bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supplementation with inulin-type fructans affects gut microbiota and attenuates some of the cardiometabolic benefits of a plant-based diet in individuals with overweight or obesity
Authors: Aldubayan Mona Adnan , Mao Xiaotian , Laursen Martin Frederik , Pigsborg Kristina , Christensen Lars H. , Roager Henrik M. , Nielsen Dennis S. , Hjorth Mads Fiil , Magkos Faidon
Published: April 2023

Background

The gut microbiota has emerged as a potential therapeutic target to improve the management of obesity and its comorbidities.

Objective

We investigated the impact of a high fiber (∼38 g/d) plant-based diet, consumed ad libitum, with or without added inulin-type fructans (ITF), on the gut microbiota composition and cardiometabolic outcomes in subjects with obesity. We also tested if baseline Prevotella/Bacteroides (P/B) ratio predicts weight loss outcomes.

Methods

This is a secondary exploratory analysis from the PREVENTOMICS study, in which 100 subjects (82 completers) aged 18–65 years with body mass index 27–40 kg/m2 were randomized to 10 weeks of double-blinded treatment with a personalized or a generic plant-based diet. Changes from baseline to end-of-trial in gut microbiota composition (16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing), body composition, cardiometabolic health and inflammatory markers were evaluated in the whole cohort (n = 82), and also compared in the subgroup of subjects who were supplemented with an additional 20 g/d ITF-prebiotics (n = 21) or their controls (n = 22).

Results

In response to the plant-based diet, all subjects lost weight (−3.2 [95% CI –3.9, −2.5] kg) and experienced significant improvements in body composition and cardiometabolic health indices. Addition of ITF to the plant-based diet reduced microbial diversity (Shannon index) and selectively increased Bifidobacterium and Faecalibacterium (q < 0.05). The change in the latter was significantly associated with higher values of insulin and HOMA-IR and lower HDL cholesterol. In addition, the LDL:HDL ratio and the concentrations of IL-10, MCP-1 and TNFα were significantly elevated in the ITF-subgroup. There was no relationship between baseline P/B ratio and changes in body weight (r = −0.07, p = 0.53).

Conclusion

A plant-based diet consumed ad libitum modestly decreases body weight and has multiple health benefits in individuals with obesity. Addition of ITF-prebiotics on top this naturally fiber-rich background selectively changes gut microbiota composition and attenuates some of the realized cardiometabolic benefits.

Clinical trial registration

[https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04590989], identifier [NCT04590989].
Effect of the categorization method on the diagnostic performance of ultrasound risk stratification systems for thyroid nodules
Authors: Fu Chao , Cui Yiyang , Li Jing , Yu Jing , Wang Yan , Si Caifeng , Cui Kefei
Published: April 2023

Objective

To evaluate whether the categorization methods of risk stratification systems (RSSs) is a decisive factor that influenced the diagnostic performances and unnecessary FNA rates in order to choose optimal RSS for the management of thyroid nodules.

Methods

From July 2013 to January 2019, 2667 patients with 3944 thyroid nodules had undergone pathological diagnosis after thyroidectomy and/or US-guided FNA. US categories were assigned according to the six RSSs. The diagnostic performances and unnecessary FNA rates were calculated and compared according to the US-based final assessment categories and the unified size thresholds for biopsy proposed by ACR-TIRADS, respectively.

Results

A total of 1781 (45.2%) thyroid nodules were diagnosed as malignant after thyroidectomy or biopsy. Significantly lowest specificity and accuracy, along with the highest unnecessary FNA rates were seen in EU-TIRADS for both US categories (47.9%, 70.2%, and 39.4%, respectively, all P < 0.05) and indications for FNA (54.2%, 50.0%, and 55.4%, respectively, all P < 0.05). Diagnostic performances for US-based final assessment categories exhibited similar accuracy for AI-TIRADS, Kwak-TIRADS, C-TIRADS, and ATA guidelines (78.0%, 77.8%, 77.9%, and 76.3%, respectively, all P > 0.05), while the lowest unnecessary FNA rate was seen in C-TIRADS (30.9%) and without significant differences to that of AI-TIRADS, Kwak-TIRADS, and ATA guideline (31.5%, 31.7%, and 33.6%, respectively, all P > 0.05). Diagnostic performance for US-FNA indications showed similar accuracy for ACR-TIRADS, Kwak-TIRADS, C-TIRADS and ATA guidelines (58.0%, 59.7%, 58.7%, and 57.1%, respectively, all P > 0.05). The highest accuracy and lowest unnecessary FNA rate were seen in AI-TIRADS (61.9%, 38.6%) and without significant differences to that of Kwak-TIRADS(59.7%, 42.9%) and C-TIRADS 58.7%, 43.9%, all P > 0.05).

Conclusion

The different US categorization methods used by each RSS were not determinant influential factors in diagnostic performance and unnecessary FNA rate. For daily clinical practice, the score-based counting RSS was an optimal choice.
Preliminary study based on methylation and transcriptome gene sequencing of lncRNAs and immune infiltration in hypopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Wu Kainan , Chang Fen , Li Wenming , Wei Dongmin , Cao Shengda , Xie Yulin , Li Ce , Lei Dapeng
Published: April 2023

Background

Hypopharyngeal squamous cell cancer (HSCC) is one of the most malignant tumors of the head and neck. It is not easy to detect in the early stage due to its hidden location; thus, lymph node metastasis is highly likely at diagnosis, leading to a poor prognosis. It is believed that epigenetic modification is related to cancer invasion and metastasis. However, the role of m6A-related lncRNA in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HSCC remains unclear.

