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The control group consisted of objective created bone structure volumes of the lower jaw according to the selected 10 data sets (ground truth). To create these ground truth volumes for a comparative assessment, a slice-by-slice manual segmentation of the randomly selected lower jaw data sets was carried out twice by two clinical experts (A, B), one specialized radiologists (A) and one specialized maxillofacial surgeon (B). More precisely, each data set was segmented manually by clinical expert A and B to create two independently ground truth schemes (Ground truth A and B) of each data set. To ensure the generation of high quality ground truth data, only physiologic data sets with clear bone contours and anatomical structures without artifacts were used in this trial, according to the mentioned inclusion criteria.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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231,902 |
1. Stage 1: identifying the research question. Regarding “comparators, control”, the information of what “usual care” entails is often quite sparse. If available, we recommend the authors to include what “usual care” implied in the separate studies. This would strengthen the quality of the review and help readers interpret the findings.
| 3 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
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171,552 |
This distribution of the cohort across sex and age categories at the start of the model was designed to reflect the distribution of smokers in the United Kingdom. One issue is that this is not necessarily the same as the distribution of smokers making a quit attempt. Another is that data availability meant that this cohort needed to be grouped into broad age categories (18-34, 35-64, >65 years old) which have been assigned the same prevalence, incidence, and probability of mortality from diseases within each category. It is likely, therefore, that greater variation exists within these categories than is being accounted for. A study measuring patient characteristics of those seeking intervention to make a quit attempt would also be useful to update the model to better reflect the population of interest.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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149,137 |
Meta-analyses are performed to aid clinical decision-making in intractable oncologic situations in which a single standard modality has not been established. These meta-analyses must inevitably include observational and randomized studies. The limitations that we recognized must be overcome are as follows.
| 2 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
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187,859 |
While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org. Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.
| 1 | 2other
| 1Other
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141,895 |
SUVs (2 mg/ml) were diluted to 0.15 mg/ml in buffer [20 mM MES, 150 mM NaCl (pH 5.8), and 5 mM CaCl2], which was added to promote the rupture of vesicles to form SLBs (37). The impedance-based QCM Z-500 instrument (KSV Instruments Ltd., Helsinki, Finland) was used with its own peristaltic pump system (Ismatec/Cole-Parker GmbH, Wertheim, Germany). Vesicles were flown over the QCM crystals (Q-Sense Inc./BiolinScientific, Västra Frölunda, Sweden) for 5 to 10 min at flow speeds of 250 μl/min. After 5-min injections of buffer and buffer with 5 mM EDTA, two consecutive injections of ultrapure water were performed to induce osmotic shock to rupture the remaining vesicles on the surface. After reducing the flow speed to 75 μl/min, increasing concentrations (50, 150, 250, 500, 1000, and 2000 nM) of NLPPya were sequentially injected for 10 min. Each injection was followed by a 10-min dissociation phase. Sensors were cleaned in situ with sequential injections of 20 mM CHAPS, 2% (v/v) Hellmanex, 50% (v/v) ethanol, and ultrapure water.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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92,705 |
Majeed functional score and pelvic grade score is the most widely used scoring system for the SIJ injuries10. Majority of our patients (82.92%) were in excellent or good category, which is in sync with other studies in these types of injuries1,2,11–13. Again this can be attributed to strict adherence to the inclusion criteria. We had a very low threshold for abandoning the procedure and opting for open reduction incase of non-satisfactory joint reduction.
| 2 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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284,120 |
For the polydispersity index, there were statistically significant effects due to the extraction method (p < 0.0001), but there was no significant difference for hybrid source or the interaction hybrid × extraction method. Polydispersity values observed for the acid extracted pectins (Figure 5) were within the range reported by for microwave extracted lime pectins. The polydispersity index for pectic hydrocolloids obtained with the STEX of these citrus hybrids were lower than previously observed from STEX . The polydispersity index for either acid extracted or STEX pectic hydrocolloids was not statistically different for any hybrid group within an extraction method. However, within each hybrid group, the polydispersity of the acid extracted pectin was significantly lower than the STEX material (p < 0.0001 for each hybrid group). Polydispersity values reported here for the STEX biomass are much lower than those reported for juice extracted sweet orange peel or pre-harvest dropped Hamlin sweet oranges but in agreement with those reported for HLB infected sweet oranges .
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200,476 |
Recently, spontaneous neural activity was also recorded for the first time in human awake subjects with the ultrasound-guided insertion of microneurography needles (Ottaviani et al., 2020). However, this type of measurement only allows for collection of data at one single spatial site.
| 3 | 0biomedical
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339,103 |
Hypothesis 3 predicted that collective felt trust is positively related to attitudes toward ISP and subjective norms. Our results support this hypothesis: Trust is significantly related to attitudes toward ISP (beta=.23; P<.001) and subjective norm (beta=.18; P=.001).
| 2 | 2other
| 0Study
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176,586 |
In this study, the mean, median, and ranges were used to summarize patient characteristics and wait time intervals. Binary wait time variables were used to calculate the proportion of patients who met the recommended wait times. Chi-square statistics were used to define the significance of the differences. A p-value of less than 0.05 is considered as a significant difference. The dataset was locked on 28th February 2021. All statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software.
| 3 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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263,373 |
During the past few decades, our ability to treat many of the LSDs has greatly improved. Current treatments include enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) and substrate reduction therapy (SRT), while pharmacological chaperones and gene therapy are emerging options. One challenge in treatment is our current limited ability to deliver therapies across the blood–brain barrier. Extracellular vehicles (EVs) and exosomes could help to address this challenge by serving as drug-delivery vehicles. Since these vesicles can carry cargo between adjacent cells and organs, and efficiently cross the blood–brain barrier , they are attractive candidates for drug development. .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
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288,883 |
The composition of DAGE molecular species is shown in Fig. 1A and Supplementary Table S2. The letter “e” after the first fatty acids in DAGE means 1-O-alkyl group. The distribution of alkyl and acyl groups at positions sn-1/sn-2/sn-3 of a glycerol ether backbone of each DAGE molecular species was determined (Supplementary Fig. S5). Three O-alkyl groups such as hexadecyl (16:0), tetradecyl (14:0), and octadecenyl (18:1) mainly attached to glycerol at position sn-1. The proportions of DAGE molecules with these major O-alkyl groups showed no significant (ANOVA, p > 0.01) differences from the proportions of the corresponding 1-O-alkyl-sn-glycerols obtained by hydrolysis of DAGE. Only polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) were found at position sn-2 of the glycerol backbone. At position sn-3, 60.2 ± 3.5% of DAGE molecules attached monounsaturated FA (MUFA), and 11.9 ± 3.6% of DAGE molecules attached saturated FA (SFA). VLCFA were found at both sn-2 and sn-3 of the glycerol backbone.Figure 1DAGE and polar lipid molecular species. Content of molecular species of (A) diacylglycerol ethers (% of total DAGE, mean ± SD, n = 6) and (B) polar lipid classes (% of total polar lipids, mean ± SD, n = 3) in the soft coral Paragorgia arborea. The polar lipids are comprised of ceramide aminoethylphosphonate (CAEP), ethanolamine, choline, inositol, and serine glycerophospholipids (PE, PC, PI, and PS, respectively). DAGE molecules are abbreviated as Xe/Y/Z, where Xe is alkyl group, Y and Z are acyl groups (number of carbon atoms : number of double bonds) at sn-1/sn-2/sn-3 positions of the glycerol ether backbone. CAEP molecules are abbreviated as Xd/Y; alkyl/acyl, alkenyl/acyl, and diacyl molecules of glycerophospholipids, as Xa/Y, Xp/Y, and X/Y, respectively. Xd, sphingoid base; Xa, alkyl group; Xp, alk-1-enyl group; X and Y, acyl groups.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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21,973 |
Political will or supportive political leadership is considered to be essential for sanitation promotion [34, 35]. In India, political will is strong at the national level with the Prime Minister taking special interest in sanitation. There are also cases in India where sanitation targets were achieved within a few months due to the special interest shown by a local minister . In contrast in this case, some political leaders interfered to block all latrine promotion activities in few villages. During general elections held across the country and in Odisha state in May 2014, political tensions led to halting of promotional activities. In the post-election phase, some new elected representatives who had recently gained power, sometimes caused problems, as one NGO facilitator noted: “If some villagers did not vote for a particular leader, that leader did not cooperate to approve the documents needed for government’s financial incentive reimbursement.” Some representatives were not keen to take forward the programmes initiated by their predecessors. “Many government programmes are passed through the local representatives, so these leaders take advantage of this situation and create hindrances in processing the subsidies”, said a villager who was also a ward member.
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215,774 |
To more accurately describe the relationship between gene expression and immune cell infiltration, we used the TIMER, CIBERSORT, quanTIseq, xCell, MCP-counter, and EPIC algorithms to assess the immune infiltration in tumor tissue (Sturm et al., 2019). TIMER2 provides a platform to analyze immune infiltrates across diverse cancer types based on available TCGA RNA-seq data (Li et al., 2016; Li T. et al., 2020). The correlations between claudin expression (CLDN6 and CLDN10) and immune cell infiltration in ovarian cancer are shown in Table 2. As seen in Figure 6C, CLDN6 was negatively correlated with immune cell infiltration, including that of B cells, CD8+ T cells, effector memory CD4+ T cells, M1 macrophages, and myeloid dendritic cells. In contrast, CLDN10 was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration, including that of B cells, CD8+ T cells, effector memory CD4+ T cells, M1 macrophages, and myeloid dendritic cells (Figure 6D). Relevant evidence suggests that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play an important role in the progression of ovarian cancer (Mhawech-Fauceglia et al., 2014; Leung et al., 2018). Interestingly, here, CAFs also showed a positive correlation with CLDN6 expression, but a negative correlation with CLDN10 expression. In ovarian cancer, increased infiltration of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and more specifically CD8+ T cells, have been proven to be associated with improved clinical outcomes (Sato et al., 2005; Hamanishi et al., 2007; Ovarian Tumor Tissue Analysis et al., 2017). These results suggest that CLDN6 and CLDN10 may participate in immune cell infiltration in ovarian cancer, and these mechanisms may be the reason for poor prognosis.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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187,973 |
So I went up to the Starbucks employee. They’ve never met me in their life. I can just say my name is “name” and they can just be like, cool. But they don’t think about it. They don’t think, hey, didn’t you used to be “name”? So things like that. Like online submissions, like talking to new people or like people who I know I won’t see you again. It’s like, you know, it’s nice when you say that. (Age 15, TGD, Queer, Bisexual, pansexual, Queer).
