Search Results (29)

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive pregnancy complication. Oxidative stress is hypothesized to contribute to the pathophysiology of PE. Both the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and oxytocin (OT) systems might play a role in the pathophysiology of PE, like their antioxidant and hypotensive effects. Thus, the role of the interaction of the OT and H₂S systems in the context of PE was further elucidated in the present clinical case–control study “NU-HOPE” (Nürnberg-Ulm: The role of H₂S and Oxytocin Receptor in Pre-Eclampsia; ethical approval by the Landesärztekammer Bayern, file number 19033, 29 August 2019), comparing uncomplicated pregnancies, early onset PE (ePE, onset < 34 weeks gestational age) and late onset PE (lPE, onset > 34 weeks gestational age). Routine clinical data, serum H₂S and homocysteine levels, and tissue protein expression, as well as nitrotyrosine formation, were determined. The main findings were (i) unchanged plasma sulfide levels, (ii) significantly elevated homocysteine levels in ePE, but not lPE, (iii) significantly elevated expression of H₂S enzymes and OT receptor in the placenta in lPE, and (iv) significantly elevated nitrotyrosine formation in the lPE myometrium. Taken together, these findings suggest a role for the interaction of the endogenous H₂S- and OT/OTR systems in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, possibly linked to impaired antioxidant protection. Full article

This study presents an enhancement in the prediction of aggressive outbursts in dementia patients from our previous work, by integrating audio-based violence detection into our previous visual-based aggressive body movement detections. By combining audio and visual information, we aim to further enhance the model’s capabilities and make it more suitable for real-world scenario applications. This current work utilizes an audio dataset, containing various audio segments capturing vocal expressions during aggressive and non-aggressive scenarios. Various noise-filtering techniques were performed on the audio files using Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs), frequency filtering, and speech prosody to extract clear information from the audio features. Furthermore, we perform a late fusion rule to merge the predictions of the two models into a unified trained meta-classifier to determine the further improvement of the model with the audio integrated into it with a higher aim for a more precise and multimodal approach in detecting and predicting aggressive outburst behavior in patients suffering from dementia. The analysis of the correlations in our multimodal approach suggests that the accuracy of the early detection models is improved, providing a novel proof of concept with the appropriate findings to advance the understanding of aggression prediction in clinical settings and offer more effective intervention tactics from caregivers. Full article

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in West Africa, but its presentation is poorly understood. In this study, we describe the clinical characteristics of HBV-associated HCC patients in Lagos, Nigeria. Data for all cases were collected at the emergency and gastroenterology units (2017–2019), considering chronic carriers as controls. Clinical data and routine biochemical and radiologic test results were extracted from the files. The serum biomarkers (Osteopontin, AFP-L3, DCP) were investigated. For some cases, the hepatitis B viral load was determined. The mean age of the cases (n = 92) was 41.4 years, compared to 39.9 years for the controls (n = 100). Clinically, 69.5% of cases presented with ascites, 66.3% had nodules occupying >50% of the liver, and 67.4% had moderate hepatic encephalopathy. The mean viral load and the median values of Osteopontin, AFP-L3, and DCP for the cases were significantly higher than for the controls (p < 0.001). The area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity were significantly higher for Osteopontin, compared with DCP and AFP-L3 (p < 0.001). Most HCC patients presented at a late disease stage, when the prognosis is usually poor. Especially Osteopontin seems to have potential for early HCC detection and could possibly complement AFP and abdominal ultrasound scan for risk-group screening. Full article

In the field of musicology, the automatic style classification of compositions such as piano sonatas presents significant challenges because of their intricate structural and temporal characteristics. Traditional approaches often fail to capture the nuanced relationships inherent in musical works. This paper addresses the limitations of traditional neural networks in piano sonata style classification and feature extraction by proposing a novel integration of graph convolutional neural networks (GCNs), graph attention networks (GATs), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to conduct the automatic multi-label classification of piano sonatas. Specifically, the method combines the graph convolution operations of GCNs, the attention mechanism of GATs, and the gating mechanism of LSTMs to perform the graph structure representation, feature extraction, allocation weighting, and coding of time-dependent features of music data layer by layer. The aim is to optimize the representation of the structural and temporal features of musical elements, as well as the dependence between discovery features, so as to improve classification performance. In addition, we utilize MIDI files of several piano sonatas to construct a dataset, spanning the 17th to the 19th centuries (i.e., the late Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods). The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively improves the accuracy of style classification by 15% over baseline schemes. Full article

