bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Supplementation on Levels of Homovanillic and Vanillylmandelic Acids in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Gątarek Paulina , Kałużna-Czaplińska Joanna
Published: May 2022

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by numerous comorbidities, including various metabolic and nutritional abnormalities. In many children with ASD, problems with proper nutrition can often lead to inadequate nutrient intake and some disturbances in metabolic profiles, which subsequently correlate with impaired neurobehavioural function. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the relationship between supplementation, levels of homovanillic acid (HVA) and vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and the behaviour of children with ASD using quantitative urinary acid determination and questionnaires provided by parents/caregivers. The study was carried out on 129 children between 3 and 18 years of age. HVA and VMA were extracted and derivatized from urinary samples and simultaneously analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, parents/caregivers of children with ASD were asked to complete questionnaires containing information about their diet and intake/non-intake of supplements. The application of the Mann–Whitney U test showed a statistically significant difference between the level of HVA and vitamin B supplementation (p = 1.64 × 10−2) and also omega-6 fatty acids supplementation and the levels of HVA (p = 1.50 × 10−3) and VMA (p = 2.50 × 10−3). In some children, a reduction in the severity of autistic symptoms (better response to own name or better reaction to change) was also observed. These results suggest that supplementation affects the levels of HVA and VMA and might also affect the children’s behaviour. Further research on these metabolites and the effects of supplementation on their levels, as well as the effects on the behaviour and physical symptoms among children with ASD is needed.
Investigation on Capacitance Collapse Induced by Secondary Capture of Acceptor Traps in AlGaN/GaN Lateral Schottky Barrier Diode
Authors: Zhang Haitao , Kang Xuanwu , Zheng Yingkui , Wei Ke , Wu Hao , Liu Xinyu , Ye Tianchun , Jin Zhi
Published: May 2022

In this study, a dedicated dynamic measurement system was used to investigate the transient capacitance and recovery process of AlGaN/GaN lateral Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). With the consideration of acceptor traps in the C-doped buffer, the C-V characteristics and transient capacitance were measured and analyzed, and the results were simulated and explained by Silvaco TCAD (technology computer aided design). The ionization of acceptor traps and the change of electric potential were monitored in transient simulation to investigate the origin of the capacitance collapse in the SBD. The results suggest the significant impact of traps in the GaN buffer layer on the capacitance collapse of the device, and the secondary capture effect on the variation of acceptor ionization. Based on the study of transient capacitance of SBD, this work could be extended to the Miller capacitance in high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices. Moreover, the report on the stability of capacitance is essential for GaN devices, and could be further extended to other aspects of device research.
Editorial for the Special Issue “MEMS Packaging Technologies and 3D Integration”
Authors: Seok Seonho
Published: May 2022

As fabrication technologies advance, the packaging of MEMS device is being developed in two main directions: MEMS device packaging and MEMS or sensor system integration [...]
Refractive Index Sensor Based on a Metal-Insulator-Metal Bus Waveguide Coupled with a U-Shaped Ring Resonator
Authors: Zhang Xiaoyu , Yan Shubin , Liu Jilai , Ren Yifeng , Zhang Yi , Shen Lifang
Published: May 2022

In this study, a novel refractive index sensor structure was designed consisting of a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide with two rectangular baffles and a U-Shaped Ring Resonator (USRR). The finite element method was used to theoretically investigate the sensor’s transmission characteristics. The simulation results show that Fano resonance is a sharp asymmetric resonance generated by the interaction between the discrete narrow-band mode and the successive wide-band mode. Next, the formation of broadband and narrowband is further studied, and finally the key factors affecting the performance of the sensor are obtained. The best sensitivity of this refractive-index sensor is 2020 nm/RIU and the figure of merit (FOM) is 53.16. The presented sensor has the potential to be useful in nanophotonic sensing applications.
Exploring the Diversity and Antibacterial Potentiality of Cultivable Actinobacteria from the Soil of the Saxaul Forest in Southern Gobi Desert in Mongolia
Authors: Liu Shao-Wei , Jadambaa Norovsuren , Nikandrova Arina A. , Osterman Ilya A. , Sun Cheng-Hang
Published: May 2022

Saxaul (Haloxylon ammodendron) is the most widespread plant community in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, which plays important roles in wind control, sand fixation and water conservation. Investigations of soil-derived actinobacteria inhabiting in the saxaul forest in Gobi Desert in Mongolia have been scarce. In this study, biodiversity of culturable actinobacteria isolated from soil of the saxaul forest in Southern Gobi Aimak (Southern Gobi Province) of Mongolia was characterized and their potential to produce compounds with antibacterial activities was assessed. A total of 172 actinobacterial strains were recovered by culture-based approaches and were phylogenetically affiliated into 22 genera in 13 families of seven orders. Forty-nine actinobacterial isolates were selected to evaluate the antibacterial activities and their underlying mechanism of action was screened by means of a dual-fluorescent reporter assay (pDualrep2). Twenty-three isolates exhibited antagonistic activity against at least one of the tested pathogens, of which two Streptomyces strains can attenuate protein translation by ribosome stalling. Combinational strategies based on modern metabolomics, including bioassay-guided thin-layer chromatography (TLC), UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS based structural annotation and enhanced molecular networking successfully annotated chloramphenicol, althiomycin and granaticin and their derivatives as the antibacterial compounds from extracts in three Streptomyces strains, respectively. This work demonstrates that UPLC-MS/MS-based structural identification and enhanced molecular networking are effective strategies to rapidly illuminate the bioactive chemicals in the microbial extracts. Meanwhile, our results show that the saxaul forest in Mongolia Gobi Desert is a prospective source for discovering novel actinobacteria and biologically active compounds.
Fungi Can Be More Effective than Bacteria for the Bioremediation of Marine Sediments Highly Contaminated with Heavy Metals
Authors: Dell’Anno Filippo , Rastelli Eugenio , Buschi Emanuela , Barone Giulio , Beolchini Francesca , Dell’Anno Antonio
Published: May 2022

