bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Changes in serum uteroglobin level in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients
Authors: Lim Joung Youl , Ju Sang-Hyeon , Kim Ji Min , Yi Hyon-Seung , Lee Ju Hee , Kim Hyun Jin , Ku Bon Jeong , Joung Kyong Hye
Published: September 2024

Background

Uteroglobin is a multifunctional protein with anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have revealed the importance of inflammation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the relationship between uteroglobin and T2D.

Methods

We performed diagnostic tests for diabetes in subjects who had not been diagnosed with or treated for T2D. We established three groups, containing those with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), prediabetes and T2D, consisting of 80 people each, and compared their uteroglobin levels. In addition, 28 patients newly diagnosed with T2D were treated with metformin for 12 weeks, and 63 patients newly diagnosed with dyslipidaemia during the treatment for T2D were treated with statin for 12 weeks.

Results

This study showed that uteroglobin levels were significantly lower in prediabetes and T2D groups than in the NGT group. Uteroglobin levels were not significantly correlated with other metabolic parameters, except BMI, HOMA-β and eGFR. In the group treated with metformin or statin, uteroglobin levels increased after treatment compared to before treatment.

Conclusions

Uteroglobin is a sensitive factor that was decreased even in prediabetes and increased upon treatment with drugs with anti-inflammatory effects. Uteroglobin is a potential early biomarker that reflects a chronic inflammatory condition in T2D.
Rethinking the prognosis model of differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Authors: He Liang , Xiang Jingzhe , Zhang Hao
Published: September 2024

Background

The prediction efficiency of long-term cancer-specific survival (CSS) in guiding the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients is still unsatisfactory. We need to refine the system so that it more accurately correlates with survival.

Methods

This is a retrospective study using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, and included patients who underwent surgical treatment and were diagnosed with DTC from 2004 to 2020. Patients were divided into a training cohort (2004–2015) and validation cohort (2016–2020). Decision tree methodology was used to build the model in the training cohort. The newly identified groups were verified in the validation cohort.

Results

DTC patient totals of 52,917 and 48,896 were included in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Decision tree classification of DTC patients consisted of five categorical variables, which in order of importance were as follows: M categories, age, extrathyroidal extension, tumor size, and N categories. Then, we identified five TNM groups with similar within-group CSS. More patients were classified as stage I, and the number of stage IV patients decreased significantly. The new system had a higher proportion of variance explained (PVE) (5.04%) and lower Akaike information criterion (AIC) (18,331.906) than the 8th TNM staging system (a PVE of 4.11% and AIC of 18,692.282). In the validation cohort, the new system also showed better discrimination for survival.

Conclusion

The new system for DTC appeared to be more accurate in distinguishing stages according to the risk of mortality and provided more accurate risk stratifications and potential treatment selections.
The sphere of exposure: centering user experience in community science air monitoring
Authors: Westbrook Marisa , Serrano-Salomón Valentina , Pecenka Jay , Sankhyan Sumit , Hollo Aniya K. , Miller Shelly L. , Sullivan Esther
Published: September 2024

Community science has increased in popularity in communities where residents hope to investigate the relationship between environmental issues and personal health. This study partnered with neighborhoods in the most polluted residential zip code in the US to conduct community science air quality monitoring. We conducted 60 semi-structured interviews after two monitoring deployments to understand participants’ subjective experiences of pollution exposure, their engagement with low-cost air quality monitors, and their data interpretation. We utilize the environmental health concept ‘exposure experience’ to analyze how participants use personal monitors, understand their data, and reinterpret their pollution exposure as a result. We further explore how participants’ understandings are circumscribed by the technological features of low-cost monitors. We find that participants adopt both protective and mitigating behavioral changes based on information gained from personal experiments and hypothesis testing while using the monitors. Of their own accord, 40% of participants in this study adopted mitigation behaviors after identifying sources that impacted their personal air quality. Our analysis reveals that real-time data accessibility through low-cost monitors builds exposure awareness and enables residents of environmental justice communities to test, validate, or invalidate sensory experiences and challenge existing assumptions. These findings point to specific pathways for using low-cost monitors to support individual decision-making and contribute to behavioral change. Findings also identify some limitations of low-cost monitors; designers of low-cost monitors should consider how composite Air Quality Scores may encourage community scientists to equally value scientifically-established pollutants (e.g., PM) with less scientifically-established pollutants (e.g., TVOCs), without additional scientific training and health-related information.
Make it STING: nanotechnological approaches for activating cGAS/STING as an immunomodulatory node in osteosarcoma
Authors: O’Donoghue Jordan C. , Freeman Fiona E.
Published: September 2024