| 1 | 2other
| 1Other
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293,617 |
Our conclusions should be interpreted in light of some limitations. First, the main limitation is the type of study. Since this is a cross-sectional study, causal links cannot be established. Second, our study relied on self-reported measures, which may be susceptible to various errors and biases, such as desirability or memory bias. Moreover, the variables used in this study were mostly categorized in only a binary pattern, and only two possible options were given. For example, the measures of anxiety and loneliness did not allow the study of several dimensions, and only two categories (presence/absence) were given. In order to better understand the different possible dimensions of these measures, the GAD-7 scale, which uses a score from 0 to 21 to asses generalized anxiety disorder, or the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) could be used in further studies . Finally, the results obtained cannot be extrapolated to the national level, since the data are only about schooled adolescents, in a context where one in three children in Benin was out of school in 2015.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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331,879 |
Hepcidin is a relatively new marker, which regulates iron absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and iron release from stores, both of which are important pathways controlling the availability of iron for incorporation in the erythrocyte precursors . Increases of iron plasma levels stimulate the production of hepcidin, which blocks further iron absorption from the gastrointestinal tract and release of stored iron. In situations where erythropoietin demand and/or hypoxia are present (as in severe anaemia), hepcidin levels are decreased [17–19]. However, hepcidin is also upregulated by inflammation which may limit its use in settings where infections are common . Hepcidin may have potential to guide iron therapy in severely anaemic children because in this population there is diminished up regulation of hepcidin in inflammation and iron deficiency due to an increase in erythropoietin . It is therefore important to explore the possible role of hepcidin as a useful marker in guiding iron therapy in severely anaemic adults.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
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235,452 |
One possible explanation for POR, in the present study, could be the presence of polymorphisms in the FSH-R gene. It has been shown that ovarian response to OS depends on the FSH-R genotype . A study by Yan et al. showed that certain FSH-R genotypes are related to an increased risk for POR. Furthermore, three different studies showed that women with and without PCOS having FSH-R Ser680 allele variant had higher basal FSH levels . In women undergoing OS, this receptor variant is associated with lower E2 levels following OS, suggesting lower FSH-R sensitivity .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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345,945 |
Data from Table 1 revealed that Medjool showed the highest browning intensity compared with the other two cultivars. Medium containing 2.0 mg/l TDZ showed the highest browning intensity of the explants regardless of the cultivars’ factor, followed by TDZ combined with BA (1.0 mg/l for both). Similarly, it was found that Medjool showed the highest browning intensity with medium containing 2.0 mg/l TDZ followed by the combination of TDZ with BA (1.0 mg/l for both). Meanwhile, Selmi explants showed the lowest browning intensity with medium containing the combination of TDZ with BA. Table 1Effect of various cytokinins on browning intensity of three date palm cultivars after 4 months from initiation cultureTreatment (mg/l)BarheeSelmiMedjoolMean2.0 BA1.86fg1.40 jk3.10b2.12B2.0 2iP1.50jk1.80gh2.75c2.02C2.0 Kin1.40kl2.06e2.80c2.09BC2.0 TDZ1.70hi1.60ij3.88a2.39A1.0 BA + 1.0 TDZ2.00ef1.20m3.20b2.13B1.0 BA + 1.0 2iP1.64ij2.25d2.13de2.01C1.0 BA + 1.0 Kin1.61ij1.25l3.20b2.02CMean1.67B1.65B3.01AMeans with different letters were significantly different at 5% level
| 4 | 0biomedical
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330,101 |
Behavioral responses to CRD were assessed via Abdominal Withdrawal Reflex (AWR) measurement using a semiquantitative score in conscious animals . Briefly, rats were anesthetized with isoflurane, and a lubricated latex balloon (length: 4.5 cm), attached to polyethylene tubing, assembled to an embolectomy catheter and connected to a syringe filled with water was inserted through the anus into the rectum and descending colon of adult rats. The tubing was taped to the tail to hold the balloon in place. Then, rats were allowed to recover from the anesthesia for 30 min. AWR measurement consisted of visual observation of animal responses to graded CRD (0.5, 1, 2, 3 mL) blinded observers who assigned an AWR score: no behavioral response to colorectal distention (0); immobile during colorectal distention and occasional head clinching at stimulus onset (1); mild contraction of the abdominal muscles but absence of abdomen lifting from the platform (2); observed strong contraction of the abdominal muscles and lifting of the abdomen off the platform (3); arching of the body and lifting of the pelvic structures and scrotum (4). The measurements were carried out 14 days after DNBS administration.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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343,803 |
Intra-nasal (i.n.) delivery using a mucosal atomization device (MAD), intra-tracheal instillation and aerosol delivery by nebulizer, have all been used to deliver influenza virus and vaccines to porcine airways (17, 22–26). We have routinely used both MAD and nebulizer for vaccine delivery and viral challenge, but there is very little understanding of where the virus or vaccine is deposited in the porcine RT. Here, we evaluated the properties of droplets and devices employed to target the RT in pigs. We compared in vitro the droplet size of aerosols generated by a MAD and vibrating mesh nebulizers (VMNs) using the drug albuterol sulphate, a radiolabel (99mTc-DTPA) or the pseudotyped influenza virus vaccine, S-FLU, which has been shown to be protective in mice, ferrets and pigs following RT delivery (24, 25, 27, 28). In this study, the deposition of aerosols generated by the different devices was analyzed in vitro using simulated breathing head models and in vivo by gamma scintigraphy. Cellular and humoral immune responses after intranasal influenza challenge by MAD were also assessed. These studies will help in the design of rational delivery strategies for vaccines targeting respiratory diseases in livestock species and humans.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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161,983 |
ROS could be produced by both tumor cells and infiltrating immune cells during metastatic colonization, and the location of ROS may determine oxidative effect on tumor growth. A recent study provided evidence that metabolic ROS support the metastasis process of tumor cells in clusters, compared with single cells34. The cluster could also be formatted between tumor cells and neutrophils. A phenomenon was reported that neutrophil–tumor clusters exhibit the capability to expand the metastatic potential of B16F10 cells24, but the role of ROS was not addressed. Normally, the NCF1–NOX2 complex is efficiently activated, dominating to the production of ROS in neutrophils. In this study, we validated with mouse models for the first time that a copy of functional Ncf1 gene expression in neutrophils driven by the MRP8 promoter was enough to increase the level of lung metastatic foci.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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589 |
Drug concentrations for combination treatments were adjusted for each cell line since IC50 values for both compounds varied strongly (Table 1 upper part).Table 1Treatment doses for single and combined treatment. Eight UCCs, two immortalized benign urothelial cells (TERT-NHUC, HBLAK), primary urothelial cells (NHUC), and HEK-293 cells were treated with JQ1 at a fixed range of concentrations. Cell viability was measured by MTT- assay 72 h later. IC50 values for each cell line were determined (upper part). Cell viability results were used according to the Chou-Talalay method to determine doses for the combination treatment with synergistic effects for each investigated cell line. The respective doses were applied for further functional characterization for 48 h (lower part)Urothelial carcinoma cell linesControl cell linesJQ1 IC50 [μmol/l]JQ1 IC50 [μmol/l]VM-Cub10.18TERT-NHUC0.4RT-1120.19HBLAK0.4T240.23NHUC0.2656370.39HEK-2930.26UM-UC-32.6HT-13765.2639-V6.8BFTC-90510JQ1 + Romidepsin combination dosesJQ1 [μmol/l]Romidepsin [nmol/l]Vm-Cub10.222.2UM-UC-312T240.222.2639-V1.81.6HBLAK0.40.89
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| 0Study
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246,694 |
Moreover, we measured social media use by asking participants how many hours they typically spend on social media in a day and the frequency with which they post status updates. Given ambiguity in the wording of the first item, participants may have been unclear on whether to report the number of hours they are active on social media or the number of hours they are logged into a social media account on a computer or mobile device. The question about status update frequency more clearly assessed active social media use, yet status updates are just one way that individuals may be active on social media. They may, for instance, be active by communicating with others via direct message or posting content on other people's pages, without necessarily posting status updates themselves.
| 1 | 2other
| 0Study
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368,480 |
There are three main methods to research the ice load of structures. The model test method usually uses an ice pool to simulate the actual situation of the field environment and measures the mechanical properties of ice under laboratory conditions . However, the disadvantage of this method is that low-temperature experimental conditions need to be implemented in a special environment that can be controlled, thus the investment is high. In addition, the simulated environment cannot precisely reproduce various parameters in the site environment. Therefore, this method needs to expand in both depth and breadth. The theory and calculation methods are not perfect, and there are still many problems in the exploratory stage. Thus, the experimental results are only for reference . The numerical simulation method uses algorithms and software to determine the key parameters of the ice cover through hydrological and meteorological data. Then a mathematical model is established to determine the static ice load . The advantage is that the known factors can be input into the model as parameters, but its theoretical calculations are complex, boundary conditions are not easy to measure, accuracy is low and real-time capability is bad . The in-situ observation method needs to deploy some pressure sensors (such as biaxial stress sensors and strain gauges ) in advance at the hydraulic facility, and the pressure variation data inside the ice layer can be obtained through manual timing observation and recording. It can be summarized as a simple and effective prediction model combined with other environmental parameters. Compared with the model test method and numerical simulation method, the in-situ observation method is closer to the spot practical situation, which has a better practical reference. Therefore, the method of in-situ observation has been widely adopted. For example, 11 biaxial stress sensors were deployed to the La Gabelle reservoir in south-central Quebec, Canada, and ice stress data for two winter seasons were obtained . By equipping the steel gate with multiple vibrating wire strain gauges, the ice pressure at various locations on the structure over 100 days was collected . Using strain gauges, four ice load measurements were performed in the Beaufort Sea, and the relationship between ice pressure and the area was obtained . However, due to the limitation of the volume of the sensing unit, the traditional embedded observation method will damage the structure of the ice cover during deployment. It cannot accurately reflect the actual force of the medium, nor can it detect the mechanical properties of the ice sheet during the melting process.
