bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of coal seam gas content based on the correlation between gas basic parameters and coal quality indexes
Authors: Dai Linchao , Lei Hongyan , Cheng Xiaoyang , Li Rifu
Published: January 2023

The measurement of gas content in coal seam by means of indirect method involves heavy workload, long period, high cost and complicated operation and a proneness of negative values in the process of measuring gas absorption constant. To address these problems, the gas basic parameters and coal quality indexes of 90 coal samples from 90 coal mines in 13 provinces of China are determined experimentally in this paper. The intrinsic relationship between gas adsorption constant a and atmospheric adsorption capacity Q0-initial velocity index of gas emission Δp, gas adsorption constant b and volatile Vdaf - apparent density ARD is analyzed, and a prediction model of coal seam gas content based on gas basic parameters and coal quality index is established. The results show that the effect of Q0-Δp correlation on a is mainly caused by the change of specific surface area and gas pressure of coal, while the effect of Vdaf-ARD correlation on b is mainly caused by the change of pore volume of coal. By comparing the predicated value from the prediction model of coal seam gas content with the measured value, it is found that the average absolute error rate of predicted value is 8.15%. This method is proven to be effective and feasible in routine gas content predictions, and can provide a reference for coal seam gas content prediction in China.
Multitemporal SAR image despeckling based on non-local theory
Authors: Wang Di , Deng Mingjun , Wang Zhong , Yang Yin
Published: January 2023

In this paper, a multitemporal SAR image despeckling based on non-local theory (NLG-MulSAR) algorithm is proposed, which is improved based on the basic framework of the ratio-based multitemporal SAR image denoising (RABASAR). The temporal and spatial information of a multitemporal SAR image is integrated. The super image and the ratio image acquisition part of the RABASAR algorithm are optimized by the NLG filtering algorithm. The NLG algorithm does not need to transform multiplicative noise into additive noise on a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image and then filter it. The NLG algorithm uses the nonlinear method to eliminate the influence of strong noise points while preserving image edge features. Based on the number of pixels in the non-local image block, the NLG algorithm avoids the generation of fuzzy noise on the filtered image. In this study, we use seven Gaofen three SAR images captured at different times in the Beijing area as experimental data to evaluate the effect of filtering methods in terms of five objective parameters: signal-to-noise ratio, standard deviation, equivalent number of looks, radiative resolution, and speckle noise index. In addition, based on the ratio image, we propose an index, namely the filtering edge coefficient of a multitemporal SAR image, to evaluate the filtering edge retention characteristics of a multitemporal SAR image. The results show that compared with the RABASAR filtering algorithm, the proposed NLG-MulSAR filtering algorithm can better balance the relationship between multiplicative noise and texture detail information and attenuate the speckle while protecting the texture detail information on the SAR image.
Morphological responses of Bombax ceiba to habitat heterogeneity in Southwest China
Authors: Wang Yanfang , Zhang Yueping , Mao Kaize , Li Wei , Cheng Xiping
Published: January 2023

In order to cope with environmental changes, plants constantly adjust their morphological characteristics in order to adapt to changing environment. In the present study, populations of Bombax ceiba from Mengla area and Yuanjiang area in Yunnan Province were selected as the research objects. Six tree structure factors, such as tree height and crown width, eight leaf trait factors, such as leaf area and leaf length, and several habitat factors, such as area topography, meteorology and soil nutrients, were measured. Structural equation model and variation decomposition method were applied to analyze the effects of various habitat factors on tree structure and leaf traits of B. ceiba, and to reveal its morphological responses to habitat heterogeneity. The results showed that there was a significant negative correlation between tree structure and leaf traits in the two study habitats (Mengla area and Yuanjiang area), and the correlation coefficient was −0.47 in Mengla area and −0.22 in Yuanjiang area. Both topographic and soil factors had positive effects on tree structure of the two habitats, and the topographic factors had a greater impact on tree structure than leaf traits. The main difference was that meteorological factors had a positive effect on tree structure of Mengla, but a negative effect on leaf traits, while Yuanjiang showed the opposite patterns. The variation analysis showed that the superposition of three environmental factors in Mengla area had a greater explanation power of tree structure and leaf traits than that in Yuanjiang area, and the topographic factors had the largest explanation power of tree structure in both areas, which reflected that fact that the characteristics of Mengla habitat imposed a greater influence on B. ceiba. The soil factors in Mengla area accounted for 20.1% of the leaf traits, while the meteorological factors in Yuanjiang area accounted for 11.6%. The results showed that leaf traits were sensitive to environmental differences. In general, the responses of B. ceiba to heterogeneous habitats is based on the specific performance of its resource utilization capacity. The research results can provide references for exploring the morphological responses of plants to heterogeneous habitats.
Shifting gears: Study of immune system parameters of male habitual marathon runners
Authors: Panagoulias Ioannis , Charokopos Nikolaos , Thomas Iason , Spantidea Panagiota I. , de Lastic Anne-Lise , Rodi Maria , Anastasopoulou Spyridoula , Aggeletopoulou Ioanna , Lazaris Charalampos , Karkoulias Kiriakos , Leonidou Lydia , Georgopoulos Neoklis A. , Markou Kostas B. , Mouzaki Athanasia
Published: January 2023

Aim

Marathon is a running event in which athletes must cover a distance of 42.195 km. In addition to participating in marathons, marathoners have incorporated extensive running into their lifestyle. In the present study, we investigated the effect of long-term strenuous exercise in the form of marathon running on the immune system.

