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Purpose: Microarray information is crucial for the identification and categorisation of malignant tissues. The very limited sample size in the microarray has always been a challenge for classification design in cancer research. As a result, by pre-processing gene selection approaches and genes lacking their information, the microarray data are deleted prior to categorisation. In essence, an appropriate gene selection technique can significantly increase the accuracy of illness (cancer) classification. Methods: For the classification of high-dimensional microarray data, a novel approach based on the hybrid model of multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (MOPSO) is proposed in this research. First, a binary vector representing each particle's position is presented at random. A gene is represented by each bit. Bit 0 denotes the absence of selection of the characteristic (gene) corresponding to it, while bit 1 denotes the selection of the gene. Therefore, the position of each particle represents a set of genes, and the linear Bayesian discriminant analysis classification algorithm calculates each particle's degree of fitness to assess the quality of the gene set that particle has chosen. The suggested methodology is applied to four different cancer database sets, and the results are contrasted with those of other approaches currently in use. Results: The proposed algorithm has been applied on four sets of cancer database and its results have been compared with other existing methods. The results of the implementation show that the improvement of classification accuracy in the proposed algorithm compared to other methods for four sets of databases is 25.84% on average. So that it has improved by 18.63% in the blood cancer database, 24.25% in the lung cancer database, 27.73% in the breast cancer database, and 32.80% in the prostate cancer database. Therefore, the proposed algorithm is able to identify a small set of genes containing information in a way choose to increase the classification accuracy. Conclusion: Our proposed solution is used for data classification, which also improves classification accuracy. This is possible because the MOPSO model removes redundancy and reduces the number of redundant and redundant genes by considering how genes are correlated with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (ngf) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (bdnf) play important roles in the central nervous system. They are potential therapeutic drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In this study, we investigated the neurotrophic properties of triterpenes isolated from fruiting bodies of Laetiporus sulphureus and a mycelial culture of Antrodia sp. MUCL 56049. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in combination with high-resolution electrospray mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS). The secondary metabolites were tested for neurotrophin (ngf and bdnf) expression levels on human astrocytoma 1321N1 cells. Neurite outgrowth activity using rat pheochromocytoma (PC-12) cells was also determined. Twelve triterpenoids were isolated, of which several potently stimulated the expression of neurotrophic factors, namely, ngf (sulphurenic acid, 15α-dehydroxytrametenolic acid, fomefficinic acid D, and 16α-hydroxyeburicoic acid) and bdnf (sulphurenic acid and 15α-dehydroxytrametenolic acid), respectively. The triterpenes also potentiated ngf-induced neurite outgrowth in PC-12 cells. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report on the compound class of lanostanes in direct relation to bdnf and ngf enhancement. These compounds are widespread in medicinal mushrooms; hence, they appear promising as a starting point for the development of drugs and mycopharmaceuticals to combat neurodegenerative diseases. Interestingly, they do not show any pronounced cytotoxicity and may, therefore, be better suited for therapy than many other neurotrophic compounds that were previously reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our work, the photonuclear production of 198,199Au isotopes for nuclear medicine purposes was studied, and a method for their recovery from irradiated mercury was developed. The yields of the corresponding nuclear reactions were determined, and a comparison of various methods of obtaining gold radioisotopes was provided. New sorbents based on benzo-15-crown-5, which selectively binds gold, were studied, and the optimal conditions for Au recovery with a high degree of purification from mercury were found. It was established that, for the fast and quantitative recovery of Au isotopes, it was necessary to add at least 0.1 mg of the carrier. As a result, the developed method can be regularly used to obtain 198,199Au for the research of radiopharmaceuticals