bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin, potentiates caspofungin antifungal activity against human pathogenic fungi
Authors: dos Reis Thaila Fernanda , de Castro Patrícia Alves , Bastos Rafael Wesley , Pinzan Camila Figueiredo , Souza Pedro F. N. , Ackloo Suzanne , Hossain Mohammad Anwar , Drewry David Harold , Alkhazraji Sondus , Ibrahim Ashraf S. , Jo Hyunil , Lightfoot Jorge D. , Adams Emily M. , Fuller Kevin K. , deGrado William F. , Goldman Gustavo H.
Published: April 2023

Fungal infections cause more than 1.5 million deaths a year. Due to emerging antifungal drug resistance, novel strategies are urgently needed to combat life-threatening fungal diseases. Here, we identify the host defense peptide mimetic, brilacidin (BRI) as a synergizer with caspofungin (CAS) against CAS-sensitive and CAS-resistant isolates of Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, C. auris, and CAS-intrinsically resistant Cryptococcus neoformans. BRI also potentiates azoles against A. fumigatus and several Mucorales fungi. BRI acts in A. fumigatus by affecting cell wall integrity pathway and cell membrane potential. BRI combined with CAS significantly clears A. fumigatus lung infection in an immunosuppressed murine model of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis. BRI alone also decreases A. fumigatus fungal burden and ablates disease development in a murine model of fungal keratitis. Our results indicate that combinations of BRI and antifungal drugs in clinical use are likely to improve the treatment outcome of aspergillosis and other fungal infections.
Characterization of genome-wide STR variation in 6487 human genomes
Authors: Shi Yirong , Niu Yiwei , Zhang Peng , Luo Huaxia , Liu Shuai , Zhang Sijia , Wang Jiajia , Li Yanyan , Liu Xinyue , Song Tingrui , Xu Tao , He Shunmin
Published: April 2023

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are abundant and highly mutagenic in the human genome. Many STR loci have been associated with a range of human genetic disorders. However, most population-scale studies on STR variation in humans have focused on European ancestry cohorts or are limited by sequencing depth. Here, we depicted a comprehensive map of 366,013 polymorphic STRs (pSTRs) constructed from 6487 deeply sequenced genomes, comprising 3983 Chinese samples (~31.5x, NyuWa) and 2504 samples from the 1000 Genomes Project (~33.3x, 1KGP). We found that STR mutations were affected by motif length, chromosome context and epigenetic features. We identified 3273 and 1117 pSTRs whose repeat numbers were associated with gene expression and 3′UTR alternative polyadenylation, respectively. We also implemented population analysis, investigated population differentiated signatures, and genotyped 60 known disease-causing STRs. Overall, this study further extends the scale of STR variation in humans and propels our understanding of the semantics of STRs.
Ghost-arc geochemical anomaly at a spreading ridge caused by supersized flat subduction
Authors: Gianni Guido M. , Likerman Jeremías , Navarrete César R. , Gianni Conrado R. , Zlotnik Sergio
Published: April 2023

The Southern Atlantic-Southwest Indian ridges (SASWIR) host mid-ocean ridge basalts with a residual subduction-related geochemical fingerprint (i.e., a ghost-arc signature) of unclear origin. Here, we show through an analysis of plate kinematic reconstructions and seismic tomography models that the SASWIR subduction-modified mantle source formed in the Jurassic close to the Georgia Islands slab (GI) and remained near-stationary in the mantle reference frame. In this analysis, the GI lies far inboard the Jurassic Patagonian-Antarctic Peninsula active margin. This was formerly attributed to a large-scale flat subduction event in the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. We propose that during this flat slab stage, the subduction-modified mantle areas beneath the Mesozoic active margin and surrounding sutures zones may have been bulldozed inland by >2280 km. After the demise of the flat slab, this mantle anomaly remained near-stationary and was sampled by the Karoo mantle plume 183 Million years (Myr) ago and again since 55 Myr ago by the SASWIR. We refer to this process as asthenospheric anomaly telescoping. This study provides a hitherto unrecognized geodynamic effect of flat subduction, the viability of which we support through numerical modeling.
Particle-sounding of the spatial structure of kinetic Alfvén waves
Authors: Liu Z.-Y. , Zong Q.-G. , Rankin R. , Zhang H. , Hao Y.-X. , He J.-S. , Fu S.-Y. , Wu H.-H. , Yue C. , Pollock C. J. , Le G.
Published: April 2023

Kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) are ubiquitous throughout the plasma universe. Although they are broadly believed to provide a potential approach for energy exchange between electromagnetic fields and plasma particles, neither the detail nor the efficiency of the interactions has been well-determined yet. The primary difficulty has been the paucity of knowledge of KAWs’ spatial structure in observation. Here, we apply a particle-sounding technique to Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data to quantitatively determine the perpendicular wavelength of KAWs from ion gyrophase-distribution observations. Our results show that KAWs’ perpendicular wavelength is statistically 2.4$$\pm 0.7$$±0.7times proton thermal gyro-radius. This observation yields an upper bound of the energy the majority proton population can reach in coherent interactions with KAWs, that is, roughly 5.76 times proton perpendicular thermal energy. Therefore, the method and results shown here provide a basis for unraveling the effects of KAWs in dissipating energy and accelerating particles in a number of astrophysical systems, e.g., planetary magnetosphere, astrophysical shocks, stellar corona and wind, and the interstellar medium.
A novel nomogram model of breast cancer-based imaging for predicting the status of axillary lymph nodes after neoadjuvant therapy
Authors: Zhang Pengyu , Song Xiang , Sun Luhao , Li Chao , Liu Xiaoyu , Bao Jiaying , Tian Zhaokun , Wang Xinzhao , Yu Zhiyong
Published: April 2023

