bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Associations between nutritional and immune status and clinicopathologic factors in patients with tuberculosis: A comprehensive analysis
Authors: Liu Quan-Xian , Tang Dao-Yan , Xiang Xi , He Jian-Qing
Published: November 2022

Objective

This study was designed to assess and analyze nutritional status (NS) and immune status in patients with tuberculosis.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 93 TB patients hospitalized in the tuberculosis ward of the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Subgroup comparisons were made according to age (<65 years and ≥65 years), nutritional risk score 2002 (NRS 2002 <3 and ≥3), tuberculosis location [pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (including pulmonary tuberculosis complicated with extrapulmonary tuberculosis)], and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) (<45 vs ≥45).

Results

Significantly increased weight loss was associated with extrapulmonary tuberculosis (P =0.0010). Serum albumin (P =0.0214), total lymphocyte count (P = 0.0009) and PNI (P = 0.0033) were significantly decreased in older patients. Neutrophils/lymphocytes (NLR) (P =0.0002), monocytes/lymphocytes (MLR) (P < 0.0001), and platelets/lymphocytes (PLR) (P =0.0107) were higher. According to NRS 2002, higher nutritional risk was associated with lower body weight and body mass index (BMI) (P < 0.0001), higher weight loss (P = 0.0012), longer duration of hospitalization (P =0.0100), lower serum albumin level and hemoglobin concentration (P <0.01), lower creatinine level, and lower PNI (P < 0.01). 0.0001), lower total lymphocyte count (P = 0.0004), higher neutrophil and monocyte counts (P <0.05), and higher NLR (P = 0.0002), MLR (P = 0.0006), and PLR (P = 0.0156). Lower PNI was associated with lower body weight (P = 0.0001) and BMI (P =0.0074), lower total protein, albumin, and hemoglobin concentrations (P < 0.0001), and lower total lymphocyte count (P < 0.0001) and creatinine levels (P = 0.0336), higher age (P =0.0002) and NRS 2002 score, P < 0.0001), longer hos-pital stay (P = 0.0003), higher neutrophil count (P = 0.0042), and NLR, MLR, and PLR (P <0.0001) were significantly correlated. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, weight loss (OR: 0.209, 95% CI: 0.060-0.722; p =0.013) was significantly associated with higher nutritional risk (NRS 2002≥3). In multiple linear regression analysis, the NRS 2002 score was higher (B=2.018; p =0.023), and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (B=-6.205; p =0.007) was linked with a longer duration of hos-pitalization.

Conclusions

Older tuberculosis patients are at nutritional risk, and older patients (≥65 years old) need to pay attention to nutritional monitoring and intervention. Older TB patients and those at risk of malnutrition have increased immune ratio and impaired immune function. Management of TB patients using basic diagnostic tools to assess nutritional and immune status and calculate PNI and immunological indexes (NLR, MLR, PLR) to improve treatment outcomes.
Molecular docking and molecular dynamics study Lianhua Qingwen granules (LHQW) treats COVID-19 by inhibiting inflammatory response and regulating cell survival
Authors: Cao Jun-Feng , Gong Yunli , Wu Mei , Xiong Li , Chen Shengyan , Huang Haonan , Zhou Xinge , Peng Ying-chun , Shen Xue-fang , Qu Jinyu , Wang Yi-li , Zhang Xiao
Published: November 2022

Purpose

2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is endangering health of populations worldwide. Latest research has proved that Lianhua Qingwen granules (LHQW) can reduce tissue damage caused by inflammatory reactions and relieve patients’ clinical symptoms. However, the mechanism of LHQW treats COVID-19 is currently lacking. Therefore, we employed computer simulations to investigate the mechanism of LHQW treats COVID-19 by modulating inflammatory response.

Methods

We employed bioinformatics to screen active ingredients in LHQW and intersection gene targets. PPI, GO and KEGG was used to analyze relationship of intersection gene targets. Molecular dynamics simulations validated the binding stability of active ingredients and target proteins. Binding free energy, radius of gyration and the solvent accessible surface area were analyzed by supercomputer platform.

Results

COVID-19 had 4628 gene targets, LHQW had 1409 gene targets, intersection gene targets were 415. Bioinformatics analysis showed that intersection targets were closely related to inflammation and immunomodulatory. Molecular docking suggested that active ingredients (including: licopyranocoumarin, Glycyrol and 3-3-Oxopropanoic acid) in LHQW played a role in treating COVID-19 by acting on CSF2, CXCL8, CCR5, NLRP3, IFNG and TNF. Molecular dynamics was used to prove the binding stability of active ingredients and protein targets.

