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Purpose of Review: To eradicate atherosclerotic diseases, novel biomarkers, and future therapy targets must reveal the burden of early atherosclerosis (AS), which occurs before life-threatening unstable plaques form. The chemical and biological features of microRNAs (miRNAs) make them interesting biomarkers for numerous diseases. We summarized the latest research on miRNA regulatory mechanisms in AS progression studies, which may help us use miRNAs as biomarkers and treatments for difficult-to-treat diseases. Recent Findings: Recent research has demonstrated that miRNAs have a regulatory function in the observed changes in gene and protein expression during atherogenesis, the process that leads to atherosclerosis. Several miRNAs play a role in the development of atherosclerosis, and these miRNAs could potentially serve as non-invasive biomarkers for atherosclerosis in various regions of the body. These miRNAs have the potential to serve as biomarkers and targets for early treatment of atherosclerosis. Summary: The start and development of AS require different miRNAs. It reviews new research on miRNAs affecting endothelium, vascular smooth muscle, vascular inflammation, lipid retention, and cholesterol metabolism in AS. A miRNA gene expression profile circulates with AS everywhere. AS therapies include lipid metabolism, inflammation reduction, and oxidative stress inhibition. Clinical use of miRNAs requires tremendous progress. We think tiny miRNAs can enable personalized treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing material waste and computation time are primary objectives in cutting and packing problems (C &P). A solution to the C &P problem consists of many steps, including the grouping of items to be nested and the arrangement of the grouped items on a large object. Current algorithms use meta-heuristics to solve the arrangement problem directly without explicitly addressing the grouping problem. In this paper, we propose a new pipeline for the nesting problem that starts with grouping the items to be nested and then arranging them on large objects. To this end, we introduce and motivate a new concept, namely the Geometrical Compatibility Index (GCI). Items with higher GCI should be clustered together. Since no labels exist for GCIs, we propose to model GCIs as bidirectional weighted edges of a graph that we call geometrical relationship graph (GRG). We propose a novel reinforcement-learning-based framework, which consists of two graph neural networks trained in an actor-critic-like fashion to learn GCIs. Then, to group the items into clusters, we model the GRG as a capacitated vehicle routing problem graph and solve it using meta-heuristics. Experiments conducted on a private dataset with regularly and irregularly shaped items show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a significant reduction in computation time (30% to 48%) compared to an open-source nesting software while attaining similar trim loss on regular items and a threefold improvement in trim loss on irregular items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pheochromocytoma (PCC) is a neuroendocrine tumor that produces and secretes catecholamine from either the adrenal medulla or extra-adrenal locations. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miR) can be used as biomarkers to detect cancer or the return of a previously treated disease. Blood-borne miRNAs might be envisioned as noninvasive markers of malignancy or prognosis, and new studies demonstrate that microRNAs are released in body fluids as well as tissues. MiRNAs have the potential to be therapeutic targets, which would greatly increase the restricted therapy options for adrenal tumors. This article aims to consolidate and synthesize the most recent studies on miRNAs in PCC, discussing their potential clinical utility as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers while also addressing their limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article adopts a novel technique to numerical solution for fractional time-delay diffusion equation with variable-order derivative (VFDDEs). As a matter of fact, the variable-order fractional derivative (VFD) that has been used is in the Caputo sense. The first step of this technique is constructive on the construction of the solution using the shifted Legendre–Laguerre polynomials with unknown coefficients. The second step involves using a combination of the collocation method and the operational matrices (OMs) of the shifted Legendre–Laguerre polynomials, as well as the Newton–Cotes nodal points, to find the unknown coefficients. The final step focuses on solving the resulting algebraic equations by employing Newton's iterative method. To illustrate and demonstrate the technique's efficacy and applicability, two examples have been provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenic bacteria are the type of bacteria that is harmful to humans and can cause several diseases such as lung