The Lamiaceae family of medicinal plants holds immense promise in the development of functional foods aimed at preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). These plants are rich in bioactive compounds, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, and terpenoids, which act as potent enzyme inhibitors and exhibit strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antihyperlipidemic properties. Key phenolic compounds, such as rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid, along with flavonoids like luteolin, apigenin, and quercetin, contribute to these health benefits. Essential oils derived from Lamiaceae species have demonstrated diverse biological activities, including vasorelaxant, thrombolytic, and cytotoxic effects, making them valuable in nutraceutical formulations. This study analyzes and investigates global patent trends related to Lamiaceae plants targeting cardiovascular health, focusing on applications in nutraceuticals and functional foods. Using patent databases, we examine the technological landscape, identify leading applicants, and evaluate the geographical distribution of innovations. Our analysis reveals a notable increase in patent filings since the late 1970s, peaking in 2007, indicating a growing interest in leveraging Lamiaceae plants for cardiovascular health. Tianjin Tasly Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. emerges as a leading applicant, reflecting active engagement by pharmaceutical companies alongside independent researchers and organizations. Geographically, China leads patent activity, followed by the United States and Europe, underscoring global interest and market potential. Key International Patent Classification (IPC) codes identified include A61K36/53 (Lamiaceae extracts), A61P9/00 (cardiovascular drugs), and A61P9/10 (treatments of ischemic or atherosclerotic diseases). These findings highlight the therapeutic and commercial relevance of Lamiaceae bioactives, offering insights into their potential in advancing cardiovascular health and shaping the future of the functional food and nutraceutical industries. Full article

This study analyzes the patent landscape of Saudi Arabia from the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030 in late April 2016 to September 2024, utilizing the Patsnap database to evaluate patent grants across various organizations. The findings reveal a gradual increase in patent registrations, with Saudi Aramco leading in patent grants, followed by King Faisal University (KFU), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and King Abdulaziz University (KAU). SABIC, a prominent industry player in Saudi Arabia, has registered most of its patents using its European Head Office address and holds extensive collaborations with international partners, generating numerous patents. The analysis identifies the top patent offices where KSA organizations seek protection, including the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP), European Patent Office (EPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), and the German Patent and Trade Mark Office. However, the limited number of registrations at the SAIP highlights a need for improvement. The primary application domains encompass borehole/well accessories, measurement devices, organic chemistry, computing, and chemical/physical processes. The landscape reveals that Saudi Aramco and KFUPM focus predominantly on upstream and downstream technologies, while KAU, KFU, and KAUST concentrate on life sciences. Key findings indicate a significant increase in patent activity since the vision announcement, suggesting a growing focus on innovation within Saudi Arabia. However, the concentration of patents among a few major players (Saudi Aramco and SABIC) and the underrepresentation of patents filed with the Saudi Authority of Intellectual Property (SAIP) highlight areas for improvement. This study emphasizes the necessity to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and healthcare research institutions to foster broader participation in innovation and protect novel technologies. This research contributes valuable insights into the current state of patenting activities in Saudi Arabia and outlines opportunities for enhancing the country’s innovation ecosystem. Full article

In the late 20th century, computer viruses emerged as powerful malware that resides permanently in target hosts. For a virus to function, it must load into memory from persistent storage, such as a file on a hard drive. Due to the significant destructive potential of viruses, numerous defense measures have been developed to protect computer systems. Among these, antivirus software is one of the most recognized and widely used. Typically, antivirus solutions rely on static analysis (signature-based) technologies to detect infections in files stored on permanent storage devices, such as hard drives or USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drives. However, a new breed of malware, fileless malware, has been designed to evade detection and enhance durability. Fileless malware resides solely in the memory of the target hosts, circumventing traditional antivirus software, which cannot access or analyze processes executed directly from memory. This study proposes the Check-on-Execution (CoE) kernel-based approach to detect fileless malware on Linux systems. CoE intervenes by suspending code execution before a program executes code from a process’s writable and executable memory area. To prevent the execution of fileless malware, CoE extracts the code from memory, packages it with an ELF (Executable and Linkable Format) header to create an ELF file, and uses VirusTotal for analysis. Experimental results demonstrate that CoE significantly enhances a Linux system’s ability to defend against fileless malware. Additionally, CoE effectively protects against shell code injection attacks, including buffer and memory overflows, and can handle packed malware. However, it is important to note that this study focuses exclusively on fileless malware, and further research is needed to address other types of malware. Full article

