The role of inflammatory biomarkers in the development and progression of pre-eclampsia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundPre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication associated with maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Among the potential pathogenesis discussed, inflammation is considered an essential initiator of PE. Previous studies have compared the levels of various inflammatory biomarkers that indicate the existence of PE; however, the relative levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers and their dynamic changes during PE progression remain unclear. This knowledge is essential to explain the occurrence and progression of the disease.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify the relationship between inflammatory status and PE using inflammatory biomarkers as indicators. We also discussed the underlying mechanism by which inflammatory imbalance contributes to PE by comparing the relative levels of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory biomarkers. Furthermore, we identified additional risk factors for PE.MethodsWe reviewed PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for articles published until 15th September 2022. Original articles that investigated inflammatory biomarkers in PE and normal pregnancy were included. We selected healthy pregnant women as controls. The inflammatory biomarkers in the case and control groups were expressed as standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals using a random-effects model. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Publication bias was assessed using Egger’s test.ResultsThirteen articles that investigated 2,549 participants were included in this meta-analysis. Patients with PE had significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) than the controls. CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were higher than those of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Patients with gestational age > 34 weeks had significantly higher IL-6 and TNF levels. Patients with higher systolic blood pressure had significantly higher IL-8, IL-10, and CRP levels.ConclusionInflammatory imbalance is an independent risk factor for PE development. Impairment of the anti-inflammatory system is a crucial initiating factor for PE development. Failed autoregulation, manifested as prolonged exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines, leads to PE progression. Higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers suggest more severe symptoms, and pregnant women after 34 weeks of gestation are more susceptible to PE

Is world view neutral education possible and desirable? : A Christian response to liberal arguments.

The main object of this thesis is to find out why it so often is assumed that education can and should be neutral between world views, and to argue against this. It is also discussed what the world view basis of the common school should be when neutrality is impossible. The idea of a common school that inculcates common values without taking a stand between different religions and secular world views, is central in today's idea of liberal education. It is argued here that however thin the common basis for the school is, certain world view presuppositions will always be conveyed, at least implicitly. It is easier to see the world view presuppositions in one account of education if it is contrasted with another. An account is given of Christian education, emphasizing its view of reality and human nature, the meaning of life and the corresponding purpose of education. Contrasted with this, an analysis of J. White's and K. Strike's accounts of education based on common values only, shows that they both convey world view presuppositions that are incompatible with a Christian view and therefore not neutral. The argument of incompatibility is strengthened by a discussion of T. H. McLaughlin's three different accounts of common, world view neutral education, Catholic education, and liberal religious education. Several kinds of argument for the possibility and desirability of world view neutral education are analysed, and it is claimed that none of them is valid. Some imply a shallow understanding of religion, others a biased view of education. It is argued that liberal education in many ways is more likely to indoctrinate than Christian education IS. Finally, it is argued that it is desirable to have Christian education in state schools, and the degree to which this is possible is discussed

Differentially expressed genes in a flock of Chinese local-breed chickens infected with a subgroup J avian leukosis virus using suppression subtractive hybridization

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is a new type of virus that mainly induces myeloid leukosis (ML) in chickens. To further elucidate the pathogenesis of ALV-J infection and tumor development, expression profiles from the bone marrow tissue of 15 infected and 18 non-infected birds from a local-breed poultry-farm under naturally infected conditions, were analyzed by suppression-subtractive hybridization. The birds were diagnosed as ML+ (or ML-) by specific ALV-J detection methods, involving serological tests for antigens and antibodies, and RT-PCR to detect viral RNA. A total of 59 partial gene sequences were revealed by differential screening of 496 forward and 384 reverse subtracted cDNA clones. Of these, 22 identified genes, including 8 up-regulated and 14 down-regulated, were related to immune functions, these genes being, MHC B-G antigen, translationally-controlled tumor protein (TPT1/TPTC), transferrin and ferritin, hemoglobin and Carbonic anhydrase. Four of the down-regulated genes were selected for further analysis, in view of their predicted roles in infection and immunity by real-time qRT-PCR, using RNA collected from the same birds as those used for SSH. The four genes were expressed at significantly lower levels (p < 0.001) in ALV-J infected birds than in non-infected ones

