Stochastic and deterministic dynamics in networks with excitable nodes.

Networks of excitable systems provide a flexible and tractable model for various phenomena in biology, social sciences, and physics. A large class of such models undergo a continuous phase transition as the excitability of the nodes is increased. However, models of excitability that result in this continuous phase transition are based implicitly on the assumption that the probability that a node gets excited, its transfer function, is linear for small inputs. In this paper, we consider the effect of cooperative excitations, and more generally the case of a nonlinear transfer function, on the collective dynamics of networks of excitable systems. We find that the introduction of any amount of nonlinearity changes qualitatively the dynamical properties of the system, inducing a discontinuous phase transition and hysteresis. We develop a mean-field theory that allows us to understand the features of the dynamics with a one-dimensional map. We also study theoretically and numerically finite-size effects by examining the fate of initial conditions where only one node is excited in large but finite networks. Our results show that nonlinear transfer functions result in a rich effective phase diagram for finite networks, and that one should be careful when interpreting predictions of models that assume noncooperative excitations.

Mucosal vs. cutaneous advancement flaps for the treatment of chronic anal fissures: a randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare two surgical treatment methods for chronic anal fissures (CAF), mucosal advancement flap anoplasty (MAFA) and cutaneous advancement flap anoplasty (CAFA). METHODS: A randomized, blinded clinical trial was conducted on patients with CAF refractory to medical treatment referred to a tertiary-level hospital between January 2021 and December 2022. The patients were assigned to two groups by block randomization and were compared in terms of outcome, pain reduction, and complications. RESULTS: There were 30 patients (male to female ratio 2:3, median age 42 years [range 25-59 years]). Both techniques reduced anal pain significantly (p = 0.001); however, there were no significant differences between MAFA and CAFA groups in recurrence, duration of healing, postoperative pain, and postoperative bleeding. No patient suffered from fecal incontinence (Wexner score = 0) or flap necrosis postoperatively. Only two patients in the MAFA group (1 and 3 months after surgery) and one patient in the CAFA group (2 months after surgery) had recurrence (total recurrence rate = 10%, healing rate = 90%). All of the patients were satisfied with their surgical results. CONCLUSION: Mucosal and cutaneous anal advancement flap techniques are effective and comparable surgical procedures for the treatment of chronic anal fissures with minimal complications, fast healing process, and minimal postoperative pain and complications. CLINICAL TRIAL ID: IRCT20120129008861N4 ( www.irct.ir ).

Immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy following vaccination with the AstraZeneca (AZD1222) COVID-19 vaccine: A case report and brief review.

Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy (IMNM) after vaccination has been reported previously, however it is rare after COVID-19 vaccination. We report the first case of IMNM two weeks after vaccination with the AstraZeneca (AZD1222) COVID-19 vaccine. There was a probable temporal relationship between the COVID-19 vaccination and the development of IMNM due to lack of known causative factors for IMNM. This may have been due to 1) autoimmunity directly caused by the vaccine, 2) exacerbation of autoimmunity triggered by the vaccine or 3) autoimmune syndrome triggered by the vaccine adjutants. Further studies are needed to assess the underlying mechanisms.

Factors influencing international collaboration on the prevention of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 has spread rapidly throughout the world, which has highlighted the importance of collaboration between countries to prevent further transmission of the virus. This review aims to identify the factors that influence international collaboration between policymakers for COVID-19 prevention and consider strategies to manage pandemics in the future. STUDY DESIGN: A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework for scoping reviews. METHODS: A literature search was performed across PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus and Embase databases using relevant keywords. The initial search identified 1010 articles; after selection criteria were applied, 28 studies were included in the review. RESULTS: Most of the selected articles were literature reviews, and China had the greatest contribution of articles to this study. The following seven key categories influencing international collaboration were identified: political, structure, infrastructure, leadership and governance, knowledge and information sharing, community engagement, and process/action. CONCLUSION: Leadership and governance was the most important factor identified in international collaboration between countries. In addition, knowledge and information sharing were seen to help avoid repetition of negative situations experienced in other countries. Moreover, controlling COVID-19 on a global scale is more likely to be achieved when there are sufficient structures and resources and when appropriate communication between countries, health systems and communities is used. This collaboration can also greatly benefit low- and middle-income countries where resources and expertise are often limited.