This study is aimed to develop and validate a novel nomogram model that can preoperatively predict axillary lymph node pathological complete response (pCR) after NAT and avoid unnecessary axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) for breast cancer patients. A total of 410 patients who underwent NAT and were pathologically confirmed to be axillary lymph node positive after breast cancer surgery were included. They were divided into two groups: patients with axillary lymph node pCR and patients with residual node lesions after NAT. Then the nomogram prediction model was constructed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The result of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that molecular subtypes, molybdenum target (MG) breast, computerized tomography (CT) breast, ultrasound (US) axilla, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) axilla, and CT axilla (all p < 0.001) had a significant impact on the evaluation of axillary lymph node status after NAT. The nomogram score appeared that AUC was 0.832 (95% CI 0.786–0.878) in the training cohort and 0.947 (95% CI 0.906–0.988) in the validation cohort, respectively. The decision curve represented that the nomogram has a positive predictive ability, indicating its potential as a practical clinical tool.
Acoustic emission characteristics and damage evolution of basalt by microwave irradiation
Authors: Yang Jinqiang , Wang Chaolin , Zhao Yu , Bi Jing
Published: April 2023

The microwave-assisted rock breaking technology has been proven to be feasible, and has received considerable attention in the field of civil and mining engineering. A copper foil was used to wrap basalt to simulate rock excavation of practical application scenario in this paper. To this end, a multi-mode cavity with an operating frequency of 2.45 GHz was used to conduct microwave irradiation experiments on basalts with different irradiation times and different power. The thermal properties, AE characteristics, and damage evolution process of basalt were studied. The results show that the high heat generated by microwave leads to the development of cracks in the upper part of basalt. The higher the power level, the higher the degree of crack propagation in the sample, the lower the basalt strength, and the more active the AE activity. The fluctuation rule of the b value indicates that the basalt is dominated by small-scale microfractures before failure. High power levels or long irradiation time lead to more microwave-induced cracks participating in the failure process during loading. Compared with unheated basalt, microwave-heating basalt detects the characteristics of the precursor of failure in advance. The AE source location and the nephogram of the maximum principal stress of microwave-treated basalt reflected that the fracture path begins in the upper part of the rock. In addition, the combination of high power level and short irradiation time can achieve the purpose of energy saving.
High isolation circularly polarized in-band full-duplex anisotropic dielectric resonator antenna
Authors: Abedian Mohammad , Khalily Mohsen , Wang Fan , Xiao Pei , Tafazolli Rahim , Kishk Ahmed A.
Published: April 2023

A novel high-isolation, monostatic, circularly polarized (CP) simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) anisotropic dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is presented. The Proposed antenna is composed of two identical but orthogonally positioned annular sectoral anisotropic dielectric resonators. Each circularly polarized (CP) resonator consists of alternating stacked dielectric layers of relative permittivities of 2 and 15 and is excited by a coaxial probe from the two opposite ends to have left and right-hand CP. Proper element spacing and a square absorber are placed between the resonators to maximize Tx/Rx isolation. Such a structure provides an in-band full-duplex (IBFD) CP-DRA system. Measurement results exhibit high Tx/Rx isolation better than 50 dB over the desired operating bandwidth (5.87–5.97 GHz) with a peak gain of 5.49 and 5.08 dBic for Ports 1 and 2, respectively.
Selection in coral mitogenomes, with insights into adaptations in the deep sea
Authors: Ramos Nina I. , DeLeo Danielle M. , Horowitz Jeremy , McFadden Catherine S. , Quattrini Andrea M.
Published: April 2023

Corals are a dominant benthic fauna that occur across a vast range of depths from just below the ocean’s surface to the abyssopelagic zone. However, little is known about the evolutionary mechanisms that enable them to inhabit such a wide range of environments. The mitochondrial (mt) genome, which is involved in energetic pathways, may be subject to selection pressures at greater depths to meet the metabolic demands of that environment. Here, we use a phylogenomic framework combined with codon-based models to evaluate whether mt protein-coding genes (PCGs) associated with cellular energy functions are under positive selection across depth in three groups of corals: Octocorallia, Scleractinia, and Antipatharia. The results demonstrated that mt PCGs of deep- and shallow-water species of all three groups were primarily under strong purifying selection (0.0474 < ω < 0.3123), with the exception of positive selection in atp6 (ω = 1.3263) of deep-sea antipatharians. We also found evidence for positive selection at fifteen sites across cox1, mtMutS, and nad1 in deep-sea octocorals and nad3 of deep-sea antipatharians. These results contribute to our limited understanding of mt adaptations as a function of depth and provide insight into the molecular response of corals to the extreme deep-sea environment.
Effects of body size and countermeasure exercise on estimates of life support resources during all-female crewed exploration missions
Authors: Scott Jonathan P. R. , Green David A. , Weerts Guillaume , Cheuvront Samuel N.
Published: April 2023