Osteosarcoma is a highly aggressive bone cancer primarily affecting children, adolescents, and young adults. The current gold standard for treatment of osteosarcoma patients consists of two to three rounds of chemotherapy, followed by extensive surgical intervention from total limb reconstruction to amputation, followed by additional rounds of chemotherapy. Although chemotherapy has advanced the treatment of osteosarcoma significantly, the overall 5-year survival rate in resistant forms of osteosarcoma is still below 20%. The interaction between cancer and the immune system has long been recognized as a critical aspect of tumour growth. Tumour cells within the tumour microenvironment (TME) suppress antitumour immunity, and immunosuppressive cells and cytokines provide the extrinsic factors of tumour drug resistance. Emerging research demonstrates an immunostimulatory role for the cGAS/STING pathway in osteosarcoma, typically considered an immune-cold or immunosuppressed cancer type. cGAS/STING signalling appears to drive an innate immune response against tumours and potentiates the efficacy of other common therapies including chemo and radiotherapy. Nanotechnological delivery systems for improved therapy delivery for osteosarcoma have also been under investigation in recent years. This review provides an overview of cGAS/STING signalling, its divergent roles in the context of cancer, and collates current research which activates cGAS/STING as an adjuvant immunomodulatory target for the treatment of osteosarcoma. It will also discuss current nanotechnological delivery approaches that have been developed to stimulate cGAS/STING. Finally, it will highlight the future directions that we believe will be central to the development of this transformative field.
Mechanisms underlying TRPV4-mediated regulation of miR-146a expression
Authors: Dutta Bidisha , Mahanty Manisha , Kesavalu Lakshmyya , Rahaman Shaik O.
Published: September 2024

Persistent inflammation is a major contributor in the development of various inflammatory diseases like atherosclerosis. Our study investigates how transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4), a mechanosensitive ion channel, interacts with microRNA-146a (miR-146a), within the context of inflammation and atherosclerosis. Micro-RNAs play a critical role in controlling gene expression, and miR-146a is notable for its anti-inflammatory actions. TRPV4 is activated by diverse soluble and mechanical stimuli, and often associated with inflammatory responses in various diseases. Here, we find that TRPV4 negatively regulates miR-146a expression in macrophages, especially following stimulation by lipopolysaccharides or alterations in matrix stiffness. We show that in atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by matrix stiffening, TRPV4 decreases miR-146a expression in aortic tissue macrophages. We find that TRPV4’s impact on miR-146a is independent of activation of NFκB, Stat1, P38, and AKT, but is rather mediated through a mechanism involving histone deacetylation instead of DNA methylation at the miR-146a promoter site. Furthermore, we show that N-terminal residues 1 to 130 in TRPV4 is essential in suppression of miR-146a expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Altogether, this study identifies a regulatory mechanism of miR-146a expression by TRPV4 which may open new potential therapeutic strategies for managing inflammatory diseases.
Prevention and alleviation of allergic rhinitis by oral administration of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei GOLDGUT-Lpc969
Authors: Zhou Xiaoli , Song Xizi , Shu Ting , Zhang Silu , Zhang Zhizhu , Hu Canying , Pan Jie , Dai Xiaoshuang , Hao Huaijie , Xiao Guoxun , Wang Pengfei , Liu Kai
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a widespread upper airway disorder characterized by inflammation of the nasal passages. It is immunologically mediated via the hypersensitivity type I mechanism, which is primarily elicited by the immunoglobulin E (IgE)-linking allergen-induced imbalance of the Th2/Th1 immune response. Owing to the limited efficacy of current medications, probiotics have received attention for their potential in preventing and ameliorating AR.

Methods

In this study, a Lacticaseibacillus paracasei strain, GOLDGUTLpc969 (Lpc969), isolated from the feces of healthy adults, was proven to be effective in preventing AR by LPA-induced RBL-2H3 in-vitro and OVA-induced AR mice in-vivo evaluation.

Results

The strain significantly attenuated the release of histamine and degranulation in LPS-induced RBL-2H3 cells. In the OVA-induced AR mice, L. paracasei GOLDGUT-Lpc969 also exhibited a significant decrease in disease indicators such as the disease activity index (DAI score), serum IgE, and serum histamine. Treatment with L. paracasei GOLDGUT-Lpc969 led to significant suppression of the Th2-related cytokines IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, and TNF-α in the serum of mice.

Discussion

Furthermore, a comparison of the genomes of three previously reported AR-effective L. paracasei strains (including GOLDGUTLpc969) and one non-effective L. paracasei strain revealed that the gene K03671 may play a key role in alleviating AR symptoms. In conclusion, this study highlights the efficacy of L. paracasei GOLDGUT-Lpc969 in AR prevention by suppressing the Th2 immune response and proposes the potential involvement of the functional gene K03671 in ameliorating AR symptoms. Therefore, L. paracasei GOLDGUT-Lpc969 shows promise as a probiotic for preventing AR.
Ocean data assimilation focusing on integral quantities characterizing observation profiles
Authors: Sugiura Nozomi , Kouketsu Shinya , Osafune Satoshi
Published: September 2024