Quasifree (p, 2p) Reactions on Oxygen Isotopes: Observation of Isospin Independence of the Reduced Single-Particle Strength.

Quasifree one-proton knockout reactions have been employed in inverse kinematics for a systematic study of the structure of stable and exotic oxygen isotopes at the R^{3}B/LAND setup with incident beam energies in the range of 300-450 MeV/u. The oxygen isotopic chain offers a large variation of separation energies that allows for a quantitative understanding of single-particle strength with changing isospin asymmetry. Quasifree knockout reactions provide a complementary approach to intermediate-energy one-nucleon removal reactions. Inclusive cross sections for quasifree knockout reactions of the type ^{A}O(p,2p)^{A-1}N have been determined and compared to calculations based on the eikonal reaction theory. The reduction factors for the single-particle strength with respect to the independent-particle model were obtained and compared to state-of-the-art ab initio predictions. The results do not show any significant dependence on proton-neutron asymmetry.

Effect of phytoestrogens on sexual function in menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to critically evaluate the effectiveness of phytoestrogens on sexual disorders and severity of dyspareunia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant studies were identified through a systematic search of major databases such as PubMed, Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, and Scopus up to 29 September 2017, without any time limit. Two independent reviewers screened all abstracts and full-text articles. The final version of Jadad scale was used for evaluating the quality of trials. RESULTS: Soy did not have an effect on sexual function (standardized mean difference [SMD] = 1.099 [95% CI: -3.033 to 0.835, p = 0.265]; heterogeneity I2 = 80%; p = 0.006; random-effect model; three trials) but improved dyspareunia (p > 0.05). Red clover showed no significant effect on sexual function (SMD = -0.087 [95% CI: -0.936 to 0.763, p = 0.842]; heterogeneity I2 = 0%, p = 0.397; fixed-effect model; two trials) and sexual satisfaction (p > 0.05). Phytoestrogens isolated from Lepidium meyenii, Foeniculum vulgare, and maritime pine bark as well as Trigonella foenum-graecum L. significantly improved sexual function. In contrast, phytoestrogens isolated from Korean red ginseng and flaxseed did not lead to significant effect on sexual function. The positive effects of Trigonella foenum-graecum L. were observed on libido. CONCLUSION: Phytoestrogens have various effects on sexual function. Published reports show that maritime pine bark, T. foenum-graecum L., and F. vulgare could be considered as agents to overcome sexual dysfunctions while soy, red clover, genistein, and flaxseed had no promising effects on these conditions.

Circulating Levels of LAMP2 in Coronary Artery Disease: Association with Serum Lipid Profile.

Whereas several in vitro and in vivo studies have described the role of lysosomal associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2) in lipid homeostasis, there is no study addressing LAMP2 serum concentration and its association with lipid profiles in the context of coronary artery disease (CAD). We aimed to determine the LAMP2 serum concentration and its association with serum lipid profiles as well as the gene expression of LAMP2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of CAD patients and control group. Circulating levels of LAMP2 were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in CAD patients (n=85) and control group (n=65) and correlation to lipid parameters was assessed. Gene expression analysis was performed by quantitative real-time PCR. Mean LAMP2 serum concentration adjusted for drug consumption, age and gender was not significantly different between the CAD and control groups (p>0.05). However, LAMP2 serum concentration showed independent significant association with lipid profiles including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (all p<0.05). Furthermore, increased expression of LAMP2 has been observed in PBMCs of CAD patients compared to the control group (p<0.05). Our findings supported the previous observations showing the contribution of LAMP2 in lipid homeostasis and pathogenesis of CAD.

Melatonin as an anti-inflammatory agent in radiotherapy.