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209,816 |
Additional file 1: Table S1. Multiple linear regression analysis models for ACPA, ESR and disease duration controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and smoking status in the RAPd and RA groups. These confounding factors did not contribute significantly to the model. RAPd: Subjects with RA and Pd; RA: Subjects with RA but without Pd; ACPA: anticitrullinated protein antibodies; ESR: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate; Multiple linear regression analysis, **significant at p < 0.05; B = Unstandardised regression coefficients; β= Standardised regression coefficients; CI = Confidence interval. Table S2. Multiple regression analysis models for periodontal parameters controlling for age, gender, ethnicity, and smoking status in all groups (RAPd, RA, Pd and HC). All these confounding factors did not contribute significantly to the model and were not potential predictors for the variability in clinical periodontal parameters. RAPd: Subjects with RA and Pd; RA: Subjects with RA but without Pd; Pd: Subjects without RA but has Pd; HC: Subjects without both RA and Pd; VPI: visible plaque index; GBI: gingival bleeding index; PPD: probing pocket depth; CAL: clinical attachment level; PISA: Periodontal inflamed surface area; Multiple linear regression analysis, **significant at p < 0.05; B = Unstandardised regression coefficients; β= Standardised regression coefficients; CI = Confidence interval.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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106,582 |
*There are three types of power supplies in the hospital: white (ordinary supply), red (ordinary supply + private power generator backup), and green (ordinary supply + private power generator + battery backup). The red and green outlets are primarily for connecting important equipment such as life-support systems, so the ultrasonic device should be connected to the white outlet, not to the red or green outlets. When connecting the ultrasonographic device in a hospital ward, inform the section involved that you are connecting it and ensure it is the correct capacity before connecting. If there is no alternative to using an extension cord (triple-pole type), be careful to avoid a “star-connection” causing overloading circuit.(3)Inspecting the ultrasonographic device
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219,377 |
Target gene confirmation. (A) RT‐qPCR was used to detect the predicted target gene expression in SLE patients and healthy controls (n = 10). (B) Changes in target genes after transfection of Ball‐1 cells with miR‐99a‐3p agomir, antagomir or NC (n = 3). (C) Transfection of 293T cells with mutant or wild‐type fluorescein vectors carrying binding sites and agomir, the fluorescein report value was read with a fluorescence spectrophotometer, and the difference in the influence of agomir between mutant and wild‐type was analysed (n = 5). (D) Western blotting verified the differences in EIF4EBP1 and NCAPG expression in SLE patients (B1, B2, B3, B4) and healthy people (A1, A2, A3, A4) (n = 3)
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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198,587 |
Italy was the first Western country to suffer a coronavirus emergency and adopt severe measures to contain the spread of the virus. On March 4, 2020, in a dramatic television appearance, the Italian prime minister announced an unprecedented measure in Italian history: the lockdown and the immediate closure of all schools and universities. Considering the economic impact, and also the encouraging quantitative data about the increased number of recovered cases and the decrease in hospitalized people, the Italian government announced the beginning of the long-awaited “Phase 2” for May 4, 2020, including the reopening of a majority of businesses.
| 1 | 2other
| 1Other
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278,341 |
This study has a number of limitations that should be mentioned. We expect these limitations to contribute to an underestimation of our prevalence rates. First of all, our sample was possibly not representative of the full population of participating schools. Although additional efforts were made to reach all parents for active, informed consent, more than half of the parents did not respond. For those parents who actively refused participation, one of the main reasons was that participation was thought to be too stressful because the parent was overburdened or because of the trauma experiences/many diagnostic evaluations (often trauma-related) of their child. Secondly, although the LEC is a user-friendly questionnaire that is widely used in trauma-informed clinical practice where there is considerable variability in the temporal stability of self-reported trauma exposure , the LEC is not yet validated for children and adolescents. Furthermore, the LEC does not cover the range of ACEs that are commonly assessed in ACEs research; it leaves out ACEs such as divorce, emotional neglect and economic hardship. Lastly, the overall quality of school files was often low or moderate at best. In many cases, a number of reports were missing, particularly in secondary schools. Overall, it is likely that the number of ACEs reported both on the LEC and in school files is an underestimation of all ACEs that were experienced by the students.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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118,011 |
Abiotic and biotic exposures of P. pinaster were assessed by means of current and future suitability maps (both for P. pinaster and pitch canker disease respectively). Particularly, when assessing future exposure, we used the three different suitability categories defined in the future suitability maps,—i.e. “likely suitable”, “uncertain” and “likely unsuitable”- as the basis for recommending the most appropriate management to facilitate populations’ ability to cope with climate change. For this analysis, we considered the entire distribution of the species P. pinaster, including both native and planted populations, and the results were presented following the Spanish seed zones of forest reproductive material . Seed zones delimit ecologically homogeneous distribution areas and, thus, are expected to group genetically similar populations likely to be locally adapted, as well as to differ in their productivity, and thereby in their economic impact on regional economies. Consequently, seed zones are appropriate as management units and provide a perfect framework to guide forest management.
| 4 | 2other
| 0Study
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144,669 |
As (1) rainfall is an important environmental driver in AIV dynamics in wild Australian waterbirds and (2) wild waterbirds, especially ducks, are identified globally to have a role in virus spillover into poultry [41–43] and (3) all HPAI poultry outbreaks in Australia can be traced back to an endemic Australian H7 lineage most likely spilled over from wild birds , we suggest that rainfall events have an indirect effect on AIV outbreaks in Australian poultry. We investigated this hypothesis by examining the correlation between the timing of AIV outbreaks in poultry in a region that contains most of Australia’s poultry-dense areas and accounts for most of Australia’s poultry production, the Murray-Darling basin and nearby locations, in relation to temporal patterns in regional rainfall.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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356,899 |
The IBM SPSS software (version 26.0.0.1) was used for statistical analysis. Two-tailed p-values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. The target level of 2000 participants was based on the knowledge that circa 10 and 5% in a highly educated part of the general population can be expected to display signs of exhaustion in KEDS and LUCIE, respectively . Hence, this level was judged to give sufficient statistical power and to allow relevant subgroup comparisons. Because LUCIE scores are on a classificatory scale (or on an ordinal scale of increasing frequency of signs of exhaustion), and because comparisons had to be made across groups of different sizes, the data were analysed with traditional methods for non-parametric statistics. Confidence intervals (95%) for prevalence rates were constructed with a bootstrap procedure. For nominal or categorical data, between-group comparisons were made using Pearson’s independent chi-square test and pairwise follow-up tests with a Bonferroni-adjusted z-test for column proportions.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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204,688 |
In the light of these data, it seems that pharmacological manipulation of cytoskeletal and microtubule functioning could be intriguingly relevant to the development and the control of epilepsy, as summarized in Table 1. Previous study provided information that davunetide, preserving microtubule dynamics, can reduce kainate toxicity (Zemlyak et al. 2009). To this purpose, previous data explored the genesis and maintenance of epileptic activity when perturbing the microtubule assembly process in the hippocampus, in both intact neuronal network and isolated brain slices in vivo and in vitro in the rat (Carletti et al. 2016b). The main novelty of the study was represented by the choice of pharmacological molecules widely administered in cancer therapy as anti-mitotic such as nocodazole and paclitaxel (Jordan and Wilson 2004). This paper showed for the first time that nocodazole protects and modulates electrophysiological paroxysmal activity in rat TLE models, by reducing the onset and duration of epileptic discharge in vivo and also of hippocampal bursting activity in vitro (Carletti et al. 2016b). On the other hand, it was also described a case of non-convulsive status epilepticus induced by chemotherapeutic application of paclitaxel and discovered by electroencephalographic examination of an oncologic patient (Illán-Gala et al. 2015). The pharmacokinetic interaction of AEDs with chemotherapeutic drugs has been already outlined and ascribed to the susceptibility of cytochromes (CYP) enzymes to drug inducers or inhibitor, but complex effects of microtubule agents on seizures could hint a more specific interaction (Bénit and Vecht 2016). Other studies investigated MT-active agents in neurodegenerative diseases. For instance, it was found a protective role for paclitaxel in Alzheimer’s diseases. Indeed, this MT-stabilizing agent, as well as other taxanes with comparable potency in promoting tubulin assembly, protects against amyloid-β (Aβ) toxicity and enhances neuronal survival, at low doses (Michaelis et al. 2005). Also in Huntington’s neurodegeneration, paclitaxel treatment acted on an early step of MT destabilization remarkably boosting survival of primary striatal neurons expressing a toxic mutant protein (Trushina et al. 2003). It could be counterintuitive that cytotoxic drugs support neuronal survival as in (Michaelis et al. 2005; Carletti et al. 2016b), in fact these drugs can interfere with processes initiated by excessive stabilization of the cytoskeleton and loss of dynamic instability. Furthermore, blocking early MT depolymerizing signals associated with several insults, could be a way to trigger cascades that enhance cell survival, acting as a supervising system for cell destiny. This innovative viewpoint on epileptogenesis has been supported by a growing number of authors focusing on the reduced axonal and dendritic transport of cargos such as mitochondria that physiologically regulate neuronal excitability (Vossel et al. 2010, 2017; Morris et al. 2011).Table 1Microtubule-active agents in epileptic statesResearch papersStudies on humansStudies on animal modelsMicrotubule-active agents appliedMain effects obtained Jones et al. (2012)XPentylenetetrazole rat modelSodium SelenateTau Dephosphorilation, neuroprotection Liu et al. (2016)XPentylenetetrazole rat modelSodium SelenateTau Dephosphorilation, neuroprotection Devos et al. (2013)XPentylenetetrazole mouse modelCentral oligodeoxynucleotidesReduction of Tau levels, neuroprotection Holth et al. (2013)XIn vitro mice epilepsy modelTau genotypingReduction of Tau levels, neuroprotection Yang et al. (2006)YesXXDown-regulation of tubulins associated with epilepsy Zeng et al. (2007)XKainate mouse modelCalcineurin inhibitorStabilization of actin dynamics reduces seizures Yang et al. (2019)XPilocarpine mouse modelDexamethasoneControl of actin polymerization reduces seizures Zemlyak et al. (2009)XKainate mouse modelDavunetideProtection of microtubule functioning and reduction of kainate neurotoxicity Carletti et al. (2016b)XIn vivo and in vitro rat epilepsy modelsNocodazole, PaclitaxelModulation of microtubule polymerization and neuroprotection exerted by nocodazole Illán-Gala et al. (2015)YesXPaclitaxelInduction of non-convulsive status epilepticus
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329,509 |
An effective drug development strategy against the malaria parasite P. falciparum involves the rational design of compounds targeted to essential, parasite-specific functions. This requires a detailed understanding of the molecular traits of the different life cycle stages. In particular, the transition from human host to the mosquito and the corresponding sexual development represents a vulnerable stage for the parasite. The sex-specific transcriptome and proteome of gametocytes is now established (19–22, 30), but the metabolomics evidence is limited to combined male and female gametocytes (31–34). The method presented here enables us to separate populations of male and female gametocytes at high purity from the same culture and therefore will allow us to close this gap.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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215,934 |
Zeki comes to sthe same conclusion by carrying out a comparative analysis between abstract art and figurative art. “The works of art in conflict with the ordinary experience of the visual world - for example Magritte, De Chirico or Max Ernst - intensely involve the parts of the frontal lobe that are also activated by the paintings of the Fauves. In these works there is a conflict to be solved, that is the conflict between the present vision and the records of past experiences, and it seems that the frontal lobe is involved in this task” 22 .
