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Finding, exploring and filtering frequent sentence-based associations between a disease and a biomedical entity, co-mentioned in disease-related PubMed literature, is a challenge, as the volume of publications increases. Darling is a web application, which utilizes Name Entity Recognition to identify human-related biomedical terms in PubMed articles, mentioned in OMIM, DisGeNET and Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) disease records, and generates an interactive biomedical entity association network. Nodes in this network represent genes, proteins, chemicals, functions, tissues, diseases, environments and phenotypes. Users can search by identifiers, terms/entities or free text and explore the relevant abstracts in an annotated format. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Objective: Dysfunction of social cognition is well-recognized as one of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cognitive impairments. Previous studies have mostly associated social cognition subcomponents, including Theory of Mind (ToM), with executive dysfunction using highly-demanding tasks. In the present study, we investigate dysfunction of affective ToM in a sample of ALS patients without dementia and evaluate any possible associations both with executive and non-executive dysfunction. Methods: We included 42 ALS patients and 30 healthy controls (HC) and administered the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Screen (ECAS). Affective ToM was examined based on the ECAS judgment of preference task; total score and type of errors (“favourite”, “unclassified”) were recorded for all participants. Results: A significant proportion of ALS patients (31%) were impaired on ToM task, scoring significantly lower compared to HC. Impairments in ToM task were more frequent (45%) in patients with cognitive impairment compared to those with intact cognition (15%). ALS patients showed significantly more errors on ToM task compared to HC. A significant association was found between ToM score and ECAS language and visuospatial abilities but not fluency, executive or memory function. Conclusion: Dysfunction of affective ToM appears prevalent in ALS patients without dementia, and associates with language and visuospatial abilities. These associations align with motor and extra-motor symptoms due to the degeneration across corresponding networks. Impaired ToM should be considered in clinical settings, since it might contribute to patients’ social life, as well as the burden of their caregivers and relatives. © 2021 World Federation of Neurology on behalf of the Research Group on Motor Neuron Diseases.

Myotonic dystrophies (DMs) are hereditary, multisystem, slowly progressive myopathies. One of the systems they affect is the CNS. In contrast to the well-established cognitive profile of myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), only a few studies have investigated cognitive dysfunction in individuals with myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2), and their findings have been inconsistent. To identify the most commonly affected cognitive domains in individuals with DM2, we performed a formal comprehensive review of published DM2 studies. Using the terms "myotonic dystrophy type 2" AND "cognitive deficits," "cognitive," "cognition," "neuropsychological," "neurocognitive," and "neurobehavioral" in all fields, we conducted an advanced search on PubMed. We read and evaluated all of the available original research articles (13) and one case study, 14 in total, and included them in our review. Most of the research studies of DM2 reported primary cognitive deficits in executive functions (dysexecutive syndrome), memory (short-term nonverbal, verbal episodic memory), visuospatial/constructive-motor functions, and attention and processing speed; language was rarely reported to be affected. Based on the few neuroimaging and/or multimodal DM2 studies we could find, the cognitive profile of DM2 is associated with brain abnormalities in several secondary and high-order cortical and subcortical regions and associative white matter tracts. The limited sample size of individuals with DM2 was the most prominent limitation of these studies. The multifaceted profile of cognitive deficits found in individuals with DM2 highlights the need for routine neuropsychological assessment at both baseline and follow-up, which could unveil these individuals' cognitive strengths and deficits. Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

The in-depth study of protein–protein interactions (PPIs) is of key importance for understanding how cells operate. Therefore, in the past few years, many experimental as well as computational approaches have been developed for the identification and discovery of such interactions. Here, we present UniReD, a user-friendly, computational prediction tool which analyses biomedical literature in order to extract known protein associations and suggest undocumented ones. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate its usefulness by experimentally validating six predicted interactions and by benchmarking it against public databases of experimentally validated PPIs succeeding a high coverage. We believe that UniReD can become an important and intuitive resource for experimental biologists in their quest for finding novel associations within a protein network and a useful tool to complement experimental approaches (e.g. mass spectrometry) by producing sorted lists of candidate proteins for further experimental validation. UniReD is available at http://bioinformatics.med.uoc.gr/unired/. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.

