In Vitro Evaluation of marginal adaptation of polyether ether ketone and zirconia copings.

Background: Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has emerged as a new thermoplastic material with potential applications as a restorative material. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the marginal adaptation of PEEK copings compared to zirconia copings using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Materials and Methods: A freshly extracted maxillary central incisor was prepared for a full-coverage restoration following standard principles of tooth preparation. The tooth was sent to a laboratory for fabrication of samples using computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Twenty samples of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) copings (group A) and 20 of zirconia copings were fabricated (group B). The copings were scanned under a field emission scanning electron microscope and measurements were taken at four distinct points. The marginal adaptation over the buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal margins for both groups was evaluated. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t test were applied. Results: Our findings indicate that PEEK showed better marginal adaptation than zirconia at all measurement points. The mean marginal gap value of the PEEK group was 33.99 ± 8.81 µm and of the zirconia group was 56.21 ± 15.07 µm. On comparing marginal adaptation among the mesial, distal, buccal, and lingual aspects, PEEK showed better adaptation on all four margins, with the best adaptation on the buccal margin that had the lowest mean gap value of 29.27 ± 6.07 µm. The zirconia group adapted best at the distal margin, with a lowest mean gap value of 53.58 ± 15.25 µm (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: PEEK copings had better marginal adaptation and fit compared to zirconia copings. It may have applications as a restorative material in fixed prostheses.

Impact of interpregnancy intervals on perinatal and neonatal outcomes in a multiethnic Pakistani population.

BACKGROUND: Short birth intervals (SBIs) and long birth intervals (LBIs) have been shown to have serious implications for health of both mothers and their children. This study was aimed to investigate the determinants and reproductive outcome of SBI and LBI in a multiethnic Pakistani population. METHODS: In a cross-sectional prospective study design, 2798 women admitted in a tertiary-care hospital in Islamabad for delivery were recruited and data on second or higher birth order deliveries were collected. Birth intervals were defined as short (<24 months) and long (>36 months). The reproductive outcome was defined in terms of perinatal and neonatal mortalities, and neonatal complications. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Pregnancies with SBI and LBI were observed in 20% and 24% of 2798 women, respectively. Women with SBI had increased odds of perinatal death [adjusted odd ratio (AOR): 1.50] and neonatal death (AOR: 1.47) as compared to women with optimal birth intervals, while women with LBI had slightly lower odds of perinatal deaths (AOR: 0.96), but increased odds of neonatal deaths (AOR: 1.12). Further, the pregnancies with both SBI and LBI were associated with increased odds of short body length, low birth weight, small head circumference and low APGAR score. CONCLUSION: Nearly half of all pregnancies do not have optimal birth spacing albeit there is wide heterogeneity in the distribution of BI in various Pakistani ethnicities. Pregnancies with SBI and LBI had high risk of adverse reproductive outcome. Intervention programs for maternal and child health need to emphasize optimal birth spacing.

Birth interval (BI) or interpregnancy interval is the length of time between a birth and conception of the next pregnancy. Short birth intervals (SBIs) as well as long birth intervals (LBIs) have been shown to have serious implications for health of both mothers and their children. WHO recommendation for optimal spacing between 3 and 5 years. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of SBI and LBI on pregnancy outcome in the Pakistani population. A total of 2798 pregnant women admitted in a tertiary-care hospital in Islamabad for delivery were recruited and data on BI and pregnancy outcomes, i.e. perinatal and neonatal mortalities, and neonatal complications, were obtained. Results revealed that pregnancies with SBI and LBI were 20% and 24% of the total pregnancies, respectively. Women with SBI had higher likelihood of perinatal and neonatal death as compared to women with optimal birth intervals. Similarly, the women with LBI had higher likelihood of neonatal deaths. Furthermore, the pregnancies with both SBI and LBI were associated neonatal complications like short body length, low birth weight, small head circumference and low APGAR score. In conclusion, nearly half of all pregnancies do not have optimal birth spacing. Intervention programs for maternal and child health need to emphasize optimal birth spacing.

