bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Performance of the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) in Detecting Undiagnosed Type 2 Diabetes among Kenyan adults aged 18–69 years
Authors: Mugume Innocent Bambeiha , Wafula Solomon T , Kadengye Damazo T , Olmen Josefien Van
Published: April 2021

Background: Diabetes mellitus is growing to epidemic proportions especially in LMICs. The disease is often undiagnosed until clinical manifestation of related complications. Africa, has the highest proportion of undiagnosed diabetes and in Kenya, is estimated at 53%. Studies have however demonstrated that early diagnosis & prevention delays its onset and related complications. Diagnosing & screening diabetes in Kenya, is however costly and not readily available. The alternative use of diabetes screening risk score tools advocated such as FINDRISC have not been validated for use in Kenya. We therefore aimed to measure the performance of the FINDRISC as a screening tool for undiagnosed type 2 diabetes among Kenya adults. Methods: A secondary analysis of a Kenya STEPwise cross-sectional survey conducted between April and June 2015 was carried out. The modified FINDRISC and simplified FINDRISC versions were created based on available secondary data and regression analyses performed. Non-parametric analyses of the areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), and statistics of the modified FINDRISC and simplified FINDRISC diagnostic tests were analyzed. Results: A total of 4,027 data observations of individuals aged 18−69 years were analyzed. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes were estimated at 1.8% and 2.6% respectively. The AUC of the modified FINDRISC and simplified FINDRISC in detecting undiagnosed diabetes were 0.7481 and 0.7486 respectively, with no statistically significant difference (p=0.9118). With an optimal cut-off ≥ 7, the simplified FINDRISC had a higher PPV (7.9%) and diagnostic odds (OR:6.65, CI: 4.43 – 9.96) of detecting undiagnosed T2D than the modified FINDRISC. Conclusion: The simple and non-invasive modified FINDRISC and simplified FINDRISC tools performed well in detecting undiagnosed diabetes and may be useful in the Kenyan population and other similar population settings. Considering the context of the Kenyan population settings, the simplified FINDRISC is preferred.
Insights into bioassessment of water quality status using functional units of protozoan periphytons in marine ecosystems
Authors: Kazmi Syed Shabi Ul Hassan , Uroosa Uroosa , Xu Henglong
Published: April 2021

Protozoan periphytons with their ecological features are considered as a robust bioindicator for bioassessment of both environmental stress and anthropogenic impacts in aquatic ecosystems. Keeping in view the ability of protozoan fauna for discriminating water quality status, a 1-year baseline survey was conducted using glass slides as an artificial substratum in coastal waters of Yellow sea, northern China. Four sampling sites (A–D) were selected from a clean area to a polluted station, and samples were collected monthly at a depth of 1 m. Environmental variables such as salinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), dissolved oxygen (DO), soluble reactive phosphates (SRP), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) were measured synchronically to compare with biotic factors. From a total of 144 identified protozoan species, 53 functional units (FUs) were proposed based on four biological traits: feeding type, resource of food supply, body size and movement type. These FUs represented a clear variability in spatial distribution among four study sites. The relative abundances of the sessile colonial bacterivores (e.g., BOS5s) showed an increasing trend from sites A to D. Multivariate analysis revealed that the patterns of the protozoan FUs showed a significant variation among four sampling sites, and were driven by the increasing levels of nutrients (e.g., NH4-N) and decreasing ranks of DO (P < 0.05). The bacterivorous FUs (e.g., BOS5s and BIS3v) were significantly positively related to NH4-N, while the vagile algivorous FUs (e.g., AIS8v, AOS3v, AOS6v) and sessile predators (e.g., RIS4s) were significantly positively correlated with transparency. These findings suggested that FUs of protozoan periphytons may be used as a useful bioindicators of water quality status in marine ecosystems.
Baicalin Promotes Chondrocyte Viability and the Synthesis of Extracellular Matrix through TGF-β/Smad3 Pathway in Mouse Chondrocytes
Authors: Wang Pengzhen , Zhang Shaoheng , Yu Chaosheng , Xiong Xifeng , Li Aiguo , Liu Zhihe
Published: April 2021

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is epidemic in the elderly people as a common chronic joint disease. By now, drug and surgical treatments are two main therapies for OA worldwidely. Baicalin (BA) is a flavonoid monomer extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and is reported that BA has anti-inflammatory, anti-deformation and anti-bacterial effects. Methods: Micromass culture, alcian blue and Safran O (SO)/fast green staining were used to investigate chondrocyte viability and ECM synthesis in chondrocytes of all groups. The expression of SOX9 and Smad3 in chondrocytes of all groups were detected by western blot and RT-qPCR, the expression of aggrecan (AGG), type II collagen (Col2α), MMP9/13 and ADAMTS5 were detected by RT-qPCR. In current study, we demonstrated that BA neutralized the down-regulation of chondrocyte viability and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion, including AGG and Col2α, induced by IL-1β. As the key regulators of ECM, the down-regulation of SOX9, and the up-regulation of MMP9/13 and ADAMTS5 induced by IL-1β were abolished by BA. Moreover, BA increased the nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of Smad3, one key mediator of TGF-β/Smads pathway. Interestingly, the addition of Smad3 inhibitor SIS3 reversed the promotions of BA on chondrocyte viability, ECM secretion, SOX9 expression, Smad3 nuclear translocation and Smad3 phosphorylation, and the down-regulation of BA on the expressions of MMP9/13 and ADAMTS5. Conclusions: These results imply that BA can protect chondrocytes against IL-1β-induced inflammatory injury through the acceleration of Smad3 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation in chondrocytes. This study demonstrates that BA may be a potential drug for OA clinical treatment.
WITHDRAWN: Numerical & Analytical Modeling of Plasmonic Filter with High Q-Factor Based on "Nanostructured Resonator"
Authors: Afroozeh Abdolkarim
Published: April 2021

