bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Causal Relationships Between Extrinsic Exposures and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Phenome-Wide Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Gu Dongqing , Tang Mingshuang , Wang Yutong , Cui Huijie , Zhang Min , Bai Ye , Zeng Ziqian , Tan Yunhua , Wang Xin , Zhang Ben
Published: February 2022

Background

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in males worldwide, and multitudes of factors have been reported to be associated with prostate cancer risk.

Objectives

We aim to conduct the phenome-wide exposed-omics analysis of the risk factors for prostate cancer and verify the causal associations between them.

Methods

We comprehensively searched published systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies and conducted another systematic review and meta-analysis of the Mendelian randomization studies investigating the associations between extrinsic exposures and prostate cancer, thus to find all of the potential risk factors for prostate cancer. Then, we launched a phenome-wide two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis to validate the potentially causal relationships using the PRACTICAL consortium and UK Biobank.

Results

We found a total of 55 extrinsic exposures for prostate cancer risk. The causal effect of 30 potential extrinsic exposures on prostate cancer were assessed, and the results showed docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) [odds ratio (OR)=0.806, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.661-0.984, p=0.034], insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) (OR=1.0002, 95%CI: 1.00004-1.0004, p=0.016), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (OR=0.9993, 95%CI: 0.9986-0.99997, p=0.039), and body mass index (BMI) (OR=0.995, 95%CI: 0.990-0.9999, p=0.046) were associated with prostate cancer risk. However, no association was found between the other 26 factors and prostate cancer risk.

Conclusions

Our study discovered the phenome-wide exposed-omics risk factors profile of prostate cancer, and verified that the IGFBP-3, DHA, BMI, and SLE were causally related to prostate cancer risk. The results may provide new insight into the study of the pathogenesis of prostate cancer.
CAR Co-Operates With Integrins to Promote Lung Cancer Cell Adhesion and Invasion
Authors: Owczarek Claudia , Ortiz-Zapater Elena , Kim Jana , Papaevangelou Efthymia , Santis George , Parsons Maddy
Published: February 2022

The coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is a member of the junctional adhesion molecule (JAM) family of adhesion receptors and is localised to epithelial cell tight and adherens junctions. CAR has been shown to be highly expressed in lung cancer where it is proposed to promote tumor growth and regulate epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), however the potential role of CAR in lung cancer metastasis remains poorly understood. To better understand the role of this receptor in tumor progression, we manipulated CAR expression in both epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like lung cancer cells. In both cases, CAR overexpression promoted tumor growth in vivo in immunocompetent mice and increased cell adhesion in the lung after intravenous injection without altering the EMT properties of each cell line. Overexpression of WTCAR resulted in increased invasion in 3D models and enhanced β1 integrin activity in both cell lines, and this was dependent on phosphorylation of the CAR cytoplasmic tail. Furthermore, phosphorylation of CAR was enhanced by substrate stiffness in vitro, and CAR expression increased at the boundary of solid tumors in vivo. Moreover, CAR formed a complex with the focal adhesion proteins Src, Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and paxillin and promoted activation of the Guanine Triphosphate (GTP)-ase Ras-related Protein 1 (Rap1), which in turn mediated enhanced integrin activation. Taken together, our data demonstrate that CAR contributes to lung cancer metastasis via promotion of cell-matrix adhesion, providing new insight into co-operation between cell-cell and cell-matrix proteins that regulate different steps of tumorigenesis.
Transcriptome and Lipid Metabolomics-Based Discovery: Glycyrrhizic Acid Alleviates Tripterygium Glycoside Tablet-Induced Acute Liver Injury by Regulating the Activities of CYP and the Metabolism of Phosphoglycerides
Authors: Shi Qiaoli , Wang Qixin , Chen Jiayun , Xia Fei , Qiu Chong , Li Min , Zhao Minghong , Zhang Qian , Luo Piao , Lu Tianming , Zhang Ying , Xu Liting , He Xueling , Zhong Tianyu , Lin Na , Guo Qiuyan
Published: February 2022

Background: Glycyrrhizic acid (GA) has been reported to be liver protective; however, the characters and underlying mechanisms of GA against tripterygium glycoside tablet (TGT)-induced acute liver injury remain unelucidated.

Hypothesis/Purpose: We assumed that GA could relieve TGT-induced acute liver injury by regulating liver function-related genes and lipid metabolites.

Study Design: TGT-induced acute liver injury models were constructed in vivo and in vitro. Then the liver protective effect and mechanisms of GA were investigated by a combination of transcriptome, lipid metabolomics, and experimental validation.

Methods: Intraperitoneal injection of GA was given in advance for six successive days. Then, the TGT-induced acute liver injury model was constructed by a single oral administration of TGT at 270 mg/kg, except for the normal group. All animals were sacrificed 18 h later. The serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TBIL), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were quantified. Liver tissues were used to observe pathological changes through hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining and selected for transcriptome and metabolome sequencing. The underlying mechanisms were analyzed and further validated both in vivo and in vitro.

