Prediction of Potential Disease-Associated MicroRNAs by Using Neural Networks

Identifying disease-related microRNAs (miRNAs) is an essential but challenging task in bioinformatics research. Much effort has been devoted to discovering the underlying associations between miRNAs and diseases. However, most studies mainly focus on designing advanced methods to improve prediction accuracy while neglecting to investigate the link predictability of the relationships between miRNAs and diseases. In this work, we construct a heterogeneous network by integrating neighborhood information in the neural network to predict potential associations between miRNAs and diseases, which also consider the imbalance of datasets. We also employ a new computational method called a neural network model for miRNA-disease association prediction (NNMDA). This model predicts miRNA-disease associations by integrating multiple biological data resources. Comparison of our work with other algorithms reveals the reliable performance of NNMDA. Its average AUC score was 0.937 over 15 diseases in a 5-fold cross-validation and AUC of 0.8439 based on leave-one-out cross-validation. The results indicate that NNMDA could be used in evaluating the accuracy of miRNA-disease associations. Moreover, NNMDA was applied to two common human diseases in two types of case studies. In the first type, 26 out of the top 30 predicted miRNAs of lung neoplasms were confirmed by the experiments. In the second type of case study for new diseases without any known miRNAs related to it, we selected breast neoplasms as the test example by hiding the association information between the miRNAs and this disease. The results verified 50 out of the top 50 predicted breast-neoplasm-related miRNAs.

In mice aggressive behavior provokes vast increase in plasma renin concentration, causing only slight, if any, increase in blood pressure

In mice aggressive behaviour causes a vast release of renin, which can result in about 600-fold increase in plasma renin concentration, reaching 6 Goldblatt Units, corresponding to 15 microgram renin per ml. This increase is mainly due to release of submaxillary renin, but there is also a significantly increased renal renin release. The degree of renin release is influenced by the duration of the aggression and by previous contact with other mice. Contrasting with the vast increase in plasma renin the blood pressure is normal or only moderately increased. This disproportion is not due to the depletion of renin substrate, caused by the increased renin, as shown by the increased calculated renin activity, as well as by decrease in blood pressure elicited by blockade of the renin system. Nor is the disproportion due to change in the sensitivity of the vessels to angiotensin II, the cause of this lack of tachyphylaxis being unknown. By way of exclusion the lack of pronounced increase in blood pressure can be explained by homeostatic function of the cardiovascular reflexes, which may also account for the fact that the pressor response after injection of pure submaxillary renin is only short, contrasting with a prolonged marked increase in plasma renin concentration.

Aggressive behavior in mice provokes a marked increase in both plasma epidermal growth factor and renin

The plasma concentration of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in normal, nephrectomized and sialectomized mice is about 0.5 nmol/l. Aggressive behaviour results in a parallel increase in both plasma EGF and plasma renin for both normal and nephrectomized mice. The plasma concentration of EGF increases around 300- and 150-fold respectively; no increase is observed in sialectomized mice, suggesting that the submaxillary gland is an important source of liberated EGF. Virtually all the EGF is found in plasma as a low molecular species that behaves as pure EGF, when examined by radioimmuno- and radioreceptor assays.

[Tracheobronchial foreign bodies]

Forty cases of children with an inhaled foreign body (FB) are reviewed over a three-year period. Clinical data, radiologic findings and complications are detailed. The nature and size of FBs are also reported. Diagnosis and management are discussed according to the most recent studies in the literature. Diagnostic flexible bronchoscopy is a useful first step when the diagnosis is unclear (i.e., choking history, unexplained respiratory symptoms), but FB removal is usually not possible during this procedure. Extraction is performed via the rigid bronchoscope under general anesthesia. However, FB could be removed with the flexible bronchoscope in five children in our study. Diagnosis and removal of an inhaled FB are required as quickly as possible in order to prevent respiratory sequelae (bronchiectasis). Prevention is based upon information to be given to families, but to the medical community as well, which often minimizes the seriousness of inhalation hazards.

Prediction of Drug-Gene Interaction by Using Metapath2vec

Heterogeneous information networks (HINs) currently play an important role in daily life. HINs are applied in many fields, such as science research, e-commerce, recommendation systems, and bioinformatics. Particularly, HINs have been used in biomedical research. Algorithms have been proposed to calculate the correlations between drugs and targets and between diseases and genes. Recently, the interaction between drugs and human genes has become an important subject in the research on drug efficacy and human genomics. In previous studies, numerous prediction methods using machine learning and statistical prediction models were proposed to explore this interaction on the biological network. In the current work, we introduce a representation learning method into the biological heterogeneous network and use the representation learning models metapath2vec and metapath2vec++ on our dataset. We combine the adverse drug reaction (ADR) data in the drug–gene network with causal relationship between drugs and ADRs. This article first presents an analysis of the importance of predicting drug–gene relationships and discusses the existing prediction methods. Second, the skip-gram model commonly used in representation learning for natural language processing tasks is explained. Third, the metapath2vec and metapath2vec++ models for the example of drug–gene-ADR network are described. Next, the kernelized Bayesian matrix factorization algorithm is used to complete the prediction. Finally, the experimental results of both models are compared with Katz, CATAPULT, and matrix factorization, the prediction visualized using the receiver operating characteristic curves are presented, and the area under the receiver operating characteristic values for three varying algorithm parameters are calculated.

