their development and application as a smart material.
Application of the data envelope analysis technique (DEA) to measure the environmental efficiency of the 27 countries of the European Union during the period 2012-2020
Authors: Aceituno Juan Cámara , Hermoso-Orzaez Manuel Jesus , Nieto Angel Mena , Ramos Jose Enrique Garcia , Cepeda Julio Terrados
Published: January 2023

In the last decade we have experienced a changing geopolitical context that has caused changes in the energy context. In addition, human activity continues to contribute to global warming of the planet or the rise in sea level, that is, to climate change. Currently, some series of action policies have been launched to continue fighting against this environmental situation (such as the COP26 summit or the PNIEC of the European Union for 2030) so it is necessary to obtain conclusions to determine if we are going to good way. This creates the need to develop predictive models that allow us to analyze the current situation and the path taken with certainty, which is why this article proceeds to analyze the environmental efficiency of the 27 countries of the European Union (the United Kingdom is not included due to the Brexit in 2020) and for this, the data envelope analysis (DEA) will be used. For the calculation of environmental efficiency, economic data (GDP and per capita income), environmental data (CO2 and CH4 emissions) were collected... Once these data were collected, the subsequent calculation of said environmental efficiency was carried out using two methods based on in the DEA and another improved method in order to draw conclusions about the data obtained. The results show that of the 27 countries, only 12 have a high relative environmental efficiency to which, if it is not excellent, a series of corrections that may be necessary will be proposed. However, there are other countries that have low eco-efficiency and will have to improve in the coming years. We can highlight that rich countries are closer to achieving high environmental efficiency than those that are at the bottom in terms of economic indicators.
Soliton Solutions of the Nonlinear Time Fractional Harry Dym Equation in the Caputo Sense and the Symmetric Regularized Long Wave Equation in the Conformable Sense
Authors: ADERYANI SAFOURA REZAEI , SAADATI REZA , O’REGAN DONAL , INC MUSTAFA
Published: January 2023

In this paper, we apply two different methods, namely, the G G-expansion method and G G 2-expansion method to investigate the nonlinear time fractional Harry Dym equation in the Caputo sense and the symmetric regularized long wave equation in the conformable sense. The mentioned NPDES arise in diverse physical applications like ion sound waves in plasma and waves on shallow water surfaces. There exist multiple wave solutions to many NPDEs and one is interested in analytical approaches for obtaining multiple wave solutions to NPDEs. The multi-exp-function method formulates a solution algorithm for calculating multiple wave solutions to NPDEs and at the end of paper, we apply the MEFM for calculating multiple wave solutions to the (2+1)-dimensional equation.
Nitrogen Mustard Induced Protein Influx in Nucleus and Metabolism Change and p97 Mediated the Repair
Authors: Cheng Jin , Yu Wenpei , Liu Haoyin , Dong Xunhu , Sai Yan , Ye Feng , Dan Guorong , Chen Mingliang , Zhao Yuanpeng , Zhang Xi , Zou Zhongmin
Published: January 2023

Nitrogen mustard (NM) can alkylate nucleophilic proteins and DNA, causing severe cell damage. However, there are no reports on NM-induced proteomics dynamic changes. In this study, nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins of 16HBE cell were separated and the components and amounts were detected and analyzed. The amount of DNA protein cross-linking (DPC) and the function of p97 were also explored. One-hour-NM-exposure caused a tremendous number of proteins entered into the nucleus and DPC formation. As repair progressed, proteins exited. Although the protein influx at 1 h was delayed by si-p97 intervention, it continued to 24 h after NM withdrawal. In the early damage, the affected pathways mainly included spliceosome, ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes, and mRNA surveillance, which switched to protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum and energy production in presumed repair stage. Si-p97 aggravated ferroptosis, cysteine and methionine metabolism at beginning of the damage, followed by downward ranking the transcription related pathways at 24 h. NM caused DPC and H2AX increases at 1 h. Si-p97 suppressed them at 1 h and extended the increase time to 24 h. MG132 effected similar to si-p97. Si-p97 and si-DVC1 increased the cytoplasmic level of proteasome (PSMD2). Si-DVC1 also increased the DPC content. These results suggest that NM caused a severe and rapid protein influx and crosslink in the nucleus in the early stage of injury, followed by the formation of secondary double-strand breaks. P97 was involved in the clearance of proteins in nucleus and DPC for repair, which required the participation of DVC1 and proteasome.
Characterization of Pancreatic Cancer with Ultra-low Tumor Mutational Burden
Authors: Imamura Taisuke , Ashida Ryo , Ohshima Keiichi , Uesaka Katsuhiko , Sugiura Teiichi , Ohgi Katsuhisa , Yamada Mihoko , Otsuka Shimpei , Hatakeyama Keiichi , Nagashima Takeshi , Sugino Takashi , Urakami Kenichi , Akiyama Yasuto , Yamaguchi Ken
Published: January 2023

