Search Results (818)

Post-translational modifications of proteins play an important role in their stability, solubility and in vivo function. Also, for several reasons, such as the Golgi fragmentation during cancerogenesis, glycosylation as the most common modification is especially promising in offering high cancer specificity which, in combination with tissue-specific biomarkers available in the case of prostate diseases (PSA, PSMA, PAP), may lead to the development of novel oncodiagnostic approaches. In this review, we present the importance of subterminal glycan structures based on the N-acetylated monosaccharides GlcNAc and GalNAc in N- and also O-glycans, structures of which they are a component (LacNAc, LacdiNAc, branched structures). We also discuss the importance and clinical performance of these structures in cases of prostate cancer diagnostics using lectin-based affinity methods, which could be implemented in clinical laboratory practice in the future. Full article

Prolonged exposure to hypoxic conditions can lead to reduced appetite, stunted growth, systemic inflammation, and pulmonary hypertension. Previous studies have indicated a correlation between gut dysbiosis and the development of hypoxia-related hazards. We designed an experiment to investigate the effect of microbiota on mitigating hypoxic damage. Gut microbiota from high-altitude-adapted species (Ochotona curzoniae) were transplanted into Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, which were then housed in a simulated 6000 m altitude environment for 30 days. After the experiment, we conducted analyses on average daily weight gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP), gut flora, and fecal metabolism. The results demonstrated that the ADG in the transplantation group (2.98 ± 0.17 g) was significantly higher than in the control groups (2.68 ± 0.19 g and 2.26 ± 0.13 g) (p < 0.05). The FCR was reduced in the transplantation group (6.30 ± 0.33 g) compared to the control groups (8.20 ± 1.15 g and 8.83 ± 0.45 g) (p < 0.05). The mPAP was decreased in the transplantation group (38.1 ± 1.13 mmHg) compared to the control groups (43.4 ± 1.30 mmHg and 43.5 ± 1.22 mmHg) (p < 0.05). Multi-omics analysis revealed that Lachnospiraceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, and specific amino acid metabolic pathways play crucial roles in hypoxia and are associated with both inflammation and nutritional metabolism. This study proposes a novel approach to the treatment of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and holds potential significance for improving high-altitude developmental potential. Full article

Worldwide, the development of massive hydropower projects is becoming more common, especially when it comes to attempts to mitigate environmental degradation and increase a nation’s energy capacity. People affected by projects (PAPs) are forced to relocate in order to support large-scale development initiatives, which puts their lives and livelihoods at jeopardy. In comparison to the value of infrastructure development, which is mostly reaped by distant stakeholders, it comes at a high cost. In relation to CSR/resettlement and rehabilitation programs carried out by construction corporations in Pakistan’s hydropower development, this study on the quality-of-life (QoL) and happiness indicators of PAPs is being conducted. The analysis of factors affecting happiness and other aspects of quality-of-life indicators, including job and livelihood opportunities, housing, health, infrastructure, social interactions, environmental sustainability, inclusion, equity, and diversity, is the goal of this study. Using a questionnaire survey approach, data were directly gathered from PAPs, and about 424 replies were obtained to help with the model’s development. Structural equation modelling has been applied in conjunction with multivariate statistical analysis to analyse data. The outcome demonstrates the essential connections between the concepts that were taught in light of human, social, environmental, physical, and economic problems. The results also show that project supporters’ relocation and rehabilitation efforts fell short of what was needed to improve the quality of people’s lives. As a result, a conceptual framework specifically tailored to the hydropower construction region has been created and verified to provide PAPs with a high-quality living environment. Full article

