bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Powder X-ray diffraction of nintedanib esylate hemihydrate, (C31H33N5O4)(C2H5O3S)(H2O)0.5
Authors: Ens Tawnee M. , Kaduk James A. , Dosen Anja , Blanton Thomas N.
Published: May 2024

The crystal structure of nintedanib esylate hemihydrate was refined using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data and optimized using density functional theory techniques. Nintedanib esylate hemihydrate crystallizes in space group P-1 (#2) with a = 11.5137(1), b = 16.3208(4), c = 19.1780(5) Å, α = 69.0259(12), β = 84.4955(8), γ = 89.8319(6)°, V = 3347.57(3) Å3, and Z = 4 at 295 K. Hydrogen bonds are prominent in the crystal structure. The water molecule forms two medium-strength O–H⋯O hydrogen bonds to one of the esylate anions. The protonated nitrogen atom in each cation forms a N–H⋯O hydrogen bond to an esylate anion. The ring N–H groups form strong intramolecular N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds to carbonyl groups. The ring N–H groups form intramolecular N–H⋯O hydrogen bonds to esylate anions. Many C–H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds (and one C–H⋯N hydrogen bond), with aromatic C–H, methylene groups and methyl groups as donors, are present. The hydrogen bonding patterns of the two cations differ considerably. The powder pattern has been submitted to ICDD for inclusion in the Powder Diffraction File™ (PDF®)
Gabapentin as a novel adjunct for postoperative irritability after superior cavopulmonary connection operation in children
Authors: Thibault Celine , Ramsey E. Zachary , Collier Hailey , Shu Di , Faerber Jennifer , Schwartz Emily , Chen Jonathan , Goldberg David J. , Yehya Nadir , Gardner Monique M.
Published: May 2024

Objectives:

Describing our institution’s off-label use of gabapentin to treat irritability after superior cavopulmonary connection surgery and its impact on subsequent opiate and benzodiazepine requirements.

Methods:

This is a single-center retrospective cohort study including infants who underwent superior cavopulmonary connection operation between 2011 and 2019.

Results:

Gabapentin was administered in 74 subjects (74/323, 22.9%) during the observation period, with a median (IQR) starting dose of 5.7 (3.3, 15.0) mg/kg/day and a maximum dose of 10.7 (5.5, 23.4) mg/kg/day. Infants who underwent surgery in 2015–19 were more likely to receive gabapentin compared with those who underwent surgery in 2011–14 (p < 0.0001). Infants prescribed gabapentin were younger at surgery (137 versus 146 days, p = 0.007) and had longer chest tube durations (1.8 versus 0.9 days, p < 0.001), as well as longer postoperative intensive care (5.8 versus 3.1 days, p < 0.0001) and hospital (11.5 versus 7.0 days, p < 0.0001) lengths of stays. The year of surgery was the only predisposing factor associated with gabapentin administration in multivariate analysis. In adjusted linear regression, infants prescribed gabapentin on postoperative day 0–4 (n = 64) had reduced benzodiazepine exposure in the following 3 days (−0.29 mg/kg, 95% CI −0.52 – −0.06, p = 0.01) compared with those not prescribed gabapentin, while no difference was seen in opioid exposure (p = 0.59).

Conclusions:

Gabapentin was used with increasing frequency during the study period. There was a modest reduction in benzodiazepine requirements associated with gabapentin administration and no reduction in opioid requirements. A randomised controlled trial could better assess gabapentin’s benefits postoperatively in children with congenital heart disease.
Morphosyntactic agreement in English: does it help the listener in noise?
Authors: Schlechtweg Marcel
Published: May 2024

English morphosyntactic agreement, such as determiner–noun agreement in These cabs broke down and noun–verb agreement in The cabs break down, has a few interesting properties that enable us to investigate whether agreement has a psycholinguistic function, that is, whether it helps the listener process linguistic information expressed by a speaker. The present project relies on these properties in a perception experiment, examines the two aforementioned types of English agreement, and aims at analyzing whether and how native English listeners benefit from agreement. The two types of agreement were contrasted with cases without any overtly agreeing elements (e.g. The cabs broke down). Native speakers of English with normal hearing heard short English sentences in quiet and in more or less intense white noise and were requested to indicate whether the second word of the sentence (e.g. These cabs broke down) was a singular or plural noun. Accuracy was entered as the response variable in the binomial logistic regression model. Results showed that overt determiner–noun agreement clearly increased response accuracy, while noun–verb agreement had at best marginal effects. The findings are interpreted against the background of functional aspects of linguistic structures in English, in the context of unfavorable listening conditions in particular.
A food-exchange model for achieving the recommended dietary intakes for saturated fat in Irish children: analysis from the cross-sectional National Children’s Food Survey II
Authors: O’Connor Aileen , Buffini Maria , Nugent Anne P , Kehoe Laura , Flynn Albert , Walton Janette , Kearney John , McNulty Breige
Published: May 2024

Objective:

To identify the main foods determining SFA intakes and model the impact of food exchanges to improve compliance with dietary fat recommendations in Irish children.

Design:

Estimated food and nutrient intakes were obtained from a cross-sectional study, the National Children’s Food Survey II. Participants were categorised into low, medium and high SFA consumers, and the contribution of food categories to SFA intakes was compared. A food-exchange model was developed, whereby a selected range of high SFA foods was exchanged with lower SFA or unsaturated fat alternatives.

Setting:

Participants were randomly selected from primary schools throughout the Republic of Ireland.

