bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trait‐dependent plasticity erodes rapidly with repeated intergenerational acclimation in an invasive agricultural pest
Authors: Mlambo Shaw , Machekano Honest , Mvumi Brighton M. , Cuthbert Ross N. , Nyamukondiwa Casper 
Published: April 2024

AbstractClimate change is associated with increased mean temperatures and amplitudes manifesting both acutely and chronically, triggering organism stress responses that confer fitness costs and/or benefits. The larger grain borer (LGB), Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) is an invasive postharvest agricultural pest. While host shift is its well‐known potential invasive mechanism, how repeated intergenerational stress environments may influence offspring phenotypes is largely unknown. We thus evaluated physiological and ecological performance of LGB following repeated intergenerational acute heat acclimation to insinuate its likely responses to projected increased bouts of heat stress associated with climate change. Parental colonies were acutely heat‐acclimated separately at 35°C and 38°C; 80% RH for 2 h in climate chambers and released onto sterilized maize grain at optimal conditions (32°C, 80% RH). The F1 progenies were, respectively, acclimated at the same conditions and incubated to F2 generation. We then evaluated physiological and ecological performance under optimal conditions across parental, F1 and F2 generations. Our results showed that plasticity was highly trait dependent, and that acclimation did not affect F1 and F2 critical thermal maxima, but did improve critical thermal minima. However, while acclimation improved heat knockdown time at F1, repeated acclimation significantly reduced heat knockdown times at F2, suggesting plasticity erosion with generational repeated acclimations. Acute acclimation negatively affected ecological performance of F1 generations although this was restored with repeated acclimation in F2 populations. Our results suggest that the LGB may inflict more economic damage with repeated heat stress due to generational adaptation to temperature stress. The results contribute to knowledge on pest forecasting modelling under changing climates and provides a framework for phytosanitary adjustments in heat treatment protocols for international grain trade.
Enhanced visible light photo‐Fenton catalysis by Fe‐doping oligo‐layer natural molybdenite with efficient carrier spatial‐driven Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle
Authors: Zhang Rong , Liu Zhuannian , Chen Taoli 
Published: April 2024

AbstractDeveloping cost‐effective and efficient photo‐Fenton catalysts is crucial for advancing photo‐Fenton technology. MoS2 is a representative transition metal disulfide with attractive photoresponsiveness, making it ideal for preparing composite photo‐Fenton catalysts. In this study, natural molybdenite was innovatively utilized as a source of MoS2 (OM) to synthesize a low‐cost and efficient Fe@MoS2 (OMF) composite photo‐Fenton catalyst by comminution and adsorption, which was then applied to the remediation of antibiotic‐contaminated water. The OMF composites exhibited significant catalytic activity, with a kinetic rate constant of 0.022 min−1, which was 3.1 times higher than that of the original OM (0.007 min−1), indicating a 3% increase. This was attributed to the synergistic effect of many photogenerated electrons and reversible Mo4+/Mo6+ redox pairs, which accelerated the regeneration of Fe2+. After three cyclic tests, the concentrations of dissolved Fe2+ and Mo2+ ions remained below 0.38 mg/L and 0.17 mg/L, respectively. This indicates the high reusability of the catalyst in cyclic experiments. Ultimately, the main active species, •OH and •O2−, were generated during the photo‐Fenton process, contributing significantly to TC degradation. This study may serve as a reference for the development and application of natural mineral composite photo‐Fenton catalysts in the treatment of organic wastewater.
Probabilistic risk assessment of residential exposure to electric arc furnace steel slag using Bayesian model of relative bioavailability and PBPK modeling of manganese
Authors: Mittal Liz , Perry Camarie S. , Blanchette Alexander D. , Proctor Deborah M. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractElectric arc furnace (EAF) slag is a coproduct of steel production used primarily for construction purposes. Some applications of EAF slag result in residential exposures by incidental ingestion and inhalation of airborne dust. To evaluate potential health risks, an EAF slag characterization program was conducted to measure concentrations of metals and leaching potential (including oral bioaccessibility) in 38 EAF slag samples. Arsenic, hexavalent chromium, iron, vanadium, and manganese (Mn) were identified as constituents of interest (COIs). Using a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) approach, estimated distributions of dose for COIs were assessed, and increased cancer risks and noncancer hazard quotients (HQs) at the 50th and 95th percentiles were calculated. For the residents near slag‐covered roads, cancer risk and noncancer HQs were <1E − 6 and 1, respectively. For residential driveway or landscape exposure, at the 95th percentile, cancer risks were 1E − 6 and 7E − 07 based on oral exposure to arsenic and hexavalent chromium, respectively. HQs ranged from 0.07 to 2 with the upper bound due to ingestion of Mn among children. To expand the analysis, a previously published physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model was used to estimate Mn levels in the globus pallidus for both exposure scenarios and further evaluate the potential for Mn neurotoxicity. The PBPK model estimated slightly increased Mn in the globus pallidus at the 95th percentile of exposure, but concentrations did not exceed no‐observed‐adverse‐effect levels for neurological effects. Overall, the assessment found that the application of EAF slag in residential areas is unlikely to pose a health hazard or increased cancer risk.
Preparing safe discharge in a complex practice: A qualitative study of nurses' approach to patients with COPD's hospital discharge from two pulmonary medicinal wards
Authors: Gregersen Nanna Vendelboe , Refsgaard Birgit , Sørensen Dorthe 
Published: April 2024