Results: Pre-administration of GA markedly decreased the serum concentrations of AST, ALT, ALP, and TBIL but increased those of SOD and GSH-Px, improving the liver morphology of mice with TGT-induced acute liver injury. In addition, GA significantly increased the gene levels of Cyp2b13, Cyp2c69, Cyp3a16, Cyp3a44, Fmo3, and Nipal1. Differentially accumulated metabolites were screened and classified as phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The in vitro results indicated that pre-administration of GA markedly alleviated the inhibitory effect of TGT on BRL-3A activity.

Conclusion: This study combined transcriptome, lipid metabolomics, and experimental validation to offer convincing evidence that GA alleviates TGT-induced acute liver injury partially by regulating the activities of CYP and the metabolism of PC and PE.
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Mechanisms Affecting Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Curran Colleen S. , Kopp Jeffrey B.
Published: February 2022

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that binds diverse endogenous and xenobiotic ligands, which regulate AHR stability, transcriptional activity, and cell signaling. AHR activity is strongly implicated throughout the course of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Many diverse organic molecules bind and activate AHR and these ligands are reported to either promote glomerular and tubular damage or protect against kidney injury. AHR crosstalk with estrogen, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, and NF-κB pathways may contribute to the diversity of AHR responses during the various forms and stages of CKD. The roles of AHR in kidney fibrosis, metabolism and the renin angiotensin system are described to offer insight into CKD pathogenesis and therapies.
PKC-ζ Aggravates Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity by Inhibiting Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling
Authors: Cao Yan-Jun , Li Jing-Yan , Wang Pan-Xia , Lin Zhi-Rong , Yu Wen-Jing , Zhang Ji-Guo , Lu Jing , Liu Pei-Qing
Published: February 2022

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a chemotherapeutic drug used to treat a wide range of cancers, but its clinical application is limited due to its cardiotoxicity. Protein kinase C-ζ (PKC-ζ) is a serine/threonine kinase belonging to atypical protein kinase C (PKC) subfamily, and is activated by its phosphorylation. We and others have reported that PKC-ζ induced cardiac hypertrophy by activating the inflammatory signaling pathway. This study focused on whether PKC-ζ played an important role in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. We found that PKC-ζ phosphorylation was increased by Dox treatment in vivo and in vitro. PKC-ζ overexpression exacerbated Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Conversely, knockdown of PKC-ζ by siRNA relieved Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Similar results were observed when PKC-ζ enzyme activity was inhibited by its pseudosubstrate inhibitor, Myristoylated. PKC-ζ interacted with β-catenin and inhibited Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by LiCl protected against Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. The Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor XAV-939 aggravated Dox-caused decline of β-catenin and cardiomyocyte apoptosis and mitochondrial damage. Moreover, activation of Wnt/β-catenin suppressed aggravation of Dox-induced cardiotoxicity due to PKC-ζ overexpression. Taken together, our study revealed that inhibition of PKC-ζ activity was a potential cardioprotective approach to preventing Dox-induced cardiac injury.
Antibiotic Use in China’s Public Healthcare Institutions During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Nationwide Procurement Data, 2018–2020
Authors: Yang Ying , Geng Xin , Liu Xiaojun , Wen Xiaotong , Wu Ruonan , Cui Dan , Mao Zongfu
Published: February 2022

Background: The overuse of antibiotics is a serious public health problem and a major challenge in China, and China lacks up-to-date evidence on the nationwide antibiotic use in different healthcare settings. The changes of China’s antibiotic use under the COVID-19 pandemic are still unknown.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the use of antibiotics in China’s public medical institutions based on a three-year nationwide surveillance and to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on China’s antibiotic consumption.

Methods: This study used nationwide drug procurement data from the China Drug Supply Information Platform (CDSIP). We retrospectively analyzed antibiotic procurement data of 9,176 hospitals and 39,029 primary healthcare centers (PHCs) from 31 provinces in mainland China from January 2018 to December 2020. Antibiotic utilization was measured by defined daily doses (DDDs) and DDD per 1,000 inhabitants per day (DID). Generalized linear regression models were established to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antibiotic use.

Results: The total antibiotic consumption among all healthcare settings increased from 12.94 DID in 2018 to 14.45 DID in 2019, and then dropped to 10.51 DID in 2020. More than half of antibiotics were consumed in PHCs, especially in central regions (59%–68%). The use of penicillins (J01C) and cephalosporins (J01D) accounted for 32.02% and 28.86% of total antibiotic consumption in 2020. During 2018–2020, parenteral antibiotics accounted for 31%–36% of total antibiotic consumption; the proportion is more prominent in central and western regions and the setting of hospitals. Access category antibiotics comprised 40%–42% of the total utilization. Affected by COVID-19, the antibiotic consumption was significantly dropped both in hospitals (β = −.11, p < .001) and PHCs (β = −.17, p < .001), as well as in total (β = −.14, p < .001). Significant increments were observed in the proportion of total antibiotics (β = .02, p = .024) consumed in hospitals (against the consumption in all healthcare settings), as well as parenteral antibiotics (β = 1.73, p = .001).

