bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Apert Hand Reconstruction: Do Partial-Thickness Skin Grafts Result in Flexion Scar Contracture?
Authors: Raposo-Amaral Cassio Eduardo , Oliveira Yuri Moresco , Denadai Rafael , Raposo-Amaral Cesar Augusto 
Published: November 2020

Background:
Hand reconstruction for patients with Apert syndrome is a critical step in comprehensive care and enables this population to gain significant hand function. Digit separation for Apert syndrome, as described in most algorithms, is finalized using local flaps and full-thickness skin grafts. The objective of this study is to report our experience using local flaps and partial-thickness skin grafts after digit separation for Apert hand reconstruction.

Methods:
An observational retrospective study was performed with Apert patients whose hands were reconstructed between January 2007 and July 2019 using local flaps and partial-thickness skin grafts after digit separation. Demographic data and outcome data were verified and recorded.

Results:
Out of a total of 75 Apert patients who underwent hand reconstruction, 12 underwent hand reconstruction utilizing local flaps and partial-thickness skin grafts. The average patient age at the time of the first procedure was 1.9 years. These 12 patients were stratified according to Upton hand severity, 3 being type I (25%), 3 being type II (25%) and 6 being type III (50%). Mean follow up provided to all patients in this study was 1.8 years and donor site-related complications were seen in 2 patients (16.6%). No flexion scar contracture was observed in any of the patients who received partial-thickness skin grafts.

Conclusions:
The use of local flaps along with partial-thickness skin grafts to finalize digit separation for patients with Apert syndrome is an effective technique that reduces donor site morbidity and does not result in flexion scar contracture.
Excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aden governorate, Yemen: a geospatial and statistical analysis
Authors: Koum Besson Emilie , Norris Andy , Bin Ghouth Abdulla S. , Freemantle Terri , Alhaffar Mervat , Vazquez Yolanda , Reeve Chris , Curran Patrick J. , Checchi Francesco 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe burden of COVID-19 in low-income and conflict-affected countries is still unclear, largely reflecting low testing rates. In parts of Yemen, reports indicated a peak in hospital admissions and burials during May-June 2020. To estimate excess mortality during the epidemic period, we quantified activity across all identifiable cemeteries within Aden governorate in Yemen (population approximately one million) by analysing very high-resolution satellite imagery, and compared estimates to Civil Registry office records from the city.MethodsAfter identifying active cemeteries through remote and ground information, we applied geospatial analysis techniques to manually identify new grave plots and measure changes in burial surface area over a period from July 2016 to September 2020. After imputing missing grave counts using surface area data, we used alternative approaches, including simple interpolation and a generalised additive mixed growth model, to predict both actual and counterfactual (no epidemic) burial rates by cemetery and across the governorate during the most likely period of COVID-19 excess mortality (from 1 April 2020), and thereby compute excess burials. We also analysed death notifications to the Civil Registry office during April-July 2020 and in previous years.ResultsWe collected 78 observations from 11 cemeteries, of which 10 required imputation from burial surface area. Cemeteries ranged in starting size from 0 to 6866 graves. In all but one a peak in daily burial rates was evident from April to July 2020. Interpolation and mixed model methods estimated ≈ 1500 excess burials up to 6 July, and 2120 up to 19 September, corresponding to a peak weekly increase of 230% from the counterfactual. Satellite imagery estimates were generally lower than Civil Registry data, which indicated a peak 1823 deaths in May alone. However, both sources suggested the epidemic had waned by September 2020.DiscussionTo our knowledge this is the first instance of satellite imagery being used for population mortality estimation. Findings suggest a substantial, under-ascertained impact of COVID-19 in this urban Yemeni governorate, and are broadly in line with previous mathematical modelling predictions, though our method cannot distinguish direct from indirect virus deaths. Satellite imagery burial analysis appears a promising novel approach for monitoring epidemics and other crisis impacts, particularly where ground data are difficult to collect.
Longitudinal monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on high-touch surfaces in a community setting
Authors: Harvey Abigail P. , Fuhrmeister Erica R. , Cantrell Molly , Pitol Ana K. , Swarthout Jenna M. , Powers Julie E. , Nadimpalli Maya L. , Julian Timothy R. , Pickering Amy J. 
Published: November 2020

