bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Herbicidal Properties of Antihypertensive Drugs: Calcium Channel Blockers
Authors: Abdullah HANNAN SAFIYYAH TAN SIAN HUI , Chia Poh Wai , Omar Dzolkhifli , Chuah Tse Seng 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Herbicide resistance is a worldwide problem in weed control. This prompts researchers to look for new modes of action to slow down the evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds. This research aims to determine the herbicidal action of thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidines derivatives, which are well known as antihypertensive drugs. The phytotoxic effects of ten compounds were investigated using leaf disc discoloration test and seed germination bioassay. At concentrations of 125 to 250 mg/L, the 5-(3-Fluoro-phenyl)-7-methyl-5H-thiazolo[3,2-a]pyrimidine-6-carboxylic acid ethyl ester (c) was highly active against Oldenlandia verticillata and Eleusine indica. At application rates of 1.25 to 2.5 kg ai/ha, formulated c demonstrated selective post-emergence and pre-emergence herbicidal activity against O. verticillata, E. indica and Cyperus iria. In the crop tolerance test, formulated c outperformed the commercial herbicide diuron, with aerobic Oryza sativa being the most tolerant, followed by Zea mays, and Brassica rapa. The addition of calcium chloride partially nullified compound c's inhibitory effects on weed shoot growth, indicating that it has potential as a calcium channel blocker. Compound c acted by triggering electrolyte leakage without affecting photosystem II. These findings imply that c could be explored further as a template for developing new herbicides with novel modes of action.
The Construction of Polygenic Risk Scores for Breast Cancer Based on LightGBM and Multiple Omics Data
Authors: Ma Baoshan , Pan Jianqiao , Hou Xiaoyu , Li Chongyang , Xiong Tong , Gong Yi , Song Fengju 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Breast cancer accounts for a large proportion of cancer-related deaths in women. Polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) data can evaluate the individual-level genetic risk of breast cancer and has been widely applied for risk stratification. However, standalone SNP data used for PRS may not provide satisfactory prediction accuracy. Additionally, current PRS models based on linear regression have insufficient power to leverage non-linear effects from thousands of associated SNPs.Methods: In this study, the multiple omics data (DNA methylation data, miRNA data, mRNA data and lncRNA data) and clinical data of breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA) were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). First, we developed a novel PRS model utilizing single omic data and a machine learning algorithm (LightGBM). Subsequently, we built a combination model of PRS derived from each omic data to explore whether multiple omics data can further improve the prediction accuracy of PRS. Finally, we performed association analysis and prognosis prediction of breast cancer to evaluate the utility of the PRS generated by our method.Results: Our PRS model based on single omic data and LightGBM algorithm achieved better predictive performance than the linear models and other machine learning models. Moreover, the combination of the PRS derived from each omic data can efficiently strengthen prediction accuracy. The analysis of prevalence and the associations of the PRS with phenotypes including case-control and cancer stage status indicated that the risk of breast cancer increases with the increases of PRS. The survival analysis also suggested that PRS for the cancer stage is an effective prognostic metric of breast cancer patients.Conclusion: Our proposed model expanded the current definition of PRS from standalone SNP data to multiple omics data and outperformed the state-of-the-art PRS models, which may provide a powerful tool for diagnostic and prognostic prediction of breast cancer.
Tribological Properties of a Self-Repairing Material: Functionalized Graphene/montmorillonite Nanosheets Lubricant Additives
Authors: Li Yujunwen , Yang Rui , Lei Wu , Hao Qingli 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
The functionalized graphene/montmorillonite (FG/MTT) nanosheets were synthesized through chemically bonding by a simple, green method, which has remarkable dispersion stability in oil and its lubricating performance was evaluated by a four-ball tribometer. The test results show that FG/MTT has a preeminent lubricant property when the concentration is 0.4 mg/ml. Compared with the bare oil sample, its average friction coefficient (FC) and wear scar diameter (WSD) decrease by 50.4 % and 13.2 %, respectively. The synergistic effect between FG and MTT was further explored by comparing the lubricant mechanism of the different additives. After synthetically analyzing worn surface by means of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the lubrication mechanism of the FG/MTT nanocomposite as oil additive is discussed and postulated: The FG/MTT with weak interlayer adhesion is filled between the friction pairs to avoid contact and clinging of some asperities, and the sliding between the layers plays a role in lubrication. Furthermore, FG/MTT will react with the surface of the friction pair to form a repair layer composed of Fe2O3, SiC, SiO2, and aluminosilicate, mending the grinding surface and promoting the hardness after friction.
