bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of yeast-derived β-glucans in reducing the adverse outcome of Lawsonia intracellularis in finishing pigs
Authors: Rhayat Lamya , Even Gaël , Kiros Tadele G. , Kuhn Géraldine , Lebrun-Ruer Ségolène , Audebert Christophe , Schulthess Julie 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionChronic diarrhoea is one of the most recurrent health issues in pig herds. Among Q9 the causative agents of diarrhoea, Lawsonia intracellularis is quite frequent with worldwide distribution leading to detrimental economical losses, as a result of the poor growth rate of the infected pigs. A growing body of evidence has shown that branched yeast b-glucans are excellent inducers of innate immunity memory in humans and in pigs.MethodsIn this study, yeast branched b-glucans were evaluated as a potential solution to control infection by L. intracellularis in pigs by reducing the shedding of L. intracellularis in the faeces of infected animals. To address this hypothesis, naturally infected grow finishing pigs were divided into two treatment groups (n=80) and fed either with a basal diet (Control) or the same basal diet supplemented with 250 g/ton b-glucans (BG-fed group).ResultsOur results have shown that BG-supplemented pigs during the growing and finishing period had significantly increased body weight (BW) by 4.22 kg on average on day 97 and ADG up to 5.6% over the whole experiment (p&lt;5.0 x 10-2) with no significant increase in ADFI. Similarly, supplementation of pigs with BG during the grow-finish phase has significantly reduced (p&lt;4.0x10-4) faecal shedding of the bacteria in infected pigs on day 97. Furthermore, our results indicate that microbial a-diversity was negatively correlated with the presence of L. intracellularis. Animals fed with yeast BG show a reduction of the two genera Sarcina and Catenibacterium and a deeper analysis indicated that the ratio of Fibrobacter to Lacnospiraceae_AC2044 group could be a potential marker for L. Intracellularis susceptibility.ConclusionThis study demonstrated the beneficial effect of adding branched yeast BG in the diet of grow-finish pigs in reducing the dissemination of L. intracellularis between pigs in a given herd.
Association between gut microbiota and NAFLD/NASH: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Zhai Qilong , Wu Hongyu , Zheng Siyuan , Zhong Tao , Du Changjie , Yuan Jiajun , Peng Jialun , Cai Can , Li Jinzheng 
Published: December 2023

BackgroundRecent studies have suggested a relationship between gut microbiota and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). However, the nature and direction of this potential causal relationship are still unclear. This study used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to clarify the potential causal links.MethodsSummary-level Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) statistical data for gut microbiota and NAFLD/NASH were obtained from MiBioGen and FinnGen respectively. The MR analyses were performed mainly using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, with sensitivity analyses conducted to verify the robustness. Additionally, reverse MR analyses were performed to examine any potential reverse causal associations.ResultsOur analysis, primarily based on the IVW method, strongly supports the existence of causal relationships between four microbial taxa and NAFLD, and four taxa with NASH. Specifically, associations were observed between Enterobacteriales (P =0.04), Enterobacteriaceae (P =0.04), Lachnospiraceae UCG-004 (P =0.02), and Prevotella9 (P =0.04) and increased risk of NAFLD. Dorea (P =0.03) and Veillonella (P =0.04) could increase the risks of NASH while Oscillospira (P =0.04) and Ruminococcaceae UCG-013 (P=0.005) could decrease them. We also identified that NAFLD was found to potentially cause an increased abundance in Holdemania (P =0.007) and Ruminococcus2 (P =0.002). However, we found no evidence of reverse causation in the microbial taxa associations with NASH.ConclusionThis study identified several specific gut microbiota that are causally related to NAFLD and NASH. Observations herein may provide promising theoretical groundwork for potential prevention and treatment strategies for NAFLD and its progression to NASH in future.
Global research status analysis of the association between aortic aneurysm and inflammation: a bibliometric analysis from 1999 to 2023
Authors: Wang Qiuguo , Chen Guihuan , Qi Zhen , Zeng Yifan , Tan Ling , Tang Hao 
Published: December 2023

