bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The cytoplasm of living cells can sustain transient and steady intracellular pressure gradients
Authors: Malboubi Majid , Esteki Mohammad Hadi , Korsak Lulu I T. , Petrie Ryan J. , Moeendarbary Emad , Charras Guillaume 
Published: April 2024

SummaryUnderstanding the physical basis of cellular shape change in response to both internal and external mechanical stresses requires understanding cytoplasmic rheology. At subsecond time-scales and micron length-scales, cells behave as fluid-filled sponges in which shape changes necessitate intracellular fluid redistribution. However, whether these cytoplasmic poroelastic properties play an important role in cellular mechanical response over length-scales and time-scales relevant to cell physiology remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether and how a localised deformation of the cell surface gives rise to transient intracellular flows spanning several microns and lasting seconds. Next, we show that pressure gradients induced in the cytoplasm can be sustained over several minutes. We found that stable pressure gradients can arise from the combination of cytoplasmic poroelasticity and water flows across the membrane. Overall our data indicate that intracellular cytosolic flows and pressure gradients may play a much greater role than currently appreciated, acting over time- and length-scales relevant to mechanotransduction and cell migration, signifying that poroelastic properties need to be accounted for in models and states of the cell.
Inflammatory profiles in sputum and blood of people with TB with and without HIV coinfection
Authors: Auld Sara C , Queiroz Artur T L , Araujo-Pereira Mariana , Maenetje Pholo , Mofokeng Nomsa , Mngomezulu Lerato , Masilela Duduzile , Dobosh Brian , Tirouvanziam Rabindra , Kornfeld Hardy , Andrade Bruno B , Bisson Gregory P 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAlthough tuberculosis (TB) remains a major killer among infectious diseases and the leading cause of death for people with HIV, drivers of immunopathology, particularly at the site of infection in the lungs remain incompletely understood. To fill this gap, we compared cytokine profiles in paired plasma and sputum samples collected from adults with pulmonary TB with and without HIV. We found that people with pulmonary TB with HIV had significantly higher markers of inflammation in both plasma and sputum than those without HIV; these differences were present despite a similar extent of radiographic involvement. We also found that the strength and direction of correlations between biomarkers in the blood and lung compartments differed by HIV status and people with HIV had more positive correlations than those without HIV. Future studies can further explore these differences in inflammation by HIV status across the blood and lung compartments and seek to establish how these profiles may be associated with long-term outcomes and lung health after completion of TB treatment.
An approach to finding specific forms of dysbiosis that associate with different disorders
Authors: Williams Jonathan , Williams Inga , Morten Karl , Kenyon Julian 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundMany disorders display dysbiosis of the enteric microbiome, compared with healthy controls. Different disorders share a pattern of dysbiosis that may reflect ‘reverse causation’, due to non-specific effects of illness-in-general. Combining a range of disorders into an ‘aggregate non-healthy active control’ (ANHAC) group should highlight such non-specific dysbiosis. Differential dysbiosis between the ANHAC group and specific disorders may then reflect effects of treatment or bowel dysfunction, or may potentially be causal. Here, we illustrate this logic by testing if individual genera can differentiate an ANHAC group from two specific diagnostic groups.MethodsWe constructed an ANAHC group (n=17) that had 14 different disorders. We then used random forest analyses to test differential dysbiosis between the ANHAC group and two other disorders that have no known pathology, but: (i) symptoms of illness (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – ME/CFS – n = 38); or (ii) both illness and bowel dysfunction (ME/CFS comorbid with Irritable Bowel Syndrome – IBS – n=27).ResultsMany genera differentiated the ANHAC group from co-morbid IBS. However, only two genera - Roseburia and Dialister – discriminated the ANHAC group from ME/CFS.ConclusionsDifferent disorders can associate with specific forms of dysbiosis, over-and-above non-specific effects of illness-in-general. Bowel dysfunction may contribute to dysbiosis in IBS via reverse causation. However, ME/CFS has symptoms of illness-in-general, but lacks known pathology or definitive treatment that could cause dysbiosis. Therefore, the specific dysbiosis in ME/CFS may be causal. [230 words]Contribution to the fieldMany disorders associate with enteric dysbiosis. The pattern of dysbiosis is largely consistent between unrelated disorders, which suggests that it mainly reflects non-specific secondary effects of illness-in-general (e.g. due to changes in activity levels, or diet). However, faecal microbiome transplantation (FMT) can be therapeutic in some disorders. This implies that unique features of dysbiosis may cause those specific disorders. Here, we propose a way to assess causal effects of dysbiosis, by testing if individual genera can discriminate individual disorders from an ‘aggregate non-healthy active control’ (ANHAC) group. Dysbiosis in the ANHAC group can control for non-specific effects of illness-in-general on the microbiome and so highlight potentially-causal forms of dysbiosis in specific disorders. This approach may provide insight into pathogenetic mechanisms of individual disorders and help to design specific forms of FMT to counteract them.
