bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
“From Preparation to Consumption.” Food Safety Practices among Public Food Handler’s in Enugu Metropolis
Authors: Wilson Kassy Chukwukasi , Chidinma Ojielo Nwadiuto , Victoria Iloabachie Ugenyi , Ndubuisi Ochie Casmir , Juliet Ogugua Ifeoma , Charles Ntat Ibiok , Hope Chime Onyinye , Amarachi Onyedinma Chioma , Chigedu Ndu Prof Anne , Susan Arinze-Onyia Prof Uzoamaka , Emmanuel Aguwa Prof Nwabueze , Theodora Okeke Prof Adaeze 
Published: October 2023

AbstractBackgroundIncreased demand for public prepared food with numerous food handlers creates uncertainties in the quality of safe foods and possible food contamination. This study aimed to ascertain the food safety hygiene practices and associated factors among public food handlers in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study conducted among 400 public food handlers in Enugu Metropolis, Nigeria. This study took place between January and April 2023. Samples were selected using multistage sampling technique. Data was collected using pretested structured questionnaire and analyzed using proportion, mean and multiple regression. Statistical significance was set at < 0.05.ResultsThe mean age of respondents were 31.16 ± 8.242 years. About two – thirds, 66.5% of respondents were found to have good knowledge of food hygiene safety practices. The overall food safety hygiene practice mean score was 80.10 ± 10.25 with 70.5% showing good practice. Environmental safety hygiene had good practice of 35.0% and mean score of 24.17 ± 2.29. The factors which statistically significantly predicted overall food safety practices, F (11, 388) = 42.957, P < 0.0001, R2= 0.536 were educational level (β = 0.148, C.I = 0.860 – 3.082), knowledge level (β = 8.594, C.I = 5.635 – 8.979) and safety trainings (β = 0.517, C.I = 4.102 – 5.474).ConclusionThere was good knowledge of food safety hygiene practices with high mean scores except on environmental safety hygiene practices component. Safety training, knowledge level and educational level were the predictors of good practices. Frequent trainings are most needed to prevent or control food contamination and consequent food borne diseases.
BirthSeq, a new method to isolate and analyze dated cells from any tissue in vertebrates
Authors: Rueda-Alaña Eneritz , Grillo Marco , Vazquez Enrique , Marco Salas Sergio , Senovilla-Ganzo Rodrigo , Escobar Laura , Quintas Ana , Benguría Alberto , Aransay Ana María , Dopazo Ana , Encinas Juan Manuel , Nilsson Mats , García-Moreno Fernando 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTEmbryonic development is a complex and dynamic process that unfolds over time and involves the production of increasing numbers of cells, as well as the diversification of different cell types. The impact of developmental time on the formation of the central nervous system is well-documented, with evidence showing that time plays a critical role in establishing the identity of neuronal subtypes. However, the study of how time translates into genetic instructions driving cell fate is limited by the scarcity of suitable experimental tools. We introduceBirthSeq, a new method for isolating and analyzing cells based on their birth date. This innovative technique allows forin vivolabeling of cells, isolation via FACS, and analysis using high-throughput techniques. We demonstrate the effectiveness of BirthSeq for single-cell RNA sequencing and novel spatially resolved transcriptomic approaches in brain development across three vertebrate species (mouse, chick, and gecko). Overall, BirthSeq provides a versatile tool for studying any tissue in any vertebrate organism, helping to fill the necessity in developmental biology research by targeting cells and their temporal cues.SUMMARY STATEMENTBirthSeqallows the isolation and investigation of alive cells according to their birthdate, in any kind of tissue and vertebrate species.
Human foot outperforms the hand in mechanical pain discrimination
Authors: Ng Kevin K. W. , Lafee Odai , Bouchatta Otmane , Makdani Adarsh D. , Marshall Andrew G. , Olausson Håkan , McIntyre Sarah , Nagi Saad S. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTactile discrimination has been extensively studied, but mechanical pain discrimination remains poorly characterised. Here, we measured the capacity for mechanical pain discrimination using a twoalternative forced choice paradigm, with force-calibrated indentation stimuli (Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments) applied to the hand and foot dorsa of healthy human volunteers. In order to characterise the relationship between peripheral neural and perceptual processes, we recorded singleunit activity from myelinated (A) and unmyelinated (C) mechanosensitive nociceptors in the skin using microneurography. At the perceptual level, we found that the foot was better at discriminating noxious forces than the hand, which stands in contrast to that for innocuous force discrimination, where the hand performed better than the foot. This observation of superior mechanical pain discrimination on the foot compared to the hand could not be explained by the responsiveness of single primary afferents. We found no significant difference in the discrimination performance of either the myelinated or unmyelinated class of nociceptors between skin regions. This suggests the possibility that other factors such as skin biophysics, receptor density or central mechanisms may underlie these regional differences.Significance StatementStandard clinical practice for diagnosing neuropathies and pain disorders often involves assessing thresholds for pain or light touch. The ability to discriminate between different stimulus intensities is a separate but equally important sensory function, however this is not typically assessed in the clinic, and so studying this may provide insights into pain signalling mechanisms. Here, we investigated the ability of healthy individuals to discriminate between different forces of painful indentation. We found that the foot was better at this than the hand. This difference could not be explained by the firing activity of peripheral nociceptors (pain-signalling neurons) between the two regions, suggesting that mechanisms other than nociceptor sensitivity are involved.
Long-term human organotypic brain slice cultures: a detailed protocol to provide a comprehensive framework for single-neuron and neuronal network investigations
Authors: Bak Aniella , Koch Henner , van Loo Karen M. J. , Schmied Katharina , Gittel Birgit , Weber Yvonne , Schwarz Niklas , Tauber Simone C. , Wuttke Thomas V. , Delev Daniel 
Published: October 2023

