bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Morpho-Biochemical effect of salinity on medicinal plants of Gilgit-Biltistan, Pakistan
Authors: Ali Ejaz , Mansoor Simeen , Tabassum Bushra 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Salinity stress is one of the significant abiotic stresses affecting germination, seedling length, biomass, total protein, and antioxidant enzyme activity in plants. The present study attempts to understand the effect of salt stress on medicinal plants found in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), northern areas of Pakistan. Seeds of medicinal plants were sterilized and grown in Petri Dishes containing salt treatments of 0 mM, 100 mM, and 200 mM separately for one week. The effect of salinity stress on morphological parameters like germination percentage, seedling length, and biomass was observed. The biochemical parameters such as total protein, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The statistical analysis was performed by the software SPSS version 20.0. Spectrophotometry and gel electrophoresis was used to analyze total protein and antioxidant enzymes quantitatively and qualitatively. It was noticed that increasing levels of salt there was a negative effect on germination percentage (Mean square MS, 8964.48**), seedling length (MS, 208.69**), and biomass (MS, 2.609**). Salinity has no significant effect on the activity of antioxidant enzymes, APX (MS, 31686.791 non-significant), and GPX (MS, 23.41, non-significant). Still, it significantly affects the total protein (MS,17442485.315**) of different genotypes of medicinal plants.
SPARC Accelerates Biliary Tract Cancer Progression through CTGF-mediated Tumor-Stroma interactions: SPARC as a Prognostic Marker of Survival after Neoadjuvant Therapy
Authors: Takayama Hirotoshi , Kobayashi Shogo , Gotoh Kunihito , Sasaki Kazuki , Iwagami Yoshifumi , Yamada Daisaku , Tomimaru Yoshito , Akita Hirofumi , Asaoka Tadafumi , Noda Takehiro , Wada Hiroshi , Takahashi Hidenori , Tanemura Masahiro , Doki Yuichiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Purpose: In biliary tract cancer (BTC), malignancy is strongest at the invasion front. To improve the BTC prognosis, the invasion front should be controlled. We evaluated tumor-stroma crosstalk at the tumor center and at the invasion front of BTC lesions. We investigated the expression of SPARC, a marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts, and determined its ability to predict BTC prognosis after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NAC-RT).
Methods: We performed immunohistochemistry to evaluate SPARC expression in resected specimens from patients that underwent BTC surgery. We established highly invasive (HI) clones in two BTC cell lines (NOZ, CCLP1), and performed mRNA microarrays to compare gene expression in parental and HI cells.
Results: Among 92 specimens, stromal SPARC expression was higher at the invasion front than at the lesion center (p=0.014). Among 50 specimens from patients treated with surgery alone, high stromal SPARC expression at the invasion front was associated with a poor prognosis (recurrence-free survival: p=0.033; overall survival: p=0.017). Coculturing fibroblasts with NOZ-HI cells upregulated fibroblast SPARC expression. mRNA microarrays showed that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was upregulated in NOZ-HI and CCLP1-HI cells. A CTGF knockdown suppressed cell invasion in NOZ-HI cells. Exogeneous CTGF upregulated SPARC expression in fibroblasts. SPARC expression at the invasion front was significantly lower after NAC-RT, compared to surgery alone (p=0.003).
Conclusion: CTGF was associated with tumor-stroma crosstalk in BTC. CTGF activated stromal SPARC expression, which promoted tumor progression, particularly at the invasion front. SPARC expression at the invasion front after NAC-RT may serve as a prognosis predictor.
Pharmacoresistant epilepsy in adult patients: a cross-sectional study on pharmacotherapeutic characteristics, access, knowledge, and treatment adherence
Authors: Mencucini Paula Sousa França , Campos Marília Silveira de Almeida , Lopes Vinícius Detoni , Rodrigues João Paulo Vilela , Inouye Fabiana Coelho , Zanetti Maria Olívia Barboza , Varallo Fabiana Rossi , Pereira Leonardo Régis Leira 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the pharmacotherapeutic, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics of patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy treated at a specialized outpatient clinic, as well as to assess the knowledge and adherence of patients to pharmacological treatment and to identify the most frequent adverse events (AE).
