bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wie veränderbar ist das Geschlechtserleben von binär vs. nichtbinär identifizierten transgeschlechtlichen Jugendlichen und welche Einflussfaktoren gibt es?
Authors: Herrmann Lena , Fahrenkrug Saskia , Bindt Carola , Becker-Hebly Inga
Published: November 2023

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: Nichtbinäre Geschlechtsidentitäten werden in der Transgender-Gesundheitsversorgung und -forschung zunehmend sichtbar. Gleichzeitig ist wenig bekannt über die verschiedenen Geschlechtsidentitäten von transgeschlechtlichen Jugendlichen, ob diese stabil oder veränderbar sind und welche Faktoren das Geschlechtserleben beeinflussen. Ziel ist deshalb, diese verschiedenen Aspekte von Geschlechtserleben (Gender) bei transgeschlechtlichen Jugendlichen mit unterschiedlichen Geschlechtsidentitäten zu untersuchen. Methodik: Die Stichprobe umfasste 114 transgeschlechtliche Jugendliche mit diagnostizierter Geschlechtsdysphorie (GD) aus einer aktuellen Befragung der Hamburger Spezialsprechstunde für Kinder und Jugendliche mit GD (Hamburger GIS). Die verschiedenen Aspekte von Gender wurden mithilfe des Gender Diversity Questionnaire untersucht. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt 83 % der Jugendlichen berichteten eine binäre Geschlechtsidentität (binär identifiziert, BI) und 17 % eine nichtbinäre oder hinterfragten ihre Geschlechtsidentität noch (nichtbinär und genderquestioning, NBGQ). Ein veränderbares Geschlechtserleben wurde von 15 bis 18 % berichtet. Die NBGQ-Gruppe berichtete häufiger bzw. ein signifikant höheres Maß an Veränderbarkeit in ihrem Geschlechtserleben als die BI-Gruppe. Als die häufigsten Einflussfaktoren auf das eigene Geschlechtserleben wurden die Pubertät (79 %), der körperliche Leidensdruck (70 %) und die sozialen Medien (36 %) genannt. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studie verdeutlicht, dass das Geschlechtserleben nicht bei allen transgeschlechtlichen Jugendlichen binär und unveränderbar ist, sondern dass es in manchen Fällen auch nichtbinär oder veränderbar sein kann. Diese Heterogenität, die mögliche Veränderbarkeit sowie der pubertätsbedingte körperliche Leidensdruck können Behandlungsentscheidungen im Umgang mit GD im Jugendalter erschweren und verdeutlichen die Notwendigkeit einer individuellen Behandlungsplanung.
The Southern Ocean Carbon Cycle 1985–2018: Mean, Seasonal Cycle, Trends, and Storage
Authors: Hauck Judith , Gregor Luke , Nissen Cara , Patara Lavinia , Hague Mark , Mongwe Precious , Bushinsky Seth , Doney Scott C. , Gruber Nicolas , Le Quéré Corinne , Manizza Manfredi , Mazloff Matthew , Monteiro Pedro M. S. , Terhaar Jens
Published: November 2023

We assess the Southern Ocean CO2 uptake (1985–2018) using data sets gathered in the REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes Project Phase 2. The Southern Ocean acted as a sink for CO2 with close agreement between simulation results from global ocean biogeochemistry models (GOBMs, 0.75 ± 0.28 PgC yr−1) and pCO2‐observation‐based products (0.73 ± 0.07 PgC yr−1). This sink is only half that reported by RECCAP1 for the same region and timeframe. The present‐day net uptake is to first order a response to rising atmospheric CO2, driving large amounts of anthropogenic CO2 (Cant) into the ocean, thereby overcompensating the loss of natural CO2 to the atmosphere. An apparent knowledge gap is the increase of the sink since 2000, with pCO2‐products suggesting a growth that is more than twice as strong and uncertain as that of GOBMs (0.26 ± 0.06 and 0.11 ± 0.03 Pg C yr−1 decade−1, respectively). This is despite nearly identical pCO2 trends in GOBMs and pCO2‐products when both products are compared only at the locations where pCO2 was measured. Seasonal analyses revealed agreement in driving processes in winter with uncertainty in the magnitude of outgassing, whereas discrepancies are more fundamental in summer, when GOBMs exhibit difficulties in simulating the effects of the non‐thermal processes of biology and mixing/circulation. Ocean interior accumulation of Cant points to an underestimate of Cant uptake and storage in GOBMs. Future work needs to link surface fluxes and interior ocean transport, build long overdue systematic observation networks and push toward better process understanding of drivers of the carbon cycle.
A computational approach for mapping electrochemical activity of multi-principal element alloys
Authors: Yuwono Jodie A. , Li Xinyu , Doležal Tyler D. , Samin Adib J. , Shi Javen Qinfeng , Li Zhipeng , Birbilis Nick
Published: November 2023

