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Comparative genomic analysis of bacteriocin genes in Lactobacillus crispatus strains
Potentiation of immune checkpoint blockade with an ITPP radiosensitizer studied with oxygen saturation measurements from photoacoustic imaging
Abstract Hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment hinders antitumor immunity. Increasing tumor oxygenation may promote T cell infiltration and tumor control by immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). We found that a radiosensitizer, myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP), caused oxygen unloading from hemoglobin in CT26 and 4T1 tumors as indicated by photoacoustic imaging (PAI). This change in hypoxia detected by PAI was correlated with strong positive correlations with CD8+ and CD4+ FoxP3- effector T cell (Teff), and negative correlations with monocyte frequencies, indicating that ITPP promoted more immunogenic tumor microenvironments in both models. Combination ITPP and ICB improved tumor control and survival in both models. Therefore, imaging ITPP-modulated tumor hypoxia with PAI was related to ICB treatment response in these studies. Future combination immunotherapy regimens may benefit from monitoring hypoxia using molecular imaging with PAI.
Different prefrontal cortex activity patterns in bipolar and unipolar depression during verbal fluency tasks based on functional near infrared spectroscopy study
Initial report of prospective study of regional cooperation for imaging-based follow-up after curative renal cell carcinoma surgery
The role of immune cells in cirrhosis: evidence from a two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Modelling of triplet proximity effects in conically magnetized NbN/Ho/NbN Josephson junctions
Blockchain enabled deep learning model with modified coati optimization for sustainable healthcare disease detection and classification
Abstract The growing number of patients and the emergence of new symptoms and diseases make health monitoring and assessment increasingly complex for medical staff and hospitals. The execution of big and heterogeneous data gathered by medical sensors and the necessity of patient classification and disease analysis have become serious problems for various health-based sensing applications. The significant features of healthcare are the privacy of medical details and the accuracy of disease identification. One of the key benefits of the healthcare system is the ability to predict diseases early. Recently, the progress of artificial intelligence (AI) in the healthcare system has been a high priority. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) effectively make analyses and strategic decisions for the healthcare system. This manuscript proposes a Modified Coati Optimization Driven Blockchain for Healthcare Disease Detection and Classification (MCODBC-HDDC) method. The presented MCOBC-HDDC method provides an efficient and accurate disease diagnosis, utilizing a system that depends on DL techniques. Initially, the MCODBC-HDDC method incorporates BC technology to ensure secure data sharing and management, providing a decentralized and tamper-proof environment for patient data. In the data preprocessing stage, the MCODBC-HDDC model employs Z-score normalization to standardize the data and improve performance. For the optimal subset of features, the spotted hyena optimization algorithm (SHOA) model is used. Furthermore, the attention bidirectional gated recurrent unit (ABiGRU) method is implemented for disease detection and classification. Finally, the hyperparameter selection of the ABiGRU method is performed by utilizing the modified coati optimization algorithm (MCOA) method. The experimental analysis of the MCODBC-HDDC approach is examined under the HD dataset. The performance validation of the MCODBC-HDDC approach portrayed a superior accuracy value of 97.36% over existing models.
Lack of evidence for a consistent differential impact of tail and tunnel handling on markers of welfare in laboratory mice
Abstract Different handling methods for laboratory mice have been intensely debated in light of refining animal husbandry. Several studies claim that tail handling is aversive, while tunnel handling seems to have a lesser impact on animal welfare. However, most of these studies investigated the effect of handling performed in an unusually high frequency and prolonged duration, not matching laboratory routines. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the impact of weekly cage change using tail versus tunnel handling on male and female C57BL/6J and CD-1 mice. Locomotion and exploratory activity as well as anxiety-related behaviour were measured. Moreover, the animals’ interest in social partners and social novelty as well as voluntary interaction with the handler were assessed. Reactivity and repeated activation of the HPA axis were monitored using corticosterone levels and adrenal gland and thymus weights. Only very few of the measured behavioural and stress physiological parameters differed significantly between the two handling groups, with varying direction. Our comprehensive analysis could thus reveal no consistent evidence supporting the superiority of one method over the other in terms of welfare of the handled mice.
USP10 inhibits the degradation of α-synuclein, a pathogenic factor associated with Parkinson's disease, by inhibiting chaperone-mediated autophagy
Effect of enhanced early life nutrition on the molecular regulation of anterior pituitary function in Holstein Friesian bull calves
Abstract Enhanced early-life nutrition is known to induce precocious reproductive development in the bull calf, mediated through gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) stimulated gonadotropin pulsatility in the anterior pituitary gland. The objective of this study was to evaluate transcriptomic and proteomic responses within the anterior pituitary of Holstein–Friesian bull calves offered different planes of nutrition during early life. Bull calves were offered either a high (HI; n = 15) or moderate (MOD; n = 15) plane of nutrition between 2–12 weeks of age and subsequently euthanised at 12 weeks of age. The anterior pituitary tissue was harvested from all calves and miRNAseq, mRNAseq and proteomic analyses undertaken. High diet calves displayed greater growth rates compared to MOD calves (P < 0.001). Overall, 37 mRNAs and 5 miRNAs were differentially expressed between treatment groups (FDR < 0.1). Reduced expression of miR-205 together with greater expression of specific target mRNA genes (PCSK1, SERPINA1, CARTPT) in the HI calves suggested a relationship between these mRNA and miRNA. Furthermore, co-regulatory network analysis of the proteomic data revealed interactions between PCSK1, SERPINA1 and CARTPT, and proteins involved in cellular proliferation, metabolism and GnRH signalling, highlighting a role for these proteins in mediating the intersection between enhanced metabolic status with reproductive signalling in young bull calves.
