bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bv8 mediates myeloid cell migration and enhances malignancy of colorectal cancer
Authors: Li Xiaomeng , Chang Enqiang , Cui Jiang , Zhao Hailin , Hu Cong , O’Dea Kieran P. , Tirlapur Nikhil , Balboni Gianfranco , Zhang Jiaqiang , Ying Liming , Ma Daqing
Published: April 2023

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most predominant malignancy in the world. Although the importance of immune system in cancer development has been well established, the underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated further. Here we studied a novel protein prokineticin 2 (Prok2, also known as Bv8) as a key pro-tumoral factor in CRC progression in in vitro and ex vivo settings. Human colorectal tumor tissues, myeloid cell lines (U937 cells and HL60 cells) and colorectal cancer cell line (Caco-2 cells) were used for various studies. Myeloid cell infiltration (especially neutrophils) and Bv8 accumulation were detected in human colorectal tumor tissue with immunostaining. The chemotactic effects of Bv8 on myeloid cells were presented in the transwell assay and chemotaxis assy. Cultured CRC cells treated with myeloid cells or Bv8 produced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Furthermore, ROS and VEGF acted as pro-angiogenesis buffer in myeloid cell-infiltrated CRC microenvironment. Moreover, myeloid cells or Bv8 enhanced energy consumption of glycolysis ATP and mitochondria ATP of CRC cells. Interestingly, myeloid cells increased CRC cell viability, but CRC cells decreased the viability of myeloid cells. ERK signalling pathway in CRC cells was activated in the presence of Bv8 or co-cultured myeloid cells. In conclusion, our data indicated the vital roles of Bv8 in myeloid cell infiltration and CRC development, suggesting that Bv8 may be a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer-related immunotherapy.
Rapid and sustained T cell-based immunotherapy against invasive fungal disease via a combined two step procedure
Authors: Tischer-Zimmermann Sabine , Salzer Elisabeth , Bitencourt Tamires , Frank Nelli , Hoffmann-Freimüller Christine , Stemberger Julia , Maecker-Kolhoff Britta , Blasczyk Rainer , Witt Volker , Fritsch Gerhard , Paster Wolfgang , Lion Thomas , Eiz-Vesper Britta , Geyeregger René
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Aspergillus fumigatus (Asp) infections constitute a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the context of insufficient host immunity, antifungal drugs show only limited efficacy. Faster and increased T-cell reconstitution correlated with a favorable outcome and a cell-based therapy approach strongly indicated successful clearance of fungal infections. Nevertheless, complex and cost- or time-intensive protocols hampered their implementation into clinical application.

Methods

To facilitate the clinical-scale manufacturing process of Aspergillus fumigatus-specific T cells (ATCs) and to enable immediate (within 24 hours) and sustained (12 days later) treatment of patients with invasive aspergillosis (IA), we adapted and combined two complementary good manufacturing practice (GMP)-compliant approaches, i) the direct magnetic enrichment of Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) secreting ATCs using the small-scale Cytokine Secretion Assay (CSA) and ii) a short-term in vitro T-cell culture expansion (STE), respectively. We further compared stimulation with two standardized and commercially available products: Asp-lysate and a pool of overlapping peptides derived from different Asp-proteins (PepMix).

Results

For the fast CSA-based approach we detected IFN-γ+ ATCs after Asp-lysate- as well as PepMix-stimulation but with a significantly higher enrichment efficiency for stimulation with the Asp-lysate when compared to the PepMix. In contrast, the STE approach resulted in comparably high ATC expansion rates by using Asp-lysate or PepMix. Independent of the stimulus, predominantly CD4+ helper T cells with a central-memory phenotype were expanded while CD8+ T cells mainly showed an effector-memory phenotype. ATCs were highly functional and cytotoxic as determined by secretion of granzyme-B and IFN-γ.

Discussion

For patients with IA, the immediate adoptive transfer of IFN-γ+ ATCs followed by the administration of short-term in vitro expanded ATCs from the same donor, might be a promising therapeutic option to improve the clinical outcome.
Prevalence and distribution of antibiotic resistance in the water environment of sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus) breeding area in spring in South China
Authors: Lin Ziyang , Deng Yiqin , Su Wenxiao , Wang Qian , Chen Haoxiang , Sun Yun , Feng Juan
Published: April 2023

Antibiotic resistance represents a global health crisis for humans, animals, and the environment. However, few studies address the abundance and distribution of the environmental bacterial antibiotic resistance associated with farmed fish during the early breeding stages and their relationship with aquaculture environment. In this study, culture-dependent methods and gene chip technology were respectively used to identify and detect cultivable heterotrophic antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) of water samples from 20 sea bass-rearing ponds in spring in Zhuhai, China. Meanwhile, the relationships among ARGs, ARB, and water nutrients were elucidated. The results showed that bacterial resistance to erythromycin and sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim was generally high (mean 48.15% and 18.07%, respectively), whereas resistance to rifampicin, florfenicol, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin was generally low (mean 5.46%, 2.16%, 1.43%, and 0.16%, respectively). Acinetobacter sp. (42.31%) and Pseudomonas sp. (25.74%) were the dominant ARB, and most cultivable ARB were opportunistic pathogens. The abundance of sul family genes was higher than that of other tested ARGs. ARGs and ARB were mainly affected by NO3– and PO43–, with PO43– generally positively correlated, whereas NO3– was negatively correlated, with ARGs and ARB. Thus, recommendations for the control of antibiotic resistance risk can be made by understanding the resistance profile of the aquaculture environment.
A two-stage renal disease classification based on transfer learning with hyperparameters optimization
Authors: Badawy Mahmoud , Almars Abdulqader M. , Balaha Hossam Magdy , Shehata Mohamed , Qaraad Mohammed , Elhosseini Mostafa
Published: April 2023

