bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cardiac radiation exposure and incident cancer: challenges and opportunities
Authors: Picano Eugenio , Vano Eliseo , Gale Robert P , Serruys Patrick
Published: October 2024

The use of radiological procedures has enormously advanced cardiology. People with heart disease are exposed to ionizing radiation. Exposure to ionizing radiation increases lifetime cancer risk with a dose-proportional hazard according to the linear no-threshold model adopted for radioprotection purposes. In the USA, the average citizen accumulates a median annual medical radiation exposure of 2.29 millisievert per year per capita as of the radiologic year 2016, corresponding to the dose exposure of 115 chest X-rays. Cardiology studies often involve high exposures per procedure accounting for ∼30–50% of cumulative medical radiation exposures. Malignancy is more incident in the most radiosensitive organs receiving the largest organ dose from cardiac interventions and cardiovascular imaging testing, such as the lung, bone marrow, and female breast. The latency period between radiation exposure and cancer is thought to be at least 2 years for leukaemia and 5 years for all solid cancers, and differences are more likely to emerge in cardiology studies with longer follow-up and inclusion of non-cardiovascular endpoints such as cancer incidence. In cardiological studies, excess cancers are observed 3–12 years following exposure, with longer follow-up times showing greater differences in cancer incidence. The presumed associated excess cancer risk needs greater study. These exposures provide a unique opportunity to expand our knowledge of the relationship between exposure to ionizing radiation and cancer risk. Future trials comparing interventional fluoroscopy vs. optimal medical therapy or open surgery should include a cancer incidence endpoint.
Treatment of oesophageal perforation with through-the-scope clips post-high-power short-duration atrial fibrillation ablation: case report
Authors: Zimmeck Henriette , Deneke Thomas , Halm Ulrich , Zachäus Markus , Nedios Sotirios
Published: October 2024

Background

Atrio-oesophageal fistula following percutaneous catheter ablation is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. This case report highlights the advantages of a less invasive treatment for covered oesophageal perforation.

Case summary

A 66-year-old male patient underwent catheter ablation with high-power short-duration radiofrequency for symptomatic (EHRA III, tachy-cardiomyopathy) persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Post-procedural routine endoscopic examination revealed a thermal oesophageal lesion. Progression of the lesions in early follow-up examinations led to a CT scan that showed a covered perforation. Antibiotic coverage and parenteral nutrition were initiated. The patient was transferred to a multidisciplinary centre for evaluation of invasive treatments. Endoscopically, the lesions were slowly progressing, while retaining their endoluminal borders. Application of five through-the-scope clips resulted in temporary shielding that was replaced with two further clips 3 days later. This allowed for internal oesophageal healing and prevention of mediastinal infections. Due to recurrence of the AF, a repeat ablation with pulsed field was performed. Follow-up endoscopic examination after one year revealed no relevant lesions. Sinus rhythm and slight odynophagia persisted.

Discussion

This case underlines the importance of less invasive treatments for oesophageal lesions after catheter ablation, where endoluminal borders are preserved and approximation of the wound-margins allows for tissue repair. Although, this kind of treatment requires timely and thorough investigations as endoscopy and CT scan to exclude (peri-)cardiac involvement.
Case report: a non-invasive approach to diagnosis and management of pericardial haemangioma
Authors: Adomat Franziska , Steffen Dominik A , Suter-Magpantay Laurene , Linka André , Weber Lucas
Published: October 2024

Background

Pericardial haemangiomas represent a very rare subset of benign cardiac tumour in an unusual location, posing a diagnostic and clinical challenge. Historically, the definitive diagnosis was achieved through surgical resection or at biopsy. In recent years, multi-parametric cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven to offer a non-invasive, biopsy-like approach to tumour characterization.

Case summary

In our case, multimodality imaging was used to characterize a pericardial mass as a haemangioma discovered coincidentally with a brain glioma. Diagnostic certainty was substantially improved through utilization of successive post-contrast bright-blood imaging at cardiac MRI, demonstrating a characteristic enhancement pattern of haemangiomas in direct comparison to the blood pool. Conservative management and mid-term follow-up showed an uneventful clinical course and partial regression of the presumed pericardial haemangioma.

Discussion

In the presence of typical features and application of individually tailored protocols, multimodality imaging can characterize cardiac tumours and guide patient management so that more invasive measures may be avoided. In our case of a suspected pericardial haemangioma, a conservative strategy was adopted with clinically uneventful course over a 2-year period. Whether this strategy can be applied to other patients with this rare tumour remains unclear, but the case report provides important information about the natural history of this entity and tissue characterization by cardiac MRI.
Habitat specificity modulates the bacterial biogeographic patterns in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Delleuze Mélanie , Schwob Guillaume , Orlando Julieta , Gerard Karin , Saucède Thomas , Brickle Paul , Poulin Elie , Cabrol Léa
Published: October 2024

