Association of Measures of Muscle Density and SNPs in Homologs of Muscle Function Genes in C.elegans

Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with aging, has a crucial role in development of frailty. Although sarcopenia and other muscle-related traits are heritable, the underlying genetic variation contributing to the development of sarcopenia is unclear. Our aim was to assess whether there is a relationship between >700 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) total in 27 genes (14 genes identified from C. elegans and 13 genes in the mevalonate and ubiquinone pathways) and six traits related to sarcopenia using data from the HealthABC cohort. No SNPs were statistically significant at the experiment-wide p-value (p< 0.00001). SNPs in the locus MAGOHB were associated with THIMF, THMUSD, and TOTPF in European Americans, whereas SNPs in CYP3A5 were associated with these traits in African Americans (p<0.01 for all). Furthermore, SNPs in GOLGA4 (P<0.01) and RALGABP (P<0.001) were associated with TOTPF in African Americans, and SNPs in RALGABP were also associated with THIMF and TOTLEAN in African Americans. The results indicate that variation in some genes related to development of muscle-wasting in an animal model, C.elegans, may have pleiotropic effects on traits related to sarcopenia in older men and women. Keywords: Sarcopenia, C.elegans, association, Health ABC

In Silico Approach to Identify the Relationships between COVID-19 and Coronary Artery Disease/Rheumatoid Arthritis

Global public has been threatened by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which led to nearly 15 million deaths around the world. People with complex and chronic diseases usually have more severe COVID-19 symptoms than the general population. Mounting evidence indicates individuals with coronary artery disease (CAD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have worse COVID-19 outcomes yet the underlying mechanism still needs to be explored. The aim of our study is to reveal in silico evidence for the molecular mechanisms shared by COVID-19, CAD and RA pathogenesis which may aggravate the COVID-19 disease severity. Public datasets (GSE164805 and GSE23561) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed for differential expression analysis (DEG). Identified differential expressed genes (DEGs) were further analyzed to find common DEGs, common pathways, hub genes, transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). Our study identified common hub genes, miRNAs, TFs and shared mechanisms in both mild and severe COVID-19-CAD patients and mild and severe COVID-19-RA patients. We also uncovered that mild and severe forms of COVID-19 differ in potential biomarkers, mechanisms, miRNAs and TFs in both CAD and RA patients. Our study is the first study investigating the potential shared mechanisms, biomarkers, TFs and miRNAs between COVID-19 and CAD patients and COVID-19 and RA patients. Our results could shed on light to the patient management strategies with CAD with COVID-19 and patients with RA with COVID-19 based on the severity of the COVID-19 disease. © 2023 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY NC) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Bioinformatics analysis of molecular pathways and key candidate biomarkers associated with human bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) micro-array gene expression data

An identification of the molecular properties of glioma stem cells (GSCs) has led studies in clinical use, stem cell identification, and highly-effective usage. The GSE32719 contains a total expression of 54,676 genes of healthy human bone marrow HSCs in 14 young (20–31 years), 5 middle (42–61 years), and a lot of old (65–85 years) age groups. The researchers of this study described age-related changes in the human HSC population, using the gene expression profile of significance analysis to discover differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between each age group. The DEGs were subjected to significantly enriched biological processing that decoded the increase and functional decline in the HSC population. The GSE dataset analysis was conducted by the GEOquery package in Bioconductor. Using the Biobase and gplots packages, 453 DEGs were screened. DEGs analyses were conducted by gene ontology (GO) pathway enrichment and Kyoto Encylopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The Hippo signaling pathway was observed to be significant using the GO pathway enrichment analysis, which was previously reported as an effective pathway in cancers, including AML. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed; then based on that, a subnetwork module analysis for the Hippo signaling pathway was made. Additionally, the GO pathway enrichment analysis revealed ‘cellular process’, ‘cellular metabolic process’, ‘metabolic process’, ‘biogenesis’, and ‘vasculogenesis biological processes’, which are involved in a wide of biological activities such as metabolic regulation, cell growth, and proliferation. Our findings offer silico evidence for candidate genes, such as the UBC, PTK2, and TCF7L2, that may be promising biomarkers for the translation approach associated with HSC population age-related diseases. © 2022 Elsevier B.V