The contamination of coastal marine sediments with heavy metals (HMs) is a widespread phenomenon that requires effective remediation actions. Bioremediation based on the use of bacteria is an economically and environmentally sustainable effective strategy for reducing HM contamination and/or toxicity in marine sediments. However, information on the efficiency of marine-derived fungi for HM decontamination of marine sediments is still largely lacking, despite evidence of the performance of terrestrial fungal strains on other contaminated matrixes (e.g., soils, freshwater sediments, industrial wastes). Here, we carried out for the first time an array of parallel laboratory experiments by using different combinations of chemical and microbial amendments (including acidophilic autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria, as well as filamentous marine fungi) for the bioremediation of highly HM-contaminated sediments of the Portman Bay (NW Mediterranean Sea), an area largely affected by long-term historical discharges of mine tailings. Our results indicate that the bioleaching performance of metals from the sediment is based on the addition of fungi (Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma sp.), either alone or in combination with autotrophic bacteria, was higher when compared to other treatments. In particular, fungal addition allowed obtaining bioleaching yields for As eight times higher than those by chemical treatments and double compared with the addition of bacteria alone. Moreover, in our study, the fungal addition was the only treatment allowing effective bioleaching of otherwise not mobile fractions of Zn and Cd, thus overtaking bacterial treatments. We found that the lower the sediment pH reached by the experimental conditions, as in the case of fungal addition, the higher the solubilization yield of metals, suggesting that the specific metabolic features of A. niger and Trichoderma sp. enable lowering sediment pH and enhance HM bioleaching. Overall, our findings indicate that fungi can be more effective than acidophilic autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria in HM bioleaching, and as such, their use can represent a promising and efficient strategy for the bioremediation of marine sediments highly contaminated with heavy metals.
Biodegradation, Decolorization, and Detoxification of Di-Azo Dye Direct Red 81 by Halotolerant, Alkali-Thermo-Tolerant Bacterial Mixed Cultures
Authors: Kamal Islam M. , Abdeltawab Nourtan F. , Ragab Yasser M. , Farag Mohamed A. , Ramadan Mohammed A.
Published: May 2022

Azo dyes impact the environment and deserve attention due to their widespread use in textile and tanning industries and challenging degradation. The high temperature, pH, and salinity used in these industries render industrial effluent decolorization and detoxification a challenging process. An enrichment technique was employed to screen for cost-effective biodegraders of Direct Red 81 (DR81) as a model for diazo dye recalcitrant to degradation. Our results showed that three mixed bacterial cultures achieved ≥80% decolorization within 8 h of 40 mg/L dye in a minimal salt medium with 0.1% yeast extract (MSM-Y) and real wastewater. Moreover, these mixed cultures showed ≥70% decolorization within 24 h when challenged with dye up to 600 mg/L in real wastewater and tolerated temperatures up to 60 °C, pH 10, and 5% salinity in MSM-Y. Azoreductase was the main contributor to DR81 decolorization based on crude oxidative and reductive enzymatic activity of cell-free supernatants and was stable at a wide range of pH and temperatures. Molecular identification of azoreductase genes suggested multiple AzoR genes per mixed culture with a possible novel azoreductase gene. Metabolite analysis using hyphenated techniques suggested two reductive pathways for DR81 biodegradation involving symmetric and asymmetric azo-bond cleavage. The DR81 metabolites were non-toxic to Artemia salina nauplii and Lepidium sativum seeds. This study provided evidence for DR81 degradation using robust stress-tolerant mixed cultures with potential use in azo dye wastewater treatment.
Deep Subsurface Hypersaline Environment as a Source of Novel Species of Halophilic Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria
Authors: Nosalova Lea , Piknova Maria , Bonova Katarina , Pristas Peter
Published: May 2022

The sulfur cycle participates significantly in life evolution. Some facultatively autotrophic microorganisms are able to thrive in extreme environments with limited nutrient availability where they specialize in obtaining energy by oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds. In our experiments focused on the characterization of halophilic bacteria from a former salt mine in Solivar (Presov, Slovakia), a high diversity of cultivable bacteria was observed. Based on ARDRA (Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis), at least six groups of strains were identified with four of them showing similarity levels of 16S rRNA gene sequences lower than 98.5% when compared against the GenBank rRNA/ITS database. Heterotrophic sulfur oxidizers represented ~34% of strains and were dominated by Halomonas and Marinobacter genera. Autotrophic sulfur oxidizers represented ~66% and were dominated by Guyparkeria and Hydrogenovibrio genera. Overall, our results indicate that the spatially isolated hypersaline deep subsurface habitat in Solivar harbors novel and diverse extremophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria.
Biotechnological Approaches for Production of Artemisinin, an Anti-Malarial Drug from Artemisia annua L.
Authors: Al-Khayri Jameel M. , Sudheer Wudali N. , Lakshmaiah Vasantha V. , Mukherjee Epsita , Nizam Aatika , Thiruvengadam Muthu , Nagella Praveen , Alessa Fatima M. , Al-Mssallem Muneera Q. , Rezk Adel A. , Shehata Wael F. , Attimarad Mahesh
Published: May 2022

