bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A evolução como eixo integrador das ciências biológicas: uma unidade didática no contexto do ensino de biologia
Authors: Guarilha Colli Pedro Leonardo , Bologna Soares de Andrade Mariana Aparecida , Colussi Bastos Vinícius 
Published: May 2021

Resumo: Estudos realizados nas últimas décadas indicam que a Biologia vem sendo ensinada de forma fragmentada e descontextualizada nas escolas brasileiras. Dentre os fatores apontados como causa desta tendência, destaca-se a negligência em relação ao ensino de Evolução, que raramente é tratado como o eixo integrador das Ciências Biológicas. Partindo disso, este estudo propõe uma Unidade de Ensino Potencialmente Significativa (UEPS) para a promoção da aprendizagem das ideias fundamentais à formação do pensamento evolutivo e compreensão dos fenômenos e mecanismos biológicos de maneira integrada e contextualizada. A UEPS construída aborda a Evolução por meio das cinco principais ideias evolucionistas do paradigma darwiniano e é sugerida para ser utilizada no primeiro ano do Ensino Médio.Palavras-chave: Ensino de Evolução; Didática da Biologia; Aprendizagem Significativa; UEPS. Evolution as a unifying axis of biological sciences: a teaching unit in the context of biology teachingAbstract: Studies carried out in the last decades indicate that Biology has been taught in a fragmented and decontextualized way in Brazilian schools. Among the factors pointed out as the cause of this trend, the negligence related to the teaching of Evolution stands out, which is rarely treated as the unifying axis of the Biological Sciences. Based on these understandings, this study proposes a Potentially Meaningful Teaching Unit (PMTU) to promote the learning of fundamental ideas for the formation of evolutionary thinking and understanding of biological phenomena and mechanisms in an integrated and contextualized way. The PMTU developed addresses Evolution through the five main evolutionary ideas of the Darwinian paradigm and is suggested to be used in the first year of High School.Keywords: Teaching of Evolution; Biology Teaching; Meaningful Learning; PMTU.
O uso dos filmes de ficção científica para o ensino de ciências com enfoque ciência, tecnologia e sociedade: uma revisão sistemática da literatura
Authors: Rocha Thaís Mendes , Silva Josie Agatha Parrilha da , Heerdt Bettina 
Published: May 2021

Resumo: Esta revisão sistemática da literatura teve como objetivo identificar a forma que os filmes de ficção científica (FC) abordam questões do ensino das Ciências e o enfoque Ciência, Tecnologia e Sociedade (CTS). A pesquisa utilizou bancos de dados com os seguintes descritores: “Ensino de Ciências, CTS, Ficção Científica e Cinema”. Os resultados evidenciaram que desde a década de 1980, os filmes de FC são utilizados como recurso metodológico no ensino de Ciências, mas ainda são escassos os estudos que relacionam o CTS com os filmes de FC. Nas quatro pesquisas encontradas, entre 2012 e 2019, a articulação dos três componentes da tríade CTS, raramente ocorre de forma coerente com os referenciais, prevalecendo o realce na ciência, ou em tecnologia e, majoritariamente, na sociedade, sobrelevando as questões socioambientais.Palavras-chave: Ensino de Ciências; Enfoque CTS; Arte e Ciência; Cinema; Filmes de Ficção Científica. The use of scientific fiction films for teaching sciences with a focus on science, technology and society: a systematic review of literatureAbstract: This systematic review of the literature aimed to identify the way that science fiction films (SF) address issues of science teaching and the focus on Science, Technology and Society (STS). The research used databases with the following descriptors: “Science Teaching, STS, Science Fiction and Cinema”. The results showed that, since the 1980s, SF films have been used as a methodological resource in science teaching, but there are still few studies relating STS to SF films. In the four researches found, between 2012 and 2019, the articulation of the three components of the STS triad, rarely occurs in a coherent manner with the references, with emphasis on science or technology and, mainly, on society, prevailing, raising socioenvironmental issues.Keywords: Science teaching; Focus on STS; Art and Science; Movie theater; Science fiction
resolución de problemas, una oportunidad para aprender
Authors: Rodríguez Ariza Daissy Lorena , Rodriguez Ariza Alleidy 
Published: May 2021

