bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bacillus subtilis revives conventional antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis
Authors: Zhang Fan , Wang Bowei , Liu Shiluan , Chen Yuhui , Lin Yihuang , Liu Zixian , Zhang Xianrong , Yu Bin
Published: May 2021

As treatment of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) osteomyelitis is often hindered by the development of antibiotic tolerance, novel antibacterial therapeutics are required. Here we found that the cell-free supernatant of Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis CFS) killed planktonic and biofilm S. aureus, and increased S. aureus susceptibility to penicillin and gentamicin as well. Further study showed that B. subtilis CFS suppressed the expression of the genes involved in adhesive molecules (Cna and ClfA), virulence factor Hla, quorum sensing (argA, argB and RNAIII) and biofilm formation (Ica and sarA) in S. aureus. Additionally, our data showed that B. subtilis CFS changed the membrane components and increased membrane permeabilization of S. aureus. Finally, we demonstrated that B. subtilis CFS increased considerably the susceptibility of S. aureus to penicillin and effectively reduced S. aureus burdens in a mouse model of implant-associated osteomyelitis. These findings support that B. subtilis CFS may be a potential resistance-modifying agent for β-lactam antibiotics against S. aureus.
miR-129-5p inhibits clear cell renal cell carcinoma cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting SPN
Authors: Gao Bin , Wang Lijuan , Zhang Na , Han Miaomiao , Zhang Yubo , Liu Huancai , Sun Dongli , Xiao Xiaolong , Liu Yifei
Published: May 2021

Objective

Our study aims to investigate the mechanism of the miR-129-5p/SPN axis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), providing a novel direction for the targeted therapy of ccRCC.

Methods

Bioinformatics methods were implemented to find the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with ccRCC from TCGA database. qRT-PCR was performed to detect miR-129-5p and SPN mRNA expression, while western bot was carried out for the detection of protein expression of SPN. Bioinformatics analysis was used to predict the binding sites of miR-129-5p on SPN 3’UTR, while dual-luciferase assay was conducted to verify their binding relationship. CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assay were employed to measure ccRCC cell proliferative ability, cell formation ability, cell migratory and invasive abilities. Flow cytometry was implemented to assess cell cycle and apoptosis.

Results

miR-129-5p exhibited a significantly down-regulated expression level in ccRCC, while SPN showed a remarkably up-regulated expression level. Overexpressed miR-129-5p inhibited ccRCC cell proliferative, invasive and migratory capacities while induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase and promoted cell apoptosis. Dual-luciferase assay confirmed that there was a binding relationship between miR-129-5p and SPN. Moreover, overexpressed miR-129-5p remarkably reduced SPN expression in cancer cells, weakened the promoting effect of SPN on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progress, and led to enhanced cell apoptotic activity.

Conclusions

Our study proves the regulatory effect of the miR-129-5p/SPN axis in ccRCC, and provides a novel potential target for precise treatment of patients with ccRCC.
Mismatch repair-deficient hormone receptor-positive breast cancers: Biology and pathological characterization
Authors: Sajjadi Elham , Venetis Konstantinos , Piciotti Roberto , Invernizzi Marco , Guerini-Rocco Elena , Haricharan Svasti , Fusco Nicola
Published: May 2021

The clinical outcome of patients with a diagnosis of hormone receptor (HR)+ breast cancer has improved remarkably since the arrival of endocrine therapy. Yet, resistance to standard treatments is a major clinical challenge for breast cancer specialists and a life-threatening condition for the patients. In breast cancer, mismatch repair (MMR) status assessment has been demonstrated to be clinically relevant not only in terms of screening for inherited conditions such as Lynch syndrome, but also for prognostication, selection for immunotherapy, and early identification of therapy resistance. Peculiar traits characterize the MMR biology in HR+ breast cancers compared to other cancer types. In these tumors, MMR genetic alterations are relatively rare, occurring in ~3 % of cases. On the other hand, modifications at the protein level can be observed also in the absence of gene alterations and vice versa. In HR+ breast cancers, the prognostic role of MMR deficiency has been confirmed by several studies, but its predictive value remains a matter of controversy. The characterization of MMR status in these patients is troubled by the lack of tumor-specific guidelines and/or companion diagnostic tests. For this reason, precise identification of MMR-deficient breast cancers can be problematic. A deeper understanding of the MMR biology and clinical actionability in HR+ breast cancer may light the path to effective tumor-specific diagnostic tools. For a precise MMR status profiling, the specific strengths and limitations of the available technologies should be taken into consideration. This article aims at providing a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge of MMR alterations in HR+ breast cancer. The available armamentarium for MMR testing in these tumors is also examined along with possible strategies for a tailored pathological characterization.
Factors associated with the use of insecticide-treated nets: analysis of the 2018 Burkina Faso Malaria Indicator Survey
Authors: Tassembedo Mahamadi , Coulibaly Soumaila , Ouedraogo Boukary
Published: May 2021

Background

Sleeping under an ITN reduces contact with mosquitoes through the combination of a physical barrier and an insecticidal effect, which reduces the incidence of malaria. The 2016–2020 Burkina Faso National Malaria Strategic Plan aims to have at least 90% of the population, 100% of children under age 5, and 100% of pregnant women sleep under an ITN.

