Background. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are observed in both COVID-19 pathology and autoimmune disorders, and molecular mimicry is a mechanism that can lead to autoimmune response. Methods. Accordingly, homologous sequences between SARS-CoV-2 proteins and 5 proteins (plasminogen receptor KT: PLRKT, myeloperoxidase: MPO, proteinase 3: PR-3, neutrophil elastase: NE, matrix metalloproteinase 9: MMP-9) that are present in NETs, are searched. Human and SARS-CoV-2 sequence pairs are identified. Those among the identified sequence pairs, which are strong-binding peptides or epitopes of the same HLA alleles, are predicted. Results. PLRKT and SARS-CoV-2 similar peptides with high affinities to HLA-A*24:02, HLA-B*08:01, and HLA-B*15:01; MPO and SARS-CoV-2 similar peptides with strong affinities to HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*26:01 and HLA-B*15:01; and MMP-9 and SARS-CoV-2 similar peptides with elevated affinity to HLA-B*39:01, are detected. Conclusions. This is a proof of the concept study, which revealed potential involvement of molecular mimicry in NETs-pathology within susceptible individuals, in case of being infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The relative effect of top-down versus bottom-up forces in regulating and limiting ungulate populations is an important theme in ecology. Untangling these effects is important for basic understanding of trophic dynamics and is critical for effective management. We integrated two independent sources of observations to compare the drivers of moose abundance across 55 replicated populations. Across populations, moose declined by nearly 20% over 20 years. At high density, moose were regulated by intraspecific competition. Predation primarily limited population growth, except at low density, where it was regulating. Harvest was largely additive and potentially contributed to population decline. Our results provide strong evidence for density dependent predation, highlighting that population dynamics are context dependent and vary strongly across gradients in climate, forest type and predator abundance. Consequently, management of moose would be optimized by taking different strategies across populations in accordance with their population trajectories and abundance of predators.

Rationale, aims, and objectives Community pharmacists have a crucial role in providing comprehensive patient education regarding contraception methods. This study aims to investigate Jordanian pharmacists’ knowledge and perception towards male OCPs. Methods A mixed-explanatory sequential method was divided into two phases. The first was a self-administered electronic survey to community pharmacists/trainees in Jordan. The second phase was carried out through online semi-structured in-depth interviews targeting the maximum variation purposive sample of community pharmacists. Results A total of 158 (response rate 98%) questionnaires were included in the analysis. The majority of the participants were female (n=118, 74.2%). In terms of knowledge, only 25% of participants acknowledged the presence of male OCPs and almost half were uncertain about the mechanism of action and the possible uses. The findings of the interviews confirmed the relatively negative perception towards males OCPs. As, the identified barriers to male OCPs were cultural norms, side effects, and poor compliance. Conclusion There is a negative perception towards male OCPs, as the majority of pharmacists believe such products will not be successful in Jordan. Once these pills are approved for their effectiveness and safety, men may need further education and encouragement to take an active role in family planning along with their partners.

This case report documents a reactivation of a pulmonary pathology, beginning some hours after the administration of a first dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, in a patient having presented a symptomatic pulmonary form of covid-19 one month before. The lessons to be learned and the possible involved mechanisms are discussed.

The GOBP2 protein has a unique function in the yellow peach moth, Conogethes punctiferalis. Several general odorant binding proteins (GOBPs) have been identified in various lepidopteran species, but the functional difference between GOBP1 and GOBP2 in recognition of host plant odorants is still unknown. The functions of GOBP1 and GOBP2 in the yellow peach moth were evaluated in this study using the CRISPR-Cas9 system. The results revealed the importance of GOBP2 in the olfaction mechanism in the yellow peach moth. The GOBP1 knocked out larvae’s perception towards feeding decreased but did not reach a significant level, while knocking out the GOBP2 and GOBP1/2 genes resulted in huge differences. On the other hand, electroantennograms (EAG) and wind tunnel tests showed that the GOBP2 knocked out adult’s sensitivity to odorants decreased more than GOBP1 knocked out individuals. The STRING database text mining results grabbed our attention in the protein-protein interaction studies. In this research, we firstly proved the existence of physical interactions between GOBPs and chemosensory proteins (CSP) through the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) methods. Interestingly, the GOBP1 and GOBP2 could not interact with each other, but they can interact with CSPs. The interaction result indicates that GOBP2 could physically interact with CSP15, CSP5, and OBP17, whereas GOBP1 could bind only with CSP5 and CSP10, and the association constant (ka) is also more substantial than GOBP1. These results strongly suggest the importance of GOBP2 function in the perception of host plants odorants in the yellow peach moth.