An observation operator in data assimilation was formalized based on the signatures extracted from the integral quantities contained within observed vertical profiles in the ocean. A four-dimensional variational global ocean data assimilation system, founded on this observation operator, was developed and utilized to conduct preliminary data assimilation experiments over a ten-year assimilation window, comparing the proposed method, namely profile-by-profile matching, with the traditional method, namely point-by-point matching. The proposed method not only demonstrated a point-by-point skill comparable to the traditional method but also provided superior analysis fields in terms of profile shapes on the temperature-salinity plane. This is an indication of a well-balanced analysis field, in contrast to the traditional method, which can produce extremely poor relative errors for certain metrics. Additionally, signatures were shown to successfully represent properties of the water column, such as steric height, and serve as an effective new diagnostic tool. The top-down, or macro–micro, viewpoint in this method is fundamental to the extent that it can offer an alternative view of how we comprehend ocean observations, holding significant implications for the advancement of data assimilation.
Digital twin-driven safety management and decision support approach for port operations and logistics
Authors: Wang Kan , Xu Hang , Wang Hao , Qiu Rui , Hu Qianqian , Liu Xiaolei
Published: September 2024

Ports are of great significance in processing cargo containers and facilitating global marine logistics. Nevertheless, the susceptibility of the container shipping network for hazardous cargo is likely to intensify in the event of a significant disruption at a major port, such as adverse weather conditions, inadequate management practices, or unforeseen catastrophes. Such situations require the deployment of port protection emergency response and prevention in advance. This study proposes a digital twin (DT) model that employs extensive and trajectory data within containers to comprehensively analyze the occurrence of hazardous cargo failures within the port storage process. The virtual models of physical entities in the port are created through a data-driven approach, and the behavior of these entities in a port environment with big data is then simulated. A combination of a convolutional neural network (CNN) and a long short-term memory (LSTM) algorithm is employed to provide predictions for the service layer of the DT system. The predicted correlation coefficients of temperature and humidity in the container reach 0.9855 and 0.9181, respectively. The developed system driven by DT models integrated with a CNN and the LSTM algorithm can more effectively assist the safety manager in achieving prevention in port operations. This study enables marine authorities and decision-makers to optimize emergency procedures, thereby reducing the probability of accidents in port operations and logistics.
U-Net-based computed tomography quantification of viral pneumonia can predict fibrotic interstitial lung abnormalities at 3-month follow-up
Authors: Ying Zhoumeng , Zhu Zhenchen , Hu Ge , Pan Zhengsong , Tan Weixiong , Han Wei , Wu Zifeng , Zhou Zhen , Wang Jinhua , Song Wei , Song Lan , Jin Zhengyu
Published: September 2024

Background

Given the high prevalence of fibrotic interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) post-COVID-19, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of quantitative CT features in predicting fibrotic ILAs at 3-month follow-up.

Methods

This retrospective study utilized cohorts from distinct clinical settings: the training dataset comprised individuals presenting at the fever clinic and emergency department, while the validation dataset included patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia. They were classified into fibrotic group and nonfibrotic group based on whether the fibrotic ILAs were present at follow-up. A U-Net-based AI tool was used for quantification of both pneumonia lesions and pulmonary blood volumes. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and multivariate analysis were used to assess their predictive abilities for fibrotic ILAs.

Results

Among the training dataset, 122 patients (mean age of 68 years ±16 [standard deviation], 73 men), 55.74% showed fibrotic ILAs at 3-month follow-up. The multivariate analysis identified the pneumonia volume [PV, odd ratio (OR) 3.28, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.20–9.31, p = 0.02], consolidation volume (CV, OR 3.77, 95% CI: 1.37–10.75, p = 0.01), ground-glass opacity volume (GV, OR 3.38, 95% CI: 1.26–9.38, p = 0.02), pneumonia mass (PM, OR 3.58, 95% CI: 1.28–10.46, p = 0.02), and the CT score (OR 12.06, 95% CI: 3.15–58.89, p < 0.001) as independent predictors of fibrotic ILAs, and all quantitative parameters were as effective as CT score (all p > 0.05). And the area under the curve (AUC) values were PV (0.79), GV (0.78), PM (0.79), CV (0.80), and the CT score (0.77). The validation dataset, comprising 45 patients (mean age 67.29 ± 14.29 years, 25 males) with 57.78% showing fibrotic ILAs at follow-up, confirmed the predictive validity of these parameters with AUC values for PV (0.86), CV (0.90), GV (0.83), PM (0.88), and the CT score (0.85). Additionally, the percentage of blood volume in vessels <5mm2 relative to the total pulmonary blood volume (BV5%) was significantly lower in patients with fibrotic ILAs (p = 0.048) compared to those without.

