bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bien-être et élevage des porcs
Authors: MEUNIER-SALAÜN M.C. , BIZERAY D. , COLSON V. , COURBOULAY V. , LENSINK J. , PRUNIER A. , REMIENCE V. , VANDENHEEDE M.
Published: May 2020

Le développement intensif de la production porcine découle d’une meilleure maîtrise de l’environnement des animaux, d’une prophylaxie des maladies infectieuses, d’une alimentation au plus près des besoins nutritionnels des porcs et d’une sélection génétique orientée vers des performances de croissance et de reproduction optimales. Parallèlement, certaines pratiques se sont avérées défavorables au bien-être du porc. Au cours des dernières décennies la recherche sur le bien-être s’est principalement intéressée aux réponses comportementales et physiologiques au logement, à l’alimentation et à la conduite des animaux. Les résultats ont souligné des difficultés d’adaptation notamment liées à une modification des liens sociaux, une restriction des surfaces individuelles, un appauvrissement du milieu de vie, et des pratiques d’élevage génératrices d’inconfort, de peur ou de douleur. Cette synthèse présente la nature des réponses observées dans ces différentes situations tout en soulignant les voies d’amélioration disponibles pour une meilleure harmonie entre les animaux et leur milieu de vie.
Alimentation minérale et vitaminique des ruminants : actualisation des connaissances
Authors: MESCHY F.
Published: May 2020

Cet article précise et actualise les apports journaliers recommandés (AJR) en éléments minéraux majeurs, oligo-éléments et vitamines. Pour le phosphore (P) et le calcium (Ca), le besoin d’entretien (BENT) est désormais calculé à partir de la matière sèche ingérée et du poids vif ; pour Ca, BENT est supérieur pour les animaux en croissance et en lactation. Pour le magnésium (Mg), BENT est légèrement réévalué pour tenir compte d’une perte obligatoire dans l’urine sous-estimée jusqu’alors. Les besoins de production sont peu modifiés par rapport aux recommandations précédentes. Des recommandations concernant le bilan électrolytique alimentaire (BEA, K+ + Na+ - Cl-, en mEq/kg de MS) des rations selon les objectifs de production sont proposés ; ainsi on recherchera un BEA < 50 en fin de gestation et de l’ordre de 250 pour la lactation. Les AJR en oligo-éléments sont inchangés sauf pour le cobalt qui passe de 0,1 à 0,3 mg/kg de MS de la ration en raison de son effet favorable pour la fonction cellulolytique des bactéries du rumen. La révision des AJR en vitamines A, D et E sur la base des dernières recommandations américaines se traduit par une augmentation des apports en vitamine A et E (surtout pendant la gestation). L’utilisation digestive de l’apport minéral est précisée par l’adoption de coefficients d’absorption réelle (CAR) par groupes d’aliments ; les modifications portent surtout sur P, alors que pour Mg des valeurs différentes pour les ovins et les bovins-caprins sont recommandées, l’effet négatif de la teneur de K des rations sur l’absorption de Mg est quantifié pour les différentes catégories de ruminants. Dans le cadre de la révision des Tables de composition et de valeur nutritive des aliments des ruminants, la méthodologie qui consiste à établir des données de composition minérale des fourrages verts et d’utiliser ensuite des équations de passage pour les fourrages conservés est décrite.
Recommandations alimentaires pour les vaches de réforme à l’engrais. Développement d’un modèle d’estimation de la composition du gain de poids et des besoins associés
Authors: GARCIA F. , AGABRIEL J.
Published: May 2020

Les vaches de réforme représentent une part importante de la consommation de viande bovine en France, et une part non négligeable des revenus des éleveurs de bovins laitiers (10 %) et allaitants (près de 30 %). Les observations en exploitation font état d’une grande variabilité phénotypique des vaches réformées en termes d’âge, de format, d’état sanitaire, d’état physiologique et d’état d’engraissement. Dans ce contexte, raisonner au mieux l’alimentation des vaches en engraissement est un véritable enjeu pour fournir à l’abattage des vaches bien conformées et d’état d’engraissement satisfaisant.
Les recommandations alimentaires établies en 1988 utilisent le poids vif et le gain de poids vif pour estimer les besoins énergétiques en engraissement. Elles ne permettent pas de prendre en compte l’âge, le format et la note d’état. Dans le cadre de la réactualisation des recommandations alimentaires pour les bovins en croissance et à l’engrais, nous avons développé un nouveau modèle prédictif, appelé VDR, pour estimer les besoins des vaches en engraissement. Cet article recense d’abord brièvement les facteurs influençant les variations de gain de poids et de composition du gain chez les vaches en engraissement et expose les approches de modélisation existantes. Dans un deuxième temps, nous décrivons le principe et les équations du modèle VDR. Ce modèle repose sur une approche originale associant modèle de croissance pendant la carrière de la vache et modèle spécifique de la période d’engraissement. Le paramétrage a été réalisé pour les vaches de races Charolaise, Limousine et Holstein. La validation du modèle entreprise pour des vaches Charolaises montre que VDR explique près de 80 % de la variabilité des besoins énergétiques des vaches. La comparaison entreprise avec les recommandations de 1988 permet de quantifier les améliorations apportées par VDR. Enfin, la construction d’un tableau synthétique simple d’utilisation pour estimer les besoins énergétiques est explicitée en dernière partie.
Effet des nutriments énergétiques sur la production et la teneur en matière grasse du lait de vache
Authors: RULQUIN H. , HURTAUD C. , LEMOSQUET S. , PEYRAUD J.L.
Published: May 2020

