bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparative study of Ergosterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol and their Endoperoxides: Generation, Identification and Impact in Phospholipid Membranes and Melanoma Cells
Authors: Yukuyama Megumi Nishitani , Fabiano Karen Campos , Inague Alex , Uemi Miriam , Lima Rodrigo Santiago , Diniz Larissa Regina , Oliveira Tiago Eugenio , Iijima Thais Satie , Faria Hector Oreliana Fernandes , Santos Rosangela Silva , Nolf Maria Fernanda Valente , Chaves-Filho Adriano Brito , Yoshinaga Marcos Yukio , Junqueira Helena Couto , Mascio Paolo Di , Baptista Mauricio da Silva , Miyamoto Sayuri 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTMelanoma is an aggressive cancer that has attracted attention in recent years due to its high mortality rate of 80%. Damage caused by oxidative stress generated by radical (type I reaction) and singlet oxygen,1O2(type II reaction) oxidative reactions may induce cancer. Thus, studies that aim to unveil the mechanism that drives these oxidative damage processes become relevant. Ergosterol, an analogue of 7-dehydrocholesterol, important in the structure of cell membranes, is widely explored in cancer treatment. However, to date little is known about the impact of different oxidative reactions on these sterols in melanoma treatment, and conflicting results about their effectiveness complicates the understanding of their role in oxidative damage. Our results highlight differences among ergosterol, 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) and cholesterol in membrane properties when subjected to distinct oxidative reactions. Furthermore, we conducted a comparative study exploring the mechanisms of cell damage by photodynamic treatment in A375 melanoma. Notably, endoperoxides from ergosterol and 7-DHC generated by1O2showed superior efficacy in reducing the viability of A375 cells compared to their precursor molecules. We also describe a step-by-step process to produce and identify endoperoxides derived from ergosterol and 7-DHC. While further studies are needed, this work provides new insights for understanding cancer cell death induced by different oxidative reactions in the presence of biologically relevant sterols.
A decade of dengue disease burden in Africa (2013–2023): a systematic review
Authors: Mwanyika Gaspary O. , Moir Monika , Musa Abdualmoniem O. , Poongavanan Jenicca , Dor Graeme , Wilkinson Eduan , Baxter Cheryl , de Oliveira Tulio , Tegally Houriiyah 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundDengue is a major mosquito-borne disease worldwide. The epidemiological trends of the disease in Africa over the past decade remain unclear. This review aims to provide insight into the epidemiological trends of dengue in Africa from 2013–2023.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus for studies published between January 2013 and December 2023. Additionally, we collected official records from the World Health Organization for Africa and African Centre for Disease Control. We included studies that reported dengue cases in humans in Africa and excluded publications prior to 2013, review articles and non-human studies. For specific countries, the suspected cases per 100,000 population and fatality rates were estimated and the trend predicted using a negative binomial model. The statistical analyses and visualisations were performed using R programming.ResultsOf the 453 reports screened, 87 from 25 African countries were selected for systematic review. Between 2013 and 2023, approximately 200,000 suspected dengue cases, 90,000 confirmed cases and 900 deaths were reported in Africa. Over 80% of confirmed cases originated from West Africa, with Burkina Faso reporting over 500 cases per 100,000 population. DENV1 and DENV2 predominating at different times with transmission closely linked to rainy seasons.ConclusionsThe rising dengue cases across Africa, highlight the need to strengthen surveillance and implement effective regional-specific interventions against future dengue outbreaks. Further research is necessary to improve our understanding on dengue transmission dynamics and suitability of regions in Africa.
Impacts of receptor binding and immunity on SARS-CoV-2 fitness landscape: a modeling study
Authors: Ding Zhaojun , Yuan Hsiang-Yu 
Published: October 2024

AbstractDespite numerous studies investigating SARS-CoV-2 ACE2 binding affinity and its transmissibility, their relationship concerning varying immunity remains unclear. Daily ACE2 binding and immune escape in SARS-CoV-2 were calculated by summing the effects of all amino acid mutations in the receptor binding domain for each viral sequence per day, based on deep mutational scanning data. We developed an infectious disease transmission model that decomposed the effective reproduction number into viral infectiousness, host protection, and contact patterns. Viral infectiousness was used to represent a component of the fitness determined by both ACE2 binding and the immunity of infected hosts. By fitting the model to daily reported cases, immune escape, vaccine rollout, and population mobility, both viral infectiousness and effective immunity (i.e. the protection against the circulating variants) among infected individuals were quantified. A rugged fitness landscape, spanned by ACE2 binding and hosts’ effective immunity, was observed with peaks corresponding to individual VOCs (alpha, delta, and omicron (BA.1* and BA.2*)). We found that higher effective immunity was associated with a lower level of virus fitness peak initially; and lower effective immunity with weaker receptor binding was associated with an optimal virus fitness. The finding helps understand SARS-CoV-2 evolution and predict future dominant variants.