Methods & Results

We collected peripheral blood samples from 37 male marathoners before/after a race and 37 age/sex/body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy sedentary controls. Hematological and biochemical tests revealed race-induced leukocytosis attributable to neutrophilia and significant increases in plasma lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and cortisol concentrations. Phenotypic analysis of lymphocytes revealed race-induced significant decrease in the number of lymphocytes, memory helper T (Th) cells, naive, memory and activated cytotoxic T (Tc) cells, natural killer (NK), NKT, and B1 cells, and a significant increase in the number of activated Th and regulatory Th cells (Tregs). Compared with controls, marathoners maintained significantly lower levels of memory and activated Th cells and higher levels of activated Tc and B1 cells. Measurement of plasma cytokine levels revealed a pro-inflammatory cytokine polarization that increased after the race. Examination of gene expression of cytokines and Th-cell signature transcription factors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells revealed a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-17, and a significant increase in IL-6, IL-10 and forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) after the race. Compared with controls, marathoners maintained significantly higher levels of TNF-α. Assessment of the suppressive capacity of Tregs in co-cultures of isolated effector Th cells and Tregs showed significantly increased suppressive capacity of marathoners’ Tregs after the race.

Conclusions

Compared with controls, marathoners live with permanent changes in certain immune parameters. Marathoners exhibit a stable pro-inflammatory cytokine polarization that increases after the race and is counterbalanced by increased numbers of Tregs overexpressing FoxP3 and having increased suppressive capacity.
Heterodimeric IL-15 (hetIL-15) reduces circulating tumor cells and metastasis formation improving chemotherapy and surgery in 4T1 mouse model of TNBC
Authors: Stravokefalou Vasiliki , Stellas Dimitris , Karaliota Sevasti , Nagy Bethany A. , Valentin Antonio , Bergamaschi Cristina , Dimas Konstantinos , Pavlakis George N.
Published: January 2023

Immunotherapy has emerged as a viable approach in cancer therapy, with cytokines being of great interest. Interleukin IL-15 (IL-15), a cytokine that supports cytotoxic immune cells, has been successfully tested as an anti-cancer and anti-metastatic agent, but combinations with conventional chemotherapy and surgery protocols have not been extensively studied. We have produced heterodimeric IL-15 (hetIL-15), which has shown anti-tumor efficacy in several murine cancer models and is being evaluated in clinical trials for metastatic cancers. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of hetIL-15 in combination with chemotherapy and surgery in the 4T1 mouse model of metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). hetIL-15 monotherapy exhibited potent anti-metastatic effects by diminishing the number of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and by controlling tumor cells colonization of the lungs. hetIL-15 treatment in combination with doxorubicin resulted in enhanced anti-metastatic activity and extended animal survival. Systemic immune phenotype analysis showed that the chemoimmunotherapeutic regimen shifted the tumor-induced imbalance of polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs) in favor of cytotoxic effector cells, by simultaneously decreasing PMN-MDSCs and increasing the frequency and activation of effector (CD8+T and NK) cells. Tumor resection supported by neoadjuvant and adjuvant administration of hetIL-15, either alone or in combination with doxorubicin, resulted in the cure of approximately half of the treated animals and the development of anti-4T1 tumor immunity. Our findings demonstrate a significant anti-metastatic potential of hetIL-15 in combination with chemotherapy and surgery and suggest exploring the use of this regimen for the treatment of TNBC.
GM-CSF, Flt3-L and IL-4 affect viability and function of conventional dendritic cell types 1 and 2
Authors: Lellahi Seyed Mohammad , Azeem Waqas , Hua Yaping , Gabriel Benjamin , Paulsen Rye Kristin , Reikvam Håkon , Kalland Karl-Henning
Published: January 2023