Employing a methodology reported in a recent theoretical study on male astronauts, this study estimated the effects of body size and aerobic countermeasure (CM) exercise in a four-person, all-female crew composed of individuals drawn from a stature range (1.50- to 1.90-m) representative of current space agency requirements (which exist for stature, but not for body mass) upon total energy expenditure (TEE), oxygen (O2) consumption, carbon dioxide (CO2) and metabolic heat (Hprod) production, and water requirements for hydration, during space exploration missions. Assuming geometric similarity across the stature range, estimates were derived using available female astronaut data (mean age: 40-years; BMI: 22.7-kg·m−2; resting VO2 and VO2max: 3.3- and 40.5-mL·kg−1·min−1) on 30- and 1080-day missions, without and with, ISS-like countermeasure exercise (modelled as 2 × 30-min aerobic exercise at 75% VO2max, 6-day·week−1). Where spaceflight-specific data/equations were not available, terrestrial equivalents were used. Body size alone increased 24-h TEE (+ 30%), O2 consumption (+ 60%), CO2 (+ 60%) and Hprod (+ 60%) production, and water requirements (+ 17%). With CM exercise, the increases were + 25–31%, + 29%, + 32%, + 38% and + 17–25% across the stature range. Compared to the previous study of theoretical male astronauts, the effect of body size on TEE was markedly less in females, and, at equivalent statures, all parameter estimates were lower for females, with relative differences ranging from -5% to -29%. When compared at the 50th percentile for stature for US females and males, these differences increased to − 11% to − 41% and translated to larger reductions in TEE, O2 and water requirements, and less CO2 and Hprod during 1080-day missions using CM exercise. Differences between female and male theoretical astronauts result from lower resting and exercising O2 requirements (based on available astronaut data) of female astronauts, who are lighter than male astronauts at equivalent statures and have lower relative VO2max values. These data, combined with the current move towards smaller diameter space habitat modules, point to a number of potential advantages of all-female crews during future human space exploration missions.
Long COVID and risk of erectile dysfunction in recovered patients from mild to moderate COVID-19
Authors: Al-kuraishy Hayder M. , Al-Gareeb Ali I. , Alarfaj Sumaiah J. , Al-Akeel Rasha Khalifah , Faidah Hani , El-Bouseary Maisra M. , Sabatier Jean-Marc , De Waard Michel , El-Masry Thanaa A. , Batiha Gaber El-Saber
Published: April 2023

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were shown to have reduced serum testosterone levels compared to healthy individuals. Low testosterone levels are linked with the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). In this case-controlled study, 20 healthy controls and 39 patients with ED 3 months after recovering from mild-to-moderate COVID-19 pneumonia were studied. The patients ranged in age from 31 to 47 years. To identify early and late COVID-19 infections, real-time polymerase-chain reaction (RT-PCR) and COVID-19 antibody testing were done. The levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), free androgenic index (FAI), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured. The sexual health inventory for patients (SHIM) score was used to measure the erectile function of the patients and controls. When compared to the controls, the TT serum level in long COVID-19 (LC) patients with ED was low (p = 0.01). In contrast to controls, FT and FAI were both lower in LC patients with ED. (p = 0.001). FSH serum levels did not significantly differ (p = 0.07), but in ED patients, LH serum levels were elevated. SHIM scores were associated with low TT (p = 0.30), FT (p = 0.09), and high LH (p = 0.76) in LC patients with ED. Male patients with decreased serum levels of LH and testosterone may have hypothalamic-pituitary–gonadal axis dysfunction, which could lead to the development of LC-induced ED. Therefore, an in-depth research is necessary to confirm the causal link between COVID-19 and ED in LC patients.
DNA damage, demethylation and anticancer activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors
Authors: Laranjeira Angelo B. A. , Hollingshead Melinda G. , Nguyen Dat , Kinders Robert J. , Doroshow James H. , Yang Sherry X.
Published: April 2023

Role of DNA damage and demethylation on anticancer activity of DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) remains undefined. We report the effects of DNMT1 gene deletion/disruption (DNMT1−/−) on anticancer activity of a class of DNMTi in vitro, in vivo and in human cancers. The gene deletion markedly attenuated cytotoxicity and growth inhibition mediated by decitabine, azacitidine and 5-aza-4′-thio-2′-deoxycytidine (aza-T-dCyd) in colon and breast cancer cells. The drugs induced DNA damage that concurred with DNMT1 inhibition, subsequent G2/M cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis, and upregulated p21 in DNMT1+/+ versus DNMT1−/− status, with aza-T-dCyd the most potent. Tumor growth and DNMT1 were significantly inhibited, and p21 was upmodulated in mice bearing HCT116 DNMT1+/+ xenograft and bladder PDX tumors. DNMT1 gene deletion occurred in ~ 9% human colon cancers and other cancer types at varying degrees. Decitabine and azacitidine demethylated CDKN2A/CDKN2B genes in DNMT1+/+ and DNMT1−/− conditions and increased histone-H3 acetylation with re-expression of p16INK4A/p15INK4B in DNMT1−/− state. Thus, DNMT1 deletion confers resistance to DNMTi, and their anti-cancer activity is determined by DNA damage effects. Patients with DNMT1 gene deletions may not respond to DNMTi treatment.
Mutant and curli-producing E. coli enhance the disease phenotype in a hSOD1-G93A mouse model of ALS
Authors: Kurlawala Zimple , McMillan Joseph D. , Singhal Richa A. , Morehouse Johnny , Burke Darlene A. , Sears Sophia M. , Duregon Eleonora , Beverly Levi J. , Siskind Leah J. , Friedland Robert P.
Published: April 2023

