bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological profile of candidiasis in HIV/AIDS patients in a tertiary care hospital
Authors: Dhakad Megh S. , Kaur Ravinder , Goyal Ritu , Bhalla Preena , Dewan Richa 
Published: November 2020

Background: Clinical research in fungal infections is largely a neglected area in health care settings in India. Candida species cause diseases ranging from mucosal infections to systemic mycoses depending on host’s immune status. Aim of this study was to evaluate the clinico-epidemiological profile of candidiasis, and their correlation with an immunological profile in HIV/AIDS patients.Methods: Clinical details and investigations of 200 symptomatic, confirmed HIV-positive patients, suspected of having candidiasis were recorded and analyzed. Relevant clinical samples depending on the organ system involved were collected and subjected to direct microscopy, culture isolation and serology. Identification and speciation of the isolates was done by biochemical methods as per standard recommended procedures. CD4-count was determined by flow cytometry using Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorter Count system.Results: Patients ranged from 17-65 years with a mean age of 33.83±9.07 years. Most common clinical presentations were seen to be white oral patches (82%), weight loss (79%), fever (67%), loss of appetite (53%), headache (51.5%), cough (38.5%) and diarrhea (30%). Gastrointestinal system (35%) was the most commonly involved system. The CD4-counts ranged from 16-1033 cells/μl. 93 (46.5%) patients had CD4-counts <200 cells/μl, while CD4-count <100 cells/μl was seen in 40 (20%) and CD4-count <50 cells/μl in 20 (10%). Candidiasis was detected in 60% of the patients. Yeasts isolated were C. albicans (82.51%), C. tropicalis (6.29%), C. krusei (4.89%), C. parapsilosis (3.49%), and C. glabrata (2.79%).Conclusions: C. albicans was predominant species and presence of oral candidiasis is a matter of concern. Early and accurate diagnosis of candidiasis is one of the keys helps for the success of effective HIV/AIDS disease management.
A study on occupational health hazards and morbidity profile of the bus drivers and conductors working in government bus depots of South Kolkata
Authors: Roy Prasenjit , Pal Jayita 
Published: November 2020

Background: Health has always been closely linked with occupation. Occupational hazards have become more prominent in the post-industrial societies and includes a never-ending list of diseases. The current study was an attempt to explore the physical health hazards and their possible risk factors among the bus drivers and conductors employed in south Kolkata bus depots under the West Bengal transport corporation. Methods: A cross-sectional study had been conducted in two governmental bus depots under Calcutta state transport corporation (WBTC) of south Kolkata, West Bengal. All the bus drivers and conductors were interviewed after taking informed consent with a pretested predesigned semi-structured questionnaire. Results: The major physical health problems among the drivers were related to musculoskeletal system (37.8%) and followed by endocrinal system (26.66%), cardiovascular system (17.78%), anorectal system (10%), eye (7.78%), occupational injuries (7.78%), liver and biliary system (6.66%). Among the conductors, majority (42.02%) had musculoskeletal problem, followed by endocrinal (34.09%), cardiovascular (27.27%), respiratory (15.91%), dermatological (12.5%), gastro-intestinal (9.10%), eye (9.10%), orthopaedic (7.95%) and liver-biliary problem (6.82%). Multivariate analyses revealed that participants aged less than 44 years and who served their occupation for less than 6 years had higher odds of not suffering from musculoskeletal morbidities and those who were aged less than 44 years and who served their occupation for less than 6 years had higher odds of low morbidities.Conclusions: Preplacement and periodic health check-ups at frequent intervals with supportive health promotional activities can uplift the physical health of the study population.
Prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among MBBS students
Authors: Baruah Chetanjit , Gupta Kajal , Luthra Megha 
Published: November 2020

