bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Insights into antimicrobial peptides in fighting anthrax: A review
Authors: Leonard Theodore Ebenezer , Siratan Elsabda , Hartiadi Leonny Yulita , Crystalia Audrey Amira 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAnthrax is an infectious disease occurring worldwide and is a threat to global society due to its possible misuse as a biological weapon. Bacillus anthracis is the etiologic agent of this disease which can be transmitted via inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact. Globally, it is estimated around 2000 anthrax cases occur per year. Upon infection, the organism can cause cytolysis of macrophage and produce exotoxin capable of inducing edema and lymphatic blockage. Another challenge posed by the organism is the ability to form spores in harsh conditions. Various antibiotics have been used to fight the disease. However, like many other microbes, B. anthracis may develop resistance, thus the discovery of new therapeutics is urgently required. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been discovered since 1980s and attracted researchers in the antimicrobial field. In this review, the work and studies on the attempts to discover potent AMPs to treat anthrax together with the brief overview of the synthesis and modification pathways of several AMPs have been presented.
Prenatal maternal distress and immune cell epigenetic profiles at 3‐months of age
Authors: Letourneau Nicole , Ntanda Henry , Jong Victor L. , Mahinpey Newsha , Giesbrecht Gerald , Ross Kharah M. ,   the APrON Team
Published: February 2021

AbstractBackgroundPrenatal maternal distress predicts altered offspring immune outcomes, potentially via altered epigenetics. The role of different kinds of prenatal maternal distress on DNA methylation profiles is not understood.MethodsA sample of 117 women (APrON cohort) were followed from pregnancy to the postpartum period. Maternal distress (depressive symptoms, pregnancy‐specific anxiety, stressful life events) were assessed mid‐pregnancy, late‐pregnancy, and 3‐months postpartum. DNA methylation profiles were obtained from 3‐month‐old blood samples. Principal component analysis identified two epigenetic components, characterized as Immune Signaling and DNA Transcription through gene network analysis. Covariates were maternal demographics, pre‐pregnancy body mass index, child sex, birth gestational age, and postpartum maternal distress. Penalized regression (LASSO) models were used.ResultsLate‐pregnancy stressful life events, b = 0.006, early‐pregnancy depressive symptoms, b = 0.027, late‐pregnancy depressive symptoms, b = 0.014, and pregnancy‐specific anxiety during late pregnancy, b = −0.631, were predictive of the Immune Signaling component, suggesting that these aspects of maternal distress could affect methylation in offspring immune signaling pathways. Only early‐pregnancy depressive symptoms was predictive of the DNA Transcription component, b = −0.0004, suggesting that this aspect of maternal distress is implicated in methylation of offspring DNA transcription pathways.ConclusionsExposure timing and kind of prenatal maternal distress could matter in the prediction of infant immune epigenetic profiles.
Range expansion, habitat use, and choosiness in a butterfly under climate change: Marginality and tolerance of oviposition site selection
Authors: Martin Youri , Titeux Nicolas , Van Dyck Hans 
Published: February 2021

AbstractPoleward range shifts under climate change involve the colonization of new sites and hence the foundation of new populations at the expanding edge. We studied oviposition site selection in a butterfly under range expansion (Lycaena dispar), a key process for the establishment of new populations. We described and compared the microhabitats used by the species for egg laying with those available across the study sites both in edge and in core populations. We carried out an ecological niche factor analysis (ENFA) to estimate (1) the variety of microhabitats used by the butterfly for egg laying (tolerance) and (2) the extent to which these selected microhabitats deviated from those available (marginality). Microhabitat availability was similar in edge and core populations. Ambient temperature recorded at the site level above the vegetation was on average lower at core populations. In contrast with what is often assumed, edge populations did not have narrower microhabitat use compared to core populations. Females in edge populations even showed a higher degree of generalism: They laid eggs under a wider range of microhabitats. We suggest that this pattern could be related to an overrepresentation of fast deciding personalities in edge populations. We also showed that the thermal time window for active female behavior was reduced in edge populations, which could significantly decrease the time budget for oviposition and decrease the threshold of acceptance during microhabitat selection for oviposition in recently established populations.