Participants:

A representative sample of 600 Irish children (5–12 years).

Results:

The main determinants of low and high SFA consumers were milk, cheese and butter. These foods, including snack foods and meat and meat products, were considered exchangeable foods within the model. Compared with baseline data, modelled intakes for total fat, SFA, MUFA and trans-fat presented decreases of 3·2, 2·7, 1·6 and < 0·1 % of total energy (% TE), respectively. PUFA, n-6, n-3 and alpha-linolenic acid showed increases of 1·0, 0·8, 0·2 and 0·1 % TE, respectively. Compliance with total fat, MUFA and trans-fat recommendations remained adequate (100 %). Adherence to SFA and PUFA recommendations improved from 18 to 63 % and 80 to 100 %, respectively.

Conclusion:

The food-exchange model decreased SFA intakes and increased PUFA intakes, suggesting modest dietary changes to children’s diets can effectively improve their overall dietary fat profile.
Capillary Processes in Extraterrestrial Contexts
Authors: Cordier Daniel , Liger‐Belair Gérard , Bonhommeau David A. , Séon Thomas , Appéré Thomas , Carrasco Nathalie
Published: May 2024

The Earth is no longer the only known celestial body containing one or more liquid phases. The Cassini spacecraft has discovered seas of hydrocarbons at the surface of Titan, while a series of corroborating evidences argue in favor of the existence of an aqueous ocean beneath the icy crust of several moons. Capillarity embraces a family of physical processes occurring at the free surface of a liquid. These phenomena depend on the liquid properties and on the local planetary conditions. Capillarity may have important direct or indirect implications on the geoscientific and astrobiological points of view. In this paper, we discuss capillarity physics among solar system objects and expected consequences for planetary science.
Cholangiocarcinoma combined with biliary obstruction: an exosomal circRNA signature for diagnosis and early recurrence monitoring
Authors: Wen Ningyuan , Peng Dingzhong , Xiong Xianze , Liu Geng , Nie Guilin , Wang Yaoqun , Xu Jianrong , Wang Shaofeng , Yang Sishu , Tian Yuan , Li Bei , Lu Jiong , Cheng Nansheng
Published: May 2024

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly malignant biliary tract cancer with currently suboptimal diagnostic and prognostic approaches. We present a novel system to monitor CCA using exosomal circular RNA (circRNA) via serum and biliary liquid biopsies. A pilot cohort consisting of patients with CCA-induced biliary obstruction (CCA-BO, n = 5) and benign biliary obstruction (BBO, n = 5) was used to identify CCA-derived exosomal circRNAs through microarray analysis. This was followed by a discovery cohort (n = 20) to further reveal a CCA-specific circRNA complex (hsa-circ-0000367, hsa-circ-0021647, and hsa-circ-0000288) in both bile and serum exosomes. In vitro and in vivo studies revealed the three circRNAs as promoters of CCA invasiveness. Diagnostic and prognostic models were established and verified by two independent cohorts (training cohort, n = 184; validation cohort, n = 105). An interpreter-free diagnostic model disclosed the diagnostic power of biliary exosomal circRNA signature (Bile-DS, AUROC = 0.947, RR = 6.05) and serum exosomal circRNA signature (Serum-DS, AUROC = 0.861, RR = 4.04) compared with conventional CA19-9 (AUROC = 0.759, RR = 2.08). A prognostic model of CCA undergoing curative-intent surgery was established by calculating early recurrence score, verified with bile samples (Bile-ERS, C-index=0.783) and serum samples (Serum-ERS, C-index = 0.782). These models, combined with other prognostic factors revealed by COX-PH model, enabled the establishment of nomograms for recurrence monitoring of CCA. Our study demonstrates that the exosomal triple-circRNA panel identified in both bile and serum samples serves as a novel diagnostic and prognostic tool for the clinical management of CCA.
Comparable outcomes for TBI-based versus treosulfan based conditioning prior to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in AML and MDS patients
Authors: Berning Philipp , Kolloch Lina , Reicherts Christian , Call Simon , Marx Julia , Floeth Matthias , Esseling Eva , Ronnacker Julian , Albring Jörn , Schliemann Christoph , Lenz Georg , Stelljes Matthias
Published: May 2024

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a standard treatment for patients with AML and MDS. The combination of fractionated total body irradiation(8GyTBI/Flu) with fludarabine is an established conditioning regimen, but fludarabine/treosulfan(Flu/Treo) constitutes an alternative in older/comorbid patients. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 215 AML(in CR) and 96 MDS patients undergoing their first allo-HCT between 2011 and 2022, identifying 53 matched Flu/Treo and 8GyTBI/Flu patients through propensity score matching. Median follow-up of survivors was 3.3 years and 4.1 years. For the Flu/Treo group, 1-year non-relapse mortality (2% vs. 10%, p = 0.03) was lower, while 1-year relapse incidence (16% vs. 13%, p = 0.81) was similar. Three-year outcomes, including relapse-free survival and graft-versus-host disease incidence, were comparable (OS: 81% vs. 74%, p = 0.70; RFS: 78% vs. 66%, p = 0.28; chronic GvHD: 34% vs. 36%, p = 0.97; acute GvHD (100 days): 11% vs. 23%, p = 0.11). Multivariable analysis, considering age, ECOG, HCT-CI, and MRD status, revealed no associations with main outcomes. Dose-reduced conditioning with Flu/Treo or 8GyTBI/Flu demonstrated favorable and comparable survival rates exceeding 70% at 3 years with 1-year NRM rates below 10% and low relapse rates in the matched cohort. These data underline the need for further evaluation of TBI and Treo-based conditionings in prospective trials.
Phase stabilization of cesium lead iodide perovskites for use in efficient optoelectronic devices
Authors: Jin Handong , Zeng Yu-Jia , Steele Julian A. , Roeffaers Maarten B. J. , Hofkens Johan , Debroye Elke
Published: May 2024

