Significant Weight Research Articles

Semantic feature salience matters: new values of significance and relative weight for the Spanish feature norms for young and older adults

Abstract To determine the semantic importance of certain features has been a topic of interest for many semantic memory models. Diverse measures have been proposed in the last years. Semantic significance, the latest measure proposed by Montefinese and colleagues, is both sophisticated and comprehensive. Given the cultural and linguistic variability of semantic measures, this study presents values of significance and relative weight for the Spanish-speaking population corresponding to 400 concrete concepts. First, we presented data for both young and older adults. Second, we assessed the effect of significance on response times in two speeded feature verification tasks. Third, we compared significance values with the existing Italian significance norms. To evaluate the effect of significance to predict response times, two speeded verification tasks (Experiment 1 and 2) were carried out, selecting a total of a 130 concepts for analysis. In Experiment 1, subjects were presented with a feature followed by a concept, while in Experiment 2, the order of stimulus presentation was reversed (i.e., the concept was presented before the feature). An independent linear mixed model showed that significance was a good predictor of response latencies in Experiments 1 and 2. Moreover, results revealed a strong positive correlation between the Spanish and Italian significance values. Findings are discussed in terms of recent theories of semantic cognition.

A Design Study on Commercial Cleaning Robots Based on Kano–QFD

In the post-pandemic era, public space safety has emerged as a central public concern. As global public health awareness rose, traditional manual cleaning methods were increasingly inadequate for large-scale and high-standard cleaning requirements. Therefore, the design of a commercial cleaning robot that combined cleaning efficiency, environmental performance, and sustainability was essential to meet evolving societal demands. This paper systematically gathered and analyzed commercial cleaning robot functional requirements through a comprehensive investigation. According to the Kano model, functional requirements were categorized by attributes and their importance was quantified. Subsequently, using the QFD model, the design requirements for commercial cleaning robots were determined, and their significance weights were established. This identified the key design requirements. The results of this study indicated that the integration of the Kano and QFD models provided a novel perspective for the design of functional integration in commercial cleaning robots. Furthermore, it provided a practical methodological framework for addressing similar issues in the future.

A Hybrid Multidimensional Performance Measurement Model Using the MSD-MPSI-RAWEC Model for Turkish Banks

Abstract The purpose of the paper is to analyze the multidimensional sustainability performance of deposit banks that operate in the Turkish banking industry. For this aim, the current research presents a novel hybrid decision-making model comprising of MSD, MPSI and RAWEC methodologies. In the developed decision-making model, the MSD and the MPSI objective weighting methods are utilized to assign significance weights to the criteria, while the RAWEC, a relatively new technique, is employed for banks' ranking. In order to check the robustness of the recommended model, various sensitivity and benchmark analyses were conducted. According to the findings of the study, the most important criterion in determining the sustainability performance of deposit banks is the total hours spent on employee training. Moreover, the most successful bank in terms of multidimensional sustainability is Garanti BBVA. Furthermore, sensitivity and comparison analyses prove that the integrated framework in this study is a powerful, reliable and useful decision tool that can be utilized in assessing the sustainability performance of banks. Besides, practical and managerial implications based on the findings of the applied decision-making tool are discussed.

Integrating Pythagorean Fuzzy SAW and Entropy in Decision-Making for Legal Effectiveness in Renewable Energy Projects

The most important factors must be identified to ensure efficient legal effectiveness for renewable energy projects. However, there are very few studies aimed at determining the most important factors affecting the legal effectiveness of these projects. This situation emerges as a very important gap in the legal effectiveness literature. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the most significant indicators of legal effectiveness in renewable energy projects. For this purpose, the main research question of this study is which are the priority strategies to ensure legal effectiveness for these projects. In this scope, four different factors are weighted via Pythagorean fuzzy entropy. Another evaluation was also implemented for the seven emerging (E7) countries in the following process. Within this framework, the Pythagorean fuzzy SAW technique is taken into consideration. The main motivation of this study is the strong need for a comprehensive evaluation to understand the key indicators of the legal effectiveness of renewable energy projects. Hence, the main contribution of this study is the generation of a novel decision-making model to reach this objective. It is concluded that understanding the challenges is the most important criterion. Similarly, defining comprehensive standards also plays a crucial role in this framework. However, developing long-term policies and a fast and fair licensing process have lower significance weights than the others. On the other side, the ranking results denote that Mexico and Russia are the most successful emerging countries with respect to the performance of legal effectiveness. On the other hand, China and Turkey have lower performance in this context.

