bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A conserved inhibitory interdomain interaction regulates DNA-binding activities of hybrid two-component systems in
Bacteroides
Authors: Gao Rong , Wu Ti , Stock Ann M. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Hybrid two-component systems (HTCSs) comprise a major class of transcription regulators of polysaccharide utilization genes in
Bacteroides
. Distinct from classical two-component systems in which signal transduction is carried out by intermolecular phosphotransfer between a histidine kinase (HK) and a cognate response regulator (RR), HTCSs contain the membrane sensor HK and the RR transcriptional regulator within a single polypeptide chain. Tethering the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of the RR with the dimeric HK domain in an HTCS could potentially promote dimerization of the DBDs and would thus require a mechanism to suppress DNA-binding activity in the absence of stimulus. Analysis of phosphorylation and DNA-binding activities of several HTCSs from
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
revealed a DBD suppression mechanism in which an inhibitory interaction between the DBD and the phosphoryl group-accepting receiver domain (REC) decreases autophosphorylation rates of HTCS-RECs and represses DNA-binding activities in the absence of phosphorylation. Sequence analyses and structure predictions identified a highly conserved sequence motif correlated with a conserved inhibitory domain arrangement of REC and DBD. The presence of the motif, as in most HTCSs, or its absence, in a small subset of HTCSs, is likely predictive of two distinct regulatory mechanisms evolved for different glycans. Substitutions within the conserved motif relieve the inhibitory interaction and result in elevated DNA-binding activities in the absence of phosphorylation. Our data suggest a fundamental regulatory mechanism shared by most HTCSs to suppress DBD activities using a conserved inhibitory interdomain arrangement to overcome the challenge of the fused HK and RR components.

IMPORTANCE

Different dietary and host-derived complex carbohydrates shape the gut microbial community and impact human health. In
Bacteroides
, the prevalent gut bacteria genus, utilization of these diverse carbohydrates relies on different gene clusters that are under sophisticated control by various signaling systems, including the hybrid two-component systems (HTCSs). We have uncovered a highly conserved regulatory mechanism in which the output DNA-binding activity of HTCSs is suppressed by interdomain interactions in the absence of stimulating phosphorylation. A consensus amino acid motif is found to correlate with the inhibitory interaction surface while deviations from the consensus can lead to constitutive activation. Understanding of such conserved HTCS features will be important to make regulatory predictions for individual systems as well as to engineer novel systems with substitutions in the consensus to explore the glycan regulation landscape in
Bacteroides
.
Draft genome of three uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
strains
Authors: Cortez-de la Puente Isabel Montserrat , Rocha-Gracia Rosa del C. , Lozano-Zaraín Patricia , Barrios-Villa Edwin , Arenas-Hernández Margarita M. P. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Uropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(UPEC) remains the main etiological agent of urinary tract infections affecting females and males. The draft genome sequence of three strains of UPEC isolated from senior citizens and pregnant women in the state of Puebla, Mexico, is reported here.
Drought-induced assembly of rhizosphere mycobiomes shows beneficial effects on plant growth
Authors: Pan Yanshuo , Liu Binhui , Zhang Wenying , Zhuang Shan , Wang Hongzhe , Chen Jieyin , Xiao Liang , Li Yuzhong , Han Dongfei 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Beneficial interactions between plants and rhizosphere fungi can enhance plant adaptability during drought stress. However, harnessing these interactions will require an in-depth understanding of the response of fungal community assembly to drought. Herein, by using different varieties of wheat plants, we analyzed the drought-induced changes in fungal community assembly in rhizosphere and bulk soil. We demonstrated that drought significantly altered the fungal communities, with the contribution of species richness to community beta diversity increased in both rhizosphere and bulk soil compartments during drought stress. The stochastic processes dominated fungal community assembly, but the relative importance of deterministic processes, mainly homogeneous selection, increased in the drought-stressed rhizosphere. Drought induced an increase in the relative abundance of generalists in the rhizosphere, as opposed to specialists, and the top 10 abundant taxa that enriched under drought conditions were predominantly generalists. Notably, the most abundant drought-enriched taxon in rhizosphere was a generalist, and the corresponding
Chaetomium
strain was found capable of improving root length and activating ABA signaling in wheat plants through culture-based experiment. Together, these findings provide evidence that host plants exert a strong influence on rhizospheric fungal community assembly during stress and suggest the fungal communities that have experienced drought have the potential to confer fitness advantages to the host plants.