Les récents changements des données économiques concernant le marché et les possibilités de valorisation de la matière grasse laitière conduisent à penser qu’à l’avenir la production d’un lait un peu moins riche en matières grasses a de fortes chances d’être encouragée. Cela peut être atteint par le biais de la génétique et de la nutrition. Ce texte a pour objectif de faire l’état des connaissances sur les différents nutriments jouant sur le taux butyreux des laits et de quantifier les effets des acides acétique, butyrique et propionique, du glucose, de l’acide gras trans10 C18:1 et du trans10, cis12 CLA sur le taux butyreux et le rapport taux protéique sur taux butyreux. Les travaux des cinquante dernières années sont synthétisés dans six méta-analyses des données d’essais dans lesquels les précédents nutriments ont été apportés par perfusion digestive. L’efficacité à diminuer le taux butyreux est respectivement de - 5,71, - 2,99, - 87, et - 1467 g/kg par kilogramme de nutriment ajouté pour l’acide propionique, le glucose, le trans10 C18:1, et le trans10, cis12 CLA et de - 7,33 et - 2,20 g/kg par kilogramme de nutriment apporté en moins pour les acides butyrique et acétique. Les mécanismes mis en jeux dans ces réponses sont revus. Sur la base des variations de flux de nutriments mesurées à la suite d’une augmentation de 30 % de la proportion d’aliments concentrés, il ressort que les nutriments glucogéniques (acide propionique et glucose) expliqueraient 54 % de la chute du taux butyreux enregistrée, les acides gras trans10 (trans10 C18:1 et trans10, cis12 CLA) 34 % et les précurseurs (acide acétique et butyrique) des acides gras synthétisés «de novo» 21 %. Ce travail démontre que la chute de taux butyreux observée avec des changements de régime est multifactorielle. Une approche pluri-nutriments est proposée pour remplacer l’approche mono-nutriment jusqu’ici utilisée pour essayer de prédire les changements de taux butyreux en réponse à une modification de la composition des rations.
Characteristics of the L138ins (p.Leu138dup) mutation in Russian cystic fibrosis patients
Authors: Petrova Nika V , Kashirskaya Nataliya Y , Vasilyeva Tatyana A , Kondratyeva Elenai I , Marakhonov Andrey V , Macek Jr Milan , Ginter Evgeny K , Kutsev Sergey I , Zinchenko Rena A
Published: May 2020

The L138ins mutation, found in Russian cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, is a duplication of three nucleotides (CTA) in exon 4 of the CFTR gene and is categorised as a small in-frame insertion/deletion. As a result, the CFTR protein molecule elongates by one amino acid residue, leucine, at position 138 (codon 138 (CTA)). In accordance with the new nomenclature, it should be called c.411_412insCTA (p.Leu138dup). The c.411_412insCTA (p.Leu138dup, L138ins) mutation is found in CF patients of Slavic origin (Russians, Ukrainians) and has been linked to a single haplotype of the intragenic DNA markers IVS1CA-IVS6aGATT-IVS8CA-IVS17bCA - 22-7-16-13.
Towards Engineering Biosystems with Emergent Collective Functions
Authors: Gorochowski Thomas E. , Hauert Sabine , Kreft Jan-Ulrich , Marucci Lucia , Stillman Namid R. , Tang T-Y. Dora , Bandiera Lucia , Bartoli Vittorio , Dixon Daniel O. R. , Fedorec Alex J. H. , Fellermann Harold , Fletcher Alexander G. , Foster Tim , Giuggioli Luca , Matyjaszkiewicz Antoni , McCormick Scott , Montes Olivas Sandra , Naylor Jonathan , Rubio Denniss Ana , Ward Daniel
Published: May 2020

Many complex behaviours in biological systems emerge from large populations of interacting molecules or cells, generating functions that go beyond the capabilities of the individual parts. Such collective phenomena are of great interest to bioengineers due to their robustness and scalability. However, engineering emergent collective functions is difficult because they arise as a consequence of complex multi-level feedback, which often spans multiple length-scales. Here, we present a perspective on how some of these challenges could be overcome by using multi-agent modelling as a design framework within synthetic biology. Using case studies covering the construction of synthetic ecologies to biological computation and synthetic cellularity, we show how multi-agent modelling can capture the core features of complex multi-scale systems and provide novel insights into the underlying mechanisms which guide emergent functionalities across scales. The ability to unravel design rules underpinning these behaviours offers a means to take synthetic biology beyond single molecules or cells and towards the creation of systems with functions that can only emerge from collectives at multiple scales.
Cancer Dynamics: Identification of States for Therapeutic Intervention
Authors: Jangid Amit , Malik Md Zubbair , Ramaswamy Ram , Singh R. K. Brojen
Published: May 2020

We study a minimal model of the stress-driven p53 regulatory network that includes competition between active and mutant forms of the tumor-suppressor gene p53. Depending on the nature of the external stress signal, four distinct dynamical states are observed. These states can be distinguished by dierent dynamical properties and correspond to active, apoptotic, pre-malignant and cancer states. Transitions between any two of these states are found to be unidirectional and irreversible if the stress signal is either oscillatory or constant. When the signal decays exponentially, the apoptotic state vanishes, and for low stress the pre-malignant state is bounded by two critical points, allowing the system to transition reversibly from the active to the pre-malignant state. For signicantly large stress, the range of the pre-malignant state expands and the system moves to the cancerous state which is a stable attractor. This suggests that identification of the pre-malignant state may be important both for therapeutic intervention as well as for drug discovery.
Why Italy First? Health, Geographical and Planning aspects of the Covid-19 outbreak
Authors: Murgante Beniamino , Borruso Giuseppe , Balletto Ginevra , Castiglia Paolo , Dettori Marco
Published: May 2020