Artemisinin is an anti-malarial sesquiterpene lactone derived from Artemisia annua L. (Asteraceae family). One of the most widely used modes of treatment for malaria is an artemisinin-based combination therapy. Artemisinin and its associated compounds have a variety of pharmacological qualities that have helped achieve economic prominence in recent years. So far, research on the biosynthesis of this bioactive metabolite has revealed that it is produced in glandular trichomes and that the genes responsible for its production must be overexpressed in order to meet demand. Using biotechnological applications such as tissue culture, genetic engineering, and bioreactor-based approaches would aid in the upregulation of artemisinin yield, which is needed for the future. The current review focuses on the tissue culture aspects of propagation of A. annua and production of artemisinin from A. annua L. cell and organ cultures. The review also focuses on elicitation strategies in cell and organ cultures, as well as artemisinin biosynthesis and metabolic engineering of biosynthetic genes in Artemisia and plant model systems.
Accelerating AutoDock Vina with GPUs
Authors: Tang Shidi , Chen Ruiqi , Lin Mengru , Lin Qingde , Zhu Yanxiang , Ding Ji , Hu Haifeng , Ling Ming , Wu Jiansheng
Published: May 2022

AutoDock Vina is one of the most popular molecular docking tools. In the latest benchmark CASF-2016 for comparative assessment of scoring functions, AutoDock Vina won the best docking power among all the docking tools. Modern drug discovery is facing a common scenario of large virtual screening of drug hits from huge compound databases. Due to the seriality characteristic of the AutoDock Vina algorithm, there is no successful report on its parallel acceleration with GPUs. Current acceleration of AutoDock Vina typically relies on the stack of computing power as well as the allocation of resource and tasks, such as the VirtualFlow platform. The vast resource expenditure and the high access threshold of users will greatly limit the popularity of AutoDock Vina and the flexibility of its usage in modern drug discovery. In this work, we proposed a new method, Vina-GPU, for accelerating AutoDock Vina with GPUs, which is greatly needed for reducing the investment for large virtual screens and also for wider application in large-scale virtual screening on personal computers, station servers or cloud computing, etc. Our proposed method is based on a modified Monte Carlo using simulating annealing AI algorithm. It greatly raises the number of initial random conformations and reduces the search depth of each thread. Moreover, a classic optimizer named BFGS is adopted to optimize the ligand conformations during the docking progress, before a heterogeneous OpenCL implementation was developed to realize its parallel acceleration leveraging thousands of GPU cores. Large benchmark tests show that Vina-GPU reaches an average of 21-fold and a maximum of 50-fold docking acceleration against the original AutoDock Vina while ensuring their comparable docking accuracy, indicating its potential for pushing the popularization of AutoDock Vina in large virtual screens.
Carbon Nanomaterials for Therapy, Diagnosis and Biosensing
Authors: Mazzaglia Antonino , Piperno Anna
Published: May 2022

In carbon nanomaterial design, the fine-tuning of their functionalities and physicochemical properties has increased their potential for therapeutic, diagnostic and biosensing applications [...]
Three-Phase Mixed Titania Powder Modified by Silver and Silver Chloride with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under UV–Visible Light
Authors: Zhu Xiaodong , Qin Fengqiu , Xia Yangwen , Yang Daixiong , Feng Wei , Jiao Yu
Published: May 2022

Pure and Ag/AgCl-modified titania powders with anatase/rutile/brookite three-phase mixed structure were prepared by one-step hydrothermal method. The effects of Ag/Ti atomic percentages on the structure and photocatalytic performance of TiO2 were investigated. The results showed that pure TiO2 consisted of three phases, anatase, rutile, and brookite, and that Ag addition promoted the transformation from anatase to rutile. When the molar ratio of Ag/Ti reached 4%, the AgCl phase appeared. The addition of Ag had little effect on the optical absorption of TiO2; however, it did favor the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. The results of photocatalytic experiments showed that after Ag addition, the degradation degree of rhodamine B (RhB) was enhanced. When the molar ratio of Ag/Ti was 4%, Ag/AgCl-modified TiO2 exhibited the highest activity, and the first-order reaction rate constant was 1.67 times higher than that of pure TiO2.
In-Situ Imaging of a Light-Induced Modification Process in Organo-Silica Films via Time-Domain Brillouin Scattering
Authors: Sandeep Sathyan , Vishnevskiy Alexey S. , Raetz Samuel , Naumov Sergej , Seregin Dmitry S. , Husiev Artem , Vorotilov Konstantin A. , Gusev Vitalyi E. , Baklanov Mikhail R.
Published: May 2022

