bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advances in cranberry insect pest management: A literature synthesis
Authors: Ben-Zvi Yahel , Rodriguez-Saona Cesar
Published: March 2023

Over the past three decades, an increasing body of entomological research has been published on integrated pest management (IPM) in cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton). However, no paper has been published that synthesizes the existing literature. This paper fills this gap by analyzing 139 peer- and editor-reviewed articles that were data driven and had direct relevance to the subject of insect pests or insect pest management of V. macrocarpon. Results show that the top three studied insect pests of cranberries have been Sparganothis fruitworm (Sparganothis sulfureana Clemens), blackheaded fireworm (Rhopobota naevana Hübner), and cranberry fruitworm (Acrobasis vaccinii Riley). The regions with the most published entomological papers on cranberry IPM research have been New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin in the United States, followed by British Columbia in Canada. Among IPM tactics, published research on chemical control, as well as on host-plant resistance, has increased likely due to recent advances on newer, reduced-risk insecticides and high-yielding cultivars; while published research focusing on behavioral control has declined likely due to the cost of these tactics. There are no consistent trends in published research on natural and biological control or cultural control. These historical research trends are important when considering regulatory changes on insecticide use, such as the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 in the United States, which resulted in the banning and restrictions of certain broad-spectrum insecticides. As more insecticides are banned or restricted and global and organic cranberry production increases, we anticipate further advances in research related to sustainable IPM tactics.
Cholesteric liquid crystal biosensor platform with image analysis for rapid detection of COVID-19
Authors: Lin Ping-Yuan , Chung Yi-Wei , Chuang Er-Yuan , Wang Yen-Chieh , Lai Min-Chih , Hsu Yen-Chin , Lin Chun-Che , Hsiao Yu-Cheng
Published: March 2023

Rapid and low-cost diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential to identify infected subjects, particularly asymptomatic cases, primarily to arrest the spread of the disease through local transmission. Antibody-based chromatographic serological tests, as an alternative to the RT-PCR technique, offer only limited help due to high false positives. We propose to exploit our cholesteric liquid crystal biosensor platform for one-step, wash-free, rapid detection of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus directly with minimal sample pre-processing. As mentioned above, cholesteric liquid crystals are an effective and innovative approach to healthcare as a rapid test for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and other diseases.
Role of BMP-7 on biological parameters osseointegration of dental implants: Preliminary results of a preclinical study
Authors: López-Valverde Nansi , Aragoneses Javier , López-Valverde Antonio , Rodríguez Cinthia , Aragoneses Juan Manuel
Published: March 2023

The aim of this work was to analyze and compare the effect of bone morphogenetic protein-7 on biological parameters related to implant osseointegration in an experimental animal model. Sixteen dental implants were placed in the tibias of four randomly selected minipigs for the following dental implant surface treatments: Group A: conventional treatment of the dental implant surface by SLA (n = 8) and Group B: treatment of the dental implant surface with carboxyethylphosphonic acid and bone morphogenetic protein-7 (n = 8). The animals were sacrificed one month after dental implants placement and a histomorphometric study was performed for the evaluation of bone-to-implant contact, corrected bone-to-implant contact, new bone formation, interthread bone density and peri-implant density using Student’s t-test and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. The histomorphometric parameters bone-to-implant contact and corrected bone-to-implant contact showed statistically significant differences between the study groups; 34.00% ± 9.92% and 50.02% ± 10.94%, respectively (p = 0.004) for SLA and 43.08% ± 10.76% and 63.30% ± 11.30%, respectively (p = 0.003) for BMP-7. The parameters new bone formation, interthread bone density and peri-implant density did not show statistically significant differences between the study groups (p = 0.951, p = 0.967 and p = 0.894, respectively). Dental implant surfaces treated with carboxyethylphosphonic acid and BMP-7 improve the biological response of dental implants to osseointegration.
Robust DUT-67 material for highly efficient removal of the Cr(VI) ion from an aqueous solution
Authors: Shen Yanqiong , Yang Qingsong , Gao Yongqiang , Qian Jinjie , Li Qipeng
Published: March 2023

Robust DUT-67 was synthesized by the hydrothermal method and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To systematically study the removal of Cr(VI) ion by DUT-67, single-factor, competition ion, material regeneration, kinetic, and thermodynamic experiments were designed. The experimental results show that DUT-67 had a maximum removal rate of 96.1% and a maximum adsorption capacity of 105.42 mg g−1 with material regeneration and outstanding selective adsorption. In addition, the process of removal of the Cr(VI) ion from an aqueous solution by DUT-67, which accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir model, was studied, and its adsorption mechanism was reasonably explained by the theoretical calculation.
Intracellular behavior of Nocardia seriolae and its apoptotic effect on RAW264.7 macrophages
Authors: Liu Wenwen , Deng Yuting , Tan Aiping , Zhao Fei , Chang Ouqing , Wang Fang , Lai Yingtiao , Huang Zhibin
Published: March 2023