BackgroundAortic aneurysm is a chronic arterial disease that can lead to aortic rupture, causing severe complications and life-threatening risks for patients, and it is one of the common causes of death among the elderly. Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in the progression of aortic aneurysm. However, there is a lack of literature-based quantitative analysis in this field.MethodsUp to March 30, 2023, we collected 3,993 articles related to aortic aneurysm and inflammation from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database for bibliometric analysis. The collected literature data were subjected to visual analysis of regional distribution, institutions, authors, keywords, and other information using tools such as CiteSpace, VOSviewer, the R package “bibliometric,” and online platforms.ResultsThe number of publications in this research field has been steadily increasing each year, with the United States and China being the main contributing countries. Harvard University in the United States emerged as the most active and influential research institution in this field. Jonathan Golledge and Peter Libby were identified as the authors with the highest publication output and academic impact, respectively. Researchers in this field tend to publish their findings in influential journals such as the Journal of Vascular Surgery and Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology. “Abdominal aortic aneurysm,” “giant cell arteritis,” “arterial stiffness,” and “smooth muscle cells” were identified as the hottest topics in the field of aortic aneurysm and inflammation. In terms of keyword co-occurrence analysis, “Clinical relevant studies of AA“ (red), “Inflammatory activation” (green), “Inflammatory mechanisms related to pathogenesis” (dark blue), “Cytokines” (yellow), “Risk factors” (purple), and “Pathological changes in vascular wall” (cyan) formed the major research framework in this field. “Inflammation-related pathogenesis” and “inflammation activation” have emerged as recent hot research directions, with “monocytes,” “progression,” and “proliferation” being the prominent topics.ConclusionThis study provides a comprehensive analysis of the knowledge network framework and research hotspots in the field of aortic aneurysm and inflammation through a literature-based quantitative approach. It offers valuable insights to guide scholars in identifying meaningful research directions in this field.
Emergency frequency control strategy of distribution system based on the coordination of multi-resource
Authors: Shen Zeyuan , Wang Chao , Wang Yao , Zhao Haibo , Wu Zhong , Hu Ende 
Published: December 2023

Introduction: The urban distribution system plays a crucial role in efficient power distribution within urban areas. The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme events in recent years pose significant challenges to the reliable operation of urban distribution systems. While extensive research focuses on emergency frequency control strategies for large-scale power grids, there is a need for targeted attention to address the emergency frequency control challenges arising when the urban distribution system becomes isolated from the superior power grid due to extreme events.Methods: This paper aims to enhance the system's resilience to extreme events by investigating the coordinated regulation of various resources within the urban distribution system. The studied resources include synchronous generators, wind farms, battery energy storage systems, temperature control loads, and conventional load resources. A reduced-order model for the multi-resource system’s frequency response is established. Analytical expressions for key parameters, including the lowest system frequency, lowest point time, and quasi-steady state frequency, are derived.Results: To address the challenge of multi-resource coordinated regulation, an emergency frequency control strategy is proposed. This strategy takes into account the system safety frequency constraint, resource control amount constraint, and line power flow constraint. Simulations are conducted using the MATLAB/Simulink platform, considering IEEE 13 bus and IEEE 33 bus distribution systems as test cases.Discussion: Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in regulating the distribution system's resources, ensuring that the lowest frequency remains within the safety threshold of 49.8 Hz. Moreover, the proposed method minimizes control costs and limits load shedding, thereby fully leveraging the capabilities of diverse resources in the urban distribution system. This research contributes valuable insights into addressing emergency frequency control challenges in urban distribution systems during extreme events.
Effects of liquid water on transport in the catalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Authors: Min Ting , Zhou Qiang 
Published: December 2023

