Type 2 diabetes (T2D) known as a complex metabolic disorder may cause health problems and changes in blood biochemical markers. A growing number of studies have looked into several biomarkers and ...their connections with T2D risk. However, few have explored the interconnection of these biomarkers, as well as the prospective alterations in the diabetes biomarker correlation network. We conducted a secondary analysis in order to introduce a multi-level approach to establish a relationship between diabetes, pre-diabetes, blood biochemical markers, age, and body mass index (BMI). The dataset was obtained from the Mendeley Data (available at https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/wj9rwkp9c2/1 . In this study, three groups were established: non-diabetic (n = 103), pre-diabetic (n = 53), and diabetic (n = 844). According to the Heatmap analysis, non-diabetic and pre-diabetic individuals had the lowest BMI, age, and HbA1c. Diabetes and pre-diabetes were correlated with BMI (r = 0.58 and - 0.27, respectively), age (r = 0.47 and - 0.28, respectively), and HbA1c (r = 0.55 and - 0.21, respectively) using Pearson analysis. Using multivariate analysis, we found that diabetes, BMI, age, HbA1c, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL, VLDL, and HDL were all associated. Network analysis revealed a connection between BMI and diabetes at the highest cut-off point. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis validated the network findings, revealing that BMI (area under the ROC curve, AUC = 0.95), HbA1c (AUC = 0.94), and age (AUC = 0.84) were the best predictors of diabetes. In conclusion, our multi-step study revealed that identifying significant T2D predictors, such as BMI and HbA1c, required a series of mathematical analyses.
Recruiting a decision support system that handles risks and monitors evidences will mitigate the destructive effects of risk. The main challenge of risk data is when it is unstructured, such as those ...metadata retrieved from posts published on social networks. The research gap focused in this study is analyzing unstructured risk data and extracting the embedded knowledge. We propose a Topic Map-based knowledge discovery system for analyzing unstructured risk data using the word embedding approach. We examined our proposed system on a dataset from some supply chain risk-related websites containing 325,965 sentences, 725,986 terms, and 52,396 unique terms. The experiment extracted 63 crisis knowledge propositions classified from this dataset using just three user–system interaction steps, which shows the model’s high performance. The results reveal that the proposed model could be used effectively and efficiently in decision support systems to analyze unstructured data, especially for crises in the supply chain analysis.
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor, with a universally poor prognosis. The emergence of molecular biomarkers has had a significant impact on histological ...typing and diagnosis, as well as predicting patient survival and response to treatment. The methylation status of the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyl-transferase (MGMT) gene promoter is one such molecular biomarker. Despite the strong evidence supporting the role of MGMT methylation status in prognostication, its routine implementation in clinical practice has been challenging. The methods and optimal cutoff definitions for MGMT status determination remain controversial. Variation in detection methods between laboratories presents a major challenge for consensus. Moreover, consideration of other clinical and genetic/epigenetic factors must also be incorporated into treatment decision making. In this review, we distill the available evidence to summarize our position on the optimal use of available assays, and propose strategies for resolving cases with equivocal methylation status and a framework for incorporating this important assay into research and clinical practice.
The Role of ATRX in Glioma Biology Nandakumar, Pravanya; Mansouri, Alireza; Das, Sunit
Frontiers in oncology,
09/2017, Letnik:
7
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The current World Health Organization classification of CNS tumors has made a tremendous leap from past editions by incorporating molecular criteria in addition to the pre-existing histological ...parameters. The revised version has had a particular impact on the classification of diffuse low-grade gliomas and their high-grade variants. The ATRX status is one of the critical markers that define the molecular classification of gliomas. In this review, we will first provide an overview of the role of ATRX in regular cell biology. Furthermore, the role of ATRX in tumorigenesis, specifically gliomas, is comprehensively elucidated. The possible correlation of ATRX status with other genetic/epigenetic modifications is also presented. We conclude by discussing some of the challenges associated with incorporating ATRX status assessment into routine clinical practice while also exploring opportunities for future diagnostics/therapeutics in gliomas based on ATRX status.
