bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Examining Risk Factors Related to Cardiac Rehabilitation Cessation Among Advanced Heart Failure Patients
Authors: Sidhu Sharnendra K. , Kadosh Bernard S. , Haas François , Tang Ying , Sweeney Greg , Pierre Alicia , Whiteson Jonathan , Katz Edward , Reyentovich Alex , Dodson John A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundCardiac rehabilitation (CR) has shown benefits in heart transplant and left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients, but variable patterns of attendance remain poorly understood. We therefore aimed to describe CR adherence and factors associated with cessation in this population.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of heart transplant and LVAD recipients who attended at least one CR session at a tertiary medical center (2013-2022). Complete adherence was defined as attending all 36 CR sessions. Primary reasons for cessation prior to 36 sessions were recorded. We compared post-operative complications and length of stay (following heart transplant or LVAD) between participants with and without complete adherence using logistic regression. In a subgroup analysis of participants with complete adherence, we compared changes in METs, exercise time, and peak VO2using paired-sample t tests.ResultsThere were 137 heart transplant and LVAD recipients (median age 56.9 years, 73.7% male) who attended CR. Ninety-one percent either completed all 36 CR sessions or fewer than 24 sessions. Among those without complete adherence (n=74), 71.6% reported medical reasons and 15.0% reported personal reasons for cessation. Participants without complete adherence experienced more post-operative complications (43.9% vs 34.4%, p = 0.02) and major bleeding (22.7% vs 15.2%, p = 0.02) prior to enrolling in CR, but there were no other significant differences between groups. Participants with complete adherence experienced significant improvements in exercise time (160.9 seconds), METs (0.8), and peak VO2(1.5 mL/kg per min).ConclusionsAmong heart transplant and LVAD recipients, there was a bimodal distribution of CR attendance; nearly half completed all 36 sessions. Among those with complete adherence, there were significant improvements in exercise measures, underscoring the important benefits of CR in this population.
Machine Learning-Based Hyperglycemia Prediction: Enhancing Risk Assessment in a Cohort of Undiagnosed Individuals
Authors: Oyebola Kolapo , Ligali Funmilayo , Owoloye Afolabi , Erinwusi Blessing , Alo Yetunde , Musa Adesola , Aina Oluwagbemiga , Salako Babatunde 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs) continue to pose a significant health challenge globally, with hyperglycemia serving as a prominent indicator of potential diabetes. This study employed machine learning algorithms to predict hyperglycemia in a cohort of asymptomatic individuals and unraveled crucial predictors contributing to early risk identification.MethodsThis dataset included an extensive array of clinical and demographic data obtained from 195 asymptomatic adults residing in a suburban community in Nigeria. The study conducted a thorough comparison of multiple machine learning algorithms to ascertain the most effective model for predicting hyperglycemia. Moreover, we explored feature importance to pinpoint correlates of high blood glucose levels within the cohort.ResultsElevated blood pressure and prehypertension were recorded in 8 (4%) and 18 (9%) individuals respectively. Forty-one (21%) individuals presented with hypertension (HTN), of which 34/41 (82.9%) were females. However, cohort-based gender adjustment showed that 34/118 (28.81%) females and 7/77 (9.02%) males were hypertensive. Age-based analysis revealed an inverse relationship between normotension and age (r = -0.88; P < 0.05). Conversely HTN increased with age (r = 0.53; P < 0.05), peaking between 50-59 years. Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) and isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH) were recorded in 16/195 (8.21%) and 15/195 (7.69%) individuals respectively, with females recording higher prevalence of ISH 11/16 (68.75%) while males reported a higher prevalence of IDH 11/15 (73.33%). Following class rebalancing, random forest classifier gave the best performance (Accuracy Score = 0.894; receiver operating characteristic-area under the curve (ROC-AUC) score = 0.893; F1 Score = 0.894) of the 27 model classifiers. The feature selection model identified uric acid and age as pivotal variables associated with hyperglycemia.ConclusionsRandom Forest classifier identified significant clinical correlates associated with hyperglycemia, offering valuable insights for early detection of diabetes and informing the design and deployment of therapeutic interventions. However, to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of each feature’s contribution to blood glucose levels, modeling additional relevant clinical features in larger datasets could be beneficial.