Catalyst layers (CLs) of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) where the electrochemical reactions take place have a critical effect on the cell performance and liquid water forming in CLs during operation can influence the reactive transport processes which is challenge for experimental observation due to the temporal and spatial limitation. In this study, nanoscale structures of CLs in PEMFCs are reconstructed with pores, carbon, platinum (Pt) particles, and ionomers fully resolved. Distributions of liquid water with different saturations and wettabilities within nanoscale structures are simulated by the lattice Boltzmann method. Pore-scale modeling of oxygen reactive transport in the nanoscale structures is implemented, with oxygen diffusion in pores and ionomers, as well as an electrochemical reaction at the Pt surface considered. Effects of liquid water on the pore size distribution, electrochemical area, and oxygen concentration distribution are discussed. Liquid water in hydrophilic CL tends to form a film covering the reactive sites, while that in hydrophobic CL forms a droplet preferentially occupying large pores. For the hydrophilic case, local transport resistance increases significantly under a low saturation, while for the hydrophobic case, a remarkable increase in the local transport resistance can only be found after liquid water saturation higher than 0.8. Finally, the conjecture that liquid water in pores with a size smaller than a threshold pore size can conduct protons is considered. Different values of the threshold pore size are studied. The results show that when the threshold value is greater than 10 nm, the local transport resistance will decrease as the liquid water saturation increases, which means the optimizing strategy of CL needs to carefully consider the effects of liquid water.
How does land use change affect the methane emission of soil in the Eastern Amazon?
Authors: Lage Filho Nauara Moura , Cardoso Abmael da Silva , Azevedo Jorge Cardoso de , Macedo Vitor Hugo Maués , Domingues Felipe Nogueira , Faturi Cristian , Silva Thiago Carvalho da , Ruggieri Ana Cláudia , Reis Ricardo Andrade , do Rêgo Aníbal Coutinho 
Published: December 2023

Methane emissions (CH4) from the soil increase according to changes made in forest soils and adverse edaphoclimatic factors. Soil temperature and nutrients will impact the activity of microorganisms, depending on land use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impacts of land use, temperature, and nitrogen application on CH4 emissions from soils within the Amazon region. Three experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design. Each experiment consisted of five replicates to measure CH4 emissions. The variables examined in these experiments were: 1) three distinct land uses (forest, pasture, or agriculture; 2) soil temperatures (25, 30, 35, or 40°C); and 3) input of nitrogen to the soil (0, 90, 180, or 270 kg of N ha−1). In this study, the highest emissions occurred in pasture soils, with values of 470 μg of CH4 g−1 of dry soil, while forest and agricultural soils suffer the effects of CH4 oxidation. Temperature is a factor that contributes to CH4 emissions, and temperatures above 30°C tended to reduce gas emissions in the systems studied, since the highest emission was observed in pasture soil kept at 25°C (∼1,130 μg of CH4 g−1 of dry soil). Nitrogen fertilization in pasture soils reduces CH4 emitted nearly 140% as the dose increased. As a result, the pasture soils tended to emit higher concentrations of CH4 into the atmosphere. However, reducing these emissions from the pasture management employed is possible.
Regulation of CD47 expression on CD14+ monocytes by interferon-α in PBC patients
Authors: Su Xi , Jin Wenwen , Liu Lizhi , Zhu Zifei , Li Cunyan 
Published: December 2023

BackgroundPrimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic intrahepatic cholestatic autoimmune liver disease characterized by inflammatory injury of small and medium-sized bile ducts in the liver. The pathogenesis of PBC has yet to be entirely understood. CD47/signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα) is closely related to developing autoimmune diseases by promoting inflammatory response. However, the effect of CD47/SIRPα on inflammatory response in PBC patients is still unclear.ObjectiveWe investigated the expression of CD47/SIRPα and the effect of inflammatory cytokines on the CD47 expression, analyzed potential autoantibodies against CD47 and the effect of anti-CD47 antibody on the inflammatory response in PBC, provided laboratory basis for the study of the pathogenesis and targets for non-invasive diagnosis and treatment on PBC.MethodsThe expression levels of CD47 and SIRPα on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were measured in 14 patients with PBC (the PBC group) and 13 healthy subjects (the Control group) by flow cytometry (FCM). The PBMC derived from healthy subjects were stimulated with healthy subjects’ serum, PBC patients’ serum, IFN-α or TNF-α, and the CD47 expression level on CD14+ monocytes was detected by FCM. The level of serum anti-CD47 antibody or IFN-α in PBC patients and healthy subjects was analyzed by ELISA. FCM was used to examine the TNF-α expression level in CD14+ monocytes of healthy subjects stimulated with isotype control antibody, anti-CD47 antibody, LPS or LPS combined with CD47 antibody.ResultsThe CD47 expression level on the CD14+ monocytes in PBC patients was statistically higher than that in the Control group (P&lt;0.01). Compared with the Control group (PBMC+healthy serum), the CD47 expression on CD14+ monocyte stimulated with the PBC patients’ serum (PBMC+PBC patients’ serum) was increased (P&lt;0.001); the CD47 expression on CD14+ monocyte stimulated with IFN-α (PBMC + IFN-α) increased gradually with the increased concentration of IFN-α (P&lt;0.05). However, there was no similar trend on CD14+ monocyte stimulated with the TNF-α (PBMC+TNF-α) (P&gt;0.05). The levels of serum anti-CD47 antibody and IFN-α in the PBC patients were higher than those in healthy subjects (P&lt;0.05). The TNF-α expression level in CD14+ monocyte stimulated with the LPS (PBMC+LPS) or anti-CD47 antibody+LPS group (PBMC+LPS+anti-CD47 antibody) was significantly increased than that in the Control group (PBMC+isotype control antibody) (P&lt;0.01 and P&lt;0.001, respectively). The TNF-α expression level in CD14+ monocyte stimulated with the anti-CD47 antibody + LPS was higher than that with the LPS (P&lt; 0.05).ConclusionThe CD47 may be related to the pathogenesis of PBC by inflammatory response. The CD47/SIRPα signal were imbalanced in PBC patients. The presence of serum anti-CD47 antibodies in PBC patients provides a laboratory basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Comparative analysis of monocyte-derived dendritic cell phenotype and T cell stimulatory function in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure with different clinical parameters
Authors: Wu Zhipeng , Shi Hongbo , Zhang Lei , Shi Honglin , Miao Xingzhong , Chen Liangjuan , Chen Yu , Ma Yingmin 
Published: December 2023

BackgroundAcute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF) patients experience systemic inflammation as well as immune dysfunction and exhaustion. The phenotype and functionality of monocyte-derived dendritic cells in ACLF patients with different clinical parameters have not been elucidated.MethodsThis study included 37 cases of ACLF, 20 cases of Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and 12 healthy controls. Demographic and laboratory parameters were collected from the enrolled patients. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from the participants. Monocyte-derived dendritic cells were induced and cultured, followed by co-culturing with T cells from the patients. Cell surface markers and intracellular markers were analyzed using flow cytometry. The relationship between these markers and clinical parameters was compared.ResultsOur study found that ACLF patients had lower expression levels of HLA-DR, CD86, and CD54 on monocyte-derived dendritic cells compared to both CHB patients and healthy controls. IL-4, GM-CSF, and alcohol were found to promote the expression of HLA-DR, CD86, and CD54 on monocyte-derived dendritic cells. In ACLF patients, higher levels of procalcitonin (PCT), lower levels of albumin, decreased prothrombin activity and deceased patients were associated with lower expression of HLA-DR, CD86, and CD54 on monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), after removing adherent cells, were co-cultured with monocyte-derived DC. Our study revealed that patients with infection and low albumin levels exhibited a decreased proportion of T cell subsets within PBMCs. Additionally, these patients’ T cells showed lower levels of Ki-67 and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production.ConclusionACLF patients exhibit varying clinical states, with differences in the phenotype and the ability of monocyte-derived dendritic cells to stimulate T cells. Alcohol can stimulate the maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.
Immune and oxidative stress disorder in ovulation-dysfunction women revealed by single-cell transcriptome
Authors: Qi Lingbin , Li Yumei , Zhang Lina , Li Shuyue , Zhang Xunyi , Li Wanqiong , Qin Jiaying , Chen Xian , Ji Yazhong , Xue Zhigang , Lv Bo 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionOvulation dysfunction is now a widespread cause of infertility around the world. Although the impact of immune cells in human reproduction has been widely investigated, systematic understanding of the changes of the immune atlas under female ovulation remain less understood.MethodsHere, we generated single cell transcriptomic profiles of 80,689 PBMCs in three representative statuses of ovulation dysfunction, i.e., polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) and menopause (MENO), and identified totally 7 major cell types and 25 subsets of cells.ResultsOur study revealed distinct cluster distributions of immune cells among individuals of ovulation disorders and health. In patients with ovulation dysfunction, we observed a significant reduction in populations of naïve CD8 T cells and effector memory CD4 T cells, whereas circulating NK cells and regulatory NK cells increased.DiscussionOur results highlight the significant contribution of cDC-mediated signaling pathways to the overall inflammatory response within ovulation disorders. Furthermore, our data demonstrated a significant upregulation of oxidative stress in patients with ovulation disorder. Overall, our study gave a deeper insight into the mechanism of PCOS, POI, and menopause, which may contribute to the better diagnosis and treatments of these ovulatory disorder.
A deep learning approach for object detection of rockfish in challenging underwater environments
Authors: Liu Mingxin , Jiang Wencheng , Hou Mingxin , Qi Zihua , Li Ruixin , Zhang Chun 
Published: December 2023