User testing on Foods with Function Claims labelling in Japan : An attempt to establish an integrated evaluation system for the usefulness of health information materials
Authors: Yamamoto Michiko , Yamamoto Ken , Takano-Ohmuro Hiromi , Yamamoto Rain , Saruwatari Junji 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACTThe saturation of self-care products in the market is coupled with inadequate information on their safe usage. In Japan, although foods with function claims (FFC) are prevalent, their labelling falls short in quality and effectiveness as health information, impeding consumer comprehension and proper utilization. Hence, it is imperative to establish a system that assesses the efficacy of labelling information from both provider and user perspectives. From providers’ or healthcare professionals’ perspective, we already developed a Communication Index to assess FFC labelling, which we utilized to evaluate five FFC products. Those products achieved a proficiency level of approximately 70%, falling below the acceptance criteria. Particularly, challenges were identified in understanding some of the terms and locating important information on the labels. In this study, we conducted user-testing from the user perspective for five same FFC labels to evaluate them using semi-structured interviews with 50 participants of diverse ages and sexes. A passing criterion for comprehension was set as ≥90% correct responses to all questions. Of the five FFC products, one passed the user-testing criterion with a 2-min response time; however, none passed the 1-min response time test. The proportions of correct answers were notably low for questions on diet and allergies (each 50-90%), concomitant medications (50-100%), storage (30-100%), and handling (30-100%). Participants’ comments revealed a lack of familiarity with FFC, highlighting that the terms and text in the labelling were confusing and overly technical. User-testing provides valuable insights for improving FFC labelling, thereby ensuring safe and appropriate use by aligning with consumers’ understanding and perceptions. We assessed FFC label information from both the provider and user perspectives, but neither yielded satisfactory results. Consequently, the implementation of an integrated system capable of evaluating FCC labels as health information material from both perspectives would be necessary.
Association of diet and inflammation with the vaginal microbiota of pregnant individuals with or without IBD
Authors: Vargas-Robles Daniela , Yap Yan Rou , Singha Biplab , Tien Joyce , Purandare Mallika , Rojas-Correa Mayra , Madziar Camilla , Picker Mellissa , Dumont Tina , Leftwich Heidi , Frisard Christine F. , Ward Doyle V. , Peter Inga , Olendzki Barbara , Maldonado-Contreras Ana 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackground and aimsVaginal dysbiosis has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, we characterized the vaginal microbiota of pregnant individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and investigated whether gut or vaginal inflammation and diet influence the vaginal microbiota diversity of these individuals.Study DesignWe recruited 48 individuals in their third trimester of pregnancy (IBD=23 and HC=18). We characterized the vaginal microbiota by16S rRNAsequencing and the gut microbiota by shotgun sequencing. We measured fecal calprotectin in stool and pro-inflammatory cytokines in vaginal fluids. We determine dietary quality using validated 24-hour dietary recalls.ResultsPregnant individuals with IBD exhibit higher levels of fecal calprotectin and increased expression of Th17 pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-6, IL-8, IL-17) in the vaginal mucosa compared to healthy pregnant individuals. High fecal calprotectin correlated with high vaginal microbiota diversity. Also, IL-4 (reduced in IBD) was associated with vaginal microbial composition. Regardless of IBD status, pregnant individuals with healthier diets and particularly optimal servings of vegetables and sugars exhibited a vaginal microbiota dominated byLactobacillus crispatus, a species associated with a lower risk of preterm birth