bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecosystem Productivity and Carbon Dynamics in Keibul Lamjao National Park, Manipur, India: A Grey Relational Analysis Perspective
Authors: Meetei Kambam Boxen , Tsopoe Meribeni , Chandra Girish , Mukhopadhyay Debaaditya , Giri Krishna
Published: October 2024

An in-depth understanding of carbon dynamics and ecosystem productivity is essential for conservation and management of different ecosystems. Ecosystem dynamics and carbon budget are assessed by estimating Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) across different global ecosystems. An ecological productivity assessment of forest and floating meadow ecosystems in Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), Manipur, North East India was conducted using the multi-criteria decision-making process namely, Grey Relational Analysis (GRA). The analysis was performed on 24 selected criterions classified either as "higher-the-better" or "lower-the-better" based on their degree of influence on the carbon budget. Floating meadows exhibited a higher production of aboveground and belowground biomass and a higher total mortality and decay. Furthermore, the study found that floating meadows exhibited a higher soil organic carbon (SOC) and net soil organic matter (SOM) than the forest ecosystem. The forest ecosystem showed higher total respiration (RT), heterotrophic respiration (RH), and autotrophic respiration (RA) than floating meadows. Floating meadows exhibited a higher net primary productivity (NPP) of 616.49 ± 33.87 gCm⁻²yr⁻¹ than the forest ecosystem, which has a NPP of 566.64 ± 65.26 gCm⁻²yr⁻¹. Similarly, Floating meadows have higher NEP (495.25 ± 36.46 gCm−²yr⁻¹) than forest ecosystems (418.39 ± 65.76 gCm−²yr⁻¹). These characteristics have a significant influence on the carbon budget in floating meadows as compared to forest ecosystems, as shown by larger values of Grey Relational Coefficient (GRC) in GRA. The Floating Meadows Ecosystem (0.82) obtained 54.72% percentage gain in GRG value with the forest ecosystem (0.53). This study might help in improving KLNP and other adjutant areas for conservation and management policies from the vital information given on the importance of wetlands in carbon dynamics and ecosystem productivity.
Effect of Dietary Treatment on Growth and plasma IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 Levels of Children with Familial Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Kartal Tuğçe , Köksal Gülden , Bulut Fatma Derya , Kor Deniz , Mungan Neslihan Önenli
Published: October 2024

Background/Objective: This study aims to determine the effects of dietary treatment on growth and the biochemical markers of growth in children with primary familial hypercholesterolemia.
Subjects/Methods: The study was conducted with 30 children aged 5-10 years diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia at Cukurova University Hospital. Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary habits of patients were queried, and anthropometric measurements were taken. Specific dietary treatments were arranged, detailed dietary education was provided, and monthly follow-ups were conducted. At the beginning and in the end of the study, 3-days (24-hour) food consumption records were collected, and biochemical parameters were recorded. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-Short Form) was used to assess the general physical activity levels of the patients.
Results: It was found that 53.3% of the patients were female, and 46.7% were male. The average age of patients was 92.93±19.89 months. A moderate negative relationship was observed between the 6th month IGFBP-3 Z-scores and BMI Z-scores (r=-0.460). A moderate negative relationship was found between the initial IGF-1 Z-scores and the percentage of consumed dietary carbohydrates (r=-0.417). When the change in protein intake was examined, a moderate positive relationship was observed between Delta (∆) total protein and Delta (∆) animal protein, Delta (∆) plant protein, and Delta (∆) IGF-1 values (r=0.693; r=0.392; r=0.356, respectively).
Conclusion: To ensure adequate growth in children diagnosed with primary familial hypercholesterolemia, the amount and the content of protein together with the percentage of daily carbohydrate consumption should be considered in dietary treatment planning. Compliance with the diet should be closely monitored through food consumption records, and adherence to physical activity recommendations should be encouraged.
SnO2/SnS2 heterojunction with mesoporous structure for improved photocatalytic degradation of sulfonamide antibiotics
Authors: Li Zhanyu , Li Pengyu , Fang Yike , Chen bingxu , He Danfeng , Sun Wei , Li Guohui , Sun Yuanyuan
Published: October 2024

The SnO2/SnS2 composite photocatalyst with mesoporous structure and S-type heterojunction was successfully constructed, and their photocatalytic degradation activity under visible light irradiation was investigated using sulfonamide antibiotics as the target degradants. The results show that SnO2/SnS2 obtained by hydrothermal reaction at 180°C presents a flower ball with a size of about 5μm, a relatively high specific surface area of 50 m2g-1 and a large mesoporous pore size of 12.33 nm, and has lower fluorescence intensity, stronger stability and more abundant active sites. It is worth noting that SnO2/SnS2 has a strong light response at the wavelength of 200-800nm, and degradation rate of SnO2/SnS2 was 1.7 times that of SnO2 and 1.5 times that of SnS2, after photocatalytic reaction time of 210 min, respectively. It is benefitting from that the S-type heterojunction structure formed by the coupling of mesoporous SnO2 and SnS2 has a synergistic effect, which reduces the band gap and improves the photocatalytic activity. It can be seen that the photocatalytic degradation of sulfonamides by SnO2/SnS2 belongs to the zero-order reaction, and the reaction rate constant increases with the increase of temperature.
Effects of temperature and nutrition stress on Anopheles stephensi, an Indian urban malaria vector
Authors: Ghosh Chaitali , Kumar Naveen , Mogaveerthi Soumya , Lamba Sanjay , Ramanjini Chethan Kumar , Joshi Soumya Gopal , Chandran Priyanka , Kumar Sampath , Swain Sunita
Published: October 2024