Nigella sativa L. and COVID-19: A Glance at The Anti-COVID-19 Chemical Constituents, Clinical Trials, Inventions, and Patent Literature.

COVID-19 has had an impact on human quality of life and economics. Scientists have been identifying remedies for its prevention and treatment from all possible sources, including plants. Nigella sativa L. (NS) is an important medicinal plant of Islamic value. This review highlights the anti-COVID-19 potential, clinical trials, inventions, and patent literature related to NS and its major chemical constituents, like thymoquinone. The literature was collected from different databases, including Pubmed, Espacenet, and Patentscope. The literature supports the efficacy of NS, NS oil (NSO), and its chemical constituents against COVID-19. The clinical data imply that NS and NSO can prevent and treat COVID-19 patients with a faster recovery rate. Several inventions comprising NS and NSO have been claimed in patent applications to prevent/treat COVID-19. The patent literature cites NS as an immunomodulator, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, a source of anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds, and a plant having protective effects on the lungs. The available facts indicate that NS, NSO, and its various compositions have all the attributes to be used as a promising remedy to prevent, manage, and treat COVID-19 among high-risk people as well as for the therapy of COVID-19 patients of all age groups as a monotherapy or a combination therapy. Many compositions of NS in combination with countless medicinal herbs and medicines are still unexplored. Accordingly, the authors foresee a bright scope in developing NS-based anti-COVID-19 composition for clinical use in the future.

Numerical Simulation on Convection and Thermal Radiation of Casson Fluid in an Enclosure with Entropy Generation.

The goal of the current numerical simulation is to explore the impact of aspect ratio, thermal radiation, and entropy generation on buoyant induced convection in a rectangular box filled with Casson fluid. The vertical boundaries of the box are maintained with different constant thermal distribution. Thermal insulation is executed on horizontal boundaries. The solution is obtained by a finite volume-based iterative method. The results are explored over a range of radiation parameter, Casson fluid parameter, aspect ratio, and Grashof number. The impact of entropy generation is also examined in detail. Thermal stratification occurs for greater values of Casson liquid parameters in the presence of radiation. The kinetic energy grows on rising the values of Casson liquid and radiation parameters. The thermal energy transport declines on growing the values of radiation parameter and it enhances on rising the Casson fluid parameter.

Increased ß2-adrenoceptor phosphorylation in airway smooth muscle in severe asthma: possible role of mast cell-derived growth factors.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether growth factors produced by activated human lung mast cells (HLMCs) impair ß2 -adrenoceptor (ß2 -AR) function in human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. Protein array analysis confirmed the presence of various growth factors, including transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1, in the supernatants of high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI)-activated HLMCs which, when applied to ASM cells, impaired albuterol-induced cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production, an effect that was prevented following neutralization of TGF-ß1. This blunted ß2 -AR response was reproduced by treating ASM cells with TGF-ß1 or fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2, which induced ß2 -AR phosphorylation at tyrosine residues Tyr141 and Tyr350 , and significantly reduced the maximal bronchorelaxant responses to isoproterenol in human precision cut lung slices (PCLS). Finally, ASM cells isolated from severe asthmatics displayed constitutive elevated ß2 -AR phosphorylation at both Tyr141 and Tyr350 and a reduced relaxant response to albuterol. This study shows for the first time that abnormal ß2 -AR phosphorylation/function in ASM cells that is induced rapidly by HLMC-derived growth factors, is present constitutively in cells from severe asthmatics.