Multi principal element alloys (MPEAs) comprise an atypical class of metal alloys. MPEAs have been demonstrated to possess several exceptional properties, including, as most relevant to the present study a high corrosion resistance. In the context of MPEA design, the vast number of potential alloying elements and the staggering number of elemental combinations favours a computational alloy design approach. In order to computationally assess the prospective corrosion performance of MPEA, an approach was developed in this study. A density functional theory (DFT) – based Monte Carlo method was used for the development of MPEA ‘structure’; with the AlCrTiV alloy used as a model. High-throughput DFT calculations were performed to create training datasets for surface activity/selectivity towards different adsorbate species: O2-, Cl- and H+. Machine-learning (ML) with combined representation was then utilised to predict the adsorption and vacancy energies as descriptors for surface activity/selectivity. The capability of the combined computational methods of MC, DFT and ML, as a virtual electrochemical performance simulator for MPEAs was established and may be useful in exploring other MPEAs.
Resolving Fock states near the Kerr-free point of a superconducting resonator
Authors: Lu Yong , Kudra Marina , Hillmann Timo , Yang Jiaying , Li Hang-Xi , Quijandría Fernando , Delsing Per
Published: November 2023

We have designed a tunable nonlinear resonator terminated by a SNAIL (Superconducting Nonlinear Asymmetric Inductive eLement). Such a device possesses a Kerr-free point in which the external magnetic flux allows to suppress the Kerr interaction. We have excited photons near this Kerr-free point and characterized the device using a transmon qubit. The excitation spectrum of the qubit allows to observe photon-number-dependent frequency shifts about nine times larger than the qubit linewidth. Our study demonstrates a compact integrated platform for continuous-variable quantum processing that combines large couplings, considerable relaxation times and excellent control over the photon mode structure in the microwave domain.
Fronto-striato-thalamic circuit connectivity and neuromelanin in schizophrenia: an fMRI and neuromelanin-MRI study
Authors: Choi Sunah , Kim Minah , Kim Taekwan , Choi Eun-Jung , Lee Jungha , Moon Sun-Young , Cho Sang Soo , Lee Jongho , Kwon Jun Soo
Published: November 2023

Changes in dopamine and fronto-striato-thalamic (FST) circuit functional connectivity are prominent in schizophrenia. Dopamine is thought to underlie connectivity changes, but experimental evidence for this hypothesis is lacking. Previous studies examined the association in some of the connections using positron emission tomography (PET) and functional MRI (fMRI); however, PET has disadvantages in scanning patients, such as invasiveness. Excessive dopamine induces neuromelanin (NM) accumulation, and NM-MRI is suggested as a noninvasive proxy measure of dopamine function. We aimed to investigate the association between NM and FST circuit connectivity at the network level in patients with schizophrenia. We analysed substantia nigra NM-MRI and resting-state fMRI data from 29 schizophrenia patients and 63 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). We identified the FST subnetwork with abnormal connectivity found in schizophrenia patients compared to that of HCs and investigated the relationship between constituting connectivity and NM-MRI signal. We found a higher NM signal (t = −2.12, p = 0.037) and a hypoconnected FST subnetwork (FWER-corrected p = 0.014) in schizophrenia patients than in HCs. In the hypoconnected subnetwork of schizophrenia patients, lower left supplementary motor area-left caudate connectivity was associated with a higher NM signal (β = −0.38, p = 0.042). We demonstrated the association between NM and FST circuit connectivity. Considering that the NM-MRI signal reflects dopamine function, our results suggest that dopamine underlies changes in FST circuit connectivity, which supports the dopamine hypothesis. In addition, this study reveals implications for the future use of NM-MRI in investigations of the dopamine system.
Immunogenic arenavirus vector SIV vaccine reduces setpoint viral load in SIV-challenged rhesus monkeys
Authors: Boopathy Archana V. , Sharma Bhawna , Nekkalapudi Anurag , Wimmer Raphaela , Gamez-Guerrero Maria , Suthram Silpa , Truong Hoa , Lee Johnny , Li Jiani , Martin Ross , Blair Wade , Geleziunas Romas , Orlinger Klaus , Ahmadi-Erber Sarah , Lauterbach Henning , Makadzange Tariro , Falkard Brie , Schmidt Sarah
Published: November 2023

HIV affects more than 38 million people worldwide. Although HIV can be effectively treated by lifelong combination antiretroviral therapy, only a handful of patients have been cured. Therapeutic vaccines that induce robust de novo immune responses targeting HIV proteins and latent reservoirs will likely be integral for functional HIV cure. Our study shows that immunization of naïve rhesus macaques with arenavirus-derived vaccine vectors encoding simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVSME543 Gag, Env, and Pol) immunogens is safe, immunogenic, and efficacious. Immunization induced robust SIV-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell responses with expanded cellular breadth, polyfunctionality, and Env-binding antibodies with antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Vaccinated animals had significant reductions in median SIV viral load (1.45-log10 copies/mL) after SIVMAC251 challenge compared with placebo. Peak viral control correlated with the breadth of Gag-specific T cells and tier 1 neutralizing antibodies. These results support clinical investigation of arenavirus-based vectors as a central component of therapeutic vaccination for HIV cure.
tRNA-derived small RNA dataset in multiple organs of intrauterine growth-restricted pig
Authors: Jianfeng Ma , Mailin Gan , Yiting Yang , Lei Chen , Ye Zhao , Lili Niu , Yan Wang , Shunhua Zhang , Jingyong Wang , Li Zhu , Linyuan Shen
Published: November 2023

