bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effect of magnesium alone or its combination with other supplements on the markers of inflammation, OS and metabolism in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS): A systematic review
Authors: Li Ruiyun , Li Zhiyuan , Huang Yi , Hu Kaiyan , Ma Bin , Yang Yuan
Published: August 2022

The objective of this systematic review is to synthesize the available evidence on the effectiveness of magnesium supplements on the markers of inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), and metabolism in PCOS patients and to provide a basis for its clinical treatment. Electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library databases, Embase, Web of science, CMB, CNKI, VIP, Wan Fang and ClinicalTrials.gov) were searched from their inception until January 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for PCOS undergoing therapy with magnesium supplementation alone or in combination with other agents. The primary outcomes were the markers of blood glucose and OS.363 patients from nine RCTs were included in the current systematic review. Four of the nine studies reported the effects of magnesium supplementation alone on OS or metabolic markers in women with PCOS. Whilemagnesium supplementation alone did not show any significant improvement in the markers of inflammation, OS or metabolism in PCOS, seven of the nine articles reported the effect of magnesium co-supplementation on OS or metabolic markers in PCOS patients. Magnesium combined with vitamin E or zinc-calcium-vitamin D significantly improved glucose and lipid metabolism in PCOS patients. Magnesium intake alone did not lead to a significant improvement in the markers of OS, blood glucose, or serum lipids in PCOS. However, magnesium combined with other supplements (vitamin E, zinc, zinc-calcium-vitamin D) significantly improved serum hs-CRP, insulin, HOMA-IR, TG, TC levels, and the improvement in OS markers was inconclusive. The effect of magnesium and melatonin supplementation on the markers of metabolism needs to be further verified.

System Review Registration

PROSPERO https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/#myprospero, CRD42022303410.
Effect of balcony forms difference on indoor thermal environment and energy saving performance of multiple-dwelling house
Authors: Yuan Xin , Ryu Yuji , Sekartaji Dian
Published: August 2022

By optimizing the design of the building envelope, it is possible to create a more comfortable and energy-efficient indoor environment for the occupants. However, due to environmental issues in high-density cities, open balconies might affect the health of occupants. The current research focuses on the effect of a single balcony form in different climates, which could be detrimental to the diversity of balcony designs. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examine the rationality of traditional Japanese open balconies in terms of building envelope design and living environment to optimize the indoor thermal environment and reduce the energy consumption of dwellings. Focusing on Kitakyushu, Japan, which is in a warm climate, this paper conducts a comprehensive comparative study of the effects of building envelope design for residential buildings, including balcony form, thermal insulation performance, room orientation, and the window-to-wall ratio of balcony facades. The results of the study indicate that 1) the closed balcony design is strongly applicable to houses in warm climate regions in winter; 2) closed balconies facing south have a more positive impact on the indoor thermal environment, and energy-saving performance than open balconies; 3) even closed balconies without insulation could achieve higher thermal environment gains than open balconies with insulation. Designing a special type of closed balcony for residences in winter is more energy-efficient than insulation. This study proposes architectural envelope designs that are adapted to specific environmental and climatic conditions. It contributes to providing residential designers with a measure of how to provide a comfortable residential thermal environment and energy efficiency for occupants through architectural envelope design.
A preliminary assessment of geological CO2 storage in the Khorat Plateau, Thailand
Authors: Chenrai Piyaphong , Jitmahantakul Sukonmeth , Bissen Raphael , Assawincharoenkij Thitiphan
Published: August 2022

The main carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Thailand come from the energy sector. Gas-based power plants, including natural gas and biogas, are CO2 point sources, and are mostly located in the Khorat Plateau. Geological CO2 storage is an important element in the effort to reduce CO2 emissions from CO2 point sources. This study is a preliminary assessment of the geological CO2 storage potential of the onshore Khorat Plateau. A potential geological formation is screened and ranked in terms of its suitability as a CO2 storage site (storage optimization, risk minimization and feasibility). The results of this screening and ranking indicate that, among the tested sites in this study, the Khorat Permian carbonate is the most suitable for geological CO2 storage, followed by the Khorat Group sandstone, and Khorat evaporite. However, the Khorat Cenozoic basalts are not suitable for geological CO2 storage in the Khorat Plateau. The results from this study should advance the understanding of petroleum exploration and carbon capture and storage technology in Thailand, especially in the Khorat area. However, it should be noted that more subsurface studies are needed, and more criteria should be included in the future to improve the reliability of the assessment of geological CO2 storage potential in the Khorat Plateau.
Cooperative Control to Suppress Unbalanced and Harmonic Distortion in the Distribution Network With Inverter-Based Distributed Generators
Authors: Wei Wenli , Wang Shu , Chen Tieyi , Miao Ningjie , Li Shanlin
Published: August 2022

