CTLA-4 Gene Polymorphism and the Risk of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the Chinese Population

Several variants of CTLA-4 have been reported to be associated with susceptibility systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, findings have been inconsistent across different populations. Using a case-control study design, we have investigated the role of CTLA-4 polymorphism at positions −1661 and −1722 on SLE susceptibility in our Chinese SLE population in central China's Hubei province. Samples were collected from 148 SLE patients and 170 healthy controls. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragments length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to analyze the genotypes of the two sites. Statistically significant difference was observed in genotypes for −1722, but not for −1661. The frequency of the T allele on the −1722 SNP was significantly increased in SLE patients: 57.8% versus 40.6% in controls (P < 0.001, OR = 2.002). While the detected C allele frequency in the controls was significantly elevated in comparison to that in the SLE patients (59.4% versus 42.2%). On the contrary, no association was found between SLE and CTLA-4 polymorphism at position −1661

Efficient classifying and indexing for large iris database based on enhanced clustering method

Explosive growth in the volume of stored biometric data has resulted in classification and indexing becoming important operations in image database systems. A new method is presented in this paper to extract the most relevant features of iris biometric images for indexing the iris database. Three transformation methods DCT, DWT and SVD were used to analyse the iris image and to extract its local features. The clustering method shouldering on the responsibility of determining the partitioning and classification efficiencies of the system has been improved. In the current work, the new Weighted K-means algorithm based on the Improved Firefly Algorithm (WKIFA) has been used to overcome the shortcomings in using the Fireflies Algorithm (FA). The proposed method can be used to perform global search and exhibits quick convergence rate while optimizing the initial clustering centers of the K-means algorithm. From the experimental results, the proposed method was indeed more effective for clustering and classification and outperformed the traditional k-mean algorithm. The Penetration Rates underwent reductions and reached the levels of 0.98, 0.13 and 0.12 for three different databases. Also, the Bin Miss Rates decreased to 0.3037, 0.4226 and 0.2019 for the investigated databases

Bone Tissue Engineering through 3D Bioprinting of Bioceramic Scaffolds: A Review and Update

Trauma and bone loss from infections, tumors, and congenital diseases make bone repair and regeneration the greatest challenges in orthopedic, craniofacial, and plastic surgeries. The shortage of donors, intrinsic limitations, and complications in transplantation have led to more focus and interest in regenerative medicine. Structures that closely mimic bone tissue can be produced by this unique technology. The steady development of three-dimensional (3D)-printed bone tissue engineering scaffold therapy has played an important role in achieving the desired goal. Bioceramic scaffolds are widely studied and appear to be the most promising solution. In addition, 3D printing technology can simulate mechanical and biological surface properties and print with high precision complex internal and external structures to match their functional properties. Inkjet, extrusion, and light-based 3D printing are among the rapidly advancing bone bioprinting technologies. Furthermore, stem cell therapy has recently shown an important role in this field, although large tissue defects are difficult to fill by injection alone. The combination of 3D-printed bone tissue engineering scaffolds with stem cells has shown very promising results. Therefore, biocompatible artificial tissue engineering with living cells is the key element required for clinical applications where there is a high demand for bone defect repair. Furthermore, the emergence of various advanced manufacturing technologies has made the form of biomaterials and their functions, composition, and structure more diversified, and manifold. The importance of this article lies in that it aims to briefly review the main principles and characteristics of the currently available methods in orthopedic bioprinting technology to prepare bioceramic scaffolds, and finally discuss the challenges and prospects for applications in this promising and vital field

Process Improvement of Wafer Measurement in the Semiconductor Industry

This project is to explore the use of Statistical Process Control (SPC), in particular the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA), to ensure continues improvement in a chemical process. Particular interest in this study is to see how well analytical machines would measure the wafer thickness. EWMA requires that all past information is gathered with more weight given to the most recent data. In conclusion, the data under study reveals that EWMA is an effective way in controlling and detecting whether or not the moving target operates within the process limit and thus, confirm the reliability of the measurements by the machines

Оптимальна абразивна зносостійкість епоксидних композитів, армованих відходами поліетилену (ПЕТ) з використанням конструкції Тагуті і нейронної мережі