IMPORTANCE
We have presented a framework to integrate the shifts in community assembly processes with plant-soil feedback during drought stress. We found that environmental filtering and host plant selection exert influence on the rhizospheric fungal community assembly, and the re-assembled community has great potential to alleviate plant drought stress. Our study proposes that future research should incorporate ecology with plant, microbiome, and molecular approaches to effectively harness the rhizospheric microbiome for enhancing the resilience of crop production to drought.
Acute gastric volvulus secondary to H-type tracheo-oesophageal fistula
Authors: Sánchez Sánchez Ángela , Aranda García María Josefa , Ruiz Pruneda Ramón , Sánchez Morote Juana María 
Published: June 2024

H-type tracheo-oesophageal fistula is an uncommon type of tracheo-oesophageal malformation. Acute gastric volvulus is another infrequent pathology in children. They rarely present together.We report the case of a toddler with acute gastric volvulus possibly secondary to an undiagnosed H-type tracheo-oesophageal fistula. The fistula was suspected due to persistent gastric distention observed during volvulus detorsion. This kind of tracheo-oesophageal fistula often presents with subtle symptoms making early diagnosis difficult.Acute gastric volvulus is a life-threatening condition. Gastric distension caused by the passage of air into the stomach through the fistula could be a triggering factor for gastric volvulus.
Economic barriers to prevent the smuggling of health goods in Iran
Authors: Mahmoudi Meymand Farzaneh , Takian Amirhossein , Jaafaripooyan Ebrahim 
Published: June 2024

IntroductionIn recent years, smuggling of health goods has apparently increased in the country. Despite the preventive and regulatory measures taken to combat this problem, the outcomes seem to be undesirable. This study thus aims to identify and elucidate the role of economic barriers in the prevention of smuggling health goods in Iran.MethodWe conducted semistructured interviews with 29 purposefully identified key informants in the detection, prevention and control of health goods smuggling in different organisations, between May 2021–January 2022. An inductive data-driven thematic analysis approach was further adopted to identify patterns of meaning, using MAXQDA 2020 software to facilitate data management.ResultsWe identified four main themes representing the economic barriers to prevent the smuggling of health goods in Iran; Monetary and financial policy, which includes subthemes of financial rules and procedures, market regulation, economic incentives and imbalanced development; Behavioural patterns, consisting of consumer behaviour, the opportunism of smugglers, the behaviour of statesmen and politicians; Economic diplomacy, categorised into international relations and interactions, relations and interactions in the national arena, interaction with non-governmental organisations and Health economic monitoring and evaluation including transparency of statistics and economic information and supervision.ConclusionSmuggling health goods has become a concerning challenge in the health sector. It is, therefore, imperative to develop and implement appropriate policies and operations towards security and international cooperation, lobbying and coalition-building. Demonopolisation, creating competitive and dynamic markets, removal of rent-seeking layers at all levels, and the use of commercial diplomacy to reduce the burden of smuggling in the health sector of Iran, and perhaps beyond might be of sizeable use to combat such challenge.
Infectious complications following regional anesthesia: a narrative review and contemporary estimates of risk
Authors: Selvamani Breethaa Janani , Kalagara Hari , Volk Thomas , Narouze Samer , Childs Christopher , Patel Aamil , Seering Melinda S , Benzon Honorio T , Sondekoppam Rakesh V 
Published: June 2024