Conventional type 1 dendritic cells (cDC1) and conventional type 2 dendritic cells (cDC2) have attracted increasing attention as alternatives to monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) in cancer immunotherapy. Use of cDCs for therapy has been hindered by their low numbers in peripheral blood. In the present study, we found that extensive spontaneous apoptosis and cDC death in culture within 24hrs represent an additional challenge. Different media conditions that maintain cDC viability and function were investigated. CD141+ cDC1 and CD1c+ cDC2 were isolated from healthy blood donor buffy coats. Low viabilities were found with CellGenix DC, RPMI-1640, and X-VIVO 15 standard culture media and with several supplements at 24hrs and 48hrs. Among multiple factors it was found that GM-CSF improved both cDC1 and cDC2 viability, whereas Flt3-L and IL-4 only increased viability of cDC1 and cDC2, respectively. Combinations of these three cytokines improved viability of both cDCs further, both at 24hrs and 48hrs time points. Although these cytokines have been extensively investigated for their role in myeloid cell differentiation, and are also used clinically, their effects on mature cDCs remain incompletely known, in particular effects on pro-inflammatory or tolerogenic cDC features. HLA-DR, CD80, CD83, CD86, PD-L1 and PD-L2 cDC membrane expressions were relatively little affected by GM-CSF, IL-4 and Flt3-L cytokine supplements compared to the strong induction following Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation for 24hrs. With minor exceptions the three cytokines appeared to be permissive to the TLR-induced marker expression. Allogeneic mixed leukocyte reaction showed that the cytokines promoted T-cell proliferation and revealed a potential to boost both Th1 and Th2 polarizing cytokines. GM-CSF and Flt3-L and their combination improved the capability of cDC1 for dextran uptake, while in cDC2, dextran capture was improved by GM-CSF. The data suggest that GM-CSF, IL-4 and Flt3-L and combinations might be beneficial for DC viability and function in vitro. Limited viability of cDCs could be a confounding variable experimentally and in immunotherapy.
Appetite in captivity - feeding studies of the red sea cucumber Parastichopus tremulus
Authors: Sunde Jan , Christophersen Gyda
Published: January 2023

The deposit feeding sea cucumber Parastichopus tremulus is an underutilised resource in North Atlantic waters. Geographically it is distributed from the Barents Sea in the north to the Canary Islands in the south. At present performance of P. tremulus in aquaculture is largely unknown. Species and stage specific biological knowledge gaps need to be filled for a potential industry to develop, and feeds that support growth needs special attention. Particulate matter (sludge) from fish farms is an unutilised resource that has potential as ingredient in feeds for sea cucumbers, which would help to reduce the environmental footprint of P. tremulus aquaculture production. The suitability of salmon sludge as a feed ingredient is unknown. Feeds using dried salmon freshwater sludge (50% and 75% volume ratios) or seaweed powder (Sargassum spp. 25%, 50% and 75% volume ratios) were compared in this study. Feed mixes with different ratios of ingredients and sand (0.6-1 mm) were given in excess (50% wet weight/wet weight animal/week) to adult P. tremulus. Daily feed intake was estimated by measuring daily faeces production rate. Each animal was given all feeds sequentially, and faeces collected for a ten-day period. Absorption efficiencies were estimated based on analysis of organic matter content in feed and faeces. Large variations were found in feed intake, both between individuals and between days. Our results indicated that P. tremulus showed a higher intake of feeds containing seaweed, with a trend of higher intake with increasing seaweed content. Absorption efficiency estimates of seaweed-based feeds ranged from -337 to 73.7%. P. tremulus showed a preferential selection of organic particles in the feed with lowest content of seaweed. Absorption efficiency of feeds containing sludge (2.5 – 58.3%) was comparable to that of feeds containing seaweed, however, feed intake of sludge-based feeds was significantly lower than that of the seaweed-based feeds and resulted in large variation in estimates. The results suggest that salmon freshwater sludge could have a potential future use as an ingredient in sustainable feeds for P. tremulus, but that optimisation of feed formulations need to be studied further.
Molecular cloning and function of two tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors genes (TRAF2 and TRAF4) from Pinctada fucata martensii
Authors: Zhang Meizhen , Shen Chenghao , Liang Haiying , Wu Yuyuan , Liang Bidan
Published: January 2023

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) have been studied in a few mollusks and participate in various biological processes, like apoptosis, immune response, stress, and inflammatory response. However, TRAFs’ function and mechanism of pearl oysters (Pinctada fucata martensii) are still unclear. In this study, the novel PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 from P. f. martensii were cloned by rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends and their mRNA expression were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The interacting protein of PmTRAF2 was verified by the yeast two-hybrid assay. The result shows that full-length of PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 cDNA were 2055 bp and 2365 bp, respectively. The deduced PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 proteins contain TRAF-type zinc finger domain and MATH domain, while PmTRAF4 lacks a RING finger domain. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 had high homology with the ortholog of other species. Phylogenic analysis indicated that PmTRAF4 clustered with the homolog protein of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis, and PmTRAF2 has the closest genetic relationship to Crassostrea gigas TRAF2. The qPCR analysis revealed that PmTRAF2 and PmTRAF4 were expressed in all six tissues, and both of them were significantly expressed in hepatopancreas and gill (p < 0.01). Under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, polyinosinic acid (PolyI:C) stimulation, and nucleus insertion surgery, the transcripts of PmTRAF2, PmTRAF3, PmTRAF4 and PmTRAF6 in hepatopancreas were markedly changed at corresponding time points. These results have indicated that these genes may play a role in P. f. martensii innate immunity. Yeast two-hybrid assays show that PmTRAF2 interacts with PmTRAF6 but not PmTRAF3, potentially affecting downstream immune signaling pathways. Our findings provide new perspectives for further investigation of TRAFs’ immune mechanisms in bivalves.
An operational improvement of A-4DEnVar and its application to the estimation of the spatially varying bottom friction coefficients of the M2 constituent in the Bohai and Yellow seas
Authors: Liang Kangzhuang , Li Wei , Han Guijun , Wang Xuan , Qiu Xiaobin
Published: January 2023