In the contemporary distribution network, unbalanced and harmonic distortions have been considered some major power quality problems, which have escalated especially due to the high penetration of unbalanced and nonlinear loads. This study first analyzes the dispute around the distortion restraint and grid-connected unbalanced/harmonic current suppression quantitatively and proposes a distributed control strategy that facilitates an effective suppression of output voltage and grid-connected current, with accurate unbalanced/harmonic power sharing. Compared with the majority of existing studies only addressing the voltage-controlled mode (VCM) inverters, our scheme can also be applied to current-controlled mode (CCM) inverters without adding additional current regulation loops. The proposed control strategy is independent of line parameters and robust to load changes. The corresponding small-signal dynamic model is constructed to analyze the system stability and the controller hardware-in-the-loop simulations aid in determining the outcome of the proposed strategy.
Energy Efficient Digital Omnichannel Marketing Based on a Multidimensional Approach to Network Interaction
Authors: Barykin Sergey Evgenievich , Sergeev Sergey Mikhailovich , Provotorov Vyacheslav Vasilyevich , Lavskaya Kristina Konstantinovna , Kharlamov Andrey Viktorovich , Kharlamova Tatiana Lvovna
Published: August 2022

Digital Omnichannel marketing is viewed the answer to future marketing however, the concept is mired with problems related to the energy and carbon footprinting. Therefore, this study proposed energy efficient network of a complex topology of data access and marketting, where the nodes function as an objects with unique characteristics and create digital customer value network. It is believed that competition has transformed into a contest of online platforms in energy efficency as well in economic efficiency. It is emphasized that there is no alternative to multichannel interaction at the present stage of implementing digital business solutions. In this study, authors have developed omnichannel interaction algorithms based on mathematical models. The proposed approach supplements the digital twin model with economic indicators and methods. Results and analysis of multidimensional structures allows for omnichannel network digital interaction and improves the digital marketing approach. To consider the formation of a network configuration of customer service, developing the idea of digital interaction between participants in consumer value chains. The study conclude and recommend to expand the methodology of digital marketing involving alternative channels of interaction and energy efficency by including a mathematical apparatus for analyzing multidimensional structures (n-D structures).
An Improved Informer Model for Short-Term Load Forecasting by Considering Periodic Property of Load Profiles
Authors: Liu Fu , Dong Tian , Liu Yun
Published: August 2022

Short-term load forecasting (STLF) is an important but a difficult task due to the uncertainty and complexity of electric power systems. In recent times, an attention-based model, Informer, has been proposed for efficient feature learning of lone sequences. To solve the quadratic complexity of traditional method, this model designs what is called ProbSparse self-attention mechanism. However, this mechanism may neglect daily-cycle property of load profiles, affecting its performance of STLF. To solve this problem, this study proposes an improved Informer model for STLF by considering the periodic property of load profiles. The improved model concatenates the output of Informer, the periodic load values of input sequences, and outputs forecasting results through a fully connected layer. This makes the improved model could not only inherit the superior ability of the traditional model for the feature learning of long sequences, but also extract periodic features of load profiles. The experimental results on three public data sets showed its superior performance than the traditional Informer model and others for STLF.
Assessing the employees’ efficiency and adaptive performance for sustainable human resource management practices and transactional leadership: HR-centric policies for post COVID-19 era
Authors: AlAbri Ismail , Siron Rusinah bte , Alzamel Samar , Al-Enezi Hamood , Cheok Mui Yee
Published: August 2022

The utilization of sustainable organizational human resource management (HRM) practices as predictors of adaptive performance has received little attention, despite the importance of adaptive performance in improving organizational efficiency. This study explores the relationship between HRM activities (training, performance appraisal, job enlargement, employee involvement, and work enrichment) and employees’ adaptive performance using the resource-based view (RBV) theory. It also looked into the role of transactional leadership in regulating these correlations to draw up the policies for the post-pandemic era. A quantitative study is conducted and a questionnaire was distributed randomly among the Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman and 233 people have participated in the questionnaire survey. PLS-SEM was utilized to analyze the data. In this study, performance appraisal, job enlargement training, and work enrichment all have a considerable influence on employees’ adaptive performance. Furthermore, transactional leadership moderates the linkage between job enrichment and employee adaptive performance. As a result, the higher the organization’s attention on certain HR policies, the better their adaptive performance. HR practices are important predictors of adaptive performance; thus, managers and practitioners should take into account workers’ adaptability to encourage more adaptive behavior in the workplace. This article further discusses the study’s weaknesses as well as future research directives on HRM practices and adaptive performance.
Analysis of regional differences in the influence of China’s urbanization modes on rural sustainable development
Authors: Huang Dongmei , Zheng Qingchang
Published: August 2022

