bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retinal Involvements Secondary to Parasitic Infections in Iran
Authors: Shokri Azar , Jalalifar Samira , Fakhar Mahdi , Sadeghi Mohammad Montazemi
Published: March 2024

Objective Little is discussed about retinal changes due to intestinal parasitic infections in humans worldwide. Design: We decided to investigate the presence of retinal changes in cases with intestinal parasitic infections in case and control groups. 75 cases that were infected with at least one parasitic infection and 75 healthy controls were chosen.Methods In this study, we investigated the presence of retinal change in people with intestinal parasitic infections. All infected and healthy cases underwent an ophthalmologic exam to discover retinal salt and pepper lesions.Results Of 75 infected cases, 4 cases had retinal salt and pepper lesions. All of these cases were infected with the Giardia lamblia parasite. Two cases were of school age and two stayed-home mothers. The cases were examined after proper anti-parasite treatment and the retinal lesions were cured in only one of four cases.Conclusions Considering this point that parasitic infections are more common in children who somehow are not able to explain their vision problems, maybe it's time to pay special attention to parasitic infections in patients, especially children.
Multi-omics analysis in inclusion body myositis identifies mir-16 responsible for HLA overexpression
Authors: Wijnbergen Daphne , Johari Mridul , Ozisik Ozan , Hoen Peter A.C. 't , Ehrhart Friederike , Baudot Anaïs , Evelo Chris T. , Udd Bjarne , Roos Marco , Mina Eleni
Published: March 2024

Background Inclusion Body Myositis is an acquired muscle disease. Its pathogenesis is unclear due to the co-existence of inflammation, muscle degeneration and mitochondrial dysfunction. We aimed to provide a more advanced understanding of the disease by combining multi-omics analysis with prior knowledge. We applied molecular subnetwork identification to find highly interconnected subnetworks with a high degree of change in Inclusion Body Myositis. These could be used as hypotheses for potential pathomechanisms and biomarkers that are implicated in this disease.Results Our multi-omics analysis resulted in five subnetworks that exhibit changes in multiple omics layers. These subnetworks are related with antigen processing and presentation, chemokine-mediated signaling, immune response-signal transduction, rRNA processing, and mRNA splicing. An interesting finding is that the antigen processing and presentation subnetwork links the underexpressed miR-16-5p to overexpressed HLA genes by negative expression correlation. In addition, the rRNA processing subnetwork contains the RPS18 gene, which is not differentially expressed, but has significant variant association. The RPS18 gene could potentially play a role in the underexpression of the genes involved in 18S ribosomal RNA processing, which it is highly connected to.Conclusions Our analysis highlights the importance of interrogating multiple omics to enhance knowledge discovery in rare diseases. We report five subnetworks that can provide additional insights into the molecular pathogenesis of Inclusion Body Myositis. Our analytical workflow can be reused as a method to study disease mechanisms involved in other diseases when multiple omics datasets are available.
The role of TRPC6-mediated autophagy in myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury
Authors: Li Shoutian , Wu Jian , Han Han , Li Junhao , Xie Dongge , Zhong Yunlong , Zhang Jiaji , Liu Yong , Zhang Zhongqing
Published: March 2024

Cell and body damage are encouraged by myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI). The pathophysiology of cardiac I/R damage is mostly caused by oxidative stress, calcium excess, and inflammation. Cardiomyocytes' MI/RI is significantly influenced by autophagy. Through lysosome-mediated degradation, autophagy is a dynamic process that eliminates damaged organelles and long-lived proteins. This process has an antioxidant impact that lowers oxidative stress. An essential part of MI/RI is played by canonical transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6), a nonselective cation channel that permits passage of Ca2+. It is yet unknown, nevertheless, how TRPC6 and autophagy relate to each other in MI/RI. In this work, we observed that following myocardial/ischaemia-reperfusion, autophagy and apoptosis increased, and that the production of autophagosomes and autophagy-related proteins, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and cell damage decreased under TRPC6 suppression or knockout. Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury may benefit from targeting TRPC6-mediated autophagy as a potential novel therapeutic target in the future.
tracerDB: A crowdsourced fluorescent tracer database for target engagement analysis
Authors: Schwalm Martin , Dopfer Johannes , Vasta James , Muller Susanne , Knapp Stefan , Robers Matthew
Published: March 2024

Investigating ligand-protein complexes is an essential technology in chemical biology and drug discovery. However, information on key reagents such as fluorescent tracers and associated data for the development of widely used NanoBRET, TR-FRET and FP assays is not easily accessible to the research community. We have created tracerDB, a curated database of validated tracers. This resource enables an open access knowledge base and a unified system for tracer and assay validation. The database is freely available at https://www.tracerdb.org/.
COVID-19 severity and corticosteroid treatment have minimal effect on specific antibody production
Authors: Nakamoto Takato , Iwamoto Noriko , Oshiro Yusuke , Inamura Natsumi , Nemoto Takeshi , Ide Satohi , Nakamura Keiji , Nomoto Hidetoshi , Akiyama Yutaro , Suzuki Tetsuya , Miyazato Yusuke , Suzuki Michiyo , Suzuki Kumiko , Kimura Moto , Saito Sho , Kutsuna Satoshi , Ohmagari Norio
Published: March 2024

