bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adverse Drug Reactions in Pediatric Oncohematology: A Systematic Review
Authors: Amaro-Hosey Kristopher , Danés Immaculada , Agustí Antònia
Published: February 2022

Introduction: Adverse drug reactions (ADR) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. Due to the disease severity and chemotherapy safety profile, oncologic patients are at higher risk of ADR. However, there is little evidence on pharmacovigilance studies evaluating drug safety in this specific population.

Methods: In order to assess the incidence and characteristics of ADR in pediatric patients with oncohematogical diseases and the methodology used in the studies, a systematic review was carried out using both free search and a combination of MeSH terms. Data extraction and critical appraisal were performed independently using a predefined form.

Results: Fourteen studies were included, of which eight were prospective and half focused in inpatients. Sample size and study duration varied widely. Different methods of ADR identification were detected, used alone or combined. Causality and severity were assessed frequently, whereas preventability was lacking in most studies. ADR incidence varied between 14.4 and 67% in inpatients, and 19.6–68.1% in admissions, mainly in the form of hematological, gastrointestinal and skin toxicity. Between 11 and 16.4% ADR were considered severe, and preventability ranged from 0 to 74.5%.

Conclusion: ADR in oncohematology pediatric patients are frequent. A high variability in study design and results has been found. The use of methodological standards and preventability assessment should be reinforced in order to allow results comparison between studies and centers, and to detected areas of improvement.

Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=96513, identifier CRD42018096513.
Novel Therapies for the Treatment of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: A Systematic Review
Authors: Benić Mirjana Stanić , Nežić Lana , Vujić-Aleksić Vesna , Mititelu-Tartau Liliana
Published: February 2022

Many drugs with different mechanisms of action and indications available on the market today are capable of inducing hepatotoxicity. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) has been a treatment challenge nowadays as it was in the past. We searched Medline (via PubMed), CENTRAL, Science Citation Index Expanded, clinical trials registries and databases of DILI and hepatotoxicity up to 2021 for novel therapies for the management of adult patients with DILI based on the combination of three main search terms: 1) treatment, 2) novel, and 3) drug-induced liver injury. The mechanism of action of novel therapies, the potential of their benefit in clinical settings, and adverse drug reactions related to novel therapies were extracted. Cochrane Risk of bias tool and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment approach was involved in the assessment of the certainty of the evidence for primary outcomes of included studies. One thousand three hundred seventy-two articles were identified. Twenty-eight articles were included in the final analysis. Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were detected and for six the available data were sufficient for analysis. In abstract form only we found six studies which were also anaylzed. Investigated agents included: bicyclol, calmangafodipir, cytisin amidophospate, fomepizole, livina-polyherbal preparation, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG), picroliv, plasma exchange, radix Paeoniae Rubra, and S-adenosylmethionine. The primary outcomes of included trials mainly included laboratory markers improvement. Based on the moderate-certainty evidence, more patients treated with MgIG experienced alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization compared to placebo. Low-certainty evidence suggests that bicyclol treatment leads to a reduction of ALT levels compared to phosphatidylcholine. For the remaining eight interventions, the certainty of the evidence for primary outcomes was assessed as very low and we are very uncertain in any estimate of effect. More effort should be involved to investigate the novel treatment of DILI. Well-designed RCTs with appropriate sample sizes, comparable groups and precise, not only surrogate outcomes are urgently welcome.
Network Pharmacology-Based and Experimental Identification of the Effects of Paeoniflorin on Major Depressive Disorder
Authors: Zhang Sha , Jiang Mingchen , Yan Shuxia , Liang Miaomiao , Wang Wei , Yuan Bin , Xu Qiuyue
Published: February 2022

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, the diagnosis and treatment of MDD are major clinical issues. However, there is a lack of effective biomarkers and drugs diagnosis and therapeutics of MDD. In the present study, bioinformatics analysis combined with an experimental verification strategy was used to identify biomarkers and paeoniflorin targets for MDD diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: Based on network pharmacology, we obtained potential targets and pathways of paeoniflorin as an antidepressant through multiple databases. We then constructed a protein-protein interaction network and performed enrichment analyses. According to the results, we performed in vivo and in vitro experimental validation.

Results: The results showed that paeoniflorin may exert an antidepressant effect by regulating cell inflammation, synaptic function, NF-κB signaling pathway, and intestinal inflammation.