Methods

The analysis examines individual, household, and community-level factors associated with ITN usage. According to the 2017–18 Burkina Faso MIS, 58% of individuals in households that own at least one ITN reported that they slept under an ITN on the night before the survey.

Results

The use of ITNs was significantly associated with individual, household, and community-level variables that included age, gender, age of household head, number of sleeping rooms, wealth, malaria prevalence, residence, and region.

Conclusions

The results highlight areas of intervention at the individual, household, and community levels that can increase ITN use.
Inhibition of mutant KRAS-driven overexpression of ARF6 and MYC by an eIF4A inhibitor drug improves the effects of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer
Authors: Hashimoto Ari , Handa Haruka , Hata Soichiro , Tsutaho Akio , Yoshida Takao , Hirano Satoshi , Hashimoto Shigeru , Sabe Hisataka
Published: May 2021

Many clinical trials are being conducted to clarify effective combinations of various drugs for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. However, although extensive studies from multiple aspects have been conducted regarding treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), there are still no effective ICB-based therapies or biomarkers for this cancer type. A series of our studies have identified that the small GTPase ARF6 and its downstream effector AMAP1 (also called ASAP1/DDEF1) are often overexpressed in different cancers, including PDAC, and closely correlate with poor patient survival. Mechanistically, the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway drives cancer cell invasion and immune evasion, via upregulating β1-integrins and PD-L1, and downregulating E-cadherin, upon ARF6 activation by external ligands. Moreover, the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway enhances the fibrosis caused by PDAC, which is another barrier for ICB therapies. KRAS mutations are prevalent in PDACs. We have shown previously that oncogenic KRAS mutations are the major cause of the aberrant overexpression of ARF6 and AMAP1, in which KRAS signaling enhances eukaryotic initiation factor 4A (eIF4A)-dependent ARF6 mRNA translation and eIF4E-dependent AMAP1 mRNA translation. MYC overexpression is also a key pathway in driving cancer malignancy. MYC mRNA is also known to be under the control of eIF4A, and the eIF4A inhibitor silvestrol suppresses MYC and ARF6 expression. Using a KPC mouse model of human PDAC (LSL-Kras(G12D/+); LSL-Trp53(R172H/+)); Pdx-1-Cre), we here demonstrate that inhibition of the ARF6-AMAP1 pathway by shRNAs in cancer cells results in therapeutic synergy with an anti-PD-1 antibody in vivo; and furthermore, that silvestrol improves the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy, whereas silvestrol on its own promotes tumor growth in vivo. ARF6 and MYC are both essential for normal cell functions. We demonstrate that silvestrol substantially mitigates the overexpression of ARF6 and MYC in KRAS-mutated cells, whereas the suppression is moderate in KRAS-intact cells. We propose that targeting eIF4A, as well as mutant KRAS, provides novel methods to improve the efficacy of anti-PD-1 and associated ICB therapies against PDACs, in which ARF6 and AMAP1 overexpression, as well as KRAS mutations of cancer cells are biomarkers to identify patients with drug-susceptible disease. The same may be applicable to other cancers with KRAS mutations.
Mir-139-5p inhibits glioma cell proliferation and progression by targeting GABRA1
Authors: Wang Lei , Liu Yan , Yu Zhengtao , Gong Jianwu , Deng Zhiyong , Ren Nianjun , Zhong Zhe , Cai Hao , Tang Zhi , Cheng Haofeng , Chen Shuai , He Zhengwen
Published: May 2021

Glioma is an extremely aggressive malignant neoplasm of the central nervous system. MicroRNA (miRNA) are known to bind to specific target mRNA to regulate post-transcriptional gene expression and are, therefore, currently regarded as promising biomarkers for glioma diagnosis and prognosis. The aim of the present study was to examine the pathogenesis and potential molecular markers of glioma by comparing the differential expression of miRNA and mRNA between glioma tissue and peritumor brain tissue. We explored the impact of screened core miRNA and mRNA on cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of glioma. An miRNA expression profile dataset (GSE90603) and a transcriptome profile dataset (GSE90598) were downloaded from combined miRNA-mRNA microarray chips in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Overall, 59 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and 419 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the R limma software package. FunRich software was used to predict DEM target genes and miRNA-gene pairs, and Perl software was used to find overlapping genes between DEGs and DEM target genes. There were 129 overlapping genes regulated by nine miRNAs between target genes of the DEMs and DEGs. The Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas(CGGA) was analyzed in order to identify miRNAs with diagnostic and prognostic significance. MiR-139-5p, miR-137, and miR-338-3p were validated to be significantly linked to prognosis in glioma patients. Finally, we validated that miR-139-5p affected glioma malignant biological behavior via targeting gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor alpha 1(GABRA1) through rescue experiments. Low miR-139-5p expression was correlated with survival probability and World Health Organization (WHO) grade. MiR-139-5p overexpression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of glioma in vitro. GABRA1 was identified as a functional downstream target of miR-139-5p. Decreased GABRA1 expression was related to similar biological roles as miR-139-5p overexpression while upregulation of GABRA1 effectively reversed the inhibition effects of miR-139-5p. These results demonstrate a novel axis for miR-139-5p/GABRA1 in glioma progression and provide potential prognostic predictors and therapeutic target for glioma patients.
Sleep problems among children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)- an explorative study
Authors: Dylag Katarzyna Anna , Bando Bożena , Baran Zbigniew , Dumnicka Paulina , Kowalska Katarzyna , Kulaga Paulina , Przybyszewska Katarzyna , Radlinski Jakub , Roozen Sylvia , Curfs Leopold
Published: May 2021