Nocardia seriolae, an intracellular gram-positive pathogen, is prone to infecting immunocompromised and surface-damaged fish, causing serious losses to the aquaculture industry. Although a previous study has demonstrated that N. seriolae infects macrophages, the persistence of this bacterium in macrophages has not been well characterized. To address this gap, we used the macrophage cell line RAW264.7, to investigate the interactions between N. seriolae and macrophages and deciphered the intracellular survival mechanism of N. seriolae. Confocal and light microscopy revealed that N. seriolae entered macrophages 2 hours post-inoculation (hpi), were phagocytosed by macrophages at 4–8 hpi, and induced the formation of multinucleated macrophages by severe fusion at 12 hpi. Flow cytometry, evaluation of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of lactate dehydrogenase, and observation of the ultrastructure of macrophages revealed that apoptosis was induced in the early infection stage and inhibited in the middle and later periods of infection. Additionally, the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, Cyto-C, Caspase-3, Capase-8, and Caspase-9 was induced at 4 hpi, and then decreased at 6–8 hpi, illustrating that N. seriolae infection induces the activation of extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways in macrophages, followed by the inhibition of apoptosis to survive inside the cells. Furthermore, N. seriolae inhibits the production of reactive oxygen species and releases large amounts of nitric oxide, which persists in macrophages during infection. The present study provides the first comprehensive insight into the intracellular behavior of N. seriolae and its apoptotic effect on macrophages and may be important for understanding the pathogenicity of fish nocardiosis.
Clinical study of carotid superb microvascular imaging in evaluating the activity of Takayasu’s arteritis
Authors: Liu Feng-Ju , Ci Wei-Ping , Cheng Yi
Published: March 2023

Objective

The goal of this study is to use superb microvascular imaging (SMI) to observe neovascularization in the carotid vessel wall to identify potential Takayasu’s arteritis (TAK) inflammation markers.

Methods

Bilateral carotid arteries from 96 patients with TAK were imaged by a Doppler ultrasound and SMI. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to document significant differences between the activity and inactivity stages of TAK and the factors closely related to its activity in the binary logistics regression equation. Clinical and laboratory data included age, gender, duration of disease, treatment history, NIH score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. Imaging data included the arterial wall thickness, degree of lesion, SMI grade, and arterial aneurysm formation.

Results

There were 45 patients in the active TAK stage and 51 in the inactive stage. The one-way ANOVA showed significant differences in SMI (p = 0.001) and ESR (p = 0.022) between the active and inactive groups. The binary logistics regression analysis showed that SMI was an independent risk factor for TAK activity (B = −1.505, S.E = 0.340, Wald = 19.528, OR = 0.222 95%, CI = 0.114–0.433, p < 0.01). Using SMI G1 or G2 as the cutoff values for the diagnosis of active TAK, the positive predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity were 60 and 86%, 84% and 56%, and 54% and 92%, respectively.

Conclusion

The SMI grade is a potential marker of disease activity in patients with TAK.
Increased fat mass negatively influences femoral neck bone mineral density in men but not women
Authors: Charoenngam Nipith , Apovian Caroline M. , Pongchaiyakul Chatlert
Published: March 2023

Background

Obesity is known to be a protective factor against osteoporosis. However, recent studies have shown that excessive adiposity may be detrimental for bone health.

Objective

To determine the association of lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM) with bone mineral density (BMD) in Thais.

Methods

Bone density studies of consecutive patients of Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen, Thailand between 2010 and 2015 were reviewed. LM, FM, lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) BMD were measured. Lean mass index (LMI) and fat mass index (FMI) were calculated [LMI=LM (kg)/height (m)2, FMI=FM (kg)/height (m)2] and analyzed to determine the association with LS and FN BMD using multiple regression analysis. This study was approved by the institutional ethical committee (HE42116).

Results

A total of 831 participants were included. The mean ± SD age was 50.0 ± 16.3 years. In men, LMI (per 1 kg/m2 increase) was positively correlated with FN BMD (g/cm2, β 0.033) and LS BMD (g/cm2, β 0.031), after adjusting for age, height and FMI. Whereas FMI (per 1 kg/m2 increase) was negatively correlated with FN BMD (g/cm2, β -0.015) but not with LS BMD (g/cm2, β 0.005) after adjusting for age, height and LMI. In women, both LMI and FMI were positively correlated with LS BMD (g/cm2, LMI: β 0.012; FMI: β 0.016) and FN BMD (g/cm2, LMI: β 0.034; FMI: β 0.007) with age, height, LMI and FMI included in the model.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that FM has a sex-specific influence on BMD in Thais.
Involvement of p38 MAPK in Leydig cell aging and age-related decline in testosterone
Authors: Luo Dandan , Qi Xiangyu , Xu Xiaoqin , Yang Leilei , Yu Chunxiao , Guan Qingbo
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Age-related decline in testosterone is associated with Leydig cell aging with impaired testosterone synthesis in aging. Obesity accelerates the age-related decline in testosterone. However, the mechanisms underlying the Leydig cell aging and the effects of obesity on Leydig cell aging remain unclear.