We applied time-domain Brillouin scattering (TDBS) for the characterization of porogen-based organosilicate glass (OGS) films deposited by spin-on-glass technology and cured under different conditions. Although the chemical composition and porosity measured by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) did not show significant differences between the films, remarkable differences between them were revealed by the temporal evolution of the Brillouin frequency (BF) shift of the probe light in the TDBS. The observed modification of the BF was a signature of the light-induced modification of the films in the process of the TDBS experiments. It correlated to the different amount of carbon residue in the samples, the use of ultraviolet (UV) femtosecond probe laser pulses in our optical setup, and their intensity. In fact, probe radiation with an optical wavelength of 356 nm appeared to be effective in removing carbon residue through single-photon absorption processes, while its two-photon absorption might have led to the breaking of Si-CH3 bonds in the OSG matrix. The quantum chemical calculations confirmed the latter possibility. This discovery demonstrates the possibility of local modifications of OSG films with a nanometric resolution via nonlinear optical processes, which could be important, among other applications, for the creation of active surface sites in the area-selective deposition of atomic layers.
Micro- and Nanofibrillated Cellulose from Annual Plant-Sourced Fibers: Comparison between Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Mechanical Refining
Authors: Aguado Roberto , Tarrés Quim , Pèlach Maria Àngels , Mutjé Pere , de la Fuente Elena , Sanchez-Salvador José L. , Negro Carlos , Delgado-Aguilar Marc
Published: May 2022

The current trends in micro-/nanofibers offer a new and unmissable chance for the recovery of cellulose from non-woody crops. This work assesses a technically feasible approach for the production of micro- and nanofibrillated cellulose (MNFC) from jute, sisal and hemp, involving refining and enzymatic hydrolysis as pretreatments. Regarding the latter, only slight enhancements of nanofibrillation, transparency and specific surface area were recorded when increasing the dose of endoglucanases from 80 to 240 mg/kg. This supports the idea that highly ordered cellulose structures near the fiber wall are resistant to hydrolysis and hinder the diffusion of glucanases. Mechanical MNFC displayed the highest aspect ratio, up to 228 for hemp. Increasing the number of homogenization cycles increased the apparent viscosity in most cases, up to 0.14 Pa·s at 100 s−1 (1 wt.% consistency). A shear-thinning behavior, more marked for MNFC from jute and sisal, was evidenced in all cases. We conclude that, since both the raw material and the pretreatment play a major role, the unique characteristics of non-woody MNFC, either mechanical or enzymatically pretreated (low dose), make it worth considering for large-scale processes.
Cyanine-Doped Nanofiber Mats for Laser Tissue Bonding
Authors: Ratto Fulvio , Magni Giada , Aluigi Annalisa , Giannelli Marta , Centi Sonia , Matteini Paolo , Oberhauser Werner , Pini Roberto , Rossi Francesca
Published: May 2022

In spite of an extensive body of academic initiatives and innovative products, the toolkit of wound dressing has always revolved around a few common concepts such as adhesive patches and stitches and their variants. Our work aims at an alternative solution for an immediate restitutio ad integrum of the mechanical functionality in cutaneous repairs. We describe the fabrication and the application of electrospun mats of bioactive nanofibers all made of biocompatible components such as a natural polysaccharide and a cyanine dye for use as laser-activatable plasters, resembling the ultrastructure of human dermis. In particular, we investigate their morphological features and mechanical moduli under conditions of physiological relevance, and we test their use to bind a frequent benchmark of connective tissue as rabbit tendon and a significant case of clinical relevance as human dermis. Altogether, our results point to the feasibility of a new material for wound dressing combining translational potential, strength close to human dermis, extensibility exceeding 15% and state-of-art adhesive properties.
Timing of Graves’ Hyperthyroidism Management in Pregnant Women: Impact on the Infant Thyroid Volume
Authors: Mikołajczak Aleksandra , Bokiniec Renata
Published: May 2022

The thyroid of the fetus of a mother with Graves’ disease (GD) is affected by the transplacental passage of both antithyroid drugs (ATDs) and thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TRAb). Thyroid hormone imbalances are harmful for the developing brain. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the duration of antithyroid drug treatment in hyperthyroid pregnant women with GD on infants’ thyroid volume. Twenty-nine neonates born to mothers with GD were divided into two groups depending on the duration of ATDs treatment. The ultrasound thyroid volumes of the infants were measured within the first week of life. Thyroid-stimulating hormone, thyroxine, and TRAb values were recorded. There was no difference between groups in the thyroid hormones’ values. The median thyroid volume for the entire group of neonates with mothers with GD, for the groups of neonates of mothers with long- and short-treated GD, and for the control group were 1.539, 1.816, 1.347 and 1.014 mL, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the thyroid volume between the GD group and the control group, as well as between the groups of neonates of mothers with long- and short-treated GD (p < 0.05). Studies have shown that the longer the duration of ATDs administration to mothers, the greater the thyroid volume of the neonate.
RNA-Seq Analysis of Protection against Chronic Alcohol Liver Injury by Rosa roxburghii Fruit Juice (Cili) in Mice
Authors: Yang Shan , Huang Xian-Yu , Zhou Nian , Wu Qin , Liu Jie , Shi Jing-Shan
Published: May 2022

