bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surgical treatment of heart failure due to giant coronary artery fistula: a case report
Authors: Sandor Barbara , Bogats Gabor , Toth Levente , Habon Tamas
Published: July 2020

Coronary artery fistula is a rare congenital cardiac anomaly that is often found incidentally during computed tomography angiography. Coronary fistula between the left circumflex coronary artery and the coronary sinus is among the less common forms of coronary artery fistula. A 60‐yea\r‐old female patient presented to our outpatient cardiology department with symptoms of severe, de novo heart failure. Echocardiogram revealed severe mitral regurgitation and a dilated duct that turbulently accelerated colour Doppler flow behind the left ventricle with significant left‐to‐right shunt. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography angiography revealed a massively dilated fistula between the left circumflex coronary artery and the coronary sinus with a diameter of 3–4 cm. The patient underwent combined heart surgery involving mitral ring annuloplasty and fistula ligation and was discharged in stable condition on guideline‐based medical therapy. At 18 months of follow‐up, minimal residual shunt flow and mild‐to‐moderate mitral regurgitation were found. We report a rare case of congenital coronary disorder resulting in heart failure and highlight the importance of complex non‐invasive cardiac diagnostic procedures before planning and performing heart surgery.
Neuroprotective effects of Camellia nitidissima Chi leaf extract in hydrogen peroxide‐treated human neuroblastoma cells and its molecule mechanisms
Authors: An Lei , Zhang Wei , Ma Guowei , Wang Ke , Ji Yufei , Ren Hong , Wang Yousheng
Published: July 2020

Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC) is a famous medicinal and edible plant with the name of “Tea for Longevity” in Guangxi province of China. In present study, we determined the protective effect of extract from CNC leaves on H2O2‐induced cell injury and its underlying mechanisms in human neuroblastoma (SH‐SY5Y) cells. The ethyl acetate fraction of CNC leaves (CLE, 50–200 μg/ml) treatment significantly increased the cell viability of H2O2‐treated SH‐SY5Y cells and reduced the leakage of LDH in a reversed “U”‐shape manner. It was confirmed by Hoechst 33,342 staining that CLE attenuated H2O2‐induced apoptosis in SH‐SY5Y cells. The CLE (100 and 150 μg/ml) treatment significantly relieved H2O2‐induced oxidative stress by decreasing intracellular ROS level, and increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Western blot analysis demonstrated that the CLE treatment reserved H2O2‐induced decrease of pCREB (Ser133) expression, and its downstream protein BDNF. In addition, 37 phenolic compounds in CLE were identified by UPLC‐TOF MS/MS, and the main active phytochemicals seemed to be catechins, quercetin, kaempferol, and their derivatives. In conclusion, the data analysis showed that the neuroprotective effect of CNC leaves might be achieved via synergistically boosting endogenous antioxidant defenses and neurotrophic signaling pathway. These results suggest that CNC leaves are valuable resources for functional foods and beverages.
An enhanced machine learning tool for cis‐eQTL mapping with regularization and confounder adjustments
Authors: Yan Kang K. , Zhao Hongyu , Wu Joseph T. , Pang Herbert
Published: July 2020

Many expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) studies have been conducted to investigate the biological effects of variants in gene regulation. However, these eQTL studies may suffer from low or moderate statistical power and overly conservative false‐discovery rate. In practice, most algorithms for eQTL identification do not model the joint effects of multiple genetic variants with weak or moderate influence. Here we present a novel machine‐learning algorithm, lasso least‐squares kernel machine (LSKM‐LASSO) that model the association between multiple genetic variants and phenotypic traits simultaneously with the existence of nongenetic and genetic confounding. With a more general and flexible framework for the estimation of genetic confounding, LSKM‐LASSO is able to provide a more accurate evaluation of the joint effects of multiple genetic variants. Our simulations demonstrate that our approach outperforms three state‐of‐the‐art alternatives in terms of eQTL identification and phenotype prediction. We then apply our method to genotype and gene expression data of 11 tissues obtained from the Genotype‐Tissue Expression project. Our algorithm was able to identify more genes with eQTL than other algorithms. By incorporating a regularization term and combining it with least‐squares kernel machine, LSKM‐LASSO provides a powerful tool for eQTL mapping and phenotype prediction.
The neural basis of metacognitive monitoring during arithmetic in the developing brain
Authors: Bellon Elien , Fias Wim , Ansari Daniel , De Smedt Bert
Published: July 2020

In contrast to a substantial body of research on the neural basis of cognitive performance in several academic domains, less is known about how the brain generates metacognitive (MC) awareness of such performance. The existing work on the neurobiological underpinnings of metacognition has almost exclusively been done in adults and has largely focused on lower level cognitive processing domains, such as perceptual decision‐making. Extending this body of evidence, we investigated MC monitoring by asking children to solve arithmetic problems, an educationally relevant higher‐order process, while providing concurrent MC reports during fMRI acquisition. Results are reported on 50 primary school children aged 9–10 years old. The current study is the first to demonstrate that brain activity during MC monitoring, relative to the control task, increased in the left inferior frontal gyrus in children. This brain activity further correlated with children's arithmetic development over a 3‐year time period. These data are in line with the frequently suggested, yet never empirically tested, hypothesis that activity in the prefrontal cortex during arithmetic is related to the higher‐order process of MC monitoring.
Upward and downward comparisons across monetary and status domains
Authors: Yaple Zachary A. , Yu Rongjun
Published: July 2020