Renal diseases are common health problems that affect millions of people around the world. Among these diseases, kidney stones, which affect anywhere from 1 to 15% of the global population and thus; considered one of the leading causes of chronic kidney diseases (CKD). In addition to kidney stones, renal cancer is the tenth most prevalent type of cancer, accounting for 2.5% of all cancers. Artificial intelligence (AI) in medical systems can assist radiologists and other healthcare professionals in diagnosing different renal diseases (RD) with high reliability. This study proposes an AI-based transfer learning framework to detect RD at an early stage. The framework presented on CT scans and images from microscopic histopathological examinations will help automatically and accurately classify patients with RD using convolutional neural network (CNN), pre-trained models, and an optimization algorithm on images. This study used the pre-trained CNN models VGG16, VGG19, Xception, DenseNet201, MobileNet, MobileNetV2, MobileNetV3Large, and NASNetMobile. In addition, the Sparrow search algorithm (SpaSA) is used to enhance the pre-trained model's performance using the best configuration. Two datasets were used, the first dataset are four classes: cyst, normal, stone, and tumor. In case of the latter, there are five categories within the second dataset that relate to the severity of the tumor: Grade 0, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, and Grade 4. DenseNet201 and MobileNet pre-trained models are the best for the four-classes dataset compared to others. Besides, the SGD Nesterov parameters optimizer is recommended by three models, while two models only recommend AdaGrad and AdaMax. Among the pre-trained models for the five-class dataset, DenseNet201 and Xception are the best. Experimental results prove the superiority of the proposed framework over other state-of-the-art classification models. The proposed framework records an accuracy of 99.98% (four classes) and 100% (five classes).
Association of clinical prediction scores with hospital mortality in an adult medical and surgical intensive care unit in Kenya
Authors: Brotherton B. Jason , Joshi Mugdha , Otieno George , Wandia Sarah , Gitura Hannah , Mueller Ariel , Nguyen Tony , Letchford Steve , Riviello Elisabeth D. , Karanja Evelyn , Rudd Kristina E.
Published: April 2023

Importance

Mortality prediction among critically ill patients in resource limited settings is difficult. Identifying the best mortality prediction tool is important for counseling patients and families, benchmarking quality improvement efforts, and defining severity of illness for clinical research studies.

Objective

Compare predictive capacity of the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Universal Vital Assessment (UVA), Tropical Intensive Care Score (TropICS), Rwanda Mortality Probability Model (R-MPM), and quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) for hospital mortality among adults admitted to a medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in rural Kenya. We performed a pre-planned subgroup analysis among ICU patients with suspected infection.

Design, setting, and participants

Prospective single-center cohort study at a tertiary care, academic hospital in Kenya. All adults 18 years and older admitted to the ICU January 2018–June 2019 were included.

Main outcomes and measures

The primary outcome was association of clinical prediction tool score with hospital mortality, as defined by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Demographic, physiologic, laboratory, therapeutic, and mortality data were collected. 338 patients were included, none were excluded. Median age was 42 years (IQR 33–62) and 61% (n = 207) were male. Fifty-nine percent (n = 199) required mechanical ventilation and 35% (n = 118) received vasopressors upon ICU admission. Overall hospital mortality was 31% (n = 104). 323 patients had all component variables recorded for R-MPM, 261 for MEWS, and 253 for UVA. The AUROC was highest for MEWS (0.76), followed by R-MPM (0.75), qSOFA (0.70), and UVA (0.69) (p < 0.001). Predictive capacity was similar among patients with suspected infection.

Conclusion and relevance

All tools had acceptable predictive capacity for hospital mortality, with variable observed availability of the component data. R-MPM and MEWS had high rates of variable availability as well as good AUROC, suggesting these tools may prove useful in low resource ICUs.
Potential of Medicago sativa and Perilla frutescens for overcoming the soil sickness caused by ginseng cultivation
Authors: Bian Xingbo , Yang Xiaohang , Zhang Kexin , Zhai Yiru , Li Qiong , Zhang Lianxue , Sun Xin
Published: April 2023

