bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Liraglutide in Patients With Diabetic Nephropathy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Mali Niroj , Su Feng , Ge Jie , Fan WenXing , Zhang Jing , Ma Jingyuan 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background: The efficacy of liraglutide to treat type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) remains controversial. Thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the clinical effect of liraglutide on T2DN patients. Methods: Eight databases (PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang database, China Science and Technology Journal Database and China Biology Medicine Database (CBM)) were searched for published articles to evaluate the clinical efficacy of liraglutide in subjects with T2DN. The Revman 5.3 and Stata 13 softwares were used for analyses and plotting. Results: A total of 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 1580 diabetic nephropathy patients were screened. We found that the levels of UACR, Scr, Cysc were lower in experimental group of T2DN patients treated with liraglutide than control group intervened without liraglutide. Liraglutide also reduced the levels of blood glucose (including FBG, PBG and HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and anti-inflammatory indicators (TNF–α, IL-6). However, there was no significant difference in BUN and eGFR between experimental group and control group.Conclusions: Liraglutide reduced the levels of Blood Glucose, BMI, renal outcome indicators and serum inflammatory factors of patients with T2DN, suggesting the beneficial effects of liraglutide on renal function.
Investigation of Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption in an Animal Model of Mania Induced by d-Amphetamine
Authors: Géa Luiza Paul , Wollenhaupt-Aguiar Bianca , Watts Devon , Maich William , Kapczinski Flavio , Sharma Roohie , Mishra Ram , Rosa Adriane Ribeiro , Frey Benicio N. 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a recurrent chronic psychiatric disorder. Evidence indicates that many individuals with BD exhibit high serum levels of inflammation and oxidative stress markers, which are further associated with mood symptoms and cognitive dysfunction. Due to the crosstalk between the periphery and central nervous system in BD, the disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been proposed as a key mechanism of the pathophysiology of the disorder. This study aimed to investigate claudin-5 expression – a major protein of the BBB – in the brain of an animal model of mania induced by d-amphetamine (AMPH) and evaluate the effects of treatment with lithium. Results: AMPH-injected animals exhibited increased overall activity in the open field test. In the serum, TBARS levels were augmented in the lithium-treated groups, regardless of AMPH injection, while TNFα was not detected. In the brain, TBARS and TNFα did not differ between groups but were positively and strongly correlated in the ST of AMPH-injected rats. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, AMPH and lithium injections did not affect brain claudin-5 protein levels.Conclusions: This is one of the first attempts to investigate the effects of AMPH on BBB integrity. Although no evidence of BBB disruption was found in the current study, our results provide evidence and rationale for future research to elucidate the importance of such alteration in BD.
Sex-specific Effects of Localized Muscle Fatigue on Upper Body Kinematics During a Repetitive Pointing Task
Authors: Yang Chen , Côté Julie N. 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
BackgroundFemales are reported to have a higher risk of musculoskeletal disorders than males. Among risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders, the mechanism of muscle fatigue remains unclear. Especially how females and males adapt to localized fatigue is poorly understood. The purpose of the study was to examine the sex-specific effects of fatigue location on shoulder, elbow and spinal joint angles, and angular variabilities during a repetitive pointing task.MethodsSeven males and ten females performed a standing repetitive pointing task when they were non-fatigued (NF), elbow-fatigued (EF), shoulder-fatigued (SF) and trunk-fatigued (TF), while trunk and upper body tridimensional kinematic data was recorded. Joint angles and angular variabilities of shoulder, elbow, upper thorax, lower thorax, and lumbar were calculated. ResultsResults showed that shoulder angles changed the most after EF in males, but after SF in females. The similarities between sexes were that SF increased the variabilities at upper (lateral flexion: 0.15° greater than NF, rotation: 0.26° greater than all other conditions) and lower thorax (lateral flexion: 0.13° greater than NF, rotation: averagely 0.1° greater than all other condition) in both sexes. TF altered upper thorax variability (0.36° smaller than SF), lower thorax angle (lateral flexion: 3.00° greater than NF, rotation: 1.68° greater than SF), and lumbar angle (averagely 1.8° smaller than all other conditions) in both sexes. However, females had greater lower thorax angle (lateral flexion: 8.3° greater, p=0.005) as well as greater upper (rotation: 0.53° greater, p=0.006) and lower thorax (rotation: 0.5° greater, p=0.007; flexion: 0.6° greater, p=0.014) angular variabilities.ConclusionsThe overall greater lower and upper thorax angular variabilities suggested a more unstable spinal movement pattern in females. The kinematic differences between sexes highlighted a few sex differences in adapting the localized muscle fatigue.
