bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Single nucleotide polymorphisms within HLA region are associated with the outcomes of unrelated cord blood transplantation
Authors: Chen Ding-Ping , Chang Su-Wei , Jaing Tang-Her , Wang Wei-Ting , Hsu Fang-Ping , Tseng Ching-Ping 
Published: November 2021

AbstractCord blood transplantation (CBT) provides a treatment scheme for hematologic diseases and leukemia in both children and adults. However, adverse reactions and transplantation-related death may still occur in patients receiving CBT even when donor and recipient have fully matched HLA in high-resolution HLA typing analysis. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of HLA-related and unrelated genes are known to associate with disease status of patients with unrelated stem cell transplantation. In this study, the genomic regions ranging from 500 base pairs upstream to 500 base pairs downstream of the eight SNPs that were reported as transplantation determinants by Petersdorf et al. were analyzed to evaluate whether genetic variants were associated with the survival status of patients, and the risk for severe (grades 3–4) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection/reactivation. The analyses were performed in the mode of recipient genotype, donor genotype, and recipient-donor mismatching, respectively. By analysis of sixty-five patients and their HLA-matched unrelated donors, we found that five SNPs were associated with patient survival which included the recipient genotype with SNPs of rs107822 in the RING1 gene, and rs2070120, rs17220087 and rs17213693 in the HLA-DOB gene; and the recipient-donor mismatching with SNPs of rs9282369 in HLA-DOA gene, and rs2070120, rs17220087 and rs17213693 in the HLA-DOB gene. Five SNPs were associated with the risk for severe GVHD which included the donor genotype with SNPs of rs213210 and rs2523675; the recipient genotype with SNPs of rs9281491 in the HCP5 gene; and the recipient-donor mismatching with SNPs of rs209130 in the TRIM27 gene, and rs986522 in the COL11A2 gene. Six SNPs were related to the risk for CMV infection/reactivation which included the donor genotype with SNPs of rs435766, rs380924, and rs2523957; and the recipient-donor mismatching with SNPs of rs2070120, rs17220087, and rs17213693 in the HLA-DOB gene; and rs435766 and rs380924 in the MICD gene. This study provides the basis for larger analyses and if the results are confirmed, a way of selecting better unrelated CBT candidate donors.
Elevated fecal and serum calprotectin in COVID-19 are not consistent with gastrointestinal symptoms
Authors: Shokri-Afra Hajar , Alikhani Ahmad , Moradipoodeh Bahman , Noorbakhsh Farshid , Fakheri Hafez , Moradi-Sardareh Hemen 
Published: November 2021

AbstractIntestinal epithelial cell damage caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection was thought to be associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and decreased fecal consistency. The association of the gastrointestinal symptoms with the COVID-19-mediated inflammatory response triggered by the gastrointestinal immune system was investigated in this paper. Intestinal inflammation marker fecal calprotectin along with serum calprotectin and other inflammatory markers were measured in COVID-19 cases with and without GI manifestations as well as healthy individuals. Analyses were performed to compare COVID-19 patient subgroups and healthy controls and examine the relationship between fecal and serum calprotectin levels with gastrointestinal symptoms and disease severity. COVID-19 patients (n = 70) were found to have markedly elevated median levels of fecal (124.3 vs. 25.0 µg/g; P < 0/0001) and serum calprotectin (3500 vs. 1060 ng/mL; P < 0/0001) compared with uninfected controls. Fecal and serum calprotectin levels were not significantly different between COVID-19 patients who displayed GI symptoms and those who did not. Compared with other acute phase markers, both fecal and serum calprotectin were superior in identifying COVID-19 patients who progressed to severe illness. Although the progression of COVID-19 disease is marked by an elevation of fecal and serum calprotectin, gastrointestinal symptoms or diarrhea were not correlated with calprotectin increase level.
An integrated computational framework to design a multi-epitopes vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Albutti Aqel 
Published: November 2021

