bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Single‐cell analysis identified lung progenitor cells in COVID‐19 patients
Authors: Zhao Zixian , Zhao Yu , Zhou Yueqing , Wang Xiaofan , Zhang Ting , Zuo Wei 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectivesThe high mortality of severe 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) cases is mainly caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is characterized by increased permeability of the alveolar epithelial barriers, pulmonary oedema and consequently inflammatory tissue damage. Some but not all patients showed full functional recovery after the devastating lung damage, and so far there is little knowledge about the lung repair process. We focused on crucial roles of lung progenitor cells in alveolar cell regeneration and epithelial barrier re‐establishment and aimed to uncover a possible mechanism of lung repair after severe SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.Materials and methodsBronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COVID‐19 patients was analysed by single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq). Transplantation of a single KRT5+ cell‐derived cell population into damaged mouse lung and time‐course scRNA‐seq analysis was performed.ResultsIn severe (or critical) COVID‐19 patients, there is a remarkable expansion of TM4SF1+ and KRT5+ lung progenitor cells. The two distinct populations of progenitor cells could play crucial roles in alveolar cell regeneration and epithelial barrier re‐establishment, respectively. The transplanted KRT5+ progenitors could long‐term engraft into host lung and differentiate into HOPX+ OCLN+ alveolar barrier cell which restored the epithelial barrier and efficiently prevented inflammatory cell infiltration.ConclusionsThis work uncovered the mechanism by which various lung progenitor cells work in concert to prevent and replenish alveoli loss post‐severe SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.
Bidirectional plant‐mediated interactions between rhizobacteria and shoot‐feeding herbivorous insects: a community ecology perspective
Authors: Friman Julia , Pineda Ana , van Loon Joop J.A. , Dicke Marcel 
Published: October 2020

Plants interact with various organisms, aboveground as well as belowground. Such interactions result in changes in plant traits with consequences for members of the plant‐associated community at different trophic levels. Research thus far focussed on interactions of plants with individual species. However, studying such interactions in a community context is needed to gain a better understanding.
Members of the aboveground insect community induce defences that systemically influence plant interactions with herbivorous as well as carnivorous insects. Plant roots are associated with a community of plant‐growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR). This PGPR community modulates insect‐induced defences of plants. Thus, PGPR and insects interact indirectly via plant‐mediated interactions.
Such plant‐mediated interactions between belowground PGPR and aboveground insects have usually been addressed unidirectionally from belowground to aboveground. Here, we take a bidirectional approach to these cross‐compartment plant‐mediated interactions.
Recent studies show that upon aboveground attack by insect herbivores, plants may recruit rhizobacteria that enhance plant defence against the attackers. This rearranging of the PGPR community in the rhizosphere has consequences for members of the aboveground insect community. This review focusses on the bidirectional nature of plant‐mediated interactions between the PGPR and insect communities associated with plants, including (a) effects of beneficial rhizobacteria via modification of plant defence traits on insects and (b) effects of plant defence against insects on the PGPR community in the rhizosphere. We discuss how such knowledge can be used in the development of sustainable crop‐protection strategies.
LGI1 downregulation increases neuronal circuit excitability
Authors: Lugarà Eleonora , Kaushik Rahul , Leite Marco , Chabrol Elodie , Dityatev Alexander , Lignani Gabriele , Walker Matthew C. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractObjectiveLeucine‐rich glioma‐inactivated 1 (LGI1) is a secreted transsynaptic protein that interacts presynaptically with Kv1.1 potassium channels and a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) protein 23, and postsynaptically influences α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionate receptors through a direct link with the ADAM22 cell adhesion protein. Haploinsufficiency of LGI1 or autoantibodies directed against LGI1 are associated with human epilepsy, generating the hypothesis that a subacute reduction of LGI1 is sufficient to increase network excitability.MethodsWe tested this hypothesis in ex vivo hippocampal slices and in neuronal cultures, by subacutely reducing LGI1 expression with shRNA.ResultsInjection of shRNA‐LGI1 in the hippocampus increased dentate granule cell excitability and low‐frequency facilitation of mossy fibers to CA3 pyramidal cell neurotransmission. Application of the Kv1 family blocker, α‐dendrotoxin, occluded this effect, implicating the involvement of Kv1.1. This subacute reduction of LGI1 was also sufficient to increase neuronal network activity in neuronal primary culture.SignificanceThese results indicate that a subacute reduction in LGI1 potentiates neuronal excitability and short‐term synaptic plasticity, and increases neuronal network excitability, opening new avenues for the treatment of limbic encephalitis and temporal lobe epilepsies.