Differences in renal and submaxillary renin release after stimulation with isoprenaline and noradrenaline

It is confirmed that while noradrenaline stimulates release of submaxillary as well as renal renin, isoprenaline only stimulates renal renin release. The effects of these two adrenergic agonists differ in several other ways. The kidneys respond to isoprenaline with a dose dependant renin release. As a contrast the submaxillary glands respond to noradrenaline by no or by non-dose-dependant release. After single doses of the agonists the isoprenaline induced renin release is of short duration, contrasting with a prolonged renin release after injection of noradrenaline. The kidneys are able to respond to repeated doses of both agonists, while the submaxillary glands most often only respond to the first dose. While the effect of noradrenaline is blocked by pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine, this blocker is without effect when given after noradrenaline. The two agonists do not provoke any increase in plasma renin in mice which have been both sialoadenectomized and nephrectomized.

Comparison between sodium cromoglycate (MDI: metered-dose inhaler) and beclomethasone dipropionate (MDI) in treatment of adult patients with mild to moderate bronchial asthma. A double-blind, double-dummy randomized, parallel-group study

This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of sodium cromoglycate (SC) and beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) in adult patients with bronchial asthma inadequately treated with bronchodilators alone. The study was a double-blind, randomized, double-dummy, parallel-group study. Patients with mild to moderate symptomatic asthma, inadequately treated with bronchodilators only, were, after a 2-week run-in (base-line) period, randomized to 8 weeks of treatment with either SC 10 mg four times daily or BDP 100 micrograms four times daily. Salbutamol metered-dose inhaler was given as relief medication. A total of 37 patients were randomized for treatment, 19 patients in the SC group and 18 patients in the BD group. Efficacy and safety were determined by daily record card data: morning and evening peak-expiratory-flow rates (PEFR), daytime and nighttime asthma symptom scores, and rescue salbutamol use. At clinic visits, FEV1 and FVC were measured, as were the physician's and the patient's assessment of the medication at the end of the study. The safety and tolerability of the trial medication were assessed by monitoring adverse events throughout the study. A clinically and statistically significant improvement of the asthma in FEV1, symptom scores, rescue medication, and global opinion of efficacy was observed, and both groups provided equivalent efficacy. The morning PEFR as well as the evening PEFR for both groups improved, but was statistically significant only for the BDP group (M-PEFR). Both drugs were well tolerated with only a few minor adverse events. This trial shows that SC and BDP are equally effective anti-inflammatory treatments for mild to moderate bronchial asthma in adults.

[Emergency translaryngeal ventilation with a Tuohy needle. Use in case of an inability to intubate and ventilate a curarized patient]

Intermittent translaryngeal insufflations of oxygen at high pressure by a needle could be a life-saving procedure, especially in a patient whose trachea the anesthesiologist was unable to intubate or ventilate. This study was designed to evaluate the quality of translaryngeal ventilation performed with a 16-gauge Tuohy needle and an oxygen pressure of 3 bar (300 kPa) in comparison with an usual plastic cannula of the same calibre. The studies carried out in the laboratory have shown a distinct advantage over the conventional cannula. Whereas an O2 jet delivered by a straight cannula impinged on the posterior wall of the larynx and trachea, the curved tip of the Tuohy needle deflected the axis of the O2 flow emerging from it, which then lay parallel to the longitudinal axis of the trachea. Consequently, gas flow through a simulated trachea was increased (2610 ml X s-1 vs 1240 ml X s-1), the inflation pressure being higher and the tidal volume larger. Moreover, the likelihood of injury to the posterior wall of the airway was reduced; the Tuohy needle held with a clamp close to the skin was more stable in position. Blood gases and clinical data obtained in 10 anesthetized and curarized patients without airway obstruction made it clear that translaryngeal insufflations with a 16-gauge Tuohy needle provided adequate ventilation (PaO2 values between 174 and 851 mmHg, PaCO2 between 38 and 64 mmHg). It was concluded that this technique was an efficient alternative in case of an inability to intubate a patient in apnea.

Aggression-provoked renin release from extrarenal and extrasubmaxillary sources in mice

In submaxillary sialoadenectomized and nephrectomized mice aggressive behaviour provoked 5 to 40-fold increases in plasma renin concentration. The changes in renin concentration with time were different in different groups of confronted mice with only partial correlation between the pattern and the observable degree of fight. The changes were similar in sialoadenectomized mice with untouched kidneys as in sialoadenectomized and nephrectomized, indicating that aggression causes no measurable, if any, renal renin release. Repeated aggression with 2 hourly intervals provoked repeated renin release from extrarenal and extrasubmaxillary sources. The renin concentrations of different organs showed the same mutual relationship as in other mammals, but were about 10-fold higher. Splenectomy was without effect on the aggression-provoked renin release. Antibodies against pure mouse renin neutralized the renin in plasma and organs, which contained only insignificant, if any, pepsin activatable inactive renin. Adrenaline, apomorphine, carbachol and dihydralazine were as isoprenaline and noradrenaline without effect on renin release in sialoadenectomized and nephrectomized mice.