Method

Natural aging mice and diet-induced obese mice were used to assess the process of testicular Leydig cell senescence with age or obesity. Bioinformatic analysis of the young and aged human testes was used to explore key genes related Leydig cell aging. Leydig cell-specific p38 MAPK knockout (p38LCKO) mice were used to further analyze the roles of p38 MAPK in Leydig cell aging. The levels of testosterone and steroidogenic enzymes, activity of p38 MAPK, aging status of Leydig cells, and oxidative stress and inflammation of testes or Leydig cells were detected by ELISA, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining analysis, respectively.

Result

The serum testosterone level was significantly reduced in aged mice compared with young mice. In the testis of aged mice, the reduced mRNA and protein levels of LHCGR, SRB1, StAR, CYP11A1, and CYP17A1 and the elevated oxidative stress and inflammation were observed. KEGG analysis showed that MAPK pathway was changed in aged Leydig cells, and immunoblotting displayed that p38 MAPK was activated in aged Leydig cells. The intensity of SA-β-Gal staining on Leydig cells and the number of p21-postive Leydig cells in aged mice were more than those of young mice. Similar to aged mice, the testosterone-related indexes decreased, and the age-related indexes increased in the testicular Leydig cells of high fat diet (HFD) mice. Aged p38LCKO mice had higher levels of testosterone and steroidogenic enzymes than those of age-matched wild-type (WT) littermates, with reduced the intensity of SA-β-Gal staining and the expression of p21 protein.

Conclusion

Our study suggested that obesity was an important risk factor for Leydig cell aging. p38 MAPK was involved in Leydig cell aging induced by age and obesity. The inhibition of p38 MAPK could delay Leydig cell aging and alleviate decline in testosterone.
Relationship of the levels of reactive oxygen species in the fertilization medium with the outcome of in vitro fertilization following brief incubation
Authors: Niu Jianing , Chang Qiurong , Xu Junting , Li Jinli , Liu Wenqiang , Chen Zhiqin , Jiao Xianting , Guo Yi , Teng Xiaoming
Published: March 2023

Embryo selection in in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (IVF-ET) mostly relies on morphological assessment using a conventional microscope or the time-lapse monitoring system, which is not comprehensive. Inappropriate levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the fertilization medium may cause damage to gametes, eventually leading to adverse IVF outcomes. The present study aimed to identify the optimal oxidation–reduction level in the fertilization medium for IVF outcomes by measuring the static oxidation–reduction potential (sORP) using a highly accurate and sensitive MiOXSYS system. A total of 136 patients undergoing IVF following brief incubation were divided equally into 4 groups in this prospective cohort study. The sORP value in the fertilization medium was detected using the MiOXSYS system, and its relationship with IVF outcomes was analyzed. The primary outcome was pregnancy outcomes, including live birth rate (LBR), clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), biochemical pregnancy rate (BPR), and implantation rate (IR). The secondary outcome was embryo quality, including fertilization rate (FR), cleavage rate (CR), available embryo rate (AER), and good-quality embryo rate (GQER). Group II (sORP: 228.7–235.3 mV) showed a higher LBR, CPR, BPR, and IR compared with Group III (sORP: 235.4–242.7 mV), presented as follows: LBR (32.0% for Group II vs 3.6% for Group III, P = 0.033), CPR (32.0% for Group II vs 3.6% for Group III, P = 0.033), BPR (36.0% for Group II vs 3.6% for Group III, P = 0.019), and IR (31.3% for Group II vs 2.7% for Group III, P = 0.003). The FR in Groups I and II had lower significant differences compared with that in Groups III and IV (71.7% and 70.3% for Groups I and II vs 83.5% and 80.4% for Groups III and IV, P = 0.000). The GQER in Group I to Group IV was 32.7%, 37.4%, 26.5%, and 33.3%, respectively (P = 0.056). This study indicated that the sORP value in the fertilization medium might be a potential indicator of embryo quality and pregnancy outcome.
A practical dynamic nomogram model for predicting bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer
Authors: Liu Wen-Cai , Li Meng-Pan , Hong Wen-Yuan , Zhong Yan-Xin , Sun Bo-Lin , Huang Shan-Hu , Liu Zhi-Li , Liu Jia-Ming
Published: March 2023

Purpose

The aim of this study was to established a dynamic nomogram for assessing the risk of bone metastasis in patients with thyroid cancer (TC) and assist physicians to make accurate clinical decisions.

Methods

The clinical data of patients with TC admitted to the First Affiliated hospital of Nanchang University from January 2006 to November 2016 were included in this study. Demographic and clinicopathological parameters of all patients at primary diagnosis were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to build a predictive model incorporating parameters. The discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the nomogram were evaluated using the C-index, ROC curve, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis. Internal validation was evaluated using the bootstrapping method.