In pancreatic cancer (PC), Tumor mutation burden (TMB) has been reported to be lower than in other cancers, with its clinical significance remaining unclear. We analyzed the dataset of whole-exome sequencing and gene expression profiling of 93 resected PC cases. The median TMB was 0.24. The TMB was classified as High (≥ 5.0), Low (< 5.0, ≥ 1.0), or Ultra-low (< 1.0). Nineteen samples (20%) were classified as TMB-low, and 74 (80%) were classified as TMB-ultra-low; no samples were TMB-high. TMB-ultra-low PC had significantly fewer borderline resectable lesions (P = 0.028) and fewer adenosquamous carcinomas (P = 0.003) than TBM-low PC. Furthermore, the TMB-ultra-low PC showed significantly lower detection rates of driver mutations and copy number variations. Microsatellite instability was not significantly correlated with the TMB status. The TMB-ultra-low PC had a significantly better prognosis than TBM-low PC (P = 0.023). A multivariate analysis identified TMB-ultra-low PC as an independent favorable prognostic factor (hazard ratio, 2.11; P = 0.019). A gene expression analysis showed that TMB-ultra-low PC was associated with reduced TP53 inactivation (P = 0.003) and reduced chromosomal instability (P = 0.001) compared to TBM-low PC. TMB-ultra-low PC had specific gene expression signatures and a better prognosis than TMB-low PC.
An investigation of neuromelanin distribution in substantia nigra and locus coeruleus in patients with Parkinson’s disease using neuromelanin-sensitive MRI
Authors: Liu Qiang , Wang Pan , Liu Chenghe , Xue Feng , Wang Qian , Chen Yuqing , Hou Ruihua , Chen Teng
Published: January 2023

Loss of neuromelanin in the midbrain is known in Parkinson’s disease(PD), which can now be directly detected by neuromelanin-sensitive MRI(NM-MRI). This case-control study was to investigate the distribution of neuromelanin in the substantia nigra(SN) and the locus coeruleus(LC) using NM-MRI technique and evaluate its potential as a diagnostic marker for PD. 10 early PD patients(H&Y stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ), 11 progressive PD patients(H&Y stage Ⅲ-Ⅴ), and 10 healthy controls matched in age and gender were recruited. All participants completed clinical and psychometric assessments as well as NM-MRI scans. Neuromelanin signal intensities in SN and LC were measured by contrast-to-noise ratios(CNRs) derived from NM-MRI scans. There were significant decreases of CNRs in SNpc(including anterior, central, and posterior) and LC in PD patients compared to controls. There were also significant differences of CNR between the left and right sides. CNR in LC had a negative correlation with the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale(NMSS) score in PD patients(|R|=0.49), whereas CNR in SNpc did not correlate with Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS) score(|R|<0.3). The receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves revealed that the CNR in LC had a high diagnostic specificity of 90.1% in progressive patients. This study provides new evidence for the asymmetric distribution of neuromelanin in SN and the LC of patients with PD. The neuromelanin loss is bilateral and it occurred earlier in LC than that in SN. This distinct neuromelanin distribution pattern may offer an early diagnostic marker and a potential neuropharmacological intervention target for PD patients.
A Practical Utility-Based but Objective Approach to Model Selection for Scientific Applications in the Age of Big Data
Authors: Murari Andrea , Rossi Riccardo , Spolladore Luca , Lungaroni Michele , Gaudio Pasquale , Gelfusa Michela
Published: January 2023