Female swamp sparrows do not show evidence of discriminating between the songs of peak‐aged and senescent males
Authors: Zipple Matthew N. , Peters Susan , Searcy William A. , Nowicki Stephen 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSexual selection theory predicts that females face contrasting selection pressures when choosing the age of their mate. On the one hand, older males have demonstrated their ability to survive and they may be more experienced than younger males. At the same time, however, younger males are expected to have accumulated fewer deleterious mutations in their germline as compared to older males. These contrasting pressures on female preference may result in a preference for intermediate‐aged males. A preference for males of a particular age can only be expressed, however, if females are able to identify males of different ages. We have previously shown that male swamp sparrows display age‐related changes in vocal quality, such that males display sharp increases in vocal quality in early adulthood, followed by gradual senescent declines thereafter. We have also shown that territorial males discriminate these within‐individual differences, giving stronger aggressive responses to songs of peak‐aged males than to those of senescent males. Here, we use a copulation solicitation assay to test whether females also discriminate these within‐signaler markers of senescence in song. Contrary to our prediction, females did not show any evidence of discriminating between songs recorded from peak‐aged males as compared to songs from the same males following song senescence. We suggest that this difference in demonstrated discrimination between males and females may be the result of the two sexes attending to different song characteristics.
Challenges and key lessons from the design and implementation of an international haemophilia registry supported by a pharmaceutical company
Authors: Hay Charles R. M. , Shima Midori , Makris Michael , Jiménez‐Yuste Victor , Oldenburg Johannes , Fischer Kathelijn , Iorio Alfonso , Skinner Mark W. , Santagostino Elena , von Mackensen Sylvia , Kessler Craig M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIntroductionReal‐world data are lacking regarding the relationship between prospectively collected patient‐reported outcomes (PROs), clinical outcomes and treatment in people with haemophilia (PWH). The Expanding Communications on Hemophilia A Outcomes (ECHO) registry was designed to address this data gap, but a range of difficulties led to early study closure.AimTo describe the challenges faced and lessons learned from implementing a multinational haemophilia registry.MethodsThe Expanding Communications on Hemophilia A Outcomes was planned as a five‐year observational cohort study to collect data from 2000 patients in nine countries. Based on direct observations, feedback from patients enrolled in ECHO, challenges of the study design and input from study‐sponsor representatives, the ECHO Steering Committee systematically identified the challenges faced and developed recommendations for overcoming or avoiding them in future studies.ResultsThe study closed after two years because few countries were activated and patient recruitment was low. This was related to multiple challenges including delayed implementation, stringent pharmacovigilance requirements, objections of investigators and patients to the burden of multiple PROs, data collection issues, lack of resources at study sites, little engagement of patients and competing clinical trials, which further limited recruitment. At study closure, 269 patients had been enrolled in four of nine participating countries.ConclusionsResearchers planning studies similar to ECHO may want to consider the barriers identified in this global registry of PWH and suggestions to mitigate these limitations, such as greater patient involvement in design and analysis, clearer assessment and understanding of local infrastructure and potential changes to the administration of the study.