Protein phosphatase 5 mediates corticosteroid insensitivity in airway smooth muscle in patients with severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms driving glucocorticoid (GC) insensitivity in patients with severe asthma are still unknown. Recent evidence suggests the existence of GC-insensitive pathways in airway smooth muscle (ASM) caused by a defect in GC receptor (GRα) function. We examined whether other mechanisms could potentially explain the reduced sensitivity of ASM cells to GC in severe asthmatics. METHODS: Airway smooth muscle cells from healthy and severe asthmatic subjects were treated with TNF-α and responses to corticosteroids in both cohorts were compared by ELISA, immunoblot, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry assays were used to assess the expression of the protein phosphatase PP5 in endobronchial biopsies and ASM cells. RESULTS: The production of CCL11 and CCL5 by TNF-α was insensitive to both fluticasone and dexamethasone in ASM cells from severe asthmatic compared to that in healthy subjects. Fluticasone-induced GRα nuclear translocation, phosphorylation at serine 211 and expression of GC-induced leucine zipper (GILZ) were significantly reduced in ASM cells from severe asthmatics compared to responses in healthy subjects. Levels of PP5 were increased in ASM cells from severe asthmatics and PP5 knockdown using siRNA restored fluticasone repressive action on chemokine production and its ability to induce GRα nuclear translocation and GRE-dependent GILZ expression. In vivo PP5 expression was also increased in the ASM bundles in endobronchial biopsies in severe asthmatics. CONCLUSIONS: PP5-dependent impairment of GRα function represents a novel mechanism driving GC insensitivity in ASM in severe asthma.

Dual bolus intravenous contrast injection technique for multiregion paediatric body CT.

OBJECTIVES: Optimal vascular and parenchymal enhancement for multi-region paediatric body computed tomography (CT) has many challenges. A variety of approaches are currently employed, associated with varying image quality and radiation dose implications. We present a dual bolus intravenous (DBI) contrast technique for single-acquisition imaging of the chest, abdomen and pelvis, with evaluation of multi-compartmental vascular enhancement. METHODS: A DBI regime was designed for use with a programmable dual head pump injector. A larger initial bolus (two-thirds volume) is followed by a smaller bolus (one-third volume) before imaging the chest, abdomen and pelvis in a single acquisition, 45-65 seconds from the start of initial injection. Flow rates and second bolus timing were tailored to patient weight and contrast volume, using five weight categories. Multi-compartmental vascular opacification was graded and image quality was assessed in a cohort of 130 patients. RESULTS: The DBI technique resulted in concordant multi-compartmental (thoracic aortic, pulmonary arterial, abdominal aortic and portal venous) vascular enhancement. Early splenic parenchymal enhancement artefacts and alterations to renal enhancement were observed. CONCLUSION: We present a weight-stratified dual bolus intravenous contrast technique to improve image quality in paediatric multi-region body CT. KEY POINTS: • In children, optimal vascular and parenchymal enhancement in multi-region CT is challenging. • A dual bolus contrast technique offers concordant arterial and portal venous opacification. • Adaptation to patient size is achieved by stratification into five weight categories. • Dose penalties of 'overlap' and 'dual phase' imaging techniques can be avoided.

Vascular endothelial growth factor A polymorphism and risk of Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus viremia in kidney allograft recipients.

BACKGROUND: Kaposi's sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) causes Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman's disease in immunocompromised patients including allograft recipients. Detection of KSHV DNA in blood, as well as host genetic polymorphisms has been found to be associated with an increased risk for KS. We investigated an association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) gene region and KSHV viremia in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: In total, 152 KTR who have survived kidney transplantation for at least 6 months were included in the study. KSHV viremia was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotyping of SNPs in the VEGFA region was performed by PCR and direct sequencing, as well as by restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: KSHV DNA was detected in 28.9% (n = 44) of the study population. The A-allele at position C172A VEGFA gene promoter region was found to be associated with KSHV viremia (odd ratio [OR] = 4.8, P = 0.005). In addition, the G-allele at position C+405G in the 5'-untranslated region was associated with KSHV viremia in women, but not in men (OR = 3.98, P = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an association of VEGFA polymorphisms with KSHV viremia among KTR in this study population. A limitation of our study is that the results can only be predicated for patients 6 months after kidney transplantation and should be validated in another cohort with larger sample size.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dental traumatic injuries: a systemic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess whether individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) exhibit a higher prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) compared to those without ADHD through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the existing literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A search strategy using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) vocabulary was employed for a comprehensive search across various databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase. The Joanna Briggs Institute Summary was utilized for data collection. Additionally, quality assessment, meta-analysis, and bias control were conducted to ensure the reliability of the included studies. A meta-analysis was performed to consolidate the findings of the individual studies. RESULTS: The prevalence of TDIs among individuals with ADHD ranged from 9.6% to 68.2%, while in the healthy control group, it ranged from 0.8% to 44.7%. The meta-analysis findings revealed that individuals with ADHD had 1.98 times higher odds (OR = 1.98, ranging from 1.51 to 2.59 with 95% CI) of experiencing TDIs compared to individuals without ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest a significant association between ADHD and an increased risk of TDIs. Individuals with ADHD were found to be nearly twice as likely to experience TDIs compared to those without ADHD. Efforts should not only be directed towards improving the oral health of this vulnerable group of individuals, but also healthcare practitioners need to be provided with opportunities to create awareness and implement preventive measures to mitigate the risk of TDIs among individuals with ADHD.