Conclusion: The consistent preferred use of penicillin and cephalosporin, as well as injections, among China’s public healthcare institutions should draw concern. China’s antibiotic consumption significantly declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brings opportunities for antibiotic use management in China.
Metabolomic Profiling of Brain Protective Effect of Edaravone on Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Mice
Authors: Ma Hui-fen , Zheng Fan , Su Lin-jie , Zhang Da-wei , Liu Yi-ning , Li Fang , Zhang Yuan-yuan , Gong Shuai-shuai , Kou Jun-ping
Published: February 2022

Edaravone (EDA) injection has been extensively applied in clinics for treating stroke. Nevertheless, the metabolite signatures and underlying mechanisms associated with EDA remain unclear, which deserve further elucidation for improving the accurate usage of EDA. Ischemia stroke was simulated by intraluminal occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 1 h, followed by reperfusion for 24 h in mice. Brain infarct size, neurological deficits, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels were improved by EDA. Significantly differential metabolites were screened with untargeted metabolomics by cross-comparisons with pre- and posttreatment of EDA under cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The possibly involved pathways, such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, and phenylalanine, taurine, and hypotaurine metabolisms, were enriched with differential metabolites and relevant regulatory enzymes, respectively. The network of differential metabolites was constructed for the integral exhibition of metabolic characteristics. Targeted analysis of taurine, an important metabolic marker, was performed for further validation. The level of taurine decreased in the MCAO/R group and increased in the EDA group. The inhibition of EDA on cerebral endothelial cell apoptosis was confirmed by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) stain. Cysteine sulfinic acid decarboxylase (CSAD), the rate-limiting enzyme of taurine generation, significantly increased along with inhibiting endothelial cell apoptosis after treatment of EDA. Thus, CSAD, as the possible new therapeutic target of EDA, was selected and validated by Western blot and immunofluorescence. Together, this study provided the metabolite signatures and identified CSAD as an unrecognized therapeutic intervention for EDA in the treatment of ischemic stroke via inhibiting brain endothelial cell apoptosis.
Intranasal Delivery of Galanin 2 and Neuropeptide Y1 Agonists Enhanced Spatial Memory Performance and Neuronal Precursor Cells Proliferation in the Dorsal Hippocampus in Rats
Authors: Borroto-Escuela Dasiel O. , Fores Ramón , Pita Mariana , Barbancho Miguel A. , Zamorano‐Gonzalez Pablo , Casares Natalia García , Fuxe Kjell , Narváez Manuel
Published: February 2022

A need for new therapeutic approaches are necessary for dementia conditions and memory deficits of different origins, such as Alzheimer's disease. There is complex pathophysiological mechanisms involved, affecting adult hippocampal neurogenesis, in which neuropeptides and its neurogenesis regulation seem to participate. Neuropeptide Y(NPY) Y1 receptor (Y1R) and galanin (GAL) receptor 2 (GALR2) interact in brain regions responsible for learning and memory processes, emphasizing the hippocampus. Moreover, a significant challenge for treatments involving peptide drugs is bypassing the blood-brain barrier. The current study assesses the sustained memory performance induced by GALR2 and NPYY1R agonists intranasal coadministration and their neurochemical hippocampal correlates. Memory retrieval was conducted in the object-in-place task together with in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) to manifest the formation of GALR2/Y1R heteroreceptor complexes and their dynamics under the different treatments. We evaluated cell proliferation through a 5-Bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) expression study within the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus. The GalR2 agonist M1145 was demonstrated to act with the Y1R agonist to improve memory retrieval at 24 hours in the object-in-place task. Our data show that the intranasal administration is a feasible technique for directly delivering Galanin or Neuropeptide Y compounds into CNS. Moreover, we observed the ability of the co-agonist treatment to enhance the cell proliferation in the DG of the dorsal hippocampus through 5- Bromo-2’-deoxyuridine (BrdU) expression analysis at 24 hours. The understanding of the cellular mechanisms was achieved by analyzing the GALR2/Y1R heteroreceptor complexes upon agonist coactivation of their two types of receptor protomers in Doublecortin-expressing neuroblasts. Our results may provide the basis for developing heterobivalent agonist pharmacophores, targeting GALR2-Y1R heterocomplexes. It involves especially the neuronal precursor cells of the dentate gyrus in the dorsal hippocampus for the novel treatment of neurodegenerative pathologies as in the Alzheimer’s disease.
Sodium, Glucose and Dysregulated Glucagon Secretion: The Potential of Sodium Glucose Transporters
Authors: Armour Sarah L. , Frueh Alexander , Knudsen Jakob G.
Published: February 2022