Results

A total of 565 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 25 (4.21%) developed bone metastases. Based on logistic regression analysis, age (OR=1.040, P=0.019), hemoglobin (HB) (OR=0.947, P<0.001) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (OR=1.006, P=0.002) levels were used to construct the nomogram. The model exhibited good discrimination, with a C-index of 0.825 and good calibration. A C-index value of 0.815 was achieved on interval validation analysis. Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically useful when intervention was decided at a bone metastases possibility threshold of 1%.

Conclusions

This dynamic nomogram, with relatively good accuracy, incorporating age, HB, and ALP, could be conveniently used to facilitate the prediction of bone metastasis risk in patients with TC.
Choline supplements: An update
Authors: Kansakar Urna , Trimarco Valentina , Mone Pasquale , Varzideh Fahimeh , Lombardi Angela , Santulli Gaetano
Published: March 2023

In this comprehensive review, we examine the main preclinical and clinical investigations assessing the effects of different forms of choline supplementation currently available, including choline alfoscerate (C8H20NO6P), also known as alpha-glycerophosphocholine (α-GPC, or GPC), choline bitartrate, lecithin, and citicoline, which are cholinergic compounds and precursors of acetylcholine. Extensively used as food supplements, they have been shown to represent an effective strategy for boosting memory and enhancing cognitive function.
Intrinsic value of the international benchmark projects, ICSBEP and IRPhEP, for advanced reactor development
Authors: Bess John D. , Ivanova Tatiana , Hill Ian , Martin Julie-Fiona , Briggs J. Blair , Scott Lori , DeHart Mark D. , Percher Catherine , Marshall B. J. , Blaise Patrick
Published: March 2023

The International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project, a sanctioned program under the auspices of the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, has been a highly successful and productive collaboration, now encompassing over 5,000 evaluated experimental benchmarks trusted and relied upon throughout the international nuclear communities. The success of this project led to the development of the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project, which is dedicated to the evaluation of benchmark experiment data to sustain current and future reactor physics validation needs. These exemplary programs, and their widely utilized handbooks, serve as gold standards to which other databases strive to emulate. The purpose of the two projects is to preserve modern and legacy experimental data and evaluate it in a standardized handbook format to provide quality benchmarks to support modern and future criticality safety and reactor physics validation. These two projects have often served as the mechanism through which historic and modern neutronics experiments are evaluated and shared across international borders, to best provide unique, high-quality peer-reviewed, and often otherwise unavailable, benchmark data. The contents of these handbooks are utilized not only in validating criticality safety, reactor physics, and advanced reactor calculations, but are used to validate neutronics calculations and nuclear data for most other nuclear applications. This manuscript discusses both international programs and available content to enable advanced reactor design validation.
Short-term load forecasting based on AM-CIF-LSTM method adopting transfer learning
Authors: Li Shiwei , Wu Hongbin , Wang Xiaoming , Xu Bin , Yang Long , Bi Rui
Published: March 2023

Aiming at the unreliability of historical data for short-term load forecasting caused by the sudden change of power grid load under emergencies, a short-term load prediction method adopting transfer learning is studied. The proposed transfer learning method combines the attention mechanism (AM) with the long short-term memory network coupled with input and forgetting gates (CIF-LSTM) to construct the AM-CIF-LSTM short-term load prediction model. First, the variational modal decomposition (VMD) method is used to extract the trend component and certain periodic high-frequency components of the load datasets of the scene to be predicted and similar scenes. Subsequently, the AM-encoder/decoder learning model is established based on the trend component, and the AM learnable parameters are trained and transferred to the AM-CIF-LSTM model. Furthermore, inspired by the idea of classified forecasting, the load trend component and periodic high-frequency components under the required prediction scene are predicted by AM-CIF-LSTM and deep recursive neural network (DRNN), respectively. Finally, the load forecasting results are superimposed to obtain the load forecasting value. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperformed the existing methods in multiple accuracy indicators and could predict the rapid change trend of load in the case of insufficient data accurately and stably.
Grazing disturbance increased the mobility, pathogenicity and host microbial species of antibiotic resistance genes, and multidrug resistance genes posed the highest risk in the habitats of wild animals
Authors: Zou Shuzhen , Lu Tan , Huang Cailiang , Wang Jie , Li Dayong
Published: March 2023

