Tag: pubmed

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Oct 3. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-23253-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The main goal of the current investigation was to decontaminate ibuprofen (IBP) from hospital wastewater using sea mud as an H₂O₂ activator. Sea sludge was converted into catalysts at different temperatures and residence times in furnaces, and then tested in the removal of IBP, and the most efficient ones were reported for the production of catalysts. The catalyst was optimized at 400 °C and 3 h. SEM-mapping, FTIR, EDX, BET, and BJH experiments were used to characterize the catalyst. Experiments were done at two pulsed and continuous ultrasonication modes in a photoreactor, and their efficiencies were statistically compared. The designed variables included IBP concentration (10-100 mg/L), the catalyst concentration (0-3 g/L), pH (4-9), and time (10-90 min). The oxidation process had the maximum efficiency at pH 4, treatment time of 60 min, catalyst quantity of 5 g/L, and IBP content of 50 mg/L. The catalyst was recycled, and in the fifth stage, the removal efficiency of IBP was reduced to 50%. The amount of energy consumed for treating IBP laden-wastewater using the evaluated catalyst in two modes of continuous and pulsed ultrasonic was calculated as 102 kW h/m³ and 10 kW h/m³, respectively. IBP oxidation process was fitted with the first-order kinetic model. The system can be proposed for purifying hospital and pharmaceutical wastewaters.

PMID:36184705 | DOI:10.1007/s11356-022-23253-9

Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 2;13(1):5793. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33476-6.

ABSTRACT

Learning is a fundamental component of creating intelligent machines. Biological intelligence orchestrates synaptic and neuronal learning at multiple time scales to self-organize populations of neurons for solving complex tasks. Inspired by this, we design and experimentally demonstrate an adaptive hardware architecture Memristive Self-organizing Spiking Recurrent Neural Network (MEMSORN). MEMSORN incorporates resistive memory (RRAM) in its synapses and neurons which configure their state based on Hebbian and Homeostatic plasticity respectively. For the first time, we derive these plasticity rules directly from the statistical measurements of our fabricated RRAM-based neurons and synapses. These “technologically plausible” learning rules exploit the intrinsic variability of the devices and improve the accuracy of the network on a sequence learning task by 30%. Finally, we compare the performance of MEMSORN to a fully-randomly-set-up spiking recurrent network on the same task, showing that self-organization improves the accuracy by more than 15%. This work demonstrates the importance of the device-circuit-algorithm co-design approach for implementing brain-inspired computing hardware.

PMID:36184665 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-33476-6

Environ Health. 2022 Oct 3;21(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s12940-022-00902-7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Excess reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause oxidative stress damaging cells and tissues, leading to adverse health effects in the respiratory tract. Yet, few human epidemiological studies have quantified the adverse effect of early life exposure to ROS on child health. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association of levels of ROS exposure at birth and the subsequent risk of developing common respiratory and allergic diseases in children.

METHODS: 1,284 Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (T-CHEQ) participants were followed from birth (born between 1996 and 2000) until outcome, March 31, 2016 or loss-to-follow-up. Using ROS data from air monitoring campaigns and land use data in Toronto, ROS concentrations generated in the human respiratory tract in response to inhaled pollutants were estimated using a kinetic multi-layer model. These ROS values were assigned to participants’ postal codes at birth. Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusted for confounders, were then used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) per unit increase in interquartile range (IQR).

RESULTS: After adjusting for confounders, iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) were not significantly associated with the risk of asthma, allergic rhinitis, nor eczema. However, ROS, a measure of the combined impacts of Fe and Cu in PM_2.5, was associated with an increased risk of asthma (HR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02-1.21, p < 0.02) per IQR. There were no statistically significant associations of ROS with allergic rhinitis (HR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.88-1.04, p = 0.35) and eczema (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.98-1.09, p = 0.24).

CONCLUSION: These findings showed that ROS exposure in early life significantly increased the childhood risk of asthma, but not allergic rhinitis and eczema.

PMID:36184638 | DOI:10.1186/s12940-022-00902-7

BMC Med. 2022 Oct 3;20(1):370. doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02571-2.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: West Africa has recorded a relatively higher proportion of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases than the rest of the world, and West Africa-specific host factors could play a role in this discrepancy. Here, we assessed the association between COVID-19 severity among Ghanaians with their immune profiles and ABO blood groups.

