Browse Articles

Correction: Impact of PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A meta-analysis

Correction: Short-term effects of the COVID-19 state of emergency on contraceptive access and utilization in Mozambique

Correction: Expression and Localization of Lung Surfactant Proteins in Human Testis

Correction: Prey selection along a predators’ body size gradient evidences the role of different trait-based mechanisms in food web organization

Correction: Effect of monovalent electrolyte solutions on the human tear ferning pattern

Intracerebroventricular administration of a modified hexosaminidase ameliorates late-stage neurodegeneration in a GM2 mouse model

The GM2 gangliosidoses, Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease, are devastating neurodegenerative disorders caused by β-hexosaminidase A (HexA) deficiency. In the Sandhoff disease mouse model, rescue potential was severely reduced when HexA was introduced after disease onset. Here, we assess the effect of recombinant HexA and HexD3, a newly engineered mimetic of HexA optimized for the treatment of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease. Enzyme replacement therapy was administered by repeat intracerebroventricular injections in Sandhoff disease model mice with dosing beginning before and after signs of neurodegeneration. As previously observed, HexA effectively increased the lifespan of Sandhoff disease mice by 3.5-fold only when treatment was started before onset of neurodegeneration. In contrast, HexD3 halted motor decline and ameliorated late-stage disease severity even when dosing began late, after neurodegeneration onset. Additionally, HexD3 had advantages over HexA in enzyme stability, distribution potential, and homodimer activity. Overall, our data indicate that advanced therapeutics may widen the treatment window for neurodegenerative disorders.

Noether and partial Noether approach for the nonlinear (3+1)-dimensional elastic wave equations

The Lie group method is a powerful technique for obtaining analytical solutions for various nonlinear differential equations. This study aimed to explore the behavior of nonlinear elastic wave equations and their underlying physical properties using Lie group invariants. We derived eight-dimensional symmetry algebra for the (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear elastic wave equation, which was used to obtain the optimal system. Group-invariant solutions were obtained using this optimal system. The same analysis was conducted for the damped version of this equation. For the conservation laws, we applied Noether’s theorem to the nonlinear elastic wave equations owing to the availability of a classical Lagrangian. However, for the damped version, we cannot obtain a classical Lagrangian, which makes Noether’s theorem inapplicable. Instead, we used an extended approach based on the concept of a partial Lagrangian to uncover conservation laws. Both techniques account for the conservation laws of linear momentum and energy within the model. These novel approaches add an application of variational calculus to the existing literature. This offers valuable insights and potential avenues for further exploration of the elastic wave equations.

Reinforcement learning algorithm for improving speed response of a five-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor based model predictive control

Enhancing the performance of 5ph-IPMSM control plays a crucial role in advancing various innovative applications such as electric vehicles. This paper proposes a new reinforcement learning (RL) control algorithm based twin-delayed deep deterministic policy gradient (TD3) algorithm to tune two cascaded PI controllers in a five-phase interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (5ph-IPMSM) drive system based model predictive control (MPC). The main purpose of the control methodology is to optimize the 5ph-IPMSM speed response either in constant torque region or constant power region. The speed responses obtained using RL control algorithm are compared with those obtained using four of the most recent metaheuristic optimization techniques (MHOT) which are Transit Search (TS), Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA), Dwarf Mongoose (DM), and Dandelion-Optimizer (DO) optimization techniques. The speed response are compared in terms of the settling time, rise time, maximum time and maximum overshoot percentage. It is found that the suggested RL based TD3 give minimum settling time and relatively low values for the rise time, max time and overshoot percentage which makes the RL provide superior speed responses compared with those obtained from the four MHOT. The drive system speed responses are obtained in the constant torque region and constant power region using MATLAB SIMULINK package.

Clinical outcomes and anti-inflammatory mechanisms predict maximum heart rate improvement after physical activity training in individuals with psychiatric disorders and comorbid obesity

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity and discriminatory ability of clinical outcomes, inflammatory activity, oxidative and vascular damage, and metabolic mechanisms for detecting significant improve maximum heart rate after physical activity training in individuals with psychiatric disorders and obesity comorbid using a longitudinal design and transdiagnostic perspective. Methods Patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and, schizophrenia and with comorbid obesity (n = 29) were assigned to a 12-week structured physical exercise program. Peripheral blood biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular mechanisms, and metabolic activity, as well as neurocognitive and functional performance were assessed twice, before and after intervention. Maximum heart rate was considered a marker of effectiveness of physical activity. Mixed one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analyses were performed. Results Individuals with psychiatric disorders and comorbid obesity exhibited an improvement in cognition, mood symptoms and body mass index, increase anti-inflammatory activity together with enhancement of the oxidative and cardiovascular mechanisms after physical activity training (p<0.05 to 0.0001; d = 0.47 to 1.63). A better clinical outcomes along with regulation of inflammatory, oxidative, and cardiovascular mechanisms were critical for predicting significant maximum heart rate variation over time (χ2 = 32.2 to 39.0, p < 0.0001). Conclusions The regulation of the anti-inflammatory mechanisms may be essential for maintained of healthy physical activity across psychiatric disorders and obesity. Likewise, inflammatory activity, oxidative stress, vascular and cardio-metabolic mechanisms may be a useful to identify individuals at greater risk of multi-comorbidity.