Background
Dexamethasone is currently administered for Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19); however, there are concerns about its effect on specific antibodies’ production. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether specific antibodies were affected by COVID-19 severity and corticosteroid treatment.
Methods
Of 251 confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospital between January 26 and August 10, 2020, the early period of the pandemic, 75 patients with sera within 1 month of onset and 1month or longer were included in the research. A total of 253 serum samples from these patients were collected. The levels of specific antibodies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (IgM), were measured retrospectively. The results were compared separately of each COVID-19 severity, and with or without corticosteroid treatment.
Results
Among the 75 patients, 47, 18, and 10 had mild, moderate, and severe disease, respectively. The median age was 53.0 years and 22 (29%) were women. The most common comorbidities were hypertension and dyslipidemia. Corticosteroids were administered to 20 (27%) and 10 (53%), patients with moderate and severe disease, respectively. The positivity rates IgM increased first, and IgG was almost always positive after day 16, regardless of the severity of COVID-19. On days 6–10, both IgG and IgM positivity rates were higher in patients with moderate disease than in those with mild or severe disease. In patients with moderate disease, IgG positivity was similar over time, regardless of corticosteroid treatment.
Conclusions
In COVID-19 patients, specific IgG is positive and maintained for a long period of time, even after corticosteroid treatment. The effect of corticosteroid treatment in a COVID-19 epidemiological study using specific IgG antibodies was considered minor. COVID-19 patients were more likely to receive oxygen if IgM was positive 1 week after onset, but not mechanical ventilation. IgM measurement 1 week after onset may predict COVID-19 severity.
Association of chronotype with language and episodic memory processing in children: Implications for brain structure
Authors: Yamashita Masatoshi , Shou Qiulu , Mizuno Yoshifumi
Published: March 2024

Chronotype refers to individual preference in circadian cycles and is associated with psychiatric problems. Although previous research has demonstrated the influence of chronotype on cognitive function and brain structure in adults, little is known regarding the effects in children. Data from 4493 children (mean age of 143.06 months) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study were obtained, wherein chronotype was assessed by the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. Subsequently, the associations between chronotype, cognitive function, and regional brain volumes were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models. Behaviorally, chronotype was negatively associated with vocabulary knowledge and episodic memory performance. Based on these findings, the region of interest analysis revealed a negative association between chronotype, and left precentral gyrus, right superior parietal cortex, and posterior cingulate cortex volumes; moreover, precentral gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex were positively associated with vocabulary knowledge and episodic memory performance, respectively. These results indicate that, in children, the association between late chronotype, and volume reduction in the precentral gyrus and posterior cingulate cortex may be related to a reduction in vocabulary and episodic memory skills. This leads us to suggest that late chronotype may have a negative impact on brain health during childhood.
Effect of Maternal Caffeine Consumption on Low Birth Weight in Butajira, Southern Central Ethiopia: A nested Cohort Study
Authors: Buko Getachew , Tadesse Melese , Shikur Bilal , Hagos Seifu , Getinet Yalemwork , Haile Demewoz , Kenenisa Elfinesh
Published: March 2024

Background
Caffeine consumption is common among people throughout the world, Africa and Ethiopia. The prevalence of the caffeine exposure during pregnancy was 69%-79% and excessive caffeine consumption during pregnancy was 14%-57% in most Western countries and in Ethiopia, the prevalence was 41%. The main source to caffeine is through coffee and tea in the world and African countries, including Ethiopia. Even though there were number of studies indicating caffeine intake has reported as a risk factor for low birth weight during pregnancy, the findings are not conclusive in western and no evidence in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is designed to assess the effect of maternal caffeine consumption on low birth weight during late pregnancy.
Objective
The objective of this study was to determine effect of maternal caffeine consumption on low birth weight in Butajira Cohort, South central, Ethiopia.
Method
Population based Nested cohort study design was employed among 244 pregnant mothers from September 2018—May 2019 in Butajira. Beverages contain caffeine were collected by 24hour recall method. Birth weight was considered as outcome group. Pediatric weight scale was used for measurement of birth weight with in 72 hour after delivery. Pregnant mothers exposed to caffeine consumption greater than 200mg/day was considered as exposure group. The mean usual intake of caffeine was estimated by National cancer institute (NCI method). Finally the effect of Caffeine on low birth weight was analyzed by log binomial regression by STATA SE version 14.
Results
The study found that 26.2% of pregnant women had daily caffeine consumption more than or equal to 200mg/day. The risk of low birth weight was four times more likely to occur in exposed group than in unexposed group (ARR = 3.72; 95%CI: 1.76, 7.87). In other hand, the risk of low birth weight was four, five and five times more likely to occur in middle, rich and richest wealth status at (ARR = 4.61;95%CI (1.08,19.69,(ARR = 5.39;95%CI (1.23,23.58),(ARR = 4.54;95%CI(1.07,19.25) respectively than in poorest wealth status.
Conclusion and recommendation
In conclusion, excessive maternal caffeine consumption might results in low birth weight. Therefore, intervention that address caffeine exposure among pregnant mother should be designed to reduce the burden of low birth weight.
Efficient YOLO Based Deep Learning Model for Arabic Sign Language Recognition
Authors: Ahmadi Saad Al , Mohammad Farah , Dawsari Haya Al
Published: March 2024

