bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Soil characteristics and bare ground cover differ among jurisdictions and disturbance histories in Western US protected area-centered ecosystems
Authors: Aslan Clare E. , Zachmann Luke , Epanchin-Niell Rebecca S. , Brunson Mark W. , Veloz Samuel , Sikes Benjamin A.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Ecological conditions at a given site are driven by factors including resource availability, habitat connectivity, and disturbance history. Land managers can influence disturbance history at a site by harvesting resources, creating transportation pathways, introducing new species, and altering the frequency and severity of events such as fires and floods. As a result, locations with different land management histories have also likely experienced different disturbance trajectories that, over time, are likely to result in different ecological characteristics.

Methods

To understand how the presence of different management histories may shape ecological conditions across large landscapes, we examined plant and soil characteristics at matched sampling points across jurisdictional boundaries within four Protected Area-Centered Ecosystems (PACEs) in the western US. We employed Bayesian modeling to explore 1) the extent to which specific ecological variables are linked to disturbance and jurisdiction both among and within individual PACEs, and 2) whether disturbance evidence differs among jurisdictions within each PACE.

Results

Across all jurisdictions we found that disturbances were associated with ecologically meaningful shifts in percent cover of bare ground, forbs, grass, shrubs, and trees, as well as in tree species richness, soil stability, and total carbon. However, the magnitude of shifts varied by PACE. Within PACEs, there were also meaningful associations between some ecological variables and jurisdiction type; the most consistent of these were in soil stability and soil carbon:nitrogen ratios. Disturbance evidence within each PACE was relatively similar across jurisdictions, with strong differences detected between contrast jurisdictions only for the Lassen Volcanic National Park PACE (LAVO).

Discussion

These findings suggest an interaction between management history and geography, such that ecotones appear to manifest at jurisdictional boundaries within some, but not all, contexts of disturbance and location. Additionally, we detected numerous differences between PACEs in the size of disturbance effects on ecological variables, suggesting that while the interplay between disturbance and management explored here appears influential, there remains a large amount of unexplained variance in these landscapes. As continued global change elevates the importance of large landscape habitat connectivity, unaligned management activities among neighboring jurisdictions are likely to influence existing ecological conditions and connectivity, conservation planning, and desired outcomes.
Features and driving factors of microbial metabolic limitation in mountain ecosystems in arid areas: A case study on the Helan Mountains, Northwest China
Authors: Pang Danbo , Liu Bo , Wu Mengyao , Li Xuebin , Hu Yang , Ma Jinpeng , Zhao Wenzhi , Chen Lin
Published: December 2022

Insights into what limits the growth of soil microorganisms in mountain ecosystems increase our understanding of microbial functions and processes. Although the distribution pattern of soil microorganisms in mountain ecosystems has been widely studied, their role in biogeochemical cycles along elevation gradients of mountain ecosystems in arid regions is poorly understood. In this study we analyzed the soil physicochemical properties, soil microbial community structure, extracellular enzymatic activities, ecoenzymatic stoichiometry, microbial metabolism, and their relationships along the 1,300–2,500 m elevational gradient of the Helan Mountains, northwest China. The results showed that the total microbial biomass and its components did not significantly vary with elevation. The GP:GN (gram-positive: gram-negative bacteria) ratios at low elevations were higher than those at the mid and high elevations, indicating enrichment of oligotrophic bacteria at low elevations. The five extracellular enzymes significantly differed with elevation gradient, while the levels of carbon (C)- and nitrogen (N)- acquiring enzymes first increased and then decreased with increasing elevations. Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry indicated that significant limitation of microbial growth by carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) levels occurred at high and medium elevations. Soil physicochemical characteristics, microbial community composition, and ecoenzymatic activities accounted for 43.94 and 22.21% of the microbial C and P restriction, respectively. Our study suggests that mountain ecosystems with high organic C storage possess abundant microbial populations limited by relative C and P. The study also provides important insights linking microbial metabolisms to the environmental gradients in arid mountain ecosystems.
Efficient hyperactive piggyBac transgenesis in Plodia pantry moths
Authors: Heryanto Christa , Mazo-Vargas Anyi , Martin Arnaud
Published: December 2022