AbstractEnvironmental surveillance of surface contamination is an unexplored tool for understanding transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in community settings. We conducted longitudinal swab sampling of high-touch non-porous surfaces in a Massachusetts town during a COVID-19 outbreak from April to June 2020. Twenty-nine of 348 (8.3 %) surface samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2, including crosswalk buttons, trash can handles, and door handles of essential business entrances (grocery store, liquor store, bank, and gas station). The estimated risk of infection from touching a contaminated surface was low (less than 5 in 10,000), suggesting fomites play a minimal role in SARS-CoV-2 community transmission. The weekly percentage of positive samples (out ofn=33 unique surfaces per week) best predicted variation in city-level COVID-19 cases using a 7-day lead time. Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA on high-touch surfaces could be a useful tool to provide early warning of COVID-19 case trends.
Mislocalization and clearance of neuronal Rhes as a novel hallmark of tauopathies
Authors: Ehrenberg Alexander J. , Leng Kun , Hernandez Israel , Lew Caroline , Seeley William W. , Spina Salvatore , Miller Bruce , Heinsen Helmut , Kampmann Martin , Kosik Kenneth S. , Grinberg Lea T. 
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACTThe farnesyltransferase inhibitor lonafarnib reduces tau inclusion burden and atrophy in familial tauopathy models by inhibiting farnesylation on the Ras GTPase, Rhes, and activating autophagy. While hinting at a role of Rhes in tau aggregation, it is unclear how translatable these results are for sporadic forms of tauopathy. We used a combination of quantitative pathology using multiplex immunofluorescence for Rhes, several tau post-translational modifications, and single nucleus RNA sequence analysis to interrogate Rhes presence and distribution in human cortical neurons and Rhes relation to tau and TDP-43 changes. snRNA data suggest that Rhes is found in all cortical neuron subpopulations, not only in striatum cells. Histologic investigation in hippocampal formation from multiple postmortem cases in five different tauopathies and healthy controls and TDP-43 proteinopathy showed that nearly all neurons in control brains display a pattern of diffuse cytoplasmic Rhes positivity. However, in the presence of abnormal tau, but not TDP-43 inclusions, the patterns of neuronal cytoplasmic Rhes tend to present as either punctiform or fully absent. Our findings reinforce the relevance of the link between Rhes changes and tau pathology suggested by in vivo and in vitro models of tauopathy and support a potential clinical application of lonafarnib to tauopathies.
Vaccine-preventable diseases other than tuberculosis, and homelessness: A systematic review of the published literature, 1980 to 2020
Authors: Ly Tran Duc Anh , Castaneda Sergei , Hoang Van Thuan , Dao Thi Loi , Gautret Philippe 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBackgroundHomelessness may result in the breakdown of regular health services, including routine vaccination programmes. A literature review was conducted to describe vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) other than tuberculosis in homeless populations and to summarize vaccination recommendations in homeless people.MethodsWe followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched peer-reviewed literature published in English, French or Spanish reporting the outbreak of VPD or VPD prevalence in both infant and adult homeless populations published between 1980 and 2020, using PubMed/Medline, SciELO, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases. Relevant information from the studies was charted in Microsoft Excel and results were summarised using a descriptive analytical method.ResultsSeventy-five articles were included. A high prevalence of past HBV and HAV infections were observed through serosurveys, mostly in high income countries or high-middle income countries (USA, Canada, France, Iran or Brazil). Nine outbreaks of HAV infection were also reported, with lethality rates ranging from 0-4.8%. The studies discussed numerous risk factors positively associated with HBV infection, including older age, homosexual or bisexual practice, injected drug use (IDU), and, with HAV infection including IDU, having sexual partner(s) with a history of unspecified hepatitis, insertive anal penetration, or originating from a country with a high prevalence of anti-HAV antibody. Eleven outbreaks of pneumococcal infection affecting homeless persons were reported in Canada and USA, with lethality rates from 0-15.6%. Five diphtheria outbreaks were reported. Vaccination status was rarely documented in these studies.ConclusionsThe literature suggests that homeless populations generally experience a higher VPD burden and lower immunisation rates. The findings suggest the need for a national vaccination programme and planning for delivering vaccines in this population.
Protocerebral bridge neurons that regulate sleep inDrosophila melanogaster
Authors: Tomita Jun , Ban Gosuke , Kato Yoshiaki S. , Kume Kazuhiko 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe central complex is one of the major brain regions that control sleep inDrosophila, but the circuitry details of sleep regulation have yet to be elucidated. Here, we show a novel sleep-regulating neuronal circuit in the protocerebral bridge (PB) of the central complex. Activation of the PB interneurons labeled by theR59E08-Gal4and the PB columnar neurons in theR52B10-Gal4promoted sleep and wakefulness, respectively. A targeted GFP reconstitution across synaptic partners (t-GRASP) analysis demonstrated synaptic contacts between these two groups of sleep-regulating PB neurons. Furthermore, we found that activation of a pair of dopaminergic (DA) neurons projecting to the PB (T1 DA neurons) decreased sleep. The wake-promoting T1 DA neurons and the sleep-promoting PB interneurons formed close associations.Dopamine 2-like receptor(Dop2R) knockdown in the sleep-promoting PB interneurons increased sleep. These results indicated that the neuronal circuit in the PB regulated by dopamine signaling mediates sleep-wakefulness.
Detection of melanin-mediated false-positive for BaxΔ2 immunohistochemical staining in human skin tissues
Authors: Basheer Sana , Mañas Adriana , Yao Qi , Reiner Katherine , Xiang Jialing 
Published: November 2020

