bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Applying time series analyses on continuous accelerometry data – a clinical example in older adults with and without cognitive impairment
Authors: Rackoll Torsten , Neumann Konrad , Passmann Sven , Grittner Ulrike , Külzow Nadine , Ladenbauer Julia , Flöel Agnes 
Published: March 2020

AbstractIntroductionCurrent analysis approaches of accelerometry data use sum score measures which do not provide insight in activity patterns over 24 hours, and thus do not adequately depict circadian activity patterns. Here, we used a functional approach to analyze accelerometer data that models activity pattern and circadian rhythm. As a test case, we demonstrated its application in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and age-matched healthy older volunteers (HOV). Moreover, we assessed the impact of chronotype on distribution of activity data.MethodsData of two studies were pooled for this analysis. Following baseline cognitive assessment participants were provided with accelerometers for seven consecutive days. A function on scalar regression (FoSR) approach was used to analyze 24 hours accelerometer data. In a second step, analyses were controlled for chronotype using the German version of the morningness-eveningness questionnaire (d-MEQ).ResultsInformation on 47 HOV (mean age 66 SD 6 years) and 13 patients with MCI (mean age 69, SD 8 years) were available for this analysis. MCI patients displayed slightly higher activity in the morning hours as compared to HOV (maximum relative activity at 7:35 am: 75.6%, 95% CI 2.6 to 200.4%, p = 0.031). After controlling for d-MEQ, disturbed activity patterns were found in MCI of intermediate or evening chronotype, compared to HOV, i.e., MCI presented with higher activities in the morning hours (peak at 8:40 am: 357.6%, 95% CI 92.9 to 985.1, p < 0.001) and early afternoon hours (peak at 1:40 pm: 401.8%, 95% CI 63.9 to 1436.4, p < 0.001).DiscussionUsing a novel approach of FoSR, we found timeframes with higher activity levels in MCI patients compared to HOV which were not evident if sum scores of amount of activity were used. In addition, we found that previously described activity patterns as a function of chronotype swere altered in MCI patients, possibly indicating that changes in circadian rhythmicity in neurodegenerative disease are detectable using easy-to-administer accelerometry.Clinical TrialsEffects of Brain Stimulation During Nocturnal Sleep on Memory Consolidation in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairments, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01782391?term=NCT01782391&rank=1,ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT01782391Effects of Brain Stimulation During a Daytime Nap on Memory Consolidation in Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment,https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01782365?term=NCT01782365&rank=1,ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT01782365
Acute kidney injury at early stage as a negative prognostic indicator of patients with COVID-19: a hospital-based retrospective analysis
Authors: Xu Shen , Fu Lin , Fei Jun , Xiang Hui-Xian , Xiang Ying , Tan Zhu-Xia , Li Meng-Die , Liu Fang-Fang , Li Ying , Han Ming-Feng , Li Xiu-Yong , Yu De-Xin , Zhao Hui , Xu De-Xiang 
Published: March 2020

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerged infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has been pandemic all over the world. This study described acute kidney injury (AKI) at early stage of COVID-19 and its clinical significance. Three-hundred and fifty-five COVID-19 patients with were recruited and clinical data were collected from electronic medical records. Patient’s prognosis was tracked and risk factors of AKI was analyzed. Of 355 COVID-19 patients, common, severe and critical ill cases accounted for 63.1%, 16.9% and 20.0%, respectively. On admission, 56 (15.8%) patients were with AKI. Although AKI was more common in critical ill patients with COVID-19, there was no significant association between oxygenation index and renal functional indices among COVID-19 patients with AKI. By multivariate logistic regression, male, older age and comorbidity with diabetes were three important independent risk factors predicting AKI among COVID-19 patients. Among 56 COVID-19 patients with AKI, 33.9% were died on mean 10.9 day after hospitalization. Fatality rate was obviously higher among COVID-+19 patients with AKI than those without AKI (RR=7.08,P<0.001). In conclusion, male elderly COVID-19 patients with diabetes are more susceptible to AKI. AKI at early stage may be a negative prognostic indicator for COVID-19.
