bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative efficacy of interferential therapy, bronchodilators, and body positioning on asthma control and quality of life of patients with bronchial asthma: Study protocol
Authors: Oladejo Eniola Awolola , Sooknunan Sonill Maharaj 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundInterferential therapy (IFT) is the application of two medium frequency currents to the skin to stimulate and activate different systems in the body using specific frequencies and frequency ranges. IFT aims to reduce myalgia in the chest and upper back, reduce muscular fatigue and induce mucus expectoration. This study is designed to compare the efficacy of IFT on asthma control and quality of life of asthma patients pre-and post-administration of bronchodilators and determine the most influential body position in its application.MethodsForty-eight (48) patients aged 18 years and above with bronchial Asthma attending the respiratory clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH) will be assessed for the study eligibility. The study design will be a double-blinded, randomized control trial with four intervention groups and four parallel placebo control groups. IFT will be administered as an intervention to patients on short and long-acting bronchodilators in an assigned fundamental body position for 20 minutes. Six continuous outcome variables at different points will be utilized as an outcome measure. Baseline Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) will be assessed on entry into the study, Quality of life and asthma control will be evaluated every two (2) weeks of the study. Data obtained will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of repeated ANOVA; P<0.05.DiscussionThe study outcome will compare the efficacy of IFT on Bronchial Asthma, identify its effect in different body positions, and compare the relationship between its application and the bronchodilator medication frequently used by the patients.Trial Registrationhttps://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=10942:PACTR202005807526130
Metabolic phenotyping of tear fluid as a prognostic tool for personalised medicine exemplified by T2DM patients
Authors: Brunmair Julia , Bileck Andrea , Schmidl Doreen , Hagn Gerhard , Meier-Menches Samuel M. , Hommer Nikolaus , Schlatter Andreas , Gerner Christopher , Garhöfer Gerhard 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackground/AimsOne goal of predictive, preventive, and personalised medicine is to improve the prediction and diagnosis of diseases, as well as to monitor therapeutic efficacy and to tailor individualised treatments with as little side effects as possible. New methodological developments should preferably rely on non-invasively sampled biofluids like sweat and tears in order to provide optimal compliance. Here we have thus investigated the metabolic composition of human tears in comparison to finger sweat and evaluated whether tear analyses may provide insight into ocular and systemic disease mechanisms.MethodsIn addition to finger sweat, tear fluid was sampled from 20 healthy volunteers using commercially available Schirmer strips. Tear fluid extraction and analysis using high-resolution mass spectrometry hyphenated with liquid chromatography was performed with optimized methods each for metabolites and eicosanoids. As second approach, we performed a clinical pilot study with 8 diabetic patients and compared them to 19 healthy subjects.ResultsTear fluid was found to be a rich source for metabolic phenotyping. Remarkably, several molecules previously identified by us in sweat were found significantly enriched in tear fluid, including creatine or taurine. Furthermore, other metabolites such as kahweol and various eicosanoids were exclusively detectable in tears, demonstrating the orthogonal power for biofluid analysis in order to gain information on individual health states. The clinical pilot study revealed that many endogenous metabolites that have previously been linked to type 2 diabetes such as carnitine, tyrosine, uric acid and valine were indeed found significantly up-regulated in tears of diabetic patients. Nicotinic acid and taurine were elevated in the diabetic cohort as well and may represent new biomarkers for diabetes specifically identified in tear fluid. Additionally, systemic medications like metformin, bisoprolol, and gabapentin, were readily detectable in tears of patients. These findings highlight the potential diagnostic and prognostic power of tear fluid analyses, in addition to the promising methodological support for pharmacokinetic studies and patient compliance control.ConclusionsTear fluid analysis may support the development of clinical applications in the context of predictive, preventive, and personalised medicine as it reveals rich molecular information in a non-invasive way.
Testing the effect of oxytocin on social grooming in bonobos
Authors: Brooks James , Kano Fumihiro , Yeow Hanling , Morimura Naruki , Yamamoto Shinya 
Published: December 2021

AbstractOxytocin has attracted research attention due to its role in promoting social bonding. In bonobos and chimpanzees, the two Pan species closely related to humans, urinary oxytocin is known to correlate with key behaviours related to social bonding, such as social grooming in chimpanzees and female-female sexual behaviour in bonobos. However, no study has demonstrated that the administration of oxytocin promotes real-life social interactions in Pan, leaving it unclear whether oxytocin is merely correlated with social behaviors or does affect them in these species. To test this, we administered nebulized oxytocin or saline placebo to a group of female bonobos and subsequently observed the change in their gross behavior during free interaction. We found an overall effect of more frequent grooming in the oxytocin condition. However, on the individual level this effect remained significant for only one participant in our follow-up models, suggesting future work should explore inter-individual variation. Our results provide some experimental support for the biobehavioural feedback loop hypothesis, which posits that some functions of the oxytocin system support the formation and maintenance of social bonds through a positive feedback loop; however, further tests with a larger number of individuals are required. Our results, at a minimum, demonstrated that oxytocin affects spontaneous, naturalistic social interactions of at least some female bonobos, adding to accumulating evidence that oxytocin modulates complex social behaviors of Pan.