Background

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is a group of conditions resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Patients with FASD experience a variety of neuropsychological symptoms resulting from central nervous system impairment. Little is known about sleep disorders associated with PAE. The objective of this study was to investigate sleep problems related to FASD.

Methods

Forty patients (median age 8 years (6; 11)) diagnosed with FASD and forty typically developing children (median age 10 years (8; 13)) were recruited for the 1st phase of the study. In the 1st phase, the screening of sleep problems was performed with Child Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ) filled in by a caregiver. Those of the FASD group who scored above 41 points were qualified to the 2nd phase of the study and had an in-lab attended polysomnography (PSG) performed. The measurements consisted of electroencephalogram, electrooculograms, chin and tibial electromyogram, electrocardiogram, ventilatory monitoring, breathing effort, pulse oximetry, snoring and body position. Their results were compared to PSG laboratory reference data.

Results

The number of participants with sleep disturbances was markedly higher in the FASD group as compared to typically developing children (55% vs. 20%). The age-adjusted odds ratio for a positive result in CSHQ was 4.31 (95% CI: 1.54–12.11;p = 0.005) for FASD patients as compared to the control group. Significant differences between the FASD as compared to the typically developing children were observed in the following subscales: sleep onset delay, night wakings, parasomnias, sleep disordered breathing, and daytime sleepiness. Children from the FASD group who underwent PSG experienced more arousals during the sleep as compared with the PSG laboratory reference data. The respiratory indices in FASD group appear higher than previously published data from typically developing children.

Conclusion

The results support the clinical observation that sleep disorders appear to be an important health problem in individuals with FASD. In particular distorted sleep architecture and apneic/hypopneic events need further attention.
An atlas connecting shared genetic architecture of human diseases and molecular phenotypes provides insight into COVID-19 susceptibility
Authors: Wang Liuyang , Balmat Thomas J. , Antonia Alejandro L. , Constantine Florica J. , Henao Ricardo , Burke Thomas W. , Ingham Andy , McClain Micah T. , Tsalik Ephraim L. , Ko Emily R. , Ginsburg Geoffrey S. , DeLong Mark R. , Shen Xiling , Woods Christopher W. , Hauser Elizabeth R. , Ko Dennis C.
Published: May 2021

Background

While genome-wide associations studies (GWAS) have successfully elucidated the genetic architecture of complex human traits and diseases, understanding mechanisms that lead from genetic variation to pathophysiology remains an important challenge. Methods are needed to systematically bridge this crucial gap to facilitate experimental testing of hypotheses and translation to clinical utility.

Results

Here, we leveraged cross-phenotype associations to identify traits with shared genetic architecture, using linkage disequilibrium (LD) information to accurately capture shared SNPs by proxy, and calculate significance of enrichment. This shared genetic architecture was examined across differing biological scales through incorporating data from catalogs of clinical, cellular, and molecular GWAS. We have created an interactive web database (interactive Cross-Phenotype Analysis of GWAS database (iCPAGdb)) to facilitate exploration and allow rapid analysis of user-uploaded GWAS summary statistics. This database revealed well-known relationships among phenotypes, as well as the generation of novel hypotheses to explain the pathophysiology of common diseases. Application of iCPAGdb to a recent GWAS of severe COVID-19 demonstrated unexpected overlap of GWAS signals between COVID-19 and human diseases, including with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis driven by the DPP9 locus. Transcriptomics from peripheral blood of COVID-19 patients demonstrated that DPP9 was induced in SARS-CoV-2 compared to healthy controls or those with bacterial infection. Further investigation of cross-phenotype SNPs associated with both severe COVID-19 and other human traits demonstrated colocalization of the GWAS signal at the ABO locus with plasma protein levels of a reported receptor of SARS-CoV-2, CD209 (DC-SIGN). This finding points to a possible mechanism whereby glycosylation of CD209 by ABO may regulate COVID-19 disease severity.