IntroductionInfectious complications following regional anesthesia (RA) while rare, can be devastating. The objective of this review was to estimate the risk of infectious complications following central neuraxial blocks (CNB) such as epidural anesthesia (EA), spinal anesthesia (SA) and combined spinal epidural (CSE), and peripheral nerve blocks (PNB).Materials and methodsA literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases to identify reference studies reporting infectious complications in the context of RA subtypes. Both prospective and retrospective studies providing incidence of infectious complications were included for review to provide pooled estimates (with 95% CI). Additionally, we explored incidences specifically associated with spinal anesthesia, incidences of central nervous system (CNS) infections and, the incidences of overall and CNS infections following CNB in obstetric population.ResultsThe pooled estimate of overall infectious complications following all CNB was 9/100 000 (95% CI: 5, 13/100 000). CNS infections following all CNB was estimated to be 2/100 000 (95% CI: 1, 3/100 000) and even rarer following SA (1/100 000 (95% CI: 1, 2/100 000)). Obstetric population had a lower rate of overall (1/100 000 (95% CI: 1, 3/100 000)) and CNS infections (4 per million (95% CI: 0.3, 1/100 000)) following all CNB. For PNB catheters, the reported rate of infectious complications was 1.8% (95% CI: 1.2, 2.5/100).DiscussionOur review suggests that the risk of overall infectious complications following neuraxial anesthesia is very rare and the rate of CNS infections is even rarer. The infectious complications following PNB catheters seems significantly higher compared with CNB. Standardizing nomenclature and better reporting methodologies are needed for the better estimation of the infectious complications.
Polarization and quantum entanglement effects in $$B^\pm _c\rightarrow J/\psi +\pi ^\pm +\pi ^0$$ process
Authors: Chen Kaiwen , Geng Yiqi , Jin Yichao , Yan Zhicheng , Zhu Ruilin 
Published: June 2024

AbstractMotivated by the very recent observation of the $$B^+_c\rightarrow J/\psi +\pi ^+ +\pi ^0$$

B
c
+

→
J
/
ψ
+

π
+

+

π
0

decay using proton–proton collision data by the LHCb collaboration, we study the four-body angular distributions and the quantum entanglement effects in the $$B^+_c\rightarrow J/\psi +\pi ^+ +\pi ^0$$

B
c
+

→
J
/
ψ
+

π
+

+

π
0

associated with $$J/\psi \rightarrow \mu ^++\mu ^-.$$

J
/
ψ
→

μ
+

+

μ
-

.

The helicity angular distributions are given in the QCD effective theory and the von Neumann entropy is obtained in $$B^\pm _c\rightarrow J/\psi (\rightarrow \mu ^+\mu ^-)+\rho ^\pm (\rightarrow \pi ^\pm \pi ^0)$$

B
c
±

→
J
/
ψ

(
→

μ
+

μ
-

)

+

ρ
±

(
→

π
±

π
0

)

decay process.
One-Year Effects of High-Intensity Statin on Bioactive Lipids: Findings From the JUPITER Trial
Authors: Hoshi Rosangela Akemi , Alotaibi Mona , Liu Yanyan , Watrous Jeramie D. , Ridker Paul M , Glynn Robert J. , Serhan Charles N. , Luttmann-Gibson Heike , Moorthy M. Vinayaga , Jain Mohit , Demler Olga V. , Mora Samia 
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:
Statin effects extend beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction, potentially modulating the metabolism of bioactive lipids (BALs), crucial for biological signaling and inflammation. These bioactive metabolites may serve as metabolic footprints, helping uncover underlying processes linked to pleiotropic effects of statins and yielding a better understanding of their cardioprotective properties. This study aimed to investigate the impact of high-intensity statin therapy versus placebo on plasma BALs in the JUPITER trial (Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin; NCT00239681), a randomized primary prevention trial involving individuals with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol <130 mg/dL and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ≥2 mg/L.

METHODS:

Using a nontargeted mass spectrometry approach, over 11 000 lipid features were assayed from baseline and 1-year plasma samples from cardiovascular disease noncases from 2 nonoverlapping nested substudies: JUPITER
discovery
(n=589) and JUPITER
validation
(n=409). The effect of randomized allocation of rosuvastatin 20 mg versus placebo on BALs was examined by fitting a linear regression with delta values (∆=year 1−baseline) adjusted for age and baseline levels of each feature. Significant associations in discovery were analyzed in the validation cohort. Multiple comparisons were adjusted using 2-stage overall false discovery rate.