All-inorganic lead halide perovskites (LHPs) and their use in optoelectronic devices have been widely explored because they are more thermally stable than their hybrid organic‒inorganic counterparts. However, the active perovskite phases of some inorganic LHPs are metastable at room temperature due to the critical structural tolerance factor. For example, black phase CsPbI3 is easily transformed back to the nonperovskite yellow phase at ambient temperature. Much attention has been paid to improving the phase stabilities of inorganic LHPs, especially those with high solar cell efficiencies. Herein, we discussed the origin of phase stability for CsPbI3 and the strategies used to stabilize the cubic (α) phase. We also assessed the CsPbI3 black β/γ phases that are relatively stable at nearly room temperature. Furthermore, we determined the relationship between phase stabilization and defect passivation and reviewed the growing trend in solar cell efficiency based on black phase CsPbI3. Finally, we provide perspectives for future research related to the quest for optimum device efficiency and green energy.
Cell-penetrating protein-recognizing polymeric nanoparticles through dynamic covalent chemistry and double imprinting
Authors: Ghosh Avijit , Sharma Mansi , Zhao Yan
Published: May 2024

Molecular recognition of proteins is key to their biological functions and processes such as protein–protein interactions (PPIs). The large binding interface involved and an often relatively flat binding surface make the development of selective protein-binding materials extremely challenging. A general method is reported in this work to construct protein-binding polymeric nanoparticles from cross-linked surfactant micelles. Preparation involves first dynamic covalent chemistry that encodes signature surface lysines on a protein template. A double molecular imprinting procedure fixes the binding groups on the nanoparticle for these lysine groups, meanwhile creating a binding interface complementary to the protein in size, shape, and distribution of acidic groups on the surface. These water-soluble nanoparticles possess excellent specificities for target proteins and sufficient affinities to inhibit natural PPIs such as those between cytochrome c (Cytc) and cytochrome c oxidase (CcO). With the ability to enter cells through a combination of energy-dependent and -independent pathways, they intervene apoptosis by inhibiting the PPI between Cytc and the apoptotic protease activating factor-1 (APAF1). Generality of the preparation and the excellent molecular recognition of the materials have the potential to make them powerful tools to probe protein functions in vitro and in cellulo.
Genetic and phenotypic characterization of Parkinson’s disease at the clinic-wide level
Authors: Tropea Thomas F. , Hartstone Whitney , Amari Noor , Baum Dylan , Rick Jacqueline , Suh Eunran , Zhang Hanwen , Paul Rachel A. , Han Noah , Zack Rebecca , Brody Eliza M. , Albuja Isabela , James Justin , Spindler Meredith , Deik Andres , Aamodt Whitley W. , Dahodwala Nabila , Hamedani Ali , Lasker Aaron , Hurtig Howard , Stern Matthew , Weintraub Daniel , Vaswani Pavan , Willis Allison W. , Siderowf Andrew , Xie Sharon X. , Van Deerlin Vivianna , Chen-Plotkin Alice S.
Published: May 2024

Observational studies in Parkinson’s disease (PD) deeply characterize relatively small numbers of participants. The Molecular Integration in Neurological Diagnosis Initiative seeks to characterize molecular and clinical features of every PD patient at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The objectives of this study are to determine the feasibility of genetic characterization in PD and assess clinical features by sex and GBA1/LRRK2 status on a clinic-wide scale. All PD patients with clinical visits at the UPenn PD Center between 9/2018 and 12/2022 were eligible. Blood or saliva were collected, and a clinical questionnaire administered. Genotyping at 14 GBA1 and 8 LRRK2 variants was performed. PD symptoms were compared by sex and gene groups. 2063 patients were approached and 1,689 (82%) were enrolled, with 374 (18%) declining to participate. 608 (36%) females were enrolled, 159 (9%) carried a GBA1 variant, and 44 (3%) carried a LRRK2 variant. Compared with males, females across gene groups more frequently reported dystonia (53% vs 46%, p = 0.01) and anxiety (64% vs 55%, p < 0.01), but less frequently reported cognitive impairment (10% vs 49%, p < 0.01) and vivid dreaming (53% vs 60%, p = 0.01). GBA1 variant carriers more frequently reported anxiety (67% vs 57%, p = 0.04) and depression (62% vs 46%, p < 0.01) than non-carriers; LRRK2 variant carriers did not differ from non-carriers. We report feasibility for near-clinic-wide enrollment and characterization of individuals with PD during clinical visits at a high-volume academic center. Clinical symptoms differ by sex and GBA1, but not LRRK2, status.
Decellularised plant scaffolds facilitate porcine skeletal muscle tissue engineering for cultivated meat biomanufacturing
Authors: Murugan Priyatharshini , Yap Wee Swan , Ezhilarasu Hariharan , Suntornnond Ratima , Le Quang Bach , Singh Satnam , Seah Jasmine Si Han , Tan Pei Leng , Zhou Weibiao , Tan Lay Poh , Choudhury Deepak
Published: May 2024