| 2 | 2other
| 1Other
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191,054 |
The anti-inflammatory effects of natural compounds are multifold, though varied among cell types. For instance, syringaresinol (SYR), a cereal extract, suppressed both Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1)/Nrf2 and TGFβ/Smad pathway in neonatal cardiomyocytes, resulting in reduced cardiac macrophage density and improved cardiac function (Li et al., 2020). Interestingly, SYR can also downregulate NF-κB activation via p38 stimulation in macrophages in vitro, thereby reducing inflammation indirectly (Bajpai et al., 2018). Some pleiotropic agents, such as curcumin (Zheng et al., 2018), sophocarpine (Zou et al., 2019), and luteolin (Li L. et al., 2019), ameliorate DCM by suppressing NF-κB signaling pathway and the subsequent secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules. In addition, curcumin analogs, C66 and J17, have both direct and indirect anti-inflammatory roles. C66 lowers serum and cardiac triglyceride levels and inhibits JNK signaling (Wang Y. et al., 2014). Moreover, J17 protects diabetic mice and H9c2 cardiomyoblasts against high glucose-induced inflammation by inhibition of p38 signaling pathway (Chen et al., 2017). Interestingly, both SYR-activated p38 in macrophages (Bajpai et al., 2018) and curcumin-inhibited p38 in cardiomyocytes modulate cardiac inflammation in diabetes. These opposing mechanistic effects encapsulate the complexity and challenge of targeting inflammatory mechanisms in DCM. Overall, these natural compounds effectuate anti-inflammatory properties in the heart, yet their mechanistic role in different cardiac cell types, long-term implications, and clinical relevance remain undetermined.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
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142,606 |
Glycemic management in patients with T2D has become more individualized, and there are now several different treatment options available, with various factors influencing the most appropriate choice for individual patients. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are a well-established class of glucose-lowering agents that act on multiple pathophysiological defects in T2D, providing effective glycemic control, weight loss, and a low risk of hypoglycemia, with a well‑characterized safety profile (3). In addition, as described by Smits and van Raalte in this supplement (4), certain GLP-1RAs have also been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, as well as some renal-related endpoints, in CV outcomes trials (CVOTs) (5–8).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
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145,861 |
An excessive femoral anteversion, tibial external rotation, subtalar joint pronation or genu valgus and genu recurvatum are the secondary anatomic instability factors altering the coronal, clinically evaluated, Q angle and therefore the axial, radiologically measured, TT-TG distance.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
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43,546 |
In the past two decades, nanoparticles (NPs) for medical applications have been investigated by numerous researchers. The NPs based theranostic agents combine, in a unique formulation, tracking, imaging, diagnosis, cell-targeting and drug delivery properties. In this emerging field of nanomedicine, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSN) are considered as a promising platform for drug-delivery and cell targeting . However, the major obstacle for NPs’ accumulation at the site of interest is the rapid opsonization of the NPs by the liver and spleen macrophages. This opsonization is due to the formation of a protein corona at the surface of the NPs when they enter in contact with biological media . The composition of the corona is particularly dependent on the NPs composition, surface charge and hydrophobicity . Moreover, the protein corona influences the toxicity of the NPs . Different proteins adsorb on native MSN , on liposomes prepared with various lipid compositions and in the presence of polymeric groups . Grafting of polyethylene glycol (PEG) groups on the NPs is well-known to induce a stealth effect of the NPs . The NPs coated with PEG groups present a longer circulation time, and escape the reticuloendothelial system (RES) capture . The PEG coating brings hydrophilicity at the surface of NPs. Water molecules interact via hydrogen bonds with the PEG moieties, enhancing the hydrodynamic diameter of the NPs . However, this type of grafting induces aggregation in high saline concentration solution . In fact, we previously demonstrated that MSN needed a precise amount of PEG in surface in order to avoid aggregation of particles. If the quantity was not optimized, PEG grafting did not improve colloidal stability . Another strategy to produce a stealth effect, less investigated than the PEG coating, is to coat the surface of NPs with a lipid bilayer. The lipid bilayer, with an average thickness of 5 nm, does not change drastically the hydrodynamic diameter of the NPs . Moreover, the lipid bilayer coating brings new functionalities to the NPs. Indeed, thermally controlled release can be performed by alternating magnetic field or phototherapy . The biocompatibility of lipid coated NPs was generally tested using pegylated lipids . The presence of a magnetic core add interesting functionalities to MSN . The magnetic properties of Fe3O4 nanocrystals are useful to follow NPs using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and produce thermally-controlled drug delivery or hyperthermia treatment . In our previous study, the synthesis and functionalization of magnetic core shell MSN (Fe3O4@MSN) had been optimized . The results, obtained using the classical MTT assay, showed that 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) and PEG coated Fe3O4@MSN were less cytotoxic than the native NPs . Moreover, an early effect of DMPC Fe3O4@MSN on cells has been observed using real-time dependent impedance measurements translating the difference in cell morphologies after NPs treatments.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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169,632 |
The demographic features, ADHD symptoms, and baseline task performances between the experimental and control groups were compared using independent-sample t-tests and chi-squared tests. Then, we performed ANCOVA, repeated-measures ANOVA, and paired t-tests to evaluate task performance changes between post-assessment and baseline for each group. All statistical tests were two-tailed and performed using SPSS 24.0 software (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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43,014 |
Perturbations in the frequency of intermediate as well as non-classical monocytes have been observed in a variety of conditions, including autoimmune diseases, bacterial and viral infections and several inflammatory conditions such as asthma, coronary artery disease, periodontitis and stroke [6, 43]. Further characterization of monocytes subsets, including improved ways to discriminate among the monocyte subsets , will help understand the role of these cells in health as well as in disease.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
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309,659 |
The analyzed samples were obtained from several different locations in Burkina Faso and Mozambique, as previously described by Warth et al. . From those 122 samples, 110 samples (as given in Table 2) were tested on-site for their aflatoxin contamination by using qualitative LFDs. In Burkina Faso, the extraction was done with 50% ethanol (EtOH–H2O, 50:50) while in Mozambique 70% methanol (MeOH–H2O, 70:30) was applied. All extracts were initially tested using test kit A. All the samples indicating a positive result were further evaluated using test kit B and test kit C to estimate the contamination level.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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190,572 |
On the other hand, the “safe” (positive valence and low activation/arousal) and “bored” (low activation/arousal) were closely positioned to both after tasting moments (before and after the ECP statement). The pattern of emotions occurrence belonging to both positive and negative valences in the pleasantness dimension and both high and low activation/arousal dimension suggests that consumers belonged to different segments . However, the pattern of emotions should be interpreted with caution as not all terms occurrences may be significant.
| 2 | 2other
| 0Study
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70,942 |
To verify the role of autophagy in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of SMCs, we used rapamycin and wortmannin to modulate autophagy. Although we noted that activation or inhibition of autophagy could significantly promote or repress mineralization in both types of SMCs, we did not observe a difference between the fused and unfused SMCs after rapamycin or wortmannin treatment. One possibility is that these treatments might function downstream of primary pathological defects, which cancels out the upstream difference. Alternatively, the effect of rapamycin or wortmannin treatment may be so dramatic that it overrides the difference caused by primary pathological defects.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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235,871 |
The current study compared the efficacy of sodium valproate (group A), sodium valproate plus magnesium oxide (group B), and magnesium oxide (group C) in the migraine prophylaxis of patients within the age range of 18–65 years. Furthermore, the MIDAS and HIT6 scores were compared among the three treatment groups. The obtained results showed that the combination of magnesium and sodium valproate had an appropriate efficacy in migraine prophylaxis, as headache severity, duration of headache, and amount of utilized painkillers were significantly lower in group B, compared to those reported for group A. Moreover, the MIDAS scores further reduced in group B than those reported for group A, and the changes in HIT scores were not significantly different between groups A and B. Furthermore, by the addition of magnesium to valproate (group B), the sodium valproate dose significantly didn’t increase, compared to that reported for group A.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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173,311 |
We aimed at contributing to this topic by focusing on patient- and provider-level factors in autistic adults who were able to participate in an online study. Autistic challenges in this population may be difficult to recognize, but sensory and communicative differences could critically affect health care satisfaction and accessibility. We asked Swedish adults about their perception of health care settings, focusing on sensory inputs and patient–provider communication. We hypothesized that autistic adults would report greater levels of sensory adversity and communication difficulties in health care settings compared with a nonautistic group. Further, we used qualitative analysis of free-text responses with the aim of better understanding the nature of sensory and communication challenges.
| 4 | 0biomedical
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152,322 |
MiR-130a-3p decreases protein level TGF-βRII in MLg and silencing TGF-βRII inhibits TGF-β1-induced MLg differentiation. (A) Representative Western blot bands of TGF-βRII protein expression in MLg transfected with miR-130a-3p mimic and treated with TGF-β1 for 24 h. (B) Level of TGF-βRII protein was obtained from Western blot analysis. (C) Level of TGF-βRII mRNA was analyzed. (D) The effect of TGF-βRII knockdown on the inhibition of MLg proliferation. (E) Immunofluorescence staining was demonstrated the effect of TGF-βRII silence on MLg differentiation. Scale bar = 10 μm. (F) Western blot bands of α-SMA and FN protein expression in MLg after transfection of si-TGF-βRII. (G,H) Western blot statistical analyses for α-SMA and FN protein (α-SMA/β-actin and FN/β-actin). (I,J) qRT-PCR statistical analyses for α-SMA and FN mRNA (α-SMA/GAPDH and FN/GAPDH). Data were presented as mean ± SE, * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, compared with NC group. & p < 0.05, && p < 0.01, &&& p < 0.001, compared with NC + TGF group. n = 3–4.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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256,930 |
According to the available documents, there were fewer quantitative assessment standards or indicators for WHSs in NYC. In 2008, NYC made explicit requirements for the control of maternal deaths and listed them as priorities. In 2010, a clear requirement was made for the pregnancy rate of adolescents . In 2012, The New York State Community Health Indicator Reports set the indicators of the pregnancy rate of women, the proportion of prenatal screening for maternal, and the screening proportion of high-risk pregnancy, which led the AESCR in NYC to reach 60%. Overall, the AESCR in the SH was higher than that in NYC (p < 0.01).