Costimulation of TLR8 responses by CXCL4 in Human Monocytes Mediated by TBK1-IRF5 Signaling and Epigenomic Remodeling
Authors: Ivashkiv Lionel B. , Yang Chao , Bachu Mahesh , Brauner Caroline , Yuan Ruoxi , Du Yong , Kioon Marie Dominique Ah , Chesi Giancarlo , Barrat Franck 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
CXCL4 regulates responses of immune cells to endosomal TLRs and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. However, mechanisms by which CXCL4 modulates TLR responses, and its functions in monocytes/macrophages, are still unclear. Here we report that CXCL4 changes the profile of the TLR8 response in human monocytes by selectively and dramatically amplifying inflammatory gene transcription and IL-1β production while partially attenuating the IFN response. Mechanistically, costimulation by CXCL4 and TLR8 synergistically activated TBK1/IKKε and repurposed these kinases towards an inflammatory response via coupling with IRF5, and by activating the NLRP3 inflammasome without the need for a second signal. CXCL4 strongly induced chromatin remodeling in a cooperative and synergistic manner with TLR8 signaling, inducing de novo enhancers associated with inflammatory genes. These findings identify signaling and epigenomic mechanisms that underly synergistic activation of inflammatory genes by CXCL4 and TLR8, provide a new paradigm for modulation of TLR responses that is relevant for cytokine storm, and suggest targeting the TBK1/IKKε-IRF5 axis may be beneficial in inflammatory diseases.
Quercetin inhibits intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma by inducing ferroptosis and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transformation via the NF-κB pathway
Authors: Song Yinghui , Zhang Zhihua , Chai Qin , Xia GuoYi , Yu Zhangtao , Yang Ranzhiqiang , Huang Junkai , Li Yuhang , Peng Chuang , Jiang Bo , Liu Sulai 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare high-fatal hepatobiliary malignancy, the treatment option of ICC is very limited, and the prognosis is also poor. Recently, emerging evidence has shown the potential of quercetin (QE) for cancer therapy. We explored the effect and mechanism of QE on ICC in vitro and in vivo. CCK-8 assay and Clonogenic assay showed that QE could inhibit ICC cells proliferation and survival. PI staining suggested QE could induce ICC cells arrest in G1 phase. AV/PI staining suggested QE could promote ICC cells apoptosis. Wound Healing Assay and Transwell chamber experiment suggested QE could inhibit ICC cells EMT. RNA-seq, the changes in the structure of mitochondria by electron microscopy and the key markers of ferroptosis (free iron ions, MDA, SOD, GPX4) were supported QE could promote ferroptosis in ICC cells. Molecular docking showed that QE had direct interaction with NF-κB and GPX4. In vivo, treatment with QE inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival time of tumor-bearing nude mice. Our data for the first time suggest that QE is a new ferroptosis inducer and combinative treatment of inhibiting NF-κB in ICC cells by inducing ferroptosis and inhibiting EMT, which will hopefully provide a prospective strategy for ICC patients.