There are serious soil sickness in ginseng cultivation. Crop rotation is an effective agricultural management to improve soil sustainability and reduce soil sickness. To explore an appropriate ginseng rotation system, Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and Perilla frutescens (perilla) were planted on ginseng cultivation soil for 1 year to evaluate the improvement effect of both. Through chemical analysis and high-throughput sequencing technology, we found that after alfalfa and perilla cultivation for one-year, various nutrients and enzyme activities in ginseng cultivation soil were significantly improved. In addition, perilla significantly increased the diversity and richness of soil fungal communities. Cultivation of alfalfa and perilla significantly changed the composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities and significantly reduced the abundance of the potentially pathogenic fungi Ilyonectria. Further pot experiments also showed that the improved soil could significantly increase root activity of ginseng plant after two plants were planted. It should be noted that, unlike alfalfa, perilla decreased soil electrical conductivity, increased soil organic matter, soil urease, and may significantly improve the diversity and richness of soil fungal community. Moreover, in the pot experiment, the root fresh weight of ginseng cultured in perilla treated soil increased significantly. This study highlights that perilla may have better soil improvement effect than alfalfa and it has the potential to be used in the soil improvement of ginseng cultivation.
Biological characteristics and pathogenicity of Acanthamoeba
Authors: Wang Yuehua , Jiang Linzhe , Zhao Yitong , Ju Xiaohong , Wang Le , Jin Liang , Fine Ryan D. , Li Mingguang
Published: April 2023

Acanthamoebais an opportunistic protozoa, which exists widely in nature and is mainly distributed in soil and water.Acanthamoebausually exists in two forms, trophozoites and cysts. The trophozoite stage is one of growth and reproduction while the cyst stage is characterized by cellular quiescence, commonly resulting in human infection, and the lack of effective monotherapy after initial infection leads to chronic disease.Acanthamoebacan infect several human body tissues such as the skin, cornea, conjunctiva, respiratory tract, and reproductive tract, especially when the tissue barriers are damaged. Furthermore, serious infections can causeAcanthamoebakeratitis, granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, skin, and lung infections. With an increasing number ofAcanthamoebainfections in recent years, the pathogenicity ofAcanthamoebais becoming more relevant to mainstream clinical care. This review article will describe the etiological characteristics ofAcanthamoebainfection in detail from the aspects of biological characteristic, classification, disease, and pathogenic mechanism in order to provide scientific basis for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention ofAcanthamoebainfection.
DegS protease regulates the motility, chemotaxis, and colonization of Vibrio cholerae
Authors: Zou Mei , Wang Kaiying , Zhao Jiajun , Lu Huifang , Yang Hui , Huang Meirong , Wang Lu , Wang Guangli , Huang Jian , Min Xun
Published: April 2023

In bacteria, DegS protease functions as an activating factor of the σE envelope stress response system, which ultimately activates the transcription of stress response genes in the cytoplasm. On the basis of high-throughput RNA sequencing, we have previously found that degS knockout inhibits the expression of flagellum synthesis- and chemotaxis-related genes, thereby indicating that DegS may be involved in the regulation of V. cholerae motility. In this study, we examined the relationships between DegS and motility in V. cholerae. Swimming motility and chemotaxis assays revealed that degS or rpoE deletion promotes a substantial reduction in the motility and chemotaxis of V. cholerae, whereas these activities were restored in ΔdegS::degS and ΔdegSΔrseA strains, indicating that DegS is partially dependent on σE to positively regulate V. cholerae activity. Gene-act network analysis revealed that the cAMP–CRP–RpoS signaling pathway, which plays an important role in flagellar synthesis, is significantly inhibited in ΔdegS mutants, whereas in response to the overexpression of cyaA/crp and rpoS in the ΔdegS strain, the motility and chemotaxis of the ΔdegS + cyaA/crp and ΔdegS + rpoS strains were partially restored compared with the ΔdegS strain. We further demonstrated that transcription levels of the flagellar regulatory gene flhF are regulated by DegS via the cAMP–CRP–RpoS signaling pathway. Overexpression of the flhF gene in the ΔdegS strain partially restored motility and chemotaxis. In addition, suckling mouse intestinal colonization experiments indicated that the ΔdegS and ΔrpoE strains were characterized by the poor colonization of mouse intestines, whereas colonization efficacy was restored in the ΔdegSΔrseA, ΔdegS + cyaA/crp, ΔdegS + rpoS, and ΔdegS + flhF strains. Collectively, our findings indicate that DegS regulates the motility and chemotaxis of V. cholerae via the cAMP–CRP–RpoS–FlhF pathway, thereby influencing the colonization of suckling mouse intestines.
L-DOPA increases slow-wave sleep duration and selectively modulates memory persistence in older adults
Authors: Isotalus Hanna K. , Carr Will J. , Blackman Jonathan , Averill George G. , Radtke Oliver , Selwood James , Williams Rachel , Ford Elizabeth , McCullagh Liz , McErlane James , O’Donnell Cian , Durant Claire , Bartsch Ullrich , Jones Matt W. , Muñoz-Neira Carlos , Wearn Alfie R. , Grogan John P. , Coulthard Elizabeth J.
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Millions of people worldwide take medications such as L-DOPA that increase dopamine to treat Parkinson’s disease. Yet, we do not fully understand how L-DOPA affects sleep and memory. Our earlier research in Parkinson’s disease revealed that the timing of L-DOPA relative to sleep affects dopamine’s impact on long-term memory. Dopamine projections between the midbrain and hippocampus potentially support memory processes during slow wave sleep. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that L-DOPA enhances memory consolidation by modulating NREM sleep.

Methods

We conducted a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover trial with healthy older adults (65–79 years, n = 35). Participants first learned a word list and were then administered long-acting L-DOPA (or placebo) before a full night of sleep. Before sleeping, a proportion of the words were re-exposed using a recognition test to strengthen memory. L-DOPA was active during sleep and the practice-recognition test, but not during initial learning.