The ability to accurately infer one's place with respect to others is crucial for social interactions. Individuals tend to evaluate their own actions and outcomes by comparing themselves to others in either an upward or downward direction. We performed two fMRI meta‐analyses on monetary (n = 39; 1,231 participants) and status (n = 23; 572 participants) social comparisons to examine how domain and the direction of comparison can modulate neural correlates of social hierarchy. Overall, both status and monetary downward comparisons activated regions associated with reward processing (striatum) while upward comparisons yielded loss‐related activity. These findings provide partial support for the common currency hypothesis in that downward and upward comparisons from both monetary and status domains resemble gains and losses, respectively. Furthermore, status upward and monetary downward comparisons revealed concordant orbitofrontal cortical activity, an area associated with evaluating the value of goals and decisions implicated in both lesion and empirical fMRI studies investigating social hierarchy. These findings may offer new insight into how people relate to individuals with higher social status and how these social comparisons deviate across monetary and social status domains.
Precision medicine in follicular lymphoma: Focus on predictive biomarkers
Authors: Sorigue Marc , Cañamero Eloi , Sancho Juan‐Manuel
Published: July 2020

Current care for patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) offers most of them long‐term survival. Improving it further will require careful patient selection. This review focuses on predictive biomarkers (ie, those whose outcome correlations depend on the treatment strategy) in FL, because awareness of what patient subsets benefit most or least from each therapy will help in this task. The first part of this review aims to summarize what biomarkers are predictive in FL, the magnitude of the effect and the quality of the evidence. We find predictive biomarkers in the setting of (a) indication of active treatment, (b) front‐line induction (use of anthracyline‐based regimens, CHOP vs bendamustine, addition of rituximab), (c) post‐(front‐line)induction (rituximab maintenance, radioimmunotherapy), and (d) relapse (hematopoietic stem cell transplant) and targeted agents. The second part of this review discusses the challenges of precision medicine in FL, including (a) cost, (b) clinical relevance considerations, and (c) difficulties over the broad implementation of biomarkers. We then provide our view on what biomarkers may become used in the next few years. We conclude by underscoring the importance of assessing the potential predictiveness of available biomarkers to improve patient care but also that there is a long road ahead before reaching their broad implementation due to remaining scientific, technological, and economic hurdles.
Time‐dependent changes in proliferation, DNA damage and clock gene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and healthy liver of a transgenic mouse model
Authors: Hassan Soha A. , Schmithals Christian , von Harten Maike , Piiper Albrecht , Korf Horst‐Werner , von Gall Charlotte
Published: July 2020

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly resistant to anticancer therapy and novel therapeutic strategies are needed. Chronotherapy may become a promising approach because it may improve the efficacy of antimitotic radiation and chemotherapy by considering timing of treatment. To date little is known about time‐of‐day dependent changes of proliferation and DNA damage in HCC. Using transgenic c‐myc/transforming growth factor (TGFα) mice as HCC animal model, we immunohistochemically demonstrated Ki67 as marker for proliferation and γ‐H2AX as marker for DNA damage in HCC and surrounding healthy liver (HL). Core clock genes (Per1, Per2, Cry1, Cry2, Bmal 1, Rev‐erbα and Clock) were examined by qPCR. Data were obtained from samples collected ex vivo at four different time points and from organotypic slice cultures (OSC). Significant differences were found between HCC and HL. In HCC, the number of Ki67 immunoreactive cells showed two peaks (ex vivo: ZT06 middle of day and ZT18 middle of night; OSC: CT04 and CT16). In ex vivo samples, the number of γ‐H2AX positive cells in HCC peaked at ZT18 (middle of the night), while in OSC their number remained high during subjective day and night. In both HCC and HL, clock gene expression showed a time‐of‐day dependent expression ex vivo but no changes in OSC. The expression of Per2 and Cry1 was significantly lower in HCC than in HL. Our data support the concept of chronotherapy of HCC. OSC may become useful to test novel cancer therapies.
Comprehensive genomic landscape and precision therapeutic approach in biliary tract cancers
Authors: Okamura Ryosuke , Kurzrock Razelle , Mallory Robert J. , Fanta Paul T. , Burgoyne Adam M. , Clary Bryan M. , Kato Shumei , Sicklick Jason K.
Published: July 2020

Biliary tract cancers have dismal prognoses even when cytotoxic chemotherapy is administered. There is an unmet need to develop precision treatment approaches using comprehensive genomic profiling. A total of 121 patients with biliary tract cancers were analyzed for circulating‐tumor DNA (ctDNA) and/or tissue‐based tumor DNA (tissue‐DNA) using clinical‐grade next‐generation sequencing: 71 patients (59%) had ctDNA; 90 (74%), tissue‐DNA; and 40 (33%), both. Efficacy of targeted therapeutic approaches was assessed based upon ctDNA and tissue‐DNA. At least one characterized alteration was detected in 76% of patients (54/71) for ctDNA [median, 2 (range, 0‐9)] and 100% (90/90) for tissue‐DNA [median, 4 (range, 1‐9)]. Most common alterations occurred inTP53(38%),KRAS(28%), andPIK3CA(14%) for ctDNA vsTP53(44%),CDKN2A/B (33%) andKRAS(29%) for tissue‐DNA. In 40 patients who had both ctDNA and tissue‐DNA sequencing, overall concordance was higher between ctDNA and metastatic site tissue‐DNA than between ctDNA and primary tumor DNA (78% vs 65% forTP53, 100% vs 74% forKRASand 100% vs 87% forPIK3CA[But not statistical significance]). Among 80 patients who received systemic treatment, the molecularly matched therapeutic regimens based on genomic profiling showed a significantly longer progression‐free survival (hazard ratio [95%confidence interval], 0.60 [0.37‐0.99].P= .047 [multivariate]) and higher disease control rate (61% vs 35%,P= .04) than unmatched regimens. Evaluation of ctDNA and tissue‐DNA is feasible in biliary tract cancers.
Modelling the volatility of crude oil returns: Jumps and volatility forecasts
Authors: Dutta Anupam , Bouri Elie , Roubaud David
Published: July 2020