Radiotherapy is one of the most relevant treatment options for cancer therapy with or without other treatment modalities including immunotherapy, surgery and chemotherapy. Exposure to heavy doses of ionizing radiation during radiotherapy results in short and long term side effects. It appears that many of these side effects are linked to inflammatory responses during treatment or after prolonged use. Inflammation is mediated by various genes and cytokines related to immune system responses caused by massive cell death following radiotherapy. This phenomenon is more obvious, particularly after exposure to clinical doses of radiotherapy. Inflammation is involved in the amplification of acute responses, genomic instability and also long term pathological changes in normal tissues. Moreover, inflammation attenuates responses of the tumor to radiotherapy through some mechanisms such as angiogenesis. Thus, the management of inflammation is one of the most interesting aims in cancer radiotherapy. Melatonin, known as a natural product in the body, has been of much interest for its anti-inflammatory properties. Some studies have proposed melatonin as a novel anti-inflammation agent. This literature review will concentrate on the anti-inflammatory properties of melatonin that may help the management of different inflammatory signaling pathways in both tumor and normal tissues.

The mRNA Expression and Circulating Levels of Visfatin and Their Correlation with Coronary Artery Disease Severity and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D.

It is evident that coronary artery disease (CAD) is closely associated with abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism. Notably, dysregulation of inflammatory pathways and immune system also contribute to CAD development. Recently, it has been suggested that visfatin, a proinflammatory adipocytokine, may be involved in several inflammatory and metabolic diseases. In this study, we evaluated the serum visfatin levels and its mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CAD patients compared with control subjects. We also studied the correlation between visfatin gene expression and serum levels with clinical and metabolic parameters. This study was conducted on 56 male patients with CAD confirmed by angiography and 30 healthy men as controls. CAD severity was determined based on the number of vessels. Study of gene expression in PBMCs was performed using real time-PCR, and serum levels of visfatin and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured by ELISA. We found that serum visfatin levels and its gene expression in PBMCs were increased in patients with CAD compared with the control group (p=0.027 and p=0.016, respectively). Also, visfatin gene expression was positively correlated with visfatin levels and both these variables had a strong positive correlation with the severity of CAD. It appears that elevated mRNA expression and circulating level of visfatin might be of relevance to the pathogenesis and severity of CAD. However, further studies are necessary to better clarify the associations between visfatin and CAD.

Cryopreservation of ram semen in extenders containing soybean lecithin as cryoprotectant and hyaluronic acid as antioxidant.

A soybean lecithin-based extender supplemented with hyaluronic acid (HA) was assayed for effectiveness to improve the quality of frozen-thawed ram semen. HA has not been tested yet in an extender containing soybean lecithin for freezing ram semen. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyse the effects of soybean lecithin at 1% or 1.5% along with HA at 0, 0.5 and 1 mg ml(-1) in a Tris-based extender on the motion characteristics, membrane integrity (HOST), viability, GSH peroxidase (GSH-PX) activity, lipid peroxidation and acrosomal status after freezing-thawing. Semen was collected from four Mehraban rams during the breeding season and frozen in the six lecithin×HA extenders. The extender containing 1.5% lecithin supplemented with no HA yielded higher total motility (52.5%±1.6), viability (55.8%±1.6) and membrane integrity (44.5%±1.7), but the effects of the lecithin concentration did not reach signification. Linearity-related parameters, ALH, BCF, lipid peroxidation, GSH-PX activity, morphology and acrosomal status were not affected by the extender composition. In general, adding HA significantly decreased sperm velocity (1 mg ml(-1) HA), total motility (only with 1.5% lecithin), viability (1 mg ml(-1) HA for 1% lecithin; both concentrations for 1.5% lecithin) and membrane integrity. In conclusion, adding HA to the freezing extender supplemented with soybean lecithin failed to improve quality-related variables in ram semen. Increasing the lecithin content could have a positive effect, but further studies are needed.

ACL reconstruction using bone-patella tendon-bone autograft: press-fit technique vs. interference screw fixation.

