bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and their associated factors among university students in Bangladesh
Authors: Kamruzzaman Md. , Hossain Ahammad , Islam Md. Aminul , Ahmed Md. Shakil , Kabir Enamul 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
BackgroundLife at higher educational institutions is very challenging and stressful due to the very nature, structure, and functions of the institutions. It is well established that the prevalence of various mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, is high among university students around the world. But little is known about the prevalence of the phenomenon in the context of a developing country, like Bangladesh.AimsThe goal of this research is to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress levels among students of a public and a private university in Bangladesh. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among sampled two universities located in Rajshahi city, about 300km northwest of Bangladesh capital Dhaka. A total of 738 students (380 from Rajshahi University (RU, public) and 358 from Varendra University (VU, private) took part in the study. Data were collected through a face-to-face questionnaire survey from January to March 2020. The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-42) was used to measure the depression, anxiety, and stress levels among the participants. Bivariate and multivariate techniques were to analyze the data. Results The results indicate that private university students are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and stress compared to the students of public universities due to various contributing factors. Female students from both public and private universities are more likely to suffer from severe/extreme levels of anxiety compared to male students. Conclusion There exists a high prevalence of mental illnesses among university students in Bangladesh. The university authorities should build up an effective support system such as setting up of counseling center, raising awareness of seeking help, and measures for reducing mental illness stigma on the campuses.
Assessment of Heavy Metal and Metalloid Concentrations at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
Authors: Woody Sarah , O’Dell Sadie , Krapfl Jon , Warner Sarah , McPhee M. Elsbeth 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Anthropogenic inputs of heavy metals and metalloids pose a risk to wetland ecosystems due to their long retention time in sediment, high toxicity at low concentrations, and ability to biomagnify in the food chain. Our study involved an extensive monitoring effort for seven heavy metals (cadmium:Cd, chromium:Cr, copper:Cu, mercury:Hg, nickel:Ni, lead:Pb, zinc:Zn) and one metalloid (arsenic:As) in sediment, roots of the invasive hybrid cattail (Typha x glauca), and livers from muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, a wetland of international importance in southeastern Wisconsin, United States. Overall, our comparison to literature values and thresholds led us to conclude that heavy metals and metalloids pose a low risk to the refuge. The highest concentrations were found in the sediment, followed by T. x glauca roots, and with negligible concentrations in muskrat liver tissue for all but the essential metals Cu, Ni and Zn, indicating low biomagnification in this food chain. A spatial analysis using GIS revealed hotspots for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in sediment in one particular subplot, which we hypothesize may be from runoff of agricultural amendments. However, since concentrations in sediment were similar to or lower than concentrations found in a prior survey from 1990, there may have been improvement over the last three decades. Overall, while anthropogenic influences are present, we recommend that our relatively low concentrations be used as healthy points of comparison regarding risk to plants and mammals for others conducting metal and metalloid surveys on wetlands.
Application of semiparametric model in modelling diabetic retinopathy among type II diabetic patients
Authors: Yirdaw Bezalem Eshetu , Debusho Legesse Kassa 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background: The proportion of patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) has grown with increasing number of diabetic mellitus patients in the world. It is among the top risk factors of blindness worldwide, especially those living in developing countries. The main objective of this study was to identify contributing risk factors of diabetic retinopathy among type II diabetic patients. Method: A sample of 191 type II diabetic patients was selected from the Black Lion Specialized Hospital diabetic unit from 1 March 2018 to 1 April 2018. A multivariate stochastic regression imputation technique was applied to impute the missing values. The response variable, diabetic retinopathy is a categorical variable with two outcomes. Based on the relationship derived from the exploratory analysis, the odds of diabetic retinopathy were not necessarily linearly related to the continuous predictors for this sample of patients. Therefore, a semiparametric model was proposed to identify the contributing factors of diabetic retinopathy. Result: From the sample of 191 type II diabetic patients, 98(51.3%) of them experienced diabetic retinopathy. The results of semiparametric regression model revealed that gender, hypertension, insulin treatment, and frequency of clinical visits had a significant linear relationships with the odds of diabetic retinopathy. In addition, the log-odds of DR has a significant nonlinear relation with the interaction of age by gender (for female patients), duration of diabetes, interaction of cholesterol level by gender (for female patients), haemoglobin A1c, and interaction of haemoglobin A1c by fasting blood glucose with degrees of freedom 3.2, 2.7, 3.6, 2.3 and 3.7, respectively. The interaction of age by gender and cholesterol level by gender appear non significant for male patients. The result from the interaction of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by fasting blood glucose (FBG) showed that the risk of diabetic retinopathy is high when the level of HbA1c and FBG were simultaneously high. Conclusion: Clinical variables related to type II diabetic patients were strong predictive factors of diabetic retinopathy. Hence, health professionals should be cautious about the possible effects and complications of diabetic mellitus which can be caused by the clinical variables. Furthermore, to improve intervention strategies similar studies should be conducted across the country.