Attitudes towards work in Educational Institutions

The current study aims to evaluate employees’ attitudes towards work in educational institutions. An attitude scale was developed in order to reach the researchs ub-purposes. The scale was administered to the selected sample to obtain the research findings. Survey model, a quantitative Research method, was used within the current research. The Research population consists of Education employees working in schools under department of education in the town of Corlu, city of Tekirdag. 312 administrators, 1878 teachingand 480 supportive staff worked in 98 schools in the town of Corlu when the Research was conducted. 215 participants within the research sample were selected through non-proportional quota sampling among the teachers working in schools in the town. A scale to measure attitudes toward work was used as the data collection tool within the research. Some statistical analyses were needed in order to define the Research sub-dimensions. SPSS 21 software package was used to analyze the data. One-way variance analysis (ANOVA), t-test, Tukey, and LCD tests were used in the analyses. Employees considered their works in five different dimensions. When employees’ attitudes toward work are examined based on their demographic characteristics, it is seen that employees’ age,  genders and seniority were a significant factors defining their attitudes toward work. The employees’ attitudes toward work at educational institutions were examined in the current study. The five dimensions defined within the research results must be considered significant for employees at educational institutions and some incentives must be activated

In silico analysis of pulmonary arterial hypertension to identify key biomarkers at protein and RNA levels

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic cardiopulmonary disorder marked by a raised hypertension in the pulmonary arteries. There is no remedy for PAH, existing medications can help reduce the disease’s progression. This research aimed to investigate potential protein and RNA biomarkers of PAH by bioinformatic analysis. Two PAH datasets accessed from the publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database were used to discover differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses for common DEGs were conducted by the DAVID tool. Cytoscape was used to create the protein-protein interaction (PPI) and pick the top 10 hub genes. The transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) that target DEGs and hub genes were investigated using the JASPAR database. Potential therapeutics that target the top hub genes have been discovered. Ten hub genes were discovered to be linked to the pathogenesis of PAH (CCL5, TLR4, TLR1, SPP1, CYBB, HGF, IGF1, SELL, CD163, and POSTN). “Positive regulation of tumor necrosis factor biosynthetic process” and a “toll-like receptor signaling pathway” are the most enriched GO term and KEGG pathway, respectively. “hsa-mir-26b-5p, hsa-mir-146a-5p, hsa-mir-335-5p” and FOXC1, YY1, GATA2 are the top TFs targeting hub genes. 21 drugs targeting ten hub genes have been discovered. Our results would help to discover the pathogenesis of PAH and hub genes, miRNAs and 10 TFs that might serve as potential therapeutic targets at protein and RNA levels for PAH patients

The Effect of Gaussian Noise on Maximum Likelihood Fitting of Gompertz and Weibull Mortality Models with Yeast Lifespan Data

Akcay, Sevinc/0000-0003-4233-0799; Qin, Hong/0000-0002-1060-6722WOS: 000462836300005PubMed: 30849020Background/study context: Empirical lifespan data sets are often studied with the best-fitted mathematical model for aging. Here, we studied how experimental noises can influence the determination of the best-fitted aging model. We investigated the influence of Gaussian white noise in lifespan data sets on the fitting outcomes of two-parameter Gompertz and Weibull mortality models, commonly adopted in aging research. Methods: To un-equivocally demonstrate the effect of Gaussian white noises, we simulated lifespans based on Gompertz and Weibull models with added white noises. To gauge the influence of white noise on model fitting, we defined a single index, , for the difference between the maximal log-likelihoods of the Weibull and Gompertz model fittings. We then applied the approach using experimental replicative lifespan data sets for the laboratory BY4741 and BY4742 wildtype reference strains. Results: We systematically evaluated how Gaussian white noise can influence the maximal likelihood-based comparison of the Gompertz and Weibull models. Our comparative study showed that the Weibull model is generally more tolerant to Gaussian white noise than the Gompertz model. The effect of noise on model fitting is also sensitive to model parameters. Conclusion: Our study shows that Gaussian white noise can influence the fitting of an aging model for yeast replicative lifespans. Given that yeast replicative lifespans are hard to measure and are often pooled from different experiments, our study highlights that interpreting model fitting results should take experimental procedure variation into account, and the best fitting model may not necessarily offer more biological insights.University of Tennessee at Chattanooga start-up fund; National Science FoundationNational Science Foundation (NSF) [1453078, 1720215]This study was partially supported by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga start-up fund and by the National Science Foundation Award #1453078 (transferred to #1720215)

Non-negative matrix factorization and differential expression analyses identify hub genes linked to progression and prognosis of glioblastoma multiforme