Diabetes is defined by hyperglycaemia due to progressive insulin resistance and compromised insulin release. In parallel, alpha cells develop dysregulation of glucagon secretion. Diabetic patients have insufficient glucagon secretion during hypoglycaemia and a lack of inhibition of glucagon secretion at higher blood glucose levels resulting in postprandial hyperglucagonaemia, which contributes to the development of hyperglycaemia. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are an efficient pharmacologic approach for the treatment of hyperglycaemia in type 2 diabetes. While SGLT2 inhibitors aim at increasing glycosuria to decrease blood glucose levels, these inhibitors also increase circulating glucagon concentrations. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of how SGLTs are involved in the regulation of glucagon secretion. Sodium plays an important role for alpha cell function, and a tight regulation of intracellular sodium levels is important for maintaining plasma membrane potential and intracellular pH. This involves the sodium-potassium pump, sodium-proton exchangers and SGLTs. While the expression of SGLT2 in alpha cells remains controversial, SGLT1 seems to play a central role for alpha cell function. Under hyperglycaemic conditions, SGLT1 mediated accumulation of sodium results in alpha cell dysregulation due to altered cellular acidification and ATP production. Taken together, this suggests that SGLT1 could be a promising, yet highly underappreciated drug target to restore alpha cell function and improve treatment of both type 1 and 2 diabetes.
iApp: An Autonomous Inspection, Auscultation, Percussion, and Palpation Platform
Authors: Ryu Semin , Kim Seung-Chan , Won Dong-Ok , Bang Chang Seok , Koh Jeong-Hwan , Jeong In cheol
Published: February 2022

Disease symptoms often contain features that are not routinely recognized by patients but can be identified through indirect inspection or diagnosis by medical professionals. Telemedicine requires sufficient information for aiding doctors' diagnosis, and it has been primarily achieved by clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) utilizing visual information. However, additional medical diagnostic tools are needed for improving CDSSs. Moreover, since the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has garnered increasing attention, and basic diagnostic tools (e.g., classical examination) have become the most important components of a comprehensive framework. This study proposes a conceptual system, iApp, that can collect and analyze quantified data based on an automatically performed inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. The proposed iApp system consists of an auscultation sensor, camera for inspection, and custom-built hardware for automatic percussion and palpation. Experiments were designed to categorize the eight abdominal divisions of healthy subjects based on the system multi-modal data. A deep multi-modal learning model, yielding a single prediction from multi-modal inputs, was designed for learning distinctive features in eight abdominal divisions. The model's performance was evaluated in terms of the classification accuracy, sensitivity, positive predictive value, and F-measure, using epoch-wise and subject-wise methods. The results demonstrate that the iApp system can successfully categorize abdominal divisions, with the test accuracy of 89.46%. Through an automatic examination of the iApp system, this proof-of-concept study demonstrates a sophisticated classification by extracting distinct features of different abdominal divisions where different organs are located. In the future, we intend to capture the distinct features between normal and abnormal tissues while securing patient data and demonstrate the feasibility of a fully telediagnostic system that can support abnormality diagnosis.
Construction of a High-Density Genetic Map and Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci Linked to Fruit Quality Traits in Apricots Using Specific-Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing
Authors: Zhang Qiuping , Liu Jiacheng , Liu Weisheng , Liu Ning , Zhang Yuping , Xu Ming , Liu Shuo , Ma Xiaoxue , Zhang Yujun
Published: February 2022

Improving fruit quality is one of the main tasks in modern commercial apricot breeding. Because of the lack of high-density linkage maps and fine mapping, it is difficult to obtain molecular markers that can assist in breeding for quantitative inheritance of fruit quality traits. In this study, specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing was used to genotype 169 seedlings of F1 apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) progenies derived from crossing “Chuanzhihong” (H) with “Saimaiti” (S). After aligning to the Prunus armeniaca reference genome and filtering out low-quality variants, 6,012 high-quality single nucleotide polymorphisms were obtained and employed to construct a genetic map for each parent. The genetic linkage maps showed eight linkage groups of apricot, covering a distance of 809.6 cM in “H” and 1076.4 cM in “S”. The average distance between markers in “H” and “S” was 0.62 and 0.95 cM, respectively. To map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for fruit quality, we investigated fruit quality traits, including fruit weight (FW), fruit height (FH), fruit lateral width (FL), fruit ventral width (FV), soluble solids content (SSC), and fruit firmness (FF) for all seedlings genotyped in 2018 and 2019. Eleven and nine QTLs linked to fruit quality traits were anchored on the “H” and “S” maps, respectively, and 1,138 putative candidate genes for 16 most significant regions on the corresponding chromosome were identified based on gene annotation. Among them, fruit size contained 648 genes in 11 intervals on the reference genome, SSC contained 372 genes in 3 intervals, and FF contained 117 genes in 2 intervals. Our findings uncovered the genetic basis of apricot fruit quality, and provided candidate genes for further molecular genetic studies on fruit quality and QTL targets for future marker-assisted selection of apricot quality improvement breeding.
Identification of Putative Markers of Non-infectious Bud Failure in Almond [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb] Through Genome Wide DNA Methylation Profiling and Gene Expression Analysis in an Almond × Peach Hybrid Population
Authors: D’Amico-Willman Katherine M. , Sideli Gina M. , Allen Brian J. , Anderson Elizabeth S. , Gradziel Thomas M. , Fresnedo-Ramírez Jonathan
Published: February 2022