Towards Anger Phenotyping of Indian Perimenopausal Females with Lyfas Anger Screening Optical Biomarker Instrument LASI
Authors: Chattopadhyay Subhagata , Das Rupam 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background
Anger phenotyping in perimenopausal women is a complex task due to multifactor involvement. Anger sets sympathetic overdrive and affects the sympathovagal balance. Lyfas is a novel smartphone-based non-invasive optical biomarker instrument. It captures short Heart rate variability (HRV) and its correlated optical biomarkers using the method of arterial photoplethysmography and assesses the sympathovagal balance.
Aims
This study is designed to mine the significant optical biomarkers (SDNN, RMSSD, pNN50, SD1/SD2, and LF/HF) and physical parameters (Age, HR, BMI, systolic and diastolic BP, estradiol, TSH, HbA1c, and cortisol) to construct a novel hybrid Lyfas Anger Screening Instrument (LASI) and then validated against the well-acclaimed Clinical Anger Scale (CAS) in anger phenotyping. Settings and Design: It is a case-control study with a total of 415 perimenopausal women (case: 205 and healthy control: 210).
Methods and material:
Lyfas tests were performed thrice/day for 2 weeks and their biomarkers’ scores are captured. During the same period, they have also recorded the anger episodes as per the CAS scoresheet. Statistical analysis used: LASI is constructed using Spearman’s correlation (ρ and p-values) and validated against the CAS instrument with Bland Altman's inter-rater reliability assessment by noting the strength of agreement.
Results
BMI, BP, TSH, and HbA1c shows a significant positive correlation with anger. LASI scores high for recall (95%), specificity (75%), precision (92%), accuracy (71%), Youden’s index (J-statistic, 74%), and fscore (74%).
Conclusion
LASI is qualified to be used in the clinical setup in anger screening and monitoring.
Comparison of high- and low-dose prednisolone in the treatment of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: a retrospective study
Authors: Mashoori Negar , Omranipour Ramesh , Alipour Sadaf , Saberi Azin 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background:There is no consensus regarding best treatment for Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis(IGM). Regarding the inflammatory entity of this disease, corticosteroids have been used with good results. However, prescribing lower dosages are more appealing, regarding their side effects. The aim of this study is to compare the response and recurrence rates in IGM patients treated with low dose and high dose prednisolone.Methods: Medical records of patients diagnosed with IGM in the Cancer Institute and Arash Women's Hospital hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences from November 2012 to December 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Patients with first presentation of disease who had been treated with oral prednisolone were included, and were classified as low dose group(less than 25mg) and high dose group(equal or more than 25mg) according to the maximum received dose of prednisolone during their treatment. The response and recurrence rate between two groups were compared.Results: 108 patients were included in this study. Totally, 84.3% of patients responded to corticosteroids: 82.5% in the high dose group and 85.3% in low dose group (P-value=0.7). Total recurrence was 21.9% in all patients. 21.7% of patients in high dose group and 22% of patients in low dose experienced recurrence(P-value=0.984). Conclusion: Our study suggests that lower safe doses of corticosteroids may be used to treat IGM patients without influencing the treatment efficacy. Prospective randomized trials with larger sample sizes and matched case-control groups are necessary to further clarify this issue.
An immune-related signature predicted survival in patients with Kidney clear cell carcinoma
Authors: junwen Shen , rongjiang Wang , yu Chen , zhihai Fang , jianer Tang , jianxiang Yao , yuhang Ling , liya Guan , Huan Zhong 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Objective
The main aim of this study was to identify immune-related genes in Kidney clear cell carcinoma (ccRcc) patients.
Methods
We downloaded RNAseq data and clinical information of ccRcc patients from the TCGA database and retrieved the immune-related genes list from the web of Immport. We performed Cox and LASSO analyses, using “survival” and “glmnt’ packages implemented in R, to reveal survival immune-related genes. Next, we verified the prognostic signature of these genes, and further confirmed its survival value using Kaplan-Meier analysis and ROC time dependent curves. We also evaluated the signature’s immune cell component and the results of immunotherapy.