Background: Obesity is a life style disease. During college years students living away from home, are faced with many different food choices. So, this study was done to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and its risk factors among MBBS students.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 318 MBBS students of Gauhati Medical College and Hospital, Assam from June to July 2017 by purposive sampling using a pre-designed, semi-structured questionnaire.Results: Prevalence of overweight and obesity was found to be 16.7% and 2.5% and higher among students who were non-vegetaranian, had irregular dietary habit, consume junk foods and carbonated drinks, used Motorized vehicle as a mode of transport, sleep >8 hrs per day and had family history of obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and heart disease.Conclusions: There is need to increase awareness among the students in order to reduce the future burden of obesity associated chronic diseases.
Growth of mixed cancer cell population – in silico the size matters
Authors: Kłóś Adam , Płonka Przemysław M. 
Published: November 2020

Cancer heterogeneity is still underexplored and difficult to investigate. The whole network of factors engaged in tumor growth makes clinical cases, as well as the in vivo and in vitro experiments of limited use in terms of understanding cancer heterogeneity. Our idea was to start from scratch and focus on the simplest distinctive feature in a heterogeneous tumor, namely the cell size. To exclude any other factors, we created a rudimentary cellular automata model of mixed cancer culture with two lines of different cell sizes. We tested the model with various sets of parameters to explore how the cell size affects cancer co-culture growth. It turned out that the cell size plays a crucial role in in silico heterogeneous tumor growth. The dominance of bigger cells decreases the number of cells in the overall mixed cancer population. In contrast, the small cells increase the total number of cells, even without a parallel enlargement of the macroscopic tumor size. The predominance of the smaller cells is particularly visible in overcrowded conditions. Although our model was primarily designed for verification of experimental hypothesis and as a mean for better understanding of the cancer heterogeneity itself, it is as well of some practical value. Our findings can affect today’s practice of estimating tumor growth based on its macroscopic size and may propose a new approach to interpreting histological data. After modifications, the model may serve to test other factors affecting the growth of mixed populations of cancer cells differing in size.
IMPACTO PSICOSSOCIAL CAUSADO PELA PANDEMIA DA COVID-19 NOS PROFISSIONAIS DE SAÚDE
Authors: Almeida Vivian Ranyelle Soares de , Do Nascimento Diana Cardeal , Moura Jenny Caroline Vieira , Silva Juliana Macêdo dos Santos , De Oliveira Denise Rios , Freitas Maria Yaná Guimarães Silva , Dos Santos Carmen Liêta Ressurreição 
Published: November 2020

<p>Objetivo: Descrever o impacto psicossocial causado pela pandemia do novo coronavírus nos profissionais de saúde por meio de uma revisão narrativa. Método: Trata-se de uma revisão narrativa da literatura realizada na plataforma da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde usando os seguintes descritores “Profissionais da saúde” <em>AND</em> “COVID-19”, no período de maio a junho de 2020, selecionados inicialmente 430 estudos e após a leitura do título e resumo, totalizaram seis artigos. Resultados: Os profissionais da saúde que estão na linha de frente contra a pandemia da COVID-19, enfrentam incertezas, anseios e preocupações, gerando sentimentos como: ansiedade, estresse, ambivalência, depressão e exaustão, podendo ocasionar problemas na saúde mental e física. Conclusão: Em meio a pandemia os profissionais podem sentir-se desamparados, sobrecarregados de atividades e gravemente afetados psicologicamente, tornando-os mais vulneráveis. Sendo assim, é necessário a adoção de medidas protetivas, estabelecimento de metas exequíveis, melhores condições de trabalho, assistência médica e apoio psicológico.</p><p>Descritores: Infecções por Coronavirus. Pandemia. Pessoal de Saúde. Impactos na Saúde.</p>
Socio-political processes must be emphasised alongside climate change and urbanisation as key drivers of urban water insecurity
Authors: Grasham Catherine Fallon , Neville George 
Published: November 2020