Overcoming chemoresistance and radio resistance in prostate cancer: The emergent role of non-coding RNAs.

Prostate cancer (PCa) continues to be a major health concern worldwide, with its resistance to chemotherapy and radiation therapy presenting major hurdles in successful treatment. While patients with localized prostate cancer generally have a good survival rate, those with metastatic prostate cancer often face a grim prognosis, even with aggressive treatments using various methods. The high mortality rate in severe cases is largely due to the lack of treatment options that can offer lasting results, especially considering the significant genetic diversity found in tumors at the genomic level. This comprehensive review examines the intricate molecular mechanisms governing resistance in PCa, emphasising the pivotal contributions of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). We delve into the diverse roles of microRNAs, long ncRNAs, and other non-coding elements as critical regulators of key cellular processes involved in CR & RR. The review emphasizes the diagnostic potential of ncRNAs as predictive biomarkers for treatment response, offering insights into patient stratification and personalized therapeutic approaches. Additionally, we explore the therapeutic implications of targeting ncRNAs to overcome CR & RR, highlighting innovative strategies to restore treatment sensitivity. By synthesizing current knowledge, this review not only provides a comprehension of the chemical basis of resistance in PCa but also identifies gaps in knowledge, paving the way for future research directions. Ultimately, this exploration of ncRNA perspectives offers a roadmap for advancing precision medicine in PCa, potentially transforming therapeutic paradigms and improving outcomes for patients facing the challenges of treatment resistance.

From diagnosis to therapy: The critical role of lncRNAs in hepatoblastoma.

According to findings, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serves an integral part in growth and development of a variety of human malignancies, including Hepatoblastoma (HB). HB is a rare kind of carcinoma of the liver that mostly affects kids and babies under the age of three. Its manifestations include digestive swelling, abdominal discomfort, and losing weight. This thorough investigation digs into the many roles that lncRNAs serve in HB, giving views into their varied activities as well as possible therapeutic consequences. The function of lncRNAs in HB cell proliferation, apoptosis, migratory and penetrating capacities, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and therapy tolerance is discussed. Various lncRNA regulatory roles are investigated in depth, yielding information on their effect on essential cell processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, immunity, and growth. Circulating lncRNAs are currently acknowledged as potential indications for the initial stages of identification of cancer, with the ability to diagnose as well as forecast. In addition to their diagnostic utility, lncRNAs provide curative opportunities as locations and actors, contributing to the expanding landscape of cancer research. Several HB-linked lncRNAs have been demonstrated to exhibit abnormal expression and are involved in tumor-like characteristics via DNA, RNA, or protein binding or encoding short peptides. As a result, a better knowledge of lncRNA instability might bring fresh perspectives into HB etiology as well as innovative strategies for HB early diagnosis and therapy. We describe the abnormalities of lncRNA expression in HB and their tumor-suppressive or carcinogenic activities during HB carcinogenesis in this study. Furthermore, we explore lncRNAs' diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities in HB.

Natural regulatory T cells increase significantly in pediatric patients with parasitic infections: Flow cytometry study.