Methods

The whole transcriptome and methylation sequencing of 5 pairs of HSCC tissues and adjacent tissues were performed to identify the methylation and transcriptome profiles of lncRNAs. The biological significance of lncRNAs differentially expressing the m6A peak was analyzed by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. By constructing an m6A lncRNA-microRNA network, the mechanism of m6A lncRNAs in HSCC was analyzed. The relative expression levels of selected lncRNAs were examined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The CIBERSORT algorithm was used to evaluate the relative proportion of immune cell infiltration in HSCC and paracancerous tissues.

Results

Based on an in-depth analysis of the sequencing results, 14413 differentially expressed lncRNAs were revealed, including 7329 up-regulated and 7084 down-regulated lncRNAs. Additionally, 4542 up-methylated and 2253 down-methylated lncRNAs were detected. We demonstrated methylation patterns and gene expression profiles of lncRNAs of HSCC transcriptome. In the intersection analysis of lncRNAs and methylated lncRNAs, 51 lncRNAs with up-regulated transcriptome and methylation and 40 lncRNAs with down-regulated transcriptome and methylation were screened, and significantly differentiated lncRNAs were further studied. In the immune cell infiltration analysis, B cell memory was significantly elevated in cancer tissue, while γδT cell amount was significantly decreased.

Conclusion

m6A modification of lncRNAs might be involved in HSCC pathogenesis. Infiltration of immune cells in HSCC might provide a new direction for its treatment. This study provides new insights for exploring the possible HSCC pathogenesis and searching for new potential therapeutic targets.
Case Report: A case of ultra-late recurrence of KIF13A-RET fusion non-small cell lung cancer response to selpercatinib
Authors: Park Ha-Young , Park Joo-Heon , Shin Myung-Geun , Han Seung Jung , Ji Yong-Sok , Oh Hyung-Joo , Kim Young-Chul , Lee Taebum , Choi Yoo-Duk , Oh In-Jae
Published: April 2023

Background

Cancer recurrence remains a significant problem, and most postoperative recurrences of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop within 5 years after resection. We present a rare case of ultra-late recurrence of NSCLC accompanying choroidal metastasis with KIF13A-RET fusion 14 years after the definitive surgery.

Case description

A 48-year-old female patient who had never-smoked presented with decreased visual acuity. She had been treated with right upper lobe lobectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy 14 years prior. Fundus photographs revealed bilateral choroidal metastatic lesions. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scans showed extensive bone metastases and focal hypermetabolism in the left uterine cervix. An excision biopsy of the uterus showed primary lung adenocarcinoma with immunohistochemistry of TTF-1+. Plasma next-generation sequencing (NGS) identified the presence of KIF13A-RET fusion. After 6 months of selpercatinib therapy, PET-CT revealed a partial response for bone and uterine metastasis and stable disease for choroidal lesions.

Conclusion

In this case report, we are reporting a rare case of ultra-late recurrence of NSCLC in a patient with choroidal metastasis. Furthermore, the diagnosis of NSCLC with RET fusion was based on liquid-based NGS rather than tissue-based biopsy. The patient showed a good response to selpercatinib, which supports the efficacy of selpercatinib as a treatment for RET-fusion-positive NSCLC with choroidal metastasis.
Immunocytoprotection after reperfusion with Kv1.3 inhibitors has an extended treatment window for ischemic stroke
Authors: Lee Ruth D. , Chen Yi-Je , Singh Latika , Nguyen Hai M. , Wulff Heike
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Mechanical thrombectomy has improved treatment options and outcomes for acute ischemic stroke with large artery occlusion. However, as the time window of endovascular thrombectomy is extended there is an increasing need to develop immunocytoprotective therapies that can reduce inflammation in the penumbra and prevent reperfusion injury. We previously demonstrated, that by reducing neuroinflammation, KV1.3 inhibitors can improve outcomes not only in young male rodents but also in female and aged animals. To further explore the therapeutic potential of KV1.3 inhibitors for stroke therapy, we here directly compared a peptidic and a small molecule KV1.3 blocker and asked whether KV1.3 inhibition would still be beneficial when started at 72 hours after reperfusion.

Methods: Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO, 90-min) was induced in male Wistar rats and neurological deficit assessed daily. On day-8 infarction was determined by T2-weighted MRI and inflammatory marker expression in the brain by quantitative PCR. Potential interactions with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) were evaluated in-vitro with a chromogenic assay.

Results: In a direct comparison with administration started at 2 hours after reperfusion, the small molecule PAP-1 significantly improved outcomes on day-8, while the peptide ShK-223 failed to reduce infarction and neurological deficits despite reducing inflammatory marker expression. PAP-1 still provided benefits when started 72 hours after reperfusion. PAP-1 does not reduce the proteolytic activity of tPA.