There are frequent exchanges of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between the external environment or livestock and wild animals. Grazing disturbance (GD) is a major factor that causes dramatic changes in China’s nature reserves. Studying the risk of ARGs in China’s nature reserves under GD has great significance for assessing the health of the habitats where wild animals live. In our study, the potential ecological risks of ARGs in soil microorganisms of wild animal habitats under GD were analyzed. Our results showed that the diversities of the ARGs in GD were higher than those in check control (CK) that not be disturbed by grazing, and 46 types of ARGs were only checked in GD. The ARGs were only carried by plasmids, and their relative abundances and the numbers of ARGs carried by plasmids were increased by GD, six types of transferred open reading frames (ORFs) carrying ARGs were detected only in GD. GD increased the relative abundances of drug-resistant pathogens, and the pathogen, Acinetobacter baumannii ACICU, that was only found in GD. Our results indicated that GD increased the risk of ARGs to the habitat of wild animals by reducing the total soil microbial species, increasing the numbers, species and mobility of ARGs in soil microorganisms and the species and abundance of drug-resistant pathogens in soil, as well as the ARG carrying capacity of microorganisms. Multidrug resistance genes (MRGs) posed the highest risk in the habitats of wild animals, and GD increased its risk because the largest proportion of ARGs carried by microorganisms were MRGs, which were also the most abundant ARGs carried by plasmids, and the highest proportion of ARGs carried by Proteobacteria (the dominant host bacterium of ARGs) were MRGs. Thus, GD may cause microorganisms in the habitats of wild animals become resistant to many antibiotics. MRGs in soil microorganisms could be used as an indicator for predicting the risk of GD in the habitats of wild animals.
Evidence for rapid divergence of sensory systems between Texas populations of the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus)
Authors: Enriquez Maya S. , Swanson Nathan , Putland Rosalyn L. , Tait Ti , Gluesenkamp Andrew G. , McGaugh Suzanne E. , Mensinger Allen F.
Published: March 2023

Population divergence is often quantified using phenotypic variation. However, because sensory abilities are more difficult to discern, we have little information on the plasticity and rate of sensory change between different environments. The Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is a fish distributed throughout Southern Texas and Northern Mexico and has evolved troglomorphic phenotypes, such as vestigial eyes and reduced pigmentation, when surface ancestors invaded caves in the past several hundred thousand years. In the early 1900s, surface A. mexicanus were introduced to the karstic Edwards-Trinity Aquifer in Texas. Subsequent cave colonization of subterranean environments resulted in fish with phenotypic and behavioral divergence from their surface counterparts, allowing examination of how new environments lead to sensory changes. We hypothesized that recently introduced cave populations would be more sensitive to light and sound when compared to their surface counterparts. We quantified divergence using auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) and particle acceleration levels (PALs) to measure differences in sound sensitivity, and electroretinography (ERGs) to measure light sensitivity. We also compared these results to measurements taken from native populations and lab-born individuals of the introduced populations. Honey Creek Cave fish were significantly more sensitive than proximate Honey Creek surface fish to sound pressure levels between 0.6 and 0.8 kHz and particle acceleration levels between 0.4 and 0.8 kHz. Pairwise differences were found between San Antonio Zoo surface and the facultative subterranean San Pedro Springs and Blue Hole populations, which exhibited more sensitivity to particle acceleration levels between 0.5 and 0.7 kHz. Electroretinography results indicate no significant differences between populations, although Honey Creek Cave fish may be trending toward reduced visual sensitivity. Auditory thresholds between wild-caught and lab-raised populations of recently invaded fish show significant differences in sensitivity, suggesting that these traits are plastic. Collectively, while these results may point to the rapid divergence of A. mexicanus in cave habitats, it also highlights the responsive plasticity of A. mexicanus auditory system to disparate environments.
Species inventories from different data sources “shaping” slightly different avifauna diversity patterns
Authors: Huang Xiongwei , Lin Congtian , Ji Liqiang , Feng Gang
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Species inventories based on various data sources have been widely used in biodiversity research, conservation policy formulation, reserve designation and biodiversity resource management. In this paper, we explored the relationships of species inventories obtained from different sources and whether they would affect the inference of biodiversity patterns and their environmental drivers.

Methods

We compiled the species inventories from different data sources (observational data including large amounts of citizen-based observational records and digitalized specimens, and avifauna data extracted from avifaunas which mainly integrated professional-based species surveys, expert knowledge and documentary records) at the prefectural level in China. Then we explored the relationships of different inventories and compared the correlations between the taxonomic, phylogenetic, functional diversity calculated from different datasets and the environmental factors.

Results and Discussion

The results showed that the avifauna datasets contributed more additional species to the combined species inventories when the species richness was relatively low and vice versa. Species inventories integrated from two different data sources formed complementary relationship rather than nested or totally different relationships. In addition, the species inventories based on observational data had no obvious disadvantage or were even better at inferring the biodiversity patterns than those based on avifauna data. The stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that the best models were the ones using the species inventories combined by observational and avifauna dataset, and the best models built with different datasets included inconsistent environmental variables. Thus, the species inventories from different data sources will indeed affect the inference of the correlations between taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity, functional diversity and environmental factors. Moreover, although it may be more reliable to use a combined species inventory to analyze the relationship between diversity indices and environmental factors, individualized improvement schemes should be proposed for different data sources to fill the data gaps.
Decreasing urgent repeat cesarean sections by offering complimentary ultrasounds and consultation in rural Burundi: The zigama mama project
Authors: McLaughlin Eric , Nagy Matthew , Magorwa Jean-Bosco , Kibinakanwa Gilbert , McLaughlin Rachel
Published: March 2023

Objective

Repeat urgent cesarean sections (CS) carry an increased risk of severe maternal outcomes. As CS increase in sub-Saharan Africa, creative strategies are necessary to reduce the rate of urgent repeat CS. The Zigama-Mama Project in rural Burundi uses complimentary ultrasounds to create a clinical touchpoint to counsel women with a prior CS for a hospital-based delivery.