The analytical four-dimensional ensemble variational (A-4DEnVar) data assimilation scheme inherits the advantages of the conventional four-dimensional variational (4D-Var) data assimilation scheme and removes the adjoint model. However, compatible operational improvements such as the reduction of the computational costs and the localization method should be considered when it is used in realistic systems. In this paper, the computational complexity of calculating the inverse of background error covariance (the B matrix) is decreased by a precondition transform method, i.e., introducing a new state variable whose product with the B matrix is the original state variable to be optimized in the cost function. Furthermore, an independent point (IP) scheme is combined to construct an implicit localization method and further decreases the computational cost. Based on the Princeton Ocean Model with the generalized coordinate system (POMgcs), the operational improved A-4DEnVar is applied to optimize the spatially varying bottom friction coefficients (BFCs) of the M2 constituent in the Bohai and Yellow seas. A twin experiment with idealized observations is designed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. In practical experiments, with no more than 10 IPs, the algorithm can assimilate observations from the National Astronomical Observatory (NAO) dataset and obtain a good simulation. The experimental performances increase with the increase of either the IPs or observations, which indicates the efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Estimating sea spray volume flux with a laser gauge in a self-consistent system
Authors: Wang Gang , Ma Hongyu , Babanin Alexander V. , Zhao Biao , Huang Chuanjiang , Dai Dejun , Qiao Fangli
Published: January 2023

Sea spray is one of the drivers of heat, mass, and gas exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere, and its volume flux could be estimated by the record of the laser intensity. In the laboratory experiments, the relationship between sea spray and laser intensity could be established since the returned laser intensity of the observing gauge and spray concentration can be observed instantaneously. However, the difficulty to generalize the laboratory result to field observations is that the measurement of sea spray is usually unavailable on the open seas. Recent studies introduced an environment variable (atmospheric extinction coefficient for instance) to relate the laser intensity to spray volume flux for both laboratory and field observations so that the relationship established in the laboratory experiments could be extended to open seas. These studies however gave estimations of great difference since the relationships between each pair of the variables (spray volume flux, laser intensity, and the atmospheric extinction coefficient) are considered separately. This work established a self-consistent system composed of the three variables, in which the relationship between each pair of the variables in the system is consistent with that deduced from their respective relationships with the third variable. Consistency here we means that if Y=f(X), Y=g(Z) and Z=h(X), then Y=g(h(X))=f(X) is expected. The consistency of the relationships ensures that the estimation of the sea spray volume flux from laser intensity is robust. We established self-consistent relationships for the variables in the system composed of laser intensity, environment variable, and sea spray volume flux, for both laboratory and field experiments. Among them, the relationship between wind speed and spray volume flux is a reasonable reflection of the physical properties in two ways: a threshold value of spray volume flux at low wind speeds and the saturation at strong wind speeds. For a uniform regression of wind speed onto spray volume, a dimensionless parameter concerning wind speed is needed.
The effect of normal and abnormal eddies on the mixed layer depth in the global ocean
Authors: Hao Ji , Yang Jie , Chen Ge
Published: January 2023

Mesoscale eddies are broadly distributed over the global ocean and play a significant role in modulating the spatiotemporal evolution of mixed layer depth (MLD). The presence of abnormal eddies in the ocean has been shown; however, the precise quantification of the effect of eddies on MLD, given the case of abnormal eddies, has not been carried out thus far. Differently from the previous approach to identify abnormal eddies through sea surface temperature, we therefore, proposed a method to identify abnormal eddies, using potential density based on Argo data (Array for Real-time Geostrophic Oceanography) for 15 years from 2003 to 2017. Results showed that abnormal anticyclonic eddies (AAE) and abnormal cyclonic eddies (ACE) accounted for 21.67% and 20.17% of total matching anticyclonic eddies (TAE) and the total matching cyclonic eddies (TCE), respectively, in the global ocean. The proportions of abnormal eddies were relatively higher in tropical regions but lower in regions with the boundary current and strong eddy kinetic energy. The MLD changes caused by normal and abnormal eddies were estimated combining satellite altimetry data. The normal eddies were the total matching eddies with the removal of the abnormal eddies, separately called normal anticyclonic eddies (NAE) and normal cyclonic eddies (NCE). The overall influence of NAE (NCE) was more significant on MLD deepening (uplifting) than that of TAE (TCE). Globally, NAE (NCE) changed MLD deepening (uplifting) from ~66 m (~54 m) to ~67 m (~53 m) and exhibited a more pronounced change in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean region, from ~111 m (~94 m) to ~115 m (~92 m) in the winter. AAE (ACE), exerted a relatively weak but opposite effect on MLD deepening (uplifting). In other words, the global average MLD caused by them shoaled (deepened) from ~66 m (~54 m) to ~59 m (~59 m), and the North Pacific Ocean shoaled (deepened) from ~61 m (~47 m) to ~49 m (~57 m) in winter. Given the above results, abnormal eddies should be accounted for when the impact of ocean eddies is evaluated on the global climate system.
Innovations and developments in single cell protein: Bibliometric review and patents analysis
Authors: Ribeiro Gislane Oliveira , Rodrigues Leticia de Alencar Pereira , Santos Thiale Borges Silva dos , Alves João Pedro Santos , Oliveira Roseane Santos , Nery Tatiana Barreto Rocha , Barbosa Josiane Dantas Viana , Soares Milena Botelho Pereira
Published: January 2023