diseases, cholera, tuberculosis and syphilis. The multidrug-resistant bacteria that isolated from the patients were Klebsiella spp., Escherichiacoli, Pseudomonasaeruginosa, that are known as the human pathogenic bacteria. The antibiotics that have been used against these bacteria were Meropenem MEM, Imipenem IPM, Gentamicin GNT, Co-AmoxiclavAMC and Ceftriaxone CRO. For the vial antibiotics, two different concentrations were prepared and Mueller Hinton agar used as the culture media. Pseudomonasaeruginosa was resistant against all vial and disk antibiotics. Escherichiacoli was susceptible against all vial drugs and disks except ceftriaxone 10 mcg. Klebsiella spp. was susceptible against all vial and disk antibiotics. However, it was resistant against Ceftriaxone 10 mcg disk and Gentamicin 10 mcg. The most effective drug against all bacteria was Meropenem vial and disk. The most resistant bacteria against all antibiotic disks was Pseudomonasaeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history, wildlife has been regarded as a major source of infectious diseases. Rodentia, the most speciose order of mammals, whose members are recognised hosts of more than 60 zoonotic diseases, represent a potential threat to human health. Recently, epidemiological data from Saudi Arabia indicated an actual growth in the number of emerging and/or re-emerging cases of several zoonoses. However, there is a lack of studies focusing on the molecular taxonomy of rodents and the pathogens they may harbour in this region. In this study, the first molecular characterisation of six rodent taxa in this region is provided, based on partial Cyt B and 16S genes. The data confirm the spread of rodent-associated C. burnetii strains in Jazan, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The PCR targeting IS111, the multi-copy transposase gene, revealed 17.5% (36/205) positive samples, whereas the second nested PCR, targeting the single-copy Com1 gene, revealed 16.6% (34/205) positive samples. Phylogenetic and network analyses indicated the presence of four haplotypes of C. burnetii within the studied localities. One major haplotype (H-2) was observed in all rodent species and from 18 localities. The infection rates of C. burnetii among studied species, localities and habitats were not significantly different (>0.05). Our results facilitate the assessment of the health risk associated with rodents and the development of strategies to control the increasing impacts of Q fever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main anesthetic goal in the postoperative period of functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) is early and pain-free recovery, with return of protective airway reflex. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to regional blocks in patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Results: Group bupivacaine + dexmedetomidine (BD) showed statistically significantly lower postoperative pain measurements than group bupivacaine (B), longer time to the first request of rescue analgesia, less patients needing rescue analgesia, and less rescue morphine analgesic requirements. Other measurements were insignificantly different between both groups. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine can be used as an adjuvant to regional nerve block in patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery. It effectively prolonged postoperative analgesia, decreased postoperative opioid analgesic requirements, and reduced the number of patients needing rescue analgesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To elucidate factors underlying the evolution of large brains in cetaceans, we examined 16 brains from 14 cetartiodactyl species, with immunohistochemical techniques, for evidence of non-shivering thermogenesis. We show that, in comparison to the 11 artiodactyl brains studied (from 11 species), the 5 cetacean brains (from 3 species), exhibit an expanded expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1, UCPs being mitochondrial inner membrane proteins that dissipate the proton gradient to generate heat) in cortical neurons, immunolocalization of UCP4 within a substantial proportion of glia throughout the brain, and an increased density of noradrenergic axonal boutons (noradrenaline functioning to control concentrations of and activate UCPs). Thus, cetacean brains studied possess multiple characteristics indicative of intensified thermogenetic functionality that can be related to their current and historical obligatory aquatic niche. These findings necessitate reassessment of our concepts regarding the reasons for large brain evolution and associated functional capacities in cetaceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel species of coccidia, resembling a member of the genus Eimeria, was found in bats, Scotophilus leucogaster, collected in southern Saudi Arabia has been described on the basis of unsporulated oocysts and DNA sequencing of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) and partial 18S rDNA regions. Unsporulated