Background: Neointimal hyperplasia (IH) is the primary etiology of stenotic vascular diseases. It is perpetuated principally by smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation -an epigenetic event. Epigenome-scale studies concerning IH have been confined to in vitro models, and the epigenetic mechanisms governing SMC/neointima proliferation are not well understood. Experimental Approach: Using an IH-inducing angioplasty model in rat carotid arteries, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (ChIPseq) to determine epigenomic remodeling. Key Results: Angioplasty induced a genome-wide surge of histone-3/lysine-27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), a gene repression mark. This was unexpected, as gene activation rather than repression is traditionally regarded as dominating neointima proliferation. ChIPseq further revealed the co-localization of gene activation mark H3K27ac(acetylation) with its reader BRD4 at the gene of H3K27me3 writer -enhancer of zeste homolog-2 (EZH2). Accordingly, EZH2 expression was abated by either BRD4-silencing or deletion of BRD4/H3K27ac-associated enhancer in SMCs. In vivo, while SMC-specific BRD4 knockout in BRD4fl/fl; Myh11CreERT2 mice reduced H3K27me3 and IH in wire-injured arteries, EZH2 loss- and gain-of-function respectively mitigated and exacerbated IH in rat arteries. Furthermore, angioplasty induced a shift of H3K27me3 ChIPseq-peaks from pro-proliferative genes (e.g. Uhrf1, Ccnd1) to anti-proliferative genes such as Cdkn1c, in favor of de-repression of the former and repression of the latter. Conclusion and Implications: This study unravels angioplasty-induced loci-specific H3K27me3 redistribution in the epigenomic landscape that entails BRD4->EZH2 hierarchical regulations. The new knowledge may lend implications for treating IH, given that EZH2 and BRD4 are both pharmacological targets in human trials.

Objective: There is increasing evidence that virtual reality (VR) is effective in the reduction of labour pain. The aim of this study is to examine women’s experiences, preferences and satisfaction in regard to the use of VR during labour. Design: Qualitative interview study. Setting: A non-university teaching hospital in The Netherlands. Population: Women with a singleton pregnancy, scheduled for induction of labour. Methods: Two VR applications, respectively a guided meditation (VR1) and an interactive game (VR2) were tested. Labour pain before and directly after VR was evaluated using the NRS score. Main outcome: measures Patients’ VR experience and application preference were examined using a post-intervention questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Results: 24 women, of whom fourteen were nulliparous and ten multiparous, were included and 12 of these women participated in semi-structured interviews. Three themes were identified after data analysis: “The VR experience”, “Pain reduction”, and “Usability of the VR application”. All patients were highly satisfied with VR use during labour and reported pain reduction during VR. VR1 was preferred above VR 2 by 17 (71%) women. Both VR1 and VR2 caused a significant decrease in mean NRS scores comparing pain pre-VR use to pain during VR use, of respectively 1·81 (VR1) vs. 1·28 (VR2). Conclusion: All women were highly satisfied with VR use during labour, preferred guided meditation and experienced less pain. These results can contribute to the development of a potential promising new non-pharmacological tool to reduce labour pain. Funding: None.

Objective To assess the extent to which delivery mode and antepartal and postpartal risk factors increase the risk of postpartum stress and urge urinary incontinence. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Women registering at the maternity health care service in Region Örebro County, Sweden. Population A total of 670 women. Methods Outcome measures were based on questionnaires in early and late pregnancy and at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum. Generalized linear models were used. Main Outcome Measures Significant stress and urge urinary incontinence at 1 year postpartum in women who were continent before pregnancy. Results Stress and urge urinary incontinence were reported by 21% and 8%, respectively, at 1 year postpartum. Vaginal delivery increased the risk of stress (aRR=2.63 [95% CI: 1.39, 5.01]) but not urge incontinence. This effect of vaginal delivery on stress incontinence was similar irrespective of incontinence status during pregnancy. The population attributable fraction of stress incontinence associated with vaginal delivery was 0.58 (95% CI: 0.23, 0.77). Conclusions This study shows essentially different risk factors for stress and urge urinary incontinence, supporting stress incontinence as being the subtype mostly associated with pregnancy and childbirth. At population level, vaginal delivery was the major risk factor for stress incontinence, but preventive use of caesarean section for this matter is debatable. Funding ALF funding from Region Örebro County (Grant Nos. OLL-930507 and OLL-939402) and Örebro University Hospital Research Foundation (Grant No. OLL- 410421). Keywords Postpartum urinary incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, urge urinary incontinence, risk factors, prospective, cohort study