Background

Global demand for food products derived from alternative proteins and produced through sustainable technological routes is increasing. Evaluation of research progress, main trends and developments in the field are valuable to identify evolutionary nuances.

Methods

In this study, a bibliometric analysis and search of patents on alternative proteins from fermentation processes was carried out using the Web of Science and Derwent World Patents Index™ databases, using the keywords and Boolean operators “fermentation” AND “single cell protein” OR “single-cell protein.” The dataset was processed and graphics generated using the bibliometric software VOSviewer and OriginPro 8.1.

Results

The analysis performed recovered a total of 360 articles, of which 271 were research articles, 49 literature review articles and 40 publications distributed in different categories, such as reprint, proceedings paper, meeting abstract among others. In addition, 397 patents related to the field were identified, with China being the country with the largest number of publications and patents deposits. While this topic is largely interdisciplinary, the majority of work is in the area of Biotechnology Applied Microbiology, which boasts the largest number of publications. The area with the most patent filings is the food sector, with particular emphasis on the fields of biochemistry, beverages, microbiology, enzymology and genetic engineering. Among these patents, 110 are active, with industries or companies being the largest depositors. Keyword analysis revealed that the area of study involving single cell protein has included investigation into types of microorganisms, fermentation, and substrates (showing a strong trend in the use of agro-industrial by-products) as well as optimization of production processes.

Conclusion

This bibliometric analysis provided important information, challenges, and trends on this relevant subject.
Effect of yeast culture supplementation in sows during late gestation and lactation on growth performance, antioxidant properties, and intestinal microorganisms of offspring weaned piglets
Authors: Liu Yalei , Jia Xinlin , Chang Junlei , Jiang Xuemei , Che Lianqiang , Lin Yan , Zhuo Yong , Feng Bin , Fang Zhengfeng , Li Jian , Hua Lun , Wang Jianping , Ren Zhihua , Sun Mengmeng , Wu De , Xu Shengyu
Published: January 2023

Introduction

The effects of maternal addition of yeast cultures on offspring gut development and intestinal microorganisms are not yet known, so the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of maternal addition of yeast cultures to the diet of sows during late gestation and lactation on growth performance, antioxidant properties and intestinal microorganisms of offspring weaned piglets.

Methods

40 Landrace × Yorkshire sows (3–7 of parity) with similar backfat were randomly divided into two treatment groups: control diet (CON) and control diet +2.0 g/kg yeast culture (XPC), and the trial started on day 90 of gestation and ended on day 21 of lactation.

Results

The results showed that maternal addition of yeast culture significantly increased weaned piglet weight and mean daily gain (p < 0.05), with a tendency to increase litter weight gain (p = 0.083) and liver weight (p = 0.076) compared to the control group. The content of thymus malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) and the content of colon total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the offspring weaned piglets of the XPC group compared to the control group. The expression of thymus SOD1 and SOD2, spleen SOD1, jejunum SOD2, and colon GPX1, SOD1, and SOD2 were significantly downregulated in the XPC group of offspring weaned piglets compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The intestinal morphology and the content of short-chain fatty acids in colonic chyme did not differ between the two groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the XPC group significantly increased the relative abundance of colonic chyme Bacteroidetes (p < 0.05), tended to decrease the relative abundance of Lactobacillus (p = 0.078), and tended to increase the relative abundance of Alloprevotella (p = 0.055). The XPC group significantly upregulated Blautia and Fournierella (p < 0.05) and significantly downregulated Candidatus_Competibacter, Nitrospira, Dechloromonas, Haliangium, and Oscillospira (p < 0.05).

Discussion

In conclusion, maternal addition of yeast cultures improved the growth performance of offspring weaned piglets and changed the intestinal microbial community, but did not improve their antioxidant performance.
Characteristics of different types of Helicobacter pylori: New evidence from non-amplified white light endoscopy
Authors: Liu Weidong , Kong Wenjie , Hui Wenjia , Wang Chun , Jiang Qi , Shi Hong , Gao Feng
Published: January 2023

Background

Different types of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were analyzed to determine their infection characteristics using serology, pathology, and non-magnification white light endoscopy combined with the Kimura–Takemoto classification, and the regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) as well.

