bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased Numbers of Circulating Th22 and Th17 Cells in Patients with Kawasaki Disease
Authors: Liwen Zhang , Zhiying Huang , Mei Xue , Xiaoyu Zhang , Fei Wang , Xuan Zhao , Yu Wan , Liang Ma
Published: September 2021

Background

T-helper (Th) 22 and Th17 cells are involved in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki Disease (KD).
Methods

A total of 43 patients with freshly diagnosed KD and 20 age-/gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were examined for the numbers of Th22, Th17 and Th1 cells were quantified by flow cytometry. The concentrations of serum IL-22, IL-17, IFN-γ and TNF-α were examined by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay.
Results

In comparison with those in the HC, significantly increased numbers of Th22 and Th17 cells, but not Th1 cells, and increased levels of serum IL-22 and IL-17, but not IFN-γ, were detected in KD patients. Stratification analysis indicated the numbers of both Th22 and Th17 cells and the concentrations of serum IL-22 and IL-17 in KD patients with coronary artery lesions (CAL) were significantly greater than that in those with noncoronary artery lesions (NCAL). Treatment with the intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy significantly decreased numbers of Th22 and Th17 cells and concentrations of serum IL-22 and IL-17 in KD patients. The concentrations of serum IL-22 and IL-17 were correlated positively with erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) values as well as N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in those patients respectively.
Conclusions

Our study provided direct evidence that Th22 and Th17 cells might contribute to the pathogenesis of KD.
β2 Integrin Antagonism, A Potential Mechanism To Sensitize CML Cells To Therapy As Revealed From Genetic Response To Radiation And LiCl
Authors: Verma Yogesh Kumar , Yadav Namrata , Kumar Subodh , Gurudutta Gangenahalli Ugraiah
Published: September 2021

Background: The interaction of integrins and growth factor receptors in cells is tightly regulated, ensuring cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration. The IR generates reactive oxygen species, which leads to ECM remodeling and cell adhesion through the activation of proteases, soluble cytokines and growth factors. Integrins and adhesion of cells to ECM confer higher resistance to ionizing radiation and cytotoxic drug, a phenomenon known as cell adhesion mediated radiation resistance (CAM-RR) and cell adhesion mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR).Integrins’ involvement in CML progression is well appreciated through its survival, adhesion and migration signaling. The evaluation of global genetic response (in microarray) of ionizing radiation (IR) on integrins expression has not been attempted to specify theirrole and other cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) in CML. In this study, we have compared the microarray based CAMs response in myelogenous leukemia cells onIR exposure. Results: Results revealed differential regulation of many CAMs, with strongest expression of integrin β2 (CD18), whose role has not been fully appreciated in CML due to low level of expression. However, the synergistic LiCl(GSK3β inhibitor) and IR treatment significantly upregulates CD18 expression leading to enhanced survival, cell adhesion mediated drug/radiation resistance (CAM-DR/RR) and transcription of migration related genes. These effects could be undermined in the presence of CD18 antibody. This may be one of the reasons for CML resistance to radiation therapy and its relapse upon stem cell transplantation.Conclusion: This study proposes CD18 antagonist administration as an adjuvant in anti-CML therapy and other cancers in which it displays aberrant expression subsuming the contraindication of GSK3β inhibitor. Nevertheless, the CD18 mediated cell adhesion in tumor progression beckons development of improved drug regimensandidentification of diagnostic and prognostic signature for CML.
Energy Conversion System based on Photovoltaic-Battery-Ultra Capacitor-Diesel Sources for a Mobile Hospital
Authors: Zizoui Mohamed Zine , tabbache bekheira , Zia Muhammad Fahad , Benbouzid Mohamed
Published: September 2021

This article deals with the energy management of a hybrid system composed of PV, Battery,ultracapacitor and diesel synchronous generators for a mobile hospital. The proposed power system can supply energy to Shelter Hospital for better treatment of patients in remote states, particularly in the event of a pandemic situation such as COVID-19. For this reason, a hybrid power system in which a diesel generator is used with a photovoltaic energy source for reliable availability of power supply. Moreover, batteries and ultra-capacitors are also integrated to obtain a hybrid power generation and storage system to ensure the smooth operation of mobile hospital weather conditions. Photovoltaic panels are connected to a boost converter to follow maximum power tracking (MPPT) and Power curtailment modes. The battery is connected to a bidirectional reversible DC-DC converter for DC bus voltage regulation and state of charge (SOC) control. The ultra-capacitor is associated with the battery to compensate for the peak power. The diesel generator is connected in parallel with the photovoltaic generator, battery, and ultra-capacitor to continuously provide the power required by the load. The integrated operation of all the generation and storage systems is complex for shelter hospital. Hence; an efficient energy management algorithm is developed to manage the continuous energy flow between the elements of the hybrid power system and mobile hospital load through the control of the power converters. Finally, validation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed energy management of the hybrid power system.
Ultra-chaos: an insurmountable objective obstacle of reproducibility and replicability
Authors: LIAO Shijun , Qin Shijie
Published: September 2021