and bacterial vaginosis.ConclusionBesides gut inflammation, pregnant individuals with IBD also exhibit a Th17 immune tone in the vaginal mucosa. The vaginal microbiota diversity or composition, particularly high in the beneficialL. crispatus,is positively associated with healthier diets, regardless of IBD status.Why was the study conducted?An altered vaginal microbiota has been implicated in preterm birth. There is no research on the vaginal microbiome and the factors that influence it in pregnant individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) at a higher risk of preterm delivery.Key findingsPregnant individuals with IBD exhibit a comparable vaginal microbiome to healthy pregnant individuals. However, pregnant individuals with IBD present a vaginal immune profile characterized by increased levels of Th17 pro-inflammatory cytokines. High dietary quality, and optimal consumption of vegetables and added sugars were associated with vaginal dominance by the beneficialL. crispatus.What does this add to what is known?Our results indicate that the vaginal immune environment and not the microbiome might explain poor pregnancy outcomes for individuals with IBD. Moreover, our study supports the importance of diet to favorL. crispatus,a bacterium associated with a lower risk of preterm birth.
Cognitive correlates of psychopathology in Functional/Dissociative Seizures and non-lesional epilepsy: an exploratory study
Authors: Faiman Irene , Young Allan H. , Shotbolt Paul 
Published: April 2024

STRUCTURED ABSTRACTObjectiveTo explore the relationship between cognitive functioning and psychopathological features in Functional/Dissociative Seizures (FDS), and test whether this differs from that observed in epilepsy.MethodsWe recruited a cross-sectional sample of adults (age > 18) with a diagnosis of non-lesional epilepsy or FDS between January 2021 and July 2022. Participants completed a series of psychiatric questionnaires and neuropsychological measures. Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient was computed between each of the psychiatric and cognitive measures in each group. Fisher’s Z test of significance for independent correlation coefficients then tested the significance of the difference between correlation coefficients for the two groups.ResultsThere were no group differences in neuropsychological test scores. However, people with FDS reported higher seizure severity, depression levels, number of medically unexplained somatic symptoms, and exposure to traumatic events compared to epilepsy. Results of the Fisher’s Z-test revealed significant differences in correlation coefficients between groups in two instances. First, in the association between the number of traumatic experiences and cognitive switching (z = 2.77, p = 0.006); the number of traumatic experiences were positively associated with cognitive switching in epilepsy but showed a non-significant negative trend in FDS. Secondly, in the association between vocabulary abilities and the number of medically unexplained symptoms (z = -2.71; p = 0.007); higher vocabulary ability was associated with fewer somatic symptoms in epilepsy, while no such correlation was observed in FDS.SignificanceThis study provides preliminary evidence for the complex interplay between cognitive functioning and psychopathology in FDS and epilepsy. Neurocognitive functioning such as vocabulary abilities or attentional switching may play a role in the expression or maintenance of pathological features of FDS.KEY POINTSPeople with non-lesional epilepsy or Functional/Dissociative Seizures (FDS) perform more poorly than healthy controls on neuropsychological measures.It is often thought that psychopathological factors influence cognitive presentation in FDS, but this hypothesis has received little empirical support.This study explores the relationship between cognition and psychopathology in FDS and epilepsy.Correlation analyses reveal distinct associations in FDS compared to epilepsy, suggesting potential differences in underlying mechanisms.Neurocognitive processes such as vocabulary abilities or attentional switching might contribute to FDS generation or presentation.