METHODS: Plasma samples were obtained from Ghanaians PCR-confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-positive individuals. The participants were categorized into symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. Cytokine profiling and antibody quantification were performed using Luminex™ multiplex assay whereas antigen-driven agglutination assay was used to assess the ABO blood groups. Immune profile levels between symptomatic and asymptomatic groups were compared using the two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test. Multiple comparisons of cytokine levels among and between days were tested using Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn’s post hoc test. Correlations within ABO blood grouping (O’s and non-O’s) and between cytokines were determined using Spearman correlations. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of various cytokines with asymptomatic phenotype.

RESULTS: There was a trend linking blood group O to reduced disease severity, but this association was not statistically significant. Generally, symptomatic patients displayed significantly (p < 0.05) higher cytokine levels compared to asymptomatic cases with exception of Eotaxin, which was positively associated with asymptomatic cases. There were also significant (p < 0.05) associations between other immune markers (IL-6, IL-8 and IL-1Ra) and disease severity. Cytokines’ clustering patterns differ between symptomatic and asymptomatic cases. We observed a steady decrease in the concentration of most cytokines over time, while anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels were stable for at least a month, regardless of the COVID-19 status.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that genetic background and pre-existing immune response patterns may in part shape the nature of the symptomatic response against COVID-19 in a West African population. This study offers clear directions to be explored further in larger studies.

PMID:36184636 | DOI:10.1186/s12916-022-02571-2

BMC Nephrol. 2022 Oct 3;23(1):325. doi: 10.1186/s12882-022-02944-y.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The Chinese Government initiated the Donation after Citizens’ Death policy in 2010. To now, it has been a major source of organs for transplant. Since it is still a young policy, corresponding clinical evidence is still urgently needed for its improvement. Compared to kidneys donated by SCD (standard criteria donor), increasing the use of ECD (expanded criteria donor) derived kidneys is a way to expand the donor pool but is also a result of the aging demography of China. This study is based on the data of kidney transplantation in our center with the Donation after Citizens’ Death policy, aiming to provide a reference for the clinical use of ECD kidneys.

METHOD: A retrospective study enrolled 415 kidney transplants derived from 211 donors performed between October 2011 and October 2019. A total of 311 (74.9%) organs were donated from 159 (75.4%) SCDs, and the remaining 104 (25.1%) were from 52 (24.6%) ECDs. The log-rank test was used to compare the difference in survival and postoperative complications. The Chi-square test was used to compare the occurrence of postoperative complications and postoperative renal function. The Cox regression analysis was used for risk factor screening.

RESULT: Analysis showed that grafts from ECD were poorer in survival (P = 0.013), while their recipients had comparable (P = 0.16) survival. Moreover, it also was an independent risk factor for graft loss (HR 2.27, P = 0.044). There were significantly more AR occurrences in the ECD group compared with SCD group (25.0% vs. 15.8%, P = 0.004), but no significant difference was found in infection (51.9% vs. 47.6%, P = 0.497) and DGF (26.0% vs. 21.9%, P = 0.419) between them. Similarly, fewer recipients in the ECD group were free from AR within 1 year after transplantation (P = 0.040), with no statistical difference in all-cause infection prevalence in 1 year (P = 0.168). The eGFR in the ECD group was significantly worse than that in the SCD group at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and the highest value posttransplant (all < 0.05), but no difference at 5 years posttransplant. Besides, results showed cardiac arrest (uncontrolled vs. controlled, HR 2.49, P = 0.049), HLA mismatch (4-6 loci vs. 0-3 loci, HR 3.61, P = 0.039), and AR occurrence (HR 2.91, P = 0.006) were demonstrated to be independent risk factors for graft loss.

CONCLUSION: The ECD-derived kidney was worse than the SCD-derived kidney in terms of graft survival and AR occurrence, and trend to an inferior renal function postoperative. However, the recipient survival, DGF occurrence, and all-cause infection occurrence were similar.

PMID:36184632 | DOI:10.1186/s12882-022-02944-y

J Transl Med. 2022 Oct 2;20(1):445. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03645-8.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: According to the Global Cancer Statistics in 2020, the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) rank third and second among all tumors. The disturbance of ubiquitination plays an important role in the initiation and development of CRC, but the ubiquitinome of CRC cells and the survival-relevant ubiquitination are poorly understood.

METHODS: The ubiquitinome of CRC patients (n = 6) was characterized using our own data sets of proteomic and ubiquitin-proteomic examinations. Then, the probable survival-relevant ubiquitination was searched based on the analyses of data sets from public databases.

