bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification and Characterization of the Bacteriocin Carocin S3 from the Multiple Bacteriocin Producing Strain of Pectobacterium Carotovorum Subsp. Carotovorum
Authors: DERILO REYMUND CALLANGA , Wang Jyun-Wei , Lagitnay Ruchi Briam James , Wu Huang-Pin , Chen Kai-In , Chuang Duen-Yau 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
BackgroundPectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum belongs to the Enterobacteriaceae family which causes soft rot disease in numerous plants worldwide resulting in significant economic losses. Results from our previous studies showed that the strain H-rif-8-6 produces low-molecular-weight bacteriocin (LMWB) Carocin S1. Interestingly, TH22-10, the caroS1K:Tn5 insertional mutant in H-rif-8-6, loses Carocin S1 producing ability, but still produces other LMWBs which can be detected by using the indicator strain SP33. The SP33 is one of the many strains that are sensitive toward the cytotoxic effects of CaroS3K, but not Carocin S1. The result revealed that H-rif-8-6 is a multiple-bacteriocin producing strain.ResultsIn this study, a 4.1-kb DNA fragment was isolated by a DNA probe using the caroS1K gene as the template. DNA sequencing and analysis by GenBank revealed two complete open reading frames (ORFs), designated ORF1 and ORF2, which were identified within the sequence fragment. ORF1 and ORF2, similar to the identified Carocin S2 genes, encode the killer (CaroS3K) and the immunity (CaroS3I) proteins, respectively, which were homologous to the colicin E3 gene. CaroS3K and CaroS3I were expressed, isolated, and purified in Escherichia coli BL21 after subcloning of the expression plasmid pGS3KI or pGSK3I. SDS-PAGE analysis showed that the relative masses of CaroS3K and CaroS3I were 95 kDa and 10 kDa, respectively. The results reveal that CaroS3K has higher antimicrobial and specific antimicrobial activities for Pcc along with a nuclease activity than CaroS3I. However, CaroS3I inhibits the activity of CaroS3K. Interestingly, high concentration of CaroS3I protein is also a DNA nuclease, and its activity is also inhibited by CaroS3K.ConclusionThis study showed that another type of bacteriocin was found in Pectobacterium carotovorum. This new type of bacteriocin, Carocin S3, has the killer protein, CaroS3K, and the immunity protein, CaroS3I.
The Five-Pattern Personality Inventory (FPPI), a Chinese localized personality scale, relates to topological properties of resting-state brain networks
Authors: Li Xiaozhen , Wang Yanfang , Guo Hao , Du Jian , Wang Hao , Wang Junjie , Li Yao , Li Jing , Sun Chao , Yang Qiuli , Yong Xu 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background Most studies assessing personality–brain associations have used Western personality questionnaires, which have been adapted for individuals in Western cultures. However, personality is influenced by culture and customs, and Western personality questionnaires may not objectively reflect the personality characteristics of individuals in Eastern cultures such as China. Hence, we adopted the graph analysis approach and the Chinese localized scale, the Five-Pattern Personality Inventory (FPPI), to explore the personality–brain associations of individuals in China.Methods The functional connectivity among 90 specific regions of the brain was mapped using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data obtained from 109 healthy adult Chinese subjects. This allowed for the construction of brain networks and the analysis of personality–brain associations.Results In the present study, the Chinese personality–brain associations were traced to specific regions in the brain, including the frontal, temporal, and occipital cortices. Shao Yin scores and nodal metrics were associated with the brain regions of the executive control network and the salience network (SN), primarily in the left hemisphere. Characteristics of the Shao Yin and Shao Yang traits were consistent with the function of their corresponding correlated brain regions, which may supply evidence for the neurobiological basis of personality traits in Chinese culture.Conclusion In summary, these results provide the brain mechanism foundations of personality traits in the FPPI. Furthermore, these findings provide a new perspective to help researchers understand personality–brain associations in the Chinese culture.