In this paper, to achieve high quality filters, nanostructured plasmon resonators are proposed. The structure of proposed resonator is based on metal-dielectric-metal configuration and is designed in the range of 1550 nm telecommunication wavelength. To evaluate the proposed structure, finite difference time domain method as well as analytical method of coupled mode theory have been used. To obtain optimal results, the effects of the number of waveguides as well as the radius of circular and ring waveguides were investigated. The appropriate results will be obtained by considering a strong coupling between the incoming light and the surface plasmon. In addition, two transient and static wave structures have been used to evaluate the structure. The simulation results show that besides filtering behavior of the structure, it is possible to control the surface plasmon propagation speed in the proposed structure. Therefore, it is expected that the proposed structure will be used in many parts of a telecommunications link, including multiplexers, and multiplexers.
Polysaccharide of Atractylodes Macrocephala Koidz(PAMK) Enhance the Immunomodulatory Activity of RAW264.7 Through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway
Authors: Li Wanyan , Xiang Xuelian , Cao Nan , Tian Yunbo , Chen Wenbin , Zhang Xumeng , Liu Wenjun , Fu Xinliang , Liu Jia , Xu Danning
Published: April 2021

The Polysaccharide of Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz (PAMK) has been reported to play an important role in improving the immune function of mammals and poultry. But the molecular mechanism in cell is still not unclear. For investigating the mechanism in mice, RAW264.7 were cultured and divided into six groups (cell, NC, siTLR4, NC + PAMK, PAMK, siTLR4 + PAMK). The serum cytokines, mRNA relative expression level of cytokines and TLR4 signal pathway, the protein expression level of TLR4 signal pathway were measured. The results showed PAMK could increase the level of IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and increase the mRNA relative expression level and protein expression level of TLR4, MyD88, IKK, NF-κB. In conclusion, PAMK may regulate the immue activity of RAW264.7 through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.
A Critical Appraisal of the Legal and Institutional Arrangement for Wetlands Management in South Africa.
Authors: Belle Johanes Amate
Published: April 2021

Policies and institutional frameworks are some of the entering points in mainstreaming the sustainable management of ecosystems such as wetlands. Wetlands are ecological systems that have been internationally acclaimed as natural and cost-effective mechanisms to mitigate disaster risks and address the negative impacts of climate change while providing local livelihoods. However, the continuous degradation of wetlands in many parts of the world including South Africa is concerning and this can be linked to ineffective legislative and institutional arrangements for wetlands management. Using questionnaires, key informant interviews and field observation, this paper assessed the legal and institutional frameworks for the sustainable management and conservation of protected, private and communal wetlands in South Africa. The results indicated that fundamentally there was no direct wetland legislation in South Africa and this is happening more than 47 years after South Africa signed and ratified the Ramsar Convention on the wise-use and conservation of wetlands. The results also indicated that there was poor coordination of important wetland stakeholders. Thirdly, there were many Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWPs) with overlapping functions in the management of wetlands in South Africa The key recommendations were that a national policy on wetlands should be enacted in South Africa like is the case in Uganda and that all the EPWPs be unified under a single control structure with defined roles and monitoring systems like the case with Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in the USA. The study further recommend that effective wetlands forums be put in place and the dysfunctional ones be rejuvenated. Lastly, policy makers should be made more conscious on the beneficial functions of wetlands in providing livelihoods, reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change in South Africa
Antibiotic Bone Cement Combined With Other Comprehensive Interventions in the Treatment of Diabetic Foot Osteomyelitis
Authors: Bu Fanyu , Guo Xiaofeng , Xu Peng , Wang Jin , Xue Mingyu , Pan XiaoYun
Published: April 2021

BackgroundDiabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFO) is serious chronic complication that causes disability or death in diabetic patients. Antibiotic-loaded bone cement is an effective sustained-release system for the treatment of chronic osteomyelitis and induces biofilm formation. This study aimed to valuate the outcomes and summarize the experiences of bone cement loaded with vancomycin combined with other comprehensive interventions in the treatment of DFO.MethodsOne hundred and twelve involved feet in 93 patients (43–92 years old) with DFO treated with antibiotic-loaded bone cement combined with other comprehensive interventions were retrospectively analyzed. The durations of oral and intravenous antibiotics and hospitalization, ulcer healing times, recurrence and rehospitalization rates, and the rates of amputation above the ankle were evaluated at the last follow-up. One hundred and forty four pathogenic bacteria were co-cultured from the secretions of deep wounds from foot ulcers. The Maryland criteria were used to evaluate the recoveries of foot functions. ResultsEighty seven patients with 105 involved feet were followed up successfully over an average period of 14 months. All wounds exhibited good union on follow up, and DFO was cured. The average durations of oral and intravenous antibiotic administrations were 12.2 ± 1.5 and 10.8 ± 2.5 days, respectively. The average duration of hospitalization was 14.0 ± 2.7 days and the healing time for the ulcers was 37.8 ± 6.3 days. Rehospitalization presented in 21 (18.8％) foot ulcers among those with ulcer recurrence. No patients required amputation above the ankle. According to the Maryland criteria, 31, 45, 26, and three feet were rated as excellent, good, fair, and failures, respectively. Overall, 72% were rated as excellent-good. ConclusionsThe rate of amputation above the ankle was significantly reduced with the use of comprehensive interventions to retain foot function and improve quality of life. This management strategy in the treatment of DFO is effective and comprehensive comprehensive; therefore, it should be more frequently used in clinical settings.
Views and experiences on lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19 crisis among residents of Uganda
Authors: Muzyamba Choolwe , Makova Ogylive Mphanza , Mushibi Geofrey
Published: April 2021

Background: While lockdowns have become a gold standard response to the Covid-19 pandemic, debates on its usefulness still continue. There is currently good amount of research work originating from western countries on the usefulness of lockdowns, however, similar research is still missing in low income countries like Uganda which implemented stricter lockdowns. More importantly, not much is known about the views of the residents of Uganda for which such a measure was meant for. Despite the implementation of lockdowns, it is still not yet known how relevant residents of Uganda view the lockdown. Research has demonstrated that interventions are most successful when they resonate with the target population This study fills this identified gap by investigating the views and lived experiences of residents of Uganda with regards to the usefulness of the lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19.Methods: This was a cross sectional survey using qualitative methods of data collection. Data will was collected from 1000 participants in the four regions of Uganda on the views and experiences on lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19 crisis among residents of Uganda. Data collection was down through use of a Qualtrics Survey Tool. Thematic analysis with the help of the Social representation theory was then used to analyze the data. Findings: The study demonstrated that there was visible nuance in the manner in which the lockdown was characterized. On one hand it was seen as useful in slowing down the spread, protecting the fragile healthcare system and giving government enough time to learn about the novel virus and thus respond efficiently. On the other hand, our participants were critical of its devastative nature on the livelihoods of people. Particularly, the lockdown closed down economic survival opportunities for the most vulnerable in society, increased unemployment and poverty levels. The lockdown also contributed to worsening mental health conditions and simultaneously provided fertile ground for domestic abuse including sexual abuse especially among girls.Conclusion: Ultimately, our study questions the narrow view of branding the lockdown as unequivocally good or bad. It rather sheds light on the complexities of its effect on society in Uganda by pointing out its multicapillary-like consequences in society wherein it can, in various ways protect lives and at the same time destroy livelihoods. Our study thus highlights that responding to such complexities defies the logic of implementing the lockdown as a ‘one-size-fits-all magic bullet’, but rather that it must be contextualized, localized and appropriated to the realities of Uganda.
The Routine Use of Preoperative Non-Contrast Chest Computerized Tomography and Carotid Arteries Doppler Prior to Cardiac Surgery
Authors: Nates Ron , Arazi Mattan Mattan , Grosman-Rimon Liza , Israel Roy Israel Roy , Gohari Jacob Gohari Jacob , Sternik Leonid , Kachel Erez
Published: April 2021

Introduction: There is no consensus as to which patients should undergo Non-Contrast Chest Computerized Tomography (NCCCT) and carotid arteries Doppler (CD) prior to cardiac surgery. The objective of this study was to examine whether preoperative imaging modalities provide clinical benefits and a change in surgical strategy.Methods: We routinely performed NCCCT and CD in all non-urgent cardiac surgery patients. Major NCCCT/CD findings related to cardiovascular findings (aortic calcification/atherosclerosis, carotid artery plaque/stenosis), or other incidental findings (lung kidney, thyroid, adrenal, gastrointestinal sites etc.) were documented. The results were divided into 3 categories: (A) findings requiring both changes in surgical strategy and post-operative evaluation/treatment; (B) findings requiring changes in surgical strategy, but not requiring a specific post-operative evaluation/treatment; (C) findings not requiring changes in surgical strategy but requiring post-operative evaluation/treatment. Results: In this cohort, 93 (18.6%) out of 500 patients had significant cardiac and extra-cardiac findings on NCCCT and/or CD. Among the 93 patients with significant findings, 33.33% (31 patients, 6.2% of all patients) were in group A, 7.5% (7 patients, 1.4% of all patients) were in group B, and 59.14% (55 patients, 11% of all patients) were in group C. Change in surgical strategies included, for example, switching from planned on-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG) to off-pump CABG and performing additional procedures to the originally planned heart surgery. Conclusion: Routine preoperative NCCCT and CD evaluation in all non-urgent cardiac surgical patients is an effective measure for uncovering cardiac and extra-cardiac findings prior to surgery.
TLK1-MK5 axis drives prostate cancer cell motility and pathologic features of aggressiveness
Authors: Khalil Md Imtiaz , Singh Vibha , King Judy , De Benedetti Arrigo
Published: April 2021