The gut microbiome is a potential non-genetic contributing factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Differences in gut microbial communities have been detected between ALS subjects and healthy controls, including an increase in Escherichia coli in ALS subjects. E. coli and other gram-negative bacteria produce curli proteins, which are functional bacterial amyloids. We examined whether long-term curli overexposure in the gut can exacerbate the development and progression of ALS. We utilized the slow-developing hSOD1-G93A mouse model of ALS with their C57BL/6J WT littermate controls, including males and females, with a total of 91 animals. These mice were on a normal chow diet and fed curli-producing or curli-nonproducing (mutant) E. coli in applesauce (vehicle) 3 times/week, from 1 through 7 months of age. Male hSOD1 mice demonstrated gradual slowing in running speed month 4 onwards, while females exhibited no signs of locomotive impairment even at 7 months of age. Around the same time, male hSOD1 mice showed a gradual increase in frequency of peripheral CD19+ B cells. Among the male hSOD1 group, chronic gut exposure to curli-producing E. coli led to significant shifts in α- and β-diversities. Curli-exposed males showed suppression of immune responses in circulation, but an increase in markers of inflammation, autophagy and protein turnover in skeletal muscle. Some of these markers were also changed in mutant E. coli-exposed mice, including astrogliosis in the brainstem and demyelination in the lumbar spinal cord. Overall, chronic overexposure to a commensal bacteria like E. coli led to distant organ pathology in our model, without the presence of a leaky gut at 6 months. Mechanisms underlying gut-distant organ communication are of tremendous interest to all disciplines.
Functional and morphological renal changes in a Göttingen Minipig model of obesity-related and diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Christoffersen Berit Østergaard , Kristensen Camilla Aarup , Lindgaard Rikke , Kirk Rikke Kaae , Viuff Birgitte Martine , Kvist Peter Helding , Pedersen Henrik Duelund , Ludvigsen Trine Pagh , Skovgaard Tine , Fels Johannes Josef , Martinussen Torben , Christiansen Liselotte Bruun , Cirera Susanna , Olsen Lisbeth Høier
Published: April 2023

Obesity-related glomerulopathy and diabetic nephropathy (DN) are serious complications to metabolic syndrome and diabetes. The purpose was to study effects of a fat, fructose and cholesterol-rich (FFC) diet with and without salt in order to induce hypertension on kidney function and morphology in Göttingen Minipigs with and without diabetes. Male Göttingen Minipigs were divided into 4 groups: SD (standard diet, n = 8), FFC (FFC diet, n = 16), FFC-DIA (FFC diet + diabetes, n = 14), FFC-DIA + S (FFC diet with extra salt + diabetes, n = 14). Blood and urine biomarkers, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), blood pressure (BP) and resistive index (RI) were evaluated after 6–7 months (T1) and 12–13 months (T2). Histology, electron microscopy and gene expression (excluding FFC-DIA + S) were evaluated at T2. All groups fed FFC-diet displayed obesity, increased GFR and RI, glomerulomegaly, mesangial expansion (ME) and glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickening. Diabetes on top of FFC diet led to increased plasma glucose and urea and proteinuria and tended to exacerbate the glomerulomegaly, ME and GBM thickening. Four genes (CDKN1A, NPHS2, ACE, SLC2A1) were significantly deregulated in FFC and/or FFC-DIA compared to SD. No effects on BP were observed. Göttingen Minipigs fed FFC diet displayed some of the renal early changes seen in human obesity. Presence of diabetes on top of FFC diet exacerbated the findings and lead to changes resembling the early phases of human DN.
Quantum loss sensing with two-mode squeezed vacuum state under noisy and lossy environment
Authors: Park Sang-il , Noh Changsuk , Lee Changhyoup
Published: April 2023

We investigate quantum advantages in loss sensing when the two-mode squeezed vacuum state is used as a probe. Following an experimental demonstration in PRX 4, 011049, we consider a quantum scheme in which the signal mode is passed through the target and a thermal noise is introduced to the idler mode before they are measured. We consider two detection strategies of practical relevance: coincidence-counting and intensity-difference measurement, which are widely used in quantum sensing and imaging experiments. By computing the signal-to-noise ratio, we verify that quantum advantages persist even under strong thermal background noise, in comparison with the classical scheme which uses a single-mode coherent state that directly suffers from the thermal noise. Such robustness comes from the fact that the signal mode suffers from the thermal noise in the classical scheme, while in the quantum scheme, the idler mode does. For a fairer comparison, we further investigate a different setup in which the thermal noise is introduced to the signal mode in the quantum schemes. In this new setup, we show that the quantum advantages are significantly reduced. Remarkably, however, under an optimum measurement scheme associated with the quantum Fisher information, we show that the two-mode squeezed vacuum state does exhibit a quantum advantage over the entire range of the environmental noise and loss. We expect this work to serve as a guide for experimental demonstrations of quantum advantages in loss parameter sensing, which is subject to lossy and noisy environment.
An optimal selection method for exterior design schemes of subway trains based on multi-level gray relational analysis
Authors: Zou Rui , Xiang Ze-Rui , Zhi Jin-Yi , Li Tian , Chen Hong-Tao , Ding Tie-Cheng
Published: April 2023