Results

The single dose of L-DOPA increased total slow-wave sleep duration by approximately 11% compared to placebo, while also increasing spindle amplitudes around slow oscillation peaks and around 1–4 Hz NREM spectral power. However, behaviourally, L-DOPA worsened memory of words presented only once compared to re-exposed words. The coupling of spindles to slow oscillation peaks correlated with these differential effects on weaker and stronger memories. To gauge whether L-DOPA affects encoding or retrieval of information in addition to consolidation, we conducted a second experiment targeting L-DOPA only to initial encoding or retrieval and found no behavioural effects.

Discussion

Our results demonstrate that L-DOPA augments slow wave sleep in elderly, perhaps tuning coordinated network activity and impacting the selection of information for long-term storage. The pharmaceutical modification of slow-wave sleep and long-term memory may have clinical implications.

Clinical trial registration

Eudract number: 2015-002027-26; https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN90897064, ISRCTN90897064.
Basal ganglia alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Castelnovo Veronica , Canu Elisa , De Mattei Filippo , Filippi Massimo , Agosta Federica
Published: April 2023

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has traditionally been associated with brain damage involving the primary motor cortices and corticospinal tracts. In the recent decades, most of the research studies in ALS have focused on extra-motor and subcortical brain regions. The aim of these studies was to detect additional biomarkers able to support the diagnosis and to predict disease progression. The involvement of the frontal cortices, mainly in ALS cases who develop cognitive and/or behavioral impairment, is amply recognized in the field. A potential involvement of fronto-temporal and fronto-striatal connectivity changes in the disease evolution has also been reported. On this latter regard, there is still a shortage of studies which investigated basal ganglia (BG) alterations and their role in ALS clinical manifestation and progression. The present review aims to provide an overview on the magnetic resonance imaging studies reporting structural and/or functional BG alterations in patients with ALS, to clarify the role of BG damage in the disease clinical evolution and to propose potential future developments in this field.
Multi-cue temporal modeling for skeleton-based sign language recognition
Authors: Özdemir Oğulcan , Baytaş İnci M. , Akarun Lale
Published: April 2023

Sign languages are visual languages used as the primary communication medium for the Deaf community. The signs comprise manual and non-manual articulators such as hand shapes, upper body movement, and facial expressions. Sign Language Recognition (SLR) aims to learn spatial and temporal representations from the videos of the signs. Most SLR studies focus on manual features often extracted from the shape of the dominant hand or the entire frame. However, facial expressions combined with hand and body gestures may also play a significant role in discriminating the context represented in the sign videos. In this study, we propose an isolated SLR framework based on Spatial-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks (ST-GCNs) and Multi-Cue Long Short-Term Memorys (MC-LSTMs) to exploit multi-articulatory (e.g., body, hands, and face) information for recognizing sign glosses. We train an ST-GCN model for learning representations from the upper body and hands. Meanwhile, spatial embeddings of hand shape and facial expression cues are extracted from Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) pre-trained on large-scale hand and facial expression datasets. Thus, the proposed framework coupling ST-GCNs with MC-LSTMs for multi-articulatory temporal modeling can provide insights into the contribution of each visual Sign Language (SL) cue to recognition performance. To evaluate the proposed framework, we conducted extensive analyzes on two Turkish SL benchmark datasets with different linguistic properties, BosphorusSign22k and AUTSL. While we obtained comparable recognition performance with the skeleton-based state-of-the-art, we observe that incorporating multiple visual SL cues improves the recognition performance, especially in certain sign classes where multi-cue information is vital. The code is available at: https://github.com/ogulcanozdemir/multicue-slr.
Identification of immunotherapy and radioimmunotherapy targets on desmoplastic small round cell tumors
Authors: Espinosa-Cotton Madelyn , Guo Hong-Fen , Tickoo Satish K. , Cheung Nai-Kong V.
Published: April 2023

Background

Development of successful antibody-based immunotherapeutic and radioimmunotherapeutic strategies rely on the identification of cell surface tumor-associated antigens (TAA) with restricted expression on normal tissues. Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a rare and generally neglected malignancy that primarily affects adolescent and young adult males. New therapies capable of treating disseminated disease are needed for DSRCT, which is often widespread at diagnosis.

Methods

We used immunohistochemistry (IHC) on fresh frozen surgical specimens and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumors and flow cytometry on DSRCT cell lines to evaluate expression of TAAs in these tumors. In vitro cytotoxicity assays were used to evaluate the efficacy of T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BsAbs) directed at these targets. In vivo, we used an intraperitoneal xenograft mouse model of DSRCT to test T-BsAbs against several TAAs.

Results

In DSRCT specimens we found widespread expression of B7-H3, EGFR, GD2, HER2, mesothelin, and polysialic acid, clinical targets for which specific antibody therapeutics are available. The expression of B7-H3, EGFR, HER2, and mesothelin was confirmed on the cell surface of DSRCT cell lines. In vitro cytotoxicity assays confirmed the efficacy of T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BsAbs) directed at these targets against DSRCT cells. Remarkably, a HER2xCD3 T-BsAb was capable of completely shrinking established tumors in an intraperitoneal mouse model of DSRCT.