This document describes the development of an innovative and computationally efficient modeling approach for the prediction of the transient response in elastic rods and strips. The introduced beam element exploits the advantages of wavelets for the spatial discretization of the displacement field. Results are validated against with confirmed models and are found to be in agreement. The model appears to be very accurate and computationally more efficient than other popular numerical methods.

A new time domain spectral finite element is developed for improving the efficiency of numerical simulations of guided waves in laminated composite strips. The finite element relies on a new generalized laminate mechanics model formulated to represent symmetric and anti-symmetric Lamb waves. The laminate mechanics incorporate third-order polynomial terms for the approximation of axial and transverse displacement fields through the thickness, and consider the displacements of the upper and lower surfaces as degrees of freedom. Based on the resultant governing equations of the laminate section, a new finite element with 8 nodal degrees of freedom is formulated, with its nodes collocated with Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre integration points. Stiffness and mass matrices are assembled and the transient response is predicted with explicit central differences time integration. The transient response of an orthotropic composite strip exited by a 5-count Gaussian pulse is investigated. Results are validated against a semi-analytical solution Numerical results exhibit substantial improvement in the convergence and accuracy of the introduced element regarding the prediction of symmetric and anti-symmetric wave propagation.

This paper deals with the synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of mixed ligand zinc complexes with the third generation quinolones' representative, levofloxacin. Two novel zinc (II) complexes of fluoroquinolone drug levofloxacin (H-levo), containing 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) (complex 1) and 2,2′-bipyridine (bipy) (complex 2) were synthesized and evaluated as antimicrobial agents, antitumor antibiotics and fluorescent probes. The highlight of this work is the ability of the aforementioned complexes to penetrate the cell membrane inducing fluorescence. The complexes structural characterization was performed by means of elemental and thermogravimetric analysis, FT-IR, RAMAN, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and UV-Vis. The complexation of zinc (II) metal ion with the deprotonated ligand levofloxacin and heteroligands reveals that levofloxacin coordinated to zinc through one pyridone and one carboxylato oxygen as well as with two nitrogen atoms from the heteroligands. Additionally, complexes have been tested for their antimicrobial activity, revealing an increased potency in comparison with the free H-levo ligand. The cytotoxic behavior of the synthesized mixed complexes in comparison with the free ligands was performed by MTT assay. It was found that the proliferation rate and viability of MCF-7 cells decreased after treatment with the above complexes. Zinc levofloxacin mixed complex with 1,10-phenanthroline (complex 1) presents the highest effect in comparison with zinc levofloxacin complex with 2,2′-bipyridine (complex 2). Furthermore, it was investigated the ability of mixed zinc complexes to penetrate the cell membrane inducing fluorescence. The results show that both complexes penetrate the cell membrane acting both, as fluorescent probes and as new cytotoxic drugs. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1 - In order to use benthic macrophyte communities as bioindicators of transitional and coastal waters an understanding of main community organization mechanisms along water quality gradients is necessary. 2 - Four different approaches are presented briefly: (a) scale-based variation of biotic indices in lagoon macrophyte communities, (b) multivariate analysis of community at species and functional group levels, (c) scale-based variation of body size descriptors of angiosperms, (d) eco-toxicological tests of mechanistic stressor-response relationships. 3 - Since growth of benthic macrophytes seems to be related to species’ ability to exploit the most abundant resources they can be successfully used as bioindicators of eutrophication in transitional and coastal waters.