During the process of rapid urbanization in China, rural development has become increasingly dependent on cities. Policies to promote rural development emphasize the formation of an urbanization mode for the coordinated development of large, medium, and small cities as the driving force for rural development, but the policies do not specify the spatial organization relationship between cities in a given region. This study uses provincial panel data of China from 2004 to 2017, and analyzes the effect of regional spatial structure on rural sustainable development in different regions through the dynamic system generalized method of moments. The results show 1) that China’s urban spatial structure has significant regional differences: it is flat in the eastern region and more concentrated in the central and western regions. 2) China’s rural sustainable development efficiency has been declining. It is higher in the central region than in the eastern and western regions. 3) At present, the provincial urbanization modes in different regions of China mainly stimulate rural sustainable development through three factors, that is, urban population scale, industrial structure, and foreign direct investment. This study will help optimize the provincial spatial structure according to local conditions and promote rural sustainable development and regional balance.
Effects of total dissolved gas supersaturation and sediment on environmental DNA persistence of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in water
Authors: Huang Lei , Zhang Jianmin , Wang Yurong
Published: August 2022

Environmental DNA (eDNA) technology has become an alternative tool for monitoring aquatic communities due to its sensitive, economical, and non-invasive properties. However, the application of this technique is often limited by the complexity of environmental conditions, which often poses a barrier to the transmission of biological information. Here, we conducted a series of experiments with grass carp as the target species to evaluate the effects of total dissolved gas (TDG) supersaturation and sediment on the persistence of eDNA under different flow conditions. The results showed TDG supersaturation promoted eDNA decay in still water but with no significant effect in flowing water for rapid dissipation of TDG. For sediment, its presence accelerated the decay of eDNA no matter the flow conditions. The grass carp eDNA showed an exponential decay pattern in water and the decay rate constant decreased gradually with time. Our study highlights the importance of integrating experimental results with the natural environment and provides an important reference for species monitoring using eDNA technology in aquatic ecosystems with high dams built.
Identification and Validation of an Immune Evasion Molecular Subgroup of Patients With Colon Cancer for Implications of Immunotherapy
Authors: Zhang Hongbin , Hong Zaifa , Li Peipei , Jiang Han , Wu Pengfei , Chen Jinzhong
Published: August 2022

Immune evasion (IEV) plays a critical role in the development and progression of colon cancer. However, studies to predict the prognosis of colon cancer via IEV-related genes are limited. Therefore, based on the 182 IEV-related genes, we used the univariate and Lasso Cox regression model to construct the IEV-related genes signature (IEVSig) of 16 prognostic IEV-related genes using the Gene Expression Omnibus and The Cancer Genome Atlas online databases. We found that IEVSig was an independent prognostic factor, and patients with high IEVSig had higher TNM stage and shorter recurrence-free survival than their counterparts. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and gene set enrichment analyses revealed that patients with high and low IEVSig had significantly different enrichment pathways. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that nine immune cells obviously increased in the high-IEVSig group, whereas five immune cells increased in the low-IEVSig group. Immunotherapy cohort analysis revealed that patients with high IEVSig had a higher proportion of progressive disease or stable disease after receiving immunotherapy than patients with low IEVSig. Furthermore, patients with low IEVSig had higher tumor mutation load and neoantigen burden, which indicated an improved response to immunotherapy, than patients with high IEVSig. Thus, an IEV-related prognostic signature was established to predict the prognosis of patients with colon cancer and derive a prediction marker to offer insights into therapeutic strategies.
Advances in Crop Breeding Through Precision Genome Editing
Authors: Nerkar Gauri , Devarumath Suman , Purankar Madhavi , Kumar Atul , Valarmathi R. , Devarumath Rachayya , Appunu C.
Published: August 2022

The global climate change and unfavourable abiotic and biotic factors are limiting agricultural productivity and therefore intensifying the challenges for crop scientists to meet the rising demand for global food supply. The introduction of applied genetics to agriculture through plant breeding facilitated the development of hybrid varieties with improved crop productivity. However, the development of new varieties with the existing gene pools poses a challenge for crop breeders. Genetic engineering holds the potential to broaden genetic diversity by the introduction of new genes into crops. But the random insertion of foreign DNA into the plant’s nuclear genome often leads to transgene silencing. Recent advances in the field of plant breeding include the development of a new breeding technique called genome editing. Genome editing technologies have emerged as powerful tools to precisely modify the crop genomes at specific sites in the genome, which has been the longstanding goal of plant breeders. The precise modification of the target genome, the absence of foreign DNA in the genome-edited plants, and the faster and cheaper method of genome modification are the remarkable features of the genome-editing technology that have resulted in its widespread application in crop breeding in less than a decade. This review focuses on the advances in crop breeding through precision genome editing. This review includes: an overview of the different breeding approaches for crop improvement; genome editing tools and their mechanism of action and application of the most widely used genome editing technology, CRISPR/Cas9, for crop improvement especially for agronomic traits such as disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, herbicide tolerance, yield and quality improvement, reduction of anti-nutrients, and improved shelf life; and an update on the regulatory approval of the genome-edited crops. This review also throws a light on development of high-yielding climate-resilient crops through precision genome editing.
Genome–Environment Associations, an Innovative Tool for Studying Heritable Evolutionary Adaptation in Orphan Crops and Wild Relatives
Authors: Cortés Andrés J. , López-Hernández Felipe , Blair Matthew W.
Published: August 2022