We contribute to the scarce literature on the oil market volatility index (OVX) by examining the presence of time‐varying jumps in OVX and by assessing the ability of OVX to predict the conditional variance of crude oil returns. Using a GARCH‐jump model, we find evidence that OVX is characterized by jump behaviour that tends to vary over time. Further analysis indicates that accounting for the jump behaviour of OVX helps improve the conditional variance forecasts of crude oil returns. Since the studied features of OVX play a crucial role in asset pricing and risk analyses, our findings have policy implications related to refining volatility prediction models and risk measures.
Modelling soil water distribution under Moistube irrigation for cowpea (VIGNA unguiculata (L.) Walp.) crop*
Authors: Kanda Edwin Kimutai , Senzanje Aidan , Mabhaudhi Tafadzwanashe
Published: July 2020

Moistube irrigation (MTI) is a type of technology which uses a semipermeable membrane to emit water continuously in response to soil water potential and applied pressure. Soil water dynamics under MTI incorporating plant water uptake have not been studied. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the soil water distribution under MTI, using cowpea as a reference crop. The effect of Moistube placement depth on the soil water dynamics under MTI was also determined. The experiment was carried out in tunnels with MTI and subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) as a control. The HYDRUS 2D/3D model was calibrated and thereafter used to simulate soil water dynamics for different placement depths. The soil water content above the Moistube/drip lateral was higher under SDI than MTI, while the lateral movement of water was similar for both irrigation types. The simulated soil water contents closely matched (coefficient of determination [R2] ≥ 0.57, root mean square error [RMSE] ≤ 0.029 cm3 cm−3, normalized root mean square error [NRMSE] ≤ 14.7% and efficiency [EF] ≥ 0.20) the observed values for both MTI and SDI. This showed that HYDRUS 2D/3D could be used to simulate water dynamics of irrigated cowpea. There was no significant difference (p > .05) between the root water uptake (RWU) in SDI and MTI. The Moistube placement depth did not significantly affect (p > .05) the RWU in loam soil but increased with increased placement depth in clay soil. The optimum placement depth of Moistube laterals for cowpea was 15 cm in loam and 20 cm in clay. This study forms the basis for design of MTI in terms of optimum placement depths for cowpea grown in loam and clay soils.
Reading During Adolescence: Why Adolescents Choose (or Do Not Choose) Books
Authors: Wilkinson Katherine , Andries Valentina , Howarth Danielle , Bonsall Jane , Sabeti Shari , McGeown Sarah
Published: July 2020

The authors explored adolescents’ reasons for reading or not reading books. In individual interviews with 39 adolescents (ages 15 and 16) in the United Kingdom, they reported that reading books offered an opportunity to relax, learn, escape the real world, and become immersed; was exciting, developed their empathy skills, and provided a form of social capital. However, challenges to book reading included a lack of time; that it was too effortful; that it was not encouraged, was expensive, or was uncool, or that students had simply lost the habit or grown out of it. Implications for high school classrooms are discussed, and the researchers argue that time, space, and/or initiatives to read for pleasure are important. Collaborative work among researchers, teachers, and engaged/disengaged adolescent readers is essential to ensure that these initiatives are optimal and reach and resonate with their intended audience.
Topographies and functions of emerging problem behavior and appropriate requests in neurotypical preschoolers
Authors: Fahmie Tara A. , Garcia Amanda R. , Poetry Jasmine H. , Tierman Emily M. , Hamawe Rima , Marks Sarah T. , Jin Sandy
Published: July 2020

The current study builds on a small but growing body of research evaluating the formal and functional characteristics of emerging problem behavior before it becomes harmful and requires costly treatment. The researchers tested 21 preschool children's sensitivity to establishing operations that commonly precede severe problem behavior. Sensitivity tests were embedded in a small group play context to optimize safety, efficiency, and ecological validity. The tests screened several levels of problem‐behavior severity as well as the presence of adaptive alternatives (i.e., communication) to problem behavior. Overall, outcomes suggested sources of reinforcement for minor‐ and moderate‐severity problem behavior in 86% of children. Only 17% of children exhibiting problem behavior also engaged in appropriate requests in the same condition(s) as problem behavior. The present data are compared to published functional analyses of severe behavior. The results are discussed as a preliminary step towards a function‐based model of risk identification and behavioral prevention of severe problem behavior.
The Canadian Core Cariology Curriculum: Outcomes of a national symposium
Authors: Tikhonova Svetlana , Jessani Abbas , Girard Felix , Macdonald Mary Ellen , De Souza Grace , Tam Laura , Eggert F.‐Michael , Nguyen‐Ngoc Caroline , Morin Nathalie , Aggarwal Neha , Schroth Robert J.
Published: July 2020

