bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cellular mechanisms linking to outdoor and indoor air pollution damage during pregnancy
Authors: Chiarello Delia I. , Ustáriz Javier , Marín Reinaldo , Carrasco-Wong Ivo , Farías Marcelo , Giordano Ady , Gallardo Felipe S. , Illanes Sebastián E. , Gutiérrez Jaime
Published: February 2023

Pregnancies are a critical window period for environmental influences over the mother and the offspring. There is a growing body of evidence associating indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Particulate matter (PM) could trigger oxi-inflammation and could also reach the placenta leading to placental damage with fetal consequences. The combination of strategies such as risk assessment, advise about risks of environmental exposures to pregnant women, together with nutritional strategies and digital solutions to monitor air quality can be effective in mitigating the effects of air pollution during pregnancy.
Maternal androgen excess significantly impairs sexual behavior in male and female mouse offspring: Perspective for a biological origin of sexual dysfunction in PCOS
Authors: Donaldson Nina M. , Prescott Melanie , Ruddenklau Amy , Campbell Rebecca E. , Desroziers Elodie
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common infertility disorder worldwide, typically characterised by high circulating androgen levels, oligo- or anovulation, and polycystic ovarian morphology. Sexual dysfunction, including decreased sexual desire and increased sexual dissatisfaction, is also reported by women with PCOS. The origins of these sexual difficulties remain largely unidentified. To investigate potential biological origins of sexual dysfunction in PCOS patients, we asked whether the well-characterized, prenatally androgenized (PNA) mouse model of PCOS exhibits modified sex behaviours and whether central brain circuits associated with female sex behaviour are differentially regulated. As a male equivalent of PCOS is reported in the brothers of women with PCOS, we also investigated the impact of maternal androgen excess on the sex behaviour of male siblings.

Methods

Adult male and female offspring of dams exposed to dihydrotestosterone (PNAM/PNAF) or an oil vehicle (VEH) from gestational days 16 to 18 were tested for a suite of sex-specific behaviours.

Results

PNAM showed a reduction in their mounting capabilities, however, most of PNAM where able to reach ejaculation by the end of the test similar to the VEH control males. In contrast, PNAF exhibited a significant impairment in the female-typical sexual behaviour, lordosis. Interestingly, while neuronal activation was largely similar between PNAF and VEH females, impaired lordosis behaviour in PNAF was unexpectedly associated with decreased neuronal activation in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus (DMH).

Conclusion

Taken together, these data link prenatal androgen exposure that drives a PCOS-like phenotype with altered sexual behaviours in both sexes.
Optimal operation of the green port system considering the multiport power electronic transformer in day-ahead markets
Authors: Qing Chen , Tai Nengling , Fan Feilong , Yu Jinming , Wang Jun , Hu Yan
Published: February 2023

Increasing operation costs and carbon emissions have brought great challenges to the development of port systems, which are regarded as prosumers that comprise various renewable energy sources and diversiform electric loads. In this paper, an energy transaction framework for the green port with a multiport power electronic transformer (PET) is established to optimize the operation of the port system in day-ahead energy and reserve markets. The market behavior of the port system is formulated as a bi-level stochastic optimization model. The energy source schedule, berth allocation, and quay crane (QC) assignment are optimized to minimize the total operation cost at the upper level, whereas energy and reserve market clearing problems are settled at the lower level. The aforementioned nonlinear bi-level optimization problem is solved as a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPECs). Karush–Kuhn–Tucker conditions and duality theory convert the proposed nonlinear bi-level problem into a linear single-level problem. Numerical simulations show that the proposed strategy can achieve the lowest total operation cost for the green port.
An improved ELM-WOA–based fault diagnosis for electric power
Authors: Xu Feifei , Liu Yang , Wang Lei
Published: February 2023

Due to its fast learning speed, the extreme learning machine (ELM) plays a very important role in the real-time monitoring of electric power. However, the initial weights and thresholds of the ELM are randomly selected, therefore it is difficult to achieve an optimal network performance; in addition, there is a lack of distance selection when detecting faults using artificial intelligence algorithms. To solve the abovementioned problem, we present a fault diagnosis method for microgrids on the basis of the whale algorithm optimization–extreme learning machine (WOA-ELM). First, the wavelet packet decomposition is used to analyze the three-phase fault voltage, and the energy entropy of the wavelet packet is calculated to form the eigenvector as the data sample; then, we use the original ELM model coupled with the theory of distance selection to locate faults and compared it with the SVM method; finally, the whale algorithm is used to optimize the input weight and hidden layer neuron threshold of the ELM, i.e., the WOA-ELM model, which solves the problem of the random initialization of the input weight and hidden layer neuron threshold that easily affects the network performance, further improves the learning speed and generalization ability of the network, and is conducive to the overall optimization. The results show that 1) the accuracy of selecting the data according to the fault distance is twice that of not selecting data according to it; 2) compared with the BP neural network, RBF neural network, and ELM, the fault diagnosis model based on the WOA-ELM has a faster learning speed, stronger generalization ability, and higher recognition accuracy; and 3) after optimization of the WOA, the WOA-ELM can improve 22.5% accuracy in fault detection when compared to the traditional ELM method. Our results are of great significance in improving the security of smart grid.
Narrowing the gap between intention and behavior? An empirical study of farmers’ waste classification in China
Authors: Zhou Yuanchun , Wei Bin , Zhang Ran , Zhang Limin , Zhu Honggen , Wen Ting
Published: February 2023