Conclusion

The mechanism of active ingredients in LHQW treats COVID-19 was investigated by computer simulations. We found that active ingredients in LHQW not only reduce cell damage and tissue destruction by inhibiting the inflammatory response through CSF2, CXCL8, CCR5 and IFNG, but also regulate cell survival and growth through NLRP3 and TNF thereby reducing apoptosis.
Insight into global research on health literacy and heart diseases: A bibliometric analysis
Authors: Huy Le Duc , Truong Nguyen L. T. , Hoang Nhi Y. , Nguyen Nhi Thi Hong , Nguyen Thao T. P. , Dang Loan T. , Hsu Yi-Hsin Elsa , Huang Chung-Chien , Chang Yao-Mao , Shih Chung-Liang , Carbone Elena T. , Yang Shwu-Huey , Duong Tuyen V.
Published: November 2022

Background

Health literacy (HL) has shown its important role on reducing the burden of heart diseases. However, no study has provided a comprehensive worldwide view of the data regarding HL and heart diseases. The study aimed to provide insight into: (1) the intellectual structure, (2) research trends, and (3) research gaps on HL and heart diseases; and (4) to explore HL scales commonly utilized in heart studies.

Materials and methods

Studies related to HL and heart diseases were retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. All publications published between 2000 and 2021 were included after conducting keyword searches on “heart diseases” in general or on specific types of heart diseases (e.g., “heart failure”) and “health literacy”. Bibliometric analyses were carried out using the Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer 1.6.14.

Findings

A total of 388 original research articles and reviews on HL and heart diseases were included in our study. The studies were primarily conducted in the United States and developed countries. A total of 337 studies (86.9%) focused on heart failure (200 studies, 51.5%) and ischemic heart diseases (137 studies, 35.3%). Sixty-two studies (16.0%) focused on other heart diseases (e.g., valvular diseases and rheumatic heart diseases). The number of interventional studies was limited (52 studies, 13.4%) and fluctuated from 2000 to 2021. The most common questionnaires measuring health literacy among patients with heart diseases were the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA), and Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS). Use of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) has become the latest trend among patients with heart diseases.

Conclusion

Health literacy and heart diseases were most often studied in the United States and developed countries. Several HL tools were used; eHEALS has been lately used in this field. These findings suggest the need to conduct more empirical studies on HL and heart diseases in different settings (e.g., developing or poor countries) and with different types of heart diseases (e.g., valvular and rheumatic disorders). Additionally, it is necessary to develop heart disease-specified HL scales for research and practice.
Metabolic remodeling in takotsubo syndrome
Authors: Wang Ti , Xiong Ting , Yang Yuxue , Zuo Bangyun , Chen Xiwei , Wang Daxin
Published: November 2022

The heart requires a large and constant supply of energy that is mainly the result of an efficient metabolic machinery that converges on mitochondrial oxidative metabolism to maintain its continuous mechanical work. Perturbations in these metabolic processes may therefore affect energy generation and contractile function directly. Metabolism characteristics in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) reveals several metabolic alterations called metabolic remodeling, including the hyperactivity of sympathetic metabolism, derangements of substrate utilization, effector subcellular dysfunction and systemic metabolic disorders, ultimately contributing to the progression of the disease and the development of a persistent and long-term heart failure (HF) phenotype. In this review, we explore the current literature investigating the pathological metabolic alterations in TTS. Although the metabolic dysfunction in takotsubo hearts is initially recognized as a myocardial metabolic inflexibility, we suggest that the widespread alterations of systemic metabolism with complex interplay between the heart and peripheral tissues rather than just cardiometabolic disorders per se account for long-term maladaptive metabolic, functional and structural impairment under this condition. Therapeutic strategies with the recent evidence from small clinical and animal researches, especially for targeting substrate utilization and/or oxidative stress, might be promising tools to improve the outcome of patients with TTS beyond that achieved with traditional sympathetic inhibition and symptomatic therapies.
Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure using the LAmbre device in patients with atrial fibrillation and left atrial appendage thrombus
Authors: Jin Lu-Shen , Ke Jin-Yan , Lin Yuan-Nan , Li Ling , Fu Jia-Yang , Chen Yi-Lian , Qiu Yi-Xuan , Li Xiao-Wei , Pan Yang-Qi , Li Yue-Chun
Published: November 2022

Background

Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is considered a valid alternative for the prevention of thromboembolic stroke in patients with persistent left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) despite adequate anticoagulation. However, the data on LAAC using the LAmbre device for patients with LAAT is limited. This study was performed to explore efficacy and safety as well as to share the experience of the modified LAAC procedure with the LAmbre device.

Materials and methods

A total of 7 patients with persistent LAAT despite adequate anticoagulation underwent modified LAAC with the LAmbre device between November 2019 and April 2022. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed 3 months postoperatively to detect device-related thrombosis and peridevice leak. The patients’ clinical events were evaluated during the perioperative and follow-up periods.

Results

The median age, CHA2DS2-VASc score, and HAS-BLED score of all patients were 71 [53–73], 3 [2–4], and 2 [2–3], respectively. In the procedure, a cerebral protection system was used in two patients. LAAC with the LAmbre device was successfully performed in all patients without perioperative events. During the median follow-up of 383 [325–865] days, postoperative transesophageal echocardiography was performed in six (85.7%) patients. Device-related thrombosis was detected in one (16.7%) patient, and no significant peridevice leak was observed. No thromboembolic event or bleeding event occurred in any patients.