Conclusion: NPM1, HSPA8, HSPA5, HNRNPU, and TNF are the targets of paeoniflorin treatment. In addition, we demonstrated that paeoniflorin inhibits inflammatory cytokine production via the p38MAPK/NF-κB pathway and has neuroprotective effects on the synaptic structure. Our findings provide valuable evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of MDD.
Fat Quantification Imaging and Biophysical Modeling for Patient-Specific Forecasting of Microwave Ablation Therapy
Authors: Servin Frankangel , Collins Jarrod A. , Heiselman Jon S. , Frederick-Dyer Katherine C. , Planz Virginia B. , Geevarghese Sunil K. , Brown Daniel B. , Miga Michael I.
Published: February 2022

Computational tools are beginning to enable patient-specific surgical planning to localize and prescribe thermal dosing for liver cancer ablation therapy. Tissue-specific factors (e.g., tissue perfusion, material properties, disease state, etc.) have been found to affect ablative therapies, but current thermal dosing guidance practices do not account for these differences. Computational modeling of ablation procedures can integrate these sources of patient specificity to guide therapy planning and delivery. This paper establishes an imaging-data-driven framework for patient-specific biophysical modeling to predict ablation extents in livers with varying fat content in the context of microwave ablation (MWA) therapy. Patient anatomic scans were segmented to develop customized three-dimensional computational biophysical models and mDIXON fat-quantification images were acquired and analyzed to establish fat content and determine biophysical properties. Simulated patient-specific microwave ablations of tumor and healthy tissue were performed at four levels of fatty liver disease. Ablation models with greater fat content demonstrated significantly larger treatment volumes compared to livers with less severe disease states. More specifically, the results indicated an eightfold larger difference in necrotic volumes with fatty livers vs. the effects from the presence of more conductive tumor tissue. Additionally, the evolution of necrotic volume formation as a function of the thermal dose was influenced by the presence of a tumor. Fat quantification imaging showed multi-valued spatially heterogeneous distributions of fat deposition, even within their respective disease classifications (e.g., low, mild, moderate, high-fat). Altogether, the results suggest that clinical fatty liver disease levels can affect MWA, and that fat-quantitative imaging data may improve patient specificity for this treatment modality.
Bilateral Deficit in Countermovement Jump and Its Influence on Linear Sprinting, Jumping, and Change of Direction Ability in Volleyball Players
Authors: Pleša Jernej , Kozinc Žiga , Šarabon Nejc
Published: February 2022

We investigated the association between bilateral deficit (BLD) in the countermovement jump (CMJ) and change of direction (CoD) performance, CoD deficit, linear sprint, and approach jumping task. The participants (47 young volleyball players; age: 20.8 ± 3.8 years) performed bilateral and single-leg CMJs, modifiedT-test, 505 CoD test, 25-m sprints (with 5, 10, and 15 splits), and vertical approach jumps. The CoD deficit was also calculated from the 505 test and 10 m split time. BLD was calculated from CMJ jump height, peak power, and phase-specific force impulses (FIs). Several small to moderate statistically significant correlations (r= 0.42–0.49) were found between BLD and 505 times (7 correlations), sprint times (4 correlations), CoD deficit (1 correlation), and approach jump (1 correlation).T-test performance was not correlated with BLD variables (r= −0.15–0.22). The direction of the correlations indicated that the larger BLD is associated with superior performance, with the exception of 1 correlation for 505 times for the left leg and 1 for CoD deficit for the left leg. However, these two variables showed unacceptable reliability. Our results suggest that BLD could be useful in making decisions about the amount inclusion of unilateral training for volleyball players.
Antioxidant Responses Induced by Short-Term Activity–Estivation–Arousal Cycle in Pomacea canaliculata
Authors: Giraud-Billoud Maximiliano , Campoy-Diaz Alejandra D. , Dellagnola Federico A. , Rodriguez Cristian , Vega Israel A.
Published: February 2022

Long-term estivation (45 days) in the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata induces an increase of non-enzymatic antioxidants, such as uric acid and reduced glutathione (GSH), which constitutes an alternative to the adaptive physiological strategy of preparation for oxidative stress (POS). Here, we studied markers of oxidative stress damage, uric acid levels, and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity, enzymatic antioxidant defenses, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione S-transferase (GST), and transcription factors expression [forkhead box protein O (FOXO), hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF1α), and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)] in control active animals, 7-day estivating and aroused snails, in digestive gland, gill, and lung tissue samples. In the digestive gland, SOD and CAT activities significantly increased after estivation and decreased during arousal. Meanwhile, GST activity decreased significantly during the activity–estivation–arousal cycle. Gill CAT activity increased significantly at 7 days of estivation, and it decreased during arousal. In the lung, the CAT activity level increased significantly during the cycle. FOXO upregulation was observed in the studied tissues, decreasing its expression only in the gill of aroused animals during the cycle. HIF1α and Nrf2 transcription factors decreased their expression during estivation in the gill, while in the lung and the digestive gland, both transcription factors did not show significant changes. Our results showed that the short-term estivation induced oxidative stress in different tissues of P. canaliculata thereby increasing overall antioxidant enzymes activity and highlighting the role of FOXO regulation as a possible underlying mechanism of the POS strategy.
The Association Between Physical Activity and Insulin Level Under Different Levels of Lipid Indices and Serum Uric Acid
Authors: Lin Yajuan , Fan Rui , Hao Zhujing , Li Jiatian , Yang Xiaolei , Zhang Ying , Xia Yunlong
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Insulin resistance (IR) has been shown to play important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). There is an intricate interplay between IR, dyslipidemia, and serum uric acid (SUA) in people with and without diabetes. Physical activity has a positive impact on insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant populations. However, the effect of different intensities of physical activity on insulin levels under different lipid indices and SUA levels is unclear.