An explainable supervised machine learning predictor of acute kidney injury after adult deceased donor liver transplantation
Authors: Zhang Yihan , Yang Dong , Liu Zifeng , Chen Chaojin , Ge Mian , Li Xiang , Luo Tongsen , Wu Zhengdong , Shi Chenguang , Wang Bohan , Huang Xiaoshuai , Zhang Xiaodong , Zhou Shaoli , Hei Ziqing 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Early prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI) after liver transplantation (LT) facilitates timely recognition and intervention. We aimed to build a risk predictor of post-LT AKI via supervised machine learning and visualize the mechanism driving within to assist clinical decision-making.Methods: Data of 894 cases that underwent liver transplantation from January 2015 to September 2019 were collected, covering demographics, donor characteristics, etiology, peri-operative laboratory results, co-morbidities and medications. The primary outcome was new-onset AKI after LT according to Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guidelines. Predicting performance of five classifiers including logistic regression, support vector machine, random forest, gradient boosting machine (GBM) and adaptive boosting were respectively evaluated by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy, F1-score, sensitivity and specificity. SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method was applied to evaluate feature importance and explain the predictions made by ML algorithms.Results: 430 AKI cases (55.1%) were diagnosed out of 780 included cases. The GBM model achieved the highest AUC (0.76, CI 0.70 to 0.82), F1-score (0.73, CI 0.66to 0.79) and sensitivity (0.74, CI 0.66 to 0.8). High preoperative indirect bilirubin, low intraoperative urine output, long anesthesia time, low preoperative platelets, and graft steatosis graded NASH CRN 1 and above were revealed by SHAP method the top 5 important variables contributing to the diagnosis of post-LT AKI made by GBM model.Conclusions: Our GBM-based predictor of post-LT AKI provides a highly interoperable tool across institutions to assist decision-making after LT.
Study on the correlation between mental health and socio-demographics of patients in five designated treatment hospitals in China during the COVID-19 outbreak : a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Liang Zhonghuan , Ou Xiuli , Li Jieming , He Gang , Xu Qingdong , Li Fuquan , Li Yongyi , Wang Mingying , Liang Runzhi 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Purpose

The global epidemic of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Diseases (COVID-19) has caused many psychological problems. At present, there are few studies on the mental health status and correlation of COVID-19 patients.
Methods

During the peak period of COVID-19 outbreak in China, COVID-19 patients from 5 designated hospitals with new coronary pneumonia were selected by convenient sampling method. Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) were investigated by either a convenient online questionnaire at: WJX.cn as a data collecting platform or an equivalent paper questionnaire.
Results

It showed that the positive detection rate of SCL-90 in the COVID-19 patients was 29.83%. The most common mental health problem was anxiety (28.3%), and the top three prominent mental health problems are depression (9.4%), interpersonal sensitivity (9.4%), paranoia ideation (7.7%). Compared with the Chinese adult norm, there were significant differences in the SCL-90 total score and somatization, depression, anxiety, and phobic anxiety dimension (P < 0.05). The main influencing factors of mental health of COVID-19 patients are the number of confirmed cases nationwide, sex, marital status and psychological intervention.
Conclusion

The mental state of some groups is relatively low, which leads to depression and anxiety more easily. In particular, the most vulnerable group was found to be unmarried women who have a high occurrence rate of mental health problems. We need to pay particular attention to high risk groups, and support patients with increased susceptibility, which will require timely assessment by mental health care professionals.