Background/Objectives: Endobiliary brushing is usually performed in the diagnosis of indeterminate biliary strictures; however, in this setting, brush cytology is limited by a low diagnostic yield and sensitivity. Here, we compared the catheter flushing method (CFM) with the conventional cytologic method (CCM) in terms of cellularity and diagnostic performance. Methods: Endobiliary brushings were obtained during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) from patients with biliary strictures enrolled at six tertiary hospitals. Additionally, the CFM was performed after brushing. Using liquid-based cytologic preparations of samples, we assessed the diagnostic performance of the CCM using Pap staining and the CFM using methionyl-transfer RNA synthetase 1 (MARS1) immunofluorescence staining. Results: From a total of 399 patients (malignant, 253; benign, 146), 374 CCM samples and 361 CFM samples contained adequate cells, with no significant difference in diagnostic yield (93.7% vs. 90.5%, respectively; p = 0.088). The sensitivity of the CFM (90.3%) was significantly higher than that of the CCM (75.1%; p < 0.001), with no significant difference in accuracy between methods (81.2% vs. 82.6%, respectively; p = 0.608). Conclusions: The diagnostic yield of the CFM was comparable to that of the CCM. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of the CFM was comparable to that of the CCM. These findings indicate that the CFM could be an additional brush cytology method for sample collection in patients with indeterminate biliary strictures. Incorporating both the CCM and CFM might be expected to improve the diagnostic yield of brush cytology in the biliary strictures. Further prospective comparative studies between the CCM and CFM using the same staining method are needed to validate these findings. Full article

HPV/pap tests are widely used for cervical cancer screening, playing a crucial role in early diagnosis and guiding future treatment options. However, approximately 50% of cervical cancer patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, which is associated with higher recurrence rates and poorer survival outcomes than early-stage diagnoses. This underscores the need for effective treatments for advanced-stage cervical cancer. Among the various oncogenes implicated in cancer, PIK3CA expression is known to cause cervical cancer, suggesting that inhibiting PIK3CA may impede cervical cancer progression. In this study, we transfected PIK3CA-overexpressing tumor cells (SiHa, C33A, and HeLa) with miR-29a, a microRNA extensively studied as a therapeutic candidate for oncogene suppression in various tumor types. We conducted RT-qPCR and Western blot analyses to assess changes in PIK3CA expression at the RNA and protein levels. Wound healing and cell migration assays were used to evaluate the effects of miR-29a on cell division and migration in HeLa cells. We confirmed a reduction in PIK3CA expression at both RNA and protein levels following miR-29a transfection. After transfecting miR-29a into HeLa cells, we observed a reduction in cell division and migration, as demonstrated by wound healing and cell migration assays. Additionally, we found that miR-29a binds to the 3′-UTR region of PIK3CA, leading to a reduction in its gene expression. Furthermore, we correlated the concentration of miR-29a in clinical histologic biopsy samples from cervical cancer patients with disease progression. These findings indicate that miR-29a can slow the progression of cervical cancer by targeting PIK3CA and potentially aid in its treatment. miR-29a shows promise as a therapeutic agent for inhibiting oncogene expression and controlling cervical cancer progression, especially in advanced-stage cases. Full article

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal cancers among women due to most cases going undiagnosed until later stages. The early detection and treatment of this malignancy provides the best prognosis, but the lack of an accurate and sensitive screening tool combined with ambiguous symptoms hinders these diagnoses. In contrast, screening for cervical cancer via Papanicolaou (Pap) tests is a widespread practice that greatly reduces the cancer’s mortality rates. Interestingly, previous studies show evidence of OC cells in Pap tests, suggesting that proteins, and potentially lipids, shed from ovarian tumors end up in the cervix. The goal of this study is to evaluate the practicality of using Pap tests as biospecimens for OC-screening-related metabolomics. Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of using residual Pap test samples as biospecimens for potential metabolomics work, 29 Pap test samples, collected from women over the age of 50 with normal cytology and no visible blood contamination, were first obtained from the University of Minnesota, with IRB approval. These samples were centrifuged to recover the cell pellets from the supernatants. The cell pellets underwent a biphasic extraction, followed by an RP-LC-MS analysis, while the supernatants underwent two separate extractions and analyses, including RP-LC-MS and HILIC-LC-MS. Non-targeted features were detected in the range of 220–1000 m/z to determine the sensitivity and scope of the various extraction and analytical workflows, as well as evaluating residual Pap test samples as viable metabolomics biospecimens. Results: The biphasic extraction and subsequent RP-LC-MS analysis of the isolated cell pellets from all 29 samples yielded informative, exploratory data, highlighting the potential of using residual Pap test samples as biospecimens for metabolomics, specifically lipidomics, studies. Each sample was analyzed in both the positive and negative ion mode, yielding the detection of 7318 in the positive ion mode and 3733 in the negative ion mode. Using multiple reference libraries, 22.85% and 36.19% of these features were annotated in the positive and negative ion mode, respectively. Among these detected features, 453 unique lipids, representative of 20 different lipid subclasses, were annotated in all 29 samples. Of the various lipid subclasses represented from the detected lipids, ceramides, triacylglycerols, hexosylceramides, and phosphatidylcholines contributed to over half (53.3%) of the detected lipids at 16.2%, 13.0%, 12.8%, and 11.3%, respectively. Conclusions: The detection of these 453 common lipids across all patients establishes a relative lipidome baseline for women over the age of 50 with normal cervical cytology. This exploratory study is the first investigation to utilize residual Pap test samples as biospecimens in a metabolomics/lipidomics workflow. Full article

Vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV) significantly reduces the incidence of HPV-related lesions worldwide. Considering the increasingly young age of patients in gynecological offices and earlier sexual initiation and potential contact with the HPV virus, doctors need the tools to verify diagnoses. Currently, women plan to pursue motherhood later, so it is necessary to consider whether sexual treatment in the form of, among others, loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEPs) may increase the risk of premature birth or difficulty dilating the cervix during labour. For this reason, to avoid the overtreatment of low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSILs), methylation testing may be considered. In patients with histopathologically confirmed high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) during biopsy and, ultimately, a lower diagnosis, i.e., LSIL or no signs of atypia, methylation was found to be a useful tool. We performed a Pap smear, HPV genotyping, a punch biopsy, LEEP-conization (if needed), and methylation tests on 108 women admitted to the District Public Hospital in Poland. Women with a negative methylation test result were significantly more likely to be ultimately diagnosed with LSIL (p = 0.013). This means that in 85.7% of the patients with HSIL, major cervical surgery could be avoided if the methylation test was negative. Methylation testing, as well as dual-staining and diagnostics detecting the mRNA transcripts of highly oncogenic types of HPV, might be used in the future in the diagnosis of pre-cancerous conditions, mainly of the cervix, and in HPV-dependent cervical cancer screening. The methylation test may also be used in the diagnosis and identification of lesions within the cervical canal, including those located deep within the frontal crypts, not visible even during a professional colposcopic evaluation of the cervix. Full article

This article is about better wireless network connectivity. The main goal is to provide wireless service to several use cases and scenarios that may not be adequately covered today. Some of the considered scenarios are home connectivity, street-based infrastructure, emergency situations, disaster areas, special event areas, and remote areas that suffer from problematic/inadequate network and possibly power infrastructure. A target system that we consider for such scenarios is that of an energy-efficient self-backhauled base station (also called a “portable access point—PAP”) that is mounted on a drone to aid/expand the land-based network. For the wireless backhaul link of the PAP, as well as for the fronthaul of the street-mounted base station, we consider newly built multi-active/multi-passive parasitic antenna arrays (MAMPs). These antenna systems lead to increased range/signal strength with low hardware complexity and power needs. This is due to their reduced number of radio frequency chains, which decreases the cost and weight of the base station system. MAMPs can show a performance close to traditional multiple input/multiple output (MIMO) systems that use as many antenna elements as RF chains and to phased arrays. They can produce a directional beam in any desired direction with higher gain and narrow beamwidth by just tuning the load values of the parasitic elements. The MAMP is designed based on radiation conditions which were produced during the research to ensure that the radiation properties of the array were good. Full article