Seasonal evaluation of culturable bioaerosols and airborne particulate matter in Iranian hospital wards using a Monte Carlo health risk model
Construction of competency model for civil aviation flight dispatchers with integrated approach combining grounded theory and structural equation modeling
Comparative evaluation of moutan pods and moutan barks by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS technique
Abstract To evaluate the development and application of a kind of oil peony by chromatographic analysis of the main active components of the waste moutan pods (MP).The methods adopted in this paper, firstly, the quality evaluation method of MP is established by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS; The second is to compare the types and contents of the main active components of moutan barks (Chinese Pharmacopoeia, MB) with those of the medicinal parts of peony used in oil. HPLC fingerprint method for the extract of moutan pods (EMP) was established. Twenty-one compounds were identified in EMP and their levels determined in EMP and the extract of moutan barks (EMB) by HPLC. The results showed that the components of EMP and EMB were similar, though their contents differed. These findings suggest that EMP may have similar pharmacological effects to EMB. Our findings regarding the similarity and comparison of the chemical components in the EMB and EMP have important practical value for replacing EMB medicine and protecting peony plants from resource depletion caused by root digging.
An explainable federated blockchain framework with privacy-preserving AI optimization for securing healthcare data
Abstract With the rapid growth of healthcare data and the need for secure, interpretable, and decentralized machine learning systems, Federated Learning (FL) has emerged as a promising solution. However, FL models often face challenges regarding privacy preservation, transparency, and resistance to adversarial attacks. To address these limitations, this paper proposes the Privacy Preserving Federated Blockchain Explainable Artificial Intelligence Optimization (PPFBXAIO) framework, which integrates blockchain technology, Explainable AI (XAI), and optimization techniques to ensure privacy, traceability, and robustness in FL-based systems. PPFBXAIO employs Secure Hash Algorithm 256 (SHA-256) for blockchain-backed secure model updates, Min-Max normalization for feature scaling, and the Levy Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm (LGOA) for optimal feature selection and federated model tuning. The Entropy Deep Belief Network (EDBN) is used as the classifier to enhance classification accuracy and detect attacks. XAI tools like SHAP are utilized to improve model interpretability. Experimental validation was conducted using the Heart Disease dataset from Kaggle and the Wisconsin Breast Cancer dataset. Results showed that PPFBXAIO achieved 95.07% accuracy, 95.44% precision, 96.54% recall, 95.98% F1 score, and reduced training loss by 4.93% for Breast Cancer Wisconsin and achieved 93.07% accuracy, 91.19% precision, 95.39% recall, 93.24% F1 score for Heart Disease dataset. Proposed system has reduced latency by 81 ms, and improved throughput by 109 transactions per second for 100 rounds as compared to traditional models like FedAvg, FL-MPC, FL-RAEC, and PEFL. These results highlight the framework’s superior performance, privacy preservation, and practical applicability in decentralized healthcare AI systems.
Horse handlers’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of African horse sickness in South-West, Nigeria
Testing the art as adaptation hypothesis through artistic practice and reproductive success in Papua woodcarvers
Abstract Archaeological studies provide evidence that art was a well-established activity among Homo sapiens as early as 50,000 to 75,000 years ago. Today, people continue to spontaneously create artistic works from an early age, and some master artistic skills with such proficiency that they become known as artists. Considering the ubiquitous nature of art, many evolutionary-oriented scholars have pondered the potential role of art, proposing the ‘art as an adaptation hypothesis’, according to which art serves social functions that promote the survival and reproductive success of individuals. Surprisingly, very few attempts have been made to verify this hypothesis empirically. Here, we addressed this issue, investigating whether art can be an adaptation: that is, whether it can increase the reproductive success of the artist. We collected data from indigenous inhabitants of Papua (Asmat and Kamoro societies), including 101 self-described carvers (artists) and 130 non-artists. Unadjusted models suggested that Asmat and Kamoro artists have higher reproductive success (measured by the number of their children), although this association disappeared in models adjusted for potentially relevant confounds. We also found that the relationship between reproductive success and being an artist can be partly explained by artists’ higher conscientiousness and creativity. While it would be plausible to explain artistic behaviour as an adaptation, the data are also compatible with such behaviours being by-products of an adaptation.