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease that mostly affects the lungs and is caused by a bacterial pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The associated mortality rate of TB is much higher compared to any other disease and the situation is more worrisome by the rapid emergence of drug resistant strains. Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG) is the only licensed attenuated vaccine available for use in humans however, many countries have stopped its use as it fails to confer protective immunity. Therefore, urgent efforts are required to identify new and safe vaccine candidates that are not only provide high immune protection but also have broad spectrum applicability. Considering this, herein, I performed an extensive computational vaccine analysis to investigate 200 complete sequenced genomes of M. tuberculosis to identify core vaccine candidates that harbor safe, antigenic, non-toxic, and non-allergic epitopes. To overcome literature reported limitations of epitope-based vaccines, I carried out additional analysis by designing a multi-epitopes vaccine to achieve maximum protective immunity as well as to make experimental follow up studies easy by selecting a vaccine that can be easily analyzed because of its favorable physiochemical profile. Based on these analyses, I identified two potential vaccine proteins that fulfill all required vaccine properties. These two vaccine proteins are diacylglycerol acyltransferase and ESAT-6-like protein. Epitopes: DSGGYNANS from diacylglycerol acyltransferase and AGVQYSRAD, ADEEQQQAL, and VSRADEEQQ from ESAT-6-like protein were found to cover all necessary parameters and thus used in a multi-epitope vaccine construct. The designed vaccine is depicting a high binding affinity for different immune receptors and shows stable dynamics and rigorous van der Waals and electrostatic binding energies. The vaccine also simulates profound primary, secondary, tertiary immunoglobulin production as well as high interleukins and interferons count. In summary, the designed vaccine is ideal to be evaluated experimentally to decipher its real biological efficacy in controlling drug resistant infections of M. tuberculosis.
Mechanically excellent nacre-inspired protective steel-concrete composite against hypervelocity impacts
Authors: Mei Yong , Liu Jinming , Cui Yuan , Li Feng , Tang Xuke , Sun Miao , Chi Ruiqiang , Zhang Yongbo , Zhang Ao , Chen Ke 
Published: November 2021

AbstractSteel–concrete (SC) composite widely used in military defensive project is due to its impressive mechanical properties, long-lived service, and low cost. However, the growing use of hypervelocity kinetic weapons in the present war puts forward higher requirements for the anti-explosion and penetration performance of military protection engineering. Here, inspired by the special ‘brick-and-mortar’ (BM) structural feature of natural nacre, we successfully construct a nacre-inspired steel–concrete (NISC) engineering composite with 2510 kg/m3, possessing nacre-like lamellar architecture via a bottom-up assembling technique. The NISC engineering composite exhibits nacreous BM structural similarity, high compressive strength of 68.5 MPa, compress modulus of 42.0 GPa, Mohs hardness of 5.5, Young’s modulus of 41.5 GPa, and shear modulus of 18.4 GPa, higher than pure concrete. More interestingly, the hypervelocity impact tests reveal the penetration capability of our NISC target material is obviously stronger than that of pure concrete, enhanced up to about 46.8% at the striking velocity of 1 km/s and approximately 30.9% at the striking velocity of 2 km/s, respectively, by examining the damages of targets, the trajectories, penetration depths, and residual projectiles. This mechanically integrated enhancement can be attributed to the nacre-like BM structural architecture derived from assembling the special steel-bar array frame-reinforced concrete platelets. This study highlights a key role of nacre-like structure design in promoting the enhanced hypervelocity impact resistance of steel–concrete composites.
On the design and performance analysis of wristband MIMO/diversity antenna for smart wearable communication applications
Authors: Govindan Thennarasi , Palaniswamy Sandeep Kumar , Kanagasabai Malathi , Rao Thipparaju Rama , Alsath M. Gulam Nabi , Kumar Sachin , Velan Sangeetha , Marey Mohamed , Aggarwal Apeksha 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe design of a silicone rubber-based wristband wearable antenna exploiting pattern diversity is presented in this paper. The wristband diversity antenna consists of four identical antenna elements with an inter-element spacing of 0.68λ0, where λ0 is the lower cut-off wavelength. A modified trapezoidal-shaped radiator with a rectangular ground structure is used to achieve ultra-wide bandwidth. The proposed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)/diversity antenna covers a frequency range of 2.75–12 GHz. The antenna element offers a radiation efficiency of 89.3% and a gain of 3.41 dBi. The size of the wristband diversity antenna is 1.1λ0 × 18.4λ0 × 0.18λ0. The diversity performance characteristics of the prototype antenna are examined, with the envelope correlation coefficient (ECC) < 0.18, apparent diversity gain (ADG) > 9.5, effective diversity gain (EDG) > 9.5, mean effective gain (MEG) < 1 dB, total active reflection coefficient (TARC) < − 10 dB, and channel capacity loss (CCL) < 0.1 bits/s/Hz over the entire operating band. The specific absorption rate (SAR) of the proposed wristband antenna is analyzed to determine its radiation exposure on the human body, and the results show that the values are less than 0.02 W/kg.
Plasma extracellular vesicles in people living with HIV and type 2 diabetes are related to microbial translocation and cardiovascular risk
Authors: Vestad Beate , Nyman Tuula A. , Hove-Skovsgaard Malene , Stensland Maria , Hoel Hedda , Trøseid Anne-Marie Siebke , Aspelin Trude , Aass Hans Christian D. , Puhka Maija , Hov Johannes R. , Nielsen Susanne Dam , Øvstebø Reidun , Trøseid Marius 
Published: November 2021