Human Mobility Restrictions and the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China
Authors: Fang Hanming , Wang Long , Yang Yang 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWe quantify the causal impact of human mobility restrictions, particularly the lockdown of the city of Wuhan on January 23, 2020, on the containment and delay of the spread of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). We employ a set of difference-in-differences (DID) estimations to disentangle the lockdown effect on human mobility reductions from other confounding effects including panic effect, virus effect, and the Spring Festival effect. We find that the lockdown of Wuhan reduced inflow into Wuhan by 76.64%, outflows from Wuhan by 56.35%, and within-Wuhan movements by 54.15%. We also estimate the dynamic effects of up to 22 lagged population inflows from Wuhan and other Hubei cities, the epicenter of the 2019-nCoV outbreak, on the destination cities’ new infection cases. We find, using simulations with these estimates, that the lockdown of the city of Wuhan on January 23, 2020 contributed significantly to reducing the total infection cases outside of Wuhan, even with the social distancing measures later imposed by other cities. We find that the COVID-19 cases would be 64.81% higher in the 347 Chinese cities outside Hubei province, and 52.64% higher in the 16 non-Wuhan cities inside Hubei, in the counterfactual world in which the city of Wuhan were not locked down from January 23, 2020. We also find that there were substantial undocumented infection cases in the early days of the 2019-nCoV outbreak in Wuhan and other cities of Hubei province, but over time, the gap between the officially reported cases and our estimated “actual” cases narrows significantly. We also find evidence that enhanced social distancing policies in the 63 Chinese cities outside Hubei province are effective in reducing the impact of population inflows from the epi-center cities in Hubei province on the spread of 2019-nCoV virus in the destination cities elsewhere.JEL CodesI18, I10.
Multiple blood feeding in mosquitoes shortens the Plasmodium falciparum incubation period and increases malaria transmission potential
Authors: Shaw W. Robert , Holmdahl Inga E. , Itoe Maurice A. , Werling Kristine , Marquette Meghan , Paton Douglas G. , Singh Naresh , Buckee Caroline O. , Childs Lauren M. , Catteruccia Flaminia 
Published: March 2020

AbstractMany mosquito species, including the major malaria vector Anopheles gambiae, naturally undergo multiple reproductive cycles of blood feeding, egg development and egg laying in their lifespan. Such complex mosquito behavior is regularly overlooked when mosquitoes are experimentally infected with malaria parasites, limiting our ability to accurately describe potential effects on transmission. Here, we examine how Plasmodium falciparum development and transmission potential is impacted when infected mosquitoes feed an additional time. We measured P. falciparum oocyst size and performed sporozoite time course analyses to determine the parasite’s extrinsic incubation period (EIP), i.e. the time required by parasites to reach infectious sporozoite stages, in An. gambiae females blood fed either once or twice. An additional blood feed at 3 days post infection drastically accelerates oocyst growth rates, causing earlier sporozoite accumulation in the salivary glands, thereby shortening the EIP (reduction of 2.25 ± 0.39 days). Moreover, parasite growth is further accelerated in transgenic mosquitoes with reduced reproductive capacity, which mimic genetic modifications currently proposed in population suppression gene drives. We incorporate our shortened EIP values into a measure of transmission potential, the basic reproduction number R0, and find the average R0 is remarkably higher (range: 10.1%–12.1% increase) across sub-Saharan Africa than when using traditional EIP measurements. These data suggest that malaria elimination may be substantially more challenging and that younger mosquitoes or those with reduced reproductive ability may provide a larger contribution to infection than currently believed. Our findings have profound implications for current and future mosquito control interventions.Significance StatementIn natural settings the female Anopheles gambiae mosquito, the major malaria vector, blood feeds multiple times in her lifespan. Here we demonstrate that an additional blood feed accelerates the growth of Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites in this mosquito. Incorporating these data into a mathematical model across sub-Saharan Africa reveals that malaria transmission potential is likely to be substantially higher than previously thought, making disease elimination more difficult. Additionally, we show that control strategies that manipulate mosquito reproduction with the aim of suppressing Anopheles populations may inadvertently favor malaria transmission. Our data also suggest that parasites can be transmitted by younger mosquitoes, which are less susceptible to insecticide killing, with negative implications for the success of insecticide-based strategies.