Background: Changing climate and complexity in ecological landscape can potentially expand the geographic distribution of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) to adapt and transmit various vector-borne diseases like malaria globally. Anopheles stephensi is a potential urban malaria vector in the Indian subcontinent. Temperature and nutrients are the important environmental stressors, which influence the life cycle and vector competence of mosquitoes.
Methods: Three experimental setups were designed in the laboratory by exposing An. stephensi to low-temperature (LT, 4°Cand 18±1°C), high-temperature (HT, 35.5±1°C) and nutrition-deficient (NT, 33 mg) conditions. Stress was induced to both juvenile and adult stages for eight consecutive generations. Data of life-stage parameters were recorded. Additionally, LT, HT and NT strains were infected with in vitro culture of Plasmodium falciparum to compare their vectorial competence. Cytological analysis using the ovarian polytene chromosomes of the three stressed strains was carried out to check the structural differences in chromosomal arms due to extreme stress. Through predictive mathematical modelling using linear regression analysis, we estimated the number of generations required for the stressed lines to become comparable to the control lines.
Results: Fecundity, egg–wing sizes, egg-to-adult developmental time, pupal weight, male-to-female ratio, and longevity of adults were decreased in HT and NT lines, whereas these parameters were increased in LT lines. The HT and NT lines developed faster from egg to adult emergence (7.5 and 11 days), whereas the duration was longer (25 days) in the LT line. The oocyst infection rates in in-vitro Plasmodium falciparum were higher in HT, LT, and NT lines than the control line. The NT line revealed paracentric inversions on the 3L polytene chromosome arm in 2 locations. Further, the predictive model suggested faster adaptation of the LT line than HT and NT lines.
Conclusion: Being an invasive species and responsible for urban malaria transmission, the present multi-transgenerational laboratory-based study provides novel insights into the effects of stress on the life cycle, vectorial competence, cytology and rate of adaptation of An. stephensi. The findings aid in assessing disease risk and developing suitable intervention measures.
How Childhood Experiences in Nature Might Influence Adulthood Participation in Nature-Based Recreation
Authors: Azhar Nurul Farahiyyah Binti , Numata Shinya , Ngo Kang Min , Hosaka Tetsuro
Published: October 2024

Participation in activities that occur in natural settings during childhood tends to influence the frequency with which an individual engages in nature-based recreation during adulthood, along with their perceptions of the natural environment in adulthood. This study examined how childhood nature experience (CNE) might affect nature-based recreational behavior among adults residing in urban settings. We conducted a questionnaire survey of 1,004 urban residents in the Singapore city-state and found that urban parks were among the most frequently visited outdoor spaces, whereas more natural green spaces were less frequently visited. We found that CNE had a significant and robust positive effect on nature-based activities (NBA); this effect was followed by the effects of gender and income. Our findings to reveal the most frequently visited outdoor space among Singaporean and the correlation between the frequencies of CNE and sociodemographic have different effect on NBA adulthood. Thus, our findings suggest that CNE is strongly linked to adult NBA and is common among adults, particularly in the Asian region. Our findings may be utilized to inform the design and management of outdoor areas for younger generations, with the aim of encouraging the development of early childhood outdoor exposure.
Transcriptomics of acute injured lungs reveals IGF1R action on DNA damage response, metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial homeostasis and epigenetics
Authors: Urtubia Alfredo , Piñeiro-Hermida Sergio , Alfaro-Arnedo Elvira , Canalejo Marta , de Toro María , Pichel José G. , López Icíar P.
Published: October 2024

