bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vascular effects of serelaxin in patients with stable coronary artery disease: a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Authors: Corcoran David , Radjenovic Aleksandra , Mordi Ify R , Nazir Sheraz A , Wilson Simon J , Hinder Markus , Yates Denise P , Machineni Surendra , Alcantara Jose , Prescott Margaret F , Gugliotta Barbara , Pang Yinuo , Tzemos Niko , Semple Scott I , Newby David E , McCann Gerry P , Squire Iain , Berry Colin
Published: January 2020

Aims

The effects of serelaxin, a recombinant form of human relaxin-2 peptide, on vascular function in the coronary microvascular and systemic macrovascular circulation remain largely unknown. This mechanistic, clinical study assessed the effects of serelaxin on myocardial perfusion, aortic stiffness, and safety in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods and results

In this multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study, 58 patients were randomized 1:1 to 48 h intravenous infusion of serelaxin (30 µg/kg/day) or matching placebo. The primary endpoints were change from baseline to 47 h post-initiation of the infusion in global myocardial perfusion reserve (MPR) assessed using adenosine stress perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and applanation tonometry-derived augmentation index (AIx). Secondary endpoints were: change from baseline in AIx and pulse wave velocity, assessed at 47 h, Day 30, and Day 180; aortic distensibility at 47 h; pharmacokinetics and safety. Exploratory endpoints were the effect on cardiorenal biomarkers [N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), endothelin-1, and cystatin C]. Of 58 patients, 51 were included in the primary analysis (serelaxin, n = 25; placebo, n = 26). After 2 and 6 h of serelaxin infusion, mean placebo-corrected blood pressure reductions of −9.6 mmHg (P = 0.01) and −13.5 mmHg (P = 0.0003) for systolic blood pressure and −5.2 mmHg (P = 0.02) and −8.4 mmHg (P = 0.001) for diastolic blood pressure occurred. There were no between-group differences from baseline to 47 h in global MPR (−0.24 vs. −0.13, P = 0.44) or AIx (3.49% vs. 0.04%, P = 0.21) with serelaxin compared with placebo. Endothelin-1 and cystatin C levels decreased from baseline in the serelaxin group, and there were no clinically relevant changes observed with serelaxin for NT-proBNP or hsTnT. Similar numbers of serious adverse events were observed in both groups (serelaxin, n = 5; placebo, n = 7) to 180-day follow-up.

Conclusion

In patients with stable CAD, 48 h intravenous serelaxin reduced blood pressure but did not alter myocardial perfusion.
Antiapoptotic activity of Chlamydia trachomatis Pgp3 protein involves activation of the ERK1/2 pathway mediated by upregulation of DJ-1 protein
Authors: Luo Fangzhen , Shu Mingyi , Gong Silu , Wen Yating , He Bei , Su Shengmei , Li Zhongyu
Published: January 2020

Chlamydia trachomatis has evolved strategies to prevent host cell apoptosis to evade the host immune defense. However, the precise mechanisms of antiapoptotic activity of C. trachomatis still need to be clarified. Pgp3, one of eight plasmid proteins of C. trachomatis, has been identified to be closely associated with chlamydial virulence. In this study, we attempted to explore the effects and the mechanisms of Pgp3 protein on apoptosis in HeLa cells; the results showed that Pgp3 increased Bcl-2/Bax ratio and prevented caspase-3 activation to suppress apoptosis induced by TNF-α and cycloheximide (CHX) through ERK1/2 pathway activation. Downregulation of DJ-1 with siRNA-DJ-1(si-DJ-1) reduced ERK1/2 phosphorylation and elevated apoptotic rate significantly in Pgp3-HeLa cells. However, inhibition of ERK1/2 signal pathway with ERK inhibitor PD98059 had little effect on DJ-1 expression. These findings confirm that plasmid protein Pgp3 contributes to apoptosis resistance through ERK1/2 signal pathway mediated by upregulation of DJ-1 expression. Therefore, the present study provided novel insights into the role of Pgp3 in apoptosis and suggested that manipulation of the host apoptosis response could be a new approach for the prevention and treatment of C. trachomatis infection.
Towards Spatially Explicit Quantification of Pre- and Postfire Fuels and Fuel Consumption from Traditional and Point Cloud Measurements
Authors: Hudak Andrew T , Kato Akira , Bright Benjamin C , Loudermilk E Louise , Hawley Christie , Restaino Joseph C , Ottmar Roger D , Prata Gabriel A , Cabo Carlos , Prichard Susan J , Rowell Eric M , Weise David R
Published: January 2020