| 2 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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37,387 |
X-ray crystallographic data for O-DMIM and G-DMIM were collected on an Oxford Diffraction Gemini A Ultra diffractometer at 150 K using Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.54184 Å). Empirical absorption correction using spherical harmonics, implemented in SCALE3 ABSPACK14 scaling algorithm were applied. Structures were solved by direct methods and refined on all unique F2 values, with anisotropic non-H atoms or as constrained riding isotropic H atoms. Programs were CrysAlisPro15 for data collection, integration, and absorption corrections as well as OLEX2 (ref. 16) or SHELXTL14 for structure solution, refinement, and graphics. Full details about crystallographic experimental information is provided as supplementary material.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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118,307 |
NAG1 patients had a similar age at disease onset, but lower F:M ratio than the Europeans MS patients, while the NAG2 cohort had an earlier disease onset, but similar F:M to the Europeans. It is not surprising to observe a high F:M ratio among NAG2 if they are considered as having a more “European” phenotype, as an increasing F:M ratio is one of the most striking features of MS in Northern countries . Concerning age at onset, this discrepancy between NAG2 and Europeans and NAG1 might be explained by the artificial lack of late onset in the NAG2 cohort (with a calendar year slightly more recent than NAG1 and significantly different from Europeans). A “migration bias” may also have influenced the differential F:M ratio and age at onset between NAG1 and NAG2. Migrants of the first generation were probably more likely to be healthy male workers; women and men having begun their disease in late childhood may have been poor candidates for migration.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
56,267 |
where ni and nj are the normal vectors to any pair of adjacent triangles i and j, respectively. The summation runs over all pairs of such triangles. To simulate the fluidity of the membrane, we change the connectivity of the network: we cut and reattach connections between the four vertices of any two neighbouring triangles. The surface area A and volume V of the vesicle, are maintained by constraints uA = KA(A − At)2/At and uV = KV (V − Vt)2/Vt with KA = 103 kBT/l2 and KV = 4 × 103 kBT/Dpl2, where kBT, Dp, At and Vt are the thermal energy, the diameter of the particles, the target surface area and the target volume of the vesicle, respectively. In each simulation we set the target values of surface area and volume of the vesicle with diameter Dv = 50l as At = 1.05A0 and Vt = V0, respectively. These parameters cause the final volume and surface area to deviate less than 0.01% from the target values. To let the vertices of the membrane wrap around the particles, we introduce an attraction potential between them:
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
222,679 |
In addition to these findings, DCI treatment resulted in an overall 85% decrease of E1 values when compared to those at baseline (Fig. 4a). All the subjects with baseline E1 levels above the physiological range exhibited normal values after DCI treatment (Fig. 4b). Indeed, E1 decreases in all subject except one (V6), who maintained almost unaffected E1 levels. However, DCI effect on the increase of T levels in this case was remarkable (+ 33.9%). Fig. 4Effect of D-chiro-inositol (DCI) treatment on estrone (E1) levels. E1 levels from 10 male volunteers at baseline (t0) and after 30 days of treatment (t1) with 1 g DCI per day are presented as: a median values of E1 (box plots) (p = 0.0020; Wilcoxon signed rank sum test). Symbol explanation: see caption of Fig. 1a; b individual E1 levels (before-after treatment). The graph reports the values for each volunteer participating in the study
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
244,733 |
Macrophages are highly plastic cells that respond and adapt to the TME in which they are resident . Macrophage functions range from organogenesis, the capture and elimination of pathogens, tissue homeostasis, wound healing and tumorigenesis . In solid malignancies, TAM populations can impact tumors through a multitude of complex and often opposing mechanisms, including those impacting; cell death, immunoregulation, and angiogenesis, with the net result being either pro- or antitumor. However, recently a consensus has emerged whereby most TAMs in large tumors are thought to contribute to tumor progression by increasing cancer cell invasiveness, angiogenesis and immunosuppression .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
|
38,744 |
Correlations between grade, patient survival, tumor recurrence and Spinophilin and PPP1CA/B/C gene expression were determined through analysis of French (GSE16011), TGCA, French-Core Exon (GSE43107), Sun Brain (GSE4290) and Freije (GSE4412) datasets, respectively, which are available through Oncomine (Compendia Biosciences,www.oncomine.org) and R2: Genomics analysis and visualization platform (http://r2.amc.nl/). High and low groups were defined as above and below the mean, respectively. To analyze the high and low groups, high was defined as greater than one standard deviation above the mean, and low was greater than one standard deviation below the mean. The National Cancer Institute's Repository for Molecular Brain Neoplasia Data (REMBRANDT,http://rembrandt.nci.nih.gov) was also evaluated for correlations between patient survival and gene expression with up- or downregulation being defined as a 2-fold change relative to mean values. Multigene analysis of Kaplan-Meier (Cox regression) curves was performed through the SurvExpress Genomics analysis and visualization platform .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
305,235 |
The inclusion criteria include the following: age over >40 years; clinical diagnosis of COPD, defined as either a ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity <0.70 or chest computed tomography evidence of emphysema, and/or clinical diagnosis of HF syndrome (with left ventricular systolic dysfunction or preserved ejection fraction, and New York Heart Association Class 1-3); medical clearance from a provider to participate in an exercise program; an active email account with the ability to check email at least weekly; and access to a computer with an internet connection, USB port, and Windows. Meanwhile, the exclusion criteria include the following: self-reported COPD or HF exacerbation in the previous 2 weeks; inability to ambulate; clinical signs of unstable cardiovascular disease; hypoxemia during 6-minute walk test (oxygen saturation <85% with supplemental oxygen); inability to collect at least 7 of 14 days of baseline step counts; current participation in a cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation program.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
209,798 |
ACPA levels for all participants were plotted as median and interquartile range (IQR) as all metric values were not normally distributed. For statistical evaluation of the pairwise difference, the Pairwise Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare the medians of ACPA levels between groups for all possible pairs. The differences in the distributions of categorical outcomes were analysed using the Pearson chi-square test while differences in continuous outcomes between the four groups were determined by using one-way ANOVA test. The correlation between the serum level of ACPA and clinical periodontal and RA parameters were evaluated using Spearman rho correlation test. All tests were two-sided, and results with p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant at 95% confidence interval (CI).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
5,164 |
As shown in Fig 3, the initial 180 s of constant antecubital Sonovue infusion at rest led to an increase (with circulatory delay) of background-subtracted mean Sonovue microbubble signal, i.e. acoustic intensity (AI, reflecting microbubble tissue concentration) that reached equilibration within both, the VLat (upper panel) and VInt (lower panel) muscle ROIs without significant differences between MA and YG. On the base of such equilibrated resting conditions, two consecutive 25-s-RC were recorded (190 s and 240 s) after high-MI microbubble destruction at 190 s and 215 s (see Fig 1A). These RC are presented as means for the group of MA and of YG in Fig 4A (left panel) together with each group’s means of the individually calculated regression curves in Fig 4B (left panel). The individual regression lines were used for calculations of individual resting values of MBV, MFV and MBF according to the model equation (see Methods) which are presented as means for MA and YG (Fig 5) without significant differences. (See also ‘S1 Video. Example of a CEUS recording at rest, during and after isometric contraction’).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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55,798 |
At the mid-point and end of the PC CARES year-long intervention pilot, we brought facilitators together to document their reflections on PC CARES and to integrate their ideas for improvement into the model. Session notes documented key ideas shared in these sessions. The research team identified main themes in these notes and shared them with facilitators to be sure they adequately captured key ideas.
| 2 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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281,942 |
The high cell viability and attachment efficiency post vitrification even with low concentrations of CPAs showed the potential of LHe as the cryogen of cell vitrification, but it remains necessary to test the long-term viability and functional properties to ensure its biocompatibility. The long-term viability was assessed by both cell attachment efficiency and proliferation. For hBMSCs vitrified in LHe, the spindle fibroblastic morphology was similar to that of fresh hBMSCs during culturing for 3 days (Figure 5a). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in proliferation between fresh and vitrified hBMSCs (Figure 5b). hESCs also retained undifferentiated colony morphology after vitrification in LHe (Figure 5c). Additionally, cell proliferation was not affected (Figure 5d). These data indicated the vitrified hBMSCs and hESCs survived well three days after being vitrified in LHe.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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31,318 |
Data were compared by Student’s t test. Values are expressed as mean (SD) from 3–6 animals/individual cell experiments or 8 healthy human volunteers per condition. The chosen numbers per group was based on findings in previous studies and a subsequent samples size analysis. The studies are designed to be able to reject the null hypothesis that the population means of the experimental and control groups are equal with probability (power) 0.8. The Type I error probability associated with this test of this null hypothesis is 0.05. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. For all statistical analysis, GraphPad Prism 5.0 software for Windows XP was used. The authors had full access to and take full responsibility for the integrity of the data. All authors have read and agree to the manuscript as written.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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74,419 |
In many insects, including Drosophila, mating causes dramatic changes in female physiology and/or behavior . Female flies alter their feeding behavior towards yeast-containing food as well as salt after mating. The post-mating switch in female behavior is triggered by sex peptide (SP), a seminal protein transferred to the female during copulation [22–24]. SP activates a specific receptor, the sex peptide receptor (SPR), which is broadly expressed in the female reproductive tract and nervous system . Though the period of locomotor activity rhythm does not differ between males, virgin females, and mated females, the sleep status during the light phase is dramatically changed in mated females compared with virgins, and this change results from the involvement of the post-mating SP/SPR signal . Although feeding behavior and metabolic status are both circadian-regulated, we do not yet understand the relationship between a specific hunger for a particular nutrient and the circadian rhythm. We focused in this study on the feeding behavior after amino acid deprivation and asked whether flies consumed more amino acids at a certain time of the day, despite urgently requiring amino acids. Only mated females showed a higher level of feeding on amino acids in the dark phase than in the light phase; wild-type (CS) males, virgin CS females, and per0 flies did not. This suggested that only mated females had a specific reason for changing their amino acid consumption over a day. We then investigated whether the post-mating responses (PMRs) of females were related to the time-dependent consumption of amino acids. Time dependency in amino acid consumption was still observed in egg production mutants, indicating that egg-laying behavior itself is not important in increasing amino acid consumption during the dark phase of the 12 h light: 12 h dark (LD) cycle. The flies lacking the SP/SPR signal showed partly diminished amino acid consumption during the dark phase, compared with CS mated females. This suggests that the post-mating SP/SPR signal promotes amino acid consumption during the dark phase by interacting with the circadian clock.
| 5 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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380,409 |
We do find that SES achievement gradients are steeper in states that are more economically segregated. This finding is in some ways quite striking. It suggests that economic segregation is associated with SES achievement gaps in some ways other than simply through the way it shapes local economic context. The finding that segregation is associated with steeper SES achievement gradients is particularly troubling given recent trends of increasing economic segregation (Reardon et al., 2018).