Cultivated meat (CM) offers a sustainable and ethical alternative to conventional animal agriculture, involving cell maturation in a controlled environment. To emulate the structural complexity of traditional meat, the development of animal-free and edible scaffolds is crucial, providing vital physical and biological support during tissue development. The aligned vascular bundles of the decellularised asparagus scaffold were selected to facilitate the attachment and alignment of murine myoblasts (C2C12) and porcine adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (pADMSCs). Muscle differentiation was assessed through immunofluorescence staining with muscle markers, including Myosin heavy chain (MHC), Myogenin (MYOG), and Desmin. The metabolic activity of Creatine Kinase in C2C12 differentiated cells significantly increased compared to proliferated cells. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed a significant increase in Myosin Heavy Polypeptide 1 (MYH1) and MYOG expression compared to Day 0. These results highlight the application of decellularised plant scaffold (DPS) as a promising, edible material conducive to cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation into muscle tissue. To create a CM prototype with biological mimicry, pADMSC-derived muscle and fat cells were also co-cultured on the same scaffold. The co-culture was confirmed through immunofluorescence staining of muscle markers and LipidTOX staining, revealing distinct muscle fibres and adipocytes containing lipid droplets respectively. Texture profile analysis conducted on uncooked CM prototypes and pork loin showed no significant differences in textural values. However, the pan-fried CM prototype differed significantly in hardness and chewiness compared to pork loin. Understanding the scaffolds’ textural profile enhances our insight into the potential sensory attributes of CM products. DPS shows potential for advancing CM biomanufacturing.
Designing function-specific minimal microbiomes from large microbial communities
Authors: Raghu Aswathy K. , Palanikumar Indumathi , Raman Karthik
Published: May 2024

Microorganisms exist in large communities of diverse species, exhibiting various functionalities. The mammalian gut microbiome, for instance, has the functionality of digesting dietary fibre and producing different short-chain fatty acids. Not all microbes present in a community contribute to a given functionality; it is possible to find a minimal microbiome, which is a subset of the large microbiome, that is capable of performing the functionality while maintaining other community properties such as growth rate and metabolite production. Such a minimal microbiome will also contain keystone species for SCFA production in that community. In this work, we present a systematic constraint-based approach to identify a minimal microbiome from a large community for a user-proposed function. We employ a top-down approach with sequential deletion followed by solving a mixed-integer linear programming problem with the objective of minimising the L1-norm of the membership vector. Notably, we consider quantitative measures of community growth rate and metabolite production rates. We demonstrate the utility of our algorithm by identifying the minimal microbiomes corresponding to three model communities of the gut, and discuss their validity based on the presence of the keystone species in the community. Our approach is generic, flexible and finds application in studying a variety of microbial communities. The algorithm is available from https://github.com/RamanLab/minMicrobiome.
Selection of a promiscuous minimalist cAMP phosphodiesterase from a library of de novo designed proteins
Authors: Schnettler J. David , Wang Michael S. , Gantz Maximilian , Bunzel H. Adrian , Karas Christina , Hollfelder Florian , Hecht Michael H.
Published: May 2024

The ability of unevolved amino acid sequences to become biological catalysts was key to the emergence of life on Earth. However, billions of years of evolution separate complex modern enzymes from their simpler early ancestors. To probe how unevolved sequences can develop new functions, we use ultrahigh-throughput droplet microfluidics to screen for phosphoesterase activity amidst a library of more than one million sequences based on a de novo designed 4-helix bundle. Characterization of hits revealed that acquisition of function involved a large jump in sequence space enriching for truncations that removed >40% of the protein chain. Biophysical characterization of a catalytically active truncated protein revealed that it dimerizes into an α-helical structure, with the gain of function accompanied by increased structural dynamics. The identified phosphodiesterase is a manganese-dependent metalloenzyme that hydrolyses a range of phosphodiesters. It is most active towards cyclic AMP, with a rate acceleration of ~109 and a catalytic proficiency of >1014 M−1, comparable to larger enzymes shaped by billions of years of evolution.
Chromosome-level genome assembly of the threatened resource plant Cinnamomum chago
Authors: Tao Lidan , Guo Shiwei , Xiong Zizhu , Zhang Rengang , Sun Weibang
Published: May 2024

Cinnamomum chago is a tree species endemic to Yunnan province, China, with potential economic value, phylogenetic importance, and conservation priority. We assembled the genome of C. chago using multiple sequencing technologies, resulting in a high-quality, chromosomal-level genome with annotation information. The assembled genome size is approximately 1.06 Gb, with a contig N50 length of 92.10 Mb. About 99.92% of the assembled sequences could be anchored to 12 pseudo-chromosomes, with only one gap, and 63.73% of the assembled genome consists of repeat sequences. In total, 30,497 genes were recognized according to annotation, including 28,681 protein-coding genes. This high-quality chromosome-level assembly and annotation of C. chago will assist us in the conservation and utilization of this valuable resource, while also providing crucial data for studying the evolutionary relationships within the Cinnamomum genus, offering opportunities for further research and exploration of its diverse applications.
A dataset for measuring the impact of research data and their curation
Authors: Hemphill Libby , Thomer Andrea , Lafia Sara , Fan Lizhou , Bleckley David , Moss Elizabeth
Published: May 2024

