bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A widespread methylotroph acyl-homoserine lactone synthase produces a new quorum sensing signal that regulates swarming in
Methylobacterium fujisawaense
Authors: Wallace Mike , Cummings, Jr. Dale A. , Roberts Andrew G. , Puri Aaron W. 
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT

Pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs of the genera
Methylorubrum
and
Methylobacterium
are metabolically versatile bacteria that colonize many diverse environments on earth. Despite their widespread occurrence, the molecular details of how these organisms interact with each other and their environment remain understudied. We analyzed genes encoding
N
-acylhomoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) quorum sensing signal synthases in the published genomes of these bacteria and determined that the product of the largest family of signal synthases had not been characterized. We identified 3
R
-OH-5
Z
-C
12:1
-HSL as a novel signal produced by these synthases using inverse stable isotopic labeling and structural characterization by mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and chemical synthesis. We show that in the methylotroph
Methylobacterium fujisawaense
DSM5686, this signal activates its cognate LuxR-family transcription factor and is produced in a positive feedback loop. We also discover that in this strain, quorum sensing negatively regulates swarming motility by activating the expression of a small protein that binds a predicted transcription factor. These results characterize a previously undescribed, yet widespread quorum sensing system used by pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs, which helps us understand the chemical ecology of these important bacteria.

IMPORTANCE

Bacteria known as pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs colonize many diverse environments on earth, play an important role in the carbon cycle, and in some cases promote plant growth. However, little is known about how these organisms interact with each other and their environment. In this work, we identify one of the chemical signals commonly used by these bacteria and discover that this signal controls swarming motility in the pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph
Methylobacterium fujisawaense
DSM5686. This work provides new molecular details about interactions between these important bacteria and will help scientists predict these interactions and the group behaviors they regulate from genomic sequencing information.
Viscosity-dependent determinants of
Campylobacter jejuni
impacting the velocity of flagellar motility
Authors: Ribardo Deborah A. , Johnson Jeremiah J. , Hendrixson David R. 
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT

Campylobacter jejuni
colonizes the thick mucus layer lining the lower intestinal epithelium of hosts to promote commensalism in birds and animals or diarrheal disease in humans.
C. jejuni
displays higher swimming velocity as external viscosity increases, which likely benefits colonization and persistence in the intestinal mucus layer of hosts.
C. jejuni
produces one of the most structurally complex bacterial flagellar motors, which has been proposed to generate high torque for high swimming velocity. However, it is unknown how this flagellar motor alters output to impact swimming velocities in a viscosity-dependent manner. In this work, we identified
vi
scosity-dependent
d
eterminant
A
(VidA) (
Cjj81176_0996
) and VidB (
Cjj81176_1107
) in modulating swimming velocity primarily in low-viscosity environments.
C. jejuni
Δ
vidA
cells were non-motile or swam slowly in low-viscosity media, but swam with high velocity similar to wild-type cells in both Newtonian and non-Newtonian media with high viscosity. These data indicate that VidA is required for swimming in low-viscosity environments. Suppressor mutants suggested that the lower swimming velocity of Δ
vidA
in low viscosity was due to unregulated activity of VidB, which we propose has a brake- or clutch-like activity to reduce swimming velocity in low viscosity. Unlike other bacterial flagellar brakes or clutches, we found no evidence for cyclic diguanylate monophosphate influencing VidB activity. Our analyses suggest that the mechanics of the
C. jejuni
flagellar motor has naturally evolved for high-velocity swimming in milieus with high viscosity and requires the unique combination of VidA and VidB to modulate its activity to slow swimming velocity in low-viscosity environments.

