bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Spatial distribution and ecological risk of heavy metal in surface sediment of Old Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh
Authors: Islam Md. Sirajul , Shammi Rifat Shahid , Jannat Rahiatul , Kabir Md. Humayun , Islam Md S 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The study was conducted to investigate the concentrations, distributions, sources and potential ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediments from the Old Brahmaputra River. Sediment samples were collected from five sampling stations and analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results showed that mean concentrations (mg/kg) of heavy metals were in order of Ni (58.82)˃ Cr (32.45)˃ Pb (21.04)˃ Cu (14.24)˃ Cd (3.81)˃ As (2.02). In terms of spatial variation, sedimentary metals differed substantially, and the bulk of metal distribution and abundance can be traced back to man. Element-specific environmental indices exposed that the ecological risks trailed the downward direction as Cd ˃ Ni ˃ Pb ˃ As ˃ Cu ˃ Cr. The contamination factor (CF), enrichment factor (EF) and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) exposed all cases a modest level of contamination except Cd, which has a significant level of contamination. Only, Ni and Cd were found high ecological risk for aquatic life, based on the sediment quality guidelines. Low to moderate ecological risk was suggested by the prospective ecological risk factor and potential ecological risk. The river sediments were mostly uncontaminated to mildly contaminated, posing a minimal ecological risk. The study concluded that the Old Brahmaputra River is subjected to anthropogenic disturbances for the aquatic environment. In this regards, proper management initiatives and regular monitoring should be carried out immediately by Department of Environment (DoE) to maintain sound and healthy aquatic environment of the River.
In vitro evaluation of gentamicin activity against Spanish field isolates of Brachyspira hyodysenteriae
Authors: Vega Clara , Pérez-Pérez Lucía , Argüello Héctor , Gómez-García Manuel , Puente Héctor , Fernández-Usón Ignacio , Rubio Pedro , Carvajal Ana 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background: The treatment of swine dysentery (SD) has become constrained in recent years due to the limited availability of effective drugs combined with a rise in antimicrobial resistance. Gentamicin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic, is authorised for the control of this disease in several European countries but has not been extensively used so far. In this study, the in vitro susceptibility of fifty-six Brachyspira hyodysenteriae field isolates was evaluated against gentamicin using a broth microdilution test. The molecular basis of decreased susceptibility to gentamicin was also investigated by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene.Results: Most B. hyodysenteriae isolates presented low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values, with a mode of 2 µg/mL, a median or MIC50 of 4 µg/mL and percentile 90 or MIC90 of 16 µg/mL. The distribution of these values over the period studied (2011-2019) did not show a tendency towards the development of resistance to gentamicin. Differences in susceptibility among isolates could be explained by two point mutations in the 16S rRNA gene, C990T and A1185G, which were only present in isolates with high MICs. Analyses of co-resistance between gentamicin and antimicrobials commonly used for the treatment of SD revealed that resistance to tiamulin and valnemulin was associated with low MICs for gentamicin.Conclusions: The results provide an accurate characterisation of antimicrobial sensitivity to gentamicin and possible mechanisms of resistance in Spanish B. hyodysenteriae isolates. These findings allow us to propose gentamicin as an alternative in the antibiotic management of SD, particularly in outbreaks caused by pleuromutilin resistant isolates.
PA-MSHA exerts potent activity against cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer through miR-7-5p/Akt/Wnt-β-catenin pathway
Authors: Zhang Huanhuan , Shan Wulin , Li Dan , Yan Ying , Zhang Jiayun 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The treatment of cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major problem. The study was to assess the potential effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa-mannose sensitive hemagglutinin (PA-MSHA), a type of therapeutic biological product approved in China, on cetuximab-resistant CRC and further explore the underlying mechanism. MiRNA sequencing was used to screen the differential expression profile of miRNAs. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected by cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, wound healing and transwell assays, respectively. PA-MSHA drastically inhibited the migration and invasion, and induced the apoptosis of cetuximab-resistant CRC cells. PA-MSHA also potently inhibited tumour growth and increased the survival time of mice in vivo. These results indicated that PA-MSHA exerted potent activity against cetuximab-resistant CRC. The sequencing data showed that miR-7-5p was markedly upregulated after PA-MSHA treatment, and miR-7-5p overexpression positively enhanced the anticancer activities of PA-MSHA in vitro and in vivo. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Akt was the targeted gene of miR-7-5p, and Akt silencing could reverse the PA-MSHA efficacy inhibited by miR-7-5p downregulation. In addition, PA-MSHA treatment markedly inhibited the activation of Wnt-β-catenin pathway, a downstream signaling of Akt. Moreover, Akt silencing inhibited the Wnt-β-catenin pathway activated by miR-7-5p downregulation in PA-MSHA-treated HCT116-R cells. Finally, we found that serum miR-7-5p levels were significantly lower in CRC patients with cetuximab resistance or disease progression. Overall, our data showed that PA-MSHA exerted potent activity against cetuximab-resistant CRC by regulating miR-7-5p/Akt/Wnt-β-catenin pathway. These results indicate that PA-MSHA may be a novel and effective chemotherapeutic agent against cetuximab-resistant CRC.