based on them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public acceptance of governmental measures are key to controlling the spread of infectious diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a significant burden on healthcare systems for high-income countries as well as low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The ability of LMICs to respond to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic has been limited and may have affected the impact of governmental strategies to control the spread of COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate and compare public opinion on the governmental COVID-19 response of high and LMICs in the Middle East and benchmark it to international countries. Methods: An online, self-administered questionnaire was distributed among different Middle Eastern Arab countries. Participants' demographics and level of satisfaction with governmental responses to COVID-19 were analyzed and reported. Scores were benchmarked against 19 international values. Results: A total of 7395 responses were included. Bahrain scored highest for satisfaction with the governmental response with 38.29 ± 2.93 on a scale of 40, followed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (37.13 ± 3.27), United Arab Emirates (36.56 ± 3.44), Kuwait (35.74 ± 4.85), Jordan (23.08 ± 6.41), and Lebanon (15.39 ± 5.28). Participants' country of residence was a significant predictor of the satisfaction score (P < 0.001), and participants who suffered income reduction due to the pandemic, had a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and held higher educational degrees had significantly lower satisfaction scores (P < 0.001). When benchmarked with other international publics, countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council had the highest satisfaction level, Jordan had an average score, and Lebanon had one of the lowest satisfaction scores. Conclusion: The political crisis in Lebanon merged with the existing corruption were associated with the lowest public satisfaction score whereas the economical instability of Jordan placed the country just before the lowest position. On the other hand, the solid economy plus good planning and public trust in the government placed the other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council on top of the scale. Further investigation is necessary to find out how the governments of other low-income countries may have handled the situation wisely and gained the trust of their publics. This may help convey a clearer picture to Arab governments that have suffered during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optimization of SO 2 emission and the process cost in catalytic hydrodesulfurization (HDS) is of great importance for the petroleum industry. Given that the process of HDS is complicated, machine learning-based models are suitable for the purpose of process optimization in which the cost and separation efficiency can be optimized efficiently. In this investigation, we are working with a data collection on the HDS process to model via machine learning models. Pressure, temperature, initial sulfur content, and catalyst dose constitute the inputs for the models. Outputs include sulfur concentration (ppm), emission of gas (%), and HDS process cost ($). To model the process, for the first time, four tree-based ensemble methods are developed including Gradient Boosting, Extreme gradient boosting, Random Forest, and Extra Trees to optimize the HDS process. The models tuned on the available dataset and then the best ones selected for each output For sulfur concentration the extra tree model is the most accurate and for other outputs extreme gradient boosting has the best performance. For the models, the R2 scores for outputs are 0.983, 0.982, and 0.995, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of early tumor growth on T2 relaxation times in an experimental glioma model. A 9.4-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system was used for the investigations. An animal model (n=12) of glioma was established using an intracranial inoculation of U87MGdEGFRvIII cells. The imaging studies were performed from Day 10 through Day 13 following tumor inoculation. Tumor blood vessel density was determined using quantitative immunochemistry. Tumor volume was measured daily using MR images. T2 values of the tumor were measured in five areas across the tumor and calculated using a single exponential fitting of the echo train. The measurements on Days 10 and 13 after tumor inoculation showed a 20% increase in T2. The changes in T2 correlated with the size of the tumor. Statistically significant differences in T2 values were observed between the edge of the tumor and the brain tissue on Days 11, 12 and 13 (P=.014, .008, .001, respectively), but not on Day 10 (P=.364). The