monaLisa: an R/Bioconductor package for identifying regulatory motifs
Authors: Machlab Dania , Burger Lukas , Soneson Charlotte , Rijli Filippo M. , Schübeler Dirk , Stadler Michael B. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractProteins binding to specific nucleotide sequences, such as transcription factors, play key roles in the regulation of gene expression. Their binding can be indirectly observed via associated changes in transcription, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation and histone modifications. Identifying candidate factors that are responsible for these observed experimental changes is critical to understand the underlying biological processes. Here we present monaLisa, an R/Bioconductor package that implements approaches to identify relevant transcription factors from experimental data. The package can be easily integrated with other Bioconductor packages and enables seamless motif analyses without any software dependencies outside of R.AvailabilitymonaLisa is implemented in R and available on Bioconductor at https://bioconductor.org/packages/monaLisa with the development version hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/fmicompbio/monaLisa.Contactmichael.stadler@fmi.ch
Perceived barriers and enablers influencing physical activity in heart failure: a qualitative one-to-one interview study
Authors: Amirova Aliya , Lucas Rebecca , Cowie Martin R , Haddad Mark 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn heart failure (HF), increased physical activity is associated with improved quality of life, reduced hospitalisation, and increased longevity and is an important aim of treatment. However, physical activity levels in individuals living with HF are typically extremely low. This qualitative study with one-to-one interviews systematically explores perceived clinical, environmental, and psychosocial barriers and enablers in older adults (>70 years old) living with HF. Semi-structured interviews (N = 16) based on the Theoretical Domains Framework elicited 78 belief statements describing the barriers and enablers to physical activity. Theoretical domains containing these beliefs and corresponding constructs that were both pervasive and common were deemed most relevant. These were: concerns about physical activity (Beliefs about Consequences), self-efficacy (Beliefs about Capabilities), social support (Social Influences), major health event (Environmental Context and Resources), goal behavioural (Goal), action planning (Behavioural Regulation). This work extends the limited research on the modifiable barriers and enablers for physical activity participation by individuals living with HF. The research findings provide insights for cardiologists, HF-specialist nurses, and physiotherapists to help co-design and deliver a physical activity intervention more likely to be effective for individuals living with HF.
Mitochondrial control of microglial phagocytosis in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Fairley Lauren H. , Lai Kei Onn , Wong Jia Hui , Salvatore Anselm Vincent , D’Agostino Giuseppe , Wu Xiaoting , Jayaraman Anusha , Langley Sarah R. , Ruedl Christiane , Barron Anna M. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMicroglial phagocytosis is an energetically demanding process that plays a critical role in the removal of toxic aggregates of beta amyloid (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent evidence indicates that metabolic programming may breakdown in microglia in AD, thereby disrupting this important protective function. The mechanisms coordinating mitochondrial metabolism to fuel phagocytosis in microglia remain poorly understood, however. Here we demonstrate that mitochondrial displacement of the glucose metabolizing enzyme, hexokinase-II (HK) regulates microglial metabolism and phagocytosis, and that deletion of the translocator protein (TSPO) inhibits this. TSPO is a PET-visible inflammatory biomarker and therapeutic target in AD, previously shown to regulate microglial metabolism via an unknown mechanism. Using RNAseq and proteomic analyses, we found TSPO function in the brain to be linked with the regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics, lipid metabolism and phagocytosis. In cultured microglia, TSPO deletion was associated with elevated mitochondrial recruitment of HK, which was associated with a switch to non-oxidative glucose metabolism, reduced mitochondrial energy production, lipid storage and impaired phagocytosis. Consistent with in vitro findings, TSPO expression was also associated with phagocytic microglia in both AD brain and AD mice. Conversely, TSPO deletion in AD mice reduced phagocytic microglia and exacerbated amyloid accumulation. Based on these findings we propose that microglial TSPO functions as an immunometabolic brake via regulation of mitochondrial HK recruitment, preventing hyperglycolysis and promoting phagocytosis in AD. Further, we demonstrate that targeting mitochondrial HK may offer a novel immunotherapeutic approach to promote microglial phagocytosis in AD.
Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation
Authors: Abdellahi Mahmoud E. A. , Koopman Anne C. M. , Treder Matthias S. , Lewis Penelope A. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractSeveral studies show that memories are reactivated during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, but the question of whether equivalent reactivation can be detected in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is hotly debated. To examine this, we used a technique called targeted memory reactivation (TMR) in which sounds are paired with learned material in wake, and then re-presented in subsequent sleep to trigger reactivation. We then used machine learning classifiers to identify reactivation in REM related to the encoded wake activity. The reactivation we measured was mediated by high theta activity and was sometimes temporally compressed and sometimes dilated compared to wakeful experience. Reactivation strength positively predicted overnight performance improvement. These findings provide the first evidence for wake-like memory reactivation in human REM sleep after TMR.
Mapping lesion, structural disconnection, and functional disconnection to symptoms in semantic aphasia
Authors: Souter Nicholas E. , Wang Xiuyi , Thompson Hannah , Krieger-Redwood Katya , Halai Ajay D. , Lambon Ralph Matthew A. , Thiebaut de Schotten Michel , Jefferies Elizabeth 
Published: December 2021

AbstractPatients with semantic aphasia have impaired control of semantic retrieval, often accompanied by executive dysfunction following left hemisphere stroke. Many but not all of these patients have damage to the left inferior frontal gyrus, important for semantic and cognitive control. Yet semantic and cognitive control networks are highly distributed, including posterior as well as anterior components. Accordingly, semantic aphasia might not only reflect local damage but also white matter structural and functional disconnection. Here we characterise the lesions and predicted patterns of structural and functional disconnection in individuals with semantic aphasia and relate these effects to semantic and executive impairment. Impaired semantic cognition was associated with infarction in distributed left- hemisphere regions, including in the left anterior inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortex. Lesions were associated with executive dysfunction within a set of adjacent but distinct left frontoparietal clusters. Performance on executive tasks was also associated with interhemispheric structural disconnection across the corpus callosum. In contrast, poor semantic cognition was associated with small left-lateralized structurally disconnected clusters, including in the left posterior temporal cortex. Little insight was gained from functional disconnection symptom mapping. These results demonstrate that while left- lateralized semantic and executive control regions are often damaged together in stroke aphasia, these deficits are associated with distinct patterns of structural disconnection, consistent with the bilateral nature of executive control and the left-lateralized yet distributed semantic control network.
Transcription feedback dynamics in the wake of cytoplasmic degradation shutdown
Authors: Chappleboim Alon , Joseph-Strauss Daphna , Gershon Omer , Friedman Nir 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn the last decade, multiple studies have shown that cells maintain a balance of mRNA production and degradation, but the mechanisms by which cells implement this balance remain unknown. Here, we monitored cells’ mRNA and nascent mRNA profiles immediately following an acute depletion of Xrn1 - the main 5’-3’ mRNA exonuclease - that was previously implicated in balancing mRNA levels. We captured the detailed dynamics of the cells’ adaptation to rapid degradation of Xrn1 and observed a significant accumulation of mRNA, followed by a delayed global reduction in nascent transcription and a gradual return to baseline mRNA levels. We present evidence that this transcriptional response is linked to cell cycle progression, and that it is not unique to Xrn1 depletion; rather, it is induced earlier when upstream factors in the 5’-3’ degradation pathway are perturbed. Our data suggest that the RNA feedback mechanism is cell-cycle-linked and monitors the accumulation of inputs to the 5’-3’ exonucleolytic pathway rather than its outputs.
Fast volumetric imaging with line-scan confocal microscopy by an electro-tunable lens
Authors: Mac Khuong Duy , Qureshi Muhammad Mohsin , Na Myeongsu , Chang Sunghoe , Kwon Hyuk-Sang , Eom Tae Joong , Je Hyunsoo Shawn , Kim Young Ro , Chung Euiheon 
Published: December 2021

AbstractIn microscopic imaging of biological tissues, particularly real-time visualization of neuronal activities, rapid acquisition of volumetric images poses a prominent challenge. Typically, two-dimensional (2D) microscopy can be devised into an imaging system with 3D capability using any varifocal lens. Despite the conceptual simplicity, such an upgrade yet requires additional, complicated device components and suffers a reduced acquisition rate, which is critical to document neuronal dynamics properly. In this study, we implemented an electro-tunable lens (ETL) in the line-scan confocal microscopy, enabling the volumetric acquisition at the rate of 20 frames per second with the maximum volume of interest of 315 × 315 × 80 μm3. The axial extent of point-spread-function (PSF) was 17.6 ± 1.6 μm and 90.4 ± 2.1 μm with the ETL operating in either stationary or resonant mode, respectively, revealing significant depth elongation by the resonant mode ETL microscopy. We further demonstrated the utilities of the ETL system by volume imaging of cleared mouse brain ex vivo samples and in vivo brains. The current study foregrounds the successful application of resonant ETL for constructing a basis for a high-performance 3D line-scan confocal microscopy system, which will enhance our understanding of various dynamic biological processes.