Conceptual biogeographic frameworks have proposed that the relative contribution of environmental and geographical factors on microbial distribution depends on several characteristics of the habitat (e.g. environmental heterogeneity, species diversity, and proportion of specialist/generalist taxa), all of them defining the degree of habitat specificity, but few experimental demonstrations exist. Here, we aimed to determine the effect of habitat specificity on bacterial biogeographic patterns and assembly processes in benthic coastal ecosystems of the Southern Ocean (Patagonia, Falkland/Malvinas, Kerguelen, South Georgia, and King George Islands), using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. The gradient of habitat specificity resulted from a ‘natural experimental design’ provided by the Abatus sea urchin model, from the sediment (least specific habitat) to the intestinal tissue (most specific habitat). The phylogenetic composition of the bacterial communities showed a clear differentiation by site, driven by a similar contribution of geographic and environmental distances. However, the strength of this biogeographic pattern decreased with increasing habitat specificity: sediment communities showed stronger geographic and environmental divergence compared to gut tissue. The proportion of stochastic and deterministic processes contributing to bacterial assembly varied according to the geographic scale and the habitat specificity level. For instance, an increased contribution of dispersal limitation was observed in gut tissue habitat. Our results underscore the importance of considering different habitats with contrasting levels of specificity to better understand bacterial biogeography and assembly processes over oceanographic scales.
The superior growth of Kluyveromyces marxianus at very low potassium concentrations is enabled by the high-affinity potassium transporter Hak1
Authors: Papouskova Klara , Akinola Joel , Ruiz-Castilla Francisco J , Morrissey John P , Ramos Jose , Sychrova Hana
Published: October 2024

The non-conventional yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus has recently emerged as a promising candidate for many food, environment, and biotechnology applications. This yeast is thermotolerant and has robust growth under many adverse conditions. Here, we show that its ability to grow under potassium-limiting conditions is much better than that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, suggesting a very efficient and high-affinity potassium uptake system(s) in this species. The K. marxianus genome contains two genes for putative potassium transporters: KmHAK1 and KmTRK1. To characterize the products of the two genes, we constructed single and double knock-out mutants in K. marxianus and also expressed both genes in an S. cerevisiae mutant, that lacks potassium importers. Our results in K. marxianus and S. cerevisiae revealed that both genes encode efficient high-affinity potassium transporters, contributing to potassium homeostasis and maintaining plasma-membrane potential and cytosolic pH. In K. marxianus, the presence of HAK1 supports growth at low K+ much better than that of TRK1, probably because the substrate affinity of KmHak1 is about 10-fold higher than that of KmTrk1, and its expression is induced ~80-fold upon potassium starvation. KmHak1 is crucial for salt stress survival in both K. marxianus and S. cerevisiae. In co-expression experiments with ScTrk1 and ScTrk2, its robustness contributes to an increased tolerance of S. cerevisiae cells to sodium and lithium salt stress.
Interest, Need, or Reputation? Determinants of Qatar's Foreign Aid
Authors: Aras Bulent , Fazlioglu Burcu , Ansari Majed Al
Published: October 2024

The literature on the motivations behind emerging donors’ foreign aid contributions—with the exception of larger countries such as China, India, Brazil and Turkey—lacks original data and empirical analyses. This article addresses this gap by providing a novel, detailed dataset of the foreign aid allocations of one resilient, relatively small emerging donor, Qatar, for the period from 2014 to 2021. The contents of our database, which we dub Qatar Aid Database, encapsulate the features of Qatar's international aid. To illustrate our dataset's efficacy, we investigate whether Qatar's foreign aid operations aim to satisfy donor interests, recipient needs, or something else. Our empirical findings affirm that although Qatar's aid allocation decisions prioritize recipient needs, its aid provision depends more on Qatar's foreign policy interests in the targeted countries.
Retinoblastoma protein activity revealed by CRISPRi study of divergent Rbf1 and Rbf2 paralogs
Authors: Raicu Ana-Maria , Castanheira Patricia , Arnosti David N
Published: October 2024

Retinoblastoma tumor suppressor proteins (Rb) are highly conserved metazoan transcriptional corepressors involved in regulating the expression of thousands of genes. The vertebrate lineage and the Drosophila genus independently experienced an Rb gene duplication event, leading to the expression of several Rb paralogs whose unique and redundant roles in gene regulation remain to be fully explored. Here, we used a novel CRISPRi system in Drosophila to identify the significance of paralogy in the Rb family. We engineered dCas9 fusions to the fly Rbf1 and Rbf2 paralogs and deployed them to gene promoters in vivo, studying them in their native chromatin context. By directly querying the in vivo response of dozens of genes to Rbf1 and Rbf2 targeting, using both transcriptional as well as sensitive developmental readouts, we find that Rb paralogs function as “soft repressors” and have highly context-specific activities. Our comparison of targeting endogenous genes to reporter genes in cell culture identified striking differences in activity, underlining the importance of using CRISPRi effectors in a physiologically relevant context to identify paralog-specific activities. Our study uncovers the complexity of Rb-mediated transcriptional regulation in a living organism, and serves as a stepping stone for future CRISPRi development in Drosophila.
Chromosome-scale genome of the polyphagous pest Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) provides insights on sex chromosome evolution in Anastrepha
Authors: Congrains Carlos , Sim Sheina B , Paulo Daniel F , Corpuz Renee L , Kauwe Angela N , Simmonds Tyler J , Simpson Sheron A , Scheffler Brian E , Geib Scott M
Published: October 2024

The Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens, is a polyphagous true fruit fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) considered 1 of the most serious insect pests in Central and North America to various economically relevant fruits. Despite its agricultural relevance, a high-quality genome assembly has not been reported. Here, we described the generation of a chromosome-level genome for the A. ludens using a combination of PacBio high fidelity long-reads and chromatin conformation capture sequencing data. The final assembly consisted of 140 scaffolds (821 Mb, N50 = 131 Mb), containing 99.27% complete conserved orthologs (BUSCO) for Diptera. We identified the sex chromosomes using 3 strategies: (1) visual inspection of Hi-C contact map and coverage analysis using the HiFi reads, (2) synteny with Drosophila melanogaster, and (3) the difference in the average read depth of autosomal vs sex chromosomal scaffolds. The X chromosome was found in 1 major scaffold (100 Mb) and 8 smaller contigs (1.8 Mb), and the Y chromosome was recovered in 1 large scaffold (6.1 Mb) and 35 smaller contigs (4.3 Mb). Sex chromosomes and autosomes showed considerable differences of transposable elements and gene content. Moreover, evolutionary rates of orthologs of A. ludens and Anastrepha obliqua revealed a faster evolution of X-linked, compared with autosome-linked, genes, consistent with the faster-X effect, leading us to new insights on the evolution of sex chromosomes in this diverse group of flies. This genome assembly provides a valuable resource for future evolutionary, genetic, and genomic translational research supporting the management of this important agricultural pest.
Health in the age of asset manager capitalism
Authors: Wood Benjamin , McLean Andrew , Sacks Gary
Published: October 2024

A relatively small number of for-profit asset managers—financial intermediaries that invest capital on behalf of other investors—have emerged in recent decades to become some of the most influential commercial actors in the global political economy. Despite their important role in society, asset managers have received little attention from a public health perspective. In this article, we aimed to propose a conceptual framework of potential pathways and mechanisms through which asset managers may influence health and equity. The framework included asset class-specific pathways related to investments in publicly listed corporate equity, private equity, ‘real assets’ (e.g. housing, hospitals, farmland) and commodities. The framework also included more generalized pathways, focusing on ways in which the large and highly concentrated asset management sector can drive economic inequities, influence policy and political decision-making and shape the global ‘development’ agenda. We argue that measures challenging so-called ‘asset manager capitalism’, such as promoting and protecting the public ownership of companies and assets in essential sectors, are imperative to address the commercial determinants of ill health and inequity.
Counter-Archiving Migration: Tracing the Records of Protests against UNHCR
Authors: Ibreck Rachel , Rees Peter , Tazzioli Martina
Published: October 2024

The archives of migration are piecemeal and scattered. This is both an epistemological problem, and a matter of political concern in an international order that forces people to migrate, racializes them, and renders them subject to violence. In response, we explore the potential of counter-archiving migration. First, we explain why archives matter politically, and consider which traces of migration are stored and which are absent or lost. Second, we develop a methodology for counter-archiving migration. Third, we illustrate a process of counter-archiving, taking protests and violent evictions outside the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) offices as an analytical lens. We begin with an “along the grain” reading of official archives; we then turn to ethnography to trace the memories, practices, and material remnants of migrants’ struggles. Our analysis makes the case for counter-archival work in and beyond the field of migration. We argue that this approach serves to disrupt the epistemic violence of classification systems and categories associated with border violence; to chart the contestations and transformations of the global order from below; and to articulate new horizons of justice.
Establishing the Health Governance of Flows: Authority Performances and Expertise at the International Sanitary Conference of 1892
Authors: Aue Luis
Published: October 2024

At the 1892 International Sanitary Conference in Venice, experts established international health politics as governing the flows of people, traffic, and information. This focus has remained ingrained in current health politics and shaped the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper focuses on the micropolitics among these experts to understand the emergence of such governance expertise. In Venice, experts struggled to perform authority as European governments were unwilling to accept authoritative international expert practice. In response, the experts limited the role of international politics to regulating the movements of information, traffic, and people to make their expertise more agreeable. Such compromising governance expertise entailed two acts of silencing. The experts claimed that interventions that limited themselves to governing these flows were still highly effective and also silenced the de facto intrusiveness of their expertise into colonized sites. Combining classical sociology with science and technology studies, this article contributes conceptually by detailing how authority performances affect governance expertise. Contributing to the history of international relations, I show how the notion of international health politics as governing flows—rather than targeting ill health with global sanitary reform—became established in the late nineteenth century.
Wild-type MIC distributions and epidemiological cutoff values for 5-flucytosine and Candida species as determined by EUCAST broth microdilution
Authors: Delma Fatima Zohra , Melchers Willem J G , Verweij Paul E , Buil Jochem B
Published: October 2024

Objectives

EUCAST has established clinical breakpoints and epidemiological cutoff values (ECOFFs) for Candida spp. However, limited data are available for 5-flucytosine (5-FC). We assessed the in vitro susceptibility of 5-FC against a large collection of clinical Candida species using EUCAST methodology and determined the associated ECOFFs.