A retinal vessel segmentation network approach based on rough sets and attention fusion module

The morphological changes of retinal vessels are of significant diagnostic value for early ophthalmic diseases and can aid in distinguishing other conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, precise segmentation poses a challenge due to the complex structure of retinal vessels. To address these issues, we propose a Rough Attention Fusion Module (RAFM). This module employs max-pooling and average-pooling to define the upper and lower bounds of feature significance, introducing upper and lower weight matrices to obtain more reasonable attention coefficients. This enables the model to more accurately focus on important features in retinal images. Additionally, we integrate the RAFM into the GTS U-Net model, a simplified version of the GT U-Net model, which enhances the segmentation accuracy while reducing computational complexity. Ultimately, we construct a retinal vessel segmentation network based on the RAFM along with Group Transformer. Finally, the network structure is tested on the public DRIVE color fundus image dataset, achieving an Accuracy, F1 score, and AUC of 0.9641, 0.8506, and 0.9820, respectively. In contrast to prevalent retinal vessel segmentation networks in the mainstream, our proposed network demonstrates certain strengths.

Liver Metabolomics Analysis Revealing Key Metabolites Associated with Different Stages of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Hamsters.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is not only the top cause of liver diseases but also a hepatic-correlated metabolic syndrome. This study performed untargeted metabolomics analysis of NAFLD hamsters to identify the key metabolites to discriminate different stages of NAFLD. Hamsters were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) to establish the NAFLD model with different stages (six weeks named as the NAFLD1 group and twelve weeks as the NAFLD2 group, respectively). Those liver samples were analyzed by untargeted metabolomics (UM) analysis to investigate metabolic changes and metabolites to discriminate different stages of NAFLD. The significant liver weight gain in NAFLD hamsters was observed, accompanied by significantly increased levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Moreover, the levels of TG, LDL-C, ALT, and AST were significantly higher in the NAFLD2 group than in the NAFLD1 group. The UM analysis also revealed the metabolic changes; 27 differently expressed metabolites were detected between the NAFLD2 and NAFLD1 groups. More importantly, the levels of N-methylalanine, allantoin, glucose, and glutamylvaline were found to be significantly different between any two groups (control, NAFLD2 and NAFLD1). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve results also showed that these four metabolites are able to distinguish control, NAFLD1 and NAFLD2 groups. This study indicated that the process of NAFLD in hamsters is accompanied by different metabolite changes, and these key differently expressed metabolites may be valuable diagnostic biomarkers and responses to therapeutic interventions.

A HYBRID FRAMEWORK BASED ON PSI AND CRADIS METHODS FOR ASSESSING CORPORATE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

The aim of the present paper is to analyze corporate financial performance in the banking industry. For this purpose, the present manuscript presents a new hybrid decisionmakingmodel consisting of PSI and CRADIS procedures. In the developed decision-making model, PSI objective weighting methods are employed to assign significance weights to the criteria, while CRADIS, a relatively new algorithm, is utilized to rank bank financial performance. The proposed decision-making model was employed to evaluate the financial performance of Kuveyt Turk Participation Bank. Sensitivity and benchmarking analyzes were conducted to check the robustness of the introduced decision-making tool. According to the findings of the study, the most important criterion in determining the financial performance of the relevant participation bank is the ratio of total loans to total assets. Furthermore, the CRADIS technique’s results show that, while financial instability is present in bank performance in general, there is a notable improvement in bank performance following 2015. Moreover, sensitivity and comparison analyzes prove that the integrated framework in this study is a powerful, reliable and useful decision tool that can be used in assessing the financial performance of banks.