Conclusions

We propose that these TAAs should be further investigated in preclinical models as targets for immunotherapy and radioimmunotherapy with the hope of providing a rationale to extend these therapies to patients with advanced DSRCT.
Lysyl oxidase-like 4 exerts an atypical role in breast cancer progression that is dependent on the enzymatic activity that targets the cell-surface annexin A2
Authors: Komalasari Ni Luh Gede Yoni , Tomonobu Nahoko , Kinoshita Rie , Chen Youyi , Sakaguchi Yoshihiko , Gohara Yuma , Jiang Fan , Yamamoto Ken-ich , Murata Hitoshi , Ruma I Made Winarsa , Sumardika I Wayan , Zhou Jin , Yamauchi Akira , Kuribayashi Futoshi , Inoue Yusuke , Toyooka Shinichi , Sakaguchi Masakiyo
Published: April 2023

Background

LOX family members are reported to play pivotal roles in cancer. Unlike their enzymatic activities in collagen cross-linking, their precise cancer functions are unclear. We revealed that LOXL4 is highly upregulated in breast cancer cells, and we thus sought to define an unidentified role of LOXL4 in breast cancer.

Methods

We established the MDA-MB-231 sublines MDA-MB-231-LOXL4 mutCA and -LOXL4 KO, which stably overexpress mutant LOXL4 that loses its catalytic activity and genetically ablates the intrinsic LOXL4 gene, respectively. In vitro and in vivo evaluations of these cells’ activities of cancer outgrowth were conducted by cell-based assays in cultures and an orthotopic xenograft model, respectively. The new target (s) of LOXL4 were explored by the MS/MS analytic approach.

Results

Our in vitro results revealed that both the overexpression of mutCA and the KO of LOXL4 in cells resulted in a marked reduction of cell growth and invasion. Interestingly, the lowered cellular activities observed in the engineered cells were also reflected in the mouse model. We identified a novel binding partner of LOXL4, i.e., annexin A2. LOXL4 catalyzes cell surface annexin A2 to achieve a cross-linked multimerization of annexin A2, which in turn prevents the internalization of integrin β-1, resulting in the locking of integrin β-1 on the cell surface. These events enhance the promotion of cancer cell outgrowth.

Conclusions

LOXL4 has a new role in breast cancer progression that occurs via an interaction with annexin A2 and integrin β-1 on the cell surface.
Murine macrophage-based iNos reporter reveals polarization and reprogramming in the context of breast cancer
Authors: Mas-Rosario Javier A. , Medor Josue D. , Jeffway Mary I. , Martínez-Montes José M. , Farkas Michelle E.
Published: April 2023

As part of the first line of defense against pathogens, macrophages possess the ability to differentiate into divergent phenotypes with varying functions. The process by which these cells change their characteristics, commonly referred to as macrophage polarization, allows them to change into broadly pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) subtypes, and depends on the polarizing stimuli. Deregulation of macrophage phenotypes can result in different pathologies or affect the nature of some diseases, such as cancer and atherosclerosis. Therefore, a better understanding of macrophage phenotype conversion in relevant models is needed to elucidate its potential roles in disease. However, there are few existing probes to track macrophage changes in multicellular environments. In this study, we generated an eGFP reporter cell line based on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNos) promoter activity in RAW264.7 cells (RAW:iNos-eGFP). iNos is associated with macrophage activation to pro-inflammatory states and decreases in immune-suppressing ones. We validated the fidelity of the reporter for iNos following cytokine-mediated polarization and confirmed that reporter and parental cells behaved similarly. RAW:iNos-eGFP cells were then used to track macrophage responses in different in vitro breast cancer models, and their re-education from anti- to pro-inflammatory phenotypes via a previously reported pyrimido(5,4-b)indole small molecule, PBI1. Using two mouse mammary carcinoma cell lines, 4T1 and EMT6, effects on macrophages were assessed via conditioned media, two-dimensional/monolayer co-culture, and three-dimensional spheroid models. While conditioned media derived from 4T1 or EMT6 cells and monolayer co-cultures of each cancer cell line with RAW:iNos-eGFP cells all resulted in decreased fluorescence, the trends and extents of effects differed. We also observed decreases in iNos-eGFP signal in the macrophages in co-culture assays with 4T1- or EMT6-based spheroids. We then showed that iNos production is enhanced in these cancer models using PBI1, tracking increased fluorescence. Collectively, this work demonstrates that this reporter-based approach provides a facile means to study macrophage responses in complex, multicomponent environments. Beyond the initial studies presented here, this platform can be used with a variety of in vitro models and extended to in vivo applications with intravital imaging.
Hemodynamic assessment in children after cardiac surgery: A pilot study on the value of infrared thermography
Authors: Bridier Armelle , Shcherbakova Monisha , Kawaguchi Atsushi , Poirier Nancy , Said Carla , Noumeir Rita , Jouvet Philippe
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Low cardiac output syndrome in the postoperative period after cardiac surgery leads to an increase in tissue oxygen extraction, assessed by the oxygen extraction ratio. Measurement of the oxygen extraction ratio requires blood gases to be taken. However, the temperature of the skin and various parts of the body is a direct result of blood flow distribution and can be monitored using infrared thermography. Thus, we conducted a prospective clinical study to evaluate the correlation between the thermal gradient obtained by infrared thermography and the oxygen extraction ratio in children at risk for low cardiac output after cardiac surgery.