Methods to accurately estimate spatially explicit fuel consumption are needed because consumption relates directly to fire behavior, effects, and smoke emissions. Our objective was to quantify sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboretum Marshall) shrub fuels before and after six experimental prescribed fires at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. We used a novel approach to characterize shrubs non-destructively from three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data collected with a terrestrial laser scanner. The point cloud data were reduced to 0.001 m–3 voxels that were either occupied to indicate fuel presence or empty to indicate fuel absence. The density of occupied voxels was related significantly by a logarithmic function to 3D fuel bulk density samples that were destructively harvested (adjusted R2 = .32, P < .0001). Based on our findings, a survey-grade Global Navigation Satellite System may be necessary to accurately associate 3D point cloud data to 3D fuel bulk density measurements destructively collected in small (submeter) shrub plots. A recommendation for future research is to accurately geolocate and quantify the occupied volume of entire shrubs as 3D objects that can be used to train models to map shrub fuel bulk density from point cloud data binned to occupied 3D voxels.
Hospitalization Rates in Older Adults With Albuminuria: The Cardiovascular Health Study
Authors: Barzilay Joshua I , Buzkova Petra , Shlipak Michael G , Bansal Nisha , Garimella Pranav , Mukamal Kenneth J
Published: January 2020

Background

Albuminuria is highly prevalent among older adults, especially those with diabetes. It is associated with several chronic diseases, but its overall impact on the health of older adults, as measured by hospitalization, has not been quantified.

Method

We followed up 3,110 adults, mean age 78 years, for a median 9.75 years, of whom 654 (21%) had albuminuria (≥30 mg albumin/gram creatinine) at baseline. Poisson regression models, adjusted for cardiovascular, renal, and demographic factors, were used to evaluate the association of albuminuria with all-cause and cause-specific hospitalizations, as defined by ICD, version 9, categories.

Results

The rates of hospitalization per 100 patient-years were 65.85 for participants with albuminuria and 37.55 for participants without albuminuria. After adjustment for covariates, participants with albuminuria were more likely to be hospitalized for any cause than participants without albuminuria (incident rate ratio, 1.39 [95% confidence intervals, 1.27. 1.53]) and to experience more days in hospital (incident rate ratio 1.56 [1.37, 1.76]). The association of albuminuria with hospitalization was similar among participants with and without diabetes (adjusted incident rate ratio for albuminuria versus no albuminuria: diabetes 1.37 [1.11, 1.70], no diabetes 1.40 [1.26, 1.55]; p interaction nonsignificant). Albuminuria was significantly associated with hospitalization for circulatory, endocrine, genitourinary, respiratory, and injury categories.

Conclusions

Albuminuria in older adults is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for a broad range of illnesses. Albuminuria in the presence or absence of diabetes appears to mark a generalized vulnerability to diseases of aging among older adults.
The development of the privy council oath in Tudor England*
Authors: McGovern Jonathan
Published: January 2020

From the early thirteenth century to the present day, privy councillors have been required to swear an oath of office. This article demonstrates that at least four different council oaths were administered by chancery during the Tudor period, and that William Cecil drafted yet another revised oath in 1558, although this was never finished. The article compares the respective texts and explains the administrative and political reasons for each of the revisions. It goes on to examine evidence from these oaths that suggests developments in the conception of counsel in the sixteenth century. It concludes with transcriptions of the four operational oaths and the Cecilian draft.
Enteral immunonutrition versus enteral nutrition for patients undergoing oesophagectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Xiao-Kun , Zhou Hai , Xu Yang , Cong Zhuang-Zhuang , Wu Wen-Jie , Luo Jing , Jiang Zhi-Sheng , Shen Yi
Published: January 2020

OBJECTIVES

According to retrospective studies, oesophageal carcinoma is the second deadliest gastrointestinal cancer after gastric cancer. Enteral immunonutrition (EIN) has been increasingly used to enhance host immunity and relieve the inflammatory response of patients undergoing oesophagectomy; however, conclusions across studies remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effect of EIN on the clinical and immunological outcomes of patients undergoing oesophagectomy.

METHODS

Four electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library) were used to search articles in peer-reviewed, English-language journals. The mean difference, relative risk or standard mean difference with 95% confidence interval were calculated. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran’s Q test and I2 statistic combined with the corresponding P-value. The analysis was carried out with RevMan 5.3.

RESULTS

Six articles were finally included, with a total of 320 patients with oesophageal cancer. The meta-analysis results showed that EIN did not improve clinical outcomes (such as infectious complications, pneumonia, surgical site infection, anastomotic leak and postoperative hospital stay) or immune indices [referring to C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumour necrosis factor-α]. Descriptive analysis suggested that EIN also increased the serum concentrations of IgG and the percentage of the B-cell fraction. Thus, its impact on IL-8 and IL-6 remains inconsistent.