Background.
Acute lung injury (ALI), ARDS and COVID-19 usually involve a “cytokine storm”. Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) maintains lung homeostasis and is implicated in these pulmonary inflammatory diseases. In mice, widespread IGF1R deficiency was reported to counteract respiratory inflammation and alveolar damage after bleomycin (BLM)-induced ALI.
Methods.
To explore the molecular mechanisms mediated by IGF1R signaling after BLM challenge, we performed RNA-sequencing in lungs of IGF1R-deficient mice after BLM or saline instillation, followed by differential expression and functional enrichment analyses. To further explore the findings, we performed protein immunodetection and DNA methylation measurements on lung sections and extracts, and analyses of primary MEFs lacking IGF1R.
Results.
Transcriptomic analysis identified differentially expressed genes between BLM-challenged and untreated control lungs, detecting biological processes and signaling pathways involved in ALI pathobiology. IGF1R depletion in BLM-challenged mice reversed large part of the transcriptional changes triggered by BLM, counteracting the transcriptomic profile of the inflammatory "cytokine storm". Data mining also identified changes in the expression of gene clusters with key roles in DNA damage, metabolic reprogramming, mitochondrial homeostasis, and epigenetics. These functional groups were deeply explored and further validated. IGF1R depleted MEFs exhibited decreased mitochondrial respiration and were protected against BLM-mediated morphological alterations, nuclear impairment and mitochondrial accumulation. Lung genomic DNA methylation levels in IGF1R-deficient BLM-challenged mice were found increased.
Conclusions.
These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the attenuating effect of IGF1R deficiency on ALI, reinforce the important role of IGF1R in promoting ALI and postulate it as an epigenetic regulator in ARDS.
Effects of a Blended Face-to-Face and eHealth Lifestyle Intervention on Physical Activity, Diet, and Health Outcomes in Hong Kong Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Duan Yanping , Yang Min , Wang Yanping , Cheng Shishi , Liang Wei , Lippke Sonia , Zhang Shiping , Chen Li
Published: October 2024

Background: Unhealthy lifestyle patterns, consisting of insufficient physical activity (PA) and unhealthy diets, are prevalent among older people, leading to detrimental health outcomes as the population ages. Traditional face-to-face was found to be resource-intensive and limited transfer. Exploring eHealth as a complementary approach to traditional interventions for older adults holds promise. However, whether a blended approach, integrating both face-to-face and eHealth interventions, could potentially enhance the effectiveness of interventions aimed at initiating and sustaining positive lifestyle behaviors was not tested in older individuals so far systematically. This study aims to examine the intervention effectiveness on health behaviors (i.e., PA and diet) and health outcomes among Hong Kong older adults.
Methods: A three-arm, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted. 132 eligible older adults were recruited and randomly assigned into three groups. The blended intervention group received 10-week weekly two 60-minute face-to-face sessions with one for PA and one for diet, and two web-based sessions with one for PA and one for diet. The face-to-face intervention group received the same content and intensity like the blended group but as face-to-face sessions. The control group underwent biweekly telephone interviews. Data were collected at baseline, 10-week post-test, and 3-month follow-up assessment. All data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 29.0. A series of generalized linear mixed models were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention.
Results: The findings supported the effectiveness of blended interventions for PA and diet behaviors. Significant interaction effects were found on diet behaviors with large effect sizes. More participants in the blended group met the multiple health behavior guidelines than those in the face-to-face and control groups at T2 and T3. The results also revealed significant interaction effects on PA self-efficacy, PA planning, PA action control, fruit and vegetable intake self-efficacy, and meat, fish, egg, and alternatives intake action control. Significant intervention effects were found in agility and dynamic balance, and health-related quality of life.
Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of blended interventions designed to promote PA, diet, and overall health outcomes among Hong Kong older adults.
Trial registration: ISRCTN, ISRCTN32329348. Registered 1 December 2023 - Retrospectively registered, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN32329348
The causal relationship between circulating micronutrients and urolithiasis: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Wang Guangyue , Zhang Yiwen , Yu Denghui , Li Xueyan , Yang Zhaoyi , Zhang Yuening , Li Yong
Published: October 2024

Objective
Previous epidemiological and experimental studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of human micronutrient levels on the risk of urolithiasis. In our study, we conducted two sample Mendelian randomization (2SMR) and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) surveys to explore the association between 15 human micronutrients (copper, calcium, carotene, folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E) and genetic susceptibility to urolithiasis.
Method
Fifteen instrumental variables (IVs) for micronutrients were selected from published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). After selecting the appropriate IVs, we conducted an MR study using the inverse variance weighting (IVW) method as our primary estimation tool, using sensitivity analyses to judge heterogeneity, pleiotropy and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses.
Result
Our study found that genetic susceptibility to elevated vitamin D levels reduced the risk of developing Calculus of kidney and ureter; The genetic susceptibility to elevated vitamin C concentration increases the risk of developing Calculus of lower urinary tract. However, there was no statistically significant association between the other 13 micronutrients and the risk of urinary stones.
Conclusion
Vitamin D may have a protective effect on the occurrence of Calculus of kidney and ureter; Vitamin C may have a harmful effect on the occurrence of Calculus of lower urinary tract.
Nrf2/UBE3B protects against acute lung injury by inhibiting ferritinophagy through the ubiquitination of NCOA4
Authors: Wang Yanjun , Dong Hui , Gu Yunfan , Chen Han , Hu Beibei , Xue Xiangdong , Hu Rong , Jiang Hong
Published: October 2024