Despite the efforts that have been made in dental education and clinical practice to adopt the evidence‐informed, risk‐based, nonsurgical caries management approach, the surgical treatment approach continues to prevail. There is an urgent need to understand resistance to such a paradigm shift and establish a coordinated evidence‐based Cariology teaching approach in Canadian dental schools so trainees are equipped to implement caries management in their practice. To work towards this goal, a two‐day interinstitutional symposium was organized in Montreal, QC, bringing together clinical and research experts in cariology and dental education from all 10 Canadian dental schools to develop a consensus on an evidence‐informed Core Cariology Curriculum, and strategies for its implementation. Through consensus, participants produced the Core Cariology Curriculum for Canadian dental schools and articulated the challenges and solutions for its implementation. Future work will include working collaboratively on the curriculum integration and evaluation.
How to Guard Against Fixation? Demonstrating Individual Vulnerability is More Effective Than Warning of General Risk
Authors: Neroni Maria Adriana , Crilly Nathan
Published: July 2020

Creative behavior can be inhibited by fixation and so reducing fixation is a focus of much creativity research. One of the most common methods of tackling fixation is to warn people of fixation risks and instruct them to avoid constrained problem framing and solution search. However, such treatments are often ineffective. One possible explanation for this is that people typically believe that they (as individuals) are less vulnerable to a specified risk than other people are (in general). If we really want to motivate people to guard against a risk, we need to demonstrate that they, as individuals, are vulnerable to those risks. To study the effect of demonstrating individual vulnerability to fixation, we conducted an online experimental study using number and word tasks that both included a fixation "trap." The first task was used to provide a "demonstrated vulnerability" treatment (revealing participants' own fixated behavior) to the experimental group. This group outperformed those who received a comparable "asserted vulnerability" treatment (a warning about general fixation effects) and also those in a control group. Researchers and practitioners developing creativity training and tools aimed at reducing fixation effects should consider the benefits of demonstrating individual vulnerability to fixation rather than, or in combination with, issuing warnings that people in general are vulnerable to fixation.
Effects of Sexual Function, Social Media Use, and Self‐Efficacy on Quality of Life Among Home Parenteral Nutrition Patients
Authors: Kot Dominika , Ławiński Michał , Słodkowski Maciej , Kagan Ilya , Hellerman Moran , Theilla Miriam
Published: July 2020

Background

Quality of life (QOL) of home parenteral nutrition (HPN) patients is a critical issue for functioning and survival. This study evaluates the roles of sexual function (SF), self‐efficacy (SE), and the use of social media (USM) in the QOL of HPN patients.

Materials and methods

The study model investigates the independent variables USM and SF and the dependent variable QOL, and SE is a mediator variable between SF and USM.

Results

We included 203 participants with HPN who completed self‐administered, validated questionnaires for QOL, SF, SE, and USM. Statistical analysis included a t‐test, Sobel test, bootstrapping method, and Pearson correlations between variances. The mean HPN duration was 10.5 ± 8 years. Results show a significant correlation between QOL scores and SF (P = .001). USM was positively correlated with SE (P = .001). SE as a mediator between USM and SF was supported by significant results in the Sobel test. Patients with a stoma were significantly less sexually active and had lower SE ratings than those without a stoma.

Conclusion

Physical changes that affect SE and boost social relationships by allowing emotional support through social networks are important factors for QOL improvement. These findings may guide health professionals in the management of HPN patients.
Submental flap: Game changer in oral cancer reconstruction—A study of 1169 cases
Authors: Pradhan Sultan A. , Kannan Rajan , Tiwari Neelesh , Jain Saurabh , Khan Sana , Rodrigues Dale , Doctor Azmat , Jatale Raj G. , Agrawal Kushal , Shaikh Mohsin
Published: July 2020

Background

Free‐flap reconstructions (FFRs) are the standard‐of‐care following resections for oral cancer. This study assessed an alternative, the pedicled submental flap (SF) for its versatility, oncological outcomes, and comparative operative time and cost.

Methods

This was a longitudinal prospective study of 1169 patients of oral cancer reconstructed with the SF. Oncological outcomes in terms of recurrence rate and disease‐free survival (DFS), were analyzed in 730 cases with a minimum of 18 months follow‐up. Surgical time and cost were compared between 20 SFs and 14 FFRs performed consecutively.

Results

SF was used to reconstruct defects in the cheek (29.2%), mandible (41.6%), tongue (26.3%) and palate (2.7%) with a 94% flap survival. N+ at level 1 did not adversely affect the recurrence rate as compared with N+ at levels other than level 1 (27.52% vs 29.81%). SFs took a shorter time (186 minutes vs 474 minutes) and cost significantly less than FFRs (P < .0001).