While piggyBac transposon-based transgenesis is widely used in various emerging model organisms, its relatively low transposition rate in butterflies and moths has hindered its use for routine genetic transformation in Lepidoptera. Here, we tested the suitability of a codon-optimized hyperactive piggyBac transposase (hyPBase) in mRNA form to deliver and integrate transgenic cassettes into the genome of the pantry moth Plodia interpunctella. Co-injection of hyPBase mRNA with donor plasmids successfully integrated 1.5–4.4 kb expression cassettes driving the fluorescent markers EGFP, DsRed, or EYFP in eyes and glia with the 3xP3 promoter. Somatic integration and expression of the transgene in the G0 injected generation was detectable from 72-h embryos and onward in larvae, pupae and adults carrying a recessive white-eyed mutation. Overall, 2.5% of injected eggs survived into transgene-bearing adults with mosaic fluorescence. Subsequent outcrossing of fluorescent G0 founders transmitted single-insertion copies of 3xP3::EGFP and 3xP3::EYFP and generated stable isogenic lines. Random in-crossing of a small cohort of G0 founders expressing 3xP3::DsRed yielded a stable transgenic line segregating for more than one transgene insertion site. We discuss how hyPBase can be used to generate stable transgenic resources in Plodia and other moths.
High MBL-expressing genotypes are associated with deterioration in renal function in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Dørflinger G. H. , Høyem P. H. , Laugesen E. , Østergaard J. A. , Funck K. L. , Steffensen R. , Poulsen P. L. , Hansen T. K. , Bjerre M.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Accumulating evidence support that mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a promising prognostic biomarker for risk-stratification of diabetic micro- and macrovascular complications. Serum MBL levels are predominately genetically determined and depend on MBL genotype. However, Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with higher MBL serum levels for a given MBL genotype, but it remains unknown if this is also the case for patients with T2D. In this study, we evaluated the impact of MBL genotypes on renal function trajectories serum MBL levels and compared MBL genotypes in newly diagnosed patients with T2D with age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. Furthermore, we evaluated differences in parameters of insulin resistance within MBL genotypes.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, we included 100 patients who were recently diagnosed with T2D and 100 age- and sex-matched individuals. We measured serum MBL levels, MBL genotype, standard biochemistry, and DEXA, in all participants. A 5-year clinical follow-up study was conducted, followed by 12-year data on follow-up biochemistry and clinical status for the progression to micro- or macroalbuminuria for the patients with T2D.

Results

We found similar serum MBL levels and distribution of MBL genotypes between T2D patients and healthy individuals. The serum MBL level for a given MBL genotype did not differ between the groups neither at study entry nor at 5-year follow-up. We found that plasma creatinine increased more rapidly in patients with T2D with the high MBL expression genotype than with the medium/low MBL expression genotype over the 12-year follow-up period (p = 0.029). Serum MBL levels did not correlate with diabetes duration nor with HbA1c. Interestingly, serum MBL was inversely correlated with body fat percentage in individuals with high MBL expression genotypes both at study entry (p=0.0005) and 5-years follow-up (p=0.002).

Discussion

Contrary to T1D, T2D is not per se associated with increased MBL serum level for a given MBL genotype or with diabetes duration. Serum MBL was inversely correlated with body fat percentage, and T2D patients with the high MBL expression genotype presented with deterioration of renal function.
The chromosome-level genome assembly of goldstripe ponyfish (Karalla daura) reveals its similarity to Chinese sillago on contracted immune gene families
Authors: He Wenping , Shi Mijuan , Xia Xiao-Qin , Zhang Wanting , Yao Weizhi , Gao Tianxiang
Published: December 2022

The goldstripe ponyfish is a small tropical economic fish in the Leiognathidae family. The genome of this fish was assembled as 24 chromosomes with a total length of 577.66 Mb and 54.81 Mb unanchored contigs using HiFi and Hi-C sequencing technologies. There are 256.7 Mb of repeat elements, which cover 40.59% of the genome, and 21,506 coding genes, which cover 47.68%. According to phylogenetic analysis, the goldstripe ponyfish is closely related to the Sillaginidae family’s Chinese sillago. The distance between goldstripe ponyfish and Chinese sillago in the hierarchical clustering of gene family contractions and expansions is also the shortest, indicating a similarity even greater than that between croakers of the same family (Sciaenidae). The goldstripe ponyfish and Chinese sillago share 25 identical contracted gene families, the majority of which are immune recognition receptors, such as innate immunity-related C-type lectin and butyrophilin families, as well as acquired immunity-related T-cell receptor region V and the surface glycoprotein CD4, implying that these two fishes’ immune systems may adopt similar evolutionary strategy at the genomic level. Additionally, the positively selected genes of the Chinese sillago and the goldstripe ponyfish were enriched in biological functions involved in the cell cycle, such as telomeres, which may account for the disparities in body size and lifespan between the two species.
Summertime dissolved oxygen concentration and hypoxia in the Zhejiang coastal area
Authors: Zhang Xiangdong , Wang Zelin , Cai Huiwen , Chai Xiaoping , Tang Jingliang , Zhuo Lifei , Jia Haibo
Published: December 2022

Introduction

The Zhejiang coastal area is the most important fishery ground in East China Sea, located south of the Yangtze River Estuary. The previous studies on hypoxia and mechanisms mainly focused on the outer shelf and Yangtze River Estuary, and limited knowledge on the DO depletion and low DO information in this area.

Methods

In this study, the relationships among the DO spatial variation and depletion with nutrients, Chl-a, algal blooms, stratification were analyzed based on the investigation from July to August in 2020.