The source classification of domestic waste is important for protecting China’s rural environment but this is more difficult in rural areas than in urban areas due to the characteristics of farmers in China. This study discussed influencing factors of farmers’ intention and behavior towards domestic waste classification and tried to determine whether there’s a gap between intention and behavior. Based on 833 valid questionnaires in Taihu Lake Basin, a structural model was constructed to achieve the goals of this study. The results show that subjective norms, publicity and education, and classification intention are significantly related to behavior, and attitude is positively related to behavior and intention. Farmers’ intention and behavior had a significant discrepancy with the average values of 4.374 and 3.103, respectively. Publicity and education activities can effectively reduce the degree of gap between them. In addition, attitude, subjective norm and behavior intention have positively moderating effect on publicity and education and waste classification behavior. The findings of this study help understand the status quo of farmers’ behavior and intention of waste classification in Jiangsu Province and provide insights for promoting the development of rural domestic waste classification in China.
Relevance of DNA barcodes for biomonitoring of freshwater animals
Authors: Elías-Gutiérrez Manuel , Valdez-Moreno Martha
Published: February 2023

The COI gene, colloquially named the DNA barcode, is a universal marker for species identification in the animal kingdom. Nevertheless, due to the taxonomic impediment, there are various proposals for molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) because high-throughput sequencers can generate millions of sequences in one run. In the case of freshwater systems, it is possible to analyze whole communities through their DNA using only water or sediment as a sample. Using DNA barcodes with these technologies is known as metabarcoding. More than 90% of studies based on eDNA work with MOTUs without previous knowledge of the biodiversity in the habitat. Despite this problem, it has been proposed as the future for biomonitoring. All these studies are biased toward the Global North and focused on freshwater macrofaunae. Few studies include other regions of the world or other communities, such as zooplankton and phytoplankton. The future of biomonitoring should be based on a standardized gene, for example, COI, the most studied gene in animals, or another secondary consensual gene. Here, we analyzed some proposals with 28S or 12S. The studies on eDNA can focus on analyses of the whole community or a particular species. The latter can be an endangered or exotic species. Any eDNA study focused on a community study should have a well-documented DNA baseline linked to vouchered specimens. Otherwise, it will be tough to discriminate between false positives and negatives. Biomonitoring routines based on eDNA can detect a change in a community due to any perturbation of the aquatic ecosystem. Also, it can track changes along the history of an epicontinental environment through the analyses of sediments. However, their implementation will be complex in most megadiverse Neotropical countries due to the lack of these baselines. It has been demonstrated that a rapid functional construction of a DNA baseline is possible, although the curation of the species can take more time. However, there is a lack of governmental interest in this kind of research and subsequent biomonitoring.
NaHCO3 as a carrier of CO2 and its enhancement effect on mineralization during hydrothermal alteration of basalt
Authors: Kikuchi Sena , Wang Jiajie , Dandar Otgonbayar , Uno Masaoki , Watanabe Noriaki , Hirano Nobuo , Tsuchiya Noriyoshi
Published: February 2023

Reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) with minerals to generate stable carbonates, also known as CO2 mineralization, has been regarded as one of the most promising methods for safe and permanent carbon storage. As a promising feedstock, basaltic rock has gained special interest, and elevating basalt carbonation efficiency with the reduction of negative environmental impact is the main challenge for CO2 mineralization system development. Considering multiple potential positive effects of the CO2 carrier, NaHCO3, we conducted this study to experimentally evaluate the CO2 storage efficiency during water-basalt-NaHCO3 interactions under hydrothermal conditions at 200–300°C. The inclusion of NaHCO3 was confirmed to drastically promote the alteration of basalt, especially at higher temperatures. As revealed by experiments conducted at the saturated vapor pressure of water, the carbon storage efficiency at 300°C reached 75 g/kg of basalt in 5 days, which was 12 times higher than that at 200°C. In such hydrothermal systems, basalt was carbonated to generate calcite (CaCO3), where the Ca was mainly from plagioclase; Mg and Fe were incorporated into smectite, and Na in the saline system participated in the formation of Na silicates (i.e., analcime in the case of basalt). Due to the presence of additional Na in solution, all the released elements were consumed quickly with generation of secondary minerals in turn promoted basalt dissolution to release more Ca for CO2 storage. This study illuminated the role of NaHCO3 in basalt carbonation and provided technical backup to the design of advanced CO2 mineralization systems.
From headwaters to outlets: Bird species accrual curves are faster downstream with different implications for varying landcovers and ecoregions
Authors: Julien Adisa , Melles Stephanie
Published: February 2023