Performance of ChatGPT in pediatric audiology as rated by students and experts
Authors: Ratuszniak Anna , Gos Elzbieta , Lorens Artur , Skarzynski Piotr H. , Skarzynski Henryk , Jedrzejczak W. Wiktor 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundDespite the growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems such as ChatGPT, there is still little evidence of their effectiveness in audiology, particularly in pediatric audiology. The present study aimed to verify the performance of ChatGPT in this field, as assessed by both students and professionals, and to compare its Polish and English versions.Material and methodsChatGPT was presented with 20 questions, which were posed twice, first in Polish and then in English. A group of 20 students and 16 professionals in the field of audiology and otolaryngology rated the answers on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 in terms of correctness, relevance, completeness, and linguistic accuracy. Both groups were also asked to assess the usefulness of ChatGPT as a source of information for patients, in educational settings for students, and in professional work.ResultsBoth students and professionals generally rated ChatGPT’s responses to be satisfactory. For most of the questions, ChatGPT’s responses were rated somewhat higher by the students than the professionals, although statistically significant differences were only evident for completeness and linguistic accuracy. Those who rated ChatGPT’s responses more highly were also rated higher it usefulness.ConclusionsChatGPT can possibly be used for quick information retrieval, especially by non-experts, but it lacks the depth and reliability required by professionals. The different ratings given by students and professionals, and its language dependency, indicate it works best as a supplementary tool, not as a replacement for verifiable sources, particularly in a healthcare setting.
A comparative study of navigation behaviours in ants
Authors: Shen Xianhui , Wystrach Antoine , Gélin Uriel , Charles-Dominique Tristan , Tomlinson Kyle W. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractAnts inhabit a vast range of ecosystems and exhibit wide morphology. They are expert navigators employing a handful of well-understood navigational strategies. However, the specific relationships among ant navigation behaviours, ecology, and morphology remain unclear, highlighting the need for comparative studies across diverse species. Here, we conducted field displacement experiments with 15 ant species across different habitats, assessing the prevalence of path integration, view-based navigation, olfactory trail following, and backtracking. We further tested whether use of particular navigation strategies was correlated with variation in morphological traits that could affect navigation efficiency, namely body size, eye size (view-based, path integration) and scape length (olfactory). There was a negative correlation between path integration and olfaction across different ant species, and no other clear trade-offs were identified between navigational strategies. Olfactory navigation emerged as the most dominant strategy. Path integration was also prevalent but limited to arboreal ants. View-based navigation was observed in both ground-foraging and tree-climbing ant species, and, unexpectedly, backtracking was also widespread. Species with larger eyes and body size showed a stronger preference for view-based navigation. However, no significant relationship was found between eye size or antennal scape length with preference for either path integration or olfaction. These results highlight the diversity and specialization of navigational strategies in ants, which appear to depend on the species’ ecological niche and morphological traits. Our study confirmed that path integration performs better in open sky environments, while view-based navigation appears more effective in cluttered habitats. We also showed the importance of plasticity in both foraging strategies and navigational profile at individual and colony levels, demonstrating the adaptability of ants’ navigation strategies to their environment.
The geometry of gametic dispersal in a flying mammal,Rhinolophus hipposideros
Authors: Brazier Thomas , Zarzoso-Lacoste Diane , Lehnen Lisa , Jan Pierre-Loup , Puechmaille Sebastien J. , Petit Eric J. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractDispersal influences population and evolutionary dynamics, in a manner that depends on by which dispersal strategies gene flow occurs. In some species, mating partners move exclusively for mating, dispersing genes but not individuals. This is the case in many bat species, of which the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) shows a genetic structure at a fine spatial scale suggesting restricted dispersal. We investigated how natal and mating dispersal shape gene flow in this species in two meta-populations using paternity and population assignments. Half of the inferred paternities were intra-colonial and gave an estimate of the mean mating dispersal distance of around 11 km, explaining the observed genetic structure. Complete gametic dispersal distances were further estimated by combining natal with mating dispersal distances. The resulting gametic dispersal kernels showed a mean distance of around 20 km and a fat-tailed distribution typical of an excess of long-distance dispersal movements. It is the first time that natal and mating dispersal distances have been separately estimated and then combined in animals, documenting quantitatively how mating dispersal decorrelates gene and individual flows. It is important to consider this mechanism to explain dispersal evolution.