Social, Human and Positive Psychological Capital in the Labour Market Re‐integration of People Deported to the Dominican Republic
Authors: Ceciliano‐Navarro Yajaira , Golash‐Boza Tanya 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMore than six million people have been deported from the United States since 1996. The Dominican Republic is one of the top ten countries to which deportees are sent. Most scholarship on deportation focuses on the challenges deportees face post‐deportation. There is also a long history of scholarship on how migrants draw from social, human and financial capital to integrate into host societies. This article thus asks what forms of capital are useful for deportees’ re‐integration and focuses on the forms of capital deportees draw from to survive in the aftermath of deportation. An analysis of 60 in‐depth interviews with Dominican deportees reveals how deportees’ combination of limited human capital, fractured social capital and positive psychological capital assists in their re‐integration. Results also show that access to employment is not only an important step in social and economic integration, but that it also helps deportees to achieve emotional stability.
Infection prevalence and pathology of the cymothoid parasite Olencira praegustator in Atlantic menhaden
Authors: Rose Dylan P. , Calhoun Dana M. , Johnson Pieter T. J. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIsopod parasites in the family Cymothoidae can cause reduced growth, castration, or even mortality in their hosts. Olencira praegustator is a cymothoid that parasitizes the mouth and gill chamber of Brevoortia tyrannus (Atlantic menhaden), which is the basis for the largest fishery along the eastern coast of the USA and an important link within estuarine food webs. To better characterize interactions between O. praegustator and B. tyrannus, including parasite‐induced pathology, we sampled hosts and parasites from three estuarine sites on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Over 5 weeks, we collected, measured, and weighed 169 juvenile menhaden; remarkably, 96% of these fish were infected with O. praegustator, typically with one isopod found in the mouth of each host. Based on the external morphologies of 163 examined isopods, 58 were female (35.6%), 9 of which were gravid, and 105 were male (64.4%). Although fish size was unrelated to isopod length or mass, isopod length was a direct predictor of the amount of damage observed on the host operculum, which in severe cases involved tissue atrophy and hemorrhage. Considering the high infection prevalence, significant damage associated with infections, as well as the impairing effects of other cymothoids on their hosts, the consequences of interactions between B. tyrannus and O. praegustator warrant additional investigation for understanding the management and ecology of Atlantic menhaden.
Remodeling of the nervous system of the indirectly developing rotifer Cupelopagis vorax (Gnesiotrocha, Collothecaceae)
Authors: Preza Elizabeth , Walsh Elizabeth J. , Hochberg Rick 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCupelopagis vorax is a sessile, predatory rotifer with indirect development. The topology of its nervous system is partly known through histological examination of the female adult. However, there is no information on the larval stage, and so, no understanding of how metamorphosis might affect the configuration of neurites. Here, we use immunohistochemistry and confocal laser scanning microscopy to map the position of serotonin‐like immunoreactive (SLIR) neurites, which are hypothesized to be important in sensory innervation and stimulating locomotory activity. We found that the relative position and number of SLIR neurites were similar between larvae and adults despite differences in their ecologies and the drastic changes that occur at metamorphosis. Both life stages possess at least four pairs of perikarya in the cerebral ganglion, a pair of lateral nerve cords, and a pair of neurites that appear to innervate a portion of the digestive tract. The larval stage also possesses an SLIR neurite ring at the base of the corona that is postulated to function in stimulating ciliary activity and receiving sensory information from the apical field. Although the adult did not appear to possess this ring, we cannot rule out its presence, because immunoreactive signals in the anterior end were weak. In contrast to the larvae, the adult possessed a pair of SLIR neurites that appeared to innervate the neck region. We hypothesize that these neurites form a circuit that functions in prey detection and capture. Based on these results, it appears that despite their overall similarities, the two life stages show some unique neural patterns that correspond to their ecologies; neurites that function in the planktonic environment of larvae and neurites that likely function in prey detection in the sessile adults.