Conclusions

SF can reconstruct various oral defects, is sturdy, and esthetically and functionally satisfactory. The procedure time is much shorter than for FFR and costs considerably less. With careful case selection and meticulous clearance, SF reconstruction is oncologically safe even in N+ neck.
A proposal to regulate the peer‐to‐peer market for tourist accommodation
Authors: Benítez‐Aurioles Beatriz
Published: July 2020

In the peer‐to‐peer market for tourist accommodation, the demand is oriented to the center of the cities, generating impacts in different areas, which has opened a social and political debate on their regulation. The regulatory response from public administrations has often been to limit the supply of existing accommodation. However, as proven by the case of Barcelona, this does not guarantee the decrease of demand, and instead, results in more intensive use of the available accommodation. Thus, this article presents an alternative proposal on the basis of a model on the concept of both contamination and public resources externalities.
Value of Renal Vascular Doppler Sonography in Cardiorenal Syndrome Type 1
Authors: Çakal Beytullah , Özcan Özgür Ulaş , Omaygenç Mehmet Onur , Karaca İbrahim Oğuz , Kızılırmak Filiz , Gunes Haci Murat , Boztosun Bilal
Published: July 2020

Objectives

Worsening of renal function in a patient with acute decompensated heart failure is called cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) type 1. Recent studies have shown an association of persistent systemic venous congestion with renal dysfunction. This trial was set up to investigate the changes of renal Doppler parameters with diuretic therapy in patients with CRS type 1.

Methods

Cases of CRS type 1 were identified among patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure. Serial measurements of the renal venous impedance index (VII) and arterial resistive index (ARI) were calculated by pulsed wave Doppler sonography.

Results

A total of 30 patients who had creatinine improvement with diuresis (group 1) and 34 patients without any improvement (group 2) were analyzed. Patients in group 1 had higher median VII and ARI (VII, 0.86 versus 0.66; P < .001; ARI, 0.78 versus 0.65; P < .001) on admission. A high ARI on admission (odds ratio, 6.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.84–14.3; P = .003) predicted the improvement of serum creatinine levels with diuretic therapy independent of confounding factors in patients with CRS type 1.

Conclusions

Renal vascular Doppler parameters might offer guidance on the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in prescribing decongestive therapy for decompensated heart failure.
Working with Randy: The Diacylglycerol Acyltransferase Story
Authors: Harwood John L.
Published: July 2020

Vegetable oils are one of the main agricultural commodities. Demand has been increasing steadily over the last five decades and, with finite land available, it is vital that we increase productivity. My laboratory has focused on the regulation of plant lipid metabolism and, as part of this work, we identified diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) as important at regulating carbon flux during oil accumulation. This led to collaborations with Randy Weselake's research group when we quantified the importance of DGAT in oilseed rape by using flux control analysis. Later, with David Taylor, we showed that over‐expression of DGAT boosted oil accumulation in field‐grown crops by around 8%. These studies led to a multitude of experiments with different oil crops, such as oil palm and soybean, as well as many rewarding collaborations with Randy.
Monitoring the impacts of weather radar data quality control for quantitative application at the continental scale
Authors: Michelson Daniel , Hansen Bjarne , Jacques Dominik , Lemay François , Rodriguez Peter
Published: July 2020

As part of a suite of quality control methods applied to Canadian and American weather radar data before their assimilation into a numerical weather prediction model, the combination of thresholded depolarization ratio and a speckle filter was applied to American data with the purpose of identifying and removing non‐precipitation echoes. This polarimetric quality control replaces a set of image‐analysis‐based methods used in a previous study and based on reflectivity information only. The old and new quality‐controlled results were objectively assessed using meteorological aerodrome report (METAR)‐based precipitation occurrence observations and a set of five common contingency table skill scores with all available Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Level II data from the contiguous United States for August 2016. The new quality control yields consistently improved skill scores, indicating higher quality radar data for downstream application. The process whereby the radar data are quality controlled and assessed comprises a framework with the ability to monitor the impacts of quality control to radar data quality over time. In turn, this allows for the introduction of changes to data acquisition and processing with the ability to monitor the impacts on data quality: a scientific evidence‐based quality assurance process as part of change management.
Aberrant DNA methylation of PTPRG as one possible mechanism of its under‐expression in CML patients in the State of Qatar
Authors: Ismail Mohamed A. , Samara Muthanna , Al Sayab Ali , Alsharshani Mohamed , Yassin Mohamed A. , Varadharaj Govindarajulu , Vezzalini Marzia , Tomasello Luisa , Monne Maria , Morsi Hisham , Qoronfleh M. Walid , Zayed Hatem , Cook Richard , Sorio Claudio , Modjtahedi Helmout , Al‐Dewik Nader I.
Published: July 2020

Background

Several studies showed that aberrant DNA methylation is involved in leukemia and cancer pathogenesis. Protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor gamma (PTPRG) expression is a natural inhibitory mechanism that is downregulated in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) disease. The mechanism behind its downregulation has not been fully elucidated yet.

Aim

This study aimed to investigate the CpG methylation status at the PTPRG locus in CML patients.

Methods

Peripheral blood samples from CML patients at time of diagnosis [no tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)] (n = 13), failure to (TKIs) treatment (n = 13) and healthy controls (n = 6) were collected. DNA was extracted and treated with bisulfite treatment, followed by PCR, sequencing of 25 CpG sites in the promoter region and 26 CpG sites in intron‐1 region of PTPRG. The bisulfite sequencing technique was employed as a high‐resolution method.

Results

CML groups (new diagnosed and failed treatment) showed significantly higher methylation levels in the promoter and intron‐1 regions of PTPRG compared to the healthy group. There were also significant differences in methylation levels of CpG sites in the promoter and intron‐1 regions amongst the groups.