Background: Majority of prostate cancer (PCa) related fatalities occur due to metastasis of cancer cells to adjacent and distal organs. We identified the novel interaction between two kinases (TLK1-MK5) that in part may initiate a signaling cascade promoting PCa metastasis. In PCa, TLK1-MK5 signaling might be crucial as androgen deprivation therapy leads to increased expression of TLK1 and compensatory activation of MK5 in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Methods: We performed scratch wound repair and 3D chemotactic migration assays to determine the motility rates of different TLK1 and MK5 perturbed cells. Co-IP, His, and GST pull down, in vitro kinase (IVK) assays and mass spectrometry (MS) were conducted to determine TLK1-MK5 interaction and phosphorylation. Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and bioinformatic analysis were used to examine TLK1 and pMK5 levels in PCa cell lines, mice prostate tumors and PCa tissue microarray (TMA). Results: Both genetic depletion and pharmacologic inhibition of TLK1 and MK5 can significantly reduce wound healing rate in MEF and LNCaP cells. However, TLK1 overexpression alone in the MK5 −/− MEF cells did not increase the wound healing which suggested that TLK1 cannot enhance cellular migration in absence of MK5. Our reciprocal co-IPs, His- and GST pull down assays confirmed TLK1-MK5 interaction in cultured cells. Incubation of purified recombinant TLK1B and MK5 increases the phosphorylation of MK5 and its kinase activity. MS analysis identified three unique phosphorylation sites in MK5 (S160, S354, S386) by TLK1B. While our WB detected substantial amount of pMK5 S354 and TLK1 in all major PCa cell lines, anti-androgen treatment increased pMK5 S354 level in a dose-dependent manner and pharmacologic inhibition of TLK1 reduces pMK5 S354 level in LNCaP cells. IHC staining of TRAMP mice prostate tissues also exhibited increased pMK5 S354 level in aggressive tumor compared to benign regions. Finally, IHC analysis of PCa TMA indicated a correlation between elevated pMK5 S354 level and generally higher Gleason scores as well as nodal metastatic status of the tumors. Conclusion: Our data support that TLK1-MK5 signaling is functionally involved in driving PCa cell motility and clinical aggressiveness, hence, disruption of this axis may inhibit the metastasis of PCa.
Topical Gel Based Nanoparticles for the Controlled Release of Oleanolic Acid: Design and In Vivo Characterization of a Cubic Liquid Crystalline Anti-Inflammatory Drug
Authors: shi zhiqi , Pan Shugang , Wang Luolin , Li Sha
Published: April 2021

Background: Oleanolic acid (OA) has multiple pharmaceutical applications, but low permeability of the molecule limits its widespread use. Methods：A cubic liquid crystalline nanoparticle (LCNP)-based gel was prepared as a potential topical delivery system for OA. The LCNP-based gel was optimized using rheological, drug release kinetic, and ex vivo permeation studies.Results: The studies showed that the OA was trapped in the interior of the LCNP with a crystal form of Pn3m space. The optimized LCNP formulation performed well using in vitro release studies for up to 12 h (85.49 ± 0.21 %). Ex vivo permeation studies showed that the LCNP-based gel formulation was superior to a standard gel formulation. The r2 value from the Peppas equation indicated good linearity, but showed irregular (non-Fickian) diffusion, suggesting that drug release was controlled by multiple processes.Conclusions: In this study, OA-loaded LCNPs were prepared by the precursor method, resulting in a well-characterized OA-LCNP gel preparation. The gel was shown to be effective in a rodent carrageenan-induced hind paw inflammation model with sustained efficacy after a single application.
Effects of Organic Acids on the Chemotaxis Profiles and Biocontrol Traits of Antagonistic Bacterial Endophytes Against Root-Rot Disease in Panax Notoginseng
Authors: Ma Li , Wang Wu-Qin , Shi Rui , Zhang Xue-Mei , Li Xin , Yang Yu-Sen , Mo Ming He
Published: April 2021