It is crucial for scientific progress to be able to replicate scientific findings [1-4], because scientific claims should gain credence due to the reproducibility and replicability of their main supporting evidences. However, according to Nature’s survey of 1,576 researchers, more than 70% of the surveyed failed to reproduce another scientist’s experiments, and more than half agreed that there exists a significant “crisis of reproducibility” [2]. Here we reveal a new classification of chaos: normal-chaos and ultra-chaos. Unlike a normal-chaos, statistics of an ultra-chaos are sensitive to small disturbances. Some illustrative examples of ultra-chaos are given here. It is found that statistical non-reproducibility is indeed an inherent property of an ultra-chaos that is at a higher-level of disorder than a normal-chaos. It is impossible in practice to replicate experimental/numerical results of an ultra-chaos even in statistical meanings, since random environmental noises always exist and are out of control. Thus, ultra-chaos is indeed an insurmountable objective obstacle of reproducibility and replicability. Similar to Goedel’s incompleteness theorem, such kind of “incompleteness of reproducibility” reveals a limitation of scientific researches. It opens a new door and possibility to study reproducibility crisis, statistical significance, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), chaos theory, turbulence theory, and so on.
A Novel Four-port-sharing Approach for Concomitant Cholecystectomy With Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy
Authors: Hsu Fang-Chin , Hsu Hai-Ning , Pan Hsin-Mei , Hung Wan-Ting , Liao Guo-Shiou , Chen Teng-Wei , Chan De-Chuan , Hsu Kuo-Feng
Published: September 2021

BackgroundGallbladder disease is very common in obese patients. Concomitant cholecystectomy with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (CC-LSG) may be necessary in such cases, and it has been proven safe when indicated. Herein, we developed a novel four-port-sharing technique for CC-LSG that can substitute the conventional trocar placement (6–7 ports).MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted between January 2017 and March 2021 using a prospective database. Out of 159 patients who underwent LSG, 10 also received CC-LSG. The patients’ demographic characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, and postoperative outcomes were examined.ResultsOf a total of 159 patients, 18 had cholelithiasis (11.3%). Eight symptomatic and 2 asymptomatic patients (6 men and 4 women) with cholelithiasis underwent CC-LSG. No postoperative complications, including hemorrhage, bile leakage, staple leakage, incisional hernia, and wound infection, were noted.ConclusionsIn CC-LSG, the application of a four-port-sharing technique is safe and feasible, and it provides satisfying cosmetic outcomes for obese patients with symptomatic or asymptomatic cholelithiasis.
Perceived Use of Health Care Service: Barriers to Access Prehospital Care in Jimma City, Oromia Region of Ethiopia
Authors: Ibro Shemsedin Amme , Matthew Lippi , Shemsi Sheka Shemsi , Akuma Adugna Olani , Haso Tura Koshe , Ahmed Abdulwahid Awol , Simbiro Esmael Ahmed , Moga Tolasa Takele , Ahmed Muktar Beshir , Hebo Habtamu Jarso , Waga Sultan Suleman , Melkamu Gemechis , Reta Ebrahim Yimam , Chala Shimelis Legesse , Mould-Millman Nee-Kofi
Published: September 2021

Background: African nations experience a significant proportion of the global burden of death and disability. The provision of prehospital emergency care has been shown to partially reduce excess morbidity and mortality. However, access to prehospital care in Africa is still limited. This study sought to identify barriers to access prehospital care in the city of Jimma, Ethiopia.Methods: This is an interview-based qualitative study of key prehospital stakeholders in Jimma, conducted in February 2018. A purposive sample of individuals from the community and local ambulance organizations was selected for interviews. Interviews were conducted in local languages, translated into English, and then coded for consistent themes. Results: All respondents felt that prehospital care was difficult to access and therefore infrequently utilized. This was due to a combination of a limited number of ambulances, the lack of a toll-free emergency number, the lack of a single organized EMS system, a lack of uniform prehospital care protocols, inconsistent and limited training of ambulance crews, public mistrust of the existing system, poor road infrastructure, and limited public understanding of the role of prehospital care. Respondents suggested that establishment of a formalized prehospital care system, investment in infrastructure, establishment of a toll-free emergency number, public awareness campaigns, and more widely available emergency medical training were feasible solutions to these current barriers to access.Conclusion: Multiple barriers to accessing prehospital care were identified in Jimma. Establishing a formalized, well-resourced prehospital system in parallel with improving community capacity and knowledge building were suggested solutions to improve access. Hence, interventions to improve prehospital emergency care delivery should ideally target these identified barriers and proposed solutions.
COVID-19 Causes Changes in Photoplethysmography
Authors: Peck Jacquelin , Wishon Michael , Wittels Harrison , Hasty Frederick , Hendricks Stephanie , Lee Stephen , Wittels S.
Published: September 2021