RESULTS:
We identified 610 lipid features associated with statin randomization with significant replication (overall false discovery rate, <0.05), including 26 with annotations. Statin therapy significantly increased levels of 276 features, including BALs with anti-inflammatory activity and arterial vasodilation properties. Concurrently, 334 features were significantly lowered by statin therapy, including arachidonic acid and proinflammatory and proplatelet aggregation BALs. By contrast, statin therapy reduced an eicosapentaenoic acid–derived hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid metabolite, which may be related to impaired glucose metabolism. Additionally, we observed sex-related differences in 6 lipid metabolites and 6 unknown features.

CONCLUSIONS:
Statin allocation was significantly associated with upregulation of BALs with anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet aggregation and antioxidant properties and downregulation of BALs with proinflammatory and proplatelet aggregation activity, supporting the pleiotropic effects of statins beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction.
IL-1R Mediated Activation of Renal Sensory Nerves in DOCA-Salt Hypertension
Authors: Baumann Daniel , Van Helden Dusty , Evans Louise C. , Vulchanova Lucy , Dayton Alex , Osborn John W. 
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:
Clinical trials of renal denervation for the treatment of hypertension have shown a variety of off-target improvements in conditions associated with sympathetic overactivity. This may be due to the ablation of sympathoexcitatory afferent renal nerves, which are overactive under conditions of renal inflammation. Renal IL (interleukin)-1β is elevated in the deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt model of hypertension, and its activity may be responsible for the elevation in afferent renal nerve activity and arterial pressure.

METHODS:
Continuous blood pressure recording of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt mice with IL-1R (IL-1 receptor) knockout or antagonism was used individually and combined with afferent renal denervation (ARDN) to assess mechanistic overlap. Protein quantification and histological analysis of kidneys were performed to characterize renal inflammation.

RESULTS:
ARDN attenuated deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension (−20±2-Δmm Hg mean arterial pressure [MAP] relative to control at study end) to a similar degree as total renal denervation (−21±2-Δmm Hg MAP), IL-1R knockout (−16±4-Δmm Hg MAP), or IL-1R antagonism (−20±3-Δmm Hg MAP). The combination of ARDN with knockout (−18±2-Δmm Hg MAP) or antagonism (−19±4-Δmm Hg MAP) did not attenuate hypertension any further than ARDN alone. IL-1R antagonism was found to have an acute depressor effect (−15±3-Δmm Hg MAP, day 10) in animals with intact renal nerves but not those with ARDN.

CONCLUSIONS:
These findings suggest that IL-1R signaling is partially responsible for the elevated afferent renal nerve activity, which stimulates central sympathetic outflow to drive deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension.
Stroke Incidence in Patients With Hypertension According to Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Authors: Kokkinos Peter , Faselis Charles , Pittaras Andreas , Samuel Immanuel Babu Henry , Lavie Carl J. , Ross Robert , LaMonte Michael , Franklin Barry A. , Grassos Charalampos , Zamrini Edward , Murphy Rayelynn , Myers Jonathan 
Published: June 2024

BACKGROUND:
Hypertension and physical inactivity are risk factors for stroke. The effect of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on stroke risk in patients with hypertension has not been assessed. We evaluated stroke incidence in patients with hypertension according to CRF and changes in CRF.

METHODS:
We included 483 379 patients with hypertension (mean age±SD; 59.4±9.0 years) and no evidence of unstable cardiovascular disease as indicated by a standardized exercise treadmill test. Patients were assigned to 5 age- and sex-specific CRF categories based on peak metabolic equivalents achieved at the initial exercise treadmill test and in 4 categories based on metabolic equivalent changes over time (n=110 576). Multivariable Cox models, adjusted for age, and comorbidities were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CIs for stroke risk.

RESULTS:
During a median follow-up of 10.6 (interquartile range, 6.6–14.6) years, 15 925 patients developed stroke with an average yearly rate of 3.1 events/1000 person-years. Stroke risk declined progressively with higher CRF and was 55% lower for the High-fit individuals (hazard ratio, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.42–0.48]) compared with the Least-fit. Similar associations were observed across the race, sex, and age spectra. Poor CRF was the strongest predictor of stroke risk of all comorbidities studied (hazard ratio, 2.24 [95% CI, 2.10–2.40]). Changes in CRF reflected inverse and proportional changes in stroke risk.