Methods

To explore the association between physical activity and insulin, we enrolled 12,982 participants aged above 18 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 2009 and 2018. Next, we conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses, generated fitted smoothing curves, and visualized the data using generalized additive models.

Results

Increased intensities of physical activity can significantly reduce insulin levels. The association between physical activity and insulin persisted even after adjusting for confounding factors, with β value (95% CI) = −17.10 (−21.64, −12.56) in moderate group, β value (95% CI) = −28.60 (−33.08, −24.11) in high group, respectively. High-intensity physical activity significantly lowered insulin levels in the lower and higher SUA tertiles, and three tertiles of LDL-c, HDL-c, and TG. Moreover, the link between physical activity and insulin was stronger in male individuals.

Conclusion

This study shows that physical activity can significantly lower insulin levels, and high-intensity physical activity still has additional potential benefits for insulin levels, even in the condition of dyslipidemia and hyperuricemia.
Optimizing the Substrate Uptake Rate of Solute Carriers
Authors: Schicker Klaus , Farr Clemens V. , Boytsov Danila , Freissmuth Michael , Sandtner Walter
Published: February 2022

The diversity in solute carriers arose from evolutionary pressure. Here, we surmised that the adaptive search for optimizing the rate of substrate translocation was also shaped by the ambient extracellular and intracellular concentrations of substrate and co-substrate(s). We explored possible solutions by employing kinetic models, which were based on analytical expressions of the substrate uptake rate, that is, as a function of the microscopic rate constants used to parameterize the transport cycle. We obtained the defining terms for five reaction schemes with identical transport stoichiometry (i.e., Na+: substrate = 2:1). We then utilized an optimization algorithm to find the set of numeric values for the microscopic rate constants, which provided the largest value for the substrate uptake rate: The same optimized rate was achieved by different sets of numerical values for the microscopic rate constants. An in-depth analysis of these sets provided the following insights: (i) In the presence of a low extracellular substrate concentration, a transporter can only cycle at a high rate, if it has low values for both, the Michaelis–Menten constant (KM) for substrate and the maximal substrate uptake rate (Vmax). (ii) The opposite is true for a transporter operating at high extracellular substrate concentrations. (iii) Random order of substrate and co-substrate binding is superior to sequential order, if a transporter is to maintain a high rate of substrate uptake in the presence of accumulating intracellular substrate. Our kinetic models provide a framework to understand how and why the transport cycles of closely related transporters differ.
The Effect of Hyperoxia on Central and Peripheral Factors of Arm Flexor Muscles Fatigue Following Maximal Ergometer Rowing in Men
Authors: Volianitis Stefanos , Rasmussen Peter , Petersen Nicolas C. , Secher Niels H.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

This study evaluates the effect of hyperoxia on cerebral oxygenation and neuromuscular fatigue mechanisms of the elbow flexor muscles following ergometer rowing.

Methods

In 11 competitive male rowers (age, 30 ± 4 years), we measured near-infrared spectroscopy determined frontal lobe oxygenation (ScO2) and transcranial Doppler ultrasound determined middle cerebral artery mean flow velocity (MCA Vmean) combined with maximal voluntary force (MVC), peak resting twitch force (Ptw) and cortical voluntary activation (VATMS) of the elbow flexor muscles using electrical motor point and magnetic motor cortex stimulation, respectively, before, during, and immediately after 2,000 m all-out effort on rowing ergometer with normoxia and hyperoxia (30% O2).

Results

Arterial hemoglobin O2 saturation was reduced to 92.5 ± 0.2% during exercise with normoxia but maintained at 98.9 ± 0.2% with hyperoxia. The MCA Vmean increased by 38% (p < 0.05) with hyperoxia, while only marginally increased with normoxia. Similarly, ScO2 was not affected with hyperoxia but decreased by 7.0 ± 4.8% from rest (p = 0.04) with normoxia. The MVC and Ptw were reduced (7 ± 3% and 31 ± 9%, respectively, p = 0.014), while VATMS was not affected by the rowing effort in normoxia. With hyperoxia, the deficit in MVC and Ptw was attenuated, while VATMS was unchanged.