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is the science behind many commonly used medical devices such as the pulse oximeter. PPG dropouts have been described in existing in vitro studies following artificially induced clot activation. Because COVID-19 causes increased arterial, venous and microvascular clot formation, our hypothesis is that PPG dropout identified in vitro can also be found in vivo in patients with COVID-19. To test this hypothesis, we prospectively collected PPG recordings and d-dimer levels for 197 ICU patients with COVID-19 and compared them with the PPG tracings from 300 non-COVID controls.Results demonstrated significant differences in rates of PPG dropout between patients with COVID-19 vs non-COVID controls. The median PPG dropout rate was 0.58 for COVID-19 patients (median 0.58, IQR 0.42-0.72, p<0.05) as opposed to a median 0.0 for non-COVID patients (median 0.0, IQR 0.0-0.0, p<0.05). Further, at least one incidence of PPG dropout was detected in 100% of COVID-19 patients, as opposed to 2.3% of non-COVID controls (p<0.05).PPG dropout also correlated closely with normalized serum d-dimer levels taken on the same day. D-dimer is an established biomarker used for COVID-19 disease severity and prognosis. The change in normalized d-dimer was plotted against the change in PPG dropout and a line of best fit was created. Linear regression resulted in R2 = 0.919 (p < 0.05), indicating that PPG dropout rate correlates with hemorheological changes in COVID-19 patients.The difference in the median and IQR PPG dropout values for patients with vs. without COVID-19 and the strong correlation with serum d-dimer shows the potential utility of such a metric for identifying individuals with acute hemorheological abnormalities associated with COVID-19.
Probiotics in Vegetable Juices : Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum), Carrot(Daucus Carota, Subsp. Sativus) and Beetroot Juice (Beta Vulgaris)
Authors: Goderska Kamila , Dombhare Kanan , Radziejewska-Kubzdela Elżbieta
Published: September 2021

Twenty first century has witnessed a significant rise in the awareness regarding healthy lifestyle among the consumers and food being the important step towards a healthy life, numerous health promoting food products have gained prominent place in the food market. One such food component which is proven to have impressive health benefit is the probiotic bacteria. Probiotics are known to human kind since ages as they are important component in fermented milk products, however the use of probiotics in non-dairy product is a novel method for the delivery of probiotics. Awareness regarding health benefits of dairy products is long known to consumers but non dairy products too have good amount of micro and macronutrients and antioxidants as well which are a boon to human body. Delivery of probiotics through non-dairy products will be beneficial for consumers who are lactose intolerant who are deprived of benefits of probiotics by dairy products. This studies aim at developing novel vegetable juices containing probiotic bacteria. Three different strains of bacteria will be used i.e. Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii in carrot, beetroot and tomato juice. The viability of the bacteria will be checked after a specific duration of time of fermentation by Koch’s plate count method. The vegetable used for juices (carrot, beetroot, tomato) consist of high amount of antioxidants like carotenoids in carrot, betaxanthins and betacyanins in beetroot, lycopene in tomato. These antioxidant provide numerous health benefits to human body. The antioxidant activity in the juices will be checked before and after fermentation by HPLC and spectroscopic methods. This product will be especially useful for the people who are lactose intolerant who cannot intake probiotics via milk and milk products. Vegetable juices also have almost zero fat content and high in fiber so the people who are on a fat free diet can consume this product.
Assessment of Level of Compliance with the Use of Condom Among HIV Infected Couples in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Authors: Danboyi Daniel Abba , Sani Nura Muhammad , Danjuma Lawal , Abdullahi Mas'ud
Published: September 2021

Background: The use of condom is key in the global fight against HIV and AIDS, this helps to reduce the rate of infection and disease burden in the general Population. This underscores the need to intermittently study or assess level of compliance with the use of condom as a preventive measure. Methods: The research was conducted to assess the level of compliance on condom use among HIV- infected discordant couples in Kaduna State Nigeria. The study was conducted in Antiretroviral (ART) treatment centers of 9 LGAs of the 23 LGAs in Kaduna State Nigeria. A total of 158 couples or 317 individuals were recruited for the study. A detailed questionnaire was used to collect data on demographics, the use of condom and practice of unprotected sex. Discussion: The results obtained in the study shows that majority of the respondents 225(71%) were Christians, and majority 224(70.7%) were unemployed. Most of the respondents 230(72.6%) never used condom while 87(27.4%) used condom. The study also revealed that Educational status of respondents had strong association to their perceived attitude towards use of condom during sex (p- value 0.009) while attitude towards practice of unprotected sex was statistically insignificant (p-value 0.404). There is need to improve on educational coverage for the entire population in order to mitigate the scourge of HIV transmission.
Role of Zingiber Officinale Essential Oil- Chitosan Based Biopolymer Film For Bioactive Packaging
Authors: Al-Hilifi Sawsan A. , Al-Ali Rawdah M.
Published: September 2021