results show that T2-weighted MRI may not detect glioma during an early phase of growth. T2 increases in growing glioma and varies heterogenously across the tumor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Paclitaxel coated balloon catheters (PCB) were developed as a polymer-free non-implantable alternative to drug eluting stents, delivering similar drug payloads in a matter of minutes. While PCB have shown efficacy in treating peripheral arterial disease in certain patient groups, restenosis rates remain high and there is no class effect. To help further optimize these devices, we developed a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging technique and computational modeling approach that provide insights into the coating micromorphology dependence of in vivo drug transfer and retention. PCBs coated with amorphous/flaky or microneedle coatings were inflated for 60 sec in porcine femoral arteries. Animals were euthanized at 0.5, 24 and 72 h and treated arteries processed for SEM to image endoluminal coating distribution followed by paclitaxel quantification by mass spectrometry (MS). Endoluminal surfaces exhibited sparse coating patches at 0.5 h, predominantly protruding (13.71 vs 0.59%, P < 0.001), with similar micro-morphologies to nominal PCB surfaces. Microneedle coating covered a 1.5-fold endoluminal area (16.1 vs 10.7%, P = 0.0035) owing to higher proximal and distal delivery, and achieved 1.5-fold tissue concentrations by MS (1933 vs 1298 μg/g, P = 0.1745) compared to amorphous/flaky coating. Acute longitudinal coating distribution tracked computationally predicted microindentation pressure gradients (r = 0.9, P < 0.001), with superior transfer of the microneedle coatings attributed to their amplification of angioplasty contact pressures. By 24 h, paclitaxel concentration and coated tissue areas both declined by >93% even as nonprotruding coating levels were stable between 0.5 and 72 h, and 2.7-fold higher for microneedle vs flaky coating (0.64 vs 0.24%, P = 0.0195). Tissue retained paclitaxel concentrations at 24–72 h trended 1.7-fold higher post treatment with microneedle coating compared to the amorphous/flaky coating (69.9 vs 39.9 μg/g, P = 0.066). Thus, balloon based drug delivery is critically dependent on coating micromorphologies, with superior performance exhibited by micromorphologies that amplify angioplasty pressures. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radial access during primary percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with reduced mortality and major bleeding compared with femoral access and is the recommended access site. Nevertheless, failure to secure radial access may necessitate crossover to femoral access. This study aimed to identify the associations with crossover from radial to femoral access in all comers with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and to compare the clinical outcomes with those patients who did not require crossover. From 2016 to 2021, a total of 1,202 patients presented to our institute with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Associations, clinical outcomes, and independent predictors of crossover from radial to femoral access were identified. From 1,202 patients, radial access was used in 1,138 patients (94.7%) and crossover to femoral access occurred in 64 patients (5.3%). Patients who required crossover to femoral access had higher rates of access site complications and longer length of stay in the hospital. Inpatient mortality was higher in the group requiring a crossover. This study identified 3 independent predictors of crossover from radial to femoral access in primary percutaneous coronary intervention: cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest before arrival at the catheterization laboratory, and previous coronary artery bypass grafting. Biochemical infarct size and peak creatinine was also found to be higher in those requiring crossover. In conclusion, crossover in this study portended an increased rate of access site complications, greatly prolonged length of stay, and a significantly higher risk of death., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: For years, controversy has existed about the ideal approach for cervical spine clearance in obtunded, blunt trauma patients. However, recent national guidelines suggest that MRI is not necessary for collar clearance in these patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent of national variation in the use of MRI and assess patient-specific and hospital-specific factors associated with the practice., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of the National Trauma Data Bank from 2007 to 2012. We included blunt trauma patients aged ≥18 years, admitted to level 1 or 2 trauma centers (TCs), with a Glasgow Coma Scale <8, Abbreviated Injury Scale >3 for the head and