CONCLUSIONS

The early-stage impact of EIN on immunological status in patients undergoing oesophagectomy is still unclear. According to the results of this meta-analysis, whether EIN could improve the clinical outcomes or biological status after oesophagectomy compared to standard enteral nutrition is uncertain. Since the impact of EIN is unclear, current guidelines that strongly advise the use of EIN should be changed, as the utility of EIN is very uncertain. More appropriately powered clinical studies are warranted to confirm its effectiveness.
Comparative and functional morphology of chevron bones among mammals
Authors: Zavodszky Anna M , Russo Gabrielle A
Published: January 2020

Tail morphology and function vary considerably across mammals. While studies of the mammalian tail have paid increasing attention to the caudal vertebrae, the chevron bones, ventrally positioned elements that articulate with the caudal vertebrae of most species and that serve to protect blood vessels and provide attachment sites for tail flexor musculature, have largely been ignored. Here, morphological variation in chevron bones is documented systematically among mammals possessing different tail locomotor functions, including prehensility, terrestrial propulsion (use for pentapedal locomotion), and postural prop, during which chevron bones are presumably under different mechanical stresses or serve different mechanical roles. Several chevron bone morphotypes were identified along the tail, varying both within and between tail regions. While some morphotypes were present across many or all clades surveyed, other morphotypes were clade-specific. Chevron bone dorsoventral height was examined at key vertebral levels among closely related species with different tail locomotor functions to assess whether variation followed any functional patterns. Dorsoventral height of chevron bones differed between prehensile- and nonprehensile-tailed, prop-tailed and nonprop-tailed, and pentapedal and nonpentapedal mammals. However, small sample sizes precluded rigorous statistical analyses. Distinctions were also qualified among species (not grouped by tail locomotor function), and the utility of metrics for quantifying specific aspects of chevron bone anatomy is discussed. This study offers information about the functional morphology of mammalian tails and has implications for reconstructing tail function in the fossil record.
Functional connectivity of the right inferior frontal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex in depression
Authors: Rolls Edmund T , Cheng Wei , Du Jingnan , Wei Dongtao , Qiu Jiang , Dai Dan , Zhou Qunjie , Xie Peng , Feng Jianfeng
Published: January 2020

The orbitofrontal cortex extends into the laterally adjacent inferior frontal gyrus. We analyzed how voxel-level functional connectivity of the inferior frontal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex is related to depression in 282 people with major depressive disorder (125 were unmedicated) and 254 controls, using FDR correction P < 0.05 for pairs of voxels. In the unmedicated group, higher functional connectivity was found of the right inferior frontal gyrus with voxels in the lateral and medial orbitofrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, temporal lobe, angular gyrus, precuneus, hippocampus and frontal gyri. In medicated patients, these functional connectivities were lower and toward those in controls. Functional connectivities between the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the precuneus, posterior cingulate cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the angular and middle frontal gyri were higher in unmedicated patients, and closer to controls in medicated patients. Medial orbitofrontal cortex voxels had lower functional connectivity with temporal cortex areas, the parahippocampal gyrus and fusiform gyrus, and medication did not result in these being closer to controls. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in depression, and can influence mood and behavior via the right inferior frontal gyrus, which projects to premotor cortical areas.
Genome Sequence of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae, a Brassicaceae Pathogen
Authors: Yu Houlin , Ayhan Dilay Hazal , Diener Andrew C. , Ma Li-Jun
Published: January 2020

The filamentous fungus Fusarium oxysporum is a soilborne pathogen of many cultivated species and an opportunistic pathogen of humans. F. oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae is one of three formae speciales that are pathogenic to crucifers, including Arabidopsis thaliana, a premier model for plant molecular biology and genetics. Here, we report a genome assembly of F. oxysporum f. sp. matthiolae strain PHW726, generated using a combination of PacBio and Illumina sequencing technologies. The genome assembly presented here should facilitate in-depth investigation of F. oxysporum–Arabidopsis interactions and shed light on the genetics of fungal pathogenesis and plant immunity.
Fine Mapping a Broad-Spectrum Powdery Mildew Resistance Gene in Chinese Landrace Datoumai,PmDTM, and Its Relationship withPm24
Authors: Lu Nan , Lu Mingxue , Liu Pan , Xu Hongxing , Qiu Xiaolong , Hu Shanshan , Wu Yanan , Bai Shenglong , Wu Jizhong , Xue Shulin
Published: January 2020

Powdery mildew, caused by the biotrophic fungal pathogen Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt), is a globally important wheat disease causing severe yield losses, and deployment of resistant varieties is the preferred choice for managing this disease. Chinese wheat landrace Datoumai was resistant to 22 of 23 Bgt isolates at the seedling stage. Genetic analysis based on the inoculation of Bgt isolate E09 on the F1, F2, and F2:3populations derived from the cross Datoumai × Huixianhong revealed that the powdery mildew resistance of Datoumai is controlled by a single dominant gene, temporarily designated as PmDTM. Bulked segregant analysis and simple sequence repeat mapping with 200 F2plants showed that PmDTM was located in the same genetic region as Pm24 on chromosome 1DS. To fine map PmDTM, 12 critical recombinants were identified from 1,192 F2plants and delimited PmDTM to a 0.5-cM Xhnu58800 to Xhnu59000 interval covering 180.5 Kb (38,728,125 to 38,908,656 bp) on chromosome 1DS, and only one highly confident gene, TraesCS1D02G058900, was annotated within this region. TraesCS1D02G058900 encodes a receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase (STK), and a 6-bp deletion in exon 5 may confer the resistance to powdery mildew. Allele frequency analysis indicated that the STK allele with 6-bp deletion was only present in three landraces (Datoumai, Chiyacao [Pm24], and Hulutou) and was absent in all of the 353 Chinese modern cultivars and 147 foreign cultivars. These results demonstrate that PmDTM is mapped to the same locus as Pm24 and can be widely used to enhance powdery mildew resistance in wheat growing regions worldwide.
Interplay between competitive and cooperative interactions in a three-player pathogen system
Authors: Pinotti Francesco , Ghanbarnejad Fakhteh , Hövel Philipp , Poletto Chiara
Published: January 2020