Discussion: Our studies suggest that KV1.3 inhibition for immunocytoprotection after ischemic stroke has a wide therapeutic window for salvaging the inflammatory penumbra and requires brain-penetrant small molecules.
Effects of water stress on starch synthesis and accumulation of two rice cultivars at different growth stages
Authors: Chen Guangyi , Peng Ligong , Gong Jing , Wang Jin , Wu Chaoyue , Sui Xiaodong , Tian Yunfeng , Hu Mingming , Li Congmei , He Xingmei , Yang Hong , Zhang Qiuqiu , Ouyang Yuyuan , Lan Yan , Li Tian
Published: April 2023

Rice is a water intensive crop and soil water conditions affect rice yield and quality. However, there is limited research on the starch synthesis and accumulation of rice under different soil water conditions at different growth stages. Thus, a pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of IR72 (indica) and Nanjing (NJ) 9108 (japonica) rice cultivars under flood-irrigated treatment (CK, 0 kPa), light water stress treatment (L, -20 ± 5 kPa), moderate water stress treatment (M, -40 ± 5 kPa) and severe water stress treatment (S, -60 ± 5 kPa) on the starch synthesis and accumulation and rice yield at booting stage (T1), flowering stage (T2) and filling stage (T3), respectively. Under LT treatment, the total soluble sugar and sucrose contents of both cultivars decreased while the amylose and total starch contents increased. Starch synthesis-related enzyme activities and their peak activities at mid-late growth stage increased as well. However, applying MT and ST treatments produced the opposite effects. The 1000-grain weight of both cultivars increased under LT treatment while the seed setting rate increased only under LT3 treatment. Compared with CK, water stress at booting stage decreased grain yield. The principal component analysis (PCA) showed that LT3 got the highest comprehensive score while ST1 got lowest for both cultivars. Furthermore, the comprehensive score of both cultivars under the same water stress treatment followed the trend of T3 > T2 > T1, and NJ 9108 had a better drought-resistant ability than IR72. Compared with CK, the grain yield under LT3 increased by 11.59% for IR72 and 16.01% for NJ 9108, respectively. Overall, these results suggested that light water stress at filling stage could be an effective method to enhance starch synthesis-related enzyme activities, promote starch synthesis and accumulation and increase grain yield.
Botrytis cinerea BcCDI1 protein triggers both plant cell death and immune response
Authors: Zhu Wenjun , Dong Huange , Xu Ran , You Jingmao , Yan Da-zhong , Xiong Chao , Wu Jing , Bi Kai
Published: April 2023

Cell death-inducing proteins (CDIPs) play important roles in the infection of Botrytis cinerea, a broad host-range necrotrophic phytopathogen. Here, we show that the secreted protein BcCDI1 (Cell Death Inducing 1) can cause necrosis in tobacco leaves and at the same time elicit plant defense. The transcription of Bccdi1 was induced at the infection stage. Deletion or overexpression of Bccdi1 resulted in no notable change in disease lesion on bean, tobacco, and Arabidopsis leaves, indicating that Bccdi1 has no effect on the final outcome of B. cinerea infection. Furthermore, the plant receptor-like kinases BAK1 and SOBIR1 are required to transduce the cell death-promoting signal induced by BcCDI1. These findings suggest that BcCDI1 is possibly recognized by plant receptors and then induces plant cell death.
Genomic prediction of hybrid performance in grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)
Authors: Maulana Frank , Perumal Ramasamy , Serba Desalegn D. , Tesso Tesfaye
Published: April 2023

Genomic selection is expected to improve selection efficiency and genetic gain in breeding programs. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of predicting the performance of grain sorghum hybrids using genomic information of parental genotypes. One hundred and two public sorghum inbred parents were genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing. Ninty-nine of the inbreds were crossed to three tester female parents generating a total of 204 hybrids for evaluation at two environments. The hybrids were sorted in to three sets of 77,59 and 68 and evaluated along with two commercial checks using a randomized complete block design in three replications. The sequence analysis generated 66,265 SNP markers that were used to predict the performance of 204 F1 hybrids resulted from crosses between the parents. Both additive (partial model) and additive and dominance (full model) were constructed and tested using various training population (TP) sizes and cross-validation procedures. Increasing TP size from 41 to 163 increased prediction accuracies for all traits. With the partial model, the five-fold cross validated prediction accuracies ranged from 0.03 for thousand kernel weight (TKW) to 0.58 for grain yield (GY) while it ranged from 0.06 for TKW to 0.67 for GY with the full model. The results suggest that genomic prediction could become an effective tool for predicting the performance of sorghum hybrids based on parental genotypes.
Aspergillus aculeatus enhances nutrient uptake and forage quality in bermudagrass by increasing phosphorus and potassium availability
Authors: Li Xiaoning , Zhang Ting , Xue Ying , Xu Xiao , Cui Xinyu , Fu Jinmin
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Potassium and phosphorus are essential macronutrients for plant growth and development. However, most P and K exist in insoluble forms, which are difficult for plants to directly absorb and utilize, thereby resulting in growth retardation of plants under P or K deficiency stress. The Aspergillus aculeatus fungus has growth-promoting characteristics and the ability to dissolve P and K.

Methods

Here, to investigate the physiological effects of A. aculeatus on bermudagrass under P or K deficiency, A. aculeatus and bermudagrass were used as experimental materials.