AbstractUrban water security is of critical global and local importance. Across many parts of low- and middle-income countries, urban water security either remains elusive or is becoming stressed. Rapid urbanisation and climate change are two key drivers of resource insecurity and at the forefront of urban water discourse. However, there are manifold and complex socio-political processes functioning alongside these megatrends that are often underemphasised. Drawing on three urban case studies in Ethiopia, we highlight these structural issues and the need for their continued consideration to fully understand and address urban water insecurity. Household water-use surveys, semi-structured interviews and participatory exercises with community residents, stakeholders and informal water vendors were used as part of a mixed-method approach in three urban areas. We found that government-managed urban water supplies were intermittent and unsafe, resulting in economic, health and time-use burdens for households, and that the socio-political dimensions reproducing urban water insecurity have historical roots. We argue that the uncertainty of climate change and unprecedented urbanisation do not offer sufficient explanation for why urban water insecurity persists. Moreover, we call for caution in only employing these narratives, to avoid obscuring deeply rooted challenges within socio-political systems. We call for socio-political processes to continue to be a central component of future interventions that seek to improve urban water insecurity.
S-PLACE GA for optimal water quality sensor locations in water distribution network for dual purpose: regular monitoring and early contamination detection – a software tool for academia and practitioner
Authors: Rathi Shweta 
Published: November 2020

Abstract
Security concerns about water distribution networks (WDNs) have led to increased interest in optimizing sensor locations in WDNs achieved through a calibrated hydraulic model. This paper presents a methodology, which consists of two stages. The first stage consists of calibration of a hydraulic model using a genetic algorithm (GA). A real-life network of one of the hydraulic zones of Nagpur city, India, is considered, which optimizes the settings of a throttled controlled valve at different timings for calibration. In this stage, a detailed case study, GA calibration model, methodology and results of calibrated models are discussed. The second stage consists of identifying optimal sensor locations using a newly developed software tool named ‘S-PLACE GA’ and its efficiency and effectiveness are discussed. It can be used for the dual purpose of routine monitoring of water quality and for early detection of contamination. The optimal locations are obtained considering two objective metrics, ‘Demand Coverage’ and ‘Time-Constrained Detection Likelihood’. These two objectives are combined into a single objective by using weights. Key features, input data required for the software and their applications on (1) BWSN network 1 and result comparison with others and (2) calibrated model of the first stage are discussed. Results showed the effectiveness of S-PLACE GA for practical applications.
Ontology-based Precision Vaccinology for Deep Mechanism Understanding and Precision Vaccine Development
Authors: Xie Jiangan , Zi Wenrui , Li Zhangyong , He Yongqun 
Published: November 2020

:Vaccination is one of the most important innovations in human history. It has also become a hot research area in a new application - the development of new vaccines against non-infectious diseases such as cancers. However, effective and safe vaccines still do not exist for many diseases, and where vaccines exist, their protective immune mechanisms are often unclear. Although licensed vaccines are generally safe, various adverse events, and sometimes severe adverse events, still exist for a small population. Precision medicine tailors medical intervention to the personal characteristics of individual patients or sub-populations of individuals with similar immunity-related characteristics. Precision vaccinology is a new strategy that applies precision medicine to the development, administration, and post-administration analysis of vaccines. Several conditions contribute to make this the right time to embark on the development of precision vaccinology. First, the increased level of research in vaccinology has generated voluminous “big data” repositories of vaccinology data. Secondly, new technologies such as multi-omics and immunoinformatics bring new methods for investigating vaccines and immunology. Finally, the advent of AI and machine learning software now makes possible the marriage of Big Data to the development of new vaccines in ways not possible before. However, something is missing in this marriage, and that is a common language that facilitates the correlation, analysis, and reporting nomenclature for the field of vaccinology. Solving this bioinformatics problem is the domain of applied biomedical ontology. Ontology in the informatics field is human- and machine-interpretable representation of entities and the relations among entities in a specific domain. The Vaccine Ontology (VO) and Ontology of Vaccine Adverse Events (OVAE) have been developed to support the standard representation of vaccines, vaccine components, vaccinations, host responses, and vaccine adverse events. Many other biomedical ontologies have also been developed and can be applied in vaccine research. Here, we review the current status of precision vaccinology and how ontological development will enhance this field, and propose an ontology-based precision vaccinology strategy to support precision vaccine research and development.
DBP-PSSM: Combination of Evolutionary Profiles with the XGBoost Algorithm to Improve the Identification of DNA-binding Proteins
Authors: Zhang Yanping , Chen Pengcheng , Gao Ya , Ni Jianwei , Wang Xiaosheng 
Published: November 2020

Background and Objective:
DNA-binding proteins play important roles in a variety of
biological processes, such as gene transcription and regulation, DNA replication and repair, DNA
recombination and packaging, and the formation of chromatin and ribosomes. Therefore, it is urgent
to develop a computational method to improve the recognition efficiency of DNA-binding proteins.