Methods: Cross-sectional study, based on an interview using validated questionnaires and document analysis of medical records.
Results:There was a high prevalence of polytherapy 92.1 % (200/217), and an average treatment time of 25.8 years. The most used antiepileptic drugs were clobazam, lamotrigine, carbamazepine and topiramate. The average AE score was 41.4 points (SD = 11.4). Regarding access to the drugs used, 66.4 % (144/217) of the patients reported having free access. The patients' knowledge about antiepileptic drug therapy obtained a mean score of 93.5 points (SD = 16.7 points), and these patients with more excellent knowledge also had greater adherence to treatment [OR= 2.51 (95 % CI, 1.11; 5.65)] and a lower incidence of AE [OR= 0.47 (95 % CI, 0.27; 0.83)]. Non-adherence rates were found to be 47.5 % (103/217), and variables that were significantly associated (p˂0.05) with non-adherence were found.
Conclusion: Patients have good knowledge about pharmacological treatment, and prescriptions are in line with national guidelines, but they need integrated and continuous care work to optimize adherence and health services.
A New Necroptosis-Related lncRNA Signature Predicts the Prognosis of Kidney Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Zhao Boxin , Gui Lin , Zhang Zhiyong , Xiang Yingyu , Sun Xueyuan , Fan Jingyao , Huang Lijuan 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
This study aimed to construct a necroptosis-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) signature to accurately predict the prognosis of kidney clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) patients using data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The KIRC patient data were downloaded from TCGA database. Univariate Cox regression analyses, Lasso, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identifying prognostic risk-associated lncRNAs. Pearson correlation analysis was implemented to obtain necroptosis-related lncRNAs. 8 lncRNAs were identified and used to construct a predictive signature. Kaplan–Meier curves and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate reliability and sensitivity of the signature. A prognostic nomogram was established to predict the probable 1, 2, and 3-years overall survival of KIRC patients quantitatively. Functional Enrichment Analysis was used to explore the functional differences between the high and low risk groups. We constructed and verified a necroptosis-related lncRNAs prognostic signature of KIRC patients(LINC00565、AL731567.1、PRKAR1B-AS1、PROX1-AS1、C3orf36、LINC02446、AL355377.4、LINC01738). We confirmed that the survival rates of KIRC patients with high-risk subgroup were significantly poorer than those with low-risk subgroup. Kaplan-Meier and ROC curves revealed that the signature had an acceptable predictive potency. ROC curves indicated that the prognostic signature had a reliable predictive capability(AUC = 0.725). Cox regression and survival analysis indicated that the predictive signature can predict the prognosis of KIRC patients independent of various clinical parameters. The risk score and 8 necroptosis-related lncRNAs(NRLs) were significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration. Functional enrichment analysis provided us with new ways to search for potential biological functions. We constructed a necroptosis-related lncRNAs prognostic signature which could accurately predict the prognosis of KIRC patients.
Palmitic Acid combined with γ-interferon inhibits gastric cancer progression by modulating macrophages polarization via the TLR4 pathway
Authors: Zhang Yan-Yan , Li Jian , Li Fan , Xue Shuai , Xu Qing-Yu , Zhang Ya-Qiong , Feng Li 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute the main infiltrating immune cells in the solid tumor microenvironment. Amounting studies have analyzed the anti-tumor effect on immune response induced by (TLR) agonists, such as Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), γ-interferon (γ-IFN), and Palmitic Acid (PA). However, their combination treatment for gastric cancer (GC) has been unilluminated.
Methods
We investigated the relevance of macrophage polarization and the effect of PA and γ-IFN in GC in vitro and in vivo. M1 and M2 macrophage-associated markers were measured by real-time quantitative PCR and Flow Cytometry, and the activation level of the TLR4 signaling pathways was evaluated by Western Blot. The effect of PA and γ-IFN on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells (GCC), was evaluated by Cell-Counting-Kit-8, transwell assays, and wound-healing assays. In vivo animal models were used to verify the effect of PA and γ-IFN on tumor progression, and the M1 and M2 macrophage markers, CD8 + T lymphocytes, regulatory T cells (Treg), and the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in tumor tissues were analyzed by Flow Cytometry and Immunohistochemical (IHC).