Leveraging innovative tools to speed up prebreeding and discovery of genotypic sources of adaptation from landraces, crop wild relatives, and orphan crops is a key prerequisite to accelerate genetic gain of abiotic stress tolerance in annual crops such as legumes and cereals, many of which are still orphan species despite advances in major row crops. Here, we review a novel, interdisciplinary approach to combine ecological climate data with evolutionary genomics under the paradigm of a new field of study: genome–environment associations (GEAs). We first exemplify how GEA utilizes in situ georeferencing from genotypically characterized, gene bank accessions to pinpoint genomic signatures of natural selection. We later discuss the necessity to update the current GEA models to predict both regional- and local- or micro-habitat–based adaptation with mechanistic ecophysiological climate indices and cutting-edge GWAS-type genetic association models. Furthermore, to account for polygenic evolutionary adaptation, we encourage the community to start gathering genomic estimated adaptive values (GEAVs) for genomic prediction (GP) and multi-dimensional machine learning (ML) models. The latter two should ideally be weighted by de novo GWAS-based GEA estimates and optimized for a scalable marker subset. We end the review by envisioning avenues to make adaptation inferences more robust through the merging of high-resolution data sources, such as environmental remote sensing and summary statistics of the genomic site frequency spectrum, with the epigenetic molecular functionality responsible for plastic inheritance in the wild. Ultimately, we believe that coupling evolutionary adaptive predictions with innovations in ecological genomics such as GEA will help capture hidden genetic adaptations to abiotic stresses based on crop germplasm resources to assist responses to climate change.

“I shall endeavor to find out how nature’s forces act upon one another, and in what manner the geographic environment exerts its influence on animals and plants. In short, I must find out about the harmony in nature” Alexander von Humboldt—Letter to Karl Freiesleben, June 1799.
The immunogenetic impact of European colonization in the Americas
Authors: Collen Evelyn Jane , Johar Angad Singh , Teixeira João C. , Llamas Bastien
Published: August 2022

The introduction of pathogens originating from Eurasia into the Americas during early European contact has been associated with high mortality rates among Indigenous peoples, likely contributing to their historical and precipitous population decline. However, the biological impacts of imported infectious diseases and resulting epidemics, especially in terms of pathogenic effects on the Indigenous immunity, remain poorly understood and highly contentious to this day. Here, we examine multidisciplinary evidence underpinning colonization-related immune genetic change, providing contextualization from anthropological studies, paleomicrobiological evidence of contrasting host-pathogen coevolutionary histories, and the timings of disease emergence. We further summarize current studies examining genetic signals reflecting post-contact Indigenous population bottlenecks, admixture with European and other populations, and the putative effects of natural selection, with a focus on ancient DNA studies and immunity-related findings. Considering current genetic evidence, together with a population genetics theoretical approach, we show that post-contact Indigenous immune adaptation, possibly influenced by selection exerted by introduced pathogens, is highly complex and likely to be affected by multifactorial causes. Disentangling putative adaptive signals from those of genetic drift thus remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for the implementation of population genetic approaches that model the short time spans and complex demographic histories under consideration. This review adds to current understandings of post-contact immunity evolution in Indigenous peoples of America, with important implications for bettering our understanding of human adaptation in the face of emerging infectious diseases.
Development of High Yielding Fusarium Wilt Resistant Cultivar by Pyramiding of “Genes” Through Marker-Assisted Backcrossing in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)
Authors: Bharadwaj C. , Jorben J. , Rao Apoorva , Roorkiwal Manish , Patil B. S. , Jayalakshmi  , Ahammed S. Khayum , Saxena D. R. , Yasin M. , Jahagirdar J. E. , Sontakke P. L. , Pithia M. S. , Chudasama M. K. , Swarup Indu , Singh R. K. , Nitesh S. D. , Chitikineni Annapurna , Singh Sarvjeet , Singh Inderjit , Pratap Aditya , Dixit G. P. , Srivastava A. K. , Varshney Rajeev K.
Published: August 2022