In many fields of science, various types of models are available to describe phenomena, observations and the results of experiments. In the last decades, given the enormous advances of information gathering technologies, also machine learning techniques have been systematically deployed to extract models from the large available databases. However, regardless of their origins, no universal criterion has been found so far to select the most appropriate model given the data. A unique solution is probably a chimera, particularly in applications involving complex systems. Consequently, in this work a utility-based approach is advocated. However, the solutions proposed are not purely subjective but all based on “objective” criteria, rooted in the properties of the data, to preserve generality and to allow comparative assessments of the results. Several methods have been developed and tested, to improve the discrimination capability of basic Bayesian and information theoretic criteria. Both the quality of the fits and the evaluation of model complexity are aspects addressed by the advances proposed. The competitive advantages of the individual alternatives, for both cross sectional data and time series, are clearly identified, together with their most appropriate fields of application. Particular attention has been paid to ensure that the proposed improvements of the criteria are easy to implement in practice, in both confirmatory and exploratory settings. Extensive numerical tests have been performed to support the conceptual and theoretical considerations.
Effect of growth stage on Italian ryegrass silage fermentation from microbiological perspective
Authors: Yin Xuejing , Long Jiangyu , Zhao Jie , Wang Siran , Dong Zhihao , Li Junfeng , Shao Tao
Published: January 2023

Background
Italian ryegrass is a temperate crop, which is widely cultivated in the winter fallow paddy fields of subtropical China. The utilization efficiency of Italian ryegrass depends greatly on its growth stage at harvest. Previous studies have reported the optimum stage for harvesting various forage to balance their quality and quantity. However, considering the practice condition, such as rainy or unavailability of harvest equipment, the harvest stage of forage cannot always be implemented according to the production schedules. Thus, to characterize the effect of growth stage on the silage fermentation profile, bacterial community and metabolism, Italian ryegrass harvested at the filling stage and the milk stage were naturally ensiled (FSN and DSN), respectively.
Results
After ensiling for 1, 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days, triplicate silos were opened for sampling. The growth of Italian ryegrass increased the pH, dry matter, neutral and acid detergent fiber contents, but decreased buffering capacity, crude protein and water-soluble carbohydrates contents, and the epiphytic microbiota of Italian ryegrass harvested at the filling stage was simpler than that harvested at the dough stage. During ensiling, FSN had lower pH and higher organic acid content than DSN. The bacterial succession rate in FSN was also faster than DSN, which showed that Lactobacillus becomes the dominant genus in the early stage of ensiling. The predicted metabolisms revealed that carbohydrate and amino acid metabolisms were the two main metabolisms in silage fermentation. Compared to epiphytic microbiota, ensiling enhanced carbohydrate metabolism and diminished amino acid metabolism. The difference of these two metabolisms between FSN and DSN was obvious at the early stage of ensiling.
Conclusions
Growth stage affected the chemical and microbial composition of Italian ryegrass, so as to the fermentation profile, bacterial community and its metabolisms. Italian ryegrass harvested at the filling stage was prone to fermentation. The complexity of epiphytic microbiota made DSN more difficult to ferment.
Utilizing Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Tumor Panel Sequencing to Demystify Prognosis of Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) patients
Authors: Moon Intae , LoPiccolo Jaclyn , Baca Sylvan C. , Sholl Lynette M. , Kehl Kenneth L. , Hassett Michael J. , Liu David , Schrag Deborah , Gusev Alexander
Published: January 2023