Almond [Prunus dulcis(Mill.) D.A. Webb] is an economically important nut crop susceptible to the genetic disorder, Non-infectious Bud Failure (NBF). Despite the severity of exhibition in several prominent almond cultivars, no causal mechanism has been identified underlying NBF development. The disorder is hypothesized to be associated with differential DNA methylation patterns based on patterns of inheritance (i.e., via sexual reproduction and clonal propagation) and previous work profiling methylation in affected trees. Peach (Prunus persicaL. Batsch) is a closely related species that readily hybridizes with almond; however, peach is not known to exhibit NBF. A cross between an NBF-exhibiting ‘Carmel’ cultivar and early flowering peach (‘40A17’) produced an F1where ∼50% of progeny showed signs of NBF, including canopy die-back, erratic branching patterns (known as “crazy-top”), and rough bark. In this study, whole-genome DNA methylation profiles were generated for three F1progenies exhibiting NBF and three progenies considered NBF-free. Subsequent alignment to both the almond and peach reference genomes showed an increase in genome-wide methylation levels in NBF hybrids in CG and CHG contexts compared to no-NBF hybrids when aligned to the almond genome but no difference in methylation levels when aligned to the peach genome. Significantly differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified by comparing methylation levels across the genome between NBF- and no-NBF hybrids in each methylation context. In total, 115,635 DMRs were identified based on alignment to the almond reference genome, and 126,800 DMRs were identified based on alignment to the peach reference genome. Nearby genes were identified as associated with the 39 most significant DMRs occurring either in the almond or peach alignments alone or occurring in both the almond and peach alignments. These DMR-associated genes include several uncharacterized proteins and transposable elements. Quantitative PCR was also performed to analyze the gene expression patterns of these identified gene targets to determine patterns of differential expression associated with differential DNA methylation. These DMR-associated genes, particularly those showing corresponding patterns of differential gene expression, represent key targets for almond breeding for future cultivars and mitigating the effects of NBF-exhibition in currently affected cultivars.
Desiccation as a Post-maturation Treatment Helps Complete Maturation of Norway Spruce Somatic Embryos: Carbohydrates, Phytohormones and Proteomic Status
Authors: Eliášová Kateřina , Konrádová Hana , Dobrev Petre I. , Motyka Václav , Lomenech Anne-Marie , Fischerová Lucie , Lelu-Walter Marie-Anne , Vondráková Zuzana , Teyssier Caroline
Published: February 2022

Exposure of Norway spruce (Picea abies) somatic embryos and those of many other conifers to post-maturation desiccation treatment significantly improves their germination. An integration analysis was conducted to understand the underlying processes induced during the desiccation phase at the molecular level. Carbohydrate, protein and phytohormone assays associated with histological and proteomic studies were performed for the evaluation of markers and actors in this phase. Multivariate comparison of mature somatic embryos with mature desiccated somatic embryos and/or zygotic embryos provided new insights into the processes involved during the desiccation step of somatic embryogenesis. Desiccated embryos were characterized by reduced levels of starch and soluble carbohydrates but elevated levels of raffinose family oligosaccharides. Desiccation treatment decreased the content of abscisic acid and its derivatives but increased total auxins and cytokinins. The content of phytohormones in dry zygotic embryos was lower than in somatic embryos, but their profile was mostly analogous, apart from differences in cytokinin profiles. The biological processes “Acquisition of desiccation tolerance”, “Response to stimulus”, “Response to stress” and “Stored energy” were activated in both the desiccated somatic embryos and zygotic embryos when compared to the proteome of mature somatic embryos before desiccation. Based on the specific biochemical changes of important constituents (abscisic acid, raffinose, stachyose, LEA proteins and cruciferins) induced by the desiccation treatment and observed similarities between somatic and zygotic P. abies embryos, we concluded that the somatic embryos approximated to a state of desiccation tolerance. This physiological change could be responsible for the reorientation of Norway spruce somatic embryos toward a stage suitable for germination.
i6mA-Vote: Cross-Species Identification of DNA N6-Methyladenine Sites in Plant Genomes Based on Ensemble Learning With Voting
Authors: Teng Zhixia , Zhao Zhengnan , Li Yanjuan , Tian Zhen , Guo Maozu , Lu Qianzi , Wang Guohua
Published: February 2022

