bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Aging associated altered response to intracellular bacterial infections and
its implication on the host
Authors: Fernandes Sheryl E. , Singh Alakesh , Rajmani R.S. , Jhunjhunwala Siddharth , Saini Deepak K. 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The effects of senescence and aging on geriatric diseases has been well
explored but how these influence infections in the elderly have been scarcely
addressed. Here, we show that several innate immune responses are elevated in
senescent cells and old mice, allowing them to promptly respond to bacterial
infections. We have identified higher levels of iNOS as a crucial host response
and show that p38 MAPK in senescent cells acts as a negative regulator of iNOS
transcription. In old mice, however the ability to impede bacterial
proliferation does not correlate with increased survival as elevated immune
responses persist unabated eventually affecting the host. The use of
anti-inflammatory drugs that could consequently be recommended also decreases
iNOS disarming the host of a critical innate immune response. Overall, our study
highlights that infection associated mortality in the elderly is not merely an
outcome of pathogen load but is also influenced by the host’s ability to resolve
inflammation induced damage.

Summary statement
Using cellular models and old mice we demonstrate the effect of aging on
host response to bacterial infections. Aged systems mount a more effective
anti-bacterial innate immune response but its persistence results in
mortality of the host.
Interdomain interactions regulate the localization of a lipid transfer
protein at ER-PM contact sites
Authors: Basak Bishal , Krishnan Harini , Raghu Padinjat 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
During phospholipase C-β (PLC-β) signalling in
Drosophila photoreceptors, the
phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PITP) RDGB, is required for lipid
transfer at endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-plasma membrane (PM) contact sites (MCS).
Depletion of RDGB or its mis-localization away from the ER-PM MCS results in
multiple defects in photoreceptor function. Previously, the interaction between
the FFAT motif of RDGB and the integral ER protein dVAP-A was shown to be
essential for accurate localization to ER-PM MCS. Here, we report that the
FFAT/dVAP-A interaction alone is insufficient to localize RDGB accurately; this
also requires the function of the C-terminal domains, DDHD and LNS2. Mutations
in each of these domains results in mis-localization of RDGB leading to loss of
function. While the LNS2 domain is necessary, it is not sufficient for the
correct localization of RDGB, which also requires the C-terminal DDHD domain.
The function of the DDHD domain is mediated through an intramolecular
interaction with the LNS2 domain. Thus, interactions between the additional
domains in a multi-domain PITP together lead to accurate localization at the MCS
and signalling function.
Mechanisms of punctuated vision in fly flight
Authors: Cellini Benjamin , Salem Wael , Mongeau Jean-Michel 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTTo guide locomotion, animals control their gaze via movements of their eyes, head, and/or body, but how the nervous system controls gaze during complex motor tasks remains elusive. Notably, eye movements are constrained by anatomical limits, which requires resetting eye position. By studying tethered, flying flies (Drosophila) in a virtual reality flight simulator, we show that ballistic head movements (saccades) reset eye position, are stereotyped and leverage elastic recoil of the neck joint, enabling mechanically assisted redirection of gaze. Head reset saccades were of proprioceptive origin and interrupted smooth movements for as little as 50 ms, enabling punctuated, near-continuous gaze stabilization. Wing saccades were modulated by head orientation, establishing a causal link between neck signals and execution of body saccades. Furthermore, we demonstrate that head movements are gated by behavioral state. We propose a control architecture for biological and bio-inspired active vision systems with limits in sensor range of motion.
Exposure to relaxing words during sleep promotes slow-wave sleep and subjective sleep quality
Authors: Beck Jonas , Loretz Erna , Rasch Björn 
Published: December 2021

AbstractOur thoughts alter our sleep, but the underlying mechanisms are still unknown. We propose that mental processes are active to a greater or lesser extent during sleep and that this degree of activation affects our sleep depth. We examined this notion by activating the concept of “relaxation” during sleep using relaxation-related words in 50 healthy participants. In support of our hypothesis, playing relaxing words during non-rapid eye movement sleep extended the time spent in slow-wave sleep, increased power in the slow-wave activity band after the word cue, and abolished an asymmetrical sleep depth during the word presentation period. On the subjective level, participants reported a higher sleep quality and elevated alertness ratings. Our results support the notion that the activation of mental concepts during sleep can influence sleep depth and provide a basis for interventions using targeted activations to promote sleep depth and sleep quality to foster well-being and health.