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) impairs neonatal weight and causes multiple organ dysplasia. IUGR not only threatens human health but is also a significant constraint to the development of animal husbandry. However, the molecular mechanism underlying IUGR remains to be further elucidated. tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNAs) is a regulative non-coding RNA, which has recently been reported to correlate with the onset and progression of several diseases. In this study, we investigated the tsRNAs expression profiles of IUGR pigs. A tsRNAs dataset for multiple organs in normal and IUGR pigs was generated, including muscle, liver, spleen and intestine. We further analyzed the characteristics of tsRNAs in different organs of pigs, and KEGG pathway analysis was performed to investigate possible pathways involved. This dataset will provide valuable information for further exploring the molecular mechanism of IUGR formation.
Breakdown of category-specific word representations in a brain-constrained neurocomputational model of semantic dementia
Authors: Shtyrov Yury , Efremov Aleksei , Kuptsova Anastasia , Wennekers Thomas , Gutkin Boris , Garagnani Max
Published: November 2023

The neurobiological nature of semantic knowledge, i.e., the encoding and storage of conceptual information in the human brain, remains a poorly understood and hotly debated subject. Clinical data on semantic deficits and neuroimaging evidence from healthy individuals have suggested multiple cortical regions to be involved in the processing of meaning. These include semantic hubs (most notably, anterior temporal lobe, ATL) that take part in semantic processing in general as well as sensorimotor areas that process specific aspects/categories according to their modality. Biologically inspired neurocomputational models can help elucidate the exact roles of these regions in the functioning of the semantic system and, importantly, in its breakdown in neurological deficits. We used a neuroanatomically constrained computational model of frontotemporal cortices implicated in word acquisition and processing, and adapted it to simulate and explain the effects of semantic dementia (SD) on word processing abilities. SD is a devastating, yet insufficiently understood progressive neurodegenerative disease, characterised by semantic knowledge deterioration that is hypothesised to be specifically related to neural damage in the ATL. The behaviour of our brain-based model is in full accordance with clinical data—namely, word comprehension performance decreases as SD lesions in ATL progress, whereas word repetition abilities remain less affected. Furthermore, our model makes predictions about lesion- and category-specific effects of SD: our simulation results indicate that word processing should be more impaired for object- than for action-related words, and that degradation of white matter should produce more severe consequences than the same proportion of grey matter decay. In sum, the present results provide a neuromechanistic explanatory account of cortical-level language impairments observed during the onset and progress of semantic dementia.
A quantitative textual analysis of the subjective effects of ayahuasca in naïve users with and without depression
Authors: Cruz Lucas , Bienemann Bheatrix , Palhano-Fontes Fernanda , Tófoli Luís Fernando , Araújo Dráulio B. , Mograbi Daniel C.
Published: November 2023

Ayahuasca is a brew with psychoactive properties that has been used as an entheogen for centuries, with more recent studies suggesting it is a promising treatment for some clinical disorders. Although there is an emerging scientific literature on its effects, to the best of our knowledge no study has explored the self-reported experiences of first-time ayahuasca users with quantitative textual analysis tools. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze the subjective experience of naive individuals with depression and healthy controls after consuming ayahuasca. For this purpose, responses from a subsample of participants from a previous clinical trial to open-ended questions regarding their experience with ayahuasca underwent textual analysis. Data from nine patients with treatment-resistant depression and 20 healthy individuals were included, and quantitative textual analysis was performed using IRaMuTeQ 0.7 alpha 2 and R 3.1.2. The analysis identified five clusters: alterations in the state of consciousness, cognitive changes, somatic alterations, auditory experiences, and visual perceptual content. Additionally, findings suggest specific features of the experience of people with depression with ayahuasca, such as increased aversive bodily reactions. The results are consistent with previous findings indicating central axes of the psychedelic experience, and may inform therapeutic approaches using ayahuasca.
Evaluating the association between caesarean delivery and weight status in early childhood in a Japanese birth cohort study
Authors: Miyayama Chiharu , Morisaki Naho , Ogawa Kohei , Tanaka Hisako , Shoji Hiromichi , Shimizu Toshiaki , Sago Haruhiko , Horikawa Reiko , Urayama Kevin Y.
Published: November 2023

To examine whether the prevailing hypothesis of an association between caesarean section (CS) delivery method and increased weight status in early childhood is observed in Japanese. A total of 1277 mother-infant pairs from a prospective hospital-based mother-infant birth cohort that recruited women in their first trimester from May 2010 to November 2013 were included. We assessed the relationship between delivery method and weight status of delivered children at 1, 3 and 6 years of age. In total, 366 children (28.7%) were delivered by CS. Delivery by CS was not associated with body mass index (BMI) z-score (≥ 75 percentile) at age 1 year, (odds ratio (OR) 0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.69–1.36), 3 years (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.67–1.42), and 6 years (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.45–1.12), and also showed no association with low weight status (< 25th percentile). Supplemental evaluations addressing the influence of preterm births, pre-pregnancy BMI, emergency CS, and modification by breastfeeding were consistent with the primary analyses. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that children born by CS are at risk of being overweight in childhood among the Japanese population.
Influence of forest vegetation restoration on carbon increment after mining
Authors: Zou Hang , Song Yali
Published: November 2023