oocysts of this form are ovoidal to spheroidal and had a 2-layered wall, 1.5–2.0 (1.9 ± 0.2); the outer layer was light blue with striations, and thicker than the inner, darker layer. No micropyle was present. Unsporulated oocysts (N = 150) measured 27.2 × 22.1 (25–30 × 20–25), length width ratio, 1.2 (1.1–1.4). There was no evidence of an oocyst residuum and/or polar granule. This parasite was detected in 2/7 (29%) S. leucogaster collected from southern Saudi Arabia. Oocysts incubated at 25 °C in 2.5% K2Cr2O7 did not sporulate after > 1 month. Unsporulated oocyst measurements were compared with other coccidian parasites of bats that discharge oocysts in their feces. Sequences of the ITS1 and the 18S rDNA regions obtained from the unsporulated oocysts grouped this coccidium from S. leucogaster with eimerian species from various rodent and squirrel species. It is critical that future investigators obtain fully sporulated oocysts of this coccidium for full description of the parasite recovered in our study so it can be correctly assigned to genus and given an accurate binomial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of neodymium:yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Nd:YAG) laser for treatment of epithelial ingrowth after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Patients and methods: Fifty-eight patients with epithelial ingrowth presented to Sohag refractive center, Sohag, Egypt, between January 2015 and March 2017. Only 41 patients (18 females and 23 males, mean age: 33.4 years) involving 41 eyes were indicated for treatment by Nd:YAG laser as the rest of the eyes were only under observation. Patients with epithelial ingrowth were recognized at a mean of 6 months after primary LASIK procedure (range: 2–16 months). Four eyes had undergone previous LASIK enhancements. Four eyes had the epithelial ingrowth removed by flap lift and scrapping. The mean intensity of the spots used was 0.8 mJ with variable number of shots depending on the size and density of the epithelial ingrowth area. Twenty-eight eyes showed complete regression after one session, while the rest necessitated 2–3 sessions for complete resolution. Mean follow-up period was 8 months (range 5–12 months). Results: Epithelial ingrowth was treated successfully in all 41 eyes. The uncorrected visual acuities were 20/20, and there was no evidence of recurrent epithelial ingrowth after 6 months with no complications reported. Conclusion: YAG laser is a simple, effective outpatient procedure for the management of epithelial ingrowth after LASIK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosignal classification is an important non-invasive diagnosis tool in biomedical application, e.g. electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), and electromyogram (EMG) that helps medical experts to automatically classify whether a sample of biosignal under test/monitor belongs to the normal type or otherwise. Most biosignals are stochastic and non-stationary in nature, that means their values are time dependent and their statistics vary over different points of time. However, most classification algorithms in data mining are designed to work with data that possess multiple attributes to capture the non-linear relationships between the values of the attributes to the predicted target class. Therefore, it has been a crucial research topic for transforming univariate time series to multivariate dataset to fit into classification algorithms. For this, we propose a pre-processing methodology called statistical feature extraction (SFX). Using the SFX we can faithfully remodel statistical characteristics of the time series via a sequence of piecewise transform functions. The new methodology is tested through simulation experiments over three representative types of biosignals, namely EEG, ECG and EMG. The experiments yield encouraging results supporting the fact that SFX indeed produces better performance in biosignal classification than traditional analysis techniques like Wavelets and LPC-CC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum samples from 489 male and female camels were tested for antibodies against Coxiella burnetii using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies to C. burnetii were recorded in sera of 252 (51.64 %) camels. Significant differences in prevalence were found between male and female camels, juvenile and adult camels, and different ecotypes and different sampling locations. Three hundred seven camels were simultaneously tested for C. burnetii antibodies by ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) tests. Close agreement was found between the results of the two tests. A high prevalence of C. burnetii antibodies was also recorded in milk samples tested by ELISA. Clinical samples from serologically positive camels were subjected to PCR analysis using primers which amplify the repetitive transposon-like and transposase gene regions of C. burnetii. Positive DNA amplification was obtained from both regions, with the highest shedding of C. burnetii in fecal samples (27.59 %) followed, in descending order, by urine (23.81 %), blood (15.85 %), and milk (6.5 %). The present results indicate that camels are a major reservoir of C. burnetii in Saudi Arabia. High prevalence of C. burnetii in camels, poor sanitary standards under which these animals are kept, and the consumption of raw camel milk indicate that camels can also be a major source of Q fever transmission to humans in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hippocampus is essential for the formation and retrieval of memories and is a crucial neural structure sub-serving complex cognition. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis, the birth, migration and integration of new neurons, is thought to contribute to hippocampal circuit plasticity to augment function. We evaluated hippocampal volume in relation to brain volume in 375 mammal species and examined 71 mammal species for the presence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis using immunohistochemistry for doublecortin, an endogenous marker of immature neurons that can be used as a proxy marker for the presence of adult neurogenesis. We identified that the hippocampus in cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) is both absolutely and relatively small for their overall brain size, and found that the mammalian hippocampus scaled as an exponential function in relation to brain volume. In contrast, the amygdala was found to scale as a linear function of brain volume, but again, the relative size of the amygdala in cetaceans was small. The cetacean hippocampus lacks staining for doublecortin in the dentate gyrus and thus shows no clear signs of adult hippocampal neurogenesis. This lack of evidence of adult hippocampal neurogenesis, along with the small hippocampus, questions current assumptions regarding cognitive abilities associated with hippocampal function in the cetaceans. These anatomical features of the cetacean hippocampus may be related to the lack of postnatal sleep, causing a postnatal cessation of hippocampal neurogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work represents the most extensive genetic study of the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758) in Arabia and the first considering genetic data from multiple locations within Saudi Arabia. Previous suggestion of the occurrence of two subspecies of wolves in Arabia is not supported by this study. The genetic evidence suggests that the wolves of Saudi Arabia are genetically variable and more closely related to the Eurasian wolf Canis lupus group (dog included) than to the Indian wolf C. l. pallipes . The genetic diversity observed for C. lupus in Saudi Arabia indicates that the subspecific status C. l. arabs should be retained for the Arabian wolf. What remains unclear is the degree to which genetic introgression from domestic dogs has influenced the composition and integrity of C. lupus in Saudi Arabia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes a novel model for medical differential diagnosis designed to make recommendations by utilizing semantic web technologies. Topics discussed include the evidence-based recommender component and the proximity-based recommender component as 2 major components of the model. Also mentioned are both approaches being driven by disease diagnosis ontologies designed specifically to enable the process of generating diagnostic recommendations and test cases from model implementation.

This paper presents a model and experimental verification for a complete scenario of a proposed wide area measurement system (WAMS) based on synchronized phasor measurement units (PMUs). The proposed system is feasible for hybrid smart ac/dc power networks; such as grid-connected PV-power plants. The purpose is to increase the overall system reliability for all power stages via significant dependence on WAMS as distributed intelligence agents with improved monitoring, protection, and control capabilities of the power networks. The developed system is simulated in the Matlab/Simulink environment. The system was tested under two different cases; normal operation and fault state. Furthermore, the proposed WAMS was experimentally validated with results obtained from a reduced scale setup which built and tested in the laboratory based on the Hardware-in-the-loop concept. It was verified that the power system status can be easily monitored and controlled in real time by using the measured bus data in real time. This improves the overall system reliability and avoids cascaded blackout during fault occurrence. The simulation and experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed WAMS technology for smart grid applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum samples from sand gazelles ( n = 227), mountain gazelles ( n = 232), and Arabian oryx ( n = 96) reared in captivity in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were tested for the presence of Coxiella burnetii antibodies using an indirect enzyme immunoassay. C. burnetii