Science funders, publishers, and data archives make decisions about how to responsibly allocate resources to maximize the reuse potential of research data. This paper introduces a dataset developed to measure the impact of archival and data curation decisions on data reuse. The dataset describes 10,605 social science research datasets, their curation histories, and reuse contexts in 94,755 publications that cover 59 years from 1963 to 2022. The dataset was constructed from study-level metadata, citing publications, and curation records available through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) at the University of Michigan. The dataset includes information about study-level attributes (e.g., PIs, funders, subject terms); usage statistics (e.g., downloads, citations); archiving decisions (e.g., curation activities, data transformations); and bibliometric attributes (e.g., journals, authors) for citing publications. This dataset provides information on factors that contribute to long-term data reuse, which can inform the design of effective evidence-based recommendations to support high-impact research data curation decisions.
Feasibility, safety, efficacy and potential scaling-up of sofosbuvir-based HCV treatment in Central and West Africa: (TAC ANRS 12311 trial)
Authors: Lacombe Karine , Moh Raoul , Chazallon Corine , Lemoine Maud , Sylla Babacar , Fadiga Fatoumata , Le Carrou Jerôme , Marcellin Fabienne , Kouanfack Charles , Ciaffi Laura , Sartre Michelle Tagni , Sida Magloire Biwole , Diallo Alpha , Gozlan Joel , Seydi Moussa , Cissé Viviane , Danel Christine , Girard Pierre Marie , Toni Thomas d’Aquin , Minga Albert , Boyer Sylvie , Carrieri Patrizia , Attia Alain ,   The TAC ANRS12311 Study Group, Karcher Sophie , Touret Pierre , Mory Camara , Lawson-Ananissoh Laté Mawuli , Konan Romuald , Lakhe Ndèye Aissatou , Fall Batsy Koita , N’Diaye Bara , Toure Kane Coumba , Tagni-Sartre Michelle , Dang Babagna Isabelle , Tchoumi Eric Pascal , Mpoundi Ngole Eitel , Aghokeng Avelin , Djubgang Rina
Published: May 2024

Access to Hepatis C treatment in Sub-Saharan Africa is a clinical, public health and ethical concern. The multi-country open-label trial TAC ANRS 12311 allowed assessing the feasibility, safety, efficacy of a specific care model of HCV treatment and retreatment in patients with hepatitis C in Sub Saharan Africa. Between November 2015 and March 2017, with follow-up until mid 2019, treatment-naïve patients with HCV without decompensated cirrhosis or liver cancer were recruited to receive 12 week-treatment with either sofosbuvir + ribavirin (HCV genotype 2) or sofosbuvir + ledipasvir (genotype 1 or 4) and retreatment with sofosbuvir + velpatasvir + voxilaprevir in case of virological failure. The primary outcome was sustained virological response at 12 weeks after end of treatment (SVR12). Secondary outcomes included treatment adherence, safety and SVR12 in patients who were retreated due to non-response to first-line treatment. The model of care relied on both viral load assessment and educational sessions to increase patient awareness, adherence and health literacy. The study recruited 120 participants, 36 HIV-co-infected, and 14 cirrhotic. Only one patient discontinued treatment because of return to home country. Neither death nor severe adverse event occurred. SVR12 was reached in 107 patients (89%): (90%) in genotype 1 or 2, and 88% in GT-4. All retreated patients (n = 13) reached SVR12. HCV treatment is highly acceptable, safe and effective under this model of care. Implementation research is now needed to scale up point-of-care HCV testing and SVR assessment, along with community involvement in patient education, to achieve HCV elimination in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Enhancing soccer goalkeepers penalty dive kinematics with instructional video and laterality insights in field conditions
Authors: Monteiro Rafael Luiz Martins , dos Santos Carlos Cesar Arruda , Blauberger Patrick , Link Daniel , Russomanno Tiago Guedes , Tahara Ariany Klein , Chinaglia Abel Gonçalves , Santiago Paulo Roberto Pereira
Published: May 2024

This study aimed to analyze the effect of laterality and instructional video on the soccer goalkeepers’ dive kinematics in penalty. Eight goalkeepers from youth categories (U15, U17, U20) were randomly divided into control (CG) and video instruction groups (VG). The latter performed 20 penalty defense trials on the field with balls launched by a machine, ten before and after watching a video instruction to improve the diving kinematics. The CG only performed the dives. Three cameras recorded the collections. A markerless motion capture technique (OpenPose) was used for identification and tracking of joints and anatomical references on video. The pose data were used for 3D reconstruction. In the post-instruction situation, the VG presented differences in comparison to the CG in the: knee flexion/extension angle, time to reach peak resultant velocity, frontal step distance, and frontal departure angle, which generated greater acceleration during the dive. Non-dominant leg side dives had higher resultant velocity during 88.4 – 100% of the diving cycle, different knee flexion/extension angle, and higher values ​​in the frontal step distance. The instructional video generated an acute change in the diving movement pattern of young goalkeepers when comparing the control and the video instruction group in the post condition.
Four-years change of BMI and waist circumference are associated with metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly Chinese
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyun , Wang Ying , Li Yuqing , Gui Jiaofeng , Mei Yujin , Yang Xue , Liu Haiyang , Guo Lei-lei , Li Jinlong , Lei Yunxiao , Li Xiaoping , Sun Lu , Yang Liu , Yuan Ting , Wang Congzhi , Zhang Dongmei , Li Jing , Liu Mingming , Hua Ying , Zhang Lin
Published: May 2024