The Covid-19 has hit Italy in February 2020 after its outbreak in China at the beginning of January. But why Italy first among Western countries? What are the conditions that made Italy more vulnerable and the first target of such disease? What characteristics and what diffusion patterns could be highlighted and hypothesized, from the outbreak to the end of March 2020, after containment measures - including a national lock down – were introduced? In this paper we try to provide some answers to these questions, analyzing the issue from the medical, geographical and planning points of view. In particular, we started from a hypothesis of very similar economic, geographical, climatic and environmental conditions of the areas of Wuhan – in Hubei Province in China, the outbreak of the epidemics – and the Po Valley area – in Italy – where most cases and deaths were registered. Adopting an ecological approach, we compared the spatial distribution and pattern of Covid-19-related mortality in Italy with several geographical, environmental and socio-economic variables at Provincial level, analyzing them by means of spatial analytical techniques as LISA – Local Indicators of Spatial Association. Possible evidence relating Covid-19 cases and Nitrogen-related pollutants and land take arise, particularly in the Po Valley area.
Using Smart City Tools to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Low Emissions Zone in Spain: Madrid Central
Authors: Lebrusán Irene , Toutouh Jamal
Published: May 2020

Population concentration in cities brings new risks as an increase in pollution, which causes urban health problems. In order to address this problem, traffic reduction measures are being implemented, as pedestrianization areas and the definition of Low Emissions Zones (LEZ). When the effectiveness of these types of measures is in doubt, smart city tools provide data that can be used to scientifically asses their impact. This article analyzes the situation of Madrid Central (Spain), a LEZ subject to controversy. We apply statistical and regression analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of this measure to reduce air pollution and outdoor noise. According to the results, this LEZ was able to significantly reduce NO$_2$, PM$_{2.5}$, and PM$_{10}$ concentration locally, having the same positive impact in the rest of the city. In terms of noise, this measure is able to mitigate background noise levels generated by the road traffic.
Impact of Access to Medicines on Public Health. Problems Associated With Access, Use, and Abuse of Antibiotics
Authors: Pisabarro Antonio G. , Rivera de la Torre Denisse P.
Published: May 2020

Access to medicines is one of the essential problems in Public Health of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines access to medicines as the possibility of "having continuously accessible and affordable medicines in public or private health facilities that are within a kilometer of the place of residence." Access to medicines, as defined by the WHO, is not fully guaranteed in many LMICs and even in many regions of high-resource countries. The WHO identifies several factors as determinants of limitations in the access to medicines: rational selection, affordable prices, sustainable financing, and reliable health services. The action on these factors makes it possible to improve universal access to medicines with consequent improvement in Public Health. Adequate access to antibiotics and vaccination will avoid a large part of the deaths caused by infectious diseases in the LMICs. However, the emergence of resistance and the difficulties in vaccination campaigns due to socio-political or cultural problems make it challenging to fight many easily treatable infectious diseases. The use and abuse of antibiotics are inevitably associated with the appearance of resistances that make them ineffective. Thus, whereas limited access to antibiotics raises mortality rates from infectious diseases, generalized open access to them ends up eliminating their clinical value. Moreover, the contraction of research in this field for many years has reduced the success in discovering new drugs. Additionally, local market regulations, inadequate selection, inaccessible prices, especially for those of second and third-generation, inefficient health systems, and difficulties of administration and control of prescription compliance, especially in the case of combined therapies, are additional obstacles to universal access to antibiotics. In order to simultaneously improve access to antibiotics and keep resistances under control, it is necessary to develop training and education activities at different social levels (from patients to various Health Care Providers) to complement the national or supranational strategic plans.
“Quem pariu Mateus, que o embale” - experiências e sentimentos maternos em relação à medicamentalização do filho com TDA/H
Authors: Escobar Tatiana Pires , Dreon Morgana , Valle Ione Ribeiro
Published: May 2020

Este artigo tem como objetivo identificar e analisar experiências e sentimentos de 148 mães diante da escolha de medicar ou não seus filhos diagnosticados com Transtorno de Déficit de Atenção/Hiperatividade. Justifica-se este trabalho pela premência de colocar as mães em evidência, uma vez que suas vivências, sentimentos e opiniões são salutares para o aprofundamento de estudos que têm como foco a medicamentalização da infância. A metodologia utilizada compreendeu a aplicação de questionários em quatro grupos de Facebook compostos por mães de crianças com o transtorno. Os dados obtidos foram objeto de análise qualitativa e quantitativa, dando ênfase às falas das mães. A investigação indicou que não há consenso entre as figuras maternas quanto aos benefícios dos medicamentos no tratamento das crianças e também evidenciou uma forte sobrecarga de sentimentos como insegurança, medo e culpa diante das posturas que precisam ter em busca do bem-estar das suas crianças.