Conclusion

These data indicate that even though hyperoxia restores frontal lobe oxygenation the resultant attenuation of arm muscle fatigue following maximal rowing is peripherally rather than centrally mediated.
The Role of Entrepreneur Cognition on Core Rigidity
Authors: Guo Yan , Huang Pei-Wen , Chou Meihui , Fang Shih-Chieh , Tsai Fu-Sheng
Published: February 2022

Against the backdrop of economic internationalization and market globalization, the world has witnessed faster competitive contents with a more dynamic market environment, a more rapid technological innovation, and more diverse customer needs. Thus, for every enterprise especially led by entrepreneurs, the focus is to maintain the sustainability of competitive advantages and dynamically transform core capacity to avoid rigidity. This paper introduces the process of the deepened rigidity in WS Co. Company, which occurs due to the wrong cognition of Dr. S and his teams who managed or failed to respond to the rigidity encountered by the company during different periods. The rigidity of its capacity is believed to be caused by the cognitive errors of the entrepreneur and his team facing every period of potential rigidity, which makes them fail to deal with it (or choose the wrong methods), thus leading to complete rigidity. This paper intends to explain how rigidity takes shape from the cognitive aspect of senior managers, which may serve as illuminations for the similar enterprises led by entrepreneurs.
How the Brunswikian Lens Model Illustrates the Relationship Between Physiological and Behavioral Signals and Psychological Emotional and Cognitive States
Authors: Burgoon Judee K. , Wang Rebecca Xinran , Chen Xunyu , Ge Tina Saiying , Dorn Bradley
Published: February 2022

Social relationships are constructed by and through the relational communication that people exchange. Relational messages are implicit nonverbal and verbal messages that signal how people regard one another and define their interpersonal relationships—equal or unequal, affectionate or hostile, inclusive or exclusive, similar or dissimilar, and so forth. Such signals can be measured automatically by the latest machine learning software tools and combined into meaningful factors that represent the socioemotional expressions that constitute relational messages between people. Relational messages operate continuously on a parallel track with verbal communication, implicitly telling interactants the current state of their relationship and how to interpret the verbal messages being exchanged. We report an investigation that explored how group members signal these implicit messages through multimodal behaviors measured by sensor data and linked to the socioemotional cognitions interpreted as relational messages. By use of a modified Brunswikian lens model, we predicted perceived relational messages of dominance, affection, involvement, composure, similarity and trust from automatically measured kinesic, vocalic and linguistic indicators. The relational messages in turn predicted the veracity of group members. The Brunswikian Lens Model offers a way to connect objective behaviors exhibited by social actors to the emotions and cognitions being perceived by other interactants and linking those perceptions to social outcomes. This method can be used to ascertain what behaviors and/or perceptions are associated with judgments of an actor’s veracity. Computerized measurements of behaviors and perceptions can replace manual measurements, significantly expediting analysis and drilling down to micro-level measurement in a previously unavailable manner.
The Influence of the Disadvantaged Mindset on System-Justifying Beliefs
Authors: Yang Lihua , Tang Shujun , Li Kai
Published: February 2022

System justification theory holds that disadvantaged groups rationalize the current social system, even if it is unfavorable to them. Epistemic, relational, and existential needs are factors that explain this phenomenon. However, the literature has not yet examined and explained when disadvantaged groups no longer rationalize current social systems. This study uses a questionnaire survey method (N = 745) to study the moderating effect of collectivism on disadvantaged mindset and system-justifying beliefs. It found that collectivism can influence the predictive effect of disadvantaged mindset on system-justifying beliefs. For people who scored low in collectivism, a disadvantaged mindset can significantly negatively predict system-justifying beliefs; for those who scored high in collectivism, a disadvantaged mindset no longer predicts system-justifying beliefs. Therefore, these results show that collectivist values are important for explaining system justification in disadvantaged groups. When collectivist values decline, the level of rationalization of the social system by disadvantaged groups also decreases.
Cross-Level Influence of Empowering Leadership on Constructive Deviance: The Different Roles of Organization-Based Self-Esteem and Traditionality
Authors: Wang Yanzi
Published: February 2022

At present, scholars have mainly focused on the individual-level influencing factors of constructive deviance, and few studies have concerned the motivating mechanism of empowering leadership on constructive deviance. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study explored the cross-level influence of empowering leadership on constructive deviance in the Chinese cultural context. With the data of 85 leaders and 383 paired employees which were collected in two waves with one-month time lag, the results demonstrated that empowering leadership motivated employees to actively implement constructive deviance, and that organization-based self-esteem played a mediating role in the relationship. The high traditionality of employees weakened not only the positive effect of organization-based self-esteem on constructive deviance, but also the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem. This study lays a theoretical basis and provides some practical guidance for leaders to take effective empowerment strategies to motivate employees to engage in constructive deviance.
Investigating the Influence of Intergroup Contact in Virtual Reality on Empathy: An Exploratory Study Using AltspaceVR
Authors: Tassinari Matilde , Aulbach Matthias Burkard , Jasinskaja-Lahti Inga
Published: February 2022