Results and discussion

The results showed that A. aculeatus could promote tolerance to P or K deficiency stress in bermudagrass, decrease the rate of leaf death, and increase the contents of crude fat as well as crude protein. In addition, A. aculeatus significantly enhanced the chlorophyll a+b and carotenoid contents. Moreover, under P or K deficiency stress, bermudagrass inoculated with A. aculeatus showed higher N, P, and K contents than non-inoculated plants. Furthermore, exogenous A. aculeatus markedly decreased the H2O2 level and CAT and POD activities. Based on our results, A. aculeatus could effectively improve the forage quality of bermudagrass and alleviate the negative effects of P or K deficiency stress, thereby playing a positive economic role in the forage industry.
Short-term water stress responses of grafted pepper plants are associated with changes in the hormonal balance
Authors: Padilla Yaiza Gara , Gisbert-Mullor Ramón , López-Galarza Salvador , Albacete Alfonso , Martínez-Melgarejo Purificación A. , Calatayud Ángeles
Published: April 2023

Phytohormones play an important role in regulating the plant behavior to drought. In previous studies, NIBER® pepper rootstock showed tolerance to drought in terms of production and fruit quality compared to ungrafted plants. In this study, our hypothesis was that short-term exposure to water stress in young, grafted pepper plants would shed light on tolerance to drought in terms of modulation of the hormonal balance. To validate this hypothesis, fresh weight, water use efficiency (WUE) and the main hormone classes were analyzed in self-grafted pepper plants (variety onto variety, V/V) and variety grafted onto NIBER® (V/N) at 4, 24, and 48h after severe water stress was induced by PEG addition. After 48h, WUE in V/N was higher than in V/V, due to major stomata closure to maintain water retention in the leaves. This can be explained by the higher abscisic acid (ABA) levels observed in the leaves of V/N plants. Despite the interaction between ABA and the ethylene precursor, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), in relation to stomata closure is controversial, we observed an important increase of ACC at the end of the experiment in V/N plants coinciding with an important rise of the WUE and ABA. The maximum concentration of jasmonic acid and salicylic acid after 48h was found in the leaves of V/N, associated with their role in abiotic stress signaling and tolerance. Respect to auxins and cytokinins, the highest concentrations were linked to water stress and NIBER®, but this effect did not occur for gibberellins. These results show that hormone balance was affected by water stress and rootstock genotype, where NIBER® rootstock displayed a better ability to overcome short-term water stress.
The power of retrotransposons in high-throughput genotyping and sequencing
Authors: Arvas Yunus Emre , Marakli Sevgi , Kaya Yılmaz , Kalendar Ruslan
Published: April 2023

The use of molecular markers has become an essential part of molecular genetics through their application in numerous fields, which includes identification of genes associated with targeted traits, operation of backcrossing programs, modern plant breeding, genetic characterization, and marker-assisted selection. Transposable elements are a core component of all eukaryotic genomes, making them suitable as molecular markers. Most of the large plant genomes consist primarily of transposable elements; variations in their abundance contribute to most of the variation in genome size. Retrotransposons are widely present throughout plant genomes, and replicative transposition enables them to insert into the genome without removing the original elements. Various applications of molecular markers have been developed that exploit the fact that these genetic elements are present everywhere and their ability to stably integrate into dispersed chromosomal localities that are polymorphic within a species. The ongoing development of molecular marker technologies is directly related to the deployment of high-throughput genotype sequencing platforms, and this research is of considerable significance. In this review, the practical application to molecular markers, which is a use of technology of interspersed repeats in the plant genome were examined using genomic sources from the past to the present. Prospects and possibilities are also presented.
A chromosome-scale genome assembly of Castanopsis hystrix provides new insights into the evolution and adaptation of Fagaceae species
Authors: Huang Wei-Cheng , Liao Borong , Liu Hui , Liang Yi-Ye , Chen Xue-Yan , Wang Baosheng , Xia Hanhan
Published: April 2023

Fagaceae species dominate forests and shrublands throughout the Northern Hemisphere, and have been used as models to investigate the processes and mechanisms of adaptation and speciation. Compared with the well-studied genus Quercus, genomic data is limited for the tropical-subtropical genus Castanopsis. Castanopsis hystrix is an ecologically and economically valuable species with a wide distribution in the evergreen broad-leaved forests of tropical-subtropical Asia. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-scale reference genome of C. hystrix, obtained using a combination of Illumina and PacBio HiFi reads with Hi-C technology. The assembled genome size is 882.6 Mb with a contig N50 of 40.9 Mb and a BUSCO estimate of 99.5%, which are higher than those of recently published Fagaceae species. Genome annotation identified 37,750 protein-coding genes, of which 97.91% were functionally annotated. Repeat sequences constituted 50.95% of the genome and LTRs were the most abundant repetitive elements. Comparative genomic analysis revealed high genome synteny between C. hystrix and other Fagaceae species, despite the long divergence time between them. Considerable gene family expansion and contraction were detected in Castanopsis species. These expanded genes were involved in multiple important biological processes and molecular functions, which may have contributed to the adaptation of the genus to a tropical-subtropical climate. In summary, the genome assembly of C. hystrix provides important genomic resources for Fagaceae genomic research communities, and improves understanding of the adaptation and evolution of forest trees.
Gender and organizational culture in the European Union: situation and prospects
Authors: Alonso Gallo Nuria , Gutiérrez López Irene
Published: April 2023