Genetics of facial telangiectasia in the Rotterdam Study: a genome‐wide association study and candidate gene approach
Authors: Mekić S. , Wigmann C. , Gunn D.A. , Jacobs L.C. , Kayser M. , Schikowski T. , Nijsten T. , Pardo L.M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe severity of facial telangiectasia or red veins is associated with many lifestyle factors. However, the genetic predisposition remains unclear.ObjectivesWe performed a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) on facial telangiectasia in the Rotterdam Study (RS) and tested for replication in two independent cohorts. Additionally, a candidate gene approach with known pigmentation genes was performed.MethodsFacial telangiectasia were extracted from standardized facial photographs (collected from 2010–2013) of 2842 northwestern European participants (median age 66.9, 56.8% female) from the RS. Our GWAS top hits (P‐value <10−6) were tested for replication in 460 elderly women of the SALIA cohort and in 576 additional men and women of the RS. Associations of top single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in various tissues were reviewed (GTEx database) alongside phenotype associations in the UK biobank database. SNP‐based associations between known pigmentation genes and facial telangiectasia were tested. Conditional analysis on skin colour was additionally performed.ResultsOur most significant GWAS signal was rs4417318 (P‐value 5.38*10−7), an intergenic SNP on chromosome 12 mapping to the SLC16A7 gene. Other suggestive SNPs tagged genes ZNF211, ZSCAN4, ICOS and KCNN3; SNP eQTLs and phenotype associations tagged links to the vascular system. However, the top signals did not pass significance in the two replication cohorts. The pigmentation genes KIAA0930, SLCA45A2 and MC1R, were significantly associated with telangiectasia in a candidate gene approach but not independently of skin colour.ConclusionIn this GWAS on telangiectasia in a northwestern European population, no genome‐wide significant SNPs were found, although suggestive signals indicate genes involved in the vascular system might be involved in telangiectasia. Significantly associated pigmentation genes underline the link between skin colour and telangiectasia.
Comprehensive evaluation of the learning curve to achieve satisfactory adenoma detection rate
Authors: Dong Zhiyu , Sun Huihui , Li Bo , Zhang Qiongmei , Sun Kejing , Wang Zhenxiang , Qian Xue , Wang Junwen , Zhan Tingting , Jiang Yuanxi , Chen Ying , Xu Shuchang 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackground and AimThe number of colonoscopies required to reach satisfactory adenoma detection rate (ADR) is not well established. The aim of this study was to identify the appropriate number of procedures required to attain satisfactory ADR for those well‐trained endoscopists who have a cecal intubation rate (CIR) ≥ 90% and start to perform colonoscopy independently.MethodsAll endoscopists with compelete independent colonoscopy data during career in our database were enrolled. The number of procedures required to achieve ADR ≥ 20% was identified by cumulative summation (Cusum), learning curve Cusum (LC‐Cusum), and moving average method. Mixed effect logistic regression model was developed to determine the relationship between endoscopist as well as patient‐related factors and adenoma detection.ResultsA total of 24 943 procedures and 14 endoscopists were enrolled. By Cusum analysis, the interest point was at 207 procedures. By LC‐Cusum analysis, 71% (10/14) and 86% (12/14) of endoscopists had attained satisfactory ADR after 200 and 300 procedures, respectively. By moving average method, endoscopists reached a mean ADR of 20% at 216 and 261 procedures over blocks of 50 and 100 procedures, respectively. The total number of procedures, number of daily procedures, patient age and gender, bowel preparation, sedation, and diverticulosis were significantly associated with adenoma detection.ConclusionsThis is the first study to investigate the learning curve of ADR for those well‐trained endoscopists who have a CIR ≥ 90% and start to perform colonoscopy independently. Two hundred procedures might be an optimal number required to reach an ADR ≥ 20%.
ATTENTION: Workforce shortages as a barrier to optimal dialysis
Authors: Gaietto Karen J. , Williams Mark E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractProviding optimal end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) management requires an adequately trained and sufficiently staffed workforce, including doctors, nurses, and patient care technicians (PCTs). The growing need for ESKD services for a surging population of dialysis‐dependent patients has made obvious a workforce crisis affecting nephrology. For a multitude of reasons, the physician workforce supply available to provide dialysis care has failed to expand commensurate with patients need in recent years. Of most importance, fewer US trainees are choosing to enter nephrology, and fewer international medical graduates are available to fill training program rosters. Equally important but less frequently cited are occupational shortages of trained dialysis nurses and PCTs. This article brings attention to this complex workforce shortage and addresses the limited information available regarding how it might constitute a barrier to optimal dialysis care.