One of the most prevailing primary brain tumors in adult human male is glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), which is categorized by rapid cellular growth. Even though the combination therapy comprises surgery, chemotherapy, and adjuvant therapies, the survival rate, on average, is 14.6 months. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) have key roles in tumorigenesis, progression, and defiance against chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In our study, firstly, the gene expression dataset GSE124145 was retrieved; the non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) method was applied on GBM dataset, and differentially expressed genes analysis (DEGs) was performed. After which, overlapping genes between metagenes and DEGs were detected to examine the Gene Ontology (GO) categories in the biological process (BP) in the stemness of GBM. The common hub genes were used to construct protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and further GO, while Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway was utilized to pinpoint the real hub genes. The analysis of hub genes particular for the same GO categories demonstrated that specific hub genes triggered distinct features of the same biological processes. After utilizing GSE124145 and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset for survival analysis, we screened five real hub genes: GUCA1A, RFC2, GNG11, MMP19, and NRG1, which are strongly associated with the progression and prognosis of GBM. The DEGs analysis revealed that all real hub genes were overexpressed in GBM and TCGA datasets, which further validates our results. The constructed study of PPI, GO, and KEGG pathway on common hub genes was performed. Finally, the KEGG pathways performed on the top 15 candidate hub genes (including six real hub genes) of the PPI network in the GBM gene expression dataset study found mitogen-activated protein kinase (Mapk) signaling pathway to be the most significant pathway. The rest of the hub genes reviewed throughout the analysis might be favorable targets for diagnosing and treating GBM and lower-grade gliomas

Anxiety Levels and Needs of Fathers of Children Hospitalized in Pediatric Surgery Intensive Care Units

Aim: the purpose of this study was to determine the anxiety levels and needs of those fathers whose children were hospitalized in a pediatric surgery intensive care unit. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the fathers of children hospitalized in a pediatric surgery intensive care unit in 2016/2017 by using the critical care family needs inventory (CCFNI), and State and Trait Anxiety scale. Setting: Turkey, a university hospital. Results: This study included 113 fathers. the fathers’ mean age was 36.6±6.31 years. There was a weak positive correlation between the scores the fathers obtained from the State Anxiety scale and the CCFNI. There was a difference between the fathers’ intensive care needs in terms of their education levels. While ‘‘feeling that hospital personnel are attentive to the patient’’ was important for 92% of the fathers, ‘‘being sure that as much care as possible is given” was important for 88.5% and ‘‘being informed about the patient at least once a day’’ was important for 85.8%. Conclusion: the anxieties and needs of the fathers of the patients staying in a pediatric surgery intensive care unit were high, particularly in those with a low educational level. Health professionals should be aware of the fathers’ feelings, needs and stressors so that they can provide interventions specific to fathers

Skip metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer: does it affect the prognosis?

Amaç: Bu çalışmada küçük hücreli dışı akciğer kanseri nedeni ile rezeksiyon yapılan hastalarda skip metastazları incelendi.Ça lış ma pla nı: Kliniğimizde Ocak 2005 - Aralık 2011 tarihleri arasında küçük hücreli dışı akciğer kanseri tanısı konan ve R0 akciğer rezeksiyonu örneklerinin patolojik incelemesi sonucunda aynı taraf mediastinal lenf nodu metastazı saptanan toplam 111 hasta (94 erkek, 17 kadın; ort. yaş: 58.9±10.2 yıl; dağılım 35-82 yıl) retrospektif olarak incelendi. Hastalar skip metastazlı grup (sN2) (grup 1, n=55) [N1(-), N2(+)] ve skip metastazı olmayan aynı taraf mediastinal lenf nodu metastazlı grup (nsN2) (grup 2, n=56) [N1(+), N2(+)] olmak üzere iki gruba ayrıldı.Bul gu lar: Her iki çalışma grubunda medyan sağkalım 25 ay olup, beş yıllık genel sağkalım oranı %13 idi. Beş yıllık genel sağkalım oranı grup 2'ye kıyasla grup 1'de daha yüksek olmakla birlikte (sırasıyla %7.4'e karşın %20), fark istatistiksel olarak anlamlı değildi (p=0.084).So nuç: Çalışma sonuçlarımız istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark olmasa da skip metastazı olmayan hastalara kıyasla, skip metastazlı ameliyat edilebilir hastalarda beş yıllık genel sağkalım oranının daha yüksek olduğunu göstermektedir.Background: This study aims to examine skip metastases in patients who had resection due to non-small cell lung cancer.Methods: A total of 111 patients (94 males, 17 females; mean age: 58.9±10.2 years; range 35 to 82 years) who were diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer and in whom an ipsilateral mediastinal lymph node metastasis was detected based on the pathological examination of the R0 pulmonary resection samples between January 2005 and December 2011 in our clinic were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: the skip metastasis group (sN2) (group 1, n=55) [N1(-), N2(+)] and non-skip ipsilateral mediastinal lymph node metastasis group (nsN2) (group 2, n=56) [N1(+), N2(+)].Results: The median survival was 25 months and fiveyear overall survival rate was 13% for both study groups. Five-year overall survival rate was higher in group 1, compared to group 2 (20% vs. 7.4%, respectively), although the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.084).Conclusion: Our study results show that five-year overall survival rates of operable patients with skip metastases are higher than those without skip metastases, although the difference is not statistically significant