Colorectal Cancer Stem Cell Biomarkers: Biological Traits and Prognostic Insights.

Due to self-renewal, differentiation, and limitless proliferation properties, Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) increase the probability of tumor development. These cells are identified by using CSC markers, which are highly expressed proteins on the cell surface of CSCs. Recently, the therapeutic application of CSCs as novel biomarkers improved both the prognosis and diagnosis outcome of colorectal Cancer. In the present review, we focused on a specific panel of colorectal CSC markers, including LGR5, ALDH, CD166, CD133, and CD44, which offers a targeted and comprehensive analysis of their functions. The selection criteria for these markersCancer were based on their established significance in Colorectal Cancer (CRC) pathogenesis and clinical outcomes, providing novel insights into the CSC biology of CRC. Through this approach, we aim to elevate understanding and stimulate further research for developing effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in CRC.

Diagnostic utility of ultrasound in pediatric nasal bone fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ultrasonography, a radiation-free and cost-effective modality, stands out as a promising tool for evaluating nasal bone fractures. Despite limited literature on its pediatric application, there is an increasing recognition of its potential to enhance diagnostic precision. To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasound in detecting pediatric nasal bone fractures. Employing established guidelines, a systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted through a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases until December 5, 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies reporting diagnostic accuracy measures of ultrasound in pediatric patients with nasal bone fractures. Data extraction and analysis were undertaken for the selected studies. Involving four studies with 277 patients, ultrasound demonstrated a pooled sensitivity of 66.1% (95% CI: 35.1-87.5%) and specificity of 86.8% (95% CI: 80.1-91.4%) in diagnosing pediatric nasal fractures. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.72-0.93). After excluding an outlier study, sensitivity and specificity increased to 78.0% (95% CI: 65.6-86.9%) and 87.8 (95% CI: 78.1-93.6%), respectively, with an AUC of 0.79 (95% CI: 0.75-0.94). Pooled positive and negative likelihood ratios were 5.11 (95% CI: 2.12-9.15) and 0.40 (95% CI: 0.14-0.77) before exclusion and 6.75 (95% CI: 3.47-12.30) and 0.26 (95% CI: 0.15-0.40) after exclusion of an outlier study, respectively. This study highlighted ultrasonography's utility in diagnosing pediatric nasal bone fractures with high accuracy and specificity. However, caution is advised in relying solely on ultrasound due to suboptimal overall diagnostic performance, evident in likelihood ratios.

Therapeutic potency of A1 adenosine receptor antagonists in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, current status and perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Cardiomyocytes form, transport, and metabolize the omnipresent metabolite adenosine. Depending upon the adenosine concentrations and the pharmacological properties of receptor subtypes, adenosine exerts (patho)physiological responses in the cardiovascular system. The objective of this review is to present different protective mechanisms of A1-adenosine receptor inhibitors in cardiovascular diseases. METHODS AND RESULTS: Literature references were collected and sorted using relevant keywords and key phrases as search terms in scientific databases such as Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar. A1 adenosine receptor regulates free fatty acid metabolism, lipolysis, heart rate, blood pressure, and cardiovascular toxicity. The evidence clearly supporting the therapeutic potency of pharmacological A1 adenosine receptors agonists and antagonists in modulating cardiovascular risk factor parameters and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. CONCLUSION: This review summarizes the protective role of pharmacological A1-adenosine receptor regulators in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases for a better management of cardiovascular diseases.

The Effect of Telenursing on Disease Outcomes in People with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Narrative Review.

Method: A comprehensive search of online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, was performed using the following MeSH keywords: telenursing, telephone follow-up, diabetes mellitus, disease management, glycemic, self-care, treatment adherence, and quality of life, up to September 2023. Two reviewers independently screened pertinent studies based on the prespecified outcomes (treatment adherence, self-care, glycemic control, and quality of life) and extracted data from all eligible studies. Results: Of all retrieved records, 23 studies including 5 quasiexperimental (21%) and 18 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (79%) from five continents met the inclusion criteria. Both male and female patients were considered in the included studies, with mean age of 56.2 years old and a follow-up range of 12 weeks to 18 months. Findings showed that telenursing or nurse telephone follow-up significantly increased mean self-care efficacy score, improved adherence to the treatment regimen, decreased glycosylated hemoglobin and plasma glucose levels (but not lipid profile and body mass index), and improved quality of life compared to the routine care in people with T2DM. Conclusion: Telenursing can effectively supplement healthcare professionals to manage PWT2D. Increasing patients' knowledge about their drugs, insulin administration, and diabetes complications improves self-care behaviors and medical adherence. Consistently, improved self-care and regular use of treatment result in improved metabolic indicators and decreased rate of complications, which is associated with a better quality of life.

Disparities in computed tomography utilization for pediatric blunt trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing pediatric and non-pediatric trauma centers.