Palavras-chave: Sentimentos maternos. Experiências maternas. Medicamentalização do filho com TDA/H.
Toxic metals in the warty crab in the southern Black Sea: Assessment of human health risk
Authors: Bat L. , Arici E. , Öztekin A. , Şahin F.
Published: May 2020

The present study was performed to assess Cd, Pb, and Hg contaminations and human health risk in the warty crab Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775) in Akliman shores of Sinop Peninsula of the Black Sea. Heavy metals analysis was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Among studied toxic metals, Pb had the highest mean concentration in E. verrucosa. The highest mean concentration of Pb (0.2 mg per kg of wet weight) was observed in male samples of the warty crab. However, higher concentrations of Cd and Hg (0.11 and 0.019 mg per kg of wet weight, respectively) were observed in females of E. verrucosa. The mean Cd values found in the warty crabs were higher in May and June than those in July and August. On the other hand, Pb values were recorded in July and August. The mean Hg values were not different between months except July and August for male samples of E. verrucosa. Foraging seasons of these crabs are different, which can lead to differences in prey size and ultimately metals intake. However, the results show that a toxic heavy metal concentration in edible tissues of crab from the southern Black Sea was within the permissible limits given by national and international food codices. Target hazard quotient (THQ) for each metal and hazard index (HI) were calculated to evaluate non-carcinogenic human health risks. Estimated THQs of Cd, Pb, and Hg suggest that these metals in the warty crab do not pose any apparent threat to humans, when the HI value is below the value of 1. The result of the analysis has shown that the warty crab E. verrucosa can be used as bioindicator as it contains variable levels of the metals observed. Since consumption is the main source of heavy metal intake by humans, monitoring studies are needed to protect public health and take preventive measures.
Эффективность фиксации углерода в биомассе Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehrenberg) Reimann & J. C. Lewin (Bacillariophyceae) в условиях накопительного культивирования
Authors: Геворгиз Р. Г. , Железнова С. Н.
Published: May 2020

Эффективность утилизации углерода является важной характеристикой объекта культивирования. Известно, что диатомовая водоросль Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehrenberg) Reimann & J. C. Lewin может эффективно использовать углерод из водной среды, так как имеет множество уникальных карбоноангидраз и углеродных транспортёров. Между тем эффективность фиксации углерода для многих видов диатомей в культуре по-прежнему неизвестна. Для её расчёта ряд авторов используют разную терминологию и способы, что приводит к значительным трудностям при сравнении эффективности фиксации углерода в биомассе различных видов микроводорослей. Цели работы: 1) на основе современных представлений о фиксации углерода в биомассе микроводорослей, а также о поглощении неорганического углерода культурой микроводорослей актуализировать используемые в литературе термины и определения; 2) оценить эффективность фиксации углерода в биомассе диатомеи C. closterium в условиях накопительного культивирования. Культуру C. closterium выращивали при температуре +20 °C в интенсивном режиме на питательной среде RS. В процессе выращивания культуру барботировали воздухом (1,1 л воздуха на 1 л культуры в минуту). Температура воздуха на выходе из суспензии составляла +19 °C, максимальная продуктивность культуры — 1,254 г·л−1·сут−1. По результатам CHN-анализа, доля углерода в сухой биомассе C. closterium составляла 23 %. В условиях накопительного культивирования у C. closterium эффективность фиксации углерода в биомассе достигла 90 %. По сравнению с другими видами водорослей C. closterium характеризуется достаточно высокой эффективностью фиксации CO2. Так, у зелёных микроводорослей Chlorella protothecoides и Ch. vulgaris эффективность фиксации CO2 составляет 20 % и 55,3 % соответственно, у цианобактерии Spirulina sp. — 38 %, у красной микроводоросли Porphyridium purpureum — 69 %. Отмечено, что для обеспечения прироста 1 г сухой биомассы C. closterium в сутки при температуре +19 °C необходимо затратить минимум 0,46 л CO2, или 1132 л воздуха. Возможно, именно высокая эффективность фиксации углерода, а также низкая доля углерода в биомассе C. closterium позволяют объяснить высокие продукционные показатели этого вида. В равных условиях культивирования по свету и обеспеченности углеродом продуктивность C. closterium может превышать продуктивность других видов микроводорослей в 5–10 раз. Так, у Spirulina sp. продуктивность достигает 0,2 г·л−1·сут−1, у C. closterium — 1,254 г·л−1·сут−1.
Микроводоросли грязевого вулкана Булганакского сопочного поля Крымского полуострова
Authors: Рябушко Л. И. , Бондаренко А. В.
Published: May 2020