Capsular polysaccharides cross-regulation modulatesBacteroides thetaiotaomicronbiofilm formation
Authors: Bechon Nathalie , Mihajlovic Jovana , Vendrell-Fernández Sol , Chain Florian , Langella Philippe , Beloin Christophe , Ghigo Jean-Marc 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACTBacteroides thetaiotaomicronis one of the most abundant gut symbiont species, whose contribution to host health through its ability to degrade diet polysaccharides and mature the immune system is under untense scrutiny. By contrast, adhesion and biofilm formation, which are potentially involved in gut colonization, microbiota structure and stability, have hardly been investigated in this intestinal bacterium. To uncoverB. thetaiotaomicronbiofilm-related functions, we performed a transposon mutagenesis in the poor biofilm-forming reference strain VPI 5482 and showed that capsule 4, one of the eightB. thetaiotaomicroncapsules, hinders biofilm formation. We then showed that the production of capsules 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 also inhibits biofilm formation and that decreased capsulation of the population correlated with increased biofilm formation, suggesting that capsules could be masking adhesive surface structures. We also showed that, by contrast, capsule 8 displayed intrinsic adhesive properties. Finally, we demonstrated thatBT2934, thewzxhomolog ofB. thetaiotaomicronglycosylation locus, competes with capsule production and therefore impacts its adhesion capacity. This study identified regulation of capsular polysaccharides as a major determinant ofB. thetaiotaomicronbiofilm formation, providing new insights into how modulation of differentB. thetaiotaomicronsurface structures affectin vitrobiofilm formation.
Dissecting Hes-centered transcriptional networks in neural stem cell maintenance and tumorigenesis inDrosophila
Authors: Magadi Srivathsa S. , Voutyraki Chrysanthi , Anagnostopoulos Gerasimos , Zacharioudaki Evanthia , Poutakidou Ioanna K. , Efraimoglou Christina , Stapountzi Margarita , Theodorou Vasiliki , Nikolaou Christoforos , Delidakis Christos 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACTNeural stem cells divide during embryogenesis and post embryonic development to generate the entire complement of neurons and glia in the nervous system of vertebrates and invertebrates. Studies of the mechanisms controlling the fine balance between neural stem cells and more differentiated progenitors have shown that in every asymmetric cell division progenitors send a Delta-Notch signal back to their sibling stem cells. Here we show that excessive activation of Notch or overexpression of its direct targets of the Hes family causes stem-cell hyperplasias in theDrosophilalarval central nervous system, which can progress to malignant tumours after allografting to adult hosts. We combined transcriptomic data from these hyperplasias with chromatin occupancy data for Dpn, a Hes transcription factor, to identify genes regulated by Hes factors in this process. We show that the Notch/Hes axis represses a cohort of transcription factor genes. These are excluded from the stem cells and promote early differentiation steps, most likely by preventing the reversion of immature progenitors to a stem-cell fate. Our results suggest that Notch signalling sets up a network of mutually repressing stemness and anti-stemness transcription factors, which include Hes proteins and Zfh1, respectively. This mutual repression ensures robust transition to neuronal and glial differentiation and its perturbation can lead to malignant transformation.
Piglets vocally express the anticipation of (pseudo)-social contexts in their grunts
Authors: Villain A.S. , Hazard A. , Danglot M. , Guérin C. , Boissy A. , Tallet C. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractEmotions not only arise in reaction to an eliciting event but also while anticipating it, making this context a way to assess the emotional value of events. Anticipatory studies have poorly considered vocalisations whereas they carry information about the emotional state. We studied the grunts of piglets that anticipated two (pseudo)social events known to elicit positive emotions more or less intense: arrival of a familiar conspecifics and arrival of a familiar human. Both time and spectral features of the vocal expression of piglets differed according to the emotional context. Piglets produced low-frequency grunts at a higher rate when anticipating conspecifics compared to human. Spectral noise increased when piglets expected conspecifics, whereas the duration and frequency range increased when expecting a human. When the arrival of conspecifics was delayed grunts duration increased, while when the arrival of the human was delayed spectral parameters were comparable to those during isolation. This shows that vocal expressions in piglets during anticipation are specific to the expected reward and to the time duration between signal and the delivery of the reward. Vocal expression (time and spectral features) is thus a good way to explore emotional state of piglets during anticipation of challenging events.