Social status and previous experience in the group as predictors of long-term welfare of sows housed in large semi-static groups
Authors: Brajon Sophie , Ahloy-Dallaire Jamie , Devillers Nicolas , Guay Frédéric 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMixing gestating sows implies hierarchy formation and has detrimental consequences on welfare. The effects of social stress on the most vulnerable individuals may be underestimated and it is therefore important to evaluate welfare between individuals within groups. This study aimed at investigating the impact of social status and previous experience in the group on well-being of sows housed in large semi-static groups (20 groups of 46-91 animals). We assessed aggression (d0 (mixing), d2, d27, d29), body lesions (d1, d26, d84) and feeding order. Social status was based on the proportion of fights won during a 6-hr observation period between d0 and d2. Dominants (29%) were those who won more fights than they lost, Subdominants (25%) won fewer fights than they lost, Losers (23%) never won any fight in which they were involved while Avoiders (23%) were never involved in fights. Resident sows (70%) were already present in the group in the previous gestation while New sows (30%) were newly introduced at mixing. Subdominants and Dominants were highly involved in fights around mixing but this was more detrimental for Subdominants than Dominants, Losers and Avoiders since they had the highest body lesion scores at mixing. Avoiders received less non-reciprocal agonistic acts than Losers on d2 (P=0.0001) and had the lowest body lesion scores after mixing. However, Avoiders and Losers were more at risk in the long-term since they had the highest body lesions scores at d26 and d84. They were followed by Subdominants and then Dominants. New sows fought more (P<0.0001), tended to be involved in longer fights (P=0.075) around mixing and had more body lesions throughout gestation than Resident sows. Feeding order from one-month post-mixing was influenced both by the previous experience in the group and social status (P<0.0001). New sows, especially with a low social status, are more vulnerable throughout gestation and could serve as indicators of non-optimal conditions.
The contribution of leaf sulfur content to the leaf economics spectrum explained by plant adaptive strategies
Authors: Fratte Michele Dalle , Pierce Simon , Zanzottera Magda , Leone Cerabolini Bruno Enrico 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSulfur is an essential macronutrient for plant metabolism. Terrestrial ecosystems have faced extensive anthropogenic sulfur depositions during the 20thcentury, but currently decreasing trend of sulfur emissions suggest that it could become limiting, although its relationship with plant economics remains unclear.We analysed leaf and nutrient traits for 740 vascular plant species growing in a wide range of environmental conditions. We aimed to determine whether leaf sulfur content (LSC) is associated with the leaf economics spectrum, and whether its distribution among functional types (life forms, leaf life span categories, and Grime’s CSR (Competitive, Stress-tolerant, Ruderal) strategies) could help to elucidate adaptive differences within plant taxa.High LSC values corresponded mainly with R-, and to a lesser extent C-, strategy selection, hence the acquisitive extreme of plant economics. We found evidence of a relationship between nutrient stoichiometry and taxonomy, specifically at the acquisitive and conservative extremes of leaf economics. In general, LSC was significantly and positively correlated with leaf nitrogen content, but ruderal strategies in particular exhibited greater sulfur to nitrogen ratios.Faced with a dearth of LSC data, leaf nitrogen content could thus be used as a coarse proxy of LSC within the context of plant economics. Different ratios among sulfur and nitrogen may be expected for ruderal species, suggesting that deeper insights from CSR strategies can provide a bridge between plant stoichiometry and ecology.