An outcome evaluation of an environmental nutrition intervention conducted in an institute of higher learning in Singapore: A cluster-randomized trial
Authors: Seah Sharna S.Y. , Dam Rob M. van , Tai Bee Choo , Tay Zoey , Wang May C. , Rebello Salome A. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Objective: Evidence for effective food environment interventions to improve the quality of out-of-home foods is limited in Asia. The Healthier Dining Programme (HDP) is a voluntary government programme designed to increase the availability and accessibility of healthier foods and beverages at eateries in Singapore, a multi-ethnic, urbanized and developed nation. The objective of our study was to evaluate effects of the HDP on the out-of-home dietary intakes of consumers at an institute of higher learning. Design/Setting: We used a cluster-randomized trial design. Six food centers (two food courts and four canteens) at a large university campus were randomly assigned to the intervention or control arm. Participants were university students or staff aged ≥18 years (n=408) who frequently dined at these six food centers. Relevant data were gathered by interview and a 7-day food diary before and after 10 weeks of the intervention. Generalized estimating equations for logistic and linear regression were used to assess the difference in intake of out-of-home healthier dishes between the two study arms. Results: Participants in the intervention arm were more likely to have at least one healthier out-of-home dish per week as compared to those in the control arm (84% vs. 65%, unadjusted OR: 2.79 95% CI: 1.59, 4.88). This was due mainly to the higher consumption of dishes prepared with healthier oil blends (unadjusted OR: 3.24 95% CI: 1.95, 5.38) and lower-sodium salt (unadjusted OR: 4.36 95% CI: 1.64, 11.58) in the intervention arm. Whilst saturated and polyunsaturated fat intake in the two arms were comparable, participants in the intervention arm had lower total fat (-1.27 g/1000 kcal, 95% CI: -2.48, -0.06) and monounsaturated fat intakes (-0.50 g/1000 kcal, 95% CI: -0.94, -0.06), from out-of-home dishes as compared with the control arm. Conclusions: These findings suggest that environmental interventions at institutes of higher learning to increase healthier food availability and accessibility can improve dietary intake from out-of-home foods.Trial registration: ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT02435264. Registered 5 May 2015 - Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02435264NUS Institutional Review Board approval number: 11-137
BM-MSCs differentiated to chondrocytes for treatment of full-thickness cartilage defect of the knee
Authors: Mardones Rodrigo , Via Alessio Giai , Pipino Gennaro , Jofrè Claudio , Muñoz Sara , Narvaez Edgar , Maffulli Nicola 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background
Full-thickness articular cartilage injury of the knee is a major cause of disability. The aim of this study is to assess the results of patients treated with differentiated to chondrocytes bone marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) cultured on a collagen Type I/III (Chondro-Gide®) scaffold. The secondary aim was to confirm the absence of adverse events.
Methods
Fifteen patients (19 knees) with symptomatic full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee have been enrolled for the study. Bone marrow was harvested from the iliac crest, BM-MSCs were prepared, and expanded cells were grown in a standard medium or in a standard culture medium containing TGF-β. BM-MSCs differentiated to chondrocytes were seeded in a porcine collagen Type I/III scaffold (Chondro-Gide®), and cultured in TGF- β containing media. After 4 weeks, the membrane was sutured on the cartilage defect. All patients underwent plain radiographs of the knee (antero-posterior, lateral, and axial view of the patella), and MRI of the affected knee. The Oxford knee score, the Lyhsolm scale, and the VAS score were administered to all patients. At final follow-up a MRI for the study of articular cartilage was undertaken.
Results
The mean size of the cartilage lesions was 20 × 17 mm (range, 15 × 10 mm − 30 × 30 mm). At final follow-up, the median Oxford knee score and Lyhsolm scale scores significantly improved from 29 (range 12–39; SD 7,39) to 45 (range 24–48; SD 5,6) and from 55.5 (range 25–81; SD 17,7) to 94.5 (58–100; SD 10,8) respectively. Pain, according the VAS score, significantly improved. 60% of patients reported their satisfaction as excellent, 20% as good, 14% as fair, and 1 patient as poor.
Conclusion
The treatment of full-thickness chondral injuries of the knee with differentiated to chondrocytes BM-MSCs and Chondro-Gide® scaffold showed encouraging outcomes. Further studies involving more patients, and with longer follow-up, are required in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment and the long-term results.