Conclusion

U-Net based quantification of pneumonia lesion and BV5% on baseline CT scan has the potential to predict fibrotic ILAs at follow-up in COVID-19 patients.
Expression of stress responsive genes enables Limosilactobacillus reuteri to cross-protection against acid, bile salt, and freeze-drying
Authors: Liu Zhenzhen , Zhao Xiao , Bangash Hina Iqbal
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Limosilactobacillus reuteri effectively colonizing the gut, secretes antimicrobial compounds and strengthens immune system function. Considering these health benefits, increasing its stress assessments efficiency could improve its commercial viability.

Methods

In this work, the resistance of L. reuteri FP41 to acid, bile salts, and freeze-drying was examined.

Results

The findings showed that strain FP41 demonstrated a strong resistance to acid/bile salt stresses. The transcriptome revealed a significant up-regulation of various stress response genes, including those related to membrane integrity, glutamine metabolism, OsmC family protein, ABC transporters, and chaperonin. Subsequent research demonstrated that overexpression of three stress response-specific proteins, including glutamate decarboxylase GatD, osmotically induced bacterial protein OsmC, and membrane protein component CsbD, significantly increased the survival rate of L. reuteri Z204 under acid/bile salts stress. Notably, overexpression of the OsmC, CsbD, and GatD proteins also enhanced the survival of L. reuteri after freeze-drying.

Discussion

The development of a unique cross-protection method is highlighted in this study, that might significantly increase cellular resistance to acid, bile salts, and cold stresses. This finding could significantly impact the way that L. reuteri is employed in industrial manufacturing processes.
Lapatinib-induced enhancement of mitochondrial respiration in HER2-positive SK-BR-3 cells: mechanism revealed by analysis of proteomic but not transcriptomic data
Authors: Kamashev Dmitry , Shaban Nina , Zakharova Galina , Modestov Alexander , Kamynina Мargarita , Baranov Sergey , Buzdin Anton
Published: September 2024

Dual inhibitors of HER2 and EGFR, such as lapatinib, have shown significant efficacy for the therapy of HER2-positive breast cancer. Previous experiments showed that in cell cultures, the efficacy of lapatinib was significantly reduced by exposure to human serum and human epidermal growth factor (EGF). At the proteomic and transcriptomic levels, we examined the changes in the HER2-positive breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 profiles upon treatment with lapatinib, either alone or in combination with human serum or EGF. Proteomic profiling revealed 350 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in response to lapatinib treatment at concentrations that induced cell growth arrest. Addition of human serum or EGF in combination with lapatinib prevented cell growth inhibition, and this combination treatment returned the expression of ∼93% of DEPs to drug-free levels for both human serum and EGF. Gene ontology enrichment and OncoboxPD pathway activation level analysis showed that lapatinib addition influenced mostly common functional processes revealed in RNA- and protein-based assays. However, a specific feature was observed at the proteome level: addition of lapatinib increased the expression of proteins associated with mitochondrial function and cellular respiration. This feature was not observed when using RNA sequencing data for the same experiments. However, it is consistent with the results of the resazurin test, which showed a 1.8-fold increase in SK-BR-3 cellular respiration upon exposure to lapatinib. Thus, we conclude that enhanced cellular respiration is a novel additional mechanism of action of lapatinib on HER2-positive cancer cells.
Analysis of the correlation between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and food intolerance
Authors: Yan Manli , Wu Hai , Zhang Kaiyuan , Gong Ping , Wang Yiting , Wei Hua
Published: September 2024

Objective

This study aims to explore the correlation between patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and food intolerance.

Methods

A total of 172 subjects who visited Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2020 and March 2023 were selected and tested for 90 food-specific IgG antibodies. The study group composed 85 individuals diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, while the control group consisted of 87 healthy individuals. Data were analyzed to determine the correlation between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and food intolerance.

Results

Among the 85 patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, 97.65% exhibited food intolerance, with an average of 15.76 ± 10.61 types of food intolerances. The most common intolerances were to eggs (75.29%), bok choy (71.76%), and milk (65.88%), each exceeding a 60% intolerance rate. In the control group of 87 healthy individuals, the intolerance rate was 95.40%, with an average of 9.57 ± 8.90 types of food intolerances. The most prevalent intolerances in the control group were to bok choy (54.02%) and eggs (52.87%), each exceeding a 50% intolerance rate.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis are more likely to develop food intolerance compared to the healthy population, which may indicate a correlation between Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and food intolerance. Different dietary patterns may affect the activity of the thyroid axis and may even be the cause of autoimmune thyroid disease. The technique of detecting food intolerance IgG antibodies has the potential to be an important reference for dietary interventions in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
Edible plant oils modulate gut microbiota during their health-promoting effects: a review
Authors: Zou Qi , Chen Ao-Qiu , Huang Jing , Wang Mei , Luo Jiang-Hong , Wang An , Wang Xiao-Yin
Published: September 2024