Results
Our results showed that this combination strategy enhanced M1-like macrophages and diminished M2-like macrophages through the TLR4 signaling pathway in vitro. In addition, the combination strategy impairs the proliferative and migratory activity of GCC in vitro and in vivo. While the anti-tumor effect was abrogated by using the TAK-424 (a specific TLR-4 signaling pathway inhibitor) in vitro.
Conclusions
The combination of Palmitic Acid and γ-interferon inhibits gastric cancer progression by modulating macrophages polarization via the TLR4 pathway
Prevalence and determinants of contraceptive use among women in rural communities in Eastern region of Ghana
Authors: Yeboah Isaac , Agyekum Martin Wiredu , Okyere Joshua , Mensah Ronald Osei , Essiaw Mary Naana , Appiah Hilda , Conduah Andrew Kweku , Koduah Seth Nana Kwabena , Christian Aaron Kobina 
Published: January 2023

Abstract

Background Despite the importance of contraceptives in reducing unwanted pregnancy and other related maternal morbidity and mortality, contraceptive usage is very low among women in their reproductive ages. In Ghana, there is an increase in contraceptive use for traditional and modern methods in rural areas. However, there is a paucity of studies examining the factors associated with any contraceptive method in the rural Eastern region of Ghana. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the prevalence and determinants of current use of any contraceptive method among women of reproductive age in the rural Eastern Region of Ghana. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among women of reproductive age in the rural Eastern region of Ghana. A structured questionnaire was used to interview rural women in Lower Manya and Upper Manya Krobo districts of Eastern region who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The data were analysed using Stata version 16. A Binary logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of current use of any contraceptive use (traditional and modern methods). Results The prevalence of contraceptive use was 27.8%. From the unadjusted analyses, age (p = 0.001), marital status (p = 0.087), desire for another child (p = 0.089) and head of household (p = 0.013) were independently associated with contraceptive use. In the adjusted analysis, contraceptive use was significantly higher among respondents aged 18–35 years (aOR:3.27; 95%CI:1.46–7.34;p = 0.004) or 36–40 years (aOR:2.14;95%CI:0.97–4.71;p = 0.049), husbands/partners who were head of households (aOR:3.40; 95%CI: 0.96–12.10; p = 0.028) compared with those aged 41–49 years and respondents who were head of households respectively. Contraceptive use was significantly lower among migrants (aOR:0.59; 95%CI:0.31–1.09; p = 0.036) compared with non-migrant. Conclusion This study highlights the factors associated with contraceptive use and the need to improve campaigns and educate rural women on contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy and space birth. Family planning programs should target young women, non-migrants and male-headed households to design an intervention to increase contraceptive use in rural areas.
Edoxaban vs low molecular weight heparin in COVID-19 hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Olivera Pável , Velásquez-Escandón César , Campoy Desirée , Flores Katia , Canals Tania , Johansson Erik , Herranz María José , Martínez Laia , Cerezo-Manchado Juan José , Salinas Ramón 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Objective
During the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, management of anticoagulation therapy in hospitalized patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) was simplified to low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), mainly due to the risk of drug-drug interactions. However, not all oral anticoagulants carry the same risk.
Methods
Observational, retrospective, and multicenter study that consecutively included hospitalized patients with non-valvular AF who received anticoagulant treatment with LMWH or edoxaban concomitantly with empirical therapy for COVID-19 infection.