Chinese cabbage is rich in vitamins, fibre, and nutrients and is one of the primary vegetables consumed in autumn and winter in South Asia. ‘Purple pak choi’ sprouts are particularly rich in anthocyanins and are favoured by consumers. However, reports on the regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in purple pak choi sprouts do not exist. In this study, we examined the phenotypic development of purple pak choi sprouts after germination. The total anthocyanin content increased from 0.02 to 0.52 mg/g FW from days 0 to 6. RNA-seq data analysis revealed an increase in differentially expressed genes corresponding to the development of purple pak choi sprouts. Expression pattern analysis of genes associated with the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway revealed a significant upregulation of structural genes during the purple phase, suggesting that the transcription factors PAP2 and MYBL2 may play crucial regulatory roles. BraPAP2.A03, BraTT8.A09, and BraMYBL2.A07 exhibited strong interactions with key genes in the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway, specifically BraDFR.A09. Furthermore, the expression of BraPAP2.A03 aligned with the expression patterns of most anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes, whereas those of BraTT8.A09 and BraMYBL2.A07 corresponded with the expression pattern of BraDFR.A09. These results provide valuable insights into regulatory mechanisms underlying anthocyanin synthesis in purple pak choi sprouts. Full article

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a heterogenous disease process that cannot be adequately categorized by AHI alone. There is a significant prevalence of OSA in the general population with ongoing efforts to evaluate the risk factors contributing to OSA and its associated clinical implications. Only by improving our understanding of OSA can we advance our methods in the diagnosis and treatment of OSA. For this article, the authors reviewed keywords of obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis and therapy in the databases of Embase, Medline, and Medline ePub over the past 3 years, excluding any articles that only addressed sleep apnea in children under age 17 years. This review article is divided into three main sections. First, we will investigate the use of novel screening tools, biomarkers, anthropometric measurements, and novel wearable technologies that show promise in improving the diagnosis of OSA. There is mention of comorbid conditions seen in OSA patients since certain disease combinations can significantly worsen health and should raise our awareness to diagnose and manage those concomitant disorders. The second section will look at the current and developing treatment options for OSA. These include positive airway therapy (PAP), mandibular advancement device (MAD), exciting new findings in certain medications, orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT), hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapy (HGNS), and other surgical options. We will conclude with a section reviewing the current Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnostic Testing in Adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea from 2017, which strongly advises polysomnography (PSG) or home sleep apnea testing (HSAT), along with comprehensive sleep evaluation for uncomplicated patients with a clinical presentation of OSA. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of continuous positive airway pressure (C-PAP) therapy combined with a rigorous diet regimen on obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods: Sixty obese patients (BMI ≥ 30) diagnosed with severe OSAS were recruited in order to establish the evaluation of CPAP therapy with different extents of adherence to a rigorous diet regimen. After one year, significant improvements were observed. Results: BMI reduced by 12.32%, apnea–hypopnea index (AHI) by 22.04%, oxygen desaturation index (ODI) by 15.87%, total sleep time with oxygen saturation below 90% (TST90%) by 25.2%, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores by 21.74%. Patients were, then, divided into three groups, based on adherence to the restricted diet, as well as to the correct use of the nocturnal C-PAP, showing different reductions in BMI, AHI, ODI, TST90%, and ESS, according to their adherence, based on the sum of % reduction in BMI + AHI into three groups. Conclusions: These findings underscore the effectiveness of combining C-PAP therapy with a strict diet in improving OSAS symptoms and overall health in obese patients. Future studies with larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these results and explore the long-term benefits of this integrated approach. Full article

The phosphinito–phosphinous acid ligand (PAP) is a singular bidentate-like self-assembled ligand exhibiting dissymmetric but interchangeable electronic properties. This unusual structure has been used for the generation of active palladium hydride through alcohol oxidation. In this paper, we report the first theoretical highlight of the adaptative modulation ability of this ligand within a direct H-abstraction path for Pd and Pt catalyzed alcohol oxidation. A reaction forces study revealed rearrangements in the ligand self-assembling system triggered by a simple proton shift to promote the metal hydride generation via concerted six-center mechanism. We unveil here the peculiar behavior of the phosphinito–phosphinous acid ligand in this catalysis. Full article

