bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Episyrphus balteatus symbiont variation across developmental stages, living states, two sexes, and potential horizontal transmission from prey or environment
Authors: Chang Xiao , Xue Shuang , Li Ruimin , Zhang Yuanchen 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionEpisyrphus balteatus is one representative Syrphidae insect which can provide extensive pollination and pest control services. To date, the symbiont composition and potential acquisition approaches in Syrphidae remain unclear.MethodsHerein, we investigated microbiota dynamics across developmental stages, different living states, and two sexes in E. balteatus via full-length 16S rRNA genes sequencing, followed by an attempt to explore the possibility of symbiont transmission from prey Megoura crassicauda to the hoverfly.ResultsOverall, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant bacteria phyla with fluctuating relative abundances across the life stage. Cosenzaea myxofaciens is dominant in adulthood, while Enterococcus silesiacus and Morganella morganii dominate in larvae and pupae of E. balteatus, respectively. Unexpectedly, Serratia symbiotica, one facultative endosymbiont commonly harbored in aphids, was one of the predominant bacteria in larvae of E. balteatus, just behind Enterococcus silesiacus. In addition, S. symbiotica was also surprisingly most dominated in M. crassicauda aphids (92.1% relative abundance), which are significantly higher than Buchnera aphidicola (4.7% relative abundance), the primary obligate symbiont of most aphid species. Approximately 25% mortality was observed among newly emerged adults, of which microbiota was also disordered, similar to normally dying individuals. Sexually biased symbionts and 41 bacteria species with pairwise co-occurrence in E. balteatus and 23 biomarker species for each group were identified eventually. Functional prediction showed symbionts of hoverflies and aphids, both mainly focusing on metabolic pathways. In brief, we comprehensively explored the microbiome in one Syrphidae hoverfly using E. balteatus reared indoors on M. morganii as the model, revealed its dominated symbiont species, identified sexually biased symbionts, and found an aphid facultative endosymbiont inhabited in the hoverfly. We also found that the dominated symbiotic bacteria in M. crassicauda are S. symbiotica other than Buchnera aphidicola.DiscussionTaken together, this study provides new valuable resources about symbionts in hoverflies and prey aphids jointly, which will benefit further exploring the potential roles of microbiota in E. balteatus.
Viral diversity and blood-feeding patterns of Afrotropical Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)
Authors: Ogola Edwin O. , Bastos Armanda D. S. , Slothouwer Inga , Getugi Caroline , Osalla Josephine , Omoga Dorcus C. A. , Ondifu Dickens O. , Sang Rosemary , Torto Baldwyn , Junglen Sandra , Tchouassi David P. 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionCulicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors of arboviral pathogens that primarily affect livestock represented by Schmallenberg virus (SBV), epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and bluetongue virus (BTV). In Kenya, studies examining the bionomic features of Culicoides including species diversity, blood-feeding habits, and association with viruses are limited.MethodsAdult Culicoides were surveyed using CDC light traps in two semi-arid ecologies, Baringo and Kajiado counties, in Kenya. Blood-fed specimens were analysed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) barcoding region. Culicoides pools were screened for virus infection by generic RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS).ResultsAnalysis of blood-fed specimens confirmed that midges had fed on cattle, goats, sheep, zebra, and birds. Cox1 barcoding of the sampled specimens revealed the presence of known vectors of BTV and epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) including species in the Imicola group (Culicoides imicola) and Schultzei group (C. enderleni, C. kingi, and C. chultzei). Culicoides leucostictus and a cryptic species distantly related to the Imicola group were also identified. Screening of generated pools (11,006 individuals assigned to 333 pools) by generic RT-PCR revealed presence of seven phylogenetically distinct viruses grouping in the genera Goukovirus, Pacuvirus and Orthobunyavirus. The viruses showed an overall minimum infection rate (MIR) of 7.0% (66/333, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.5-8.9). In addition, full coding sequences of two new iflaviruses, tentatively named Oloisinyai_1 and Oloisinyai_2, were generated by next-generation sequencing (NGS) from individual homogenate of Culicoides pool.ConclusionThe results indicate a high genetic diversity of viruses in Kenyan biting midges. Further insights into host-vector-virus interactions as well as investigations on the potential clinical significance of the detected viruses are warranted.
Application of the (fr)AGILE scale in the evaluation of multidimensional frailty in elderly inpatients from internal medicine wards: a cross-sectional observational study
Authors: Ma Ying , Sui Dongxin , Yang Shaozhong , Fang Ningning , Wang Zhihao 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundWith the rapid growth of an aging global population and proportion, the prevalence of frailty is constantly increasing. Therefore, finding a frailty assessment tool suitable for clinical application by physicians has become the primary link in the comprehensive management of frailty in elderly patients. This study used the (fr)AGILE scale to investigate the frailty status of elderly patients from internal medicine wards and identified relevant factors that affect the severity of frailty.MethodIn this study, 408 elderly inpatients in internal medicine departments of Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from May 2021 to August 2022 were enrolled as research subjects, and a cross-sectional observational study was conducted. Researchers evaluated the frailty based on the (fr)AGILE scale score. The general condition, past medical history, physical examination, laboratory examination, nutrition control score, intervention and treatment measures and other elderly patient information was collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relevant factors that affect the severity of frailty and hospitalization costs.ResultsAccording to the (fr)AGILE scale score, the elderly patients were divided into groups to determine whether they were frail and the severity of the frailty. Among them, 164 patients were in the prefrailty stage, which accounted for 40.2%. There were 188 cases of mild frailty that accounted for 46.1%, and 56 cases of moderate to severe frailty that accounted for 13.7%. Decreased grip strength, elevated white blood cell levels, and low sodium and potassium are independent risk factors affecting the severity of frailty. As the severity of frailty increases, the proportion of sodium, potassium, albumin supplementation as well as anti-infection gradually increases.ConclusionFrailty is a common elderly syndrome with a high incidence among elderly patients in internal medicine departments. The main manifestations of frailty vary with different severity levels. Inflammation, anemia, and poor nutritional status can lead to an increase in the severity of frailty as well as blood hypercoagulability, myocardial damage, and additional supportive interventions. This ultimately leads to prolonged hospitalization and increased hospitalization costs.
Prediction of prognosis in patients with nontraumatic intracranial hemorrhage using blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio on admission: a retrospective cohort study based on data from the medical information Mart for intensive care-IV database
Authors: Chen Peng , Jiang YongAn , Cai JiaHong , Fan Heng Yi , Liang JiaWei , Yuan RaoRao , Wu Hao , Wang YongHong , Cheng ShiQi , Zhang Yan 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundThe blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio (BUNCR) has been proposed as a potential biomarker for critical illness-induced catabolism. However, its specific relevance and significance in the context of non-traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (NTIH) remains unclear. As such, the primary objective of this study was to determine the role of BUNCR in the prognosis of patients with NTIH.Materials and methodsAll data were sourced from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV 2.0 (MIMIC-IV) database. Study outcomes included 30-day and 1-year mortality rates. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to calculate adjusted odds ratio with corresponding 95% confidence interval, and generalized additive model were used to identify both linear and non-linear relationships between BUNCR and mortality rates. A two-piecewise regression model was performed to calculate the saturation effect. Subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate outcome stability in various groups.ResultsA retrospective study of 3,069 patients with NTIH revealed a U-shaped relationship between BUNCR levels and 30-day/1-year mortality. The two-piecewise regression model showed that the inflection points for 30-day and 1-year mortality were 10.455 and 16.25, respectively. On the left side of the inflection point, the 30-day and 1-year mortality rate decreased by 17.7% (OR = 0.823, 95%CI: 0.705–0.960; p = 0.013) and 5.3% (OR = 0.947, 95%CI: 0.899–0.999; p = 0.046), respectively, per 1 unit increment of BUNCR. On the right side of the inflection point, the 30-day and 1-year mortality rate increased by 1.6% (OR = 1.016, 95%CI: 1.000–1.031; p = 0.046) and 3.6% (OR = 1.036, 95%CI:1.019–1.054; p &lt; 0.001) per 1 unit decrement of BUNCR. Subgroup analyses revealed consistent results across different strata.ConclusionThis study identified a nonlinear relationship between BUNCR and mortality in patients with NTIH, indicating that BUNCR may be valuable prognostic marker for early identification and proactive management.