AbstractBaxΔ2 is a pro-apoptotic isoform of the Bax family. We have previously shown that BaxΔ2 protein expression is low in most healthy human tissues with the protein mainly scattered in the connective tissues. Surprisingly, in skin tissue, the BaxΔ2-positive staining was strikingly strong, especially in the basal layer of the epidermis. It has been documented that melanin in the basal cells displays a brown color that could give false-positive staining in the commonly used DAB-based (3-3’-diaminobenzidine) immunostaining. To avoid the false-positive staining from DAB-melanin, we performed immunofluorescent staining on the same set of tissues which were positive for BaxΔ2 in the DAB immunostaining. The results from co-immunofluorescent staining of BaxΔ2 and a basal cell marker CK-14 showed that the previously detected DAB-stained BaxΔ2-positive epidermal cells were CK-14 positive but BaxΔ2 negative. Consistent with our previous finding, the BaxΔ2-positive cells in the dermis connective tissues are positive in both DAB-based and fluorescence-based immunostainings. These data indicate that the DAB-stained BaxΔ2 positive cells in the basal layer of skin tissue are false-positive due to a misinterpretation of the melanin color, but the dermal connective tissue still presents real BaxΔ2 positive staining.
Singe cell oil (SCO) based bioactive compounds: II. Enzymatic synthesis of glucose fatty acid esters using SCOs as acyl group-donors and their biological activities
Authors: El-Baz Hatim A. , Elazzazy Ahmed M. , Saleh Tamer S. , Dourou Marianna , Mahyoub Jazem A. , Baeshen Mohammed N. , Madian Hekmat R. , Aggelis George 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSugar fatty acid esters, especially glucose fatty acid esters (GEs), have broad applications in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In this research the fatty acid moieties derived from polyunsaturated fatty acid containing single cell oils (SCOs), i.e. those produced fromCunninghamella echinulata,Umbelopsis isabellinaandNannochloropsis gaditanaas well as from olive oil and an eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrate were converted into GEs by enzymatic synthesis, using lipases as biocatalysts. The GE synthesis was monitored using thin-layer chromatography, FT-IR and in situ NMR. It was found that GE synthesis carried out using immobilizedCandida antarcticaB lipase was very effective reaching high yields, near to 100%. It was shown that EPA-GEs were very effective against several pathogenic bacteria and their activity can be attributed to their high EPA content. Furthermore,C. echinulata-GEswere more effective against pathogens comparing toU. isabellina-GEs, probably due to the presence of gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in the lipids ofC. echinulate, which is known for its antimicrobial activity, in higher concentrations.C. echinulata-GEsalso showed a strong insecticidal activity againstAedes aegyptilarvae, followed by EPA-GEs, olive oil-GEs, andN. gaditana-GEs. All synthesized GEs induced apoptosis of the SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cell line, with the apoptotic rate increasing significantly after 48 h. A higher percentage of apoptosis was observed in the cells treated with EPA-GEs, followed byC. echinulata-GEs, U. isabellina-GEsand olive oil-GEs. We conclude that SCOs can be used in the synthesis of GEs with interesting biological properties.
Ethnicity-specific transcriptomic variation in immune cells and correlation with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Andreoletti Gaia , Lanata Cristina M. , Paranjpe Ishan , Jain Tia S. , Nititham Joanne , Taylor Kimberly E. , Combes Alexis J , Maliskova Lenka , Ye Chun Jimmie , Katz Patricia , Dall’Era Maria , Yazdany Jinoos , Criswell Lindsey A. , Sirota Marina 
Published: November 2020

AbstractSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease in which outcomes vary among different racial groups. The aim of this study is to leverage large-scale transcriptomic data from diverse populations to better sub-classify SLE patients into more clinically actionable groups. We leverage cell sorted RNA-seq data (CD14+monocytes, B cells, CD4+T cells, and NK cells) from 120 SLE patients (63 Asian and 57 White individuals) and apply a four tier analytical approach to identify SLE subgroups within this multiethnic cohort: unsupervised clustering, differential expression analyses, gene co-expression analyses, and machine learning. K-means clustering on the individual cell type data resulted in three clusters for CD4 and CD14, and two clusters for B cells and NK cells. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive associations between the transcriptomic clusters of each immune cell and clinical parameters including disease activity and ethnicity. We then explored differentially expressed genes between Asian and White groups for each cell-type. The shared differentially expressed genes across the four cell types were involved in SLE or other autoimmune related pathways. Co-expression analysis identified similarly regulated genes across samples and grouped these genes into modules. Samples were grouped into White-high, Asians-high (high disease activity defined by SLEDAI score >=6) and White-low, Asians-low (SLEDAI < 6). Random forest classification of disease activity in the White and Asian cohorts showed the best classification in CD4+T cells in White. The results from these analyses will help stratify patients based on their gene expression signatures to enable precision medicine for SLE.
Mechanism of RNA recognition by a Musashi RNA-binding protein
Authors: Wang Jinan , Lan Lan , Wu Xiaoqing , Xu Liang , Miao Yinglong 
Published: November 2020