Methods

A total of 5622 Candida isolates were collected from patients across the Netherlands between 2008 and 2024. 5-FC MICs were determined using the EUCAST microbroth dilution reference method. Furthermore, MICs were extracted from the EUCAST website. The MICs from this study and those extracted were used to determine ECOFFs and local ECOFFs (L-ECOFFs).

Results

5-FC exhibited potent in vitro activity against C. albicans, N. glabratus and C. parapsilosis, while decreased susceptibility was observed for C. tropicalis, Pichia species, K. marxianus, Y. lipolytica, and C. auris. The ECOFFs (mg/L) and the percentages of WT isolates for 5-FC were: C. albicans: 0.5 (97.2%), N. glabratus: 0.5 (96.6%), C. parapsilosis: 0.5 (99.5%) and P. kudriavzevii: 8 (99.4%). The L-ECOFF (mg/L) and the percentages of WT isolates for 5-FC were: C. dubliniensis: 0.25 (96.8%), C. tropicalis: 0.25 (67.2%), K. marxianus: 0.25 (48.0%), C. lusitaniae: 0.25 (86.5%), M. guillermondii: 0.125 (95.9%) and P. norvegiensis: 8 (94.2%).

Conclusions

5-FC remains a valuable drug to manage difficult-to-treat invasive Candida infections. In vitro susceptibility cannot be predicted based on species identification for most Candida species, but requires MIC-testing. ECOFFs will help to interpret the MICs to support treatment decisions.
Better Prediction of Clinical Outcome with Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate by CKD-EPI 2021
Authors: Lee Kwang Seob , Jang Jaehyeok , Jang Hanmil , Kang Hyein , Rim John Hoon , Lim Jong-Baeck
Published: October 2024

Background

While the real-world impact of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equation change on clinical outcome in a longitudinal cohort setting is limited, external valuation of equation performance should be performed in different population cohorts. This study aimed to compare differential impacts of eGFR values, calculated by 5 equations in a Korean patient population, on clinical outcomes.

Methods

This retrospective longitudinal follow-up cohort study analyzed 23 246 participants with standardized creatinine/cystatin C assay-based laboratory results. The primary exposure was baseline eGFR calculated by 5 different equations including the recently developed 2021 race-free Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations. Clinical outcomes including all-cause mortality, renal replacement therapy, and albuminuria were analyzed to estimate the hazard ratio of the eGFR on clinical outcomes.

Results

Among the 5 equations, CKD-EPI 2021 with creatinine and cystatin C (CKD-EPI 2021-CrCys) showed an earlier increase in hazard ratios for all clinical outcomes, while CKD-EPI 2012 with cystatin C showed a higher hazard ratio for all-cause mortality at low eGFR. Replacing CKD-EPI 2012 with CKD-EPI 2021-CrCys, 5.4% of patients with mortality and 3.3% of patients who received renal replacement therapy were reclassified to a lower risk stage.

Conclusions

The 2021 CKD-EPI equations were acceptable in a Korean population, with better predictive power for clinical outcomes when compared to previous equations. The updated race-free factors for eGFR calculation improved identification of patients at risk for clinical outcomes.
Genome analysis of Streptomyces recifensis SN1E1 to investigate mechanisms for inhibiting fire blight disease
Authors: Lee Su In , Kim Da-Ran , Kwak Youn-Sig
Published: October 2024

Aim

Fire blight, attributed to the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, significantly damages economically important crops, such as apples and pears. Conventional methods for managing fire blight involve the application of chemical pesticides, such as streptomycin and oxytetracycline. Nevertheless, apprehensions are increasing regarding developing antibiotic and pesticide-resistant strains, compounded by documented instances of plant toxicity. Here, we present that Streptomyces recifensis SN1E1 has exhibited remarkable efficacy in suppressing apple fire blight disease. This study aims to unravel the molecular-level antimicrobial mechanisms employed by the SN1E1 strain.

Methods and results

We identified four antimicrobial-associated biosynthetic gene clusters within the genomics of S. recifensis SN1E1. To validate antimicrobial activity against E. amylovora, knock-out mutants of biosynthetic genes linked to antimicrobial activity were generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 mutagenesis system. Notably, the whiE4 and phzB deficient mutants displayed statistically reduced antibacterial activity against E. amylovora

Conclusion

This research establishes a foundation for environmental and biological control studies. The potential utilization of environmentally friendly microbial agents derived from the SN1E1 strain holds promise for the biological control of fire blight disease.
Sign language delays in deaf 3- to 5-year-olds with hearing parents
Authors: Morere Donna A , Allen Thomas E
Published: October 2024