The recent interest in bio-packing at field of food become trending in the development of antimicrobial coatings. The focus of this study was to assess the potential application of zingiber officinale essential oil (GEO) in chitosan films (CHf). The data indicated that there were significant differences(p < 0.05) in the chemical composition of the samples.Forty-seven active compounds of the essential oil were identified from the rhizomes of ginger, which were identified byGC-MS. Fourier transforms infrared spectra (FT-IR) confirmed that an interaction between the hydroxyl groups of the phenolic compounds of the essential oil and the amide groups of polymer matrix. As shown the appearance of peaks at wavenumbers 1639cm-1 and 1558cm-1 Furthermore, X-ray diffraction results suggested a lower crystallintiyin CHf due to GEO effect. Differential Scanning Calorimetric (DSC) analysis revealed that CHf possessed high thermal stability, especially when different concentrations of GEO added. The bioactive CHf showed distinct activity against both positive and negative gram bacteria. They are Staphylococcus aurous, Bacillus subtillis, Streptococcus Sp. Escherichia coli, Salmonella Sp. Pseudomonas erugiosa. This results provides a comprehensive insight on the importance of films incorporated with EOs of interest in food packaging.
Single-Photon-Induced Post-Ionization to Boost Ion Yields in MALDI Mass Spectrometry Imaging
Authors: Bookmeyer Christoph , Röhling Ulrich , Dreisewerd Klaus , Soltwisch Jens
Published: September 2021

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) is a rapidly growing method in many fields of the life sciences. For many analyte classes, however, its sensitivity is limited due to poor ionization efficiencies. To mitigate this problem, we here introduce a novel and cost-effective postionization scheme at high repetition rates based on the interplay of single-photon photoionization and subsequent charge transfer reactions. Importantly, the fine vacuum conditions of a dual ion-funnel ion source effectively thermalize the evolving MALDI plume and enable ample gas-phase reactions as well as the addition of chemical dopants that crucially support chemical ionization. Supported by acetone dopant, [M + H]+/[M-H]− signals of numerous glycerophospho-, sphingo-, and further lipids, registered from mammal brain and kidney sections, were boosted by up to three orders of magnitude, similar to results obtained with laser-based postionization (MALDI-2). Experiments utilizing deuterated matrix and dopant, however, indicate complex ionization pathways different from MALDI2.
Efficient Lactic Acid Production from Dilute Acid Pretreated Lignocellulosic Biomass by a Synthetic Consortia of Engineered Pseudomonas Putida and Bacillus Coagulans
Authors: Zou Lihua , Ouyang Shuiping , Hu Yueli , Zheng Zhaojuan , Ouyang Jia
Published: September 2021

Background

Lignocellulosic biomass is an attractive and sustainable alternative to petroleum-based feedstock for the production a range of biochemicals, and a pretreatment is generally regarded to be indispensable for its bio-refinery. Nevertheless, various inhibitors that severely hindered the growth and fermentation of microorganisms were produced inevitably during the pretreatment of lignocellulose. Presently, a single microorganism that can tolerate toxic mixtures of pretreatment hydrolysate while effectively transforming sugar components into valuable compound is less well reported. Alternatively, microbial co-culture provides a simpler and more efficacious way to realize this goal via distributing metabolic tasks among proper strains.
Results

In this study, a novel synthetic microbial consortia, which is composed of a responsible for detoxification bacterium engineered Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and a lactic acid production specialist Bacillus coagulans NL01, was developed to directly produce lactic acid from high-toxic lignocellulosic hydrolysate. The engineered P. putida with deletion of sugar metabolism pathway was suggested to be unable to consume the major fermentable sugars of lignocellulosic hydrolysate, but can rapidly remove inhibitors in hydrolysate. With detoxification using engineered P. putida for 24 h, the pretreated hydrolysate was fermented into 35.8 g/L of lactic acid by B. coagulans with a yield of 90%. The fermentation performance of microbial co-culture was significantly improved than that single culture of B. coagulans without lactic acid production.
Conclusions

The microbial coculture system constructed by this study demonstrated strong potential of the process for biosynthesis of valuable product from lignocellulosic hydrolysate containing high concentration of complex inhibitors by specifically recruited consortia of robust microorganisms with desirable characteristics and also provided a feasible and attractive method for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass to other value-added biochemicals.
Bee Propolis, Bee Bread, and Royal Jelly: Proximate Analysis, Fatty Acid Composition, Nutritional Quality, and Anti-Amylase Activity
Authors: Fallah Masoomeh , Najafi Fatemeh , Kavoosi Gholamreza
Published: September 2021

This work explores the proximate composition, fatty acid profile, nutritional quality, and anti-amylase activity of propolis, royal jelly, and bee bread. The differential FTIR patterns of propolis, royal jelly, and bee bread reflect these products have different proximate compositions and nutritional properties. The values for carbohydrate, fat, and protein values of be products are similar to egg and soya. The primary fatty acids bee bread and bee propolis are palmitic, linolenic, oleic, linoleic, myristic, and docosanoic acids. The primary fatty acids in royal jelly are 2-dodecenedioic, 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic, decanedioic, linoleic, 10-hydroxydecanoic acid 3-hydroxy-decanoic acids, respectively. The propolis, bee bread, and royal jelly have well-balanced saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3, and omega-6 fatty acids. Their nutritional quality, including omega-6/omega-3, thrombogenicity, atherogenicity, hypocholesterolemic, nutritional value, and peroxidizability indexes, are similar to egg and soya. Fatty acids inhibit amylase by increasing Km/Vmax and decreasing Vmax and Km through an un-competition or non-competition strategy. Molecular docking, ultraviolet absorption, and fluorescence quenching analysis reveal that fatty acids interact with amino acid residues of amylase through Van der Waals and hydrogen bonds interactions. Functional fatty acids from bee products can be used in a number of food supplements, food ingredients, and medications to provide carbohydrate-degrading enzymes.
Global landscape of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, public availability extent of genomic data, and epidemic shaped by variants
Authors: Yu Hongjie , Chen Zhiyuan , Azman Andrew , Chen Xinhua , Zou Junyi , Tian Yuyang , Sun Ruijia , Xu Xiangyanyu , Wu Yani , Lu Wanying , Ge Shijia , Zhao Zeyao , Yang Juan , Leung Daniel , Domman Daryl
Published: September 2021