Results and discussion

The results showed that, the DO contents were high in the surface water (4.6–11.8 mg/L) than in the bottom water (3.0-8.4 mg/L) with an increasing trend from nearshore to offshore in the surface layer, but opposite in the bottom. The vertical profile of DO showed that low DO concentrations (≤3.0 mg/L) started from the water depth of 12 m with a depth of 45 m. The low DO area appeared in the northeast and central Zhejiang coastal areas covering an area of 6,000 km2 and 4,000 km2, respectively. Our analysis indicated that the successive algal blooms (Chl-a > 40.0 μg/L) occurred in late June and during the investigation prepared the low DO pool for the hypoxia development. Stratification, generated from upper warm, light, diluted freshwater from the Yangtze River and the deeper cold, heavy, salty Taiwan Warm Current ceased the vertical convection of DO in the surface, and accelerated the hypoxia development. The hypoxia starting time was earlier and the duration was longer in this complicated area. The rising temperature, more frequency of algal blooms by global warming would likely to make this worse. Continued interdisciplinary research are badly needed to get a better view in the future.
Climate adaptation law and policy in the United States
Authors: Craig Robin Kundis
Published: December 2022

When President Biden took office in January 2021, he immediately re-invigorated the United States’ commitment to addressing climate change, including climate adaptation, through Executive Order 13990—Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis (January 20, 2021) and Executive Order 14008—Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (January 27, 2021). Federal agencies have continued to implement these and other climate-related executive orders. This article examines recent legal developments to summarize the United States’ current policy approach to climate change adaptation, especially as such developments affect marine sector. Despite the natural tendency to focus on the federal government—and there have indeed been improvements in federal adaptation policy since the Biden Administration took office—this article also argues that focusing solely on the federal government reveals only one facet of important developments in the United States’ climate adaptation policy. Instead, this article acknowledges and illuminates the pluralistic and federalistic structure of United States governance, concluding that much climate adaptation work occurs within tribes and through state and local governments, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.
Physiological and transcriptome analysis of Mytilus coruscus in response to Prorocentrum lima and microplastics
Authors: Tang Xiao-wen , Yu Rong , Fan Mei-hua , Yang Zhi , Liao Zhi , Yang Zong-xin , Xie Chen-ying , Xuan Yu-kun , Wang Jian-xin , Zhang Xiao-lin , Yan Xiao-jun
Published: December 2022

Nowadays, diarrheic shellfish toxicity (DSP) toxin and microplastics (MPs) are commonly found in coastal waters worldwide. Due to their widespread use, their persistence and toxicity, they may induce adverse effects on Mytilus coruscus. However, the underlying toxic mechanisms of DSP and MPs on M. coruscus remain unclear. This study explored the physiological index and transcriptome change of the digestive gland of adult M. coruscus exposed for 3 days to polystyrene (PS) MPs (0.2 mg/L, 90-100 μm) and Prorocentrum lima alone or in combination. The results showed that the CAT activity and MDA content significantly increased, respiration rate and feeding rate significantly decreased. The combination of MPs and P. lima caused more structural damage to the rough surface endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria in the digestive glands of M. coruscus. The transcriptome analysis showed that 485 and 220 genes were up- and down-regulated, respectively, after exposure to P. lima; 1,989 up-regulated DEGs and 1,098 down-regulated DEGs were identified after exposure to MP treatment, and 1,004 up-regulated DEGs and 664 down-regulated DEGs were identified after exposure to the combination of P. lima and MPs. The DEGs were mainly enriched in the lysosome, mRNA surveillance pathway, carbon metabolism, the mTOR signaling pathway, the complement and coagulation cascades, and the TNF signaling pathway. The MP, P. lima exposure mainly induced the expression of RNA-binding protein musashi, serine/arginine repetitive matrix protein 1, low affinity immunoglobulin epsilon Fc receptor, toll-like receptor 2, caspase 7, calmodulin, E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase, serine/threonine-protein kinase PRP4, glutathione S-transferase, and heat shock 70 kDa protein. MPs and P. lima poison mainly influence the expression of RNA transport, immune related gene, apoptosis, signal related gene, and antioxidant gene change. The combination of MPs and P. lima has a synergistic toxic effect. This study provides a new insights into its physiological and molecular responses of M. coruscus to MPs and P. lima toxic exposure.
From targeted therapy to a novel way: Immunogenic cell death in lung cancer
Authors: Xu Jiawei , Xiong Yiyi , Xu Zhou , Xing Hongquan , Zhou Lingyun , Zhang Xinyi
Published: December 2022

Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most incident malignancies and a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Common tumorigenic drivers of LC mainly include genetic alterations of EGFR, ALK, KRAS, BRAF, ROS1, and MET. Small inhibitory molecules and antibodies selectively targeting these alterations or/and their downstream signaling pathways have been approved for treatment of LC. Unfortunately, following initial positive responses to these targeted therapies, a large number of patients show dismal prognosis due to the occurrence of resistance mechanisms, such as novel mutations of these genes and activation of alternative signaling pathways. Over the past decade, it has become clear that there is no possible cure for LC unless potent antitumor immune responses are induced by therapeutic intervention. Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a newly emerged concept, a form of regulated cell death that is sufficient to activate adaptive immune responses against tumor cells. It transforms dying cancer cells into a therapeutic vaccine and stimulates long-lasting protective antitumor immunity. In this review, we discuss the key targetable genetic aberrations and the underlying mechanism of ICD in LC. Various agents inducing ICD are summarized and the possibility of harnessing ICD in LC immunotherapy is further explored.
Proteomic analysis of Fasciola gigantica excretory and secretory products (FgESPs) co-immunoprecipitated using a time course of infected buffalo sera
Authors: Zheng Mengwei , Jiang Xuelian , Kong Xinping , Guo Yanfeng , Zhang Weiyu , Di Wenda
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Widespread Fasciola gigantica infection in buffaloes has caused great economic losses in buffalo farming. Studies on F. gigantica excretory and secretory products (FgESP) have highlighted their importance in F. gigantica parasitism and their potential in vaccine development. Identifying FgESP components involved in F. gigantica-buffalo interactions during different periods is important for developing effective strategies against fasciolosis.