A Hybrid Method Based on CRITIC Method and Machine Learning Models for Effective Fake News Detection in Thai Language

Fake news has emerged as a pervasive issue within the modern information ecosystem, leading to widespread dissemination of misinformation and erosion of trust. This paper introduces a novel hybrid approach for effectively detecting fake news in the Thai language by combining the CRITIC method with multiple machine learning models. The initial step involves collecting Thai-language fake news data from websites. Subsequently, the data undergoes a preprocessing phase. In the second step, the preprocessed data is used for validation through three basic machine learning models, namely, Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, and K-Nearest Neighbors. In the third step, the accuracy results from these three models are employed to calculate the significance weights of each model using the CRITIC method. In the final step, predictions are recalculated using the proposed method. The proposed method achieves an 83.37% accuracy, surpassing Naive Bayes (80.83%), Decision Tree (80.37%), and K-Nearest Neighbors (75.75%). This indicates a significant enhancement in performance, with the proposed method outperforming the established models by up to 7.62%. Consequently, the proposed method can enhance the performance of fake news detection in Thai language by utilizing an ensemble of the original models. A significant advantage of this approach is its simplicity coupled with high efficacy. It is postulated that this method can be adapted for detecting fake news in other languages as well.

Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Capromorelin in Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Nonhuman primates used in biomedical research may experience clinically significant weight loss for a variety of reasons. Episodes of anorexia (complete loss of appetite) or hyporexia (decreased appetite) can result in significant weight loss, potentially altering animal welfare and scientific studies. The FDA has approved several appetite stimulants for use in domestic species, but currently none are approved for use in NHP. Treatment of inappetence and weight loss in NHP often relies on the extralabel use of these compounds. Capromorelin is a ghrelin receptor agonist. As a growth hormone secretagogue, capromorelin increases appetite, leading to weight gain. Studies in several species have shown a positive correlation between capromorelin administration and weight gain; in 2017, an oral solution of capromorelin received FDA approval for use in dogs. We tested this solution in healthy adult rhesus macaques (n = 3 males and 3 females) for its effects on body weight and insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). A control group (n = 2 males and 2 females) was used for comparison. Treated macaques received a 3mg/kg oral dose daily for 7 d. Clinical signs were observed daily. Weights were collected before, during and at the end of treatment. Blood was drawn before, during and after treatment for measurement of IGF-1 levels and standard hematology and biochemistry parameters. Baseline-adjusted mean body weights and IGF-1 levels were significantly higher in treated as compared with control monkeys after 7 d of beginning treatment (body weight of 10.5±0.1kg (mean ± SEM) and 10.1±0.1kg, respectively; IGF-1 of 758±43ng/mL and 639±22ng/mL, respectively). Capromorelin administration was not associated with appreciable changes in hematologic and biochemical values in treated macaques. These findings suggest that capromorelin may be useful for treating inappetence and weight loss in NHP, and based on blood analysis, a 7-d course of treatment does not appear to cause acute toxicity.

Ecosystem-based spatial modeling: Assessing the supply of hydrological services in a watershed in Southern Brazil

Hydrologic services describe the way terrestrial ecosystems affect freshwater resources. This study employed an ecosystem-based approach and spatial models to assess the significance of ecosystems in providing hydrological services in a Watershed in southern Brazil. The environmental systems and hydrological services were characterized and evaluated for the significance weights assignment by expert opinion dynamics. Spatial and tabular data generated were applied in an ecosystem services model (InVEST-Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs) for a relative importance analysis. Map algebra was performed to integrate relative importance with runoff values, resulting in an importance index (II), which enabled the identification of the most important ecosystems for the hydrological services provision. Among the environmental systems, riparian forests (0.2457), forests (0.2455), wetlands (0.2332), and fields with livestock (0.2291) demonstrated the highest II values. Ranking environmental systems and their vegetation cover based on their performance in terms of eco-hydrological functions and hydrological services has the potential to support management actions on land use in the pursue of sustainability regarding water resources use.