Clinical characteristics of Chinese pediatric patients positive for anti-NMDAR and MOG antibodies: a case series
Authors: Kang Qingyun , Kang Hui , Liu Shulei , Feng Mei , Zhou Zhen , Jiang Zhi , Wu Liwen 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionThe cases of MOG-AD (MOG antibody-associated disorder) and anti-NMDAR encephalitis overlapping syndrome (MNOS) are rare, especially among pediatric patients, and their clinical understanding is limited. This study aimed to investigate the clinical manifestations, imaging findings, treatments, and prognosis of Chinese pediatric patients who tested positive for anti-NMDAR and MOG antibodies.MethodsThis retrospective study enrolled 10 MNOS pediatric patients, 50 MOG-AD (anti-NMDAR antibody-negative), and 81 anti-NMDAR encephalitis (MOG antibody-negative) pediatric patients who were admitted from July 2016 to June 2022 and used their clinical data for comparison.ResultsThe MNOS patients had a significantly lower incidence of psycho-behavioral abnormalities and involuntary movements than anti-NMDAR antibody (+)/MOG antibody (−) patients and had a significantly higher incidence of sleep disorders, seizures, and psycho-behavioral abnormalities than MOG antibody (+)/anti-NMDAR antibody (−) patients. The MNOS patients had a significantly higher incidence of MRI abnormalities than the anti-NMDAR antibody (+)/MOG antibody (−) patients, while there was no significant difference in the incidence between the MNOS patients and the MOG antibody (+)/anti-NMDAR antibody (−) patients. No significant difference was seen in the initial mRS score between the three groups of patients. The anti-NMDAR antibody (+)/MOG antibody (−) patients had a higher rate of admission to the ICU, a longer length of in-hospital stay, and a higher rate of introduction to second-line treatment than the other two groups of patients. No significant difference was seen in the mRS score at the last follow-up and in the disease recurrence rate between the three groups. All these patients respond well to immunosuppressive therapy.DiscussionIn the presence of psycho-behavioral abnormalities, sleep disorders, and frequent seizures in MOG-AD patients or demyelinating symptoms of the central nervous system or demyelinating lesions on head MRI in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients, the coexistence of MOG and anti-NMDAR antibodies should be considered and would suggest a diagnosis of MNOS for these patients. Immunotherapy is effective among these patients and should be given possibly earlier.
A bibliometric analysis of the research hotspots and frontiers related to cell death in spinal cord injury
Authors: He Kelin , Yu Han , Zhang Jieqi , Wu Lei , Han Dexiong , Ma Ruijie 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundSpinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe central nervous trauma that can cause serious consequences. Cell death is emerging as a common pathogenesis after SCI. In the last two decades, numerous studies have been published in the field of cell death after SCI. However, it is still rare to find relevant bibliometric analyses. This bibliometric study aims to visually represent global research trends in the field of cell death after SCI.MethodsBibliometric data were sourced from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R software (“bibliometrix” package) were used to analyze and visualize bibliometric data. Annual scientific production, countries/regions, institutions, authors, journals, highly cited papers, keywords, and literature co-citation were evaluated to determine research performance.ResultsAn analysis of 5,078 publications extracted from the WoSCC database revealed a fluctuating yet persistent growth in the field of cell death after SCI over the past 23 years. China and the United States, contributing 69% of the total publications, were the main driving force in this field. The Wenzhou Medical University from China contributed to the most papers. In terms of authors, Salvatore Cuzzocrea from the University of Messina had the highest number of publications. The “Journal of Neurotrauma” was the top journal in terms of the number of publications, however, the “Journal of Neuroscience” was the top journal in terms of the number of citations. The theme of the highly cited articles mainly focused on the mechanism of cell death after SCI. The keyword and literature co-citation analysis mainly focused on the mode of cell death, mechanism research of cell death, and functional recovery after SCI.ConclusionThis study analyzes the research hotspots, frontiers, and development trends in the field of cell death after SCI, which is important for future studies.
Altered metabolites in the periaqueductal gray of COVID-19 patients experiencing headaches: a longitudinal MRS study
Authors: Jin Ping , Cui Feng , Zhang Luping 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundHeadache is one of the most common symptoms of acute COVID-19 infection. However, its mechanisms remain poorly understood, and there is a lack of studies investigating changes in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) in COVID-19 patients exhibiting headaches.PurposeThe study aimed to explore the alterations in metabolites of the PAG pre- and post-COVID-19 infection in individuals who suffered from headaches during the acute phase of the disease using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).MethodsFifteen participants who experienced headaches during the acute phase of COVID-19 were recruited. All subjects underwent two proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) examinations focusing on the PAG before and after they were infected. Metabolite changes were assessed between the pre- and post-infection groups.ResultsThe combined glutamine and glutamate/total creatine ratio (Glx/tCr) was increased in the PAG following COVID-19 infection. The total choline/total creatine ratio (tCho/tCr) in the pre-infection group was negatively correlated with the duration of headache during the COVID-19 acute phase.ConclusionThe present study indicates that PAG plays a pivotal role in COVID-19 headaches, thereby supporting the involvement of trigeminovascular system activation in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 headaches.
Intermuscular coherence reveals that affective emotional pictures modulate neural control mechanisms during the initiation of arm pointing movements
Authors: Pierrieau Emeline , Charissou Camille , Vernazza-Martin Sylvie , Pageaux Benjamin , Lepers Romuald , Amarantini David , Fautrelle Lilian 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionSeveral studies in psychology provided compelling evidence that emotions significantly impact motor control. Yet, these evidences mostly rely on behavioral investigations, whereas the underlying neurophysiological processes remain poorly understood.MethodsUsing a classical paradigm in motor control, we tested the impact of affective pictures associated with positive, negative or neutral valence on the kinematics and patterns of muscle activations of arm pointing movements performed from a standing position. The hand reaction and movement times were measured and electromyography (EMG) was used to measure the activities from 10 arm, leg and trunk muscles that are involved in the postural maintenance and arm displacement in pointing movements. Intermuscular coherence (IMC) between pairs of muscles was computed to measure changes in patterns of muscle activations related to the emotional stimuli.ResultsThe hand movement time increased when an emotional picture perceived as unpleasant was presented as compared to when the emotional picture was perceived as pleasant. When an unpleasant emotional picture was presented, beta (β, 15–35 Hz) and gamma (γ, 35–60 Hz) IMC decreased in the recorded pairs of postural muscles during the initiation of pointing movements. Moreover, a linear relationship between the magnitude of the intermuscular coherence in the pairs of posturo-focal muscles and the hand movement time was found in the unpleasant scenarios.DiscussionThese findings reveal that emotional stimuli can significantly affect the content of the motor command sent by the central nervous system to muscles when performing voluntary goal-directed movements.