AbstractIntroductionIt remains unclear why 17% of patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treated in Danish hospitals are readmitted within 30 days. Hospital discharge is multifaceted. However, the preparation process and nurses' efforts may be essential in ensuring a successful discharge.AimTo explore the process of preparing discharge for patients with COPD in a hospital setting.MethodUsing constructivist grounded theory, we observed 11 nurses' work at two pulmonary medical wards using participant observation. Data collection and analysis were conducted using a constant comparative process encompassing three phases: initial, focused and theoretical.ResultsWe identified important perspectives influencing nurses when patients with COPD are discharged from two pulmonary medical wards. We generated a substantial theory of how nurses integrate various perspectives into their handling of hospital discharge. The theory contains three discharge approaches: co‐creating, hesitating and socialising. The co‐creating approach focuses on patient and relative involvement and systematic task solution, embedded in a biopsychosocial process, aiming to achieve a safe and sustainable discharge. In contrast, the hesitating approach focuses on discharging patients in line with system requirements and colleagues' expectations. Finally, the socialising approach focuses on creating a pleasant discharge experience for patients and colleagues alike.ConclusionThis study illuminates three distinct approaches adopted by nurses when discharging a patient with COPD. The co‐creating process encompasses patient involvement and systematic task resolution, incorporating a biopsychosocial process. In contrast, the other approaches are more limited in scope: the hesitating approach aims for harmony and collegial consensus, while the socialising approach focuses on ensuring a pleasant discharge experience for everyone. Nurses should therefore be mindful of the approach they adopt and the values associated with it in order to optimise their management of hospital discharge processes.
Retrospective evaluation of toceranib phosphate (Palladia) in the treatment of canine carcinomatosis and mesothelioma
Authors: Hicks Kelly A. , Leeper Haley J. , Curran Kaitlin M. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractCanine carcinomatosis (CC) and mesothelioma (CM) are rare but aggressive neoplasms that historically have been associated with poor prognoses. There is limited information regarding treatment for CC and CM. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of toceranib phosphate (Palladia) in dogs with CC and CM. Cases were solicited from the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Oncology listserv and retrospectively reviewed. For eligibility, a cytologic and/or histopathologic diagnosis of CC or CM was required. A total of 23 cases were included (CC = 14, CM = 8, both = 1). Eighty‐two percent (19/23) of dogs presented with effusion. The best overall response rate (BORR) was 30.4% (13% complete response [CR], 17.3% partial response [PR]). Stable disease (SD) was appreciated in 14 dogs (60.8%) including the four dogs without effusion. The most common toceranib‐related adverse events were either Grade 1 and 2 diarrhea or hyporexia. The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 171 days (range, 7–519 days) and overall median survival time (MST) was 301 days (range, 49–875 days) for all dogs. When evaluating dogs solely with effusion, the median PFS and overall MST were 171 days (range, 7–519 days) and 285 days (range, 49–875 days), respectively. This report demonstrates that toceranib is both well tolerated and a potential treatment for CC and CM. A randomised, controlled, prospective study would be needed to objectively assess the survival benefit of toceranib in the management of CC and CM, with and without effusion.
Iron status in Dutch and Finnish blood donor and general populations: A cross‐cohort comparison study
Authors: Karregat Jan H. M. , Ekroos Sofie , Castrén Johanna , Arvas Mikko , van den Hurk Katja 
Published: April 2024