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is a type of cancer that cannot be traced back to its original site and accounts for 3-5% of all cancers. It does not have established targeted therapies, leading to poor outcomes. We developed OncoNPC, a machine learning classifier trained on targeted next-generation sequencing data from 34,567 tumors from three institutions. OncoNPC achieved a weighted F1 score of 0.94 for high confidence predictions on known cancer types (65% of held-out samples). When applied to 971 CUP tumors from patients treated at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, OncoNPC identified actionable molecular alterations in 23% of the tumors. Furthermore, OncoNPC identified CUP subtypes with significantly higher polygenic germline risk for the predicted cancer type and significantly different survival outcomes, supporting its validity. Importantly, CUP patients who received first palliative intent treatments concordant with their OncoNPC-predicted cancer sites had significantly better outcomes (H.R. 0.348, 95% C.I. 0.210 - 0.570, p-value 2.32e-5). OncoNPC thus provides evidence of distinct CUP subtypes and offers the potential for clinical decision support for managing patients with CUP.
A survey on several new popular swarm intelligence optimization algorithms
Authors: Wei Xiuxi , Huang Huajuan
Published: January 2023

Traditional optimization methods rely on parameter selection and a require high mathematical performance of the objective function. Thus, swarm intelligence optimization algorithms have attracted extensive attention as modern optimization methods in recent years, achieving remarkable results in the fields of machine learning, engineering optimization, process control, and elsewhere. Swarm intelligence optimization algorithms are a form of computing technology built upon the laws of biological group behavior, they are simple, fast, and place low requirements upon the objective functions. The traditional swarm intelligence algorithm offers new ideas for solving certain practical problems, however, it suffers from shortcomings in several experiments. In recent years, numerous scholars have proposed new swarm intelligence optimization algorithms, this paper selects several of the more typical swarm intelligence algorithms proposed in recent years at home and abroad, including the Whale Optimization Algorithm, Moth-Flame Optimization Algorithm, Fireworks Algorithm, Dragonfly Algorithm, Crow Search Algorithm, Butterfly Optimization Algorithm, and Pigeons Algorithm. Furthermore, the experimental performances of these algorithms are compared with respect to their convergence speed, accuracy, and stability, using 18 standard test functions, and the relative improvement methods are compared and analyzed. Finally, the characteristics of the swarm intelligence optimization algorithm are summarized, and its future development potential is discussed.
Two-Component Density Functional Theory Study of Quantized Muons in Solids
Authors: Li Deng , Ye Bangjiao , Pan Ziwen , Yuan Yue , Zhang Wenshuai , Pratt Francis
Published: January 2023

The quantum effect of light nuclei in materials is usually considered as lattice vibration and zero-point motion (ZPM) from an ab initio perspective. Here we start from full-quantized particles and take the muon as an example, considering the two-body quantized system of the muon and the electrons within Two-Component Density Functional Theory, which can calculate the related two-body wave functions directly and automatically taking into account the quantum effect of the muon. This is an attempt to reveal the quantum effect of light nuclei in materials from a different respect. It is tested in some metallic systems (Fe-bcc, Co-fcc, Co-hcp) and some non-metallic systems (NaF, CaF2, diamond), we finally find this fundamental method agrees better with experiments and shows good potential for further such study.
Discrete Morse Functions and Watersheds
Authors: Bertrand Gilles , Boutry Nicolas , Najman Laurent
Published: January 2023

Any watershed, when defined on a stack on a normal pseudomanifold of dimension d, is a pure (d-1)-subcomplex that satisfies a drop-of-water principle. In this paper, we introduce Morse stacks, a class of functions that are equivalent to discrete Morse functions. We show that the watershed of a Morse stack on a normal pseudomanifold is uniquely defined, and can be obtained with a linear-time algorithm relying on a sequence of collapses. Last, but not the least, we prove that such a watershed is the cut of the unique minimum spanning forest, rooted in the minima of the Morse stack, of the facet graph of the pseudomanifold.
Analogy of harmonic modelocked pulses to trapped Brownian particles improves laser performance
Authors: Laçin Mesut , Repgen Paul , Şura Aladin , Şenel Çağrı , Ilday F. Ömer
Published: January 2023