Understanding the role of chemotaxis in ecological interactions between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere is necessary to optimize biocontrol strategies targeting plant soil-borne diseases. Therefore, we examined and profiled the antagonistic endophytic bacteria (AEB) population with chemotaxis potential in the medicinal plant Panax notoginseng using a cheA gene-based approach coupled with 16S rRNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the chemotactic AEB (CAEB) community in P. notoginseng enabled the identification of 56 CAEB strains affiliated with 30 species of Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria; Actinobacteria, especially Bacillus, were predominant. We then systematically quantified the chemotactic response profiles of CAEB toward five organic acid (OA) attractants: citric acid (CA), fumaric acid (FA), malic acid (MA), oxalic acid (OX), and succinic acid (SA). Further hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the chemotaxis of CAEB to the same attractant exhibited different patterns among not only genera but also species and even strains of the same species. Following chemotaxis and hierarchical analysis, we selected the strongest chemoattractant, fumaric acid (FA), as the target for evaluating the effects of OAs on the representative CAEB strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens subsp. plantarum YP1. Application of FA significantly stimulated the chemotaxis ability and growth of YP1, and increased the transcript levels of cheA and biocontrol-related genes in YP1. This is the first study to characterise the diversity of chemotaxis profiles toward OAs in natural bacterial assemblages of P. notoginseng and to highlight how FA promotes the biocontrol-related traits of P. notoginseng-associated CAEB.
Thermal Simulation for a Mechanical Spindle With External Cooler Across Grease Coated Interface
Authors: Zhao Liang , Lei Mohan , Ren Hongdi , Wang Jinshi , Wang Shuai , Li Ben Q , Yang Jun , Mei Xuesong
Published: April 2021

Spindles in precision boring machine often work in low speed and heavy load without internal cooling, and the thermal error is nonnegligible. So an external cooling system was designed, and the effectiveness of the designed scheme needs to be preliminarily verified by simulation before building the cooling system. Thermal simulations of the spindle with an external cooler require calculating the thermal resistance of the thermal grease-coated interface between the cooler and spindle. Models describing the contact thermal resistance and total thermal resistance for metal contact filled with silicone grease based on solid-liquid interface force equivalence were described in this paper, and experiments were also conducted to verify the accuracy of these models. The contact thermal resistances between the cast iron/copper and silicone grease on flat or arc surfaces were calculated, and the bulk thermal resistance of the silicone grease layer was calculated. The total heat transferred between the cooler and the silicone grease-coated interface of the spindle were calculated. Heat transfer and heat generation in the spindle were calculated, and a finite element model was established to verify the effectiveness of the designed external cooling scheme. Finally, results from experiments for the spindle in different conditions show that the external cooling system decreases the time to reach thermal equilibrium by more than 60%. The RMSE of the simulated thermal elongation is less than 5.7044 μm when the rotating speed of 3000 rpm, and is less than 3.9714 μm when the rotating speed is 1500 rpm.
Exposure to Heavy Metal Elements May Significantly Increase Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels With Overdosed Dietary Zinc
Authors: Chen Xiaoyue , Chen Chi , Song Jukun , Liu Heng , An Lingyue , Yuan Dongbo , Zhu Guohua , Hu Bin , Wang Wei , Liu Zhangcheng , Jiao Ke , Su Hao , Zhang Chang , Zhang Fan , Jiang Kehua , Luo Fu , Tan Zongjian , Zheng Bohao , Sun Zhaolin , Chen Weiming , Sun Fa , zhu jianguo
Published: April 2021

Background: Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a primary metric for diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). Exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and zinc can impact PSA levels in PCa patients. However, it is unclear whether this effect also occurs in men without PCa, which may lead to the overdiagnosis of PCa.Method: Data on a total of 5,089 American men who had never been diagnosed with PCa were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey performed from 2003–2010. The relationship between serum PSA levels (dependent variable) and concentrations of lead (μmol/L), cadmium (nmol/L), and mercury (μmol/L) were investigated with dietary zinc intake being used as a potential modifier or covariate in a weighted linear regression model and a generalized additive model. A series of bootstrapping analyses were performed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity using these models. Results: Regression analyses suggested that, in general, lead, cadmium, or mercury did not show an association with PSA levels, which was consistent with the results of the bootstrapping analyses. However, in a subgroup of participants with a high level of dietary zinc intake (≥14.12 mg/day), a significant positive association between cadmium and serum PSA was identified (1.06, 95% CI, P=0.0268, P for interaction=0.0249).Conclusions: With high-level zinc intake, serum PSA levels may rise in PCa-free men as the exposure to cadmium increases, leading to a potential risk of an overdiagnosis of PCa and unnecessary treatment. Therefore, environmental variables should be factored in the current diagnostic model for PCa that is solely based on PSA measurements. Different criteria for PSA screening are necessary based on geographical variables. Further investigations are needed to uncover the biological and biochemical relationship between zinc, cadmium, and serum PSA levels to more precisely diagnose PCa.
Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Genetic Testing in Patients With Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Shi Yixian , Wu Haicong , Zhou Xiaoling , Xu Qingling , Zheng Liqing , Li Dongliang , Yao Lvfeng
Published: April 2021