Mechanochromic behavior of aryl-substituted buta-1,3-diene derivatives with aggregation enhanced emission

Three tetra-aryl substituted 1,3-butadiene derivatives with aggregation enhanced emission (AEE) and mechanochromic fluorescence behavior have been rationally designed and synthesized. The results suggest an effective design strategy for developing diverse materials with aggregation induced emission (AIE) and significant mechanochromic performance by employing D-π-A structures with large dipole moments.

Time course of changes in plasma renin after blockade of the renin-system. Studies of conscious and anaesthetized, normal, adrenalectomized and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Inhibition of the angiotensin I converting enzyme with SQ 20.881 results in a 2 to 35 fold increase in plasma renin concentration in normal rats and in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The effect is transient, lasting for 1 to 3 hours even in the presence of prolonged blockade. The relative increase is independent of the pretreatment plasma renin concentration. The blood pressure is unchanged in conscious rats in which the effect of SQ 20.881 on plasma renin is believed to be due to a blockade of the negative feedback of angiotensin II on renin release. In anaesthetized rats, SQ 20.88) has an additional hypotensive effect which augments the increase in plasma renin. Saralasin is without effect on blood pressure and plasma renin in conscious normal rats and in spontaneously hypertensive rats, while it causes a transient 3 to 27 fold increase in plasma renin concentration in anaesthetized rats. It is suggested that this increase is hardly due to an interception of the feedback, but to the concomitant fall in blood pressure, as a similar hypotension and increase in plasma renin is produced by dihydralazine. It is furthermore found that Saralasin blocks renin release induced by SQ 20.881. This demonstrates that Saralasin is bound to the receptors in the juxtaglomerular cells and has slight, agonistic properties there. Both in conscious rats and in anaesthetized adrenalectomized rats substituted with DOCA and salt, SQ 20.881 as well Saralasin causes transient increases in plasma renin concentration. If such rats are only substituted with salt and not with DOCA, the effects of both blockers are in the form of severe hypotension and a permanent elevation of plasma renin.

Even-odd product variation of the C(n)(+) + D(2) (n = 4-9) reaction: complexity of the linear carbon cation electronic states

We have studied reactions between linear Cn(+) (n = 4-9) and D2, using ion mobility mass spectrometry techniques and quantum chemical calculations in order to understand the complex reactivity of the linear cluster cations. Only linear CnD(+) products were observed for the odd (n = 5, 7, 9) linear clusters, while CnD2(+) was the main product for the even clusters. For the reaction rate constants determined for these two channels, we obtained the following two features: (1) the rate constant decreases with the size n, and (2) even-sized clusters have lower rate constants than neighboring odd-sized clusters. In the theoretical calculations using the CCSD(T) and B3LYP methods with the cc-pVTZ basis, we found that a low lying (2)Σ state in odd clusters may play an important role in these reactions. This opposes the previous interpretation that the (2)Πg/u state is the dominant electronic state for linear Cn(+) (n = 4-9) clusters. We showed that a barrierless radical abstraction forming CnD(+) occurs through a direct head on approach for the (2)Σ state Cn(+). In contrast, a carbene-like insertion forming CnD2(+) occurs through a sideways approach for the (2)Πg/u state Cn(+). We have concluded that the higher rate constants for the odd clusters come from the existence of symmetry broken (2)Σ states which are absent in even linear clusters.

Undergraduate performance in a domestic animal laboratory taught via distance education

The objective of this study was to determine if laboratory modules of an undergraduate animal anatomy course offered in distance education (DistEd) format were as effective as face-to-face (F2F) format in helping students learn. Students (n = 159) completed an anatomy pretest as well as a presurvey to assess prior DistEd experience. Alternating each week, laboratory topics were presented either as F2F or as virtual DistEd laboratories. Two laboratory examinations were administered and included material from both laboratory formats (DistEd and F2F). Questions from the pretest were also included and used to generate the posttest scores. At the end of the semester, students completed a postsurvey to determine if DistEd was a viable alternative to F2F. Student grades on each examination were compared using an ANOVA model that included main effects of presentation method (DistEd, F2F), semester (fall, spring), and their interaction. Learning was evaluated based on the performances of students on pre- and posttests using unpaired t-tests. There was an increase (P < 0.0001) in anatomy post- vs. pretest scores for both semesters, indicative of student learning, although there was no effect of presentation method (F2F or DistEd). On exam 1, students achieved greater scores in fall 2008 (P < 0.0001) on material presented via DistEd compared with that presented as F2F. However, in spring 2009 students scored better on material presented as F2F. There was no effect of presentation method on exam 2 scores for either semester. Based on the postsurvey, 79.3% of students in fall 2008 and 52% of students from spring 2009 agreed that DistEd laboratories were a viable alternative to F2F laboratories. The results of this study support the conclusion that anatomy material can be taught effectively by distance education methods.