Ayurvedic intervention with Pachana Aushadhi and Lekhan Basti in Obesity: A case study

In the 21st century, the prevalence of lifestyle disorders has surged, exacerbated by sedentary habits and increased stress, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to a substantial rise in cases of Sthaulya, affecting approximately one-third of the global population with overweight or obese. Obesity, a complex and multifaceted disease, has tripled in global prevalence since 1980, impacting diverse age groups, genders, and socio-economic strata. Although rates have plateaued in some developed nations, the consequences of obesity extend beyond physical appearance, causing both physical and mental harm and significantly affecting overall quality of life. Furthermore, obesity serves as a precursor to various secondary health conditions, including but not limited to diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia, and more. Ayurveda classifies Athisthaulya as one of the eight undesirable conditions under Ashtanindita purusha. It arises from the vitiation of Kapha dosha, Vata dosha, and Medo dhatu, aligning with the contemporary understanding of obesity as a chronic metabolic disorder. Ayurveda's holistic approach, incorporating Pachana chikitsa and Lekhana basti, shows promise in managing Sthaulya. This case study involves a 52-year-old female patient with a weight of 112 kg and a BMI of 41.1. Over 30 days, the patient underwent a comprehensive Ayurvedic management plan, including Pachana aushadhi for 7 days and Lekhana basti for 21 days. The outcome demonstrated a significant weight loss of 11 kg, reducing her weight to 101 kg. and achieving a BMI of 37.1 without complications. This case underscores the potential of Ayurvedic interventions in addressing the challenges of obesity.

Abstract 2475: MB5029: A novel anti-PD-1 x IL-2v with improved safety profile and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy by selectively targeting activated T cells

Abstract Interleukin-2 (IL-2) offers therapeutic potential for cancer treatment, however, its clinical application is limited due to systemic adverse effects, such as vascular leakage syndrome (VLS). Notably, the high affinity of IL-2 for the IL-2 receptor α (IL-2Rα) activates immune-suppressive Treg cells and endothelial cells, leading to undesired outcomes. To address this challenge, a number of clinical studies are under development including non-α IL-2 variant (IL-2v) drugs and further the anti-PD-1 x IL-2v for targeted delivery of its IL-2v to PD-1 enriched T cells. Nevertheless, concerns about peripheral toxicity have not yet been solved. Thus, here we present MB5029, a novel anti-PD-1 x IL-2v bispecific fusion protein with modulated IL-2R binding affinity to mitigate the peripheral toxicity maintaining the anti-tumor efficacy. MB5029 has unique characteristics with no binding affinity to IL-2Rα and reduced binding affinity to IL-2Rγ, which is widely and highly expressed in various immune cells. MB5029 exhibited strong STAT5 phosphorylation activity under activated conditions but weak activity in the resting conditions, while the anti-PD-1 x IL-2v (non-α) showed strong STAT5 phosphorylation in both resting and activated conditions. In addition, MB5029 strongly induced the expansion of CD8+ T cells in the activated conditions but less expansion of CD8+ T cells in the resting conditions, in contrast to anti-PD-1 x IL-2v (non-α). The murine surrogate of MB5029 showed remarkable anti-tumor efficacy without body weight loss at the dose range of 1 to 10 mg/kg, whereas anti-muPD-1 x IL-2v (non-α) showed significant body weight loss in several tumor-bearing mice models. Moreover, MB5029 showed 100% complete regression (6/6) at the dose of 5 mg/kg or higher in the MC38 tumor model. The mice with complete response showed no signs of relapse upon tumor re-challenge until day 56, indicating a durable memory response. MB5029 exhibited a comparatively superior safety profile in normal mice. While anti-muPD-1 x IL-2v (non-α) led to significant body weight loss at the dose of 5 mg/kg in normal mice, the murine surrogate of MB5029 was shown to be well-tolerated up to a dose of 30 mg/kg without body weight loss. MB5029 exhibited dose-proportional PK properties and induced expansion of CD8+ T cells in a dose-dependent manner in cynomolgus monkeys. MB5029 is shown to be well-tolerated up to 9 mg/kg without severe clinical signs and no significant increase in eosinophil and cytokines in the blood. Overall, MB5029 represents a promising potential as an immunotherapeutic approach, as it has demonstrated both strong efficacy and good tolerability, along with improved safety margins. Citation Format: Bom Park, Hyojoo Bang, So Woon Kim, Suna Kim, Sunjung Cho, Suyoon Kim, Minwoo Kim, Youngjin Park, Jun-Eui Park. MB5029: A novel anti-PD-1 x IL-2v with improved safety profile and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy by selectively targeting activated T cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2475.