Infrared absorptions as indicators forPseudomonas aeruginosaandAcinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Yamamoto Masato , Arata Satoru , Fukuchi Kunihiko , Honda Hidehiko , Kobayashi Hirokazu , Inagaki Masahiro 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThere is clinical demand for simple and contact-free diagnosis techniques in medical practice. This study shows that the infrared absorptions of volatile metabolites can be used to distinguish between the air aroundPseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii,other bacteria, and normal room air. Gas samples were collected from the air surrounding single and mixed laboratory cultures, and preliminary data on human breath samples are also presented. The infrared spectra of a variety of gasses are measured with a high resolution of 0.5 cm-1to obtain information about the wavenumber position of the key bands. Hence, it is not necessary to specify the molecular species of biomarkers. This work also shows that discrimination rates can be improved by observing additional infrared absorptions caused by different characteristic volatile molecules. The significance of this work is that the specific wavenumber positions of the key bands that allow the application of infrared lasers are provided. As a result, it is considered thatPseudomonas aeruginosaandAcinetobacter baumanniican be monitored more sensitively and easily. With further research and development, this simple approach could be used in future applications to identify infections in healthcare settings.
Numerical response of predators to large variations of grassland vole abundance, long-term community change and prey switches
Authors: Giraudoux Patrick , Levret Aurélien , Afonso Eve , Coeurdassier Michael , Couval Geoffroy 
Published: March 2020

AbstractVoles can reach high densities with multi-annual population fluctuations of large amplitude, and they are at the base of large and rich communities of predators in temperate and arctic food webs. This status places them at the heart of management conflicts wherein crop protection and health concerns are often raised against conservation issues. Here, a 20-year survey describes the effects of large variations in grassland vole populations on the densities and the daily theoretical food intakes (TFI) of vole predators based on roadside counts. Our results show how the predator community responds to prey variations of large amplitude and how it reorganized with the increase in a dominant predator, here the red fox, which likely negatively impacted hare, European wildcat and domestic cat populations. They also indicate which subset of predator species might have a role in vole population control in the critical phase of a low density of grassland voles. Our study provides empirical support for more timely and better focused actions in wildlife management and vole population control, and it supports an evidence-based and constructive dialogue about management targets and options between all stakeholders of such socio-ecosystems.
Glycoinformatics approach for identifying target positions to inhibit initial binding of SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein to the host cell
Authors: Uslupehlivan Muhammet , Şener Ecem 
Published: March 2020

AbstractCOVID-19 outbreak is still threatening the public health. Therefore, in the middle of the pandemic, all kind of knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 may help us to find the solution. Determining the 3D structures of the proteins involved in host-pathogen interactions are of great importance in the fight against infection. Besides, post-translational modifications of the protein on 3D structure should be revealed in order to understand the protein function since these modifications are responsible for the host-pathogen interaction. Based on these, we predicted O-glycosylation and phosphorylation positions using full amino acid sequence of S1 protein. Candidate positions were further analyzed with enzyme binding activity, solvent accessibility, surface area parameters and the positions determined with high accuracy rate were used to design full 3D glycoprotein structure of the S1 protein using carbohydrate force field. In addition, the interaction between the C-type lectin CD209L and α-mannose residues was examined and carbohydrate recognition positions were predicted. We suggest these positions as a potential target for the inhibition of the initial binding of SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein to the host cell.