Methods

Children aged 0 to 18 years, having undergone cardiac surgery with cardio-pulmonary bypass in a pediatric intensive care unit were included in the study. One to 4 thermal photos were taken per patient using the FLIR One Pro thermal imaging camera. The thermal gradient between the central temperature of the inner canthus of the eye and the peripheral temperature was compared to the concomitant oxygen extraction ratio calculated from blood gases.

Results

41 patients were included with a median age of 6 months (IQR 3–48) with median Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 score was 2 (IQR 2–3). Eighty nine thermal photos were analyzed. The median thermal gradient was 2.5 °C (IQR 1,01–4.04). The median oxygen extraction ratio was 35% (IQR 26–42). Nine patients had an oxygen extraction ratio ≥ 50%. A significant but weak correlation was found between the thermal gradient and the oxygen extraction ratio (Spearman's test p = 0.25, p = 0.016). Thermal gradient was not correlated with any other clinical or biologic markers of low cardiac output. Only young age was an independent factor associated with an increase in the thermal gradient.

Conclusion

In this pilot study, which included mainly children without severe cardiac output decrease, a significant but weak correlation between thermal gradient by infrared thermography and oxygen extraction ratio after pediatric cardiac surgery was observed. Infrared thermography is a promising non-invasive technology that could be included in multimodal monitoring of postoperative cardiac surgery patients. However, a clinical trial including more severe children is needed.
Small-molecule compounds inhibiting S-phase kinase-associated protein 2: A review
Authors: Jing Jia , Rui Li , Junyuan Sun , Jinfeng Yang , Zhihao Hong , Weiguo Lu , Zhenyu Jia
Published: April 2023

S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (Skp2) is a substrate-specific adaptor in Skp1-CUL1-ROC1-F-box E3 ubiquitin ligases and widely regarded as an oncogene. Therefore, Skp2 has remained as an active anticancer research topic since its discovery. Accordingly, the structure of Skp2 has been solved and numerous Skp2 inhibiting compounds have been identified. In this review, we would describe the structural features of Skp2, introduce the ubiquitination function of SCFSkp2, and summarize the diverse natural and synthetic Skp2 inhibiting compounds reported to date. The IC50 data of the Skp2 inhibitors or inhibiting compounds in various kinds of tumors at cellular levels implied that the cancer type, stage and pathological mechanisms should be taken into consideration when selecting Skp2-inhibiting compound for cancer treatment.
Parametric amplification in coupled nonlinear waveguides: The role of coupling dispersion
Authors: Shi Minji , Ribeiro Vitor , Perego Auro M.
Published: April 2023

We present the theory of parametric amplification in coupled nonlinear waveguides considering the frequency dependency of the coupling strength. We show that coupling dispersion can indeed compensate for the uncoupled individual waveguides dispersion enabling a substantial tailoring of the gain spectrum. Our theory describes both phase-sensitive and phase-insensitive operational modes, it can be straightforwardly generalized to include arbitrary higher-order waveguide and coupling dispersion and its predictions agree very well with numerical simulations both in the presence and in the absence of waveguide losses. It provides a tool for the design of novel versatile parametric amplifiers based both on coupled integrated waveguides and dual-core fibers too.
Integrating omics reveals insights into tomato abaxial/adaxial leafy supplemental lighting
Authors: Jiang Chengyao , Wu Haolian , Zhang Xiaoying , Liu Jiaming , Li Yushan , Song Yu , Wang Jue , Zheng Yangxia
Published: April 2023

Research revealed that the abaxial leafy supplemental lighting (AB) can significantly improve the net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance in the leaves of tomato plants compare to the adaxial leafy supplemental lighting (AD) method. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms are still poorly understood. Here, we conducted AB and AD on tomato and assessed transcriptomic, and proteomic changes in leaves. The result showed that under the two supplemental lighting methods, a total of 7352 genes and 152 proteins were differentially expressed. Significant differences were observed in genes expression levels and proteins abundances across multiple pathways, mainly including cell process, metabolism process, biological regulation, environment information processing, genetic information processing, metabolism, and organismal systems. Additionally, we also found that some key genes that plant hormone signaling, light perception, photosynthesis, plant fitness, and promoting fruit ripening, have increased significantly, which can explain the effect of AB on plant growth and development. Finally, through the qPCR, we determined that AB mainly up-regulate a series of auxin-responsive genes or factors, auxin polarity transport genes, gibberellin synthesis genes, cell cycle regulator genes, sugar transporters, and fleshy fruit ripening genes. These results help us to understand plant light response mechanism and discover genes which contribute to efficient light energy utilization.
How a token-based game may elicit the reward prediction error and increase engagement of students in elementary school. A pilot study
Authors: Eckert Marcus , Scherenberg Viviane , Klinke Clemens
Published: April 2023