Predictive Models on COVID 19: What Africans Should Do?
Authors: Likassa Habte Tadesse 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
BackgroundCOVID 19 is becoming a global health problem, where strong intervention is needed. Thus, this paper addresses predictive models on COVID 19 in Africa, from which the government and others put a strong intervention in optimizing resources and necessary healthcare demand.MethodsPredictive models (Cubic polynomial and quadratic regression models) are considered based on the daily report of WHO, 2020 rampant data. The data were analyzed using R and STATA packages.ResultsThe result of the study has shown that the spatial and temporal pattern of this novel virus is varying, spreading and covering the entire world within a brief time. The result has shown that the fitting effect of cubic model is best outperforming compared to the other six families of exponentials ( {R}^{2}=0.996, F=538.334, {D}_{{F}_{1}}=3,{D}_{{F}_{1}}=7, {b}_{1}=13691.949, {b}_{2}=-824.701, {b}_{1}=12.956). The cubic algorithm is more robust in predicting the deaths and confirmed cases of COVID 19. There are also evidences that the source of the outbreak of the epidemic is related to Huanan Seafood from the whole market, fever (78%), cough (59%), fatigue (75%), headache (76%), and others are identified as the major symptoms of COVID 19. Moreover, the result of our study has shown the corona virus infection epidemic is increasing, which seeks a long-term plan to take an action in disease prevention and intervention programs.ConclusionThe trend of COVID 19 is increasing with an alarm rate, thus strong intervention is needed to mitigate the spread of this novel virus. This also can be done through reducing the spread of COVID 19 as persistent and strict self-isolation. The results acquired from this study also recommend that COVID-19 mortality and more cases might be engulfing in Africa due to lack of preparedness and giving strong awareness for the public.This pandemic will sustain to grow up, and peak to the highest for which a strong care and public health interventions practically implemented. Africans must go beyond theory preparations, strong awareness for the public and practical implementation is highly recommended. Highly recommended more sophisticated equipment to tackle the spread of the virus and safe the loss of the infected from deaths.
Slow radiological improvement and persistent low-grade inflammation after chemotherapy in tuberculosis patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Mily Akhirunnesa , Sarker Protim , Taznin Inin , Hossain Md. Delwar , Haq Md. Ahsanul , Kamal SM. Mostofa , Agerberth Birgitta , Brighenti Susanna , Raqib Rubhana 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM) may impede immune responses in tuberculosis (TB) and thus contribute to enhanced disease severity. In this study, we aimed to evaluate DM-mediated alterations in clinical, radiological and immunological outcomes of TB disease.Methods: Newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients with or without DM (TB n=40; TB-DM n=40) were recruited in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Clinical symptoms, sputum smear and culture conversion as well as chest radiography were assessed, and peripheral blood and sputum samples were collected at the time of diagnosis (baseline) and after 1, 2 and 6 months of standard anti-TB treatment. Blood samples were also obtained from the healthy controls (n=20). mRNA expression of inflammatory markers in blood and sputum samples were quantified using real-time PCR.Results: Majority of TB-DM patients had a poor glycemic control (HbA1c>8%) and displayed elevated pulmonary pathology (P=0.039) particularly in the middle (P<0.004) and lower lung zones (P<0.02) throughout the treatment period. However, reduction of clinical symptoms, and time to sputum smear and culture conversion did not differ between the groups. Transcripts levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β (P=0.003 at month-1 and P=0.045 at month-2) and TNF-α (P=0.005 at month-1) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (P=0.005 at month-2) were higher in peripheral blood after anti-TB treatment in TB-DM compared to TB patients. Instead, in sputum, TB-DM patients showed reduced CD4 (P<0.009 at month-1) and IL-10 (P=0.005 at month-1 and P=0.006 at month-2) and elevated CD8 (P=0.016 at month-2) transcripts. At 1 and 2 months post-treatment, sputum IL-10 transcripts were inversely correlated with fasting blood glucose and HbA1C levels in all patients. Conclusion: Insufficient up-regulation of IL-10 in the lung may fuel persistent local inflammation promoting lung pathology in TB-DM patients with poorly controlled DM.