The Effects of the MTHFR 677C&gt;T (rs1801133) Genetic Variant on Susceptibility and Disability in Multiple Sclerosis Patients are Mediated by Homocysteine but Not Folate Levels
Authors: Ribeiro Claudia Mara , Oliveira Sayonara Rangel , Flauzino Tamires , Alfieri Daniela Frizon , Simão Andrea Name Colado , Lozovoy Marcell Alysson Batisti , Maes Michael , Reiche Edna Maria Vissoci 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
We investigated whether the MTHFR 677C>T (rs1801133) variant and plasma homocysteine and folate are associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), disability, disability progression, and inflammatory biomarkers. We included 163 MS patients categorized using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) as mild (EDSS<3) and moderate/high (EDSS≥3) disability, and 226 healthy controls. Disability progression was evaluated using Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score (MSSS) and the MTHFR 677C>T was genotyped using real time polymerase chain reaction. The levels of some inflammatory biomarkers and inflammatory activity index (IAI) were determined. There was no association between the MTHFR 677 C>T genotypes and MS, EDSS, and MSSS (p>0.05). Plasma folate and homocysteine were higher and adiponectin was lower in MS patients than controls (p<0.001). Moreover, 21.8% of the EDSS variance was explained by age, IAI and C-reactive protein (CRP) (all positively associated); 10.9% of the MSSS variance was predicted by IAI and CRP (both positively) and vitamin D3 (negatively), whereas 54.4% of the MS-EDSS-MSSS score was explained by the regression on age, IAI, homocysteine, folate, and CRP (all positively) and adiponectin, body mass index, and vitamin D3 (all negatively), female sex and the MTHFR 677 TT genotype. In patients and controls, 16.6% of the variance in the homocysteine was explained by the MTHFR 677 TT genotype and age (both positively), folate (negatively) and male sex. In conclusion, the MTHFR 677C>T variant was not directly associated with MS, disability, and disability progression; however, the TT genotype showed indirect effects on MS susceptibility and disability mediated by homocysteine.
Quality water not everywhere: Exploratory Analysis of Water Quality Across Ebocha-Obrikom Oil and Gas Flaring Area in the Core Niger Delta Region of Nigeria
Authors: Raimi Morufu Olalekan , Sawyerr Olawale Henry , Ezekwe Clinton Ifeanyichukwu , Olaniyi Opasola Afolabi 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background:In Rivers State, Nigeria, Indigenous communities of Ebocha-Obrikom have nearly worst drinking water quality in the province with concerns extending from worsening water quality to deficiency of support from oil companies operating in the environment. The minute water is suspected, or recognized of being unsafe or hazardous to human consumption, community people are likely to be positioned under a wasted health.Objectives:To compare water quality parameters in the vicinity of Gas Flaring Area of Ebocha-Obrikom of Rivers State with that of the recommended standards.Methods:The research utilized standard analytical procedures. All sampling, conservation, transportation and analysis followed standard procedures described in APHA (2012). All the samples collected were transported to the laboratory through keeping in an icebox to prevent degradation of the organic substances.Results:Result depicts that Turbidity, DO, BOD, COD, TSS, Magnesium, Iron, Cadmium, Lead, Chromium, and Nickel exceeded the desirable limit meant for drinking purpose as well as could potentially pose threats toward human society. Hence, remain unsuitable for drinking, as the inhabitants were more vulnerable for their total lifetime period of exposure through continuous consumption of unsuitable drinking water.Conclusion:It is recommended that the local government environmental health officers and other regulatory agencies frequently monitor the levels of these pollutants within the area and also ensure strict adherence to guidelines to ensure a healthy environment. As exposure to the above stated parameters can have a remarkable impact on human health living in the vicinity of the gas flaring area by drinking water around the study area; thus, groundwater needs to treated before using for household purpose or drinking. Thus, this study would help in decision making for stakeholders and relevant authorities in the execution of reasonable groundwater management strategies and remediation plans in the area to protect public and environmental health.
In vivo efficacy and safety of Siddha medicine Kabasura Kudineer among COVID 19 infected Syrian golden hamsters.