Rosa roxburghii Tratt. fruit juice (Cili) is used as a medicinal and edible resource in China due to its antioxidant and hypolipidemic potentials. The efficacy of Cili in protecting alcohol-induced liver injury and its underlying mechanism was investigated. C57BL/6J mice received a Lieber-DeCarli liquid diet containing alcohol to produce liver injury. After the mice were adapted gradually to 5% alcohol, Cili (4 mL and 8 mL/kg/day for 4 weeks) were gavaged for treatment. The serum enzyme activities, triglyceride levels, histopathology and Oil-red O staining were examined. The RNA-Seq and qPCR analyses were performed to determine the protection mechanisms. Cili decreased serum and liver triglyceride levels in mice receiving alcohol. Hepatocyte degeneration and steatosis were improved by Cili. The RNA-Seq analyses showed Cili brought the alcohol-induced aberrant gene pattern towards normal. The qPCR analysis verified that over-activation of CAR and PXR (Cyp2a4, Cyp2b10 and Abcc4) was attenuated by Cili. Cili alleviated overexpression of oxidative stress responsive genes (Hmox1, Gsta1, Gstm3, Nqo1, Gclc, Vldlr, and Cdkn1a), and rescued alcohol-downregulated metabolism genes (Angptl8, Slc10a2, Ces3b, Serpina12, C6, and Selenbp2). Overall, Cili was effective against chronic alcohol liver injury, and the mechanisms were associated with decreased oxidative stress, improved lipid metabolism through modulating nuclear receptor CAR-, PXR-and Nrf2-mediated pathways.
The Pre-Analytical CEN/TS Standard for Microbiome Diagnostics—How Can Research and Development Benefit?
Authors: Stumptner Conny , Stadlbauer Vanessa , O’Neil Dominic , Gessner André , Hiergeist Andreas , Zatloukal Kurt , Abuja Peter M.
Published: May 2022

Recently, CEN/TS 17626:2021, the European pre-analytical standard for human specimens intended for microbiome DNA analysis, was published. Although this standard relates to diagnostic procedures for microbiome analysis and is relevant for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturers and diagnostic laboratories, it also has implications for research and development (R&D). We present here why standards are needed in biomedical research, what pre-analytical standards can accomplish, and which elements of the pre-analytical workflow they cover. The benefits of standardization for the generation of FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) data and to support innovation are briefly discussed.
Intestinal Microbiota-Derived Short Chain Fatty Acids in Host Health and Disease
Authors: Cong Jing , Zhou Ping , Zhang Ruiyan
Published: May 2022

Intestinal microbiota has its role as an important component of human physiology. It produces metabolites that module key functions to establish a symbiotic crosstalk with their host. Among them, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), produced by intestinal bacteria during the fermentation of partially and non-digestible polysaccharides, play key roles in regulating colon physiology and changing intestinal environment. Recent research has found that SCFAs not only influence the signal transduction pathway in the gut, but they also reach tissues and organs outside of the gut, through their circulation in the blood. Growing evidence highlights the importance of SCFAs level in influencing health maintenance and disease development. SCFAs are probably involved in the management of host health in a complicated (positive or negative) way. Here, we review the current understanding of SCFAs effects on host physiology and discuss the potential prevention and therapeutics of SCFAs in a variety of disorders. It provides a systematic theoretical basis for the study of mechanisms and precise intake level of SCFAs to promote human health.
Associations between Frequency of Culinary Herb Use and Gut Microbiota
Authors: Vita Alexandra Adorno , McClure Ryan , Farris Yuliya , Danczak Robert , Gundersen Anders , Zwickey Heather , Bradley Ryan
Published: May 2022

While evidence suggests that culinary herbs have the potential to modulate gut microbiota, much of the current research investigating the interactions between diet and the human gut microbiome either largely excludes culinary herbs or does not assess use in standard culinary settings. As such, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate how the frequency of culinary herb use is related to microbiome diversity and the abundance of certain taxa, measured at the phylum level. In this secondary data analysis of the INCLD Health cohort, we examined survey responses assessing frequency of culinary herb use and microbiome analysis of collected stool samples. We did not observe any associations between frequency of culinary herb use and Shannon Index, a measure of alpha diversity. Regarding the abundance of certain taxa, the frequency of use of polyphenol-rich herbs and herbs with certain quantities of antibacterial compounds was positively associated with Firmicutes abundance, and negatively associated with Proteobacteria abundance. Additionally, the total number of herbs used with high frequency, defined as over three times per week, was also positively associated with Firmicutes abundance, independent of adjustments, and negatively associated with Proteobacteria abundance, after adjusting for dietary factors. Frequency of culinary herb use was not associated with Bacteroidota or Actinobacteria abundance.
n-3 PUFA Improve Emotion and Cognition during Menopause: A Systematic Review
Authors: Decandia Davide , Landolfo Eugenia , Sacchetti Stefano , Gelfo Francesca , Petrosini Laura , Cutuli Debora
Published: May 2022