Short-term Renoprotective Effect of SGLT-2 Inhibitor for Renal Function and Albuminuria in Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Kubota Mitsunobu , Shiroyama Eri , Tanaka Kanako , Yoshii Yoko 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background
Progression of diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients is a factor that determines the prognosis of life. Empagliflozin and canagliflozin, two oral diabetic SGLT-2 inhibitors, have shown improved renal outcomes in type 2 diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease in a large clinical study. These results suggest that SGLT-2 inhibitors could be used not only for hypoglycemic effects, but also for renal protective effects in patients with type 2 diabetes. It is not fully understood in which contexts the use of SGLT-2 inhibitors is likely to exert its renal protective effects. The purpose of this study was to clarify the profiles of patients in whom SGLT-2 inhibitors are more likely to exert a renal protective effect in clinical practice. We examined renal function and urinary albumin changes in short-term use of SGLT-2 inhibitors by patient background.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed the medical record information of sixty-three type 2 diabetic patients (33 males, 30 females, average age 53.0 ± 13.0 years) who were given usual doses of a SGLT-2 inhibitor. We investigated changes in body weight, blood pressure, glucose metabolism index, lipid metabolism index, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio, UACR) three months before and after administration of a SGLT-2 inhibitor.
Results
Three months after administration of an SGLT-2 inhibitor, there were improvements in glucose tolerance, weight loss, blood pressure, and lipid indices. In all cases, there was no significant change in eGFR, but UACR decreased significantly. UACR decreased regardless of Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker medication and significantly decreased in nephropathy patients with microalbuminuria or overt albuminuria. UACR decreased only in the group in which blood pressure, body weight, and HbA1c decreased before and after administration of the SGLT-2 inhibitor.
Conclusions
Our study shows that the renoprotective effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors are more likely to be exerted in diabetic nephropathy patients who have advanced to at least microalbuminuria stage, and in addition to direct renal protection, the comprehensive effects of SGLT-2 inhibitors, which lower body weight, blood pressure, and blood glucose, are also important for their renal protection effects.
Antiviral activity of Andrographolide against Ebola virus, Dengue fever and SARS coronavirus
Authors: Iwu Maurice M. , Okunji Christopher O. , Tchimene Michel , Sokomba Elijah 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Andrographolide (1) a bitter, diterpenes lactone is the most biologically active constituent from Andrographis paniculata. Andrographolide showed in vitro inhibition of the growth of Ebola virus (Zaire) with EC50 activity of 10 µM which is twenty-five-fold the activity of the control Favipiravir (EC50 = 250µM) in the Crystal violet (Plaque reduction/ Neutral red (Toxicity) assay. It also showed significant activity against Dengue fever virus with EC50 value of 0.56 µg/ml in the Visual (Cytopathic effect/ Toxicity) Assay and EC50 of 0.58 µg/ml in the Neutral Red (Cytopathic effect/ Toxicity) Assay (comparable to the values obtained with 6-Azauridine as the positive control EC50 = 0.32 µg/ml and 0.38 µg/ml in the respective bioassays; and against SARS Coronavirus. Andrographolide had an EC50 of 1.2 µg/ml in the Visual (cytopathic effect/toxicity) assay and 1.1 µg/ml in the Neutral Red (cytopathic effect/toxicity) assay. The compound exerts several immunomodulatory properties. In experimental models, it effectively reduced the levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1/3, IL-6, GMCSF, and TNF-a. The compound has a good pharmacokinetics profile and relatively non-toxic even at high doses making it an experimental drug for the treatment of viral infections, with possible application in the control of the Novel Coronavirus, Covid – 19.