Edible plant oils are widely used in cooking, cosmetics, health supplement capsules, and other industries, due to their various health-promoting effects. There is increasing evidence that edible plant oils can modulate gut microbiota during their health-promoting effects in animal experiments and cohort or clinical studies. However, the information concerning the gut microbiota modulation of edible plant oils during their health-promoting effects is scattered. In this article, the research progress on gut microbiota modulation of edible plant oils (especially camellia oil, olive oil, and flaxseed oil) is summarized. Meanwhile, a summary on correlations between modulated gut microbiota and changed biochemical indexes is provided. The alterations of edible plant oils on gut microbiota-derived metabolites and the correlations between altered metabolites and modulated gut microbiota as well as changed biochemical indexes are reviewed. Furthermore, the prospects for gut microbiota modulation of edible plant oils during their health-promoting effects are put forward. Existing literature has shown that edible plant oils could modulate gut microbiota during their health-promoting effects, and some differential gut microbiota biomarkers were gained. Some similarities and differences existed while the oils exhibited health-promoting actions. Dosage and treatment time have influences on gut microbiota modulation of edible plant oils. Different edible plant oils exhibited different behaviors in modulating gut microbiota, and edible plant oils were mostly different in modulating gut microbiota compared to edible animal oils. Moreover, the modulated gut microbiota was significantly correlated with the changed biochemical indexes. Furthermore, edible plant oils altered SCFAs and other gut microbiota-derived metabolites. The altered metabolites were obviously correlated with the modulated gut microbiota and changed biochemical indexes. This review is helpful to the future research and application of edible plant oils in health-promoting effects from the perspective of gut microbiota.
Evaluating the feasibility and predictive accuracy of biodynamic imaging to platinum-based chemotherapy response in esophageal adenocarcinoma
Authors: Ajrouch Ali , Krempley Ben , Karkash Ahmad , Dewitt John M. , Al-Haddad Mohammad , Lim Dawith , Nolte David , Turek John , Perkins Susan M. , Jalal Shadia I.
Published: September 2024

Background

Esophageal cancer management lacks reliable response predictors to chemotherapy. In this study we evaluated the feasibility and accuracy of Biodynamic Imaging (BDI), a technology that employs digital holography as a rapid predictor of chemotherapy sensitivity in locoregional esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Methods

Pre-treatment endoscopic pinch biopsies were collected from patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma during standard staging procedures. BDI analyzed the tumor samples and assessed in vitro chemotherapy sensitivity. BDI sensitivity predictions were compared to patients’ pathological responses, the gold standard for determining clinical response, in the surgically treated subset (n=18).

Result

BDI was feasible with timely tissue acquisition, collection, and processing in all 30 enrolled patients and successful BDI analysis in 28/29 (96%) eligible. BDI accurately predicted chemotherapy response in 13/18 (72.2%) patients using a classifier for complete, marked, and partial/no-response. BDI technology had 100% negative predictive value for complete pathological response hence identifying patients unlikely to respond to treatment.

Conclusion

BDI technology can potentially predict patients’ response to platinum chemotherapy. Additionally, this technology represents a promising step towards optimizing treatment strategies for esophageal adenocarcinoma patients by pre-emptively identifying non-responders to conventional platinum-based chemotherapy.
Enhancing chronic low back pain management: an initial neuroimaging study of a mobile interoceptive attention training
Authors: Strigo Irina A. , Guerra Sergio Garcia , Torrisi Salvatore , Murphy Emily , Toor Tiffany , Goldman Veronica , Alter Benedict J. , Vu An Thanh , Hecht Rich , Lotz Jeff , Simmons Alan N. , Mehling Wolf E.
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) poses significant challenges, often addressed through avoidance or distraction. Emerging evidence suggests that mind-body interventions, like our novel Mind Your Pain (MyP) smartphone mobile application, may offer relief. We conducted a single-arm, mixed-methods neuroimaging study to assess the degree to which treatment response to our 8-week intervention, as measured by the reduction in the Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity Scale (PEG), was associated with enhanced pain-related insula activation over time.

Methods

Twenty-nine individuals with cLBP completed patient-reported assessments, qualitative sensory testing (QST) measures, and neuroimaging pre- and post-MyP. Functional MRI data during experimental heat pain on the left forearm were collected and analyzed, comparing responders (≥50% reduction in PEG scores) and non-responders.

Results

MyP led to significant decreases in PEG scores overall. Furthermore, MyP responders exhibited increased pain-related activation in key brain regions, including the contralateral posterior insula, bilateral ventral anterior insula, ventral anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens. Although baseline behavioral and sensory measures did not differ between the two responder groups, baseline neural differences related to the impact of the endogenous back pain were observed.