PURPOSE: The gold standard in ACL reconstructions has been the bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft fixed with interference screws. This prospective, randomized clinical trial aimed to compare two methods of fixation for BPTB grafts: press-fit fixation vs. interference screw, over a 12-month follow-up interval. METHODS: 158 patients with an average age of 29.8 years, between 2011 and 2012, were treated for torn ACL. 82 patients underwent reconstruction with BPTB autograft with a press fit fixation technique, and in 76 cases an interference screw was used. At the time of final follow-up, 71 patients in press-fit group and 65 patients in interference screw group were evaluated in terms of return to pre-injury activity level, pain, knee stability, range of motion, IKDC score and complications. RESULTS: At 12-month follow-up, 59 (83 %) and 55 (85 %) in press-fit and screw group, respectively had good-to-excellent IKDC score (p > 0.05). The mean laxity assessed using a KT-1000 arthrometer improved to 2.7 and 2.5 mm in press-fit and screw group, respectively. Regarding Lachman and pivot shift test, there was a statistically significant improvement in the integrity of the ACL in both the groups, but no significant differences was noted between groups. There were no significant differences in terms of femur circumference difference, effusion, knee range of motion, pain and complications. CONCLUSIONS: The press-fit technique is an efficient procedure. Its outcome was comparable with the interference screw group. Furthermore it has unlimited bone-to-bone healing, no need for removal of hardware, ease for revision and cost effectiveness.

Improved preconcentration workflow for organic explosive traces in aqueous samples using solvent-assisted dispersive solid-phase extraction.

The present study deals with the development of a solvent-assisted dispersive solid phase extraction method for the extraction of HMX, RDX, and TNT from aqueous samples. Benzophenone and methanol were selected as explosives sorbent and dispersive solvent respectively. Extraction parameters like pH, extraction time, amount of sorbent, volume and type of the disperser solvent and centrifuge time were optimized. Dispersion of 0.5 mL dispersive solution (4% (w/v) benzophenone in methanol) was performed by injection into the 5 mL aqueous sample (pH=7) using a 1.0 mL syringe. After centrifuge, the extracted explosives were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-Uv). The results indicated that the linear ranges with the correlation coefficients of 0.99 ≤ R2 were 1.6-204.6 µg L-1, 1.4-213.7 µg L-1 and 1.3-225.9 µg L-1 for HMX, RDX and TNT respectively. The limit of detection and limit of quantification obtained for each explosive were: 0.3 µg L-1 and 0.8 µg L-1 for HMX, 0.3 µg L-1 and 0.9 µg L-1 for RDX and 0.2 µg L-1 and 0.7 µg L-1 for TNT. Finally, the practical applicability of the developed method was evaluated for the extraction of some organic explosives in water samples followed their determination by HPLC-Uv.

Ophthalmic presentation and outcomes of rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis during the COVID-19 pandemic: An 18-month follow-up report.

PURPOSE: To investigate the long-term outcomes of COVID-19-associated rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) patients. METHODS: Retrospective, observational study including all COVID-19 patients who developed ROCM and were referred to our oculoplastic clinic. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients with COVID-19-associated ROCM were included in this study. Twelve (57.1%) individuals were female with a mean age of 50.7±7.6 years (range 33-59), and nine (38.1%) were male with a mean age of 58.7±14.4 years (range 37-82). Corticosteroids were used in 85.7% of patients, and three patients received no systemic corticosteroids; 76.2% were diabetic and two of these developed new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM) after receiving corticosteroids during their treatment course. The average interval between COVID-19 and the development of ROCM in our subjects was 18.6 days (range 8-46 days). In our series of patients, decreasing vision, proptosis, and periorbital edema constituted the most prevalent presentation, seen in 52.4% of subjects. Endoscopic paranasal sinus debridement was performed a mean of 3.4 times in 95.2%, abscess drainage in one, and orbital exenteration in three (14.2%) patients. Orbital apex and bilateral paranasal sinus involvement were significantly associated with higher mortality, and the overall 18-month survival rate was 52.3%. CONCLUSION: Based upon common factors among the COVID-19-associated ROCM patients, we presume that DM and drug-induced immunosuppression are two main factors, which may lead to a higher rate of ROCM infection in areas where fungal spores are more likely to be present, such as hospitals.

