OBJECTIVE: Recently, the Turiyam set was introduced as an extension of the neutrosophic set to handle the uncertainty data set beyond its truth, indeterminacy and falsity values. This article introduced the Cartesian product of Turiyam sets and Turiyam relations. Further, we defined operations on Turiyam relations as well as discussed the inverse and types of Turiyam relations. RESULTS: The Cartesian product of Turiyam sets, Turiyam relations, inverse Turiyam relation and types of Turiyam relations are stated and their properties are derived. Furthermore, examples are given to clarify some concepts.

OBJECTIVE: Using the novel imaging method of high-speed modified photoplethysmography we measured the retinal venous pulse wave velocity in a single case. RESULTS: A healthy 30-year-old subject underwent high-speed modified photoplethysmography (120 frames per second) with simultaneous ophthalmodynamometry at 26 Meditron units. A video of the optic nerve was analyzed using custom software. A harmonic regression model was fitted to each pixel in the time series and used to quantify the retinal vascular pulse wave parameters. Retinal venous pulsation at the optic disc was observed as a complex dynamic wall motion, whereas contraction commenced at a point in the vein at the center of the optic disc, and progressed centrifugally. The empirically estimated retinal venous pulse wave velocity at this segment was approximately 22.24694 mm/s. This measurement provides an estimate for future studies in the field.

OBJECTIVE: Left atrial volume index (LAVI) by echocardiography can be challenging and its accuracy is highly dependent on image quality. Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CTA) can overcome echocardiographic LAVI measurement challenges; however, data are limited. Therefore, we evaluated the reproducibility of LAVI by CTA, its correlation to echocardiography, and its association with recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in this retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent CTA prior to PVI. LAVI was measured by CTA and echocardiography using the area length method. RESULTS: 74 patients had echocardiography and CTA within 6 months and were included in this study. The interobserver variability of LAVI measured by CTA was low (1.2%). CTA correlated with echocardiography but found larger LAVI values by a factor of 1.6. Also, LAVI cut off of ≥ 55 ml/m2 measured by CTA correlated with recurrent AF after PVI (adjusted Odds Ratio 3.47, p = 0.033).

OBJECTIVE: A centrifugation-assisted peptide-mediated gene transfer (CAPT) method was recently developed as an efficient system for gene delivery into plant cells. However, the gene transfer efficiency of CAPT into plant cells was not entirely satisfactory for detecting transient expression of a transgene driven into mitochondria. Here, we report a new gene delivery system using a method called particle bombardment-assisted peptide-mediated gene transfer (PBPT). RESULTS: We investigated various parameters of the PBPT method to increase transient gene expression efficiency in Brassica campestris. The optimal conditions for PBPT were a single bombardment with gold particles coated with a DNA‒peptide complex (6 µg of DNA and 2 µg of peptide) at an acceleration pressure of 5 kg/cm2 and a target distance of 12.5 cm. Moreover, bombardment under the optimal conditions successfully transferred the transgene into the cells of other plant species, namely B. juncea and tomato. Thus, we developed a PBPT method for highly efficient delivery of a DNA‒peptide complex into plant mitochondria.

OBJECTIVE: To re-explore the responsiveness of the Persian version of Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12p) to physiotherapy intervention and determine the minimally clinically important change (MCIC). This study followed a prospective cohort design. Patients with MS (PwMS) underwent physiotherapy treatment for 10 sessions. The outcome measures were the MSWS-12p and Timed 25-Foot Walk test (T25-FW). Data was collected before and after ten sessions of physiotherapy. The effect sizes and the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) and MCIC were calculated. RESULTS: Thirty PwMS (16 female, mean age 43.07 years) participated in the study. The effect sizes for MSWS-12p were moderate (0.52, 0.64). The change scores of MSWS-12p showed excellent correlation with the dichotomized smallest detectable change (SDC) criterion (Eta coefficient test = 0.84). There was no correlation between the MSWS-12p total change scores and the T25-FW (r = - 0.14, p = 0.45). The AUC was perfect and the MCIC for the MSWS-12p was calculated 10.0 points. The MSWS-12p is responsive and demonstrates changes after physiotherapy. Changes > 10.0 points on MSWS-12p total score should be considered as true improvement after physiotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the efficacy of flipped approach on the nurses' knowledge and motivation regarding critical respiratory care during the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: This pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study was performed in a hospital affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences during March-December 2021. One hundred and twenty eligible nurses selected by convenience sampling underwent a seven-day flipped approach respiratory intensive care training. The nurses' motivation and knowledge were evaluated using the Students' Motivation Towards Science Learning (SMTSL) and a 20-researcher-made four-option questionnaire before and two weeks after the intervention, for knowledge assessment respectively. The nurses' knowledge and learning motivation were significantly higher after the intervention (P < 0.001). The flipped approach can improve learning motivation and nurses' knowledge of critical respiratory care.