To make appropriate decisions in the evaluation phase of the exterior design of subway trains, an optimal selection method was proposed based on multi-level gray relational analysis. The exterior design factors of subway trains were analyzed to construct an index system for design evaluation. The significance of each index was compared through an analytic hierarchy process. The correlation coefficient of each index in the plan was calculated through gray relational analysis to obtain the weighted correlation degree of each design scheme. The optimal selection of the exterior design of Guangzhou Metro Line 6 in China was considered as an example. Four types of subjects were recruited: professional designers, students majoring in design, subway train design experts, and subway passengers in Guangzhou. The weight of each index in the evaluation system was calculated using questionnaire scoring. Virtual simulation software was applied to evaluate the human factors related to each scheme. The indices in each plan were then scored to calculate the correlation coefficient and the overall correlation degree; and finally, the optimal selection was obtained. The results showed that it was practical to evaluate and optimize the exterior design of subway trains based on multi-level gray relational analysis. In the evaluation index system, the weights of technology, human factors, aesthetics, and culture were 0.517, 0.297, 0.099, and 0.087, respectively, which showed that technology had the greatest impact on the system, while human factors, aesthetics, and culture were useful complements. Our results showed that Design Scheme 1 was unsuitable as an optimization scheme due to the high escape window. Meanwhile, Design Scheme 2 was optimal overall, from a technical perspective. Design Scheme 3 was the best in terms of the escape window index (a human factor). Design Schemes 3 and 4 were optimally assessed from aesthetic and cultural perspectives. This study is conducive to the optimization of the exterior design of subway trains, can be used to inform design iteration, and provides a reference for the optimal selection of design schemes for other urban rail trains.
Mid-term safety and effectiveness of macular peeling one month after intravitreal dexamethasone implant for tractional diabetic macular edema
Authors: Pignatelli Francesco , Niro Alfredo , Fallico Matteo , Passidomo Fedele , Gigliola Samuele , Nacucchi Annalisa , Bonfiglio Vincenza , Reibaldi Michele , Addabbo Giuseppe , Avitabile Teresio
Published: April 2023

Macular peeling combined or followed by intravitreal dexamethasone implant (DEX-i) was recommended as an efficacy approach for tractional diabetic macular edema (tDME). Knowing the synergistic effect of cataract surgery and DEX-i one month earlier in eyes with DME, we compared Epiretinal Membrane/Inner Limiting Membrane (ERM/ILM) peeling preceded by DEX-i one month before versus ERM/ILM peeling alone for the treatment of tDME. A retrospective study on patients affected by tDME who underwent ERM/ILM peeling one month after DEX-i (n = 11; Group A) or ERM/ILM peeling alone (n = 10; Group B) was performed. Longitudinal comparison of best-correct visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) between the time of surgery (T0) and each time point (months 1,3,5,6) within and among the groups were assessed. To evaluate the repeated measurements of BCVA, CRT, and IOP, a linear mixed-effects model was used. In Group A, DEX-i significantly improved mean BCVA and CRT (P < 0.001) just after 1 month (T0). After ERM/ILM peeling, mean BCVA and CRT significantly improved from month 1 in Group A and month 3 in Group B. Mixed model revealed a significant difference in BCVA (P ≤ 0.0001) and CRT (P ≤ 0.02) at different time-points among the groups with better results in Group A. Neither complications nor uncontrolled IOP increase was detected. ERM/ILM peeling confirmed its effectiveness in treating tDME. DEX-i performed one month before surgery seemed to be a safe approach and ensured a greater and faster recovery considering functional and tomographic parameters.
Electric scooter accidents leading to emergency department visits: influence of alcohol and outcomes in Stockholm, Sweden
Authors: Andersson Olle , Djärv Therese
Published: April 2023

Electric scooters are a popular form of transportation, but accidents have increased with increased usage over the last years with rising health care costs as a consequence. This study aims to quantify accidents associated with the use of alcohol and to compare injuries at the emergency department (ED) among patients who have been involved in an accident involving an electric scooter. We used data from a multi-center retrospective registry-based cohort in the Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition. We included all patients that had been involved in an electric scooter accident needing a visit to all EDs in Stockholm, Sweden during 2019–2020. Data on alcohol intake was manually drawn from medical files. Out of all of the 369 patients, the majority were men (n = 223, 60%) and aged below 30 years (n = 181, 49%). In all, 102 (28%) of the patients had a positive history of alcohol intake prior to the accident. Patients with alcohol intake more often arrived nighttime than those without alcohol, via ambulance (40% and 24%, respectively, p-value < 0.01). Those with alcohol intake needed to be admitted to hospital from the ED instead of being discharged more often than those withour alcohol (17% and 9%, respectively, p-value < 0.05) even if the majority still had minor injuries. Every 33,000 trips on electric scooters are statistically accompanied by an accident leading to an ED visit. We conclude that accidents with electric scooters are often associated with alcohol intake. They often demand more resources, such as an ambulance transfer and admission to hospital, and involve multiple injuries, compared to those without alcohol intake.
Seismic background level (SBL) growth can reveal slowly developing long-term eruption precursors
Authors: Ichihara Mie , Ohminato Takao , Konstantinou Kostas I. , Yamakawa Kazuya , Watanabe Atsushi , Takeo Minoru
Published: April 2023