Understanding Social Media Beyond Text: A Reliable Practice on Twitter
Authors: Hou Qixuan , Han Meng , Qu Feiyang 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Social media has been broadly applied in many applications in sales, marketing, event detection, etc. With high-volume and real-time data, social media has also been used for disaster responses. However, distinguishing between rumors and reliable information can be challenging, since social media, a user-generated content system, has a great number of users who update massive information every second. Furthermore, the rich information is not only included in the short text content but also embedded in the images, videos. In this paper, to address the emerging challenge of disaster response, we introduce a reliable framework for disaster information understanding and response with a practice on Twitter. The framework integrates both textual and imagery content from tweets in hope to fully utilize the information. The text classifier is built to remove noises, which can achieve 0.92 F1-score in classifying individual tweet. The image classifier is constructed by fine-tuning pre-trained VGG-F network, which can achieve 90\% accuracy. The image classifier serves as a verifier in the pipeline to reject or confirm the detected events. The evaluation indicates that the verifier can significantly reduce false positive events. We also explore Twitter-based drought management system and infrastructure monitoring system to further study the impacts of imagery content on event detection systems and we are able to pinpoint additional benefits which can be gained from social media imagery content.
Oxidation Characteristics of Functional Groups in Relation to Coal Spontaneous Combustion
Authors: Zhang Yutao , Zhang Jing , Li Yaqing , Gao Sheng , Yang Chaoping , Shi Xueqiang 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
To investigate the mechanism of coal spontaneous combustion, distributions, evolutions, and oxidation characteristics of functional groups in different coals were characterized by employing in-situ FTIR, EPR, and TG/DSC-FTIR experiments. Experimental results indicated that -OH was the most active groups of coal spontaneous combustion. It not only could react with the absorbed oxygen spontaneously but also thebe the main product of the chemisorption. Consequently, -OH was believed to contribute most both for the loss and increase of coal massduring the process of spontaneous combustion. Aliphatic hydrocarbons were the main components to form -C-O-O• and could be further oxidized into C = O. However, reactions between aliphatic hydrocarbons and oxygen were non-spontaneous.EPR experiments suggested that the tendency of coal spontaneous combustion acutely depended on the stability and survival time of free radicals. The more stable and longer survival time of free radicals are, the lower tendency of coal spontaneous combustion is.
Development and validation of epigenetic signature predict survival for patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Cui Jie , Wang Liping , Zhong Waisheng , Chen Zhen , Chen Jie , Yang Hong , Liu Genglong 
Published: April 2020

Abstract
Background: Epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation patterns, yield an important role in the initiation, progression and prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). We performed a genome-wide integrated analysis of methylation and the transcriptome to establish epigenetic signature to improve the accuracy of survival prediction and optimize therapeutic strategies for LSCC.Methods: LSCC DNA methylation datasets and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets were acquired from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). MethylMix was applied to detect DNA methylation-driven genes (MDGs). By univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, five genes of DNA MDGs was developed an epigenetic signature. The predictive accuracy and clinical value of the epigenetic signature were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and decision curve analysis (DCA), and compared with TNM stage system. Additionally, prognostic value of the epigenetic signature was validated by external Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. According to 5 MDGs of epigenetic signature, the candidate small molecules for LSCC were screen out by the CMap database.Results: A total of 88 DNA MDGs were identified, five of which (MAGEB2, SUSD1, ZNF382, ZNF418 and ZNF732) were chosen to construct an epigenetic signature. The epigenetic signature can effectively divide patients into high-risk and low-risk group, with the area under curve (AUC) of 0.8 (5-year OS) and AUC of 0.745 (3-year OS). Stratification analysis affirmed that the epigenetic signature was still a significant statistical prognostic model in subsets of patients with different clinical variables. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated the efficacy of epigenetic signature appears independent of other clinicopathological characteristics. In terms of predictive capacity and clinical usefulness, the epigenetic signature was superior to traditional TNM stage. Additionally, the epigenetic signature was confirmed in external LSCC cohorts from GEO. Finally, CMap matched the 10 most significant small molecules as promising therapeutic drugs to reverse the LSCC gene expression.Conclusion: An epigenetic signature, with five DNA MDGs, was identified and validated in LSCC patients by integrating multidimensional genomic data. Compared TNM stage alone, it generates more accurate estimations of the survival probability and maybe offer novel research directions and prospects for individualized treatment of patients with LSCC.