In this paper, nonlinear boundary value problems for fourth-order fractional integro-differential equations are solved by modified Laplace transform variational iteration method (MLT-VIM). This modification is designed to improve the accuracy of the approximate solutions obtained by LT-VIM. The suitable initial approximation will be selected based on a rule or standard to adjust the determination of the initial guess that satisfies the boundary conditions. Furthermore, the residual error will be cancelled at several points of the appropriate interval. The convergence conditions of the proposed method are investigated. Some illustrative examples of nonlinear boundary value problems for fourth-order fractional integro-differential equations are presented in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Comparisons are made between the results obtained by MLT-VIM and LT-VIM depending on the exact solutions, revealing that the MLT-HPM contributes to reduce the amount of computational work to obtain the first-order approximate solution which greatly accelerates the convergence of the solution. Whereas LT-HPM needs more iterations to obtain a suitable approximate solution, which results in an increase in the computational workload.

In this paper, we prove a new identity involving the second derivative of the function and Riemann-Liouville fractional integrals. The newly established identity is then used to establish some new Simpson's type inequalities for twice differentiable convex functions. Finally, we give applications of special functions using the newly proved inequalities.

In the present article, the numerical simulation of the two-dimensional coupled Burgers equation (2D-cBE) has been sought by finite difference method based on Crank-Nicolson type approximation Widely used three test examples given with appropriate initial and boundary conditions are used for the simulation process. During the simulation process,the error norms L₂, L_{∞} are calculated if the exact solutions are already known, otherwise the pointwise values and graphics are provided for comparison. The newly obtained error norms L₂, L_{∞} by the presented schemes are compared with those of some of the numerical solutions in the literature. A good consistency and accuracy are observed both by numerical values and visual illustrations.

This paper devoted to the obtaining the explicit solution of $n$-dimensional wave equation with Gerasimov–Caputo fractional derivative in the infinite domain with non-zero initial condition and vanishing condition at infinity. It is shown that this equation can be derived from the classical homogeneous hyperbolic integro-differential equation with memory in which the kernel is $t^{1-\alpha}E_{2-\alpha, 2-\alpha}(-t^{2-\alpha}), \ \alpha\in(1, 2),$ where $E_{\alpha, \beta}$ is the Mittag-Liffler function. Based on Laplace and Fourier transforms the properties of the Fox H-function and convolution theorem, explicit solution for the solution of the considered problem is obtained.

Background: Transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) is the most common self-limiting respiratory distress in neonates. There are increasing data suggesting that TTN may be a risk factor for childhood disease. Aim: To evaluate lung functions in preschool-children diagnosed with TTN using Impulse Oscillometry System (IOS) for the presence of respiratory morbidity. Methods and Patients: In this prospective study, preschool-children diagnosed with TTN and age-matched healthy children were defined as TTN-group and control group, and performed IOS. Resistance (R5-R20), reactance (X5-X20) resonant frequency (Z5), and reactance area (AX) IOS values were compared in both groups and in TTN-subgroups. Statistical findings were presented as median (IQR). Results: A total of 51 preschool-children and 101 healthy controls participated in study. The rate of asthma diagnosis and wheezing attacks in TTN-group was found 30.8% and 38.5%, respectively. However, R5 minus R20 was significantly higher, X10, X15 values were significantly lower in TTN-group than those in controls. Additionally, R5 minus R20 and AX values were significantly higher in late-preterm TTN-subgroup as compared to term TTN-subgroup. AX was significantly higher in TTN-group supported with nasal ventilation. R5, R10, R15 and R20 were significantly higher in TTN-subgroup with history of maternal asthma compared to TTN-subgroup without that history. R5, R10, R15 and Z5 were significantly higher and X10, X15, X20 were significantly lower in TTN-subgroup with passive smoking compared to TTN-subgroup without passive smoking. Conclusion: Our findings showed peripheral airway obstruction, a known finding in asthma, among preschool-children diagnosed with TTN compared to healthy controls.

Background: Little is known about the characteristics of those who transmit SARS-CoV-2 infection vs those who do not, but this information could inform disease control policies. This study described the features of clusters in the first wave of COVID-19 in Shanghai and compared contagiousness by clinical and health care risk factors. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study of cases in Shanghai in January and February 2020, cases with successive generations were considered to be “contagious.” Characteristics of contagious and non-contagious cases were compared in log-binomial models that also adjusted for age and sex. Results: Between January 21 and February 17, 2020, 333 cases of COVID-19 were reported in Shanghai across 28 known infection chains. Contagiousness was higher among cases with a sore throat (risk ratio [RR]: 3.41, 95% CI: 1.59, 7.35, P=0.0051), and those with heart disease (RR: 2.06, 95% CI: 0.72, 5.90). Delays in diagnosis were also associated with higher risk of contagiousness. Having ≥2 medical visits before diagnosis was associated with 4.46 times higher risk of contagiousness (95% CI: 2.03, 9.83, P=0.0002), and there was a non-significant increase in risk with increasing numbers of days between disease onset and isolation (for each day, RR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.16, P=0.1734). Conclusions: Individuals with mild COVID-19 symptoms in the upper respiratory tract may still be contagious, and such individuals should be prioritized for early diagnosis and isolation to limit further chains of transmission.