Background: Candida auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen that represents a current serious threat to healthcare settings. Objective: The objective was to determine the prevalence of C. auris in a Riyadh hospital since its initial detection in late 2019. Methods: Using an adapted risk assessment tool, we reviewed the charts and medical files of all suspected and confirmed cases of C. auris infections reported at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, between November 2019 and December 2022. Anonymized data were retrieved in a pre-established datasheet and analyzed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of C. auris infections in our facility. We analyzed prevalence by age, gender, risk factors, and according to sampling source. Results: Of the 53 confirmed C. auris-positive cases during the study period, 33 (62%) were males. Their ages ranged between 15 and 98, with most positive cases occurring in those aged 50 and above. Only one of the confirmed cases was hospital-acquired. All patients had at least one risk factor, and urine samples yielded the greatest number of positive cases, while admission to healthcare facilities constituted the highest risk in our study. Conclusion: Establishing a local prevalence pattern could serve as a baseline/benchmark to compare with regional and international benchmarks. Full article

Natural fiber composites attract attention owing to their environmentally friendly attributes. Many techniques, including fiber treatment, coatings, and fiber orientations, are used to improve the strength of natural fiber-reinforced composites. Still, the strength needs to be improved as expected. At present, some automation in manufacturing is also supported. Recently, additive manufacturing (AM) of natural fiber-reinforced composites has attracted many researchers around the globe. In this work, researchers’ attention to various natural fibers that are 3D printed is articulated and consolidated, and the future scope of the additive manufacturing of natural fiber-reinforced composite is envisaged using the patent landscape. In addition, some of the advancements in additive manufacturing of natural fiber composites are also discussed with reference to the patents filed lately. This may be helpful for the researchers working on AM of natural fiber composites for taking their research into new orientations. Full article

Testicular cancer is predominantly curable, but the long-term side effects of chemotherapy have a severe impact on life quality. In this research study, we focus on hearing loss as a part of overall chemotherapy-induced ototoxicity. This is a unique approach where we combine clinical data from the acclaimed nationwide Danish Testicular Cancer (DaTeCa)-Late database. Clinical and genetic data on 433 patients were collected from hospital files in October 2014. Hearing loss was classified according to the FACT/GOG-Ntx-11 version 4 self-reported Ntx6. Machine learning models combining a genome-wide association study within a nested cross-validated logistic regression were applied to identify patients at high risk of hearing loss. The model comprising clinical and genetic data identified 67% of the patients with hearing loss; however, this was with a false discovery rate of 49%. For the non-affected patients, the model identified 66% of the patients with a false omission rate of 19%. An area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC-AUC) curve of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.71–0.74) was obtained, and the model suggests genes SOD2 and MGST3 as important in improving prediction over the clinical-only model with a ROC-AUC of 0.66 (95% CI, 0.65–0.66). Such prediction models may be used to allow earlier detection and prevention of hearing loss. We suggest a possible biological mechanism for cisplatin-induced hearing loss development. On confirmation in larger studies, such models can help balance treatment in clinical practice. Full article

Traditional hand instrumentation is a commonly used technique to perform pulpectomy in deciduous teeth by most specialists in pedodontics. Lately, dentists have embraced rotary instrumentation as a safe and effective alternative. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of root canal preparation in extracted primary molars between manual and two rotary file systems using micro-CT. Thirty-six extracted human second primary mandibular molars were divided into three groups according to the instrumentation method: (1) Manually instrumented (MI) group (n = 9) in which the teeth were treated using K-files up to size 30; (2) Kedo-Ssystem (KS) group (n = 9); (3) ProTaper Gold system (PTG) group (n = 10) and control group (n-8). Each tooth was scanned before and after the retrograde root canal preparation. Residual dentin volume was calculated using micro-CT scans to evaluate the technique’s efficacy. Additionally, the preparation time and procedural errors were recorded for each tooth preparation. A one-way ANOVA test was carried out to compare the groups’ dentin volume and preparation time. The mean preparation time using the manual method (13.14 min) was more than two times longer than that of the rotary techniques (4.62 min and 6.45 min). The manual preparation method using a K-file removed almost half the root canal material when compared with the rotor method (p = 0.025). Conclusion: our results suggest that rotary instrumentation is more efficient for root canal preparation in primary teeth than the traditional manual method. This finding may call for a paradigm shift in current clinical practices, where manual instrumentation is still commonly preferred. Full article