Conclusion

LAAC with the LAmbre device is effective and safe when performed by experienced operators in highly selected patients with LAAT after adequate anticoagulation.
Secular trends in age at pubertal onset assessed by breast development among Chinese girls: A systematic review
Authors: Shu Wen , Zong Xin’nan , Li Hui
Published: November 2022

Background

The average age at thelarche has trended downwards worldwide since 1970s; however, the onset age of “precocious puberty”, defined as the lower percentiles of thelarche age, has been rarely reported. This systematic review aims to evaluate secular trends in age at thelarche among Chinese girls.

Methods

This systematic review on the age at thelarche during puberty among Chinese girls was conducted via systematic search of both Chinese (Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang Database, and the Chinese Scientific Journals Database) and English (PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase) databases. Data were analyzed using the GraphPad Prism v9.0.

Results

A total of 16 studies involving 177,886 Chinese girls were synthesized. The QualSyst scores of these studies were high at an average of 21.25. The timing of Tanner breast stage 2 (B2) occurred earlier over time at the P3, P10, and median ages. Weighted analyses revealed that the overall onset age of B2 tended to be younger at P3, P10, and P25. The age of B2 varied across regions and areas. For example, P3, P10, and median age of B2 in years were younger in southern regions than that in northern regions of China (P3: 5.94 vs. 7.3; P10: 6.6 vs. 7.9; median age: 8.26 vs. 9.5), and median age of B2 in urban areas (8.26 years) was earlier than that in rural areas (10.29 years). In addition, median age of B2 from 12 single-center studies was earlier than that from 4 multicenter studies (8.26 vs. 9.18 years).

Conclusions

The current findings indicated that pubertal breast development age among Chinese girls presented an advanced trend over the past 20 years, which urges the necessity to revisit and redefine “precocious puberty” and provides useful recommendations for clinical practice.
Effect of different timing of letrozole initiation on pregnancy outcome in polycystic ovary syndrome
Authors: Shi Lan , Ye Shujin , Gao Mengyun , Chen Yijie , Jin Xuejing , Zhang Zhifen
Published: November 2022

Objective

To investigate the efficacy of oral letrozole (LE) starting on day 3 or 5 of the menstrual cycle in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Reproductive Endocrinology Department of Hangzhou Women’s Hospital.

Methods

In this retrospective analysis, we analyzed patients who received oral LE for ovulation induction (OI) at the Hangzhou Women’s Hospital from January 2016 to January 2021. In total, 539 PCOS patients with fertility requirements were classified into the D3 group and D5 group according to the different starting times of oral LE, that is, from the 3rd or 5th day of the menstrual cycle or LE is taken orally for 5 days starting on day 3 or 5 of progesterone withdrawal bleeding. Treatment started with one tablet (LE 2.5 mg), continue the regimen from the previous cycle in non-responders and continued until pregnancy or for up to three ovulatory cycles, with visits to determine ovulation and pregnancy, followed by tracking of pregnancies. The primary outcome was to compare ovulation rates, conception rates, live birth rates, pregnancy complications, and pregnancy outcomes at different initiation times.

Results

Women who started LE on the 5th day of their menstrual cycle had more cumulative conception rates than those who started LE on the 3rd day(173 of 228[75.9%]vs. 201 of 311[64.6%], P= 0.005; rate ratio for conception, 1.174; 95% confidence interval,1.052 to 1.311) without significant differences in overall live birth rate, though there were 142 of 228[62.3%] in the D5 group versus 172 of 311[55.3%] in the D3 group (P= 0.105). The median (IQR) endometrial thickness was significantly (P = 0.013) greater during the D5 group treatment compared to the D3 group, which may be related to higher conception and clinical pregnancy rates. The median (IQR) maximum follicle diameter was not statistically (P = 0.073) different between the two groups. The cumulative ovulation per cycle rate was higher with D5 than with D3 (287 of 405 treatment cycles [70.9%] vs. 388 of 640 treatment cycles [60.6%], P=0.001). There were no significant between-group differences in pregnancy loss (31 of 173 conceptions in the D5 group [17.9%] and 29 of 201 conceptions in the D3 group [14.4%]) or multiples pregnancy (8.2% and 10.5%, respectively). Rates of other adverse events during pregnancy were similar in the two treatment groups.

Conclusion

As compared with D3 group, D5 group was associated with higher ovulation and conception rates, shorter time-to-pregnancy among infertile women with the PCOS.
GIS-based assessment of selective heavy metals and stable carbon isotopes in groundwater of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Authors: Rana Sidra Aman , Ali Syeda Maria , Ashraf Muhammad , Shah Ashfaq Ahmad , Iqbal Kanwar Muhammad Javed , Ullah Wahid , Tariq Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman , Iqbal Naveed , Akhtar Nadia , Ulain Qurrat
Published: November 2022