Background: The most accepted definition of regulatory T cells (Tregs) relies on the expression of several biomarkers, including CD4, CD25, and transcription factor, Foxp3. The Tregs maintain tolerance to self-antigens and prevent autoimmune diseases. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in natural Treg levels in Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, Enterobius vermicularis, and Hymenolepis nana infected patients. Setting and Design: Fifty-one pediatric subjects (29 males and 22 females) were recruited from a tertiary care hospital, and were divided into infected and non-infected (control) groups. The mean age of the subjects was 8.7 years. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from infected and non-infected groups, and change in the level of Tregs in these subjects was investigated by flow cytometry. Statistical Analysis Used: The statistical analysis of data was performed by SPSS software. Quantitative data used in this study included mean and standard deviation. Data from the two groups were compared by the Student's t-test. The age of the patient and infection status were used for multivariate logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) were estimated within a 95% confidence interval, and a P value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results and Conclusions: The levels of natural regulatory T cells, indicated by the biomarkers, CD4+, CD25+, and Foxp3+, increase significantly in patients infected by Entamoeba histolytica, Schistosoma mansoni, Giardia lamblia, Enterobius vermicularis, and Hymenolepis nana as compared to controls. They also increase in cases of mixed infection as compared to infection by a single parasite.

A CAD System for Lung Cancer Detection Using Hybrid Deep Learning Techniques.

Lung cancer starts and spreads in the tissues of the lungs, more specifically, in the tissue that forms air passages. This cancer is reported as the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In addition to being the most fatal, it is the most common type of cancer. Nearly 47,000 patients are diagnosed with it annually worldwide. This article proposes a fully automated and practical system to identify and classify lung cancer. This system aims to detect cancer in its early stage to save lives if possible or reduce the death rates. It involves a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) technique, VGG-19, and another deep learning technique, long short-term memory networks (LSTMs). Both tools detect and classify lung cancers after being customized and integrated. Furthermore, image segmentation techniques are applied. This system is a type of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). After several experiments on MATLAB were conducted, the results show that this system achieves more than 98.8% accuracy when using both tools together. Various schemes were developed to evaluate the considered disease. Three lung cancer datasets, downloaded from the Kaggle website and the LUNA16 grad challenge, were used to train the algorithm, test it, and prove its correctness. Lastly, a comparative evaluation between the proposed approach and some works from the literature is presented. This evaluation focuses on the four performance metrics: accuracy, recall, precision, and F-score. This system achieved an average of 99.42% accuracy and 99.76, 99.88, and 99.82% for recall, precision, and F-score, respectively, when VGG-19 was combined with LSTMs. In addition, the results of the comparison evaluation show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other methods and produces exquisite findings. This study concludes that this model can be deployed to aid and support physicians in diagnosing lung cancer correctly and accurately. This research reveals that the presented method has functionality, competence, and value among other implemented models.

Comparative Proteomics and Genome-Wide Druggability Analyses Prioritized Promising Therapeutic Targets against Drug-Resistant Leishmania tropica.

Leishmania tropica is a tropical parasite causing cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in humans. Leishmaniasis is a serious public health threat, affecting an estimated 350 million people in 98 countries. The global rise in antileishmanial drug resistance has triggered the need to explore novel therapeutic strategies against this parasite. In the present study, we utilized the recently available multidrug resistant L. tropica strain proteome data repository to identify alternative therapeutic drug targets based on comparative subtractive proteomic and druggability analyses. Additionally, small drug-like compounds were scanned against novel targets based on virtual screening and ADME profiling. The analysis unveiled 496 essential cellular proteins of L. tropica that were nonhomologous to the human proteome set. The druggability analyses prioritized nine parasite-specific druggable proteins essential for the parasite's basic cellular survival, growth, and virulence. These prioritized proteins were identified to have appropriate binding pockets to anchor small drug-like compounds. Among these, UDPase and PCNA were prioritized as the top-ranked druggable proteins. The pharmacophore-based virtual screening and ADME profiling predicted MolPort-000-730-162 and MolPort-020-232-354 as the top hit drug-like compounds from the Pharmit resource to inhibit L. tropica UDPase and PCNA, respectively. The alternative drug targets and drug-like molecules predicted in the current study lay the groundwork for developing novel antileishmanial therapies.

