Frequency In Different Groups Research Articles

A metabarcoding analysis of the wrackbed microbiome indicates a phylogeographic break along the North Sea-Baltic Sea transition zone.

Sandy beaches are biogeochemical hotspots that bridge marine and terrestrial ecosystems via the transfer of organic matter, such as seaweed (termed wrack). A keystone of this unique ecosystem is the microbial community, which helps to degrade wrack and re-mineralize nutrients. However, little is known about this community. Here, we characterize the wrackbed microbiome as well as the microbiome of a primary consumer, the seaweed fly Coelopa frigida, and examine how they change along one of the most studied ecological gradients in the world, the transition from the marine North Sea to the brackish Baltic Sea. We found that polysaccharide degraders dominated both microbiomes, but there were still consistent differences between wrackbed and fly samples. Furthermore, we observed a shift in both microbial communities and functionality between the North and Baltic Sea driven by changes in the frequency of different groups of known polysaccharide degraders. We hypothesize that microbes were selected for their abilities to degrade different polysaccharides corresponding to a shift in polysaccharide content in the different seaweed communities. Our results reveal the complexities of both the wrackbed microbial community, with different groups specialized to different roles, and the cascading trophic consequences of shifts in the near shore algal community.

Blood regulatory T cells in inflammatory bowel disease, a systematic review, and meta-analysis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disease involving various parts of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which includes Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Due to the contradictory results regarding the percentage of peripheral blood (PB) regulatory T cells (Tregs) in IBD patients, this meta-analysis aimed to determine the Tregs frequency in IBD patients. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar databases for relevant observational articles that analyzed and reported the frequency of PB Tregs in IBD patients and healthy control groups. After choosing the related articles by two reviewers, the data regarding the definition of Tregs and their frequencies in different groups were recorded. In 22 studies, the results showed a nonsignificant difference in the frequency of PB Tregs between IBD cases and control subjects (SMD: -0.27, 95% CI: -0.78, 0.23). However, the frequency of CD4+CD25+CD127- (SMD: -0.89, 95% CI: -1.52, -0.26) and CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ (SMD: -1.32, 95% CI: -2.37, -0.26) Tregs were significantly lower in IBD cases, compared to healthy subjects. Also, UC cases and active IBD cases showed a significantly lower frequency of Treg cells, compared to controls and remission IBD cases, respectively (SMD: -0.68, 95% CI: -1.24, -0.11 and SMD: -0.60, 95% CI: -0.93, -0.27). Our study highlighted a probable decrease of Tregs in IBD patients, especially the patients with active states of the disease. The decrease of Treg cells might cause an imbalance in the immune system and the over-activation of auto-immune responses against the digestive tract.

STRUCTURAL AND SEMANTIC ASPECTS OF METAPHOR IN THE POETIC DISCOURSE OF PETRO SOROKA

The article investigates the metaphorical space of poems collection «Frankincense of Autumn» by Ternopil artist, writer and literary critic Petro Soroka. The research subject is structural and semantic aspects of metaphorical constructions. The aim of the article is to determine structural and semantic features of metaphors in Petro Soroka’s poetic discourse. To achieve this, the author defines and specifies semantic and stylistic types of poetic metaphors; identifies image units structural features in the writer’s work. The analysis is based on descriptive method (selection and systematization of relevant material, observation of linguistic facts, their interpretation and generalization), semantic and stylistic method, contextual-interpretive method and also quantitative technique (to establish a frequency of different groups of metaphors). The study of Petro Soroka’s poetic discourse demonstrates complexity of associations that underlay individual authorial metaphors, and functioning of complex, extended metaphorical structures with authorial intellectualism. Poems present all of the semantic and stylistic types of metaphors. However, the factual material analysis indicates rareness of objectifiment and synesthetic metaphors. 87% of all metaphors are personifications, among which the most frequent are anthropomethaphors (79 %). Other personifications are zoometaphors (7 %), botanometaphors (13.5 %) and chimerometaphors (approximately 0.5 %). High number of anthropometaphors is caused by a person as a central image in Petro Soroka’s artistic world and focusing on feelings, emotions, experiences and inner state in general. Other lexical and phraseological features in the artist’s language world demand further research.