Грязевые вулканы — одно из уникальных явлений природы. Они широко распространены по всему миру. Грязевые вулканы встречаются и на территории Крыма, в том числе на Булганакском сопочном поле — крупнейшем скоплении действующих вулканов на полуострове (45°25′29.04″ с. ш., 36°27′51.64″ в. д.). Изучение одноклеточных водорослей грязевых вулканов в Крыму, как и в других регионах России, до настоящего времени не проводили. Необходимость и актуальность исследований продиктована отсутствием сведений о видовом составе микроводорослей грязевых вулканов. Пробы собраны О. Ю. Ерёминым 03.08.2012 и 13.04.2013 в верхнем 2–3-сантиметровом слое суспензии вместе с приповерхностной водой, вытекающей из него. Диапазон солёности и температуры воды составлял 27–32 г·л−1 и +28…+31 °C. Видовой состав микроводорослей определяли в водных препаратах в прижизненном состоянии водорослей с помощью светового микроскопа Axioskop 40 (Carl Zeiss) при увеличении 10×40, используя программное обеспечение AxioVision Rel. 4.6. Обнаружено 16 видов, принадлежащих к высшим таксономическим группам: Cyanobacteria (1 вид), Dinophyta (2), Bacillariophyta (6) и Euglenophyta (7). Из них цианобактерия Chamaecalyx swirenkoi (Schirshov) Komárek et Anagnostidis, 1986 найдена нами в августе 2012 г. В пробах отмечены пеннатные диатомовые водоросли — как одиночно живущие (родов Cylindrotheca (Ehrenberg) Reimann & J. C. Lewin, Lyrella Karajeva и Nitzschia Hassall), так и колониальные (родов Berkeleya Greville и Pseudo-nitzschia H. Peragallo). Солоноватоводный, бентосный, бореально-тропический вид Nitzschia thermaloides Hustedt впервые отмечен для альгофлоры Крыма, Чёрного и Азовского морей. Также обнаружены эвгленовые водоросли — 5 видов рода Trachelomonas Ehrenberg и 2 вида Strombomonas Deflandre. Из всех видов, найденных в экотопе грязевого вулкана, 7 являются общими с Чёрным морем, а 9, включая 3 вида эвгленовых водорослей, — с Азовским. Показано, что по характеру галобности в грязевых вулканах преобладают виды, типичные для пресноводного комплекса (53 %), при существенной доле морских (27 %) и солоноватоводных видов (20 %). Из фитогеографических элементов флоры бореальные виды составляют 33 %, бореально-тропические — 47 %, космополиты — 20 %. Отмечено три вида потенциально токсичных водорослей — диатомея Pseudo-nitzschia prolongatoides (Hasle) Hasle, 1993 и динофитовые Prorocentrum lima (Ehrenberg) Dodge, 1975 и Alexandrium tamiyavanichii Balech, 1994. Последний вид является морским, бореально-тропическим и новым для альгофлоры Крыма и Чёрного моря. В статье также представлены собственные и литературные данные по морфологии, экологии, фитогеографии видов и их общему распространению в разных водоёмах мира. Некоторые виды микроводорослей относятся к индикаторам сапробности; они способны участвовать в очищении вод от избытка растворённых органических веществ. Приведены фотоснимки грязевых вулканов и микрофотоснимки некоторых видов.
Prevalence of Pseudoexfoliation among Adults and its Related Ophthalmic Variables in the Southern, Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study
Authors: SHERIEF SADIK Taju , Kibru Ephrem , Shibeshe Menen Ayalew
Published: May 2020

Background: Clinical studies in the hospital settings using patients having ocular morbidities have shown a high prevalence of pseudoexfoliation (PXF) in Ethiopia. With this information in mind community based study was conducted to determine prevalence and socio demographic factors of pseudoexfoliation syndrome among adults in Southern Ethiopia.Methods: A community based Crosse sectional study was conducted among subjects aged 40 years or older. Subjects underwent standardized examination, including portable slit lamp biomicroscopy before and after pupillary dilatation, and IOP measurement using Tono-Pen. Pseudoexfoliation was diagnosed on slit lamp exam by the presence of white dandruff-like material on the pupillary margin and/or on the anterior lens capsule of one or both eyes. Results: Among 760 participants, the prevalence of Pseudoexfoliation(PXF) was 12.0% (95% confidence interval, 9.7%-14.3%). The mean age was 63.9 years (SD 9.96, age range 40-90 years). The prevalence increased with increasing age, with 26.9% of those 60 or older affected. Slightly higher proportion of males (12.4%) were found to have Pseudoexfoliation in either of the eyes than females (11.6%) which was not statistically significant (p=0.738). Mean IOP in subjects with PXF was found to be 20.65 + 5.15 mmHg, while it was 15.0 + 2.3mmHg for those without PXF. The difference between the two populations was found to be statistically significant (P<0.05).Conclusions: The prevalence of PXF in eyes of people in Southern Ethiopia appears greater than that reported in other places of Africa and Asia. PXF occurs at a relatively younger age in our population. Increasing age is associated with the presence of PXF, and PXF in turn is associated with high IOP.
Capacity building of health professionals on omics sciences: evaluation of the effectiveness of a distance learning training course for Italian physicians.
Authors: Calabrò Giovanna Elisa , Tognetto Alessia , Mazzaccara Alfonso , Barbina Donatella , Carbone Pietro , Guerrera Debora , Pucchio Alessandra Di , Federici Antonio , Ricciardi Walter , Boccia Stefania
Published: May 2020

Background. The rapid adoption of personalized medicine approaches in healthcare requires professionals to be able to manage the “omics revolution”. In this context, the genetics/genomics literacy of healthcare professionals should be in line with the continuous advances in this field, in order to implement its potential implications for the diagnosis, control and treatment of diseases. The present study investigates the effectiveness of a distance learning course on genetics and genomics targeted at medical doctors.Methods. In the context of a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, we developed a distance learning course, entitled Genetics and Genomics practice. The contents of the course were identified from a core curriculum in genetics for physicians and healthcare professionals, previously published. The course focused on genetic/genomic testing in clinical practice, pharmacogenomics and oncogenomic and was developed according to andragogical training methods (Problem-based Learning and Case-based Learning). We used a pre-test versus post-test study design to assess knowledge improvement on a set of 10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). We analysed the proportion of correct answers for each question pre and post-test, as well as the mean score difference stratified by gender, age, professional status and medical discipline. Moreover, the same test was submitted to the participants eight months after the conclusion of the course (follow-up), in order to assess the retained knowledge.Results. An important number of Italian physicians (N= 1637) completed the course, most of which were primary care physicians (20.8%), public health professionals (11.5%) and specialist paediatricians (10.6%). We reported an improvement in the proportion of correct answers for all of the 10 MCQs set at the post-test. The overall mean score to the questions significantly increased in the post-test, from 59.46 in the pre-test to 71.42 in the post-test (p-value<0.0001). The comparison in test performance between follow-up and pre-test demonstrated an overall knowledge improvement.Conclusions. Genomic literacy among healthcare professionals is essential to ensure optimal translation to healthcare delivery of research. The results of this course suggest that distance-learning training in genetic/genomic practices represents an effective method to improve physicians’ knowledge in the immediate and mid-term time scale.
Dietary Tryptophan Modulate the Composition of the Ileum and Cecum microbiota in Weaned Piglets after Lipopolysaccharide Challenge
Authors: Wang Hao , Yan Yingli , Xia Daiyang , Yang Yongjie , Li Yu , Li Feiwu , Jiang Xianzhi , Zhu Yongwen , Ye Hui , Yang Lin , Wang Wence
Published: May 2020