Verbal communication is the dominant form of self-expression and interpersonal communication. Speech is a considerable obstacle for individuals with disabilities, including those who are deaf, hard of hearing, mute, or nonverbal. Consequently, these individuals depend on sign language to communicate with others. Sign Language is a complex system of gestures and visual cues that facilitate the inclusion of individuals into vocal communication groups. In this manuscript a novel technique proposed using deep learning to recognize the Arabic Sign language (ArSL) accurately. Through this advanced system, the objective is to help in communication between the hearing and deaf community. The proposed mechanism relies on advanced attention mechanisms, and state-of-art Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architectures with the robust YOLO object detection model that highly improves the implementation and accuracy of ArSL recognition. In our proposed method, we integrate the self-attention block, channel attention module, spatial attention module, and cross-convolution module into the features processing, and the ArSL recognition accuracy reaches 98.9%. The recognition accuracy of our method is significantly improved with higher detection rate. The presented approach showed significant improvement as compared with the conventional techniques with a precision rate of 0.9. For the mAP@0.5, the mAP score is 0.9909 while for the mAP@0.5:0.95 and the results tops all the state-of-the-art techniques. This shows that the model has the great capability to accurately detect and classify complex multiple ArSL signs. The model provides a unique way of linking people and improving the communication strategy while also promoting the social inclusion of deaf people in the Arabic region.
Tetramethylpyrazine ameliorated sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation dysfunction and inflammation in rat
Authors: zhu hao , zhang yiwei , zhou haidong , wu jin , chen yijun , lu zihui , huang changshun
Published: March 2024

Objectives: Objectives: To investigate the protective effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) against the disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) dysfunction and inflammation in the rat models infected with sepsis.
Methods: Based on a clinical retrospective analysis with sepsis patients, multi-time point, dynamic monitoring and continuous measurement of CECs count, vWF activity, tPA, PAI-1, TXB2, and 6-K-PGF1α of the blood aggregative indicators were designed and employed during experimental period. The arterial blood gas, plasma inflammation levels and global coagulation in septic rat were measured at 24 h after the CLP operation.
Results: Clinical sepsis patients on concomitant TMP medication had improved blood counts and coagulation parameters. The levels of the CECs count were significantly increased at about 7 h after the CLP operation injury, and reached a peak value at 24 h and sustained with a steady equilibrium level. The vWF activity, PAI-1, and TXB2/6-K-PGF1α had a marked increase after injury, whereas these indexes were significantly diminished after TMP intervention. At 24 h after CLP operation, the pH, pCO2, sO2, Glu, and Lac was decreased, in contrast the pO2, and HCO3- was increased in septic rats. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and TF were remarkably up-regulated in the sepsis-induced DIC rats suffering the CLP surgery, and these levels were respectively down-regulated 38%, 45%, 29%, 127% with the TMP intra-peritoneal injection.
Conclusions: TMP could effectively improve the coagulation function and reduce the inflammatory response, which had a clear benefit and good outcome for sepsis-induced DIC.
Integrated stress response plasticity governs normal cell adaptation to chronic stress via the PP2A-TFE3-ATF4 pathway
Authors: Avelar Rita A. , Gupta Riya , Carvette Grace , Leprevost Felipe da Veiga , Colina Jose , Teitel Jessica , Nesvizhskii Alexey , O'connor Caitlin , Hatzoglou Maria , Shenolikar Shirish , Arvan Peter , Narla Goutham , DiFeo Analisa
Published: March 2024

The integrated stress response (ISR) regulates cell fate during conditions of stress by leveraging the cell’s capacity to endure sustainable and efficient adaptive stress responses. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity modulation has been shown to be successful in achieving both therapeutic efficacy and safety across various cancer models; however, the molecular mechanisms driving its selective antitumor effects remain unclear. Here, we show for the first time that ISR plasticity relies on PP2A activation to regulate drug response and dictate cellular fate under conditions of chronic stress. We demonstrate that genetic and chemical modulation of the PP2A leads to chronic proteolytic stress and triggers an ISR to dictate cell fate. More specifically, we uncovered that the PP2A-TFE3-ATF4 pathway governs ISR cell plasticity during endoplasmic reticular and cellular stress independent of the unfolded protein response. We further show that normal cells reprogram their genetic signatures to undergo ISR-mediated adaptation and homeostatic recovery thereby successfully avoiding toxicity following PP2A-mediated stress. Conversely, oncogenic specific cytotoxicity induced by chemical modulation of PP2A is achieved by activating chronic and irreversible ISR in cancer cells. Our findings propose that a differential response to chemical modulation of PP2A is determined by intrinsic ISR plasticity, providing a novel biological vulnerability to selectively induce cancer cell death and improve targeted therapeutic efficacy.
Comparing Neutralizing Antibody Activity
Over Time Between Naive and Convalesced
COVID-19 Vaccinated Individuals
Authors: de Pillis Lisette , Caffrey Rebecca , Che Ge , Dela Mark , Eldevik Leif , McConnell Joseph P. , Shabahang Shahrokh , Varvel Steve , Liu Hong
Published: March 2024