The purpose of the study was to determine whether changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in middle-aged and elderly Chinese are associated with metabolic syndrome. In this cohort investigation, 3697 middle-aged and elderly people aged 45 or over were recruited from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (2005) defined metabolic syndrome (MetS). With Cox regression analysis, we calculated hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MetS based on BMI-WC change categories. To assess the prevalence of MetS, the changes in BMI and WC levels were classified into four quartiles based on their relative and absolute changes. In subjects whose BMI and WC decreased (HR = 0.338; 95% CIs 0.264, 0.433) as well as those whose BMI increased and their WC decreased (HR = 0.375; 95% CIs 0.228, 0.499), metabolic syndrome risk was significantly lower compared with those with increases in both BMI and WC. Regarding the absolute changes in BMI, the lowest percentile of BMI was significantly lower in both males (HR = 0.302; 95% CIs 0.204, 0.448) and females (HR = 0.486; 95% CIs 0.354, 0.667) for the risk of metabolic syndrome. Similar results were observed in the absolute changes in WC, with the lowest quantile of WC having a significant impact on MetS risk in males (HR = 0.170; 95% CIs 0.107, 0.270) and females (HR = 0.303; 95% CIs 0.217, 0.424). The risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with changes in BMI and WC in middle-aged and elderly Chinese. A reduced BMI and WC are associated with lower metabolic syndrome risks in middle-aged and elderly people.
A study on volumetric change of mandibular condyles with osteoarthritis using cone-beam computed tomography
Authors: Min Chang-Ki , Kim Kyoung-A , Lee Kyung-Eun , Suh Bong-Jik , Jung Won
Published: May 2024

This study aimed to quantitatively assess three-dimensional changes in the mandibular condyle with osteoarthritis using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Pre- and post-treatment CBCT images of temporomandibular joints (TMJs) from 66 patients were used to assess longitudinal changes in condylar volume within individual patients using 3D slicer software. Total volume difference (dV), net increase (dV + , bone deposition), and net decrease (dV− , bone resorption) after treatment were analyzed based on clinical and radiological factors. Condyles with surface erosion at their first visit showed significantly decreased volume after treatment compared to condyles without erosion (p < 0.05). Amounts of bone resorption and deposition were higher in condyles with surface erosion (both p < 0.01). In patients with condylar erosion, the presence of joint pain was associated with a decrease in condylar volume and an increase in net resorption (both p < 0.01). When both joint pain and condylar erosion were present, patients with parafunctional habits showed reduced condylar volume after treatment (p < 0.05). Condylar volume change after treatment was negatively correlated with the duration of pain relief (R = − 0.501, p < 0.05). These results indicate that condylar erosion and TMJ pain could be significant variables affecting TMJ volume changes after treatment. Establishing appropriate treatment strategies is crucial for managing condylar erosion and TMJ pain.
Fabrication and characterization of a new eco-friendly sulfonamide-chitosan derivative with enhanced antimicrobial and selective cytotoxicity properties
Authors: Ibrahim Ahmed G. , Hamodin Ahmed G. , Fouda Amr , Eid Ahmed M. , Elgammal Walid E.
Published: May 2024

Chitosan (CH) exhibits low antimicrobial activity. This study addresses this issue by modifying the chitosan with a sulfonamide derivative, 3-(4-(N,N-dimethylsulfonyl)phenyl)acrylic acid. The structure of the sulfonamide-chitosan derivative (DMS-CH) was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Nuclear magnetic resonance. The results of scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction indicated that the morphology changed to a porous nature, the thermal stability decreased, and the crystallinity increased in the DMS-CH derivative compared to chitosan, respectively. The degree of substitution was calculated from the elemental analysis data and was found to be moderate (42%). The modified chitosan exhibited enhanced antimicrobial properties at low concentrations, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 50 µg/mL observed for B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa, and a value of 25 µg/mL for S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans. In the case of native chitosan, the MIC values doubled or more, with 50 µg/mL recorded for E. coli and C. albicans and 100 μg/mL recorded for B. subtilis, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, toxicological examinations conducted on MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma) cell lines demonstrated that DMS-CH exhibited greater toxicity (IC50 = 225.47 μg/mL) than pure CH, while still maintaining significant safety limits against normal lung fibroblasts (WI-38). Collectively, these results suggest the potential use of the newly modified chitosan in biomedical applications.
Maize leaf disease recognition using PRF-SVM integration: a breakthrough technique
Authors: Bachhal Prabhnoor , Kukreja Vinay , Ahuja Sachin , Lilhore Umesh Kumar , Simaiya Sarita , Bijalwan Anchit , Alroobaea Roobaea , Algarni Sultan
Published: May 2024

The difficulty of collecting maize leaf lesion characteristics in an environment that undergoes frequent changes, suffers varying illumination from lighting sources, and is influenced by a variety of other factors makes detecting diseases in maize leaves difficult. It is critical to monitor and identify plant leaf diseases during the initial growing period to take suitable preventative measures. In this work, we propose an automated maize leaf disease recognition system constructed using the PRF-SVM model. The PRFSVM model was constructed by combining three powerful components: PSPNet, ResNet50, and Fuzzy Support Vector Machine (Fuzzy SVM). The combination of PSPNet and ResNet50 not only assures that the model can capture delicate visual features but also allows for end-to-end training for smooth integration. Fuzzy SVM is included as a final classification layer to accommodate the inherent fuzziness and uncertainty in real-world image data. Five different maize crop diseases (common rust, southern rust, grey leaf spot, maydis leaf blight, and turcicum leaf blight along with healthy leaves) are selected from the Plant Village dataset for the algorithm’s evaluation. The average accuracy achieved using the proposed method is approximately 96.67%. The PRFSVM model achieves an average accuracy rating of 96.67% and a mAP value of 0.81, demonstrating the efficacy of our approach for detecting and classifying various forms of maize leaf diseases.
Dogs understand the role of a human partner in a cooperative task
Authors: Wallner Werneck Mendes Juliana , Vindevogel Marie , van Peer Ilka , Martínez Mayte , Cimarelli Giulia , Range Friederike
Published: May 2024