Genomic surveillance has shaped our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 variants, which have proliferated globally in 2021.We collected country-specific data on SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, sequencing capabilities, public genomic data from multiple public repositories, and aggregated publicly available variant data. Then, different proxies were used to estimate the sequencing coverage and public availability extent of genomic data, in addition to describing the global dissemination of variants. We found that the COVID-19 global epidemic clearly featured increasing circulation of Alpha since the start of 2021, which was rapidly replaced by the Delta variant starting around May 2021. SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance and sequencing availability varied markedly across countries, with 63 countries performing routine genomic surveillance and 79 countries with high availability of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing. We also observed a marked heterogeneity of sequenced coverage across regions and countries. Across different variants, 21-46% of countries with explicit reporting on variants shared less than half of their variant sequences in public repositories. Our findings indicated an urgent need to expand sequencing capacity of virus isolates, enhance the sharing of sequences, the standardization of metadata files, and supportive networks for countries with no sequencing capability.
Simulation Research on 40t/d Counter-flow Rotary Kiln Incineration System
Authors: Yang Shiqiao , Kong Qingfeng , Zeng Dewang , Wu Shiliang , Gong Feng , Xiao Rui
Published: September 2021

In this paper, a counter-flow rotary kiln incineration system with a processing capacity of 40 t/d of an environmental protection company in Jiangsu Province was used as the research object, and the mixed pyrolysis model and computational fluid dynamics（CFD）model of the counter-flow rotary kiln incineration system were established using Aspen plus and Fluent software. The influence of the operating temperature of the rotary kiln, the heating value of solid waste, the operating load of the rotary kiln, and the primary air volume and primary air speed on the operating effect of the rotary kiln were explored. Operating temperature, primary air volume and wind speed can all have a greater impact on the incineration performance of the counterflow rotary kiln. When the operating temperature of the counter-flow rotary kiln is greater than 800 o C, the hazardous waste heat value is not less than 1500 kcal/kg, and the primary wind speed is 1.5 m/s, the operating effect of the counter-flow rotary kiln incineration system is the best. The simulation results can provide theoretical guidance for the design and optimal operation of the counterflow rotary kiln incineration system.
A Glucose-6-Phosphate/Phosphate Translocator Is Involved in Carbohydrate Metabolism and Starch Biosynthesis in Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam.)
Authors: Wu Zhengdan , Wang Zhiqian , Zhang Kai
Published: September 2021

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is a good source of carbohydrates, an excellent raw material for starch-based industries, and a strong candidate for biofuel production due to its high starch content. However, the molecular basis of starch biosynthesis and accumulation in sweet potato is still insufficiently understood. Glucose-6-phosphate/phosphate translocators (GPTs) mediate the import of glucose-6-phosphate (Glc6P) into plastids for starch synthesis. Here, we report the isolation of a GPT-encoding gene, IbG6PPT1, from sweet potato and the identification of two additional IbG6PPT1 gene copies in the sweet potato genome. IbG6PPT1 encodes a chloroplast membrane–localized GPT belonging to the GPT1 group and highly expressed in storage root of sweet potato. Heterologous expression of IbG6PPT1 resulted in increased starch content in the leaves, root tips, and seeds and soluble sugar in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana, but a reduction in soluble sugar in the leaves. These findings suggested that IbG6PPT1 might play a critical role in carbohydrate accumulation in storage tissues and would be a good candidate gene for controlling critical starch properties in sweet potato.
Analysis of the Expressions and Prognostic Significance of AJUBA and YAP1 in Glioma
Authors: Su Liping , Sang Wei , Xue Jing , Li Liu , Lu Zi-Yang , Ji Min , Zhai Yang-Yang , Hu Yan-Ran , Pu Hong-Wei , Zhang Wei
Published: September 2021