A bioactivated in vivo assembly (BIVA) nanotechnology fabricated NIR probe for small pancreatic tumor intraoperative navigation imaging
Authors: Li Li-Li , Ren Han , Zhao Xiao-Xiao , Hou Dayong , Yao Haodong , Zhao Lina , Xu Wanhai , Wang Hao 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Visual intraoperative navigation depends on the optical technique for real-time imaging of the boundary of tumor. However, the fluorescence probes now enable for bioimaging are usually lack of tumor specificity and poor imaging window, which limited the further clinical applications. Here, we report a bioactivated in vivo assembly (BIVA) nanotechnology, which provides a universal optical probe delivery system to enhance the targeting specificity, region accumulation and continuous imaging window of the probe. Based on the coupling of BIVA domain and probe, BIVA probe exhibits a synergy mechanism of active targeting and assembly induced retention, which improved the targeting efficiency. In addition, the tumor surface specific nanofiber assembly significantly increases the accumulation of the probe at tumor boundary. The PEGylation of the BIVA probe extended the blood circulation time for 110 min, and the area under the curve (AUC 0-120 h) of tumor was significantly increased by 3.6 times compared with the active targeting probe. As the dynamic assembly difference between tumor and background further enlarges the metabolic difference, we obtained a delayed imaging window between 8-96 hours with better signal-to-background ratio (SBR > 9 times). Our BIVA probe can be used for imaging of small-size (d < 2 mm) orthotopic pancreatic tumors in vivo. The high specificity and sensitivity of the BIVA probe will further benefit the intraoperative navigation imaging in clinical.
Camrelizumab combined with sorafenib versus sorafenib alone in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective study
Authors: Liu Qinqin , Li Jing , You Nan , Wu Ke , Peng Xuehui , Wang Zheng , Liang Wang , Zhu Yinan , Zheng Lu 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Few studies have evaluated the efficacy and safety of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in combination. The present study aimed to compare camrelizumab plus sorafenib versus sorafenib alone in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma using a propensity score analysis.Patients and methods: Between January 2019 and January 2021, a total of 100 patients with advanced HCC in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University were retrospectively analyzed. Of the patients involved, 35 patients received combined camrelizumab plus sorafenib treatment, and 65 patients received sorafenib monotherapy. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM), 34 patients were included in each group. The progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), treatment response and the relevant adverse effects (AEs) were evaluated.Results: The combined-therapy group showed significantly improved overall response rate (ORR) than the sorafenib-only group (before PSM, P=0.037; after PSM, P=0.010), but no difference was noted in disease control rate (DCR) (before PSM, P=0.695; after PSM, P=1.000). The median PFS was significantly longer in the combined-therapy group than the sorafenib-only group (before PSM, P=0.041; after PSM, P=0.043). However, the two groups exhibited comparable median OS (before PSM, P=0.135; after PSM, P=0.105). Although The incidence of thrombocytopenia after PSM was significantly higher in the combined-therapy group than in the sorafenib-only group, most of the AEs could be easily controlled after treatment.Conclusion: The combination treatment of camrelizumab with sorafenib showed promising efficacy with acceptable safety for the management of advanced HCC.
Florigen Governs Shoot Regeneration
Authors: Kutsher Yaarit , Fisler Michal , DORON-FAIGENBOIM Adi , Reuveni Moshe 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
It is widely known that during the reproductive stage (flowering), plants do not root well. Most protocols of shoot regeneration in plants utilize juvenile tissue. Adding these two realities together encouraged us to study the role of florigen in shoot regeneration. Mature tobacco tissue that expresses the endogenous tobacco florigen mRNA regenerates poorly, while juvenile tissue that does not express the florigen regenerates shoots well. Inhibition of Nitric Oxide (NO) synthesis reduced shoot regeneration as well as promoted flowering and increased tobacco florigen level. In contrast, the addition of NO (by way of NO donor) to the tissue increased regeneration, delayed flowering, reduced tobacco florigen mRNA. Ectopic expression of florigen genes in tobacco or tomato decreased regeneration capacity significantly. Overexpression pear PcFT2 gene increased regeneration capacity. During regeneration, florigen mRNA was not changed. We conclude that florigen presence in mature tobacco leaves reduces roots and shoots regeneration and is the possible reason for the age-related decrease in regeneration capacity.