Methods

Buffaloes were assigned to non-infection (n = 3, as control group) and infection (n = 3) groups. The infection group was orally administrated 250 metacercariae. Sera were collected at 3, 10, and 16 weeks post-infection (wpi) for the non-infection group and at 0 (pre-infection), 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, and 16 wpi for the infection group. FgESP components interacting with sera from the non-infection and infection groups assay were pulled down by co-IP and identified using LC–MS/MS. Interacting FgESP components in infection group were subjected to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) metabolic pathway and gene ontology (GO) functional annotation to infer their potential functions.

Results and discussion

Proteins of FgESP components identified in the non-infection group at 3, 10, and 16 wpi accounted for 80.5%, 84.3%, and 82.1% of all proteins identified in these three time points, respectively, indicating surroundings did not affect buffalo immune response during maintenance. Four hundred and ninety proteins were identified in the infection group, of which 87 were consistently identified at 7 time points. Following GO analysis showed that most of these 87 proteins were in biological processes, while KEGG analysis showed they mainly functioned in metabolism and cellular processing, some of which were thought to functions throughout the infection process. The numbers of specific interactors identified for each week were 1 (n = 12), 3 (n = 5), 6 (n = 8), 8 (n = 15), 10 (n = 23), 13 (n = 22), and 16 (n = 14) wpi, some of which were thought to functions in specific infection process. This study screened the antigenic targets in FgESP during a dense time course over a long period. These findings may enhance the understanding of molecular F. gigantica-buffalo interactions and help identify new potential vaccine and drug target candidates.
Identification of miRNA–mRNA regulatory network associated with the glutamatergic system in post-traumatic epilepsy rats
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyuan , Ma Yixun , Zhou Fengjuan , Zhang Mengzhou , Zhao Dong , Wang Xu , Yang Tiantong , Ma Jun
Published: December 2022

Background

Glutamate is one of the most important excitatory neurotransmitters in the mammalian brain and is involved in a variety of neurological disorders. Increasing evidence also shows that microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA pairs are engaged in a variety of pathophysiological processes. However, the miRNA and mRNA pairs that affect the glutamatergic system in post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) remain unknown.

Methods

PTE rats were induced by injecting 0.1 mol/L, 1 μL/min FeCl2 solution. Behavioral scores and EEG monitoring were used to evaluate whether PTE was successfully induced. RNA-seq was used to obtain mRNA and miRNA expression profiles. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to screen differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs associated with the glutamatergic system and then predict miRNA–mRNA interaction pairs. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR was used to further validate the expression of the differential miRNAs and mRNAs. The microRNA–mRNA was subject to the Pearson correlation analysis.

Results

Eight of the 91 differentially expressed mRNAs were associated with the glutamatergic system, of which six were upregulated and two were downregulated. Forty miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed, with 14 upregulated and 26 downregulated genes. The predicted miRNA–mRNA interaction network shows that five of the eight differentially expressed mRNAs associated with the glutamatergic system were targeted by multiple miRNAs, including Slc17a6, Mef2c, Fyn, Slc25a22, and Shank2, while the remaining three mRNAs were not targeted by any miRNAs. Of the 40 differentially expressed miRNAs, seven miRNAs were found to have multiple target mRNAs associated with the glutamatergic system. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR validation and Pearson correlation analysis were performed on these seven targeted miRNAs—Slc17a6, Mef2c, Fyn, Slc25a22, and Shank2—and six additional miRNAs selected from the literature. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed that the expression levels of the mRNAs and miRNAs agreed with the predictions in the study. Among them, the miR-98-5p–Slc17a6, miR-335-5p–Slc17a6, miR-30e-5p–Slc17a6, miR-1224–Slc25a22, and miR-211-5p–Slc25a22 pairs were verified to have negative correlations.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that miRNA–mRNA interaction pairs associated with the glutamatergic system are involved in the development of PTE and have potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PTE.
Overexpression of Mena is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma via EMT
Authors: Na Sijia , Cui Hao , Guo Zhichen , Liang Xiang , Sakran Karim Ahmed , Guo Xiaomei , Li Xingqiang , Xie Linyang , Zhu Yifei , Qi Hong , Tu Junbo
Published: December 2022

Background

Mena, a cytoskeletal regulatory protein, is involved in actin-based regulation of cell motility and adhesion, and contributes to tumor invasion and metastasis. However, the role of Mena in oral squamous cell carcinoma remains unclear. This is the first research focusing on the prognostic value of Mena in OSCC. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation between Mena expression and clinicopathological significance, as well as prognostic value in OSCC.