Larger workers outperform smaller workers across resource environments: An evaluation of demographic data using functional linear models
Authors: Kerr Natalie Z. , Malfi Rosemary L. , Williams Neal M. , Crone Elizabeth E. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractBehavior and organization of social groups is thought to be vital to the functioning of societies, yet the contributions of various roles within social groups toward population growth and dynamics have been difficult to quantify. A common approach to quantifying these role‐based contributions is evaluating the number of individuals conducting certain roles, which ignores how behavior might scale up to effects at the population‐level. Manipulative experiments are another common approach to determine population‐level effects, but they often ignore potential feedbacks associated with these various roles.Here, we evaluate the effects of worker size distribution in bumblebee colonies on worker production in 24 observational colonies across three environments, using functional linear models. Functional linear models are an underused correlative technique that has been used to assess lag effects of environmental drivers on plant performance. We demonstrate potential applications of this technique for exploring high‐dimensional ecological systems, such as the contributions of individuals with different traits to colony dynamics.We found that more larger workers had mostly positive effects and more smaller workers had negative effects on worker production. Most of these effects were only detected under low or fluctuating resource environments suggesting that the advantage of colonies with larger‐bodied workers becomes more apparent under stressful conditions.We also demonstrate the wider ecological application of functional linear models. We highlight the advantages and limitations when considering these models, and how they are a valuable complement to many of these performance‐based and manipulative experiments.
Enhancing an unsupervised clustering algorithm with a spatial contiguity constraint for river habitat analysis
Authors: van Rooijen Erik , Vanzo Davide , Vetsch David F. , Boes Robert M. , Siviglia Annunziato 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThe spread of two‐dimensional numerical hydrodynamic tools for ecohydraulic applications allowed for the development of automatic habitat detection methods, adopted as predicting tools for river habitat analysis. These automatic approaches differ for the employed identification rules, such as preference curves, fuzzy rules and clustering methods. Previous research has shown promising results in the automatic identification of mesoscale habitat patches by using clustering algorithms together with numerical hydrodynamic model results. These algorithms attempt to implement and simulate some of the expert‐based requirements adopted in the field to delineate habitat patches. Spatial contiguity is one of such expert‐based requirements that has not been enforced and exploited in automatic mesohabitat identification so far. In this work, we propose a novel tool (BASEmeso) based on an agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm where we enforced a spatial contiguity criteria. We compare our approach with a more established method without spatial constraints, considering a synthetic river reach where the composition of mesohabitat patches is known a priori, and on three experimental river reaches, to investigate the effects of different river morphologies. Our results show that when employing a contiguity constraint, a patch's extent is better captured, different patches can be distinguished better and the distribution of patch characteristics is smoother. This holds for all investigated morphologies. Together, it suggests that including a spatial contiguity constraint can improve the automatic delineation of river mesohabitat patches. The proposed methodology could positively contribute in the development of automatic, objective and predictive meso‐scale habitat assessment workflows.
Using terrestrial leeches to assess the genetic diversity of an elusive species: The Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi
Authors: Nguyen Thanh V. , Tilker Andrew , Nguyen An , Hörig Lisa , Axtner Jan , Schmidt Anke , Le Minh , Nguyen Anh H. Q. , Rawson Benjamin M. , Wilting Andreas , Fickel Joerns 
Published: February 2021

AbstractInformation on geographic patterns of species genetic diversity is often needed to inform conservation strategies. Obtaining data over large geographic areas can be difficult, especially for rare or elusive species. Here, we explore the use of invertebrate‐derived DNA (iDNA) obtained from terrestrial leeches to assess genetic diversity of the Annamite striped rabbit Nesolagus timminsi, a little‐known and highly threatened lagomorph endemic to the Annamites ecoregion of Vietnam and Laos. We collected 4,877 leeches pooled into 651 leech bulk samples from eight study areas across the northern and central Annamites. Using metabarcoding, we detected Annamite striped rabbit DNA in 11 leech bulk samples from five of the study areas. We amplified up to 3,000 bp of six mitochondrial DNA loci of Annamite striped rabbit from nine of the 11 bulk samples. Haplotype network analyses showed five shared haplotypes among these samples. Phylogenetic trees constructed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference showed little geographic structuring among the Annamite striped rabbit populations across the five study areas. Our results provide information that can be directly used to inform planned ex situ conservation measures for the Annamite striped rabbit. We discuss our results within the context of using iDNA to noninvasively obtain data to assess species genetic diversity, and the potential of this approach to be applied to other species and systems.