Pusa 391, a megadesichickpea variety with medium maturity duration is extensively cultivated in the Central Zone of India. Of late, this variety has become susceptible to Fusarium wilt (FW), which has drastic impact on its yield. Presence of variability in the wilt causing pathogen,Fusarium oxysporumf.sp.ciceri(foc) across geographical locations necessitates the role of pyramiding for FW resistance for different races (foc1,2,3,4 and 5). Subsequently, the introgression lines developed in Pusa 391 genetic background were subjected to foreground selection using three SSR markers (GA16, TA 27 and TA 96) while 48 SSR markers uniformly distributed on all chromosomes, were used for background selection to observe the recovery of recurrent parent genome (RPG). BC1F1lines with 75–85% RPG recovery were used to generate BC2F1. The plants that showed more than 90% RPG recovery in BC2F1were used for generating BC3F1. The plants that showed more than 96% RPG recovery were selected and selfed to generate BC3F3. Multi-location evaluation of advanced introgression lines (BC2F3) in six locations for grain yield (kg/ha), days to fifty percent flowering, days to maturity, 100 seed weight and disease incidence was done. In case of disease incidence, the genotype IL1 (BGM 20211) was highly resistant to FW in Junagarh, Indore, New Delhi, Badnapur and moderately resistant at Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM20211) was the most stable genotype at Junagadh, Sehore and Nandyal. GGE biplot analysis revealed that IL1(BGM 20211) and IL4(BGM 20212) were the top performers in yield and highly stable across six environments and were nominated for Advanced Varietal Trials (AVT) of AICRP (All India Coordinated Research Project on Chickpea) in 2018–19. BGM20211 and BGM 20212 recorded 29 and 28.5% average yield gain over the recurrent parent Pusa 391, in the AVT-1 and AVT-2 over five environments. Thus, BGM20211 was identified for release and notified as Pusa Manav/Pusa Chickpea 20211 for Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, Southern Rajasthan, Bundhelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh states by the Central Sub-Committees on Crop Standards, Notification and Release of Varieties of Agricultural Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, for commercial cultivation in India (Gazette notification number S.O.500 (E) dt. 29-1-2021).Such pyramided lines give resilience to multiple races of fusarium wilt with added yield advantage.
Case report: FOXP1 syndrome caused by a de novo splicing variant (c.1652+5 G>A) of the FOXP1 gene
Authors: Chen Min , Sun Yixi , Qian Yeqing , Chen Na , Li Hongge , Wang Liya , Dong Minyue
Published: August 2022

FOXP1 syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by global developmental delay, intellectual disability, and language delay, with or without autistic features. Several splicing variants have been reported for this condition, but most of them lack functional evidence, and the actual effects of the sequence changes are still unknown. In this study, a de novo splicing variant (c.1652 + 5 G>A) of the FOXP1 gene was identified in a patient with global developmental delay, mild intellectual disability, speech delay, and autistic features. Assessed by TA-cloning, the variant promoted the skipping of exon 18 and a premature stop codon (p.Asn511*), resulting in a predicted truncated protein. This variant, that is lacking the forkhead-box DNA-binding domain and nuclear localization signal 2, may disrupt the protein function and thus cause FOXP1 syndrome-related symptoms. Our study extends the phenotypic and allelic spectra of the FOXP1 syndrome.
DNA methylation patterns and gene expression from amygdala tissue of mature Brahman cows exposed to prenatal stress
Authors: Baker Emilie C. , Earnhardt Audrey L. , Cilkiz Kubra Z. , Collins Haley C. , Littlejohn Brittni P. , Cardoso Rodolfo C. , Ghaffari Noushin , Long Charles R. , Riggs Penny K. , Randel Ronald D. , Welsh Thomas H. , Riley David G.
Published: August 2022

Prenatal stress can alter postnatal performance and temperament of cattle. These phenotypic effects may result from changes in gene expression caused by stress-induced epigenetic alterations. Specifically, shifts in gene expression caused by DNA methylation within the brain’s amygdala can result in altered behavior because it regulates fear, stress response and aggression in mammals Thus, the objective of this experiment was to identify DNA methylation and gene expression differences in the amygdala tissue of 5-year-old prenatally stressed (PNS) Brahman cows compared to control cows. Pregnant Brahman cows (n = 48) were transported for 2-h periods at 60 ± 5, 80 ± 5, 100 ± 5, 120 ± 5, and 140 ± 5 days of gestation. A non-transported group (n = 48) were controls (Control). Amygdala tissue was harvested from 6 PNS and 8 Control cows at 5 years of age. Overall methylation of gene body regions, promoter regions, and cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands were compared between the two groups. In total, 202 genes, 134 promoter regions, and 133 CpG islands exhibited differential methylation (FDR ≤ 0.15). Following comparison of gene expression in the amygdala between the PNS and Control cows, 2 differentially expressed genes were identified (FDR ≤ 0.15). The minimal differences observed could be the result of natural changes of DNA methylation and gene expression as an animal ages, or because this degree of transportation stress was not severe enough to cause lasting effects on the offspring. A younger age may be a more appropriate time to assess methylation and gene expression differences produced by prenatal stress.
Identification of Costimulatory Molecule–Related lncRNAs Associated With Gastric Carcinoma Progression: Evidence From Bioinformatics Analysis and Cell Experiments
Authors: Yin Zhenhua , Qiao Yating , Shi Jianping , Bu Limei , Ao Li , Tang Wenqing , Lu Xiaolan
Published: August 2022