We have clarified the study area has a history of 65 years and has been restored for 6 years. This study investigated the carbon storage characteristics of undisturbed natural forests and restored mining vegetation in Yunnan Province, China. The goal was to quantify carbon reserves and increments to inform ecological restoration strategies. Four vegetation components (tree, shrub, herb, litter) and five soil layers (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, 40–60 cm) were analyzed. In natural forest, the tree layer stored 60% of carbon (273 Mg ha−1), overwhelmingly dominating vegetation carbon stocks. Shrub, herb, and litter layers each comprised < 1%. Surface soil layers (0–30 cm) stored 64% of soil carbon. In the restored mining area, the tree layer contributed 75% of vegetation carbon increment (16 Mg ha−1), though stocks were lower than natural forest. Soil layers showed the highest carbon increment (69%) despite lower biomass than natural conditions. Unexploited forests thus exhibit robust carbon storage, while restored mining areas have weaker carbon gains, indicating recovery potential. Strategic interventions targeting soil quality, stimulating vegetation growth, and increasing carbon sequestration could significantly augment reserves and ecological functionality. Prioritizing vegetation succession and soil revitalization are paramount to ensuring ecological integrity and sustainable development. Fostering a positive regional ecological feedback loop will be pivotal. This research quantifies carbon storage differences between undisturbed and restored mining areas, highlighting soil and vegetation as critical targets for optimizing carbon sequestration and ecosystem recovery in degraded environments.
Muscle wobbling mass dynamics: eigenfrequency dependencies on activity, impact strength, and ground material
Authors: Christensen Kasper B. , Günther Michael , Schmitt Syn , Siebert Tobias
Published: November 2023

In legged locomotion, muscles undergo damped oscillations in response to the leg contacting the ground (an impact). How muscle oscillates varies depending on the impact situation. We used a custom-made frame in which we clamped an isolated rat muscle (M. gastrocnemius medialis and lateralis: GAS) and dropped it from three different heights and onto two different ground materials. In fully activated GAS, the dominant eigenfrequencies were 163 Hz, 265 Hz, and 399 Hz, which were signficantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the dominant eigenfrequencies in passive GAS: 139 Hz, 215 Hz, and 286 Hz. In general, neither changing the falling height nor ground material led to any significant eigenfrequency changes in active nor passive GAS, respectively. To trace the eigenfrequency values back to GAS stiffness values, we developed a 3DoF model. The model-predicted GAS muscle eigenfrequencies matched well with the experimental values and deviated by − 3.8%, 9.0%, and 4.3% from the passive GAS eigenfrequencies and by − 1.8%, 13.3%, and − 1.5% from the active GAS eigenfrequencies. Differences between the frequencies found for active and passive muscle impact situations are dominantly due to the attachment of myosin heads to actin.
Prevalence and prognostic value of neurological affections in hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 based on objective assessments
Authors: Balloff Carolin , Bandlow Carolina , Bernhard Michael , Brandenburger Timo , Bludau Patricia , Elben Saskia , Feldt Torsten , Hartmann Christian J. , Heinen Elisa , Ingwersen Jens , Jansen Corinna , Jensen Björn-Erik O. , Kindgen-Milles Detlef , Luedde Tom , Penner Iris-Katharina , Slink Isabel , Stramm Kim , Telke Ann-Kathrin , Timm Jörg , Vetterkind Lana , Vollmer Christian , Wolff Georg , Schnitzler Alfons , Meuth Sven G. , Groiss Stefan J. , Albrecht Philipp
Published: November 2023

Neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been frequently described. In this prospective study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients without a history of neurological conditions, we aimed to analyze their prevalence and prognostic value based on established, standardized and objective methods. Patients were investigated using a multimodal electrophysiological approach, accompanied by neuropsychological and neurological examinations. Prevalence rates of central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS) nervous system affections were calculated and the relationship between neurological affections and mortality was analyzed using Firth logistic regression models. 184 patients without a history of neurological diseases could be enrolled. High rates of PNS affections were observed (66% of 138 patients receiving electrophysiological PNS examination). CNS affections were less common but still highly prevalent (33% of 139 examined patients). 63% of patients who underwent neuropsychological testing (n = 155) presented cognitive impairment. Logistic regression models revealed pathology in somatosensory evoked potentials as an independent risk factor of mortality (Odds Ratio: 6.10 [1.01–65.13], p = 0.049). We conclude that hospitalized patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 display high rates of PNS and CNS affection, which can be objectively assessed by electrophysiological examination. Electrophysiological assessment may have a prognostic value and could thus be helpful to identify patients at risk for deterioration.
Graph-based multi-modality integration for prediction of cancer subtype and severity
Authors: Duroux Diane , Wohlfart Christian , Van Steen Kristel , Vladimirova Antoaneta , King Michael
Published: November 2023

Personalised cancer screening before therapy paves the way toward improving diagnostic accuracy and treatment outcomes. Most approaches are limited to a single data type and do not consider interactions between features, leaving aside the complementary insights that multimodality and systems biology can provide. In this project, we demonstrate the use of graph theory for data integration via individual networks where nodes and edges are individual-specific. We showcase the consequences of early, intermediate, and late graph-based fusion of RNA-Seq data and histopathology whole-slide images for predicting cancer subtypes and severity. The methodology developed is as follows: (1) we create individual networks; (2) we compute the similarity between individuals from these graphs; (3) we train our model on the similarity matrices; (4) we evaluate the performance using the macro F1 score. Pros and cons of elements of the pipeline are evaluated on publicly available real-life datasets. We find that graph-based methods can increase performance over methods that do not study interactions. Additionally, merging multiple data sources often improves classification compared to models based on single data, especially through intermediate fusion. The proposed workflow can easily be adapted to other disease contexts to accelerate and enhance personalized healthcare.
Influence of loss- and restoration-oriented stressors on grief in times of COVID-19
Authors: Palm Svenja , Doering Bettina K. , Kubiak Thomas , Geschke Katharina , Fellgiebel Andreas , Wuttke Alexandra
Published: November 2023