Variable-order porous media equations: Application on modeling the S&P500 and Bitcoin price return.

This article reveals a specific category of solutions for the 1+1 variable order (VO) nonlinear fractional Fokker-Planck equations. These solutions are formulated using VO q-Gaussian functions, granting them significant versatility in their application to various real-world systems, such as financial economy areas spanning from conventional stock markets to cryptocurrencies. The VO q-Gaussian functions provide a more robust expression for the distribution function of price returns in real-world systems. Additionally, we analyzed the temporal evolution of the anomalous characteristic exponents derived from our study, which are associated with the long-term (power-law) memory in time series data and autocorrelation patterns.

Sandpiles subjected to sinusoidal drive.

This paper considers a sandpile model subjected to a sinusoidal external drive with the period T. We develop a theoretical model for the Green's function in a large T limit, which predicts that the avalanches are anisotropic and elongated in the oscillation direction. We track the problem numerically and show that the system additionally shows a regime where the avalanches are elongated in the perpendicular direction with respect to the oscillations. We find a crossover between these two regimes. The power spectrum of avalanche size and the grains wasted from the parallel and perpendicular directions are studied. These functions show power-law behavior in terms of the frequency with exponents, which run with T.

Edwards-Wilkinson depinning transition in fractional Brownian motion background.

There are various reports about the critical exponents associated with the depinning transition. In this study, we investigate how the disorder strength present in the support can account for this diversity. Specifically, we examine the depinning transition in the quenched Edwards-Wilkinson (QEW) model on a correlated square lattice, where the correlations are modeled using fractional Brownian motion (FBM) with a Hurst exponent of H.We identify a crossover time [Formula: see text] that separates the dynamics into two distinct regimes: for [Formula: see text], we observe the typical behavior of pinned surfaces, while for [Formula: see text], the behavior differs. We introduce a novel three-variable scaling function that governs the depinning transition for all considered H values. The associated critical exponents exhibit a continuous variation with H, displaying distinct behaviors for anti-correlated ([Formula: see text]) and correlated ([Formula: see text]) cases. The critical driving force decreases with increasing H, as the host medium becomes smoother for higher H values, facilitating fluid mobility. This fact causes the asymptotic velocity exponent [Formula: see text] to increase monotonically with H.

Relation between the degree and betweenness centrality distribution in complex networks.

The centrality measures, like betweenness b and degree k in complex networks remain fundamental quantities helping to classify them. It is realized from Barthelemy's paper [Eur. Phys. J. B 38, 163 (2004)10.1140/epjb/e2004-00111-4] that the maximal b-k exponent for the scale-free (SF) networks is η_{max}=2, belonging to SF trees, based on which one concludes δ≥γ+1/2, where γ and δ are the scaling exponents for the distribution functions of the degree and the betweenness centralities, respectively. This conjecture was violated for some special models and systems. Here we present a systematic study on this problem for visibility graphs of correlated time series, and show evidence that this conjecture fails in some correlation strengths. We consider the visibility graph of three models: two-dimensional Bak-Tang-Weisenfeld (BTW) sandpile model, one-dimensional (1D) fractional Brownian motion (FBM), and 1D Levy walks, the two latter cases are controlled by the Hurst exponent H and the step index α, respectively. In particular, for the BTW model and FBM with H≲0.5, η is greater than 2, and also δ<γ+1/2 for the BTW model, while the Barthelemy's conjecture remains valid for the Levy process. We assert that the failure of the Barthelemy's conjecture is due to large fluctuations in the scaling b-k relation resulting in the violation of hyperscaling relation η=γ-1/δ-1 and emergent anomalous behavior for the BTW model and FBM. Universal distribution function of generalized degree is found for these models which have the same scaling behavior as the Barabasi-Albert network.