Race, ethnicity, and risk for colonization and infection with key bacterial pathogens: a scoping review
Authors: Avendano Esther E. , Blackmon Sarah Addison , Nirmala Nanguneri , Chan Courtney W. , Morin Rebecca A. , Balaji Sweta , McNulty Lily , Argaw Samson Alemu , Doron Shira , Nadimpalli Maya L. 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundRacial and ethnic disparities in infectious disease burden have been reported in the USA and globally, most recently for COVID-19. It remains unclear whether such disparities also exist for priority bacterial pathogens that are increasingly antimicrobial-resistant. We conducted a scoping review to summarize published studies that report on colonization or community-acquired infection with pathogens among different races and ethnicities.MethodsWe conducted an electronic literature search of MEDLINE®, Daily, Global Health, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science from inception to January 2022 for eligible observational studies. Abstracts and full-text publications were screened in duplicate for studies that reported data for race or ethnicity for at least one of the pathogens of interest.ResultsFifty-four observational studies in 59 publications met our inclusion criteria. Studies reported results forStaphylococcus aureus(n=56),Escherichia coli(n=8), Pseudomonas aeruginosa(n=2), Enterobacterales (n=1),Enterococcus faecium(n=1), andKlebsiella pneumoniae(n=1), and were conducted in the USA (n=42), Israel (n=5), New Zealand (n=4), Australia (n=2), and Brazil (n=1). USA studies most often examined Black and Hispanic minority groups and regularly reported a higher risk of these pathogens in Black persons and mixed results for Hispanic persons. Ethnic minority groups were often reported to be at a higher risk in other countries.ConclusionSufficient evidence was identified to justify systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating the relationship between race, ethnicity, and community-acquiredS. aureusandE. coli,although data were rare for other pathogens. We recommend that future studies clarify whether race and ethnicity data are self-reported, collect race and ethnicity data in conjunction with the social determinants of health, and make a concerted effort to include non-English speakers and Indigenous populations from the Americas, when possible.
Red flags to screen for vertebral or carotid artery dissection in patients with neck pain or headache: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Feller Daniel , de Zoete Annemarie , Maselli Filippo , Mourad Firas , Chiarotto Alessandro , Koes Bart 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundVertebral and carotid artery dissections may present as neck pain and/or headache in their early phases. Consequently, clinicians must screen for arterial dissections when assessing neck pain and/or headache patients. Considering that no secondary studies have been published on the red flags to screen for arterial dissections in patients with neck pain/headache, our scoping review will aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing literature on patients with a carotid or vertebral artery dissection presenting with a primary complaint of neck pain and/or headache regarding the prevalence of associated signs and symptoms (e.g., neurological impairments and visual problems), the pain characteristics (e.g., intensity and localization), the demographic characteristics (e.g., gender and age), the prevalence of risk factors (e.g., cardiovascular), the mechanism of onset, and other relevant clinical predictors (e.g., comorbidities).MethodsWe will search MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, CINHAL, and Scopus. In addition, we will use Web of Science to implement backward and forward citation tracking strategies. We will include any primary study design (e.g., case–control studies, case reports and case series, and cohort studies) written in English, Dutch, or Italian without any time restriction. To be included, studied had to focus on adult patients (> 18 years of age) of any gender with a diagnosis of vertebral or artery dissection and with a primary complaint of neck pain and/or headache, with a reporting on other signs/symptoms, pain characteristics, demographic information, risk factors, or onset mechanisms. Two authors will independently perform the study selection and data extraction phases. Results from the scoping review will be summarized descriptively through tables and diagrams. As a scoping review, we will highlight any gaps in the existing literature regarding our research questions.