Longitudinal data comprised of neutralizing antibody (NAb) activity measurements from subjects who received COVID-19 vaccinations were collected between November 2020 and April 2022. To detect differences between convalesced and naive groups with respect to the evolution of NAb activity since the subject's first COVID-19 vaccine, we initially fit a linear mixed effects model to only the decay section of NAb evolution. We conclude that NAb activity, when restricted to this region, behaves differently between these two groups, with the convalesced group generally having higher neutralizing antibody levels than the naive group. We then fit a nonlinear mixed effects model over the entire NAb progression using a system of ordinary differential equations described by dePillis et al. JTB 2023 as our structural component to the model. This analysis not only supports the claim that over the entire progression, NAb activity behaves differently for convalesced and naive groups, but aligns with the linear analysis in confirming that NAb decay is slower in the convalesced group than the naive group. Finally, we use the estimated parameters from the nonlinear mixed effects model to predict NAb progression for each subject from their last observed measurement to 100 days past this measurement.
Effects of various prosthetic methods for patients with Kennedy Class I partial edentulism on oral hypofunction, subjective symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life: a propensity score matching, multicenter, cross-sectional survey
Authors: Morinaga Daisaku , Nagai Shoji , Kaku Toshio , Itoh Takatoshi , Soejima Yoshiki , Takeshita Fimitaka , Horikawa Tadashi , Abe Naruyoshi , Iijima Toshikazu , Soejima Daigo , Hara Toshihiro , Sato Ryuta , Murakami Mamoru , Sawase Takashi , Nishimura Masahiro
Published: March 2024

Purpose
This propensity score matching, multicenter, cross-sectional study was performed to examine the effects of various prosthetic methods for dental clinic outpatients with Kennedy Class I partial edentulism (KCIPE) on oral hypofunction, subjective frailty symptoms, and oral health-related quality of life (QOL).
Methods
Patients (n = 348) were classified into the following three groups for analysis: NT, patients with natural dentition providing intermaxillary contact in four occlusal supporting zones; RPD, patients with KCIPE who received removable partial dentures; and ISFP, patients with KCIPE who received implant-supported fixed prostheses. Participants' basic characteristics were recorded, and oral function tests were conducted. Subjective symptoms of physical and oral frailty were investigated via questionnaire. Oral health-related QOL was assessed using the Japanese short version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-JP16). Propensity score matching was performed to adjust for patient background factors that could influence oral hypofunction in each group.
Results
Compared with the ISFP group, the RPD group had significantly higher rates of poor oral hygiene, reduced occlusal force, decreased masticatory function, and declines in swallowing function and oral hypofunction; the odds ratio for oral hypofunction was 4.67. Compared with the ISFP group, the RPD group had significantly greater subjective symptoms of physical frailty and oral frailty, as well as higher OHIP scores.
Conclusions
Prosthetic treatment of KCIPE affected oral hypofunction, subjective frailty symptoms, and oral health-related QOL in dental clinic outpatients.
Decrease and impaired function of circulating mucosa-associated invariant T cells in acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Chen Jiadi , Li Xiaoyu , Liu Jingru , Chen Shucheng , Lin Xiaolan , Xu Kaiming , Ren Jingyi , Zhang Yaqin , Zhang Chunying , Wu Juan , Cao Yingping
Published: March 2024

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer characterized by significantly low mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells. Though the reasons for their decline and their functional implications in AML are yet to be explored, their levels have been reported to be associated with the prognosis of the disease. This study aimed to characterize the frequency, phenotype, and function of circulating MAIT cells during AML progression. Our results showed that the levels of circulating MAIT cells in patients with AML (AML-MAIT cells) were lower compared to healthy donors, and they were found to express high levels of HLA-DR, PD-1, and TIM-3, indicating that the AML-MAIT cells exhibited an activated and exhausted phenotype. AML-MAIT cells expressed higher KLRG1 and CD57 levels, indicating that circulating AML-MAIT cells displayed a senescent phenotype. The observation that MAIT cells in patients with AML had both senescent and pro-apoptotic phenotypes may underlie the decrease in circulating AML-MAIT cells. Additionally, circulating AML-MAIT cells produced less IFN-γ, TNF-α, and granzyme B, suggesting dysfunctional anti-tumor immunity. Moreover, we found AML patients with adverse cytogenetic have fewer MAIT cells than that with intermediate/favorable cytogenetic. In conclusion, circulating MAIT cells are decreased due to exhausted and senescent phenotypes and are functionally impaired in patients with AML. Therefore, enhancing circulating MAIT cells might be an attractive therapeutic strategy for patients with AML.
Gastrointestinal parasites in free grazing goats from Ayacucho, Peru: prevalence and risk factors associated with infection in herds
Authors: Palomino-Guerrera Walter , Huaman Michael Ramos , Flores-Prado Vania , Padilla David Godoy , Zárate-Rendón Daniel A.
Published: March 2024