Background: The gut microbiota plays a critical role in metabolism and growth of piglets, and was modifiable by dietary tryptophan (Trp) in previous study. However, no studies focused on the investigation of whether additional dietary Trp supplementation would modulate the composition of ileum and cecum microbiota of piglets challenged by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We conducted to investigate whether dietary tryptophan could alleviate dysbacteriosis of piglets after challenged with LPS.Methods: A total of 40 28 days old male weaning piglets were randomly allotted to five groups, include Con group (basal diet), LPS group (basal diet), 0.2% Trp group (0.2% Trp diet), LPS+0.2% Trp group (0.2% Trp diet) and LPS+0.4% group (0.4% Trp diet). On day 10, 20 and 29, Con and 0.2% Trp groups were injected with saline, LPS, LPS+0.2% Trp and LPS+0.4% Trp groups were injected with LPS respectively. The experiment lasted for 30 days.Results: These results showed that the major three phyla in ileum were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, in cecum were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Dietary with 0.2% Trp could attenuate the effect of LPS on the alpha diversity (diversity and richness) in ileum (P＜0.05). The alpha diversity of cecum microbiota was not affected by LPS or Try. The relative abundance of Turicibacte (P＜0.05) and unclassified_f__Peptostreptococccaceae (P＜0.05) were decreased but Lactobacillu (P＜0.05) was increased in ileum by LPS. Compared with LPS group, the relative abundance of Actinobacillus (P=0.07) was decreased in LPS+0.2% Trp group, and the level of Blautia (P=0.08) was increased in LPS+0.4% Trp group. The complexity of ileum microbiota was decreased by LPS. But the complexity of ileum microbiota was increased in LPS+0.2% and LPS+0.4% groups. The relative abundance of Lactobacillu was negative correlation with the majority of genus in ileum and positive correlation with the antioxidant ability of liver (P＜0.05). Conclusions: These finding indicated that Trp could alleviate dysbacteriosis induced by LPS, and ileum microbiota might have a self-protective mechanism to resist the injury induced by LPS through enriching Lactobacillu.
Selfish Node detection based on GA and Learning Automata in IoT
Authors: Nobahary Solmaz , Garakani Hossein Gharaee , Khademzadeh Ahmad , Rahmani Amir Masoud
Published: May 2020

It is critical to increasing the network throughput on the internet of things with short-range nodes. Nodes prevent to cooperate with other nodes in the network are known as selfish nodes. Previous studies have done on the selfish nodes detection that leads to increase throughput and reduce the end to end delay. The proposed method for discovering the selfish node is based on genetic algorithm and learning automata. It consists of three phases of setup and clustering, the best routing selection based on genetic algorithm, and finally, the learning and update phase. For appropriate network performance, the clustering algorithm implemented in the first phase. Nodes are working together to send the data packet to the destination in the second phase, and the neighbor node selected for forwarding the data packet in which that node has a high value of fitness function, among others. In the third phase, each node monitors the performance of its neighbor nodes in forwarding the data packet and uses the learning automata system to identify the selfish nodes. By preventing to cooperate selfish nodes and decreasing the probability selection of selfish nodes, it increases the throughput in the network. The results of the simulation show that the detection accuracy of selfish nodes in comparison with the existing methods average 12%, and the false positive rate has decreased by 5%.
Cardiac complication spectrum of Behçet disease in Tunisia: A 10-case series: Clinical and therapeutic approach
Authors: HAMMAMI Ahmed Sami , JELLAZI Mohamed , BRAHIM Marwa BEN , DAADA Syrine , HASSINE Majed , KECHIDA Malek , HAMDA Mohamed Khaldoun BEN , SAAD Jamel , OUALI Sonia
Published: May 2020