Conclusions

Thus, connecting genetically related traits across phenotypic scales links human diseases to molecular and cellular measurements that can reveal mechanisms and lead to novel biomarkers and therapeutic approaches. The iCPAGdb web portal is accessible at http://cpag.oit.duke.edu and the software code at https://github.com/tbalmat/iCPAGdb.
A model-agnostic approach for understanding heart failure risk factors
Authors: Miran Seyed M. , Nelson Stuart J. , Zeng-Treitler Qing
Published: May 2021

Objective

Understanding the risk factors for developing heart failure among patients with type 2 diabetes can contribute to preventing deterioration of quality of life for those persons. Electronic health records (EHR) provide an opportunity to use sophisticated machine learning models to understand and compare the effect of different risk factors for developing HF. As the complexity of the model increases, however, the transparency of the model often decreases. To interpret the results, we aimed to develop a model-agnostic approach to shed light on complex models and interpret the effect of features on developing heart failure. Using the HealthFacts EHR database of the Cerner EHR, we extracted the records of 723 patients with at least 6 yeas of follow up of type 2 diabetes, of whom 134 developed heart failure. Using age and comorbidities as features and heart failure as the outcome, we trained logistic regression, random forest, XGBoost, neural network, and then applied our proposed approach to rank the effect of each factor on developing heart failure.

Results

Compared to the “importance score” built-in function of XGBoost, our proposed approach was more accurate in ranking the effect of the different risk factors on developing heart failure.
Blue light inactivation of the enveloped RNA virus Phi6
Authors: Vatter Petra , Hoenes Katharina , Hessling Martin
Published: May 2021

Objective

Ultraviolet radiation is known for its antimicrobial properties but unfortunately, it could also harm humans. Currently, disinfection techniques against SARS-CoV-2 are being sought that can be applied on air and surfaces and which do not pose a relevant thread to humans. In this study, the bacteriophage phi6, which like SARS-CoV-2 is an enveloped RNA virus, is irradiated with visible blue light at a wavelength of 455 nm.

Results

For the first time worldwide, the antiviral properties of blue light around 455 nm can be demonstrated. With a dose of 7200 J/cm2, the concentration of this enveloped RNA virus can be successfully reduced by more than three orders of magnitude. The inactivation mechanism is still unknown, but the sensitivity ratio of phi6 towards blue and violet light hints towards an involvement of photosensitizers of the host cells. Own studies on coronaviruses cannot be executed, but the results support speculations about blue-susceptibility of coronaviruses, which might allow to employ blue light for infection prevention or even therapeutic applications.
Predictive biomarkers and potential drug combinations of epi-drugs in cancer therapy
Authors: Yang Tianshu , Yang Yunkai , Wang Yan
Published: May 2021

Epigenetics studies heritable genomic modifications that occur with the participation of epigenetic modifying enzymes but without alterations of the nucleotide structure. Small-molecule inhibitors of these epigenetic modifying enzymes are known as epigenetic drugs (epi-drugs), which can cause programmed death of tumor cells by affecting the cell cycle, angiogenesis, proliferation, and migration. Epi-drugs include histone methylation inhibitors, histone demethylation inhibitors, histone deacetylation inhibitors, and DNA methylation inhibitors. Currently, epi-drugs undergo extensive development, research, and application. Although epi-drugs have convincing anti-tumor effects, the patient’s sensitivity to epi-drug application is also a fundamental clinical issue. The development and research of biomarkers for epi-drugs provide a promising direction for screening drug-sensitive patients. Here, we review the predictive biomarkers of 12 epi-drugs as well as the progress of combination therapy with chemotherapeutic drugs or immunotherapy. Further, we discuss the improvement in the development of natural ingredients with low toxicity and low side effects as epi-drugs.
Kimura’s disease with recurrent bilateral lacrimal gland involvement in a male Japanese child successfully treated with cyclosporine A
Authors: Sugimoto Keisuke , Enya Takuji , Morimoto Yuichi , Oshima Rina , Miyazaki Kohei , Okada Mitsuru
Published: May 2021

Background

Kimura’s disease (KD) is a rare chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. Clinically, KD is characterized by nodular subcutaneous masses, that are typically localized to the neck and head. Involvement of the lacrimal glands and limbs is uncommon and seldom reported.

Case presentation

We report a case of a 4-year-old Japanese boy presenting with bilateral upper eyelid swelling with nodular subcutaneous lesions and peripheral eosinophilia. Based on clinical, histopathological, and laboratory findings, the patient was diagnosed with KD. An itchy subcutaneous mass on the left arm developed at the age of 14 years. Treatment with steroids was effective. However, as the steroids were tapered after the patient developed side effects, the masses relapsed within a few months. Treatment with cyclosporine A was then initiated, which led to an improvement of clinical features and serial levels of cytokines.

Conclusions

We report a rare case of KD with a peculiar clinical presentation. The patient responded well to treatment with cyclosporine A.
Expression levels of plasma exosomal miR-124, miR-125b, miR-133b, miR-130a and miR-125b-1-3p in severe asthma patients and normal individuals with emphasis on inflammatory factors
Authors: Atashbasteh Mostafa , Mortaz Esmaeil , Mahdaviani Seyed Alireza , Jamaati Hamidreza , Allameh Abdolamir
Published: May 2021

Background

Identification of molecular markers, such as miRNAs is promising for the diagnosis of asthma and its clinical phenotypes. The aim of this study was to examine the changes in the expression of selected microRNAs in plasma exosomal fractions of severe asthma patients. The expression of miRNAs was determined in relation to the changes in inflammatory markers.