RESULTS: For the ubiquitinomic examination, we identified 1690 quantifiable sites and 870 quantifiable proteins. We found that the highly-ubiquitinated proteins (n ≥ 10) were specifically involved in the biological processes such as G-protein coupling, glycoprotein coupling, and antigen presentation. Also, we depicted five motif sequences frequently recognized by ubiquitin. Subsequently, we revealed that the ubiquitination content of 1172 proteins were up-regulated and 1700 proteins were down-regulated in CRC cells versus normal adjacent cells. We demonstrated that the differentially ubiquitinated proteins were relevant to the pathways including metabolism, immune regulation, and telomere maintenance. Then, integrated with the proteomic datasets from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC) (n = 98), we revealed that the increased ubiquitination of FOCAD at Lys583 and Lys587 was potentially associated with patient survival. Finally, we depicted the mutation map of FOCAD and elucidated its potential functions on RNA localization and translation in CRC.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study described the ubiquitinome of CRC cells and identified abnormal ubiquitination(s) potentially affecting the patient survival, thereby offering new probable opportunities for clinical treatment.

PMID:36184622 | DOI:10.1186/s12967-022-03645-8

Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 2;13(1):5783. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33192-1.

ABSTRACT

Patient-level data from completed clinical studies or electronic health records can be used in the design and analysis of clinical trials. However, these external data can bias the evaluation of the experimental treatment when the statistical design does not appropriately account for potential confounders. In this work, we introduce a hybrid clinical trial design that combines the use of external control datasets and randomization to experimental and control arms, with the aim of producing efficient inference on the experimental treatment effects. Our analysis of the hybrid trial design includes scenarios where the distributions of measured and unmeasured prognostic patient characteristics differ across studies. Using simulations and datasets from clinical studies in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer and glioblastoma, we illustrate the potential advantages of hybrid trial designs compared to externally controlled trials and randomized trial designs.

PMID:36184621 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-022-33192-1

BMC Infect Dis. 2022 Oct 2;22(1):766. doi: 10.1186/s12879-022-07726-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the prevalence of Salmonella Typhi through DNA and IgM-antibody detection methods as a prelude to extended surveillance activities at sites in Ghana, Madagascar, and Ethiopia.

METHODS: We performed species-specific real-time polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) to identify bacterial nucleic acid, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting HlyE/STY1498-, CdtB/STY1886-, pilL/STY4539- and Vi-antigens in blood and biopsy specimens of febrile and non-febrile subjects. We generated antigen-specific ELISA proxy cut-offs by change-point analyses, and utilized cumulative sum as detection method coupled with 1000 repetitive bootstrap analyses. We computed prevalence rates in addition to odds ratios to assess correlations between ELISA outcomes and participant characteristics.

RESULTS: Definitive positive RT-PCR results were obtained from samples of febrile subjects originating from Adama Zuria/Ethiopia (1.9%, 2/104), Wolayita Sodo/Ethiopia (1.0%, 1/100), Diego/Madagascar (1.0%, 1/100), and Kintampo/Ghana (1.0%, 1/100), and from samples of non-febrile subjects from Wolayita Sodo/Ethiopia (1%, 2/201). While IgM antibodies against all antigens were identified across all sites, prevalence rates were highest at all Ethiopian sites, albeit in non-febrile populations. Significant correlations in febrile subjects aged < 15 years versus ≥ 15 years were detected for Vi (Odds Ratio (OR): 8.00, p = 0.034) in Adama Zuria/Ethiopia, STY1498 (OR: 3.21, p = 0.008), STY1886 (OR: 2.31, p = 0.054) and STY4539 (OR: 2.82, p = 0.022) in Diego/Madagascar, and STY1498 (OR: 2.45, p = 0.034) in Kintampo/Ghana. We found statistical significance in non-febrile male versus female subjects for STY1498 (OR: 1.96, p = 0.020) in Adama Zuria/Ethiopia, Vi (OR: 2.84, p = 0.048) in Diego/Madagascar, and STY4539 (OR: 0.46, p = 0.009) in Kintampo/Ghana.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate non-discriminatory stages of acute infections, though with site-specific differences. Immune responses among non-febrile, presumably healthy participants may mask recall and/or reporting bias leading to misclassification, or asymptomatic, subclinical infection signs induced by suppression of inflammatory responses. As most Ethiopian participants were ≥ 15 years of age and not at high-risk, the true S. Typhi burden was likely missed. Change-point analyses for generating ELISA proxy cut-offs appeared robust, though misclassification is possible. Our findings provided important information that may be useful to assess sites prior to implementing surveillance for febrile illness including Salmonella disease.