The current work presents a study of the tribological properties of composite materials designed based on polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which has an important role in the structures of machines, represented by tribological couplings made of composite polymers. The paper examined the effect of two factors, namely recycled waste heating time (HT) and weight percentage (wt. %), on the improvement of the abrasive wear resistance of micro-filler-reinforced epoxy composites.  The current research aims to develop epoxy composites by improving abrasive wear resistance while ensuring low cost and weight. Improving wear resistance due to the use of epoxy composites to connect joints that operate under conditions without lubrication in various industrial fields will increase their operational life. The signal-to-noise ratio was analyzed to find out the effect of test parameters HT and wt. % on the wear rate of epoxy composites. Using MINITAB 19 software, regression equations were obtained for each variable to compare it with the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) results. Predictive models based on the regression equation and artificial neural network were developed to predict the wear rate of epoxy composites, and to determine which model is more efficient, their results were compared and the most appropriate model with the low error was determined. The results of the current research showed that the wear resistance of epoxy composites reinforced with RCCF improved by 41 % when increasing wt. % and HT, and also showed that the ANN model is more suitable than the regression model for predicting the wear rate of epoxy compositesУ роботі представлено дослідження трибологічних властивостей композитних матеріалів, розроблених на основі поліетилентерефталату (ПЕТ), який відіграє важливу роль у конструкціях машин, представлених трибологічними парами, виготовленими з композитних полімерів. У статті вивчено вплив двох факторів, а саме часу нагрівання перероблених відходів (HT) та масової частки (мас. %), на підвищення абразивної зносостійкості епоксидних композитів, армованих мікронаповнювачем. Метою даного дослідження є розробка епоксидних композитів з підвищеною абразивною зносостійкістю при забезпеченні низької вартості та ваги. Підвищення зносостійкості завдяки використанню епоксидних композитів для з'єднань, що працюють в умовах відсутності мастильного матеріалу в різних галузях промисловості, дозволить збільшити термін їхньої служби. Для визначення впливу параметрів HT та мас. % на швидкість зносу епоксидних композитів було проаналізовано відношення сигнал/шум. За допомогою програмного забезпечення MINITAB 19 були отримані рівняння регресії для кожної змінної для їхнього порівняння з результатами штучної нейронної мережі (ШНМ). Для прогнозування швидкості зносу епоксидних композитів на основі рівняння регресії та штучної нейронної мережі були розроблені прогностичні моделі. Для визначення найбільш ефективної моделі проведено порівняння їхніх результатів та виявлена найбільш підходяща модель з низькою похибкою. Результати дослідження показали поліпшення зносостійкості епоксидних композитів, армованих RCCF, на 41 % при збільшенні мас. % та HT, а також більш високу ефективність моделі ШНМ порівняно з регресійною моделлю для прогнозування швидкості зносу епоксидних композиті

Photodynamic Therapy Using HMME for Port-Wine Stains: Clinical Effectiveness and Sonographic Appearance

This study aims at exploring the clinical efficacy and sonographic changes of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using Hematoporphyrin Monomethyl Ether (HMME) for the treatment of port-wine stains (PWS). Forty-five patients with PWS were recruited between March 2017 and June 2018 from the Department of Dermatology of The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University. Five cases were of the pink type, thirty-nine cases were of the purple-red type, and one case was of the thickened type. All patients received three treatment sessions of PDT. After covering normal skin outside the treated area, patients received an intravenous injection of 5 mg/kg HMME within 20 minutes. The affected areas were exposed to a 532 nm LED light and were kept vertically at a distance of 10 cm. The irradiation energy density was set between 80 and 110 J/cm2 in 15-minute sessions. Intermittent power density adjustment was performed at a rate of 5 mW/cm2, and the treatment was withheld when the endpoint reaction appeared. Three follow-ups were performed before and after treatment, respectively, and the efficacy, thickness, and density of skin before and after treatment were evaluated with high-frequency ultrasound. The overall efficacy rate was 97.78% in forty-five cases after treatment for three sessions. Efficacy was related to age (P=0.029) and lesion severity (P29 years old (P=0.029). A marked decrease in the numbers of distorted enlarged blood vessels per unit of the lesion was observed under high-frequency ultrasound. There were significant differences in skin thickness and skin density before and after treatment (F=14.528, 5.428, P<0.001). The swelling was reported to varying degrees in the treated areas in 23 patients with cheek lesion and in 6 frontal lesions. Hyperpigmentation after inflammation was observed in four patients that faded spontaneously after two months. In conclusion, photodynamic therapy for the treatment of PWS using HMME is effective and safe with few adverse reactions. Moreover, monitoring the changes in skin thickness and density of lesion tissue using high-frequency ultrasound can objectively evaluate the clinical efficacy of HMME photodynamic therapy and provide the basis for the formulation of individualized photodynamic therapy