Results
From March 5th to April 27th, 2020, 232 patients were included (80.3 ± 7.7 years, 50.0% men, CHA2DS2-VASc 4.1 ± 1.4; HAS-BLED 2.6 ± 1.0). Regarding COVID-19 therapy during hospitalization, patients were taking azithromycin (98.7%), hydroxychloroquine (89.7%), and ritonavir/lopinavir (81.5%). Peak D-dimer was significantly lower in the edoxaban group. The mean length of hospital stay was 14.6 ± 7.2 days and mean total follow-up (from admission to the last visit) was 31.6 ± 13.4 days. Furthermore, 12.9% of patients required admission to the intensive care unit, 18.5% of patients died, and 9.9% had a bleeding complication (34.8% major bleeding). Except for length of hospital stay, which was longer in patients taking LMWH (16.0 ± 7.7 vs 13.3 ± 6.5 days; P = 0.005), data for the remaining outcomes were similar in patients treated with edoxaban and those treated with LMWH.
Conclusions
Mortality rates, arterial and venous thromboembolic complications and bleedings did not significantly differ between patients with AF who received anticoagulation therapy with edoxaban or LMWH. However, the duration of hospitalization was significantly lower with edoxaban. Edoxaban had a similar therapeutic profile to LMWH and may provide additional benefit.
Synthesis and antibacterial activity of Schiff base-pyridine quaternary ammonium salt-halamine compounds on cotton fabrics
Authors: Tang Xin , Zhang Zaixing , Jing Lingxiao , Luan Kun , Zhou Sha , Zhang Tonghua 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
The incorporation of a single antimicrobial agent on textiles has been proven to be effective to enhance the antibacterial efficacy against single bacteria family. However, the daily usage of textile products face challenges from multiple microbes, i.e., bacterial, fungal, or/and viral, which threaten human’s safety and health. A "combination" of antimicrobial agents could be efficient and accessible to against several microbes at one time. In this study, a Schiff base-pyridinium quaternary ammonium salt-haloamine precursor compound (E)-3-(((2,4-dioxoimidazolidin-1-yl)imino)methyl)pyridin-1-ium (4-DMPY) was synthesized and grafted onto MPTES-treated cotton fabric by thiol-ene click chemistry. The results of NRM, FTIR, Raman, EDX, XPS and SEM tests showed that 4-DMPY was synthesized and grafted onto cotton fabrics. The antibacterial test results showed that 4-DMPY had antibacterial activity against both S. aureus and E. coli. The antibacterial activity of 4-DMPY-finished cotton fabric was significantly enhanced after chlorination treatment, which could kill 98% of S. aureus and 98.9% of E. coli at a concentration of 5 g/L, confirming the enhanced synergistic effect between 4-DMPY and N-chloramine. The antimicrobial substance on the cotton fabric is non-soluble, which kills 98.4% E. coli and 98.3% S. aureus within 1 minute by a direct contact. In addition, the produced fabric retained 81% and 63% of active chlorine content after 30 washes and 30 days of storage, indicating a good antimicrobial durability. Herein, we anticipate the technology can be used to enhance antibacterial function of cellulose products and thus resist the potential threats from microbes to ensure human’s health.
Phylogenetic Reconstruction and Homology Modeling Reveal Genotypic Diversity and Immune Dysregulation in Children with Rhinovirus- Associated Pneumonia
Authors: Naeem Asif , Alkadi Haitham S. , Manzoor Muhammad U. , Yousaf Imran , Awadalla Maaweya , Alturaiki Wael , AlYami Ahmad S. , Zafar Adnan , Alosaimi Bandar 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Background
Rhinoviruses (RVs) are the most frequent cause of community acquired pneumonia in children and the major cause of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, leading to substantial morbidity, mortality and hospital admission. The spectrum of RV serotypes in circulation, their genetic variability and immune responses could be implicated in the etiology of disease severity. During rhinovirus infection, both antiviral immunity and pro-inflammatory responses play a critical role in the clearance of the virus. A variation in these responses leads to deficient clearing of the virus and sustained inflammation.
Materials and methods
The study specimens were obtained from pediatric pneumonia patients (n = 374) attending the outpatient department (OPD) or admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at King Fahad Medical City. All patient’ samples testing positive for rhinovirus (n = 102) by conventional nested reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assay were used for genetic sequencing by Sanger sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. The clinical datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.