Pediatric blunt trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and computed tomography (CT) imaging is vital for accurate evaluation and management. Pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) have selective CT practices, while non-PTCs may differ, resulting in potential variations in CT utilization. The objective of this study is to delineate disparities in CT utilization for pediatric blunt trauma patients between PTCs and non-PTCs. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following established guidelines, searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to March 3, 2023. All studies examining CT utilization in the management of pediatric (aged < 21 years) blunt trauma and specifying the type of trauma center(s) were included, and data were extracted and analyzed using STATA software version 17.0. An analysis of 30 studies revealed significant variations in CT scan utilization among pediatric blunt trauma patients across different types of trauma centers. PTCs exhibited lower pooled rates of abdominopelvic CT scans (35.4% vs. 44.9%, p < 0.01), cranial CT scans (36.9% vs. 42.9%, p < 0.01), chest CT scans (14.5% vs. 25.4%, p < 0.01), and cervical spine CT scans (23% vs. 45%, p < 0.01) compared to adult or mixed trauma centers (ATCs/MTCs). PTCs had a pooled rate of 54% for receiving at least one CT scan, while ATCs/MTCs had a higher rate of 69.3% (p < 0.05). The studies demonstrated considerable heterogeneity. These findings underscore the need to conduct further research to understand the reasons for the observed variations and to promote appropriate imaging usage, minimize radiation exposure, and encourage collaboration between pediatric and adult trauma centers.

Alterations in Seizure Frequency in Patients with Epilepsy Following Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background and Purpose: During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, a considerable number of studies have focused on the difficulties for accessing the medical services and telemedicine-related issues. However, it is not clear whether COVID-19 affects the clinical course of epilepsy. Therefore, in the current study we aimed to assess the effects of COVID-19 infection on seizure frequency in patients with epilepsy (PWE). Methods: We evaluated PWE who consecutively referred to the neurology clinics of 22 Bahman and Qaem hospitals, who had experienced a recent polymerase chain reaction-confirmed-COVID-19 infection. Data were collected through a pre-defined electronic questionnaire. Results: A total of 104 patients were included. Females represented 52% of the population. The mean age of the patients was 36.73±17.87. Thirty-six patients (34%) reported increased seizure frequency. The mean age of the patients who had exacerbated seizure frequency was significantly lower than the non-exacerbated group (27.50±9.8 vs. 40.14±18.39; p=0.005). The number of the male patients were significantly higher in the exacerbated group (52% vs. 25%; p=0.014). The majority of exacerbated group had a history of drug resistance (44.4% vs. 8.5%; p=0.022). The number of epileptic seizures before COVID-19 infection was higher in the exacerbated (p=0.04). Conclusions: About 34% of PWE experienced exacerbated epileptic seizures after COVID-19 infection. Male patients, young patients, patients with the history of drug resistance, and the patients who had higher seizure frequency were at increased risk for seizure exacerbation. Our results highlight the importance of screening, early diagnosis, and treatment in PWE.

COVID-19 infection: a possible induction factor for development of autoimmune diseases?

Following the global spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the importance of investigation of the pathogenesis and immunological characteristics of COVID-19 became quite clear. Currently, there are reports indicating that COVID-19 is able to induce autoimmune responses. Abnormal immune reactions are a cornerstone in the pathogenicity of both conditions. Detection of autoantibodies in COVID-19 patients may suggest a link between COVID-19 and autoimmunity. In this study, we focused on the similarities and possible differences between COVID-19 and autoimmune disorders to explore the relationship between them. Comparing the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 infection with autoimmune conditions revealed significant immunological properties of COVID-19 including the presence of several autoantibodies, autoimmunity-related cytokines, and cellular activities that could be useful in future clinical studies aiming at managing this pandemic.

Influence of Renin-Angiotensin System Inhibitors on the Treatment of Metastatic Renal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are mainly known as anti-hypertensive drugs. Recent evidence suggests their anti-tumor potential against renal cancer. More than one-fourth of patients present with metastasis on their first visit. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study was to examine the potential clinical impact of ACEI/ARB on metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). METHODS: We searched through several online databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, to find clinical studies that have investigated the association between treatment with ACEI/ARB and the survival of patients with mRCC. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were utilized to assess the strength of the association. RESULTS: A total of 6 studies with a total number of 2,364 patients were found eligible for the final analysis. The HR for the relationship between ACEI/ARB use and overall survival (OS) showed patients undergoing treatment with ACEI/ARB to have higher OS than non-users (HR: 0.664, 95% CI 0.577-0.764, p=0.000). Furthermore, the HR for the relationship between ACEI/ARB use and progression-free survival (PFS) showed patients undergoing treatment with ACEI/ARB to have higher PFS than non-users (HR: 0.734, 95% CI 0.695-0.794, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: The results of this review offer ACEI/ARB as a potential therapeutic option associated with improved survival outcomes in patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Clone detection for business process models.