Cancer associated talin point mutations disorganise cell adhesion and migration
Authors: Azizi Latifeh , Cowell Alana R. , Mykuliak Vasyl V. , Goult Benjamin T. , Turkki Paula , Hytönen Vesa P. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractTalin–1 is a key component of the multiprotein adhesion complexes which mediate cell migration, adhesion and integrin signalling and has been linked to cancer in several studies. We analysed talin–1 mutations reported in the COSMIC (Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer) database and developed a bioinformatics pipeline to predict the severity of each mutation. These predictions were then assessed using biochemistry and cell biology experiments. With this approach we were able to identify several talin–1 mutations affecting integrin activity, actin recruitment and Deleted in Liver Cancer 1 localization. We explored potential changes in talin–1 signalling responses by assessing impact on migration, invasion and proliferation. Altogether, this study describes a pipeline approach of experiments for crude characterization of talin–1 mutants in order to evaluate their functional effects and potential pathogenicity. Our findings suggest that cancer related point mutations in talin–1 can affect cell behaviour and so may contribute to cancer progression.
Direct visualization and characterization of the human zona incerta and surrounding structures
Authors: Lau Jonathan C. , Xiao Yiming , Haast Roy A.M. , Gilmore Greydon , Uludag Kamil , MacDougall Keith W. , Menon Ravi S. , Parrent Andrew G. , Peters Terry M. , Khan Ali R. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe zona incerta (ZI) is a small gray matter region of the deep brain first identified in the 19th century, yet direct in vivo visualization and characterization has remained elusive. Noninvasive detection of the ZI and surrounding region could be critical to further our understanding of this widely connected but poorly understood deep brain region and could contribute to the development and optimization of neuromodulatory therapies. We demonstrate that high resolution (submillimetric) longitudinal (T1) relaxometry measurements at high magnetic field strength (7 Tesla) can be used to delineate the ZI from surrounding white matter structures, specifically the fasciculus cerebellothalamicus, fields of Forel (fasciculus lenticularis, fasciculus thalamicus, field H), and medial lemniscus. Using this approach, we successfully derived in vivo estimates of the size, shape, location, and tissue characteristics of substructures in the ZI region, confirming observations only previously possible through histological evaluation that this region is not just a space between structures but contains distinct morphological entities that should be considered separately. Our findings pave the way for increasingly detailed in vivo study and provide a structural foundation for precise functional and neuromodulatory investigation.
Altered specificity of 15-LOX-1 in the biosynthesis of 7S,14S-diHDHA implicates 15-LOX-2 in biosynthesis of resolvin D5
Authors: Perry Steven C. , Kalyanaraman Chakrapani , Tourdot Benjamin E. , Conrad William S. , Akinkugbe Oluwayomi , Freedman John Cody , Holinstat Michael , Jacobson Matthew P. , Holman Theodore R. 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACTThe oxylipins, 7S,14S-diHDHA and 7S,17S-diHDHA (RvD5), have been found in macrophages exudates and are believed to function as specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPM’s). Their biosynthesis is thought to proceed through sequential oxidations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by lipoxygenase enzymes, specifically by h5-LOX first to 7S-HDHA, followed by h12-LOX to form 7S,14S-diHDHA or h15-LOX-1 to form 7S,17S-diHDHA (RvD5). In this work, we determined that oxidation of 7S-HpDHA to 7S,14S-diHDHA can be performed by either h12-LOX or h15-LOX-1, with similar kinetics. The oxidation at C14 of DHA by h12-LOX was expected, but the non-canonical reaction of h15-LOX-1 to make primarily 7S,14S-diHDHA was unexpected. Computer modeling suggests the alcohol on C7 of 7S-HDHA hydrogen bonds with the backbone carbonyl of I399, forcing the hydrogen abstraction from C12 to oxygenate on C14, and not C17. This result raised questions regarding synthesis of 7S,17S-diHDHA (RvD5). Strikingly, we find h15-LOX-2 oxygenates 7S-HDHA almost exclusively at C17, forming RvD5 with faster kinetics than h15-LOX-1. The presence of h15-LOX-2 in neutrophils and macrophages, suggests it may have a greater role in biosynthesizing SPM’s than previously thought. We also determined that the reactions of h5-LOX with 14S-HpDHA and 17S-HpDHA are kinetically slow compared to DHA, suggesting these may be minor biosynthetic routesin-vivo. Additionally, we show that 7S,14S-diHDHA and RvD5 have anti-aggregation properties with platelets at low micro-molar potencies, which could directly regulate clot resolution.