The accelerating growth of seismic unrest before eruptions has been observed at many volcanoes and utilized for eruption forecasts. However, there are still many eruptions for which no precursory unrest has been identified, even at well-monitored volcanoes. The recent eruptions of Shinmoe-dake, Japan, have been another negative example of this kind. Here we present seismological evidence that the eruption preparation had been ongoing at the shallow depths beneath Shinmoe-dake for several months to a year. We investigated the seismic background level (SBL) of eleven-year data recorded around the volcano, including two stations about 1 km from the eruptive crater. We searched for persistent weak signals, focusing on low-amplitude time windows recorded during quiet nighttime. Then the spectra of daily background noise were classified by clustering analysis. The SBL analysis successfully revealed very weak precursory tremors from more than several months before the eruption, and residual tremors to the end of the eruptive period. The precursory signals grew acceleratory in a similar way as is assumed in the material failure forecast method applied to eruption forecasts. However, their growth was significantly slower and longer compared to other cases reported in the literature. Such slow and quiet eruption preparations would not be captured by conventional seismological methods. We expect that long-term SBL analyses on proximal seismic data will help detect early precursors, even at seismically quiet volcanoes, and will also help towards judging the end of an eruptive period.
A novel corpus of molecular to higher-order events that facilitates the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Nagano Nozomi , Tokunaga Narumi , Ikeda Masami , Inoura Hiroko , Khoa Duong A. , Miwa Makoto , Sohrab Mohammad G. , Topić Goran , Nogami-Itoh Mari , Takamura Hiroya
Published: April 2023

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe and progressive chronic fibrosing interstitial lung disease with causes that have remained unclear to date. Development of effective treatments will require elucidation of the detailed pathogenetic mechanisms of IPF at both the molecular and cellular levels. With a biomedical corpus that includes IPF-related entities and events, text-mining systems can efficiently extract such mechanism-related information from huge amounts of literature on the disease. A novel corpus consisting of 150 abstracts with 9297 entities intended for training a text-mining system was constructed to clarify IPF-related pathogenetic mechanisms. For this corpus, entity information was annotated, as were relation and event information. To construct IPF-related networks, we also conducted entity normalization with IDs assigned to entities. Thereby, we extracted the same entities, which are expressed differently. Moreover, IPF-related events have been defined in this corpus, in contrast to existing corpora. This corpus will be useful to extract IPF-related information from scientific texts. Because many entities and events are related to lung diseases, this freely available corpus can also be used to extract information related to other lung diseases such as lung cancer and interstitial pneumonia caused by COVID-19.
Reproducible Tract Profiles 2 (RTP2) suite, from diffusion MRI acquisition to clinical practice and research
Authors: Lerma-Usabiaga Garikoitz , Liu Mengxing , Paz-Alonso Pedro M. , Wandell Brian A.
Published: April 2023

Diffusion MRI is a complex technique, where new discoveries and implementations occur at a fast pace. The expertise needed for data analyses and accurate and reproducible results is increasingly demanding and requires multidisciplinary collaborations. In the present work we introduce Reproducible Tract Profiles 2 (RTP2), a set of flexible and automated methods to analyze anatomical MRI and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) data for reproducible tractography. RTP2 reads structural MRI data and processes them through a succession of serialized containerized analyses. We describe the DWI algorithms used to identify white-matter tracts and their summary metrics, the flexible architecture of the platform, and the tools to programmatically access and control the computations. The combination of these three components provides an easy-to-use automatized tool developed and tested over 20 years, to obtain usable and reliable state-of-the-art diffusion metrics at the individual and group levels for basic research and clinical practice.
The influence of polycystic ovary syndrome on abortion rate after in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection fresh cycle pregnancy
Authors: Dou Qian , Ma Li-ying , Li Peng-fen , Xu Xiao-ting , Yu Guo , Zhang Dan , Xiang Yun-gai , Tan Li
Published: April 2023