Iron overload and ferroptosis are associated with intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (II/R)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of iron homeostasis remain unclear. Nrf2 regulates cellular iron homeostasis; however, its impact on ALI pathology and its underlying mechanism of action requires further investigation. Ubiquitin ligase E3B (UBE3B) plays a critical role in the proteasome pathway, which is essential for protein turnover and ubiquitin-mediated signaling. A recent study found that UBE3B plays a role in oxidative stress; however, it remains unknown whether its role is related to Nrf2. Furthermore, the exact role of UBE3B in ALI and its underlying mechanism remain largely uncharacterized. In the present study, immunohistochemical analysis of UBE3B expression in type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECII) was conducted and its expression was found to be increased in II/R-ALI. Western blot analysis indicated that UBE3B hyperactivation may alleviate oxidative stress, thereby protecting against ALI. Moreover, UBE3B was involved in iron metabolism dysfunction and ferroptosis. UBE3B deficiency enhanced the process of nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated ferritinophagy and increased ferrous ion content, whereas overexpression of UBE3B reversed the harmful effects of Nrf2 knockdown on AECⅡ, which may promote AECⅡ ferroptosis. This study highlights the role of the Nrf2/UBE3B/NCOA4 axis in AECⅡ ferroptosis and II/R-ALI pathogenesis, suggesting that Nrf2 activation may be a promising strategy for ALI treatment.
VIT-driven adaptive low-light pedestrian image enhancement algorithm
Authors: Sheng Wei , Ma Shijun , Liu Mingjian
Published: October 2024

Pedestrian detection in low-light environments has emerged as a critical challenge in computer vision, particularly with the increasing deployment of intelligent monitoring systems. This study addresses the inherent difficulties of color deviation, insufficient brightness, reduced contrast, and noise interference in low-light pedestrian images. The proposed Enhanced Low-Light Pedestrian Detection (ELLPD) method integrates Haar Wavelet Downsampling (HWD) with an adaptive parameter prediction module based on Vision Transformer (VIT), coupled with a comprehensive image enhancement module. Experiments conducted on the LLVIP and WiderPerson\_dark datasets demonstrate the efficacy of ELLPD. When cascaded with YOLOv8n, ELLPD improved recall and mean Average Precision ($mAP$) by 3\% and 1.1\% respectively on the LLVIP dataset. Notably, on the WiderPerson\_dark dataset, ELLPD achieved a substantial 7.8\% increase in recall compared to YOLOv8n alone. These significant performance enhancements underscore ELLPD's effectiveness in addressing the challenges of pedestrian detection under low-light conditions. By optimizing image quality and dynamically adjusting algorithm parameters, ELLPD offers a robust solution for intelligent monitoring systems operating in challenging low-light scenarios.
Enrichment analysis of polymorphic loci associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and its outcomes
Authors: Saadat Mostafa
Published: October 2024

Background: There is a relatively long list of polymorphic genes associated with susceptibility to, hospitalization for, severity of, and death from COVID-19.
Methods: Enrichment analysis was performed using polymorphic loci retrieved from the Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database associated with susceptibility to, hospitalization for, severity of, and death from COVID-19. Only protein-coding genes were included in this study.
Results: A total of 177, 91, 67, 67, and 22 loci were identified whose genetic polymorphisms were associated with susceptibility to, hospitalization for, severity of, and death from COVID-19, respectively. No significant results were found in the enrichment analysis. The common genes among the different aspects of COVID-19 were low. Susceptibility to, hospitalization for, severity of, and death from COVID-19 shared 39, 22, 19, and 9 loci with smoking initiation trait, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that the levels of sharing were highly significant. The low number of shared genes among the four sets of susceptibility, hospitalization, disease severity, and death due to COVID-19 suggests that these aspects of COVID-19 are distinct multifactorial traits.
Conclusion: It was concluded that factors such as chronic cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus are not independent risk factors for COVID-19 and its outcomes, and that smoking is the most important and influential risk factor. Further analysis using Mendelian randomization on the available information is needed to confirm or reject this conclusion.
Idiopathic epilepsy in dogs is associated with dysbiotic faecal microbiota
Authors: Silvestrino Marco , Pirolo Mattia , Bianco Angelica , Castellana Stefano , Sambro Laura Del , Tarallo Viviana Domenica , Guardabassi Luca , Zatelli Andrea , Gernone Floriana
Published: October 2024