Materials and methods

A retrospective analysis of 685 inpatients who have completed the 14C-urea breath test, the H. pylori antibody typing classification, the serum gastric function tests (PGI/PGII/G-17), the endoscope detection, and the pathological examinations.

Results

The levels of PGI, PGII, and G-17 were in descending order from the type I H. pylori infection group to the type II H. pylori infection group than the control group (F = 14.31; 26.23; 9.12, P < 0.01). Using the Kimura–Takemoto classification, there were significant differences among the three groups of different degrees of atrophy (χ2=29.81; 482.78; 292.5, P< 0.01). Based on the characteristics of RAC, the H. pylori infection rates were in descending order from the type I H. pylori infection group to the type II H. pylori infection group than the control group (χ2= 200.39; 174.72; 143.51, P < 0.01). The type I H. pylori infection group had higher grades than those of the type II H. pylori infection group in the OLGA and OLGIM staging systems, while the differences are statistically significant only in the OLGA staging system (χ2=10.63, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

With the aid of non-amplified white light endoscopy, we found new evidence of type I H. pylori infection accelerating the progression of gastric mucosal atrophy through the degree of atrophy and the range of infection, whereas type II H. pylori infection has a low ability of migration and atrophy progression. Individual virulence factor-based eradication therapy may be a better choice in future.
Tuning curves vs. population responses, and perceptual consequences of receptive-field remapping
Authors: Qian Ning , Goldberg Michael E. , Zhang Mingsha
Published: January 2023

Sensory processing is often studied by examining how a given neuron responds to a parameterized set of stimuli (tuning curve) or how a given stimulus evokes responses from a parameterized set of neurons (population response). Although tuning curves and the corresponding population responses contain the same information, they can have different properties. These differences are known to be important because the perception of a stimulus should be decoded from its population response, not from any single tuning curve. The differences are less studied in the spatial domain where a cell's spatial tuning curve is simply its receptive field (RF) profile. Here, we focus on evaluating the common belief that perrisaccadic forward and convergent RF shifts lead to forward (translational) and convergent (compressive) perceptual mislocalization, respectively, and investigate the effects of three related factors: decoders' awareness of RF shifts, changes of cells' covering density near attentional locus (the saccade target), and attentional response modulation. We find that RF shifts alone produce either no shift or an opposite shift of the population responses depending on whether or not decoders are aware of the RF shifts. Thus, forward RF shifts do not predict forward mislocalization. However, convergent RF shifts change cells' covering density for aware decoders (but not for unaware decoders) which may predict convergent mislocalization. Finally, attentional modulation adds a convergent component to population responses for stimuli near the target. We simulate the combined effects of these factors and discuss the results with extant mislocalization data. We speculate that perisaccadic mislocalization might be the flash-lag effect unrelated to perisaccadic RF remapping but to resolve the issue, one has to address the question of whether or not perceptual decoders are aware of RF shifts.
Inferring cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA regulation in the developing human neocortex with CDSlncR
Authors: Huang Meng , Ma Jiangtao , Zhang Junpeng
Published: January 2023

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) occupy ~98% of the transcriptome in human, and are usually not translated into proteins. Among ncRNAs, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs, >200 nucleotides) are important regulators to modulate gene expression, and are involved in many biological processes (e.g., cell development). To study lncRNA regulation, many computational approaches or tools have been proposed by using bulk transcriptomics data. Nevertheless, previous bulk data-driven methods are mostly limited to explore the lncRNA regulation regarding all of cells, instead of the lncRNA regulation specific to cell developmental stages. Fortunately, recent advance in single-cell sequencing data has provided a way to investigate cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA regulation. In this work, we present a novel computational method, CDSlncR (Cell Developmental Stage-specific lncRNA regulation), which combines putative lncRNA-target binding information with single-cell transcriptomics data to infer cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA regulation. For each cell developmental stage, CDSlncR constructs a cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA regulatory network in the cell developmental stage. To illustrate the effectiveness of CDSlncR, we apply CDSlncR into single-cell transcriptomics data of the developing human neocortex for exploring lncRNA regulation across different human neocortex developmental stages. Network analysis shows that the lncRNA regulation is unique in each developmental stage of human neocortex. As a case study, we also perform particular analysis on the cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA regulation related to 18 known lncRNA biomarkers in autism spectrum disorder. Finally, the comparison result indicates that CDSlncR is an effective method for predicting cell developmental stage-specific lncRNA targets. CDSlncR is available at https://github.com/linxi159/CDSlncR.
Thyroid axis hormones and anthropometric recovery of children/adolescents with overweight/obesity: A scoping review
Authors: Urrea Carlos Ramos , Pedroso Amanda Paula , Thomazini Fernanda , Carmo Andreia Cristina Feitosa do , Telles Mônica Marques , Sawaya Ana Lydia , Franco Maria do Carmo Pinho , Ribeiro Eliane Beraldi
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Thyroid hormones exert multiple physiological effects essential to the maintenance of basal metabolic rate (BMR), adaptive thermogenesis, fat metabolism, growth, and appetite. The links between obesity and the hormones of the thyroid axis, i.e., triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyrotropin (TSH), are still controversial, especially when considering children and adolescents. This population has high rates of overweight and obesity and several treatment approaches, including nutritional, psychological, and physical exercise interventions have been used. Understanding the importance of the hormones of the thyroid axis in the recovery from overweight and obesity may help directing measures to the maintenance of a healthy body composition. The present scoping review was carried out to analyze studies evaluating these hormonal levels throughout interventions directed at treating overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. The main purpose was to ascertain whether the hormones levels vary during weight loss.