BackgroundThe investigation of the human brain at cellular and microcircuit level remains challenging due to the fragile viability of neuronal tissue, inter- and intra-variability of the samples and limited availability of human brain material.New methodHere, we present an optimized work-up to use resected tissue from brain surgeries for live cell experiments in vitro.Comparison with existing methodsWe provide a reworked, detailed protocol of the production, culturing and viral transduction of human organotypic brain slice cultures for research purposes.ResultsWe highlight the critical pitfalls of the culturing process of the human brain tissue and present results on viral expression, single-cell Patch-Clamp recordings, as well as multi-electrode array recordings over a prolonged period of time. Additionally, our statistics show that brain tissue from patients of any age and morbidity can be used for organotypic brain slice cultures if carefully selected.ConclusionsOrganotypic brain slice cultures are of great value for basic neuroscience and disease modeling over a time course of three weeks.HighlightsLong-term human organotypic brain slice cultures are viable for 2-3 weeks and provide a framework for basic neuroscience and disease modelingWe provide a reworked, detailed protocol for organotypic human brain slice culture production and maintenanceWe show results of long-term culturing of human organotypic brain slice cultures in terms of viral transduction, whole-cell Patch-Clamp recordings and multi-electrode array recordingsStatistics of 16 surgeries show the correlation between the overall success rates of efficient culturing and viral transduction with the patient age and morbidityFigure 1, Graphical abstract.Schematic overview of preparation, maintenance and experimental workup of human organotypic brain slice cultures.After surgical resection, human brain tissue is prepared, sliced and cultured at air-liquid-interface between human cerebrospinal fluid and defined incubator atmosphere, allowing for week-long viability. This enables extensive experimental workup such as viral transduction, single cell and multi-electrode array electrophysiological recordings.
Identification and organization of a postural anti-gravity module in the cerebellar vermis
Authors: Gouhier Aurélien , Villette Vincent , Mathieu Benjamin , Ayon Annick , Bradley Jonathan , Dieudonné Stéphane 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTThe cerebellum is known to control the proper balance of isometric muscular contractions that maintain body posture. Current optogenetic manipulations of the cerebellar cortex output, however, have focused on ballistic body movements, examining movement initiation or perturbations. Here, by optogenetic stimulations of cerebellar Purkinje cells, the output of the cerebellar cortex, we evaluate body posture maintenance. By sequential analysis of body movement, we dissect the effect of optogenetic stimulation into a directly induced movement that is then followed by a compensatory reflex to regain body posture. We identify a module in the medial part of the anterior vermis which, through multiple muscle tone regulation, is involved in postural anti-gravity maintenance of the body. Moreover, we report an antero-posterior and medio-lateral functional segregation over the vermal lobules IV/V/VI. Taken together our results open new avenues for better understanding of the modular functional organization of the cerebellar cortex and its role in postural anti-gravity maintenance.HighlightsVermal Purkinje cell activation elicits a graded postural collapse in the standing mouseThe collapse triggers a secondary composite postural reflexAn identified cerebellar module is involved in postural anti-gravity tone maintenanceThe anti-gravity function is somatotopically organized within this module
Training biologically plausible recurrent neural networks on cognitive tasks with long-term dependencies
Authors: Soo Wayne W.M. , Goudar Vishwa , Wang Xiao-Jing 
Published: October 2023