This study applied a nuclear technique in conjunction with a classical monitoring tool to characterize the origin, fate, and behavior of metal pollutants in groundwater of Islamabad-Rawalpindi Metropolitans, which are also known as the “twin cities.” In total, 122 groundwater samples were collected and analyzed in accordance with standard methods. GIS and multivariate statistical analysis were employed for the groundwater vulnerability assessment and source apportionment. The results of the aesthetic parameters indicated that the majority of groundwater sources were tested and were colorless, odorless and tasteless in the “twin cities.” In addition, the findings of this study indicated that the concentration of pH, phosphates, copper, manganese, and zinc were within the drinking water standards in the “twin cities” as stipulated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) at all sampling points in the study area. The groundwater quality was found unsuitable for consumption due to elevated levels of electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids at 9.83% and 4.09% of samples, respectively. The contents of arsenic and fluoride were well within the allowable range at almost all points except at one location. However, iron and lead contents were above permissible limits. A statistical analysis revealed that trace metals originated from both geogenic and anthropogenic sources such as enhanced rock-water interaction, over abstraction, evaporation enrichment, improper waste disposal, discarded batteries, cross contamination of water supply and sewerage lines, active recharge from Lie drain, and domestic, industrial, and agricultural effluents. The computed water quality index (WQI) based on heavy metals elucidated that groundwater quality was poor in most of the study area due to elevated electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, lead, iron, arsenic, and fluoride values. A highly depleted isotopic composition of 13C provides clues about the aquifer’s vulnerability from miscellaneous sources such as domestic, urban, construction, and agricultural sites and the dissolution of carbonate minerals. This study clearly indicates that a rapidly growing population, unplanned urbanization, industrialization, improper waste disposal, over abstraction, and a lack of water abstraction policies are significantly contributing toward the impairment of groundwater quality in the study area. The study strongly emphasized the need to regulate groundwater abstraction by improving water treatment and the supply system for the provision of safe water to the urban populace. These results will help in designing remedial strategies for improving water quality in the “twin cities.”
Organic carbon and silt determining subcritical water repellency and field capacity of soils in arid and semi-arid region
Authors: Mao Jiefei , Li Yaoming , Zhang Junfeng , Zhang Kun , Ma Xuexi , Wang Guangyu , Fan Lianlian
Published: November 2022

Soil water repellency (SWR) is frequently observed in different types of land use and climates. Since SWR potentially enhances the difficulty of water infiltration in soil, the phenomenon can severely impact the water use of plants in arid regions. Therefore, understanding the origin of SWR is crucial in arid and semi-arid regions. This study investigated the fundamental and hydrological properties of soils in three arid ecosystems (desert, farmland, and forest). Analysis was done to determine any potential links between these properties, vegetation cover, and the severity of SWR. It was found that SWR was positively correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC), silt content, and field capacity of soil, where the SWR was in subcritical SWR range. The linear correlation and hierarchical clustering analysis confirmed that the SOC and silt content was the critical factor affecting the occurrence and persistence of SWR. The major source of organic carbon and nutrients to the soil was vegetation, which also had an impact on the distribution of soil carbon. The most striking observation was that the silt content was strongly correlated with both field capacity (r = 0.817, p = 0.001) and SWR (r = 0.710, p = 0.010), which can be attributed to the SOC on silt. In arid and semi-arid regions, the specific surface area of silt was relatively larger than that of sand. Meanwhile, compared to the clay in soil, the proportion of silt was much higher. The results imply that silt could significantly affect the soil hydrological properties and that silt content could serve as a new proxy for predicting water repellency in arid and semi-arid regions.
Consumer perception of product-service systems: Depicting sector-specific barriers in the mobility, clothing and tooling sectors
Authors: Muylaert Coralie , Thiry Géraldine , Roman Philippe , Ruwet Coline , De Hoe Roxane , Maréchal Kevin
Published: November 2022

The viability of PSS models has been shown to be frequently jeopardized by low levels of consumer appeal and retention. Using Social Practice Theory (SPT) and the habitual practice approach, this paper posits that barriers to consumer adoption and retention of PSS offers are twofold: 1) generic to the PSS offers—that is, common to all sectors but playing differently from one sector to another and 2) sector-specific. The purpose of the paper is to study how routinization of habitual practices differently affects consumers’ propensity to change their consumption practices and to move towards PSS offers across sectors. To gain in-depth understanding of generic and sector-specific barriers and to distinguish between them, three sectors of PSS are analysed and compared: mobility, clothing and tooling. A quantitative and qualitative mixed methodology was used with consumers in the Brussels Region (Belgium). Two results emerge from the study. First, we confirm the existence of generic barriers to the adoption of PSS offers (e.g., not feeling like a target customer, flawed price representation, fear of unavailability of the product, not wanting to share the use of the product, dislike for subscription, or preference for ownership). Second, just as the relative weight of the barriers differs according to the sectors and there are specific obstacles to certain sectors (e.g., morphology in the clothing industry), we demonstrate that determinants of pleasure and determinants of consumption type (purchase or PSS) differ across cases. In addition, we discuss the fact that the type of payment (pay-per-use or subscription) and the related consumer engagement (requiring a change in established practice or not) have an impact on the perception and adoption of PSS offers by consumers.
Research on the influencing factors of clean heating compound transformation under the carbon neutrality goal
Authors: Li Yuhua , Zhang Yue , Zhang Jingyi , Xiang Ziwei , Li Zhenyu
Published: November 2022