Background
The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in modulating various physiological and pathological processes through its metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which impact immune system development, gastrointestinal health, and brain functions via the gut-brain axis. Dysbiosis, an imbalance in gut microbiota composition, has been linked to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative conditions, including epilepsy. In dogs, idiopathic epilepsy has been hypothesized to be influenced by gut microbiota composition, although studies on this association are limited and show inconsistent results. Here, we compared the faecal microbiota of idiopathic epileptic drug-naïve dogs and healthy controls. To this aim, we recruited 19 idiopathic epileptic dogs and 17 healthy controls which met stringent inclusion criteria and characterized their faecal microbiome by 16S rRNA sequencing.
Results
No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding age, breed, body condition score, diet, or reproductive status, though males were significantly overrepresented in the idiopathic epileptic group. Epileptic dogs showed a marked reduction in bacterial richness and a trend towards lower evenness (α-diversity) compared to healthy controls, while no differences in community composition (β-diversity) were observed between the two groups. Moreover, a decrease in SCFA-producing bacteria, namely Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, and Blautia, was observed alongside an increase in Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Bacteroides in epileptic dogs.
Conclusions
Idiopathic epileptic dogs exhibit dysbiosis, with reduced bacterial diversity, loss of beneficial genera, and overgrowth of opportunistic pathogens. These alterations in microbiota diversity and composition may contribute to epilepsy via the gut-brain axis, highlighting the need for further research to explore dietary or probiotic interventions targeting gut microbiota modulation as adjunctive therapies for managing epilepsy in dogs.
TREM2 affects DAM-like cell transformation in the acute phase of TBI in mice by regulating microglial glycolysis
Authors: Wang Lin , Ouyang Diqing , Li Lin , Yan Jin , Cao Yunchuan , Wang Yingwen , Gu Nina , Zhang Zhaosi , Li Zhao , Tang Shuang , Tang Hui , Zhang Yuan , Sun Xiaochuan
Published: October 2024

Background
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by high mortality and disability rates. Disease-associated microglia (DAM) are a newly discovered subtype of microglia. However, their presence and function in the acute phase of TBI remain unclear. Although glycolysis is important for microglial differentiation, its regulatory role in DAM transformation during the acute phase of TBI is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the functions of DAM-like cells in the acute phase of TBI in mice, as well as the relationship between their transformation and glycolysis.
Methods
In this study, a controlled cortical impact (CCI) model was used to induce TBI in adult male wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and adult male TREM2 knockout mice. Various techniques were used to assess the role of DAM-like cells in TBI and the effects of glycolysis on DAM-like cells, including RT‒qPCR, immunofluorescence assays, behavioural tests, extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) tests, Western blot analysis, cell magnetic sorting and culture, glucose and lactate assays, and flow cytometry.
Results
DAM-like cells were observed in the acute phase of TBI in mice, and their transformation depended on TREM2 gene expression. DAM-like cells promoted functional recovery after TBI, possibly due in part to their role in clearing debris and secreting VEGFa and BDNF. Moreover, DAM-like cells exhibited significantly increased glycolytic activity. TREM2 regulated the AKT‒mTOR‒HIF-1α pathway and glycolysis in microglia in the acute phase of TBI. The increase in glycolysis in microglia partially contributed to the transformation of DAM-like cells in the acute phase of TBI in mice.
Conclusions
Taken together, the results of our study demonstrated that DAM-like cells were present in the acute phase of TBI in mice, which may be beneficial for neural functional recovery in TBI model mice. Additionally, TREM2 may influence DAM-like cell transformation by modulating the glycolysis of microglia.
ALKBH5-dependent upregulation of circARHGEF12 by Oridonin impairs gastric cancer progression and cisplatin resistance via regulating miR-130b-5p/LATS2 signaling
Authors: Yang Yan-Ling , Tang Peng , Zhou Hai-Xia , Fan Hui-Ning , Yu Yi , Chen Zhao-Yu , Chen Xiao-Yu , Zhou Guang-Peng , Zhang Jing
Published: October 2024

Background
Accumulating evidence unveils that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation modifications and deregulated circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in diverse malignancies including gastric cancer (GC). However, the underlying mechanisms by which ALKBH5 mediates m6A modification of circRNAs in GC progression and chemoresistance remain unknown.
Methods
The m6A-circRNA epi-transcriptomic microarray was applied to screen ALKBH5-mediated m6A demethylation of hsa_circ_0002089 (circARHGEF12), which was verified by m6A dot blot, RT-qPCR, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (Me-RIP) and RIP assays. The cellular localization and mRNA expression levels of circARHGEF12 in GC tissue samples were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Gain- or loss-of-function assays as well as in vivo tumorigenesis and lung metastasis models were executed to assess the role of circARHGEF12 in GC cells. The specific binding of circARHGEF12 with miR-130b-5p was validated by RT-qPCR, RIP, and luciferase gene report assays. The effects of Oridonin-mediated ALKBH5 and (or) circARHGEF12 on miR-130b-5p/LATS2/YAP signaling were determined by RT-qPCR, Western blot and functional assays.
Results
We found that circARHGEF12 was identified as an m6A-modified target of ALKBH5 in GC cells. Overexpression of circARHGEF12 impaired cell proliferation and cisplatin resistance in vitro as well as repressed gastric tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vivo, but circARHGEF12 knockdown (KD) drove these effects. Furthermore, circARHGEF12 could act as the sponge of miR-130b-5p to attenuate ALKBH5 KD-induced miR-130b-5p upregulation and LATS2/YAP inactivation in GC cells. Oridonin activates ALKBH5 to enhances GC suppression via miR-130b-5p/LATS2 signaling.
Conclusion
Our findings reveal that ALKBH5-dependent upregulation of circARHGEF12 by oridonin impairs GC progression and cisplatin resistance via regulating miR-130b-5p/LATS2 signaling and may provide a novel therapeutic target for GC.
Association between Life's Essential 8 and obstructive sleep apnea from the NHANES 2005–2008 and 2015–2018
Authors: Yu Huang , Hu Bingchao , Zeng Chunhai , Li Ping
Published: October 2024