Results
Analysis of 526 tumor samples revealed a total of 770 immune-related genes, after four steps of primary screening. Cox and LASSO analyses revealed 11 hub immune-related survival genes, namely ADRB2, AGER, BIRC5, CDNF, CXCL2, ESR2, F2RL1, IFITM1, PTX3, SEMA3G, and TCF7L2. Kaplan-Meier curves revealed prognostic signature of the 11 DEGs, with the high-risk score group in ccRcc patients exhibiting a worse survival rate (P < 0.001 in both the training and test sets, respectively). ROC analysis in the training set revealed an AUC value of 0.71 for both 1- and 3-year survival, and 0.65 for 5 years). Furthermore compared with low-risk score group, we found that the high-risk score group had a higher percentage of 10 cells in the immune component (Exhausted cells, Tr1 cells, nTreg cells, Th1 cells, Tfh cells, Effect memory cells, MAIT cells, Macrophage cells, CD8 T cells, and iTreg cells), a low percentage of 6 cells (CD4 native cells, CD8 native cells, Th17 cells, central memory cells, Neutrophil cells, and Gamma delta cells).
Conclusion
Our results revealed 11 survival immune-related genes (ADRB2, AGER, BIRC5, CDNF, CXCL2, ESR2, F2RL1, IFITM1, PTX3, SEMA3G, TCF7L2) in ccRcc patients. We used these genes to develop a signature that can act as an independent prognostic predictor for overall survival and response of ccRcc patients to immunotherapy.
Re-examining the origin and functions of the urea cycle
Authors: Song Xiliang , Teng Linhong , Zhao Ximei 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Urea cycle (UC) was first discovered in vertebrates and functioned to remove excess ammonia. To better understand the origination and evolutionary history of UC, we performed a comprehensive investigation on UC genes distribution among various lineages. We found that complete UC genes are widely distributed from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. These genes underwent purifying selection during evolution. The first enzyme carbamoyl phosphate synthase (CPS) fused and duplicated in the common ancestor of metazoans and SAR, formed pyrimidine specific and arginine/urea specific CPS. Prokaryotes and green plants retain one generalized CPS composed of separated small and large subunits. A rather unusual finding was that ARG in plants has closer relationship with agmatinase (AGM) than non-plant ARG. in silico expression analysis shows that UC genes in Arabidopsis are up-regulated in seedlings and stress conditions. ARG in Arabidopsis exhibited coordinately expression with arginine decarboxylase, the first enzyme to produce putrescine. Taken together, UC has increased in importance in vertebrates and SAR supergroup through duplication of the first enzyme. ARG in plants more resemble the paralogous AGM of prokaryotes. In plant species lacking ornithine decarboxylase, ARG were predicted to work as AGM, which participate in polyamine biosynthesis with urea as a byproduct.
Antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation and virulence genes of Streptococcus agalactiae serotypes of Indian origin
Authors: Verma Shalini , Kumari Monika , Pathak Anurag , Yadav Vikas , Johri Atul Kumar , Yadav Puja 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Introduction:Streptococci are diverse group of gram-positive bacteria which causes serious life-threatening infections in developed as well as developing nations. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) or Streptococci agalactiae is one of the serologically distinct species of genus streptococcus which colonizes genitourinary and lower gastrointestinal tracts of female populations. GBS is a causative agent of various infections in new-born, non-pregnant adults and pregnant women. Understanding antibiotic resistance profiling will provide insight into the development of antibiotic prophylaxis against GBS infection. The aim of this study was to determine biofilm forming ability, presence of virulence genes and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of GBS clinical isolates.Methods: Previously, identified 30 GBS isolates were used to check antibiotic susceptibility and resistance by Kirby-Bauer disk-diffusion method. All GBS isolates were subjected to biofilm detection using the Congo Red Agar (CRA) and Crystal Violet Assay (CVA). GBS isolates were subjected to PCR for the detection of various virulence genes involved in adhesion and invasion. Results:Resistance towards penicillin was observed to be 26.6% (n=8 strains) as compared to other tested antibiotics which indicates the emergence of penicillin resistance among GBS isolates. Susceptibility for ofloxacin as 93.33% (n=28) was found to be highest, followed by azithromycin as it exhibited a 90% (n=27) susceptibility rate. Majority of the GBS isolates were found to be strong biofilm producers 70% (n=21) and 30% (n=9) were found to be moderate biofilm producers. Conclusions:We demonstrated, GBS isolates exhibited resistance towards penicillin and a negative correlation between biofilm formation and penicillin was found. Further, we found, both strong and moderate biofilm producing isolates have most of the virulence genes at genetic level, however, strong biofilm formation phenotype was not significantly associated with the expression of any virulence gene.
Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by modulating the IRE1α branch of the endoplasmic reticulum stress response
Authors: Luo Ruixi , Wei Yaqiong , Chen Peng , Zhang Jing , Wang La , Wang Wenjia , Wang Ping , Tian Weiyi 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common idiopathic interstitial lung disease, and it carries a poor prognosis due to the lack of efficient diagnosis and treatments. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of IPF. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to fibrosis via EMT-mediated pathways. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising treatment for pulmonary fibrosis and ameliorate lung fibrosis via paracrine effects in animal models. However, the specific mechanisms are not known. We previously reported that MSCs attenuated endothelial injury by modulating ER stress and endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT). The present investigated whether modulation of ER stress and EMT-related pathways played essential roles in MSC-mediated alleviation of IPF.Methods and results: We constructed a transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced fibrosis model in A549 cells. TGF-β1 induced EMT in A549 cells, and MSC coculture ameliorated EMT, which was characterized by increased E-cadherin and decreased vimentin levels. ER stress participated in TGF-β1-induced EMT in A549 cells, and MSCs inhibited the expression of XBP-1s XBP-1u and BiP, which were upregulated by TGF-β1. Inhibition of ER stress contributed to MSC-mediated amelioration of EMT in A549 cells, in which modulation of the IRE1α-XBP1 branch of the ER stress pathway may play an important role. MSC transplantation alleviated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. MSC treatment decreased the expression of ER stress- and EMT-related genes and proteins, and inhibition of the IRE1α/XBP1 pathway was the most obvious effect.Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that MSCs alleviated EMT by modulating ER stress and blockade of the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway may play a critical role. The current study provides a novel vision for the application of MSCs for IPF treatment and elucidates the mechanism of the preventive effects of MSCs against pulmonary fibrosis.
Papillary Tumor of The Pineal Region Rare Pediatric CNS Tumor :Case Series Treated in King Fahad Medical City (KFMC)
Authors: Abedalthagafi Malak , Mobark Nahla Ali , Alharbi Musa , Alotabi Fahad , Alshoumer Azhar , AlSaad Abdulaziz N , AlNaqib Zaid G. , Shakweer Wafa Al , Alsolme Ebtehal , Jabarat Wael A. Al , Balbaid Ali Abdullah O. 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
The clinical behaviors, prognosis, and appropriate treatments of Papillary tumors of the pineal region (PTPR) are not fully defined due to the rarity of these tumors. At diagnosis, PTPR may present with clinical symptoms including headache with obstructive hydrocephalus, diplopia, vomiting, and lethargy as well as neurological signs including Argyll Robertson pupils and Parinaud’s syndrome due to compression of the dorsal midbrain, specifically the periaqueductal region with horizontal nystagmus. Radiological assessment of pineal region lesions is challenging, with a wide range of potential differential diagnoses. PTPR typically presents as a heterogeneous, well-circumscribed mass in the pineal region, which might contain cystic areas, calcifications, hemorrhages or protein accumulations. Here, we report three female pediatric patients with PTPR treated in King Fahad Medical City (KFMC) in Saudi Arabia. Histological and immunohistochemical diagnosis was confirmed by analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation profiles. This case series expands on the available reports on the clinical presentations of PTPR and provides important information on the responses to different treatment modalities.
Cholinergic signals promote esophageal squamous cell carcinoma metastasis by activating EGFR/AKT signaling pathway
Authors: Wang Tao , Ge Bei-Bei , Liu Chang , Xu Li-Juan , Wei Bin , Gao Yong 
Published: April 2022

Abstract
Purpose Increasing evidence has shown that the nervous system plays a vital role in the regulation of tumorigenesis. However, the regulatory mechanism of the parasympathetic nervous system in the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has not been elucidated. Methods Vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and parasympathetic nerve density was analyzed in human ESCC tissues. The co-culture model of ESCC cells and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) was established in vitro. The effects of cholinergic stimulation on cell growth, migration and invasion were investigated through CCK-8, Transwell and wound healing assays using acetylcholine (ACh). PCR and western blotting were utilized respectively for the purpose of detecting Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related transcripts proteins. M3 muscarinic receptor (CHRM3) was knocked down using small interfering RNA (siRNA). RNA sequencing explored the possible altered gene transcriptome and signal pathways, which were further verified by Western blotting and CO-IP analysis. Results The intensity of parasympathetic nerve in ESCC was significantly higher than that in adjacent tissues, and was positively correlated with higher clinical staging and poorer prognosis. Co-incubation with DRG enhanced the migration and invasion ability of ESCC cells in vitro. Moreover, exogenous choline stimulation enhanced the migration, invasion ability together with EMT of ESCC cells, while CHRM3 knockdown were opposite. Mechanistically, cholinergic activation enhanced the phosphorylation levels of EGFR and AKT through CHRM3, which bound directly to EGFR.Conclusion We revealed a critical role of cholinergic signals ACh/CHRM3 in mediating the effects of parasympathetic nerve activity on ESCC through the EGFR/AKT signaling pathway, which might provide a novel therapeutic target for ESCC.