Motivation of nursing undergraduate program entrants: A scoping review protocol

Motivation is of great importance in the teaching-learning process, because motivated students seek out opportunities and show interest and enthusiasm in carrying out their tasks. The objective of this review is to identify and present the information available in the literature on the status quo of motivation among nursing program entrants. This is a qualitative scoping review study, a type of literature review designed to map out and find evidence to address a specific research objective, following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The objective was outlined using the PCC (Population, Concept, Context) acronym. The protocol was developed and registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform under DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/EJNGY. The search strategy and database selection were defined by a library and information science professional together with the authors. The search will be carried out in the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Lilacs Esp, National Library of Medicine (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the Web of Science platform. The researchers will meet to discuss discrepancies and make decisions using a consensus model, and a third researcher will be tasked with independently resolving any conflicts. Data extraction will involve two independent researchers reviewing each article. Documents such as original articles; theoretical studies; experience reports; clinical study articles; case studies; normative, integrative, and systematic reviews; meta-analyses; meta-syntheses; monographs; theses; and dissertations in English, Portuguese, and Spanish from 2017 to 2023 were included. The results will be presented in tabular and/or diagrammatic format, along with a narrative summary.

Tau phosphorylation suppresses oxidative stress-induced mitophagy via FKBP8 receptor modulation

Neurodegenerative diseases are often characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction. In Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal tau phosphorylation disrupts mitophagy, a quality control process through which damaged organelles are selectively removed from the mitochondrial network. The precise mechanism through which this occurs remains unclear. Previously, we showed that tau which has been mutated at Thr-231 to glutamic acid to mimic an Alzheimer’s-relevant phospho-epitope expressed early in disease selectively inhibits oxidative stress-induced mitophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we use immortalized mouse hippocampal neuronal cell lines to extend that result into mammalian cells. Specifically, we show that phosphomimetic tau at Ser-396/404 (EC) or Thr-231/Ser-235 (EM) partly inhibits mitophagy induction by paraquat, a potent inducer of mitochondrial oxidative stress. Moreover, a combination of immunologic and biochemical approaches demonstrates that the levels of the mitophagy receptor FKBP8, significantly decrease in response to paraquat in cells expressing EC or EM tau mutants, but not in cells expressing wildtype tau. In contrast, paraquat treatment results in a decrease in the levels of the mitophagy receptors FUNDC1 and BNIP3 in the presence of both wildtype tau and the tau mutants. Interestingly, FKBP8 is normally trafficked to the endoplasmic reticulum during oxidative stress induced mitophagy, and our results support a model where this trafficking is impacted by disease-relevant tau, perhaps through a direct interaction. We provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease and highlight FKBP8 receptor as a potential target for mitigating mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases.

Prediction of the need for surgery in patients with unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm based on SOFA score

Objective This retrospective study aimed to explore the association and clinical value of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score on the predictors of adverse events in patients with unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Methods A total of 322 patients from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database were enrolled. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the association between SOFA and primary outcome (need for surgery, NFS). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and nomogram analyses were used to assess its performance for predicting NFS. We also explored the association and clinical value of SOFA on secondary outcomes including hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU-LOS, and in-hospital mortality by linear and logistic regression analyses, generalized additive model, ROC, and decision curve analysis. Results Totally 291 patients underwent the surgery. High SOFA score significantly correlated with NFS both in crude and adjusted models (all P<0.05). SOFA had a relatively favorable prediction performance on NFS (AUC = 0.701, 95%CI: 0.596–0.802). After adjusting for related diseases, its prediction performance was increased. When SOFA was combined with lactate and gender, the model showed an AUC of 0.888 (95%CI: 0.759–1.000) and 0.3–0.9 prediction possibility. Further, the SOFA also showed significant relationship with hospital-LOS, ICU-LOS, and in-hospital mortality (all P<0.05), and exerted some value in the prediction of 7-day hospital-LOS (AUC = 0.637, 95%CI: 0.575–0.686) and in-hospital mortality (AUC = 0.637, 95%CI: 0.680–0.845). Conclusions SOFA score was related to the NFS and can be regarded as a useful indicator for predicting the NFS in patients with AAA.