Estimating Rates of Change to Interpret Quantitative Wastewater Surveillance of Disease Trends
Authors: Holcomb David A. , Christensen Ariel , Hoffman Kelly , Lee Allison , Blackwood A. Denene , Clerkin Thomas , Gallard-Góngora Javier , Harris Angela , Kotlarz Nadine , Mitasova Helena , Reckling Stacie , de los Reyes Francis L. , Stewart Jill R. , Guidry Virginia T. , Noble Rachel T. , Serre Marc L. , Garcia Tanya P. , Engel Lawrence S. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackgroundWastewater monitoring data can be used to estimate disease trends to inform public health responses. One commonly estimated metric is the rate of change in pathogen quantity, which typically correlates with clinical surveillance in retrospective analyses. However, the accuracy of rate of change estimation approaches has not previously been evaluated.ObjectivesWe assessed the performance of approaches for estimating rates of change in wastewater pathogen loads by generating synthetic wastewater time series data for which rates of change were known. Each approach was also evaluated on real-world data.MethodsSmooth trends and their first derivatives were jointly sampled from Gaussian processes (GP) and independent errors were added to generate synthetic viral load measurements; the range hyperparameter and error variance were varied to produce nine simulation scenarios representing different potential disease patterns. The directions and magnitudes of the rate of change estimates from four estimation approaches (two established and two developed in this work) were compared to the GP first derivative to evaluate classification and quantitative accuracy. Each approach was also implemented for public SARS-CoV-2 wastewater monitoring data collected January 2021 – May 2023 at 25 sites in North Carolina, USA.ResultsAll four approaches inconsistently identified the correct direction of the trend given by the sign of the GP first derivative. Across all nine simulated disease patterns, between a quarter and a half of all estimates indicated the wrong trend direction, regardless of estimation approach. The proportion of trends classified as plateaus (statistically indistinguishable from zero) for the North Carolina SARS-CoV-2 data varied considerably by estimation method but not by site.DiscussionOur results suggest that wastewater measurements alone might not provide sufficient data to reliably track disease trends in real-time. Instead, wastewater viral loads could be combined with additional public health surveillance data to improve predictions of other outcomes.
Organ-on-Chip immunostaining method for three-dimensional identification and study of immune cells responding to drug-treated tumor cells
Authors: Noto Francesco , De Ninno Adele , Falchi Mario , Businaro Luca , Schiavoni Giovanna , Mattei Fabrizio 
Published: April 2024

AbstractEpigenetic deregulation is implied in cancer initiation and resistance to antitumor drugs. In melanoma, aberrant DNA hypermethylation is frequently observed, resulting in the silencing of several genes involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, tumor growth and drug resistance. DNA hypomethylating agents have been recently evaluated in both preclinical and clinical studies as a strategy to restore tumor suppressor genes and to increase immune recognition by tumors, highlighting their potential in pre-clinical models of melanoma. Advanced microfluidic system for the culture of complex three-dimensional cell, tissue and organ models have proven utility for oncoimmunology studies and drug testing. Here we present a protocol employingad hocfabricated microfluidic devices to reproduce a three-dimensional (3D) tumor microenvironment (TME) to study two aspects of the crosstalk between immune and cancerous cells under the effect of Decitabine (DAC), a DNMT inhibitor (DNMTi). First, we evaluated the preferential migration of immune cells towards treated and non-treated melanoma cells inside the chip. Next, we identified a specific subpopulation of migrated immune cells, with an on-chip immunostaining protocol resulting in the acquisition and evaluation of 3D images on a Laser-Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM) station for in-depth characterization of tumor-immune interactions. This protocol may find broad application for pre-clinical drug testing in cancer studies.
Self-supervised predictive learning accounts for cortical layer-specificity
Authors: Kermani Nejad Kevin , Anastasiades Paul , Hertäg Loreen , Costa Rui Ponte 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe neocortex constructs an internal representation of the world, but the underlying circuitry and computational principles remain unclear. Inspired by self-supervised learning algorithms, we introduce a computational theory wherein layer 2/3 (L2/3) learns to predict incoming sensory stimuli by comparing previous sensory inputs, relayed via layer 4, with current thalamic inputs arriving at layer 5 (L5). We demonstrate that our model accurately predicts sensory information in context-dependent temporal tasks, and that its predictions are robust to noisy and occluded sensory input. Additionally, our model generates layer-specific sparsity and latent representations, consistent with experimental observations. Next, using a sensorimotor task, we show that the model’s L2/3 and L5 prediction errors mirror mismatch responses observed in awake, behaving mice. Finally, through manipulations, we offer testable predictions to unveil the computational roles of various cortical features. In summary, our findings suggest that the multi-layered neocortex empowers the brain with self-supervised predictive learning.