There are many reports on clinical pregnancy outcomes in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients receiving vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), but little research about abortion has been done and there is a debate on whether the abortion risk increases in PCOS patients receiving IVF/ICSI. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigated the abortion in PCOS patients. Clinical data of 12055 IVF/ICSI fresh cycles performed in our hospital from January 2015 to December 2020 were collected. Based on the Rotterdam diagnostic criteria of PCOS and after propensity score matching (PSM) for baseline data of clinical pregnancy cycles, matched 599 PCOS (PCOS group) and Non-PCOS (non-PCOS group) cycles were obtained. Abortion and abortion-related outcomes were compared between the two groups. Risk factors for late abortion in twins were analyzed using binary Logistics regression. Post-PSM data showed that the late abortion rate was significantly higher in the PCOS group than in the non-PCOS group only in twin pregnancy (9.50% vs. 3.96%, OR: 2.55, 95%CI 1.10–5.89). There were no statistical differences in other pregnancy outcomes. The etiological distribution for late abortion were not statistically different between the two groups in both singletons and twins. Logistics regression indicated that PCOS and obesity [pregnancy-assisted body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28] were risk factors for late abortion in twin pregnancy. In twin pregnancy, PCOS and obese patients are more likely to have late abortion. In twin pregnancy, the late abortion risk significantly increased in the PCOS patients as compared with non-PCOS patients (OR: 2.59, 95%CI 1.11–6.03, P < 0.05), as well as in the patients with obesity (BMI ≥ 28) as compared with the patients with normal BMI (OR: 4.17, 95%CI 1.59–10.90, P < 0.05). PCOS does not significantly affect early and overall late abortion rates after IVF/ICSI fresh cycle pregnancy.
Estimation of wheel slip in 2WD mode for an agricultural tractor during plowing operation using an artificial neural network
Authors: Al-Dosary Naji Mordi Naji , Alnajjar Fai’z Mohammed , Aboukarima Abd El Wahed Mohammed
Published: April 2023

As artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been shown to be precise and reliable in supporting the field of artificial intelligence technology, agricultural scientists have focused on employing ANN for agricultural applications. The ANN can be an effective alternative for evaluating agricultural operations. The intended aim of this investigation was to employ both ANN and multiple linear regression (MLR) to develop a model for determining the rear wheel slip of an agricultural tractor in two-wheel drive (2WD) mode during plowing operations. The output parameter of the models was tractor rear wheel slip. The training data were collected from filed experiments using chisel, moldboard, and disk plows. The plows were operated under different conditions of soil texture, plowing depth, soil moisture content, and plowing speed. All data were acquired during field experiments in two soil textures (clay and clay loam textures). The training dataset was comprised of 319 data points, while 65 data points were employed to test both ANN and MLR models estimation capability. The ANN model with a backpropagation training algorithm was created using the commercial Qnet2000 software by changing its topology and related parameters. The best ANN model possessed a topology of 7-20-1. The estimated tractor rear wheel slip using the testing dataset displayed strong agreement with measured tractor rear wheel slip with the coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.9977. The results definitely illustrated that the ANN model was capable of defining the correlation between the inputs and rear wheel slip. The outcomes suggest that the established ANN model is trustworthy in predicting the tractor rear wheel slip for an agricultural tractor in 2WD mode during the tillage process compared to MLR models. This study provides a useful tool for management of tillage implements during field operations.
The hyperexcitability of laterodorsal tegmentum cholinergic neurons accompanies adverse behavioral and cognitive outcomes of prenatal stress
Authors: Shabani Mohammad , Ilaghi Mehran , Naderi Reyhaneh , Razavinasab Moazamehosadat
Published: April 2023

Exposure to prenatal stress (PS) leads to the offspring's vulnerability towards the development of cognitive and behavioral disorders. Laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT) is a part of the brainstem cholinergic system that is believed to play a pivotal role in the stress-associated progression of anxiety, memory impairment, and addictive behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the electrophysiological alterations of LDT cholinergic neurons and its accompanied behavioral and cognitive outcomes in the offspring of mice exposed to physical or psychological PS. Swiss Webster mice were exposed to physical or psychological stress on the tenth day of gestation. Ex vivo investigations in LDT brain slices of adolescent male offspring were performed to evaluate the effects of two stressor types on the activity of cholinergic neurons. Open field test, elevated plus maze, passive avoidance test, and conditioned place preference were conducted to assess behavioral and cognitive alterations in the offspring. The offspring of both physical and psychological PS-exposed mice exhibited increased locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, memory impairment, and preference to morphine. In both early- and late-firing cholinergic neurons of the LDT, stressed groups demonstrated higher firing frequency, lower adaptation ratio, decreased action potential threshold, and therefore increased excitability compared to the control group. The findings of the present study suggest that the hyperexcitability of the cholinergic neurons of LDT might be involved in the development of PS-associated anxiety-like behaviors, drug seeking, and memory impairment.
Antimicrobial activity of cell free supernatants from probiotics inhibits against pathogenic bacteria isolated from fresh boar semen
Authors: Keeratikunakorn Krittika , Kaewchomphunuch Thotsapol , Kaeoket Kampon , Ngamwongsatit Natharin
Published: April 2023