The privacy protection of the internet of vehicles resource transaction details based on blockchain

The rapid development of Internet of Things technology has promoted the popularization of Internet of Vehicles, and its safety and reliability have become the focus of intelligent transportation system research. Vehicle-road collaboration relies on the collaborative computing and storage resources of the vehicle on-board unit (OBU), which are usually limited. When the vehicle in the edge area needs to do computing tasks such as intelligent driving, but its own computing resources are insufficient. Therefore, it needs other computing resources from idle vehicles and road side unit (RSU). This resource sharing can get additional computing resources to complete the task, and can be more convenient to complete the computing task quickly. Most current studies consider this type of resource sharing as a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network transaction, aiming to stimulate the enthusiasm of vehicle sharing and optimize the utilization of computing resources in edge areas. However, the traditional blockchain transaction mode exposes serious privacy disclosure risks in vehicle networking resource transactions, including the openness and transparency of user identity, transaction details, and transaction addresses, which poses great challenges to data security. Therefore, this study innovatively proposed a blockchain-based privacy protection scheme for vehicle networking resource transaction details. By introducing committed value protection, zero-knowledge proof technology and constructing temporary transaction addressed mechanism. The scheme realized the comprehensive privacy protection of transaction funds, transaction details and transaction addresses, which could effectively avoid the disclosure of users’ sensitive information. Compared with the existing methods, the proposed scheme not only greatly enhanced the privacy protection capability, but also ensured the efficiency and security of transaction verification through zero-knowledge proof, avoiding the direct exposure of private keys. Meanwhile, the experimental verification demonstrates that the scheme not only enhances the level of privacy protection but also does not augment the supplementary processing burden. Furthermore, it is evident that the scheme meets the rigorous requirements for real-time resource transactions in the Internet of Vehicles.

Correction: Exploring the acceptability of a community-enhanced intervention to improve decision support partnership between patients with chronic kidney disease and their family caregivers

Trends in childhood cancer: Incidence and survival analysis over 45 years of SEER data

Background The SEER Registry contains U.S. cancer statistics. To assess trends in incidence and survival and the impact of demographic factors among pediatric patients with cancer, we assessed nearly 5 decades (1975–2019) of data. Methods All patients below the age of 20 with histology-confirmed malignancy were studied. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were generated to evaluate survival trends across treatment periods and ICCC classes. JoinPoint analysis was conducted to identify changes in incidence and survival. Results The incidence of childhood cancer increased from 14.23 cases per 100,000 children in 1975–1979 to 18.89 in 2010–2019, with an average annual percent change of 0.73. This rise was more pronounced in several cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, brain tumors, hepatic tumors, and gonadal germ cell tumors. Age-adjusted cancer mortality decreased from 4.9 to 2.3 per 100,000. Cancer-related mortality was consistently higher in boys than in girls, and in Black children than in White children. Survival significantly improved, with 5- and 10-year survival rates rising from 63.1% to 85.2% and from 58.8% to 82.7%, respectively. Leukemias showed a substantial increase in 5-year survival from 48.2% ± 1.7% to 85.1% ± 0.4% in 2010–2019. Lymphomas also showed significant improvement, with survival increasing from 72.9% ± 1.7% to 94.2% ± 0.3%. Despite these improvements, the survival of CNS tumors, bone tumors, and sarcomas remained suboptimal, with 5-year survival estimates of approximately 60%. Our joinpoint analysis confirmed our findings but revealed an interesting increase in the incidence of lymphomas limited to the years between 2005 and 2014. Conclusion This research elucidates advancements in survival among pediatric patients with cancer. The results offer critical perspectives on pediatric oncology, highlighting the imperative for ongoing innovation in therapeutics. Although the increase in incidence may partially stem from enhanced diagnostic capabilities and more comprehensive registration processes, the underlying causes remain unclear.

Bias in adjudication: Investigating the impact of artificial intelligence, media, financial and legal institutions in pursuit of social justice

The latest global progress report highlights numerous challenges in achieving justice goals, with bias in artificial intelligence (AI) emerging as a significant yet underexplored issue. This paper investigates the role of AI in addressing bias within the judicial system to promote equitable social justice. Analyzing weekly data from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2023, through wavelet quantile correlation, this study examines the short, medium, and long-term impacts of integrating AI, media, international legal influence (ILI), and international financial institutions (IFI) as crucial factors in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG-16), which focuses on justice. The findings indicate that AI, media, ILI, and IFI can help reduce bias in the medium and long term, although their effects appear mixed and less significant in the short term. Our research proposes a comprehensive policy framework that addresses the complexities of implementing these technologies in the judicial system. We conclude that successfully integrating AI requires a supportive global policy environment that embraces technological innovation, financial backing, and robust regulation to prevent potential disruptions that could reinforce inequalities, perpetuate structural injustices, and exacerbate human rights issues, ultimately leading to more biased outcomes in social justice.