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk factors associated with gastrointestinal parasite infection in goats in Ayacucho, Peru. Fecal samples were collected from a total of 254 goats from four districts of Ayacucho: Ocaña (84), Colca (76), Pacaicasa (64), and Luricocha (25) during the dry season; recording the location, sex, and age of the animals. The fecal samples were analyzed using the flotation technique in salt and sugar solution, and modified McMaster egg counting techniques for eggs/oocysts (epg/opg) of gastrointestinal parasites. The associations between location, sex, and age with the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites were analyzed using the chi-square test. Fecal samples showed an overall parasite prevalence of 87.80%. The identified parasites were Eimeria spp. (86.22%), Strongyle type eggs (STE) (65.75%), Skrjabinema sp. (7.87%), Trichuris sp. (3.15%) and Moniezia spp. (3.15%). There was no significant association between the location and the presence of parasites (p<0.05), however, there was a higher prevalence and parasite variety in Luricocha. Sex and age did not have a significant association with parasitosis (p>0.05), except in prevalences of Trichurisspp. and Moniezia spp. (p<0.05). The epg/opg values ​​revealed a higher parasite burden in goats from Colca compared to the other locations (p<0.05). There was also no statistical relationship between fecal egg/oocyst counts and sex or age, nevertheless, there were moderate and high parasitic burdens. The high prevalence of parasites such as nematodes and Eimeria spp. the need to implement strategic control and prevention programs in goats, where location and sex were found to be the most relevant risk factors for parasitosis in Ayacucho, Peru.
Data Initiative for the Analysis of Racial/ Ethnic Health Inequalities in Latin American and Caribbean countries: Protocol for a series of Scoping Reviews
Authors: Sanchez Yazmin , Ferreira Andrea JF. , Elmi Yasmine M. , Perez Dennis , Ramos Dandara , Lucumi Diego I. , Goulart Celine M. , Jackson John W. , Perea Claudia Y. , Grillo Randy L. , Goes Emanuelle , Ortigoza Ana F. , Higuera-Mendiata Diana , Djigo Khardjatou Marianne , Melo-Ferreira Vanessa , Martinez Marelys , Siddiqi Arjumand , Barber Sharrelle , Carabali Mabel
Published: March 2024

Background: Racial and ethnic health inequities are a public health concern from a range of structural societal conditions rooted in Racism. The collection of disaggregated race and ethnicity-based data is crucial to understand and appropriately address health inequities. Current data collection efforts remain incomplete and insufficiently widespread. In the Americas, the proportions of Afro-descendants are overrepresented in cardiovascular, maternal mortality and vector-borne diseases. There is limited evidence data on race, ethnicity, and health inequities regarding Latin American and the Caribbean region.
Methods: To evaluate the use and scope of population-based race and ethnicity data in health literature. We present a protocol for a series of distinct but interconnected scoping reviews, in the context of racial health inequities across three major health outcomes including i) cardiovascular diseases, ii) maternal, infant, and neonatal mortality, and iii) vector-borne diseases in Latin American and the Caribbean countries between January 1, 2000, to June 30, 2023.
Datasets include PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Global Health, Scopus, LILACS (Virtual Health Library), Web of Science databases and grey literature. We will include cross-sectional, cohort, case-control, surveillance-based, and ecological study designs that analyzed the relationship between race and ethnicity and the selected health outcomes, written in English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. This protocol is available on the Open Science Framework (Doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/PE35D). The scoping reviews follow the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews Extension guidelines.
Discussion: The series of scoping reviews will systematize and make available the current evidence regarding race and ethnicity inequities in the American and Caribbean region within the context of major health outcomes for a better recognition of knowledge gaps.Results will have critical implications for the documentation of the effect of Racism on health outcomes and shaping racial health inequities observed among these health outcomes, the designed and development of policy action to mitigate and eliminate racial health inequities in the Americas, promoting health equity by making of the invisible, visible.
Study on excitation effect of different combination modes of shear wave vibroseis
Authors: You ZhengTao , Huang Zhiqiang , Hao Lei , Li Gang , Fu Mingwei , Wang Ruohao , Shuai Jun
Published: March 2024

In order to solve the problems of less earth capture energy and shallow depth of shear wave signal transmission during the operation of shear wave vibroseis, and improve the exploration quality, the influence of different combination methods on excitation effect is studied. Through numerical simulation, the vibrator-geodetic finite element model of combined shear wave vibroseis is established. Taking the earth capture energy, particle displacement amplitude and shear stress as evaluation indexes, the influence of three parameters, namely arrangement mode, spacing and number, on the combined excitation effect of shear wave vibroseis is deeply studied. The results show that, in terms of arrangement, compared with two SHY arrangements, two SHX vibroseis capture more energy in the earth when excited, and the particle displacement amplitude increases by 91.5% on average compared with a single vibroseis, and the sine wave shape of the shear stress curve is more complete, and the attenuation degree is smaller with the increase of depth; In terms of vibroseis spacing, compared with the combined vibroseis with the spacing of 3m, 9m and 12m, the combined vibroseis with the spacing of 6m has more ground capture energy, the particle displacement amplitude is increased by 81.2% on average compared with the single vibroseis, the shear stress distortion is smaller, and the attenuation is slower with the increase of depth. In terms of vibroseis number, compared with 4, 6 and 8 combined vibroseis, the loss rate of earth capture energy is the lowest when the 2 combined vibroseis excite, which is only 6.06% compared with the single vibroseis, and the particle displacement amplitude is increased by 78.2% on average compared with the single vibroseis, and the shear stress amplitude is larger. The research results can provide guidance for improving the excitation effect of shear wave vibroseis, and also provide reference for the study of combined excitation design of shear wave vibroseis.
Condensate Halos in Condensation Frosting
Authors: Bonaccurso Elmar , Chen Longquan , Zhen Songyuan , Feng Haoyan , Lin Shiji , Jin Yakang , Li Zhigang , Deng Xu
Published: March 2024