AbstractTraining recurrent neural networks (RNNs) has become a go-to approach for generating and evaluating mechanistic neural hypotheses for cognition. The ease and efficiency of training RNNs with backpropagation through time and the availability of robustly supported deep learning libraries has made RNN modeling more approachable and accessible to neuroscience. Yet, a major technical hindrance remains. Cognitive processes such as working memory and decision making involve neural population dynamics over a long period of time within a behavioral trial and across trials. It is difficult to train RNNs to accomplish tasks where neural representations and dynamics have long temporal dependencies without gating mechanisms such as LSTMs or GRUs which currently lack experimental support and prohibit direct comparison between RNNs and biological neural circuits. We tackled this problem based on the idea of specialized skip-connections through time to support the emergence of task-relevant dynamics, and subsequently reinstitute biological plausibility by reverting to the original architecture. We show that this approach enables RNNs to successfully learn cognitive tasks that prove impractical if not impossible to learn using conventional methods. Over numerous tasks considered here, we achieve less training steps and shorter wall-clock times, particularly in tasks that require learning long-term dependencies via temporal integration over long timescales or maintaining a memory of past events in hidden-states. Our methods expand the range of experimental tasks that biologically plausible RNN models can learn, thereby supporting the development of theory for the emergent neural mechanisms of computations involving long-term dependencies.
Air-liquid interface culture of midbrain organoids improves neuronal functionality and integration of microglia
Authors: Kälvälä Sara , Abushik Polina , Dougalis Antonios , Malm Tarja , Pelkonen Anssi , Lehtonen Šárka 
Published: October 2023

AbstractMidbrain organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells have emerged as a promising in vitro model for studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease. However, the absence of microglia and the development of a necrotic core in mature organoids have remained key limitations on their utility as functional models of the human midbrain. Here we propose a novel methodology for extended cultivation of midbrain organoid slices, which involves the incorporation of microglia and utilizes an air-liquid culture system. Compared to conventional whole organoids, we found that our model increased the efficacy and consistency of the integration of microglia progenitors. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, we showed that organoid slices maturated in ALI give rise to astrocytes and oligodendrocyte progenitors. Furthermore, the cultivation in air-liquid interface greatly improved neuronal functionality in response to stimulation by NMDA. This stimulation consistently induced robust and stable network activity evaluated by microelectrode array recording. Our newly developed midbrain organoid model with its improved cell type composition and neuronal functionality has potential applications in basic research of Parkinson’s disease and in the development of therapeutics.Graphical abstract
Gait adaptation to asymmetric hip stiffness applied by a robotic exoskeleton
Authors: Abdikadirova Banu , Price Mark , Moreno Jaramillo Jonaz , Hoogkamer Wouter , Huber Meghan E. 
Published: October 2023