Women show an increased risk of cognitive impairment and emotional disorders, such as anxiety and depression, when approaching menopause. Data on risk and protection factors have yielded robust evidence on the effects of lifestyle factors, such as diet, in preserving emotional and cognitive functioning. This review focused on the effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) on anxiety, depression, and cognition during the menopausal transition. This systematic review considered all articles published until 31 December 2021, and the search was performed on two databases, PubMed and Scopus. The fields of interest were “menopause”, “n-3 PUFA” and “emotional and cognitive aspects”. Out of the 361 articles found on PubMed and 283 on Scopus, 17 met inclusion criteria. They encompassed 11 human and 6 animal studies. Most studies reported relieved depressive symptoms in relation to n-3 PUFA intake. While controversial results were found on anxiety and cognition in humans, n-3 PUFA consistently reduced anxiety symptoms and improved cognition in animal studies. Taken together, n-3 PUFA intake shows beneficial effects on emotional and cognitive behaviours during menopause transition. However, further investigations could increase knowledge about the effectiveness of n-3 PUFA on psychological well-being in this delicate period of feminine life.
Dried Ginger Extract Restores the T Helper Type 1/T Helper Type 2 Balance and Antibody Production in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Immunocompromised Mice after Flu Vaccination
Authors: Kim Jihyun , Lee Hoyoung , You Sooseong
Published: May 2022

Dried ginger (Zingiberis Processum Rhizoma (ZR)) is frequently used to prevent or treat common cold and flu. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ZR extracts on influenza-specific antibody production in cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced immunocompromised mice. Female BALB/c mice were injected three times with saline or Cy. To investigate the effect of ZR, either distilled water or ZR was administered orally to mice daily for 10 days after Cy injection. After ZR administration, the mice were immunized with the 2017/2018 influenza vaccine. Pretreatment with ZR extracts enhanced influenza-specific antibody production in Cy-induced immunocompromised mice after flu vaccination and restored the influenza antigen-specific T helper (Th) type 1/Th2 balance to the normal state. Further, ZR suppressed the eosinophil enrichment caused by Cy injection in the spleen. We demonstrated that ZR can be used to increase antibody production in immunocompromised individuals before vaccination.
Nutraceuticals/Drugs Promoting Mitophagy and Mitochondrial Biogenesis May Combat the Mitochondrial Dysfunction Driving Progression of Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Authors: Lewis Luján Lidianys María , McCarty Mark F. , Di Nicolantonio James J. , Gálvez Ruiz Juan Carlos , Rosas-Burgos Ema Carina , Plascencia-Jatomea Maribel , Iloki Assanga Simon Bernard
Published: May 2022

In patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the crucial retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are characterized by mitochondria that are structurally and functionally defective. Moreover, deficient expression of the mRNA-editing enzyme Dicer is noted specifically in these cells. This Dicer deficit up-regulates expression of Alu RNA, which in turn damages mitochondria—inducing the loss of membrane potential, boosting oxidant generation, and causing mitochondrial DNA to translocate to the cytoplasmic region. The cytoplasmic mtDNA, in conjunction with induced oxidative stress, triggers a non-canonical pathway of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to the production of interleukin-18 that acts in an autocrine manner to induce apoptotic death of RPE cells, thereby driving progression of dry AMD. It is proposed that measures which jointly up-regulate mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis (MB), by replacing damaged mitochondria with “healthy” new ones, may lessen the adverse impact of Alu RNA on RPE cells, enabling the prevention or control of dry AMD. An analysis of the molecular biology underlying mitophagy/MB and inflammasome activation suggests that nutraceuticals or drugs that can activate Sirt1, AMPK, Nrf2, and PPARα may be useful in this regard. These include ferulic acid, melatonin urolithin A and glucosamine (Sirt1), metformin and berberine (AMPK), lipoic acid and broccoli sprout extract (Nrf2), and fibrate drugs and astaxanthin (PPARα). Hence, nutraceutical regimens providing physiologically meaningful doses of several or all of the: ferulic acid, melatonin, glucosamine, berberine, lipoic acid, and astaxanthin, may have potential for control of dry AMD.
The Novel Scaling of Tsallis Parameters from the Transverse Momentum Spectra of Charged Particles in Heavy-Ion Collisions
Authors: Tao Junqi , Wu Weihao , Wang Meng , Zheng Hua , Zhang Wenchao , Zhu Lilin , Bonasera Aldo
Published: May 2022

The transverse momentum (pT) spectra of charged particles measured in Au + Au collisions from the beam energy scan (BES) program, Cu + Cu collisions at sNN=62.4, 200 GeV at the RHIC and Pb + Pb, Xe + Xe collisions at the LHC are investigated in the framework of Tsallis thermodynamics. The theory can describe the experimental data well for all the collision systems, energies and centralities investigated. The collision energy and centrality dependence of the Tsallis distribution parameters, i.e., the temperature T and the nonextensive parameter q, for the A + A collisions are also studied and discussed. A novel scaling between the temperature divided by the natural logarithm of collision energy (T/lns) and the nonextensive parameter q is presented.
Pancreatic Stone Protein as a Biomarker for Sepsis at the Emergency Department of a Large Tertiary Hospital
Authors: de Hond Titus A. P. , Oosterheert Jan Jelrik , van Hemert-Glaubitz Susan J. M. , Musson Ruben E. A. , Kaasjager Karin A. H.
Published: May 2022