The clean heating compound transformation under the Carbon Neutrality Goal is necessary for the high-quality development of the heating industry in China. Based on the literature analysis, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, this paper identifies 15 driving factors affecting the transition at three levels: technology, organization and environment. This paper introduces Fuzzy Set Theory into Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method, and combined with explanatory structural models to form a combined Fuzzy-DEMATEL-ISM approach. Using the Fuzzy-DEMATEL-ISM method to analyze the degree of influence, hierarchical relationships and logical associations among the influencing factors to reveal the influence mechanism of the compound transition of clean heating. The results show that 1) the key influencing factors for the transition are energy use and delivery methods, heating system operation and maintenance management, and clean heating costs and expenses. 2) There are eight causal factors and seven consequential factors in the clean heating compound transition influence factor system. 3) The recursive structure model of influencing factors is divided into five levels from bottom to top: root level, deep level, middle level, shallow level and surface level, among which environmental and clean heating policies, clean heating technology innovation level and resource endowment status are the basic guarantees of transformation. It provides a theoretical supplement and practical guidance for the compound transition to clean heating under the carbon neutrality goal.
Ontogenetic development of inner ear hair cell organization in the New Zealand carpet shark Cephaloscyllium isabellum
Authors: Sauer Derek J. , Yopak Kara E. , Radford Craig A.
Published: November 2022

Introduction

The inner ear hair cells of fishes can provide insight into the early evolution of vertebrate inner ear structure. Fishes represent some of the first vertebrates to evolve auditory capacity, and the same basic structure, the sensory hair cell, provides the fundament for auditory and vestibular function in jawed vertebrates. Despite holding critical basal position in the evolutionary tree of gnathostomes, relatively little is known about inner ear hair cells in elasmobranchs. Specifically, the extent of plasticity in hair cell organization throughout ontogeny among different sensory epithelia and the degree of variation between species is unknown.

Methods

In this study, we characterized the inner ear hair cells of the New Zealand carpet shark Cephaloscyllium isabellum throughout ontogeny by quantifying macular area, number of hair cells, hair cell density, and hair cell orientations in the inner ear maculae from a range of body sizes.

Results

Similar to other elasmobranchs and bony fishes, macular area and the number of hair cells increased throughout ontogeny in the otolith organs. The orientations of hair cells within each maculae also was consistent with the limited data on other elasmobranchs. However, contrary to expectation, the macula neglecta did not increase in area or hair cell number throughout ontogeny, and hair cell density did not change with body size in any maculae.

Discussion

These findings suggest there may be variation between elasmobranch species in ontogenetic development of hair cell organization that may be related to hearing capabilities throughout life.
An overview of the effects and mechanisms of m6 A methylation on innate immune cells in sepsis
Authors: Qian Weiwei , Cao Yu
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Sepsis is a severe clinical syndrome caused by dysregulated systemic inflammatory responses to infection. Methylation modification, as a crucial mechanism of RNA functional modification, can manipulate the immunophenotype and functional activity of immune cells to participate in sepsis progression. This study aims to explore the mechanism of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modification in immune cell-mediated sepsis through keyword search.

Methods

Literature retrieval.

Results and Discussion

Literature retrieval reveals that m6A methylation is implicated in sepsis-induced lung injury and myocardial injury,as well as sepsis-related encephalopathy. Furthermore, it is found that m6A methylation can regulate sepsis by inhibiting the chemotaxis of neutrophils and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps and suppressing macrophage phagocytosis, thereby playing a role in sepsis.
A novel protein CtCBP-1 functions as a crucial macromolecule during mineralization of limpet teeth
Authors: Wang Yadong , Zhang Rongqing , Liu Chuang
Published: November 2022

Limpets are a class of marine mollusks that use mineralized teeth, one of the hardest and strongest biological materials, to feed on algae on rocks. By combining proteomics and RNA-seq analysis of limpet radula, we identified a novel chitin-binding protein (CtCBP-1) that may play a regulatory role in radula mineralization of Cellana toreuma. In this study, the full-length cDNA of CtCBP-1 gene was cloned for the first time, and the protein was successfully expressed in vitro. In vitro experiments demonstrated that CtCBP-1 binds well to both goethite and chitin, which are key components of the cusp. We studied the function of CtCBP-1 on goethite crystallization in vitro, revealing that it changed the morphology of goethite crystals. We also used fluorescence higher resolution imaging to map the binding of CtCBP-1 in radula and found that the distribution of CtCBP-1 on radula was specific, which consistent with the SEM results finding tightly aligned goethite. In this study, a novel protein CtCBP-1, which regulates the distinctive biomineralization process of limpet teeth, is identified for the first time. This protein’s identification may inform biomimetic techniques for creating hard materials that can withstand ambient temperature.
Insight into aphid mediated Potato Virus Y transmission: A molecular to bioinformatics prospective
Authors: Bhoi Tanmaya Kumar , Samal Ipsita , Majhi Prasanta Kumar , Komal J. , Mahanta Deepak Kumar , Pradhan Asit Kumar , Saini Varun , Nikhil Raj M. , Ahmad Mohammad Abbas , Behera Partha Pratim , Ashwini Mangali
Published: November 2022