Terrestrial and aquatic systems are geographically connected, yet these systems are typically studied independently of each other. This approach omits a large amount of ecological information as landscapes are best described as mosaics in watersheds. Species Accumulation Curves (SACs) that incorporate sampling effort are familiar models of how biodiversity will change when landcovers are lost. In land-based systems, the consistent pattern of increased species richness with increasing number of sites sampled is an ecological norm. In freshwater systems, fish species discharge relationships are analogous to species-area relationships in terrestrial systems, but the relationship between terrestrial species and discharge remains largely unexplored. Although some studies investigate the effect of terrestrial systems on neighboring aquatic species, less work has been done on exploring the effect of aquatic systems on terrestrial species. Additionally, creating statistical models to observe these interactions need to be explored further. Using data from the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (2001–2005), we created bird SACs to explore how increases in diversity with sites sampled varies with watershed position on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes Basin (GLB). The mosaic landscape of the GLB was characterized using six majority land cover classes at a 15 m resolution. This work shows that rates of species accrual and potential maximum species richness vary as a function of watershed position, underlying land cover, and the Ecoregion in which sampling was performed. We also found that Urban landcover has the potential to retain relatively high levels of species richness, which is further modified by Ecoregion and watershed position. Through our ‘world building,’ we believe that we can increase knowledge around the importance of land-water interactions and further the goals of viewing landscapes as mosaic watersheds.
Degraded land rehabilitation through agroforestry in India: Achievements, current understanding, and future prospectives
Authors: Jinger Dinesh , Kaushal Rajesh , Kumar Raj , Paramesh Venkatesh , Verma Archana , Shukla Monika , Chavan Sangram Bhanudas , Kakade Vijaysinha , Dobhal Sneha , Uthappa Appanderanda Ramani , Roy Trisha , Singhal Vibha , Madegowda Madhu , Kumar Dinesh , Khatri Poonam , Dinesh Dhakshanamoorthy , Singh Gaurav , Singh Ashok Kumar , Nath Arun Jyoti , Joshi Neeshu , Joshi Ekta , Kumawat Sanju
Published: February 2023

Land degradation is one of the most important factors responsible for the alarming situation of food security, human health, and socioeconomic development in the country. Currently, 120.7 M ha of land in the country is affected by land degradation, out of which 85.7 M ha of land is affected by soil erosion caused by water and wind. Moreover, physical, chemical, and biological degradation are the major forms of land degradation in the country. Deforestation or tree cover loss (2.07 M ha) from 2001 to 2021, intensive rainfall (>7.5 mm ha−1), uncontrolled grazing (5.65 M ha), indiscriminate use of fertilizers (32 MT year−1), and shifting cultivation (7.6 M ha) are other major factors that further aggravate the process of land degradation. In order to alleviate the problem of land degradation, numerous agroforestry technologies have been developed after years of research in different agroclimatic zones of the country. The major agroforestry systems observed in the country are agri-horticulture, silvipasture, and agri-silviculture. This review indicates the potential of agroforestry in enhancing carbon sequestration (1.80 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in the Western Himalayan region to 3.50 Mg C ha−1 year−1 in the island regions) and reduced soil loss and runoff by 94% and 78%, respectively, in Northeast India. This can be concluded that the adoption of the agroforestry system is imperative for the rehabilitation of degraded lands and also found to have enough potential to address the issues of food, environmental, and livelihood security. This review’s findings will benefit researchers, land managers, and decision-makers in understanding the role of agroforestry in combating land degradation to enhance ecosystem service in India and planning suitable policies for eradicating the problem effectively.
A multi-isotope approach reveals seasonal variation in the reliance on marine resources, production of metabolic water, and ingestion of seawater by two species of coastal passerine to maintain water balance
Authors: Navarrete Lucas , Lübcker Nico , Alvarez Felipe , Nespolo Roberto , Sanchez-Hernandez Juan Carlos , Maldonado Karin , Sharp Zachary D. , Whiteman John P. , Newsome Seth D. , Sabat Pablo
Published: February 2023

Tracing how free-ranging organisms interact with their environment to maintain water balance is a difficult topic to study for logistical and methodological reasons. We use a novel combination of triple-oxygen stable isotope analyses of water extracted from plasma (δ16O, δ17O, δ18O) and bulk tissue carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes of feathers and blood to estimate the proportional contribution of marine resources, seawater, and metabolic water used by two species of unique songbirds (genus Cinclodes) to maintain their water balance in a seasonal coastal environment. We also assessed the physiological adjustments that these birds use to maintain their water balance. In agreement with previous work on these species, δ13C and δ15N data show that the coastal resident and invertivore C. nigrofumosus consumes a diet rich in marine resources, while the diet of migratory C. oustaleti shifts seasonally between marine (winter) to freshwater aquatic resources (summer). Triple-oxygen isotope analysis (Δ17O) of blood plasma, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) revealed that ~25% of the body water pool of both species originated from metabolic water, while the rest originated from a mix of seawater and fresh water. Δ17O measurements suggest that the contribution of metabolic water tends to increase in summer in C. nigrofumosus, which is coupled with a significant increase in BMR and TEWL. The two species had similar BMR and TEWL during the austral winter when they occur sympatrically in coastal environments. We also found a positive and significant association between the use of marine resources as measured by δ13C and δ15N values and the estimated δ18O values of ingested (pre-formed) water in both species, which indicates that Cinclodes do not directly drink seawater but rather passively ingest when consuming marine invertebrates. Finally, results obtained from physiological parameters and the isotope-based estimates of marine (food and water) resource use are consistent, supporting the use of the triple-oxygen isotopes to quantify the contribution of water sources to the total water balance of free-ranging birds.
SupCAM: Chromosome cluster types identification using supervised contrastive learning with category-variant augmentation and self-margin loss
Authors: Luo Chunlong , Wu Yang , Zhao Yi
Published: February 2023