Abstract 3145: HRA00242-C004, a novel anti-PSMA ADC with high DAR reveals potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer, and it is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among men. The incidence rates of PCa are 37.5 per 100,000 in developed countries and 11.3 per 100,000 in developing countries, while mortality rates are 8.1 per 100,000 in developed countries and 5.9 per 100,000 in developing countries1. As androgen receptor (AR) signaling plays an essential role in PCa initiation and disease progression, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has been a backbone of treatment for patients with advanced disease2. However, patient responses to ADT vary, and most patients eventually develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) which remains large unmet clinical need3. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a transmembrane glycoprotein located on the cell membrane, is specifically and highly expressed in PCa with an extremely low expression level in non-prostatic tissues4, which makes it an ideal target for the treatment of PCa5.Here, we presented a PSMA-directed ADC, HRA00242-C004, which features a differentiated topoisomerase I inhibitor payload DXh conjugated via a cleavable linker to a humanized anti-PSMA IgG1 antibody (HRP04732). HRP04732 showed good binding affinity in both protein and cell-level assays, and a better cell internalization profile when compared with the reference antibody (AB-PG1-XG1-006, published sequences from US8114965B2). HRA00242-C004 exerted strong inhibition effect on cell lines with different PSMA expression levels. In vivo efficacy study, HRA00242-C004 showed potent anti-tumor activity in PSMA medium expression human prostate cancer 22RV1 xenograft model without significant weight loss during the experiments. Moreover, HRA00242-C004 demonstrated satisfactory PK profiles in SD rats and cynomolgus monkeys without any toxicity observed in PK assays. Compared with AB-PG1-XG1-006-DXh (the reference ADC), HRA00242-C004 exhibited a longer elimination half-life as well as higher serum exposure level of both the total antibody and the intact ADC. Meanwhile, as employing the same linker-payload as SHR-A1811, HRA00242-C004 has potential good plasma stability which was consistent with the results of PK study. In summary, with a highly permeable payload, high DAR, potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy, HRA00242-C004 demonstrated the best-in-class potential. 1.CA Cancer J. Clin. 2021, 71, 209-249.2.Nat. Rev. Urol. 2019, 16, 645-654.3.J. Clin. Oncol. 2015, 33, 1151-1156.4.World J Surg. 2006; 30: 628-36.5.Front Oncol. 2018; 8: 653-63. Citation Format: Guang Lin, Haoying Zhang, Zhibin Xu, Lingfeng You, Zhendong Xue, Yuchang Mao, Xiaoying Yang, Bing Hu, Sophie Lin, Jun Feng, Zhe Zhang, Xin Ye, Min Hu, Feng He. HRA00242-C004, a novel anti-PSMA ADC with high DAR reveals potent in vitro and in vivo anti-tumor efficacy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 3145.

Physiological and psychological determinants of long-term diet-induced type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remission: A narrative review.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a highly prevalent metabolic disease, causing a heavy burden on healthcare systems worldwide, with related complications and anti-diabetes drug prescriptions. Recently, it was demonstrated that T2DM can be put into remission via significant weight loss using low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and very low-energy diets (VLEDs) in individuals with overweight and obesity. Clinical trials demonstrated remission rates of 25-77%, and metabolic improvements such as improved blood lipid profile and blood pressure were observed. In contrast, clinical trials showed that remission rate declines with time, concurrent with weight gain, or diminished weight loss. This review aims to discuss existing literature regarding underlying determinants of long-term remission of T2DM including metabolic adaptations to weight loss (e.g., role of gastrointestinal hormones), type of dietary intervention (i.e., LCDs or VLEDs), maintaining beta (β)-cell function, early glycemic control, and psychosocial factors. This narrative review is significant because determining the factors that are associated with challenges in maintaining long-term remission may help in designing sustainable interventions for type 2 diabetes remission.

Refusals and Requests: In Defense of Consistency.