Authors: Divya Kanchibhotla , Pathak Jeetu , Reddy Ravi Kumar M , R Venkatesh Hari K. 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has overburdened current healthcare system and highlighted the need to explore potent remedies in Traditional medicine systems. Kabasura Kudineer (KSK), a poly herbal Siddha medicine, has shown great potential in treating COVID-19.Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the safety and efficacy of Kabasura Kudineer in a preclinical model for COVID-19: Syrian Golden Hamsters.Methods: This research study investigates the in vivo efficacy and safety of the well-known antiviral Siddha medicine KSK as a powdered tablet on COVID-19 infected Syrian golden hamsters. A total of 19 female hamsters were infected with the virus cell culture through intranasal route. 4 out of 19 animals were mock controls, 5 were infection controls, 4 were treated with remdesivir and acted as positive controls and remaining 6 were treated with KSK. The hamsters were observed for any adverse events, followed by their sacrifice on day 4 after inoculation with the virus. The lung pathology and viral load was studied for each hamster.Results: Therapeutic use of intraperitoneal instillation of Siddha formulation KSK reduces SARS-CoV-2 viral load and associated gross clinical parameters. Results showed significant reduction of 65% in the viral load for the KSK arm as compared to the infection control.Conclusion: We observed that the animals treated with KSK exhibited less severe pathology compared to the untreated infected group. No toxicity or adverse events were observed in the KSK group. This pre-clinical study supports the safety and efficacy of KSK.Study Registration: FNDR’s Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC), Registration Number 2082/PO/Rc/S/19/CPCSEA
On Learning from Natural Language to Develop Intelligent System to Identify Potential Medical Condition
Authors: Bhoj Naman , Tripathi Ashutosh 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
With the rise in human population and emergence of the medical crisis across the whole globe, it has become essential to develop smart systems to automate the process of identification of medical conditions and therefore provide timely aid to the patient. As the first step to develop such a system in this paper we aim to create a natural language based medical condition identification system. The user would provide a text review of how they feel with few other categorical features, based upon that our model would identify the potential medical condition the user is suffering from. We employed three different machine-learning algorithms and mitigated class imbalance in our dataset. Empirical results indicate that Random Forest is the best machine-learning algorithm among all the investigated models with an accuracy of 80.39%, whereas the accuracy of the AdaBoost model improved the highest with an absolute value of 7.77% after mitigating class imbalance
RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA: ESTIMULAÇÃO COGNITIVA DE IDOSOS COM O JOGO DE XADREZ
Authors: Carneiro Cristiana Fiusa , Andrade Léo Pasqualini de 
Published: October 2021

O jogo de xadrez é uma atividade social, cultural e esportiva que pode ser praticada por idosos com poucas horas de aprendizado, de baixo custo e que necessita pouco espaço físico para ser jogado. Trata-se de um jogo de tabuleiro que é bem aceito em geral pelas pessoas com mais de sessenta anos, como atividade de lazer. Suas características intrínsecas requerem habilidades de raciocínio que proporcionam estimulação cognitiva e de sociabilização, e pode ser utilizado pelo empreendedor do cuidado social como instrumento na melhora da qualidade de vida do idoso. O xadrez traz aspectos motivacionais para o desenvolvimento da autonomia, em virtude do praticante necessitar tomar decisões a cada lance executado no tabuleiro. O respeito ao parceiro e a ética inerentes ao cumprimento das regras auxiliam o mediador das aulas na conduta dos participantes. Este artigo traz o relato de experiência da primeira autora, que ministra aulas de xadrez para idosos, semanalmente, em um tradicional clube da capital paulista. As buscas por artigos científicos foram feitas no portal da PubMed, SciELO, Google Scholar e ResearchGate, através das palavras-chave: xadrez, idosos, cognição em dois idiomas, português e inglês. Por meio desta articulação entre relato de experiência e literatura, as evidências indicam que os idosos buscam por atividades lúdicas que possibilitem estímulos sociais e cognitivos. Por fim, observa-se a necessidade de mais estudos relativos às atividades cognitivas com o jogo de xadrez para o envelhecimento ativo e saudável da população idosa, como meio de promoção do bem-estar e da qualidade de vida.