In ecological systems, heterogeneous interactions between pathogens take place simultaneously. This occurs, for instance, when two pathogens cooperate, while at the same time, multiple strains of these pathogens co-circulate and compete. Notable examples include the cooperation of human immunodeficiency virus with antibiotic-resistant and susceptible strains of tuberculosis or some respiratory infections withStreptococcus pneumoniaestrains. Models focusing on competition or cooperation separately fail to describe how these concurrent interactions shape the epidemiology of such diseases. We studied this problem considering two cooperating pathogens, where one pathogen is further structured in two strains. The spreading follows a susceptible-infected-susceptible process and the strains differ in transmissibility and extent of cooperation with the other pathogen. We combined a mean-field stability analysis with stochastic simulations on networks considering both well-mixed and structured populations. We observed the emergence of a complex phase diagram, where the conditions for the less transmissible, but more cooperative strain to dominate are non-trivial, e.g. non-monotonic boundaries and bistability. Coupled with community structure, the presence of the cooperative pathogen enables the coexistence between strains by breaking the spatial symmetry and dynamically creating different ecological niches. These results shed light on ecological mechanisms that may impact the epidemiology of diseases of public health concern.
Structure–behaviour correlations between two genetically closely related snail species
Authors: Le Ferrand H. , Morii Y.
Published: January 2020

Species, through their structure and composition, have evolved to respond to environmental constraints. Predator–prey interactions are among environmental pressures that can lead to speciation, but it remains unclear how this pressure can be related to the material structure and performance. Recently, two land snails,
Karaftohelix editha
and
Karaftohelix gainesi
, were found to exhibit divergent phenotypes and responses to predation despite sharing the same habitat and most of their genome. Indeed, under attack from a beetle,
K. editha
snails retract into their shell whereas
K. gainesi
snails swing their shell. In this paper, we looked at the microstructure, composition, morphology and mechanics of the shells of those two species and discuss potential relationships between material structure and the snail defence behaviour. The results of this study provide additional arguments for the role of predator–prey interactions on speciation, as well as an unusual approach for the design of biomimetic structures adapted to a particular function.
Constitutive relations for polar continua based on statistical mechanics and spatial averaging
Authors: Svendsen Bob
Published: January 2020

The purpose of the current work is the formulation of macroscopic constitutive relations, and in particular continuum flux densities, for polar continua from the underlying mass point dynamics. To this end, generic microscopic continuum field and balance relations are derived from phase space transport relations for expectation values of point fields related to additive mass point quantities. Given these, microscopic energy, linear momentum and angular momentum, balance relations are obtained in the context of the split of system forces into non-conservative and conservative parts. In addition, divergence–flux relations are formulated for the conservative part of microscopic supply-rate densities. For the case of angular momentum, two such relations are obtained. One of these is force-based, and the other is torque-based. With the help of physical and material theoretic restrictions (e.g. material frame-indifference), reduced forms of the conservative flux densities are obtained. In the last part of the work, formulation of macroscopic constitutive relations from their microscopic counterparts is investigated in the context of different spatial averaging approaches. In particular, these include (weighted) volume-averaging based on a localization function, surface averaging of normal flux densities based on Cauchy flux theory and volume averaging with respect to centre of mass.
Green's functions for unsymmetric composite laminates with inclusions
Authors: Hsu Chia-Wen , Hwu Chyanbin
Published: January 2020

It is known that the stretching and bending deformations will be coupled together for the unsymmetric composite laminates under in-plane force and/or out-of-plane bending moment. Although Green's functions for unsymmetric composite laminates with elliptical elastic inclusions have been obtained by using Stroh-like formalism around 10 years ago, due to the ignoring of inconsistent rigid body movements of matrix and inclusion, the existing solution may lead to displacement discontinuity across the interface between matrix and inclusion. Due to the multi-valued characteristics of complex logarithmic functions appeared in Green's functions, special attention should be made on the proper selection of branch cuts of mapped variables. To solve these problems, in this study, the existing Green's functions are corrected and a simple way to correctly evaluate the mapped complex variable logarithmic functions is suggested. Moreover, to apply the obtained solutions to boundary element method, we also derive the explicit closed-form solution for Green's function of deflection. Since the continuity conditions along the interface have been satisfied in Green's functions, no meshes are required along the interface, which will save a lot of computational time and the results are much more accurate than any other numerical methods.
Destabilizing evolutionary and eco-evolutionary feedbacks drive empirical eco-evolutionary cycles
Authors: Cortez Michael H. , Patel Swati , Schreiber Sebastian J.
Published: January 2020