Determination of the Optimal Coverage for Heavy-Duty-Axle Gears in Shot Peening
Authors: Yan Hongzhi , Zhu Pengfei , Chen Zhi , Zhang Hui , Zhang Yin , Zhang Yu 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Pitting and wear often appear on heavy-duty-axle gears due to their harsh working conditions, such as high torques, high loads and poor lubrication. Shot peening is a popular surface strengthening method for gears. In order to ensure complete coverage during shot peening, 100%~200% coverage is usually prescribed for most gears. However, it is difficult to effectively improve the contact fatigue and wear resistance of heavy-duty-axle gears. Generally, increasing shot peening coverage can heighten the compressive residual stress for prolonging the service lifetime of gears. Whereas, high coverage levels may cause the deterioration of surface roughness, thus increase the noise and vibration of gears. To address this issue, this paper deals with the determination of optimal coverage for heavy-duty-axle gears by experimental tests. The influence of shot peening coverage on the surface integrity of gears is analyzed in terms of residual stress, microhardness, surface morphology and dislocation density. The results show that the maximum compressive residual stress increases first and then keeps stable with the increase of coverage, and the maximum value is −1172.10 MPa. The microhardness peak increases obviously in the beginning and then slowly rises with the increase of coverage, and the maximum value is 747.5 HV1.0. The surface roughness (Ra) decreases initially and then enhances with the increase of coverage, and the minimum value is 0.99 μm under the coverage of 1000%. The dislocation density increases with the increase of coverage, and the maximum value is 3.70×1016 m-2. Numerous damages (microscalings, spallings) occur on the treated gear tooth flank affecting the residual stress distribution and roughness under high coverage levels. Taking into consideration of service lifetime, working noise and economic efficiency, the coverage of 1000% is the optimal coverage for heavy-duty-axle gears in shot peening.
The Influence of the Pharmacists’ Training on the Patients’ Education in the Field of Inhalation Techniques in Community Pharmacies in Poland
Authors: Waszyk-Nowaczyk Magdalena , Targosz Patrycja , Guzenda Weronika , Byliniak Michał , Plewka Beata , Dąbrowiecki Piotr , Michalak Michał , Bąbol Aneta , Szapel Karol , Bielas Marzena , Żabiński Jerzy 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: Following the example of other countries, it is very important to educate patients on the correct use of inhalers by properly trained healthcare professionals, including pharmacists.Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the quality and comprehensiveness of professional advice given by pharmacists on the use of inhalers, which was determined by the pharmacists’ level of training. Methods: The study was conducted from June 2019 to March 2020. 150 pharmacists from Poznan and Warsaw (Poland) were involved. Before the study began, the professional education of 240 pharmacists was conducted in Warsaw to implement standard operating procedures. The study used the model of a mystery patient.Results: The conversation with a trained pharmacist lasted on average 5.5 minutes, with an untrained one - 3.0 minutes. Placebo inhalers were used more often by trained pharmacists during patients’ education. 10.3% of untrained pharmacists did not provide any education. Additionally, untrained employees quality of advice were assessed on an average of 3.5 points, while trained ones - 7.6 points. Conclusions: This study has shown that there is a need for professional training among pharmacists in Poland, which translates into better patient education in the field of inhalation techniques.