Methods

From July 2019 to June 2020, complimentary ultrasounds were offered to all antenatal patients with prior CS, along with counseling for monitored trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) or scheduled repeat CS. Community engagement and feedback from district health centers were evaluated.

Results

In total, 500 women with a prior CS presented for a complimentary ultrasound. During the intervention year, a relative and absolute reduction in urgent repeat CS (baseline: n = 114 {70.8%}, intervention: n = 97{49.7%}, p < 0.001) was observed, with no significant change in maternal mortality or ruptured uteri. All health center personnel agreed the project improved their confidence in referring women with prior CS.

Conclusion

Offering complimentary ultrasounds as a clinical touchpoint for scheduling a monitored delivery or CS for women at high risk for delivery complication may be an affordable and creative strategy to care for women with previous CS during subsequent deliveries.
Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of WBP216, a novel IL-6 monoclonal antibody, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A phase Ia randomized placebo-controlled study
Authors: Leng Xiaomei , Tang Xiange , Hu Pei , Guan Xiaoduo , Li Qian , Huang Cipo , Zhang Qiang , Chen Rui , Zeng Xiaofeng
Published: March 2023

Background

WBP216 is a novel human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody for interleukin (IL)-6. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of a single ascending dose (SAD) of WBP216 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, SAD, phase Ia study, patients with RA were randomized in a 3:1 (Group A1, 10 mg) and 6:2 (Group A2, 30 mg; Group A3, 75 mg; Group A4, 150 mg; Group A5, 300 mg) ratios to receive either ascending doses of WBP216 or placebo subcutaneously. The primary endpoint was the incidence of adverse events (AEs), while the secondary endpoints were characterization of PK, PD, and immunogenicity of WBP216 and the exploratory endpoints included improvements in RA clinical metrics. All statistical analyses were performed using SAS® version 9.2.

Results

A total of 41 subjects (34 females and 7 males) were enrolled in the study. WBP216 was well tolerated in all doses (10-300 mg). Most treatment-emergent AEs (TEAEs; 97.6%) were of grade 1 severity and resolved without any treatment. No subjects experienced TEAEs leading to withdrawal or death during the study. An increase in serum concentration and total IL-6 from baseline was observed, while a substantial decrease in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was observed in all the WBP216 groups. Anti-drug antibodies were detected in only one subject after dosing, indicating an acceptable immunogenicity profile. Limited ACR20 and ACR50 response was observed in the WBP216 groups and no response in the placebo group.

Conclusion

WBP216 demonstrated a good safety profile and evidence of potential efficacy in the treatment of patients with RA.

Clinical trial registration

http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/clinicaltrials.searchlistdetail.dhtml, identifier CTR20170306.
PD-L1 expression as biomarker of efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors in metastatic triple negative breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Khan Muhammad , Du Kunpeng , Ai Meiling , Wang Baiyao , Lin Jie , Ren Anbang , Chen Chengcong , Huang Zhong , Qiu Wenze , Yuan Yawei , Tian Yunhong
Published: March 2023

Background

Inhibitors of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1(PD-L1) checkpoint have been approved for metastatic triple negative breast cancer (mTNBC) in patients positive for PD-L1 expression. Negative results from the recent phase III trials (IMPassion131 and IMPassion132) have raises questions on the efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors and the predictive value of PD-L1 expression. Here we attempt to systematically analyze the biomarker value of PD-L1 expression for predicting the response of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors in mTNBC.

Materials and methods

PubMed database was searched until Dec 2021 for studies evaluating PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors plus/minus chemotherapy in mTNBC. Outcome of interest included objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Review Manager (RevMan) version 5.4. was used for data-analysis.

Results

In total, 20 clinical trials comprising 3962 mTNBC patients (ICT: 2665 (67%); CT: 1297 (33%) were included in this study. Overall ORR was 22% (95%CI, 14-30%) and significant improvement was observed for PD-L1+ patients (ORR 1.78 [95%CI, 1.45-2.19], p<0.00001) as compared to PD-L1- cohort. Pooled outcome also indicated a significant 1-year PFS and 2-year OS advantage for patients with PD-L1 expression (1-year PFS: ORR 1.39 [95%CI, 1.04-1.85], p=0.02; I2 = 0%; 2-year OS: (ORR 2.47 [95%CI, 1.30-4.69], p=0.006; I2 = 63%). Subgroup analysis indicated that PD-L1 expression can successfully predict tumor response and 2-year OS benefit in mTNBC patients regardless of the type of investigating agent, line of treatment administration, and to some extent the type of treatment. Biomarker ability of PD-L1 expression to predict 1-year PFS was slightly better with pembrolizumab (p=0.09) than atezolizumab (p=0.18), and significantly better when treatment was administered in the first-line setting (OR 1.38 [95%CI, 1.02-1.87], p=0.04) and chemotherapy was added (OR 1.38 [95%CI, 1.02-1.86], p=0.03). Immune-related toxicity of any grade and grade≥3 was 39% (95%CI, 26%-52%) and 10% (95%CI, 8%-13%), respectively.