We develop a method to identify how ecological, evolutionary, and eco-evolutionary feedbacks influence system stability. We apply our method to nine empirically parametrized eco-evolutionary models of exploiter–victim systems from the literature and identify which particular feedbacks cause some systems to converge to a steady state or to exhibit sustained oscillations. We find that ecological feedbacks involving the interactions between all species and evolutionary and eco-evolutionary feedbacks involving only the interactions between exploiter species (predators or pathogens) are typically stabilizing. In contrast, evolutionary and eco-evolutionary feedbacks involving the interactions between victim species (prey or hosts) are destabilizing more often than not. We also find that while eco-evolutionary feedbacks rarely altered system stability from what would be predicted from just ecological and evolutionary feedbacks, eco-evolutionary feedbacks have the potential to alter system stability at faster or slower speeds of evolution. As the number of empirical studies demonstrating eco-evolutionary feedbacks increases, we can continue to apply these methods to determine whether the patterns we observe are common in other empirical communities.
Resource fluctuations inhibit the reproduction and virulence of the human parasite
Schistosoma mansoni
in its snail intermediate host
Authors: Civitello David J. , Baker Lucy H. , Maduraiveeran Selvaganesh , Hartman Rachel B.
Published: January 2020

Resource availability can powerfully influence host–parasite interactions. However, we currently lack a mechanistic framework to predict how resource fluctuations alter individual infection dynamics. We address this gap with experiments manipulating resource supply and starvation for a human parasite,
Schistosoma mansoni
, and its snail intermediate host to test a hypothesis derived from mechanistic energy budget theory: resource fluctuations should reduce schistosome reproduction and virulence by inhibiting parasite ingestion of host biomass. Low resource supply caused hosts to remain small, reproduce less and produce fewer human-infectious cercariae. Periodic starvation also inhibited cercarial production and prevented infection-induced castration. The periodic starvation experiment also revealed substantial differences in fit between two bioenergetic model variants, which differ in their representation of host starvation. Simulations using the best-fit parameters of the winning model suggest that schistosome performance substantially declines with resource fluctuations with periods greater than 7 days. These experiments strengthen mechanistic theory, which can be readily scaled up to the population level to understand key feedbacks between resources, host population dynamics, parasitism and control interventions. Integrating resources with other environmental drivers of disease in an explicit bioenergetic framework could ultimately yield mechanistic predictions for many disease systems.
Dual function of epaxial musculature for swimming and suction feeding in largemouth bass
Authors: Jimenez Yordano E. , Brainerd Elizabeth L.
Published: January 2020

The axial musculature of many fishes generates the power for both swimming and suction feeding. In the case of the epaxial musculature, unilateral activation bends the body laterally for swimming, and bilateral activation bends the body dorsally to elevate the neurocranium for suction feeding. But how does a single muscle group effectively power these two distinct behaviours? Prior electromyographic (EMG) studies have identified fishes' ability to activate dorsal and ventral epaxial regions independently, but no studies have directly compared the intensity and spatial activation patterns between swimming and feeding. We measured EMG activity throughout the epaxial musculature during swimming (turning, sprinting, and fast-starts) and suction feeding (goldfish and pellet strikes) in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). We found that swimming involved obligate activation of ventral epaxial regions whereas suction feeding involved obligate activation of dorsal epaxial regions, suggesting regional specialization of the epaxial musculature. However, during fast-starts and suction feeding on live prey, bass routinely activated the whole epaxial musculature, demonstrating the dual function of this musculature in the highest performance behaviours. Activation intensities in suction feeding were substantially lower than fast-starts which, in conjunction with suboptimal shortening velocities, suggests that bass maximize axial muscle performance during locomotion and underuse it for suction feeding.
PredaceousToxorhynchitesmosquitoes require a living gut microbiota to develop
Authors: Coon Kerri L. , Valzania Luca , Brown Mark R. , Strand Michael R.
Published: January 2020

Most species of mosquitoes are detritivores that feed on decaying plant and animal materials in their aquatic environment. Studies of several detritivorous mosquito species indicate that they host relatively low diversity communities of microbes that are acquired from the environment while feeding. Our recent results also indicate that detritivorous species normally require a living gut microbiota to grow beyond the first instar. Less well known is that some mosquitoes, including those belonging to the genusToxorhynchites, are predators that feed on other species of mosquitoes and nektonic prey. In this study, we asked whether predaceousToxorhynchites amboinensislarvae still require living microbes in their gut in order to develop. Using the detritivorous mosquitoAedes aegyptias prey, we found thatT. amboinensislarvae harbour bacterial communities that are highly similar to that of their prey. Functional assays showed thatT. amboinensisfirst instars provided axenic (i.e. bacteria-free) prey failed to develop, while two bacterial species present in gnotobiotic (i.e. colonized by one or more known bacterial species) prey successfully colonized theT. amboinensisgut and rescued development. AxenicT. amboinensislarvae also displayed defects in growth consistent with previously identified roles for microbe-mediated gut hypoxia in nutrient acquisition and assimilation inA. aegypti.Collectively, these results support a conserved role for gut microbes in regulating the development of mosquitoes with different feeding strategies.
Adaptation to pH stress by Vibrio fischeri can affect its symbiosis with the Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes)
Authors: Cohen Meagan Leah , Mashanova Ekaterina Vadimovna , Jagannathan Sveta Vivian , Soto William
Published: January 2020

Many microorganisms engaged in host-microbe interactions pendulate between a free-living phase and a host-affiliated stage. How adaptation to stress during the free-living phase affects host-microbe associations is unclear and understudied. To explore this topic, the symbiosis between Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) and the luminous bacterium

Vibrio fischeri

was leveraged for a microbial experimental evolution study.