Machine learning approach to dynamic risk modeling of mortality in COVID-19: a UK Biobank study
Authors: Dabbah Mohammad A. , Reed Angus B. , Booth Adam T.C. , Yassaee Arrash , Despotovic Alex , Klasmer Benjamin , Binning Emily , Aral Mert , Plans David , Labrique Alain B. , Mohan Diwakar 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for robust, scalable monitoring tools supporting stratification of high-risk patients. This research aims to develop and validate prediction models, using the UK Biobank, to estimate COVID-19 mortality risk in confirmed cases. From the 11,245 participants testing positive for COVID-19, we develop a data-driven random forest classification model with excellent performance (AUC: 0.91), using baseline characteristics, pre-existing conditions, symptoms, and vital signs, such that the score could dynamically assess mortality risk with disease deterioration. We also identify several significant novel predictors of COVID-19 mortality with equivalent or greater predictive value than established high-risk comorbidities, such as detailed anthropometrics and prior acute kidney failure, urinary tract infection, and pneumonias. The model design and feature selection enables utility in outpatient settings. Possible applications include supporting individual-level risk profiling and monitoring disease progression across patients with COVID-19 at-scale, especially in hospital-at-home settings.
Efficient mucosal antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is induced in previously infected individuals
Authors: Sano Kaori , Bhavsar Disha , Singh Gagandeep , Floda Daniel , Srivastava Komal , Gleason Charles ,   PARIS Study Group, Carreño Juan Manuel , Simon Viviana , Krammer Florian 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMucosal immune responses are critical to prevent respiratory infections but it is unclear to what extent antigen specific mucosal secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies are induced by mRNA vaccination in humans. We analyzed, therefore, paired serum and saliva samples from study participants with and without COVID-19 at multiple timepoints before and after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccination. Our results suggest that the level of mucosal SIgA responses induced by mRNA vaccination depend on pre-existing immunity. Indeed, vaccination induced only a weak mucosal SIgA response in individuals without pre-existing mucosal antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 while SIgA induction after vaccination was efficient in COVID-19 survivors. Our data indicate that vaccinated seropositive individuals were able to swiftly induce relatively high anti-spike SIgA responses by boosting pre-existing mucosal immunity. In contrast, seronegative individuals did not have pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 or cross-reacting anti-HCoV SIgA antibodies prior to vaccination, and, thus, little or no anti-SARS-CoV-2 SIgA antibodies were induced by vaccination in these individuals.
Effects of midfoot joint mobilization on perceived ankle-foot function in chronic ankle instability. A crossover clinical trial
Authors: Jaffri Abbis , Fraser John J. , Koldenhoven Rachel M. , Hertel Jay 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundChronic ankle instability (CAI) is a complex clinical entity that commonly includes ankle-foot impairment.ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of midfoot joint mobilizations and a one-week home exercise program (HEP) compared to a sham intervention and HEP on pain, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), ankle-foot joint mobility, and neuromotor function in young adults with CAI.MethodsTwenty participants with CAI were instructed in a stretching, strengthening, and balance HEP and were randomized a priori to receive midfoot joint mobilizations (forefoot supination, cuboid glide and plantar 1st tarsometatarsal) or a sham laying-of-hands. Changes in foot morphology, joint mobility, strength, dynamic balance, and PROs assessing pain, physical, and psychological function were assessed pre-to-post treatment and one-week following. Participants crossed-over to receive the alternate treatment and were assessed pre-to-post treatment and one-week following. Linear modelling was used to assess changes in outcomes.ResultsParticipants who received midfoot mobilization demonstrated significantly greater perceived improvement immediately posttreatment in the single assessment numeric evaluation (Sham: 5.0±10.2%; Mobilization: 43.9±26.2%; β: 6.8 p<0.001, Adj R2:0.17) and Global Rating of Change (Sham: −0.1±1.1; Mobilization: 1.1±3.0; β: 1.8 p=0.01, Adj R2:0.12). Following the mobilization intervention, participants demonstrated greater improved rearfoot inversion mobility (Sham: 4.4±8.4°; Mobilization: −1.6±6.1°; β: −6.37, p=0.01, Adj R2:0.19), plantarflexion mobility (Sham: 2.7°±6.4; Mobilization: −1.7°±4.3; β: −4.36, p=0.02, Adj R2:0.07), and posteromedial dynamic balance (Sham: 2.4±5.9%; Mobilization: 6.0±5.4%; β: 3.88, p=0.04, Adj R2:0.10) compared to controls at 1-week post-treatment.ConclusionParticipants with CAI who received midfoot joint mobilization had greater perceived improvement and physical signs that may benefit this clinical population.