PMID:36184614 | DOI:10.1186/s12879-022-07726-3

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Oct 2;22(1):740. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05073-4.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Interventions targeting physical activity and sedentary behavior concurrently in pregnancy may be an ideal strategy to reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. We assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a single-arm, remotely-delivered health coaching intervention to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior in pregnancy.

METHODS: Women (n = 34) between 8 and 12 weeks gestation were recruited to take part in the INcreasing Steps in PREgnancy (INSPiRE) study. Participants were given an activity tracker (Fitbit Inspire) and met virtually with their health coach throughout the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Feasibility was based on enrollment, retention, and adherence rates. Acceptance was assessed using a process evaluation survey. Intervention efficacy was based on activPAL data obtained at baseline and the end of the second trimester.

RESULTS: Feasibility objectives were met, with greater than 70% enrollment, 97% retention, and 99% adherence. All participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program. ActivPAL data indicated statistically significant increases in daily steps (+ 1715.8 steps/day, Cohen’s d = 0.97), stepping time (+ 1.9%, d = 0.75), standing time (+ 2.3%, d = 0.29), and decreases in total sedentary time (- 4.2%, d = 0.43) and sedentary bouts of 30 minutes (- 4.1%, d = 0.36) from baseline to the end of the second trimester, all p < 0.05. Decreases were also observed in sedentary bouts of 60 minutes (- 3.9%, d = 0.40), but this was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS: The INSPiRE study demonstrated feasibility, high acceptability, and preliminary efficacy for improving movement behaviors in women during pregnancy, supporting future testing in a randomized controlled trial.

PMID:36184599 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-022-05073-4

BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Oct 2;22(1):738. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05028-9.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To study the correlations between facial profile markers and crown-lump length (CRL) in a Chinese population, and to evaluate the clinical value of these markers for abnormal fetuses during the first trimester (11 to 13⁺⁶ gestational weeks). METHODS: The facial profile markers were as followings: inferior facial angle (IFA), maxilla-nasion-mandible (MNM) angle, facial maxillary angle (FMA), frontal space (FS) distance and profile line (PL) distance. These markers were measured in facial mid-sagittal section through ViewPoint 6 software. The diagnostic value of these markers for abnormal fetuses was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.

RESULTS: According to the first-trimester scanning (FTS) and follow-up, 31 fetuses were enrolled in the abnormal group, including 14 cases of trisomy 21, 7 cases of trisomy 18, 10 cases with cleft lip and palate (CLP), and 1000 normal fetuses were selected. Among the normal fetuses, the IFA, FS distance and PL distance had negative correlations with CRL. The MNM angle and FMA had positive correlations with CRL. The mean IFA values for fetuses with trisomy 21 and trisomy 18 were 74.11° (standard deviation (SD) 7.48) and 69.88° (SD 7.08), respectively, which were significantly smaller than the normal fetuses (p = 0.013; p = 0.003). The mean MNM angle of fetuses with trisomy 18 and CLP were 6.98° (SD 2.61) and 9.41° (SD 2.57), respectively, which were significantly greater than the normal fetuses (p = 0.005; p < 0.001). The mean FMA values of trisomy 18 fetuses were 63.95° (SD 4.77), which was significantly smaller than the normal fetuses (p < 0.001). The mean FS distance of CLP fetuses was -0.22 mm (SD 1.38), which was significantly smaller than the normal fetuses (p < 0.001). The mean PL distance of trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and CLP fetuses were 2.89 mm (SD 0.41), 2.91 mm (SD 0.56) and 2.71 mm (SD 0.37), respectively. The difference with the normal fetuses had no statistical significance (p = 0.56; p = 0.607; p = 0.54).

CONCLUSIONS: Fetal facial profile markers had excellent correlations with CRL during the first trimester. IFA had certain clinical significance in detecting trisomy 21. FMA, IFA and MNM angle were reliable indicators for screening trisomy 18. The abnormal MNM angle and FS distance could be used as sensitive indicators for CLP. However, PL distance was not the best markers for trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and CLP.

PMID:36184592 | DOI:10.1186/s12884-022-05028-9