Physicians place significant weight on the distinction between acts and omissions. Most believe that autonomous refusals for procedures, such as blood transfusions and resuscitation, ought to be respected, but they feel no similar obligation to accede to requests for treatment that will, in the physician's opinion, harm the patient (e.g., assisted death). Thus, there is an asymmetry. In this paper, we challenge the strength of this distinction by arguing that the ordering of values should be the same in both cases. The reason for respecting refusals is that, in such cases, autonomy outweighs well-being. We argue that the same should be true in request cases, which means that requests should not be denied only due to the treatment being too harmful in the physician's opinion. Our strategy is to consider and reject a number of arguments for the asymmetrical view, including an appeal to the doing-allowing distinction and positive and negative rights. The duty to respect refusals is still greater than the duty to grant requests on our view, but, by arguing that the ordering of values is the same in both cases, we show that there is less of a distinction in healthcare between requests and refusals than many currently believe.

Comment on "Responsible Research Assessment: Implementing DORA for hiring and promotion in psychology”

In target papers, Schönbrodt et al. (2022), and Gärtner et al. (2022) proposed to broaden the range of the considered research contributions, namely (i) bringing strong empirical evidence, (ii) building open databases, (iii) building and maintaining packages, where each dimension being scored independently in marking scheme. Using simulations, we show that the current proposal places a significant weight on software development, potentially at the expense of other academic activities – a weight that should be explicit to committees before they make use of the proposed marking scheme. Following Gärtner et al. (2022) recommendations, we promote the use of flexible weights which more closely match an institution’s specific needs by the weighting of the relevant dimensions. We propose a Shinyapp that implement the marking scheme with adaptative weights to both help the hiring committee define and foresee the consequences of weights’ choices and increase the transparency and understandability of the procedure.

Pulmonary hypertension in newly diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome patients attending a tertiary care centre-a cross-sectional analysis.

Overlap syndrome is the association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and with other chronic respiratory diseases. Patients with overlap syndrome have a worse prognosis compared with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder or OSA alone. Additionally, patients with combined chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and OSA are more likely to develop pulmonary hypertension and right heart failure much earlier than those without overlap. To assess the occurrence of pulmonary hypertension (PH) in newly diagnosed OSA-chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder overlap syndrome patients attending a tertiary care centre. This cross-sectional study was conducted at Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Government Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala, South India, among patients with OSA above 40years of age who were proactively evaluated to pick out those with undiagnosed overlap. A period of 6months after getting ethical clearance from June 2018 was selected as the study period. Among patients with symptoms suggestive of OSA above 40years of age who gave the informed consent were enrolled after screening with Standard Sleep questionnaires (Berlin questionnaire, STOP BANG and Epworth Sleepiness Scale). Enrolled patients underwent routine spirometry and sleep study using the standard Level 1 overnight polysomnography (Level1 OPSG). Patients were classified in to two groups as OSA patients (group I), having an apnea hypopnea index (AHI) > 5/hr alone and the second group as those OSA patients (group II), with an obstructive spirometry pattern who were the overlap group. Arterial blood gas analysis (a sample of radial arterial blood was drawn with the patient awake and supine, and was analyzed for pH, PaCO2 and PaO2) and echocardiography (ECHO) of the two groups were compared as a non-invasive method to assess pulmonary artery hypertension and results were analyzed in a systematic manner. Among the 84 patients enrolled, 16.7% had overlap syndrome and the rest had OSA alone. Statistically significant higher mean weight and BMI for those with overlap syndrome compared to the OSA group were observed. Mean FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV1 (forced expiratory volume 1s), and FEV1/FVC were lower in those with overlap syndrome compared to OSA group. The mean values of ABG parameters revealed higher PaCO2 and lower PaO2 among the group with overlap syndrome which were statistically significant. However, there was no significant difference in resting room air SaO2 value between the two groups. The mean values of sleep duration and efficiency were significantly lower in those with overlap syndrome with a p value < 0.001. The mean value of arousal and REM (rapid eye movement) sleep percentage were significantly higher among those with overlap syndrome (p < 0.001). Mean value of NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep percentage was lower among the group with overlap syndrome compared with the OSA group, and this difference was statistically significant. The mean AHI value of the overlap syndrome group was 39.79 ± 7.54 and this was significantly higher than the OSA group (p < 0.004). Among the 14 patients who had ECHO evidence of pulmonary hypertension, 9 (64.3%) belonged to the overlap group which shows that they are a highly vulnerable group for developing pulmonary hypertension (PH) and requires early detection and more rigorous treatment. This study confirms that OSA patients with modest daytime level of hypoxemia and mild-moderate chronic airflow limitation have a high prevalence of PH. Chronic airway obstruction may be asymptomatic in some subjects and this stresses the necessity of pulmonary function test in OSA.