MiR-1246 regulates the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by targeting PIK3AP1 and inhibits thyroid cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth
Authors: Li Jingyan , Zhang Zhanlei , Hu Jieting , Wan Xiaoting , Huang Wei , Zhang Hong , Jiang Ningyi 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
One of the most prevalent forms of endocrine malignancies is thyroid cancer. Herein, we explored the mechanisms whereby miR-1246 is involved in thyroid cancer. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase adapter protein 1 (PIK3AP1) was identified as a potential miR-1246 target,with the online Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The binding between miR-1246 and PIK3AP1 and the dynamic role of these two molecules in downstream PI3K/AKT signaling were evaluated. Analysis of GEO data demonstrated significant miR-1246 downregulation in thyroid cancer, and we confirmed that overexpression of miR-1246 can inhibit migratory, invasive, and proliferative activity in vivo, and tumor growth in vitro. Subsequent studies indicated that miR-1246 overexpression decreased the protein level of PIK3AP1 and the phosphorylation of PI3K and AKT, which were reversed by PIK3AP1 overexpression. At the same time, overexpression of PIK3AP1 also reversed the miR-1246 mimics-induced inhibition proliferative, migratory, and invasive activity while promoting increases in apoptotic death, confirming that miR-1246 function was negatively correlated with that of PIK3AP1. Subsequently, we found that the miR-1246 mimics-induced inhibition of PI3K/AKT phosphorylation, was reversed by the PI3K/AKT activator IGF-1. miR-1246 mimics inhibited proliferative, migratory, and invasive activity while promoting increases in apoptotic death, which were reversed by IGF-1. Furthermore, miR-1246 agomir can inhibit tumor growth in vivo. We confirmed that miR-1246 affects the signaling pathway of PI3K/AKT via targeting PIK3AP1, and inhibits the development of thyroid cancer. Thus, miR-1246 is a new therapeutic target for thyroid cancer.
Optimization of Culture Media for T Cell Expansion: T Cell Expansion Is a Bottle Neck in Adoptive T Cell Therapy
Authors: Rahimmanesh Ilnaz , Khanahmad Hossein 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Adoptive T cell therapy is a promising treatment strategy for cancer immunotherapy. The methods used for the expansion of high numbers of T cells are essential steps for adoptive cell therapy. In this study, we evaluated the expansion, proliferation, activation, and anti-tumor response of T lymphocytes, in presence of different concentrations of interleukin-2, phytohemagglutinin, and insulin. Our results showed that supplemented culture media with an optimized concentration of phytohemagglutinin and interleukin-2 increased total fold expansion of T cells up to 500-fold with about 90% cell viability over 7 days. The quantitative assessment of Ki-67 in expanded T cells showed a significant elevation of this proliferation marker. In addition, the proportion of CD4+ and CD8+ cells were evaluated using flow cytometry, and data showed that both cells were present in the expanded population. Finally, we assessed the activation and tumor cytotoxicity of expanded T cells against target cells. Overexpression of CD107a, as a functional marker of T cell degranulation on expanded T cells and their ability to induce cell death in tumor cells, was observed in the co-cultured experiment. Based on these data we have developed a cost-effective and rapid method to support the efficient expansion of T cells for adoptive cell therapy.
Investigation of Interaction Between the Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 and ACE2-Expressing Cells Using an In Vitro Cell Capturing System
Authors: Shang Yuning , Chen Feixiang , Li Shasha , Song Lijuan , Gao Yunzhen , Yu Xinhua , Zheng Junfeng 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Background: The Interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ( SARS-CoV-2 ) spike protein with Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on the host cells is a crucial step for the viral entry and infection. Therefore, investigating the molecular mechanism underlying the interaction is of great importance for the prevention of the infection of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we aimed to establish a virus-free in vitro system to study the interaction between the spike protein and host cells of SARS-CoV-2.Results: Our results show that ACE2-overexpressing HEK293T cells are captured by immobilized spike protein, and the cell capturing process can be inhibited by the receptor binding domain of the spike protein or antibodies against S protein. Furthermore, spike protein variant with D614G mutant show a higher cell capturing ability than wild type spike protein. In addition, the captured cells can be eluted as living cells for further investigation.Conclusions: This study provides a new in vitro system for investigating the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and host cells and purifying ACE2-expressing cells.