Deaf children of hearing parents (DOH) are at risk for early language delays (ELD) due to environmental and etiological factors, compounding the previously reported higher incidence of ELD in deaf children of deaf parents (DOD) compared to the general population. Archival data from the online database of the Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist yielded 147 ratings of DOH 3- to 5-year-old children whose parents reported American sign language (ASL) being used in the home at least equally to spoken language. Research goals included (1) examining the incidence of ELD in this cohort, (2) investigating differences in outcomes based on the scaling method used, (3) exploring patterns among the ratings of DOH children identified with ELD, (4) comparing the DOH outcomes to published DOD data, and (5) investigating differences between ratings and individual children. The DOH outcomes suggested an incidence of ELD twice that of the previous DOD sample, with a higher percentage of more severe delays. Even DOH children not identified with ELD demonstrated less well-developed ASL skills than their DOD peers. This emphasizes the need for ongoing monitoring of early ASL skills to allow for early identification of needs and adjustment of interventions to address ASL development.
Surgical challenges of simultaneous laparoscopic management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor and adrenocortical nodular hyperplasia in a 39-year-old female patient: a case report
Authors: Gavrankapetanovic Ali , Bektesevic Admir , Brzika Sanela , Hasic Nedim , Letic Emina , Rasic Ismar
Published: October 2024

Adrenocortical nodular hyperplasia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors are rare conditions, and their simultaneous occurrence in a single patient poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Here, we present the case of a 39-year-old female patient who underwent surgical resection for concurrent adrenocortical nodular hyperplasia and GIST on the posterior part of the gastric fundus. The patient presented with symptoms of hyperaldosteronism and malignant hypertension, leading to the discovery of these two distinct tumors. Preoperative evaluation revealed normal laboratory findings and hormone levels, except for hyperaldosteronism and hypertension. The surgical intervention included left suprarenal gland removal and wedge resection of the gastric tumor. The patient experienced a successful outcome without intraoperative complications and remained normotensive during follow-up visits, with sustaining hormonal balance. This case underscores the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and tailored surgical planning in managing complex neoplastic conditions.
Cholecystocutaneous fistula after cholecystectomy
Authors: Sah Raju , Rawal Sushil Bahadur , Malla Srijan , Rayamajhi Jyoti , Bhat Pawan Singh
Published: October 2024

Cholecystocutaneous fistula is an exceedingly rare type of external biliary fistula, where an abnormal connection forms between the gallbladder and the skin. Cholecystocutaneous fistula commonly develops in the setting of chronic calculus cholecystitis or following a previous surgical intervention involving the biliary tract. Patients with cholecystocutaneous fistula often present with systemic symptoms, such as fever, nausea, and vomiting, as well as localized symptoms in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, where the external opening of the fistula is typically found. Ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and fistulograms (computed tomography or X-ray) are commonly used. Computed tomography has proven to be more effective than ultrasonography in delineating the fistulous tract and the associated fluid collections. Open cholecystectomy with excision of the fistulous tract is considered the gold standard and is curative in the majority of cases. However, a laparoscopic approach has become a viable alternative, especially in the hands of experienced surgeons.
Machine learning-enabled computer vision for plant phenotyping: a primer on AI/ML and a case study on stomatal patterning
Authors: Tan Grace D , Chaudhuri Ushasi , Varela Sebastian , Ahuja Narendra , Leakey Andrew D B
Published: October 2024

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) can be used to automatically analyze large image datasets. One valuable application of this approach is estimation of plant trait data contained within images. Here we review 39 papers that describe the development and/or application of such models for estimation of stomatal traits from epidermal micrographs. In doing so, we hope to provide plant biologists with a foundational understanding of AI/ML and summarize the current capabilities and limitations of published tools. While most models show human-level performance for stomatal density (SD) quantification at superhuman speed, they are often likely to be limited in how broadly they can be applied across phenotypic diversity associated with genetic, environmental, or developmental variation. Other models can make predictions across greater phenotypic diversity and/or additional stomatal/epidermal traits, but require significantly greater time investment to generate ground-truth data. We discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by AI/ML-enabled computer vision analysis, and make recommendations for future work to advance accelerated stomatal phenotyping.
Non-conventional approach for deriving the radial sizes of coronal mass ejections at different instances: discrepancies in the estimates between remote and in situ observations
Authors: Agarwal Anjali , Mishra Wageesh
Published: October 2024

Understanding the evolution of radial sizes and instantaneous expansion speeds of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) is crucial for assessing their impact duration on Earth’s environment. We introduce a non-conventional approach to derive the CME’s radial sizes and expansion speeds at different instances during its passage over a single-point in situ spacecraft. We also estimate the CME’s radial sizes and expansion speeds during its journey from the Sun to 1 au using the 3D kinematics of different CME features, including the leading edge, centre, and trailing edge. The continuous 3D kinematics of the CME is estimated by employing the graduated cylindrical shell and stereoscopic self-similar expansion reconstruction methods on multipoint observations from coronagraphs and heliospheric imagers combined with the drag-based model. We choose the 2010 April 3 CME as a suitable case for our study, promising a more accurate comparison of its remote and in situ observations. We show that the introduced non-conventional approach can provide better accuracy in estimating radial sizes and instantaneous expansion speeds of CMEs at different instances. We examine the aspect ratio of the CME, which influences its expansion behaviour and shows the discrepancy between its value in the corona and interplanetary medium. Our study highlights significant inconsistencies in the arrival time, radial size, and expansion speed estimates obtained from remote and in situ observations. We advocate for future studies leveraging multispacecraft in situ observations and our non-conventional approach to analyse them to improve the comprehension of CME dynamics in the solar wind.
Extracting key information from spectroscopic galaxy surveys
Authors: Wang Yuting , Zhao Gong-Bo , Peacock John A
Published: October 2024