AbstractHIV and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are both associated with gut microbiota alterations, low-grade endotoxemia and increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated the potential role of plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) in relation to these processes. Plasma EVs were isolated by size exclusion chromatography in fasting individuals with HIV and T2D (n = 16), T2D only (n = 14), HIV only (n = 20) or healthy controls (n = 19), and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, western blot, nanoparticle tracking analysis and quantitative proteomics. The findings were compared to gut microbiota alterations, lipopolysaccharide levels and cardiovascular risk profile. Individuals with concomitant HIV and T2D had higher plasma EV concentration, which correlated closely with plasma lipopolysaccharides, triglycerides and Framingham score, but not with gut microbiota alterations. Proteomic analyses identified 558 human proteins, largely related to cardiometabolic disease genes and upstream regulation of inflammatory pathways, including IL-6 and IL-1β, as well as 30 bacterial proteins, mostly from lipopolysaccharide-producing Proteobacteria. Our study supports that EVs are related to microbial translocation processes in individuals with HIV and T2D. Their proteomic content suggests a contributing role in low-grade inflammation and cardiovascular risk development. The present approach for exploring gut-host crosstalk can potentially identify novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
A dry immersion model of microgravity modulates platelet phenotype, miRNA signature, and circulating plasma protein biomarker profile
Authors: Twomey Laura , Navasiolava Nastassia , Robin Adrien , Bareille Marie-Pierre , Gauquelin-Koch Guillemette , Beck Arnaud , Larcher Françoise , Meade-Murphy Gerardene , Sheridan Sinead , Maguire Patricia B. , Harrison Michael , Degryse Bernard , Moyna Niall M. , Gharib Claude , Custaud Marc-Antoine , Murphy Ronan P. 
Published: November 2021