Conclusion

Aberrant methylation of PTPRG is potentially one of the possible mechanisms of PTPRG downregulation detected in CML.
A new family of boundary‐domain integral equations for the Dirichlet problem of the diffusion equation in inhomogeneous media with H−1(Ω) source term on Lipschitz domains
Authors: Fresneda‐Portillo Carlos , Woldemicheal Zenebe
Published: July 2020

The interior Dirichlet boundary value problem for the diffusion equation in nonhomogeneous media is reduced to a system of boundary‐domain integral equations (BDIEs) employing the parametrix obtained in Portillo (2019). We further extend the results obtained in Portillo (2019) for the mixed problem in a smooth domain with L2(Ω) right‐hand side to Lipschitz domains and partial differential equation (PDE) right‐hand side in the Sobolev space H−1(Ω), where neither the classical nor the canonical conormal derivatives are well‐defined. Equivalence between the system of BDIEs and the original BVP is proved along with their solvability and solution uniqueness in appropriate Sobolev spaces.
Diauxic behaviour for biological processes at various timescales
Authors: Dȩbowski Mateusz
Published: July 2020

In the present paper, we provide the conditions guaranteeing the generalization of so‐called diauxic behaviour of solutions of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). This behaviour was described by Monod in 1949 in the context of bacterial growth. Then, a similar behaviour was observed and described referring to dynamic of CDK1 protein activity during cell cycle. The diauxic behaviour is described in terms of inflection points.
Decay rate for viscoelastic wave equation of variable coefficients with delay and dynamic boundary conditions
Authors: Hao Jianghao , Du Fangqing
Published: July 2020

In this paper, we consider a viscoelastic wave equation of variable coefficients in the presence of past history with nonlinear damping and delay in the internal feedback and dynamic boundary conditions. Under suitable assumptions, we establish an explicit and general decay rate result without imposing restrictive assumption on the behavior of the relaxation function at infinity by Riemannian geometry method and Lyapunov functional method.
Strong and narrowband terahertz radiation from GaAs based pHEMT and terahertz imaging
Authors: Kim Se‐Mi , Hong Sung‐Min , Jang Jae‐Hyung
Published: July 2020

Strong and narrowband terahertz (THz) radiation is obtained from a GaAs‐based pseudomorphic high‐electron‐mobility transistor (pHEMT). The radiation properties with respect to the bias conditions and operating temperature are extensively characterized. The maximum emission power is measured to be 63 and 278 μW at room temperature and 77 K, respectively. By using the THz radiation from the pHEMT, a metal object hidden in cloth was successfully imaged.
The nexus of workplace incivility and emotional exhaustion in hotel industry
Authors: Alola Uju V. , Avcı Turgay , Öztüren Ali
Published: July 2020

Workplace incivility is continuously seen as a stressor for the employee and the organization. No organization prospers in an uncivil environment. The high level of turnover intention that results from an uncivil working environment threatens the organization's reputation and sustainability. Adopting from Bagozzi's Appraisal‐Emotional Response, this study tested the relationship between workplace incivility, turnover intention, and job satisfaction via the mediating role of emotional exhaustion, using AMOS version 22. The findings reviews that workplace incivility harms both the employees and the organization. Also, workplace incivility has a positive impact on emotional exhaustion and turnover intentions while a negative influence on job satisfaction. Human resource managers are advised to train both supervisors and customers to curtail uncivil behaviors. Both theoretical and practical implications were given. In conclusion, the study suggests further research presenting the limitations of the study.
Controllable synthesis of network polyacrylate from hyperbranched polyesters and their effect to bond strength of asphalt
Authors: Zhang Yaowen , Zhang Zhiliang , Guo Pengfei , Han Fei , Shou Chongqi
Published: July 2020

In this work, a couple of network polyacrylates (NPA‐HBPE‐G2/G3/G4) were synthesized from the different generation hyperbranched polyester (HBPE) and acrylate monomers, and used to enhance the interfacial adhesion of asphalt with inorganic minerals. The molecular structure and respective performance of NPA‐HBPE were characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, TGA and fluorescence microscopy. The results showed that NPA‐HBPE had a great number of polar functional groups on the branched chains, and processed superior thermal stability, good ductility and excellent compatibility with the asphalt. More importantly, the NPA‐HBPE demonstrated a significant effect on improving the bond strength of asphalts with cement mortar block. As the volume addition of NPA‐HBPE‐G4 was 10 wt%, the maximum bond strength of modified asphalts reached 1.23 MPa while that the base asphalt was only 0.48 MPa. Furthermore, the adhesive force of NPA‐HBPE‐G4 modified asphalts was high to 333 nN, and fairly better than that of base asphalts (71 nN). This study would provide a simple and efficient approach to improve the bond strength of asphalt, and would have enormous potential in the engineering field.
Modified phenolic resin with aluminium and rectorite: Structure, characterization, and performance
Authors: Wang Keyi , Gu Huazhi , Huang Ao , Ke Changmei , Zhang Meijie , Luo Zhian , Fu Lvping
Published: July 2020