The freezing of water drops on cold solid surfaces is ubiquitous in nature and has broad implications for industrial processes and applications, causing serious technological, engineering and economic issues. Understanding the physics of drop freezing is not only fundamental and practical but also a prerequisite and basis for developing ice protection and control strategies. Despite longstanding and numerous research efforts, existing knowledge on drop freezing is still limited, as evidenced by the continuous exploration and discovery of new icing phenomena or effects. One such is that, along with the freezing of a supercooled water drop in a dry or/and low-pressure environment, an explosive vapor is emitted to its surrounding space; this vapor can either generate a condensate halo consisting of small drops that further freeze into frost or directly desublimate into ice crystals, promoting ice propagation among the drop clusters deposited on the surface. Here, we extend previous carefully designed experimental studies on the freezing of supercooled drops on solid surfaces under low humidity and pressure to condensation frosting under standard laboratory conditions. Condensate halos were observed to form, grow and eventually disappear in a well-defined “fence” region around freezing drops during condensation frosting also at ambient humidity and pressure on sufficiently hydrophobic surfaces with low thermal conductivities. The evolution of the halo pattern involved multiphase transitions on timescales from milliseconds to seconds. By combining optical and thermal imaging techniques, we assessed the halo characteristics at each stage and elucidated the main underlying heat and mass transfer mechanisms. Our work further advances the physical understanding of complex dropwise freezing processes, and relevant findings can provide guidance for optimizing deicing and defrosting strategies.
Winegrower perceptions of climate change impacts and adaptive capacity in southern California, USA
Authors: Zuniga Alessandra , Monteverde Corrie , Quandt Amy
Published: March 2024

Southern California, an important producer of high-quality wines, continues to expand its winegrowing areas, supporting livelihoods, and contributing to thriving local economies. However, climate data indicate that the region is becoming increasingly warmer and drier, which threaten future winegrape production. Growers’ perceptions of climate change and their management response play a critical role in adaptive potential but have not been well examined for this region. We use a survey approach to better understand how winegrowers in the South Coast American Viticultural Area perceive climate and climate impacts, as well as their adaptive capacity based on demographic characteristics, resource accessibility, and subjective feelings of preparedness to climate risks. We find that over the past decade growers are observing fewer rain events (73%) and more frequent heat events (63%). This is followed by observed changes to vineyard phenology, particularly earlier bud burst (32%) and harvest dates (41%). Growers reported implementing a variety of short-term adaptive practices, such as canopy management, but fewer considered long-term anticipatory measures, such as planting drought/heat tolerant varieties. Those who perceived negative impacts of climate change were more likely to have implemented adaptive strategies (p = 0.02), and also reported feeling more prepared (p = 0.05). Despite some growers expressing confidence in overcoming climate challenges, many feel they do not have the necessary support (34%) or resources (52%) to do so. We identify a pressing need for participatory science that fosters cross collaboration and knowledge sharing between growers, academics, and local government agencies toward capacity building.
Direct Human Interventions Drive Non-Stationarity in Annual Peak Streamflow Patterns Across the United States
Authors: Merwade Venkatesh
Published: March 2024

Understanding the factors driving non-stationarity in annual peak streamflow, hereafter referred to as peakflow, remains pivotal amid climate change and direct human interventions1,2. Utilizing extensive streamflow observations from 3907 United States Geological Survey (USGS) stations, we have detected significant trends in 34% of these stations. Among these, two-thirds exhibit decreasing trends distributed across the United States, while the remaining one-third show increasing trends, predominantly in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions. Most USGS stations (84%) are influenced by direct human interventions such as water management and land use changes. Employing high-resolution climate and land-use data along with geospatial analytics, this study reveals urbanization and water management as the primary drivers, followed by agriculture and climate change. Urbanization emerges as the principal driver of peakflow trends in the Texas-Gulf, California, and Mid-Atlantic regions, accounting for up to 62%, 44%, and 32% of the variance, respectively. Water management explains most of the variance in the Tennessee (37%) and Ohio River Basins (30%). In the Upper Colorado River Basin, both agricultural and water management play significant roles, explaining up to 28% and 24% of the variance, respectively. Additionally, agricultural land use explains 17% of the variance in the Great Lakes region. Climate contributes modestly in the Rio Grande (15%) and California (11%) regions. Despite their extensive number of climate realizations (large ensemble), the latest generation of climate and earth system models inadequately captures these human-induced factors, limiting their predictive accuracy. By demonstrating the outsized influence of human interventions on peakflow trends and inadequacies in current climate models, our findings stress the imperative of integrating water management and urbanization effects into climate models for more accurate water predictions.
A systemic approach to identifying sustainable community-based interventions for improving adolescent mental health: a participatory group model building and design protocol
Authors: Keenan Megan , Freeman Leanne , de Lima Ediane Santana , Potter Katie , Hobbs Tim , Ballard Ellis , Fonagy Peter
Published: March 2024