V. fischeri

experienced adaptation to extreme pH while apart from the squid host.

V. fischeri

was serially passaged for 2000 generations to the lower and upper pH growth limits for this microorganism, which were pH 6.0 and 10.0, respectively.

V. fischeri

was also serially passaged for 2000 generations to vacillating pH 6.0 and 10.0. Evolution to pH stress both facilitated and impaired symbiosis. Microbial evolution to acid stress promoted squid colonization and increased bioluminescence for

V. fischeri

, while symbiont adaptation to alkaline stress diminished these two traits. Oscillatory selection to acid and alkaline stress also improved symbiosis for

V. fischeri

, but the facilitating effects were less than that provided by microbial adaptation to acid stress. In summary, microbial adaptation to harsh environments amid the free-living phase may impact the evolution of host-microbe interactions in ways that were not formerly considered.
Schisandrin B for treatment of male infertility
Authors: Zou Di-Xin , Meng Xue-Dan , Xie Ying , Liu Rui , Duan Jia-Lun , Bao Chun-Jie , Liu Yi-Xuan , Du Ya-Fei , Xu Jia-Rui , Luo Qian , Zhang Zhan , Ma Shuang , Yang Wei-Peng , Lin Rui-Chao , Lu Wan-Liang
Published: January 2020

The decline of male fertility and its consequences on human populations are important public-health issues. However, there are limited choices for treatment of male infertility. In an attempt to identify a compound that could promote male fertility, we identified and characterized a library of small molecules from an ancient formulation Wuzi Yanzong-Pill, which was used as a folk medicine since the Tang dynasty of China. We found that SB enabled evident repairs in oligoasthenospermia-associated testicular tissue abnormality and in spermatogenesis disruption, resulting in significant improvements of sperm count, mobility, and reproductive ability in oligoasthenospermia mice. Furthermore, SB could alter substantial testicular genes (2033), among which, upregulation ofFstwhile downregulation ofInhbainvolved in reproductive signaling pathway could explain its role in enhancing spermatogenesis. The encouraging preclinical data with pharmacokinetics warranted a rapid development of this new class of therapeutic agent. Our finding provides a strong potent drug for treatment of male infertility.
Genomic and protein structure modelling analysis depicts the origin and infectivity of 2019-nCoV, a new coronavirus which caused a pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, China
Authors: Dong Ning , Yang Xuemei , Ye Lianwei , Chen Kaichao , Chan Edward Wai-Chi , Yang Mengsu , Chen Sheng
Published: January 2020

Detailed genomic and structure-based analysis of a new coronavirus, namely 2019-nCoV, showed that the new virus is a new type of bat coronavirus and is genetically fairly distant from the human SARS coronavirus. Structure analysis of the spike (S) protein of this new virus showed that its S protein only binds weakly to the ACE2 receptor on human cells whereas the human SARS coronavirus exhibits strongly affinity to the ACE receptor. These findings suggest that the new virus does not readily transmit between humans and should theoretically not able to cause very serious human infection. These data are important to guide design of infection control policy and inform the public on the nature of threat imposed by 2019-nCov when results of direct laboratory tests on this virus are not expected to be available in the near future.
A defect in thymic tolerance causes T cell-mediated autoimmunity in a murine model of COPA syndrome
Authors: Deng Zimu , Law Christopher S. , Ho Frances O. , Wang Kristin M. , Jones Kirk D. , Shin Jeoung-Sook , Shum Anthony K.
Published: January 2020

COPA syndrome is a recently described Mendelian autoimmune disorder caused by missense mutations in theCoatomer protein complex subunit alpha (COPA)gene. Patients with COPA syndrome develop arthritis and lung disease that presents as pulmonary hemorrhage or interstitial lung disease (ILD). Immunosuppressive medications can stabilize the disease, but many patients develop progressive pulmonary fibrosis that requires life-saving measures such as lung transplantation. Because very little is understood about the pathogenesis of COPA syndrome, it has been difficult to devise effective treatments for patients. To date, it remains unknown which cell types are critical for mediating the disease as well as the mechanisms that lead to autoimmunity. To explore these issues, we generated aCopaE241K/+germline knock-in mouse bearing one of the sameCopamissense mutations in patients. Mutant mice spontaneously developed ILD that mirrors lung pathology in patients, as well as elevations of activated cytokine-secreting T cells. Here we show that mutant Copa in epithelial cells of the thymus impairs the thymic selection of T cells and results in both an increase in autoreactive T cells and decrease in regulatory T cells in peripheral tissues. We demonstrate that T cells fromCopaE241K/+mice are pathogenic and cause ILD through adoptive transfer experiments. In conclusion, we establish a new mouse model of COPA syndrome to identify a previously unknown function for Copa in thymocyte selection and demonstrate that a defect in central tolerance is a putative mechanism by whichCOPAmutations lead to autoimmunity in patients.