Purposes: The following study was conducted to determine the efficiency of recombinant vs. urinary gonadotropin in women of advanced reproductive age. Materials and Methods: In our study,we retrospectively compared three ovarian stimulation regimens,HMG(n=199),uFSH(n=198),and rFSH(n=103), in the treatment of 500 infertile women≥35 years old who were subjected to in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles during a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol. Results: Overall, the mean number of retrieved oocytes was lower in the HMG group compared with uFSH and rFSH groups(P=0.000),while the clinical pregnancy per started cycle (P=0.367), implantation and live birth rate per started cycles were not significantly different.Data were further analyzed by performing separate comparisons of subpopulations in different age range groups, i.e.,35-37,38-40,and>40. Major differences between the three regimens were observed in women who were older than 40 years of age.In this subpopulation,not only the implantation rate was higher in the uFSH group compared with HMG and rFSH groups (P<0.05), but the live birth rate was also significantly higher (P<0.05).In addition,the cost-effectiveness ratio was $434.2 in HMG group, $2,331.1 in uFSH group and $3,284.5 in rFSH group. Conclusions: In women aged 35-39, three gonadotrophins showed no differences in pregnancy outcomes,however,HMG is less expensive and worth recommending.In addition,the implantation rate and live birth rate showed a tendency toward improvement in the woman of advanced reproductive age (age>40) in the uFSH group compared with HMG and rFSH groups.Similarly, this more beneficial effect was also reflected in people with AFC<5.

Despite long-standing theory for classifying plant ecological strategies, limited data directly links organismal traits to whole-plant growth. We compared trait-growth relationships based on three prominent theories: growth analysis, Grime’s CSR triangle, and the leaf economics spectrum (LES). Under these schemes, growth is hypothesized to be predicted by traits related to biomass investments, leaf structure or gas exchange, respectively. In phylogenetic analyses of 30 diverse milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and 21 morphological and ecophysiological traits, growth rate varied 50-fold and was best predicted by growth analysis and CSR traits, as well as total leaf area and plant height. Despite two LES traits correlating with growth, they contradicted predictions and leaf traits did not scale with root and stem characteristics. Thus, although combining leaf traits and whole-plant allocation best predicts growth, when destructive measures are not feasible, we suggest total leaf area and plant height, or easy-to-measure traits associated with the CSR classification.

Case Report

ABSTRACT Changes in socio-economics, demography, politics and climate in arid and semi-arid regions in recent decades have led to profound transformations in livestock practices particularly in the management of local animal resources. The dromedary Camelus dromedarius has always played an important role in human life history in Algeria; it provides a substantial contribution in protein production such as milk and meat, and it is used as means of transportation to local populations. It is well adapted to arid environments and has a satisfactory potential for food production that enables economic security to locals especially in the context of climate change. Data concerning this valuable resource is scarce. This article adds supplementary yet valuable information to the current knowledge on camel genetic diversity related to different management practices. Genetic and phenotypic variations and the underlying raising systems’ practices are studied to understand differences between breeds for a better resource management. The survey of 277 camel breeders across the Algerian desert revealed a genetic diversity in terms of breeds driven by four pastoral practices. According to coat color and morphological aspect, the camel population “Tergui” corresponds to tree breeds, namely Mahri with 53.13% of the population, Marouki (43.22%), and the single-ecotype Azerghaf (3.65%). Mahri is a mixture of Amelal and Abahou ecotypes that are being outnumbered by Marouki’s ecotypes (Atelagh and Alemlagh).This biodiversity is under real threat because of the behavior of pastoral societies that pushes breeders to turn to breeds with a high market value. Several useful conservation methods, including the use of modern farming systems, could be positively used and/or improved, in order to protect the genetic variety and help breeders realize a good living out of it. Keywords: Algerian desert; arid area; C. dromedaries; genetic diversity; management practices, typology.