Early recognition of sepsis is essential for improving outcomes and preventing complications such as organ failure, depression, and neurocognitive impairment. The emergency department (ED) plays a key role in the early identification of sepsis, but clinicians lack diagnostic tools. Potentially, biomarkers could be helpful in assisting clinicians in the ED, but no marker has yet been successfully implemented in daily practice with good clinical performance. Pancreatic stone protein (PSP) is a promising biomarker in the context of sepsis, but little is known about the diagnostic performance of PSP in the ED. We prospectively investigated the diagnostic value of PSP in such a population for patients suspected of infection. PSP was compared with currently used biomarkers, including white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Of the 156 patients included in this study, 74 (47.4%) were diagnosed with uncomplicated infection and 26 (16.7%) patients with sepsis, while 56 (35.9%) eventually had no infection. PSP was significantly higher for sepsis patients compared to patients with no sepsis. In multivariate regression, PSP was a significant predictor for sepsis, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.69. Positive and negative predictive values for this model were 100% and 84.4%, respectively. Altogether, these findings show that PSP, measured at the ED of a tertiary hospital, is associated with sepsis but lacks the diagnostic performance to be used as single marker.
What Do Antibody Studies Tell Us about Viral Infections?
Authors: Ilinykh Philipp A. , Huang Kai
Published: May 2022

Humoral immunity is an important body defense system against virus infection and is correlated to patient health status [...]
Convalescent Plasma Therapy, Therapeutic Formulations of Repurposed Drugs in 20th Century Epidemics against COVID-19: A Systematic Review
Authors: Fernández-Lázaro Diego , Ortega Carlos Domínguez , Sánchez-Serrano Nerea , Beddar Chaib Fahd , Jerves Donoso David , Jiménez-Callejo Elena , Rodríguez-García Saray
Published: May 2022

Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) represents one of the largest pandemics the world has faced, and it is producing a global health crisis. To date, the availability of drugs to treat COVID-19 infections remains limited to supportive care although therapeutic options are being explored. Some of them are old strategies for treating infectious diseases. convalescent plasma (CP) therapy has been used successfully in other viral outbreaks in the 20th century. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effect and safety of CP therapy on hospitalized COVID-19 patients. A structured search was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines using Medline (PubMed), SciELO, Cochrane Library Plus, Web of Science, and Scopus. The search included articles published up to January 2022 and was restricted to English- and Spanish-language publications. As such, investigators identified six randomized controlled trials that met the search criteria. The results determined that in hospitalized COVID-19 patients the administration of CP therapy with a volume between 200–500 mL and a single transfusion performed in 1–2 h, compared to the control group, decreased viral load, symptomatology, the period of infection, and mortality, without serious adverse effects. CP did influence clinical outcomes and may be a possible treatment option, although further studies will be necessary.
Antibiotics-Free Compounds for Chronic Wound Healing
Authors: Oluwole David O. , Coleman Lucy , Buchanan William , Chen Tao , La Ragione Roberto M. , Liu Lian X.
Published: May 2022

The rapid rise in the health burden associated with chronic wounds is of great concern to policymakers, academia, and industry. This could be attributed to the devastating implications of this condition, and specifically, chronic wounds which have been linked to invasive microbial infections affecting patients’ quality of life. Unfortunately, antibiotics are not always helpful due to their poor penetration of bacterial biofilms and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Hence, there is an urgent need to explore antibiotics-free compounds/formulations with proven or potential antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and wound healing efficacy. The mechanism of antibiotics-free compounds is thought to include the disruption of the bacteria cell structure, preventing cell division, membrane porins, motility, and the formation of a biofilm. Furthermore, some of these compounds foster tissue regeneration by modulating growth factor expression. In this review article, the focus is placed on a number of non-antibiotic compounds possessing some of the aforementioned pharmacological and physiological activities. Specific interest is given to Aloevera, curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, polyhexanide, retinoids, ascorbate, tocochromanols, and chitosan. These compounds (when alone or in formulation with other biologically active molecules) could be a dependable alternative in the management or prevention of chronic wounds.
Application of Machine Learning Classification to Improve the Performance of Vancomycin Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Authors: Lee Sooyoung , Song Moonsik , Han Jongdae , Lee Donghwan , Kim Bo-Hyung
Published: May 2022

Bayesian therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) software uses a reported pharmacokinetic (PK) model as prior information. Since its estimation is based on the Bayesian method, the estimation performance of TDM software can be improved using a PK model with characteristics similar to those of a patient. Therefore, we aimed to develop a classifier using machine learning (ML) to select a more suitable vancomycin PK model for TDM in a patient. In our study, nine vancomycin PK studies were selected, and a classifier was created to choose suitable models among them for patients. The classifier was trained using 900,000 virtual patients, and its performance was evaluated using 9000 and 4000 virtual patients for internal and external validation, respectively. The accuracy of the classifier ranged from 20.8% to 71.6% in the simulation scenarios. TDM using the ML classifier showed stable results compared with that using single models without the ML classifier. Based on these results, we have discussed further development of TDM using ML. In conclusion, we developed and evaluated a new method for selecting a PK model for TDM using ML. With more information, such as on additional PK model reporting and ML model improvement, this method can be further enhanced.
Research of Gate-Tunable Phase Modulation Metasurfaces Based on Epsilon-Near-Zero Property of Indium-Tin-Oxide
Authors: Li Xin , Cheng Qiufan , Guo Shiliang , Li Zhiquan
Published: May 2022