Introduction:Cardiac involvement (CI), although rare, remains one of the most severe complications of Behçet Disease (BD).Objectiveto investigate the frequency and spectrum of cardiac involvement in BD and to assess the clinical and imaging features, treatment, and outcomes.MethodsWe retrospectively retrieved the medical records of patients with CI among 220 BD patients admitted to the internal medicine department between 2006 and 2016 who fulfilled the International Study Group diagnostic criteria for the classification of BD.ResultsTen patients were eligible for the study with a sex ratio (male/female) of 8/10. Three cases had 2 isolated episodes of cardiac BD. The mean age when diagnosing the first cardiac episode was 37,3-year-old. The different types of CI were: coronary artery disease (5/10), intracardiac thrombus (4/10) myocarditis (1/10), pericarditis (1/10), myocardial fibrosis (1/10). Vascular involvement was associated to CI in 5 cases (50%). The main symptoms were chest pain (80%), fever (60%), dyspnea (50%), cough (10%) and hemoptysis (10%). The laboratory tests revealed increased inflammatory markers in 5 patients. Medical treatment was based on colchicine and corticosteroid in all patients (100%), anticoagulants in 8 patients (80%), Cyclophosphamide followed by Azathioprine in 9 patients (90%), Azathioprine monotherapy was started in one patient (10%). Antiplatelet and anti-ischemic therapy in 5 patients who had coronary artery disease. The evolution was favorable in 9 cases and marked by severe heart failure and the death of one patient.ConclusionCI despite its rarity, remains an important feature of BD due to the increased risk of mortality and morbidity. Thus, early screening and detection are paramount. Also, imaging has been of great contribution to diagnose such complications and hence indicate the adequate treatment, including immunosuppressant agents.
Pdx1 expression up-regulated by Tet-on system induces the mouse embryonic stem cells to pancreatic-like cells through Notch pathway
Authors: Zhong Wa , Lai Yu , Lin Ying , Xia Zhong-Sheng , Ni Chu-Yan , Yu Zhong , Li Jie-Yao , Yu Tao , Chen Qi-kui
Published: May 2020

Background

The specific precursor cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) after induced differentiation offers great potential for repairing damaged pancreas. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to know whether pancreatic precursor cells with Pdx1+ could be induced to differentiate into pancreatic-like cells in vitro as well as the probable mechanism underlying.
Methods

In this study, mouse ESCs (ES-E14TG2a) were divided into the blank control group (ESC), the blank vector group (Pdx1− ESC), and the Pdx1 lentiviral vector group (Pdx1+ ESC). We constructed lentiviral vectors with overexpressed Pdx1 in Tet-on system and screened the stably transfected cell lines after transfection. CXCR4+ (C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4) DE cells of the three groups were seeded (day zero [d0]) after being sorted with immune beads, and expression of Pdx1 was induced on the second day (d1). Then, markers for the differentiation of Pdx1+ pancreatic precursor cells and molecules in the Notch pathway were detected at d3, d7, d10, and, d14.
Results

We found that expressions of Ptf1a, CK19, and amylase increased at d3 and d7, Neuro D1 increased at d10 and d14, Pax6 and insulin increased at d14, as well as Notch1, Notch2, Hes1, and Hes5 increased at d3 and thereafter declined at d14 in the Pdx1+ ESC group. These expressions were significantly higher than those in the ESC group and Pdx1− ESC group, but no marked differences were observed between the ESC group and Pdx1− ESC group.
Conclusions

Our study indicates that Pdx1+ pancreatic precursor cells can differentiate into pancreatic-like cells in which the Notch pathway plays important roles.
Neck-shoulder pain – is it possible to use commonly used provocative tests and functional scores for evaluation? Large scale prospective cohort study
Authors: Kalinsky Eugene , Slinyakov Leonid , Chernjaev Anatoly , Goncharuk Julia , Lipina Marina , Lychagin Alexey
Published: May 2020

Background. According to International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), the prevalence of neck-shoulder pain in general population is the fourth leading cause of disability. Neck-shoulder pain is known to be caused by different conditions. The aim of this study was to determine and statistically justify the correlation between shoulder girdle injuries and development of neck-shoulder pain syndrome. Methods. The study enrolled 1402 patients with hospital-treated shoulder girdle injuries (with consequences of upper limb trauma). Detailed protocol and questionnaire for clinical examination after discharge from the hospital were conducted. The prevalence of neck-shoulder pain among patients was calculated. The diagnostic value (sensitivity and specificity) of tests used in the study was assessed. Results. The prevalence of neck-shoulder pain was 66,9%. According to questionnaire results (VAS, ODI, SF-36, UCLA, SPADI, DASH), the tendency of increasing pain intensity, progressive upper extremity functional loss and, therefore, quality of life impairment in patients with shoulder girdle injury was noticed. Conclusion. 3 types of neck-shoulder pain syndrome in patients with shoulder girdle injury can be determined: articular, vertebrogenic and mixed (myofascial), which correlate with anatomical localization of the injury.
The rs28757157 and rs59429575 Polymorphisms in CYP19A1 are Associated with Lung Cancer in Chinese Han Population
Authors: Zhang Chan , Cheng Yujing , Chen Wanlu , Li Qi , Dai Run , Wang Yajie , Yang Tonghua
Published: May 2020

Background Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally. Recent studies have revealed that the CYP19A1 gene played a crucial role in cancer initiation and development.Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the association of CYP19A1 genetic polymorphisms with the risk of lung cancer in Chinese Han population.Method This study randomly recruited 507 lung cancer patients and 505 healthy controls. The genotypes of four SNPs of CYP19A1 gene were identified by Agena MassARRY technique. Genetic model analysis was used to assess the association between genetic variation and lung cancer risk. Odds ratio (OR) values and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were provided for the evaluation of the lung cancer risk effect.Results Rs28757157 and rs59429575 polymorphisms of CYP19A1 were significantly correlated with the risk of lung cancer. In stratified analysis, rs28757157 was associated with increased cancer risk in males and smoker. Meanwhile, rs59429575 was identified as a risk biomarker in female and lung adenocarcinoma patients (p < 0.05). While rs28757157 exerted protective role among people with a BMI greater than 24 (p = 0.033).Conclusions This study identified two new SNPs (rs28757157 and rs59429575) of CYP19A1 associated with lung cancer in Chinese Han population. These findings provide data support for further functional studies of CYP19A1 in lung cancer.
Sedimentation-Diffusion Behaviour of Nanoparticles
Authors: giorgi francesco , Macko Peter , Curran Judith M. , Whelan Maurice , Worth Andrew , Patterson Eann A.
Published: May 2020