This study aimed to examine the influence of COVID-specific stressors on cross-sectional and longitudinal bereavement outcomes. According to the Dual Process Model of grief these stress-inducing factors can relate to the loss (loss-oriented stressors) or to manage everyday life (restoration-oriented stressors) and require coping in the grief process. A total of 491 participants (94.1% female; 43.92 years on average; 44.4% loss of a parent) were included at the first measurement time point (T0), of whom 99 individuals also participated in a follow-up assessment 6 months later (T1). Participants frequently reported loss-oriented (on average 7.30 out of 21 queried) and restoration-oriented stressors (on average 6.99 out of 19 queried). Cross-sectionally, higher acute grief intensity was associated with a higher number of loss-oriented stressors, poorer mental well-being, and sociodemographic variables. This effect disappeared longitudinally, with only acute grief intensity and poorer mental well-being at T0 predicting higher prolonged grief at T1. Common resilience factors did not buffer the effects of the pandemic on grief. Loss-oriented stressors seem to be especially relevant for understanding grief and might be a mediator of higher long-term grief. The findings suggest that COVID-specific strains need to be specifically taken into account in the support of bereaved individuals.
Analysis of the impact of the combined use of rebar bolts and FRP bolts in the roadway enclosure
Authors: Lyu Jinguo , Qi Linfan , Wang Xuebin , Peng Yisheng , Han Wenhe , Li Shixu
Published: November 2023

In order to investigate the support effect of the combination of FRP bolts and rebar bolts in the roadway, taking a coal mine as the background of the project, research and analysis of the engineering geological conditions of the mine and the layout of the mining roadway, stress analysis of the roadway peripheral rock, and put forward the combination of rebar and FRP bolts in the roadway peripheral rock support program. Based on different scenarios, FLAC3D was applied to simulate and analyze the distribution of axial force, maximum principal stress of the surrounding rock, yield damage of the surrounding rock, and displacement of the surrounding rock under three conditions: no support, full rebar bolt support, and combined rebar and FRP bolt support. The results show that (1) In the pre-action period between the bolt and the surrounding rock of the roadway, the FRP bolt carries the force first; in the late action period, the rebar bolt and the FRP bolt carry the force together. (2) From the analysis of the stress concentration degree of the maximum principal stress of the roadway surrounding rock, the horizontal displacement of the roadway surrounding rock and the distribution characteristics of the plastic zone of the roadway surrounding rock, it can be concluded that the support strength of FRP bolts is slightly lower than that of rebar bolts. (3) Under the state of combined support of FRP and rebar bolts, the range of plastic zone of surrounding rock in the roadway is analyzed in comparison with the effect of full rebar bolt support, and the range of reduction of plastic zone of surrounding rock is not obvious, and the effect of full rebar bolt support and combined support of FRP and rebar bolts on controlling the damage of surrounding rock is similar. (4) The side part of the roadway perimeter rock mining adopts FRP bolts instead of rebar bolts, and if the FRP bolts are not damaged, the combination of FRP and rebar bolts can be used for support, which can maintain the stability of the roadway perimeter rock.
Magnetic resonance imaging assessment of the changes of cardiac and hepatic iron load in thalassemia patients before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Xu Fengming , Li Da , Tang Cheng , Liang Bumin , Guan Kaiming , Liu Rongrong , Peng Peng
Published: November 2023

To investigate the value of T2* technique on 3.0 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating the changes of cardiac and hepatic iron load before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with thalassemia (TM), the 141 TM patients were divided into 6 group for subgroup analysis: 6, 12, 18, 24 and > 24 months group, according to the postoperative interval. The T2* values of heart and liver (H-T2*, L-T2*) were quantified in TM patients before and after HSCT using 3.0 T MRI T2* technology, and the corresponding serum ferritin (SF) was collected at the same time, and the changes of the three before and after HSCT were compared. The overall H-T2* (P = 0.001) and L-T2* (P = 0.041) of patients after HSCT were higher than those before HSCT (mean relative changes = 19.63%, 7.19%). The H-T2* (P < 0.001) and L-T2* (P < 0.001) > 24 months after HSCT were significantly higher than those before HSCT (mean relative changes = 69.19%, 93.73%). The SF of 6 months (P < 0.001), 12 months (P = 0.008), 18 months (P = 0.002) and > 24 months (P = 0.001) were significantly higher than those before HSCT (mean relative changes = 57.93%, 73.84%, 128.51%, 85.47%). There was no significant improvement in cardiac and liver iron content in TM patients within 24 months after HSCT, while the reduction of cardiac and liver iron content in patients is obvious when > 24 months after HSCT.
Potency of teleophthalmology as a detection tool for diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Li Liu , Jin Yu , Wang Jun Hua , Wang Sha Sha , Yuan Fang Xiu
Published: November 2023