Phenolic resin is an important binder for refractory ceramics. Herein, aluminum and organic rectorite were employed to improve the antioxidant activity of phenolic resin. X‐ray diffraction revealed that the silicate layers of phenolic resin exfoliated rectorite were uniformly dispersed in the modified phenolic resin (MPF) matrix. Moreover, TEM revealed that the peeled silicate nanoparticles from rectorite were well distributed without clustering. The structure of the MPF resin was also analyzed by infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. The results showed that the strength of the ether bridge of MPF resin with aluminum and rectorite considerably decreased than that of pure phenolic resin. The MPF resin was anhydrous and had AlO bonds to link the benzene rings. Pyrolytic carbon experiments revealed that the decomposition temperature of the MPF resin was 759.2°C, which indicated that it had a better oxidation resistance and bonding strength than those of pure phenolic resin. The incorporation of aluminum and rectorite improved thermal performance of the phenolic resin, and enhanced mechanical performance of the MgOC refractory.
Screening Testing for SARS‐CoV‐2 upon Admission to Rehabilitation Hospitals in a High COVID‐19 Prevalence Community
Authors: Kirshblum Steven C. , DeLauter Gabrielle , Lopreiato Maeve C. , Pomeranz Bruce , Dawson Amanda , Hammerman Samuel , Gans Bruce M.
Published: July 2020

Background

While planning for the care of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients during the pandemic crisis has dominated the focus of leaders of inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), patients with injuries/illnesses unrelated to COVID‐19 continue to need inpatient rehabilitation admission. To maintain a safe environment for all patients and staff, we established an admission screening plan of testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) to determine the presence of asymptomatic patients who were infected with the virus upon admission.

Objective

To determine the prevalence of patients who test positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 but were presumed to be COVID‐19 negative at the time of admission to IRF in New Jersey.

Design

Retrospective analysis of SARS‐CoV‐2 testing results.

Setting

Four freestanding IRFs in New Jersey operated as one system.

Patients

All (N = 103) patients sequentially admitted from 4 to 27 April 2020 with no symptoms or evidence of COVID‐19 disease at the time of transfer from the acute hospital.

Interventions

Specimens were collected for SARS‐CoV‐2 analysis at the time of admission to the IRF and patients were monitored for subsequent symptom development over the next 14 days.

Main Outcome Measures

Results of SARS‐CoV‐2 testing upon admission and evidence of development of clinical signs or symptoms of COVID‐19.

Results

Seven asymptomatic persons (6.8% of admissions) without clinical signs/symptoms of COVID‐19 tested positive on admission. Of these, five developed symptoms of COVID‐19, with a mean onset of 3.2 (range of 2‐5) days. Five additional patients became symptomatic and tested positive within the next 3 to 10 days (mean of 5.2 days). Overall, 11.6% of admissions (12/103) had a positive test within 14 days of admission.

Conclusions

Admission testing to postacute centers for SARS‐CoV‐2 can help identify presymptomatic or asymptomatic individuals, especially in areas where COVID‐19 is prevalent. Negative results, however, do not preclude COVID‐19 and should not be used as the sole basis for patient management decisions.
Carbon Encapsulation of High Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles with Extraordinary Coercivity and Saturation at Room Temperature
Authors: Tseng Chao‐Chi , Chi Chong‐Chi , Tsai Hsin‐Jung , Yeh Jien‐Wei , Ouyang Hao , Hsu Wen‐Kuang
Published: July 2020

Owing to their unique properties and technological potential, high entropy alloys (HEAs) have become the subject of great interest in the materials science community. HEAs consist of more than four principle elements in equimolar ratio so their configurational entropy is intrinsically greater than one‐principle element based. The increasing surface energy and chemical tendency toward clustering of like atoms at low dimension, however, make production of HEA‐nanoparticles (HEA‐NPs) extremely difficult. A facile production of HEA‐NPs inside carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles is demonstrated in this work. Electron microscopic and elemental analyses confirm encapsulated to be solution phase; some embrace carbides and form multidomains with chemical composition ranging from quaternary to quinary phase. Multidomains and nonmagnetic centers create hardening thus promoting coercivity significantly at room temperature. Alloying induces electron redistribution into high spin states, accounting for observed high saturation. Configurational entropy of encapsulated HEA‐NPs lies on a range comparable with bulk.
In vitro and in vivo human metabolism and pharmacokinetics of S‐ and R‐praziquantel
Authors: Kapungu Nyasha Nicole , Li Xueqing , Nhachi Charles , Masimirembwa Collen , Thelingwani Roslyn Stella
Published: July 2020

Racemic praziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for the treatment of schistosomiasis. R‐Praziquantel (R‐PZQ) has been shown as the therapeutic form, whereas S‐PZQ is less efficacious and responsible for the bitter taste of the tablet. This study aimed at investigating the metabolism of R‐ and S‐PZQ as this could have implications on efficacy and safety of racemate and R‐PZQ specific formulations under development. In vitro CYP reaction phenotyping assay using 10 recombinant CYP (rCYP) isoenzymes showed hepatic CYP1A2, 2C19, 2D6, 3A4, and 3A5 were the major enzymes involved in metabolism of PZQ. Enzyme kinetic studies were performed by substrate depletion and metabolite formation methods, by incubating PZQ and its R‐ or S‐enantiomers in human liver microsomes (HLM) and the rCYP enzymes. The effect of selective CYP inhibitors on PZQ metabolism was assessed in HLM. CYP1A2, 2C19, and 3A4 exhibited different catalytic activity toward PZQ, R‐ and S‐enantiomers. Metabolism of R‐PZQ was mainly catalyzed by CYP1A2 and CYP2C19, whereas metabolism of S‐PZQ was mainly by CYP2C19 and CYP3A4. Based on metabolic CLint obtained through formation of hydroxylated metabolites, CYP3A4 was estimated to contribute 89.88% to metabolism of S‐PZQ using SIMCYP® IVIVE prediction. Reanalysis of samples from a human PZQ‐ketoconazole (KTZ) drug‐drug interaction pharmacokinetic study confirmed these findings in that KTZ, a potent inhibitor of CYP3A, selectively increased area under the curve of S‐PZQ by 68% and that of R‐PZQ by just 9%. Knowledge of enantioselective metabolism will enable better understanding of variable efficacy of PZQ in patients and the R‐PZQ formulation under development.
Rapid glycosyl‐inositol‐phospho‐ceramide fingerprint from filamentous fungal pathogens using the MALDI Biotyper Sirius system
Authors: Saromi Kofo , England Philippa , Tang Wenhao , Kostrzewa Markus , Corran Andy , Woscholski Rudiger , Larrouy‐Maumus Gerald
Published: July 2020