mechanically ventilated for more than 72 hours. Multilevel modeling was used to identify patient-level and hospital-level factors associated with spine MRI use., Results: 32 125 obtunded, blunt trauma patients treated at 395 unique TCs met our inclusion criteria. The mean proportion of patients who received MRI over the entire sample was 9.9%. The proportions of patients at each hospital who received a spine MRI ranged from 0.5% to 68.7%. Younger patients, with injuries from motor vehicle collisions and pedestrian injuries, were more likely to receive MRI. When controlling for other variables, Injury Severity Score (ISS) was not associated with MRI use. Hospitals in the Northeast, level 1 TCs and non-teaching hospitals were more likely to obtain MRIs in this patient population., Conclusion: After controlling for patient-level characteristics, variation remained in MRI use based on geography, trauma center level and teaching status. This evidence suggests that current national guidelines limiting the use of MRI for cervical spine evaluation following blunt trauma are not being followed consistently. This may be due to physicians not being up to date with best practice care, unavailability of locally adopted protocols in institutions or lack of consensus among clinical providers., Level of Evidence: Prognostic and epidemiological, level III., Competing Interests: Competing interests: ERH is supported by a grant from the AHRQ (1R01HS024547) entitled ‘Individualized Performance Feedback on Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Practice’, a contract (CE-12-11-4489) from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) entitled ‘Preventing Venous Thromboembolism: Empowering Patients and Enabling Patient-Centered Care via Health Information Technology’, a contract from PCORI entitled ‘Preventing Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): Engaging Patients to Reduce Preventable Harm from Missed/Refused Doses of VTE Prophylaxis’ and a grant from the NIH/NHLBI (R21HL129028) entitled ‘Analysis of the Impact of Missed Doses of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis’. ERH is a paid consultant and speaker for the ‘Preventing Avoidable Venous Thromboembolism—Every Patient, Every Time’ VHA/Vizient IMPERATIV® Advantage Performance Improvement Collaborative. ERH receives royalties from Lippincott, Williams, Wilkins for a book—‘Avoiding Common ICU Errors’. Dr Haut was the paid author of a paper commissioned by the National Academies of Medicine titled ‘Military Trauma Care’s Learning Health System: The Importance of Data Driven Decision Making’ which was used to support the report titled ‘A National Trauma Care System: Integrating Military and Civilian Trauma Systems to Achieve Zero Preventable Deaths After Injury’.

Objectives: We evaluated the efficacy of low-dose (LD) radiation (≤7.5 frames/second [f/s]) compared with standard-dose (SD) radiation (≥10 f/s) in cardiac catheterization (CC) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients undergoing CC with LD vs SD radiation have not been previously studied., Methods: We performed an observational study of 452 consecutive patients (61 ± 12 years) who had coronary angiography or PCI from September 2016 to September 2017. Patients were divided into an LD radiation group (n = 136) consisting of 0.5 f/s and 1 f/s (n = 73), 4 f/s (n = 40), or 7.5 f/s fluoroscopy (n = 23) with 7.5 f/s cine angiography vs an SD group (n = 316) consisting of 10 f/s (n = 250), 15 f/s (n = 64), or 30 f/s fluoroscopy (n = 2) and 10-30 f/s cine angiography. Primary endpoints included air kerma, dose area product (DAP), fluoroscopy time, and contrast use., Results: Compared with SD radiation, LD radiation was associated with a significant reduction in air kerma (100.70 mGy [IQR, 46.42-233.35 mGy] vs 660.96 mGy [IQR, 362.78-1373.65 mGy]; P<.001), DAP (723.60 μGy•m² [IQR, 313.09-2328.22 μGy•m²] vs 5203.40 μGy•m² [IQR, 2743.55-10064.71 μGy•m²]; P<.001), and contrast use (100 mL [IQR, 60-150 mL] vs 115 mL [IQR, 80-180 mL]; P<.03). No difference in fluoroscopy time was noted (13.33 min [IQR, 6.93-25.55 min] vs 12.75 min [IQR, 7.75-22.55 min]; P=.95)., Conclusions: LD radiation in CC was efficacious, with significant radiation reduction and without an increase in fluoroscopy time or contrast utilization. All patients underwent successful LD radiation catheterization without conversion to SD.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) occurs in 25% of people. The decision on whether to close the PFO found after myocardial infarction and specifically right ventricular infarction is debated, with no solid guidelines addressing this subject. Here we present the case of a 59-year-old man who presented with a myocardial infarction and was found to have PFO. He was treated with revascularization of the culprit artery, followed by supportive care.