Occult metastases and survival of lung cancer by clinical diagnosis and CT screening: A simulation study

Objectives It is significant to know how much early detection and screening could reduce the proportion of occult metastases and benefit NSCLC patients. Methods We used previously designed and validated mathematical models to obtain the characteristics of LC in the population including undetectable metastases at the time of diagnosis. The survival was simulated using the survival functions from Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data stratified by stage. Results Based on the simulations, 35.3% of patients diagnosed with stage N0M0 and 56.9% of those diagnosed with stage N1M0 had nodal or distant metastases that were not discovered at the time of diagnosis. Among clinically detected Stage I lung cancers with tumor diameter 1–2 cm, 78% were true stage N0M0 (no occult metastases) while it was only 37% for patients with tumor diameters of 2–3 cm. This size threshold can be translated into a 0.75-year the “window of opportunity” for the curable disease. In a comparative analysis of two simulated groups of individuals: (1) clinically diagnosed (2) diagnosed by screening with a varying screening frequency (quarterly, biannual, annual and biennial), it was estimated that, once the screening intervals become shorter, substantially more cancers are found, but at an expense of a higher radiation exposure. The simulation projected that the mortality reduction in screened patients depending on the frequency, ranged from 15.04% to 18.82%. Conclusions The probability of occult metastases significantly increases when the primary tumor exceeds 2 cm in diameter. Effective screening measures that detect smaller tumors will considerably benefit asymptomatic LC patients.

Risk factors for overtaking, rear-end, and door crashes involving bicycles in the United Kingdom: Revisited and reanalysed

Background and objective Relevant research has provided valuable insights into risk factors for bicycle crashes at intersections. However, few studies have focused explicitly on three common types of bicycle crashes on road segments: overtaking, rear-end, and door crashes. This study aims to identify risk factors for overtaking, rear-end, and door crashes that occur on road segments. Material and methods We analysed British STATS19 accident records from 1991 to 2020. Using multivariate logistic regression models, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for multiple risk factors. The analysis included 127,637 bicycle crashes, categorised into 18,350 overtaking, 44,962 rear-end, 6,363 door, and 57,962 other crashes. Results Significant risk factors for overtaking crashes included heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) as crash partners (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.27–1.33), and elderly crash partners (AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.94–2.09), and decreased risk in rural area with speed limits of 20–30 miles per hour (AOR = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.43–0.47). For rear-end crashes, noteworthy risk factors included unlit darkness (AOR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.40–1.57) and midnight hours (AOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.21–1.40). Factors associated with door crashes included urban areas (AOR = 16.2, 95% CI = 13.5–19.4) and taxi or private hire cars (AOR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.57–1.69). Our joint-effect analysis revealed additional interesting results; for example, there were elevated risks for overtaking crashes in rural areas with elderly drivers as crash partners (AOR = 2.93, 95% CI = 2.79–3.08) and with HGVs as crash partners (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI = 2.46–2.78). Conclusions The aforementioned risk factors remained largely unchanged since 2011, when we conducted our previous study. However, the present study concluded that the detrimental effects of certain variables became more pronounced in certain situations. For example, cyclists in rural settings exhibited an elevated risk of overtaking crashes involving HGVs as crash partners.

Correction: Evaluation of circulating microRNA profiles in Brazilian women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A preliminary study

Study on construction mechanic characteristics and construction optimization of super-large cross-section tunnel portal under shallow buried depth and asymmetrical loading: A case study in Southwest China

The excavation of the super-large cross-section tunnel portal section is prone to causing serious engineering distresses. The key factors to ensure the safe construction of portal section are to clarify the construction mechanic characteristics and select a reasonable construction scheme. In this paper, a bidirectional six-lane expressway tunnel in Southwest China was selected as an engineering case. Three excavation schemes, namely, the three-bench seven-step excavation method (TEM), the central diaphragm method (CDM), and the double side drift method (DSDM), were compared and analyzed. Findings revealed that due to the effect of the asymmetrically loaded and super-large cross-section, the surrounding rock deformation and supporting structure stress at the deep buried side were greater than those at the shallow buried side. The CDM and DSDM could reduce the tunnel span and provide temporary support in time, which could effectively control the surrounding rock deformation and improve the structural stress and the slope stability. According to the topographic condition, the excavation sequence of the DSDM was optimized. Excavating the shallow buried side drift first could alleviate the surrounding rock deformation and improve the slope stability in the early stage of construction. Finally, the optimal excavation scheme was successfully implemented.