Models are key in software engineering, especially with the rise of model-driven software engineering. One such use of modeling is in business process modeling, where models are used to represent processes in enterprises. As the number of these process models grow in repositories, it leads to an increasing management and maintenance cost. Clone detection is a means that may provide various benefits such as repository management, data prepossessing, filtering, refactoring, and process family detection. In model clone detection, highly similar model fragments are mined from larger model repositories. In this study, we have extended SAMOS (Statistical Analysis of Models) framework for clone detection of business process models. The framework has been developed to support different types of analytics on models, including clone detection. We present the underlying techniques utilized in the framework, as well as our approach in extending the framework. We perform three experimental evaluations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. We first compare our tool against the Apromore toolset for a pairwise model similarity using a synthetic model mutation dataset. As indicated by the results, SAMOS seems to outperform Apromore in the coverage of the metrics in pairwise similarity of models. Later, we do a comparative analysis of the tools on model clone detection using a dataset derived from the SAP Reference Model Collection. In this case, the results show a better precision for Apromore, while a higher recall measure for SAMOS. Finally, we show the additional capabilities of our approach for different model scoping styles through another set of experimental evaluations.

Alteration of the neurogenesis and long term potential of olfactory bulb in an animal model of PTSD.

Failure of extinction of fear-conditioned traumatic memory is the main pathology behind post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Functional and structural dysfunctions in the olfactory system are implicated by studies in PTSD patients. However, little is known regarding the neurobiological networks of trauma­related odor sensitivity in PTSD. Male Wistar rats were exposed with a female cat for 10 min and long-term stress was evaluated by behavioral tests, containing open field (OF) and elevated plus maze (EPM). To prove the PTSD model, the serum level of cortisol was evaluated and compared with the control group. Local field potential (LFP) was applied to compare the electrophysiology of the OB in two groups. To assess neurogenesis, the expression of nestin, and doublecortin were evaluated. Data from EPM revealed a significant increase in spent time in the closed arms in PTSD group. We observed a significant reduction in OF parameters in terms of the total distance traveled, the time spent in the central zone, and the number of crossing the central zone in PTSD group compared to the control group. The mean serum cortisol level was significantly higher in the PTSD group than the control group. In LFP recording, the slope and the amplitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) in the PTSD group were significantly higher than that of the control group. Our results also showed that the mRNA expression level of nestin as a neural progenitor marker and doublecortin, as an immature neuron marker, significantly decreased in the PTSD group compared to the control group. This study has shown that PTSD can disrupt the OB function through decreasing neurogenesis. More information on PTSD and OB would help us to establish a greater degree of accuracy on this matter.

Association between genetic variants at 9p21 locus with risk of breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent tumor in women and genetic factors are among the main risk factors contributing to this malignancy. Chromosome 9p21 contains important regulatory non-coding RNAs and is associated with multiple malignancies including BC. The current meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association between genetic variants within the 9p21 locus and risk of breast cancer. A literature search was performed using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus and Clinical key databases. Nine studies containing 23,726 subjects were eligible for the final analysis and specific odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (95% CI) were evaluated to assess the strength of the associations. In the pooled analysis, there was an association between the genetic variations in 9p21 locus (CDKN2A/2B) with risk of breast cancer with a standard OR of 1.22 (95% CI: 1.04-1.45, P = 0.016; random-effects model), supporting the significance of this locus as a novel risk factor for breast cancer patients. In conclusion, our results showed that 9p21 region is positively associated with risk of BC and its polymorphisms may be a candidate marker for BC susceptibility.

The diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic potential of circulating microRNAs in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because of the late onset of symptoms, and this together with the lack of effective treatments, has meant it is associated with a very high mortality. The aberrant expression of MicroRNA (miRNA) contributes to the initiation and development of human tumors including OC. Several miRNAs are secreted by tumor cells and can be identified in body fluids. Serum miRNAs levels are associated with several clinical conditions, and may be used to predict prognosis and response to treatments in some cancers including OC. This review summarizes the current progresses regarding the potential applications of circulating miRNA as innovative biomarkers in OC.

Internet of Measurement Things Architecture: Proof of Concept with Scope of Accreditation.

Many industries, such as manufacturing, aviation, and power generation, employ sensitive measurement devices to be calibrated by certified experts. The diversity and sophistication of measurement devices and their calibration needs require networked and automated solutions. Internet of Measurement Things (IoMT) is an architectural framework that is based on the Industrial Internet of Things for the calibration industry. This architecture involves a layered model with a cloud-centric middle layer. In this article, the realization of this conceptual architecture is described. The applicability of the IoMT architecture in the calibration industry is shown through an editor application for Scope of Accreditation. The cloud side of the implementation is deployed to Microsoft Azure. The editor itself is created as a cloud service, and IoT Hub is used to collect data from calibration laboratories. By adapting the IoMT architecture to a commonly used cloud platform, considerable progress is achieved to encompass Metrology data and serve the majority of the stakeholders.

The potential role of regulatory microRNAs of RAS/MAPK signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Dysregulation of RAS/MAPK signaling axis is frequently found in CRC patients. The RAS/MAPK axis regulates cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammation, migration, and metastasis. Oncogenic or tumor-suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs) for RAS/MAPK signaling play a key role in the pathogenesis of CRC and are considered as novel potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of human malignancies. This review summarizes the current knowledge of mechanisms of action of RAS/MAPK miRNAs in the development and progression of CRC for a better understanding and hence a better management of this disease.