Mitohelper: A mitochondrial reference sequence analysis tool for fish eDNA studies
Authors: Lim Shen Jean , Thompson Luke R. 
Published: February 2021

AbstractFish eDNA metabarcoding is a nonintrusive, time‐ and cost‐effective way to detect biodiversity, with potential applications in ecosystem‐based management and fisheries assessment. Nevertheless, fish‐specific eDNA resources are currently not well‐developed, and many fish species are not yet sequenced in reference databases. We developed Mitohelper, a Python‐based command line tool to annotate and align fish mitochondrial sequences available in the existing MitoFish database. Mitohelper improves MitoFish annotations by adding gene names and additional taxonomic classifications. Using these improved reference datasets, Mitohelper's getrecord function searches MitoFish for available mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase, 12S rRNA, and others) gene sequences against a user‐provided list of fish taxonomic names. Mitohelper's getalignment function aligns (often partial) mitochondrial gene sequences to a user‐specified full‐length reference sequence for the assessment and visualization of overlapping sequencing regions. To facilitate the development of taxonomic classifiers, we combined Mitohelper's 12S rRNA dataset with SILVA’s 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA datasets in a QIIME 2‐compatible format. By providing valuable information on taxonomic and gene region coverage of currently available fish mitochondrial data, Mitohelper's functions promote informed experimental design that can guide sequencing and analysis strategies. In summary, Mitohelper improves the breadth and functionality of eDNA data resources, as well as the accuracy of taxonomic classification. Mitohelper and its reference datasets are updated approximately monthly and available at https://github.com/aomlomics/mitohelper.
Effects of preservation strategies on environmental DNA detection and quantification using ddPCR
Authors: Mauvisseau Quentin , Halfmaerten David , Neyrinck Sabrina , Burian Alfred , Brys Rein 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMolecular‐based monitoring relying on environmental DNA (eDNA) detection became routinely used around the world in the last few years, especially in aquatic environments. The large potential and increasing applications of this technique calls for technical improvements to optimize the reliability of these surveys. An important technical aspect in the eDNA workflow is the appropriate preservation of samples taken in the field, as it can significantly affect eDNA recovery and ultimately false negative rates. In this study, we explored the efficiency of five different preservation strategies by using a controlled mesocosm experiment in which we included three fish communities of different composition. Specifically, we compared eDNA recovery in DNA extractions (a) performed immediately following collection, or after eight months storage from (b) frozen filters, (c) unfiltered water samples stored at −20°C, and filters preserved at room temperature with (d) Longmire and (e) Sarkosyl buffer. Effects of different preservation strategies were quantified using ddPCR measurements of three fish species (Neogobius melanostomus, Rutilus rutilus, and Lota lota) and total fish DNA content using group‐specific primers for Teleostei. Samples extracted immediately following collection without any further preservation yielded significantly less DNA compared to the other approaches. Overall, Longmire's buffer facilitated the best eDNA recovery across all fish species although approaches such as filter freezing or the use of Sarkosyl buffer yielded similar recovery results. Relative measurement variability, an important indicator for reliable eDNA quantification, was lowest when using Longmire's and Sarkosyl buffers and generally decreased when increasing eDNA quantity. Overall, our results clearly highlight the significant impact of sample preservation and how this can substantially affect the performance and reliability of eDNA‐based approaches.