In recent decades, there has been a massive incorporation of women into the labor market. However, the belief that certain jobs or business functions can be performed better by people of one gender than the other has not allowed for widespread changes in the business culture to achieve effective equality between women and men in companies. Examples of this are unequal access to employment, vertical and horizontal segregation in occupations, wage discrimination, problems in reconciling personal and professional life, or difficulties in accessing management positions in companies (glass ceiling). Other determinants of gender inequalities have been long working hours, as well as the presence of employees, characteristic of European business culture. The progress achieved to date began with the incorporation of women into the labor market under unequal conditions that soon called for the need to establish a regulatory framework to try to eradicate them. The legal status of women in Europe has undoubtedly improved as a result of the development of European regulations, which have been binding in the development of business policies in the Member States and have succeeded in modifying the organizational climate through proposals such as the development of Equality Plans or salary audits. Examples of the most recent legislative initiatives of the European Union on equality that affect business practices are Directive 2022/2041/EC on adequate minimum wages in the European Union or Directive 2022/2381/EC on a better gender balance among directors of listed companies. This study attempts to systematize the changes in the legislation on effective equality between men and women in business and to analyze its effect on organizational culture through the information available in the statistics on gender equality—mainly from the European Union—which gather quantitative and qualitative information on the adaptation of business culture to the new legal framework and the overcoming of gender stereotypes that have been guiding business management in the last decade.
Autism spectrum disorder research: knowledge mapping of progress and focus between 2011 and 2022
Authors: Jiang Miaomiao , Lu Tianlan , Yang Kang , Li Xianjing , Zhao Liyang , Zhang Dai , Li Jun , Wang Lifang
Published: April 2023

Background

In recent years, a large number of studies have focused on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study used bibliometric analysis to describe the state of ASD research over the past decade and identify its trends and research fronts.

Methods

Studies on ASD published from 2011 to 2022 were obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). Bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis.

Results

A total of 57,108 studies were included in the systematic search, and articles were published in more than 6,000 journals. The number of publications increased by 181.7% (2,623 in 2011 and 7,390 in 2021). The articles in the field of genetics are widely cited in immunology, clinical research, and psychological research. Keywords co-occurrence analysis revealed that “causative mechanisms,” “clinical features,” and “intervention features” were the three main clusters of ASD research. Over the past decade, genetic variants associated with ASD have gained increasing attention, and immune dysbiosis and gut microbiota are the new development frontiers after 2015.

Conclusion

This study uses a bibliometric approach to visualize and quantitatively describe autism research over the last decade. Neuroscience, genetics, brain imaging studies, and gut microbiome studies improve our understanding of autism. In addition, the microbe-gut-brain axis may be an exciting research direction for ASD in the future. Therefore, through visual analysis of autism literature, this paper shows the development process, research hotspots, and cutting-edge trends in this field to provide theoretical reference for the development of autism in the future.
Plasma concentrations of SSRI/SNRI after bariatric surgery and the effects on depressive symptoms
Authors: Pasi Patrick , Kröll Dino , Siegfried Alena , Sykora Martin , Wildisen Alessandro , Milone Cristiana , Milos Gabriella , Horka Laura , Fischli Stefan , Henzen Christoph
Published: April 2023

Background

Depression and treatment with antidepressants SSRI/SNRI are common in people with morbid obesity who are candidates for bariatric surgery. There is few and inconsistent data about the postoperative plasma concentrations of SSRI/SNRI. The aims of our study were to provide comprehensive data about the postoperative bioavailability of SSRI/SNRI, and the clinical effects on depressive symptoms.

Methods

Prospective multicenter study including 63 patients with morbid obesity and therapy with fixed doses of SSRI/SNRI: participants filled the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) questionnaire, and plasma levels of SSRI/SNRI were measured by HPLC, preoperatively (T0), and 4 weeks (T1) and 6 months (T2) postoperatively.

Results

The plasma concentrations of SSRI/SNRI dropped significantly in the bariatric surgery group from T0 to T2 by 24.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], −36.8 to −16.6, p = 0.0027): from T0 to T1 by 10.5% (95% 17 CI, −22.7 to −2.3; p = 0.016), and from T1 to T2 by 12.8% (95% CI, −29.3 to 3.5, p = 0.123), respectively.

There was no significant change in the BDI score during follow-up (−2.9, 95% CI, −7.4 to 1.0; p = 0.13).

The clinical outcome with respect to SSRI/SNRI plasma concentrations, weight change, and change of BDI score were similar in the subgroups undergoing gastric bypass surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, respectively. In the conservative group the plasma concentrations of SSRI/SNRI remained unchanged throughout the 6 months follow-up (−14.7, 95% CI, −32.6 to 1.7; p = 0.076).