Method

Severe asthma patients (n = 30) and healthy subjects (n = 30) were selected among the individuals referred to asthma and allergy clinic. Blood was collected from each participant to determine the serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and total IgE. The exosomal fraction of plasma was isolated and processed for quantitation of miR-124, miR-125b, miR-133b, miR-130a and miR-125b-1-3p expression using quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR).

Results

Serum hs-CRP and total IgE were significantly higher in asthma patients compared to controls. Expression of miR-124, miR-133b, and miR-130a was down-regulated in asthma patients as compared to controls (p < 0.0001). However, the expression of miR-125b was substantially higher in patients compared to controls (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in the expression of miR-125b-1-3p in the patients and controls. Data analysis revealed that among the miRNAs, changes in miR-125b in severe asthma patients were highly correlated with the serum levels of hs-CRP and IgE.

Conclusion

Overexpression of miR-125b in severe asthma which was associated with serum IgE and hs-CRP may suggest that this molecule is linked to inflammatory reactions. Up-regulation of miR-125b together with decreased expression of miR-124, miR-133b, and miR-130a may suggest that this miRNA profile is useful for diagnosis and discrimination of clinical phenotypes of asthma.
The renal microcirculation in chronic kidney disease: novel diagnostic methods and therapeutic perspectives
Authors: Li Shulin , Wang Fei , Sun Dong
Published: May 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 8–16% of the population worldwide and is characterized by fibrotic processes. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underpinning renal fibrosis is critical to the development of new therapeutics. Microvascular injury is considered an important contributor to renal progressive diseases. Vascular endothelium plays a significant role in responding to physical and chemical signals by generating factors that help maintain normal vascular tone, inhibit leukocyte adhesion and platelet aggregation, and suppress smooth muscle cell proliferation. Loss of the rich capillary network results in endothelial dysfunction, hypoxia, and inflammatory and oxidative effects and further leads to the imbalance of pro- and antiangiogenic factors, endothelial cell apoptosis and endothelial-mesenchymal transition. New techniques, including both invasive and noninvasive techniques, offer multiple methods to observe and monitor renal microcirculation and guide targeted therapeutic strategies. A better understanding of the role of endothelium in CKD will help in the development of effective interventions for renal microcirculation improvement. This review focuses on the role of microvascular injury in CKD, the methods to detect microvessels and the novel treatments to ameliorate renal fibrosis.
Basketball shooting technology based on acceleration sensor fusion motion capture technology
Authors: Zhao Binbin , Liu Shihong
Published: May 2021

Computer vision recognition refers to the use of cameras and computers to replace the human eyes with computer vision, such as target recognition, tracking, measurement, and in-depth graphics processing, to process images to make them more suitable for human vision. Aiming at the problem of combining basketball shooting technology with visual recognition motion capture technology, this article mainly introduces the research of basketball shooting technology based on computer vision recognition fusion motion capture technology. This paper proposes that this technology first performs preprocessing operations such as background removal and filtering denoising on the acquired shooting video images to obtain the action characteristics of the characters in the video sequence and then uses the support vector machine (SVM) and the Gaussian mixture model to obtain the characteristics of the objects. Part of the data samples are extracted from the sample set for the learning and training of the model. After the training is completed, the other parts are classified and recognized. The simulation test results of the action database and the real shot video show that the support vector machine (SVM) can more quickly and effectively identify the actions that appear in the shot video, and the average recognition accuracy rate reaches 95.9%, which verifies the application and feasibility of this technology in the recognition of shooting actions is conducive to follow up and improve shooting techniques.
New oscillation theorems for a class of even-order neutral delay differential equations
Authors: Anis Mona , Moaaz Osama
Published: May 2021

In this work, we study the oscillatory behavior of even-order neutral delay differential equations$\upsilon ^{n}(l)+b(l)u(\eta (l))=0$υn(l)+b(l)u(η(l))=0, where$l\geq l_{0}$l≥l0,$n\geq 4$n≥4is an even integer and$\upsilon =u+a ( u\circ \mu ) $υ=u+a(u∘μ). By deducing a new iterative relationship between the solution and the corresponding function, new oscillation criteria are established that improve those reported in (T. Li, Yu.V. Rogovchenko in Appl. Math. Lett. 61:35–41, 2016).
Enhanced carbon acquisition and use efficiency alleviate microbial carbon relative to nitrogen limitation under soil acidification
Authors: Li Tianpeng , Wang Ruzhen , Cai Jiangping , Meng Yani , Wang Zhirui , Feng Xue , Liu Heyong , Turco Ronald F. , Jiang Yong
Published: May 2021

Background

Soil microbial communities cope with an imbalanced supply of resources by adjusting their element acquisition and utilization strategies. Although soil pH has long been considered an essential driver of microbial growth and community composition, little is known about how soil acidification affects microbial acquisition and utilization of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). To close the knowledge gap, we simulated soil acidification and created a pH gradient by adding eight levels of elemental sulfur (S) to the soil in a meadow steppe.

