First constitutive heterochromatin characterization and Karyotype of white stork Ciconia ciconia (Aves: Ciconiidae)

The karyotype and constitutive heterochromatin pattern of the white stork Ciconia ciconia samples obtained from Manzala lake, Dimiaat, Egypt was described. Somatic cells of Ciconia ciconia samples have diploid number 2n= 68 chromosomes. Out of 68 chromosomes, 11 pairs including sex chromosomes were macrochromosomes and the remaining pairs were microchromosomes. Of the 11 macrochromosome pairs, no.1, 2, 4 and 5 were submetacentric and pairs no. 6, 7 and 8 were described as metacentric. In addition, the autosome pair no.3 was subtelocentric, while autosome pair no.9 was acrocentric. Also, the sex chromosome Z represents the fourth one in size and it was classified as submetacentric while, W chromosome appeared as medium size and was acrocentric. Furthermore, C-banding pattern (constitutive heterochromatin) revealed variation in their sizes and occurrence between macrochromosomes. Pairs no. 7 and 8 of autosomes exhibited unusual distribution of heterochromatin, where they appeared as entirely heterochromatic. This may be related to the origin of sex chromosomes Z and W. However, there is no sufficient evidence illustrate the appearance of entirely heterochromatic autosomes. Therefore, there is no available cytogenetic literature that describes the C-banding and karyotype of Ciconia Ciconia, so the results herein are important and may assist in cytogenetic study and evolutionary pattern of Ciconiiformes.

Application Potential of Plant-Derived Medicines in Prevention and Treatment of Platinum-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity

As observed with other chemotherapeutic agents, the clinical application of platinum agents is a double-edged sword. Platinum-induced peripheral neuropathy (PIPN) is a common adverse event that negatively affects clinical outcomes and patients’ quality of life. Considering the unavailability of effective established agents for preventing or treating PIPN and the increasing population of cancer survivors, the identification and development of novel, effective interventions are the need of the hour. Plant-derived medicines, recognized as ideal agents, can not only help improve PIPN without affecting chemotherapy efficacy, but may also produce synergy. In this review, we present a brief summary of the mechanisms of platinum agents and PIPN and then focus on exploring the preventive or curative effects and underlying mechanisms of plant-derived medicines, which have been evaluated under platinum-induced neurotoxicity conditions. We identified 11 plant extracts as well as 17 plant secondary metabolites, and four polyherbal preparations. Their effects against PIPN are focused on oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, glial activation and inflammation response, and ion channel dysfunction. Also, ten clinical trials have assessed the effect of herbal products in patients with PIPN. The understanding of the molecular mechanism is still limited, the quality of clinical trials need to be further improved, and in terms of their efficacy, safety, and cost effectiveness studies have not provided sufficient evidence to establish a standard practice. But plant-derived medicines have been found to be invaluable sources for the development of natural agents with beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of PIPN.

Dignity therapy intervention fidelity: a cross-sectional descriptive study with older adult outpatients with cancer

Objectives Intervention fidelity is imperative to ensure confidence in study results and intervention replication in research and clinical settings. Like many brief protocol psychotherapies, Dignity Therapy lacks sufficient evidence of intervention fidelity. To overcome this gap, our study purpose was to examine intervention fidelity among therapists trained with a systematized training protocol. Methods For preliminary fidelity evaluation in a large multi-site stepped wedge randomized controlled trial, we analyzed 46 early transcripts of interviews from 10 therapists (7 female; 7 White, 3 Black). Each transcript was evaluated with the Revised Dignity Therapy Adherence Checklist for consistency with the Dignity Therapy protocol in terms of its Process (15 dichotomous items) and Core Principles (6 Likert-type items). A second rater independently coded 26% of the transcripts to assess interrater reliability. Results Each therapist conducted 2 to 10 interviews. For the 46 scored transcripts, the mean Process score was 12.4/15 (SD = 1.2), and the mean Core Principles score was 9.9/12 (SD = 1.8) with 70% of the transcripts at or above the 80% fidelity criterion. Interrater reliability (Cohen’s kappa and weighted kappa) for all Adherence Checklist items ranged between .75 and 1.0. For the Core Principles items, Cronbach’s alpha was .92. Conclusions Preliminary findings indicate that fidelity to Dignity Therapy delivery was acceptable for most transcripts and provide insights for improving consistency of intervention delivery. The systematized training protocol and ongoing monitoring with the fidelity audit tool will facilitate consistent intervention delivery and add to the literature about fidelity monitoring for brief protocol psychotherapeutic interventions.