In this paper, we proposed a reflection phase electrically tunable metasurface composed of an Au/Al2O3/ITO/Au grating structure. This antenna array can achieve a broad phase shift continuously and smoothly from 0° to 320° with a 5.85 V applied voltage bias. Tunability arises from field-effect modulation of the carrier concentrations or accumulation layer at the Al2O3/ITO interface, which excites electric and magnetic resonances in the epsilon-near-zero region. To make the reflected phase tuning range as wide as possible, some of the intensity of the reflected light is lost due to the excited surface plasmon effect. Simulation results show that the effect of optimal phase modulation can be realized at a wavelength range of 1550 nm by modulating the carrier concentration in our work. Additionally, we utilized an identical 13-unit array metasurface to demonstrate its application to the beam steering function. This active optical metasurface can enable a new realm of applications in ultrathin integrated photonic circuits.
Thermal Stability Analysis of Surface Wave Assisted Bio-Photonic Sensor
Authors: Goyal Amit Kumar , Kumar Ajay , Massoud Yehia
Published: May 2022

In this paper, the thermal stability of a Bloch Surface Wave (BSW) assisted bio-photonic sensor is investigated. The structural analysis is carried out using the transfer matrix method (TMM). The design comprises a truncated one-dimensional photonic crystal (1D-PhC) structure along with a defective top layer. The structural parameters are optimized to excite a BSW at the top interface for an operating wavelength of 632.8 nm. The mode confinement is confirmed by using wavelength interrogation, angular interrogation and surface electric field profile. Further, the effect of thermal variation on BSW excitation angle and sensitivity is carried out. The analysis shows the average variations in excitation angle and sensitivity of about −0.00096 degree/°C and 0.01046 (degree/RIU)/°C, respectively. Additionally, the analysis is also extended towards different lower wavelengths of 400 nm and 550 nm, which provides average variations in the excitation angles of about −0.0027 degree/°C, and 0.0016 degree/°C. This shows that the structural sensitivity response is more thermally stable at the lower wavelength range. Thus, showing its potential applications in designing thermally stable bio-photonic sensors.
Mitigating Vortex Splitting by Controlling the Wavefront Isophase Line Curvature of Vector Autofocusing Airy Vortex Beams in Free Space
Authors: Yan Xu , Liang Shuang , Li Jia , Guo Lixin
Published: May 2022

The match between the orbital angular momentum (OAM) transmission and receipt is a prerequisite for vortex beams as a carrier of the wireless optical communication system in free space. However, the vortex splitting induced by atmospheric turbulence results in an offset in the average OAM measured after propagating over the free space optical communication link. Therefore, how to reduce the vortex splitting effect to improve the stability of orbital angular momentum propagation is studied in this paper. First, a new parameter (m) is introduced to modulate the radial distribution of the polarization state of the autofocusing Airy vortex beams (AAVBs). Second, to control the optical field distribution in focal plane, the wavefront isophase line curvature of the AAVBs is reconstructed by using the Pancharatnam-Berry phase generated in the polarization conversion process. Finally, by comparing the vortex splitting rates of the AAVBs with different wavefrontisophase line curvatures under different turbulence environments, it can be found that the vortex splitting in free space can be effectively mitigated by choosing an appropriate wavefront isophase line curvature. In addition, the mitigation effect is more obvious in the atmosphere with stronger turbulence. This study provides a new feasible method to control the phase structure of vortex beams and promises potential applications in the OAM-based free space optical communication system.
Spatial Three-Mirror Off-Axis Freeform Optical System without Any Symmetry
Authors: Tan Yilin , Zhu Jun
Published: May 2022

In this manuscript, we have launched a study on the completely nonsymmetric freeform optical system with neither rotational symmetry nor planar symmetry. An off-axis three-mirror freeform optical system with nonsymmetric geometry is proposed and a direct design method is developed for the nonsymmetric freeform optical system. The design field points are sampled across the full FOV to control the imaging quality and object–image relationship. In this system, the center of the image plane is greatly away from the plane determined by the centers of the three mirrors. This nonsymmetric system with F/1.3, a focal length of 50 mm, and an 8° × 6° field of view can achieve imaging quality close to the diffraction limit. This work provides a feasible nonsymmetric system design idea for the optical community.
SIR-Solution for Slowly Time-Dependent Ratio between Recovery and Infection Rates
Authors: Kröger Martin , Schlickeiser Reinhard
Published: May 2022

The temporal evolution of pandemics described by the susceptible-infectious-recovered (SIR)-compartment model is sensitively determined by the time dependence of the infection (a(t)) and recovery (μ(t)) rates regulating the transitions from the susceptible to the infected and from the infected to the recovered compartment, respectively. Here, approximated SIR solutions for different time dependencies of the infection and recovery rates are derived which are based on the adiabatic approximation assuming time-dependent ratios, k(t)=μ(t)/a(t), varying slowly in comparison with the typical time characteristics of the pandemic wave. For such slow variations, the available analytical approximations from the KSSIR-model, developed by us and valid for a stationary value of the ratio k, are used to insert a posteriori the adopted time-dependent ratio of the two rates. Instead of investigating endless different combinations of the time dependencies of the two rates a(t) and μ(t), a suitably parameterized reduced time, τ, dependence of the ratio k(τ) is adopted. Together with the definition of the reduced time, this parameterized ratio k(τ) allows us to cover a great variety of different time dependencies of the infection and recovery rates. The agreement between the solutions from the adiabatic approximation in its four different studied variants and the exact numerical solutions of the SIR-equations is tolerable providing confidence in the accuracy of the proposed adiabatic approximation.