Fine Structure of the Defense System of Synanceia verrucosa from, the Red Sea Egypt
Authors: Abd-Elrheem Ali 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
The stonefish has an advanced poisonous gland that has a lumen and medulla consisting of connective tissue types. All authors have studied the poisonous gland of stonefish and they give attention to two types of cells only careless transmission semithin. In the present study, we give attention to the whole structures of this gland by an accurate examination of Electron Micrographs in all gland areas. Also, some authors give attention to secretions only and do not give any attention to the complete structure of the poisonous defense system of an animal. In the present study, the sections were taken in different areas as the front gland, and mid, surround the spine for covering all areas to discover any new structure. This study revealed that the stonefish poisonous gland Synanceia verrucosa in the Red Sea has four types of cells called T.A, T.B, T.C, and T.D appear as (first evidence) in semithin only.
Increased NLRP3 inflammasome activation and pyroptosis in multiple sclerosis patients with fingolimod treatment failure
Authors: Malhotra Sunny , Hurtado-Navarro Laura , Pappolla Agustin , Villar Luisa M , Río Jordi , Montalban Xavier , Pelegrin Pablo , Comabella Manuel 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background: Inflammasomes are involved in the pathogenesis of different neuroimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In a previous study by our group, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat receptor and pyrin-domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome was reported to be associated with the response to interferon-beta in MS. Based on recent data showing the potential for the oral therapy fingolimod to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, here we investigated whether fingolimod could also be implicated in the response to this therapy in MS patients. Methods: NLRP3 gene expression levels were measured by real-time PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at baseline and after 3, 6, and 12 months in a cohort of MS patients treated with fingolimod (N=23), dimethyl fumarate (N=21), and teriflunomide (N=21), and classified into responders and non-responders to the treatment according to clinical and radiological criteria. In a subgroup of fingolimod responders and non-responders, the percentage of ASC specks in monocytes was determined by flow cytometry, and the levels of IL-1β, IL-18, IL-6, TNFα, and galectin-3 were quantified by ELISA.Results: NLPR3 expression levels were significantly increased in fingolimod non-responders after 3 and 6 months of treatment but remained comparable in responders at all time points. These changes were not observed in non-responders to the other oral therapies tested. ASC speck formation in monocytes following LPS and ATP stimulation was significantly decreased in responders, but increased in non-responders after 6 months of fingolimod treatment. Pro-inflammatory cytokine release from stimulated PBMC was comparable between responders and non-responders, but galectin-3 levels on cell supernatants, as a marker of cell damage, were significantly increased in fingolimod non-responders. Conclusions: The differential effect of fingolimod on ASC speck formation in monocytes between responders and non-responders could be used as response biomarker after 6 months of fingolimod treatment, and suggests that fingolimod may exert their beneficial effects by reducing inflammasome signaling in a subset of MS patients.
Nomograms for predicting survival outcomes in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder undergoing primary tumor resection: a population-based study
Authors: Zhang Yurui , Hu Gengcheng , Fan Mengke , Yao Hailing , Jiang Chen , Shi Huiying , Lin Rong 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background
Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder (GB-NENs) are a rare group of histologically heterogeneous tumors, and surgical resection of the primary tumor is the mainstream treatment at the moment. The current study aimed to establish and validate novel nomograms for patients with GB-NENs undergoing primary tumor resection to predict the 6-, 12-, and 18- months overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS).
Methods
Clinicopathological information of patients with GB-NENs undergoing primary tumor resection between 2004 and 2018 was derived from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The cohort was then randomly assigned to the training and internal validation datasets (7:3). Candidate prognostic factors were selected by Cox regression analyses, and the nomograms were constructed. Finally, concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, and area under the curve from the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), were conducted to assess the effective performance of the nomograms. The decision curve analysis (DCA) was employed to further confirm the clinical effectiveness of nomograms. To test the generalizability of the prediction models, we also included 12 patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection from Wuhan Union Hospital.
Results
A total of 221 patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection were enrolled in our study. Using the Cox regression analyses, age, tumor size, and stage were identified as the independent prognostic factors of patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection. We constructed individualized nomograms to visually predict the OS and CSS in patients with GB-NENs undergoing resection. The C-indexes of OS and CSS in training dataset were 0.798 (95%CI: 0.748–0.848) and 0.825 (95%CI:0.771–0.879), while that of internal validation dataset was 0.849 (95%CI: 0.791–0.907) and 0.875 (95%CI: 0.819–0.931), respectively. The AUC of the training and internal validation datasets also indicated that the prediction models performed accurately. The calibration curves demonstrated that the observed survival probability of nomograms was extremely compatible with the predicted probability. The DCA showed that our nomograms were clinically useful.