Addressing the privacy protection and data sharing issues in Chinese medical texts, this paper introduces a federated learning approach named FLCMC for Chinese medical text classification. The paper first discusses the data heterogeneity issue in federated language modeling. Then, it proposes two perturbed federated learning algorithms, FedPA and FedPAP, based on the self-attention mechanism. In these algorithms, the self-attention mechanism is incorporated within the model aggregation module, while a perturbation term, which measures the differences between the client and the server, is added to the local update module along with a customized PAdam optimizer. Secondly, to enable a fair comparison of algorithms’ performance, existing federated algorithms are improved by integrating a customized Adam optimizer. Through experiments, this paper first conducts experimental analyses on hyperparameters, data heterogeneity, and validity on synthetic datasets, which proves that the proposed federated learning algorithm has significant advantages in classification performance and convergence stability when dealing with heterogeneous data. Then, the algorithm is applied to Chinese medical text datasets to verify its effectiveness on real datasets. The comparative analysis of algorithm performance and communication efficiency shows that the algorithm exhibits strong generalization ability on deep learning models for Chinese medical texts. As for the synthetic dataset, upon comparing with comparison algorithms FedAvg, FedProx, FedAtt, and their improved versions, the experimental results show that for data with general heterogeneity, both FedPA and FedPAP show significantly more accurate and stable convergence behavior. On the real Chinese medical dataset of doctor–patient conversations, IMCS-V2, with logistic regression and long short-term memory network as training models, the experiment results show that in comparison to the above three comparison algorithms and their improved versions, FedPA and FedPAP both possess the best accuracy performance and display significantly more stable and accurate convergence behavior, proving that the method in this paper has better classification effects for Chinese medical texts. Full article

To determine the etiological agents responsible for acute pneumonia in puppies in China, this study utilized bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid extraction to enable the isolation, culture, biochemical identification, and 16S rRNA PCR amplification of the pathogens. Following preliminary identification, the pathogens underwent analysis for antibiotic resistance phenotypes and resistance genes. Additionally, the study examined the presence of virulence genes, conducted multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The findings revealed that all four isolated pathogens were characterized as extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC). The examined ExPEC strains demonstrated resistance to cephalosporins, tetracyclines, and penicillins, while remaining susceptible to aminoglycosides, beta-lactamase inhibitors, carbapenems, chloramphenicols, and sulfonamides. An analysis of virulence genes identified the presence of eight genes, namely CNF-I, fyuA, fimC, papC, ompA, fimH, irp2, and iroN, which are implicated in their invasiveness and potential to inflict tissue damage. The MLST analysis revealed that all ExPEC strains were classified under either sequence type ST131 (Achtman database) or ST43 (Pasteur database). The study further determined that these strains were absent in the kennel’s drinking water source, thereby ruling out water contamination as a potential factor in the emergence of ST131-type ExPEC. This study offers a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for elucidating the potential pathogenic mechanisms and clinical therapeutic strategies of ExPEC in the etiology of acute pneumonia in puppies. Full article

Trichomonas vaginalis infection is one of the most prevalent curable STIs. Although treatments are available, T. vaginalis infections pose a significant challenge, especially in resource-limited regions, as the prevalence of this STI is often unknown. We aimed to determine the prevalence of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in women screened for cervical cancer precursor lesions in Botucatu in São Paulo, Brazil. We conducted a descriptive and retrospective study that included 23,735 women who attended the cervical cancer screening program at health units in 2019 and 2022. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected from the cancer information system (SISCAN) and test requisition forms. Descriptive analysis was conducted, and comparisons were performed using the X2 Test and Student’s t-test (SigmaPlot version 13.0). The prevalence of T. vaginalis infection was 0.84% in 2019 and 0.57% in 2022. The mean age of patients with trichomoniasis was 42 (±11.2) years; 75% self-reported as white, 43% were married or in a stable relationship, and 40% had not completed primary education. Regarding the vaginal microbiota, only 15.3% of the cytology exams with infection by T. vaginalis showed a predominance of lactobacilli species, while inflammation was present in 82% of the smears. Cytological analysis revealed precursor lesions of cervical cancer in 0.05% of patients with trichomoniasis, including ASC, LSIL, and HSIL. The study showed a low prevalence of infection with T. vaginalis in low-risk women screened for precursor lesions of cervical cancer in Botucatu in São Paulo, Brazil. Full article