Virtual Reality (VR) has often been referred to as an “empathy machine.” This is mostly because it can induce empathy through embodiment experiences in outgroup membership. However, the potential of intergroup contact with an outgroup avatar in VR to increase empathy is less studied. Even though intergroup contact literature suggests that less threatening and more prosocial emotions are the key to understanding why intergroup contact is a powerful mean to decrease prejudice, few studies have investigated the effect of intergroup contact on empathy in VR. In this study, we developed a between-participants design to investigate how VR can be used to create a positive intergroup contact with a member of a stigmatized outgroup (ethnic minority) and present the results of the effect of intergroup contact in VR on empathy. Sixty four participants experienced either positive contact (i.e., equal intergroup status, collaborative) with a black (experimenter-controlled) avatar (experimental condition) or no intergroup contact (i.e., ingroup contact with a white avatar; control condition), with situational empathy (personal distress and empathic interest) being measured through a self-report questionnaire up to a week before and right after the VR contact experience. The experiment showed that satisfying degrees of body ownership of participants’ own avatar and co-presence with the contacted avatar can be achieved in simple and universally accessible virtual environments such as AltspaceVR. The results indicated that while VR intergroup contact had no significant direct effect on empathy, exploratory analyses indicated that post-intervention empathic interest increased with stronger feelings of co-presence in the intergroup contact condition.
Childhood Abuse, Social Support, and Long-Term Pharmacological Treatment Outcomes in Patients With Depressive Disorders
Authors: Lee Ju-Yeon , Stewart Robert , Kang Hee-Ju , Kim Ju-Wan , Jhon Min , Kim Sung-Wan , Shin Il-Seon , Kim Jae-Min
Published: February 2022

Objectives

This study was performed to investigate the roles of childhood abuse and social support in predicting short- and long-term pharmacological treatment outcomes in outpatients with depressive disorders in a naturalistic 1-year prospective design.

Methods

Patients were recruited at a university hospital in South Korea between March 2012 and April 2017. Subjects with stepwise pharmacotherapy (switching, augmentation, combination, and mixture of these approaches) included 1246 patients at 12-week points in the acute treatment response and 1,015 patients at 12-months in the long-term treatment response. Remission was defined as Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score ≤ 7. Exposure to three types of childhood abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual) before the age of 16 and perceived social support were assessed at baseline.

Results

Individual associations of childhood abuse were associated with poorer treatment outcomes in the 12-month long-term phase, and no significant individual associations were found for social support level with any period outcome. In combination, any child abuse, emotional abuse, and physical abuse were significantly associated with long-term 12-month remission rate in the presence of higher level of social support after adjustment with significant interaction terms. However, no significant interactions were found with sexual abuse.

Conclusion

Synergistic interactive effects of child abuse and social support levels on treatment outcomes in depressive patients were found during long-term pharmacotherapy. Thus, depressed patients with a history of childhood abuse may require specialized clinical approaches, including social support, to enhance the long-term treatment outcomes.
Explaining Experiences, Challenges and Adaptation Strategies in COVID-19 Patients: A Qualitative Study in Iran
Authors: Ahmadi Sina , Irandoost Seyed Fahim , Ahmadi Ahmad , Yoosefi Lebni Javad , Mohammadi Gharehghani Mohammad Ali , Baba Safari Nafe
Published: February 2022

Objective

Getting COVID-19 makes a person confront numerous individual, physical, psychological, family and social challenges. Therefore, the present study was conducted to explain the experiences, challenges and adaptation strategies in patients with COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran.

Methods

The present study was performed with a qualitative approach and phenomenological method among 33 patients with COVID-19. From July 20 to September 21, access to participants and data collection were done in person (15 people) and by phone (18 people) through targeted sampling and snowball and semi-structured interviews. Data management was carried out using MAXQDA-2018 software and its analysis was done by the Colaizzi analysis method. Guba and Lincoln's criteria were also observed to improve the quality of results.

Results

After analyzing the data, two main categories and 17 subcategories were obtained, including (1) experiences and challenges (ignoring the disease, blaming, physical health disorders, mental problems, guilt, and remorse, being blamed, living a life of disappointment and ambiguity, emotional challenges, frustrating reactions from others, helplessness and limitation) and (2) disease adaptation strategies (spirituality, learning about COVID-19, doing valuable and fun activities, participating in treatment, strengthening one's spirit and hope, trying to make up for past mistakes and virtual communication).

Conclusions

Based on the results, interventions and policies such as increasing people's health knowledge and literacy to get acquainted with the symptoms of the disease and prompt referral for diagnosis and treatment, teaching stress and psychological pressure management techniques, instructing families to continue emotional and social support for patients and strengthening and reproducing the strategies patients use, along with teaching disease coping skills, harnessing the potential of cyberspace and the media can make it easier to tolerate illness and get back to life.
Gene Expression Analysis Reveals Age and Ethnicity Signatures Between Young and Old Adults in Human PBMC
Authors: Hu Yang , Xu Yudai , Mao Lipeng , Lei Wen , Xiang Jian , Gao Lijuan , Jiang Junxing , Huang Li`an , Luo Oscar Junhong , Duan Jinhai , Chen Guobing
Published: February 2022