| 1 | 2other
| 0Study
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371,266 |
Radiographs of the patient in Fig. 1 at 40 months after surgery. a–c Postoperative view shows that the functional have returned to near-normal. d Calcaneal lateral axis view shows good reduction of the fractures. Bohler angle, 25°; Gissane angle, 125°; calcaneal height, 47.30 mm; calcaneal length, 77.64 mm. e The calcaneal width was decreased after surgery. Calcaneal width, 40.04 mm
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
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284,272 |
Fifty-five patients delayed bortezomib treatment due to HZ infection. The median delayed period was 12 days (range, 4-180 days). 9 patients discontinued bortezomib therapy because of disease progression or the patients’ refusal of any further bortezomib treatment due to fear of the recurrence of shingles. The treatment schedule of the other 32 patients was not affected. 22 patients developed postherpetic neuralgia, 1 of whom had to receive nerve block operation to relieve the pain.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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234,969 |
In this study, the risk factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempts were compared using machine learning classifiers. To determine the important factors, machine-learning algorithms were utilized for dataset analysis. After confirming the related factors using the classification algorithm, a novel risk-factor score based on the rank and importance scores was calculated from the algorithm to evaluate the importance of variables. To investigate the differences in the importance of factors, based on suicide risk level, suicide ideation was set as having a low suicide risk and suicide attempt was set as having a high suicide risk, prior to analyzing the results. In the experimental results, we found that the associations of socioeconomic and sociodemographic variables were high for both suicide ideation and attempt. In addition, the risk-factor scores of mental health variables were higher than those for other variables for the high suicide risk condition (i.e., suicide attempt).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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87,512 |
Obesity prevalence data was retrieved from forty-two (42) studies with a combined sample size of 48,811. Among these studies, the reported obesity prevalence was within the range 1.6–63.8%. The pooled national prevalence of obesity (Fig. 5) among Ghanaian adults based on the 42 studies was estimated as 17.1% (95% CI = 14.7–19.5%). I2 was determined as 98.9% (p < 0.001) for the degree of inconsistency. A funnel plot of obesity prevalence rates showed presence of publication bias as depicted by an asymmetrical display of prevalence reported by various studies (Fig. 6). This was confirmed by an Egger’s test which was significant (p < 0.0001). A leave-one-out analysis revealed that the pooled obesity prevalence estimate was most impacted by Aidoo et al. (Fig. 7).Fig. 5Forest plot of studies reporting obesity prevalence among Ghanaian adults Fig. 6Funnel plot of studies reporting obesity prevalence among Ghanaian adults Fig. 7A leave-one-out sensitivity plot of studies reporting obesity prevalence among Ghanaian adults
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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336,939 |
In stratified (also referred to as individualised or precision) medicine, a precise tailored characterisation of tumours is essential for accurate patient management. A case of aggressive and rapidly fatal cutaneous MCTs with renal metastasis was herein reported. Indeed, histological examination of the cutaneous masses revealed that they were composed of infiltrating dermo-hypodermal sheets of neoplastic cells mixed with eosinophils. The cells were well-delineated round cells with moderately abundant and slightly granular cytoplasm. The nuclei were round and central with one or two small nucleoli. Anisocytosis and anisocaryosis were notable, and the mitotic index was greater than 8 mitoses in 10 high power fields (Fig. 1a). Using toluidine blue staining, the neoplastic cell cytoplasm revealed large number of metachromatic granules (Fig. 1b). All these findings supported a diagnosis of two high-grade cutaneous mast cell tumours according to the Kiupel grading system . Both cutaneous tumours showed similar profiles with cytoplasmic paranuclear staining and increased membranous staining in the majority of the neoplastic cells as compared to normal mast cells. In particular, the cytoplasmic localisation was rarely diffused and was most often in the form of a large paranuclear granular marking spot of reinforced intensity [4, 26, 27]. In the biopsies of the kidney mass, the tubules were atrophic, and the interstitium was markedly enlarged by fibrosis, and a mixed neutrophilic and lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate. In one sample, the interstitium was infiltrated by sheets of poorly defined round cells with pale slightly granular cytoplasm, marked cytonuclear atypia and some mitotic figures (Fig. 1c). Toluidine blue staining revealed inconspicuous but regular metachromatic granules in the cytoplasm of these cells, supporting the diagnosis of a metastatic mast cell tumour (Fig. 1d). Renal biopsy did not show mast cell infiltration significant enough to be evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Fig. 1a Cutaneous mass HE × 200 Neoplastic round cells with numerous mitoses (arrows); b) Cutaneous mass Toluidine Blue × 400: numerous metachromatic granules in the cell cytoplasm; c) Renal biopsy: HEx200: Neoplastic round cells replacing the renal parenchyma (one residual tubule still visible); d) Renal biopsy: Toluidine Blue × 400: Regular inconspicuous metachromatic granulations (arrows)
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
105,630 |
Our study has some limitations. First, the present study was a single-center retrospective study and, as a result, there might have been potential selection biases. Treatment options were selected on a case-by-case basis according to clinical judgment and patient factors. Second, our study had a relatively small number of patients and a short follow-up period. Further large-scale studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to clarify the clinical efficacy of the 7th UICC/AJCC TNM staging system. Third, because we focused only on clinical outcomes in patients who underwent curative resection for gastric GISTs, we did not include patients who had distant metastases at the time of surgery or who underwent preoperative or postoperative chemotherapy. Lastly, we included patients with only gastric GISTs; our results ought to be validated in studies that include GISTs in all sites. The clinical efficacy of the 7th UICC/AJCC TNM staging system and that of the NIH consensus criteria can then be compared according to the tumor’s primary anatomic site.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
136,821 |
Accumulating evidence indicates that microglia express specific gene markers for multiple phenotypes including aging, disease, psychiatric disease, sex, viral infections, neurodegenerative diseases, and more . Here, we explored whether the microglia were fundamentally changed during persistent neuroinflammation and not only do we demonstrate that these microglia exhibits a transcriptional profile 7 days after LPS administration that is unique from the acute 3 H response (Fig. 3), but that circulating HMGB1 by itself triggers the expression of 6 of these genes in the brain (Gzma, C3, Cd72, Cxcl10, Cd69, and Il2rg) (Fig. 5), where some of these factors have been associated with GWI and GWI-like symptoms. For example, the C3 gene encodes for complement C3 and is not only a critical component of the complement system, but it is: activated in human AD brains, required for neurodegeneration in mouse models of amyloidosis and tauopathy , and has been previously shown to be upregulated in the cortex of a mice model of GWI . CXCL10 (IP-10) is a small-molecular-weight pro-inflammatory chemokine produced by many cells, including microglia and the CXCL10 protein was found upregulated in GWI serum and serum from myalgic encephalomyelitis patients . While we found an increase in Cxcl10 gene expression 7 days after LPS administration in the mouse model (Fig. 4F), we did not see any significant changes in the serum levels of the CXCL10 (IP-10) protein. We also show that Cd72 is elevated in response to HMGB1-induced persistent neuroinflammation (Fig. 4C), where Cd72 is a receptor expressed on microglia and is a gene commonly upregulated in the brain after repeated LPS administration . However, at present, there are no other reports testing the association of Cd72 with GWI models nor GWI. In addition, CD69 is type II C-lectin membrane bound receptor and a marker of lymphocyte activation that is expressed in a subset of microglia in the CK-p25 inducible mouse model of severe neurodegeneration . Although we found an increase in Cd69 gene expression 7 days after LPS administration in the mouse model (Fig. 4E), its role in GWI has not yet been explored outside of the current study and its function in microglia is poorly understood. Interleukin 2 receptor gamma (Il2rg) is an important signaling component for many interleukin receptors expressed on microglia , where despite the upregulation in gene expression we show in response to persistent neuroinflammation (Fig. 4D) and HMGB1 (Fig. 5D), the implications for this CNS or peripheral immune gene expression in GWI are also unknown. Finally, while Gzma, the gene for Granzyme A, is expressed in myeloid cells , it’s expression in microglia specifically and role in GWI has yet to be explored. Importantly, examining the pattern of expression of these 6 PPM genes over time revealed that some PPM genes peaked early at the acute 3 H time point shortly after LPS administration and continued on at lower levels during the persistent response. However, another subset of PPM genes had the largest increase at the 7 day time point, demonstrating a unique transcriptional fingerprint for PPM cells. These findings may provide important insight into the mechanisms underlying persistent neuroinflammation that continues long after the initial stimulus and may provide much needed insight into potential GWI biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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266,309 |
All statistical analysis was performed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software (version 23.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The continuous data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation or median (interquartile range). First, a univariate logistic analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between each categorical variable and contralateral knee arthroplasty. Whitney U test or t test was used to evaluate continuous variables when appropriate depending on the data distribution (equal variance and normality or not). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the risk of subsequent knee arthroplasty on the non-operative side, dummy variables analysis was applied for K-L classification in the logistic analysis model to determine the relationship between this radiological indicator and contralateral knee arthroplasty. P values lower than .05 were interpreted as statistically significant in all the statistical analysis models.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
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218,829 |
We also normalize the skeleton’s size because the people vary in their heights. As a result, the coordinates of the same pose of two actors of different heights may differ from each other significantly. Each limb length of the skeleton is scaled up to an average limb length over a given entire population of the MoCap dataset. In the line of , taking the root joint, Jrt, as a parent joint Jp, all coordinates of its child joint Jc are scaled in a way that the limb length that connects these joints is transformed to the average limb length L(p,c)′ as, (5)Jc′=Jc+α·L(p,c), (6)α=L(p,c)′∥L(p,c)∥
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
12,800 |
The overall results show a moderate correlation between the inspection methods for pericarditis and pleurisy and a strong correlation for pneumonia. The agreement is moderate for milk spots and slight for tail bite, peritonitis and pyaemia (Table 3). The results at abattoir C (which had a low line speed) showed better agreement for milk spots, pyaemia and abscesses in the lungs compared to the other abattoirs although not statistically significant (Table 3). Abattoir C also had a moderate correlation for pericarditis and a moderate to strong correlation for pneumonia (Table 3).
| 3 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
163,227 |
The statistical analysis was performed with the IBM SPSS Statistics v. 24.0.0.0 software using the number of detections made with USI, EMG, and FP for individual participants. Since the data was not normally distributed, as determined by the Shapiro–Wilk test, a non-parametric Friedman test (paired sign rank sum with a significance level of p = 0.05) was used to determine whether there were any statistical differences between the detection methods.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
13,940 |
We have previously shown that AMs from normal mice can be transferred to the airways of SCID mice and that these reconstituted AMs exhibit enhanced phagocytic activity compared with resident SCID AMs for up to 28 days following airway delivery (Wu et al. 2001; Pasula et al. 2002a). Therefore, we assessed whether the delivery of AMs from immunocompetent mice to the airways of SCID mice would enhance resistance of these animals to M. avium growth in vivo despite the presence of persistent systemic immunosuppression. We found that SCID mice alone and SCID mice reconstituted with wild‐type AMs or SCID AMs became heavily infected with M. avium, suggesting that the simple transfer of normal AMs to SCID mice was ineffective in enhancing their resistance to the M. avium infection.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
172,174 |
The paper presents a membrane distillation unit in which the key parts (mass and heat transfer surfaces) are made of hydrophobic polypropylene. This helps to prevent corrosion. The condenser is a polymeric hollow fiber heat exchanger with a chaotic structure. A series of 20 experiments that verify the functionality of distillation membrane unit was introduced. Six different membrane modules were studied. It was observed that as the temperature increases the permeate flux and the amount of condensate increases slightly. The installation of more condensers should help increase the amount of condensate as the air humidity will decrease and absorption of the vapor will increase.