A time and motion study in pediatric ER of the Secondary Hospital in Al Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: In the hospital setting, long waiting times and the lengthy formal process have increased the inefficiency and mismanagement resulting in the missing chance of saving the patients' life. Our aim was to assess the time wastage of every patient coming from reception to the actual emergency unit, to analyze the factor associated with the time lapse that occurs during every visit, and to see the effect of training on the services provided in the Pediatric emergency room. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An intervention study was carried out in the following secondary care hospital in the Al Jouf region, Saudi Arabia: Esawiyah Hospital, Haditha Hospital, King Faisal Hospital, and Gurayat General Hospital among 400 study participants for 12 months. The study was carried out in 2 phases: pre-training, a period of training for hospital staff, and post-training data collection. Templates were generated on an MS Excel sheet and analysis of data was done using SPSS software. Percentages and proportions were calculated for descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Male and female patients were in the ratio of nearly 1:1. Training has significantly reduced the time to doctor consultation (U = 188, p < 0.001), and the time difference pre- and post-training from triage to consultation in a pediatric emergency is not significant (U = 16,769, p = 0.01). There is a strongly significant association (p < 0.001) between Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) implementation in triage. The practice of giving intravenous (IV) antibiotics in the emergency room has reduced significantly (p < 0.001) post-training. CONCLUSIONS: Training has a significant impact on the services provided in the pediatric emergency room.

Prevalence of urinary incontinence among women in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Urinary incontinence is defined as involuntary loss of urine, a common health condition that is more frequent in women. It disturbs the affected individuals and interferes with their daily activities. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of urinary incontinence among Saudi women in the western area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used for this study. A survey was administered to Saudi women in the western area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranging in age from 18 to 70 years. The data were collected using the Arabic version of the Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis. Descriptive statistics were generated by calculating numbers and percentages of information on the prevalence of incontinence in women. p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 44.2%, with the urge type being the most reported. Stress urinary incontinence was reported by 155 women (15.4%), urgency urinary incontinence by 257 women (25.6%), and mixed urinary incontinence by 102 women (10.15%). CONCLUSIONS: Urinary incontinence is prevalent in women in Western Saudi Arabia. Age, multiparty obesity, and vaginal surgery are significant risk factors influencing its occurrence.

Highly tunable spin-dependent electron transport through carbon atomic chains connecting two zigzag graphene nanoribbons.

Motivated by recent experiments of successfully carving out stable carbon atomic chains from graphene, we investigate a device structure of a carbon chain connecting two zigzag graphene nanoribbons with highly tunable spin-dependent transport properties. Our calculation based on the non-equilibrium Green's function approach combined with the density functional theory shows that the transport behavior is sensitive to the spin configuration of the leads and the bridge position in the gap. A bridge in the middle gives an overall good coupling except for around the Fermi energy where the leads with anti-parallel spins create a small transport gap, while the leads with parallel spins give a finite density of states and induce an even-odd oscillation in conductance in terms of the number of atoms in the carbon chain. On the other hand, a bridge at the edge shows a transport behavior associated with the spin-polarized edge states, presenting sharp pure α-spin and ß-spin peaks beside the Fermi energy in the transmission function. This makes it possible to realize on-chip interconnects or spintronic devices by tuning the spin state of the leads and the bridge position.

Isocitrate Dehydrogenase IDH1 and IDH2 Mutations in Human Cancer: Prognostic Implications for Gliomas.