Microneedle design for biomedical applications, such as transdermal drug delivery, vaccination and transdermal biosensing, has lately become a rapidly growing research field. In this sense, finite element analysis has been extendedly used by microneedle designers to determine the most suitable structural parameters for their prototypes, and also to predict their mechanical response and efficiency during the insertion process. Although many proposals include computer-aided tools to build geometrical models for mechanical analysis, there is a lack of software utilities intended to automate the design process encompassing geometrical modeling, simulation setup and postprocessing of results. This work proposes a novel MATLAB-based design tool for microneedle arrays that permits personalized selection of the basic characteristics of a mechanical model. The tool automatically exports the selected options to an ANSYS batch file, including instructions to run a static and a linear buckling analysis. Later, the subsequent simulation results can be retrieved for on-screen display and potential postprocessing. In addition, this work reviews recent proposals (2018–2022) about finite element model characterization of microneedles to establish the minimum set of features that any tool intended for automating a design process should provide. Full article

In late April 2022, while listening to audio files from an unsupervised bioacoustic assessment of the shearwater populations (Aves, Procellariiformes) on the coast of Pantelleria island (Sicily, Italy), a cricket song of unknown attribution was heard. The first bioacoustic analyses, including FFT-based spectrograms and sound pressure envelopes, confirmed that it could not be attributed to the known sound of any Italian nor Mediterranean species of cricket. In the ensuing weeks, field research at the original station and further localities on the southern coast of Pantelleria provided photographs, living specimens, and further audio records. As soon as the photos were shared among the authors, it became clear the species belonged to the genus Acheta. Further bioacoustic analyses and morphological comparison with type specimens of Mediterranean and North-African congenerics in relevant collections and the scientific literature were conducted: they confirmed that the findings could only be attributed to a still undescribed species that escaped detection due to its impervious and unfrequented habitat. Acheta pantescus n. sp. is apparently restricted to the effusive coastal cliffs of the island of Pantelleria, a habitat whose scant extension and vulnerability require environmental protection actions such as the inclusion in a special Red List by the IUCN Italian Committee. Full article

This paper investigates the association between private firms’ timeliness of financial reporting and financial health by exploring firms’ reporting behaviour over a longer period of time (9 years). We show that 9% of all firms are consistently late every year and find significant differences in the association between firms’ financial health and late filing depending on their past filing behaviour. We find a negative association between firms’ financial health and late filing. However, our research also shows the opposite (i.e., positive) association for firms who were late consistently. Our results suggest that other motivations besides obfuscating bad performance might cause firms to delay the disclosure of their financial statements. Full article

The potential link between antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants with excess cancer deaths (CD) was reported first for prasugrel (TRITON, DAPT), clopidogrel (DAPT), vorapaxar (TRACER), apixaban (APPRAISE-2), and later ticagrelor (PEGASUS). However, verified CD in the ticagrelor indication-seeking PLATO were not public. We obtained the complete list of deaths and their primary causes in PLATO, matched that dataset against local site records, and analyzed the patterns of CD reporting. The FDA-issued spreadsheet contains 31 precisely detailed CD (PLATO code 12-3). We obtained local site evidence for four CD and matched them with FDA-reported. We also assessed the patterns of how CD were reported among non-vascular death database column “S” by scrolling the FDA Excel file down among 938 PLATO entries. Clopidogrel CD (n = 17) were reported exclusively by sponsor, while independent CRO’s reported only ticagrelor CD (3 out of 14 PLATO total). Among four matched verified outcomes, one ticagrelor CD was correct, second ticagrelor CD was unreported, and two (ticagrelor and clopidogrel) CD were reported inaccurately. Of the remaining 16 clopidogrel CD six were reported as three separate next in line paired entries in Denmark (236–237), Poland (597–598), Romania (679–680), and as two more fatalities in South Africa (786) and Spain (789), while patients 787 and 788 received ticagrelor out of 938 records suggesting possible late addition of incorrect clopidogrel CD reports. We conclude that some CD were misreported in PLATO, favoring ticagrelor. Such mismatch may require reevaluation of this critical outcome in the trial focusing on the exact death cause reported by site investigators. Full article