El propósito de este artículo producto de investigación, es dar a conocer los alcances de un estudio correlacional realizado entre Junio del 2017 y noviembre de 2018 en dos instituciones públicas (Bogotá D.C y Soacha, Cundinamarca), cuyo objetivo era potencializar las competencias matemáticas para la resolución de problemas, a través de la implementación de una unidad didáctica constructivista en los estudiantes de quinto grado de educación básica de la Institución Educativa Nuevo Compartir y Colegio Darío Echandía I.E.D., para esto se empleó la observación participante de los estudiantes, sus reportes académicos en el área de matemáticas y se tomó los resultados de la Prueba Saber (2016) y Aprendamos (2017), analizándolos desde tres categorías: comunicación, razonamiento y resolución; donde se evidenció la dificultad que tenían los estudiantes al solucionar problemas matemáticos. El trabajo investigativo se rigió bajo los parámetros del paradigma hermenéutico, con enfoque mixto, los referentes teóricos se plantean desde el concepto de competencia matemática para el Ministerio de Educación Nacional y de diferentes autores hasta la concepción de una unidad didáctica constructivista. Las técnicas empleadas para la recolección de la información son la observación participante, el análisis documental, taller investigativo, grupos focales y de discusión. Como resultados se destaca el progreso significativo de los estudiantes en cada una de las competencias matemáticas, siendo razonamiento la categoría con más avance durante la intervención en ambas entidades escolares. Esta evolución se ve representada en los estudiantes al leer detenidamente los enunciados, identificar los datos, interpretar en forma asertiva los enunciados de problemas matemáticos y preguntar por los términos desconocidos. Como valor agregado al producto del trabajo investigativo, se debe incluir el fomento de habilidades sociales como la capacidad de escucha, compartir una opinión y la empatía al trabajar por grupos colaborativos, demostrándose así la pertinencia y eficiencia de la propuesta pedagógica.
Mechanism of circADD2 as ceRNA in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Zhu Yuting , Ma Xiaopeng , Zhang Heng , Wu Yijun , Kang Meiyun , Fang Yongjun , Xue Yao 
Published: May 2021

Background: Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignant tumor in children. Increasing evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in tumor biology. However, the expression patterns and roles of circRNAs in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remain largely unknown.Methods: circADD2 was selected by microarray assay and confirmed by qRT-PCR; in vitro effects of circADD2 were determined by CCK-8 and flow cytometry; while mice subcutaneous tumor model was designed for in vivo analysis. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase assay were applied for mechanistic study. Protein levels were examined by Western blot assay.Results: circADD2 was down-regulated in ALL tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circADD2 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Briefly, circADD2 could directly sponge miR-149-5p, and the level of AKT2, a target gene of miR-149-5p, was downregulated by circADD2.Conclusion: circADD2, as a tumor suppressor in ALL, can sponge miR-149-5p, and may serve as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis or treatment of ALL.
Preexisting Oral Anticoagulant Therapy Ameliorates Prognosis in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Iaccarino Guido , Grassi Guido , Borghi Claudio , Grassi Davide , Mancusi Costantino , Muiesan Maria Lorenza , Salvetti Massimo , Volpe Massimo , Ferri Claudio 
Published: May 2021

Objective: Altered coagulation parameters in COVID-19 patients is associated with a poor prognosis. We tested whether COVID-19 patients on chronic oral anticoagulants (cOACs) for thromboembolism prophylaxis could receive protection from developing more severe phenotypes of the disease.Approach and Results: We searched the database of the SARS-RAS study (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04331574), a cross-sectional observational multicenter nationwide survey in Italy designed by the Italian Society of Hypertension. The database counts 2,377 charts of Italian COVID-19 patients in 26 hospitals. We calculated the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), which is associated with death in COVID-19 patients. In our population (n = 2,377, age 68.2 ± 0.4 years, CCI: 3.04 ± 0.04), we confirm that CCI is associated with increased mortality [OR: 1.756 (1.628-1.894)], admission to intensive care units [ICU; OR: 1.074 (1.017-1.134)], and combined hard events [CHE; OR: 1.277 (1.215-1.342)]. One hundred twenty-five patients were on cOACs (age: 79.3 ± 0.9 years, CCI: 4.35 ± 0.13); despite the higher CCI, cOACs patients presented with a lower risk of admissions to the ICU [OR 0.469 (0.250-0.880)] but not of death [OR: 1.306 (0.78-2.188)] or CHE [OR: 0.843 (0.541-1.312)]. In multivariable logistic regression, cOACs confirmed their protective effect on ICU admission and CHE. The CCI remains the most important risk factor for ICU admission, death, and CHE.Conclusions: Our data support a mechanism for the continuation of cOAC therapy after hospital admission for those patients who are on chronic treatment. Our preliminary results suggest the prophylactic use of direct cOACs in patients with elevated CCI score at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic even in absence of other risks of thromboembolism.
Machine Learning for Predicting Heart Failure Progression in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Fahmy Ahmed S. , Rowin Ethan J. , Manning Warren J. , Maron Martin S. , Nezafat Reza 
Published: May 2021