Background
The deteriorating mental health of children and young people in the United Kingdom poses a challenge that services and policy makers have found difficult to tackle.
Kailo responds to this issue with a community-based participatory and systems-informed strategy, perceiving mental health and wellbeing as a dynamic state shaped by the interplay of broader health determinants. The initiative is active in two contrasting locales: theurban London borough of Newham and the rural district of Northern Devon in the Southwest United Kingdom. These divergent areas were intentionally selected to examine the role of local context in shaping the factors influencing young people's mental wellbeing.
Kailo unfolds in three stages within each locale. These stages encompass: ‘Early Discovery’, ‘Deeper Discovery and Co-Design’, and ‘Implementation’. This document delves into the participatory group model building and design protocol occurring in the ‘Deeper Discovery and Co-Design’ stage of the project.
Methods
The engagements begin early in the Deeper Discovery and Co-Design phase, aiming to gain a more thorough understanding of the systemic behaviours driving the locally identified opportunity areas from Early Discovery.
Participatory methods, such as group model building, are effective in building consensus on complex issues like the social determinants of adolescent mental health. This paper describes the application of group model building in two local areas to develop causal loop diagrams and pinpoint leverage points related to this issue. It also suggests a method for considering modifications to delivery within a unique project context and in alignment with participants' needs.
This paper sets out to define the approach and clarify the objectives these engagements aim to fulfil. The method adapts existing Group Model Building (GMB) protocols for use in a community setting. The engagements will involve groups of local young people and existing community members.
To assess the success of the session's implementation post-delivery, the study utilises existing frameworks for fidelity evaluations, which define a core and flex model.
Discussion
The method described enables an integration of diverse local understandings of complex processes which provides a platform for creating co-designed interventions. The strengths and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Home Nasogastric Tube Program for NICU Infants: A Seven Year Retrospective Outcome Analysis
Authors: Brower-Breitwieser Carrie , Weninger Alexa , Sabella Mikayla , Sahmoun Abe , Mohamed Mohamed , Forward Brennan
Published: March 2024

Objectives
The goal of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of a Home Nasogastric Program for infants admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Study design:
We performed a retrospective chart review of infants discharged from a Level III NICU to a Home Nasogastric (HNG) follow-up clinic from December 2014-February 2022.
Results
85 infants were followed for seven years. Seventy-nine (93%) infants had no emergency department visits related to feeding tube dysfunction and no nasogastric (NG) tube equipment malfunctions. The number of days the NG tube was used median (IQR): 4 (1–10). Seventy-seven (91%) infants had no documented feeding problems at the end of the follow-up period. We estimate 556 hospitalization days avoided resulting in cost savings.
Conclusion
The Home NG program was safe and effective. Furthermore, this program decreased length of NICU stay and health care associated costs.
Restoration of MPTP-induced dopamine and tyrosine hydroxylase depletion in the mouse brain through ethanol and nicotine
Authors: Jamal Mostofa , Takei Sella , Tsukamoto Ikuko , Miki Takanori , Ohta Ken-Ichi , Hossain Md Zakir , Kinoshita Hiroshi
Published: March 2024

Here, we investigate whether ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (Nic) alone or in co-exposure can restore the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced depletion of dopamine (DA), DA metabolites, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the striatum and hippocampus of C57BL/6N mice. MPTP-treated mice were treated intraperitoneally with saline (control), EtOH (1.0–3.0 g/kg), Nic (0.5–2.0 mg/kg), or a combination of EtOH and Nic. Brain samples were collected 1 h after treatment. DA and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT), and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured by HPLC-ECD, while TH expression and Ser31 phosphorylation were quantified by Western blot. EtOH (2.0 and 3.0 g/kg) alone reversed the effects of MPTP treatment in both studied brain regions, as evidenced by an increase in DA, DOPAC, and HVA contents, TH expression, and its phosphorylation at Ser31 compared to the MPTP group, indicating restorative effects on DA neurons in the MPTP model. Likewise, Nic (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) alone reversed MPTP treatment effects, with treated mice showing increased DA, DOPAC, and HVA contents, TH expression, and Ser31 phosphorylation compared to MPTP mice. Co-administration of EtOH (2.0 g/kg) and Nic (1.0 mg/kg) further increased DA, DOPAC and HVA tissue contents, TH expression, and Ser31, indicating an additive effect. These results show that moderate to high doses of EtOH and Nic induce similar increases in brain DA and TH via TH phosphorylation activation in MPTP model mice. EtOH and Nic showed an additive effect in combination, suggesting that their co-application could be a potent therapeutic strategy for treating PD.
Antagonism of Tachykinin receptor 1 promotes Foxp3+ regulatory CD4 T cells and controls gut mucosal inflammation
Authors: Lal Girdhari , Mishra Amrita , Karmakar Surojit , Halder Namrita , Habib Mir , Kumar Dharmendra
Published: March 2024