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent disorder significantly impacting health and quality of life. This study investigates the association between a lifestyle assessment tool, Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score, and OSA. Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005–2008, 2015–2018), we evaluated whether the LE8 score, an indicator of cardiovascular health, predicts OSA risk. LE8 scores are categorized into low, moderate, and high levels, representing lifestyle healthiness. Employing logistic regression, restricted cubic splines, and weighted quantile sum regression, we found that higher LE8 scores correspond to a significantly lower OSA risk: moderate and high score groups exhibited a 46% and 76% reduced risk, respectively. Additionally, a nonlinear dose-response relationship was observed, and factors such as BMI and tobacco exposure emerged as critical risk elements. The results underscore the value of LE8 as a practical tool for assessing OSA risk and reinforce the role of healthy living in its mitigation. These insights can form the foundation of public health strategies aimed at decreasing OSA prevalence through the promotion of healthier lifestyles.
Functional characterization of a female-biased chemoreceptor of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) responding to aldehydes and other volatile compounds
Authors: Cattaneo Alberto Maria , Kwadha Charles A. , Pullmann-Lindsley Heidi , Erdei Anna L. , Pitts R. Jason , Walker William B.
Published: October 2024

With the advent of semiochemical-based control strategies used to mitigate damage of agricultural pest moths, many studies have focused on the function of male-specific putative pheromone receptors (PRs). In this investigation, we instead isolated, heterologously expressed, and functionally characterized a female-biased candidate PR, CpomOR22, from the codling moth, Cydia pomonella. Using transgenic Drosophila melanogaster for single sensillum recording (SSR) and gas-chromatographic SSR, we tested both synthetic ligands and various apple headspace extracts, identifying saturated and unsaturated aldehydes (nonanal, decanal, undecanal, dodecanal; (Z)-4-undecenal and (Z)-6-undecenal) among the most active ligands. Parallel experiments expressing CpomOR22 in Xenopus oocytes confirmed the binding of nonanal, decanal and undecanal aldehyde and revealed lactones (gamma-undecalactone and delta-dodecalactone) and several carboxylic acids as additional active compounds. The renowned ecological importance of aldehydes for the codling moth and the potential for newly identified ligands, such as lactones, may inform innovative control strategies based on novel semiochemicals to interfere with the female-specific chemosensory systems of this insect.
Joint Embedding-Classifier Learning for Interpretable Collaborative Filtering
Authors: Réda Clémence , Vie Jill-Jênn , Wolkenhauer Olaf
Published: October 2024

Background: Interpretability is a topical question in recommender systems, especially in healthcare applications. An interpretable classifier quantifies the importance of each input feature for the predicted item-user association in a non-ambiguous fashion.
Results: We introduce the novel Joint Embedding Learning-classifier for improved Interpretability (JELI). By combining the training of a structured collaborative-filtering classifier and an embedding learning task, JELI predicts new user-item associations based on jointly learned item and user embeddings while providing feature-wise importance scores. Therefore, JELI flexibly allows the introduction of priors on the connections between users, items, and features. In particular, JELI simultaneously (a) learns feature, item, and user embeddings; (b) predicts new item-user associations; (c) provides importance scores for each feature. Moreover, JELI instantiates a generic approach to training recommender systems by encoding generic graph-regularization constraints.
Conclusions: We show that the joint training approach yields a gain in the predictive power of the downstream classifier, that JELI can recover feature-association dependencies, and induces a restriction in the number of parameters compared to baselines in synthetic and drug-repurposing data sets.
Immediate irradiation induced cerebral water and hemodynamic response in whole brain radiotherapy
Authors: Miettinen Heli , Lohela Jesse , Moradi Sadegh , Inget Kalle , Nikkinen Juha , Myllylä Teemu , Karhula Sakari S. , Korhonen Vesa
Published: October 2024

Purpose Effects of clinical radiotherapy are often studied between or after irradiations. The current study's aim was to monitor an immediate irradiation response in cerebral water and hemodynamics in patients treated with whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and to assess the response's individuality.
Methods We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor changes in cerebral water, oxyhemoglobin (HbO), and deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) during the irradiation of 31 patients (age 69.3 ± 12.5 years, 16 females) receiving WBRT. The radiation dose delivered to a patient during a single measurement was 4 Gy (total dose of 20 Gy in five fractions) for most patients and 3 Gy (total dose of 30 Gy in ten fractions) for three patients.
Results 106 patient recordings were analyzed. They showed an immediate irradiation induced increase in HbO and HbR, and decrease in cerebral water content (P<.001) as soon as five seconds after the start of irradiation. The radiation dose, age and gender affected recorded signals. A smaller dose resulted in a steeper change in HbR (P<.01), but larger total change in HbO (P<.01). Younger age was associated with a more significant decrease in the water signal (P<.05). In contrast, female gender was associated with a greater total increase in HbO (P<.01) and HbR (P<.001) signals.
Conclusion There is an immediate cerebral water and hemodynamic response to irradiation and this response shows dependency on the radiation dose, age, and gender. Better understanding about the immediate radiation response may help improve the patient outcome in clinical radiotherapy.
Daylength Influences Time to Harvest and Stem Quality of Pycnosorus globosus and Caryopteris incana Specialty Cut Flowers
Authors: Brown Jessica , Lopez Roberto G.
Published: October 2024