Minimally invasive approach in symptomatic aberrant right subclavian artery treatment.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Anomalous right subclavian artery (ARSA) represents an uncommon anatomical deviation concerning the genesis of the right subclavian artery. As the predominant embryological irregularity of the aortic arch, it is clinically recognized as arteria lusoria (AL). CASE PRESENTATION: This study, describe the instance of a 22-year-old female exhibiting a non-aneurysmal, symptomatic anomalous right subclavian artery (ARSA) coursing posteriorly to the esophagus, as evidenced by thoracic computed tomography (CT) imaging. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: As an attractive option, a minimally invasive surgical method was used to treat the patient, and the anomalous vessel was closed from the closest location to its origin in the aortic arch during a short time thoracoscopic surgery. DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION: Compared to the common surgical methods to treat this anomaly, the complications and morbidity resulting from this method are much less and the length of stay in the hospital is shorter and the results are acceptable.

Biochemistry of the Thrombin-Like Enzyme and Its Purification from Iranian Echis Carinatus Snake Venom: Its Interaction with Platelet Receptors.

Snake venoms are rich in valuable substances that have medical potential in the diagnosis and treatment of hemostatic diseases. The present paper was aimed at the purification and functional characterization basis of a thrombin-like enzyme and its role in the functioning of the coagulation cascade and platelet aggregation pathway. A thrombin-like serine protease was purified from the Iranian Echis carinatus venom (TLIECV), employing a one-step chromatographic procedure. This peptide was collected in high yield and purity by a single chromatographic step using RP-HPLC equipped with a C18 column. This peptide showed a 3000 Da molecular weight in gel-electrophoresis. Evidence in the SDS-PAGE gel has confirmed high recovery of fraction in optimal terms. Subsequently, this peptide was identified via its intact molecular mass and peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Multiple sequence alignments were performed by ClustalW, the Bioedit software. Molegro Data Modeller (MDM) 3.0 software was used to predict the putative tertiary structure of the peptide. The enzyme possessed fibrinogenolytic, procoagulant, and aggregation inducer properties. Moreover, the SDS-PAGE (12%) was applied to examine fibrinogenolytic function. The purified enzyme degraded the Aα chain of fibrinogen while the Bß and γ chains were not digested. According to that, the deficient human plasma in factor X and normal human plasma were also coagulated by TLIECV, it takes part in the common and intrinsic routes of the coagulation cascade. These findings proved that TLIECV is a serine protease identical to procoagulant thrombin-like snake venom proteases; however, it specifically releases the Aα chain of bovine fibrinogen. Because of its function to make up for the deficiency of factor X and its platelet aggregation inducer property, TLIECV could be considered a molecular impact to reveal the hemostasis mechanisms.

A self-organized critical model and multifractal analysis for earthquakes in Central Alborz, Iran.

This paper is devoted to a phenomenological study of the earthquakes in central Alborz, Iran. Using three observational quantities, namely the weight function, the quality factor, and the velocity model in this region, we develop a modified dissipative sandpile model which captures the main features of the system, especially the average activity field over the region of study. The model is based on external stimuli, the location of which is chosen (I) randomly, (II) on the faults, (III) on the low active points, (IV) on the moderately active points, and (V) on the highly active points in the region. We uncover some universal behaviors depending slightly on the method of external stimuli. A multi-fractal detrended fluctuation analysis is exploited to extract the spectrum of the Hurst exponent of the time series obtained by each of these schemes. Although the average Hurst exponent depends slightly on the method of stimuli, we numerically show that in all cases it is lower than 0.5, reflecting the anti-correlated nature of the system. The lowest average Hurst exponent is found to be associated with the case (V), in such a way that the more active the stimulated sites are, the lower the average Hurst exponent is obtained, i.e. the large earthquakes are more anticorrelated. Moreover, we find that the activity field achieved in this study provide information about the depth and topography of the basement, and also the area that can potentially be the location of the future large events. We successfully determine a high activity zone on the Mosha Fault, where the mainshock occurred on May 7th, 2020 (M[Formula: see text] 4.9).