Background: Development of advanced heart failure (HF) symptoms is the most common adverse pathway in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients. Currently, there is a limited ability to identify HCM patients at risk of HF.Objectives: In this study, we present a machine learning (ML)-based model to identify individual HCM patients who are at high risk of developing advanced HF symptoms.Methods: From a consecutive cohort of HCM patients evaluated at the Tufts HCM Institute from 2001 to 2018, we extracted a set of 64 potential risk factors measured at baseline. Only patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class I/II and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) by echocardiography &gt;35% were included. The study cohort (n = 1,427 patients) was split into three disjoint subsets: development (50%), model selection (10%), and independent validation (40%). The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used to select the most influential clinical variables. An ensemble of ML classifiers, including logistic regression, was used to identify patients with high risk of developing a HF outcome. Study outcomes were defined as progression to NYHA class III/IV, drop in LVEF below 35%, septal reduction procedure, and/or heart transplantation.Results: During a mean follow-up of 4.7 ± 3.7 years, advanced HF occurred in 283 (20% out of 1,427) patients. The model features included patients' sex, NYHA class (I or II), HCM type (i.e., obstructive or not), LV wall thickness, LVEF, presence of HF symptoms (e.g., dyspnea, presyncope), comorbidities (atrial fibrillation, hypertension, mitral regurgitation, and systolic anterior motion), and type of cardiac medications. The developed risk stratification model showed strong differentiation power to identify patients at advanced HF risk in the testing dataset (c-statistics = 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76, 0.86). The model allowed correct identification of high-risk patients with accuracy 74% (CI: 0.70, 0.78), sensitivity 80% (CI: 0.77, 0.83), and specificity 72% (CI: 0.68, 0.76). The model performance was comparable among different sex and age groups.Conclusions: A 5-year risk prediction of progressive HF in HCM patients can be accurately estimated using ML analysis of patients' clinical and imaging parameters. A set of 17 clinical and imaging variables were identified as the most important predictors of progressive HF in HCM.
Thyroseq v3, Afirma GSC, and microRNA Panels Versus Previous Molecular Tests in the Preoperative Diagnosis of Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Silaghi Cristina Alina , Lozovanu Vera , Georgescu Carmen Emanuela , Georgescu Raluca Diana , Susman Sergiu , Năsui Bogdana Adriana , Dobrean Anca , Silaghi Horatiu 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundMolecular tests are being used increasingly as an auxiliary diagnostic tool so as to avoid a diagnostic surgery approach for cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules (ITNs). Previous test versions, Thyroseq v2 and Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC), have proven shortcomings in malignancy detection performance.ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the established Thyroseq v3, Afirma Gene Sequencing Classifier (GSC), and microRNA-based assays versus prior iterations in ITNs, in light of “rule-in” and “rule-out” concepts. It further analyzed the impact of noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) reclassification and Bethesda cytological subtypes on the performance of molecular tests.MethodsPubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science were the databases used for the present research, a process that lasted until September 2020. A random-effects bivariate model was used to estimate the summary sensitivity, specificity, positive (PLR) and negative likelihood ratios (NLR), and area under the curve (AUC) for each panel. The conducted sensitivity analyses addressed different Bethesda categories and NIFTP thresholds.ResultsA total of 40 eligible studies were included with 7,831 ITNs from 7,565 patients. Thyroseq v3 showed the best overall performance (AUC 0.95; 95% confidence interval: 0.93–0.97), followed by Afirma GSC (AUC 0.90; 0.87–0.92) and Thyroseq v2 (AUC 0.88; 0.85–0.90). In terms of “rule-out” abilities Thyroseq v3 (NLR 0.02; 95%CI: 0.0–2.69) surpassed Afirma GEC (NLR 0.18; 95%CI: 0.10–0.33). Thyroseq v2 (PLR 3.5; 95%CI: 2.2–5.5) and Thyroseq v3 (PLR 2.8; 95%CI: 1.2–6.3) achieved superior “rule-in” properties compared to Afirma GSC (PLR 1.9; 95%CI: 1.3–2.8). Evidence for Thyroseq v3 seems to have higher quality, notwithstanding the paucity of studies. Both Afirma GEC and Thyroseq v2 performance have been affected by NIFTP reclassification. ThyGenNEXT/ThyraMIR and RosettaGX show prominent preliminary results.ConclusionThe newly emerged tests, Thyroseq v3 and Afirma GSC, designed for a “rule-in” purpose, have been proved to outperform in abilities to rule out malignancy, thus surpassing previous tests no longer available, Thyroseq 2 and Afirma GEC. However, Thyroseq v2 still ranks as the best rule-in molecular test.Systematic Review Registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier CRD42020212531.
Serum Uric Acid Is a Mediator of the Association Between Obesity and Incident Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Zhang Qian , Ma Xiaoqian , Xing Jie , Shi Haiyun , Yang Runkuan , Jiao Yue , Chen Shuohua , Wu Shouling , Zhang Shutian , Sun Xiujing 
Published: May 2021