Conclusion

In patients undergoing bariatric surgery plasma concentrations of SSRI/SNRI decrease significantly by about 25% mainly during the first 4 weeks postoperatively with wide individual variation, but without correlation to the severity of depression or weight loss.
Safety, tolerability, and clinical and neural effects of single-dose psilocybin in obsessive–compulsive disorder: protocol for a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-crossover trial
Authors: Ching Terence H. W. , Grazioplene Rachael , Bohner Calvin , Kichuk Stephen A. , DePalmer Giuliana , D’Amico Elizabeth , Eilbott Jeffrey , Jankovsky Anastasia , Burke Michelle , Hokanson Jamila , Martins Brad , Witherow Chelsea , Patel Prerana , Amoroso Lucia , Schaer Henry , Pittenger Christopher , Kelmendi Benjamin
Published: April 2023

Background

Psilocybin may help treat obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). To date, only one open-label study of psilocybin for OCD exists, necessitating further investigation with a randomized controlled design. The neural correlates of psilocybin’s effects on OCD have also not been studied.

Objectives

This first-of-its-kind trial aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of psilocybin in the treatment of OCD, provide preliminary evidence on the effects of psilocybin on OCD symptoms, and elucidate neural mechanisms that may mediate psilocybin’s effects on OCD.

Design

We use a randomized (1:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled, non-crossover design to examine the clinical and neural effects of either a single dose of oral psilocybin (0.25 mg/kg) or active placebo-control agent (250 mg of niacin) on OCD symptoms.

Methods and analysis

We are enrolling 30 adult participants at a single site in Connecticut, USA who have failed at least one trial of standard care treatment (medication/psychotherapy) for OCD. All participants will also receive unstructured, non-directive psychological support during visits. Aside from safety, primary outcomes include OCD symptoms over the past 24 h, assessed by the Acute Yale-Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale and Visual Analog Scale ratings. These are collected by blinded, independent raters at baseline and the primary endpoint of 48 h post-dosing. Total follow-up is 12 weeks post-dosing. Resting state neuroimaging data will be collected at baseline and primary endpoint. Participants randomized to placebo will be offered the chance to return for an open-label dose of 0.25 mg/kg.

Ethics statement

All participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The trial (protocol v. 5.2) was approved by the institutional review board (HIC #2000020355) and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03356483).

Discussion

This study may represent an advance in our ability to treat refractory OCD, and pave the way for future studies of neurobiological mechanisms of OCD that may respond to psilocybin.
Structured exercise programs for higher education students experiencing mental health challenges: background, significance, and implementation
Authors: Jeftic Ivan , Furzer Bonnie J. , Dimmock James A. , Wright Kemi , Boyd Conor , Budden Timothy , Rosenberg Michael , Kramer Ben , Buist Brett , Fitzpatrick Ian , Sabiston Catherine , de Jonge Melissa , Jackson Ben
Published: April 2023

The incidence of mental illness is greatest among young adults, and those enrolled in higher education may be particularly vulnerable compared to the general young adult population. Many higher education institutions employ student support staff tasked with implementing strategies to improve student wellbeing and mental illness. However, these strategies tend to be focused on clinical therapies and pharmacological interventions with limited lifestyle approaches. Exercise is an effective method for addressing mental illness and promoting wellbeing, yet widespread provision of structured exercise services to support treatment options for students with mental health challenges has not been fully realized. In an effort to guide exercise strategies for student mental health, we synthesize considerations for developing and delivering exercise programs in higher education settings. We draw directly from the evidence base on existing exercise programs in higher education; and the broader behavior change, exercise adherence, health psychology, implementation science, and exercise prescription literatures. Our broad considerations cover issues regarding program engagement and behavior change, exercise ‘dose’ and prescription, integration with other on-campus services, and robust research and evaluation. These considerations may provide impetus for widespread program development and implementation, as well as informing research focused on protecting and improving student mental health.
ChatGPT and the rise of large language models: the new AI-driven infodemic threat in public health
Authors: De Angelis Luigi , Baglivo Francesco , Arzilli Guglielmo , Privitera Gaetano Pierpaolo , Ferragina Paolo , Tozzi Alberto Eugenio , Rizzo Caterina
Published: April 2023

Large Language Models (LLMs) have recently gathered attention with the release of ChatGPT, a user-centered chatbot released by OpenAI. In this perspective article, we retrace the evolution of LLMs to understand the revolution brought by ChatGPT in the artificial intelligence (AI) field.

The opportunities offered by LLMs in supporting scientific research are multiple and various models have already been tested in Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks in this domain.

The impact of ChatGPT has been huge for the general public and the research community, with many authors using the chatbot to write part of their articles and some papers even listing ChatGPT as an author. Alarming ethical and practical challenges emerge from the use of LLMs, particularly in the medical field for the potential impact on public health. Infodemic is a trending topic in public health and the ability of LLMs to rapidly produce vast amounts of text could leverage misinformation spread at an unprecedented scale, this could create an “AI-driven infodemic,” a novel public health threat. Policies to contrast this phenomenon need to be rapidly elaborated, the inability to accurately detect artificial-intelligence-produced text is an unresolved issue.
Using machine learning for healthcare treatment planning
Authors: Dubey Snigdha , Tiwari Gaurav , Singh Sneha , Goldberg Saveli , Pinsky Eugene
Published: April 2023