Conclusions
Taken together, the nomograms are accurate enough to predict the prognostic factors of GB-NENs patients undergoing resection, allowing for treatment decision-making and clinical monitoring for future clinical work.
Enhanced echo intensity in vastus medialis is associated with worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a 3-year longitudinal study
Authors: Taniguchi Masashi , Fukumoto Yoshihiro , Yagi Masahide , Motomura Yoshiki , Okada Sayaka , Okada Shogo , Kobayashi Masashi , Ichihashi Noriaki 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Background: Patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) experience muscle quality loss, and is characterized by the enhanced echo intensity (EI) of the vastus medialis (VM) muscles and a high extracellular water-to-intracellular water (ECW/ICW) ratio of the thigh. No longitudinal study has investigated the association of muscle degeneration at baseline with the progression of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA, with a focus on muscle quality measured as EI and ECW/ICW. This study aimed to elucidate the association between muscle degeneration and worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA over 3 years duration.Methods: Thirty-three patients with knee OA who completed follow-up over 3 years were included in the analysis. The knee scoring system (KSS) was used to evaluate the functional abilities and symptoms. Based on the 3-year change in KSS scores, patients were classified into progressive or non-progressive groups. Muscle thickness (MT) and EI of the VM were determined using ultrasonography. The ECW/ICW ratio was measured using segmental-bioelectrical impedance spectroscopy. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted with the groups as the dependent variables and VM-MT, VM-EI, and ECW/ICW ratio at baseline as independent variables, including potential confounders as the age, body mass index, radiographic OA severity, and baseline KSS scores.Results: Thirteen (39.4%) patients showed progressive features. VM-EI at baseline, but not the VM-MT and ECW/ICW ratio, was significantly associated with the progression of functional disabilities (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.50) and symptoms (adjusted OR, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25).Conclusions: The findings of the current study suggest that enhanced VM-EI was associated with worsening of functional disabilities and symptoms in patients with knee OA over a period of 3 years. Therefore, VM-EI, which can be easily determined using the ultrasound images in clinical settings, may be a useful indicator for predicting future dysfunction and symptomatic worsening in patients with knee OA.
Application of magnet ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid phase microextraction coupled with HPLC rapid determination three pyrethroid insecticides in food samples
Authors: Wang Lingling , Chen Xiaoxia , Han Xueying , Ju Baozhao 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
A simple, green, rapid and efficient magnet ionic liquid (MIL) dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (DLLME) method coupled with HPLC was successfully developed for determination of three trace pyrethroids (Fenvalerate, beta-cypermethrin and bifenthrin) from water and food sample. The MIL of tri-hexyl-tetradecyl-phosphonium tetra-chlorocobalt (II) [P6,6,6,14+]2[CoCl42-] was explored as the extraction solvent due to its magnetic susceptibility, low UV absorbance and difficult to hydrolyze in aqueous as well as the highest extraction capacity. Important influence factors of extraction efficiency such as the amount of MIL, the pH, ionic strength were optimized. The spiked recoveries of three targets in food samples were in the range of 96.3-103.8%. The limits of detection ranged from 0.75-1.75 ng mL−1. The results indicated that the developed MIL-DLLME method based on [P6,6,6,14+]2[CoCl42-] as the extraction solution has the advantages of rapid and high efficiency, and can be successfully applied to detect three pyrethroids in real food samples
A Hybrid Dependency-Based Approach for Urdu Sentiment Analysis
Authors: Sehar Urooba , Kanwal Summrina , Dashtipur Kia , Gogate Mandar , Khan Faiza 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
In this era of internet, it is evident that social media is one of the biggest platforms acting as a source of producing a huge amount of raw data on a daily basis that contains the opinion of people from different races, cultures, and age groups on a wide range of topics. Data that is produced on the social media platforms could be utilised by businesses to extract information for improving their services and to reach a wider set of audiences based on users' opinions being shared on these social media sites. In order to utilise this huge amount of unstructured data generated continuously on social media, a deep understanding of Natural Language Processing (NLP) is vital. Most of the approaches proposed so far for sentiment analysis (SA) are based on word co-occurrence frequencies that are inefficient in practical cases. Considering this research gap, this paper proposes a framework for concept-level SA for better SA. We developed our Urdu language dataset by collecting from YouTube, which comprises talks and reviews on different topics like movies, political, and commercial products. Further dataset was integrated with language rules and Deep Neural Networks (DNN) to optimise the polarity detection. For SA, when a predefined rule is triggered, the framework enables the sentiments to flow from words to concepts based on dependency relations among different words of a sentence on the basis of Urdu language grammatical rules. When any of the predefined patterns is not triggered, the framework switches to its sub-symbolic counterpart and passes data to DNN for performing the classification of input sentence. The proposed framework outperforms state-of-the-art approaches, including Long short-term memory (LSTM), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), State Vector Machine (SVM), Linear Regression (LR), and Multilayer Perceptrons (MLP), with a margin of 6–7%, respectively, when employed on our Urdu dataset.
Characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 genomic variations in response to molnupiravir treatment in the AGILE Phase IIa clinical trial.
Authors: Fletcher Thomas , Donovan-Banfield I'ah , Penrice-Randal Rebekah , Goldswain Hannah , Rzeszutek Aleksandra , Pilgrim Jack , Bullock Katie , Saunders Geoffrey , Northey Josh , Dong Xiaofeng , Ryan Yan , Reynolds Helen , Tetlow Michelle , Walker Lauren , FitzGerald Richard , Hale Colin , Lyon Rebecca , Woods Christie , Ahmad Shazaad , Hadjiyiannakis Dennis , Periselneris Jimstan , Knox Emma , Middleton Calley , Lavelle-Langham Lara , Shaw Victoria , Greenhalf William , Edwards Thomas , Lalloo David , Edwards Christopher , Darby Alistair , Carroll Miles , Griffiths Gareth , Khoo Saye , Hiscox Julian 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Molnupiravir is an antiviral approved for treating COVID-19, which is thought to drive lethal error catastrophe. How this drug-induced mechanism of action impacts the emergence of resistance mutations is unclear. AGILE Candidate Specific Trial (CST)-2 is a phase IIa trial randomising 180 adult outpatients with SARS-COV-2 infection within five days of symptom onset to molnupiravir or placebo, with rich serial sampling of nasopharyngeal swabs over 29 days. Viral sequences, that passed genome quality control criteria, from subjects who received molnupiravir (n=59) or a placebo (n=65) were analysed by high-throughput amplicon sequencing. We found evidence that molnupiravir significantly increased the transition/transversion frequency in SARS-CoV-2 in patients, a hallmark of molnupiravir treatment. Over the course of treatment, no consistent, accumulated mutations were identified in either arm.
Random Access with Joint Uplink/Downlink Resource Allocation for Multimedia Tactile Internet
Authors: Woo Tai-Kuo , Fu Chen-Hua 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

The multimedia Tactile Internet is a network that provides ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability for two-way multimedia services. Since random access in uplink dominates the delay and there exist variations of target delays among connections, it is much more efficient to perform a joint uplink and downlink resource allocation. In this paper, we provide uplink random access schemes with joint uplink/downlink resource allocation using multichannel architecture for multimedia Tactile Internet. By doing so, one can significantly increase the resource utilization efficiency and improve the reliability of the multimedia Tactile Internet as well. The cores of the resource management are two-fold. First, the joint resource allocation dynamically adjusts the ratio of the number of uplink channels and the number of downlink channels and performs access control based on the collision ratio and the queue lengths. Secondly, the efficient uplink random access increases the throughput, where each transmitting node selects a number of time slot/channel pairs based on either the Finite Projective Plane, the random numbers, or the hybrid. In the performance evaluation, we compare the performance of different selections for the multichannel architecture in terms of throughput for the multimedia Tactile Internet through simulation runs and analysis. The hybrid selection scheme performs the best since it has the advantages of both the Finite Projective Plane structure and being random.
Early Detection and Disease Monitoring of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Circulating Telomere DNA
Authors: Zheng Zongli , Lian Shifeng , Lu Chenyu , Li Fugui , Yu Xia , Ai Limei , Wu Biaohua , Wei Kuangrong , Zhou Wenjing , Xie Yulong , Du Yun , Quan Wen , Pan Pan , Deng Li , Liang Zhiheng , Liang Xuejun , Zhan Jiyun , Yuan Yong , Chang Ellen , Fang Fang , Liu Zhiwei , Ji Mingfang 
Published: July 2022

Abstract
Early cancer detection requires high-performing biomarkers and effective tools to enable early intervention. Telomeres, located at the terminal of linear chromosomes, affect genome integrity and cell immortalization. At the very end of the telomere is a 3’ overhanging guanine-rich tail (G-tail) of which shortening is closely related to cell divisions. However, G-tail DNA cannot be detected with conventional sequencing technologies. Here we develop a high-preservation technology to quantify telomeres in circulating cell-free DNA and show that short G-tail DNA was nearly 20-fold higher in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with blood collected at diagnosis than controls and was also strongly correlated with poorer survival. We then used an independent prospective population cohort to show that the abundance of circulating short telomere G-tail increased with time approaching cancer diagnosis. These results indicate that circulating short-telomere G-tail, measured using our novel bilateral single-strand sequencing method, can effectively detect early and aggressive hepatocellular carcinoma.