We develop a novel method to extract key cosmological information, which is primarily carried by the baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and redshift space distortions (RSD), from spectroscopic galaxy surveys based on a joint principal component analysis (PCA) and massive optimized parameter estimation and data compression (MOPED) algorithm. We apply this method to galaxy samples from BOSS DR12, and find that a PCA manipulation is effective at extracting the informative modes in the 2D correlation function $\xi (s, \mu)$, giving a tighter constraint on BAO and RSD parameters compared to that using the lowest three multipole moments by the traditional method; i.e. the figure of merit of BAO and RSD parameters is improved by 17 per cent. We then perform a compression of the informative PC modes for BAO and RSD parameters using the MOPED scheme, reducing the dimension of the data vector to the number of interesting parameters, manifesting the joint PCA and MOPED as a powerful tool for clustering analysis with almost no loss of constraining power.
Comprehensive investigations on spectral and temporal features of GX 5−1 using AstroSat observations
Authors: Thomas Neal Titus , Giridharan L , Gudennavar S B , Bubbly S G
Published: October 2024

Comprehensive spectrotemporal analyses of the Z-type neutron star low-mass X-ray binary GX 5−1 were performed using 10 broad-band observations from AstroSat/Soft X-ray Telescope and Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter (LAXPC) instruments. The LAXPC-20 hardness–intensity diagram showed horizontal and normal branches (HBs and NBs) of the Z track which exhibited secular motion. The time-averaged spectra in the energy range 0.7–25.0 keV could be fitted with the model combination – $\tt {constant}\, \times \, \tt {tbabs}\, \times \, \tt {edge}\, \times \, \tt {edge}\, \times \, \tt {thcomp}\, \times \, \tt {diskbb}$. This yielded $\Gamma \, \sim$ 2, $kT_{\mathrm{ e}}\, \sim$ 3.3 keV, and $F_{\mathrm{ disc}}$/$F_{\mathrm{ total}}\, \sim$ 0.8 indicating the soft/intermediate spectral state of the source during the observations. Flux-resolved spectral analysis revealed a positive correlation between $kT_{\mathrm{ in}}$ and $F_{\mathrm{ bol}}$. However, a negative correlation was observed between them in one of the NBs. Time-averaged temporal analysis revealed multiple HB oscillations (HBOs) and NB oscillations (NBOs), and peaked noise components in the $\sim$5–50 Hz range. Furthermore, flux-resolved temporal analysis showed that the frequency of the HBOs correlates positively whereas the strength of HBOs correlates negatively with $F_{\mathrm{ bol}}$, indicating their probable origin from the accretion disc. In contrast, the frequency and strength of NBOs remain fairly constant with $F_{\mathrm{ bol}}$, suggesting that they originate from a different region in the system. Using the relativistic precession model along with highest frequency of the HBO, the upper limits of the magnetic dipole moment ($\mu$) and field strength (B) at the poles of the neutron star in the system were found to be 25.60$\times \, 10^{25}$ G cm3 and 3.64$\times \, 10^{8}$ G, respectively, for $k_{\mathrm{ A}}$ = 1.
Biological and prognostic relevance of epigenetic regulatory genes in high-grade gliomas
Authors: Aulakh Sonikpreet , Xiu Joanne , Hinton Andrew , Darabi Sourat , Demeure Michael J , Sengupta Soma , Kesari Santosh , Ashley David M , Sumrall Ashley Love , Glantz Michael J , Spetzler David
Published: October 2024

Background

High-grade gliomas (HGGs) are the most aggressive type of gliomas and have the poorest outcomes. Chromatin remodeling (CR) genes have been implicated in multiple oncogenic pathways in numerous cancer types. In gliomagenesis, CR genes have been implicated in regulating the stemness of glioma cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME), and resistance to therapies.

Methods

We performed molecular profiling of 4244 HGGs and evaluated associations of CR mutations with other cancer-related biomarkers, infiltration by immune cells, and immune gene expression. We also evaluated the association between CR mutations and survival in wild-type IDH HGG patients.

Results

Nearly 10% of HGGs carry mutations in CR genes, with a higher prevalence (15%) in HGGs with IDH mutations. Analysis of cooccurrence with other biomarkers revealed that CR-mutated HGGs possess favorable genetic alterations which may have prognostic value. CR-mutated HGGs with wild-type IDH demonstrated colder TME and worse OS overall compared to the CR-wild-type HGGs.

Conclusions

Our study reveals the prognostic effects of CR mutations in HGG and points to several biomarker candidates that could suggest sensitivity to emerging therapeutic strategies.
The Longitudinal Evidence on Social Ties and Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Aging Adults: A Systematic Review
Authors: Mehranfar Sanaz , Madani Civi Rana , Plunkett Riley , Murphy Rachel A , Cohen Tamara R , Conklin Annalijn I
Published: October 2024

Context

Social ties are associated with the mortality and morbidity of aging populations; however, the role of social ties in healthy eating practices or gender differences in this link is less understood.