Evaluating the radioprotective effect of Cimetidine, IMOD, and hybrid radioprotectors agents: An in-vitro study

IntroductionThere are various radioprotective agents with different mechanisms that help to decrease ionizing radiation side effects. The radioprotective effect of Cimetidine and IMOD was assessed individually and compared with the hybrid radioprotectors agents (HRPAs-IMOD and Cimetidine) on human lymphocyte cells. MethodsTwenty healthy volunteers (ten men and ten women) participated in the present study. About 75 mL peripheral blood lymphocytes from each individual were collected, and they were divided into 36 groups. Briefly, the blood samples were treated with different concentrations of Cimetidine (12.6 and 25.2 μg/mL) and IMOD (0.04, 0.08, and 0.12 mg/mL), and also a combination of these agents, namely hybrid radioprotectors agents (HRPAs). Besides, the irradiated groups were exposed to 2 and 4 Gy of Co-60 gamma irradiation. The amount of cellular damage was assessed using the micronucleus assay. The repeated measurements and paired T-test statistical analysis were used to compare the micronucleus frequencies in different groups. ResultsThe micronucleus frequencies were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in irradiated groups when the non-toxic concentrations of Cimetidine, IMOD, and HRPAs have been used. The reduction in micronucleus frequency was obtained 5–29% for Cimetidine and 40–51% for IMOD in peripheral blood lymphocytes irradiated with 2 Gy. This reduction in 4 Gy irradiation was 8–17% for Cimetidine and 27–37% for IMOD. The HRPAs resulted in a higher radioprotective effect, in a way that they cause up to 58% and 43% micronucleus frequency reduction in 2 and 4 Gy, respectively. ConclusionIn conclusion, the HRPAs showed the highest level of radioprotective. In addition, IMOD was remarkably higher radioprotective than Cimetidine, which may be related to its greater non-toxic concentrations.

Correlation between recovery time of extended high-frequency audiometry and duration of inflammation in patients with acute otitis media.

To explore the rule of extended high-frequency (EHF) audiometry recovery in patients with acute otitis media. From January 2016 to July 2019, patients with acute otitis media in the outpatient department of otology were studied. The diagnosis was made according to the otoscopy and acoustic impedance tests, and antibiotics and other treatment programs were given. The patients were followed up to compare the effects of different recovery time on extended high-frequency audiometry in patients with acute otitis media. 146 patients with acute otitis media (69 in the left ear and 77 in the right ear) were selected for observation and follow-up. The patients were divided into three groups according to the time from the onset to the disappearance of hyperacusis and earache symptoms: ≤ 5days group (26 patients, 17.8%), 6-10days group (74 patients, 50.7%), and > 10days group (46 patients, 31.5%). The threshold of EHF in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group in the early stage. According to the study design for follow-up, we found that with the prolongation of the duration of acute otitis media, the extended high frequency of different groups had different changes. Our results show that the recovery time of EHF in patients with acute otitis media was later than that of the standard audiogram and was closely related to the course of the disease. This is of great significance for discovering the hidden hearing loss of the patients and taking the treatment plan as soon as possible.

Prevalence of barrett's esophagus, its relationship with chronic Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis, atrophy and metaplasia of gastric mucosa

The aim - to identify the frequency of Helicobacter pylori infection, atrophic and metaplastic changes in the gastric mucosa in patients with Barrett's esophagus.&#x0D; Materials and methods. A retrospective study of 7392 cases of complex esophagogastroscopy with a biopsy of the epithelium of the mucous membrane of the esophagus and stomach, followed by a morphological study, was conducted on the basis of the Medical Centre “Oberig” clinic for the period 2010-2018. Statistical data was performed using the MedStat package. To assess the prevalence of changes in the esophagus and stomach, a 95% confidence interval was calculated using the Fisher angular transformation method. The probability of differences between group averages and relative values ​​was determined using the method of parametric statistics by calculating the t-Student criterion. The difference between the average values ​​was considered significant at p &lt;0.05. To compare the frequencies in different groups, the Pearson chi-square test was used.&#x0D; Results. Endoscopically cylindrical columnar metaplasia of the esophagus epithelium was detected in 2994 patients (40.5% CI 39.4% -41.6% at a significance level of p = 0.05). In a histological examination, esophageal epithelial metaplasia was confirmed in 2910 patients (39.4% CI 38.3%-40.5%). 876 cases of gastric-type esophagus epithelial metaplasia were diagnosed (30.1%, CI 28.4-31.5%); 2034 cases of intestinal type metaplasia (69.9%, CI 68.2-71.6%). Histological examination of biopsy samples of the gastric mucosa in 5640 (76.3%, CI 75.3-77.3%) patients revealed atrophy of the gastric mucosa. In 2532 cases (34.3%, CI 33.2-35.3%), complete and incomplete intestinal metaplasia of the gastric epithelium was diagnosed. In 4524 (61.2%, CI 60.1-62.3%) patients, Helicobacter pylori was detected. In the presence of H. pylori, gastric esophageal epithelial metaplasia was detected in 510 of 3558 (14.3%, CI 13.2-15.5%, p = 0.05), intestinal metaplasia of the esophagus epithelium - in 966 of 4014 (24.1% CI 22.8 -25.4%, p = 0.05).&#x0D; Conclusion. Esophageal epithelial metaplasia is a common pathology, accounting for 39.4% among patients who underwent esophagogastroscopy. The presence of a strong connection between intestinal metaplasia of the epithelium of the esophagus and atrophy of the gastric mucosa with intestinal metaplasia of the epithelium of the stomach was found. Esophageal epithelial metaplasia is significantly less common with Helicobacter pylori gastritis, therefore the presence of H. pylori has a protective effect on the occurrence of esophageal epithelial metaplasia.