Background: There are isolated reports of mutations in genes for isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH1 and IDH2), but few have been examined in a large number of different malignancies. We aimed to analyze mutational prevalence of these genes in a large series of cancers and determine their significance in most mutated phenotype. Methods: We analyzed the frequencies of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations in 14,726 malignancies of 37 cancers. Furthermore, we examined these mutations in the most frequent cancer (gliomas, 923 cases) from a single cohort, and determined their clinical significance. Results: IDH1 mutations were present in 3% (473/14,726) of cancers. The highest frequencies were in oligodendrogliomas (91/102, 89%), anaplastic oligodendrogliomas (40/46, 87%), and diffuse astrocytomas (89/116, 77%). IDH2 mutation was detected in <1% (83/14,726) of cancers, but were present in 13% (6/46) of anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, 9% (9/102) of oligodendrogliomas, and in 5% (2/39) of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas. Further analyses of 923 gliomas revealed 34 and 1% of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations, respectively. In up to 342 months of follow-up, IDH1 and IDH2 mutations were significantly linked with better overall (OS) (both p = 0.01) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.01; p = 0.004), respectively. Conclusion: IDH1 and IDH2 are often mutated in a tissue-specific manner, most commonly in gliomas. Mutation in both genes is linked to OS and PFS. Our findings suggest that these genes are promising therapeutic targets and strong prognostic biomarkers in gliomas.

Potential Nephroprotective Effect of Dorsomorphin Homolog 1 (DMH1) in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) represents the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. On the other hand, Bone Morphogenetic Protein signaling pathway (BMP/Smad) is one of the most interesting prophylactic targets, since inhibition of this pathway may preserve kidney functions. Therefore, a BMP pharmacological inhibitor, Dorsomorphin Homolog 1 (DMH1) was used to assess the potential nephroprotective effect in an animal model of DN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: STZ-induced diabetic rat was the selected model to assess the nephroprotective effect of DMH1(5 mg/kg) for eight weeks. Rats were divided into normal control (C=10), diabetic control (DC=10), diabetic+vehicle (DV=10) and diabetic DMH1-treated rats (DT=10). Fasting blood glucose (FBG) level was measured on a weekly basis. Then, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), serum Creatinine (sCr), Cystatin-C (Cys-C) and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) were measured by the end of the experiment. Furthermore, Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were determined in kidney tissues. The histopathological study was also performed using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E), Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Masson's trichrome stains. RESULTS: DMH1 treatment has significantly reduced HbA1c along with sCr, Cys-C and BUN vs. the diabetic non-treated groups (p < 0.001). Furthermore, TNF-α, IL-6 and MDA levels were also significantly decreased in the DT group compared to the diabetic non-treated groups (p < 0.001). This improvement was further confirmed and found in correspondence with histopathological findings. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings revealed a nephroprotective activity of DMH1 against STZ-induced DN in rats. DMH1 also showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, which may explain part of the nephroprotective mechanism. This can shed light on the importance of DMH1 and BMP/Smad pathway for further experimental studies.

Biomedical Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Using Deep Learning and Multiple Classifiers.

Breast cancer is considered one of the deadliest diseases in women. Due to the risk and threat it poses, the world has agreed to hold a breast cancer awareness day in October, encouraging women to perform mammogram inspections. This inspection may prevent breast-cancer-related deaths or reduce the death rate. The identification and classification of breast cancer are challenging tasks. The most commonly known procedure of breast cancer detection is performed by using mammographic images. Recently implemented algorithms suffer from generating accuracy below expectations, and their computational complexity is high. To resolve these issues, this paper proposes a fully automated biomedical diagnosis system of breast cancer using an AlexNet, a type of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and multiple classifiers to identify and classify breast cancer. This system utilizes a neuro-fuzzy method, a segmentation algorithm, and various classifiers to reach a higher accuracy than other systems have achieved. Numerous features are extracted to detect and categorize breast cancer. Three datasets from Kaggle were tested to validate the proposed system. The performance evaluation is performed with quantitative and qualitative accuracy, precision, recall, specificity, and F-score. In addition, a comparative assessment is performed between the proposed system and some works of literature. This assessment shows that the presented algorithm provides better classification results and outperforms other systems in all parameters. Its average accuracy is over 98.6%, while other metrics are more than 98%. This research indicates that this approach can be applied to assist doctors in diagnosing breast cancer correctly.