This special issue focuses on the importance of advancing research techniques for managing and analyzing data in today's data-rich landscape. In this editorial, we set the context and invite contributions for a BMC Collection of articles titled 'Advancing methods in data capture, integration, classification and liberation'. The collection emphasizes the need for efficient ways to standardize, cleanse, integrate, enrich, and liberate data, highlighting recent advancements in research methods and industrial technologies that facilitate this. We invite researchers to submit their best work to the collection and to showcase the latest advancements and additions to research techniques.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the proportion of air travelers who may have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival to Colorado by comparing data on Colorado residents screened upon entering the US to COVID-19 cases reported in the state. Data on Colorado's screened passengers arriving into the US between January 17 and July 30, 2020 were compared to Colorado's Electronic Disease Reporting System. We conducted a descriptive analysis of true matches, including age, gender, case status, symptom status, time from arrival to symptom onset (days), and time from arrival to specimen collection date (days). RESULTS: Fourteen confirmed COVID-19 cases in travelers who were diagnosed within 14 days after arriving in Colorado were matched to the 8,272 travelers who underwent screening at 15 designated airports with a recorded destination of Colorado, or 0.2%. Most (N = 13/14 or 93%) of these infected travelers arrived in Colorado in March 2020; 12 (86%) of them were symptomatic. Entry screening for COVID-19 and the sharing of traveler information with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment appeared to identify few cases early in the pandemic. Symptom-based entry screening and sharing of traveler information was minimally effective at decreasing travel-associated COVID-19 transmission.

OBJECTIVE: Sunlight and vitamin D intake are considered as essential elements for human health. Insufficient intake of this vitamin is one of the causes of various cancers and some other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between bladder, prostate, cervical and ovarian cancers with solar ultraviolet exposure in Iran. In this ecological study, data from 30 provinces were studied and analyzed by correlation and linear regression tests in SPSS software version 22. Physical activity, gender, human development index, lung cancer and altitude were adjusted at population level. RESULTS: The incidence of bladder cancer in both sexes was inversely related to ultraviolet radiation, but it was significant only in men. Unlike bladder cancer, the incidence of cervical cancer showed a positive relation with ultraviolet radiation. No relation was found between the incidence of prostate and ovarian cancers with ultraviolet radiation. Among the adjusting variables, the incidence of lung cancer (surrogate for smoking) in women had the highest coefficient in the linear regression model.

OBJECTIVE: Comprehensive and reliable genome-wide variant analysis of a small number of cells has been challenging due to genome coverage bias, PCR over-cycling, and the requirement of expensive technologies. To comprehensively identify genome alterations in single colon crypts that reflect genome heterogeneity of stem cells, we developed a method to construct whole-genome sequencing libraries from single colon crypts without DNA extraction, whole-genome amplification, or increased PCR enrichment cycles. RESULTS: We present post-alignment statistics of 81 single-crypts (each contains four- to eight-fold less DNA than the requirement of conventional methods) and 16 bulk-tissue libraries to demonstrate the consistent success in obtaining reliable coverage, both in depth (≥ 30X) and breadth (≥ 92% of the genome covered at ≥ 10X depth), of the human genome. These single-crypt libraries are of comparable quality as libraries generated with the conventional method using high quality and quantities of purified DNA. Conceivably, our method can be applied to small biopsy samples from many tissues and can be combined with single cell targeted sequencing to comprehensively profile cancer genomes and their evolution. The broad potential application of this method offers expanded possibilities in cost-effectively examining genome heterogeneity in small numbers of cells at high resolution.

OBJECTIVES: Primary health care builds the backbone of an effective healthcare system and can improve population health, reduce cost growth, and lessen inequality. We offer a machine-readable and open-access dataset on primary health care coverage in Brazil from 1998 to 2020. This dataset is interoperable with epidemiological data from two major studies and reusable by the research community worldwide for other purposes, such as monitoring progress toward universal health coverage and studying the association between primary health care and health outcomes. DATA DESCRIPTION: The dataset gathers official and public information from the "e-Gestor AB" platform of the Ministry of Health of Brazil and restricted data obtained by the Brazilian Access to Information Law. It includes 1,509,870 observations and 35 attributes aggregated by months/years and policy-relevant geographic units (country, macroregions, states, municipalities, and capitals) on primary health care team count and their absolute and relative population coverage estimates, information on the More Doctors Program implementation and physician counts, and spatial, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics. We automated all data processing and curation in the free and open software R. The codes can be audited, replicated, and reused to produce alternative analyses.