Chromosome segmentation is a crucial analyzing task in karyotyping, a technique used in experiments to discover chromosomal abnormalities. Chromosomes often touch and occlude with each other in images, forming various chromosome clusters. The majority of chromosome segmentation methods only work on a single type of chromosome cluster. Therefore, the pre-task of chromosome segmentation, the identification of chromosome cluster types, requires more focus. Unfortunately, the previous method used for this task is limited by the small-scale chromosome cluster dataset, ChrCluster, and needs the help of large-scale natural image datasets, such as ImageNet. We realized that semantic differences between chromosomes and natural objects should not be ignored, and thus developed a novel two-step method called SupCAM, which could avoid overfitting only using ChrCluster and achieve a better performance. In the first step, we pre-trained the backbone network on ChrCluster following the supervised contrastive learning framework. We introduced two improvements to the model. One is called the category-variant image composition method, which augments samples by synthesizing valid images and proper labels. The other introduces angular margin into large-scale instance contrastive loss, namelyself-margin loss, to increase the intraclass consistency and decrease interclass similarity. In the second step, we fine-tuned the network and obtained the final classification model. We validated the effectiveness of modules through massive ablation studies. Finally, SupCAM achieved an accuracy of 94.99% with the ChrCluster dataset, which outperformed the method used previously for this task. In summary, SupCAM significantly supports the chromosome cluster type identification task to achieve better automatic chromosome segmentation.
The impact of alcoholic drinks and dietary factors on epigenetic markers associated with triglyceride levels
Authors: Lai Chao-Qiang , Parnell Laurence D. , Lee Yu-Chi , Zeng Haihan , Smith Caren E. , McKeown Nicola M. , Arnett Donna K. , Ordovás José M.
Published: February 2023

Background: Many epigenetic loci have been associated with plasma triglyceride (TG) levels, but epigenetic connections between those loci and dietary exposures are largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize the epigenetic links between diet, lifestyle, and TG.

Methods: We first conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) for TG in the Framingham Heart Study Offspring population (FHS, n = 2,264). We then examined relationships between dietary and lifestyle-related variables, collected four times in 13 years, and differential DNA methylation sites (DMSs) associated with the last TG measures. Third, we conducted a mediation analysis to evaluate the causal relationships between diet-related variables and TG. Finally, we replicated three steps to validate identified DMSs associated with alcohol and carbohydrate intake in the Genetics of Lipid-Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) study (n = 993).

Results: In the FHS, the EWAS revealed 28 TG-associated DMSs at 19 gene regions. We identified 102 unique associations between these DMSs and one or more dietary and lifestyle-related variables. Alcohol and carbohydrate intake showed the most significant and consistent associations with 11 TG-associated DMSs. Mediation analyses demonstrated that alcohol and carbohydrate intake independently affect TG via DMSs as mediators. Higher alcohol intake was associated with lower methylation at seven DMSs and higher TG. In contrast, increased carbohydrate intake was associated with higher DNA methylation at two DMSs (CPT1A and SLC7A11) and lower TG. Validation in the GOLDN further supports the findings.

Conclusion: Our findings imply that TG-associated DMSs reflect dietary intakes, particularly alcoholic drinks, which could affect the current cardiometabolic risk via epigenetic changes. This study illustrates a new method to map epigenetic signatures of environmental factors for disease risk. Identification of epigenetic markers of dietary intake can provide insight into an individual’s risk of cardiovascular disease and support the application of precision nutrition.

Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), NCT00005121; the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN), NCT01023750.
Red blood cells in proliferative kidney disease—rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) infected by Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae harbor IgM+ red blood cells
Authors: Chan Justin T. H. , Picard-Sánchez Amparo , Majstorović Jovana , Rebl Alexander , Koczan Dirk , Dyčka Filip , Holzer Astrid S. , Korytář Tomáš
Published: February 2023

The myxozoan parasite Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae is the causative agent of proliferative kidney disease (PKD)—a disease of salmonid fishes, notably of the commercially farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Both wild and farmed salmonids are threatened by this virulent/deadly disease, a chronic immunopathology characterized by massive lymphocyte proliferation and hyperplasia, which manifests as swollen kidneys in susceptible hosts. Studying the immune response towards the parasite helps us understand the causes and consequences of PKD. While examining the B cell population during a seasonal outbreak of PKD, we unexpectedly detected the B cell marker immunoglobulin M (IgM) on red blood cells (RBCs) of infected farmed rainbow trout. Here, we studied the nature of this IgM and this IgM+ cell population. We verified the presence of surface IgM via parallel approaches: flow cytometry, microscopy, and mass spectrometry. The levels of surface IgM (allowing complete resolution of IgM- RBCs from IgM+ RBCs) and frequency of IgM+ RBCs (with up to 99% of RBCs being positive) have not been described before in healthy fishes nor those suffering from disease. To assess the influence of the disease on these cells, we profiled the transcriptomes of teleost RBCs in health and disease. Compared to RBCs originating from healthy fish, PKD fundamentally altered RBCs in their metabolism, adhesion, and innate immune response to inflammation. In summary, RBCs play a larger role in host immunity than previously appreciated. Specifically, our findings indicate that the nucleated RBCs of rainbow trout interact with host IgM and contribute to the immune response in PKD.
Guillain-Barre syndrome following COVID-19 vaccines: A review of literature
Authors: Yu Miao , Nie Shuang , Qiao Yue , Ma Ying
Published: February 2023

Objective

This study aimed to retrospectively analyze reported Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) cases that occurred after COVID-19 vaccination.