Discussion

MyP appears to modify pain response and underlying neural circuitry, suggesting neural changes in interoception may serve as biomarkers for mind-body interventions in cLBP. This study highlights the potential of MyP as a novel approach for cLBP management, warranting further investigation.
Perinatal risk factors for late neonatal severe acute kidney injury in very low birth weight infants: a retrospective study
Authors: Kim Hyun Ho , You Jihye , Park Esther , Kim Jin Kyu
Published: September 2024

This study aimed to identify the perinatal risk factors of severe acute kidney injury (AKI) occurring after the first week of birth in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants who survived up to the first week. We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study on VLBW infants (birth weight, <1,500 g) delivered at <32 weeks of gestational age (GA) from January 2012 to December 2022. We classified AKI based on changes in serum creatinine and urine output based on the modified The Kidney Disease: improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) neonatal AKI criteria. Stage 2–3 AKI were considered as severe AKI (sAKI). We performed logistic regression analysis to evaluate risk factors for late neonatal severe AKI identified in the second week after birth. We included 274 VLBW infants. The prevalence of late neonatal severe AKI (sAKI) was 27.4%, with the diagnosis rate of sAKI being higher early after birth. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors associated with late neonatal sAKI were small for gestational age (SGA) (OR, 3.02; P = 0.032), endotracheal intubation in the delivery room (OR, 2.79; P = 0.022), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (OR, 12.41; P = 0.029), and decreased minimum weekly fluid balance <0 (OR, 2.97; P = 0.012). SGA, intubation in the delivery room, and NEC were associated factors for late neonatal sAKI in VLBW infants. The association of no weekly weight gain with increased late neonatal sAKI risk indicates its use in guiding fluid therapy and aids in biomarker research.
Natural products for the treatment of allergic rhinitis: focus on cellular signaling pathways and pharmacological targets
Authors: Moradi Shabnam , Khazaei Hosna , Tarlan Mitra , Jasemi Seyed Vahid , Joshi Tanuj , Aneva Ina Yosifova , Farzaei Mohammad Hosein , Echeverría Javier
Published: September 2024

Background

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disease dependent on immunoglobulin E and causes inflammation of the nasal mucosa, leading to decreased quality of life for affected patients. Since common treatments, including corticosteroids and antihistamines, have temporary therapeutic effects and numerous side effects, investigating natural compounds effective in improving allergic rhinitis with low complications and high efficacy can be significant and necessary.

Purpose

This study aims to present a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the effect of natural compounds in improving allergic rhinitis.

Methods

Studies were identified through systematic searches of ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences databases. Eligibility checks were conducted based on predefined selection criteria. Forty-six articles were included in this study.

Results and discussion

Phytochemicals, including flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, and other compounds showed significant anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic effects. These compounds alleviate allergic rhinitis symptoms by inhibiting inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and key signaling pathways such as MAPK/NFκB and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB.

Conclusion

Phytochemicals exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, making them.
Quantification of spatial-temporal light interception of crops in different configurations of soybean-maize strip intercropping
Authors: Jin Fu , Wang Zhihua , Zhang Haizhao , Huang Sirong , Chen Meng , Kwame Titriku John , Yong Taiwen , Wang Xiaochun , Yang Feng , Liu Jiang , Yu Liang , Pu Tian , Fatima Akash , Rahman Raheela , Yan Yanhong , Yang Wenyu , Wu Yushan
Published: September 2024

Intercropping can improve light interception and crop yield on limited farmlands. The light interception rate in intercropping is determined by row configuration. Quantifying the spatio-temporal light interception of intercrops is very important for improving crop yields by optimizing the row configuration. A two-year field experiment was conducted at two sites to quantify the responses of the light interception rate of intercrops to five treatments: two rows of maize alternated with three rows of soybean (2M3S), two rows of maize alternated four rows of soybean (2M4S), two rows of maize alternated five rows of soybean (2M5S), sole soybean (SS), and sole maize (SM). We developed a multiple regression model based on the sine of the solar elevation angle (sin(h)) and crop leaf area density (LAD) to quantify the spatio-temporal light interception of intercrops. The predicted light interception rate was positively correlated with the measured values of photosynthetically active radiation (R2 > 0.814) and dry matter (R2 > 0.830). Increasing soybean rows led to an increase in light interception of both soybean and the lower layer of maize. However, this also resulted in a decrease in light interception in the upper layer of maize. At the two sites, compared to 2M3S, the annual average cumulative light interception of soybean in 2M5S increased by 44.73% and 47.18%, that of the lower layer of maize in 2M5S increased by 9.25% and 8.04%, and that of whole canopy of maize decreased by 13.77% and 17.74% respectively. The changes in dry matter and yield of intercrops were consistent with the change in light interception, which further verified the high accuracy of the light interception model. The annual average maize yield of 2M5S was 6.03% and 6.16% lower but the soybean yield was 23.69% and 28.52% higher than that of 2M3S. On the basis of system yield, the best performance was recorded in 2M4S at the two sites. In summary, the newly created light interception model performs well in the quantification of the temporal and spatial changes in crop light interception in strip intercropping and has potential applications in other configurations. Optimizing row configurations across climatic regions to enhance light interception and yield at the system level will become a future target.
Insight into the new infection pathway resulting from above-ground pathogen infection of grapevine crown gall
Authors: Kawaguchi Akira
Published: September 2024