Rationale

Glycosyl‐inositol‐phospho‐ceramides (GIPCs) or glycosylphosphatidylinositol‐anchored fungal polysaccharides are known to be major lipids in plant and fungal plasma membranes and to play an important role in stress adaption. However, their analysis remains challenging due to the several steps involved for their extractions and purifications prior to mass spectrometric analysis. To address this challenge, we developed a rapid and sensitive method to identify GIPCs from the four common fungal plant pathogens Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium graminearium, Neurospora crassa and Ustilago maydis.

Methods

Fungal plant pathogens were cultured, harvested, heat‐inactivated and washed three times with double‐distilled water. Intact fungi were deposited on a matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) target plate, mixed with the matrix consisting of a 9:1 mixture of 2,5‐dihydroxybenzoic acid and 2‐hydroxy‐5‐methoxybenzoic acid solubilized at 10 mg/mL in chloroform–methanol (9:1 v/v) and analyzed using a Bruker MALDI Biotyper Sirius system in the linear negative ion mode. Mass spectra were acquired from m/z 700 to 2000.

Results

MALDI time‐of‐flight (TOF) mass spectrometric analysis of cultured fungi showed clear signature of GIPCs in B. cinerea, F. graminearium, N. crassa and U. maydis.

Conclusions

We have demonstrated that routine MALDI‐TOF in the linear negative ion mode combined with an apolar solvent system to solubilize the matrix is applicable to the detection of filamentous fungal GIPCs.
A national‐scale study of spatial variability in the relationship between turbidity and suspended sediment concentration and sediment properties
Authors: Bright Christina E. , Mager Sarah M.
Published: July 2020

Turbidity, an index of light side‐scattering, depends on the mass concentration of suspended sediment (SS) within water. Turbidity of river water is regulated by the presence of suspended particulate matter and is used to identify visual changes in response to SS. We used data from the New Zealand National River Water Quality Network, to calculate “specific turbidity” (K; turbidity normalised to mass concentration of suspended particulates). Specific turbidity is shown here to be an effective metric to assess the effect of suspended material composition and particle size distribution of suspended particulate matter over different landscape characteristics, and the effect on SS‐turbidity relationships. Of the catchment characteristics considered in our study, specific turbidity was most responsive to lithological factors, and relatively insensitive to land use and soil parameters. Decreasing particle size has a positive linear response to K, attributed to the higher proportion of ultra‐fine particulate material that is generated by certain lithologies, underscoring the lithological influence on K. SS‐turbidity relationships, therefore, vary spatially across New Zealand's national record of water clarity, and K is considered a useful index for inter‐catchment comparison of SS than turbidity alone.
Study on Micro Force Sensor and its Signal Acquisition System Based on Android and Arduino
Authors: Yu Shaopeng , Wang Bowen , Dong Liyuan
Published: July 2020

Force sensor becomes more and more miniature in order to achieve precise measurement in small place. A magnetostrictive micro sensor was proposed in the paper; meanwhile, the signal acquisition system was designed by Android platform and Arduino MCU to meet the popular mobile terminal. The structure of sensor and the hardware and software of system were designed to realize the functions of force signal acquisition, processing and analysis, and upload the data to mobile terminal in real time. It can be seen from the experimental tests: Firstly, the volume of sensor was less than 2 cm3 and had good linearity, while the sensitivity was 0.1537 mV/N and the repeatability error was 1.07%. Secondly, the system could effectively enlarge the output value of sensor more than 100 times and the nonlinear error was less than 1.5%, while the linearity and sensitivity can be kept well. This sensor with acquisition system had the advantages of easy realization, low cost, strong expansibility and simple operation, and it can be widely used in industrial control, mechanical automation, intelligent robot, and so on. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Nanomedicine in lung cancer: Current states of overcoming drug resistance and improving cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Wang Wei , Hao Yuhao , Liu Yusheng , Li Rui , Huang Da‐Bing , Pan Yue‐Yin
Published: July 2020

Lung cancer is considered to cause the most cancer‐related deaths worldwide. Due to the deficiency in early‐stage diagnostics and local invasion or distant metastasis, the first line of treatment for most patients unsuitable for surgery is chemotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy. Nanocarriers with the function of improving drug solubility, in vivo stability, drug distribution in the body, and sustained and targeted delivery, can effectively improve the effect of drug treatment and reduce toxic and side effects, and have been used in clinical treatment for lung cancer and many types of cancers. Here, we review nanoparticle (NP) formulation for lung cancer treatment including liposomes, polymers, and inorganic NPs via systemic and inhaled administration, and highlight the works of overcoming drug resistance and improving cancer immunotherapy.

This article is categorized under:

Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease