bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Research participants’ perception of ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa
Authors: Jegede Ayodele , Balogun Olubukola , Olorunsogbon Olorunyomi Felix , Nichols Michelle , Akinyemi Joshua , Jenkins Carolyn , Ogunronbi Mayowa , Singh Arti , Obiako Reginald , Wahab Kolawole , Bello Abiodun , Akpalu Albert , Sarfo Fred S. , Owolabi Lukman F. , Ojebuyi Babatunde , Adigun Muyiwa , Olujobi Dorcas , Musbahu Rabiu , Titiloye Musibau , Afolami Ibukun , Calys-Tagoe Benedict , Uvere Ezinne , Laryea Ruth , Fakunle Adekunle , Adeleye Osi , Adesina Deborah , Mensah Nathaniel , Oguike Wisdom , Coleman Nathaniel , Adeniyi Sunday , Omotoso Lanre , Asibey Shadrack , Melikam Lois , Yusuf Jibril , Gbenga Abdullateef , Mande Aliyu , Uthman Muhammed , Kalaria Rajesh N. , Owolabi Mayowa , Ovbiagele Bruce , Arulogun Oyedunni , Akinyemi Rufus O. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundThere is a growing interest in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa. These raise several ethical issues, such as consent, re-use, data sharing, storage, and incidental result of biological samples. Despite the availability of ethical guidelines developed for research in Africa, there is paucity of information on how the research participants’ perspectives could guide the research community on ethical issues in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research. To explore African research participants’ perspectives on these issues, a study was conducted at existing Stroke Investigation Research and Education Network (SIREN) sites in Nigeria and Ghana.MethodUsing an exploratory design, twenty-eight Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) sessions were conducted with stroke survivors (n=7), caregivers(n=7), stroke - free controls(n=7), and Community Advisory Board members(n=7). Data were collected using an interview guide. Interviews were conducted in English and indigenous languages of the community, audio recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using NVivo (March, 2020) Software.ResultResults revealed that stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research in Africa require researchers’ direct attention to ethical issues. Concerns were raised about understanding, disclosure and absence of coercion as components of true autonomous decision making in research participation. Participants argued that the risk and benefits attached to participation should be disclosed at the time of recruitment. Fears around data sharing were voiced as adherence to the principle of privacy and confidentiality were of paramount importance to participants. The preference was to receive the results of incidental findings with no stigma attached from society.ConclusionResearch participants’ perspectives are a vital aspect of community engagement in stroke genomics and neurobiobanking research. Findings from this study suggest that research participants are interested in these fields of research in Africa if their concerns about ethical issues are appropriately addressed within the research framework.
Mapping geographic and demographic shifts in container breeding mosquito-borne disease transmission suitability in Central and South America in a warming world
Authors: Ryan Sadie J. , Lippi Catherine A. , Stewart-Ibarra Anna M 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report (IPCC-AR6) report brought into sharp relief the potential health impacts of a changing climate across large geographic regions. It also highlighted the gaps in available evidence to support detailed quantitative assessments of health impacts for many regions. In an increasingly urbanizing world, there is a need for additional information about the risk of mosquito-borne diseases from vectors adapted to human water storage behavior. Specifically, a better understanding of the geographic distribution of disease risk under different scenarios of climate warming and human populations shifts. For the Central and South America chapter of the IPCC Working Group II report, regional extractions of published projections of dengue and Zika risk in a changing climate were generated by one of the authors of this study. In that process, the lack of a compendium of available published risk estimates became apparent. This paper responds to that need and extends the scope of the IPCC report results for Central and South America. We present novel geospatial descriptions of risk for transmission for five mosquito-borne disease systems under future projected climate and demographic scenarios, including the potential risk for malaria in the event of the introduction and establishment of a vector of high global concern,Anopheles stephensi. We then present country-level and IPCC geospatial sub-region risk descriptions under baseline and future projected scenarios. By including demographic projections using the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios, we capture potential future risk in a way that is transparent and straightforward to compare and replicate. The goal of this paper is to report on these model output data and their availability. From a sub-regional perspective, the largest proportional gains in risk will be seen in the Southwestern South America (SWS) sub-region, comprising much of the southwestern coastline, for which suitability forAedes aegyptitransmitted dengue and Zika risk will see massive increases with warming, putting a large number of people at risk under future scenarios. In contrast, at the country level, the largest projected population risk impacts will be seen in Brazil for both arboviral and potential introduced malaria risk, despite some risks projected to decrease as parts of the country are too hot to sustain transmission risk. This paper provides modeled outputs for future use, in addition to broad summary descriptions at regional and country levels.