The Emergence of TRP Channels Interactome as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Integral membrane proteins, known as Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels, are cellular sensors for various physical and chemical stimuli in the nervous system, respiratory airways, colon, pancreas, bladder, skin, cardiovascular system, and eyes. TRP channels with nine subfamilies are classified by sequence similarity, resulting in this superfamily’s tremendous physiological functional diversity. Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common and aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. Moreover, the development of effective treatment methods for pancreatic cancer has been hindered by the lack of understanding of the pathogenesis, partly due to the difficulty in studying human tissue samples. However, scientific research on this topic has witnessed steady development in the past few years in understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie TRP channel disturbance. This brief review summarizes current knowledge of the molecular role of TRP channels in the development and progression of pancreatic ductal carcinoma to identify potential therapeutic interventions

How Did the Pandemic Affect Our Perception of Sustainability? Enlightening the Major Positive Impact on Health and the Environment

Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 virus 2 (COVID-19) virus disease 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on 9 January 2020, the entire world has been exceptionally interested in examining the impact of this pandemic on people and the environment. The pandemic led to unprecedented measures to halt air traffic and close factories due to lockdowns, economic closures, and the stopping of transportation of all kinds. The decline in the use of coal by power plants, oil refining, and steel manufacturing had a beneficial effect on air pollution and caused a decrease in carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, the concept of sustainability has become more prevalent, reflecting the increasing awareness of the responsibility placed on every member of society. Sustainability is the quality and quantity of change that meets our needs without destroying the giving planet, which is the hope for the survival of future generations. We summarized and discussed the studies and research documenting these effects on the environment and health worldwide to come up with objective conclusions, and to draw some recommendations and concepts about the importance of sustainability. The significance of this article lies in that it aims to briefly review some of the positive and negative impacts observed and reported during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on health and the planet’s environment for the duration of April 2020–October 2022, and finally discuss the challenges and prospects to endorse planet sustainability. While COVID-19 had many beneficial effects on the planet’s recovery, there were also profound effects on health due to the disease itself. Government and policymakers must take measures to prevent this environmental healing process from being transient

Classification and Prediction of Bee Honey Indirect Adulteration Using Physiochemical Properties Coupled with K-Means Clustering and Simulated Annealing-Artificial Neural Networks (SA-ANNs)

The higher demand and limited availability of honey led to different forms of honey adulteration. Honey adulteration is either direct by addition of various syrups to natural honey or indirect by feeding honey bees with sugar syrups. Therefore, a need has emerged for reliable and cost-effective quality control methods to detect honey adulteration in order to ensure both safety and quality of honey. In this study, honey is adulterated by feeding honey bees with various proportions of sucrose syrup (0 to 100%). Various physiochemical properties of the adulterated honey are studied including sugar profile, pH, acidity, moisture, and color. The results showed that increasing sucrose syrup in the feed resulted in a decrease in glucose and fructose contents significantly, from 33.4 to 29.1% and 45.2 to 35.9%, respectively. Sucrose content, however, increased significantly from 0.19 to 1.8%. The pH value increased significantly from 3.04 to 4.63 with increase in sucrose feed. Acidity decreased slightly but nonsignificantly with increase in sucrose feed and varied between 7.0 and 4.00 meq/kg for 0% and 100% sucrose, respectively. Honey’s lightness (L value) also increased significantly from 59.3 to 68.84 as sucrose feed increased. Other color parameters were not significantly changed by sucrose feed. K-means clustering is used to classify the level of honey adulteration by using the above physiological properties. The classification results showed that both glucose content and total sugar content provided 100% accurate classification while pH values provided the worst results with 52% classification accuracy. To further predict the percent honey adulteration, simulated annealing coupled with artificial neural networks (SA-ANNs) was used with sugar profile as an input. RBF-ANN was found to provide the best prediction results with SSE = 0.073, RE = 0.021, and overall R2 = 0.992. It is concluded that honey sugar profile can provide an accurate and reliable tool for detecting indirect honey adulteration by sucrose solution