OBJECTIVE: The toxicology of herbicides, which are currently in use is under-explored. One highly used but under investigated herbicide is pendimethalin. Here we mined high-throughput data from the US National Toxicology Program (NTP) to identify whether pendimethalin possesses an estrogenic capability in human cells. We also evaluated effects of pendimethalin and its reference commercial formulated herbicide Stomp Aqua on the transcriptome profile of three human mammary epithelial cell lines, cancerous MCF-7 and non-cancerous MCF-10 A and MCF-12 A to see whether this compound could have endocrine disrupting effects and if co-formulants present in the commercial formulation could amplify its toxicity. RESULTS: The data mined from the US NTP database suggests that pendimethalin activates estrogen receptors at a concentration of approximately 10?M. MCF-7, MCF-10A and MCF-12A cells were exposed to 10 ?M pendimethalin and Stomp Aqua at an equivalent concentration. Transcriptome analysis showed changes in gene expression patterns implying that pendimethalin affected ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis and the function of the spliceosome. The formulated pendimethalin product Stomp Aqua gave comparable effects suggesting pendimethalin was responsible for the observed transcriptome alterations. Given the lack of information on the exposure to this pesticide, our study prompts the need for biomonitoring studies, especially under occupational use scenarios, to understand if low level exposure to pendimethalin could have endocrine disrupting effects on populations exposed to this compound. A deeper understanding of the exposure and mechanisms of action of this endocrine-disrupting pesticide is needed.

OBJECTIVES: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive disease with grim prognosis due to lack of effective treatment options. Disease prediction in association with early diagnosis may both contribute to improved MPM survival. Inflammation and autophagy are two processes associated with asbestos-induced transformation. We evaluated the level of two autophagic factors ATG5 and HMGB1, microRNAs (miRNAs) such as miR-126 and miR-222, and the specific biomarker of MPM, soluble mesothelin related proteins (Mesothelin) in asbestos-exposed individuals, MPM patients, and healthy subjects. The performance of these markers in detecting MPM was investigated in pre-diagnostic samples of asbestos-subjects who developed MPM during the follow-up and compared for the three groups. RESULTS: The ATG5 best distinguished the asbestos-exposed subjects with and without MPM, while miR-126 and Mesothelin were found as a significant prognostic biomarker for MPM. ATG5 has been identified as an asbestos-related biomarker that can help to detect MPM with high sensitivity and specificity in pre-diagnostic samples for up to two years before diagnosis. To utilize this approach practically, higher number of cases has to be tested in order to give the combination of the two markers sufficient statistical power. Performance of the biomarkers should be confirmed by testing their combination in an independent cohort with pre-diagnostic samples.

OBJECTIVE: Knowledge-based preparedness for surgery is achieved through education. It is unclear which of brief or extended education programs prior to knee or hip arthroplasty provides better patient preparedness. Using the Patient Preparedness for Surgery survey, we investigated whether people awaiting arthroplasty attending a hospital that provided education over multiple visits via a pre-surgery management program ('Extended') report superior preparedness compared to those attending a hospital in the same health district that only provides education at the pre-admission clinic assessment ('Brief'). RESULTS: A consecutive sample of 128 people (n = 101, 'Extended', n = 27 'Brief') completed the anonymized survey. COVID-19 related service disruptions undermined the sample size, reducing statistical power. The pre-specified superiority of the Extended program (a relative 20% more reporting 'agree'/'strongly agree') was not observed for 'Overall preparedness' [95% (Extended) vs. 89% (Brief), p = 0.36]. Between-group differences exceeding 20% relative superiority were observed for three preparedness sub-domains ['Alternatives explained' (52 vs. 33%, p = 0.09); 'Prepared for home' (85 vs. 57%, p < 0.01); 'Recall of complications' (42 vs 26%, p = 0.14)]. The preliminary findings suggest an extended education program potentially yields better patient-reported preparedness in some preparedness sub-domains, but not all.