| 2 | 2other
| 0Study
|
388,453 |
In the central region, all illumination schemes presented similar relative fluence at a shallow depth (ROI-A); yet, to some extent it was consistently higher for the bright-field illumination independent of the target shape. For targets with a nonflat surface, the focus region of the two laser beams used in the standard dark-field arrangement can be partially outside of the material and imaging plane as can be seen on the left side of Figure 6. The light delivered outside of the imaging plane contributes less to the PA image generation and can be a clutter source . In this case, both situations, bright-field and long-axis lateral illumination, have the advantage of delivering light inside the imaging plane even when the target’s surface is not flat. For this reason, the average fluence within ROIs B and C, located at higher depths, was consistently lower for the standard dark-field illumination scenario. It is important to recall that the light beams used for the standard dark-field were overlapping at the tissue surface. Other studies have shown that light delivery can be increased at higher depths, by using a deeper located illumination focus . However, this strategy can dramatically decrease light delivery at shallow depths. For example, the study showed that by positioning the focus at 13.5 mm depth, the simulated fluence estimated for the standard dark-field optical illumination was considerably lower than what was estimated for the bright-field illumination scheme at depths lower than 10 mm.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
356,624 |
Though cesarean section rates higher than 15–20% have not shown to have a positive impact on perinatal results [6, 7], the sustained increase in cesarean section rates above those values is a global issue . It is estimated that there was a 3.7% increase in the global average rate of cesarean section use during 2000–2015 and several countries have reported 40–50% cesarean section rates in their populations . Despite the fact that cesarean section has specific clinical indications, there is usually no homogeneous criteria in the use of this intervention and the previously mentioned increase would be the result of a greater use of cesarean section without any clinical indication, mainly in high and middle income countries . Financial incentives, availability of resources in the institutions, health services beliefs and skills, organizational culture aspects, women's characteristics and preferences, among other factors, affect OB practice and may determine the use of cesarean section [8–12].
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
99,647 |
Herein we present a dynamics study of human intestinal fatty acid binding protein (hIFABP) using a novel analysis of 15N relaxation dispersion (RD) and chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) experiments. FABPs (~15 kD) are cytosolic proteins with high binding affinity to long chain fatty acids. They have highly conserved structures with a slightly elliptical β barrel comprising 10 antiparallel β strands and a cap consisting of two short α helices (Fig. 1). Earlier dynamics studies on rat IFABP suggested the second helix, the turn between β-strands C and D, and the turn between strands E and F as the putative portal region for ligand entry/exit1112 since they are more flexible on ps-ns and ms-μs timescales than other regions. Subsequent studies have shown that the ps-ns and ms dynamics are irrelevant to the ligand entry process1314. Very recently using a cap-closed variant of hIFABP in which the helical cap is locked to the barrel through a disulfide linkage, we have demonstrated that local unfolding of the second helix provides an opening for ligand entry and the lifetime of the locally unfolded state is about 70 μs6. In this work based on RD and CEST data, we found that wild type (WT) hIFABP in the absence of ligands exists in four conformational states: one major state and three minor intermediate states. The three minor states are native-like and each interconvert with the major state with exchange rates ranging from 36 s−1 to 3086 s−1, suggesting the presence of multiple independent protein folding pathways. In addition, a locally unfolded state also likely exists in WT hIFABP since the hydrogen-deuterium exchange protection factors of the amides in the second helix are smaller than 100 and those of V17-M21 in the first helix are larger than 10000.
| 5 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
110,578 |
Taken together, SOCS1 shows an antitumor effect in most of tumors through inhibiting tumor proliferation, attenuating tumor invasion, and reducing the sensitivity of tumor cells to cytokines or hormones. The expression of SOCS1 is associated with clinical stages of tumor. In tumors at early stage, elevated SOCS1 is frequently observed compared with those tumors at advanced stage, which could be regarded as a molecular marker of cancer progression. However, the concrete molecular mechanisms regulating the expression of SOCS1 in different stages of tumors have not been fully elucidated.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
129,542 |
When the urine flows from the ureter into the bladder, the ultrasound shows it as a urine jet coming out of the ureter. It is speculated that the number of urinary jets coming out of the ureter can vary significantly in obstructed ureter compared to the non-obstructed ureter. The information from the number of urine jets can help improve the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography in detecting ureteric stones. There are some studies by few investigators, which help to find out the number of ureteric jets in the normal and obstructed ureters using ultrasonography . In a study conducted by Jandaghi et al. , the frequency of ureteric jet on the obstructed side was reported as 0.59 ± 0.90 jet/min in patients presenting with ureteric stones .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
192,832 |
Once defined an analytical parameter for comparing SERS abilities of the investigated nanostructures also the relative position of SP band with respect to incident light wavelength and Raman band spectral position will be considered as suggested by Van Duyne et al. . To this purpose, vertical lines in transmittance spectra of Figure 5a–d are reported as a guide for the eye to evidence excitation wavelength (red), the strongest minimum wavelength λ3 (blue), and the Raman band position of the selected Raman probe (green).
| 3 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
182,402 |
Of the 220 women, 68 and 152 were painless + mild (described as “Absence”) and moderate + severe (described as “Presence”) for the severity of dysmenorrhea, respectively. The prevalence of patients with dysmenorrhea was 69.1% (n = 152). To identify the potential risk factors of the presence of dysmenorrhea, Youden index was measured to determine the optimal cutoff threshold. ROC curves were created to identify the best cutoff value, sensitivity and specificity, area under the curve (AUC), and p‐value of each variable that affects dysmenorrhea (Table 1). The optimal cutoff values computed using the ROC were 43 years for age, 30 mm for the thickest myometrium [either], 57 mm for the thickest myometrium [sum], 21 mm for the thickest adenomyosis lesion, and 31 U/ml for serum CA125 level. For example, the optimal cutoff value for adenomyotic lesion thickness in distinguishing between women with dysmenorrhea and women without dysmenorrhea was 21 mm with a sensitivity of 78.2% and specificity of 57.6% with an AUC of 0.652 (95% CI 0.533–0.772, p = 0.008). Figure 2A shows ROC analysis for an indicator (adenomyosis lesion thickness) that affects dysmenorrhea. The possible risk factors for predicting the presence of dysmenorrhea were categorized into 2 groups for comparison in the univariate analysis, and the significant factors were further evaluated in the multivariate analysis as noted in Table 2. Multicollinearity between the variables often results in model overfitting in a multivariate regression test, which in turn leads to imprecise estimation. Multicollinearity was identified between the variables, including gravidity and parity, coexistence of OMA and coexistence of DIE and/or SUP, the thickest myometrium [either] and the thickest myometrium [sum], and the thickest myometrium [either] and the thickest adenomyosis lesion. In this study as well, multicollinearity affected the estimates from the multivariate regression models. Therefore, the three variables (gravidity, coexistence of OMA, and the thickest myometrium [either]) were removed in a multivariate regression model. If only one of the two variables with multicollinearity was selected by univariate analysis, this variable was chosen for multivariate analysis. On univariate analysis, midline/retroflexed uterus (p=0.019), the thickest adenomyosis lesion ≥21 mm (p < 0.001), the thickest myometrium [either] ≥30 mm (p < 0.001), the thickest myometrium [sum] ≥57 mm (p < 0.001), menorrhagia (p < 0.001), age at surgery ≥43 years (p = 0.001), CA125 ≥30.5 U/ml (p = 0.005), and coexistence of OMA (p = 0.032) were significantly more common in women with dysmenorrhea than in those without (Table 2). The median age of patients at surgery was 3 years younger in the dysmenorrhea group than in the painless group (42.9 ± 5.5 years vs. 45.3 ± 5.6 years; p = 0.003). We investigated the impact of the adenomyosis phenotype on dysmenorrhea, but there was no significant difference in the proportion of adenomyosis phenotype between the two groups (p = 0.371). Multivariate analysis revealed that only the midline/retroflexed uterus and the thickest adenomyosis lesion ≥21 mm were independent risk factors that affect dysmenorrhea with the ORs of 7.494 (p = 0.026) and 4.332 (p = 0.047), respectively (Table 2).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
365,889 |
The change trend in maize yield in 2017 and 2018 was same, and the results show that both N and S had significant effects on maize yield, but there were no significant interactions between the two elements (Figure 2). The effect of N on maize yield was analyzed, and it is demonstrated that the maize yield with N application was significantly higher than that without N application (N0). Compared to N0 (89.5 g plant–1 and 83.1 g plant–1, 2017 and 2018), the maize yield with the N1, N2, and N3 levels increased by 22.8% and 29.0% (2017 and 2018), 74.0% and 78.0% (2017 and 2018), and 42.3% and 43.3% (2017 and 2018), respectively. The maize yield of S application was also significantly higher than that without S application (S0). Compared to S0 (109.1 g plant–1 and 94.5 g plant–1, 2017 and 2018), the maize yields with the S1, S2, and S3 levels increased by 7.9% and 9.4% (2017 and 2018), 16.1% and 20.8% (2017 and 2018), and 18.1% and 22.8% (2017 and 2018), respectively. At the N1 and N2 levels, maize yield increased with S application rates. For each S level, maize yield increased with N application rates and reached a maximum at the N2 level and then decreased at the N3 level. The highest yields were observed under the N2S2 and N2S3 treatments with yields of 166.0 g plant–1 and 162.3 g plant–1 (2017 and 2018), 168.6 g plant–1 and 162.6 g plant–1 (2017 and 2018), respectively.
| 4 | 2other
| 0Study
|
320,360 |
It is worth noting that people who are high in collectivism may not adopt more prevention measures because of the higher effectiveness of mental protection. Furthermore, the increase of fear will consume more cognitive resources and shall reduce people’s preventive intention accordingly. When people have already built a psychological defence system towards the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase of fear shall have negative influences on both the preventive intention and mental health of people.
| 2 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
|
19,339 |
When considering OS (Table 4), a poorer prognosis was associated with the occurrence of mutations by NGS analysis, the presence of 2 or more mutations, with TP53 mutations, and with advanced stage, CD38 positivity, IGHV unmutated status, TP53 disruption, and complex karyotype. In multivariate analysis, advanced stage (p = 0.010), IGHV unmutated status (p = 0.020), TP53 disruption (p < 0.001), and the complex karyotype (p = 0.007) independently predicted a worse outcome (Table 5).