ObjectiveObesity has been demonstrated to show a consistent link with the increased possibility of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Since both serum uric acid (SUA) and obesity are essential components of metabolic syndrome (MetS), it is uncertain whether the incidence of NAFLD results from serum uric acid, obesity, or other potential factors based on previous studies.Patients and methodsThis study enrolled 16,839 participants with no history of alcohol consumption and no fatty liver disease in 2010. All participants completed a survey which included health and lifestyle questionnaires, and underwent physical examination, ultrasonography, and laboratory examinations of blood samples. After the four-year follow up, 5,104 (30.31%) participants were diagnosed with NAFLD. The associations between SUA, BMI or obesity, and incident NAFLD were assessed by multivariate linear regression, logistic regression analysis, and mediation analysis, respectively.ResultsBy adjusting demographic and serum characteristics, linear correlation coefficients between obesity and SUA were 20.26 [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 15.74, 24.77), 13.31 (95% CI: 6.63, 19.99) and 22.21 (95% CI: 16.41, 28.02) in the total population, and in the female and male groups, respectively. The odds ratios were 2.49 (95% CI: 1.61, 3.87) in the total population, 5.71 (95% CI: 2.25, 14.45) in the female group and 1.99 (95% CI: 1.15, 3.45) in the male group for the correlation between obesity and incident NAFLD. The mediation analysis showed that SUA contributed to 10.03%, 0.58%, and 12.54% of obesity-related NAFLD development in the total population, females and males, respectively.ConclusionThe findings showed mediation linkages of both obesity and SUA with the incident NAFLD. The role of SUA as a mediator constitutes clinical significance that should be recognized and considered.
Hippocampal Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferases 4 and BDNF in the Progress of Obesity-Induced Depression
Authors: Huang Yin-qiong , Wang Yaofeng , Hu Keyue , Lin Shu , Lin Xia-hong 
Published: May 2021

BackgroundObesity has been reported to lead to increased incidence of depression. Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases 4 (GPAT4) is involved in triacylglycerol synthesis and plays an important role in the occurrence of obesity. GPAT4 is the only one of GPAT family expressed in the brain. The aim of this study is to investigate if central GPAT4 is associated with obesity-related depression and its underlying mechanism.ResultsA high-fat diet resulted in increased body weight and blood lipid. HFD induced depression like behavior in the force swimming test, tail suspension test and sucrose preference test. HFD significantly up-regulated the expression of GPAT4 in hippocampus, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB, accompanied with down-regulation of BDNF expression in hippocampus and ventromedical hypothalamus, which was attributed to AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB).ConclusionOur findings suggest that hippocampal GPAT4 may participate in HFD induced depression through AMPK/CREB/BDNF pathway, which provides insights into a clinical target for obesity-associated depression intervention.
Identification of a Prognostic Signature for Ovarian Cancer Based on the Microenvironment Genes
Authors: Huo Xiao , Sun Hengzi , Liu Shuangwu , Liang Bing , Bai Huimin , Wang Shuzhen , Li Shuhong 
Published: May 2021