Potato, the world's most popular crop is reported to provide a food source for nearly a billion people. It is prone to a number of biotic stressors that affect yield and quality, out of which Potato Virus Y (PVY) occupies the top position. PVY can be transmitted mechanically and by sap-feeding aphid vectors. The application of insecticide causes an increase in the resistant vector population along with detrimental effects on the environment; genetic resistance and vector-virus control are the two core components for controlling the deadly PVY. Using transcriptomic tools together with differential gene expression and gene discovery, several loci and genes associated with PVY resistance have been widely identified. To combat this virus we must increase our understanding on the molecular response of the PVY-potato plant-aphid interaction and knowledge of genome organization, as well as the function of PVY encoded proteins, genetic diversity, the molecular aspects of PVY transmission by aphids, and transcriptome profiling of PVY infected potato cultivars. Techniques such as molecular and bioinformatics tools can identify and monitor virus transmission. Several studies have been conducted to understand the molecular basis of PVY resistance/susceptibility interactions and their impact on PVY epidemiology by studying the interrelationship between the virus, its vector, and the host plant. This review presents current knowledge of PVY transmission, epidemiology, genome organization, molecular to bioinformatics responses, and its effective management.
Increasing quantitation in spatial single-cell metabolomics by using fluorescence as ground truth
Authors: Molenaar Martijn R. , Shahraz Mohammed , Delafiori Jeany , Eisenbarth Andreas , Ekelöf Måns , Rappez Luca , Alexandrov Theodore
Published: November 2022

Imaging mass spectrometry (MS) is becoming increasingly applied for single-cell analyses. Multiple methods for imaging MS-based single-cell metabolomics were proposed, including our recent method SpaceM. An important step in imaging MS-based single-cell metabolomics is the assignment of MS intensities from individual pixels to single cells. In this process, referred to as pixel-cell deconvolution, the MS intensities of regions sampled by the imaging MS laser are assigned to the segmented single cells. The complexity of the contributions from multiple cells and the background, as well as lack of full understanding of how input from molecularly-heterogeneous areas translates into mass spectrometry intensities make the cell-pixel deconvolution a challenging problem. Here, we propose a novel approach to evaluate pixel-cell deconvolution methods by using a molecule detectable both by mass spectrometry and fluorescent microscopy, namely fluorescein diacetate (FDA). FDA is a cell-permeable small molecule that becomes fluorescent after internalisation in the cell and subsequent cleavage of the acetate groups. Intracellular fluorescein can be easily imaged using fluorescence microscopy. Additionally, it is detectable by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation (MALDI) imaging MS. The key idea of our approach is to use the fluorescent levels of fluorescein as the ground truth to evaluate the impact of using various pixel-cell deconvolution methods onto single-cell fluorescein intensities obtained by the SpaceM method. Following this approach, we evaluated multiple pixel-cell deconvolution methods, the ‘weighted average’ method originally proposed in the SpaceM method as well as the novel ‘linear inverse modelling’ method. Despite the potential of the latter method in resolving contributions from individual cells, this method was outperformed by the weighted average approach. Using the ground truth approach, we demonstrate the extent of the ion suppression effect which considerably worsens the pixel-cell deconvolution quality. For compensating the ion suppression individually for each analyte, we propose a novel data-driven approach. We show that compensating the ion suppression effect in a single-cell metabolomics dataset of co-cultured HeLa and NIH3T3 cells considerably improved the separation between both cell types. Finally, using the same ground truth, we evaluate the impact of drop-outs in the measurements and discuss the optimal filtering parameters of SpaceM processing steps before pixel-cell deconvolution.
Effects of preventive interventions on neuroimaging biomarkers in subjects at-risk to develop Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review
Authors: Perus Lisa , Busto Germain U. , Mangin Jean-François , Le Bars Emmanuelle , Gabelle Audrey
Published: November 2022

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a multifactorial and complex neurodegenerative disorder. Some modifiable risk factors have been associated with an increased risk of appearance of the disease and/or cognitive decline. Preventive clinical trials aiming at reducing one or combined risk factors have been implemented and their potential effects assessed on cognitive trajectories and on AD biomarkers. However, the effect of interventions on surrogate markers, in particular imaging biomarkers, remains poorly understood. We conducted a review of the literature and analyzed 43 interventional studies that included physical exercise, nutrition, cognitive training or multidomain interventions, and assessed various brain imaging biomarkers, to determine the effects of preventive interventions on imaging biomarkers for subjects at-risk to develop AD. Deciphering the global and regional brain effect of each and combined interventions will help to better understand the interplay relationship between multimodal interventions, cognition, surrogate brain markers, and to better design primary and secondary outcomes for future preventive clinical trials. Those studies were pondered using generally-admitted quality criteria to reveal that interventions may affect the brain of patients with cognitive impairment rather than those without cognitive impairment thus indicating that particular care should be taken when selecting individuals for interventions. Additionally, a majority of the studies concurred on the effect of the interventions and particularly onto the frontal brain areas.
Evidence of Filamin A loss of solubility at the prodromal stage of neuropathologically-defined Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Aumont Etienne , Tremblay Cyntia , Levert Stéphanie , Bennett David A. , Calon Frédéric , Leclerc Nicole
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial disorder diagnosed through the assessment of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau protein depositions. Filamin A (FLNA) could be a key partner of both Aβ and tau pathological processes and may be an important contributor to AD progression. The main aim of this study was to describe the differences in FLNA levels across clinicopathologic groups.