Grapevine crown gall (GCG), a soil-borne plant disease caused by tumorigenic Allorhizobium vitis (TAV) (=tumorigenic Rhizobium vitis) strains, poses a significant threat to grapevines worldwide. Recently, outbreaks of GCG have been reported in several vineyards, necessitating investigation into potential alternative infection pathways beyond soil transmission. The spatiotemporal distribution of GCG in vineyards from 2020 to 2022 was analyzed using the binary power law (BPL) model, with variations in quadrat shapes. Both total and newly observed diseased plants exhibited an aggregated distribution, indicating that new infections clustered around existing diseased plants, with secondary infections appearing as independent cluster points. This study provides evidence that infected pruning tools can transmit the pathogen to healthy grapevines and that TAV inoculation through spraying contributes more to GCG incidence than planting in infected soil alone. This represents the first documented case of secondary above-ground TAV infection contributing to GCG in commercial vineyards.
Integrated multispectral imaging, germination phenotype, and transcriptomic analysis provide insights into seed vigor responsive mechanisms in quinoa under artificial accelerated aging
Authors: Yan Huifang , Zhang Zhao , Lv Yanzhen , Nie Yuting
Published: September 2024

Seed vigor is an important trait closely related to improved seed quality and long-term germplasm conservation, and it gradually decreases during storage, which has become a major concern for agriculture. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms of seed vigor loss in terms of genes remain largely unknown in quinoa. Here, two cultivars of quinoa seeds with different storage performance, Longli No.4 (L4) and Longli No.1 (L1), were subjected to transcriptome sequencing to decipher the pathways and genes possibly related to vigor loss under artificial aging. Multispectral imaging features and germination phenotypes showed significantly less seed vigor loss in L1 than in L4, indicating L1 seeds having stronger aging resistance and storability. Totally, 272 and 75 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were, respectively, identified in L4 and L1 during aging. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed the differences in metabolic pathways, especially, flavonoid biosynthesis, TCA cycle, and terpenoid backbone biosynthesis were significantly enriched in L4 seeds, while carbon metabolism in L1 seeds, which involved key genes such as CHS, CHI, AACT, ENO1, IDH, NADP-ME, and HAO2L. It indicated that the adverse effects on flavonoids and terpenoids induced by aging might be the significant reasons for more vigor loss in storage sensitive seeds, whereas storage tolerant seeds had a stronger ability to maintain carbon metabolism and energy supply. These findings elucidated the underlying molecular mechanism of seed vigor loss in quinoa, which also provided novel insights into improving seed vigor through modern molecular breeding strategies.
Study on detection of pesticide residues in tobacco based on hyperspectral imaging technology
Authors: Liang Min , Wang Zhiqiang , Lin Yu , Li Caixia , Zhang Liang , Liu Yaxi
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Tobacco is a critical economic crop, yet its cultivation heavily relies on chemical pesticides, posing health risks to consumers, therefore, monitoring pesticide residues in tobacco is conducive to ensuring food safety. However, most current research on pesticide residue detection in tobacco relies on traditional chemical methods, which cannot meet the requirements for real-time and rapid detection.

Methods

This study introduces an advanced method that combines hyperspectral imaging (HSI) technology with machine learning algorithms. Firstly, a hyperspectral imager was used to obtain spectral data of tobacco samples, and a variety of spectral pre-processing technologies such as mean centralization (MC), trend correction (TC), and wavelet transform (WT), as well as feature extraction methods such as competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and least angle regression (LAR) were used to process the spectral data, and then, grid search algorithm (GSA) is used to optimize the support sector machine (SVM).

Results

The optimized MC-LAR-SVM model achieved a pesticide classification accuracy of 84.1%, which was 9.5% higher than the original data model. The accuracy of the WT-TC-CARS-GSA-SVM model in the fenvalerate concentration classification experiment was as high as 91.8 %, and it also had excellent performance in other metrics. Compared with the model based on the original data, the accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score are improved by 8.3 %, 8.2 %, 7.5 %, and 0.08, respectively.