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
389,006 |
The mention of economics, politics and psychology raises the more general issues of interdisciplinarity. Back in 2013, Melissa Leach and Ian Scoones published an article with the title ‘The social and political lives of zoonotic disease models: Narratives, science and policy’, the abstract of which is worth citing in its entirety:
| 2 | 2other
| 1Other
|
213,920 |
In addition, metabolic pathways such as glycolysis and gluconeogenesis may also be altered in asthma, as suggested by the increased levels of carbohydrates such as glucose in the airway epithelium of asthmatics . This is relevant because glucose, for example, is involved in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which enables the activation of the inflammasome in asthmatics.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
379,459 |
Note that this method is not applied directly to the sigmoid model score, but to its logarithm of odds, \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\log \big ( \frac{\sigma (x)}{1 - \sigma (x)}\big )$$\end{document}log(σ(x)1-σ(x)), the so-called logit. Model scores with positive logits, i.e. probabilities greater than 0.5, are further referred to as decomposable. Moreover, the method is restricting biases in ReLU activations to be negative in order to ensure the applicability of the Taylor decomposition. For further details, please refer to the paper by Montavon et al. .Fig. 2The Deep Taylor Decomposition method applied to a three hidden layer feedforward neural network. The inputs to the network are 2048 fingerprint bits. The left diagram represents the network with ReLU activation function and the right diagram the assigned relevances using the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$z^+$$\end{document}z+ rule. \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$x^l_i, R^l_i$$\end{document}xil,Ril represent the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$i^{th}$$\end{document}ith node, relevance at layer l, respectively
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
284,707 |
The imbalance in the intestinal flora (caused by changing the intestinal oxidation and metabolic environment in an inflammatory state) is related to the development of UC, which is also one of the reasons for increased intestinal permeability and greatly increased chances of LPS entering the blood. We immediately started testing the composition and diversity of the intestinal flora of all groups of mice. The Chao 1 index and Ace index are usually used to measure community richness, while the Shannon index and Simpson index are used to express community diversity. As shown in Figure 7A–D, the Chao1 and Ace indexes decreased under the influence of DSS, while the Shannon and Simpson indexes increased. After MP treatment, the above results were reversed, and the relative abundance and diversity of intestinal flora were adjusted. We conducted statistics on the OTU results and found that the total OTUs in the DSS group increased significantly and were greater than the control group, and the number of OTUs of all the groups processed by MP was similar to that of the normal group, perhaps because DSS treatment increased the related toxin-producing bacteria and MP treatment attenuated the above bacteria until returning to normal physical conditions (the results of Venn diagram suggest that the microbial composition of the MP group was similar to that of the control group) (Figure 8A). From the perspective of PCOA analysis (Figure 8B), a similar conclusion was verified: there was an obvious separation between the control group and the DSS group, while the MP group samples overlapped with the control group. Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes are the main strains of intestinal microbiota. In addition, Actinobacteria also play a pivotal role in the intestinal tract . The essential vitamins, energy, and intestinal maturity environment of the body are inseparable from this huge and sophisticated microbial community that provides the host with many genetic resources . At the phylum level, compared with the control group, the relative abundance of Bacteroides in the DSS treatment group increased, while the relative abundance of Firmicutes became smaller. This was in accordance with previous research, in which imbalanced characteristics in the intestinal microbiota of colitis were found . The MP intervention repaired the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, leading to close to normal conditions. A previous study suggested that the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio may have the effect of affecting the production of SCFAs in the intestine, regulating weight and avoiding the unfavorable impact of inflammation on the body . Treatment with DSS might cause a loss of Actinobacteria . Notably, the decline in Actinobacteria because of DSS treatment was inhibited in the MP group. The above results imply that MP has a regulatory effect on the changes in the composition of the intestinal flora of mice treated with DSS.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
263,949 |
To evaluate the ability of our antibodies to protect against SARS-CoV-2 variants, we performed neutralization assays using pseudoviruses expressing wild-type and different variants of the S protein (Fig. 1l; Supplementary information, Fig. S8). The results further proved that BD-368-2 completely lost its neutralizing activity against variants containing E484K mutation, while BD-218 performed well and even had higher EC50s to most of the variants except F486L and Y489H mutations; these two sites were demonstrated to be critical for interaction (Fig. 1k, l; Supplementary information, Fig. S8). Most of the VH3-53/3-66 class antibodies still have high neutralizing efficacy, especially the BD-604, whose EC50s were lower than 0.1 µg/mL to all the variants (Fig. 1l; Supplementary information, Fig. S8). The Y489H and 501Y.V2 variants escaped from the neutralization of BD-508, which is consistent with the affinity data, and the E484K, Q493K and N501Y mutations also had an impact on the neutralization activity of BD-508 (Fig. 1l; Supplementary information, Fig. S8). BD-515 was only slightly affected by E484K and F486L mutations (Fig. 1l). Unexpectedly, BD-623 lost neutralizing efficacy against T478K, E484K and F486L variants, and also showed a more than ten-fold reduction in EC50 to 501Y.V2 variant (Fig. 1l; Supplementary information, Fig. S8). Except these, the VH3-53/3-66-derived antibodies exhibited high neutralizing efficacy to most of the S protein variants.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
250,594 |
We identified baicalein-targeted genes and constructed the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network between them using the Search Tool for Interacting Chemicals (STITCH) database . We analyzed the PPI network of baicalein-targeted genes using the Cytoscape 3.7.2 version software and measured the degree, betweenness, and closeness of each gene in the network. The hub genes were identified based on the degree analysis using the cytoHubba plugin. Cytoscape plug-in ClueGO was used to identify enriched KEGG pathways representing the baicalein-targeted genes and the relationship between them. The KEGG pathway enrichment results were visualized using the ggplot2.7 package.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
307,739 |
Overall decisions regarding the diagnostic and treatment modalities in CKD patients with suspected chronic coronary syndrome, should be tailor-made with careful consideration of the patient’s complaints, medical history, laboratory tests, images, renal function and prognosis. As a part of the integrated and multifactorial approach, the “heart team” forum should consult with nephrologists, diabetologists and primary care physicians on how to optimize the medical care for the heart, the kidneys and the cardiovascular risk factors altogether. This approach has been recently proven to improve cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients with CKD in a multicenter randomized control trial, with a long durability of protection .
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 1Other
|
138,374 |
Methodological rigor refers to the ‘soundness or precision of a study in terms of planning, data collection, analysis, and reporting’ . Methodological rigor was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale (NOS). The NOS, developed to assess the risk of bias in non-randomised trials, was used to evaluate the risk of bias of included studies . Cohort and cross-sectional studies were assessed using a version of the NOS adapted specifically for this review. The NOS incorporates three domains, consisting of a total of eight questions. In this review, risk of bias was assessed at the outcome level, that is, ED presentations made by cancer patients receiving SACT. Studies received one star if the study controlled for tumour stream, or type of cancer, and/or stage of disease. Studies were awarded a second star if they controlled for additional demographics such as age, race, and socioeconomic status. These variables were selected based on published literature indicating these factors were likely associated with ED presentations. Both tools are presented in an additional file (see Additional file 2). Studies were considered low risk if they scored three out of a possible three stars; moderate if they scored two; or high if they scored one or zero in selection and exposure/outcome domains. Studies were considered low risk of bias if they scored two out of a possible two; moderate if they scored one; and high if they scored zero in the comparability domain.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 2Review
|
323,738 |
Reduced viral protein synthesis could have been linked to translational inhibition via the induction of ER stress. GRP78 is a well-known sensor of the UPR . In non-stress conditions, GRP78 is bound to three effector molecules: IRE1, ATF6, and PERK. Cellular stress via the accumulation of unfolded proteins can cause the disassociation of these effector molecules from GRP78, leading to the activation of the UPR. One consequence is that PERK can phosphorylate eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α, leading to the inhibition of cellular protein synthesis . Our results showed GRP78 knockdown did not lead to a substantial decrease in cellular protein synthesis and that the decrease in ZIKV protein expression was specific to the virus. Whether the reduction in viral protein expression following GRP78 depletion was because of a reduction in viral specific translation or rather because of increased mis-folding and degradation on viral proteins has yet to be established. Additionally, two small molecule inhibitors of GRP78, HNK and EGCG, had no effect on virus replication once viral RNA had entered the cells. The anti-viral effect of EGCG was perhaps due to its ability to inhibit ZIKV virus entry, as was suggested previously, or potentially by damaging and inactivating viral particles . HNK and EGCG bind the ATPase domain of GRP78 and maintain its unfolded conformation , thereby inhibiting binding of unfolded substrates and activation of the UPR . It has not been determined if EGCG can interfere with the interaction between E and GRP78. The lack of a phenotype following drug treatment may indicate that UPR pathways do not affect ZIKV infection in A549 cells. This is in contrast to some studies that have linked ZIKV infection to the induction of the UPR in human fetal microcephalic cortices . Here, the activation of the UPR is believed to impair corticogenesis and neurogenesis, a phenotype that was reversed with the addition of UPR inhibitors. Despite the difference in phenotype, it is worth noting that these observations were made in different model systems.
| 5 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
88,964 |
Three-dimensional RV speckle tracking analysis was performed after imaging the RV chamber in apical views by using a 4 V phased array transducer with high volume rate(≥30 image frames/s) and six-beat acquisition with a methodology previously described , , , , . The transducer was positioned at the modified apical position (more lateral than that in the standard apical view) for full RV coverage. RV analysis was similar to LV analysis, using placement of multiple reference points (instead of prefixed landmarks) all over the endocardial boundary to obtain 3D tracing of RV myocardium in long-axis and short-axis views. Three-dimensional global longitudinal strain of the whole RV was determined using the Echo PAC BT13 (Fig. 1). 3D global longitudinal strain of RV free-wall only (FW LS) was then calculated.
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
69,822 |
Recently, Taheripour et al. introduced several more important improvements: First, they altered the land use module of the model to take into account intensification in cropland due to multiple cropping and/or returning idled cropland to crop production. They defined a new set of regional intensification parameters and determined their magnitudes according to observed land use changes across the world in recent years. They also altered the assumption that the elasticity of yield improvement with respect to changes in profitability of crops is uniform across regions. Instead, they defined regional yield responses and tuned their magnitudes according to observed regional changes in crop yields.
| 1 | 2other
| 0Study
|
100,977 |
QOF is a primary care payment-for-performance scheme which was launched in 2004. Although it has evolved in the 12 years since, its essence remains the same. It incentivises health care by paying practices for their performance against national evidence-based quality standards in two main areas (clinical and public health). For example, practices receive money according to the percentage of patients over 45 who have had their blood pressure measured in the last five years.
| 2 | 2other
| 1Other
|
362,945 |
In the present study, there were no differences in the Nrf2 or NF-κB mRNA expression between patients in the CAD group and the group without CAD possibly due to the fact that the patients in the two groups were elderly, hypertensive and/or diabetic, demonstrating that both groups did not include healthy patients. In addition, all the patients used several medications with potential antioxidant effect.38,39 With age, expression of several Nrf2 downstream targets declined.40 It is still important to emphasize that both hypertension and diabetes are related to increased oxidative stress, accumulation of reactive oxygen species and inflammation.9,41
| 4 | 0biomedical
| 0Study
|
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