Results

We found that S-induced soil acidification strongly enhanced the ratio of fungi to bacteria (F:B) and microbial biomass C to N (MBC:MBN) and subsequently decreased the C:N imbalance between microbial biomass and their resources. The linear decrease in the C:N imbalance with decreasing soil pH implied a conversion from N limitation to C limitation. To cope with enhanced C versus N limitation, soil microbial communities regulated the relative production of enzymes by increasing the ratio of β-glucosidase (BG, C-acquiring enzyme) to leucine aminopeptidase (LAP, N-acquiring enzyme), even though both enzymatic activities decreased with S addition. Structural equation modeling (SEM) suggested that higher C limitation and C:N-acquiring enzyme stimulated microbial carbon-use efficiency (CUE), which counteracted the negative effect of metal stress (i.e., aluminum and manganese) under soil acidification.

Conclusions

Overall, these results highlight the importance of stoichiometric controls in microbial adaption to soil acidification, which may help predict soil microbial responses to future acid deposition.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Social entrepreneurship and social enterprise phenomenon: toward a collective approach to social innovation in Tunisia
Authors: Fridhi Bechir
Published: May 2021

This article aims to understand the extent to which social entrepreneurship (SE) contributes to the construction of a collective dimension linked to social innovation (SI). We aim to propose new ideas that can deliver insights into the SE phenomenon. This research is also distinct from entrepreneurial ecosystems as its development already requires some successful entrepreneurial action and to do it, the structuring and consolidation of an entrepreneurial ecosystem constitutes a real challenge for the development of SI.

This work has been based on a participant observation of eight major events dedicated to social entrepreneurship or the shared economy. In-depth interviews with Tunisian social entrepreneurs were also conducted in order to enrich our corpus. The results show the necessary cooperation of social entrepreneurs for a sustainable and responsible social innovation. Indeed, the analysis emphasizes that the viability and sustainability of a social innovation rests essentially on a collective construction, beyond common social values.
Illegal fishing and compliance management in marine protected areas: a situational approach
Authors: Weekers Damian , Petrossian Gohar , Thiault Lauric
Published: May 2021

Protected Areas (PAs) are spatially representative management tools that impose various levels of protection for conservation purposes. As spatially regulated places, ensuring compliance with the rules represents a key element of effective management and positive conservation outcomes. Wildlife crime, and in particular poaching, is a serious global problem that undermines the success of PAs. This study applies a socio-ecological approach to understanding the opportunity structure of illegal recreational fishing (poaching) in no-take zones in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. We use Boosted Regression Trees to predict the spatio-temporal distribution of poaching risk within no-take Marine National Park zones. The results show that five risk factors account for nearly three quarters (73.6%) of the relative importance for poaching in no-take zones and that temporally varying conditions influence risk across space. We discuss these findings through the theoretical lens of Environmental Criminology and suggest that law enforcement strategies focus on reducing the negative outcomes associated with poaching by limiting the opportunity of would-be offenders to undertake illegal activity.
Microbiomes of clownfish and their symbiotic host anemone converge before their first physical contact
Authors: Émie Audet-Gilbert , François-Étienne Sylvain , Sidki Bouslama , Nicolas Derome
Published: May 2021

Background

One of the most charismatic, and yet not completely resolved example of mutualistic interaction is the partnership of clownfish and its symbiotic sea anemone. The mechanism explaining this tolerance currently relies on the molecular mimicry of clownfish epithelial mucus, which could serve as camouflage, preventing the anemone's nematocysts' discharge. Resident bacteria are known as key drivers of epithelial mucus chemical signature in vertebrates. A recent study has proposed a restructuration of the skin microbiota in a generalist clown fish when first contacting its symbiotic anemone. We explored a novel hypothesis by testing the effect of remote interaction on epithelial microbiota restructuration in both partners.

Methods

With metataxonomics, we investigated the epithelial microbiota dynamic of 18 pairs of percula clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and their symbiotic anemoneHeteractis magnificain remote interaction, physical interaction and control groups for both partners during a 4-week trial.

Results

The Physical and Remote Interaction groups’ results evidence gradual epithelial microbiota convergence between both partners when fish and anemone were placed in the same water system. This convergence occurred preceding any physical contact between partners, and was maintained during the 2-week interaction period in both contact groups. After the interaction period, community structure of both fish and anemone’s epthelial community structures maintained the interaction signature 2 weeks after fish–anemone pairs’ separation. Furthermore, the interaction signature persistence was observed both in the Physical and Remote Interaction groups, thus suggesting that water-mediated chemical communication between symbiotic partners was strong enough to shift the skin microbiota durably, even after the separation of fish–anemone pairs. Finally, our results suggest that fish–anemone convergent microbiota restructuration was increasingly associated with the parallel recruitment of threeFlavobacteriaceaestrains closely related to a tyrosinase-producingCellulophaga tyrosinoxydans.