CONCLUSIONS:
Poor CRF carried a greater risk than any of the cardiac risk factors in patients with hypertension, regardless of age, race, or sex. The lower stroke risk associated with improved CRF suggests that increasing physical activity, even later in life, may reduce stroke risk.
Obesity and Risk of Incident Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Community‐Dwelling Populations With Hypertension: An Observational Study
Authors: Cai Anping , Liu Lin , Zhou Dan , Tang Songtao , Tadic Marijana , Schutte Aletta E. , Feng Yingqing 
Published: June 2024

Background
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between obesity and risk of incident left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in community‐dwelling populations with hypertension and investigate whether this association would be attenuated by a lower achieved systolic blood pressure (SBP).

Methods and Results

We used the EMINCA (Echocardiographic Measurements in Normal Chinese Adults) criteria, which were derived from healthy Chinese populations to define LVH. A total of 2069 participants with hypertension and without LVH (obesity 20.4%) were included. The association between obesity and risk of incident LVH was evaluated using Cox proportional hazard models and stratified by achieved follow‐up SBP levels (≥140, 130–139, and <130 mm Hg). These analyses were also assessed using the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging criteria, which were derived from European populations to define LVH. After a median follow‐up of 2.90 years, the rates of incident LVH in the normal‐weight, overweight, and obese groups were 13.5%, 20.3%, and 27.8%, respectively (
P
<0.001). In reference to normal weight, obesity was associated with increased risk of incident LVH (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.51 [95% CI, 1.91–3.29]), which was attenuated when achieved SBP was <130 mm Hg (aHR, 1.78 [95% CI, 0.99–3.19]). This association remained significant when achieved SBP was ≥140 mm Hg (aHR, 3.45 [95% CI, 2.13–5.58]) or at 130 to 139 mm Hg (aHR, 2.32 [95% CI, 1.23–4.36]). Differences in these findings were noted when LVH was defined by the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging criteria.

Conclusions
Obesity was associated with incident LVH and an SBP target <130 mm Hg might be needed to attenuate this risk in patients with hypertension and obesity.
Turbulent Ice–Ocean Boundary Layers in the Well-Mixed Regime: Insights from Direct Numerical Simulations
Authors: Couston Louis-Alexandre 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The meltwater mixing line (MML) model provides a theoretical prediction of near-ice water mass properties that is useful to compare with observations. If oceanographic measurements reported in a temperature–salinity diagram overlap with the MML prediction, then it is usually concluded that the local dynamics are dominated by the turbulent mixing of an ambient water mass with near-ice meltwater. While the MML model is consistent with numerous observations, it is built on an assumption that is difficult to test with field measurements, especially near the ice boundary, namely, that the effective (turbulent and molecular) salt and temperature diffusivities are equal. In this paper, this assumption is tested via direct numerical simulations of a canonical model for externally forced ice–ocean boundary layers in a uniform ambient. We focus on the well-mixed regime by considering an ambient temperature close to freezing and run the simulations until a statistical steady state is reached. The results validate the assumption of equal effective diffusivities across most of the boundary layer. Importantly, the validity of the MML model implies a linear correlation between the mean salinity and temperature profiles normal to the interface that can be leveraged to construct a reduced ice–ocean boundary layer model based on a single scalar variable called thermal driving. We demonstrate that the bulk dynamics predicted by the reduced thermal driving model are in good agreement with the bulk dynamics predicted by the full temperature–salinity model. Then, we show how the results from the thermal driving model can be used to estimate the interfacial heat and salt fluxes and the melt rate.

Significance Statement
We investigate the turbulent dynamics and thermodynamical properties of water masses below ice shelves using new data from high-resolution simulations. This is important because there are currently too few observations of ice–ocean boundary layer dynamics to construct reliable models of ice-shelf melting as a function of ocean conditions. Our results demonstrate that the turbulent diffusivities of salt and temperature are approximately equal in the well-mixed regime. This implies a linear correlation between the mean temperature and salinity profiles, consistent with the meltwater mixing line prediction that is often used to interpret polar observations. We take advantage of this correlation to propose a reduced model of ice–ocean boundary layers that can predict ice-shelf melt rates at relatively low computational cost.