Tag: pubmed

Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 15;13(1):11470. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38383-4.

ABSTRACT

The procedure illustrated in this paper represents a new method for transcriptome analysis by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), which circumvents the need for elimination of potential DNA contamination. Compared to the existing methodologies, our method is more precise, simpler and more reproducible because it preserves the RNA’s integrity, does not require materials and/or reagents that are used for elimination of DNA and it also reduces the number of samples that should be set up as negative controls. This novel procedure involves the use of a specifically modified primer during reverse transcription step, which contains mismatched bases, thus producing cDNA molecules that differ from genomic DNA. By using the same modified primer in PCR amplification, only cDNA template is amplified since genomic DNA template is partially heterologous to the primer. In this way, amplification by PCR is unaffected by any potential DNA contamination since it is specific only for the cDNA template. Furthermore, it accurately reflects the initial RNA concentration of the sample, which is prone to changes due to various physical or enzymatic treatments commonly used by the current methodologies for DNA elimination. The method is particularly suitable for quantification of highly repetitive DNA transcripts, such as satellite DNA.

PMID:37454173 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-38383-4

Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 15;13(1):11460. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38527-6.

ABSTRACT

Machine learning techniques were used to predict tensile properties of material extrusion-based additively manufactured parts made with Technomelt PA 6910, a hot melt adhesive. An adaptive data generation technique, specifically an active learning process based on the Gaussian process regression algorithm, was employed to enable prediction with limited training data. After three rounds of data collection, machine learning models based on linear regression, ridge regression, Gaussian process regression, and K-nearest neighbors were tasked with predicting properties for the test dataset, which consisted of parts fabricated with five processing parameters chosen using a random number generator. Overall, linear regression and ridge regression successfully predicted output parameters, with < 10% error for 56% of predictions. K-nearest neighbors performed worse than linear regression and ridge regression, with < 10% error for 32% of predictions and 10-20% error for 60% of predictions. While Gaussian process regression performed with the lowest accuracy (< 10% error for 32% of prediction cases and 10-20% error for 40% of predictions), it benefited most from the adaptive data generation technique. This work demonstrates that machine learning models using adaptive data generation techniques can efficiently predict properties of additively manufactured structures with limited training data.

PMID:37454171 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-38527-6

Sci Rep. 2023 Jul 15;13(1):11431. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-38370-9.

ABSTRACT

To assess ischaemic penumbra through the post-processing of the spectral multiphasic CT Angiography (mCTA) data in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS) patients. Thirty one consecutive patients strongly suspected of severe Middle Cerebral Artery AIS presenting less than 6 h after onset of symptoms or with unknown time of onset of symptoms underwent a standardized CT protocol in spectral mode including Non Contrast CT, mCTA, and Perfusion CT (CTP) on a dual-layer MDCT system. Areas disclosing delayed enhancement on iodine density (ID) maps were highlighted by subtraction of the serial mCTA datasets. Two neuroradiologists independently rated the correspondence between delayed enhancing areas at mCTA and the penumbral/infarcted areas delineated by two validated CTP applications using a 5-levels scoring scale. Interobserver agreement between observers was evaluated by kappa statistics. Dose delivery was recorded for each acquisition. Averaged correspondence score between penumbra delineation using subtracted mCTA-derived ID maps and CTP ones was 2.76 for one application and 2.9 for the other with best interobserver agreement kappa value at 0.59. All 6 stroke mimics out of the 31 patients’ cohort were correctly identified. Average dose delivery was 7.55 mSv for the whole procedure of which CTP accounted for 39.7%. Post-processing of spectral mCTA data could allow clinically relevant assessment of the presence or absence of ischaemic penumbra in AIS-suspected patients if results of this proof-of-concept study should be confirmed in larger patients’series.

PMID:37454162 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-38370-9

BMC Chem. 2023 Jul 15;17(1):77. doi: 10.1186/s13065-023-00992-5.

ABSTRACT

Modifying the metal surface is one solution to the industry’s growing corrosion problem. Thus, via threading approach and insertion of copolymers (CoP5-7) containing polyarylidenes through the internal cavity beta-cyclodextrin β-CD, novel pseudopolyrotaxanes copolymers (PC5-7) are developed, resulting in mild steel corrosion inhibition. Inhibitors of corrosion based on β-CD molecules adsorb strongly to metal surfaces because of their many polar groups, adsorption centers, many linkages of side chains, and benzene rings. The corrosion inhibition efficiencies IE % statistics have been revised via the Tafel polarization method and Spectroscopy based on the electrochemical impedance (EIS), with PC7 achieving the highest 99.93% in 1.0 M H₂SO₄; they are mixed-type inhibitors. The chemical composition of the resulting PCs is determined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is utilized to examine the morphological structure of the produced polymers, and X-ray diffraction is employed to identify crystallinity. Encapsulating CoP5-7 with β-CD changes the morphological structures and increases the generated PCs’ crystallinity. The thermal stability of PCs is studied, indicating the presence of these CoPs within the β-CD cavities enhances their thermal stability. This research will be a stepping stone for developing high-efficiency anti-corrosion coatings and various industrial applications.