AbstractGround based research modalities of microgravity have been proposed as innovative methods to investigate the aetiology of chronic age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Dry Immersion (DI), has been effectively used to interrogate the sequelae of physical inactivity (PI) and microgravity on multiple physiological systems. Herein we look at the causa et effectus of 3-day DI on platelet phenotype, and correlate with both miRomic and circulating biomarker expression. The miRomic profile of platelets is reflective of phenotype, which itself is sensitive and malleable to the exposome, undergoing responsive transitions in order to fulfil platelets role in thrombosis and haemostasis. Heterogeneous platelet subpopulations circulate at any given time, with varying degrees of sensitivity to activation. Employing a DI model, we investigate the effect of acute PI on platelet function in 12 healthy males. 3-day DI resulted in a significant increase in platelet count, plateletcrit, platelet adhesion, aggregation, and a modest elevation of platelet reactivity index (PRI). We identified 15 protein biomarkers and 22 miRNA whose expression levels were altered after DI. A 3-day DI model of microgravity/physical inactivity induced a prothrombotic platelet phenotype with an unique platelet miRNA signature, increased platelet count and plateletcrit. This correlated with a unique circulating protein biomarker signature. Taken together, these findings highlight platelets as sensitive adaptive sentinels and functional biomarkers of epigenetic drift within the cardiovascular compartment.
Coordination during group departures and progressions in the tolerant multi-level society of wild Guinea baboons (Papio papio)
Authors: Montanari Davide , O’Hearn William J. , Hambuckers Julien , Fischer Julia , Zinner Dietmar 
Published: November 2021

AbstractCollective movement of social groups requires coordination between individuals. When cohesion is imperative, consensus must be reached, and specific individuals may exert disproportionate influence during decision-making. Animals living in multi-level societies, however, often split into consistent social subunits during travel, which may impact group coordination processes. We studied collective movement in the socially tolerant multi-level society of Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Using 146 group departures and 100 group progressions from 131 Guinea baboons ranging in Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park, we examined individual success at initiating group departures and position within progressions. Two-thirds of attempted departures were initiated by adult males and one third by adult females. Both sexes were equally successful at initiating departures (> 80% of initiations). During group progressions, bachelor males were predominantly found in front, while reproductively active ‘primary’ males and females were observed with similar frequency across the whole group. The pattern of collective movement in Guinea baboons was more similar to those described for baboons living in uni-level societies than to hamadryas baboons, the only other multi-level baboon species, where males initiate and decide almost all group departures. Social organization alone therefore does not determine which category of individuals influence group coordination.
The condition of the oral cavity at the time of diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in pediatric patients
Authors: Klichowska-Palonka Małgorzata , Komsta Aneta , Pac-Kożuchowska Elżbieta 
Published: November 2021

AbstractChanges in the oral mucosa can appear in the course of inflammatory bowel disease in both children and adults. They often precede the appearance of gastrointestinal symptoms. The aim of the study was to determine the nature of changes in the oral cavity at the time of diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease in children compared to children without systemic diseases. 49 children diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and 60 children without systemic diseases were examined. The prevalence of the aphthae stomatitis and angular cheilitis was 24.5% in the examined group and 10% in the control group (p = 0.0772). Changes in the oral mucosa occurred more frequently in children with Crohn's disease 35.3% than with ulcerative colitis 18.7%. In children with Crohn's disease, the most frequently observed lesion was aphthous stomatitis 23.5%, and in ulcerative colitis, angular cheilitis 12.5%. Changes in the oral mucosa are a therapeutic problem requiring in general diseases patients both local and systemic treatment and interdisciplinary cooperation between dentists, paediatricians and gastroenterologists. The finding of repeated changes in the oral mucosa during a dental examination should be the reason for referring the patient to a paediatrician for the foreclosure or make a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases.
An unusual elateroid lineage from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (Coleoptera: Elateroidea)
Authors: Li Yan-Da , Kundrata Robin , Packova Gabriela , Huang Di-Ying , Cai Chen-Yang 
Published: November 2021

AbstractWe here report a new elateroid, Anoeuma lawrencei Li, Kundrata and Cai gen. et sp. nov., from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Though superficially similar to some soft-bodied archostematans, Anoeuma could be firmly placed in the polyphagan superfamily Elateroidea based on the hind wing venation. Detailed morphological comparisons between extant elateroids and the Cretaceous fossils suggest that the unique character combination does not fit with confidence into any existing soft-bodied elateroid group, although some characters indicate possible relationships between Anoeuma and Omalisinae. Our discovery of this new lineage further demonstrates the past diversity and morphological disparity of soft-bodied elateroids.
Differences in the setting of acetabular component alignment guides between the supine and lateral positions for total hip arthroplasty
Authors: Minoda Yukihide , Sugama Ryo , Ohta Yoichi , Takemura Susumu , Yamamoto Nobuo , Nakatsuchi Tamotsu , Nakamura Hiroaki 
Published: November 2021