Predicting the clinical course in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy using thallium‐201 myocardial scintigraphy
Authors: Hamada Mareomi , Shigematsu Yuji , Nakata Shigeru , Kuwahara Taishi , Ikeda Shuntaro , Ohshima Kiyotaka , Ogimoto Akiyoshi 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimsThis study aimed to evaluate the changes in left ventricular remodelling with time in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) using thallium‐201 myocardial scintigraphy.Methods and resultsForty‐eight patients with HCM participated in the study. The extent score (ES) and a newly devised index termed the ‘mean count change’ (MCC) were used to evaluate the myocardial perfusion defects. Using the amount of thallium‐201 uptake (TU), MCC (%) was calculated using the following formula: (last TU − initial TU)∕initial TU × 100. To confirm the site of the lesion, the left ventricle was divided into five segments: anterior, septal, inferior, lateral, and apex. Cardiovascular complications and deaths were recorded. The mean follow‐up period was 8.6 ± 2.0 years. ES increased from 17.4 ± 13.7% to 44.0 ± 22.3% (P < 0.0001). MCC increased from 0% to 12.0 ± 9.0% (P < 0.0001). The apex was the most frequent site of lesion. Twenty‐seven patients (56.3%) had experienced left ventricular heart failure (LVHF). Both ES and MCC were greater in patients with LVHF than in those without LVHF. An overlap between the two groups was greater in ES than in MCC. Patients with LVHF had a higher incidence of atrial fibrillation and apoplexy. Nineteen patients (39.6%) died during the study period; 14 died from LVHF, 3 from sudden cardiac death, and 2 from cancer.ConclusionsThallium‐201 myocardial scintigraphy is useful for detecting the severity of myocardial damage and for confirming the lesion site in patients with HCM. MCC may be superior to ES in the evaluation of these changes with time.
Type 2 diabetes and heart failure: insights from the global DISCOVER study
Authors: Arnold Suzanne V. , Khunti Kamlesh , Bonnet Fabrice , Charbonnel Bernard , Chen Hungta , Cid‐Ruzafa Javier , Cooper Andrew , Fenici Peter , Gomes Marilia B. , Hammar Niklas , Ji Linong , Luporini‐Saraiva Gabriela , Medina Jesús , Nicolucci Antonio , Ramirez Larisa , Shestakova Marina V. , Shimomura Iichiro , Surmont Filip , Tang Fengming , Vora Jiten , Watada Hirotaka , Kosiborod Mikhail ,   the DISCOVER investigators
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimsHeart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized as a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the global epidemiology and treatment of HF in T2D are not well defined. This study aimed to examine the global prevalence of HF and the incidence of HF over 3 years of follow‐up in patients with T2D [by presence and absence of co‐existing coronary artery disease (CAD)].Methods and resultsDISCOVER was a 3 year, prospective, observational study of T2D patients enrolled at initiation of second‐line glucose‐lowering therapy. Among 14 057 patients with T2D from 36 countries, 289 (2.1%) had a diagnosis of HF at enrolment; median prevalence across countries was 2.0% (inter‐quartile range 1.0–3.1%). Patients with HF at baseline were more likely to be older [HF vs. no HF: 67 ± 12 vs. 57 ± 12 years, standardized difference (StDiff) = 84%] and have longer duration of T2D (8.1 ± 7.2 vs. 5.6 ± 5.2 years, StDiff = 40%), CAD (44% vs. 6%, StDiff = 97%), atrial fibrillation (21% vs. 1%, StDiff = 66%), and kidney disease (23% vs. 4%, StDiff = 55%). Patients with HF were less likely to be on metformin (66% vs. 79%, StDiff = 28%) and thiazolidinediones (5.5% vs. 10.6%, StDiff = 19%) but had similar use of other glucose‐lowering medications. Among 9313 patients with follow‐up data, there were 70 incident cases of HF, which translates to an incidence of 2.6 cases per 1000 person years. Of these incident HF cases, 60% occurred in the absence of pre‐existing or concomitant CAD, and 73% were diagnosed in the outpatient setting.ConclusionsIn a large, global cohort of patients with T2D, the majority of incident cases of HF occurred in outpatients and in the absence of known CAD. These findings highlight the need for greater awareness of HF risk in patients with T2D.