AbstractThe Musashi RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate translation of target mRNAs and maintenance of cell stemness and tumorigenesis. Musashi-1 (MSI1), long considered as an intestinal and neural stem cell marker, has been more recently found to be overexpressed in many cancers. It has served as an important drug target for treating acute myeloid leukemia and solid tumors such as ovarian, colorectal and bladder cancer. One of the reported binding targets of MSI1 is Numb, a negative regulator of the Notch signaling. However, the dynamic mechanism of Numb RNA binding to MSI1 remains unknown, largely hindering effective drug design targeting this critical interaction. Here, we have performed all-atom simulations using a robust Gaussian accelerated molecular dynamics (GaMD) method, which successfully captured spontaneous and highly accurate binding of the Numb RNA from bulk solvent to the MSI1 protein target site. GaMD simulations revealed that Numb binding to MSI1 involved largely induced fit in both the RNA and protein. The simulations also identified important low-energy intermediate conformational states during RNA binding, in which Numb interacted mainly with the β2-β3 loop and C terminus of MSI1. The mechanistic understanding of RNA binding obtained from our GaMD simulations is expected to facilitate rational structure-based drug design targeting MSI1 and other RBPs.
First report of an insilico study of Luciferase inMycobacterium sp. EPa45
Authors: Dasgupta Rishav , Pradhan Arpit Kumar , Ghosh Shyamasree 
Published: November 2020

AbstractMycobacterium are a genus of Actinobacteria known to be responsible for several deadly diseases in both humans and animals, including tuberculosis. Luciferase is the primary protein inMycobacteriathat plays a role in bioluminescence. It also plays a role in some bacteria of being a source of energy transference, such as in the case of lumazine proteins. Although studies have been conducted in different luciferase in bacteria, there has been hardly any structural studies on luciferase expressed inMycobacterium sp. EPa45. Therefore, in this paper we have studied luciferase expressed inMycobacterium sp. EPa45by insilico analysis of its structure from its protein sequence. We report the observed differences within luciferase reported from other strains of mycobacterium and pathogenic and non-pathogenic forms of bacteria in terms of their (i) physiochemical characteristics, (ii) protein structure, (iii) multiple sequence alignment and (iv) phylogenetic relationships. We report for the first time the relation of this specific strain of Luciferase in mycobacterium and bacterium at large.HighlightsMycobacterium sp. EPa45shows similar characteristics to pathogenic mycobacteriumAnalysis of Luciferase sequence and protein qualities provides insight to pathogenicityThe deadly nature of infectious mycobacterium, especially with luciferase sequences similar to Mycobacteriumsp. EPa45, is analyzed
An efficient and accurate frailty model approach for genome-wide survival association analysis controlling for population structure and relatedness in large-scale biobanks
Authors: Dey Rounak , Zhou Wei , Kiiskinen Tuomo , Havulinna Aki , Elliott Amanda , Karjalainen Juha , Kurki Mitja , Qin Ashley ,   FinnGen, Lee Seunggeun , Palotie Aarno , Neale Benjamin , Daly Mark , Lin Xihong 
Published: November 2020

AbstractWith decades of electronic health records linked to genetic data, large biobanks provide unprecedented opportunities for systematically understanding the genetics of the natural history of complex diseases. Genome-wide survival association analysis can identify genetic variants associated with ages of onset, disease progression and lifespan. We developed an efficient and accurate frailty (random effects) model approach for genome-wide survival association analysis of censored time-to-event (TTE) phenotypes in large biobanks by accounting for both population structure and relatedness. Our method utilizes state-of-the-art optimization strategies to reduce the computational cost. The saddlepoint approximation is used to allow for analysis of heavily censored phenotypes (>90%) and low frequency variants (down to minor allele count 20). We demonstrated the performance of our method through extensive simulation studies and analysis of five TTE phenotypes, including lifespan, with heavy censoring rates (90.9% to 99.8%) on ~400,000 UK Biobank participants with white British ancestry and ~180,000 samples in FinnGen, respectively. We further performed genome-wide association analysis for 871 TTE phenotypes in UK Biobank and presented the genome-wide scale phenome-wide association (PheWAS) results with the PheWeb browser.