Water management in Pakistan's Indus Basin: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Janjua Shahmir , Hassan Ishtiaq , Muhammad Shoaib , Ahmed Saira , Ahmed Afzal 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
The Indus River System is a major source of life in Pakistan. A vast array of Pakistan's agricultural and domestic consumption needs are critically dependent on the Indus River System. The Indus River contributes towards 25% of the country's gross domestic product, providing water for almost 90% of the food production in Pakistan. Linked to the water security issues, Pakistan is potentially at risk of facing a severe food shortage in the near future. The World Bank report of 2020–2021 estimates that the water shortage will increase to 32% by 2025, which will result in a food shortage of almost 70 million tons. Water shortage could also result in confrontation between the provinces as river sharing has always been a source of problem for Pakistan. According to recent estimates, siltation and climate change will reduce the water storage capacity by 2025 to almost 30%. As for the per capita water storage capacity in Pakistan, it is about 150 m3, which is quite meagre in comparison with that in other countries. Irrigated agriculture will soon be adversely affected due to the reduced surface water supplies and the consequent increase in groundwater abstraction. To make matters worse, over the past decades, a great deal of distrust has developed among the provinces of Pakistan regarding the water distribution issue, and the successive federal governments have failed to formulate a cohesive inter-provincial National Water Policy. Along with the shortages and increasing demand for water, administrative corruption also plagues the water sector and is quite common. The beneficiaries of this water reallocation system are not only the rural elite, for example the large and politically influential landlords, but also the small and medium capitalist farmers. If not properly addressed, these complications of decreasing water resources could result in serious political and economic hostility among the provinces. If it wants to harness its potential to increase storage capacity, Pakistan must improve its water-use efficiency and manage its groundwater and surface water resources in a sustainable way. Strengthening the institutions and removing mistrust among the provinces are the key elements for maintaining a sustainable irrigated agriculture in the Indus Basin.
River chief system: an institutional analysis to address watershed governance in China
Authors: Wang Bo , Wan Jingjing , Zhu Yuchun 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
China suffers from frequent water crisis events caused by ecological pollution in watersheds. The river chief system policy is an institutional innovation by the government to deal with the ecological environmental crisis in the river basin. This study focuses on China's watershed environmental governance policy and describes the origin, operation mode, and governance effect of its river chief system policy. This study comparatively analyses the advantages of the policy in basin environmental governance, such as clear government responsibility, enhanced coordination among government departments, the accountability mechanism of the one-vote veto system, and the disadvantages of the policy in terms of high costs, information asymmetry, and lack of public participation. Furthermore, this study proposes suggestions on the sustainable development of watershed environmental governance from three aspects: regional characteristics, investment, and institutional innovation of policy implementation.
Isotherm and selectivity study of Ni(II) removal using natural and acid-activated nanobentonites
Authors: Ashouri Mehranjani Zahra , Hayati-Ashtiani Majid , Rezaei Mehran 
Published: October 2021

Abstract
In this research, natural bentonite and its acid-activated forms were employed as adsorbents for the adsorption of Ni2+ ions from wastewater. Natural bentonite was activated with 2 M sulfuric acid, 4.5 h and 95 °C (the best acid-activated sample with the highest adsorption capacity) and the other 6 M sulfuric acid, 7.5 h and 95 °C (the worst acid-activated sample with the lowest adsorption capacity). The adsorption of Ni2+ was studied through experiments including equilibrium contact time and selectivity. The equilibrium contact time for bentonite was obtained at 180 min. The Ni2+ separation process along with Zn2+ selectivity studies was considered through adsorption experiments. The results showed that there was a maximum amount of Ni2+ adsorption in the absence of Zn2+ for all samples. The results showed the best ﬁt is obtained with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Working out different bentonite types to determine the best kinetic models, we explored the Langmuir and Florry–Huggins models provided a good fit with experimental data for acid-activated bentonites and the best results from linear forms of the adsorption isotherm models for fitting the experimental data of natural bentonite are obtained for Langmuir, Temkin and Freundlich models.