Methods

We selected for analysis 19 studies published between 1999 and 2022.

Results

Most of the studies showed that changes in different anthropometric indicators, in response to the multidisciplinary interventions, correlated positively with free T3 (fT3), total T3 (TT3), and TSH. With respect to free T4 (fT4) and total T4 (TT4).

Discussion

The most common finding was of unchanged levels and, hence, no significant association with weight loss. Moreover, thyroxine supplementation has failed to affect the response to the interventions. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the relevance of the variations in hormone levels to the establishment of overweight/obesity and to the recovery from these conditions in children/adolescents.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42020203359.
Optimum birth interval (36–48 months) may reduce the risk of undernutrition in children: A meta-analysis
Authors: Ntambara James , Zhang Wendi , Qiu Anni , Cheng Zhounan , Chu Minjie
Published: January 2023

Background

Although some studies have highlighted short birth interval as a risk factor for adverse child nutrition outcomes, the question of whether and to what extent long birth interval affects better nutritional outcomes in children remains unclear.

Methods

In this quantitative meta-analysis, we evaluate the relationship between different birth interval groups and child nutrition outcomes, including underweight, wasting, and stunting.

Results

Forty-six studies with a total of 898,860 children were included in the study. Compared with a short birth interval of <24 months, birth interval of ≥24 months and risk of being underweight showed a U-shape that the optimum birth interval group of 36–48 months yielded the most protective effect (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.32–0.89). Moreover, a birth interval of ≥24 months was significantly associated with decreased risk of stunting (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.55–0.67) and wasting (OR = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.50–0.79) when compared with the birth interval of <24 months.

Conclusion

The findings of this study show that longer birth intervals (≥24 months) are significantly associated with decreased risk of childhood undernutrition and that an optimum birth interval of 36–48 months might be appropriate to reduce the prevalence of poor nutritional outcomes in children, especially underweight. This information would be useful to government policymakers and development partners in maternal and child health programs, especially those involved in family planning and childhood nutritional programs.
A study of diet in older community-dwelling adults in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from the Southampton Longitudinal Study of Ageing (SaLSA)
Authors: Laskou Faidra , Bevilacqua Gregorio , Westbury Leo D. , Bloom Ilse , Aggarwal Pritti , Cooper Cyrus , Patel Harnish P. , Dennison Elaine
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Adequate nutrition is important for health in later life. Older adults are especially vulnerable to adverse outcomes following infection by COVID-19 and have commonly spent a disproportionate time within their own homes to reduce risk of infection. There are concerns that advice to shield may have led to malnutrition as older adults may modify daily routines including usual shopping habits. The aims of this study were to report self-reported pandemic-related changes in diet and examine lifestyle and medical correlates of these changes in older UK community-dwelling adults.

Methods

We recruited 491 participants from the city of Southampton, UK. Participants completed a postal questionnaire in summer/autumn 2021, over a year after the first UK national lockdown was announced. The questionnaire ascertained demographic and lifestyle factors, in addition to number of comorbidities, nutrition risk scores, and presence of frailty. Associations between these participant characteristics in relation to self-reported changes in diet quality (lower, similar or higher when compared to before the first lockdown) were examined using ordinal logistic regression.

Results

Median (lower quartile, upper quartile) age was 79.8 (77.0, 83.7) years. Overall, 11 (4.9%) men and 25 (9.4%) women had poorer diet quality compared to before the first UK lockdown. The following participant characteristics were associated with increased risk of being in a worse category for change in diet quality after adjustment for sex: lower educational attainment (p = 0.009); higher BMI (p < 0.001); higher DETERMINE (a malnutrition assessment) score (p = 0.004); higher SARC-F score (p = 0.013); and self-reported exhaustion in the previous week on at least 3 days (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

Individuals at higher nutritional risk were identified as reporting increased risk of deterioration in diet quality during the pandemic. Further investigation of the factors leading to these changes, and an understanding of whether they are reversible will be important, especially for future pandemic management.
Gender difference in association between low muscle mass and risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Chinese adults with visceral obesity
Authors: Lu Yayun , Xia Qing , Wu Liangyu , Xie Zhiping
Published: January 2023

Background and aims

Although the association between low muscle mass and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is well-known, it has not been explored in viscerally obese populations by gender. Besides, whether low muscle mass still increases the NAFLD risk in subjects with visceral obesity, independent of obesity, is still unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the gender-specific association between low muscle mass and the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in subjects with visceral obesity.