PMID:37454143 | DOI:10.1186/s13065-023-00992-5

BMC Oral Health. 2023 Jul 15;23(1):491. doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-03182-w.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the radiopacity of calcium silicate cements using a digital imaging method.

METHODS: Four calcium silicate cements, NeoMTA 2, OrthoMTA, ProRoot MTA, and Biodentine, were used in this study. Disk-shaped samples were prepared from each material and placed on a plexiglass plate. An aluminum step-wedge was placed alongside the samples on a digital sensor and exposed to 70 kVp and 8 mA from 30 cm away for 0.32 s. The greyness values ​​of the tested materials were measured digitally with the system software and compared with those of the step-wedge to determine the equivalent aluminum thickness.

RESULTS: The radiopacity values, expressed in equivalent millimetres of aluminum, of the studied materials ProRoot MTA, OrthoMTA, NeoMTA 2, and Biodentine were 4.32 ± 0.17 mm Al, 3.92 ± 0.09 mm Al, 3.83 ± 0.07 mm Al, and 2.29 ± 0.21 mm Al, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between the mean radiographic density values of the tested materials (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: ProRoot MTA was the most radiopaque root canal filling material among the tested materials. All materials, except Biodentine, were found to be compliant with the minimum radiopacity requirements of ISO 6876 and ADA 57 standards.

PMID:37454108 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-023-03182-w

BMC Chem. 2023 Jul 15;17(1):76. doi: 10.1186/s13065-023-00986-3.

ABSTRACT

Two Chromatographic methods have been established and optimized for simultaneous determination of serdexmethylphenidate (SER.DMP) and dexmethylphenidate (DMP) in the presence of their degradation products. The first method is a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD). Isocratic separation was carried out on Waters X-bridge Shield RP₁₈ column (150×3.9×5 μm particle size) using a mixture of 5 mM phosphate buffer (pH 5.5): acetonitrile (40:60, v/v) as a mobile phase, flow rate 1 mL/min and detection at 220 nm. The second method is a thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-densitometry method using methanol: chloroform (70:30, v/v) as a mobile phase and UV scanning at 220 nm. In HPLC method, the linearity range of SER.DMP was (2.5-25 μg/mL); with LOD (0.051 μg/mL) and LOQ (0.165 μg/mL) while for DMP was (2.5-25 μg/mL); with LOD and LOQ of (0.098 μg/mL) and (0.186 μg/mL), respectively. For TLC method the sensitivity range of SER.DMP was (5-25 μg/mL), LOD was (0.184 μg/spot), while LOQ was (0.202 μg/ spot) whereas for DMP the sensitivity range was (5-25 μg/mL) with LOD of (0.115 μg/ spot) and LOQ of (0.237 μg/ spot), respectively. SER.DMP was found to be equally labile to acidic and alkaline hydrolysis, whereas DMP was sensitive to acidic hydrolysis only. Both drugs were successfully determined in presence of acidic and basic degradants by the two developed methods (stability indicating assay method). Chromatographic separation of the degradation products was carried out on TLC aluminum silica plates 60 F254, as a stationary phase, using methanol: dichloroethane: acetonitrile (60:20:20 v/v), as a mobile phase. The degradation pathway was confirmed using TLC, IR, ¹H-NMR and mass spectroscopy; moreover, the separation power was correlated to the computational results by applying molecular dynamic simulation. The developed methods were validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines demonstrating good accuracy and precision. They were successfully applied for quantitation of SER.DMP and DMP in pure and capsule forms. The results were statistically compared with those obtained by the reported method in terms of accuracy, precision and robustness, and no significant difference was found.

PMID:37454105 | DOI:10.1186/s13065-023-00986-3

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2023 Jul 15;23(1):517. doi: 10.1186/s12884-023-05837-6.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This retrospective study aimed to investigate the most suitable endometrial thickness (EMT) on the day of embryo transfer that could reduce ectopic pregnancy rate (EPR) and improve clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) in fresh embryo transfer patients with early follicular phase long-acting regimen.

METHODS: A total of 11,738 IVF/ICSI cycles, comprising 4,489 non-clinical pregnancies, 7,121 intrauterine pregnancies, and 128 ectopic pregnancy cycles after fresh embryo transfer, recorded between September 2017 and December 2020. Clinical pregnancy (CP) and ectopic pregnancy (EP) were the primary outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for EP and CP. Patients were divided into three groups based on the EMT (6-10 mm, 11-15 mm, and 16-20 mm). CPR and EPR per millimeter of EMT were drawn into a line chart, and three groups were analyzed by Chi-square test.