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is currently a big concern around the world. Recent reports show that the disease severity and mortality of COVID-19 infected patients may vary from gender to ...gender with a very high risk of death for seniors. In addition, some steroid structures have been reported to affect coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, function and activity. The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells depends on the binding of coronavirus spike protein to angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). Viral main protease is essential for the replication of SARS-CoV-2. It was hypothesized that steroid molecules (e.g., estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, prednisone and calcitriol) could occupy the active site of the protease and could alter the interaction of spike protein with ACE2. Computational data showed that estradiol interacted more strongly with the main protease active site. In the presence of calcitriol, the binding energy of the spike protein to ACE2 was increased, and transferring Apo to Locked S conformer of spike trimer was facilitated. Together, the interaction between spike protein and ACE2 can be disrupted by calcitriol. Potential use of estradiol and calcitriol to reduce virus invasion and replication needs clinical investigation.
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•Reviewing four oxidation processes for treatment of petrochemical wastewater.•Studying the reaction mechanisms and the system performances of oxidation processes.•Discussing ...advantages and challenges associated with applying these methods.•Recommending an appropriate integration of oxidation and biological treatment.
Biological treatments are the most widely used method in petrochemical complexes to treat wastewaters. However, they are not always effective, especially when refractory nature of certain organic contaminants is introduced into the system. A more promising method, therefore, is the one in which the biological treatment is integrated with the chemical methods where the primary contaminants are first converted into biodegradable compounds before being entered in biological treatment.
This paper reviews the application of four oxidation processes that treat petrochemical waste, namely: photo-catalytic oxidation (PCO), Fenton/photo-Fenton, wet air oxidation (WAO), and catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO), and proposes a new configuration for the treatment of petrochemical wastewaters. This configuration is established based on adding one oxidation process at the effluent of each processing unit before all the effluents are mixed into a single wastewater influent stream for the biological treatment. As the reviewed processes have different capabilities in the degradation of organic compounds and operate under diverse conditions, the selection of the oxidation process best matched to each processing unit will depend on the characteristics of the unit effluent such as organic concentration, toxicity of the effluent to biomass, temperature, and pressure, which will be thoroughly discussed in the paper.
Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is a major membrane-bound receptor with ligand and species specificity that activates the host immune response. Heterodimerization of TLR2 with TLR1 (TLR2/1) or TLR6 ...(TLR2/6), triggered by ligand binding, is essential to initiating the signaling pathway. Bovine TLR2 (bTLR2) heterodimerization has not been defined yet compared with human and mouse TLR2s (hTLR2 and mTLR2). The aim of the present study was to model bovine TLRs (TLRs 1, 2 and 6) and create the heterodimeric forms of the bovine TLR2 using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We compared the intermolecular interactions in bTLR2/1-PAM3 and bTLR2/6-PAM2 with the hTLR2 and mTLR2 complexes through docking simulations and subsequent MD analyses. The present computational findings showed that bTLR2 dimerization could have a biological function and activate the immune response, similar to hTLR2 and mTLR2. Agonists and antagonists that are designed for hTLR2 and mTLR2 can target bTLR2. However, the experimental approaches to comparing the functional immune response of TLR2 across species were missing in the present study. This computational study provides a structural analysis of the bTLR2 interaction with bTLR1 and bTLR6 in the presence of an agonist/antagonist and reveals the three-dimensional structure of bTLR2 dimerization. The present findings could guide future experimental studies targeting bTLR2 with different ligands and lipopeptides.