Leveraging value-based care principles in developing eHealth systems: A teaching case

Recently, many countries, including developing countries, have struggled to manage rising healthcare costs and challenges around decreasing quality of care. Previous studies suggest that electronic health systems could significantly improve the quality of care and facilitate better access to care. However, there is still a lack of studies providing sufficient evidence around how this can be achieved. This case study examines how a hospital uses its electronic health (eHealth) systems to offer better access, quality, and value by leveraging the principles of value-based care for its patients. This case study provides critical insights for healthcare stakeholders, public hospitals, especially in developing countries, healthcare providers and policymakers and proffers an approach to leverage the principles of value-based care when developing eHealth systems to offer better overall health and well-being services to their patients.

Cranial manipulation affects cholinergic pathway gene expression in aged rats

Context Age-dependent dementia is a devastating disorder afflicting a growing older population. Although pharmacological agents improve symptoms of dementia, age-related comorbidities combined with adverse effects often outweigh their clinical benefits. Therefore, nonpharmacological therapies are being investigated as an alternative. In a previous pilot study, aged rats demonstrated improved spatial memory after osteopathic cranial manipulative medicine (OCMM) treatment. Objectives In this continuation of the pilot study, we examine the effect of OCMM on gene expression to elicit possible explanations for the improvement in spatial memory. Methods OCMM was performed on six of 12 elderly rats every day for 7 days. Rats were then euthanized to obtain the brain tissue, from which RNA samples were extracted. RNA from three treated and three controls were of sufficient quality for sequencing. These samples were sequenced utilizing next-generation sequencing from Illumina NextSeq. The Cufflinks software suite was utilized to assemble transcriptomes and quantify the RNA expression level for each sample. Results Transcriptome analysis revealed that OCMM significantly affected the expression of 36 genes in the neuronal pathway (false discovery rate [FDR] <0.004). The top five neuronal genes with the largest-fold change were part of the cholinergic neurotransmission mechanism, which is known to affect cognitive function. In addition, 39.9% of 426 significant differentially expressed (SDE) genes (FDR<0.004) have been previously implicated in neurological disorders. Overall, changes in SDE genes combined with their role in central nervous system signaling pathways suggest a connection to previously reported OCMM-induced behavioral and biochemical changes in aged rats. Conclusions Results from this pilot study provide sufficient evidence to support a more extensive study with a larger sample size. Further investigation in this direction will provide a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of OCMM and its potential in clinical applications. With clinical validation, OCMM could represent a much-needed low-risk adjunct treatment for age-related dementia including Alzheimer’s disease.

Phylogeography of the Mauremys mutica complex and the implications for conservation management.

For more than three decades, the Asian turtle crisis has resulted in the decline of every native species in China. For some species, such as the yellow pond turtle (Mauremys mutica), wild populations have dwindled to near functional extinction. Previous studies show there is deep genetic divergence of M. mutica sensu lato between populations north and south of the Pearl River Drainage but no data to show if phylogeographic structure occurs within these two main types. In this study, we found clear phylogeographic structure. In northern types, we found two main clades, corresponding to mainland China and island clades (Taiwan and Yaeyema Islands) with uncorrected p values of 0.00-2.0% divergence in our 2353 bp concatenated mtDNA data set. For the southern types, we found three main clades corresponding to Hainan, Mainland (Vietnam/Guangxi) and the Annam pond turtle (Mauremys annamensis) with divergence ranging from 1.0-1.8% among these three groups. Moreover, the identification of northern and southern types by phenotype was roughly 98% accurate, which, coupling with the deep genetic divergence in mtDNA (5.5-6.7%) and in the 6056 bp nuDNA data set (0.16-0.37%) provide sufficient evidence for northern M. mutica to be an independent species, and individuals from the southern clade should be regarded as subspecies of M. annamensis. Finally, we provide the most comprehensive database to date which can be used to determine the region of origin for captive stock. Making the large captive populations of M. mutica, under the right conditions, potentially valuable for restocking or augmentation of wild populations.

COVID-19 vaccination status is associated with physical activity in German-speaking countries: the COR-PHYS-Q cohort study

BackgroundTo examine the association between COVID-19 vaccination status and physical activity (PA), sporting behavior, as well as barriers to PA in adults in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.MethodsA total of 1516 adults provided complete responses to our online questionnaire sent out in August 2021. Information about self-reported PA categories, sporting behavior, barriers to PA, and COVID-19 vaccination status were gathered. Main analyses were done using multiple linear regression adjusted for relevant parameters.ResultsWe found a significant association of vaccination status with total PA (p = .011), vigorous PA (p = .015), and moderate PA (p = .001) but not transport-related PA or sedentary time. Unvaccinated adults tended to have more total and vigorous PA than those vaccinated once (ratios of geometric means: 1.34 and 1.60, respectively) or twice (1.22 and 1.09, respectively). Yet, not sufficient evidence was available to confirm this. There was no between-group difference in the contribution of leisure time, work-related, or transport-related PA to total PA. Vaccination status was not associated with sporting behavior except for jogging as the primary intensive type of sports. Finally, there were no significant differences in any of the COVID-19 specific barriers to PA between groups.ConclusionOur data showed that vaccination status is associated with PA even in summer, where the number of COVID-19 cases was low and the severity of safety measures was mild. These findings may enhance future research and improve/extend COVID-19-specific PA guidelines.