One Sentence Summary

A new mouse model of COPA syndrome develops lung pathology that recapitulates patients and reveals that T cells are important drivers of the disease.
Criminalisation of terrorism financing in Iranian law
Authors: Malakoutikhah Zeynab
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that to what extent the Iranian criminalisation of terrorism financing meets the international standards of counter-terrorism financing regime, particularly the Financing Convention and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations, and what is the main impediment for Iran to integrate at the international level to combat terrorism financing. Also, it tries to rate the Iranian criminalisation of terrorism financing in accordance with the FATF technical compliance rating.

Design/methodology/approach

This subject is analysed from an Iranian perspective by undertaking fieldwork through collecting documents in Iran and using the official documents, statements and laws, particularly the Iranian Law of Combating Financing of Terrorism (2018) from both Persian and English sources.

Findings

Iran’s terrorism financing offence is not completely in line with international counter-terrorism financing regime because of an exemption for the struggle of individuals, nations and national liberation movements with the aim of countering domination, foreign occupation, colonisation and racism. The Iranian support for national liberation movements is derived from the Constitutional Law that requires Iran supports the struggles of the oppressed for their rights against the oppressors anywhere in the world. As a result, the FATF Recommendation 5 (criminalisation of terrorism financing) would be rated partially compliant.

Originality/value

No article exists specifically on this research field. To the author’s knowledge, this paper, for the first time, examines the Iranian criminalisation of terrorism financing. It rates the criminalisation (Recommendation 5) based on the FATF technical compliance rating because no mutual evaluation has been conducted to date. The paper is useful for academicians, law enforcement, policymakers, legislators and researchers.
An improved interpolation scheme at receiver positions for 2.5D frequency‐domain marine controlled‐source electromagnetic forward modelling
Authors: Li Gang , Duan Shuangmin , Cai Hongzhu , Han Bo , Ye Yixin
Published: January 2020

An improved interpolation scheme is presented for 2.5‐dimensional marine controlled‐source electromagnetic forward modelling. For the marine controlled‐source electromagnetic method, due to the resistivity contrast between the seawater and seafloor sedimentary layers, it is difficult to compute the electromagnetic fields accurately at receivers, which are usually located at the seafloor. In this study, the 2.5‐dimensional controlled‐source electromagnetic responses are simulated by the staggered finite‐difference method. The secondary‐field approach is used to avoid the source singularities, and the one‐dimensional layered background model is used for calculating the primary fields excited by the source quasi‐analytically. The interpolation of electromagnetic fields at the cell nodes for the whole computational domain to the receiver locations is discussed in detail. Numerical tests indicate that the improved interpolation developed is more accurate for simulating the electromagnetic responses at receivers located at the seafloor, compared with the linear or rigorous interpolation.
Crop pollination management needs flower‐visitor monitoring and target values
Authors: Garibaldi Lucas A. , Sáez Agustín , Aizen Marcelo A. , Fijen Thijs , Bartomeus Ignasi
Published: January 2020

Despite the crucial importance of biotic pollination for many crops, land managers rarely monitor the levels of crop pollination needed to guide farming decisions.

The few existing pollination recommendations focus on a particular number of honeybee or bumblebee hives per crop area, but these guidelines do not accurately predict the actual pollination services that crops receive.

We argue that pollination management for pollinator‐dependent crops should be based on direct measures of pollinator activity. We describe a protocol to quickly perform such a task by monitoring flower visitation rates.

We provide target values of visitation rates for crop yield maximization for several important crops by considering the number of visits per flower needed to ensure full ovule fertilization. If visitation rates are well below or above these target values, corrective measures should be taken.

Detailed additional data on visitation rates for different species, morpho‐species, or groups of species and/or flower‐visitor richness can improve pollination estimates.

Synthesis and applications. We present target values of visitation rates for some globally important pollinator‐dependent crops and provide guidance on why monitoring the number and diversity of pollinators is important, and how this information can be used for decision‐making. The implementation of flower monitoring programmes will improve management in many aspects, including enhanced quality and quantity of crop yield and a more limited spillover of managed (often exotic) pollinators from crop areas into native habitats, reducing their many potential negative impacts.
Sodium‐glucose co‐transporters and diabetic nephropathy: Is there a link with toll‐like receptors?
Authors: Ashrafi Jigheh Zahra , Ghorbani Haghjo Amir , Argani Hassan , Sanajou Davoud
Published: January 2020