In China, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is increasing, so it is necessary to provide convenient and effective community outreach screening programs for DR, especially in rural and remote areas. The purpose of this study was to use the results of ophthalmologists as the gold standard to evaluate the accuracy of community general practitioners' judgement and grading of DR to find a feasible and convenient DR screening method to reduce the risk of visual impairment and blindness in known diabetes patients. Retinal images of 1646 diabetic patients who underwent DR screening through teleophthalmology at Nanchang First Hospital were collected for 30 months (January 2020 to June 2022). Retinal images were collected without medication for mydriasis, stored by community general practitioner, and diagnosed by both community general practitioner and ophthalmologist of our hospital through teleophthalmology. The grading of ophthalmologist was used as a reference or gold standard for comparison with that of community general practitioner. A total of 1646 patients and 3185 eyes were examined, including 2310 eyes with DR. The evaluation by the community general practitioner had a Kappa value of 0.578, sensitivity of 80.58%, specificity of 89.94%, and accuracy of 83.38%% in 2020; a Kappa value of 0.685, sensitivity of 95.43%, specificity of 78.55%, and accuracy of 90.77% in 2021; and a Kappa value of 0.744, sensitivity of 93.99%, specificity of 88.97%, and accuracy of 92.86% in 2022. Teleophthalmology helped with large-scale screening of DR and made it possible for community general practitioner to grade images with high accuracy after appropriate training. It is possible to solve the current shortage of eye care personnel, promote the early recognition of disease and reduce the impact of diabetes-associated blindness.
New alternative ingredients and genetic selection are the next game changers in rainbow trout nutrition: a metabolomics appraisal
Authors: Roques Simon , Deborde Catherine , Skiba-Cassy Sandrine , Médale Françoise , Dupont-Nivet Mathilde , Lefevre Florence , Bugeon Jérome , Labbé Laurent , Marchand Yann , Moing Annick , Fauconneau Benoit
Published: November 2023

The formulation of sustainable fish feeds based on plant ingredients supplemented by alternative ingredients to plant (insect, micro-algae, yeast) and genetic selection of fish for plant-based diets were tested on rainbow trout in two separate experiments. Plant-based diets and corresponding diets supplemented with an ingredient mix: insect, micro-algae and yeast in Experiment A, and insect and yeast in Experiment B were compared to commercial-like diets. In experiment A, the mix-supplemented diet was successful in compensating the altered growth performance of fish fed their respective plant-based diet compared to those fed the commercial diet, by restoring feed conversion. In experiment B, the selected line demonstrated improved growth performances of fish fed mix-supplemented and plant-based diets compared to the non-selected line. Metabolomics demonstrated a plasma compositional stability in fish fed mix-supplemented and basal plant-based diets comprising an amino acid accumulation and a glucose depletion, compared to those fed commercial diets. The selected line fed mix-supplemented and commercial diets showed changes in inositol, ethanol and methanol compared to the non-selected line, suggesting an involvement of microbiota. Changes in plasma glycine-betaine content in fish fed the mix-supplemented diet suggest the ability of the selected line to adapt to alternative ingredients.
Limited beneficial effects of systemic steroids when added to standard of care treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis
Authors: Skröder Carl , Hellkvist Laila , Dahl Åslög , Westin Ulla , Bjermer Leif , Karlsson Agneta , Cardell Lars Olaf
Published: November 2023

Intramuscular injections with methylprednisolone treating allergic rhinitis (AR) have a long history. Modern guidelines are designed to dissuade this treatment, but it´s frequently used, especially in primary care. This despite of concern for side effects and lack of modern placebo-controlled studies. This study was designed to evaluate if methylprednisolone, could significantly improve symptoms of birch pollen induced AR and reduce the concomitant use of standard of care medication. Forty-two patients with birch pollen induced AR were randomized to treatment with methylprednisolone (80 mg) or placebo (NaCl 0.9%). Daily symptom- and medication scores was registered for 3 weeks. Quality of life questionnaires Sino-nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) and Juniper Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionaire (Juniper RQLQ) were registered at trial start and at the end of the 3 weeks period. The combined symptom- and medication scores indicate that the methylprednisolone treated group [mean Area Under the Curve (AUC) 37.1 (SD 16.2 (95% CI 29.9–44.6))] was significantly better off than the placebo group [mean AUC 49.1 (SD 10.1 (95% CI 44.5–53.7))], p = 0.008. No significant difference between the groups were found in the SNOT-22 and Juniper RQLQ analysis. Registered side effects were few and mild. The limited beneficial effects of systemic steroids when added to standard of care in combination of its potential risk for side effects, speaks against its use for treatment of severe seasonal allergic rhinitis. The lack of difference in quality-of-life further underscores this result.
Biological and genetic characterization of a newly established human external auditory canal carcinoma cell line, SCEACono2
Authors: Komune Noritaka , Sato Kuniaki , Ono Mayumi , Imaizumi Akira , Masuda Shogo , Itoyama Shinsaku , Manako Tomomi , Kuga Ryosuke , Hongo Takahiro , Kogo Ryunosuke , Onishi Hideya , Nakagawa Takashi
Published: November 2023

Squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal (EACSCC) is an extraordinarily rare and aggressive malignant disease. Establishment of EACSCC cell line with robust molecular characteristics is essential for the basic and translational research of EACSCC. Here, we show the newly established EACSCC cell line SCEACono2, derived from a patient with well-to-moderately differentiated EACSCC. We analyzed histologic and genetic features of SCEACono2 hiring multiple experiments, including next-generation sequencing (NGS). Immunocytochemical staining of SCEACono2 showed positivity of p53 and SCC1/2. Furthermore, SCEACono2 exhibited a unique characteristic that cytokeratin, vimentin as well as cancer stem cell markers (CD44, CD133, ALP and Oct3/4) were positive. SCEACono2 had an ability to form tumors at the temporal lesion xenograft nude mice model. NGS revealed that SCEACono2 harbored the somatic mutations of TP53 (p.G245S) and NOTCH1 (p.A465T). RNA-seq and downstream bioinformatics analysis revealed significant enrichment of genes involved in inflammation and cell adhesion in SCEACono2 compared to SCC-9 and HSC-4. STR profiling indicated no evidence of cross-contamination. In conclusion, SCEACono2 could serves as a promising and robust research resource of EACSCC in vitro and in vivo.
Aerospace-foraging bats eat seasonably across varying habitats
Authors: Aihartza Joxerra , Vallejo Nerea , Aldasoro Miren , García-Mudarra Juan L. , Goiti Urtzi , Nogueras Jesus , Ibáñez Carlos
Published: November 2023