Methods

Case reports of GBS following COVID-19 vaccination that were published before May 14, 2022, were retrieved from PubMed. The cases were retrospectively analyzed for their basic characteristics, vaccine types, the number of vaccination doses before onset, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, neurophysiological examination results, treatment, and prognosis.

Results

Retrospective analysis of 60 case reports revealed that post-COVID-19 vaccination GBS occurred mostly after the first dose of the vaccination (54 cases, 90%) and was common for DNA vaccination (38 cases, 63%), common in middle-aged and elderly people (mean age: 54.5 years), and also common in men (36 cases, 60%). The mean time from vaccination to onset was 12.3 days. The classical GBS (31 cases, 52%) was the major clinical classification and the AIDP subtype (37 cases, 71%) was the major neurophysiological subtype, but the positive rate of anti-ganglioside antibodies was low (7 cases, 20%). Bilateral facial nerve palsy (76% vs 18%) and facial palsy with distal paresthesia (38% vs 5%) were more common for DNA vaccination than for RNA vaccination.

Conclusion

After reviewing the literature, we proposed a possible association between the risk of GBS and the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines, especially DNA vaccines. The higher rate of facial involvement and a lower positive rate of anti-ganglioside antibodies may be a characteristic feature of GBS following COVID-19 vaccination. The causal relationship between GBS and COVID-19 vaccination remains speculative, more research is needed to establish an association between GBS and COVID-19 vaccination. We recommend surveillance for GBS following vaccination, because it is important in determining the true incidence of GBS following COVID-19 vaccination, as well as in the development of a more safer vaccine.
Chicken CH25H inhibits ALV-J replication by promoting cellular autophagy
Authors: Xie Tingting , Feng Min , Zhang Xi , Li Xiaoqi , Mo Guodong , Shi Meiqing , Zhang Xiquan
Published: February 2023

Autophagy plays an important role in host antiviral defense. The avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) has been shown to inhibit autophagy while promoting viral replication. The underlying autophagic mechanisms, however, are unknown. Cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H) is a conserved interferon-stimulated gene, which converts cholesterol to a soluble antiviral factor, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC). In this study, we further investigated the autophagic mechanism of CH25H resistance to ALV-J in chicken embryonic fibroblast cell lines (DF1). Our results found that overexpression of CH25H and treatment with 25HC promoted the autophagic markers microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 II (LC3II) and autophagy-related gene 5(ATG5), while decreased autophagy substrate p62/SQSTM1 (p62) expression in ALV-J infection DF-1 cells. Induction of cellular autophagy also reduces the levels of ALV-J gp85 and p27. ALV-J infection, on the other hand, suppresses autophagic marker protein LC3II expression. These findings suggest that CH25H-induced autophagy is a host defense mechanism that aids in ALV-J replication inhibition. In particular, CH25H interacts with CHMP4B and inhibits ALV-J infection in DF-1 cells by promoting autophagy, revealing a novel mechanism by which CH25H inhibits ALV-J infection. Although the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood, CH25H and 25HC are the first to show inhibiting ALV-J infection via autophagy.
Tislelizumab for cervical cancer: A retrospective study and analysis of correlative blood biomarkers
Authors: Zheng Xiaojing , Gu Haifeng , Cao Xinping , Pan Baoyue , Xiang Huiling , Ju Mingxiu , Xu Shijie , Zheng Min
Published: February 2023

Background

Tislelizumab is an anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody engineered to minimize binding to Fcγ receptors. It has been used to treat several solid tumors. However, its efficacy and toxicity, and the predictive and prognostic value of baseline hematological parameters in patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer (R/M CC) receiving tislelizumab remain unclear.

Methods

We reviewed 115 patients treated for R/M CC with tislelizumab from March 2020 to June 2022 in our institute. The antitumor activity of tislelizumab was assessed using RECIST v1.1. Associations between the baseline hematological parameters and efficacy of tislelizumab in these patients were analyzed.

Results

With a median follow-up of 11.3 months (range, 2.2–28.7), the overall response rate was 39.1% (95% CI, 30.1–48.2) and the disease control rate was 77.4% (95% CI, 69.6–85.2). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 19.6 months (95% CI, 10.7 to not reached). The median overall survival (OS) was not reached. Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of any grade occurred in 81.7% of the patients and only 7.0% of the patients experienced grade 3 or 4 TRAEs. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed that the level of pretreatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP) was an independent risk factor for the response (complete or partial response) to tislelizumab and the PFS of R/M CC patients treated with tislelizumab (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.002, respectively). R/M CC patients with elevated baseline CRP levels had a short PFS (P = 0.0005). Additionally, the CRP-to-albumin ratio (CAR) was an independent risk factor for the PFS and OS of R/M CC patients treated with tislelizumab (P = 0.001 and P = 0.031, respectively). R/M CC patients with an elevated baseline CAR had short PFS and OS (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0323, respectively).