Methods

Mena gene expression profiles of OSCC and normal tissues were collected from Oncomine, TCGA, and GEO databases. Biological function was analyzed through GO, KEGG and GSEA enrichment. Further, the expression level of Mena and tumor-related markers in 151 OSCC specimens was examined by IHC staining based on tissue microarray. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess the prognostic performance of Mena in OSCC.

Result

Mena was generally upregulation in various malignancies, especially OSCC. The functional analyses indicated that Mena was involved in the assembly and regulation of actin, cell movement, and EMT. IHC staining revealed that high expression of Mena in OSCC was correlated with Lymphatic metastasis, TNM stage, E-cadherin, Vimentin, and MMP-2, but insignificantly Ki67. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that elevated expression of Mena was significantly associated with poor overall survival and disease-free survival of OSCC patients.

Conclusion

Mena could be a novel biomarker for predicting the prognosis of OSCC patients, which supports a theoretical basis for developing molecular target therapy.
Case report: Gemcitabine intravesical hyperthermic infusion combined with tislelizumab in muscle invasive bladder urothelium carcinoma
Authors: Du Zheng , Yin Huaqi , Zhao Shiming , Ma Yongkang , Sun Zhenghui , Dong Bingqi , Zhu Mingkai , Zhu Chaoshuai , Peng Jiangshan , Yang Tiejun
Published: December 2022

Background

Muscle invasive bladder urothelium carcinoma is a common urinary tract tumor. With the deepening of research, more and more treatment methods are applied in clinical practice, extending the life of patients. Among them, the clinical application of chemotherapeutic intravesical hyperthermia and tumor immunotherapy provides new ideas for our treatment.

Case report

An 81-year-old female patient was diagnosed with stage T2N0M0 bladder cancer in our hospital. Because the patient and her family were keen to preserve her bladder, they declined surgery and opted for combined chemotherapy. After informed consent from the patient and her family, she received cisplatin combined with gemcitabine intravesical hyperthermic infusion. But the side effects of cisplatin made her intolerable to chemotherapy. With their informed consent we changed her to intravenous tislelizumab in combination with gemcitabine intravesical hyperthermic infusion to continue her treatment. During the subsequent follow-up visits, we found a surprising effect of the treatment.

Conclusion

Gemcitabine intravesical hyperthermia therapy combined with intravenous tislelizumab in the treatment of muscle invasive bladder urothelium carcinoma may provide a new possible therapeutic strategy of some patients who are inoperable or refuse surgery.
The German pediatric integrated care survey (PICS-D): Translation, adaptation, and psychometric testing
Authors: Willems Jana , Bablok Isabella , Sehlbrede Matthias , Farin-Glattacker Erik , Langer Thorsten
Published: December 2022

Background

Integrated care models aim to strengthen the collaboration between healthcare sectors to ensure a higher quality of care for children with chronic conditions. Assessing pediatric healthcare integration through families' experiences, therefore, is essential. Our study aimed to psychometrically test the PICS-D, the first German-language integrated care questionnaire, which is based on the Pediatric Integrated Care Survey (PICS) developed in the USA.

Methods

We examined construct validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (structural validity). Cronbach's α and McDonald's ωt coefficients explored reliability. Cognitive interviews assessed wording comprehension and item appropriateness.

Results

PICS-D was completed by 204 caregivers of children with chronic conditions (women = 84%; mean age = 41.4 years). Factor analyses identified 3 factors: “Team quality & communication”, “Family impact”, and “Access to care”. The 3-factorial structure showed a satisfying fit to confirmatory classical-test-theory-based models. Due to the insufficient reliability of the third factor, we recommend using only factors 1 and 2 for scoring the PICS-D.

Conclusion

The PICS-D is a 13-item questionnaire to assess family-reported experiences in pediatric care integration, which has good psychometric properties. It may be useful in guiding quality improvement efforts or measuring the impact of a care plan or care model.

Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00018778; Trial registration date 05. December 2019—Retrospectively registered; https://apps.who.int/trialsearch/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=DRKS00018778.
Analysis of trio test in neurodevelopmental disorders
Authors: Kim Se Hee , Kwon Soon Sung , Lee Joon Soo , Kim Heung Dong , Lee Seung-Tae , Choi Jong Rak , Shin Saeam , Kang Hoon-Chul
Published: December 2022

Background

Trio test has been widely used for diagnosis of various hereditary disorders. We aimed to investigate the contribution of trio test in genetically diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD).

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 2,059 NDD cases with genetic test results. The trio test was conducted in 563 cases. Clinical usefulness, optimal timing, and methods for the trio test were reviewed.

Results

Pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants were detected in 112 of 563 (19.9%) patients who underwent the trio test. With trio test results, the overall diagnostic yield increased by 5.4% (112/2,059). Of 165 de novo variants detected, 149 were pathogenic and we detected 85 novel pathogenic variants. Pathogenic, de novo variants were frequently detected in CDKL5, ATP1A3, and STXBP1.