An mTOR-Tfeb-Fabp7a signaling axis can be harnessed to amelioratebag3cardiomyopathy in adult zebrafish
Authors: Ding Yonghe , Yan Feixiang , Yoon Baul , Wei Wei , Ruff David Mondaca , Zhang Yuji , Lin Xueying , Xu Xiaolei 
Published: October 2024

AbstractDysregulated proteostasis in cardiomyocytes is an important pathological event inBAG3cardiomyopathy, which can be repaired by inhibiting mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) for cardioprotective effects. Here, we aimed to uncover additional pathological events and therapeutic target genes via leveraging zebrafish genetics. We first assessed transcription factor EB (tfeb), a candidate gene that encodes a direct downstream phosphorylation target of mTOR signaling. We found that cardiomyocyte-specific transgenic overexpression oftfeb(Tg[cmlc2:tfeb]) is sufficient to repair defective proteostasis, attenuate accelerated cardiac senescence, a previously unrecognized phenotype in thebag3cardiomyopathy model, and rescue cardiac dysfunction. Next, we compared cardiac transcriptomes between theTg(cmlc2:tfeb)transgenic fish and themtorxu015/+mutant, and tested 4 commonly downregulated lipodystrophy genes using an F0-based genetic assay. We found that inhibition of the fatty acid binding protein a (fabp7a) gene, but not the other 3 genes, exerts therapeutic effects onbag3cardiomyopathy. Conversely,fabp7aexpression is elevated inbag3cardiomyopathy model and cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression offabp7aresulted in dysregulated proteostasis, accelerated cardiac senescence, as well as cardiac dysfunction. Together, these genetic studies in zebrafish uncovered Fabp7a activation and accelerated cardiac senescence as important pathological events inbag3cardiomyopathy. The mTOR-Tfeb-Fabp7a signaling axis can be harnessed to repair these pathological changes and exert cardioprotective effects.
Classical statistical methods are powerful for the identification of novel targets for the survival of breast cancer patients
Authors: Insawang Benyapa , Ward Max , Li Zhaoyu , Datta Amittava 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBreast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The identification of survival-related target genes is critical for improving the prognosis and outcomes of breast cancer patients. Many methods have been applied to this investigation, such as bioinformatics and machine learning approaches, yet few targets identified from these approaches have been applied in clinics. Here, we present a novel approach by using classical statistical methods of Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test and Jensen-Shannon (JS) divergence to analyse the survival time and gene expression data of breast cancer patients (BRCA) from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). These methods help compare the survival time distributions and differentiate patients into high and low-risk groups based on gene expression profiles. 1,124 survival-related genes were identified based on the KS test and 18 from JS divergence values. We also identified the optimal thresholds of the expression level of these target genes, which enabled the best separation of survival groups for all breast cancer patients and each subtype of breast cancer patients. These targets were further validated through bootstrapping to ensure that significant results are not due to chance. By comparing those survival targets from previous studies, we found two were novel targets, and two were consistent with previous reports. Overall, our study provides a novel approach for identifying survival targets for breast cancer patients by integrating a series of classical statistical methods, such as the KS test, JS divergence, and bootstrapping. Our approach could also be applied to identifying the survival targets for other cancer types and provide valuable insights into cancer research and clinical applications.
Instrumented dual-task tests for concussion assessment in Ice Hockey
Authors: Meyer Frederic , Baehler Nicolas , Sciacca Dario , Chabrowski Lea , Falbriard Mathieu , Ionescu Anisoara 
Published: October 2024

AbstractBackgroundSport-related concussions are a public health concern and can lead to long-term health impairment. Nevertheless, assessing concussions in spots such as ice hockey can be challenging during games. Dual-task (DT) tests, quantifying interference between cognitive and motor performance, have been used to detect cognitive impairment after a concussion.Methodsin this work, 114 Swiss elite ice hockey players performed DT tests at regular interval during the season and within the days following a diagnosed concussion. The DT test consisted of a static balance and a self-paced walking, both combined with counting backward by 3. In total, 265 DT tests were performed, including 38 tests between 1 day and 2 weeks after the 15 diagnosed concussions.ResultsCognitive abilities during gait were mainly affected after a concussion. A DT performance metric was defined based on features significantly associated with worsening DT performance after the concussion (p< 0.001, effect sized= 1.50). Finally, an individual and a global model were proposed to estimate the risk of concussion based on a DT test outcome.ConclusionThese tests provide objective insights to the medical staff, ensuring a secure and trusted decision-making process when deciding if the player should be removed from the game for recovery. Dual-task tests could also improve the return to play evaluation by detecting remaining cognitive deficiencies even in the absence of symptoms.