Results
We investigated 374 children with pneumonia and RV was detected in 27% with radiological evidence of consolidation and ground glass opacities in the lung. Genetic sequencing and homology 3D modeling revealed changes at amino terminal of conserved Viral Protein 4 (VP4) epitope in RV-A101 serotype especially serine at several positions that is important for interactive binding with the host immune cells. We found dysregulation of pulmonary gene expression of Th1- and Th2 cytokines and chemokines in RV-A 101 and RV-C 8 associated pneumonia patients, and found that 29 genes were overexpressed. IFN-γ (Interferon gamma) and IL-18 (Interleukin or interferon-gamma-inducing factor) mRNA expression levels were significantly upregulated in the RV-A101-associated pneumonia patients.
Conclusion
This study provided evidence of mutations at the amino terminal of the conserved VP4 epitope that could shape the immune response as well as affect the cross neutralizing capacity of the conserved epitopes, thus helping RVs escape the immune responses. Further functional studies are needed to determine any changes in the cross serotype virus neutralization ability for vaccine development.
Radiomics based on enhanced CT for the preoperative prediction of metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Leng Yinping , Wang Xiwen , Zheng Tian , Peng Fei , Xiong Liangxia , Wang Yu , Gong Lianggeng 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Purpose: To develop and evaluate an enhanced CT-based radiomics nomogram for predicting preoperative metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).
Materials and Methods: 109 patients with histopathology-confirmed EOC were retrospectively enrolled. The volume of interest (VOI) was delineated in preoperative enhanced CT images, and 851 radiomics features were extracted. The radiomics features were filtered by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and the radiomics score was calculated using the formula of the radiomics label. A clinical radiomics model and nomogram were constructed by multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the prediction effect.
Results: 75 patients (68.8%) were histologically confirmed to have metastasis. Eleven nonzero LASSO coefficient radiomics features were selected to develop radiomic model, and four clinical charac-teristics were selected to develop clinical model. The clinical radiomics model for prediction metastasis of EOC achieved areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.929 (95% CI, 0.8593-0.9996) in the training cohort and 0.909 (95% CI, 0.7921-1.0000) in the test cohort. To facilitate clinical use, a radiomic nomogram was builtedby combined the clinical charac-teristics with Rad-score. The DCAs confirmed that the nomogram could predict metastasis.
Conclusions: The radiomics nomogram had significantly superior prediction ability than the clinical model and the radiomics model, which could be suggested as a useful and convenient tool to help clinicians formulate personalized treatment plans for EOC patients.
Multifunctional hydrogel containing platelet camouflaged ultra-small silver nanoparticles accelerates diabetic wound healing in Type 1 Diabetic rats
Authors: Wang Jinlei , Geng Xinrong , Liu Kang , Zhao Liang , Li Hongdan 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Bacterial infection and impaired angiogenes are always great obstacles in the wound healing of diabetes. A diabetic wound causes thousands of infections or deaths around the world each year, so the problem of multidrug-resistant (MDR) cannot be ignored. Here, we synthesized a new ultra-small silver nanoparticles (usAgNPs) and conjugated usAgNPs with platelets (usAgNPs-PL) and loaded into CMC hydrogel (usAgNPs-PL/CMC hydrogel), and treated diabetic wound healing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat models. The usAgNPs-PL/CMC hydrogel was characterized by SEM, TEM and XPS spectra. The antibacterial ability was detected by XTT dyeing, ROS, bacterial biofilm assay, bacterial activity, et al. The results showed that usAgNPs had smaller particle size (13 nm) than traditional silver nanoparticles and evenly distributed. The Ag + released from usAgNPs can kill bacteria by interfering with bacterial intracellular metabolism; generation of ROS; damaging cell membrane integrity and inhibiting biofilm formation. And combined platelets were enhancing the angiogenesis of endothelial cells by regulating VEGF, PI3K-AKT. Together, this work describes the first example of constructing an all-in-one CMC hydrogel for antimicrobial diabetes wound treatment and showcases the promise of combined antimicrobials and angiogenesis achieved by using the CMC hydrogel in biomedicine applications.