Buildings use more than one-third of the total energy consumed in counties within the Mediterranean climate zones like in Turkey. During the summer months, the absorption of solar energy by the buildings increases the required cooling load significantly. One unconventional solution to this problem is the radiative cooling of the building surfaces and façades. If a surface benefits from daytime radiative cooling, its equilibrium temperature will be lower. This can be achieved only if 88% of solar radiation within the visible and near-infrared spectrum is reflected. For this purpose, paints and coatings may have an obvious advantage because of their low cost, simplicity and ease of application;however, strong solar reflectors may significantly mutate the color. On the other hand, the use of spectrally selective surfaces isof great value in practical applications such as collection of solar energy and spacecraft temperature control. In addition, the development of novel nano-patterning techniques and new designer materials for various applications are likely to surface. These developments may help to develop a wider data base for spectral and directional radiative properties of different materials. This review is to provide an overview of mainstream and such as cermets, paints and coatings, and metal oxides that can be used for radiative cooling of buildings. Also, a summary is provided for the theories, fabrication methods, usual design and possible future research opportunities to optimize these materials for spectral selectivity for specific applications.

Urban sprawl and the increase of the built-up area have a major impact on land use. Buildings are responsible for two types of land use interventions: primary land use, i.e. the building footprint and secondary land use, associated with the resource extraction, production, transport and end-of-life treatment of construction products. However the environmental impact related to the primary land use is mostly not considered in current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies of the built environment. The purpose of this paper is to assess the environmental impact of primary land use in neighbourhoods, considering not only the footprint of buildings but also the footprint of infrastructure and open spaces. Impacts related to land occupation and transformation are evaluated based on the impact assessment methods soil organic matter (SOM) (i.e. impact on soil quality) and Eco-indicator 99 (i.e. impact on biodiversity). An LCA study of neighbourhood models with diverse built densities, i.e. consisting of detached houses, semi-detached houses, terraced houses to compact apartment blocks, is performed. Moreover, buildings are simulated using combinations of building elements, from solid to timber frame structure. The results reveal the high contribution of primary land use to the neighbourhood life cycle environmental impacts, especially in low built density neighbourhoods. Furthermore, the environmental impact of primary land use is in most cases higher than secondary land use. Based on this analysis, it is recommended to include the assessment of primary land use in neighbourhood LCA, especially in studies comparing different built densities. ispartof: pages:595-602 ispartof: Procedia Environmental Sciences vol:38 pages:595-602 ispartof: International Conference on Sustainable Synergies from Building to the Urban Scale, SBE16 location:Thessaloniki, Greece date:17 Oct - 19 Oct 2016 status: published

Cities are complex entities which are constantly evolving, they are responsible for the largest share of most environmental impacts, but provide also major opportunities for improvement. Nevertheless, holistic methodologies to evaluate the environmental footprint of cities are still lacking at the urban scale level. Currently, carbon footprint and water footprint are the most used methods to evaluate the environmental performance of cities, despite their limited scope. The Urban Metabolism (UM) concept allows making an inventory of the flows into and out of the city, but it does not allow to interpret these flows in terms of environmental impacts. Life cycle assessment (LCA) provides this capability, but it is not yet feasible at urban scale. A first attempt to fuse the two approaches was made, but this proposal considers only four environmental indicators. It is clear that none of these methods can represent the whole environmental picture. Providing a new methodology adapt to urban context and extending the list of environmental impact categories is of paramount relevance to move towards a comprehensive and reliable environmental assessment able to guide cities on a sustainable transition path. For this reason, the main aims of this contribution are to give a comprehensive and critical insight in the most valuable and current available methods and tools able to assess the environmental burdens of cities, and at the same time trace the steps forward to propose a new methodology that could be capable to overcome the current gaps. This paper presents the first part of a broader research project which aims at developing a hybrid top-down and bottom-up approach to identify the contribution of the main flows at the macro-scale level, but also the main hotspots on the micro-scale level and the potential improvements. ispartof: pages:635-642 ispartof: Procedia Environmental Sciences vol:38 pages:635-642 ispartof: International Conference on Sustainable Synergies from Buildings to the Urban Scale location:Thessaloniki date:17 Oct - 19 Oct 2016 status: published