Dyslipidemia and development of chronic kidney disease in non-diabetic Japanese adults: a 26-year, community-based, longitudinal study
Authors: Okawa Yukari , Mitsuhashi Toshiharu 
Published: October 2024

AbstractFollow-up studies evaluating the relationship between dyslipidemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in non-diabetic populations are limited. This longitudinal study (1998–2024) examined whether the prevalence of dyslipidemia is associated with the subsequent development of CKD in non-diabetic Japanese adult citizens of Zentsuji, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. Dyslipidemia was defined as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations ≥140 mg/dL, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations <40 mg/dL, and/or triglyceride concentrations ≥150 mg/dL. Participants were considered to have developed CKD if their estimated glomerular filtration rate was <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. The proportional hazard assumptions were violated. Therefore, the Weibull accelerated failure-time model was selected using the Akaike and Bayesian information criteria. The final cohort included 5970 participants, 41.6% of whom were men. The mean follow-up was 7.09 years. After the follow-up, 1890 (31.7%) participants developed CKD. Participants with dyslipidemia had a 5% shorter survival time (95% confidence interval: 3%–7%) to incident CKD compared with those without dyslipidemia in the full model. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations <40 mg/dL and triglyceride concentrations ≥150 mg/dL also reduced the survival time to CKD onset by 5%–6%. Our results indicate that controlling the lipid profile to an appropriate range may contribute to reducing the risk of future onset of CKD.
Topical Insulin as a Novel Treatment for Persistent Epithelial Defects and Other Ocular Surface Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Bievel Radulescu Raluca , Ferrari Stefano , Ponzin Diego 
Published: October 2024

AbstractPurposeThrough this systematic review, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of topical eye insulin in different concentrations to treat several surface ocular pathologies, including: persistent epithelial defects, diabetic keratopathy after a vitrectomy, neutrophic keratopathy and dry eye syndrome. We have consolidated through the data, what are the doses used, the methods of preparation for insulin, whether there are adverse effects and what would be the effectiveness of the eye drops with insulin.MethodsWe carried out an extensive search including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Web Of Science. We found 43 relevant studies, after which we excluded duplicates, animal studies, case reports, we ended up with 14 studies to include in the article. Through the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for observational studies and the Jadad scale for randomized controlled trials, we investigated the methodological quality of these articles.ResultsWithin the review we included a significant number of 525 patients who used eye drops with insulin in concentrations from 0.5 to 2 U/ml, having an ocular benefit in corneal healing rates without adverse effects. The quality analysis of the included studies showed a NOS score of moderate-high quality, whereas the Jadad scale showed a high quality.ConclusionsOur systematic review demonstrates that patients with persistent epithelial defects, diabetic keratopathy following vitrectomy, neurotrophic keratopathy, and dry eye syndrome showed significant improvements in corneal healing rates. To gain a clearer understanding of the effectiveness of insulin eye drops, future research should include direct comparisons with autologous serum eye drops and amniotic membrane eye drops. These studies will help establish comprehensive clinical guidelines.
Comparison of the extent and progression of respiratory and cardiovascular disease in World Trade Center responders to lung screening participants
Authors: Jirapatnakul Artit , Yip Rowena , Branch Andrea , Yankelevitz David F , Henschke Claudia I 
Published: October 2024

AbstractResponders to the World Trade Center (WTC) site in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks were exposed to toxic dust, which has been linked to increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. The respiratory and cardiovascular effects of WTC dust exposure have been studied using pulmonary function tests and the number of cardiovascular events, but computed tomography (CT) scans provide an opportunity to see the early structural changes in the lungs and cardiovascular system before clinical symptoms appear. CT scans are used in the screening and evaluation of respiratory diseases such as lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and to visualize coronary arteries and quantify the amount of coronary artery calcifications; in fact, it is possible to detect multiple diseases from a single chest CT scan. While manual evaluation by a radiologist is often the gold standard, automated image analysis tools can quickly and accurately quantify these diseases.We identified non-contrast chest CT scans from members of the World Trade Center General Responders Cohort (WTC GRC) with slice thickness of 2.5 mm or less. We used the open-source Chest Imaging Platform software to compute measures of emphysema and interstitial lung disease and research software from Cornell University to compute measures of pulmonary hypertension and coronary artery calcification. We identified a sex, age (within 5 years), smoking status, one or more CT scans, and follow-up time -matched cohort of participants enrolled in the lung screening program at Mount Sinai. We compared disease measures from the WTC GRC group to the lung screening group to assess whether there was a difference in the extent and progression of disease.There were 4909 chest CT images of members of the WTC GRC that met our image quality criteria. There were 3855 members of the GRC for which we could obtain both chest CT images and clinical data. Of these, there were 2284 members for which we could obtain pulmonary disease measurements on at least one scan, 1246 members for which we could calculate cardiac measurements. The matched controls from the lung screening cohort consisted of 557 participants with 1122 chest CT images that met our image quality criteria and for which we obtained all four disease measures.We compared members of the WTC GRC with matched participants from the lung screening program. One of the key findings is that after a median time of 11-13 years after 9/11, the WTC GRC group exhibited higher burdens of coronary artery calcification, emphysema, and interstitial lung disease compared with a matched control group of lung screening participants. This supports the continued surveillance of WTC responders.