Understanding the most relevant hematological/biochemical characteristics, pre-existing health conditions and complications in survivors and non-survivor will aid in predicting COVID-19 patient ...mortality, as well as intensive care unit (ICU) referral and death. A literature review was conducted for COVID-19 mortality in PubMed, Scopus, and various preprint servers (bioRxiv, medRxiv and SSRN), with 97 observational studies and preprints, consisting of survivor and non-survivor sub-populations. This meta/network analysis comprised 19,014 COVID-19 patients, consisting of 14,359 survivors and 4655 non-survivors. Meta and network analyses were performed using META-MAR V2.7.0 and PAST software. The study revealed that non-survivors of COVID-19 had elevated levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase and creatinine, as well as a higher number of neutrophils. Non-survivors had fewer lymphocytes and platelets, as well as lower hemoglobin and albumin concentrations. Age, hypertension, and cerebrovascular disease were shown to be the most influential risk factors among non-survivors. The most common complication among non-survivors was heart failure, followed by septic shock and respiratory failure. Platelet counts, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, albumin, and blood urea nitrogen levels were all linked to ICU admission. Hemoglobin levels preferred non-ICU patients. Lower levels of hemoglobin, lymphocytes, and albumin were associated with increased mortality in ICU patients. This meta-analysis showed that inexpensive and fast biochemical and hematological tests, as well as pre-existing conditions and complications, can be used to estimate the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients.
Objective
Invasive monitoring is sometimes necessary to guide resective surgery in epilepsy patients, but the ideal method is unknown. In this systematic review, we assess the association of ...postresection seizure freedom and adverse events in stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) and subdural electrodes (SDE).
Methods
We searched three electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) from their inception to January 2018 with the keywords “electroencephalography,” “intracranial grid,” and “epilepsy.” Studies that presented primary quantitative patient data for postresection seizure freedom with at least 1 year of follow‐up or complication rates of SEEG‐ or SDE‐monitored patients were included. Two trained investigators independently collected data from eligible studies. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were used as a measure of the association of SEEG or SDE with seizure freedom and with adverse event outcomes.
Results
Of 11 462 screened records, 48 studies met inclusion criteria. These studies reported on 1973 SEEG patients and 2036 SDE patients. Our systematic review revealed SEEG was associated with 61.0% and SDE was associated with 56.4% seizure freedom after resection (WMD = +5.8%, 95% CI = 4.7‐6.9%, P = .001). Furthermore, SEEG was associated with 4.8% and SDE was associated with 15.5% morbidity (WMD = −10.6%, 95% CI = −11.6 to −9.6%, P = .001). SEEG was associated with 0.2% mortality and SDE was associated with 0.4% mortality (WMD = −0.2%, 95% CI = −0.3 to −0.1%, P = .001).
Significance
In this systematic review of SEEG and SDE invasive monitoring techniques, SEEG was associated with fewer surgical resections yet better seizure freedom outcomes in those undergoing resections. SEEG was also associated with lower mortality and morbidity than SDE. Clinical studies directly comparing these modalities are necessary to understand the relative rates of seizure freedom, morbidity, and mortality associated with these techniques.
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•The peptides containing Trp residues have higher binding affinity to nanotube compared to the peptides with Phe or Tyr residue.•Steric hindrance between bulky aromatic residues in ...peptide sequence has a negative influence in the binding peptide to nanotube•In designing a surfactant peptide, the number and distance of aromatic residue and polarity of them should be taken into account.•In docking peptides to the nanotube, full-flexible docking leads to incorrect results.
The non-covalent interaction between single-walled carbon nanotube and surfactant peptides makes them soluble in biological media to be used in nano-medicine, drug delivery and gene therapy. Pervious study has shown that two important parameters in binding peptides into nanotubes are hydrophobic effect and the number of aromatic amino acids. Ten surfactant peptides with the length of eight residue, including Lys, Trp, Tyr, Phe and Val, were designed to investigate the important parameters in binding peptides to a (6, 6) carbon nanotube. 500ns MD simulation was performed for free surfactant peptides in water or near to a nanotube. Our results have indicated that the binding affinity of peptides to nanotube increases with the increase of aromatic residue content. Also, among aromatic residues, the peptides containing Trp residues have higher binding affinity to nanotube compared to the peptides with Phe or Tyr residue. Steric hindrance between bulky aromatic residues in peptide sequence has negative influence in binding peptide to nanotube, and in designing a surfactant peptide, the number and distance of aromatic residue and polarity of them should be taken into account. Our results also show that in docking peptides to nanotube, full-flexible docking leads to incorrect results.
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