Human immune system functions over an entire lifetime, yet how and why the immune system becomes less effective with age are not well understood. Here, we characterize peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptome from 132 healthy adults with 21–90 years of age using the weighted gene correlation network analyses. In our study, 113 Caucasian from the 10KIP database and RNA-seq data of 19 Asian (Chinese) are used to explore the differential co-expression genes in PBMC aging. These two dataset reveal a set of insightful gene expression modules and representative gene biomarkers for human immune system aging from Asian and Caucasian ancestry, respectively. Among them, the aging-specific modules may show an age-related gene expression variation spike around early-seventies. In addition, we find the top hub genes including NUDT7, CLPB, OXNAD1, and MLLT3 are shared between Asian and Caucasian aging related modules and further validated in human PBMCs from different age groups. Overall, the impact of age and race on transcriptional variation elucidated from this study may provide insights into the transcriptional driver of immune aging.
Adipocyte-Specific Ablation of PU.1 Promotes Energy Expenditure and Ameliorates Metabolic Syndrome in Aging Mice
Authors: Chen Ke Yun , De Angulo Alejandra , Guo Xin , More Aditya , Ochsner Scott A. , Lopez Eduardo , Saul David , Pang Weijun , Sun Yuxiang , McKenna Neil J. , Tong Qiang
Published: February 2022

Objective: Although PU.1/Spi1 is known as a master regulator for macrophage development and function, we have reported previously that it is also expressed in adipocytes and is transcriptionally induced in obesity. Here, we investigated the role of adipocyte PU.1 in the development of the age-associated metabolic syndrome.

Methods: We generated mice with adipocyte-specific PU.1 knockout, assessed metabolic changes in young and older adult PU.1fl/fl (control) and AdipoqCre PU.1fl/fl (aPU.1KO) mice, including body weight, body composition, energy expenditure, and glucose homeostasis. We also performed transcriptional analyses using RNA-Sequencing of adipocytes from these mice.

Results: aPU.1KO mice have elevated energy expenditure at a young age and decreased adiposity and increased insulin sensitivity in later life. Corroborating these observations, transcriptional network analysis indicated the existence of validated, adipocyte PU.1-modulated regulatory hubs that direct inflammatory and thermogenic gene expression programs.

Conclusion: Our data provide evidence for a previously uncharacterized role of PU.1 in the development of age-associated obesity and insulin resistance.
The Importance of Motivation to Older Adult Physical and Cognitive Exercise Program Development, Initiation, and Adherence
Authors: O’Neil-Pirozzi Therese M. , Cattaneo Gabriele , Solana-Sánchez Javier , Gomes-Osman Joyce , Pascual-Leone Alvaro
Published: February 2022

Brain health is essential to successful aging, and exercise is essential to brain health. Evidence supports the benefits of regular physical and cognitive exercise in preventing or delaying progressin of mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Despite known benefits, motivation to initiate and adhere to an exercise program can be challenging to older adults. We propose that assessment of motivation in the older adult population be part of individualized physical and cognitive exercise program initial development and ongoing precision health coaching to facilitate initiation of—and adherence to—individualized multi-modal exercise programs and sustained exercise engagement. We suggest one published, physical exercise motivation questionnaire and present a new, psychometrically supported, parallel cognitive exercise questionnaire to do so. Needs for—and implications of—continued exercise motivation research using neurophysiologic and neuropsychologic metrics are discussed.
Toward Engineered Nanoparticle-Doped Optical Fibers for Sensor Applications
Authors: Lu Zhuorui , Robine Thibaut , Molardi Carlo , Pigeonneau Franck , Tosi Daniele , Blanc Wilfried
Published: February 2022

Nanoparticle-doped optical fibers, investigated first as fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, have gained tremendous interest over the past few years as fiber sensors. One of the main interests of such fibers relies on the ability to develop a distributed sensor, allowing real-time measurement with multiplexed architecture. To go beyond the actual proof of concept, we discuss in this perspective paper three main challenges to tackle: understanding light propagation in heterogeneous materials, controlling nanoparticle formation in glass, and engineering nanoparticle characteristics. Identified as the main directions to follow, they will contribute to promote nanoparticle-doped fiber sensors in the next few years.
Effect of Upper Arm Position Changes on the Occurrence of Ipsilateral Shoulder Pain After Single-Operator Port Thoracoscopy
Authors: Ren Dian , Zhang Bo , Xu Jie , Liu Renwang , Wang Jing , Huo Huandong , Zhang Hao , Zeng Jingtong , Wang Hanqing , Xu Xiaohong , Lin Mei , Xu Song , Song Zuoqing
Published: February 2022

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with the occurrence of ISP after VATS to reduce the incidence of ISP and improve patients' quality of life.

Methods

The data of patients were collected between June 2020 and August 2020 in the Department of Lung Cancer Surgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital. The angle of upper arm was measured intraoperatively. The patient's postoperative shoulder function was quantified using the Constant-Murley shoulder function rating score. The proportional hazards model was applied to identify multiple influence factors.