Recent research has confirmed the efficiency of insectivorous bats as pest suppressors, underlining the ecological services they offer in agroecosystems. Therefore, some efforts try to enhance bat foraging in agricultural landscapes by acting upon environmental factors favouring them. In this study, we monitored a Miniopterus schreibersii colony, in the southern Iberian Peninsula. We intensively sampled their faeces and analysed them by metabarcoding to describe how the bent-winged bat diet would change with time, and to test whether their most-consumed prey would seasonally depend on different landscapes or habitats. Our results confirm that M. schreibersii are selective opportunist predators of moths, dipterans, mayflies, and other fluttering insects, shifting their diet to temporary peaks of prey availability in their foraging range, including both pest and non-pest insects. Supporting our hypothesis, throughout the year, M. schreibersii consume insects linked to diverse open habitats, including wetlands, grassland, diverse croplands, and woodland. The importance of each prey habitat varies seasonally, depending on their insect phenology, making bats indirectly dependent on a diverse landscape as their primary prey source. Bats' predation upon pest insects is quantitatively high, consuming around 1610 kg in 5 months, of which 1467 kg correspond to ten species. So, their suppression effect may be relevant, mainly in patchy heterogeneous landscapes, where bats' foraging may concentrate in successive outbursts of pests, affecting different crops or woodlands. Our results stress that to take advantage of the ecosystem services of bats or other generalist insectivores, keeping the environmental conditions they require to thrive, particularly a heterogeneous landscape within the colony's foraging area, is crucial.
Unravelling the many facets of human cooperation in an experimental study
Authors: Rostovtseva Victoria V. , Puurtinen Mikael , Méndez Salinas Emiliano , Cox Ralf F. A. , Groothuis Antonius G. G. , Butovskaya Marina L. , Weissing Franz J.
Published: November 2023

Humans readily cooperate, even with strangers and without prospects of reciprocation. Despite thousands of studies, this finding is not well understood. Most studies focussed on a single aspect of cooperation and were conducted under anonymous conditions. However, cooperation is a multi-faceted phenomenon, involving generosity, readiness to share, fairness, trust, trustworthiness, and willingness to take cooperative risks. Here, we report findings of an experiment where subjects had to make decisions in ten situations representing different aspects of cooperation, both under anonymous and ‘personalised’ conditions. In an anonymous setting, we found considerable individual variation in each decision situation, while individuals were consistent both within and across situations. Prosocial tendencies such as generosity, trust, and trustworthiness were positively correlated, constituting a ‘cooperativeness syndrome’, but the tendency to punish non-cooperative individuals is not part of this syndrome. In a personalised setting, information on the appearance of the interaction partner systematically affected cooperation-related behaviour. Subjects were more cooperative toward interaction partners whose facial photographs were judged ‘generous’, ‘trustworthy’, ‘not greedy’, ‘happy’, ‘attractive’, and ‘not angry’ by a separate panel. However, individuals eliciting more cooperation were not more cooperative themselves in our experiment. Our study shows that a multi-faceted approach can reveal general behavioural tendencies underlying cooperation, but it also uncovers new puzzling features of human cooperation.
Reliability of panoramic ultrasound imaging and agreement with magnetic resonance imaging for the assessment of lumbar multifidus anatomical cross-sectional area
Authors: Fitze Daniel P. , Franchi Martino V. , Peterhans Loris , Frey Walter O. , Spörri Jörg
Published: November 2023

The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of panoramic ultrasound (US) imaging and agreement with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing the average lumbar multifidus anatomical cross-sectional area between the lumbar vertebral bodies L3–L5 (i.e., LMF ACSAL3–L5). US and MRI scans of 20 male youth competitive alpine skiers were collected. To test the intra- and interrater reliability of US, transversal panoramic scans were analyzed on two different days by the same rater and the analysis of the first day was compared with the analysis of a second rater. To examine the agreement between US and MRI, Bland–Altman analysis was performed. Intrarater reliability was excellent, and interrater reliability was weak to good for both sides. The bias between MRI and US was − 0.19 ± 0.90 cm2 (2.68 ± 12.30%) for the left side and − 0.04 ± 0.98 cm2 (− 1.11 ± 12.93%) for the right side (i.e., for both sides US slightly overestimated LMF ACSAL3–L5 on average). The limits of agreement were − 1.95 to 1.57 cm2 (− 26.70 to 21.30%) for the left side and − 1.95 to 1.88 cm2 (− 26.46 to 24.24%) for the right side. Panoramic US imaging may be considered a method with excellent intrarater and weak to good interrater reliability for assessing LMF ACSAL3–L5. Comparison with MRI showed large individual differences in some cases, but an acceptable bias between the two imaging modalities.
Transcriptomic analysis reveals that RasGEF1b deletion alters basal and LPS-induced expression of genes involved in chemotaxis and cytokine responses in macrophages
Authors: Fernandes Heliana B. , de Oliveira Isadora Mafra , Postler Thomas S. , Lima Sérgio Q. , Santos Cícera A. C. , Oliveira Michaelle S. , Leão Felipe B. , Ghosh Sankar , Souza Maria C. , Andrade Warrison , Silva Aristóbolo M.
Published: November 2023