Background: The LIM protein AJUBA is reported to play crucial roles in a variety of cellular processes and participate in the progression of human cancers. Uncovering proteins and pathways required for glioma growth is necessary for the development of novel targeted therapies.However, the expression and prognostic values of AJUBA related with Hippo signaling pathway remain poorly explored in glioma. Methods:In our study,Bioinformatics analysis revealed AJUBA and YAP1 mRNA and proteins as crucial in the Hippo signaling pathway in glioma.A total of 217 formalin-fixed paraffinembedded (FFPE) glioma tissue samples were used to verify the expressions of AJUBA and YAP1 via immunohistochemistry.Spearman correlation was performed to analyze the relationship of these proteins, and survival analysis was conducted to investigate their effects on prognosis.Results:The results showed that the mRNA levels of AJUBA and YAP1 were significantly up-regulated in glioma compared with normal tissues.The protein expressions of AJUBA and YAP1 in glioblastoma(HGG) were higher than that in low grade glioma(LGG). Survival analysis revealed glioma patients with high mRNA expression of AJUBA and YAP1 showed worse PFS. Additionally, Immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that AJUBA and YAP1 proteins were highly and positively expressed in glioma. AJUBA expression was related to WHO grade (p = 0.000), recurrence (p = 0.018) ,Tumor resection(p = 0.012) ,p53 expression (p = 0.000). Low expression of AJUBA was associated with 1p19q codeletion in LGG (r = -0.22,p = 0.009) . AJUBA was positively correlated with YAP1 (p < 0.001;r = 0.219) .In survival analysis, age, frontal location,recurrence,total tumor resection,WHO grade, ki-67 expression,AJUBA and YAP1 expressions independently predicted a short OS in total cohort (p < 0.05). Conclusions:AJUBA is a hub protein associated with Hippo signaling pathway in glioma, and its expression indicates poor prognosis in glioma. Therefore, AJUBA and YAP1 may be the promising potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in glioma.
Equitable vaccine distribution promotes socioeconomic benefits globally
Authors: Stenseth Nils , Wang Daoping , Li Ruiyun , Lei Tianyang , Sun Yida , Huo Jingwen , Hao Qi , Zhu Shupeng , Hallegatte Stephane , Guan Dabo
Published: September 2021

Ensuring a more equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide is an effective strategy to control the COVID-19 pandemic and support global economic recovery. Here, we analyze the socioeconomic effects - defined as health gains, lockdown-easing benefit, and supply-chain rebuilding benefit - of a set of idealized vaccine distribution scenarios, by coupling an epidemiological model with a global trade-modeling framework. We find that overall a perfectly equitable vaccine distribution across the world (Altruistic Age-informed Distribution Strategy) would increase global economic benefits by 11.7% ($950 billion) per year, compared to a strategy focusing on vaccinating the entire population within vaccine-producing countries first and then distributing vaccines to non-vaccine-producing countries (Selfish Distribution Strategy). With limited doses among mid- and low-income countries, prioritizing the elderly who are at high risk of dying, together with the key workforce who are at high risk of exposure, is found to be economically beneficial. We further show that such a strategy would cascade the protection to other production sectors while rebuilding the supply chains. Our results point to a benefit-sharing mechanism which highlights the potential of collaboration between vaccine-producing and other countries to guide an economically preferable vaccine distribution worldwide.
Correlation Between Cardiometabolic Index and Microalbuminuria in Type 2 Diabetic Patients
Authors: Yang Xi , Jiang YueFei , Hao XinLin , Cheng XiaoLing , Wan Qin
Published: September 2021

Background: In recent years, cardiometabolic index (CMI) has been introduced to predict the risk of diabetes in the general population and is also strongly associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and ischemic stroke, but the relationship between CMI and diabetic microalbuminuria remains unclear. This study intends to investigate the relationship between CMI and microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). Methods: 524 subjects (mean age 57.28 ± 10.52 years, 283 males and 241 females) from the Department of Endocrinology, Southwestern Medical University Hospital, China (data collected from June 2017 to June 2019) participated in this study. CMI was calculated by triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio(TG/HDL-C) multiply waist-to-height ratio(WHtR). Microalbuminuria was identified by the urinary albumin‐to‐creatinine ratio (UACR) when the value was between 30–300 mg/g. Multivariate logistic regression aimed to explore the association between CMI and diabetic microalbuminuria; The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was employed to evaluate the predictive value of CMI for microalbuminuria in T2DM patients. Results: The prevalence of microalbuminuria in all participants was 37.8% in men and 41.1% in women. Regardless of gender, CMI was significantly more unfavorable in the microalbuminuria group. The incidence of microalbuminuria increased dose-responsively with increasing CMI quartiles. Modeling CMI as a continuous variable in a multivariate-adjusted model, we observed an independent effect of each 1 SD increase in CMI on the risk of developing microalbuminuria. The relationship was more pronounced in women than in men. In women, the odds ratio(OR) for microalbuminuria was 5.666 (95% CI: 2.247-14.289) in the highest quartile of CMI compared with the lowest quartile; in men, the OR was nearly 4-fold increased(OR: 4.667, 95% CI: 1.910-11.405) in the same situation. The AUC for CMI was 0.681 (0.613 to 0.749) in women and 0.648 (0.582-0.713) in men. Conclusion: High levels of CMI were independently associated with diabetic microalbuminuria, and CMI, a novel index covering lipids and central obesity, explained the gender differences in obesity-related microalbuminuria excretion, an effect that was substantially increased in women. The results of this study provide important insights into the potential usefulness and clinical relevance of CMI for microalbuminuria in Chinese patients with T2DM.Registration number: ChiCTR2100047930Date of registration: On June 27, 2021 (retrospectively registered)
Somewhere to go: Assessing the impact of public restroom interventions on reports of open defecation in San Francisco, California from 2014 to 2020
Authors: Amato Heather Kathleen , Martin Douglas , Hoover Christopher Michael , Graham Jay Paul
Published: September 2021