We present a methodology for using machine learning for planning treatments. As a case study, we apply the proposed methodology to Breast Cancer. Most of the application of Machine Learning to breast cancer has been on diagnosis and early detection. By contrast, our paper focuses on applying Machine Learning to suggest treatment plans for patients with different disease severity. While the need for surgery and even its type is often obvious to a patient, the need for chemotherapy and radiation therapy is not as obvious to the patient. With this in mind, the following treatment plans were considered in this study: chemotherapy, radiation, chemotherapy with radiation, and none of these options (only surgery). We use real data from more than 10,000 patients over 6 years that includes detailed cancer information, treatment plans, and survival statistics. Using this data set, we construct Machine Learning classifiers to suggest treatment plans. Our emphasis in this effort is not only on suggesting the treatment plan but on explaining and defending a particular treatment choice to the patient.
Impact of haemoglobinopathies on asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection and naturally acquired immunity among children in Northern Ghana
Authors: Lamptey Helena , Seidu Zakaria , Lopez-Perez Mary , Kyei-Baafour Eric , Hviid Lars , Adjei George Obeng , Ofori Michael Fokuo
Published: April 2023

Background

The protective effect of certain haemoglobinopathies, such as HbS, HbC, and α-thalassaemia, against severe malaria has long been established; however, there is only limited and equivocal evidence regarding their impact on asymptomatic parasitaemia. Here, we investigated the effect of HbS, HbC, and α-thalassaemia on asymptomatic P. falciparum parasitaemia and acquired immunity among children in Northern Ghana.

Materials and methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,017 healthy children (1-17 years) in 13 malaria-endemic communities in Northern Ghana. The children were screened for structural Hb phenotypes using SickleSCAN, for P. falciparum infection using anti-HRP2 malaria RDT and subsequently confirmed by capillary electrophoresis and PCR, respectively. α-thalassaemia genotyping was done using PCR. Levels of IgG specific for six recombinant malaria antigens (PfCSP, GLURP, MSP3, Pfs230, HB3VAR06, and IT4VAR60) and crude asexual blood-stage antigens were evaluated by ELISA.

Results

266 out of the 1,017 participants had either HbAC (18%) or HbAS (8.4%), whereas 35% had α‐thalassaemia. Twenty-five percent and 6% HbAC individuals co-inherited heterozygous and homozygous α-thalassaemia respectively. Similarly, 25% and 10.5% of HbAS co-inherited heterozygous and homozygous α-thalassaemia. Asymptomatic parasitaemia rates were 23%, 24%, and 19% in those with HbAA, HbAC and HbAS, respectively. The overall parasite carriage rates in heterozygous (21%) and homozygous α-thalassaemia (25%) individuals were similar to that of individuals without α-thalassaemia (23%). P. falciparum parasite carriage risk was about three times higher among homozygous α-thalassaemia individuals with HbAC (OR = 2.97; 95% CI 0.83-10.62) and heterozygous carriers with HbAS variants (OR = 2.86; 95% CI 0.85-9.60) compared to the wildtype. In HbAS individuals, IgG levels to IT4VAR60 and HB3VAR06 were significantly lower, whereas anti-CSP levels were higher than in HbAA and HbAC.

Conclusions

Co-inheritance of HbAS and HbAC with α-thalassaemia increased the risk of asymptomatic parasitaemia, an indication of a negative epistatic effect between these Hb variants. Antibody levels against non-PfEMP1 antigens were slightly higher among HbAS children, but quite similar in all study groups, indicating differences in parasite exposure.
Allicin modulates the intestinal microbiota to attenuate blood glucose and systemic inflammation in type 2 diabetic rats
Authors: Li LinZehao , Yan Yan , Wang Xiaolei , Hou Yanli , Ding Lina , Wang Zhibin , Song Qinghe , Ding Wenyu , Zhang Xiandang
Published: April 2023

Introduction

Allicin is a wide spectrum prebiotic for human health, but whether it can attenuate blood in diabetes patients is rarely reported. In this study, we built a rat model and investigated the effect of allicin on diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM). We found that allicin could effectively reduce blood glucose levels, regulate intestinal microbiota, reduce lipid and body weight accumulation, and systemic inflammation in T2DM rats.

Methods

The rat model of type 2 diabetes was made by streptozotocin, and different doses of allicin were given orally by gavage. The intestinal contents of diabetes rats were sequenced and analyzed by 16S technology, and the clinical indicators of rats were detected for joint analysis.

Results

Allicin can improve the intestinal flora of type 2 diabetes rats, enrich beneficial metabolites, reduce blood glucose, improve blood lipids, reduce systemic inflammation, and improve type 2 diabetes.

Discussion

Intestinal microbiome analysis showed that allicin gavage significantly regulated the structure and main components of the intestinal microbiota in T2DM rats. Allicin increased the abundance of probiotic microbes, such as Lactobacillus, Clostridium and Akkermansia, while it reduced pathogenic microbes, such as Enterobacter, Erysipelatoclostridium and Colidextribacter. Allicin gavage increased the abundance of intestinal short-chain fatty acids, such as acetic acid and propionic acid. Correlation analysis showed that the increased gut microbes by allicin gavage were significantly associated with health physiological parameters but negatively related to serum inflammatory factors such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). In addition, our study also suggests that allicin may have prebiotic effects on chronic liver injury. This study shows that allicin can regulate various clinical symptoms of T2DM and is a potential therapeutic drug for T2DM.
NF2 alteration in mesothelioma
Authors: Sekido Yoshitaka , Sato Tatsuhiro
Published: April 2023