Student engagement is essential to academic success and student-wellbeing. In the past, fostering engagement though extrinsic rewards has often been found to be of limited effectiveness over the long term. However, extrinsic rewards are important for improving engagement with non-intrinsically rewarding activities. Thus, in the present study a mechanism that is meant to prolong the effects of extrinsic rewards was investigated: the reward prediction error. This error occurs when rewards are awarded contrary to the awardee’s expectations. In a quasi-experiment, 39 elementary school students participated in a classroom-based game, which was supposed to motivate them to solve math exercises. It combined reinforcement with elements of luck, which were supposed to elicit the reward prediction error. After 2 weeks, the intervention group had completed significantly more math exercises compared to a pretest and, importantly, also more correctly solved exercises than a control group. This suggests that game-based reinforcement that elicits the reward prediction error might help to increase student engagement over the medium term. It furthermore highlights the importance of applying gamification elements not only digitally but also in analog settings.
Psychometric property study of the Affective Lability Scale-short form in Chinese patients with mood disorders
Authors: Ma Mohan , Xiao Chuman , Ou Wenwen , Lv Guanyi , Huang Mei , Zhao Xiaotian , Qin Yaqi , Ju Yumeng , Zhang Yan
Published: April 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Affective Lability Scale-short form (ALS-SF) among Chinese patients with mood disorders, and to compare ALS-SF subscale scores between patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and patients with bipolar disorder (BD) depression.

Methods

A total of 344 patients with mood disorders were included in our study. Participants were measured through a set of questionnaires including the Chinese version of ALS-SF, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), and NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied to examine the psychometric properties of ALS-SF. Besides, correlation and regression analyses were performed to explore the relationship between affective lability and depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. Independent samples t-tests were used to compare the subscale scores of ALS-SF between the MDD and BD depression groups.

Results

Results of factor analysis indicated that the model of ALS-SF was consistent with ALS-SF. The ALS-SF showed a solid validity and high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.861). In addition, each subscale of ALS-SF was significantly correlated with PHQ-9, GAD-7, and NEO-FFI neuroticism subscale, except for the anger subscale showed no significant correlation with PHQ-9. Besides, the depression/elation and anger factor scores in patients with BD depression were higher than in patients with MDD.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that the Chinese version of ALS-SF has good reliability and validity for measuring affective lability in Chinese patients with mood disorders. Assessing affective lability would assist clinicians to distinguish between MDD and BP depression and may decrease the risks of misdiagnosis.
Opposite effects of estradiol and progesterone on woman's disgust processing
Authors: Liu Mei , Zhang Xia , He Zhengming , Liang Yuan , Zou Bihong , Ma Xianjun , Gu Simeng , Wang Fushun
Published: April 2023

Background

Ovarian hormones play a critical role in emotion processing, which may be a major reason for the high rates of major depressive disorders in women. However, the exact roles of estradiol and progesterone in emotional processing remain unclear. To this end, we performed behavioral and rs-fMRI studies on the effects ovarian hormones on disgust emotion.

Methods

In Experiment 1, 95 Chinese female undergraduates completed the single category implicit association test (SC-IAT) and explicit measures of disgust intensity task, 32 in the menstrual phase, 30 in the follicular phase, and 33 in the luteal phase. In Experiment 2, A total of 25 healthy female undergraduates completed three sessions of the rs-fMRI. The menstrual group was scanned during cycle days 2–5, the follicular group during cycle during days 10–13, and the luteal group was scanned 3–7 days before the next menstruation.

Results

The behavioral results showed that women during the luteal phase had higher D scores and shorter response times (RTs) to disgust stimuli compared to the menses and follicular phases. In contrast, women during the follicular phase had fewer feelings of disgust and longer RTs to pathogen stimuli compared with that during the menses and luteal phases, but this effect was moderated by the intensity of the stimuli. rs-fMRI studies showed that women during the luteal phase have higher functional connectivity in the salience network than those in the follicular phase. Compared with the menstrual phase, women have lower functional connectivity in the amygdala during the follicular phase.

Conclusion

In summary, a more negative attitude to disgust stimuli and the enhanced functional connectivity of the salience network during the luteal phase may be associated with high progesterone levels, whereas lower disgust feelings and reduced functional connectivity of the amygdala during the follicular phase may be associated with high estradiol levels.
The practical utility of psychometric scales for the assessment of the impact of posttraumatic scars on mental health
Authors: Mekereș Gabriel Mihai , Buhaș Camelia Liana , Tudoran Cristina , Csep Andrei Nicolae , Tudoran Mariana , Manole Felicia , Iova Claudiu Sorin , Pop Nicolae Ovidiu , Voiţă Ioan Bogdan , Domocoș Daniela , Voiţă-Mekereş Florica
Published: April 2023

Background

Scars are a natural consequence of the healing process, but with an impact on the psychological and social level for the individual, which can even lead to withdrawal and social stigmatization. We aimed to analyze the psychosocial impact determined by post-traumatic scars, using psychometric scales, to assess the effectiveness of the Mekereș’ Psychosocial Internalization Scale (MPIS), and to identify relevant predictors of traumatic and surgical scar internalization.

Methods

Our cohort included 293 participants, 149 women and 144 men, aged 18–64 years who were screened for scar characteristics and completed a set of psychological scales. We compared the results obtained in two subgroups: 153 subjects with posttraumatic scars and 140 with surgical scars.