Evaluation of a Cost-Effective Technology for the Experimental Investigation of Microflows With Water and Liquid Metal
Authors: Galván Jorge , Sellschopp F. Sergio , Beltrán Alberto , Vargas Joel , Rivero Michel 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIn this technical brief, we investigate the feasibility to use a cost-effective system for the study of frictional losses in hydro- and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows. Experiments are performed in rectangular channels with different aspect ratios, whose dimensions range from 500 μm to 1.835 mm. Fabrication is done with conventional technology, and characterization by commercial sensors and open-source electronic prototyping platforms. Water and GaInSn are used as working fluids. GaInSn experiments are performed for one aspect with and without external magnetic field. For these experiments, Reynolds number varies from 80 to 1000. Characterization is performed in terms of the Darcy friction factor. Uncertainty associated with this common fabrication and characterization methodology is presented.
A Computationally Efficient, High-Fidelity Testbed for Building Climate Control
Authors: Kircher Kevin J. , Schaefer Walter , Max Zhang K. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAdvanced building climate control systems have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs, but more research is needed to bring these systems to market. A key component of building control research is testing algorithms through simulation. Many high-fidelity simulation testbeds exist, but they tend to be complex and opaque to users. Simpler, more transparent testbeds also exist, but they tend to neglect important nonlinearities and disturbances encountered in practice. In this paper, we develop a simulation testbed that is computationally efficient, transparent and high fidelity. We validate the testbed empirically, then demonstrate its use through the examples of system identification, online state and parameter estimation, and model predictive control (MPC). The testbed is intended to enable rapid, reliable analysis of building control algorithms, thereby accelerating progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions at scale. We call the resulting testbed and supporting functions the bldg toolbox, which is free, open source, and available online.
TOX defines the degree of CD8+ T cell dysfunction in distinct phases of chronic HBV infection
Authors: Heim Kathrin , Binder Benedikt , Sagar  , Wieland Dominik , Hensel Nina , Llewellyn-Lacey Sian , Gostick Emma , Price David A. , Emmerich Florian , Vingerhoet Hildegard , Kraft Anke R M , Cornberg Markus , Boettler Tobias , Neumann-Haefelin Christoph , Zehn Dietmar , Bengsch Bertram , Hofmann Maike , Thimme Robert 
Published: October 2020

ObjectiveChronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterised by HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction that has been linked to Tcell exhaustion, a distinct differentiation programme associated with persisting antigen recognition. Recently, Thymocyte Selection-Associated High Mobility Group Box (TOX) was identified as master regulator of CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Here, we addressed the role of TOX in HBV-specific CD8+ T cell dysfunction associated with different clinical phases of infection.DesignWe investigated TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells from 53 HLA-A*01:01, HLA-A*11:01 and HLA-A*02:01 positive patients from different HBV infection phases and compared it to hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific and influenza virus (FLU)-specific CD8+ T cells. Phenotypic and functional analyses of virus-specific CD8+ T cells were performed after peptide-loaded tetramer-enrichment and peptide-specific expansion.ResultsOur results show that TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is linked to chronic antigen stimulation, correlates with viral load and is associated with phenotypic and functional characteristics of T-cell exhaustion. In contrast, similar TOX expression in EBV-specific and CMV-specific CD8+ T cells is not linked to T-cell dysfunction suggesting different underlying programmes. TOX expression in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells is also affected by targeted antigens, for example, core versus polymerase. In HBV-specific CD8+ T cells, TOX expression is maintained after spontaneous or therapy-mediated viral control in chronic but not self-limiting acute HBV infection indicating a permanent molecular imprint after chronic but not temporary stimulation.ConclusionOur data highlight TOX as biomarker specific for dysfunctional virus-specific CD8+ T cells in the context of an actively persisting infection.