The NF2 tumor suppressor gene is a frequent somatically mutated gene in mesothelioma, with 30%–40% mesotheliomas showing NF2 inactivation. NF2 encodes merlin, a member of the ezrin, radixin, and moesin (ERM) family of proteins that regulate cytoskeleton and cell signaling. Recent genome analysis revealed that NF2 alteration may be a late event in mesothelioma development, suggesting that NF2 mutation confers a more aggressive phenotype to mesothelioma cells and may not be directly caused by asbestos exposure. The Hippo tumor-suppressive and mTOR prooncogenic signaling pathways are crucial cell-signaling cascades regulated by merlin. Although the exact role and timing of NF2 inactivation in mesothelioma cells remain to be elucidated, targeting the NF2/merlin-Hippo pathway may be a new therapeutic strategy for patients with mesothelioma.
Botanicals: A promising approach for controlling cecal coccidiosis in poultry
Authors: Saeed Zohaib , Alkheraije Khalid A.
Published: April 2023

Avian species have long struggled with the problem of coccidiosis, a disease that affects various parts of the intestine, including the anterior gut, midgut, and hindgut. Among different types of coccidiosis, cecal coccidiosis is particularly dangerous to avian species. Chickens and turkeys are commercial flocks; thus, their parasites have remained critical due to their economic importance. High rates of mortality and morbidity are observed in both chickens and turkeys due to cecal coccidiosis. Coccidiostats and coccidiocidal chemicals have traditionally been added to feed and water to control coccidiosis. However, after the EU banned their use because of issues of resistance and public health, alternative methods are being explored. Vaccines are also being used, but their efficacy and cost-effectiveness remain as challenges. Researchers are attempting to find alternatives, and among the alternatives, botanicals are a promising choice. Botanicals contain multiple active compounds such as phenolics, saponins, terpenes, sulfur compounds, etc., which can kill sporozoites and oocysts and stop the replication of Eimeria. These botanicals are primarily used as anticoccidials due to their antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities. Because of the medicinal properties of botanicals, some commercial products have also been developed. However, further research is needed to confirm their pharmacological effects, mechanisms of action, and methods of concentrated preparation. In this review, an attempt has been made to summarize the plants that have the potential to act as anticoccidials and to explain the mode of action of different compounds found within them.
Boosting the Learning for Ranking Patterns
Authors: Belmecheri Nassim , Aribi Noureddine , Lazaar Nadjib , Lebbah Yahia , Loudni Samir
Published: April 2023

Pattern mining is a valuable tool for exploratory data analysis, but identifying relevant patterns for a specific user is challenging. Various interestingness measures have been developed to evaluate patterns, but they may not efficiently estimate user-specific functions. Learning user-specific functions by ranking patterns has been proposed, but this requires significant time and training samples. In this paper, we present a solution that formulates the problem of learning pattern ranking functions as a multi-criteria decision-making problem. Our approach uses an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to elicit weights for different interestingness measures based on user preference. We also propose an active learning mode with a sensitivity-based heuristic to minimize user ranking queries while still providing high-quality results. Experiments show that our approach significantly reduces running time and returns precise pattern ranking while being robust to user mistakes, compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
SSMDA: Self-Supervised Cherry Maturity Detection Algorithm Based on Multi-Feature Contrastive Learning
Authors: Gai Rong-Li , Wei Kai , Wang Peng-Fei
Published: April 2023

Due to the high cost of annotating dense fruit images, annotated target images are limited in some ripeness detection applications, which significantly restricts the generalization ability of small object detection networks in complex environments. To address this issue, this study proposes a self-supervised cherry ripeness detection algorithm based on multi-feature contrastive learning, consisting of a multi-feature contrastive self-supervised module and an object detection module. The self-supervised module enhances features of unlabeled fruit images through random contrastive augmentation, reducing interference from complex backgrounds. The object detection module establishes a connection with the self-supervised module and designs a shallow feature fusion network based on the input target scale to improve the detection performance of small-sample fruits. Finally, extensive experiments were conducted on a self-made cherry dataset. The proposed algorithm showed improved generalization ability compared to supervised baseline algorithms, with better accuracy in terms of mAP, particularly in detecting distant small cherries.
Farmers’ Profitability through Online Sales of Organic Vegetables and Fruits during the COVID-19 Pandemic—An Empirical Study
Authors: Yogesh Sureshkumar Girija , Ravindran Deenadayalu Sudharani
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this research is to empirically identify the association of the IT literacy of farmers and their profitability through online sales of fresh organic fruits and vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology used in the research is quantitative in nature. A closed-end questionnaire has been used as a survey tool to collect data from Indian farmers. The farmers’ IT literacy and attitudes towards organic farming are independent variables, and the frequency of sales of products through online stores and farmers’ profitability are the dependent variables. The researcher has attempted to study how the outbreak of COVID-19 has moderated the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The sample size is 271 farmers who sell their products through online stores. The findings reveal that the farmers’ attitude towards organic farming and their IT literacy correlate with the profitability of online sales. Further, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has moderated the relationship between both the dependent and independent variables. This research will help the government in formulating policies for facilitating farmers to sell their produce through online modes. The study could be further extended by collecting data from farmers from different Asian countries and comparing the results with those of the present research findings.