Conclusions

Tislelizumab showed promising antitumor activity and tolerable toxicity in patients with R/M CC. The baseline serum CRP levels and CAR showed potential for predicting the efficacy of tislelizumab and the prognosis of R/M CC patients receiving tislelizumab.
Occlusion preconditioned mice are resilient to hypobaric hypoxia-induced myocarditis and arrhythmias due to enhanced immunomodulation, metabolic homeostasis, and antioxidants defense
Authors: Adzika Gabriel Komla , Mprah Richard , Rizvi Ruqayya , Adekunle Adebayo Oluwafemi , Ndzie Noah Marie Louise , Wowui Prosperl Ivette , Adzraku Seyram Yao , Adu-Amankwaah Joseph , Wang Fengli , Lin Yuwen , Fu Lu , Liu Xiaomei , Xiang Jie , Sun Hong
Published: February 2023

Background

Sea-level residents experience altitude sickness when they hike or visit altitudes above ~2,500 m due to the hypobaric hypoxia (HH) conditions at such places. HH has been shown to drive cardiac inflammation in both ventricles by inducing maladaptive metabolic reprogramming of macrophages, which evokes aggravated proinflammatory responses, promoting myocarditis, fibrotic remodeling, arrhythmias, heart failure, and sudden deaths. The use of salidroside or altitude preconditioning (AP) before visiting high altitudes has been extensively shown to exert cardioprotective effects. Even so, both therapeutic interventions have geographical limitations and/or are inaccessible/unavailable to the majority of the population as drawbacks. Meanwhile, occlusion preconditioning (OP) has been extensively demonstrated to prevent hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte damage by triggering endogenous cardioprotective cascades to mitigate myocardial damage. Herein, with the notion that OP can be conveniently applied anywhere, we sought to explore it as an alternative therapeutic intervention for preventing HH-induced myocarditis, remodeling, and arrhythmias.

Methods

OP intervention (6 cycles of 5 min occlusion with 200 mmHg for 5 min and 5 min reperfusion at 0 mmHg – applying to alternate hindlimb daily for 7 consecutive days) was performed, and its impact on cardiac electric activity, immunoregulation, myocardial remodeling, metabolic homeostasis, oxidative stress responses, and behavioral outcomes were assessed before and after exposure to HH in mice. In humans, before and after the application of OP intervention (6 cycles of 5 min occlusion with 130% of systolic pressure and 5 min reperfusion at 0 mmHg – applying to alternate upper limb daily for 6 consecutive days), all subjects were assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET).

Results

Comparing the outcomes of OP to AP intervention, we observed that similar to the latter, OP preserved cardiac electric activity, mitigated maladaptive myocardial remodeling, induced adaptive immunomodulation and metabolic homeostasis in the heart, enhanced antioxidant defenses, and conferred resistance against HH-induce anxiety-related behavior. Additionally, OP enhanced respiratory and oxygen-carrying capacity, metabolic homeostasis, and endurance in humans.

Conclusions

Overall, these findings demonstrate that OP is a potent alternative therapeutic intervention for preventing hypoxia-induced myocarditis, cardiac remodeling, arrhythmias, and cardiometabolic disorders and could potentially ameliorate the progression of other inflammatory, metabolic, and oxidative stress-related diseases.
Surveillance for arboviruses and leptospirosis among non-malarial acute febrile illness outpatients in areas affected by Cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique
Authors: Mugabe Vánio André , Inlamea Osvaldo Frederico , Ali Sádia , Maholela Plácida , Melchior Bibiana , Muianga Argentina Felisbela , Oludele John , Sumail Andarusse , António Virgílio , Monteiro Vanessa Onofre , Chongo Inocêncio , Kitron Uriel , Ribeiro Guilherme Sousa , Gudo Eduardo Samo
Published: February 2023

The floods associated with the landfall of cyclones Idai and Kenneth in Mozambique between March and April 2019 had a major impact on the country’s public health and placed the affected population at risk for vector- and rodent-borne diseases. Aiming to improve the diagnostic capacity, yield information to guide public health responses, and assess potential short-term effects of cyclones Idai and Kenneth on arboviruses (dengue, Zika, and chikungunya) and leptospirosis, a clinical and laboratory surveillance for non-malarial acute febrile illness was established in six health units located in different districts within the two provinces (Sofala and Cabo Delgado) affected by the cyclones. Patients were tested using real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses and using enzyme linked immunoassays (ELISA) to detect nonstructural DENV protein 1 (NS1), as well as DENV, ZIKV, CHIKV, and Leptospira IgM antibodies. From April to September 2019, 305 patients aged ≥15 years were enrolled, of which 58.4% were women and the median age was 30 years old. All patients were qRT-PCR negative for the targeted arboviruses, but three (1.0%) were positive for DENV NS1 ELISA. Specific IgM antibodies against DENV, ZIKV, CHIKV or Leptospira were found in the serum of 104 (34.1%) patients. Our results indicate that vector- and rodent-borne disease transmission occurred in all districts under investigation in the wake of cyclones Idai and Kenneth, including some regions where cases had not been previously detected. The investigation provided useful information for post-cyclone emergency response purposes.
Field determination of nitrate in seawater using a novel on-line coppered cadmium column: A comparison study with the vanadium reduction method
Authors: Niu Wenhan , Li Hongliang , Guo Xiaochen , Chen Jianfang , Shi Xiaolai , Zhu Yong
Published: February 2023