Conclusions

Our study shows that bacterial community restructuration, in the acclimation process, does not only rely on direct physical contact. Furthermore, our results challenge, for the first time, the traditional unidirectional chemical camouflage hypothesis, as we argue that convergence of the epithelial microbiota of both partners may play essential roles in establishing mutual acceptance.
Text based personality prediction from multiple social media data sources using pre-trained language model and model averaging
Authors: Christian Hans , Suhartono Derwin , Chowanda Andry , Zamli Kamal Z.
Published: May 2021

The ever-increasing social media users has dramatically contributed to significant growth as far as the volume of online information is concerned. Often, the contents that these users put in social media can give valuable insights on their personalities (e.g., in terms of predicting job satisfaction, specific preferences, as well as the success of professional and romantic relationship) and getting it without the hassle of taking formal personality test. Termed personality prediction, the process involves extracting the digital content into features and mapping it according to a personality model. Owing to its simplicity and proven capability, a well-known personality model, called the big five personality traits, has often been adopted in the literature as the de facto standard for personality assessment. To date, there are many algorithms that can be used to extract embedded contextualized word from textual data for personality prediction system; some of them are based on ensembled model and deep learning. Although useful, existing algorithms such as RNN and LSTM suffers from the following limitations. Firstly, these algorithms take a long time to train the model owing to its sequential inputs. Secondly, these algorithms also lack the ability to capture the true (semantic) meaning of words; therefore, the context is slightly lost. To address these aforementioned limitations, this paper introduces a new prediction using multi model deep learning architecture combined with multiple pre-trained language model such as BERT, RoBERTa, and XLNet as features extraction method on social media data sources. Finally, the system takes the decision based on model averaging to make prediction. Unlike earlier work which adopts a single social media data with open and close vocabulary extraction method, the proposed work uses multiple social media data sources namely Facebook and Twitter and produce a predictive model for each trait using bidirectional context feature combine with extraction method. Our experience with the proposed work has been encouraging as it has outperformed similar existing works in the literature. More precisely, our results achieve a maximum accuracy of 86.2% and 0.912 f1 measure score on the Facebook dataset; 88.5% accuracy and 0.882 f1 measure score on the Twitter dataset.
Feasibility and acceptability of an enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy programme for parent–child dyads with anxiety disorders: a mixed-methods pilot trial protocol
Authors: Galea Samantha , Salvaris Chloe A. , Yap Marie B. H. , Norton Peter J. , Lawrence Katherine A.
Published: May 2021

Background

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the most widely recognised and efficacious psychological therapy for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adults. However, suboptimal remission rates indicate room for improvement in treatments, particularly when both children and their parents have anxiety disorders. Bidirectional transmission and maintenance of anxiety within parent–child dyads could be better targeted by CBT, to improve treatment outcomes for children and parents with anxiety disorders. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a concurrent parent–child enhanced CBT intervention that targets the individual’s anxiety disorder(s), as well as the bidirectional factors that influence and maintain anxiety in the dyad.

Methods

Feasibility and acceptability of the proposed CBT protocol will be evaluated in an open-label pilot trial of the intervention utilising qualitative and quantitative data collection. Ten parent–child dyad participants (n = 20) with anxiety disorders will be recruited for the proposed intervention. The intervention is based on an empirically supported 10-week CBT programme for anxiety disorders in adults, adapted to be delivered to parent–child dyads concurrently, and to target anxious modelling and overprotective behaviours through joint observational exposures. Intervention feasibility will be explored by pre-post symptom change on a range of clinician- and self-report measures to determine preliminary indications of participants’ intervention response and effect size calculations to estimate sample size for a future definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT). Additional feasibility measures will include recruitment rates, completion rates, and adherence to programme requirements. To explore participant acceptability of the intervention, qualitative interviews will be conducted with five parent–child dyads who complete the intervention (n = 10), along with five parent–child dyads with anxiety symptoms who express interest in the intervention (n = 10). Acceptability measures will include prospective and retrospective quantitative self-report and qualitative interview data.

Discussion

This pilot trial will utilise a mixed-methods design to determine the feasibility and acceptability of delivering an enhanced CBT intervention for the concurrent treatment of parent–child dyads with anxiety disorders. The results of this trial will inform the development and implementation of a future definitive randomised clinical trial to evaluate intervention efficacy.

Trial registration

Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ANZCTR1261900033410. Prospectively registered: pre-results. Registered 04 March 2019.
Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity in cerebellar cortex of male mice involves oxidative stress and histopathology
Authors: Attia Azza , Matta Cecil , ElMazoudy Reda , Khalifa Hanan
Published: May 2021

Background

Despite evidence of neurotoxicity, cisplatin is still considered the most potent drug prescribed in human chemotherapy for a broad spectrum of malignancies. The objective was to evaluate the cerebellar cortex damage including oxidative stress biomarkers and histopathology aspects in male mice. One saline control group and two cisplatin groups were intraperitoneally injected with 0, 5, and 10 mg/kg body weight (bw) cisplatin, twice per week for four successive weeks, respectively.