Background: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) is an acute, rare and potentially lethal disease typically occurring in the third trimester of pregnancy. So far, there is no effective means of prevention. Therefore, in this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical features of AFLP patients for a better understanding. Meanwhile, for the first time, the genetic background associated with the onset of AFLP was discussed by high-throughput sequencing, hoping to provide evidence for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis of AFLP.Methods: Thirteen AFLP patients admitted to our hospital and other hospital from March 2012 to February 2020 were selected. Clinical data about general condition, laboratory test, liver biopsy and the prognosis of mother and fetus were collected for retrospective analysis. In addition, the peripheral blood of five patients with AFLP and one newborn infant of his mother with AFLP was sequenced with whole-exome sequencing and gene mutation was analyzed by bioinformatics methods.Results: The initial symptoms of AFLP varied differently, with jaundice (9/13, 69%), fatigue (8/13, 62%) and nausea and vomiting (6/13, 46%) being the most common. Moreover, the main maternal complications were coagulopathy (13/13, 100%), followed by acute renal dysfunction (10/13, 77%). Raised serum bilirubin, transaminases and uric acid were found in all patients (100%), hypoglycemia was found in six patients (46%) and fatty liver on ultrasound was seen in five patients (5/12, 42%). One (7%) maternal death occurred and all neonates survived delivery. In addition, to our surprise, whole-exome sequencing showed that no gene mutation in related enzymes involved in fatty acid metabolism was noted in the pregnant women and children receiving genetic testing.Conclusions: Early visit, early detection, early termination of pregnancy and multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment are the key factors to improve the prognosis of AFLP patients and their newborn infants. Furthermore, although limited size of study, to our knowledge, this report is the first to present the lack of common mutation involved in fatty acid oxidation in Chinese patients with AFLP via whole-exome sequencing. Thus, further studies are needed with larger and more varied samples to validate the conclusion.
Molecular mechanisms of a traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Authors: Lv Bo , Peng Yuan-de , Fu Wen-hui , Li Wen-jing , Chen Li-jun , Wang Zhi
Published: April 2021

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) is a common gynecological disease regulated by multiple hormones, which seriously affects female physical and mental health. Some drugs have been prompted to cure this disease, but most drugs have certain side effects and limitations. In the present study, we demonstrated an unexploited Chinese traditional medicine, a combination of Saururus chinensis, Celosia cristata and Spatholobus suberectus (Referred to as XBR), was capable of exerting hemostatic, coagulation and anti-inflammatory effects on SD rats. Furthermore, the XBR decreased the value of erythrocyte, hemoglobin, and hematocrit in serum for lowering blood stasis caused by DUB. Further studies were conducted to provide direct evidence that the recovery of endometrial hyperplasia was associated with the modulation of the hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol and progesterone). Besides, XBR altered mRNA expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 on the uterine endometrium, thereby promoting the repair of proliferating endometrium in the rats. Collectively, our study indicates that XBR harbors a profoundly curative effect on the treatment of DUB, and explains the mechanism at the molecular and genes expression levels.
The Combination of UHPLC-HRMS and Molecular Networking Improving Discovery Efficiency of Chemical Components in Chinese Classical Formula
Authors: Xue Xiaoxia , Jiao Qishu , Jin Runa , Wang Xueyuan , Shi Shougang , Huang Zhengjun , Dai Yuntao , Chen Shilin
Published: April 2021

Background

It is essential to identify the chemical components for the quality control methods establishment of Chinese Classical Formula (CCF). However, CCF are complex mixture of several herbal medicines with huge number of different compounds and they are not equal to the combination of chemical components from each herb due to particular formula ratio and preparation techniques. Therefore, it is time-consuming to identify compounds in a CCF by analyzing the LC-MS/MS data one by one, especially for unknown components.
Methods

An ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography-linear ion trap-orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS) approach was developed to comprehensively profile and characterize multi-components in CCF with Erdong decoction composed of eight herbal medicines as an example. Then the MS data of Erdong decoction was analyzed by MS/MS-based molecular networking and these compounds with similar structures were connected to each other into a cluster in the network map. Then the unknown compounds connected to known compounds in a cluster of the network map were identified due to their similar structures.
Results

Based on the clusters in the molecular networking, 113 compounds were rapidly identified from Erdong decoction for the first time, which including steroidal saponins, triterpenoid saponins, flavone O-glycosides and flavone C-glycosides.
Conclusion

MS/MS-based molecular networking technique is very useful for the rapid identification of components in CCF. In Erdong decoction, this method was very suitable for the identification of major steroidal saponins, triterpenoid saponins, and flavone C-glycosides.
Simulation of Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon: Temperature Dependence of Nonequilibrium Distribution Functions for Trap States
Authors: Suzuki Azuma
Published: April 2021

The nonequilibrium distribution functions (NDF) for the trap states in the mobility-gap under photo illumination and zero bias voltage are derived by the constructed self-consistent drift-diffusion simulator consisted of the Poisson equation and current continuity equations for hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). As for the temperature dependence of the NDF, we find that the values of the NDF decrease with increasing temperature (the negative temperature dependence) in the energy region near the conduction band for p-type a-Si:H. That is the reverse of the temperature dependence of the equilibrium distribution functions (EDF) for the trap states in the mobility-gap. Furthermore, we show that the new physical characteristic is applicable to the explanation of the temperature characteristic of the photoconductivity caused by the electron hopping in the conduction band tail for a-Si:H. The photoconductivity of a-Si:H decreases with increasing temperature, which is called the thermal quenching (TQ). We show that the TQ observed in a low temperature around 200K for p-type a-Si:H can be explained by the electron hopping model with the p-type NDF having the negative temperature dependence.
Comparison of Three Different Methods to Detect Bone Marrow Involvement in Patients with Neuroblastoma
Authors: Schriegel Felix , Taschner-Mandl Sabine , Bernkopf Marie , Grunwald Uwe , Siebert Nikolai , Ambros Peter F. , Lode Holger N. , Henze Guenter , Ehlert Karoline
Published: April 2021