Humans are exceptionally flexible in cooperation, partly due to our ability to recognize the roles of cooperative partners. While some non-human animals understand the need for a partner in such interactions, it is unclear whether they grasp the consequences of their partner’s actions and adjust accordingly. Previous studies utilizing economic games with non-human animals yielded mixed results. We investigated dogs, known for their close cooperation with humans, in a stag hunt game. Dogs could cooperate for better rewards or defect for lower ones, while their human partners would either cooperate, never cooperate, or act randomly. We control for attraction to food, side bias, and local enhancement. Dogs were more likely to coordinate with their partners when it led to better rewards, suggesting that they understood their partner’s actions. By highlighting this cognitive skill in dogs, we advance our knowledge of the intricate mechanisms driving cooperative behavior in non-human animals.
Discovery of the first hydrothermal field along the 500-km-long Knipovich Ridge offshore Svalbard (the Jøtul field)
Authors: Bohrmann Gerhard , Streuff Katharina , Römer Miriam , Knutsen Stig-Morten , Smrzka Daniel , Kleint Jan , Röhler Aaron , Pape Thomas , Sandstå Nils Rune , Kleint Charlotte , Hansen Christian , dos Santos Ferreira Christian , Walter Maren , de Paula Santos Gustavo Macedo , Bach Wolfgang
Published: May 2024

Oceanic spreading centers north of Iceland are characterized by ultraslow spreading rates, and related hydrothermal activity has been detected in the water column and at the seafloor along nearly all ridge segments. An exception is the 500-km-long Knipovich Ridge, from where, until now, no hydrothermal vents were known. Here we report the investigation of the first hydrothermal vent field of the Knipovich Ridge, which was discovered in July 2022 during expedition MSM109. The newly discovered hydrothermal field, named Jøtul hydrothermal field, is associated with the eastern bounding fault of the rift valley rather than with an axial volcanic ridge. Guided by physico-chemical anomalies in the water column, ROV investigations on the seafloor showed a wide variety of fluid escape sites, inactive and active mounds with abundant hydrothermal precipitates, and chemosynthetic organisms. Fluids with temperatures between 8 and 316 °C as well as precipitates were sampled at four vent sites. High methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonium concentrations, as well as high 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios of the vent fluids indicate strong interaction between magma and sediments from the Svalbard continental margin. Such interactions are important for carbon mobilization at the seafloor and the carbon cycle in the ocean.
Reducing biomass burning is key to decrease PM2.5 exposure in European cities
Authors: Zauli-Sajani Stefano , Thunis Philippe , Pisoni Enrico , Bessagnet Bertrand , Monforti-Ferrario Fabio , De Meij Alexander , Pekar Ferenc , Vignati Elisabetta
Published: May 2024

Throughout the world, ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is the environmental factor that poses the greatest risk to health and most European citizens continue to be exposed to PM2.5 levels well above World Health Organization guidelines. Here we present a comprehensive PM2.5 modelling-based source allocation assessment in 708 urban areas in Europe. The results show that urban cores, together with their commuting zones, contribute an average of 22% to urban PM2.5 concentrations levels. The residential sector is the highest source sector in 56% of cities. Its average contribution to PM2.5 formation is 27%, with a cluster of cities in Northern Italy and Eastern Europe contributing to more than 50%. Industry, agriculture and road transport show average contributions of 18%, 17% and 14%, respectively. Most emissions from residential sectors are anthropogenic primary PM2.5 which includes a condensable fraction. Furthermore, anthropogenic primary PM2.5 represents the precursor with the highest contribution in most cities (72%), contributing an average of 35% to urban PM2.5 levels. Emissions of anthropogenic primary PM2.5 by the residential sector are almost entirely (with exceptions of few countries) due to biomass burning. These results suggest that the residential sector should be a key target of any policy to improve air quality and that climate policies promoting biomass as a climate-neutral fuel could have a detrimental effect on air quality. A more integrated approach to climate and air quality policy design is desirable.
Functional connectivity associated with attention networks differs among subgroups of fibromyalgia patients: an observational case–control study
Authors: Aoe Tomohiko , Kawanaka Ryoko , Ohsone Fumio , Hara Akira , Yokokawa Tokuzo
Published: May 2024

Fibromyalgia is a heterogenous chronic pain disorder diagnosed by symptom-based criteria. The aim of this study was to clarify different pathophysiological characteristics between subgroups of patients with fibromyalgia. We identified subgroups with distinct pain thresholds: those with a low pressure pain threshold (PL; 16 patients) and those with a normal pressure pain threshold (PN; 15 patients). Both groups experienced severe pain. We performed resting-state functional MRI analysis and detected 11 functional connectivity pairs among all 164 ROIs with distinct difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). The most distinctive one was that the PN group had significantly higher functional connectivity between the secondary somatosensory area and the dorsal attention network (p < 0.0001). Then, we investigated the transmission pathway of pain stimuli. Functional connectivity of the thalamus to the insular cortex was significantly higher in the PL group (p < 0.01 – 0.05). These results suggest that endogenous pain driven by top-down signals via the dorsal attention network may contribute to pain sensation in a subgroup of fibromyalgia patients with a normal pain threshold. Besides, external pain driven by bottom-up signals via the spinothalamic tract may contribute to pain sensations in another group of patients with a low pain threshold.

