Identification of Properties Important to Protein Aggregation Using Feature Selection

Background: Protein aggregation is a significant problem in the biopharmaceutical industry (protein drug stability) and is associated medically with over 40 human diseases. Although a number of computational models have been developed for predicting aggregation propensity and identifying aggregation-prone regions in proteins, little systematic research has been done to determine physicochemical properties relevant to aggregation and their relative importance to this important process. Such studies may result in not only accurately predicting peptide aggregation propensities and identifying aggregation prone regions in proteins, but also aid in discovering additional underlying mechanisms governing this process. Results: We use two feature selection algorithms to identify 16 features, out of a total of 560 physicochemical properties, presumably important to protein aggregation. Two predictors (ProA-SVM and ProA-RF) using selected features are built for predicting peptide aggregation propensity and identifying aggregation prone regions in proteins. Both methods are compared favourably to other state-of-the-art algorithms in cross validation. The identified important properties are fairly consistent with previous studies and bring some new insights into protein and peptide aggregation. One interesting new finding is that aggregation prone peptide sequences have similar properties to signal peptide and signal anchor sequences. Conclusions: Both predictors are implemented in a freely available web application (http://www.abl.ku.edu/ProA/ webcite). We suggest that the quaternary structure of protein aggregates, especially soluble oligomers, may allow the formation of new molecular recognition signals that guide aggregate targeting to specific cellular sites

Psychometric Properties and Correlates of Precarious Manhood Beliefs in 62 Nations

Precarious manhood beliefs portray manhood, relative to womanhood, as a social status that is hard to earn, easy to lose, and proven via public action. Here, we present cross-cultural data on a brief measure of precarious manhood beliefs (the Precarious Manhood Beliefs scale [PMB]) that covaries meaningfully with other cross-culturally validated gender ideologies and with country-level indices of gender equality and human development. Using data from university samples in 62 countries across 13 world regions (N = 33,417), we demonstrate: (1) the psychometric isomorphism of the PMB (i.e., its comparability in meaning and statistical properties across the individual and country levels); (2) the PMB’s distinctness from, and associations with, ambivalent sexism and ambivalence toward men; and (3) associations of the PMB with nation-level gender equality and human development. Findings are discussed in terms of their statistical and theoretical implications for understanding widely-held beliefs about the precariousness of the male gender role

Analysis of risk factors of acute kidney injury in organ donors

Background: To investigate the occurrence and risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) in organ donors. Methods: Clinical data of 153 donor patients who donated organs in our hospital from January 2016 to July 2018 were collected. Patients were divided into AKI group and non-AKI group according to AKI diagnostic criteria. Clinical indicators of patients in the two groups were compared, and the related risk factors were analyzed by unifactorial and multivariate logistic regression. Results: The incidence of donor patients complicated with AKI was 48.37%. Unifactorial analysis suggested that the SOFA score, positive rate of blood culture, hypothermia incidence and vasoactive drug dose in donor AKI group were larger than those in non-AKI group. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the dose of booster drugs (P=0.02, OR=3.53) and the positive rate of blood culture (P=0.01, OR=6.64) were independent risk factors for donor patients complicated with AKI. Conclusion: The incidence of acute kidney injury in organ donors is high, with the dose of booster drugs and the positive rate of blood culture as independent risk factors for evaluation basis to assess the incidence rate of donor patients complicated with AKI

Analysis of CT signs, radiomic features and clinical characteristics for delta variant COVID-19 patients with different vaccination status

Abstract Objective To explore the characteristics of peripheral blood, high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) imaging and the radiomics signature (RadScore) in patients infected with delta variant virus under different coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination status. Methods 123 patients with delta variant virus infection collected from November 1, 2021 to March 1, 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. According to COVID-19 vaccination Status, they were divided into three groups: Unvaccinated group, partially vaccinated group and full vaccination group. The peripheral blood, chest HRCT manifestations and RadScore of each group were analyzed and compared. Results The mean lymphocyte count 1.22 ± 0.49 × 10^9/L, CT score 7.29 ± 3.48, RadScore 0.75 ± 0.63 in the unvaccinated group; The mean lymphocyte count 1.55 ± 0.70 × 10^9/L, CT score 5.27 ± 2.72, RadScore 1.03 ± 0.46 in the partially vaccinated group; The mean lymphocyte count 1.87 ± 0.70 × 10^9/L, CT score 3.59 ± 3.14, RadScore 1.23 ± 0.29 in the fully vaccinated group. There were significant differences in lymphocyte count, CT score and RadScore among the three groups (all p < 0.05); Compared with the other two groups, the lung lesions in the unvaccinated group were more involved in multiple lobes, of which 26 cases involved the whole lung. Conclusions Through the analysis of clinical features, pulmonary imaging features and radiomics, we confirmed the positive effect of COVID-19 vaccine on pulmonary inflammatory symptoms and lymphocyte count (immune system) during delta mutant infection