Genomic Characterization and High Prevalence of Bocaviruses in Swine

Using random PCR amplification followed by plasmid subcloning and DNA sequencing, we detected bocavirus related sequences in 9 out of 17 porcine stool samples. Using primer walking, we sequenced the nearly complete genomes of two highly divergent bocaviruses we provisionally named porcine bocavirus 1 isolate H18 (PBoV1-H18) and porcine bocavirus 2 isolate A6 (PBoV2-A6) which differed by 51.8% in their NS1 protein. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that PBoV1-H18 was very closely related to a ∼2 Kb central region of a porcine bocavirus-like virus (PBo-LikeV) from Sweden described in 2009. PBoV2-A6 was very closely related to the porcine bocavirus genomes PBoV-1 and PBoV2 from China described in 2010. Among 340 fecal samples collected from different age, asymptomatic swine in five Chinese provinces, the prevalence of PBoV1-H18 and PBoV2-A6 related viruses were 45–75% and 55–70% respectively, with 30–47% of pigs co-infected. PBoV1-A6 related strains were highly conserved, while PBoV2-H18 related strains were more diverse, grouping into two genotypes corresponding to the previously described PBoV1 and PBoV2. Together with the recently described partial bocavirus genomes labeled V6 and V7, a total of three major porcine bocavirus clades have therefore been described to date. Further studies will be required to elucidate the possible pathogenic impact of these diverse bocaviruses either alone or in combination with other porcine viruses

Identification and Analysis of Sex-Biased MicroRNAs in Human Diseases

It is well known that significant differences exist between males and females in both physiology and disease. Thus, it is important to identify and analyze sex-biased miRNAs. However, previous studies investigating sex differences in miRNA expression have predominantly focused on healthy individuals or restricted their analysis to a single disease. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively identify and analyze the sex-biased miRNAs in diseases. For this purpose, in this study, we first identified the miRNAs showing sex-biased expression between males and females in diseases based on a number of miRNA expression datasets. Then, we performed a bioinformatics analysis for these sex-biased miRNAs. Notably, our findings revealed that women exhibit a greater number of conserved miRNAs that are highly expressed compared to men, and these miRNAs are implicated in a broader spectrum of diseases. Additionally, we explored the enriched transcription factors, functions, and diseases associated with these sex-biased miRNAs using the miRNA set enrichment analysis tool TAM 2.0. The insights gained from this study could carry implications for endeavors such as precision medicine and possibly pave the way for more targeted and tailored approaches to disease management

Proximal Policy Optimization Based Intelligent Energy Management for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Bus Considering Battery Thermal Characteristic

As the performances of energy management strategy (EMS) are essential for a plug-in hybrid electric bus (PHEB) to operate in an efficient way. The proximal policy optimization (PPO) based multi-objective EMS considering the battery thermal characteristic is proposed for PHEB, aiming to improve vehicle energy saving performance while ensuring the battery State of Charge (SOC) and temperature within a rational range. Since these three objectives are contradictory to each other, the optimal tradeoff between multiple objectives is realized by intelligently adjusting the weights in the training process. Compared with original PPO-based EMSs without considering battery thermal dynamics, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies in battery thermal management. Results indicate that the proposed strategies can obtain the minimum energy consumption, fastest computing speed, and lowest battery temperature in comparison with other RL-based EMSs. Regarding dynamic programming (DP) as the benchmark, the PPO-based EMSs can achieve similar fuel economy and outstanding computation efficiency. Furthermore, the adaptability and robustness of the proposed methods are confirmed in UDDS, WVUSUB and real driving cycle

Proximal Policy Optimization Based Intelligent Energy Management for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Bus Considering Battery Thermal Characteristic

As the performances of energy management strategy (EMS) are essential for a plug-in hybrid electric bus (PHEB) to operate in an efficient way. The proximal policy optimization (PPO) based multi-objective EMS considering the battery thermal characteristic is proposed for PHEB, aiming to improve vehicle energy saving performance while ensuring the battery State of Charge (SOC) and temperature within a rational range. Since these three objectives are contradictory to each other, the optimal tradeoff between multiple objectives is realized by intelligently adjusting the weights in the training process. Compared with original PPO-based EMSs without considering battery thermal dynamics, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies in battery thermal management. Results indicate that the proposed strategies can obtain the minimum energy consumption, fastest computing speed, and lowest battery temperature in comparison with other RL-based EMSs. Regarding dynamic programming (DP) as the benchmark, the PPO-based EMSs can achieve similar fuel economy and outstanding computation efficiency. Furthermore, the adaptability and robustness of the proposed methods are confirmed in UDDS, WVUSUB and real driving cycle