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesBlood donors are at risk of developing iron deficiency (ID) (ferritin <15 μg/L, World Health Organization definition). Blood services implement different strategies to mitigate this risk. Although in Finland risk group‐based iron supplementation is in place, no iron supplementation is provided in the Netherlands. We aim to describe differences in ferritin levels and ID prevalence in donor and general populations in these countries.Materials and MethodsSix cohorts, stratified based on sex, and for women age, in the Netherlands and Finland were used to evaluate differences in ferritin levels and ID between donor populations (Donor InSight‐III and FinDonor 10,000) and general populations (Prevention of Renal and Vascular End‐Stage Disease [PREVEND], FinRisk 1997 and Health 2000) and newly registered Dutch donors. Multivariable logistic regression was used to quantify associations of various explanatory factors with ID.ResultsIn total, 13,443 Dutch and 13,933 Finnish subjects were included. Donors, except for women aged ≤50 years old in Finland, had lower median ferritin levels compared with the general population and new donors. Dutch regular blood donors had higher or similar prevalence of ID as compared with the Dutch general population, including new donors. In contrast, Finnish donors showed similar prevalence of ID compared with the general population, except for a markedly lower prevalence in ≤50‐year‐old women who routinely receive iron supplements when donating.ConclusionIron status in blood donors differs from that in the general population. The Finnish blood service donor management policy, for example, iron supplementation for risk groups, seemingly protects young female blood donors from developing ID.
Barriers to Participation in Organized Physical Activity Among LGBTQ+ Youth: Differences by Sexual, Gender, and Racial Identities
Authors: Parchem Benjamin , Poquiz Jonathan , Rahm-Knigge Ryan L. , Panetta Elizabeth , Watson Ryan J. , Nic Rider G. 
Published: April 2024