IntroductionPreserving the marine ecological environment and safeguarding marine species is a global priority. However, human overfishing has led to a drastic decline in fish species with longer growth cycles, disrupting the equilibrium of the marine ecosystem. To address this issue, researchers are turning to deep learning techniques and state-of-the-art underwater devices, such as underwater robots, to explore the aquatic environment and monitor the activities of endangered populations. This approach has emerged as a focal point of recent research in protecting the marine ecological environment. This study employs a deep learning-based object detection algorithm to identify fish species in complex underwater environments.MethodsThe algorithm is built upon the You Only Look Once version 7(YOLOv7) algorithm, with the addition of the attention mechanism Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) in the network’s backbone. CBAM enhances the feature maps through the fusion of spatial attention and channel attention, ultimately improving the robustness and accuracy of the model’s inference by replacing the original loss function CIoU with SCYLLAIntersection over Union(SIoU). In this paper, the rockfish pictures in the dataset Label Fishes in the Wild published by the National Marine Fisheries Service are selected, and the underwater image enhancement model (UWCNN) is introduced to process the pictures.ResultThe experimental results show that the mean average precision (mAP) value of the improved model on the test set is 94.4%, which is 3.5% higher than the original YOLOv7 model, and the precision and recall rate are 99.1% and 99%, respectively. The detection performance of the algorithm in the field of complex underwater environment is improved.DiscussionThe underwater fish detection scheme proposed in this study holds significant practical value and significance in promoting the conservation of marine ecosystems and the protection of fish species.
Recommendations for the individualised management of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome in adults
Authors: Ávila Ana , Cao Mercedes , Espinosa Mario , Manrique Joaquín , Morales Enrique 
Published: December 2023

BackgroundDespite significant advances in therapeutic management of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), guidelines are not timely updated and achieving a consensus on management recommendations remains a topic of ongoing discussion.MethodsA Scientific Committee with five experts was set up. A literature review was conducted and publications addressing the classification of aHUS, patient profiles and therapeutic approach were selected. Recommendations were proposed at an initial meeting, evaluated through an online questionnaire and validated during a second meeting.ResultsPatients with confirmed or clear suspicion of aHUS should be treated with C5 inhibitors within 24 h of the diagnosis or suspicion of aHUS. Treatment monitoring and the decision to interrupt treatment should be individualised according to the risk of relapse and each patient’s evolution. aHUS with a genetic variant or associated with pregnancy should be treated for at least 6–12 months; de novo aHUS associated with kidney transplant until renal function is recovered and genetic variants are ruled out; aHUS associated with malignant hypertension until genetic variants are ruled out; aHUS associated with non-kidney transplant, autoimmune diseases, infection-or drug-induced until the thrombotic microangiopathy is resolved. Patients with a high risk of relapse should be treated for longer than 6–12 months.ConclusionThese recommendations provides physicians who are not familiar with the disease with recommendations for the management of aHUS in adults. The experts who participated advocate early treatment, maintenance for at least 6–12 months and treatment interruption guided by genetic background, trigger factors, risk of relapse and evolution.