Neuroimmune communication of the enteric nervous system (ENS) in gut-associated lymphoid tissues helps to maintain the delicate balance between gut inflammation and tolerance. Substance P (SP) is a neuropeptide neurotransmitter produced by ENS and enteroendocrine cells, lymphocytes, gut macrophages, and brain neurons. SP binds to tachykinin receptors (TACRs, also known as neurokinin receptors). Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients are known to have altered TACRs expression and strongly correlate with the pathogenesis of these diseases. How SP-TACR interaction modulates the differentiation and function of inflammatory CD4 T cells (Th1, Th17) and regulatory CD4 T cells (Foxp3+Tregs and Th2 cells) during gut inflammation and autoimmunity is unclear. We showed that among the various subsets of CD4 T cells, splenic Foxp3+Tregs and Th17 cells had the highest expression of TACRs. Agonizing the TACR1 with SP in the dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice exacerbated the disease severity, which was inhibited by treatment with a TACR1-specific antagonist. TACR1 antagonist promoted the differentiation of Foxp3+ Tregs cells, and Tregs induced in the presence of TACR1 antagonist showed an increased expression of LAP1, PD-L1, CD62L, Helios, and CD73 molecules. They suppress the proliferation of effector CD4 T cells and control skin and gut inflammation. We showed that antagonizing the TACR1 signaling promotes Foxp3+ Tregs and controls skin and gut inflammation. Our data suggest that antagonizing the TACR1 provides a clinical advantage in preventing gut inflammation and colitis.
A Framework for Soft Mechanism Driven Robots
Authors: Nemitz Markus , Aygül Cem , Güven Can , Frunzi Sara , Katz Brian
Published: March 2024

Soft robots excel in safety and adaptability, yet their lack of structural integrity and dependency on open-curve movement paths restrict their dexterity. Conventional robots, albeit faster due to sturdy locomotion mechanisms, are typically less robust to physical insults. We introduce a new multi-material design and printing framework that extends classical mechanism design to soft robotics, synergizing the strengths of soft and rigid materials while mitigating their respective limitations. Using a tool-changer equipped with multiple extruders, we blend thermoplastics of varying Shore hardness into monolithic systems. Our strategy emulates joint-like structures through biomimicry to achieve terrestrial trajectory control while inheriting the resilience of soft robots. We demonstrate the framework by 3D printing a legged soft robotic system, comparing different mechanism syntheses and material combinations, along with their resulting movement patterns and speeds. The integration of electronics and encoders provides reliable closed-loop control for the robot, enabling its operation across various terrains including sand, soil, and rock environments. This cost-effective approach paves the way for a new era of 3D printed soft robots employable in real-world environments.
NCOA4 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker and correlates with immune infiltrates in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: wang an , Zhou Xin , Qin Jia-pei , Mao Yun-ye , Wang Ting , Bai Yi-bing , Li Tao , Dong Yi , Wang Jin-liang , Ma[Author] Zhi-Qiang , Hu Yi
Published: March 2024

Background
The crucial role of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 (NCOA4) in the mechanism underlying ferritinophagy-related tumor development remains incompletely understood, particularly in relation to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).
Methods
A retrospective study was conducted on a cohort of 65 patients with LUAD, wherein the expression of NCOA4 was assessed using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and univariate or multivariate analysis were performed to investigate the association between NCOA4 expression and clinical pathological features. Additionally, bioinformatics tools and enrichment analysis were employed to explore the expression profile of NCOA4 and its prognostic significance.
Results
The decreased expression of NCOA4 was significantly associated with a poor prognosis in patients with LUAD. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis revealed that increased NCOA4 expression was strongly correlated with improved overall survival (OS) in various tumor types, including LUAD. Enrichment analysis indicated that NCOA4 co-expressed genes such as ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), androgen receptor (AR), ret tyrosine kinase (RET), Ferritin Light Chain (FTL), and Coiled-Coil Domain Containing 6 (CCDC6), which exhibited similar expression patterns to those observed in LUAD, were also linked to a favorable prognosis. Our results demonstrate a correlation between decreased expression of the ferritinophagy-related gene NCOA4 and the dual roles played by immune cell infiltration in LUAD. Furthermore, we have found a significant association between NCOA4 expression and most immune markers across different immune cell types in LUAD.These findings suggest that NCOA4 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker and exhibit correlation with immune infiltrates in LUAD.
Conclusion
Our findings demonstrate a correlation between low expression of the ferritinophagy-related NCOA4 gene and dual roles played by immune cell infiltration in LUAD. NCOA4 holds promise as a novel marker for identifying potentially eligible patients for ferroptosis-inducing treatments or their combination with immunotherapy.