Torus Mandibularis: Etiology and Bioarcheological Utility

Torus mandibularis is a non-metric traitcommonly recorded in bioarcheological investigationand often included in the battery of non-metric traitsused to analyse biological distance among populations.However, there is considerable debate regarding theetiology of the trait, with genetic and environmentalfactors both having been posited as the primary factorin torus development. This study of 498 individuals,drawn from eight archeological samples, investigatesthe variation in torus frequency in different groups asdefined by sample, age, sex, and measures of functionalstress. Frequencies varied significantly among bothsamples and dental attrition categories, supportingthe idea that mandibular tori are a threshold trait,influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.Results of this study suggest the utility of mandibulartori in bioarchaeology may lie outside of biodistanceanalyses that rely on the high heritability quotient ofnon-metric traits to establish population distances.

Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms, Metabolic Syndrome, and Type 2 Diabetes in Iranian Subjects: No Association with Observed SNPs.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes and the presence of single nucleotide polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor gene in Iranian subjects with type 2 diabetes. Overall, 730 Iranian subjects (372 patients and 358 controls) were enrolled in this case-control study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor gene (FokI, BsmI, ApaI, and TaqI) were genotyped using the restriction fragment length polymorphism method. The statistical difference in genotype distribution among the groups was assessed by χ2 test. Logistic regression was performed to calculate odds ratios for the association of the genotype frequencies in different groups with the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. The most common genotypes for BsmI, ApaI, TaqI, and FokI were Bb, Aa, TT, and FF, respectively. Adjusted χ2 test revealed that there was no difference between the groups in the genotypes frequencies of 4 vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in type 2 diabetes subjects. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes subjects with Tt genotype presented a signifi cantly higher fasting blood glucose than those with TT and tt genotypes in TaqI polymorphisms (p = 0.009). Logistic regression showed no association between metabolic syndrome risk and vitamin D receptor genotypes. We found no evidence for the association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and the risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in Iranian subjects. Further examinations using genome-wide association in large prospective cohort studies are warranted.

Analysis and Mathematical Modelling of the Pattern of Occurrence of Various Devanāgari Letter Symbols according to the Phonological Inventory of Indic Script in Hindi Language

The present paper is an attempt at analysing the pattern of occurrence of different alphabets of the Hindi alphabet or varṇamālā in the text and corpus of Hindi. One text has been selected and nine corpora have been formed and taken for the present study by the compilation of different texts or corpuses selected from diverse sources. An assessment of the relative proportion of the vowels and members of different groups of Devanāgari symbols, according to the Phonological Inventory of Indic script, by the rank frequency approach has been done and Zipf’s orders of the groups have been discussed. The entropic measure of various groups has also been compared. Moreover, the characteristic curves for the Hindi language text or corpus regarding the proportion of various groups of symbols and consonants have been presented. By using the linear regression techniques for one and two independent variables, a suitable model for the frequencies of different groups has been determined.