Global distribution ofLeptospiraserovar isolations and detections from animal host species: a systematic review and online database
Authors: Hagedoorn Nienke N. , Maze Michael J. , Carugati Manuela , Cash-Goldwasser Shama , Allan Kathryn J. , Chen Kevin , Cossic Brieuc , Demeter Elena , Gallagher Sarah , German Richard , Galloway Renee L. , Habuš Josipa , Rubach Matthew P. , Shiokawa Kanae , Sulikhan Nadezhda , Crump John A. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractObjectivesLeptospira,the spirochaete causing leptospirosis, can be classified into >250 antigenically distinct serovars. Although knowledge of the animal host species and geographic distribution ofLeptospiraserovars is critical to understand the human and animal epidemiology of leptospirosis, currently data are fragmented. We aimed to systematically review the literature on animal host species and geographic distribution ofLeptospiraserovars to examine associations between serovars with animal host species and regions, and to identify geographic regions in need of study.MethodsNine library databases were searched from inception through 9 March 2023 using keywords includingLeptospira, animal, and a list of serovars. We sought reports of detection ofLeptospira, from any animal, characterized by cross agglutinin absorption test, monoclonal antibody typing, serum factor analysis, or pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to identify the serovar.ResultsWe included 409 reports, published from 1927 through 2022, yielding data on 154Leptospiraserovars. The reports included data from 66 (26.5%) of 249 countries. Detections were from 144 animal host species including 135 (93.8%) from the class Mammalia, 5 (3.5%) from Amphibia, 3 (2.1%) from Reptilia, and 1 (0.7%) from Arachnida. Across the animal host species,Leptospiraserovars that were detected in the largest number of animal species included Grippotyphosa (n=39), Icterohaemorrhagiae (n=29), Pomona (n=28), Australis (n=25), and Ballum (n=25). Of serovars, 76 were detected in a single animal host species. We created an online database to identify animal host species for each serovar by country.ConclusionsWe found that many countries have few or noLeptospiraserovars detected from animal host species and that many serovars were detected from a single animal species. Our study highlights the importance of efforts to identify animal host species of leptospirosis, especially in places with a high incidence of human leptospirosis. We provide an updated resource for leptospirosis researchers.
Source of data for artificial intelligence applications in vascular surgery - a scoping review
Authors: Powezka Katarzyna , Slater Luke , Wall Michael , Gkoutos Georgios , Juszczak Maciej 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundApplications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) are gaining traction in healthcare, including vascular surgery. While most healthcare data is in the form of narrative text or audio recordings, natural language processing (NLP) offers the ability to extract structured information from unstructured medical records. This can be used to develop more accurate risk prediction models, and to identify patients for trials to improve recruitment. The goals of this scoping review were to determine the source of data used to develop AI-based algorithms with emphasis on natural language processing, establish their application in different areas of vascular surgery and identify a target audience of published journals.MethodsA literature search was carried out using PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar database from January 1996 to March 2023. Following screening, 342 peer-reviewed articles met the eligibility criteria.FindingsAmong the 342 articles meeting eligibility criteria, the majority (191) were published after 2020. NLP algorithms were described in 34 papers, while 115 and 193 papers focused on machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), respectively. Two-thirds (67.25%) were published in non-clinical journals. The AI-based algorithms found widest application in research related to aorta and its branches (126 articles), followed by carotid disease (85), and peripheral arterial disease (65). Image-based data were utilised in 216 articles, while 153 and 85 papers relied on medical records, and clinical parameters. The AI algorithms were used for predictive modelling (123 papers), medical image segmentation (118), and to aid identification, detection, and diagnosis (103). Only 18 publications aimed to enhance the understanding of vascular disease pathophysiology.InterpretationUtilisation of different data sources and AI technologies depends on the purpose of the undertaken research. Despite the abundance of available of textual data, the NLP is disproportionally underutilised AI sub-domain.FundingNone.