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has increased alarmingly over the last decades. Despite taking measures aimed at controlling hyperglycaemia and blood pressure, the rate of end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) is continually growing. Upon increased amounts of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their correspondent receptors (RAGEs), AGE‐RAGE axis is over‐activated in DM, being the first step in the initiation and propagation of inflammatory cascades. Meanwhile, HMGB1, released from damaged cells in the diabetic kidneys, is the most notable ligand for the highly expressed toll‐like receptors (TLRs) and RAGEs. TLRs play an indispensable role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 (SGLT‐2) inhibitors are hypoglycaemic agents acting on the renal proximal tubules to prevent glucose reabsorption and therefore increase urinary glucose excretion. Besides improving glycaemic control, these hypoglycaemic agents possess direct renoprotective properties. Here, therefore, we review the most recent findings regarding interrelationship between SGLT2 inhibitors and HMGB1‐TLR4 axis.
Positioning ethnicity in dementia awareness research: does the use of senility risk ascribing racialised knowledge deficits to minority groups?
Authors: Fletcher James R.
Published: January 2020

Over recent decades, the importance of increasing dementia awareness has been promoted by charities, researchers and governments. In response, a large body of research has emerged that evaluates the awareness of different populations. One such population are minority ethnic communities. Associated studies typically conclude that minority ethnic groups have a poor awareness of dementia and that interventions should be developed to better educate them. Operationalisations of awareness almost always reference senility – the traditional notion that dementia is a natural outcome of ageing – a widely held belief among many populations. Senility is considered incorrect knowledge in the research literature, and those participants who identify with it are deemed to have poor awareness. Despite the researchers’ claims that senility is false, the scientific evidence is inconclusive, and the concept is contested. As such, a large body of research repeatedly positions minority ethnic communities as inferior and in need of re‐education based on researchers’ questionable assumptions. This issue is bound up with a racialised deficit‐model of science communication and wider critiques of psychiatric colonialism. In response, researchers of dementia and ethnicity should reflect on their own awareness and the ways in which they position others in relation to it.
‘The Miracle of Density': The Socio‐material Epistemics of Urban Densification
Authors: Pérez Federico
Published: January 2020

Despite being a foundational concept in urban studies and practice, urban density has remained relatively immune to critical study. In the midst of contemporary global housing and environmental crises, density has become an even more paradigmatic, almost common‐sense urban category and planning idiom. This article interrogates urban density as a socio‐material epistemology, as a knowledge form and practice about people, things and their mutual entailments. Based on archival and ethnographic research among city planning networks in Bogotá, Colombia, I draw attention to the political projects that are encoded in the supposedly technical physics and aesthetics of urban densification. Far from a stable, descriptive category, actors actively mobilize density to reimagine and craft urban worlds. The article tracks the shifting deployments of density in Bogotá from the middle of the twentieth century to the present, from approaches aimed at removing urban crowds and stimulating modern densities to recent projects aimed at regulating densification and rendering it more inclusionary. The article's grounded ethnographic analysis critically illuminates the ways in which the grammar of density—as a taken‐for‐granted metric of urban transformation and an ideology of socio‐materiality—both shapes and limits the praxis of urban politics.
Endometriosis fertility index for predicting non‐assisted reproductive technology pregnancy after endometriosis surgery: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Vesali S , Razavi M , Rezaeinejad M , Maleki‐Hajiagha A , Maroufizadeh S , Sepidarkish M
Published: January 2020

Background

Results of studies that have assessed the accuracy of the endometriosis Fertility Index (EFI) for predicting non‐assisted reproductive technology (ART) pregnancy are inconsistent.

Objective

We intended to evaluate the accuracy of EFI for the prediction of non‐ART pregnancy.

Search strategy

Embase, Medline, Scopus and Web of Science were searched up to 5 October 2019.

Selection criteria

We included studies that used EFI to predict non‐ART pregnancy in women with surgically documented endometriosis.

Data collection and analysis

A total of 5547 studies were identified, from which we included 17 studies on 4598 women in the meta‐analysis. Eight studies were classified as good quality, and the rest were considered to be of fair quality. Only five (29.41%) studies used appropriate approaches to account for potential confounders. Pooled effect sizes with corresponding 95% CI were calculated using random‐effects model.

Main results

The cumulative non‐ART pregnancy rate at 36 months was 10% (95% CI: 3, 16%; P < 0.001) for women with an EFI of 0–2, which significantly increased to 69% (95% CI: 58, 79%; P < 0.001) for women with an EFI of 9–10. Compared with women with an EFI of 3–4 (18%, 95% CI: 12, 24%; P < 0.001), the combined cumulative non‐ART pregnancy rates were 44% (95% CI: 26, 63%; P < 0.001) for women with an EFT of 5–6 and 55% (95% CI: 47, 64%; P < 0.001) for women with an EFI of 7–8. Paired comparison by the chi‐square test showed a significant difference between all categories (P < 0.001). The odds ratio (OR) for EFI was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.49, P < 0.001) and the summary area under the curve (AUC) was 72% (95% CI: 65, 80%, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The current findings highlighted the good performance of the EFI score in predicting the non‐ART pregnancy rate. However, these findings should be considered with caution because of the substantial heterogeneity between studies.

Tweetable abstract

Review findings show the merits of Endometriosis Fertility Index as having a prognostic ability for non‐assisted reproductive technology pregnancy.