AbstractWearable exoskeletons show significant potential for improving gait impairments, such as interlimb asymmetry. However, a more profound understanding of whether exoskeletons are capable of eliciting neural adaptation is needed. This study aimed to characterize how individuals adapt to bilateral asymmetric joint stiffness applied by a hip exoskeleton, similar to split-belt treadmill training. Thirteen unimpaired individuals performed a walking trial on the treadmill while wearing the exoskeleton. The right side of the exoskeleton acted as a positive stiffness torsional spring, pulling the thigh towards the neutral standing position, while the left acted as a negative stiffness spring pulling the thigh away from the neutral standing position. The results showed that this intervention applied by a hip exoskeleton elicited adaptation in spatiotemporal and kinetic gait measures similar to split-belt treadmill training. These results demonstrate the potential of the proposed intervention for retraining symmetric gait.
Cerebellar interneuron activity is triggered by reach endpoint during learning of a complex locomotor task
Authors: Andrianarivelo Andry , Stein Heike , Gabillet Jeremy , Batifol Clarisse , Jalil Abdelali , Cayco Gajic N Alex , Graupner Michael 
Published: October 2023

AbstractLocomotion in complex environments depends on the precise timing and active control of single paw movements in order to adapt steps to surface structure and coordinate paws. Such motor control crucially depends on the cerebellum. In turn, cerebellar activity is reported to reflect limb movement kinematics, but how precise action timing in complex environments is controlled by the cerebellar circuit is currently unknown. To address this question, we developed LocoReach: a new task which combines continuous and discrete aspects of motor control by requiring mice to walk on a runged treadmill, where each step involves reaching for the next rung. Over several days of learning, mice became increasingly proficient at LocoReach, so that they made fewer, longer strides with faster swings and fewer missteps. We assessed the cerebellar role during LocoReach learning through pharmacological inhibition as well as real-time optogenetic inhibition of cerebellar activity and electrophysiological recordings of molecular layer interneurons (MLIs), as they are thought to control the timing and gain of the cerebellar cortical output. Inhibiting cerebellar output during the swing phase of a specific paw led to shorter swings of this paw. When analyzing behaviorally-evoked responses in MLIs, we found sharp changes in activity around paw-specific transitions from swing to stance and vice versa. While most MLIs in the left simplex were preferentially modulated by the reach endpoint of the front left paw, a large proportion of cells additionally showed activity variations related to other paws or even multiple paws. Stronger firing rate modulations reflected longer strides made over learning, consistent with previous reports highlighting the role of the intermediate cerebellum in controlling reach endpoint precision. Our results provide the first demonstration that cerebellar inhibitory signals are tuned to specific events in the step cycle which can act as a powerful mechanism for the precise control of paw placements.
Characterization of Differences of Seed Endophytic Microbiome in Conventional and Organic Rice by Amplicon-based Sequencing and Culturing Methods
Authors: Khanal Sabin , Imran Muhammad , Zhou Xin-Gen , Antony-Babu Sanjay 
Published: October 2023

ABSTRACTThe seed serves as the primary source of microbial inoculum for plant microbiota, playing a crucial role in establishing microbial populations in plants across subsequent generations, ultimately impacting plant growth and its overall health. Cropping conditions, especially farming practices, can influence the composition and functionality of the seed microbiome. Very little is known about the differences in seed microbiome between organic and conventional production systems. In this study, we characterized the endophytic microbial populations in seeds of rice grown under organic and conventional management practices through culture-dependent and independent analyses. The V4 region of 16S rRNA was used for bacterial taxa identification, and the ITS1 region was used in the identification of fungal taxa. Our results revealed significantly higher Shannon and Simpson indices for bacterial diversity in the conventional farming system whereas the fungal diversity was higher for observed, Shannon, and Simpson indices in the organic farming system. The cultivable endophytic bacteria were isolated and identified by the full-length 16S rRNA gene. There was no difference in culturable endophytic bacterial isolates in rice seeds grown under both conventional and organic farming systems. Among 33 unique isolates testedin vitro, three bacteriaBacillussp. ST24,Burkholderiasp. OR5, andPantoeasp. ST25, showed antagonistic activities againstMarasmius graminum, Rhizoctonia solaniAG4, andR. solaniAG11, the fungal pathogens causing rice seedling blight.IMPORTANCEIn this paper, we studied the differences in the endophytic microbial composition of rice seeds grown in conventional and organic farming systems. Our results demonstrate a greater bacterial diversity in conventional farming, while organic farming showcases a higher fungal diversity. Additionally, our research reveals the ability of seed bacterial endophytes to inhibit the growth of three fungal pathogens responsible for causing seedling blight in rice. This study provides valuable insights into the potential use of beneficial seed microbial endophytes for developing a novel microbiome-based strategy in the management rice diseases. Such an approach has the potential to enhance overall plant health and improve crop productivity.
Inhibition of Asparagine Synthetase Effectively Retards Polycystic Kidney Disease Progression
Authors: Podrini Christine , Clerici Sara , Tronci Laura , Stefanoni Davide , Canu Tamara , Chiaravalli Marco , Spies Daniel , Costa Ana S. H. , Esposito Antonio , D’Alessandro Angelo , Frezza Christian , Bachi Angela , Boletta Alessandra 
Published: October 2023

AbstractPolycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) is a genetic disorder characterized by bilateral cyst formation. We showed that PKD cells and kidneys display metabolic alterations, including the Warburg effect and glutaminolysis, sustainedin vitroby the enzyme asparagine synthetase (ASNS). Here, we used antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) againstAsnsin orthologous and slowly progressive PKD murine models and show that treatment leads to a drastic reduction of total kidney volume (measured by MRI) and a prominent rescue of renal function in the mouse. Mechanistically, the upregulation of an ATF4-ASNS axis in PKD is driven by the amino acid response (AAR) branch of the integrated stress response (ISR). Metabolic profiling of PKD or control kidneys treated withAsns-ASO orScr-ASO revealed major changes in the mutants, several of which are rescued byAsnssilencingin vivo. Indeed, ASNS drives glutamine-dependentde novopyrimidine synthesis and proliferation in cystic epithelia. Notably, while several metabolic pathways were completely corrected byAsns-ASO, glycolysis was only partially restored. Accordingly, combining the glycolytic inhibitor 2DG withAsns-ASO further improved efficacy. Our studies identify a new therapeutic target and novel metabolic vulnerabilities in PKD.
Cross-modal sensory compensation increases mosquito attraction to humans
Authors: Morita Takeshi , Lyn Nia G. , von Heynitz Ricarda K. , Goldman Olivia V. , Sorrells Trevor R. , DeGennaro Matthew , Matthews Benjamin J. , Houri-Zeevi Leah , Vosshall Leslie B. 
Published: October 2023

SUMMARYSensory compensation is a process that allows individuals with a loss of one sense, for instance hearing or vision, to adapt to changes in their sensory abilities. Where this phenomenon has been observed, there is enhanced perception by another sense to compensate for deficiency of the lost sense. Such compensation is important for humans and non-human animals that use multisensory integration for effective navigation and the execution of vital tasks. Among these, female mosquitoes are sensory specialists that rely heavily on integrating multiple human-emitted cues in their quest for a suitable host to obtain a blood meal. Here, we identify a previously undescribed mechanism of sensory compensation in femaleAedes aegyptimosquitoes. Mutant mosquitoes lacking the odorant receptor co-receptorOrcoshow specific enhancement in heat-seeking behavior. This s compensation does not require the antenna, which was previously assumed to be the primary mosquito thermosensitive organ. Instead, we found that the tips of the forelegs are required to detect heat, and that the heightened sensitivity in heat detection is mediated by increased neuronal activity in foreleg sensory neurons, which are distant from the head appendage neurons that expressOrco. By comparative gene expression analysis in wildtype andOrcomutant legs, we identifyIr140, a foreleg-enriched member of the Ionotropic Receptor (IR) superfamily of sensory receptors, as strongly upregulated inOrcomutant legs. Emphasizing the important role of IRs in thermosensation, we find that mutant mosquitoes lacking the IR co-receptor,Ir25a, lose all responses to heat, andIr140mutants show strong deficits in responding to human skin temperatures. We generated anIr140,Orcodouble mutant and show that these animals lose the remarkable sensory compensation seen inOrcomutants. This strongly suggests that upregulation ofIr140in the foreleg is the mechanism of sensory compensation inOrcomutants. Odorant receptor expression is sparse in legs, suggesting an indirect, long-range mechanism of sensory compensation. Our findings reveal a novel compensatory mechanism in which loss of one sensory modality in femaleAedes aegyptimosquitoes results in greater sensitivity in another to maintain the overall effectiveness of their host-seeking behavior, further enhancing their status as the most dangerous predator of humans.