IMPORTANCE

Bacteria can adapt flagellar motor output in response to the load that the extracellular milieu imparts on the flagellar filament to enable propulsion. Bacteria can adapt flagellar motor output in response to the load that the extracellular milieu imparts on the flagellar filament to enable propulsion through diverse environments. These changes may involve increasing power and torque in high-viscosity environments or reducing power and flagellar rotation upon contact with a surface.
C. jejuni
swimming velocity in low-viscosity environments is comparable to other bacterial flagellates and increases significantly as external viscosity increases. In this work, we provide evidence that the mechanics of the
C. jejuni
flagellar motor has evolved to naturally promote high swimming velocity in high-viscosity environments. We found that
C. jejuni
produces VidA and VidB as auxiliary proteins to specifically affect flagellar motor activity in low viscosity to reduce swimming velocity. Our findings provide some of the first insights into different mechanisms that exist in bacteria to alter the mechanics of a flagellar motor, depending on the viscosity of extracellular environments.
Autologous blood products: Leucocyte and Platelets Rich Fibrin (L-PRF) and Platelets Rich Plasma (PRP) gel to promote cutaneous ulcer healing – a systematic review
Authors: Napit Indra B , Shrestha Dilip , Neupane Karuna , Adhikari Anju , Dhital Rolina , Koirala Rachita , Gopali Lovin , Ilozumba Onaedo , Gill Paramjit , Watson Samuel I , Choudhury Sopna , Lilford Richard J 
Published: December 2023

ObjectiveTo summarise evidence on the effectiveness of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) gel and Leucocyte and Platelet Rich Fibrin (L-PRF) gel as agents promoting ulcer healing compared with the standard wound dressing techniques alone.DesignSystematic review.Eligibility criteriaIndividual patient randomised controlled trials on skin ulcers of all types excluding traumatic lesions.Intervention group: treatment with topical application of L-PRF gel or PRP gel to the wound surface.Control group: treatment with standard skin ulcer care using normal saline, normgel or hydrogel dressings.Information sourcesMedline (Ovid), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Web of Science and manual search of studies from previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The papers published from 1946 to 2022 with no restriction on geography and language were included. The last date of the search was performed on 29 August 2022.Data extraction and synthesisIndependent reviewers identified eligible studies, extracted data, assessed risk of bias using V.2 of the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials tool and assessed certainty of evidence by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.Main outcome measuresTime to complete healing, proportion healed at a given time and rate of healing.ResultsSeven studies met the inclusion criteria, five using PRP gel and two using L-PRF gel. One study showed a better proportion of complete healing, three reported reduced meantime to complete healing and five showed improved rate of healing per unit of time in the intervention group. The risk of bias was high across all studies with one exception and the GRADE showed very low certainty of evidence.ConclusionThe findings show potential for better outcomes in the intervention; however, the evidence remains inconclusive highlighting a large research gap in ulcer treatment and warrant better-designed clinical trials.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022352418.
COVID-19 pandemic and mental health among Hispanic/Latino/a immigrants in the USA: protocol for a scoping review
Authors: Ormiston Cameron K , Chiangong Jolyna , Livinski Alicia , Tompkins Dera , Williams Faustine 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic effects on worldwide mental health and laid bare health disparities and inequities among marginalised groups and racial/ethnic minoritised communities in the USA. This is especially the case among Hispanic/Latino/a immigrants who face numerous structural and socioeconomic barriers to well-being. The increased mental health burden on Hispanic/Latino/a immigrants may have far reaching effects if left unaddressed. Thus, by understanding further Hispanic/Latino/a immigrant mental health during the pandemic, communities and health providers may be able to better address this growing issue. This scoping review aims to assess and outline the current literature on the pandemic’s effects on Hispanic/Latino/a immigrant mental health in the USA, identify research gaps and areas of urgent concern, and inform future research and public health interventions and guidelines.Methods and analysisA scoping review following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology will be conducted. The PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science: Core Collection databases and five grey literature sources will be searched for articles published in English from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2022. Two independent reviewers will screen the search results at title and abstract and then full text using Covidence with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer. Data collection will also be performed in duplicate using Microsoft Excel with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer and consensus discussion.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval is not required for this scoping review. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal as well as presented at local and national conferences and meetings relevant to our field. Furthermore, to make our findings accessible to non-scientific audiences, we will use various mediums, such as graphical abstracts, policy briefs and fact sheets to share the results in both English and Spanish on different platforms.
Evaluating the clinical relevance and reliability of outer retinal band length on optical coherence tomography in retinal disease: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Cheung Rene , Ly Angelica , Wang Henrietta , Kalloniatis Michael , Nivison-Smith Lisa 
Published: December 2023