As the demand for locally grown specialty cut flowers increases, cultivars of Pycnosorus globosus and Caryotperis incana are becoming more available for growers to produce as cuts. However, protocols for year-round greenhouse production are limited. Therefore, our objective was to determine if the photoperiod influences flower induction and development, time to harvest, yield, and morphology of billy buttons (Pycnosorus globosus) ‘Paintball Globe’ and ‘Paintball Poppy’ and bluebeard (Caryopteris incana) ‘Pagoda Lagoon’ and ‘Pagoda Dark Pink’ to facilitate commercial greenhouse production. Shoot-tip cuttings were rooted and transplanted into bulb crates and placed in a greenhouse with a mean daily air temperature of 20 °C and 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-, or 16-hour photoperiods or a 9-hour short day (SD) with a 4-hour night interruption (NI) from 2200 to 0200 HR for 11 weeks. Billy buttons initiated inflorescences and developed flowers under all daylengths; however, the greatest stem lengths were recorded under long days (LDs). Bluebeard inflorescences initiated under all daylengths were tested. Time to visible inflorescence and flower was hastened under daylengths ≤14 hours, whereas inflorescences under the 16-h photoperiod or 4-h NI never fully developed. For ‘Pagoda Lagoon’ and ‘Pagoda Dark Pink’, the critical daylengths for flower development were 14 hours and 15 hours, respectively. On average, only bluebeard ‘Pagoda Lagoon’ harvested under photoperiods ≥10 hours developed marketable stem lengths (>40 cm). To hasten time to visible inflorescence and harvest and ensure marketable stem lengths, billy buttons should be grown under daylengths ≥13 hours. Based on these results, we recommend growing bluebeard under a 16-hour photoperiod or NI for 4 to 6 weeks to promote vegetative growth, followed by an 11- to 14-hour photoperiod for flower induction and development. We classify billy buttons as a day-neutral plant for flower induction and a facultative LD plant for flower development. Similarly, bluebeard can be classified as a facultative SD plant for flower induction and an obligate SD plant for flower development.
Curcumin and Vitamin D Reduce HMGB-1 mRNA Levels in Mice Infected with Salmonella typhi
Authors:   Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar, Indonesia, Febriza Ami ,   Centre for Biomedical Research, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Centre, West Java, Indonesia, Idrus Hasta Handayani ,   Centre for Biomedical Research, Research Organization for Health, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Cibinong Science Centre, West Java, Indonesia
Published: October 2024

Background: This study examined the effects of curcumin and vitamin D on high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) mRNA expression in mice infected with Salmonella typhi. Methods: The experimental design allocated 40 mice, intraperitoneally infected with S. typhi, to pre- and post-test controls randomly divided into four groups (10 mice per group). Mice in group A were treated with the antibiotic levofloxacin (1.95 mg/kg once daily) as the positive control; group B mice were administered curcumin at a dose of 200 mg/kg body weight; group C mice were treated with a curcumin dose of 200 mg/kg BW and vitamin D; and group D mice received distilled water (placebo) as the negative control. The intervention was performed for 5 days. On day 10, HMGB-1 mRNA expression was measured, and the results were compared to those before the intervention. Results: HMGB-1 mRNA level in group C decreased significantly by 5.76-fold (95% confidence interval: 2.55, 8.98). In contrast, HMGB-1 mRNA levels did not decrease significantly in group B. onclusion: These results suggest that the combination of curcumin and vitamin D reduced HMGB-1 mRNA levels in infected mice, highlighting the potential of this combination as an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent.
Epidemiology of Morbidity and Mortality of COVID-19 Patients During the Period of June 2020–September 2021 in Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Indonesia
Authors:   Pulmonology Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Sitompul Pompini Agustina , Mariana Nina ,   Research Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Maemun Siti ,   Research Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia,   Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Respati Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia, Widiantari Aninda Dinar ,   Research Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Murtiani Farida ,   Research Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Rosamarlina Rosamarlina ,   Pulmonology Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Rusli Adria ,   Pulmonology Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Sundari Titi ,   Pulmonology Department, Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia, Purnama Tri Bayu ,   Division of International Health (Public Health), Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan,   Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia
Published: October 2024