OBJECTIVES: Artistic gymnastics is a sport where most athletes start at an early age and training volumes are high. Hence, overuse and acute injuries are frequent due to the load endured during landing tasks. During landing, the ground reaction force (GRF) is up to 15.8 times the body weight and therefore reliable GRF measurements are crucial. The gold standard for GRF measurements are force plates. As force plates are mostly used in a constrained laboratory environment, it is difficult to measure the GRF in representative training settings. Textile insoles (novel GmbH, Munich, Germany) exist, which can be used to measure dynamic GRF. Hence, the motivation of this study is to test the validity and reliability of these insoles during landing tasks. GRF was measured during four different exercises, in two test subjects and compared to concurrent force plate data. RESULTS: Twelve out of 16 statistical parametric mapping plots showed no significant difference between the measured force curves of insoles and force plates. Across conditions, the root mean square error of the maximal vertical GRF was 21 N/kg and an impulse 0.4 Ns/kg. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 2,1) ranged from 0.02 to 0.76 for maximal vertical GRF and from - 0.34 to 0.76 for impulse. The insoles are a valid measurement tool for GRF curve progression and impulse during landing but underestimate the maximal vertical GRF.

OBJECTIVE: Two main fungal leaf spot diseases occur in peanut, namely early leaf spot (ELS) and late leaf spot (LLS), these cause a yearly average of $44 million losses. Limited genetic information, 3534 bp of sequencing, exists about the causal agent of LLS, Cercosporidium personatum (syn. Nothopassalora personata, syn. Phaeoisariopsis personata). The extremely slow growth of this fungus, approximately 1 cm colony in 6 months, and challenges in nucleic acid extractions have hindered research on LLS. Our goal in this work is to provide a reference genome for research on this pathogen. RESULTS: Whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of the LLS fungus were obtained. A total of 233,542,110 reads of the genome were de novo assembled resulting in 1061 scaffolds, and estimated genome size 27,597,787 bp. RNA sequencing resulted in 11,848,198 reads that were de novo assembled into 13,343 contigs. Genome annotation resulted in 10,703 putative genes. BUSCO analysis of the genome and annotation resulted in 91.1% and 89.5% completeness, respectively. Phylogenetic dendrograms for 5442 bp and 4401 bp of RNA Polymerase II largest and second largest subunits, and for 5474 bp of the ribosomal RNA cistron of C. personatum are presented in relation to closely related fungi.

OBJECTIVE: Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-type lectins (Siglecs) are commonly present on immune cells and often mediate cell-to-cell interactions and signaling. Studies have shown the presence of Siglecs 1, 2, 5, 6, 10 and 14 on human spermatozoa. To the best of our knowledge, the expression of CD33 on spermatozoa has not yet been studied. Semen samples were collected from 25 healthy men with normal semen status. CD33 expression on purified spermatozoa was evaluated by flow cytometry methods. RESULTS: The results demonstrate the expression of CD33 on the surface of purified spermatozoa. The mean (± SD) of MFI (mean fluorescence intensity) was 12.85 (± 1.33) and the mean percentage of spermatozoa that express CD33 was 73.75 (± 3.75). Results were obtained showing that spermatozoa express CD33 (or Siglec-3) on their surface. The physiological role of these molecules on spermatozoa remains to be determined. It is recommended that further research be undertaken regarding the role of Siglecs (such as CD33) on spermatozoa apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the transcriptional profiles of the pir multigene family of Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi in male and female gametocytes isolated from the blood of infected mice. RESULTS: Infected red blood cells containing female and male P. chabaudi gametocytes transcribe a distinct set of genes encoded by the multigene family pir. The overall patterns are similar to what has been observed in the close relative P. berghei, but here we show that gametocyte-associated pir genes are distinct from those involved in chronic blood-stage infection and highlight a male-associated pir gene which should be the focus of future studies.

OBJECTIVE: A Delta-Notch signaling component, Notch1, is involved in the normal development and multiple disorders of the kidney. Although the increase in Notch1 signaling is crucial to these pathogeneses, the basal signaling level in 'healthy' mature kidneys is still unclear. To address this question, we used an artificial Notch1 receptor fused with Gal4/UAS components in addition to the Cre/loxP system and fluorescent proteins in mice. This transgenic reporter mouse system enabled labeling of past and ongoing Notch1 signaling with tdsRed or Cre recombinase, respectively. RESULTS: We confirmed that our transgenic reporter mouse system mimicked the previously reported Notch1 signaling pattern. Using this successful system, we infrequently observed cells with ongoing Notch1 signaling only in Bowman's capsule and tubules. We consider that Notch1 activation in several lines of disease model mice was pathologically significant itself.