Method:
We proposed a novel method, DBP-PSSM, which constructed the features from amino
acid composition and evolutionary information of protein sequences. The maximum relevance,
minimum redundancy (mRMR) was employed to select the optimal features for establishing the
XGBoost classifier, therefore, the novel model of prediction DNA-binding proteins, DBP-PSSM,
was established with 5-fold cross-validation on the training dataset.

Results:
DBP-PSSM achieved an accuracy of 81.18% and MCC of 0.657 in a test dataset, which
outperformed the many existing methods. These results demonstrated that our method can
effectively predict DNA-binding proteins.

Conclusion:
The data and source code are provided at https://github.com/784221489/DNA-binding.
Analysis of miRNA-mRNA Interaction Network Reveals Gap Junction Beta 2 as a Potential Candidate Gene Involved in Psoriatic Hearing Loss Pathogenesis
Authors: Liu Queping , Wu Lisha , Lu Chuanjian , Wu Dinghong 
Published: November 2020

Background:
Recent studies have shown that patients with psoriasis, a chronic
inflammatory skin disorder that may accompany the serious systemic disease, are at risk of
developing sudden sensorineural hearing loss. The pathogenesis remains unclear, and the
mechanisms of this disorder are difficult to explore in the clinical setting due to psoriasis hearing
loss’s infrequent incidence. Here, we aimed to identify key candidate genes that may be involved
in the pathogenesis of psoriatic hearing loss.

Method:
In the present study, through online database and literature review, we utilized microRNA-mRNA network analysis
and gene ontology annotation analysis, coupled with experimental data from clinical samples, to investigate the relationship
between psoriasis and hearing loss.

Results:
We identified nine miRNAs implicated in both psoriasis and the auditory system. By using bioinformatics techniques,
12 target genes were identified. Finally, the gap junction beta-2 protein (GJB2) was found to be relevant to both psoriasis
and hearing loss. In addition, the expression of connexin 26 (Cx26), encoded by GJB2, was significantly downregulated
in psoriatic patients’ plasma (p < 0.0001) and was negatively correlated with psoriasis area and severity index (PASI)
clinical score (r, −0.286; p = 0.036).

Conclusion:
GJB2 is a potential candidate gene for hearing loss in psoriasis.
Quinoline-3-Carboxylic Acids: A Step Toward Highly Selective Antiproliferative Agent
Authors: Mittal Ravi K. , Purohit Priyank 
Published: November 2020

Background:
The 2-styrylquinoline-3-carboxylate derivatives have been reported as antiproliferative
agents.

Objective:
The aim of the study was to enhance the selectivity of the drug to the cancer cells. The change in pKa
value can be the boost point to enhance the selectivity. The selectivity of the drug will enhance concentration in
the cancer cells and will reduce the absorption in the non-cancerous cells.

Methods:
The designed hydrolysis of the ester group was obtained through the reported method to change the
physiological properties, which was correlated with the in silico and in vitro selectivity studies. The compounds
were characterized through important analytical techniques, moreover, the biological results of all compounds
were obtained through in vitro cancer (MCF-7 and K562) and non-cancerous (HFK293) cell line.

Results:
The synthesized compounds exhibited micromolar inhibition with a higher selectivity than their ester parent
compounds, however, the compound showed better activity to the cancer cell, because of the minimal distribution of
the drug in the non-cancerous cells. The compound 2f and 2l were found more selective and potent.