Conclusion

The trio test is an efficient method for genetically diagnosing NDD. We identified specific situations where a certain trio test is more appropriate, thereby providing a guide for clinicians when confronted with variants of unknown significance of specific genes.
Children born to women in opioid maintenance treatment: A longitudinal study of child behavioral problems and parenting stress
Authors: Sarfi Monica , Eikemo Marie , Konijnenberg Carolien
Published: December 2022

In the wake of the “opioid epidemic”, there is considerable concern regarding potential harmful long-term effects of prenatal opioid exposure. Opioid misuse and addiction confer increased exposure to lifestyle stressors and health burdens. Accordingly, it is challenging to disentangle effects of prenatal opioid exposure per se from factors related to maternal stress. In this study, we followed 36 women enrolled in comprehensive opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) program and their children alongside 36 age-matched mother-child dyads from a community sample (COMP) from pregnancy until child-age 8 years. Across five sessions, we used a battery of well-established questionnaires to investigate trajectories of parenting stress and mental health symptoms as well as child behavior problems. The 8-year retention was relatively high (OMT: 72%, COMP: 67%), and the OMT sample remarkably stable and well-functioning, with minimal concomitant illicit drug use. Mixed effects regressions showed significantly different trajectories of child behavior problems (F = 3.8, p = 0.024) and parenting stress (F = 3.1, p = 0.016) in the two groups. Differences in experienced stress were largely explained by more distress specifically related to the parenting role in the OMT group (F = 9.7, p = 0.003). The OMT sample also reported higher psychological distress (F = 15.6, p < 0.001) than the comparison group, but notably few participants presented with problems that warranted clinical intervention. The results underscore the benefits of tailored follow-up of children prenatally exposed to opioids and their families beyond infancy and toddlerhood. Long-term direct effects of prenatal opioid exposure on behavior problems are likely modest, given an otherwise stable caregiving environment conducive to healthy development.
Morroniside ameliorates inflammatory skeletal muscle atrophy via inhibiting canonical and non-canonical NF-κB and regulating protein synthesis/degradation
Authors: Yi Xiangjiao , Tao Jianguo , Qian Yu , Feng Feng , Hu Xueqin , Xu Taotao , Jin Hongting , Ruan Hongfeng , Zheng Hou-Feng , Tong Peijian
Published: December 2022

No drug options exist for skeletal muscle atrophy in clinical, which poses a huge socio-economic burden, making development on drug interventions a general wellbeing need. Patients with a variety of pathologic conditions associated with skeletal muscle atrophy have systemically elevated inflammatory factors. Morroniside, derived from medicinal herb Cornus officinalis, possesses anti-inflammatory effect. However, whether and how morroniside combat muscle atrophy remain unknown. Here, we identified crucial genetic associations between TNFα/NF-κB pathway and grip strength based on population using 377,807 European participants from the United Kingdom Biobank dataset. Denervation increased TNFα in atrophying skeletal muscles, which inhibited myotube formation in vitro. Notably, morroniside treatment rescued TNFα-induced myotube atrophy in vitro and impeded skeletal muscle atrophy in vivo, resulting in increased body/muscles weights, No. of satellite cells, size of type IIA, IIX and IIB myofibers, and percentage of type IIA myofibers in denervated mice. Mechanistically, in vitro and/or in vivo studies demonstrated that morroniside could not only inhibit canonical and non-canonical NF-κB, inflammatory mediators (IL6, IL-1b, CRP, NIRP3, PTGS2, TNFα), but also down-regulate protein degradation signals (Follistatin, Myostatin, ALK4/5/7, Smad7/3), ubiquitin-proteasome molecules (FoxO3, Atrogin-1, MuRF1), autophagy-lysosomal molecules (Bnip3, LC3A, and LC3B), while promoting protein synthesis signals (IGF-1/IGF-1R/IRS-1/PI3K/Akt, and BMP14/BMPR2/ALK2/3/Smad5/9). Moreover, morroniside had no obvious liver and kidney toxicity. This human genetic, cells and mice pathological evidence indicates that morroniside is an efficacious and safe inflammatory muscle atrophy treatment and suggests its translational potential on muscle wasting.
Treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review of randomized control trials
Authors: Wang Chenkun , Chen Si , Jiang Weiwei
Published: December 2022

Purpose: Treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is challenging for clinicians, and many clinical trials and meta-analyses on CIPN are controversial. There are also few comparisons of the efficacy among drugs used to treat CIPN. Therefore, this systematic review aimed to study the efficacy of drugs in treating CIPN using existing randomized controlled trials.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving any pharmaceutical intervention and/or combination therapy of treating CIPN.

Results: Seventeen RCTs investigating 16 drug categories, duloxetine, pregabalin, crocin, tetrodotoxin, venlafaxine, monosialotetrahexosyl ganglioside (GM1), lamotrigine, KA (ketamine and amitriptyline) cream, nortriptyline, amitriptyline, topical Citrullus colocynthis (bitter apple) oil, BAK (baclofen, amitriptyline hydrochloride, and ketamine) pluronic lecithin organogel, gabapentin, and acetyl l-carnitine (ALC), in the treatment of CIPN were retrieved. Many of the included RCTs consisted of small sample sizes and short follow-up periods. It was difficult to quantify due to the highly variable nature of outcome indicators.