ObjectivesHyper-reflective outer retinal band (HORB) disruptions are reported across a range of retinal disease, yet a reliable, easily implemented assessment method and thorough evaluation of their association to retinal disease is lacking. The purpose of the study was to assess the reliability of using magnitude estimation to evaluate HORB length and determine its association to visual acuity and retinal disease.DesignCross-sectional, retrospective study.SettingPatients attending a secondary eye care clinic in Sydney, Australia.Participants2039 unique consecutive patients were screened for inclusion between 2 November and 18 January 2021, and 600 were included in the study population. Patients were included if they were referred from primary care, presented for an initial, comprehensive eye examination during the study period, imaged with optical coherence tomography during their visit and over 18 years of age.Primary outcomeReliability of HORB length estimations and associations to clinical outcomes.ResultsIntragrader (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICCfovea=0.81; ICCworst=0.91) and intergrader (ICCfovea=0.78–0.79; ICCworst=0.75–0.88) agreement of HORB length was good to excellent. HORB length was significantly associated with age (p<0.001, β=−0.22 to –0.24) and refractive error (p<0.001, β=0.12–0.16) at all B-scan locations. Visual acuity (p=0.001, β=−0.13) was associated with the primary outcome for foveal B-scans and eccentricity (p=0.002, β=−0.13) and device type (p=0.002, β=0.13) for non-foveal B-scans. Glaucoma was associated with HORB length on univariate analysis (p=0.05–0.06, β=−0.08); however, multivariate analysis revealed no significant association between HORB length and retinal disease.ConclusionHORB length is reliably assessed using magnitude estimation and may be useful as a surrogate biomarker of visual acuity. Several factors affect HORB length estimations, which may contribute to the lack of association to retinal disease and highlights the need for covariable adjustment when examining HORB disruptions.
‘Super Rehab’: can we achieve coronary artery disease regression? A feasibility study protocol
Authors: Graby John , Khavandi Ali , Gillison Fiona , Smith Theresa , Murphy David , Peacock Oliver , McLeod Hugh , Dastidar Amardeep , Antoniades Charalambos , Thompson Dylan , Rodrigues Jonathan Carl Luis 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionPatients diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) are currently treated with medications and lifestyle advice to reduce the likelihood of disease progression and risk of future major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Where obstructive disease is diagnosed, revascularisation may be considered to treat refractory symptoms. However, many patients with coexistent cardiovascular risk factors, particularly those with metabolic syndrome (MetS), remain at heightened risk of future MACE despite current management.Cardiac rehabilitation is offered to patients post-revascularisation, however, there is no definitive evidence demonstrating its benefit in a primary prevention setting. We propose that an intensive lifestyle intervention (Super Rehab, SR) incorporating high-intensity exercise, diet and behavioural change techniques may improve symptoms, outcomes, and enable CAD regression.This study aims to examine the feasibility of delivering a multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) testing SR for patients with CAD, in a primary prevention setting.Methods and analysisThis is a multicentre randomised controlled feasibility study of SR versus usual care in patients with CAD. The study aims to recruit 50 participants aged 18–75 across two centres. Feasibility will be assessed against rates of recruitment, retention and, in the intervention arm, attendance and adherence to SR. Qualitative interviews will explore trial experiences of study participants and practitioners. Variance of change in CAD across both arms of the study (assessed with serial CT coronary angiography) will inform the design and power of a future, multi-centre RCT.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was granted by South West—Frenchay Research Ethics Committee (reference: 21/SW/0153, 18 January 2022). Study findings will be disseminated via presentations to relevant stakeholders, national and international conferences and open-access peer-reviewed research publications.Trial registration numberISRCTN14603929.
Effectiveness of conservative non-pharmacological interventions in people with muscular dystrophies: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Leone Enza , Pandyan Anand , Rogers Alison , Kulshrestha Richa , Hill Jonathan , Philp Fraser 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionManagement of muscular dystrophies (MD) relies on conservative non-pharmacological treatments, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited and inconclusive.ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of conservative non-pharmacological interventions for MD physical management.MethodsThis systematic review and meta-analysis followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and searched Medline, CINHAL, Embase, AMED and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial (inception to August 2022). Effect size (ES) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) quantified treatment effect.ResultsOf 31,285 identified articles, 39 studies (957 participants), mostly at high risk of bias, were included. For children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), trunk-oriented strength exercises and usual care were more effective than usual care alone in improving distal upper-limb function, sitting and dynamic reaching balance (ES range: 0.87 to 2.29). For adults with Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD), vibratory proprioceptive assistance and neuromuscular electrical stimulation respectively improved maximum voluntary isometric contraction and reduced pain intensity (ES range: 1.58 to 2.33). For adults with FSHD, Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), strength-training improved dynamic balance (sit-to-stand ability) and self-perceived physical condition (ES range: 0.83 to 1.00). A multicomponent programme improved perceived exertion rate and gait in adults with Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) (ES range: 0.92 to 3.83).ConclusionsLow-quality evidence suggests that strength training, with or without other exercise interventions, may improve perceived exertion, distal upper limb function, static and dynamic balance, gait and well-being in MD. Although more robust and larger studies are needed, current evidence supports the inclusion of strength training in MD treatment, as it was found to be safe.
Event-Triggered Fractional PID-Based Load Frequency Control in Islanded Microgrids Under Cloud-Edge Collaborative Framework
Authors: Zheng Min , Chen Ci , Zhang Yajian , Ruan Mengfan , Li Peike 
Published: December 2023