The use of antibiotics with semen extender appears to be a practical solution to minimise bacterial growth in fresh boar semen preservation. Unfortunately, the excessive use of antibiotics promotes antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This becomes a worldwide concern due to the antimicrobial resistance genes transmitted to animals, environment, and humans. Probiotics are one of the alternative methods to reduce antibiotic use. They could inhibit pathogenic bacteria by producing antimicrobial substances in cell free supernatants (CFS). Nevertheless, there is no comprehensive study undertaken on inhibitory activity against pathogenic bacteria isolated from boar semen origin. Our study investigated the efficacy of CFS produced from selected probiotics: Bacillus spp., Enterococcus spp., Weissella spp., Lactobacillus spp., and Pediococcus spp. inhibiting pathogenic bacteria isolated from fresh boar semen. Besides, the semen-origin pathogenic bacteria are subjected to identification, antimicrobial resistance genes detection, and antibiotic susceptibility test (AST). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis are the most common pathogens identified in boar semen with resistance to numerous antibiotics used in pig industry. The CFS with its antimicrobial peptides and/or bacteriocin constituent derived from selected probiotics could inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria carrying antimicrobial resistance genes (mcr-3 and int1 genes). The inhibition zones for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Proteus mirabilis provided more efficient results in the CFS derived from Lactobacillus spp. and Pediococcus spp. than those of the CFS produced from Enterococcus spp., Weissella spp. and Bacillus spp., respectively. It is worth noted that as the incubation time increased, the antibacterial activity decreased conversely. Our results on CFS with its antimicrobial peptides and/or bacteriocin constituent inhibits semen-origin pathogenic bacteria guide the direction as a promising alternative method used in the semen extender preservation of the pig industry.
An intriguing approach toward antibacterial activity of green synthesized Rutin-templated mesoporous silica nanoparticles decorated with nanosilver
Authors: Abbasi Milad , Gholizadeh Razieh , Kasaee Seyed Reza , Vaez Ahmad , Chelliapan Shreeshivadasan , Fadhil Al-Qaim Fouad , Deyab Issa Farhan , Shafiee Mostafa , Zareshahrabadi Zahra , Amani Ali Mohammad , Mosleh-Shirazi Sareh , Kamyab Hesam
Published: April 2023

In recent years, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been applied in various biomedicine fields like bioimaging, drug delivery, and antibacterial alternatives. MSNs could be manufactured through green synthetic methods as environmentally friendly and sustainable synthesis approaches, to improve physiochemical characteristics for biomedical applications. In the present research, we used Rutin (Ru) extract, a biocompatible flavonoid, as the reducing agent and nonsurfactant template for the green synthesis of Ag-decorated MSNs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta-potential, x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), brunauer–emmett–teller (BET) analysis, and energy-dispersive system (EDS) spectroscopy were used to evaluate the Ag-decorated MSNs physical characteristics. The antimicrobial properties were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and also different types of candida. The cytotoxicity test was performed by using the MTT assay. Based on the findings, the significant antimicrobial efficacy of Ru-Ag-decorated MSNs against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria and different types of fungi was detected as well as acceptable safety and low cytotoxicity even at lower concentrations. Our results have given a straightforward and cost-effective method for fabricating biodegradable Ag-decorated MSNs. The applications of these MSNs in the domains of biomedicine appear to be promising.
Safety of oral propranolol for neonates with problematic infantile hemangioma: a retrospective study in an Asian population
Authors: Fu Ronghua , Zou Yun , Wu Zhiping , Jin Pingliang , Cheng Jun , Bai Hanxiang , Huang Mengyu , Huan Xiangquan , Yuan Hua
Published: April 2023

Although the efficacy of propranolol in the treatment of infantile hemangioma (IH) has been well established, clinical data on the safety and tolerability of propranolol in neonates are still lacking. In this work, clinical data of 112 neonates with IH were analyzed retrospectively. All of the patients were evaluated in the hospital at the beginning of the treatment and later in outpatient settings during the treatment. Each time, the following monitoring methods were applied: physical examination, ultrasound echocardiography (UCG), electrocardiography (ECG), blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and basic laboratory tests including blood glucose (BG), liver function, blood potassium, thyroid function. There was a significant reduction in BP and HR at the initiation of treatment. The incidences of bradycardia and hypoglycemia were observed to be increased with the prolong duration of treatment, but not prolonged PR interval. During the course of the therapy, the risk of hyperkalemia and hypothyroidism was reached maximum at the 2 months and 3 months, respectively. Physical growth index including average height, weight and head circumference was not influenced by the treatment. The observed adverse effects were majority mild and only 3 patients needed to rest for 7 days due to severe diarrhea before restarting treatment. This study demonstrated that propranolol is safe and well-tolerated by properly selected young infants with IH. No serious adverse events were observed.
Coxsackievirus A11 is an immunostimulatory oncolytic virus that induces complete tumor regression in a human non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Sakamoto Akira , Inoue Hiroyuki , Miyamoto Shohei , Ito Shun , Soda Yasushi , Tani Kenzaburo
Published: April 2023

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Innovative treatment is required to improve overall survival rates for advanced NSCLC. Oncolytic virotherapy using enteroviruses has emerged as a promising anticancer strategy. To identify a novel, potent virotherapy with an improved safety profile, we assessed the oncolytic activity of 28 enteroviral strains and focused on coxsackievirus A11 (CVA11). CVA11 infection caused extensive oncolytic activity in all three of the examined human NSCLC cell lines, with high intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression associated with greater CVA11-induced cytotoxicity. In vitro inhibition analysis using a pan-caspase inhibitor and western blot detection of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) indicated that apoptosis partly contributed to CVA11-driven cytotoxicity. CVA11 infection-induced immunogenic cell death in vitro was strongly suggested by substantial calreticulin expression and release of high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1). Moreover, in vivo treatment of human NSCLC xenografts with intratumoral CVA11 injection caused complete tumor regression in all treated mice, without significant weight loss. Our findings indicate that novel oncolytic virotherapy utilizing CVA11 may be less toxic and more effective than current treatments for human NSCLC, thus warranting further investigation in clinical trial settings, especially in combination with immunotherapy.