Conclusion: Duloxetine, venlafaxine, pregabalin, crocin, tetrodotoxin, and monosialotetrahexosyl ganglioside exhibited some beneficial effects in treating CIPN. Duloxetine, GM1, and crocin showed moderate benefits based on the evidence review, while lamotrigine, KA cream, nortriptyline, amitriptyline, and topical Citrullus colocynthis (bitter apple) oil were not beneficial. Further studies were necessary to confirm the efficacy of gabapentin in the treatment of CIPN because of the controversy of efficacy of gabapentin. Furthermore, BAK topicalcompound analgesic gel only had a tendency to improve the CIPN symptoms, but the difference was not statistically significant. ALC might result in worsening CIPN. Most studies were not of good quality because of small sample sizes. Therefore, standardized randomized controlled trials with large samples were needed to critically assess the effectiveness of these drugs in treating CIPN in the future.
A perspective on complex networks in the stock market
Authors: Park Jihun , Cho Chang Hee , Lee Jae Woo
Published: December 2022

A stock market is a complex system consisting of many interacting agents. We consider recent progress with complex networks constructed from cross-correlation of financial time series in the stock market. We review some methods and discuss the challenges in generating such complex networks that have a reasonable threshold.
Effects of green tea extract treatment on erythropoiesis and iron parameters in iron-overloaded β-thalassemic mice
Authors: Settakorn Kornvipa , Kongkarnka Sarawut , Chompupoung Anchan , Svasti Saovaros , Fucharoen Suthat , Porter John B. , Srichairatanakool Somdet , Koonyosying Pimpisid
Published: December 2022

β-Thalassemia is characterized by ineffective erythropoiesis leading to chronic anemia. Thus, increased iron absorption from the duodenum and via blood transfusions is required to maintain normal blood hemoglobin (Hb) levels and iron chelators in the removal of excessive iron. Certain agents are also needed for the improvement of stress erythropoiesis and iron dysregulation. Green tea extract (GTE), which is rich in epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), is known to possess radical scavenging and iron-chelating activities. We aimed to assess the effects of green tea extract on erythroid regulators, iron mobilization and anti–lipid peroxidation in the liver, spleen, and kidneys of iron-loaded β-globin gene knockout thalassemic (BKO) mice. Our results indicate that treatments of green tea extract and/or deferiprone (DFP) diminished levels of plasma erythropoietin (EPO) and erythroferrone (ERFE), and consistently suppressed kidney Epo and spleen Erfe mRNA expressions (p < .05) in iron- loaded BKO mice when compared with untreated mice. Coincidently, the treatments decreased plasma ferritin (Ft) levels, iron content levels in the liver (p < .05), spleen (p < .05), and kidney tissues of iron–loaded BKO mice. Furthermore, lipid-peroxidation products in the tissues and plasma were also decreased when compared with untreated mice. This is the first evidence of the orchestral role of green tea extract abundant with epigallocatechin-3-gallate in improving ineffective erythropoiesis, iron dysregulation and oxidative stress in iron-overloaded β-thalassemic mice.
Host-derived chimeric peptides clear the causative bacteria and augment host innate immunity during infection: A case study of HLB in citrus and fire blight in apple
Authors: Basu Supratim , Sineva Elena , Nguyen Liza , Sikdar Narattam , Park Jong Won , Sinev Mikhail , Kunta Madhurababu , Gupta Goutam
Published: December 2022

Bacterial diseases cause severe losses in the production and revenue of many fruit crops, including citrus and apple. Huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus and fire blight in apple are two deadly diseases without any cure. In this article, we introduce a novel therapy for HLB and fire blight by enhancing the innate immunity of the host plants. Specifically, we constructed in silico a library of chimeras containing two different host peptides with observed or predicted antibacterial activity. Subsequently, we performed bactericidal and toxicity tests in vitro to select a few non-toxic chimeras with high antibacterial activity. Finally, we conducted ex planta studies to show that not only do the chimeras clear the causative bacteria from citrus leaves with HLB and from apple leaves with fire blight but they also augment the host’s innate immunity during infection. This platform technology can be extended to design host-derived chimeras against multiple pathogenic bacteria that cause diseases in plants and animals of agricultural importance and in humans.
Cooperative work and neuroeducation in mathematics education of future teachers: A good combination?
Authors: Procopio Marcos , Fernandes Procopio Leandra , Yáñez-Araque Benito , Fernández-Cézar Raquel
Published: December 2022

In order to respond to the new approaches in higher education, this paper presents the didactic experience of the implementation of a methodological approach based on cooperative learning and the literature review on neuroeducation in 53 students enrolled in the 3rd year of the degree in Early Childhood Education in the subject of Development of Logical-Mathematical Thinking and its Didactics II. The application of cooperative learning in combination with the literature review on neuroeducation aimed to teach future teachers how they should act with their future pupils (aged 3 to 6 years) with special educational support needs (SEN) at school. The design of the proposal to be used was also adjusted to the didactic resources available. The represented contents worked on were magnitudes, time, length, weight, and geometry. The data collected were the activities of the teacher training students (didactic proposals) adapted to the early childhood development stage. They were to be created, so that the main objective was that the undergraduate students would be able to solve the exercises as children would. The students were even challenged to make an exhibition in which they had to act as teachers and their classmates would be the children with SEN. The proposals were evaluated according to a rubric, with an emphasis on the students’ teachers’ awareness of students with SEN. To conclude, the degree of satisfaction of the student teachers with this methodology was high. This shows that learning neuroeducation and cooperative work makes future teachers know how to teach mathematics also to students with SEN.
Effects of media use, smart phone addiction, and adult ADHD symptoms on wellbeing of college students during the COVID-19 lockdown: Dispositional hope as a protective factor
Authors: Toma Roxana Andreea , Anderson Craig A. , Matichescu Marius , Franţ Anca , Almǎjan-Guţă Bogdan , Cândea Adela , Bailey Kira
Published: December 2022