Evaluation of Effects of Credit-Risk on Return on Assets of Commercial Banks in Nepal

Introduction: The major cause of bank distress in Nepal is associated with poor credit management which results to decline in credit standing of the banks. The study adopts judgmental sampling techniques. Objective: To analyze and evaluate the impact of credit-risk ratio on return on assets of commercial banks in Nepal. Research design: Descriptive and exploratory research designs were used. Methods and materials: Review of various articles and collection of secondary data through the websites of Nepal Rastra Bank. Results and conclusion: It is found that there is inverse relationship between credit risk ratio and return on assets ratio. The findings provide sufficient evidence that credit risk management indicators impact significantly on commercial bank performance in Nepal. Article type: Research Paper

NF-κB-Related Metabolic Gene Signature Predicts the Prognosis and Immunotherapy Response in Gastric Cancer

Background. Sufficient evidence indicated the crucial role of NF-κB family played in gastric cancer (GC). The novel discovery that NF-κB could regulate cancer metabolism and immune evasion greatly increased its attraction in cancer research. However, the correlation among NF-κB, metabolism, and cancer immunity in GC still requires further improvement. Methods. TCGA, hTFtarget, and MSigDB databases were employed to identify NF-κB-related metabolic genes (NFMGs). Based on NFMGs, we used consensus clustering to divide GC patients into two subtypes. GSVA was employed to analyze the enriched pathway. ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, ssGSEA, and MCPcounter algorithms were applied to evaluate immune infiltration in GC. The tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) algorithm was used to predict patients’ response to immunotherapy. We also established a NFMG-related risk score by using the LASSO regression model and assessed its efficacy in TCGA and GSE62254 datasets. Results. We used 27 NFMGs to conduct an unsupervised clustering on GC samples and classified them into two clusters. Cluster 1 was characterized by high active metabolism, tumor mutant burden, and microsatellite instability, while cluster 2 was featured with high immune infiltration. Compared to cluster 2, cluster 1 had a better prognosis and higher response to immunotherapy. In addition, we constructed a 12-NFMG (ADCY3, AHCY, CHDH, GUCY1A2, ITPA, MTHFD2, NRP1, POLA1, POLR1A, POLR3A, POLR3K, and SRM) risk score. Followed analysis indicated that this risk score acted as an effectively prognostic factor in GC. Conclusion. Our data suggested that GC subtypes classified by NFMGs may effectively guide prognosis and immunotherapy. Further study of these NFMGs will deepen our understanding of NF-κB-mediated cancer metabolism and immunity.

The efficacy of Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Wall. ex Nees crude extract in hospitalised mild COVID-19 patients: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Andrographis paniculata (AP) crude extract has been widely used in Thailand to treat mild COVID-19 infection since early 2020; however, supporting evidence was lacking. Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of AP compared with standard treatment among hospitalised mild COVID-19 patients. Study design: Single-centre retrospective cohort study Methods: We collected data between March 2020 and August 2021 from COVID-19 patients admitted to one hospital in Thailand. Patients whose infection was confirmed by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and had normal chest radiography were included, whereas those receiving favipiravir or had unclear chest X-rays at admission were excluded. Participants were categorised as either AP or standard of care and followed for pneumonia confirmed by chest radiography. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse the main results controlling for age, sex, history of having diabetes, hypertension, receiving statins, and antihypertensive drugs. Results: 605 out of 1,054 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 59 patients (9.8%) developed pneumonia during the median follow-up of 7 days. The incidence rates of pneumonia were 13.93 (95%CI 10.09, 19.23) and 12.47 (95%CI 8.21, 18.94) per 1,000 person-days in AP and standard of care group, respectively. Compared to the standard of care group, the odds ratios of having pneumonia in the AP group were 1.24 (95%CI 0.71, 2.16; unadjusted model) and 1.42 (95%CI 0.79, 2.55; fully adjusted model). All sensitivity analyses produced consistent findings with the main results. Conclusion: We do not have sufficient evidence to show the efficacy of AP in mild COVID-19 infection. Interestingly, we observed the potentially harmful signal of using AP. While waiting for insights from ongoing trials, the use of AP in this condition should be done with caution.