Experimental sound exposure modifies swimming activities and increases food handling error in adult zebrafish
Authors: Mohsenpour Reza , Shafiei Sabet Saeed 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAnthropogenic noise is increasing globally and is recognized as a source of environmental pollution in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Sound is an important sensory stimulus for aquatic organisms and it may alter stress-related physiological indices and induce broad behavioural effects in a range of marine and freshwater fishes. Specifically, sound exposure may induce changes in swimming activities, feed efficiency and spatial distribution changes in fish. Here, we experimentally tested sound effects on swimming activities and foraging performance in thirty individually housed, captive adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Adult zebrafish and water fleas (Daphnia magna) were used as model predator and prey species, respectively. Acoustic stimuli consisted of four sound treatments with different temporal patterns. All had the same frequency range and were administered on average 121 dB re 1 µPa2/Hz. Our results constitute strong evidence for sound-related effects on zebrafish behaviour. All sound treatments led to a significant increase in the number of startle responses, and the brief and prolonged swimming speed for zebrafish. We found sound effects on the spatial distribution of zebrafish; Although there were no significant sound-related changes for horizontal spatial displacement in all treatments, zebrafish swam significantly more in the lower layer of the tank except during the irregular intermittent 1:1-7 in brief sound exposure treatment. The results of foraging performance showed that food discrimination error was unaffected by sound treatments and was low for the zebrafish. However, food handling error was affected by sound treatments; all treatments induced a significant rise in handling error. This study highlights the impact of sound on zebrafish swimming activities, and that more feeding bouts are needed to consume the same number of food items increasing energy demand under noisy conditions.
Trade of commercial potting substrates: A largely overlooked means of the long-distance dispersal of plants
Authors: Sonkoly Judit , Takács Attila , Molnár V. Attila , Török Péter 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAlthough long-distance dispersal (LDD) events are considered to be rare and highly stochastic, they are disproportionately important and drive several large-scale ecological processes. The realisation of the disproportionate importance of LDD has led to an upsurge in studies of this phenomenon; yet, we still have a very limited understanding of its frequency, extent and consequences. Humanity intentionally spreads a high number of species, but a less obvious issue is that it is associated with the accidental dispersal of other plant species. Although the global trade of potted plants and horticultural substrates is capable of dispersing large quantities of propagules, this issue has hardly been studied from an ecological point of view. We used the seedling emergence method to assess the viable seed content of different types of commercial potting substrates to answer the following questions: (i) In what richness and density do substrates contain viable seeds? (ii) Does the composition of substrates influence their viable seed content? and (iii) Are there common characteristics of the species dispersed this way? We detected altogether 438 seedlings of 66 taxa and found that 1 litre of potting substrate contains an average of 13.27 seeds of 6.24 species, so an average 20-litre bag of substrate contains 265 viable seeds. There was a high variability in the seed content of the substrates, as substrates containing cattle manure contained a substantially higher number of species and seeds than substrates without manure. Based on this, this pathway of LDD is an interplay between endozoochory by grazing livestock and accidental human-vectored dispersal, implying that the diet preference of grazing animals largely determines the ability of a plant species to be dispersed this way. According to our results, potting substrates can disperse large quantities of seeds of a wide range of plant species, moreover, these dispersal events occur on very long distances in almost all cases. We conclude that this kind of human-vectored LDD may have complex effects on plant populations and communities; however, as this dispersal pathway is largely understudied and has hardly been considered as a type of LDD, its consequences are still largely unknown and further studies of the issue are of great importance.
Evaluation of the efficacy of simethicone in the abdominal ultrasound and pancreas evaluation on dogs
Authors: Garcia L. F. C. , Cottar B. H. , Rodacki M. , Gonçalves M. M. , Grendel V. , Albrecht L. , Weber S. H. , Tasqueti U. I. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTIntestinal gas results in low quality imaging in abdominal ultrasound in domestic animals. On dogs, suggested preparation protocols are varied and low studied. The aim of this work was comparing the efficacy between two preparations in improving the complete abdominal ultrasound exam and pancreas preview. 40 dogs were enrolled in this study. They were separated in two groups (NS diet: fasting; WS diet: fasting added to simethicone). The pancreas images were taken from left lateral decubitus. A score of one to three (1: bad, 2: fair and 3: good) measured separately the quality of the complete exam, left and right limbs and pancreatic body. In both treatments, there were results above 50% of good images of the complete exam and right limb of the pancreas. Otherwise, there were results above 90% of bad images of the right limb and pancreatic body. According to the fact of there is no statistically significant difference between the diets, as well submitted animals to the NS diet as the WS diet, all the results obtained from this work (bad or good images) could be acquired from any of both diets. The good abdominal exam preview as well submitted animals to the simethicone as those without the medication refute this medicine requirement to the abdominal ultrasound exam, but not to the evaluation of the left limb and pancreatic body.