Introduction

The present study investigated the role of dispositional hope as a potential protective factor moderator in the relationship between adult ADHD symptoms, media use/smart phone addiction and wellbeing during the period of isolation because of the COVID-19 pandemic among students in Romania.

Methods

A sample of 333 college students (86.8% female and 13.2% male) between the age of 18 and 47 with a mean of 20.6 years old from West University of Timişoara completed online surveys. Mediation and moderation analyses were performed to assess the associations among the variables.

Results

Results confirmed the negative associations of both adult ADHD and smartphone addiction with overall wellbeing. The smartphone addiction/ wellbeing association was moderated by dispositional hopefulness, such that high hopefulness served as a protective factor [b = −0.008, 95% percentile CI (−0.0134; −0.0012)].

Discussion

Implications for the educational environment are discussed.
Feature extraction based on microstate sequences for EEG–based emotion recognition
Authors: Chen Jing , Zhao Zexian , Shu Qinfen , Cai Guolong
Published: December 2022

Recognizing emotion from Electroencephalography (EEG) is a promising and valuable research issue in the field of affective brain-computer interfaces (aBCI). To improve the accuracy of emotion recognition, an emotional feature extraction method is proposed based on the temporal information in the EEG signal. This study adopts microstate analysis as a spatio-temporal analysis for EEG signals. Microstates are defined as a series of momentary quasi-stable scalp electric potential topographies. Brain electrical activity could be modeled as being composed of a time sequence of microstates. Microstate sequences provide an ideal macroscopic window for observing the temporal dynamics of spontaneous brain activity. To further analyze the fine structure of the microstate sequence, we propose a feature extraction method based on k-mer. K-mer is a k-length substring of a given sequence. It has been widely used in computational genomics and sequence analysis. We extract features that are based on the D2∗ statistic of k-mer. In addition, we also extract four parameters (duration, occurrence, time coverage, GEV) of each microstate class as features at the coarse level. We conducted experiments on the DEAP dataset to evaluate the performance of the proposed features. The experimental results demonstrate that the fusion of features in fine and coarse levels can effectively improve classification accuracy.
Screening of ADHD symptoms in primary school students and investigation of parental awareness of ADHD and its influencing factors: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Li Hong-Hua , Wang Tian-Tian , Dong Han-Yu , Liu Ya-Qin , Jia Fei-Yong
Published: December 2022

Objective

The present study aimed to compare the differences in positive screening rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms between parents and teachers in the same sample of primary school students. Concurrently, parental awareness and information sources of ADHD were investigated, and possible relevant factors affecting parental awareness and their influence on positive screening rate of ADHD were analyzed.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Changchun, China, between September 2020 and January 2021. Parents of 1,118 primary school students and 24 head teachers were recruited in the survey. Data were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire. It consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, ADHD symptom screening questionnaire, parental awareness, and information sources of ADHD.

Results

Among the 1,118 primary school students, 30 (2.7%) and 60 (5.4%) students were positive for Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP-IV) screening in the parent version and teacher version, respectively. Parents had lower positive screening rates for ADHD symptoms than teachers. Relationship with children (mother, OR = 1.552, 95% CI = 1.104–2.180), bachelor degree or above of parents (OR = 1.526, 95% CI = 1.054–2.210), children’s sex (girl, OR = 1.442, 95% CI = 1.093–1.904), and age (OR = 1.344, 95% CI = 1.030–1.754), children’s grade (grade 2, OR = 0.522, 95% CI = 0.310–0.878; grade 3, OR = 0.388, 95% CI = 0.185–0.782), information sources of ADHD (medical staff, OR = 1.494, 95% CI = 1.108–2.015; family/relative/friend, OR = 1.547, 95% CI = 1.148–2.083; TV/Internet, OR = 3.200, 95% CI = 2.270–4.510) were the factors related to the parental awareness of ADHD.

Conclusion

Parents and teachers of primary school students recognize ADHD symptoms differently. The positive screening rate of ADHD among teachers was significantly higher than that of parents. Relationship with children, educational level of parents, children’s sex, age, and grade, and information sources of ADHD are the relevant factors affecting parental awareness of ADHD. More efforts should be made to disseminate ADHD knowledge through mass media, and medical staff. Fathers, parents with low educational level, and parents of grade 2 and 3 pupils should be encouraged to acquire more knowledge on ADHD to improve the early recognition rate of ADHD symptoms.

Clinical trial registration

[http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=54 072], identifier [ChiCTR2000033388].