DNA N6-Methyladenine (6mA) is a common epigenetic modification, which plays some significant roles in the growth and development of plants. It is crucial to identify 6mA sites for elucidating the functions of 6mA. In this article, a novel model named i6mA-vote is developed to predict 6mA sites of plants. Firstly, DNA sequences were coded into six feature vectors with diverse strategies based on density, physicochemical properties, and position of nucleotides, respectively. To find the best coding strategy, the feature vectors were compared on several machine learning classifiers. The results suggested that the position of nucleotides has a significant positive effect on 6mA sites identification. Thus, the dinucleotide one-hot strategy which can describe position characteristics of nucleotides well was employed to extract DNA features in our method. Secondly, DNA sequences of Rosaceae were divided into a training dataset and a test dataset randomly. Finally, i6mA-vote was constructed by combining five different base-classifiers under a majority voting strategy and trained on the Rosaceae training dataset. The i6mA-vote was evaluated on the task of predicting 6mA sites from the genome of the Rosaceae, Rice, and Arabidopsis separately. In Rosaceae, the performances of i6mA-vote were 0.955 on accuracy (ACC), 0.909 on Matthew correlation coefficients (MCC), 0.955 on sensitivity (SN), and 0.954 on specificity (SP). Those indicators, in the order of ACC, MCC, SN, SP, were 0.882, 0.774, 0.961, and 0.803 on Rice while they were 0.798, 0.617, 0.666, and 0.929 on Arabidopsis. According to the indicators, our method was effectiveness and better than other concerned methods. The results also illustrated that i6mA-vote does not only well in 6mA sites prediction of intraspecies but also interspecies plants. Moreover, it can be seen that the specificity is distinctly lower than the sensitivity in Rice while it is just the opposite in Arabidopsis. It may be resulted from sequence similarity among Rosaceae, Rice and Arabidopsis.
Why Do Students Procrastinate More in Some Courses Than in Others and What Happens Next? Expanding the Multilevel Perspective on Procrastination
Authors: Kljajic Kristina , Schellenberg Benjamin J. I. , Gaudreau Patrick
Published: February 2022

Much is known about the antecedents and outcomes of procrastination when comparing students to one another (i.e., between-person level). However, little is known about the antecedents and outcomes of procrastination when comparing the courses taken by the students during a semester (i.e., within-person level). In this study, we proposed that examining procrastination at both levels of analysis should improve our understanding of the academic experience of students. At both levels, we examined the mediating role of procrastination in the associations between two dimensions of motivation (i.e., autonomous and controlled) and indicators of academic achievement (i.e., grades) and well-being (i.e., positive and negative affect). A sample of 359 university students completed questionnaires measuring their motivation, procrastination, and affect in each of their courses. The official final course grades were obtained at the end of the semester. Multilevel mediation analyses with structural equation modeling were conducted to test our hypotheses. At the between-person level, the indirect effects revealed that higher controlled motivation was significantly associated with worse outcomes (i.e., worse grades and higher negative affect) via higher levels of procrastination. At the within-person level, the indirect effects revealed that lower autonomous motivation was significantly associated with worse outcomes (i.e., worse grades, lower positive affect, and higher negative affect) via higher levels of procrastination. Overall, this study shows that different pathways at each level of analysis may explain how procrastination can be detrimental for the success and well-being of university students.
Mothers’ and Fathers’ Science-Related Talk With Daughters and Sons While Reading Life and Physical Science Books
Authors: Shirefley Tess A. , Leaper Campbell
Published: February 2022

Introduction

In prior studies conducted in the United States, parents’ gender-differentiated encouragement of science predicted children’s later science motivation. Most of this research has focused on older children or teens and only looked at the impact of mothers. However, accumulating evidence suggests that gender-differentiated encouragement of science interest may begin in early childhood. Moreover, fathers may be more likely than mothers to treat sons and daughters differently in science-learning contexts.

Methods

We examined 50 United States families with both a mother and a father (82% White; 98% with at least some college education) and either a daughter or a son (48–83 months; M = 62, SD = 9). On separate visits, each parent reads two books with their child. One was about life science and the other was about physical science. We coded parents’ science-related talk during these interactions.

Results and Conclusion

In contrast to our predictions, parents used higher proportions of science talk with daughters than sons, including higher average rates of overall science talk and specific types of science talk (e.g., science explanations, science-related personal connections, and science-learning talk). Moreover, most of the child gender effects occurred while reading the physical science books. Book topic and parent gender moderated some additional patterns. Book reading is discussed as a potential context for mitigating socialization experiences that traditionally disfavor girls’ interest in physical science.
Consequences of Online Misinformation on COVID-19: Two Potential Pathways and Disparity by eHealth Literacy
Authors: Kim Hye Kyung , Tandoc Edson C.
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented threat to global human wellbeing, and the proliferation of online misinformation during this critical period amplifies the challenge. This study examines consequences of exposure to online misinformation about COVID-19 preventions. Using a three-wave panel survey involving 1,023 residents in Singapore, the study found that exposure to online misinformation prompts engagement in self-reported misinformed behaviors such as eating more garlic and regularly rinsing nose with saline, while discouraging evidence-based prevention behaviors such as social distancing. This study further identifies information overload and misperception on prevention as important mechanisms that link exposure to online misinformation and these outcomes. The effects of misinformation exposure differ by individuals’ eheath literacy level, suggesting the need for a health literacy education to minimize the counterproductive effects of misinformation online. This study contributes to theory-building in misinformation by addressing potential pathways of and disparity in its possible effects on behavior.
The Measurement Properties and Acceptability of a New Parent–Infant Bonding Tool (‘Me and My Baby’) for Use in United Kingdom Universal Healthcare Settings: A Psychometric, Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Bywater Tracey , Dunn Abigail , Endacott Charlotte , Smith Karen , Tiffin Paul A. , Price Matthew , Blower Sarah
Published: February 2022