Purpose

Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most frequent solid malignancy in children outside the central nervous system. Detection of bone marrow (BM) involvement is crucial for correct staging and risk-adapted treatment. We compared three different methods regarding the detection of NB involvement in BM.
Methods

Eighty-one patients with NB were included in this retrospective study. BM samples were obtained at designated time points at study entry and during treatment or follow-up. The diagnostic tools for BM analysis included cytomorphology (CM), flow cytometry (FCM) and automatic immunofluorescence plus fluorescence in situ hybridization (AIPF).
Results

We analyzed 369 aspirates in 81 patients in whom AIPF, CM, and FCM were simultaneously available. During the observation period, NB cells were detected in 86/369 (23.3%) cases, by CM in 32/369 (8.7%) samples, by FCM in 52 (14.1%) samples, and by AIPF in 72 (19.5%) samples. AIPF and/or FCM confirmed all positive results obtained in CM and detected 11 additional BM aspirates with NB cells in 294 CM negative samples (p < 0,001). Survival of patients with BM involvement at entry into the study identified solely by FCM / AIPF was 17.4% versus 0% for patients in whom BM involvement was already identified by CM.
Conclusion

The combination of AIPF and FCM yielded the highest detection rate of NB cells in BM. AIPF was the single, most sensitive method in detecting NB cells in BM. Although CM did not contribute additional information, it is still a useful tool because of its rapid availability and cost-efficiency.
Diaphragm Ultrasound Distinguishes Exacerbation From Stable Status in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: An Tai Joon , Yoo Yeun Jie , Lim Jeong Uk , Seo Wan , Park Chan Kwon , Rhee Chin Kook , Yoon Hyoung Kyu
Published: April 2021

Background: The importance of evaluating the diaphragm muscle in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is widely accepted. However, the role of diaphragm ultrasound (DUS) in COPD is not fully understood. We set this study to evaluate the role of DUS for distinguishing the status of COPD. Methods: COPD patients who underwent DUS were enrolled between March 2020 and November 2020. The diaphragm thickening fraction (TFmax) and diaphragm excursion (DEmax) during maximal deep breathing were measured. Patients were divided into exacerbation and stable groups. Demographics, lung function, and DUS findings were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and univariate/multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.Results: Fifty-five patients were enrolled. The exacerbation group had a lower body mass index (BMI) (20.9 vs. 24.2, p = 0.003), lower TFmax (94.8 ± 8.2% vs. 158.4 ± 83.5%, p = 0.010), and lower DEmax (30.8 ± 11.1 mm vs. 40.5 ± 12.5 mm, p = 0.007) compared to stable group. The areas under the TFmax (0.745) and DEmax (0.721) curves indicated fair results for distinguishing exacerbation. The patients were divided into low and high TFmax and DEmax groups based on calculated cut-off values. Low TFmax (odds ratio [OR] 8.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55–45.56) and low DEmax (OR 11.51; 95% CI 1.15–115.56) were associated with exacerbation after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in 1 sec.Conclusion: TFmax and DEmax distinguished exacerbation from stable status. We describe the DUS cut-off values for determining an exacerbation status in this study.
Hazardous Alcohol Drinking and Associated Factors Among Patients With Tuberculosis Attending Public Healthcare Facilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Yohannes Kalkidan , Ayano Getinet , Koirita Kusse , Mulatu Henok , Mokona Hirbaye
Published: April 2021

Background: Hazardous drinking is a quantity or pattern of alcohol consumption that places individuals at risk for adverse health events. Studies have shown that hazardous alcohol drinking among patients with tuberculosis has been often linked to a decrease in immune system functioning, greater rates of treatment-resistant cases and death during treatment. However, there are rare studies that assessed the prevalence of hazardous alcohol use and associated factors among patients with tuberculosis in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the prevalence of hazardous alcohol drinking and associated factors among patients with tuberculosis attending public healthcare facilities in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia.Methods: An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among a randomly selected sample of 415 patients with tuberculosis. The study was conducted at the tuberculosis units of public healthcare facilities in Gedeo zone, Southern Ethiopia. The Alcohol Use Identification Test (AUDIT) scale was used to measure hazardous alcohol drinking. Data on social support, perceived tuberculosis stigma, and depression were collected using a standard, validated, and structured questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of hazardous alcohol drinking in our study was 20 % (95% CI; 16.1% -24.2%). Medical comorbidity (AOR = 2.44, 95% CI: 1.29–4.62), length of illness (>=12 months) (AOR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.03–3.04), and being male (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.17–3.77) were found to be significant predictors of hazardous alcohol drinking after controlling for potential confounders.Conclusion: A high prevalence of hazardous alcohol drinking was observed among patients with tuberculosis. Therefore, routine screening for alcohol use and a holistic treatment approach for patients with tuberculosis are crucial.
The Potential Role of Plastid DNA as a Biomarker and Biosensor Using Real-time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction
Authors: Pandey Amita , Chaudhary Shifa , Bhat Binu
Published: April 2021