Results

A total of 140 eligible patients met criteria. At postoperative day 3, only the age influenced patients' shoulder pain. At postoperative day 14, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.098 [1.046-1.152]; P < 0.001) and upper arm Angle A (OR: 1.064 [1.011-1.121]; P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for low shoulder function scores. However, height was its protective factor (OR: 0.923 [0.871-0.977]; P = 0.006). At postoperative day 42, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that age (OR: 1.079 [1.036-1.124]; P < 0.001) was a risk factor for low shoulder function scores, and height (OR: 0.933 [0.886-0.983]; P = 0.009) was its protective factor. In contrast, upper arm Angle B was not statistically associated with low shoulder function scores (P>0.05). In addition, the reduction in ipsilateral Shoulder scores after surgery was higher in patients with more than 113° of angle A (P = 0.025).

Conclusion

ISP was closely related to the angle of anterior flexion of the upper arm on the patient's operative side intraoperatively. The increase in the degree of postoperative shoulder injury is more pronounced for an anterior flexion angle of >113°. Therefore, we recommend that the angle of anterior flexion of the upper extremity should be <113° intraoperatively.
Efficacy of the Synergy Between Live-Attenuated and Inactivated PRRSV Vaccines Against a NADC30-Like Strain of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus in 4-Week Piglets
Authors: Li Chaosi , Liu Zhicheng , Chen Kai , Qian Jie , Hu Yulong , Fang Shuhe , Sun Zhi , Zhang Chunhong , Huang Lv , Zhang Jianfeng , Huang Nian
Published: February 2022

The NADC30-like strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a novel strain responsible for substantial economic losses to swine production in China. This study evaluated the cross-protective efficacy of the synergy between live-attenuated and inactivated PRRSV vaccines compared with a single vaccination with PRRS modified-live virus (MLV) vaccine against challenge with NADC30-like strain, v2016/ZJ/09-03. A total of 45 PRRSV free pigs were randomly divided into five groups: (1) strict control (SC); (2) positive control (PC); (3) single MLV dose (M1); (4) primed intramuscularly with MLV and boosted with killed vaccine 3 weeks later (MK1); and (5) intramuscular prime MLV boosted subcutaneously with killed vaccine B 3 weeks later (MK2). Serological tests in MK groups revealed no differences in both anti-N and anti-GP protein antibodies compared with M1 group, and failed to provide further protection against clinical signs, virus shedding, and gross lesions. However, the viremic titer, gross lung lesions, and average daily weight gain were significantly improved in the MLV vaccinated groups, suggesting that MLV provides substantial cross-protection against the NADC30-like virus. Thus, as a booster, the killed vaccine confers minimal additional protection in NADC30-like infected piglets.
Nitrogen Fertilization Weakly Influences the Anatomy and Chemical Composition of Rice Leaves
Authors: Ye Miao , Zhang Zhengcan , Huang Guanjun , Zhang Zujian
Published: February 2022

In this paper, four rice genotypes showing different leaf mass per area (LMA) are used to explore the effects of nitrogen (N) supplies on rice leaf anatomy and leaf chemical composition as well as their impacts on leaf gas exchange parameters. The results showed that the mass-based and area-based leaf N contents as well as the net photosynthetic rate (A) under high N supply (HN) were all higher than those under a low N supply (LN). However, N supplies had no effect on stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, and photosynthetic N use efficiency. Moreover, N supplies had no significant effect on LMA and cell wall thickness. Leaf thickness and leaf density responses to N supplies were inconsistent in different genotypes. Except for the soluble sugar in Huanghuazhan and non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) in Sab Ini, N supplies showed no significant effects on mass-based leaf chemical components (pectic substance, hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, total cell wall, soluble sugar, starch and NSC) content. The area-based leaf chemical components content showed significant differences between HN and LN in some occasions. The soluble sugar, NSC, hemicellulose, and lignin contents of Sab Ini under HN were higher than those under LN. The pectic substance, hemicellulose, and lignin contents of Huanghuazhan under LN were higher than those under HN. The cellulose and cell wall contents of Yongyou 12 under LN were higher than those under HN. Therefore, we conclude that nitrogen fertilization weakly influences the anatomy and chemical composition of rice leaves with a few exceptions.
Recent Patterns in Maize Yield and Harvest Area across Africa
Authors: Epule Terence Epule , Chehbouni Abdelghani , Dhiba Driss
Published: February 2022