Methods

From parietal cortex samples of 57 individuals (19 with no cognitive impairment (NCI), 19 mild cognitively impaired (MCI) and 19 with dementia) from the Religious Orders Study (ROS), we quantified total tau, phosphorylated tau (pTau), FLNA, synaptophysin, vesicular acetylcholine transporters (VAChT) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) by Western blot. Aβ42 and neuritic plaques (NP) were quantified by ELISA and Bielschowsky silver impregnation, respectively. AD staging was determined using ABC method combining Thal, Braak and the CERAD staging. From this, clinicopathologic stages of AD were established by subdividing subjects with neuropathological AD between preclinical AD, prodromal AD and AD dementia (ADD). Receiver operating characteristics analyses were performed to predict AD neuropathology from FLNA quantifications.

Results

Insoluble FLNA was significantly and positively correlated with Aβ42, NP, Thal stages, ABC scores and AD clinicopathologic stages (p < 0.05 False discovery rate-corrected). No correlation of FLNA with tau measures was found. Insoluble FLNA levels were significantly higher in the prodromal AD, ADD and intermediate ABC groups. This was consistent with significantly lower levels of soluble FLNA specifically in prodromal AD. Insoluble (AUC: 0.830) and soluble FLNA levels (AUC: 0.830) as well as the ratio of soluble over insoluble FLNA (AUC: 0.852), were excellent predictors of prodromal AD among subjects with MCI from the ROS cohort.

Discussion

We observed opposite level changes between insoluble and soluble FLNA in prodromal AD. As this stage coincides with the appearance of cognitive symptoms, this may be a key event in the transition from preclinical to prodromal AD. Insoluble FLNA could be useful to identify prodromal AD among subjects with an MCI, indicating that it might be a hallmark of prodromal AD.
Extracellular vesicles in neurodegenerative diseases: A systematic review
Authors: Raghav Alok , Singh Manish , Jeong Goo-Bo , Giri Richa , Agarwal Saurabh , Kala Sanjay , Gautam Kirti Amresh
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are known to have a significant role in the central nervous system (CNS) and neurodegenerative disease.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were used to identify published articles about EV modifications (2012 to Feb 2022).

Results

In total, 1,435 published papers were identified among the searched articles, with 1,128 non-duplicate publications being identified. Following the screening of titles and abstracts, 214 publications were excluded; following the full-text screening of 93 published articles, another 33 publications were excluded. The remaining 60 studies were considered. The kappa statistic of 0.868 indicated that the raters were highly reliable. Furthermore, the inter-reliability and intra-reliability coefficients were found to be 0.931 and 0.908, respectively, indicating strong reliability and consistency between the eligible studies identified by the raters. A total of 27 relevant studies demonstrated the role of EVs as therapeutic and diagnostic biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases. Of note, 19 and 14 studies, respectively, found EVs to be pioneering in diagnostic and therapeutic roles.

Discussion

EVs play an important role in the central nervous system (CNS), aiding in cell-to-cell communication and serving as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. EVs are the home of several proteins [including-synuclein (-syn) and tau proteins], lipids, and genetic materials such as DNA and RNA. The presence of novel miRNAs in EVs suggests biomarkers for the diagnosis and screening of neurodegenerative disorders. Furthermore, EVs play an important role in the pathogenesis of such disorders. This systematic review discussed the current state of EVs’ role in neurological diseases, as well as some preclinical studies on the therapeutic and diagnostic potential of EVs.
Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ST-III-fermented milk improves autistic-like behaviors in valproic acid-induced autism spectrum disorder mice by altering gut microbiota
Authors: Zhang Yilin , Guo Min , Zhang Hongfa , Wang Yuezhu , Li Ruiying , Liu Zhenmin , Zheng Huajun , You Chunping
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a serious neurodevelopmental disorder with a rising incidence. More and more studies have shown that abnormal microbiota composition may aggravate the behavioral symptoms and biological signs of ASD, and interventions of probiotics and diet have emerged as a potential improvement measure.

Methods

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ST-III-fermented milk was applied as an oral intervention in a valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD mice model, and the effect of probiotic intake on autistic-related behaviors and gut microbiota composition was evaluated by behavioral tests and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

Results

Gender specificity was shown in VPA-induced behavioral abnormalities in a mouse model, and L. plantarum ST-III-fermented milk was effective in ameliorating the impaired social interaction in male ASD mouse models, but not for the anxiety behavior exhibited by female ASD mouse models. Meanwhile, dietary changes were found to be the main cause of the altered gut microbiota in mice, and additional intake of L. plantarum ST-III-fermented milk seemed to improve autistic-like behaviors in male ASD mouse models by modulating specific gut microbes.