Nitrate is the main form of dissolved inorganic nitrogen, playing an important role in both marine biogeochemical research and water environment management. In this work, the most commonly used coppered cadmium column was modified and a novel on-line Cu/Cd column with a spiral structure coupled with a de-bubbling device and syringe-type filter was developed. With the advantages of convenience, portability, stability, and high reduction efficiency, the interference of air bubbles in the column could easily be avoided. Based on the classic Griess reaction, a simple reverse flow injection system coupled with a novel Cu/Cd column and custom-made flow cell was established for the field spectrophotometric determination of nitrate in seawater. The effects of certain reaction parameters—including the reagent concentration, flow rate, length of the Cu/Cd column, and salinity—were investigated, optimized, and compared with pure water, with an approximate 9% increase in the sensitivity of seawater samples. This method exhibited a detection limit of 0.03 μmol/L, with a relative standard deviation of 0.6%, and the working range was 20 μmol/L before dilution. Compared to the referred vanadium reduction method based on the same flow system, the proposed method showed significant advantages including sensitivity and reproducibility. No significant difference was observed between the analytical seawater sample results obtained by the proposed and reference methods. Furthermore, the proposed method was validated by the first class of National Certified Reference Materials and successfully applied to the nitrate determination of Wenling coastal seawater (Zhejiang, China).
Chelating the valley of death: Deferoxamine’s path from bench to wound clinic
Authors: Parker Jennifer B. , Griffin Michelle F. , Downer Mauricio A. , Akras Deena , Berry Charlotte E. , Cotterell Asha C. , Gurtner Geoffrey C. , Longaker Michael T. , Wan Derrick C.
Published: February 2023

There is undisputable benefit in translating basic science research concretely into clinical practice, and yet, the vast majority of therapies and treatments fail to achieve approval. The rift between basic research and approved treatment continues to grow, and in cases where a drug is granted approval, the average time from initiation of human trials to regulatory marketing authorization spans almost a decade. Albeit with these hurdles, recent research with deferoxamine (DFO) bodes significant promise as a potential treatment for chronic, radiation-induced soft tissue injury. DFO was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1968 for the treatment of iron overload. However, investigators more recently have posited that its angiogenic and antioxidant properties could be beneficial in treating the hypovascular and reactive-oxygen species-rich tissues seen in chronic wounds and radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF). Small animal experiments of various chronic wound and RIF models confirmed that treatment with DFO improved blood flow and collagen ultrastructure. With a well-established safety profile, and now a strong foundation of basic scientific research that supports its potential use in chronic wounds and RIF, we believe that the next steps required for DFO to achieve FDA marketing approval will include large animal studies and, if those prove successful, human clinical trials. Though these milestones remain, the extensive research thus far leaves hope for DFO to bridge the gap between bench and wound clinic in the near future.
Fine-tuning characterization of patients with interstitial pneumonia and an underlying autoimmune disease in real-world practice: We get closer with Nailfold videocapillaroscopy
Authors: Romero-Bueno Fredeswinda Isabel , Rodríguez-Nieto Maria Jesús , Palacios Miras Carmelo , Martínez Estupiñán Lina , Martínez-Becerra Maria José , Vegas Sánchez Maria Carmen , Cedeño Díaz Oderay Mabel , Sánchez-Pernaute Olga ,   The NEREA Autoimmune ILD Study Group
Published: February 2023

Objectives

To assess performance of interstitial pneumonia (IP) with autoimmune features (IPAF) criteria in clinical practice and describe the utility of additional workup in identifying patients with underlying connective tissue diseases (CTD).

Methods

We set a retrospective study of our patients with autoimmune IP, who were allocated to CTD-IP, IPAF or undifferentiated autoimmune IP (uAIP) subgroups according to the updated classification criteria. Presence of the process-related variables comprising IPAF defining domains was scrutinized in all patients, and, when available, the results of nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) were recorded.

Results

Thirty nine out of 118 patients, accounting for 71% of former undifferentiated cases, fulfilled IPAF criteria. Arthritis and Raynaud’s phenomenon were prevalent in this subgroup. While systemic sclerosis-specific autoantibodies were restricted to CTD-IP patients, anti-tRNA synthetase antibodies were also present in IPAF. In contrast, rheumatoid factor, anti-Ro antibodies and ANA nucleolar patterns could be found in all subgroups. Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) / possible UIP were the most frequently observed radiographic patterns Therefore, the presence of thoracic multicompartimental findings as also performance of open lung biopsies were useful in characterizing as IPAF those UIP cases lacking a clinical domain. Interestingly, we could observe NVC abnormalities in 54% of IPAF and 36% of uAIP tested patients, even though many of them did not report Raynaud’s phenomenon.