Conclusions

PD-L1 expression can predict objective response rate and 2-year OS in mTNBC patients receiving PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors. One-year PFS is also predicted in selected patients. PD-L1 expression can be a useful biomarker of efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors in mTNBC.
The potential anti-cancer effects of quercetin on blood, prostate and lung cancers: An update
Authors: Lotfi Noushin , Yousefi Zahra , Golabi Marjan , Khalilian Parvin , Ghezelbash Behrooz , Montazeri Mina , Shams Mohammad Hossein , Baghbadorani Parnian Zolfaghari , Eskandari Nahid
Published: March 2023

Cancer is caused by abnormal proliferation of cells and aberrant recognition of the immune system. According to recent studies, natural products are most likely to be effective at preventing cancer without causing any noticeable complications. Among the bioactive flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables, quercetin is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. This review aims to highlight the potential therapeutic effects of quercetin on some different types of cancers including blood, lung and prostate cancers.
The role of macrophage subsets in and around the heart in modulating cardiac homeostasis and pathophysiology
Authors: Isidoro Carmina Albertine , Deniset Justin F.
Published: March 2023

Cardiac and pericardial macrophages contribute to both homeostatic and pathophysiological processes. Recent advances have identified a vast repertoire of these macrophage populations in and around the heart - broadly categorized into a CCR2+/CCR2- dichotomy. While these unique populations can be further distinguished by origin, localization, and other cell surface markers, further exploration into the role of cardiac and pericardial macrophage subpopulations in disease contributes an additional layer of complexity. As such, novel transgenic models and exogenous targeting techniques have been employed to evaluate these macrophages. In this review, we highlight known cardiac and pericardial macrophage populations, their functions, and the experimental tools used to bolster our knowledge of these cells in the cardiac context.
Eosinophil and IFN-γ associated with immune-related adverse events as prognostic markers in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with immunotherapy
Authors: Hu Wei-Ting , Zhang Qiurui , Zhang Ze , He Xuan , Zhou Min , Guo Yi , Wang Xiaofei
Published: March 2023

Objectives

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) alone or combined with other antitumor agents are largely used in lung cancer patients, which show both positive effects and side effects in particular subjects. Our study aims to identify biomarkers that can predict response to immunotherapy or risk of side effects, which may help us play a positive role and minimize the risk of adverse effects in clinical practice.

Methods

We retrospectively collected data from patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with ICIs at our center. Patients who received initial ICI therapy for >1 year without progression of disease were classified as long-term treatment (LT) group, while others were classified as the non-long-term treatment (NLT) group. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors of progression-free survival (PFS) and immune-related adverse events (irAEs).

Results

A total of 83 patients (55.7%) had irAEs. The median PFS for patients in grades 1–2 of irAEs vs. grades 3–4 vs non-irAEs groups was (undefined vs. 12 vs. 8 months; p = 0.0025). The 1-year PFS rate for multisystem vs. single vs. non-irAE groups was 63%, 56%, and 31%, respectively. Signal transduction of inflammatory cytokines improves clinical prognosis through immunomodulatory function, but the benefit is also limited by the resulting organ damage, making it a complex immune balance. Serum biomarkers including EOS% of ≥ 1.15 (HR: 8.30 (95% CI, 2.06 to 33.42); p = 0.003) and IFN-γ of ≥ 3.75 (HR: 5.10 (95% CI, 1.29 to 20.15), p = 0.02) were found to be predictive for irAEs.

Conclusion

EOS% of ≥1.15% and IFN-γ of ≥3.75 ng/L were considered peripheral-blood markers for irAEs and associated with improved clinical outcomes for immunotherapy in patients with advanced NSCLC.
Construction and validation of chemoresistance-associated tumor- infiltrating exhausted-like CD8+ T cell signature in breast cancer: cr-TILCD8TSig
Authors: Cai DQ. , Cai Diankui , Zou Yiping , Chen Xumeng , Jian Zhixiang , Shi Mude , Lin Ye , Chen Jueming
Published: March 2023

Background

Accumulating evidence has revealed that CD8+ T cell exhaustion (Tex) results in worse immunotherapy outcomes. However, the molecular functions and mechanisms of action of Tex in chemoresistance needed to be elucidated.

Methods

The populations of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells (TILCD8Ts) in chemoresistant and chemosensitive groups of the GSE25066 dataset were calculated using CIBERSORT. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between TILCD8Ts and other immune cells were explored by integrating 16 immune cell datasets downloaded from the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. Gene ontology (GO)/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression of TILCD8T-specific upregulated genes were used to construct a chemoresistant TILCD8T signature (cr-TILCD8TSig). Clinical prognostic data, genomic alterations, chemotherapy response, and immunotherapy response were compared between the different cr-TILCD8TSig subgroups in the GSE25066 and the cancer genome atlas breast cancer (TCGA-BRCA) cohorts.