Introduction: Numerous factors associate with health disparities. The extent to which such factors influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adults with short stature skeletal dysplasias (SD) is unknown. In an effort to update and clarify knowledge about the HRQOL of adults with SD, this study aimed to quantify HRQOL scores relative to the American average and assess whether specific indicators are associated with lower scores., Methods: Members (>18 years) of Little People of America were invited to complete an online survey assessing HRQOL using the SF-12 supplemented with indicator-specific questions. SF-12 components (Physical Component Summary, PCS; Mental Component Summary, MCS) were compared to the standardized national American mean. Scores were divided at the median to identify factors associated with lower scores using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for age, gender, race, education, and employment., Results: A total of 189 surveys were completed. Mean and median PCS and MCS were below the national mean of 50 (p < 0.001). Advancing decade of age corresponded to a significant decline in PCS (p < 0.001) but not MCS (p = 0.366). Pain prevalence was high (79.4%); however, only 5.9% visited a pain specialist. Significant factors for lower PCS included age >40 years (p = 0.020), having spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED) or diastrophic dysplasia relative to achondroplasia (p = 0.023), pain (p < 0.001), and "partial" versus "full" health insurance coverage (p = 0.034). For MCS, significant factors included a lack of social support (p = 0.002) and being treated differently/feeling stigmatized by health care providers (p = 0.022)., Conclusions: Individuals with SD face documented disparities and report lower HRQOL. Further research and interventions are needed to modify nuanced factors influencing these results and address the high prevalence of pain.

Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Background and Objective: Psoriasis is a chronic and complex autoimmune inflammatory skin disease that affects over 125 million people worldwide. It can exhibit at any age, in spite of the fact that children are less normally influenced than adults. It is characterized by distinct erythematous plaques shielded with conspicuous silvery scales that shows up in different areas of the skin. Knowledge of pathophysiology, especially the pathogenesis of psoriasis, has significantly progressed in the recent decade. Advancement in molecular knowledge leads to better understanding of the disease, thus influencing the development of efficient treatment modalities. However, even with the availability of various options of treatment most of the efficient treatment modalities are costly. Expenses of health care bring about major financial weight to the patients as well as to health care systems. Thus, it was important to review the available current treatment options and those which are under development, in terms of efficacy, safety and cost to assist in selecting the most appropriate treatment for psoriasis patients., Methods: Literatures were searched by using key words psoriasis, topical treatment, systemic treatment, biologics and phototherapies, on Embase, Medline, Jstor, Cochrane and Merck Index databases., Results: Life-style choices such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and stress are recognised as risk factors and triggers associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis poses psycho-social and economic burden on affected patients that sometimes leads to depression, reduced social interaction and suicidal tendencies in patients. Depending on the type, severity and extent of the disease, comorbidities, patient preference, efficacy and safety profile, numerous treatment modalities and therapeutic agents are available such as topical, systemic, biologic and phototherapeutic treatments. However, it was found that among all the current available treatments for psoriasis, biologic agents and phototherapeutic modalities are the most commonly employed treatment modalities for moderate to severe psoriasis., Conclusion: Evaluation of present-day available treatment alternatives will surely help physician to select a suitable module for each patient while keeping in mind the financial status of the patient. Future research should aim to develop therapies which are efficient, safe and cost-effective., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) makes up half of diagnosed heart failure (HF) cases and has similar outcomes compared to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) but a discrepancy in knowledge and approach to treatment. HFpEF is diagnosed using the following criteria: symptoms, preserved ejection fraction (greater than 50%), and evidence of abnormal left ventricular filling or relaxation, or diastolic distensibility or stiffness. Studies conducted to examine the efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) (irbesartan and candesartan), thiazide diuretics (chlorthalidone), and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) (perindopril) in the treatment of HFpEF, showed moderate efficacy but no clear benefit. Recently, the FDA has approved a novel drug, which combines an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor and ARB (valsartan) named LCZ696 (entresto) for possible treatment of HFrEF., Conclusion: In this article, we will discuss the failure of previous treatment modalities and the promise that LCZ696 (entresto) may hold for treating patients with HFpEF., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)