To address the issue of frequency stability in microgrids with limited communication resources and bandwidth, this paper proposed an event-triggered control method based on a cloud-edge collaborative architecture. Firstly, to address the limited communication resources, event-triggered detector is set up at the edge to upload state variables and update control instructions only when the frequency deviation exceeds a pre-set threshold. Secondly, a fractional-order PI–PD controller is designed at the cloud control center, which achieves higher control degrees of freedom and stronger robustness than traditional integer-order PID control schemes. Additionally, to obtain better control parameters, an optimized design method based on an improved Big Bang-Big Crunch method (BB-BC3) is proposed for the fractional-order PI–PD controller. At last, a simulation example is given to prove the validity of the proposed method. Simulation results show that compared to the integer-order PI–PD controller, the fractional-order PI–PD controller based on the BB-BC3 algorithm proposed in this paper reduces the peak value of the response curve by 5%, and shortens the setting time by 0.14 s.
In Search of Lost Biomarker for Immunotherapy in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Rolfo Christian , Russo Alessandro 
Published: December 2023

SummaryChemo-immunotherapy is the current standard of care for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, but predictive biomarkers are lacking. In a recent article, the authors report the predictive role of programmed death ligand-1 expression and tissue tumor mutational burden on durvalumab ± tremelimumab + platinum-etoposide efficacy.See related article by Paz-Ares et al., p. 824
Days at Home After Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Risk Patients
Authors: Chung Mabel , Almarzooq Zaid I. , Xu Jiaman , Song Yang , Baron Suzanne J. , Kazi Dhruv S. , Yeh Robert W. 
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND:

Days at home (DAH) represents an important patient-oriented outcome that quantifies time spent at home after a medical event; however, this outcome has not been fully evaluated for low-surgical-risk patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We sought to compare 1- and 2-year DAH (DAH
365
and DAH
730
) among low-risk patients participating in a randomized trial of TAVR with a self-expanding bioprosthesis versus surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR).