Distinctive and complementary roles of default mode network subsystems in semantic cognition
Authors: Shao Ximing , Krieger-Redwood Katya , Zhang Meichao , Hoffman Paul , Lanzoni Lucilla , Leech Robert , Smallwood Jonathan , Jefferies Elizabeth 
Published: October 2023

AbstractThe default mode network (DMN) typically deactivates to external tasks, yet supports semantic cognition. It comprises medial temporal (MT), core, and fronto-temporal (FT) subsystems, but its functional organisation is unclear: the requirement for perceptual coupling versus decoupling, input modality (visual/verbal), type of information (social/spatial) and control demands all potentially affect its recruitment. We examined the effect of these factors on activation and deactivation of DMN subsystems during semantic cognition, across four task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) datasets, and localised these responses in whole-brain state space defined by gradients of intrinsic connectivity. FT showed activation consistent with a central role across domains, tasks and modalities, although it was most responsive to abstract, verbal tasks; this subsystem uniquely showed more ‘tuned’ states characterised by increases in both activation and deactivation when semantic retrieval demands were higher. MT also activated to both perceptually-coupled (scenes) and decoupled (autobiographical memory) tasks, and showed stronger responses to picture associations, consistent with a role in scene construction. Core DMN consistently showed deactivation, especially to externally-oriented tasks. These diverse contributions of DMN subsystems to semantic cognition were related to their location on intrinsic connectivity gradients: activation was closer to sensory-motor cortex than deactivation, particularly for FT and MT, while activation for core DMN was distant from both visual cortex and cognitive control. These results reveal distinctive yet complementary DMN responses: MT and FT support different memory-based representations that are accessed externally and internally, while deactivation in core DMN is associated with demanding, external semantic tasks.Significance StatementWe delineate the functional organisation of DMN in semantic cognition, examining effects of perceptual coupling versus decoupling, input modality (visual/verbal), domain (social/spatial) and control demands across DMN subsystems in four fMRI datasets. These subsystems played complementary roles in semantic cognition related to their locations on gradients of intrinsic connectivity. Medial temporal and frontotemporal subsystems supported visuospatial and abstract conceptual information respectively, across both internally and externally-focussed tasks, while deactivation in core DMN was associated with focussed and externally-oriented semantic states. We conclude that both content and process are relevant to the functional architecture of DMN in semantic cognition.
Diverse prey capture strategies in teleost larvae
Authors: Mearns Duncan S. , Hunt Sydney A. , Schneider Martin W. , Parker Ash V. , Stemmer Manuel , Baier Herwig 
Published: October 2023

SummaryAnimal behavior is adapted to the sensory environment in which it evolved, while also being constrained by physical limits, evolutionary history, and developmental trajectories. The hunting behavior of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio), a cyprinid native to streams in Eastern India, has been well characterized. However, it is unknown if the complement and sequence of movements employed during prey capture by zebrafish is universal across freshwater teleosts. Here, we explore the syntax of prey capture behavior in larval fish belonging to the cladePercomorpha, whose last common ancestor with cyprinids lived ∼240 million years ago. We compared the behavior of four cichlid species from Lake Tanganyika endemic to deep benthic parts of the lake (Lepidiolamprologus attenuatus,Lamprologus ocellatus, andNeolamprologus multifasciatus) or inhabiting rivers (Astatotilapia burtoni) with that of medaka (Oryzias latipes), a fish found in rice paddies in East Asia. Using high speed videography and neural networks, we tracked eye movements and extracted swim kinematics during hunting from larvae of these five species. Notably, we found that the repertoire of hunting movements of cichlids is broader than that of zebrafish, but shares basic features, such as eye convergence, positioning of prey centrally in the binocular visual field, and discrete prey capture bouts, including two kinds of capture strikes. In contrast, medaka swim continuously, track the prey monocularly without eye convergence, and position prey laterally before capturing them with a side swing. This configuration of kinematic motifs suggests that medaka may judge distance to prey predominantly by motion parallax, while cichlids and zebrafish may mainly use binocular visual cues. Together, our study documents the diversification of locomotor and oculomotor adaptations among hunting teleost larvae.
Astrocyte aquaporin mediates a tonic water efflux maintaining brain homeostasis
Authors: Pham Cuong , Komaki Yuji , Deàs-Just Anna , Le Gac Benjamin , Mouffle Christine , Franco Clara , Chaperon Agnès , Vialou Vincent , Tsurugizawa Tomokazu , Cauli Bruno , Li Dongdong 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTBrain water homeostasis not only provides a physical protection, but also determines the diffusion of chemical molecules key for information processing and metabolic stability. As a major type of glia in brain parenchyma, astrocytes are the dominant cell type expressing aquaporin water channel. How astrocyte aquaporin contributes to brain water homeostasis in basal physiology remains to be understood. We report that astrocyte aquaporin 4 (AQP4) mediates a tonic water efflux in basal conditions. Acute inhibition of astrocyte AQP4 leads to intracellular water accumulation as optically resolved by fluorescence-translated imaging in acute brain slices, andin vivoby fiber photometry in mobile mice. We then show that aquaporin-mediated constant water efflux maintains astrocyte volume and osmotic equilibrium, astrocyte and neuron Ca2+signaling, and extracellular space remodeling during optogenetically induced cortical spreading depression. Using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI), we observed thatin vivoinhibition of AQP4 water efflux heterogeneously disturbs brain water homeostasis in a region-dependent manner. Our data suggest that astrocyte aquaporin, though bidirectional in nature, mediates a tonic water outflow to sustain cellular and environmental equilibrium in brain parenchyma.Significance statementOur brain is immersed, thus protected, in a water environment. It ensures intra- and extracellular molecular diffusion, which is vital for brain function and health. Brain water homeostasis is maintained by dynamic water transport between different cell types. Astrocytes are a main type of glial cell widely distributed in brain parenchyma, expressing the bidirectional aquaporin water channel. Here we show that in basal conditions, aquaporin channel mediates a tonic water efflux from astrocytes. This mechanism maintains astrocyte volume stability, activity-gated brain parenchyma remodeling and brain water homeostasis. Our finding sheds light on how astrocytes regulate water states in the brain, and will help to understand brain allostasis in specific life contexts.