Introduction

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines acknowledge the importance of the parent–infant relationship for child development but highlight the need for further research to establish reliable tools for assessment, particularly for parents of children under 1 year. This study explores the acceptability and psychometric properties of a co-developed tool, ‘Me and My Baby’ (MaMB).

Study design

A cross-sectional design was applied. The MaMB was administered universally (in two sites) with mothers during routine 6–8-week Health Visitor contacts. The sample comprised 467 mothers (434 MaMB completers and 33 ‘non-completers’). Dimensionality of instrument responses were evaluated via exploratory and confirmatory ordinal factor analyses. Item response modeling was conducted via a Rasch calibration to evaluate how the tool conformed to principles of ‘fundamental measurement’. Tool acceptability was evaluated via completion rates and comparing ‘completers’ and ‘non-completers’ demographic differences on age, parity, ethnicity, and English as an additional language. Free-text comments were summarized. Data sharing agreements and data management were compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation, and University of York data management policies.

Results

High completion rates suggested the MaMB was acceptable. Psychometric analyses showed the response data to be an excellent fit to a unidimensional confirmatory factor analytic model. All items loaded statistically significantly and substantially (>0.4) on a single underlying factor (latent variable). The item response modeling showed that most MaMB items fitted the Rasch model. (Rasch) item reliability was high (0.94) yet the test yielded little information on each respondent, as highlighted by the relatively low ‘person separation index’ of 0.1.

Conclusion and next steps

MaMB reliably measures a single construct, likely to be infant bonding. However, further validation work is needed, preferably with ‘enriched population samples’ to include higher-need/risk families. The MaMB tool may benefit from reduced response categories (from four to three) and some modest item wording amendments. Following further validation and reliability appraisal the MaMB may ultimately be used with fathers/other primary caregivers and be potentially useful in research, universal health settings as part of a referral pathway, and clinical practice, to identify dyads in need of additional support/interventions.
Founder Management and Innovation: An Empirical Analysis Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior and Fuzzy-Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis
Authors: Ma Chun-Ai , Xiao Rong , Chang Heng-Yu , Song Guang-Rui
Published: February 2022

Based on the expanded theory of planned behavior, this study first explores the configuration relationship between founder management and innovation by using the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Based on the theory of planned behavior, this study divides the behavior intention of founders into three categories: Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control. Using fsQCA, we found that there are two ways to achieve high innovation input of enterprises. In combination with the two ways, the factors such as male and highly educated founder, and large firm size can effectively increase the innovation input of firms, which is consistent with the three aspects of the behavioral intention of the theory of planned behavior, and it proves that the theory of planned behavior can effectively explain the configuration relation between the founder and firm innovation. In addition, this study finds that the innovation output is different from the innovation input, is dependent on the innovation ability of the firm itself, and is less influenced by the external environment.
Influence of Person-Vocation Fit on Satisfaction and Persistence in Vocational Training Programs
Authors: Michaelis Christian , Findeisen Stefanie
Published: February 2022

Positive effects of person-environment fit on job satisfaction and persistence are well documented. However, little is known about the consequences of person-vocation (P-V) fit for vocational education and training (VET). Using data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we examine the influence of selected P-V fit indicators (educational match, interest congruence, skill congruence) on training satisfaction and premature contract termination (PCT) for 4,097 trainees in VET. We find that most P-V incongruences do not lead to negative consequences. Training satisfaction is not affected by interest congruence and skill congruence. However, moderate overeducation (intermediately qualified adolescents working in occupations with high shares of low-qualified trainees) enhances training satisfaction. For PCT, there is a general effect of undereducation; undereducation increases the probability of PCT independent of educational qualification for the occupation. PCT is not affected by skill congruence and only for Realistic interests, congruence with the vocational environment reduces PCT probability.
Comparison of White Matter Structure of Drug-Naïve Patients With Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder Using Diffusion Tensor Tractography
Authors: Koreki Akihiro , Niida Richi , Niida Akira , Yamagata Bun , Anamizu Sachiko , Mimura Masaru
Published: February 2022

Background

The presence of microstructural white matter (WM) abnormalities in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) has previously been reported. However, the interpretation of data is challenging because pharmacological treatment has a potential effect on WM integrity. To date, no study has compared the differences in WM structure among drug-naïve BD patients, drug-naïve major depression disorder (MDD) patients, and healthy controls (HC) using the visual evaluation method of diffusion tensor tractography (DTT).