AbstractThe acetabular component orientation in total hip arthroplasty is of critical importance to clinical results. Although navigation systems and surgical robots have been introduced, most surgeons still use acetabular component alignment guides. This study aimed to compare the accuracy between modern acetabular component alignment guides for the lateral position and those for the supine position. Thirteen alignment guides for the lateral position and 10 for the supine position were investigated. All the lateral position alignment guides indicated cup alignment in operative definition, and the supine position alignment guides indicated cup alignment in radiographic definition. For lateral position alignment guides, the anteversion actually indicated by the alignment guide itself was smaller than that indicated by the manufacturer by a mean of 6° (maximum, 9°), and the inclination actually indicated by alignment guides themselves was larger than that by the manufacturer (p < 0.01) by a mean of 2° (maximum, 4°). For supine position alignment guides, the inclination and anteversion indicated by the alignment guide itself were identical with those indicated by the manufacturer. The current study showed that the angles actually indicated and those stated by manufacturers were not identical for lateral position alignment guides.
Adiabatic quantum linear regression
Authors: Date Prasanna , Potok Thomas 
Published: November 2021

AbstractA major challenge in machine learning is the computational expense of training these models. Model training can be viewed as a form of optimization used to fit a machine learning model to a set of data, which can take up significant amount of time on classical computers. Adiabatic quantum computers have been shown to excel at solving optimization problems, and therefore, we believe, present a promising alternative to improve machine learning training times. In this paper, we present an adiabatic quantum computing approach for training a linear regression model. In order to do this, we formulate the regression problem as a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem. We analyze our quantum approach theoretically, test it on the D-Wave adiabatic quantum computer and compare its performance to a classical approach that uses the Scikit-learn library in Python. Our analysis shows that the quantum approach attains up to $${2.8 \times }$$

2.8
×

speedup over the classical approach on larger datasets, and performs at par with the classical approach on the regression error metric. The quantum approach used the D-Wave 2000Q adiabatic quantum computer, whereas the classical approach used a desktop workstation with an 8-core Intel i9 processor. As such, the results obtained in this work must be interpreted within the context of the specific hardware and software implementations of these machines.
The effects of exosomes derived from trabecular meshwork cells on Schlemm’s canal endothelial cells
Authors: Takahashi Eri , Saruwatari Junji , Fujimoto Tomokazu , Tanoue Yuki , Fukuda Takaichi , Inoue Toshihiro 
Published: November 2021

AbstractTrabecular meshwork (TM) and Schlemm’s canal (SC) are the main structures within the conventional outflow pathway, and TM cells and SC endothelial (SCE) cells are essential for controlling intraocular pressure. To examine the interaction between TM cells and SCE cells, we investigated whether exosomes contribute to intercellular communication. Additionally, TM cells in glaucoma acquire mesenchymal characteristics in response to transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 and extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen type 1 (Col-1); these changes result in increased resistance of aqueous outflow. In this study, we stimulated TM cells with TGF-β2 and Col-1 and characterized the exosomal miRNAs (exomiRs) released in response to each stimulus. Isolated exosomes were rich in miRNAs, with downregulated miR-23a-5p and upregulated miR-3942-5p and miR-7515 levels following Col-1 or TGF-β2 stimulation. Next, a miRNA-mRNA network under TGF-β2 stimulation was constructed. There were no connections among the 3 miRNAs and predicted genes under Col-1 stimulation. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that the identified miRNAs were associated with various signaling pathways, including the inflammatory response. Interestingly, SCE cells treated with miR-7515 mimic showed increased VEGFA, VEGFR2, PECAM, and Tie2 expression. Ultrastructures typical of exosomes and positive staining for exosomal markers were observed in human TM cells. Our data showed that TM cells may communicate with SCE cells via exomiRs and that miR-7515 may be important for SCE cell reprogramming.