Background: LGBTQ+ youth engage in organized physical activity to a lesser degree than their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts. Existing literature on this organized physical activity disparity is limited, particularly with LGBTQ+ youth samples. The current analysis examined individual and systemic barriers to organized physical activity for LGBTQ+ youth across sexual, gender, and racial identities. Methods: A subsample of LGBTQ+ students (N = 4566) from the 2021 Dane County Youth Assessment completed items that measured barriers to organized physical activity and systemic factors (ie, family money problems and bias-based bullying) associated with access to organized physical activity. Latent class analysis discerned patterns of individual and systemic barriers to organized physical activity. Latent class regression modeling tested gender, sexual, and racial identities as correlates of latent class membership. Results: More than half of the sample did not participate in organized physical activity. Four profiles of LGBTQ+ youth were discerned based on self-reported barriers: high barrier (8%), bullied (16%), low interest or perceived skills (28%), and low barrier (48%). The low-barrier class included a greater proportion of LGBTQ+ youth who identified as White, or cisgender, or heterosexual as well as youth self-reporting higher organized physical activity. The high-barrier and bullied classes comprised more marginalized gender and sexual identities. Conclusions: LGBTQ+ youth experience individual and systemic barriers to organized physical activity, including inequitable access and bullying, and barriers are uniquely experienced across sexual, gender, and racial identities. Physical activity promotion among LGBTQ+ youth would be strengthened by policies that address inequitable access to opportunities and bias-based bullying.
Iron starvation increases the production of the
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
RsmY and RsmZ sRNAs in static conditions
Authors: Chourashi Rhishita , Oglesby Amanda G. 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that induces virulence gene expression in response to host-mediated iron starvation. Recently, our laboratory showed that some virulence factors are responsive to iron limitation in static but not shaking growth conditions. One of these is the HSI-2-type six secretion system (T6SS), which is also induced during chronic infection. Iron regulation of T6SS was partially impacted by the iron-responsive PrrF sRNA and completely dependent upon the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS) biosynthetic gene
pqsA
. Here, we analyzed the impact of iron on the expression of two small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs), RsmY and RsmZ, that activate the expression of T6SS by sequestering the RsmA translation inhibitor. Our results demonstrate that iron starvation induces the expression of RsmY and RsmZ in static but not shaking cultures. We further show that this induction occurs through the
rsmY
and
rsmZ
promoters and is dependent upon PqsA. Disruption of either the
pqsR
gene also eliminated iron-dependent regulation of
rsmY
and
rsmZ
promoter activity. Taken together, our results show novel targets of iron regulation that are specific to static growth, highlighting the importance of studying regulatory mechanisms in static communities that may be more representative of growth during chronic infection.

IMPORTANCE

Iron is a central component of various bacterial metabolic pathways making it an important host-acquired nutrient for pathogens to establish infection. Previous iron regulatory studies primarily relied on shaking bacterial cultures; while these ensure cultural homogeneity, they do not reflect growth conditions during infection. We recently showed that static growth of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
promotes iron-dependent regulation of a type six secretion system (T6SS), a virulence factor that is induced during chronic infections. In the current study, we found that static growth also promotes iron-dependent regulation of the RsmY and RsmZ sRNAs, which are global regulators that affect T6SS during chronic
P. aeruginosa
lung infection. Hence, our work demonstrates the Rsm sRNAs as potential effectors of iron regulation during static growth that may also be relevant in chronic infection.
The Hippo kinases control inflammatory Hippo signaling and restrict bacterial infection in phagocytes
Authors: St. Louis Brendyn M. , Quagliato Sydney M. , Su Yu-Ting , Dyson Gregory , Lee Pei-Chung 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

The Hippo kinases MST1 and MST2 initiate a highly conserved signaling cascade called the Hippo pathway that limits organ size and tumor formation in animals. Intriguingly, pathogens hijack this host pathway during infection, but the role of MST1/2 in innate immune cells against pathogens is unclear. In this report, we generated
Mst1/2
knockout macrophages to investigate the regulatory activities of the Hippo kinases in immunity. Transcriptomic analyses identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by MST1/2 that are enriched in biological pathways, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, tuberculosis, and apoptosis. Surprisingly, pharmacological inhibition of the downstream components LATS1/2 in the canonical Hippo pathway did not affect the expression of a set of immune DEGs, suggesting that MST1/2 control these genes
via
alternative inflammatory Hippo signaling. Moreover, MST1/2 may affect immune communication by influencing the release of cytokines, including TNFα, CXCL10, and IL-1ra. Comparative analyses of the single- and double-knockout macrophages revealed that MST1 and MST2 differentially regulate TNFα release and expression of the immune transcription factor MAF, indicating that the two homologous Hippo kinases individually play a unique role in innate immunity. Notably, both MST1 and MST2 can promote apoptotic cell death in macrophages upon stimulation. Lastly, we demonstrate that the Hippo kinases are critical factors in mammalian macrophages and single-cell amoebae to restrict infection by
Legionella pneumophila
,
Escherichia coli
, and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
. Together, these results uncover non-canonical inflammatory Hippo signaling in macrophages and the evolutionarily conserved role of the Hippo kinases in the anti-microbial defense of eukaryotic hosts.