Background

Open defecation due to a lack of access to sanitation facilities remains a public health issue in the United States. People experiencing homelessness face barriers to accessing sanitation facilities, and are often forced to practice open defecation on streets and sidewalks. Exposed feces may contain harmful pathogens posing a significant threat to public health, especially among unhoused persons living near open defecation sites. The City of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works implemented the Pit Stop Program to provide the unhoused and the general public with improved access to sanitation with the goal of reducing fecal contamination on streets and sidewalks. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of these public restroom interventions on reports of exposed feces in San Francisco, California.
Methods

We evaluated the impact of various public restroom interventions implemented from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2020 on reports of exposed feces, captured through a 311 municipal service. Publicly available 311 reports of exposed feces were spatially and temporally matched to 31 Pit Stop restroom interventions in ten San Francisco neighborhoods. We conducted an interrupted time-series analysis to compare pre- versus post-intervention rates of feces reports near the restrooms.
Results

Feces reports declined by 12.47 reports per week after the installation of 13 Pit Stop restrooms (p-value = 0.0002). The rate of reports per week declined from the six-month pre-intervention period to the post-intervention period (slope change=-0.024 [95% CI=-0.033, -0.014]). Reports also declined after new restroom installations in the Mission and Golden Gate Park, and after the provision of attendants in the Mission, Castro/Upper Market, and Financial District/South Beach.
Conclusions

Increased access to public toilets and the addition of restroom attendants reduced fecal contamination in San Francisco, especially in neighborhoods with people experiencing homelessness. Programs that improve access to public restrooms should be evaluated at the neighborhood level in order to tailor sanitation interventions to neighborhood-specific needs.
The Influence of Sense of Community on Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study on their Satisfaction in a Distance Learning Environment
Authors: Innab Adnan , Albloushi Monirah , Alruwaili Mohammed , Alenazi Latifah , Alkathiri Alwah
Published: September 2021

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sudden shift to distance learning. For many nursing students, distance learning was a new experience. Along with being an essential requirement for retaining students, developing a sense of community is a factor influencing students' success in distance learning. Assessments of the effectiveness of e-learning have been well documented in the literature. However, there is a dearth of research that assessed nursing students’ sense of community. This study aimed to assess students’ sense of community during e-learning, while determining its impact on their level of satisfaction. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study used convenience sampling to collect data via a student satisfaction survey and a classroom community scale. Nursing students were recruited from 13 public and private nursing programs in Saudi Arabia. Results: There was a positive and significant correlation between a sense of community and satisfaction with teaching (r = .269, p < .001), satisfaction with assessment (r = .258, p < .001), satisfaction with generic skills and learning experiences (r = .238, p < .001), and total satisfaction with e-learning (r = .07, p < .001). Students who perceived themselves as working collaboratively with their classmates and being more engaged in their learning were more satisfied with e-learning (p<.01). There were no significant variations in the participants’ satisfaction by age (β = −.06, p > .05) and sex (β = −.283, p > .05). However, school level was significantly correlated with satisfaction with e-learning. Specifically, students in lower levels of their nursing school had higher satisfaction rates with e-learning (95% CI [.08, 1.33], [F (3, 99) = 6.96, p < .001, β = −.335, R2 = .174]).Conclusions: Failing to meet student expectations can lead to low levels of student involvement. Thus, students’ engagement and satisfaction are good indicators of the quality and effectiveness of online programs. This study calls for further action through seminars and training sessions to introduce innovative teaching techniques and alternative assessment plans for learners in advanced levels. This study helps educational institutions devise strategies to enhance the level of interaction and cooperation among nursing students.
Classifying the tracing difficulty of 3D neuron image blocks based on deep learning
Authors: Yang Bin , Huang Jiajin , Wu Gaowei , Yang Jian
Published: September 2021

Quickly and accurately tracing neuronal morphologies in large-scale volumetric microscopy data is a very challenging task. Most automatic algorithms for tracing multi-neuron in a whole brain are designed under the Ultra-Tracer framework, which begins the tracing of a neuron from its soma and traces all signals via a block-by-block strategy. Some neuron image blocks are easy to trace and their automatic reconstructions are very accurate, and some others are difficult to trace and their automatic reconstructions are inaccurate or incomplete. The former are called low Tracing Difficulty Blocks (low-TDBs), while the latter are called high Tracing Difficulty Blocks (high-TDBs). We design a model named 3D-SSM to classify the tracing difficulty of 3D neuron image blocks, which is based on 3D Residual neural Network (3D-ResNet), Fully Connected Neural Network (FCNN) and Long Short-Term Memory network (LSTM). 3D-SSM contains three modules: Structure Feature Extraction (SFE), Sequence Information Extraction (SIE) and Model Fusion (MF). SFE utilizes a 3D-ResNet and a FCNN to extract two kinds of features in 3D image blocks and their corresponding automatic reconstruction blocks. SIE uses two LSTMs to learn sequence information hidden in 3D image blocks. MF adopts a concatenation operation and a FCNN to combine outputs from SIE. Neuron images of a whole mouse brain are segmented into many overlapped 3D image blocks along the gold standard reconstruction of each marked neuron. With the help of gold standard reconstructions and APP2 automatic reconstructions, 12732 training samples and 5342 test samples are constructed based on those 3D image blocks. The 3D-SSM achieves classification accuracy rate 87.04% on the training set and 84.07% on the test set. The trained 3D-SSM is tested on samples from another whole mouse brain and its accuracy rate is 83.21%. 3D-SSM can be used as a stop condition of an automatic tracing algorithm in the Ultra-Tracer framework. With its help, neuronal signals in low-TDBs can be traced by the automatic algorithm and in high-TDBs may be reconstructed by annotators.
Effect of Benzoylsalicylic Acid on IKK-Beta Kinase and NF-κB Pathway in Murine Macrophage raw 264.7 Cells
Authors: Kamatham Samuel , Sepuri Naresh Babu V. , Kumar Naresh
Published: September 2021