Trial registration: UMIN000037712.
Permeability modelling in a highly heterogeneous tight carbonate reservoir using comparative evaluating learning-based and fitting-based approaches
Authors: Hajibolouri Ehsan , Roozshenas Ali Akbar , Miri Rohaldin , Soleymanzadeh Aboozar , Kord Shahin , Shafiei Ali
Published: May 2024

Permeability modelling is considered a complex task in reservoir characterization and a key component of reservoir simulation. A common method for permeability modelling involves performing static rock typing (SRT) using routine core analysis data and developing simple fitting-based mathematical relations that link permeability to reservoir rock porosity. In the case of carbonate reservoirs, which are associated with high heterogeneities, fitting-based approaches may fail due to porosity–permeability data scattering. Accurate modelling of permeability using petrophysical well log data seems more promising since they comprise a vast array of information about the intrinsic properties of the geological formations. Furthermore, well log data exhibit continuity throughout the entire reservoir interval, whereas core data are discrete and limited in availability and coverage. In this research work, porosity, permeability and log data of two oil wells from a tight carbonate reservoir were used to predict permeability at un-cored intervals. Machine learning (ML) and fitting models were used to develop predictive models. Then, the developed ML models were compared to exponential and statistical fitting modelling approaches. The integrated ML permeability model based on Random Forest method performed significantly superior to exponential and statistical fitting-based methods. Accordingly, for horizontal and vertical permeability of test samples, the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) values were 3.7 and 4.5 for well 2, and 1.7 and 0.86 for well 4, respectively. Hence, using log data, permeability modelling was improved as it incorporates more comprehensive reservoir rock physics. The outcomes of this reach work can be used to improve the distribution of both horizontal and vertical permeability in the 3D model for future dynamic reservoir simulations in such a complex and heterogeneous reservoir system.
FFA-GPT: an automated pipeline for fundus fluorescein angiography interpretation and question-answer
Authors: Chen Xiaolan , Zhang Weiyi , Xu Pusheng , Zhao Ziwei , Zheng Yingfeng , Shi Danli , He Mingguang
Published: May 2024

Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) is a crucial diagnostic tool for chorioretinal diseases, but its interpretation requires significant expertise and time. Prior studies have used Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based systems to assist FFA interpretation, but these systems lack user interaction and comprehensive evaluation by ophthalmologists. Here, we used large language models (LLMs) to develop an automated interpretation pipeline for both report generation and medical question-answering (QA) for FFA images. The pipeline comprises two parts: an image-text alignment module (Bootstrapping Language-Image Pre-training) for report generation and an LLM (Llama 2) for interactive QA. The model was developed using 654,343 FFA images with 9392 reports. It was evaluated both automatically, using language-based and classification-based metrics, and manually by three experienced ophthalmologists. The automatic evaluation of the generated reports demonstrated that the system can generate coherent and comprehensible free-text reports, achieving a BERTScore of 0.70 and F1 scores ranging from 0.64 to 0.82 for detecting top-5 retinal conditions. The manual evaluation revealed acceptable accuracy (68.3%, Kappa 0.746) and completeness (62.3%, Kappa 0.739) of the generated reports. The generated free-form answers were evaluated manually, with the majority meeting the ophthalmologists’ criteria (error-free: 70.7%, complete: 84.0%, harmless: 93.7%, satisfied: 65.3%, Kappa: 0.762–0.834). This study introduces an innovative framework that combines multi-modal transformers and LLMs, enhancing ophthalmic image interpretation, and facilitating interactive communications during medical consultation.
Persistent T cell unresponsiveness associated with chronic visceral leishmaniasis in HIV-coinfected patients
Authors: de Vrij Nicky , Pollmann Julia , Rezende Antonio M. , Ibarra-Meneses Ana V. , Pham Thao-Thy , Hailemichael Wasihun , Kassa Mekibib , Bogale Tadfe , Melkamu Roma , Yeshanew Arega , Mohammed Rezika , Diro Ermias , Maes Ilse , Domagalska Malgorzata A. , Landuyt Hanne , Vogt Florian , van Henten Saskia , Laukens Kris , Cuypers Bart , Meysman Pieter , Beyene Hailemariam , Sisay Kasaye , Kibret Aderajew , Mersha Dagnew , Ritmeijer Koert , van Griensven Johan , Adriaensen Wim
Published: May 2024

A large proportion of HIV-coinfected visceral leishmaniasis (VL-HIV) patients exhibit chronic disease with frequent VL recurrence. However, knowledge on immunological determinants underlying the disease course is scarce. We longitudinally profiled the circulatory cellular immunity of an Ethiopian HIV cohort that included VL developers. We show that chronic VL-HIV patients exhibit high and persistent levels of TIGIT and PD-1 on CD8+/CD8- T cells, in addition to a lower frequency of IFN-γ+ TIGIT- CD8+/CD8- T cells, suggestive of impaired T cell functionality. At single T cell transcriptome and clonal resolution, the patients show CD4+ T cell anergy, characterised by a lack of T cell activation and lymphoproliferative response. These findings suggest that PD-1 and TIGIT play a pivotal role in VL-HIV chronicity, and may be further explored for patient risk stratification. Our findings provide a strong rationale for adjunctive immunotherapy for the treatment of chronic VL-HIV patients to break the recurrent disease cycle.