Costimulatory molecules (CMGs) play essential roles in multiple cancers. However, lncRNAs regulating costimulatory molecules have not been fully explored in gastric cancer (GC). Public data of GC patients were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. R software v4.1.1, SPSS v13.0, and GraphPad Prism 8 were used to perform all the analyses. The Limma package was used for differential expression analysis. The survival package was used for patient prognosis analysis. The gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), gene ontology (GO), and the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis were used for pathway enrichment analysis. qRT-PCR was used to detect the RNA level of target lncRNA. CCK-8 and colony formation assay were used to assess the proliferation ability of GC cells. The transwell assay was used to evaluate the invasion and migration ability of GC cells. We first identified CMG-related lncRNAs (CMLs) through co-expression analysis. Then, an eight-CML-based signature was constructed to predict patient overall survival (OS), which showed satisfactory predictive efficiency (the training cohort: 1-year AUC = 0.764, 3-year AUC = 0.810, 5-year AUC = 0.840; the validation cohort: 1-year AUC = 0.661, 3-year AUC = 0.718, 5-year AUC = 0.822). The patients in the high-risk group tend to have a worse prognosis. GSEA showed that epithelial–mesenchymal transition, KRAS signaling, and angiogenesis were aberrantly activated in high-risk patients. GO and KEGG analyses indicated that the biological difference between high- and low-risk patients was mainly enriched in the extracellular matrix. Immune infiltration analysis showed that macrophages (M1 and M2), dendritic cells, monocytes, Tregs, and T regulatory cells were positively correlated with the risk scores, partly responsible for the worsening OS of high-risk patients. Finally, lncRNA AP000695.2 was selected for further experiments. The result showed that AP000695.2 was upregulated in GC cell lines and could facilitate the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells. In summary, this study established an effective prognosis model based on eight CMLs, which would be helpful for further therapy options for cancer. Also, we found that AP000695.2 could promote GC cell malignant phenotype, making it an underlying therapy target in GC.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection of weaned pigs: Intestinal challenges and nutritional intervention to enhance disease resistance
Authors: Kim Kwangwook , Song Minho , Liu Yanhong , Ji Peng
Published: August 2022

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) infection induced post-weaning diarrhea is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in newly weaned pigs and one of the significant drivers for antimicrobial use in swine production. ETEC attachment to the small intestine initiates ETEC colonization and infection. The secretion of enterotoxins further disrupts intestinal barrier function and induces intestinal inflammation in weaned pigs. ETEC infection can also aggravate the intestinal microbiota dysbiosis due to weaning stress and increase the susceptibility of weaned pigs to other enteric infectious diseases, which may result in diarrhea or sudden death. Therefore, the amount of antimicrobial drugs for medical treatment purposes in major food-producing animal species is still significant. The alternative practices that may help reduce the reliance on such antimicrobial drugs and address animal health requirements are needed. Nutritional intervention in order to enhance intestinal health and the overall performance of weaned pigs is one of the most powerful practices in the antibiotic-free production system. This review summarizes the utilization of several categories of feed additives or supplements, such as direct-fed microbials, prebiotics, phytochemicals, lysozyme, and micro minerals in newly weaned pigs. The current understanding of these candidates on intestinal health and disease resistance of pigs under ETEC infection are particularly discussed, which may inspire more research on the development of alternative practices to support food-producing animals.
Case report: Cellular therapy for hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric common variable immunodeficiency with chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection
Authors: Grześk Elżbieta , Kołtan Sylwia , Dąbrowska Anna , Urbańczyk Anna , Małdyk Jadwiga , Małkowski Bogdan , Bogiel Tomasz , Dębski Robert , Czyżewski Krzysztof , Wysocki Mariusz , Styczyński Jan
Published: August 2022

Hydroa vacciniforme-like lymphoproliferative disorder (HV-LPD) is a cutaneous form of chronic active Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV) infection, which can develop into the extremely rare systemic lymphoma. Patients with Inborn errors of immunity (IEI), such as common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), are at higher risk of developing a severe course of infections especially viral and malignancies than the general population. The aim of the study was to present complex diagnostic and therapeutic management of HV-LPD. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed at the histological and molecular level with next generation sequencing. HV-LPD was diagnosed in a patient with CVID and chronic active Epstein–Barr virus (CAEBV) infection. The patient was refractory to CHOP chemotherapy and immunosuppressive treatment in combination with antiviral drugs (prednisone, bortezomib, gancyclovir). The third-party donor EBV-specific cytotoxic T cells (EBV-CTL, tabelecleucel) were used, which stabilised the disease course. Finally, matched unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation (MUD-HCT) was performed followed by another cycle of EBV-CTL.
Donor specific HLA antibody in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Implications for donor selection
Authors: Krummey Scott M. , Gareau Alison J.
Published: August 2022

Advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) have led to changes in the approach to donor selection. Many of these new approaches result in greater HLA loci mismatching, either through the selection of haploidentical donors or permissive HLA mismatches. Although these approaches increase the potential of transplant for many patients by expanding the number of acceptable donor HLA genotypes, they add the potential barrier of donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA). DSA presents a unique challenge in HSCT, as it can limit engraftment and lead to graft failure. However, transient reduction of HLA antibodies through desensitization treatments can limit the risk of graft failure and facilitate engraftment. Thus, the consideration of DSA in donor selection and the management of DSA prior to transplant are playing an increasingly important role in HSCT. In this review, we will discuss studies addressing the role of HLA antibodies in HSCT, the reported impact of desensitization on DSA levels, and the implications for selecting donors for patients with DSA. We found that there is a clear consensus that moderate strength DSA should be avoided, while desensitization strategies are reported to be effective in most cases at reducing DSA to amenable levels. There is limited information regarding the impact of specific characteristics of DSA, such as HLA loci or overall level of sensitization, which could further aid in donor selection for sensitized HSCT candidates.
Safety of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in myasthenia gravis: A survey-based study
Authors: Li Hong-Yan , Shao Li-Yuan , Song Min , Hu Shi-Min , Yue Yao-Xian , Li Hai-Feng
Published: August 2022

Background

Vaccination remains the most effective measure to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and worse outcomes. However, many myasthenia gravis (MG) patients are hesitant to receive vaccine due to fear of worsening.

Methods

MG patients were consecutively enrolled in two MG centers in North China. The “worsening” after vaccination was self-reported by MG patients, and severity was measured with a single simple question. The general characteristics and disease status immediately prior to the first dose were compared between the worsening and non-worsening groups. Independent factors associated with worsening were explored with multivariate regression analysis.

Results

One hundred and seven patients were included. Eleven patients (10.3%) reported worsening after vaccination, including eight patients with mild or moderate worsening and three patients with severe worsening. Only one of them (0.9%) needed an escalation of immunosuppressive treatments. There were significant differences between the worsening and non-worsening groups in terms of Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America classes immediately before the first dose and intervals since the last aggravation. Precipitating factors might contribute to the worsening in some patients. Logistic regression revealed that only interval since the last aggravation ≤6 months was associated with worsening after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (P = 0.01, OR = 8.62, 95% CI: 1.93–38.46).

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (an overwhelming majority were inactivated vaccines) were found safe in milder Chinese MG patients who finished two doses. Worsening after vaccination was more frequently seen in patients who were presumed as potentially unstable (intervals since last aggravation ≤6 months). However, mild worsening did occur in patients who were presumed to be stable. Precipitating factors should still be sought and treated for better outcome.
CAR T cells targeting the ganglioside NGcGM3 control ovarian tumors in the absence of toxicity against healthy tissues
Authors: Cribioli Elisabetta , Giordano Attianese Greta Maria Paola , Coukos George , Irving Melita
Published: August 2022

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have emerged as a powerful immunotherapeutic tool against certain hematological malignancies but a significant proportion of patients either do not respond or they relapse, sometimes as a result of target antigen loss. Moreover, limited clinical benefit has been reported for CAR therapy against epithelial derived solid tumors. A major reason for this is the paucity of solid tumor antigens identified to date that are broadly, homogeneously and stably expressed but not found on healthy tissues. To address this, here we describe the development and evaluation of CAR T cells directed against N-glycoslylated ganglioside monosialic 3 (NGcGM3). NGcGM3 derives from the enzymatic hydroxylation of N-acetylneuraminic acid (NAc) GM3 (NAcGM3) and it is present on the surface of a range of cancers including ovarian, breast, melanoma and lymphoma. However, while NAcGM3 is found on healthy human cells, NGcGM3 is not due to the 7deletion of an exon in the gene encoding for the enzyme cytidine monophospho-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH). Indeed, unlike for most mammals, in humans NGcGM3 is considered a neoantigen as its presence on tumors is the result of metabolic incorporation from dietary sources. Here, we have generated 3 CARs comprising different single chain variable fragments (scFvs) originating from the well-characterized monoclonal antibody (mAb) 14F7. We show reactivity of the CAR T cells against a range of patient tumor fragments and we demonstrate control of NGcGM3+ SKOV3 ovarian tumors in the absence of toxicity despite the expression of CMAH and presence of NGcGM3+ on healthy tissues in NSG mice. Taken together, our data indicate clinical potential for 14F7-based CAR T cells against a range of cancers, both in terms of efficacy and of patient safety.
Differential genotypes of TNF-α and IL-10 for immunological diagnosis in discoid lupus erythematosus and oral lichen planus: A narrative review
Authors: Wang Ruochong , Zhang Xuefeng , Wang Siyu
Published: August 2022