METHODS:

Using Medicare-linked data from the Evolut Low Risk trial, we identified 619 patients: 606 (322 TAVR/284 SAVR) and 593 (312 TAVR/281 SAVR) were analyzed at 1 and 2 years, respectively. DAH was calculated as days alive and spent outside a hospital, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, long-term acute care hospital, emergency department, or observation stay. Mean DAH was compared using the
t
test.

RESULTS:

The mean (SD) age and female sex were 74.7 (5.1) and 74.3 (4.9) years and 34.6% (115/332) and 30.3% (87/287) in TAVR and SAVR, respectively. Postprocedural discharge to rehabilitation occurred in ≤3.0% (≤10/332) in TAVR and 4.5% (13/287) in SAVR. The mean DAH
365
was comparable in TAVR versus SAVR (352.2±45.4 versus 347.8±39.0; difference in days, 4.5 [95% CI, 2.3–11.2];
P
=0.20). DAH
730
was also comparable in TAVR versus SAVR (701.6±106.0 versus 699.6±94.5; difference in days, 2.0 [−14.1 to 18.2];
P
=0.81). Secondary outcomes DAH
30
and DAH
90
were higher in TAVR (DAH
30
, 26.0±3.6 versus 20.7±6.4; difference in days, 5.3 [4.5–6.2];
P
<0.001; DAH
90
, 85.1±8.3 versus 78.7±13.6; difference in days, 6.4 [4.6–8.2];
P
<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS:
In the Evolut Low Risk trial linked to Medicare, low-risk patients undergoing TAVR spend a similar number of days at home at 1 and 2 years compared with SAVR. Days spent at home at 30 and 90 days were higher in TAVR. In contrast to higher-risk patients studied in prior work, there is no clear advantage of TAVR versus SAVR for DAH in the first 2 years after AVR in low-surgical-risk patients.
Causal Association Between Subtypes of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Goodman Matthew O. , Dashti Hassan S. , Lane Jacqueline M. , Windred Daniel P. , Burns Angus , Jones Samuel E. , Sofer Tamar , Purcell Shaun M. , Zhu Xiaofeng , Ollila Hanna M. , Kyle Simon D. , Spiegelhalder Kai , Peker Yuksel , Huang Tianyi , Cain Sean W. , Phillips Andrew J. K. , Saxena Richa , Rutter Martin K. , Redline Susan , Wang Heming 
Published: December 2023

Background
Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), experienced in 10% to 20% of the population, has been associated with cardiovascular disease and death. However, the condition is heterogeneous and is prevalent in individuals having short and long sleep duration. We sought to clarify the relationship between sleep duration subtypes of EDS with cardiovascular outcomes, accounting for these subtypes.

Methods and Results

We defined 3 sleep duration subtypes of excessive daytime sleepiness: normal (6–9 hours), short (<6 hours), and long (>9 hours), and compared these with a nonsleepy, normal‐sleep‐duration reference group. We analyzed their associations with incident myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke using medical records of 355 901 UK Biobank participants and performed 2‐sample Mendelian randomization for each outcome. Compared with healthy sleep, long‐sleep EDS was associated with an 83% increased rate of MI (hazard ratio, 1.83 [95% CI, 1.21–2.77]) during 8.2‐year median follow‐up, adjusting for multiple health and sociodemographic factors. Mendelian randomization analysis provided supporting evidence of a causal role for a genetic long‐sleep EDS subtype in MI (inverse‐variance weighted β=1.995,
P
=0.001). In contrast, we did not find evidence that other subtypes of EDS were associated with incident MI or any associations with stroke (
P
>0.05).

Conclusions
Our study suggests the previous evidence linking EDS with increased cardiovascular disease risk may be primarily driven by the effect of its long‐sleep subtype on higher risk of MI. Underlying mechanisms remain to be investigated but may involve sleep irregularity and circadian disruption, suggesting a need for novel interventions in this population.