Objectives: The increasing mortality rate of COVID-19 has remained an international public health concern. Limited studies on clinical treatment and morbidity in hospital settings are available in Indonesia. This present study aims to analyse demographic characteristics, clinical signs and treatment in COVID-19 patients and their association to the mortality case in Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital. Methods: The study applied a retrospective cohort approach to all COVID-19 inpatients confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital from 1 June 2020 to 30 September 2021. Overall survival rates until the end of the study were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate the crude and adjusted hazard ratios for associated factors. Results: We collected 1,970 inpatient data that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Most of them were 19 years old–59 years old (73.2%) and male (52.6%), and 966 (49%) patients had comorbidities. Approximately 63.9%, 89.2%, 89.8%, 82%, and 14.1% of the patients had ferritin levels ≤ 800, received antiviral treatment, were treated in non-intensive wards, had a moderate or mild clinical stage and did not survive, respectively. In the adjusted analysis, mortality was associated with sex (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.23), presence of comorbidity (HR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.30) and favipiravir (FPV) plus azithromycin treatment (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.06,1.39). FPV treatment (HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.75) was associated with higher mortality. Conclusion: Tailored approaches to treatment, considering individual risk factors and comorbidities, are crucial in improving patient outcomes.
Endotoxin Detection in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast Agent Using Optimising Chromogenic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay
Authors:   Tissue Engineering Group (TEG), National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ab Aziz Atiqah , Mappiare Sahrinanah ,   Tissue Engineering Group (TEG), National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Nam Hui Yin ,   Tissue Engineering Group (TEG), National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,   M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Selangor, Malaysia, Devi Durga ,   Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT), Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Johan Mohd Rafie ,   Nanotechnology and Catalysis Research Center (NANOCAT), Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Kamarul Tunku ,   Tissue Engineering Group (TEG), National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Published: October 2024

Endotoxin contamination in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents can pose a risk to patient safety causing immune reactions. Strict endotoxin limits are enforced for implants and catheters inserted into the body, but there are not clear rules for MRI contrast agents. Here, we investigated the efficacy of chromogenic LAL assay test for screening endotoxin activity in MRI contrast media manufactured in Malaysia. The powdered agent was dissolved in water for injection and endotoxin levels were measured. The coefficient of efficiency value for the standard curve, exhibiting r² ≥ 0.98, along with the absence of interfering substances and endotoxin activity below the regulatory threshold of 0.5 EU/mL, support the conclusion that the agent is unlikely to be pyrogenic or induce pyrogenic effect.
: Measurement of Pancreatic Stone Protein Compared with C-Reactive Protein and Procalcitonin in the Diagnosis of Sepsis in an Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review
Authors:   Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta, Indonesia, Permana Septian Adi , Purwoko Purwoko ,   Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta, Indonesia, Hartono Enrico Jonathan ,   Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Dr. Moewardi General Hospital, Surakarta, Indonesia
Published: October 2024

Sepsis remains a significant challenge in the intensive care unit (ICU), with prompt diagnosis and management being critical to improving patient outcomes. Biomarkers have emerged as valuable tools for identifying and predicting sepsis outcomes, with pancreatic stone protein (PSP), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as three promising candidates. This systematic review aimed to analyse and compare the diagnostic accuracy of PSP, PCT and CRP regarding sepsis in the ICU. A review of the literature on the diagnostic performance of the three biomarkers was performed using PubMed Central, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Oxford Academic, SpringerLink and Cochrane Library. Data regarding the diagnostic accuracy of the three biomarkers were extracted, compared, and represented as the area under the curve (AUC) receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Three studies examining PSP, PCT and CRP biomarkers in 858 adult patients admitted to the ICU were included in this review. Compared with PCT and CRP, the PSP biomarker, with its unique applications and properties that may potentially benefit patients, doctors and hospitals, performed well and proved reliable in diagnosing sepsis in adult patients. PSP demonstrated reliability in sepsis diagnosis. Further analysis should be conducted to establish a formal, appropriate indication, as well as to determine a suspected sepsis patient’s condition when testing each biomarker.
Integration of gravity and well data for depth-density imagining of the 3D basement complex deep structure inverse model, along with tectonic insights for further hydrocarbon exploration at El Zeit basinal area, southwest Gulf of Suez, Egypt
Authors:   Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia, HASSAN Ahmed Gamal Mohamed
Published: October 2024

Relevance and purpose of the work. Salt diapirs within sedimentary strata have posed challenges in seismic interpretation within the study region, thereby impeding the construction of a comprehensive three-dimensional central basinal structure. Use of gravity data to investigate the basement fault block pattern underlying the sedimentary basin in the Gebel El-Zeit basin, located in Egypt’s southwestern Gulf of Suez, is regarded as a highly recommended method for adding tectonic insights for exploring hydrocarbons in this region.
The Higgs mechanism with diagrams: A didactic approach
Authors: Kip Jochem , Kleiss Ronald
Published: October 2024

We present a paedagogical treatment of the electroweak Higgs mechanism based solely on Feynman diagrams and S-matrix elements, without recourse to (gauge) symmetry arguments. Throughout, the emphasis is on Feynman rules and the Schwinger-Dyson equations; it is pointed out that particular care is needed in the treatment of tadpole diagrams and their symmetry factors.