antibodies were present in 18.3%, 7.3%, and 46.9% of these animals, respectively. The difference in serological prevalence between the three species was statistically significant. Age- and sex-related differences in prevalence were also observed. This study is the first record of C. burnetii antibodies in Arabian gazelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goitred gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa) rank among the most endangered mammals on the Arabian Peninsula and the Asian steppes. Past conservation efforts have been plagued by confusion about the phylogenetic relationship among various-phenotypically discernable-populations, and even the question of species boundaries was far from being certain. This lack of knowledge had a direct impact on conservation measures, especially ex situ breeding programmes, hampering the assignment of captive stocks to potential conservation units. Here, we provide a phylogenetic framework, based on the analysis of mtDNA sequences of a number of individuals collected from the wild and captivity throughout the species' natural range. Our analyses revealed a polyphyly within the presumed species of G. subgutturosa resulting in two distinct clades: one on the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Jordan, Syria and Turkey ( Gazella marica; sand gazelle) and one genetically diverse larger clade from the rest of its Asian range ( G. subgutturosa; goitred gazelle). Additionally, we provide a quick method (PCR-RFLP) to analyse the taxonomic affiliation of captive gazelles that will be used for re-introductions into the wild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochemical reference range values were determined for 91 clinically healthy Arabian sand gazelle, reem ( Gazella subgutturosa marica), and 66 Arabian mountain gazelle, idmi, ( Gazella gazella) kept in captivity. Parameters investigated included: albumin (ALB), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), amylase (AMY), total bilirubin (TBIL), blood urea nitrogen, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (PHOS), creatinine (CREAT), glucose (GLU), sodium (Na), potassium (K), total protein (TP) and globulin (GLOB). Specific and interspecific differences related to sex and age were investigated. In reem gazelles there were significant differences between adults and juveniles of both sexes in the levels of all parameters investigated except for TBIL, GLU and K. Unlike in reem gazelles, idmi gazelles showed no significant differences in the levels of ALB, ALT, TBIL, PHOS, Ca, Na and GLU between both sexes and age groups. Adult reem and idmi gazelles exhibited significant differences in the levels of ALB, ALP, ALT, AMY, CREAT, GLU, K, TP and GLOB compared to juveniles of both species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce two reliable efficient approximate methods for solving a class of fractional Lane–Emden equations with conformable fractional derivative (CL-M) which are the so-called conformable Homotopy–Adomian decomposition method (CH-A) and conformable residual power series method (CRP). Furthermore, the proposed methods express the solutions of the non-linear cases of the CL-M in terms of fractional convergent series in which its components can be computed in an easy manner. Finally, the results are given by graphs for each case of the CL-M at different values of α in order to demonstrate its accuracy, applicability, and efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolutionary relationships between extinct and extant lineages provide important insight into species' response to environmental change. The grey wolf is among the few Holarctic large carnivores that survived the Late Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions, responding to that period's profound environmental changes with loss of distinct lineages and phylogeographic shifts, and undergoing domestication. We reconstructed global genome-wide phylogeographic patterns in modern wolves, including previously underrepresented Siberian wolves, and assessed their evolutionary relationships with a previously genotyped wolf from Taimyr, Siberia, dated at 35 Kya. The inferred phylogeographic structure was affected by admixture with dogs, coyotes and golden jackals, stressing the importance of accounting for this process in phylogeographic studies. The Taimyr lineage was distinct from modern Siberian wolves and constituted a sister lineage of modern Eurasian wolves and domestic dogs, with an ambiguous position relative to North American wolves. We detected gene flow from the Taimyr lineage to Arctic dog breeds, but population clustering methods indicated closer similarity of the Taimyr wolf to modern wolves than dogs, implying complex post-divergence relationships among these lineages. Our study shows that introgression from ecologically diverse con-specific and con-generic populations was common in wolves' evolutionary history, and could have facilitated their adaptation to environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]