The Pathophysiological Associations Between Obesity, NAFLD, and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases.

Obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are common and growing public health concerns. Previous epidemiological studies unfolded the robust correlation between obesity, NAFLD, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Obesity is a well-known risk factor for NAFLD, and both of them can markedly increase the odds of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, significant weight loss achieved by lifestyle modification, bariatric surgery, or medications, such as semaglutide, can concomitantly improve NAFLD and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, certain pathophysiological links are involved in the development of NAFLD in obesity, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in obesity and NAFLD. Moreover, recent studies indicated that simultaneously targeting several mechanisms by tirzepatide and retatrutide leads to greater weight loss and markedly improves the complications of metabolic syndrome. These findings remind the importance of a mechanistic viewpoint for breaking the association between obesity, NAFLD, and atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. In this review article, we mainly focus on shared pathophysiological mechanisms, including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, GLP1 signaling, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) overactivity, and endothelial dysfunction. Most of these pathophysiological alterations are primarily initiated by obesity. The development of NAFLD further exacerbates these molecular and cellular alterations, leading to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease development or progression as the final manifestation of molecular perturbation. A better insight into these mechanisms makes it feasible to develop new multi-target approaches to simultaneously unhinge the deleterious chain of events linking obesity and NAFLD to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

Glycerol Phenylbutyrate Treatment of 2 Patients With Monocarboxylate Transporter 8 Deficiency.

Monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) deficiency is a rare genetic disease that leads to severe global developmental delay. MCT8 facilitates thyroid hormone (TH) transport across the cell membrane, and the serum TH profile is characterized by high T3 and low T4 levels. Recent studies have shown that the chemical chaperone sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) restored mutant MCT8 function and increased TH content in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, making it a potential treatment for MCT8 deficiency. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of glycerol phenylbutyrate (GPB) in MCT8 deficiency. We treated 2 monozygotic twins aged 14.5 years with MCT8 deficiency due to P321L mutation with escalating doses of GPB over 13 months. We recorded TH, vital signs, anthropometric measurements, and neurocognitive functions. Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was measured by indirect calorimetry. Serum metabolites of GPB were monitored as a safety measure. In vitro effects of NaPB were evaluated in MDCK1 cells stably expressing the MCT8P321L mutation. The effects of GPB were compared to the effects of DITPA and TRIAC, thyromimetic medications that the patients had received in the past. NaPB restored mutant MCT8 expression in MDCK1 cells and increased T3 transport into cells carrying the P321L mutation. GPB treatment reduced high T3 and increased low T4 levels. The patients showed a significant weight gain simultaneously with a reduction in RMR. Only minor neurocognitive improvement was observed, in hyperreflexia score and in cognitive functions. Serum metabolites did not exceed the toxic range, but elevated liver transaminases were observed. In the first report of GPB treatment in MCT8 deficiency we found an improvement in TH profile and body mass index, with minor neurodevelopmental changes.

A trustworthy data collection approach from sensor nodes using trust score of mobile vehicles for smart city

AbstractIn smart cities, a substantial amount of data is collected for analytics and a better life for the citizens. The schemes based on data collection through mobile vehicles (MV) and further verification of that data through unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are popular. Many trust‐based schemes of the MV have been proposed recently. However, these schemes suffered from recognition accuracy, judgment trust, and collusion attack problems. In this paper, we propose a Gompetz function‐based trust evaluation scheme. In this scheme, the direct trust of the MV is computed by comparing the data provided by the MV and the same reported by the UAV. Since the UAV can collect only limited data, indirect trust of the vehicle is computed by comparing the data reported by the MV and the same reported by the MV having the highest trust. We also applied the variable trust, which considers the recent Trust of the MVs. Then, combining all these trusts with significant weight, the final trust score of the MV is computed. After experimenting, our proposed scheme is more credible and removes the shortcomings of the existing methods by providing better recognition, accuracy, judgment, and trust.