Africa’s rapidly growing population is exerting a lot of pressure on agricultural resources including maize yields and harvest area. Across Africa, access to advanced options for increasing maize yields are inadequate. This is daunting as most of the cultivation of maize is in the hands of smallholder farmers who have inadequate access to modern methods of farming. This has resulted in an increase in dependency on harvest area to increase yields. However, it is still unclear how this maize-yield-harvest-area dynamic plays out across different regions of Africa. This study uses crop yield and harvest area time series data from FAOSTAT for the period 1961–2019. The data are analyzed using linear interpolation, the normalization technique, the rate of change, the Pearson correlation coefficient, the coefficient of determination and regression analysis. The results show that maize yields and harvest area have increased by 71.35% and 60.12%, respectively across Africa. Regionally, West, Middle and East Africa witnessed a positive relationship between maize yields and harvest area while in North and Southern Africa, maize yields and harvest area have an inverse relationship. For example, in assessing the relationship between maize yield and harvest area in Africa, this work observes that North Africa has a correlation of −35% and an R2 of 12%, while Southern Africa has a correlation of −36% and R2 of 13%. On the other hand, West Africa has a correlation of 87% and an R2 of 76%, while Middle Africa recorded a correlation of 66% and an R2 of 42%. East Africa recorded a correlation of 76% and R2 of 61%. These results confirm that maize yield and harvest area have a positive relationship in West, Middle and East Africa and a negative relationship in North and Southern Africa. These results underscore the fact that in North and Southern Africa, maize production is less dependent on harvest area as is the case in the other regions of Africa. Such findings have implications for adaptation planning especially in sub-Saharan Africa where food insecurity is closely related to land and forest degradation.
Effects of Tin and Sulfur Chemical Substitution on the Structural and Electrical Properties of CuCr2Se4 Selenospinel
Authors: Valencia-Gálvez Paulina , Aravena Daniel , Barahona Patricia , Moris Silvana , Galdámez Antonio
Published: February 2022

A series of CuCr2-xSnxS2.3Se1.7 and CuCr2-xSnxS1.7Se2.3 (x = 0.4, 0.6, and 1.0) compounds were prepared by solid-state reaction at a high temperature. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis showed that CuCr1.1Sn0.9S2.3Se1.7 crystallizes in a spinel-type structure (cubic Fd3¯m space group). The others samples were also consistent with a spinel-type structure but through powder X-ray diffraction patterns and Rietveld refinements. The systems studies showed p-type semiconductor behavior with a carrier concentration per volume of approximately ~+1020 cm−3. The electrical conductivity, σ, showed tin-content dependence. The conductivity of CuCr2-xSnxS1.7Se2.3 increased from ~9.0 to ~17.0 S·cm−1 at room temperature (RT) for x = 0.4 and 0.6, respectively, and the magneto-resistance average value determined for CuCr2-xSnxS2.3Se1.7 and CuCr2-xSnxS1.7Se2.3 was approximately ~10−4 Ω (0.566 T, external magnetic field). DFT calculations revealed that the Cr centers concentrated most of the spin density. A smaller spin polarization featuring the opposite spin was observed for S/Se atoms.
Performance Efficiency Measurement Model Development of a Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to Accelerate Technology Commercialization in Universities
Authors: Sutopo Wahyudi , Khofiyah Nida An , Hisjam Muhammad , Ma’aram Azanizawati
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this research is to develop a model for measuring the efficiency of the TTO incubation process performance to accelerate the commercialization of research results in universities. The method of analyzing the efficiency used in this research is the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method based on Banker, Charnes, and Cooper (BCC), which is output-oriented. The software used in analyzing the efficiency of TTO performance is MaxDEA 8. The output of this research is a mathematical model tool for measuring the efficiency of TTO performance by DEA, which considered 17 parameters and proposed recommendations for TTO performance strategies. The limitation of this research is the object of research in one university that has succeeded in the commercialization of research. This research implies that the performance efficiency measurement model is an alternative predictive way to increase the acceleration of commercialization. The practical implications of this research are that it can evaluate performance or inefficient strategies in the incubation process of higher education research results to the Technology Transfer Office (TTO). This research also provides recommendations on strengthening the TTO function that can be used as a reference for improving performance at universities. This research measures the level of performance evaluation of TTO in the incubation process, which refers to the Death Valley framework. This incubation process is the main process accelerating the commercialization of research results in universities.
Defense Strategies: The Role of Transcription Factors in Tomato–Pathogen Interaction
Authors: Campos Maria Doroteia , Félix Maria do Rosário , Patanita Mariana , Materatski Patrick , Albuquerque André , Ribeiro Joana A. , Varanda Carla
Published: February 2022

Tomato, one of the most cultivated and economically important vegetable crops throughout the world, is affected by a panoply of different pathogens that reduce yield and affect product quality. The study of tomato–pathogen system arises as an ideal system for better understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying disease resistance, offering an opportunity of improving yield and quality of the products. Among several genes already identified in tomato response to pathogens, we highlight those encoding the transcription factors (TFs). TFs act as transcriptional activators or repressors of gene expression and are involved in large-scale biological phenomena. They are key regulators of central components of plant innate immune system and basal defense in diverse biological processes, including defense responses to pathogens. Here, we present an overview of recent studies of tomato TFs regarding defense responses to biotic stresses. Hence, we focus on different families of TFs, selected for their abundance, importance, and availability of functionally well-characterized members in response to pathogen attack. Tomato TFs’ roles and possibilities related to their use for engineering pathogen resistance in tomato are presented. With this review, we intend to provide new insights into the regulation of tomato defense mechanisms against invading pathogens in view of plant breeding.