The study of the impact of some inherited defects in glycosylation on the biosynthesis of some lysosomal glycoproteins. Results description: Whole-exome sequencing revealed a homozygous variant; 428G > A; p. (R143K) in SRD5A3 in one patient and a heterozygous one c.46G > A p. (Gly16Arg) in SLC35A2 in the other patient. Both variants were predicted to be likely pathogenic. Lysosome-associated membrane glycoprotein 2 (LAMP2) immunodetection in both cases showed a truncated form of the protein. Cystinosin (CTN) protein appeared as normal and truncated forms in both patients in ratios of the mature to truncated forms of CTN were lower than the control. The levels of the truncated forms of both cellular proteins were higher in the SRD5A3-CDG case compared to the SLC35A2-CDG case. The tetrameric form of cathepsin C (CTSC) was expressed at low levels in both cases with congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG). SLC35A2-CDG patient had one extra-unknown band while SRD5A3-CDG patient had a missing band of CTSC forms. The expression patterns of lysosomal glycoproteins could be different between different types of CDG.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the individual and contextual factors associated with prosthetic rehabilitation in Dental Specialty Centers (DSC) in Brazil. A cross-sectional study, with secondary data from modules II and III of the External Assessment of the 2nd Cycle of the National Program for the Improvement of Access and Quality (PMAQ) of DSCs, was conducted in 2018. Individual variables considered were socioeconomic conditions and perceptions about the structure and service of the DSC. Contextual variables were related to DSC. We considered the region of the country (capital or countryside), geographic location and work process of the DSC for prosthetic rehabilitation. The association between individual and contextual variables and prosthetic rehabilitation in the DSC was analyzed by multilevel logistic regression. RESULTS: Ten thousand three hundred ninety-one users from 1,042 DSC participated. Of these, 24.4% used dental prosthesis and 26.0% performed at the DSC. In the final analysis, performed dental prostheses in the DSC individuals with less education (OR = 1.23; CI95%:1.01-1.50) and residents of the same city as the DSC (OR = 1.69; CI95%:1.07-2.66), at a contextual level, DSCs of the countryside (OR = 1.41; CI95%:1.01-1.97) were associated with the outcome. Individual and contextual factors were associated with prosthetic rehabilitation in the DSC.

OBJECTIVE: Caffeine has a wide range of effects in humans and other organisms. Caffeine activates p38 MAPK, the human homolog to the Hog1 protein that orchestrates the high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) response to osmotic stress in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Caffeine has also been used as an inducer of cell-wall stress in yeast via its activation of the Pkc1-mediated cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway. In this study, using immunodetection of phosphorylated Hog1, microscopy to score nuclear localisation of GFP-tagged Hog1 and a pseudohyphal growth assays, the effect of caffeine on the HOG-pathway and filamentous growth in yeast was studied. RESULTS: It was found that caffeine causes rapid, strong and transient Hog1 dual phosphorylation with statistically significant increases at 20, 30 and 40 mM caffeine. In response to caffeine treatment Hog1 was also rapidly localized to the nucleus, supporting the caffeine-induced phosphorylation and activation of Hog1. We also found that caffeine inhibited the pseudohyphal/filamentous growth in diploid cells, but had no effect on invasive growth in haploids. Our data thus highlights that the HOG signalling pathway is activated by caffeine, which has implications for interpreting caffeine responses in yeast and fungi.

BACKGROUND: Brachial Plexus Injury (BPI) is one of the peripheral nerve injuries which causes severe functional impairment and disability. Without prompt treatment, prolonged denervation will cause severe muscle atrophy. MyoD, which is expressed by satellite cells, is one of the parameters that relate to the regeneration process in post-injury muscle and it is presumed to determine the clinical outcome following neurotization procedure. This study aims to understand the correlation between time to surgery (TTS) and MyoD expression in satellite cells in the biceps muscle of adult brachial plexus injury patients. METHODS: Analytic observational study with a cross-sectional design was conducted at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital. All patients with BPI who underwent surgery between May 2013 and December 2015 were included. Muscle biopsy was taken and stained using immunohistochemistry for MyoD expression. Pearson correlation test was used to assess the correlation between MyoD expression with TTS and with age. RESULTS: Twenty-two biceps muscle samples were examined. Most patients are males (81.8%) with an average age of 25.5 years. MyoD expression was found to be highest at TTS of 4 months and then dropped significantly (and plateau) from 9 to 36 months. MyoD expression is significantly correlated with TTS (r=-0.895; p = 0.00) but not with age (r=-0.294; p = 0.184). CONCLUSION: Our study found, from the cellular point of view, that treatment of BPI needs to be done as early as possible before the regenerative potential - as indicated by MyoD expression - declined.