IMPORTANCE
Identifying host factors involved in susceptibility to infection is fundamental for understanding host-pathogen interactions. Clinically, individuals with mutations in the MST1 gene which encodes one of the Hippo kinases experience recurrent infection. However, the impact of the Hippo kinases on innate immunity remains largely undetermined. This study uses mammalian macrophages and free-living amoebae with single- and double-knockout in the Hippo kinase genes and reveals that the Hippo kinases are the evolutionarily conserved determinants of host defense against microbes. In macrophages, the Hippo kinases MST1 and MST2 control immune activities at multiple levels, including gene expression, immune cell communication, and programmed cell death. Importantly, these activities controlled by MST1 and MST2 in macrophages are independent of the canonical Hippo cascade that is known to limit tissue growth and tumor formation. Together, these findings unveil a unique inflammatory Hippo signaling pathway that plays an essential role in innate immunity.
Microbiome properties in the root nodules of
Prosopis cineraria,
a leguminous desert tree
Authors: Ali Rashid , Chaluvadi Srinivasa R. , Wang Xuewen , Hazzouri Khaled M. , Sudalaimuthuasari Naganeeswaran , Rafi Mohammed , Al-Nuaimi Mariam , Sasi Shina , Antepenko Eric , Bennetzen Jeffrey L. , Amiri Khaled M. A. 
Published: April 2024

ABSTRACT

We conducted a comprehensive analysis of the total microbiome and transcriptionally active microbiome communities in the roots and root nodules of
Prosopis cineraria
, an important leguminous tree in arid regions of many Asian countries. Mature
P. cineraria
trees growing in the desert did not exhibit any detected root nodules. However, we observed root nodules on the roots of
P. cineraria
growing on a desert farm and on young plants growing in a growth chamber, when inoculated with rhizosphere soil, including with rhizosphere soil from near desert tree roots that had no nodules. Compared to nearby soil, non-nodulated roots were enriched with Actinobacteria (e.g.,
Actinophytocola
sp.), whereas root nodules sampled from the desert farm and growth chamber had abundant Alphaproteobacteria (e.g.,
Ensifer
sp.). These nodules yielded many microbes in addition to such nitrogen-fixing bacteria as
Ensifer
and
Sinorhizobium
species. Significant differences exist in the composition and abundance of microbial isolates between the nodule surface and the nodule endosphere. Shotgun metagenome analysis of nodule endospheres revealed that the root nodules comprised over 90% bacterial DNA, whereas metatranscriptome analysis showed that the plant produces vastly more transcripts than the microbes in these nodules. Control inoculations demonstrated that four out of six
Rhizobium, Agrobacterium,
or
Ensifer
isolates purified from
P. cineraria
nodules produced nodules in the roots of
P. cineraria
seedlings under greenhouse conditions. The best nodulation was achieved when seedlings were inoculated with a mixture of those bacterial strains. Though root nodulation could be achieved under water stress conditions, nodule number and nodule biomass increased with copious water availability. .

IMPORTANCE

Microbial communities were investigated in roots and root nodules of
Prosopis cineraria
, a leguminous tree species in arid Asian regions that is responsible for exceptionally important contributions to soil fertility in these dramatically dry locations. Soil removed from regions near nodule-free roots on these mature plants contained an abundance of bacteria with the genetic ability to generate nodules and fix nitrogen but did not normally nodulate in their native rhizosphere environment, suggesting a very different co-evolved relationship than that observed for herbaceous legumes. The relative over-expression of the low-gene-density plant DNA compared to the bacterial DNA in the nodules was also unexpected, indicating a very powerful induction of host genetic contributions within the nodule. Finally, the water dependence of nodulation in inoculated seedlings suggested a possible link between early seedling growth (before a deep root system can be developed) and the early development of nitrogen-fixing capability.