Aerosol emission rates from playing wind instruments – Implications for COVID-19 transmission during music performance
Authors: Firle C. , Steinmetz A. , Stier O. , Stengel D. , Ekkernkamp A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe pandemic of COVID-19 led to exceeding restrictions especially in public life and music business. Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 demands for risk assessment also in wind playing situations. Previous studies focused on short-range transmission, whereas long-range transmission has not been assessed so far.Methods and findingsWe measured resulting aerosol concentrations in a hermetically closed cabin of 20 m3in an operating theatre from 20 minutes standardized wind instrument playing (19 flute, 11 oboe, 1 clarinet, 1 trumpet players). Based on the data, we calculated total aerosol emission rates showing uniform distribution for both instrument groups (flute, oboe). Aerosol emission from wind instruments playing ranged from 7 ± 327 particles/second (P/s) up to 2583 ± 236 P/s, average rate ± standard deviation. The analysis of the aerosol particle size distribution showed that about 70 − 80% of emitted particles had a size ≤ 0.4 µm and thus being alveolar. Masking the bell with a surgical mask did not reduce aerosol emission. Aerosol emission rates were higher from wind instruments playing than from speaking and breathing. Differences between instrumental groups could not be found, but high interindividual variance as expressed by uniform distribution of aerosol emission rates.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that aerosol emission depends on physiological factors and playing techniques rather than on the type of instrument, in contrast to some previous studies. Based on our results, we present risk calculations for long-range transmission of COVID-19 for three typical woodwind playing situations.
A standardized approach for case selection and genomic data analysis of maternal exomes for the diagnosis of oocyte maturation and early embryonic developmental arrest in IVF
Authors: Capalbo A. , Buonaiuto S. , Figliuzzi M. , Damaggio G. , Girardi L. , Caroselli S. , Poli M. , Patassini C. , Cetinkaya M. , Yuksel B. , Azad A. , Grøndahl M. L. , Hoffmann E. R. , Simón C. , Colonna V. , Kahraman S. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo develop a methodology for case selection and whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis in infertile women due to recurrent oocyte maturation defects(OOMD) and/or preimplantation embryo lethality (PREMBL).DESIGNRetrospective cohort study.SETTINGIVF patients attending the Istanbul Memorial Hospital (2015-2021). WES and bioinformatics were performed at Igenomix and National Research Council, Italy.PATIENTSA statistical methodology for identification of infertile endophenotypes (recurrent low oocyte maturation rate, LMR, low fertilization rate, LFR, and preimplantation developmental arrest, PDA, was developed using a large IVF dataset (11,221 couples). 28 OOMD/PREMBL infertile women were subsequently enrolled for WES.INTERVENTION30X-WES was performed on women’s gDNA. Pathogenic variants were prioritized using a custom-made bioinformatic pipeline set to minimize false positive discoveries through resampling in control cohorts (i.e., HGDP and 1,343 WES from oocyte donors). Individual scRNAseq data from 18 human MII oocytes and antral granulosa cells(AGC) was used for genome-wide validation.MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREIdentification of High-impact variants causative of OOMD/PREMBL endophenotypes.RESULTSVariant prioritization analysis identified 265 unique variants in 248 genes (average per sample 22.4). 87.8% of genes harbouring high-impact variants are expressed by MII oocytes and/or AGC, significantly higher compared to a random sample of controls. Seven of the 28 women (25%) are homozygous carriers of missense pathogenic variants in known candidate genes for OOMD/PREMBL, including PATL2, NLRP5 (N=2), TLE6,PADI6, TUBB8 and TRIP13. Furthermore, novel gene-disease associations were identified. One LMR woman was a homozygous carrier of high impact variants in ELSA, an essential gene for phopase I meiotic transition in mice, whereas three women carried biallelic pathogenic variants in CEP128 gene, participating in the formation of the spindle in mitosis and ciliogenesis.CONCLUSIONSThis analytical framework revealed known and new genes associated with isolated recurrent OOMD/PREMBL, providing essential indications for scaling this strategy to larger studies.