Methods

This retrospective study included 12 drug-naïve patients with BD, 15 drug-naïve patients with MDD, and 27 age- and sex-matched HC individuals. Visual evaluation, fractional anisotropy (FA), and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were analysed in the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR) as a tract of interest using the optimal follow-up truncation threshold. They were also analysed in the cingulate fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, and fornix.

Results

No significant differences were found in the FA or ADC of any tract. However, visual evaluation revealed poorer depiction of ATR in patients with BD than in patients with MDD and HC individuals (p = 0.004). Our post-hoc analysis showed a significant difference between BD and HC patients (p = 0.018).

Conclusions

The visual evaluation method of DTT revealed poor depiction of ATR in patients with BD compared with HC individuals and MDD patients, suggesting microstructural WM abnormalities of ATR in BD.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Regulates Brain Connectivity in Patients With Late-Life Depression
Authors: Li Hui , Yan Wei , Wang Qianwen , Liu Lin , Lin Xiao , Zhu Ximei , Su Sizhen , Sun Wei , Sui Manqiu , Bao Yanping , Lu Lin , Deng Jiahui , Sun Xinyu
Published: February 2022

Late-life depression (LLD) is an important public health problem among the aging population. Recent studies found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can effectively alleviate depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder. The present study explored the clinical effect and potential neuroimaging mechanism of MBCT in the treatment of LLD. We enrolled 60 participants with LLD in an 8-week, randomized, controlled trial (ChiCTR1800017725). Patients were randomized to the treatment-as-usual (TAU) group or a MBCT+TAU group. The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) were used to evaluate symptoms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure changes in resting-state functional connectivity and structural connectivity. We also measured the relationship between changes in brain connectivity and improvements in clinical symptoms. HAMD total scores in the MBCT+TAU group were significantly lower than in the TAU group after 8 weeks of treatment (p < 0.001) and at the end of the 3-month follow-up (p < 0.001). The increase in functional connections between the amygdala and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) correlated with decreases in HAMA and HAMD scores in the MBCT+TAU group. Diffusion tensor imaging analyses showed that fractional anisotropy of the MFG-amygdala significantly increased in the MBCT+TAU group after 8-week treatment compared with the TAU group. Our study suggested that MBCT improves depression and anxiety symptoms that are associated with LLD. MBCT strengthened functional and structural connections between the amygdala and MFG, and this increase in communication correlated with improvements in clinical symptoms.

Randomized Controlled Trial; Follow-Up Study; fMRI; Brain Connectivity
Incidence, Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Toward Needle Stick Injury Among Health Care Workers in Abha City, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alsabaani Abdullah , Alqahtani Norah Saeed S. , Alqahtani Sarah Saeed S. , Al-Lugbi Jawaher Hussain J. , Asiri Malak Ali Saleh , Salem Shyamaa Elsayed Elaraby , Alasmari Ali Ahmed , Mahmood Syed Esam , Alalyani Mesheil
Published: February 2022

Background

A needle stick injury is a serious occupational health hazard in health care settings. Health care workers are at risk of bloodborne diseases and the psychological consequences of these injuries. This study aims to estimate the incidence of needle stick injuries among healthcare workers during the previous 12 months and to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practice toward these injuries.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st August 2019 till 15th February 2020, and included 786 healthcare workers in Abha city, Saudi Arabia. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data.

Results

The incidence of needle stick injury among healthcare workers during the previous 12 months was (91/786) 11.57%. Nurses, females, and Saudis reported most needle stick injuries. More than half (52.7%) of the injuries went unreported. About 52.7% of needle stick injuries occurred during using sharp devices, and 42.9% of injuries happened in the patient room. The incidence of needle stick injury was significantly higher among those working at the secondary healthcare level (p= 0.003) and those practicing surgery (p< 0.001). Out of 786 participants, 94.7% knew the definition of needle stick injury, and 81.0% were aware of the procedure and guidelines to follow on sustaining a needle stick injury. Only 61.2% recognized that the recap of the needle is not recommended. Almost half of the participants (47.1%) agreed, and 33.6% strongly agreed that needle stick injury is preventable. A majority of healthcare workers (89.1%) had been vaccinated against Hepatitis B. Nearly 27.5% of healthcare workers incorrectly practiced recapping the needles with two hands and 8.7% bent needles before disposal. Recapping the needles was statistically significantly higher among healthcare workers who had a history of needle stick injury (p= 0. 046).

Conclusion

Needle stick injury and its under reporting among healthcare professionals is still a prevalent risk. Raising awareness among healthcare workers and improving the reporting systems for needle stick injuries to ensure more protection and early use of post-exposure prophylaxis is required. Implementation of safety precautions and safe injection practices and providing engineered safety devices may further reduce the risk.