Conclusion:
The designed 2, 4-disubstituted quinoline-3-carboxylic acid derivatives were evaluated in in vitro
cancer (MCF-7 and K562) and non-cancerous (HEK293) cell lines. The most concern issue was resolved by
changing the pKa value of compounds, which was calculated by the software base study. The selectivity was
correlated with the previously reported ester molecules. The synthesized compounds were characterized by
important analytical techniques. The unionized/nonpolar form in the acidic cancer tissue environment, which
enhances the drug absorption ion in an acidic medium, was also proved through the in vitro results; hence the
compound showed better activity to the cancer cells because of the minimal distribution of the drug in the noncancerous
cells. The more selective or less toxic anti-cancer compounds 2f and 2l were reported with all relevant
experimental results as in silico Quantitative Estimation of Drug-Likeness (QED) and Absorption, Distribution,
Metabolism, Excretion, and Toxicity (ADMET).
Youth Reproductive Health Problems, Service Preference and Associated Factors among Female Secondary School Students in Lay Gayint District of Amhara Region, Ethiopia, 2019
Authors: Mekie Maru , Taklual Wubet , Tesfaw Aragaw 
Published: November 2020

Background:
More than one million youth population is reported to die annually from preventable causes of death. Young people, particularly females are highly affected by an unwanted pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and other reproductive ill health due to lack of awareness about risky sexual behaviors. This study aimed to assess youth reproductive health problems, service preference, and associated factors among female secondary school students in the Lay Gayint district of Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Methods:
Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed for 374 female secondary school students from March 10-25, 2019 who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics using frequency and other statistical summary measures were performed to describe the characteristics of youths, while binary and multivariable analyses were used to identify factors associated with youth reproductive health problems. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to measure the association and statistical significance was taken at p-value ≤ 0.05.

Results:
The magnitude of youth reproductive health problems was 28.3% (95%, CI (24.2%, 32.6%)). The risk of developing reproductive health problems was found to be higher among participants less than 20 years of age (AOR=3.25, 95% CI (1.38, 7.65)), those who ashamed to discuss sexual issues (AOR=8.42, 95% CI (3.80, 18.67)), those who had multiple sexual partners (AOR=11.05, 95% CI (4.29, 28.50)), and those who had peer influence (AOR=23.00, 95% CI (8.02, 65.98)) compared with counterparts. While study participants who reported to attend a class every day (AOR=0.30, 95% CI (0.12, 0.74)) and those who believe in the convenience of youth services (AOR=0.04, 95%, CI (0.02, 0.12)) were less likely to develop a reproductive health problem.

Conclusion:
The magnitude of youth reproductive health problems was found to be high. Being young, failing to discuss sexual issues, having multiple sexual partners, and peer influence were found to be the contributing factors for youth reproductive health problems. Therefore, emphasis should be given on the prevention of youth reproductive health problems through avoidance of risk factors and the establishment of convenient youth-friendly services.
Efecto de diferentes sustratos en la aclimatación y costos de plantas micropropagadas de caña flecha (Gynerium sagitatum Aubl)
Authors: Isidro E. Suarez  , José E. Yépez  , Claudia M. López  
Published: November 2020

Con el fin de reducir los costos de adaptación ex vitro de plantas micropropagadas de caña flecha (Gynerium sagitatum Aubl.) cultivar “Criolla”, el efecto de tres sustratos (Turba, turba + arena y turba + cascarilla de arroz) sobre la supervivencia, el crecimiento y el costo de las plantas asociado al sustrato fueron evaluados. Las plantas fueron micropropagadas en medio MS semisólido adicionado con 0,5 mg L-1 de BAP. Después de remover el medio de cultivo, las plantas fueron transferidas en bandejas plásticas de 72 alveolos dispensadas con la mezcla de sustrato respectiva. Las bandejas fueron cubiertas con tapas plásticas transparentes durante 3 días. Las plantas fueron mantenidas en una casa malla con polisombra del 50% de luminosidad y dos riegos diarios de 1 minuto cada uno por nebulización durante 8 semanas. El diseño utilizado fue el de bloques al azar, los datos fueron analizados con ANOVA y los promedios separados con la prueba de separación de medias de Tukey. Los resultados permitieron evidenciar que la mezcla de sustrato formada por turba + arena resultó en incrementos significativos en el porcentaje de supervivencia, altura de planta y redujo en >35% el costo final de las plantas asociado al uso de sustrato durante la adaptación a las condiciones ex vitro.