Background The biological response of organisms exposed to nanoparticles is often studied in vitro using adherent monolayers of cultured cells. In order to derive accurate concentration-response relationships, it is important to determine the local concentration of nanoparticles to which the cells are actually exposed rather than the nominal concentration of nanoparticles in the cell-culture medium. In this study, we investigated the sedimentation–diffusion process of different sized and charged gold nanoparticles in vitro by evaluating their settling dynamics and by developing a theoretical model to predict the concentration depth-profile of nanoparticles in solution over time.Results Experiments were carried out in water and in cell-culture media at a range of controlled temperatures. The optical phenomenon of caustics was exploited to track nanoparticles in real-time in a conventional optical microscope without any requirement for fluorescent labelling that potentially affects the dynamics of the nanoparticles. The results obtained demonstrate that size, temperature, and the stability of the nanoparticles play a pivotal role in regulating settling dynamics of nanoparticles. For gold nanoparticles larger than 60 nm in diameter, the initial nominal concentration did not accurately represent the concentration of nanoparticles local to the cells.Conclusion Nanoparticles dynamics in solution regulate the amount of material at the cellular level and must be taken into account when evaluating the biological response of organisms. the theoretical model proposed in this study accurately described the settling dynamics of the nanoparticles and thus represents a promising tool to support the design of in vitro experiments and the study of concentration-response relationships.
Relationships between species richness and morphological diversity: insight from a geometric morphometric analysis of scarabs
Authors: Tong Yijie , Yang Haidong , Yang Xingke , Bai Ming
Published: May 2020

Background

Species richness (SR) and morphological diversity (MD) provide insights into biodiversity and have been studied extensively as important indicators in recent years. Most researches have been found a positive correlation between SR and MD in many groups, which reflects the influence of phylogenetic factors. However, if some ecological factors are considered, the relationship of SR and MD is not always consistent. In such cases it is interesting to know how phylogenetic factors and ecological factors affect the relations between SR and MD. Unfortunately, studies that examine both factors quantitatively, in the same group with large dataset are lacking.
Results

In this study, 5148 scarabs covering 92% families and 70% scarabaeoid subfamilies of Scarabaeoidea were selected as a test group. The taxonomic categories of family and subfamily were selected for phylogenetic representation and four feeding types (omnivory, phytophagy, coprophagy and non-feeding) were selected as ecological factors. A geometric morphometric analysis on the pronotum and elytron, which represent the major aspect of the morphology in dorsal view, were conducted. Correlations between MD and SR among sub-/families were always found to be consistent, except a genus-level test of the pronotum on the subfamily category and a species-level test of elytron on the family category. These phenomena reflected a strong phylogenetic influence. However, morphological diversities were not correlated significantly with species richness for any feeding type (ecological factors). In addition to this hypothesis test, the morphological diversity and known world species richness (~ 32000 species and 2453 genera of Scarabaeoidea) were estimated as well. Our global results were very similar to our sampling results.
Conclusions

Based on our analyses the hypothesis of ecological factor (represented by feeding habit) correlations was rejected in scarabs. On the contrary, phylogenetic factor correlations were found to be statistically significant. The morphological diversity of scarabs in most sub-/families fitted their species richness. At the same time, the correlation our test parameters revealed variation in both groups and characters, which might be caused by morphological changes under coevolution with different ecological factors.
Downstaging depth score as a better surrogate endpoint than pCR, histological response and ypN0 for long-term outcomes in locally advanced gastric cancer patients after preoperative chemo-radiotherapy
Authors: Li Ning , Wang Xin , Tang Yuan , Zhao Dongbin , Chi Yihebali , Yang Lin , Jiang Liming , Jiang Jun , Shi Jinming , Liu Wenyang , Ren Hua , Fang Hui , Tang Yu , Chen Bo , Lu Ningning , Jing Hao , Qi Shunan , Wang Shulian , Liu Yueping , Song Yongwen , Li Yexiong , Jin Jing
Published: May 2020

Background: The prediction effect of preoperative chemo-radiotherapy(CRT) is not high and difficult to guide individualized treatment. We explored a surrogate endpoint for long-term outcomes in locally advanced gastric cancer patients after preoperative CRT. Methods: From April 2012 to April 2019, 95 patients enrolled in 4 prospective studies with locally advanced gastric cancer who received preoperative concurrent radio-chemotherapy were included. All patients were stage T3/4, N+. Local control (LC), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. The clinicopathological factors related to the long-term prognosis were analysed by uni- and multivariant analyses. The downstaging depth score (DDS), a novel method of evaluating the CRT response, was used to predict long-term outcomes. Results: The median follow-up period for survivors was 30 months. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve predicted by the DDS was 0.728, which was better than that of pathological complete response (pCR), histological response and ypN0 (AUC= 0.634, 0.640 and 0.643, respectively). The DDS cut-off value was 4. pCR and ypN0 were associated with OS (p = 0.026, 0.049). Surgery and the DDS were correlated with DMFS, DFS and OS (p = 0.001, 0.000, and 0.000 and 0.009, 0.013, and 0.032, respectively). The multivariate analysis showed that the DDS was an independent prognostic factor of DFS (p = 0.021). Conclusion: The DDS, a simple, short-term indicator, seems to be a better surrogate endpoint than pCR, histological response and ypN0 for DFS.