Results

A cr-TILCD8TSig with exhausted features was identified, consisting of seven genes (TCF7, RARRES3, ARL4C, ITK, CDH3, GZMB, and KLRD1), which were identified from 104 TILCD8Ts-specific DEGs. Our results showed that compared to the cr-TILCD8TSig-low subgroup, the -high subgroup had a poorer distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) in the GSE25066 cohort and worse progression-free survival (PFS) in the TCGA-BRCA cohort. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses also demonstrated that cr-TILCD8TSig was an independent prognostic factor in the two independent cohorts. Furthermore, cr-TILCD8TSig-low patients benefited more from chemotherapy and immunotherapy than cr-TILCD8TSig-high patients. Besides, we found cell transmembrane signal transduction and the ECM may provide the molecular basis for resistance to antitumor agents in the cr-TILCD8Sig-high subgroup. For genomic alterations, we revealed that mutations in PIK3CA, DMD, and APOB were more common in the cr-TILCD8Sig-high subgroup than in the cr-TILCD8Sig-low subgroup. A nomogram was finally constructed with good discrimination and calibration.

Conclusions

cr-TILCD8TSig is a useful tool to independently predict prognosis, chemotherapy response, and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with breast cancer.
Effects of ocean states coupling on the simulated Super Typhoon Megi (2010) in the South China Sea
Authors: Zheng Minglin , Zhang Ze , Zhang Weimin , Fan Maoting , Wang Huizan
Published: March 2023

Responses of the South China Sea (SCS) to a typhoon are complex due to the susceptible upper layer and active multiscale motions and thus need to be urgently resolved and validated in numerical simulations. A coupled atmosphere–ocean–wave model and various in-situ observations were applied to understand the strong interactions between Super Typhoon Megi (2010) and the SCS, especially the wave effects on typhoon simulation. Five sensitive experiments using different combinations of models were firstly conducted and compared to validate the effectiveness of the ocean coupling. Compared with WRF-only and ROMS-only outputs, the coupled experiments evidently improved the accuracy of typhoon intensity, the typhoon-induced cold wake, and significant wave height, along with the thermodynamical responses in the upper 400 m layer, including the near-inertial currents, the variation in ocean heat content, and mixed layer depth. However, the differences between WRF-ROMS and COAWST were slight, though the significant wave height was more than 9 m high in COAWST. Further analysis showed that the modification of heat flux, which could cancel out the effect due to the wave-induced surface roughness, is consistent with that of momentum flux in the wave-coupled experiment. This resulted in similar overall results. To further figure out the wave effects on typhoon and eliminate the contingency brought by the surface physical parameterization scheme, six experiments using three surface physical parameterization schemes were designed with and without wave coupling, separately. The sensible heat flux showed significant differences between three schemes, followed by the latent heat flux and the correspondingly changing momentum loss. Results support the above-mentioned conclusion that the typhoon intensity was determined by the net surface flux. Our findings highlight the necessity in using a high-resolution coupled atmosphere–ocean–wave model and proper surface physical parameterization, especially when coupling waves to make accurate regional numerical environment predictions.
A multiscale finite element method for soil-rock mixture
Authors: Liu Jia , Feng Deluan
Published: March 2023

Soil-rock mixture is a complex multi-phase composite geotechnical material, and its strength is determined by the physical properties of constituent multi-phase materials and their coupling mechanical response between different phases of materials. Based on the Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka equivalent inclusion average stress principle, a theoretical model of multi-scale coupled shear strength of soil-rock mixture considering the interaction effect of rock block and soil is established, and the rotational freedom reflecting the microscopic motion details of rock block is introduced. Moreover, a multi-scale coupled constitutive relationship of soil-rock mixture is derived and compiled into a multi-scale finite element program. Based on the large-scale direct shear test of soil-rock mixture, the model parameters of the multi-scale finite element method are determined, and then the multi-scale finite element program is used to simulate and predict the cross-scale deformation process of the soil-rock mixture slope. The results show that the multi-scale finite element method can effectively describe the influence of the mechanism of the micro motion characteristics of the soil-rock mixture on the macro mechanical response, and can effectively overcome the pathological mesh-dependency of the classical finite element method; the rotation displacement of the rock block is mainly concentrated within the shear zone of the slope. The maximum rotational displacement of rock blocks inside the soil-rock mixture slope is 40.7°, and the rotational displacement of rock blocks outside the shear zone is about 0°. The physical mechanism of the cross scale evolution of the shear band of the soil-rock mixture slope is that: the rotation of the rock blocks weakens the strain transmission ability between the rock block and the matrix soil, thus forming the concentration and development of the plastic strain, and finally leading to the penetration of the shear bands of the slope and the overall sliding failure.