Sarcopenia in heart failure: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Zhang Yan , Zhang Jia , Ni Wenqing , Yuan Xueli , Zhang Hongmin , Li Ping , Xu Jian , Zhao Zhiguang 
Published: February 2021

AbstractAimsSarcopenia has been found to be frequently associated with co‐morbidity among patients with heart failure (HF). However, there remain insufficient data to accurately estimate the global prevalence of sarcopenia in HF. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis to estimate the current overall prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with HF.Methods and resultsWe searched relevant databases for studies published up to 13 July 2020, assessing sarcopenia in vpatients with HF. After careful screening, data of included articles were extracted with a predesigned Excel form. Then the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with HF was calculated using the random‐effects model. The Q test was used to assess the heterogeneity, and I2 statistic was calculated to quantify and evaluate the heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were conducted to determine potential sources of heterogeneity. A total of 2852 articles were initially identified, and after removing duplicate publications and applying the selection criteria, we reviewed 79 full‐text articles. Finally, 11 articles (n = 1742 patients with HF) were included in this systematic review and meta‐analysis. The pooled prevalence of sarcopenia in patients with HF was 34% [95% confidence interval (CI): 22–47%, I2 = 96.59%] and ranged from 10% to 69%. However, substantial heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 96.59%, P < 0.001) was observed. There was no significant heterogeneity between subgroups by sex (P = 0.803) or the method used to define sarcopenia (P = 0.307). While the heterogeneity between subgroups by population setting was statistically significant (P < 0.001), the pooled prevalence of sarcopenia was 55% (95% CI: 43–66%) for hospitalized patients with HF and 26% (95% CI: 16–37%) for ambulatory patients.ConclusionsSarcopenia was a common condition in patients with HF, and the prevalence of hospitalized patients was higher than for ambulatory patients. Early detection of sarcopenia was therefore important in patients with HF, and it was important to implement interventions so that physical therapists or managerial dieticians can easily be introduced into clinical practice.
Polydentate Phosphane Ligands Featuring N,N,N’‐Trialkylformamidines
Authors: Marchenko Anatoliy , Koidan Georgyi , Hurieva Anastasiya , Dyakonenko Viktoriya V. , Shishkina Svitlana V. , Rusanov Eduard B. , Kyrylchuk Andrii A. , Kostyuk Aleksandr 
Published: February 2021

AbstractA set of novel polydentate phosphanes featuring one, two and three formamidine substituents was prepared by the reaction of C‐trimethylsilyl N,N,N’‐trialkylformamidines with P(III) chlorides. Chloro‐ and dichlorophosphanes gave tertiary phosphanes. More sterically congested adamantyldichlorophosphane reacted only with the least sterically congested silylformamidine. With phosphorus trichloride, five‐membered heterocycles, namely 1,4,2‐diazaphosphol‐4‐ium chlorides were formed in most cases. A mechanism for the formation of diazaphospholes was proposed and corroborated by DFT calculations. A key chlorophosphane underwent 1,2‐phosphorus shift giving the corresponding carbene that readily cyclized into diazaphospholium salts. The key compounds were studied by X‐ray diffractometry. Analysis of molecular structures of 1,4,2‐diazaphosphol‐4‐ium chloride 13 c and 1H‐1,4,2‐diazaphosphole 14 c revealed that the N‐Cring bonds for the orthogonally oriented i‐propylamino groups are unusually short. Only in the case of N,N‐dimethyl‐N’‐isopropyltrimethylsilylformamidine, we managed to isolate trisphosphane, albeit in a low yield.