Extraction tests of blood biomolecules such as glucose, urea and triglycerides are carried out by simple contact of plasma with porous silica samples. Amorphous silica materials are prepared from a sol-gel method using a nonionic surfactant molecule as an organic source and silica source in a strongly acid medium. The porous texture of the solids allows the trapping of biomolecules and significantly reduces their concentration in blood by simple prolonged contact. Adsorption is therefore an efficient method that leads to blood purification when the concentration of biomolecules is very high in the blood.

Pt nanoparticle with high Pt-Pt coordination number and degenerate d orbitals, has a strong affinity to naphtha and relevant intermediates, leading to severe carbon deposition and catalyst deactivation during naphtha reforming. The catalytic performance of Pt catalyst could be finely tuned by tailoring its d-electron structure. Herein, we propose a straightforward chlorinating strategy to transform PtOx nanoparticle into Pt single atoms with a specific Cl-Pt-O coordination. The adsorption of benzene on Pt is weakened with the Cl-Pt-O coordination, which facilitates aromatics desorption and hampers carbon deposition. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation indicates that the z-axis of Pt 5d orbitals is occupied and selectively exposes xy-plane orbital (dxy and dx2-y2), which weakens d-π hybridization between Pt 5d orbitals and π orbital of benzene ring. The d-electron regulation through chlorinating is a readily scalable strategy to synthesis single atom catalysts, and optimize naphtha reforming catalytic performance.

Synthesis and Properties of Stable Aqueous Nanofluid Composed with Copper Composite Nanoparticle for Enhancing Heat Transfer

Zinc is an essential element for animals, while zinc salt cannot be absorbed effectively. In this work, a sustained release vanillin-chitosan Schiff base (VCSB) zinc complex additives (VCSB-Zn2+) was prepared and a new in vitro sustained release system suited for this complex was effectively constructed. The structure of VCSB and VCSB-Zn2+ were characterized by FT-IR, 1H NMR, TGA, XPS and SEM. VCSB exhibited a more rapid End-point and higher capacity of chelating Zn2+ than chitosan, and it was also closely related to the content of -C=N. Furthermore, VCSB-Zn2+ showed excellent sustained release ability at simulated gastric fluid (SGF) because of the acid slow-dissolving ability. And the L-cysteine at simulated intestinal fluid (SIF) absorbed Zn2+. Additionally, the sustained release curves followed first-order and Korsmeyer-Peppas models, which described Zn2+ sustained release cause by the dissolution of VCSB-Zn2+ and Fick diffusion. Therefore, VCSB-Zn2+ is facilitating the application and promotion of zinc additives.

With developments in contemporary medicinal practices, though the focus on natural product drugs are fading, their effects remained unquestionable. Due to the complex mechanism of action, though their applications might have reduced in recent decades, their utilization is still at a greater side compared to any other medicinal practices in the world. The present review details some of the advancements in the development of effective natural product drugs as novel therapeutics with the implementation of modern drug discovery tools. The developmental prospects in Natural Product research with the implementation of some of the emerging trends in information technology like big data, automation, artificial intelligence (AI), computer-aided drug design and omics strategies along with the allied techniques in medicinal chemistry, nanotechnology, combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening are discussed. The review particular focuses on the development of innovative techniques, new methodologies and interdisciplinary applications with future prospects as well as impending goals.

Background: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is closely related to pathophysiologic processes and clinical outcomes. However, it is uncertain whether cryoablation of pulmonary veins isolation is effective and safe for patients of symptomatic and drug-refractory AF type within 24-hour episode duration. Methods: The patients were designed into Group A (253 patients of paroxysmal AF within 24-hour episode duration) and Group B (253 patients of paroxysmal AF lasted for 24 hours or longer) on a 1:1 basis by identical propensity scores. Mortality, stroke/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and complications relevant to the cryoablation procedure were compared and recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia was analyzed for clinical independent predictors. Results: The rate of atrial tachyarrhythmia recurrence was 21.74% in Group A and 30.04% in Group B, respectively (P=0.042). At 12-month follow-up from procedure, lower incidences of stroke/TIA endpoint of the patients were observed in Group A compared with Group B by Kaplan–Meier analysis [HR 0.34 (0.13–0.87), P= 0.025]. No significant differences about mortality and complications relevant to the cryoablation procedure were observed between Group A and Group B. Moreover, adjusted multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that < 24-hour paroxysmal AF type (HR 0.644, 95% CI: 0.455–0.913, P=0.014) and left atrium diameter (>40 mm) (HR 1.696, 95% CI: 1.046–2.750, P=0.032) were independently associated with the incidence of recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia in the study. Conclusions: Cryoablation of AF within 24-hour episode duration is effective and safe for patients with paroxysmal AF.