Results

Cisplatin decreased the body weights of treated mice. Serum levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly reduced in the 5 and 10 mg/kg dose, twice weekly for 4 weeks treatment; in contrast, there was a significant increase of lipid peroxidation. 5 and 10 mg/kg bw of cisplatin caused histopathological damage in the cerebellum tissue characterized by disruption, disorganization, and degeneration with dense pyknotic nuclei of the granular cells. Ultrastructurally, in the cortical region of the cerebellum, the Purkinje cells showed irregular pyknotic nuclei with indistinct nucleoli, cytoplasmic vacuolation, marked indentation of the nuclear membrane, dilatation of the endoplasmic reticulum, and breakdown and disappearance of mitochondrial cristae. Moreover, the molecular layer showed cellular necrosis and an increased number of lysosomal particles. The myelinated nerve fibers showed degenerative areas distinct by splitting, disruption, and loss of the lamellar pattern of the myelin sheath.

Conclusion

These findings provide a confirmed foresight that the in vivo potential treatment of mice with cisplatin induces cerebellum deficits and impairment in neuronal histology. The identified mechanism which evokes neurotoxicity is oxidative stress-dependent status. This mechanism is pharmacologically boosted by great production of free radical reactive oxygen species.
Insecticidal activity of crude extracts of three spices and commercial botanical pesticide on oriental fruit fly under laboratory conditions
Authors: Ugwu Juliana Amaka , Alabi Olajumoke Yemisi , Aluko Olawale Julius
Published: May 2021

Background

The uses of botanical pesticides in pest management are currently on remarkable increase due to their efficacy, biodegradability, environment-friendly, and availability. Ethanol extracts of three spices (Piper guineense, Aframomum melegueta, Zingiber officinale) and commercial botanical pesticide AzaSol (6% azadirachtin) were assessed for contact toxicity, residual effects, and for their potential in soil application against pupariating larvae of oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) in the laboratory at ambient temperature of 27 ± 2 °C and relative humidity of 75–80%. The extracts and AzaSol were applied at 1:1.5 w/v concentration while cypermethrin was introduced as standard check and applied at 5 ml/liter of water.

Results

All the treatments were very effective against B. dorsalis in contact toxicity and residual affects recording 89.4–100% larval mortality at 24 h post-application. Z. officinale and cypermethrin had similar contact and residual effects on B. dorsalis, both recording 100% larval mortality at 24 h post-exposure. Piper guineense showed higher residual effects than contact effects, while A. melegueta and AzaSol showed better contact effects than residual effects against B. dorsalis larvae. AzaSol was the most effective among the botanicals in reducing the adult emergence and in enhancing larval mortality (96.7%) on treated soil followed by Piper guineense (83.3%). The efficacy of AzaSol on the treated soil was comparable to cypermethrin. All the extracts were significantly more effective than control in enhancing pupariating larvae mortality and in reducing adult emergence on treated soil.

Conclusion

Ethanol extracts of P. guineense and A. melegueta were highly promising against B. dorsalis on treated soil and could be adopted in soil application targeting puparia under the tree canopies as part of integrated pest management of B. dorsalis in orchards.
QSAR, molecular docking studies, ligand-based design and pharmacokinetic analysis on Maternal Embryonic Leucine Zipper Kinase (MELK) inhibitors as potential anti-triple-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 cell line) drug compounds
Authors: Lawal Hadiza Abdulrahman , Uzairu Adamu , Uba Sani
Published: May 2021

Background

Cancer of the breast is known to be among the top spreading diseases on the globe. Triple-negative breast cancer is painstaking the most destructive type of mammary tumor because it spreads faster to other parts of the body, with high chances of early relapse and mortality. This research would aim at utilizing computational methods like quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR), performing molecular docking studies and again to further design new effective molecules using the QSAR model parameters and to analyze the pharmacokinetics “drug-likeliness” properties of the new compounds before they could proceed to pre-clinical trials.

Results

The QSAR model of the derivatives was highly robust as it also conforms to the least minimum requirement for QSAR model from the statistical assessments of (R2) = 0.6715, (R2adj) = 0.61920, (Q2) = 0.5460 and (R2pred) of 0.5304, and the model parameters (AATS6i and VR1_Dze) were used in designing new derivative compounds with higher potency. The molecular docking studies between the derivative compounds and Maternal Embryonic Leucine Zipper Kinase (MELK) protein target revealed that ligand 2, 9 and 17 had the highest binding affinities of − 9.3, − 9.3 and − 8.9 kcal/mol which was found to be higher than the standard drug adriamycin with − 7.8 kcal/mol. The pharmacokinetics analysis carried out on the newly designed compounds revealed that all the compounds passed the drug-likeness test and also the Lipinski rule of five.

Conclusions

The results obtained from the QSAR mathematical model of parthenolide derivatives were used in designing new derivatives compounds that were more effective and potent. The molecular docking result of parthenolide derivatives showed that compounds 2, 9 and 17 had higher docking scores than the standard drug adriamycin. The compounds would serve as the most promising inhibitors (MELK). Furthermore, the pharmacokinetics analysis carried out on the newly designed compounds revealed that all the compounds passed the drug-likeness test (ADME and other physicochemical properties) and they also adhered to the Lipinski rule of five. This gives a great breakthrough in medicine in finding the cure to triple-negative breast cancer (MBA-MD-231 cell line).