Plastids are plant specific semiautonomous organelles, which differentiate to perform many cardinal functions including photosynthesis, energy generation, development, stress perception and response, storage, flowering, and fruit ripening. Additionally, plastids are of immense nutritional value to humans, underscoring the need to develop reliable assays to determine the plastid content of plant based products. Studies have shown that the number of plastids present in various plant organs is regulated by both internal and external factors, however determination of plastid number is time consuming and requires sophisticated instruments. Interestingly, studies have shown that the plastome number, small circular DNA molecules present in the plastids is also regulated by both internal and external stimuli and therefore can be potentially used to estimate the plastid content in a plant organ. This study hypothesizes that plastome copy number, determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in different plant samples can be used as a plant biomarker and biosensor. Samples of cotton seed (CS), leaf (CL) and lint (Clt) and seeds of rice (RS), soybean (SS), maize (MS) and sesame (SeS) were obtained over a period of two years, their plastome copy number was determined by the Ct values obtained using real-time qPCR assays using chloroplast tRNA specific primers. Regression analysis was performed to ensure reliability of the real-time qPCR data. Subsequent, data analysis revealed that the mean log plastome copy number showed a statistically significant difference for the plant species including seeds of cotton, soybean, maize, and sesame suggesting that the log plastome copy number is plant species specific and therefore can be used as a biomarker. Furthermore, evidence in support of the use plastids as biosensors was obtained by calculating the range of log plastome copy number, where range represents the difference between lowest and highest log copy number values. A low range value indicated that the log copy values do not deviate from the mean copy number value, suggesting that the samples have encountered consistent and similar internal and external factors during growth and post-harvest storage and processing, Whereas, high range values indicated large deviations from mean copy value suggesting that the samples have encountered changing internal and external conditions. These conclusions are supported by observation of low range for all the seed samples including CR (0.31), CS (0.58), RP (0.05), SeS (0.31), seeds have a protective coat to withstand variations in environmental conditions. Whereas, observation of high range values for CL (4.11), Clt (3.63), and RS (3.09) could be explained by different developmental stage of CL samples, different post-harvest conditions for Clt samples and broken RS samples. In conclusion, the study present preliminary data in support of use of plastome copy number as a plant biomarker and biosensor.
On Board Pointing Error Detection and Estimation of Observation Satellite Data using Extended Kalman Filter
Authors: R Dhanalakshmi , D Eswara Chaitanya , P Chandra Shaker Reddy , D Vijendra Babu , Aggarwal Puneet Kumar , E Fantin Irudaya Raj
Published: April 2021

The satellite communication is embellished constantly by providing information, ensuring security, and enables the communication among huge at a particular time efficiently. The satellite navigation helps in determining the people's location. The global development, natural disasters, change in climatic conditions, agriculture crop growth, etc. are monitored using satellite observation. Hence, the satellite includes detailed information data, it has to be protected confidentially. The field of the satellite is enhanced at an astonishing pace. Satellite data plays an important role in this modern world and hence, the onboard satellite data have to secure through the proper selection of error detection and estimation schema. The Extended Kalman Filter is widely used in the satellite system. EKF is utilized in this proposed model to detect the onboard pointing error such as attitude and orbit determination. An autonomous estimation of orbit position is possible through space-borne gravity. The information obtained through the observation of satellite data is compared with the accurate gravity model in detecting the error. The utilization of EKF reduces the dependence of the ground tracking system in satellite determination. The orbital altitude and orbital position are the most important challenges faced in the satellite determination system. The satellite model using the Extended Kalman Filter is a more apt method in estimating the orbital parameters. The errors in the linearization process are detected and this can be overcome through the proper selection of linear expansion point with EKF algorithmic model with the Jacobian matrix calculation. The results show that the EKF implementation helps in attaining better accuracy in comparison with other methodologies.
An Immune-associated lncRNA Signature Predicts the Survival of Patients With Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Jian , Bian Qinjiang , Liu Jialin , Du Lijuan , Moming Adili
Published: April 2021

Recent researches have established that lncRNAs (long non-coding RNAs) could be exploited as new signatures for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. Herein, HNSCC transcriptome data was abstracted from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data resource, and uncovered immune linked lncRNAs through co-expression analysis. Besides, univariate along with Lasso penalty regression were employed to determine immune-linked lncRNA pairs with different expressions. We then compared area under the curve, calculated the Akaike information criterion (AIC) value of the receiver operating characteristic curve for 5 years, determined cutoff points, and established an optimal predictive model for identifying high- and low-risk HNSCC patients. Overall, we identified 40 differentially expressed immune-linked lncRNA pairs, 17 of which were incorporated in the Cox regression model. Using this model, we can more effectively stratify patients based on poor survival results, positive clinicopathological features, specific tumor immune invasion status, low chemotherapy responsivity, and high expression of immunosuppressive biomarkers. Our data illustrated that the immune-linked lncRNA pairs signature have clinical prediction value for HNSCC.