Results

Relevant predictors for posttraumatic scar internalization (R2 = 0.721) are adaptation time, age of the occurrence and subjective appraisal, while for the depression, and hopelessness relevant predictors are the subjective appraisal of the scars and the posttraumatic quality of life.

Conclusion

The psychological and social reporting of the aftermath of trauma, that has been followed by scar-ring, is an indicator of how a person will react and could indicate the susceptibility to psycho-pathology.
Analysis of the clinical characteristics of adult patients with hangman's fractures: A retrospective study based on multicenter clinical data
Authors: Li Guangzhou , Wang Qing
Published: April 2023

Background

There are few reports on the clinical characteristics of adult patients with hangman's fractures.

Methods

The clinical data of adult patients were collected from the hangman's fracture database of 7 medical centers. Data on patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were retrospectively analyzed. Data, including gender, age, mechanism of injury, fracture classification, and treatment, were statistically analyzed.

Results

A total of 216 eligible patients (160 males and 56 females, with a mean age of 49.7 years) were selected. There was no statistically significant difference in gender distribution of different age groups. The male-to-female ratio was similar in the young group (18–44 years) and the middle-aged group (45–64 years) (both about 3:1) but decreased in the elderly group (65 years and above) (about 2:1). Overall, high-energy injury was the main mechanism of injury. There was a statistically significant difference in the percentage of patients with high-energy injury in various age groups (the highest in the young group, and the lowest in the elderly group). Overall, unstable fracture was the main fracture type, with a higher proportion in the young and elderly groups than that in the middle-aged group, but there was no statistically significant difference. From the perspective of treatment options, the percentage of patients receiving surgery was higher in the young and elderly groups than that in the middle-aged group.

Conclusion

Hangman's fracture is predominant in males of all age groups, with high-energy injury as the main mechanism of injury. Unstable fracture is common fracture type. The percentage of patients receiving surgery in the young and elderly groups is higher than that in the middle-aged group, which may be correlated with the high incidence of unstable fracture and the life characteristics of the patients in the young and elderly age groups.
A Review of Finite Element Methods for Room Acoustics
Authors: Prinn Albert G.
Published: April 2023

Accurate predictions of the wave-dominated region of an acoustic field in a room can be generated using wave-based computational methods. One such method is the finite element method (FEM). With presently available computing power and advanced numerical techniques, it is possible to obtain FEM predictions of sound fields in rooms with complicated geometries and complex boundary conditions in realistic time frames. The FEM has been continuously developed since its inception and attempts to provide solutions in real time using finite element-based methods are beginning to appear in the literature; these developments are especially interesting for auralization and virtual acoustics applications. To support these efforts, and provide a resource for neophytes, the use of the FEM for room acoustics is reviewed in this article. A history is presented alongside examples of the method’s derivation, implementation, and solutions. The current challenges and state-of-the-art are also presented, and it is found that the most recent contributions to the field make use of one or a mixture of the following: the finite element-based discontinuous Galerkin method, extended reaction boundary conditions written in the frequency domain but solved in the time domain, and the solution of large-scale models using parallel processing and graphics processing units.
Effect of Gypsum, Compost, and Foliar Application of Some Nanoparticles in Improving Some Chemical and Physical Properties of Soil and the Yield and Water Productivity of Faba Beans in Salt-Affected Soils
Authors: Amer Megahed M. , Aboelsoud Hesham M. , Sakher Eman M. , Hashem Ahmed A.
Published: April 2023

Two field experiments were conducted at Kafr El Sheikh Gov., Egypt, during two winter growing seasons (2020/2021 and 2021/2022). The objective of this study was to improve some chemical and physical properties of soil and the yield and water productivity of faba beans (Viciafaba L.), Cv. Sakha-4 by application of gypsum, compost, and some nanoparticles in salt-affected soils. The experimental treatments were arranged in a split-plot design with three replications. The main plots had the following soil amendments: T1: control treatment, T2: 10 tons compost/hectare, T3: soil gypsum requirement (GR) of 8.59 ton ha−1, and T4: GR + 10 tons compost/hectare. The subplots were treated with foliar application as follows: no treatment, manganese nanoparticles (Mn-NPs), selenium nanoparticles (Se-NPs), and Mn-NPs + Se-NPs. According to the findings, the application of compost + GR significantly decreased soil salinity (EC), exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP), and soil bulk density (BD). However soil porosity, soil penetration resistance (SPRa), and basic soil infiltration (IR) were significantly increased. On the other hand, the results revealed significant positive effects onthe 100-grain weight as well as proline, chlorophyll, superoxide dismutase, and catalase contents due to the interaction between gypsum + compost and Mn-NPs + Se-NPs, which enhanced the productivity of both the seed and straw yields of faba beans compared to the alternative treatments. In addition, the seed yield and irrigation water productivity (PIW, kg m3) of faba beans were significantly increased with addition of gypsum and compost and foliar application of nanoparticles. The highest values of these parameters were achieved due to the interaction between gypsum + compost and Mn-NPs + Se-NPs. It can be concluded that application of GR of 8.59 ton ha−1 and 10 ton ha−1 compost as well as foliar application of Mn-NPs and Se-NPs may be a key strategy for improving some chemical and physical properties of soil and the yield and water productivity of faba beans in salt-affected soil under these experimental conditions.