Objective

The objective of this study was to examine the longitudinal evidence for the impact of changes in social ties on fruit and vegetable (FV) intakes among aging adults, with attention to gender differences.

Data Sources

Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest databases were searched until December 2022.

Data Extraction

Longitudinal studies evaluating changes in living arrangement, marital status, social network, or social participation and changes in FV intake among middle- and older-age adults were included. Data from the included studies were extracted using a standardized template and analyzed using a narrative approach.

Data Analysis

A total of 4956 titles were eligible after deduplication, and 75 full texts were screened. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria, and all examined marital transitions only. Five marital transitions were assessed: staying married, becoming widowed, becoming divorced, remaining unmarried, and becoming married. Both the quantity and variety of fruit and/or vegetables eaten were studied. Three of the included studies had only male or only female populations. The studies found that marital dissolution (divorce or widowhood), and remaining unmarried, were associated with reduced FV intakes in older women or men, compared with staying married. The associations were stronger in men than in women. Two studies showed that becoming married was associated with increased vegetable intakes, but 3 reported null results. The included studies were of medium quality.

Conclusions

There is a paucity of longitudinal research on whether changes in social ties are associated with changes in FV intakes among aging adults. This review showed that specific marital transitions may influence healthy eating habits, especially in older men. No evidence exists on whether changes in other social ties might alter healthy eating.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO registration No. CRD42022365795.
Climatic shifts and vegetation response in Western India: a four-decade retrospective through GIS and multi-variable analysis
Authors: Vishvendra Raj Singh Bhanwar , Agarwal Vivek , Sanwal Varun
Published: October 2024

Climate change is having a profound impact on Western India, manifesting in altered weather patterns and ecological shifts. This research paper delves into an extensive analysis of meteorological data spanning the years 1981 to 2018, covering nearly four decades of climatic variations. Utilizing data from 40 meteorological stations across the region, examined changes in key climate variables including precipitation, humidity, wind speed, pressure, and temperature. We used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze spatial patterns of climate and forest cover changes. This approach visualized and quantified the climate changes over the studied period effectively. The results showed an average temperature increase of 0.66°C and a decrease in precipitation by 25.36 mm, indicating a trend towards warmer and drier conditions. The spatial analysis provided a clearer understanding of how these changes are distributed across Western India, linking them directly to shifts in forest ecosystems as evidenced by changes in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the corresponding months and years. The findings from this research are critical for policymakers, as they offer valuable insights that can inform strategies for environmental conservation and restoration, ensuring sustainable management of the region's natural resources in the face of ongoing global warming.
Evolution and functional divergence of glycosyltransferase genes shaped the quality and cold tolerance of tea plants
Authors: Wang Jingming , Hu Yutong , Guo Danyang , Gao Ting , Liu Tianqi , Jin Jieyang , Zhao Mingyue , Yu Keke , Tong Wei , Ge Honghua , Pan Yuting , Zhang Mengting , Lu Mengqian , Jing Tingting , Du Wenkai , Tang Xiaoyan , Zhao Chenjie , Zhao Wei , Bao Zhijie , Schwab Wilfried , Xia Enhua , Song Chuankui
Published: October 2024

Plant uridine diphosphate–dependent glycosyltransferases (UGTs) play a key role in plant growth and metabolism. Here, we examined the evolutionary landscape among UGTs in 28 fully sequenced species from early algae to angiosperms. Our findings revealed a distinctive expansion and contraction of UGTs in the G and H groups in tea (Camellia sinensis), respectively. Whole-genome duplication and tandem duplication events jointly drove the massive expansion of UGTs, and the interplay of natural and artificial selection has resulted in marked functional divergence within the G group of the sinensis-type tea population. In Cluster II of group G, differences in substrate selection (e.g. abscisic acid) of the enzymes encoded by UGT genes led to their functional diversification, and these genes influence tolerance to abiotic stresses such as low temperature and drought via different modes of positive and negative regulation, respectively. UGTs in Cluster III of the G group have diverse aroma substrate preferences, which contribute a diverse aroma spectrum of the sinensis-type tea population. All Cluster III genes respond to low-temperature stress, whereas UGTs within Cluster III-1, shaped by artificial selection, are unresponsive to drought. This suggests that artificial selection of tea plants focused on improving quality and cold tolerance as primary targets.
Membrane-localized orientation of NONPHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 affects the necessity of its phosphorylation for phototropism
Authors: Zhu Jin-dong , Liang Yu-ping , Yan Hong-ru , Wu Qi-qi , Zhang Yue-yue , Zhou Fang-yuan , Zhang Xiao , Zhao Xiang
Published: October 2024

NONPHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3 (NPH3) is a key regulator of hypocotyl phototropism under both low- and high-intensity blue light (LBL/HBL), mediating phototropin1 (phot1) and phot2 signaling. NPH3 undergoes dephosphorylation and is released from the plasma membrane (PM) upon blue light irradiation. However, how its phosphorylation status and PM localization mediate phot1 and phot2 signaling in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) remains elusive. In this study, we found that fusing NPH3 with GFP at its C-terminus (N3G) impaired its release from the PM, a defect exacerbated by a phosphorylation-deficient mutation, resulting in a dephosphorylated NPH3-GFP (N3AG). Unlike N3G, transgenic lines expressing N3AG exhibited defective hypocotyl phototropism under HBL, which could be rescued by myristoylation at the N-terminus of N3AG (mN3AG), indicating that NPH3 phosphorylation is not essential for HBL-induced phototropic responses when it is artificially anchored at the PM via its N-terminus. Furthermore, genetic analysis revealed that N3AG anchored to the PM by its N-terminus (as in mN3AG) only rescues phot1-mediated HBL responses, which require RPT2. However, N3AG failed to regulate phot2-mediated HBL signaling, regardless of its PM orientation. Taken together, our results revealed that NPH3 phosphorylation is essential for phot2-mediated hypocotyl phototropism under HBL, but is not required for phot1-mediated HBL signaling when the NPH3 N-terminus is PM-anchored.
Piezo1-mediated mechanotransduction enhances macrophage oxidized low-density lipoprotein uptake and atherogenesis
Authors: Atcha Hamza , Kulkarni Daanish , Meli Vijaykumar S , Veerasubramanian Praveen Krishna , Wang Yuchun , Cahalan Michael D , Pathak Medha M , Liu Wendy F
Published: October 2024

Macrophages in the vascular wall ingest and clear lipids, but abundant lipid accumulation leads to foam cell formation and atherosclerosis, a pathological condition often characterized by tissue stiffening. While the role of biochemical stimuli in the modulation of macrophage function is well studied, the role of biophysical cues and the molecules involved in mechanosensation are less well understood. Here, we use genetic and pharmacological tools to show extracellular oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs) stimulate Ca2+ signaling through activation of the mechanically gated ion channel Piezo1. Moreover, macrophage Piezo1 expression is critical in the transduction of environmental stiffness and channel deletion suppresses, whereas a gain-of-function mutation exacerbates oxLDL uptake. Additionally, we find that depletion of myeloid Piezo1 protects from atherosclerotic plaque formation in vivo. Together, our study highlights an important role for Piezo1 and its respective mutations in macrophage mechanosensing, lipid uptake, and cardiovascular disease.
Skin organoid transplantation promotes tissue repair with scarless in frostbite
Authors: Wang Wenwen , Liu Pu , Zhu Wendi , Li Tianwei , Wang Ying , Wang Yujie , Li Jun , Ma Jie , Leng Ling
Published: October 2024

Frostbite is the most common cold injury and is caused by both immediate cold-induced cell death and the gradual development of localized inflammation and tissue ischemia. Delayed healing of frostbite often leads to scar formation, which not only causes psychological distress but also tends to result in the development of secondary malignant tumors. Therefore, a rapid healing method for frostbite wounds is urgently needed. Herein, we used a mouse skin model of frostbite injury to evaluate the recovery process after frostbite. Moreover, single-cell transcriptomics was used to determine the patterns of changes in monocytes, macrophages, epidermal cells, and fibroblasts during frostbite. Most importantly, human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived skin organoids combined with gelatin-hydrogel were constructed for the treatment of frostbite. The results showed that skin organoid treatment significantly accelerated wound healing by reducing early inflammation after frostbite and increasing the proportions of epidermal stem cells. Moreover, in the later stage of wound healing, skin organoids reduced the overall proportions of fibroblasts, significantly reduced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition by regulating the integrin α5β1-FAK pathway, and remodeled the extracellular matrix (ECM) through degradation and reassembly mechanisms, facilitating the restoration of physiological ECM and reducing the abundance of ECM associated with abnormal scar formation. These results highlight the potential application of organoids for promoting the reversal of frostbite-related injury and the recovery of skin functions. This study provides a new therapeutic alternative for patients suffering from disfigurement and skin dysfunction caused by frostbite.
Proton Decay and Gauge Coupling Unification in an Extended SU(5) GUT with 45D Higgs
Authors: Haba Naoyuki , Nagano Keisuke , Shimizu Yasuhiro , Yamada Toshifumi
Published: October 2024

We present a comprehensive study of an extended SU(5) grand unified theory (GUT) that incorporates a 45D Higgs representation to address the shortcomings of the minimal SU(5) GUT, such as the inability to generate realistic fermion mass hierarchies and insufficient proton stability. By considering a hierarchical mass spectrum for the scalar components of the 45D Higgs, we demonstrate that successful gauge coupling unification (GCU) can be achieved. The color octet scalar, color triplet scalar, and color antitriplet scalar play crucial roles in realizing GCU when their masses are significantly lighter than other components of the 45D Higgs. We focus on the proton decay channels mediated by the exchange of the color antitriplet scalar. Assuming that the 45D Higgs couples to all three generations of fermions, we determine the 45D Higgs Yukawa couplings with which the observed fermion mass matrices at low energies are realized. We calculate proton decay rates using the Yukawa couplings obtained from renormalization group evolutions and matching conditions at the GUT scale, thereby exploring the dependence of proton decay rates on model parameters. We find that the $p \rightarrow \nu \pi$ mode imposes the most stringent constraint on the mass of the color antitriplet scalar $M_{S_1}$. We also study the correlations between the lower bounds on $M_{S_1}$ derived from different proton decay modes.