The hemodynamic response function as a type 2 diabetes biomarker: a data-driven approach
Authors: Guimarães Pedro , Serranho Pedro , Duarte João V. , Crisóstomo Joana , Moreno Carolina , Gomes Leonor , Bernardes Rui , Castelo-Branco Miguel 
Published: January 2024

IntroductionThere is a need to better understand the neurophysiological changes associated with early brain dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) before vascular or structural lesions. Our aim was to use a novel unbiased data-driven approach to detect and characterize hemodynamic response function (HRF) alterations in T2DM patients, focusing on their potential as biomarkers.MethodsWe meshed task-based event-related (visual speed discrimination) functional magnetic resonance imaging with DL to show, from an unbiased perspective, that T2DM patients’ blood-oxygen-level dependent response is altered. Relevance analysis determined which brain regions were more important for discrimination. We combined explainability with deconvolution generalized linear model to provide a more accurate picture of the nature of the neural changes.ResultsThe proposed approach to discriminate T2DM patients achieved up to 95% accuracy. Higher performance was achieved at higher stimulus (speed) contrast, showing a direct relationship with stimulus properties, and in the hemispherically dominant left visual hemifield, demonstrating biological interpretability. Differences are explained by physiological asymmetries in cortical spatial processing (right hemisphere dominance) and larger neural signal-to-noise ratios related to stimulus contrast. Relevance analysis revealed the most important regions for discrimination, such as extrastriate visual cortex, parietal cortex, and insula. These are disease/task related, providing additional evidence for pathophysiological significance. Our data-driven design allowed us to compute the unbiased HRF without assumptions.ConclusionWe can accurately differentiate T2DM patients using a data-driven classification of the HRF. HRF differences hold promise as biomarkers and could contribute to a deeper understanding of neurophysiological changes associated with T2DM.
Impact of market-based home fortification with micronutrient powder on childhood anemia in Bangladesh: a modified stepped wedge design
Authors: Sarma Haribondhu , Rahman Mahfuzur , Tariqujjaman Md. , Islam Mohammad Ashraful , Mbuya Mduduzi N. N. , Aaron Grant J. , Askari Sufia , Harbour Catherine , Khondker Rudaba , Bipul Moniruzzaman , Sultana Sabiha , Rahman Mohammad Ashikur , Shahin Shaima Arzuman , Chowdhury Morseda , Afsana Kaosar , Ghosh Samik , Banwell Cathy , D’Este Catherine , Salasibew Mihretab , Neufeld Lynnette M. , Ahmed Tahmeed 
Published: January 2024

BackgroundAnemia poses a significant public health problem, affecting 1.6 billion people and contributing to the loss of 68.4 million disability-adjusted life years. We assessed the impact of a market-based home fortification program with micronutrient powder (MNP) called Pushtikona-5 implemented by Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) on the prevalence of anemia among children aged 6–59 months in Bangladesh.MethodsWe used a modified stepped wedged design and conducted three baseline, two midline, and three endline surveys to evaluate the Pushtikona-5 program implemented through three BRAC program platforms. We interviewed children’s caregivers, and collected finger-prick blood samples from children to measure hemoglobin concentration. We also collected data on coverage of Pushtikona-5 and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. We performed bivariate and multivariable analysis and calculated adjusted risk ratios (ARRs) to assess the effect of program outcomes.ResultsA total of 16,936 households were surveyed. The prevalence of anemia was 46.6% at baseline, dropping to 32.1% at midline and 31.2% at endline. These represented adjusted relative reductions of 34% at midline (RR 0.66, 95%CI 0.62 to 0.71, value of p &lt;0.001) and 32% at endline (RR 0.68, 95%CI 0.64 to 0.71, value of p &lt;0.001) relative to baseline. Regarding MNP coverage, at baseline, 43.5% of caregivers surveyed had heard about MNP; 24.3% of children had ever consumed food with MNP, and only 1.8% had consumed three or more sachets in the 7 days preceding the survey. These increased to 63.0, 36.9, and 4.6%, respectively, at midline and 90.6, 68.9, and 11.5%, respectively, at endline.ConclusionThese results show evidence of a reduction in the prevalence of anemia and an improvement in coverage. This study provides important evidence of the feasibility and potential for impact of linking market-based MNP distribution with IYCF promotion through community level health workers.