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Graphene metasurfaces biosensor for COVID-19 detection in the infra-red regime
ABO blood group system correlates with preoperative serum PSA level in patients with prostate cancer
Pathway level metabolomics analysis identifies carbon metabolism as a key factor of incident hypertension in the Estonian Biobank
Abstract The purpose of this study was to find metabolic changes associated with incident hypertension in the volunteer-based Estonian Biobank. We used a subcohort of the Estonian Biobank where metabolite levels had been measured by mass-spectrometry (LC-MS, Metabolon platform). We divided annotated metabolites of 989 individuals into KEGG pathways, followed by principal component analysis of metabolites in each pathway, resulting in a dataset of 91 pathway components. Next, we defined incident hypertension cases and controls based on electronic health records, resulting in a dataset of 101 incident hypertension cases and 450 controls. We used Cox proportional hazards models and replicated the results in a separate cohort of the Estonian Biobank, assayed with LC-MS dataset of the Broad platform and including 582 individuals. Our results show that body mass index and a component of the carbon metabolism KEGG pathway are associated with incident hypertension in both discovery and replication cohorts. We demonstrate that a high-dimensional dataset can be meaningfully reduced into informative pathway components that can subsequently be analysed in an interpretable way, and replicated in a metabolomics dataset from a different platform.
Lavandula dentata leaves as potential natural antibiofilm agents against Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Abstract Biofilm formation is responsible for persistent diseases related to chronic infections. Mostly it is triggered by many bacteria, mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). In this study, plants that have been used traditionally in skin infections Viz; Liquorice, Carrot, Red Cabbage, Beetroot, Turmeric, Neem, and French Lavender were selected to evaluate their antibiofilm activity against P. aeruginosa. The microtiter plate assay was used to evaluate their antibiofilm activity against P. aeruginosa as well as ability to reduce the activity of P. aeruginosa. To investigate the phytocompounds responsible for bioactivity of the superior extract and to explore potential interactions between its bioactive components and one of quorum-sensing (QS) regulatory proteins of P. aeruginosa involved in biofilm formation, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometric (LC-MS) and molecular docking studies were done. The study showed that all tested plant extracts could significantly (p-value < 0.05) reduce the formation of P. aeruginosa biofilm. The methanol extract of Lavandula dentata (L. dentata) leaves is superior at 0.625 mg/mL. In conclusion, the study revealed the presence of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and their glycosides also, the anti-P. aeruginosa biofilm activity of L. dentata leaves was reported herein for the first time and could be a good source of leads for antibiofilm medicine.
Statistical optimization characterizations and Eco- friendly synthesis of silica from sugarcane bagasse
Abstract This research explores the synthesis and optimization of Silica have been effectively produced from sugarcane bagasse (SB) using the sol-gel methods. Due to its rich silica content, sugarcane bagasse can be utilized as a viable alternative source for silica synthesis. Employing Central Composite Design, the study systematically varied combustion temperature (500–800 °C), combustion time (2–4 h), and digestion time (1–3 h) to enhance silica yield. The optimal conditions identified were a combustion temperature of 583.48 °C, a combustion time of 3.482 h, and a digestion time of 2.283 h, resulting in a silica yield of 69.6%. Comprehensive characterization of the synthesized silica was conducted through Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer, Emmett, Teller model (BET) analysis and Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA). XRD results indicated the amorphous nature of the silica, with a broad peak at 22.36°, akin to that of commercial silica. FTIR analysis revealed six characteristic peaks at wavenumbers corresponding to those found in commercial silica, confirming the presence of similar chemical groups. SEM imagery illustrated a disordered arrangement of silica with undefined morphology. The TGA analysis shows high thermal resistivity of silica with only 9% weigh loss at 800 °C. Overall, this study demonstrates that high-quality silica can be produced from sugarcane bagasse with minimal chemical input and energy consumption and highlighting its potential for diverse applications.
Automated detection of spreading depolarizations in electrocorticography
Abstract Spreading depolarizations (SD) in the cerebral cortex are a novel mechanism of lesion development and worse outcomes after acute brain injury, but accurate diagnosis by neurophysiology is a barrier to more widespread application in neurocritical care. Here we developed an automated method for SD detection by training machine-learning models on electrocorticography data from a 14-patient cohort that included 1,548 examples of SD direct-current waveforms as identified in expert manual scoring. As determined by leave-one-patient-out cross-validation, optimal performance was achieved with a gradient-boosting model using 30 features computed from 400-s electrocorticography segments sampled at 0.1 Hz. This model was applied to continuous electrocorticography data by generating a time series of SD probability [P SD (t)], and threshold P SD (t) values to trigger SD predictions were determined empirically. The developed algorithm was then tested on a novel dataset of 10 patients, resulting in 1,252 true positive detections (/1,953; 64% sensitivity) and 323 false positives (6.5/day). Secondary manual review of false positives showed that a majority (224, or 69%) were likely real SDs, highlighting the conservative nature of expert scoring and the utility of automation. SD detection using sparse sampling (0.1 Hz) is optimal for streaming and use in cloud computing applications for neurocritical care.
Association between TyG-BMI and early-onset hypertension: evidence from NHANES
The safety of direct transeptal puncture using a radiofrequency guidewire combined with a 17Fr pulsed field ablation sheath
Analysis of the influence of geometric accuracy on the preload and stress of engine connecting rod bolts
The role of unbalanced segmental duplication in sex chromosome evolution in Australian ridge-tailed goannas
Identification and verification of biomarkers associated with arachidonic acid metabolism in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Enhancement of transverse Kerr effect in a BiYIG based magneto optical device with metal nanopyramid arrays
Improved density peak clustering with a flexible manifold distance and natural nearest neighbors for network intrusion detection
Identification and biophysical characterization of Plasmodium peptide binding by common African HLAs
Schisandrin B targets CDK4/6 to suppress proliferation and enhance radiosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by inducing cell cycle arrest
Impaired myocardial deformation and aortic distensibility by cardiac MRI in girls with Turner syndrome
Abstract Girls and women with Turner syndrome (TS) suffer from increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. We hypothesized that left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain and aortic elasticity will be impaired in girls with TS. Cardiac MRI of 45 girls with TS and 14 healthy control girls was performed. Tissue tracking was used to assess LV Global Longitudinal (GLS), circumferential (GCS), radial short and long axes (GRS SAX and GRS LAX) in patients compared to controls. Maximal and minimal aortic areas were measured in ascending aorta, proximal descending, and aorta at diaphragm. Regional strain and distensibility were calculated using previously validated formulas. Comparisons were made between patients with and without bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Inter-observer agreement was assessed for myocardial strain and aortic strain and distensibility. Results of the study showed GLS was significantly impaired in TS patients − 15.6 ± 1.8% compared to the control group − 17.2 ± 1%, p value = 0.013. No significant differences were observed in other strain parameters. Aortic diameter was similar in patients and control groups. Ascending aorta strain and distensibility were significantly lower in TS patients (33 ± 19% and 9.1 ± 5.5 mm Hg− 1) compared to control group (55 ± 17% and 13.9 ± 4.9 10− 3 mm Hg− 1), p values 0.004 and 0.013. No significant differences were found in aortic strain and distensibility in the other 2 regions. No significant differences were observed between TS patients with and without BAV in myocardial strain and aortic strain and distensibility. Substantial to perfect inter-observer agreement was found for myocardial strain and aortic strain and distensibility. Cardiac MRI measurements of LV deformation and aortic function carry potential value as markers for early detection of myocardial and aortic disease in TS patients. Validation of the clinical impact and prognostic role require further longitudinal studies.