Background: Ovarian cancer is highly malignant and has a poor prognosis in the advanced stage. Studies have shown that infiltration of tumor microenvironment cells, immune cells and stromal cells has an important impact on the prognosis of cancers. However, the relationship between tumor microenvironment genes and the prognosis of ovarian cancer has not been studied.Methods: Gene expression profiles and SNP data of ovarian cancer were downloaded from the TCGA database. Cluster analysis, WGCNA analysis and univariate survival analysis were used to identify immune microenvironment genes as prognostic signatures for predicting the survival of ovarian cancer patients. External data were used to evaluate the signature. Moreover, the top five significantly correlated genes were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of ovarian cancer tissues.Results: We systematically analyzed the relationship between ovarian cancer and immune metagenes. Immune metagenes expression were associated with prognosis. In total, we identified 10 genes related to both immunity and prognosis in ovarian cancer according to the expression of immune metagenes. These data reveal that high expression of ETV7 (OS, HR = 1.540, 95% CI 1.023–2.390, p = 0.041), GBP4 (OS, HR = 1.834, 95% CI 1.242–3.055, p = 0.004), CXCL9 (OS, HR = 1.613, 95% CI 1.080 –2.471, p = 0.021), CD3E (OS, HR = 1.590, 95% CI 1.049 –2.459, p = 0.031), and TAP1 (OS, HR = 1.766, 95% CI 1.163 –2.723, p = 0.009) are associated with better prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer.Conclusion: Our study identified 10 immune microenvironment genes related to the prognosis of ovarian cancer. The list of tumor microenvironment-related genes provides new insights into the underlying biological mechanisms driving the tumorigenesis of ovarian cancer.
Prognostic Significance of Immune Checkpoints HLA-G/ILT-2/4 and PD-L1 in Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Chen Qiong-Yuan , Chen Yu-Xin , Han Qiu-Yue , Zhang Jiang-Gang , Zhou Wen-Jun , Zhang Xia , Ye Yao-Han , Yan Wei-Hua , Lin Aifen 
Published: May 2021

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become a promising area of research for cancer treatment. In addition to the well-known ICIs targeting PD-1/PD-L1, HLA-G/ILT-2/-4 is relatively new immune checkpoint that has been evaluated in early clinical trials in patients with advanced solid tumors. In this study, the expression of HLA-G (n=157), ILT-2/4 (n=82), and PD-L1 (n=70) in epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-positive colorectal cancer (CRC) cells was analyzed by multicolor flow cytometry, and the prognostic significance of these molecules was evaluated. In EpCAM+ CRC cells, the median percentages of HLA-G, ILT-2, ILT-4, and PD-L1 were 14.90%, 67.70%, 8.55% and 80.30%, respectively. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between them (all p&lt;0.001). Higher levels of these immune checkpoint proteins are associated with lymph node metastasis. In addition to the AJCC stage (p=0.001), Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that higher levels of HLA-G (p=0.041), ILT-2 (p=0.060), ILT-4 (p&lt;0.001), PD-L1 (p=0.012), HLA-GILT4 (p&lt;0.001) and ILT-2ILT-4 (p&lt;0.001) were significantly associated with shorter survival of CRC patients. When CRC patients were stratified by early and advanced AJCC stages, HLA-G levels were only related to the survival among CRC patients with early disease stage (p=0.024), while ILT-4 levels were significant for both CRC patients with early (p=0.001) and advanced (p=0.020) disease stages. Multivariate cox regression analysis revealed that advanced AJCC stage (HR=2.435; p=0.005) and higher ILT-4 levels (HR=2.198; p=0.063) were independent risk factors for poor outcomes in patients with CRC. In summary, among the immune checkpoints, HLA-G/ILT-2/4 and PD-L1, ILT-4 is the most significant prognostic indicator of CRC. This finding indicated that a combination of immunotherapy strategies, such as ILT-4 blockade, could improve the clinical outcomes in patients with cancer. Moreover, multicolor flow cytometry can be employed as a reliable and efficient, alternative to immunohistochemistry, for evaluating the immune checkpoint proteins expressed in tumor lesions.