High repetition rate ultrafast lasers are needed for diverse applications. Harmonic modelocking, where multiple identical, equidistant pulses circulate in the cavity, reaches beyond the practical limitations of reducing the cavity length. However, it suffers from stochastic deviations that manifest as supermodes in the radio-frequency spectrum and difficulties in maintaining the same harmonic state, often coupled with trade-offs in pulse energy, duration, or noise performance. Here, we first show that deviations in the temporal positions of the pulses contribute disproportionately more to the supermodes than deviations in their amplitudes. Then, we argue that these fluctuations are analogous to those of trapped Brownian particles. The analogy reveals that supermodes are suppressed by stronger spectral filtering, which corresponds to fluid viscosity, and higher pulse energy reduces the noise, akin to lower temperature. Guided by this intuitive picture, we construct a Yb-fibre laser incorporating strong filtering and high intracavity energies by limiting nonlinear polarisation evolution to a short section of ordinary fibre. The rest of the all-fibre cavity comprises polarisation-maintaining fibre, which additionally improves environmental robustness. We report record-high supermode suppression ratios, reaching 80 dB, excellent long-term and environmental stability, and pulse energy, duration, and noise characteristics that are similar to fundamentally modelocked lasers.
Pan-genome analysis of Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae to evaluate genomic diversity and pathogenic potential among strains
Authors: azimuddin syed muhammad iqbal
Published: January 2023

Klebsiella pneumoniae is the causative agent of numerous types of infections in humans, includes urinary tract infections (UTIs), respiratory tract infections, and bloodstream infections. The hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae associated with severe community-acquired infections. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae(hvKP) is more virulent than classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKP) and it is an evolving pathotype due to the acquisition of genetic determinants which is responsible for its open genome. In the present study, we have performed the pan-genome analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae for the determination of virulence proteins and genomic variation among its strains using a tool pangenome analysis pipeline (PGAP-1.2.1). The whole genome sequences of fifty-one Klebsiella pneumoniae strains was downloaded from NCBI using Refseq database. These sequences were converted into PGAP required extension files. Thirty-nine proteins and their corresponding protein sequences involved in the pathogenesis of the organism were downloaded from UniprotKB for BLAST analysis. After blast analysis, twenty-five strains were selected out of fifty-one strains based on 90-100% homology.
A wide variety of selected pathogenic proteins were present in core and shared genome which includes siderophores specifically (salmochelin), adhesion proteins, extracellular toxins, and complement resistant proteins. The presence of carbapenem resistance and hypermucoviscosity proteins in unique genome indicated that Klebsiella pneumoniaeis continuously evolving through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Additionally, the presence of siderophores like salmochelin and aerobactin indicates the presence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae. Phylogenetic tree shows that strain GCF_000009885 (NTUH-K2044) was distant from all the other strains.
Laser bending of wood veneers: phenomenological and Machine-Learning approaches case study
Authors: Ramos-Grez Jorge , Fé-Perdomo Iván La , Calvo-Sofia Sergio
Published: January 2023

Wood is a noble, versatile, and renewable material which plays an important role in sustainable manufacturing. The present study shows that it is feasible to laser bend veneers of different wood species by applying infrared energy in the form of a scanned laser beam. Bending height, i.e., deflection of the veneer measured as the vertical elevation of its edge points from the horizontal plane; were achieved on three wood types, namely: beech, yesquero, and ulmo. Process parameters and wood properties considered relevant to the response variable are laser energy, moisture content, water loss, density, and wood species. Experimental results indicate that specimens 15 cm long, 3.5 cm wide and 1.5 mm thick achieved bending heights ranging from 0.35 cm (beech) up to 4.8 cm (yesquero). Largest average height of 4.45 cm was achieved in beech veneers at equilibrium moisture content of 13% under maximum laser energy of 1061 J. On the other hand, ulmo specimens having 0% moisture content, after oven drying for 72 hour at 40ºC, also showed considerable average deflection height of up to 3.1 cm. This reaffirms that free water loss is not the only mechanism for fibre contraction, but that cell wall bound water loss during the laser wood interaction also causes considerable shrinkage, as expected. Machine-Learning analysis of the experimental data suggests the algorithm that better suited the response variable was the Gaussian Process regression since it showed the highest correlation coefficient and the lower RMSE. Confirming that moisture content explains almost 45% of the model's predictability, followed by laser energy with 35%, while water loss (both free and bound) was ranked third.