Identification of Determinants that Allow Maintenance of High-Level Fluoroquinolone Resistance inAcinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Hamami Efrat , Huo Wenwen , Hernandez-Bird Juan , Castaneda Arnold , Bai Jinna , Syal Sapna , Ortiz-Marquez Juan C. , van Opijnen Tim , Geisinger Edward , Isberg Ralph R. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractAcinetobacter baumanniiis associated with multidrug resistant (MDR) infections in healthcare settings, with fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin being currently ineffective. Clinical isolates largely harbor mutations in the GyrA and TopoIV fluoroquinolone targets, as well as mutations that increase expression of drug resistance-nodulation-division (RND) efflux pumps. Factors critical for maintaining fitness levels of pump overproducers are uncharacterized despite their prevalence in clinical isolates. We here identify proteins that contribute to the fitness of FQR strains overexpressing three known RND systems using high-density insertion mutagenesis. Overexpression of the AdeFGH efflux pump caused hypersensitization to defects in outer membrane homeostatic regulation, including lesions that reduced LOS biosynthesis and blocked production of the majorA. baumanniiporin. In contrast, AdeAB pump hyperexpression, in the absence of elevatedadeCexpression (the outer membrane component of the pump), was relatively tolerant to loss of these functions, consistent with the outer membrane protein being the primary disruptive component. Surprisingly, overexpression of proton-transporting efflux pumps had little impact on cytosolic pH, consistent with a compensatory response to pump activity. The most striking transcriptional changes were associated with AdeFGH pump overexpression, including the activation of the phenylacetate (PAA) degradation regulon. Disruption of the PAA pathway resulted in cytosolic acidification and defective expression of genes involved in protection from oxidative stress. These results indicate that RND efflux pump overproduction is compensated by maintenance of outer membrane integrity inA. baumanniito facilitate fitness of FQR isolates.ImportanceAcinetobacter baumanniiis a pathogen that often causes multidrug resistant (MDR) infections in healthcare settings, presenting a threat to the efficacy of known therapeutic interventions. Fluoroquinolones such as ciprofloxacin are currently ineffective against a majority of clinicalA. baumanniiisolates, many of which express pumps that remove this antibiotic class from within the bacterium. Three of these pumps can be found in most clinical isolates, with one of the three often hyperproduced at all times. In this study we identify proteins that are necessary for the fitness of pump hyperproducers. The identified proteins are necessary to stabilize the outer membrane and allow the cytoplasm to tolerate the accumulation of ions as a consequence of excess pump activity. These results point to strategies for developing therapies that combine known antibiotics with drugs that target proteins important for survival of strains hyperexpressing efflux pumps.
A Method For Estimating The Cholesterol Affinity Of Integral Membrane Proteins From Experimental Data
Authors: Steck Theodore L. , Tabei S. M. Ali , Lange Yvonne 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTThe cholesterol affinities of many integral plasma membrane proteins have been estimated by molecular computation. However, these values lack experimental confirmation. We therefore developed a simple mathematical model to extract sterol affinity constants and stoichiometries from published isotherms for the dependence of the activity of such proteins on membrane cholesterol concentration. The binding curves for these proteins are sigmoidal with strongly-lagged thresholds attributable to competition for the cholesterol by bilayer phospholipids. The model provided isotherms that matched the experimental data using published values for the sterol association constants and stoichiometries of the phospholipids. Three oligomeric transporters were found to bind cholesterol without cooperativity with dimensionless association constants of 35 for Kir3.4* and 100 for both Kir2 and a GAT transporter. (The corresponding ρG° values were -8.8, -11.4 and -11.4 KJ/mol, respectively.) These association constants are significantly lower than those for the phospholipids which range from ∼100 to 6,000. The BK channel, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and the M192I mutant of Kir3.4* appear to bind multiple cholesterol molecules cooperatively (n = 2 or 4) with subunit affinities of 563, 950 and 700, respectively. The model predicts that the three less avid transporters are approximately half-saturated in their native plasma membranes; hence, sensitive to variations in cholesterol in vivo. The more avid proteins would be nearly saturated in vivo. The method can be applied to any integral protein or other ligand in any bilayer for which there are reasonable estimates of the sterol affinities and stoichiometries of the phospholipids.