Discussion

The results show that combining spectral preprocessing and feature extraction algorithms with machine learning models can significantly enhance the performance of pesticide residue detection models and provide robust, efficient, and accurate solutions for food safety monitoring. This study provides a new technical means for the detection of pesticide residues in tobacco, which is of great significance for improving the efficiency and accuracy of food safety detection.
Plant defense compounds can enhance antagonistic effects against Alternaria brassicicola of seed-associated fungi isolated from wild Brassicaceae
Authors: Lerenard Thomas , Aligon Sophie , Berruyer Romain , Poupard Pascal , Le Corff Josiane
Published: September 2024

Plant microbiota appear more and more as potential sources of antagonistic microorganisms. However, the seed microbiota associated with wild plant species has rarely been explored. To identify fungal antagonists to the seed-borne pathogen Alternaria brassicicola, seeds were collected in natural populations of three Brassicaceae species, Arabidopsis thaliana, Capsella bursa-pastoris and Draba verna. A large number of fungal strains reduced the growth of A. brassicicola. The most antagonistic strains belonged to Alternaria, Apiospora, Trichoderma and Aspergillus. Seed-associated fungi tolerated host plant defenses and exhibited lower sensitivity compared to A. brassicicola to indolic compounds such as the phytoalexin camalexin and the glucosinolates (GLS)-breakdown compound indole-3-carbinol. By contrast, antagonistic strains were as inhibited as A. brassicicola in presence of allyl-isothiocyanates (ITC) derived from aliphatic GLS, and more inhibited by benzyl-ITC derived from aromatic GLS. However, all defense compounds could enhance the antagonistic effects of some of the isolated strains on A. brassicicola. The observed potential synergistic effects between defense compounds and seed-associated antagonistic strains emphasize the need for further studies to elucidate the molecular bases of the interactions. A better understanding of the interactions between host plants, pathogens and fungal endophytes is also needed to develop sustainable biocontrol strategies.
Are all negative words alike? Behavioral differences in processing negative words associated and not associated with physical and social pain
Authors: Borelli Eleonora , Pesciarelli Francesca
Published: September 2024

Studies examining whether stimulus valence affects cognitive processing and motor responses yield mixed results, possibly due to treating negative words as a homogeneous category. Words related to pain may hold distinct status because of their relevance to survival. Thus, they offer a unique opportunity to investigate semantic influences on cognitive processing. This study aims to determine if words related to physical and social pain elicit stronger aversion than general negative words by assessing the Affective Compatibility Effect in implicit and explicit tasks. In Experiment 1, 35 participants performed a lexical decision task on 60 positive words and 60 negative words, of which 20 not related to pain, 20 related to physical pain, and 20 related to social pain. Participants held down the central key of a keyboard and released it to press a key far from the screen (avoidance condition) or close to the screen (approach condition) for words. In Experiment 2, 43 participants performed a valence evaluation task on the same words. They held down the central key and released it to press a key close to the screen for positive words and a key far from the screen for negative words (congruent condition), or the opposite (incongruent condition). In Experiment 1, we found faster RTs for social pain-related words compared to other categories. We also found faster RTs in the approach condition than in the avoidance condition, regardless of whether valence or semantics were considered as independent variables. In Experiment 2, we found faster RTs in the congruent condition than in the incongruent condition when semantics was considered as independent variable. We also found an interaction valence*condition, with faster RTs for negative words in the congruent condition than in the incongruent condition when valence was considered as independent variable. Our findings suggest that, notwithstanding pain-related words do not affect aversive behaviors compared to negative, pain-unrelated words, they are processed faster when conveying social pain. This supports the hypothesis that the cognitive system differentiates and responds congruently not only based on general semantic categories, like pain, but also possibly based on nuances within it.
Safety and efficacy of CyTisine for smoking cessation in a hOSPital context (CITOSP): study protocol for a prospective observational study
Authors: Torazzi Alessandro , Tedesco Erika , Ceccato Sofia , Santin Laura , Campagnari Simone , Losso Lorenzo , Toldo Silvia , Casari Rebecca , Arzenton Elena , Marini Paola , Chiamulera Cristiano , Lugoboni Fabio
Published: September 2024

Tobacco addiction is the primary preventable factor contributing to global mortality, and nicotine is one of the substances with the greatest potential for addiction. With a strong affinity for the α4β2 subtype receptor, cytisine (CYT) functions as a partial agonist of the acetylcholine nicotinic cholinergic receptor. It counteracts the effects of nicotine without causing any withdrawal symptoms. These features, combined with its limited mild adverse effects and minimal drug–drug interactions, make cytisine a cost-effective treatment for smoking cessation. The current protocol describes a prospective observational study on the safety and efficacy of CYT administered to inpatient smokers of the Integrated University Hospital of Verona (IUHVR), Veneto (Italy). This is a monocentric, observational, and prospective study on both sex smokers over the age of 18 years admitted to the IUHVR who meet the criteria for recruitment and have given their consent. Eligible participants will be assigned to the CYT intervention based on the West dosing schedule and will be followed up for 12 months from treatment initiation. Evaluation of safety, efficacy, and compliance will be assessed at 7 and 25 days, with follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months from the start of the treatment (quit day). During each visit, any adverse events or adverse reactions reported by patients following the intake of CYT will be evaluated. This study will contribute, for the first time, to the knowledge about the use of CYT for smoking cessation in a hospital setting.