Delta Variant SARS-CoV-2 infections in pediatric cases during the second wave in India
Authors: Yadav Pragya D. , Kumar Gunjan , Mukherjee Aparna , Nyayanit Dimpal A. , Shete Anita M. , Sahay Rima R. , Kumar Abhinendra , Majumdar Triparna , Patil Savita , Pandit Priyanka , Joshi Yash , Dudhmal Manisha , Panda Samiran , Sharma Lokesh Kumar , Kala Yadav ML , Shastri Jayanthi , Gangwar Mayank , Munivenkattapa Ashok , Potdar Varsha , Nagamani K , Goyal Kapil , Gadepalli Ravisekhar , Thomas Maria , Shukla Suruchi , Nagraj P , Gupta Vivek , Dalela Gaurav , Umar Nawaz , Patel Sweety M 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe aim of this study was to identify the SARS-CoV-2 lineages circulating in the pediatric population of India during the second wave of the pandemic. Clinical and demographic details linked with the nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs (NPS/OPS) collected from SARS-CoV-2 cases (n=583) aged 0-18 year and tested positive by real-time RT-PCR were retrieved from March to June 2021.Symptoms were reported among 37.2% of patients and 14.8% reported to be hospitalized. The E gene CT value had significant statistical difference at the point of sample collection when compared to that observed in the sequencing laboratory. Out of these 512 sequences 372 were VOCs, 51 were VOIs. Most common lineages observed were Delta, followed by Kappa, Alpha and B.1.36, seen in 65.82%, 9.96%, 6.83% and 4.68%, respectively in the study population. Overall, it was observed that Delta strain was the leading cause of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Indian children during the second wave of the pandemic. We emphasize on the need of continuous genomic surveillance in SARS-CoV-2 infection even amongst children.
Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala state, India amidst of COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Yadav Pragya D. , Sahay Rima R. , Anukumar B , Mohandas Sreelekshmy , Radhakrishnan Chandni , Gokhale Mangesh D , Balasubramaniam R , Abraham Priya , Gupta Nivedita , Sugunan AP , Khobragade Rajan , George Kalpana , Shete Anita , Patil Savita , Thankappan Ullas Padinjaremattathil , Dighe Hitesh , Koshy Jijo , Vijay Vivek , Gayathri R , Kumar P Jayesh , Rahim Asma , Naveen A. , Nair Sarala , Rajendran VR , Jayasree V , Majumdar Triparna , Jain Rajlaxmi , Vishwanathan Prasanth , Patil Deepak Y. , Kumar Abhinendra , Nyayanit Dimpal A. , Sarkale Prasad , Waghmare Ashwini , Baradkar Shrikant , Gawande Pranita , Bodake Poonam , Kalele Kaumudi , Yemul Jyoti , Dhaigude Sachin , Holepannawar Manjunath , Gopale Sanjay , Chopade Ganesh , Narayan Jitendra , Mathapati Basavaraj , Kadam Manoj , Kumar Abhimanyu , Suryawanshi Annasaheb , Jose Beena Philomina , Sivadas Saritha , Akash NP , Vimisha TV , Keerthi KV 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundWe report here a Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode district of Kerala state, India which had caused fatal encephalitis in an adolescent male and the outbreak response which led to the successful containment of the disease and the related investigations.MethodsQuantitative real-time RT-PCR, ELISA based antibody detection and whole genome sequencing were performed to confirm the Nipah virus infection. Contacts of the index case were traced and isolated based on risk categorization. Bats from the areas near the epicenter of the outbreak were sampled for throat swabs, rectal swabs and blood samples for Nipah virus screening by real time RT-PCR and anti-Nipah virus bat IgG ELISA. Plaque reduction neutralization test was performed for the detection of neutralizing antibodies.ResultsNipah viral RNA and anti-NiV IgG antibodies were detected in the serum of the index case. Rapid establishment of an onsite NiV diagnostic facility and contact tracing helped in quick containment of the outbreak. NiV sequences retrieved from the clinical specimen of the index case formed a sub-cluster with the earlier reported Nipah I genotype sequences from India with more than 95% similarity. Anti-NiV IgG positivity could be detected in 21% of Pteropus medius and 37.73% of Rousettus leschenaultia. Neutralizing antibodies against NiV could be detected in P.medius.ConclusionsStringent surveillance and awareness campaigns needs to be implemented in the area to reduce human-bat interactions and minimize spill over events which can lead to sporadic outbreaks of NiV.