Methods

Overall, 1,114 participants aged 19–89 years were recruited in this retrospective study. Liver disease was diagnosed by hepatic ultrasound. Skeletal muscle mass was estimated by bioimpedance analysis and defined by the appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI). Gender-specific differences in the ASMI value were compared between NAFLD and control groups. Restricted cubic spline and multivariate logistic regression were performed to analyze the association (stratified by gender and age) between the ASMI and the risk of NAFLD, respectively.

Results

Middle-aged females (40–60 years) and males (of any age) with NAFLD had a significantly lower ASMI compared with controls (P-value < 0.05). An inverse linear association was found between the ASMI and risk of NAFLD (all Pfornon−linearity > 0.05). Lower quartiles of the ASMI conferred independent risk of NAFLD compared to higher quartiles (all P for trend < 0.001). Low muscle mass conferred a higher risk of NAFLD in middle-aged females (adjusted odds ratio = 2.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.19–4.95) and males [18–39 years: 3.76 (1.79–7.91); 40–60 years: 4.50 (2.16–9.39); and >60 years: 4.10 (1.13–14.84)]. Besides, Low muscle mass and low muscle mass with obesity increase the risk of developing NAFLD, independent of obesity.

Conclusion

Among those with visceral obesity, low muscle mass increased the risk of NAFLD in males of any age, and middle-aged females, this may be explained by the postmenopausal decline in estrogen.
Older patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma: Walking the tightrope of efficacy and toxicity
Authors: Barrett Aisling , Collins Graham P.
Published: January 2023

Since its initial description, classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) portends a greatly improved prognosis and the goal of treatment in most patients is cure with minimisation of toxicity from treatment. Outcomes in older patients (>60 years old) lag behind those of their younger counterparts however, and cure remains achievable mostly for those who can tolerate full doses of conventional chemotherapy. This review addresses the difference in biology between younger and older patients with cHL and examines the impact of frailty and comorbidities on outcomes. The toxicities of conventional chemotherapy in anthracycline-fit and -unfit patients are examined, with a particular focus on pulmonary toxicity associated with bleomycin in older patients. New advances are discussed, including the possibility of using more targeted therapies such as the anti-CD30 antibody brentuximab vedotin (BV) and checkpoint inhibitors as a method of reducing dependency on conventional chemotherapy for those less well able to tolerate it. Treatment of older patients with cHL remains an area of unmet need in hematological research, and efforts to rectify this knowledge gap should continue.
Clinicopathological characteristics and features of molecular subtypes of breast cancer at high altitudes
Authors: Chen Qi , Duan Cheng-Bin , Huang Ye , Liu Kun
Published: January 2023

Background

Breast cancer is one of the major malignancies threatening women’s health worldwide. The incidence of breast cancer at high altitudes increased over the years. But few studies focused on the characteristics of clinicopathology and molecular subtypes among breast cancer at high altitudes, which are still unknown. Tibet, with an average altitude over 4000 meters, is a representative city at high altitudes, lying in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in southwestern China. This study aimed to identify the clinicopathological characteristics and features of molecular subtypes among Tibetan women with breast cancer, and provide evidence for cancer prevention and personalized therapeutics in high-altitude regions.

Methods

Between May 2013 and March 2022, 104 Tibetan women from high-altitude regions (Tibetan-group) and 34 Han Chinese women from low-altitude regions (Han-group), consecutively diagnosed with breast cancer in the Hospital of Chengdu Office of People’s Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region, were included in the study. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical character, altitudes of residence, tumor size, lymph nodes metastasis, distant metastasis, pathological type, immunohistochemical index, and molecular subtype.

Results

In the study, we calculated the patient delay, equal to the period from symptoms onset to hospital visits. The patient delay of Tibetan-group was 7.47 ± 11.53 months, which was significantly longer than that of Han-group, 7.22 ± 22.96 months (p<0.05). Body Mass Index (BMI) was significantly different (p<0.05). Tumors in Tibetan-group were significantly larger than those in Han-group, 4.13 ± 2.98cm and 2.51 ± 0.82cm in diameter, respectively (p<0.05). According to ordinal logistic regression analysis, exposure to high altitudes might result in more advanced T stage (OR=2.45 95%CI 1.10-5.44). 41.3% (43/104) of cases in Tibetan-group had lymph node positive disease, whereas the percentage was found in 38.26% (13/34) in Han-group(p<0.05). The distribution of molecular subtypes was quite significantly different between two groups (p<0.05), according to the comparison of constituent ratios.

Conclusion

Our study verified that breast cancer at high altitudes possessed its own unique clinicopathological characteristics and distinct features of molecular subtypes. It broadened the understanding of this heterogenous disease and also provided valuable evidence for cancer prevention and personalized therapeutics of breast cancer at high altitudes.