Discoid lupus erythematosus and oral lichen planus are chronic systemic immune system-mediated diseases with unclear etiology and pathogenesis. The oral mucosa is the common primary site of pathogenesis in both, whereby innate and adaptive immunity and inflammation play crucial roles. The clinical manifestations of discoid lupus erythematosus on the oral mucosa are very similar to those of oral lichen planus; therefore, its oral lesion is classified under oral lichenoid lesions. In practice, the differential diagnosis of discoid lupus erythematosus and oral lichen planus has always relied on the clinical manifestations, with histopathological examination as an auxiliary diagnostic tool. However, the close resemblance of the clinical manifestations and histopathology proves challenging for accurate differential diagnosis and further treatment. In most cases, dentists and pathologists fail to distinguish between the conditions during the early stages of the lesions. It should be noted that both are considered to be precancerous conditions, highlighting the significance of early diagnosis and treatment. In the context of unknown etiology and pathogenesis, we suggest a serological and genetic diagnostic method based on TNF-α and IL-10. These are the two most common cytokines produced by the innate and adaptive immune systems and they play a fundamental role in maintaining immune homeostasis and modulating inflammation. The prominent variability in their expression levels and gene polymorphism typing in different lesions compensates for the low specificity of current conventional diagnostic protocols. This new diagnostic scheme, starting from the immunity and inflammation of the oral mucosa, enables simultaneous comparison of discoid lupus erythematosus and oral lichen planus. With relevant supportive evidence, this information can enhance physicians’ understanding of the two diseases, contribute to precision medicine, and aid in prevention of precancerous conditions.
Interferon α-2b spray shortened viral shedding time of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: An open prospective cohort study
Authors: Xu Nan , Pan Jinjin , Sun Li , Zhou Cuimei , Huang Siran , Chen Mingwei , Zhang Junfei , Zhu Tiantian , Li Jiabin , Zhang Hong , Gao Yufeng
Published: August 2022

Background

The Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant has spread quickly worldwide due to its effects on virus transmission and vaccine effectiveness. Interferon(IFN) has been shown to have a protective effect against SARS-CoV because of its broad antiviral activity. This study aimed to analyze the treatment effects of IFN α-2b spray in virus clearance of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant.

Methods

We examined the effectiveness and safety of IFN α-2b spray in Shanghai, China, with participants infected with the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant in an open, prospective cohort study from April 16th to May 5th, 2022.

Results

A total of 871 confirmed patients were enrolled in this study. Four hundred and thirteen patients were allocated to the IFN α-2b spray group, and 458 patients were allocated to the control group. The viral shedding time was significantly different between experimental group and control group (11.90 vs.12.58, P <0.05). In the experimental group, the median administration time since the first positive test for SARS-CoV-2 was three days, ranging from 0 to 15 days. There was no obvious adverse effect associated with the spray of IFN α-2b. The univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the administration time since the first positive test ≤3 days was a protective factor associated with viral shedding time (HR 0.81 95% CI 0.74-0.87, P <0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that the viral shedding time was 10.41 (4.00-16.00) days in the ≤3 days group, which was significantly less than that in the control group (12.58, 95% CI: 7.00-19.15, P <0.0001) and in the >3 days group (13.56, 95%CI: 7.00-22.25, P <0.0001).

Conclusions

IFN α-2b spray shortened the viral shedding time of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant when administrated within three days since the first positive test for SARS-CoV-2.
Diet composition of redfish (Sebastes sp.) during periods of population collapse and massive resurgence in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Authors: Brown-Vuillemin Sarah , Chabot Denis , Nozères Claude , Tremblay Réjean , Sirois Pascal , Robert Dominique
Published: August 2022

Redfish (Sebastes mentella and S. fasciatus) are back at spectacular record high levels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL) and the effects of this massive resurgence on other components of the food web remain largely unknown. To better understand the trophic implications of the surging redfish biomass within the GSL ecosystem, 3,690 stomachs containing food were collected during two periods: one characterised by low redfish abundance (1993–1999) and the other during a period of record abundance (2015–2019). Taxonomical analysis of stomach contents from individuals of different sizes from three subareas of the GSL was carried out to determine diet composition during both periods. Zooplankton represented the main prey category for small redfish (< 20 cm), which was driven by a predation on amphipods, mostly Themisto sp. in North-East Gulf, in the 1990s and on copepods of the genus Calanus in the deep channels and euphausiids in North-West Gulf in the 2010s. Themisto sp. still dominated the diet of medium (20–30 cm) redfish in the 1990s while the copepods were predominant during the 2010s. Shrimp consumption increased with redfish size and two species were particularly important in large redfish diet (≥ 30 cm) during both periods: pink glass shrimp (Pasiphaea multidentata), mostly in the Laurentian Channel and northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), especially in North-East Gulf. Redfish predation on shrimp represents a major concern for the dynamics of the northern shrimp which supports a valuable fishery in the GSL but has been declining in abundance since several years. Piscivory was observed in large redfish diet, with capelin (Mallotus villosus) being the major fish prey in the 1990s and redfish (cannibalism) in the 2010s, suggesting density-dependent control at high density of small redfish. By presenting a detailed overview into the redfish diet composition and its temporal variability, the present study offers a first look into the possible future trophic impacts of a resurging groundfish in the GSL ecosystem.