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To B or Not to B — the Role of B-Cell Depletion in Lupus Nephritis
Disparate co-evolution and prevalence of sulfadoxine and pyrimethamine resistance alleles and haplotypes at dhfr and dhps genes across Africa
Abstract Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), despite emergence of mutations in dhfr and dhps genes associated with lower treatment efficacy, is still recommended for preventive malaria treatment. Therefore, it is important to understand the evolution of P. falciparum dhfr and dhps genes. We used the MalariaGEN Pf7 dataset to describe haplotype frequencies across 22 African countries, including changes over time in The Gambia, Mali, Ghana, and Kenya. We show that the triple mutant of dhfr , N51I/C59R/S108N, has remained the dominant haplotype across the continent with limited evidence of additional mutations. There is greater variation for dhps in terms of haplotype diversity and spatial heterogeneity of haplotypes found across Africa. Although samples from Madagascar have low genetic differentiation from samples from mainland East Africa at the whole genome level, we show that dhps K540E is highly differentiated between the two populations, being at very low frequency in Madagascar (4%). Whole genome data reveal 12 SNPs which are also highly differentiated between Madagascar and East Africa, including aat1 and a possible novel drug resistance locus approximately 20 kb 3’ of mdr1 . We highlight the value of longitudinal sampling and whole genome sequence data for understanding the heterogeneity and ongoing changes in anti-malarial drug resistance genetic markers.
Design of a novel noise resilient algorithm for fault detection in wind turbines on supervisory control and data acquisition system
Immune response against antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-sensitive staphylococcus aureus in a rat model of implant infection
Analyzing the causes of sports injuries in college sports activities and research on the recovery strategy using an intelligent approach
Predicting coronary heart disease with advanced machine learning classifiers for improved cardiovascular risk assessment
Association of hemoglobin with decreased prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among Tibetan male patients
Accuracy of 3D printing of the samples in the prototyping of cavity-based metamaterials
Abstract Recent developments in designing cavity-based metamaterials require advanced methods for prototyping measurement samples, such as 3D printing techniques, which allow for the manufacture of complicated shapes unavailable for other technologies. However, the imperfections of the printouts, which vary for different printing technologies and printer settings, may cause differences between the designed and measured acoustic performance of the samples. This paper presents a complex study of the influence of printing details on the resulting sound absorption coefficient of a simple cavity-based metamaterial consisting of a coiled-up Helmholtz resonator. A general approach for manufacturing measurement samples is discussed. It is shown that the samples should be printed in one whenever possible, and joining the parts results in the formation of microslits and leads to mismatching of the sample impedance. Different printing technologies were also compared (SLS, DLP, FDM), and it was shown that for the studied geometry, the differences obtained for different printers are negligible from a practical point of view. The settings of the FDM printer were also studied for comparison with previous works by other authors. It was shown that the printer settings and the choice of filament are less important than random printing errors, which may occur regardless of the printer settings.
Interpretable model based on MRI radiomics to predict the expression of Ki-67 in breast cancer
Non-invasive screening for liver fibrosis by acoustic radiation force impulse in patients with ciliopathies
Abstract Primary cilia are antenna-like structures on the surface of epithelial cells involved in multiple signaling pathways. Their malfunction can cause a heterogenous group of diseases called ciliopathies with a broad spectrum of organ involvements, including liver fibrosis. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate elastography measurement via ultrasound based acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) as a screening tool for liver fibrosis in ciliopathies. In a prospective cohort of 51 patients with ciliopathies (aged between 2 months and 66 years) from the NEOCYST registry stiffness of the right liver lobe and spleen was measured via ARFI and results were then compared with laboratory parameters, endoscopic, ultrasonographic and histological findings. ARFI screening of the liver identified 27 patients without increased liver stiffness suggesting no or insignificant fibrosis, 11 with intermediate fibrosis, and 12 with liver fibrosis F4. Four patients showed increased spleen stiffness in ARFI. In all 10 patients with histologically confirmed fibrosis, ARFI results perfectly matched fibrosis stages. In the ARFI-based overall fibrosis subgroup, ALT, AST, GGT and spleen size were significantly increased, whereas platelets were significantly decreased compared to the no fibrosis subgroup. Normal GGT excluded ARFI-defined F4 fibrosis (negative predictive value 100%). Gene variants in PKHD1, TMEM67, and TULP3 were primarily detected in our patients with liver fibrosis whereas NPHP1 and HNF1B were not associated with increased liver stiffness. ARFI is a valuable screening tool for the detection of liver involvement in ciliopathies and may be useful in addition to laboratory and clinical parameters alone. Trial registration: NEOCYST registry DRKS00011003, registered 06.09.2016, https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00011003.
Sex and other predictors of mortality in long-term follow-up of patients with cardiovascular disease and COVID-19: a single-center retrospective study
Development of PMMA composites with tungsten trioxide for improved gamma radiation shielding in microsatellites
Abstract Satellites are exposed to various types of radiation and extreme temperatures in space, which can lead to damage and malfunctioning of critical components. Therefore, the use of an efficient shielding system is essential for ensuring the longevity and performance of satellites. In the ever-evolving landscape of space exploration, the demand for resilient and efficient materials to safeguard the delicate internal components of microsatellites has never been more critical. This work investigated the gamma-ray shielding performance, and the physical and mechanical properties of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composites embedded with 0–50 wt% tungsten trioxide (WO3). The results showed that the addition of WO3 had significantly improved the gamma shielding ability of PMMA composites. Linear attenuation coefficient and half-value layer were examined using three gamma sources (Cs-137, Ba-133, and Co-60).