Ras guanine nucleotide exchange factor member 1b (RasGEF1b) of the RasGEF/CDC25 domain-containing family is preferentially expressed by macrophages. However, information is lacking about its role in macrophage function. In this study, we generated mice with ubiquitous deletion of Rasgef1b and used RNA-seq-based transcriptomics to compare the global gene expression in wild-type and knock-out primary bone-marrow-derived macrophages under basal conditions and after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. Transcriptional filtering identified several genes with significantly different transcript levels between wild-type and knock-out macrophages. In total, 49 and 37 differentially expressed genes were identified at baseline and in LPS-activated macrophages, respectively. Distinct biological processes were significantly linked to down-regulated genes at the basal condition only, and largely included chemotaxis, response to cytokines, and positive regulation of GTPase activity. Importantly, validation by RT-qPCR revealed that the expression of genes identified as down-regulated after LPS stimulation was also decreased in the knock-out cells under basal conditions. We used a luciferase-based reporter assay to showcase the capability of RasGEF1b in activating the Serpinb2 promoter. Notably, knockdown of RasGEF1b in RAW264.7 macrophages resulted in impaired transcriptional activation of the Serpinb2 promoter, both in constitutive and LPS-stimulated conditions. This study provides a small collection of genes that shows relative expression changes effected by the absence of RasGEF1b in macrophages. Thus, we present the first evidence that RasGEF1b mediates the regulation of both steady-state and signal-dependent expression of genes and propose that this GEF plays a role in the maintenance of the basal transcriptional level in macrophages.
Impact of active intra-complex rest intervals on post-back squat versus hip thrust jumping potentiation
Authors: Urbański Robert , Biel Piotr , Kot Sebastian , Perenc Dawid , Aschenbrenner Piotr , Stastny Petr , Krzysztofik Michał
Published: November 2023

This study investigated the impact of active rest intervals within a lower body complex training session on post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) response in amateur soccer players. Twelve soccer players took part in four different experimental conditions. These sessions included 2 sets of lower body complex-paired exercises, each involving 3 repetitions of either back squats or hip thrusts at 90% one-repetition maximum (1RM) as a conditioning activity paired with a broad jump and countermovement jump. Between those exercises in active intra-complex rest interval conditions, participants were performing 8 repetitions of bench press at 75%1RM or, in passive intra-complex rest interval conditions, rested while seated. A significant main effect of a set to increase broad jump length (p = 0.002), countermovement jump height (p = 0.002), and modified reactive strength index (p = 0.005) was revealed, without any significant differences between conditions. Post-hoc comparisons showed a significant increase in broad jump length from baseline to Set-2 (231 ± 13 vs. 234 ± 13 cm; p = 0.003; ES = 0.22). On the other hand, countermovement jump height and modified reactive strength index significantly increased from baseline to Set-1 (34.4 ± 3.6 vs. 35.6 ± 3.9 cm; p = 0.027; ES = 0.31 and 0.4 ± 0.05 vs. 0.45 ± 0.09; p = 0.005; ES = 0.66). Results of this study showed that to sustain a high training density, sports practitioners may incorporate upper body exercises within the intra-complex rest interval during lower limb complex training sessions and still elicit a significant PAPE effect.
Theoretical approach to ferroelectricity in hafnia and related materials
Authors: Aramberri Hugo , Íñiguez Jorge
Published: November 2023

Hafnia ferroelectrics combine technological promise and remarkable behaviors. Their peculiarity stems from the many active extrinsic mechanisms that contribute to their properties and from a continuously growing number of novel intrinsic features. Partly because of their unconventional nature, basic questions about these materials remain open and one may wonder about the pertinence of some frequent theoretical assumptions. Here, aided by first-principles simulations, we show that, by adopting an original high-symmetry reference phase as the starting point of the analysis, we can develop a mathematically simple and physically transparent treatment of the ferroelectric state of hafnia. The proposed approach describes hafnia as a uniaxial ferroic, as suggested by recent studies of (woken-up) samples with well-developed polarization. Also, it is compatible with the occurrence of polar soft modes and proper ferroelectric order. Further, our theory provides a straightforward and unified description of all low-energy polymorphs, shedding light on old questions such as the prevalence of the monoclinic ground state, pointing at exciting possibilities like an antiferroelastic behavior, and facilitating the future development of perturbative theories, from Landau to second-principles potentials. Our work thus yields a deeper understanding of hafnia ferroelectrics, improving our ability to optimize their properties and induce new ones.
Immunogenic dead cells engineered by the sequential treatment of ultraviolet irradiation/cryo-shocking for lung-targeting delivery and tumor vaccination
Authors: Zang Jing , Zhang Jinniu , Mei Yijun , Xiong Yaoxuan , Ci Tianyuan , Feng Nianping
Published: November 2023

Immunogenic dead cells are engineered by sequential tumor treatment with ultraviolet irradiation and cryo-shocking. The drug-loaded dead cells can serve as a lung-targeting vehicle and tumor vaccine to mediate the chemoimmunotherapy of lung cancer.