Discussion

These findings suggest that L. plantarum ST-III-fermented milk may play a beneficial role in improving the behavioral symptoms of ASD and is expected to be one of the candidate functional foods for ASD.
Sweet potato extract alleviates high-fat-diet-induced obesity in C57BL/6J mice, but not by inhibiting pancreatic lipases
Authors: Liu Tiange , Wu Fan , Chen Kejing , Pan Bingna , Yin Xifeng , You Yilin , Song Zhixuan , Li Dan , Huang Dejian
Published: November 2022

Scope and aim

Sweet potato is widely consumed as a healthy and nutritive vegetable containing bioactive constituents for health promotion. This study investigated the beneficial impact of white-fleshed sweet potato extract (SPE) on high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice.

Methods and results

First, SPE, in which resin glycoside was found as the dominant constituent, was suggested as a potential anti-obesity agent, because 20–70% pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibition was measured with SPE by in vitro turbidity assay and pNPP assay. Hence, next, the effect of SPE on obese mice was detected by oral administration of HFD supplemented with 6% SPE on C57BL/6J mice for 9 weeks. Surprisingly, being the opposite of what was typically observed from a lipase inhibitor such as orlistat, the fecal fat content in SPE-fed obese mice was decreased (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, 6% SPE supplement indeed significantly ameliorated HFD-induced obesity in mice, including body weight gain, fat accumulation, adipocyte enlargement, insulin resistance, and hepatic steatosis (p < 0.05). The improved liver steatosis was found associated with a down-regulating action of SPE on nuclear factor kappa B activation in HFD-fed mice. The anti-obesity influence of SPE was also confirmed on the HepG2 cell model for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Conclusion

These results indicate that SPE, as a dietary supplement, has the great potential for weight control and treating hepatic steatosis, possibly through a different action mechanism from that of orlistat.
Isolation and purification of antibacterial lipopeptides from Bacillus velezensis YA215 isolated from sea mangroves
Authors: Yu FuTian , Shen YuanYuan , Qin YaLi , Pang YiYang , Fan HeLiang , Peng JingJing , Pei XiaoDong , Liu XiaoLing
Published: November 2022

The increasing burden and health risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) pose a great threat to society overall. Lipopeptides exhibit great potential as novel and safe alternatives to traditional antibiotics. In this study, the strain YA215, which was isolated from the mangrove area in Beibu Gulf, Guangxi, China, was identified as Bacillus velezensis. Then, YA215 lipopeptide extracts (YA215LE) from B. velezensis was found to exhibit a wide spectrum of antibacterial and antifungal activities. Additionally, YA215LE was identified and found to contain three groups of lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin, and fengycin). Furthermore, one separation fraction (BVYA1) with significant antibacterial activity was obtained. Additionally, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of BVYA1 showed three molecular ion peaks ([M + H]+: m/z 980.62; 994.66; 1008.66) corresponding to conventional surfactin homologs. By MS/MS analysis, BVYA1 was identified as sufactin with the precise amino acid sequence Glu–Leu/Ile–Leu–Val–Asp–Leu–Leu/Ile and hydroxyl fatty acids with 11–13 carbons. [M + H]+ at m/z 980.62 was detected for the first time in B. velezensis, which demonstrates that the strain corresponds to a new surfactin variant. In particular, BVYA1 showed antibacterial activity with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 7.5–15 μg/ml. Finally, the preliminary mechanism of inhibiting E. coli treated with BVYA1 showed that BVYA1 effectively permeabilized the cytoplasmic membrane and disrupted the morphology of targeted bacterial cells. In conclusion, this study suggests that the YA215LE from B. velezensis YA215 might be a potential candidate for a bactericide.
Biomimetic CuS nanoparticles for radiosensitization with mild photothermal therapy and GSH-depletion
Authors: Zhou Xiaoxiang , Li Xiang , Wu Bo , Chen Zhiran , Chen Longyun
Published: November 2022

Due to its non-invasive and highly effective characteristics, radiotherapy has attracted significant interest in cancer treatment. However, radioresistance of solid tumors caused by a unique tumor microenvironment diminishes the therapeutic effect of cancer radiotherapy. To address this issue, we developed a nanoplatform for tumor-specific targeting to improve radiotherapy. Specifically, hollow CuS nanoparticles were decorated with the platelet cell membrane (PC), endowing this nanoplatform with the therapeutic property of navigating to the tumor region for glutathione (GSH)-depletion photothermal therapy. It was discovered that mild photothermal therapy mediated by PC ameliorated hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment. Meanwhile, GSH, which contributes to repairing radiotherapy-induced DNA double-strand breaks, was depleted by PC in an acidic microenvironment. Therefore, radioresistance could be diminished while cancer cell self-repair was prevented. At therapeutic doses, PC nanoparticles have negligible toxic effects on normal tissues. PC demonstrates promise for both in vivo and in vitro radiosensitization due to its GSH-depletion, photothermal efficiency, and tumor-specific properties.