The transcription factor NF-κB regulates a large array of genes of immune and inflammatory responses. Deregulated NF-κB signalling is implicated in the pathogenesis and broad spectrum of human inflammatory disorders and malignancies. The mechanism for NF-κB activation is the inducible degradation of IκB, triggered through its site-specific phosphorylation by a multi-subunit IκB kinase (IKK) complex. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) a well-known anti-inflammatory agent that binds to ATP binding pocket of IKKβ and inhibits its kinase activity. However, several side effects of aspirin due to the inactivation of COX-1 limits the therapeutic usage of ASA. Here we have demonstrate the effect of a plant phenolic compound benzoylsalicylic acid (BzSA) isolated first time in plants a potent anti-viral compound inhibits Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and enhance the plant defense response (Samuel et all 2016&2017) inhibit the IKKβ mediated NF-κB pathway higher than aspirin. Our In-vitro COX enzymatic assays with BzSA have shown less COX-1 and high COX-2 inhibition as compared to ASA. Western blotting analysis of Raw 264.7 cells that were pre-treated with BzSA down-regulated LPS stimulated pIKK-β, pIκB, NF-κBp65, TNF-α, COX-1, COX-2, 5-LOX, IL-1β, and IL-6 higher than ASA. Therefore, our observations suggested that the potencial therapeutic value of BzSA an upcoming new inhibitor of NF-KB pathway and the dual inhibitor of COX2/5-LOX without effecting the usefull COX-1. Hence useful as an anti-inflammatory agent like ASA.
The “friend and foe” of deterministic and stochastic cell-cell variations
Authors: Vedel Søren , Košmrlj Andrej , Nunns Harry , Trusina Ala
Published: September 2021

By diversifying, cells in a clonal population can together overcome the limits of individuals. Diversity in single-cell growth rates allows the population to survive environmental stresses, such as antibiotics, and grow faster than undiversified population. These functional cell-cell variations can arise stochastically, from noise in biochemical reactions, or deterministically, by asymmetrically distributing damaged components. While each of the mechanism is well understood, the effect of the combined mechanisms is unclear. To evaluate the contribution of the deterministic component we mapped the growing population to the Ising model. Model results, confirmed by simulations and experimental data, show that cell-cell variations increase near-linearly with stress. As a consequence,
we predict that the entropic gain — the gain in population doubling time compared to an “average” cell — is primarily stochastic at low stress but crosses over to deterministic at higher stresses. Furthermore, we find that while the deterministic component minimizes population damage, stochastic
variations antagonize this effect. Together our results may help identifying stress-tolerant pathogenic cells and thus inspire novel antibiotic strategies.
Dietary patterns and cognitive function risk in the elderly in a county of Guangxi: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Gou Ruoyu , Li You , Pang Weiyi , Mo Chunbao , Cai Jiansheng , Luo Tingyu , Mai Tingyu , Tan Dechan , He Kailian , Xiao Song , Tang Xu , Li Hongnan , Zhang Zhiyong , Qin Jian
Published: September 2021

Objective: To explore the effects of changes in dietary patterns on the cognitive functions of elderly people aged 60 and above in Gongcheng County. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to study the health status of the elderly population in Gongcheng County, Guangxi. A quantitative food frequency table was used in obtaining information about eating habits, and the Chinese version of the Simple Mental State Examination Scale was used in obtaining the cognitive function score. Three main dietary patterns were obtained through factor analysis, and the significance of the main dietary structure and cognitive function was analyzed through logistic regression. Results: This study covered 1246 elderly patients, of which 221 had cognitive impairments, accounting for 17.7%. Three dietary patterns were extracted. The cereal and potato dietary model and oil tea-type dietary model had no protective effects on cognitive function (P > 0.05), whereas the vegetable and fruit-based diet pattern exerted a protective effect on cognition before and after the adjustment of potential confounding factors. This protective effect alleviated decline in cognitive function (before adjustment for confounding factors: odds ratio [OR] = 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.34–3.15; P < 0.05; after adjustment, OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.34–3.33, and P < 0.05). Conclusion: Traditional dietary patterns: (grain and potato dietary models and oil-tea-type dietary patterns) cannot alleviate cognitive decline. This study suggests that a specific structure of dietary habits (vegetable and fruit-based dietary patterns) can protect the elderly against cognitive decline.