Conclusion

Besides application of IPAF criteria, distribution of IPAF defining variables along with NVC exams help identify more homogeneous phenotypic subgroups of autoimmune IP of potential relevance beyond clinical diagnosis.
Microvascular dysfunction following cardiopulmonary bypass plays a central role in postoperative organ dysfunction
Authors: Kant Shawn , Banerjee Debolina , Sabe Sharif A. , Sellke Frank , Feng Jun
Published: February 2023

Despite significant advances in surgical technique and strategies for tissue/organ protection, cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass is a profound stressor on the human body and is associated with numerous intraoperative and postoperative collateral effects across different tissues and organ systems. Of note, cardiopulmonary bypass has been shown to induce significant alterations in microvascular reactivity. This involves altered myogenic tone, altered microvascular responsiveness to many endogenous vasoactive agonists, and generalized endothelial dysfunction across multiple vascular beds. This review begins with a survey ofin vitrostudies that examine the cellular mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction following cardiac surgery involving cardiopulmonary bypass, with a focus on endothelial activation, weakened barrier integrity, altered cell surface receptor expression, and changes in the balance between vasoconstrictive and vasodilatory mediators. Microvascular dysfunction in turn influences postoperative organ dysfunction in complex, poorly understood ways. Hence the second part of this review will highlightin vivostudies examining the effects of cardiac surgery on critical organ systems, notably the heart, brain, renal system, and skin/peripheral tissue vasculature. Clinical implications and possible areas for intervention will be discussed throughout the review.
RETRACTED: Immobilization of metribuzin-degrading bacteria on biochar: Enhanced soil remediation and bacterial community restoration
Authors: Wahla Abdul Qadeer , Anwar Samina , Fareed Muhammad Irfan , Ikram Wasiq , Ali Liaqat , Alharby Hesham F. , Bamagoos Atif A. , Almaghamsi Afaf A. , Iqbal Samina , Ali Shafaqat
Published: February 2023

Metribuzin (MB), a triazinone herbicide is extensively sprayed for weed control in agriculture, has been reported to contaminate soil, groundwater, and surface waters. In soil, MB residues can negatively affect not only the germination of subsequent crops but also disturb soil bacterial community. The present study describes the use of biochar as a carrier material to immobilize MB-degrading bacterial consortium, for remediation of MB-contaminated soil and restoration of soil bacterial community in soil microcosms. The bacterial consortium (MB3R) comprised four bacterial strains, i.e., Rhodococcus rhodochrous AQ1, Bacillus tequilensis AQ2, Bacillus aryabhattai AQ3, and Bacillus safensis AQ4. Significantly higher MB remediation was observed in soil augmented with bacterial consortium immobilized on biochar compared to the soil augmented with un-immobilized bacterial consortium. Immobilization of MB3R on biochar resulted in higher MB degradation rate (0.017 Kd−1) and reduced half-life (40 days) compared to 0.010 Kd−1 degradation rate and 68 day half-life in treatments where un-immobilized bacterial consortium was employed. It is worth mentioning that the MB degradation products metribuzin-desamino (DA), metribuzin-diketo (DK), and metribuzin desamino-diketo (DADK) were detected in the treatments where MB3R was inoculated either alone or in combination with biochar. MB contamination significantly altered the composition of soil bacteria. However, soil bacterial community was conserved in response to augmentation with MB3R immobilized on biochar. Immobilization of the bacterial consortium MB3R on biochar can potentially be exploited for remediation of MB-contaminated soil and protecting its microbiota.
Deoxygenation enhances photosynthetic performance and increases N2 fixation in the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium under elevated pCO2
Authors: Li He , Gao Kunshan
Published: February 2023

Effects of changed levels of dissolved O2 and CO2 on marine primary producers are of general concern with respect to ecological effects of ongoing ocean deoxygenation and acidification as well as upwelled seawaters. We investigated the response of the diazotroph Trichodesmium erythraeum IMS 101 after it had acclimated to lowered pO2 (~60 μM O2) and/or elevated pCO2 levels (HC, ~32 μM CO2) for about 20 generations. Our results showed that reduced O2 levels decreased dark respiration significantly, and increased the net photosynthetic rate by 66 and 89% under the ambient (AC, ~13 μM CO2) and the HC, respectively. The reduced pO2 enhanced the N2 fixation rate by ~139% under AC and only by 44% under HC, respectively. The N2 fixation quotient, the ratio of N2 fixed per O2 evolved, increased by 143% when pO2 decreased by 75% under the elevated pCO2. Meanwhile, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen quota increased simultaneously under reduced O2 levels, regardless of the pCO2 treatments. Nevertheless, changed levels of O2 and CO2 did not bring about significant changes in the specific growth rate of the diazotroph. Such inconsistency was attributed to the daytime positive and nighttime negative effects of both lowered pO2 and elevated pCO2 on the energy supply for growth. Our results suggest that Trichodesmium decrease its dark respiration by 5% and increase its N2-fixation by 49% and N2-fixation quotient by 30% under future ocean deoxygenation and acidification with 16% decline of pO2 and 138% rise of pCO2 by the end of this century.