RESULTS: After controlling for potential confounders, EMT had a significant effect on CP (aOR = 1.07; 95% CI, 1.05-1.08; P = 0.00) and EP (aOR = 0.88; 95% CI, 0.82-0.94; P = 0.00). With the increase of EMT, CPR increased and EPR decreased. Pearson correlation coefficients were r = 0.708 (P = 0.00) and r =-0.558 (P = 0.03), respectively. Significant differenceswere detected in the CPRs and EPRs (all P = 0.00). The CPR in the 6-10 mm group (54.88%) was significantly lower than that in the 11-15 mm group (64.23%) and the 16-20 mm group (64.40%) (P = 0.00). The EPR in the 6-10 mm group (2.72%) was significantly higher than that in the other two groups (1.60% and 0.97%, P = 0.00). The difference in CPR and EPR between the 11-15 mm group and the 16-20 mm group was not statistically significant, which indicated that EMT ≥ 11 mm simultaneously reduced the EPR and increased the CPR.

CONCLUSIONS: EMT was inversely proportional to EPR and directly proportional to CPR in fresh embryo transfer cycles. The EMT ≥ 11 mm on the day of embryo transfer could simultaneously achieve lower EPR and higher CPR. Accordingly, more attention should be given to the EMT of women who underwent ART treatment.

PMID:37454102 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-023-05837-6

Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2023 Jul 15;21(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12955-023-02157-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Positive results for clinical outcomes should be not only statistically significant, but also clinically significant. The minimum clinically important difference (MCID) is used to define the minimum threshold of clinical significance. The anchor-based method is a classical method for ascertaining MCID. This study aimed to summarise the design of the anchors of the anchor-based method by reviewing the existing research and providing references and suggestions.

METHOD: This study was mainly based on literature research. We performed a systematic search using Web of Science, PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts to identify relevant articles. Data were extracted from eligible articles using a predefined data collection form. Discrepancies were resolved by discussion and the involvement of a third reviewer.

RESULT: Three hundred and forty articles were retained for final analysis. For the design of anchors, Subjective anchors (99.12%) were the most common type of anchor used, mainly the Patient’s rating of change or patient satisfaction (66.47%) and related scale health status evaluation items or scores (39.41%). Almost half of the studies (48.53%) did not assess the correlation test between the anchor and the research indicator or scale. The cut-off values and grouping were usually based on the choice of the anchor types. In addition, due to the large number of included studies, this study selected the most calculated SF-36 (28 articles) for an in-depth analysis. The results showed that the overall design of the anchor and the cut-off value were the same as above. The statistical methods used were mostly traditional (mean change, ROC). The MCID thresholds of these studies had a wide range (SF-36 PCS: 2-17.4, SF-36 MCS: 1.46-10.28), and different anchors or statistical methods lead to different results.

CONCLUSION: It is of great importance to select several types of anchors and to use more reliable statistical methods to calculate the MCID. It is suggested that the order of selection of anchors should be: objective anchors > anchors with established MCID in subjective anchors (specific scale > generic scale) > ranked anchors in subjective anchors. The selection of internal anchors should be avoided, and anchors should be evaluated by a correlation test.

PMID:37454099 | DOI:10.1186/s12955-023-02157-3

J Orthop Surg Res. 2023 Jul 15;18(1):501. doi: 10.1186/s13018-023-03976-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Physical activity (PA) is generally encouraged for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, epidemiological statistics on the level of physical activity required for bone health are scarce. The purpose of this research was to analyze the association between PA and total spine bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women.

METHODS: The research study included postmenopausal women aged ≥ 50 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The metabolic equivalent (MET), weekly frequency, and duration of each activity were used to calculate PA. Furthermore, the correlations between BMD and PA were investigated by multivariable weighted logistic regression.

RESULTS: Eventually, 1681 postmenopausal women were included, with a weighted mean age of 62.27 ± 8.18 years. This study found that performing ≥ 38MET-h/wk was linked to a lower risk of osteoporosis after controlling for several covariates. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis revealed that the connection between total spine BMD and moderate-to-vigorous PA was more obvious among postmenopausal women aged < 65 years or individuals with normal BMI (< 25 kg/m²).

CONCLUSION: Physical activity ranging from moderate to vigorous was linked to higher total spine BMD in postmenopausal women.

PMID:37454096 | DOI:10.1186/s13018-023-03976-2

Hum Genomics. 2023 Jul 15;17(1):63. doi: 10.1186/s40246-023-00509-0.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The adoption and implementation of genomic medicine and pharmacogenomics (PGx) in healthcare systems have been very slow and limited worldwide. Major barriers to knowledge translation into clinical practice lie in the level of literacy of the public of genetics and genomics. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) multi-ethnic communities toward genomic medicine and genetic testing.

METHOD: A cross-sectional study using validated questionnaires was distributed to the participants. Descriptive statistics were performed, and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with knowledge of genomics.

RESULTS: 757 individuals completed the survey. Only 7% of the participants had a good knowledge level in genetics and genomics (95% CI 5.3-9.0%). However, 76.9% of the participants were willing to take a genetic test if their relatives had a genetic disease. In addition, the majority indicated that they would disclose their genetic test results to their spouses (61.5%) and siblings (53.4%).

CONCLUSIONS: This study sets the stage for the stakeholders to plan health promotion and educational campaigns to improve the genomic literacy of the community of the UAE as part of their efforts for implementing precision and personalized medicine in the country.

PMID:37454085 | DOI:10.1186/s40246-023-00509-0