Association of HLA-G 14 bp Deletion/Insertion Polymorphism with Kidney Allograft Outcome in Northwestern Chinese Han Population

Introduction: During the 1990s, human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G was shown to play a role in maternal-fetal tolerance, to date, the expression of HLA-G was studied in organ transplantation, and the results obtained show that patients expressing HLA-G in the graft exhibit significantly better graft acceptance. HLA-G also play an important role in promote transplantation tolerance. Then, whether HLA-G 14 bp deletion/insertion polymorphism association with kidney allograft outcome and may be a valuable marker for the prediction of allograft rejection. Although the HLA polymorphism has been extensively studied, the present work is the first to show data related to14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in a group of normal and kidney transplant recipients in northwestern Chinese Han population. Methods: The study was approved by the local ethical committee. Peripheral blood samples of 2 ml anticoagulated whole blood were obtained from 95 renal transplant recipients underwent kidney transplantation with living-related donor. In addition, we obtained whole blood from 89 healthy volunteers (HV) as controls. Posttransplant patients were divided into tow groups depending on their clinical course: 43 patients have had acute rejection (AR), and 52 patients were nonrejection group (NRG). Genomic DNAs were extracted from 250 μl of cell suspension by the E.Z.N.A. ® Blood DNA Kit. HLA-G 14 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism (rs16375) was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Results: In this study, no significant difference was found among AR, NRG and the HV regarding the age, gender, panel reaction antibody (PRA), mismatches HLA, cold ischemic time and immunosuppressive treatment. The genotype and allele frequencies in different groups were shown in Table 1. No departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found. Frequency of the genotypes +14/+14 bp, +14/-14 bp and -14/-14 bp in HV were 13.5%, 51.7% and 34.8%, respectively, in AR were 39.5%, 41.9% and 18.6%, and in NRG were 19.2%, 48.1% and 32.7%. There was an increased genotype (+14/+14 bp) in the group of AR compare with NRG. At the same time, frequency of the allele +14 in the group of AR significantly higher than NRG.[Table 1 Distribution of HLA-G 14-bp polymorphism.]Conclusion: This study showed in northwestern Chinese Han population, the homozygous genotype +14/+14 bp and the allele +14 were significantly increased in the group with acute rejection, which indicate that the 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism might be important for the outcome of a kidney transplantation. HLA-G 14 bp deletion/insertion polymorphism may be an important prognostic tool to guide post-transplant immunosuppressive therapy.

Methane- and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at the chemocline of Lake Kinneret (Israel)

The vertical distribution of methane- and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (MOB and AOB, respectively), and the physicochemical conditions in the chemocline of Lake Kinneret (Israel) were studied at a resolution of 10 cm from 16.2 to 17.7 m depth. Profiles of the chemical parameters indicated decreasing concentrations of methane (from 22.4 to 0.11 mu mol l(-1)) and ammonia (from 14.2 to 8.4 mu mol l(-1)) towards the water surface and in close proximity to the chemocline, The disappearance of methane coincided with methane oxidation that could be corroborated throughout this layer with highest rates at 17.4 to 17.6 m. Disappearance of ammonia could not be linked to ammonia oxidation exclusively. The genes pmoA and the homologous amoA (coding for subunit a of the methane and ammonia monooxygenase, respectively) were amplified by PCR. The products were analyzed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequencing of clone libraries. The results demonstrated that different MOB and AOB communities are established along the concentration gradient within the narrow layer of the metalinmetic chemocline. Changes in the intensity of the T-RFLP peaks and the frequency of different groups of alpha- and gammaproteobacterial MOB, and betaproteobacterial AOB, coincided with the concentration gradients of methane, ammonia, nitrate, and oxygen in the chemocline. This suggests that different communities of MOB, and to a lesser extent AOB, contribute to the formation of chemical gradients of their particular substrates in the chemocline.

The Evaluation of the Referral Reasons of Patients at a Tertiary Pediatric Genetic Center in Izmir, Turkey

Our study aimed to review and evaluate the referral reasons of patients at Department of Pediatric Genetics, Ege University, between 1998 and 2006. In total, 2342 patients were referred to the pediatrics outpatient clinic for dysmorphological examination and suspected genetic conditions. The files were evaluated retrospectively, and they were grouped into five categories. The subgroups included mental retardation (MR)-multiple congenital anomalies and isolated anomalies in 1472 (62.85%), syndromes that may be associated with cytogenetic abnormalities in 634 (27.07%), suspected single-gene disorders in 134 (5.72%), suspected microdeletion syndromes in 48 (2.05%), and other genetic conditions comprising complex multifactorial disorders and ambiguous genitalia in 54 (2.31%). These data have provided useful information on the frequency of different groups of genetic diseases, genetic causes of MR, and the feasibility of genetic services. In conclusion, genetic service should be encouraged among physicians and patients in addition to the diagnosis, prognosis, and disease management efforts.

Enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous teeth of great apes: variation in prevalence and timing of defects.

The prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in the deciduous teeth of great apes has the potential to reveal episodes of physiological stress in early stages of ontogenetic development. However, little is known about enamel defects of deciduous teeth in great apes. Unresolved questions addressed in this study are: Do hypoplastic enamel defects occur with equal frequency in different groups of great apes? Are enamel hypoplasias more prevalent in the deciduous teeth of male or female apes? During what phase of dental development do enamel defects tend to form? And, what part of the dental crown is most commonly affected? To answer these questions, infant and juvenile skulls of two sympatric genera of great apes (Gorilla and Pan) were examined for dental enamel hypoplasias. Specimens from the Powell-Cotton Museum (Quex Park, UK; n = 107) are reported here, and compared with prior findings based on my examination of juvenile apes at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History (Hamman-Todd Collection; n = 100) and Smithsonian Institution (National Museum of Natural History; n = 36). All deciduous teeth were examined by the author with a x10 hand lens, in oblique incandescent light. Defects were classified using Fédération Dentaire International (FDI)/Defects of Dental Enamel (DDE) standards; defect size and location on the tooth crown were measured and marked on dental outline charts. Enamel defects of ape deciduous teeth are most common on the labial surface of canine teeth. While deciduous incisor and molar teeth consistently exhibit similar defects with prevalences of approximately 10%, canines average between 70-75%. Position of enamel defects on the canine crown was analyzed by dividing it into three zones (apical, middle, and cervical) and calculating defect prevalence by zone. Among gorillas, enamel hypoplasia prevalence increases progressively from the apical zone (low) to the middle zone to the cervical zone (highest), in both maxillary and mandibular canine teeth. Results from all three study collections reveal that among the great apes, gorillas (87-92%) and orangutans (91%) have a significantly higher prevalence of canine enamel defects than chimpanzees (22-48%). Sex differences in canine enamel hypoplasia are small and not statistically significant in any great ape. Factors influencing intergroup variation in prevalence of enamel defects and their distribution on the canine crown, including physiological stress and interspecific dento-gnathic morphological variation, are evaluated.

Frequencies of segmental perfusion and ventilation abnormalities in lung scintigraphy.

The segmental ventilation-perfusion mismatch is almost invariably a sign of pulmonary embolism (PE). As ventilation scintigraphy is an expensive and time-consuming procedure, it is rarely performed in patients presenting as emergencies. In such patients PE is diagnosed by the presence of a segmental perfusion defect (SPD) in combination with a normal chest X-ray. However, little is known about SPD frequencies in different groups of patients or its value in predicting a mismatch. To determine this frequency, as well as its predictive value for a mismatch (PVM), we examined 764 patients with suspected Pe (PE? group), 359 patients at low risk for PE (low risk group), and 234 patients without suspected PE but at high risk for PE (high risk group), all by perfusion and ventilation scintigraphy. Frequencies of SPD were determined in each group as a function of age. PVM was calculated for each age subgroup using Bayes' theorem. In the low risk group the frequency of segmental mismatches (SM) was about 4%, while one-third of patients at high risk had a SM. This was not age dependent in contrast to the PE? group, where the frequency decreased with age. In the youngest subgroups the PVM for a SPD was higher than 0.9 as well as in a subgroup of the PE? group with a known thrombo-embolic disease. In these subgroups a ventilation scintigraphy is not required for the scintigraphic diagnosis of PE; in all other patients an additional ventilation study is necessary.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Multiple-unit activity of the rabbit cerebral cortex during stimulus generalization of avoidance behavior

Multiple-unit neuronal activity was recorded from three “nonspecific” polysensory regions of the cerebral cortex of rabbit during a test for stimulus generalization of an avoidance CR. Behavioral and cortical data obtained during the acquisition of the CR were reported in a previous paper. These data showed acquisition and maintenance of cortical multiple-unit responses in two of the three cortical areas, paralleling acquisition and maintenance of the CR. The present results show significant behavioral gradients of stimulus generalization to manipulation of frequency of the tonal CS used in conditioning. In addition, significant generalization gradients based upon cortical multiple-unit responses to the CS and test stimuli were obtained from one of the two cortical areas showing an acquisition effect. The peaks of behavioral and cortical gradients were invariably associated with the CS frequency in different groups of rabbits trained with different CS frequencies. Thus, a “prewiring” interpretation of the tonal effects was ruled out. Our data indicate that the two characteristics of acquired stimulus control (acquisition and stimulus specificity) commonly observed for behavioral conditioned responses can be demonstrated using neuronal responses of the CNS. Further, such effects appear to occur within limited regions of the brain.

Higher Refractional Anomalies: Their Frequency in Different Groups and Countries

Higher Refractional Anomalies: Their Frequency in Different Groups and Countries