More than expected: extracellular waveforms and functional responses in monkey LGN
Authors: Sun Shi Hai , Killian Nathaniel J. , Pezaris John S. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractUnlike the exhaustive determination of cell types in the retina, key populations in the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (LGN) may have been missed. Here, we have begun to characterize the full range of extracellular neuronal responses in the LGN of awake monkeys using multi-electrodes during the presentation of colored noise visual stimuli to identify any previously overlooked signals. Extracellular spike waveforms of single units were classified into seven distinct classes, revealing previously unrecognized diversity: four negative-dominant classes that were narrow or broad, one triphasic class, and two positive-dominant classes. Based on their mapped receptive field (RF), these units were further categorized into either magnocellular (M), parvocellular (P), koniocellular (K), or non-RF (N). We found correlations between spike shape and mapped RF and response characteristics, with negative and narrow spiking waveform units predominantly associated withPandNRFs, and positive waveforms mostly linked toMRFs. Responses from positive waveforms exhibited shorter latencies, larger RF sizes, and were associated with larger eccentricities in the visual field than the other waveform classes. Additionally,Ncells, those without an estimated RF, were consistently responsive to the visually presented mapping stimulus at a lower and more sustained rate than units with an RF. These findings suggest that the LGN cell population may be more diverse than previously believed.Significance statementThis study uncovers evidence for an intricate diversity of neuronal responses within the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), challenging conventional classifications and revealing previously overlooked populations. By characterizing extracellular spike waveforms and revising receptive field classifications, we provide novel insights into LGN function. Our findings have significant implications for understanding early visual processing mechanisms and interpreting extracellular signals in neural circuits. Furthermore, we identify non-receptive field units, prompting exploration into their functional roles and broader implications for visual and non-visual computations. This study not only advances our understanding of LGN organization but also highlights the importance of considering recording biases in electrophysiological studies. Overall, our work opens new avenues for interdisciplinary research and contributes to advancing our knowledge of neural dynamics in the visual system.
Discovery of a novel MarR-type transcriptional regulator that controls cell death inBacillus subtilisbiofilms
Authors: McClennen Gillian , Angelini Leticia Lima , Fox Gabriel , Godoy-Carter Veronica , Chai Yunrong 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPulcherriminic acid (PA) is a cyclic-L-leu-L-leu di-peptide produced byBacillus subtilisduring biofilm formation. When secreted, PA strongly chelates extracellular iron and forms a reddish- brown pigment, pulcherrimin. Production of pulcherriminic acid and formation of pulcherrimin modulate iron homeostasis inB. subtilis. Pulcherriminic acid also functions as an antioxidant to protect cells from increasing oxidative stress during biofilm formation. We previously showed that PA is involved in gene regulation, differentially regulating hundreds of genes inB. subtilis. One of the strongly upregulated genes by PA isyhjH, encoding a putative MarR-type transcription repressor. In this study, we characterized the regulation of theyhjHgene by PA, by PchR, a known transcription repressor for PA biosynthesis, and by YhjH itself. We also found that high expression ofyhjHtriggers rapid cell lysis inB. subtilis. Results from RNA-seq suggest that YhjH differentially regulates about 180 genes, among which there is a significant number of prophage genes. Lastly, we propose that YhjH be re-named as PcdR, for “pulcherriminic acidcelldeathregulator”.
Neural patterns associated with mixed valence feelings differ in consistency and predictability throughout the brain
Authors: Vaccaro Anthony G. , Wu Helen , Iyer Rishab , Shakthivel Shruti , Christie Nina C. , Damasio Antonio , Kaplan Jonas 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMixed valence feelings, defined by the simultaneous presence of positive and negative affect, remain understudied in neuroscience. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate subjects watching an animated short film known to induce mixed feelings. These same subjects were asked to identify the time periods during which they had experienced positive, negative, and mixed feelings. Using Hidden-Markov models, we found that activity in the insula, amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and anterior cingulate allowed us to predict the onset of new feeling states as determined by individual self-report. Further analyses found spatiotemporally unique and consistent neural patterns in the insular cortex for univalent states, but not for mixed valence states. However, ventromedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate exhibited unique neural consistency for both univalent and mixed valence states. This study is the first to reveal direct evidence for a neurally consistent representation of mixed feelings in the central nervous system.
scNODE : Generative Model for Temporal Single Cell Transcriptomic Data Prediction
Authors: Zhang Jiaqi , Larschan Erica , Bigness Jeremy , Singh Ritambhara 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMeasurement of single-cell gene expression at different timepoints enables the study of cell development. However, due to the resource constraints and technical challenges associated with the single-cell experiments, researchers can only profile gene expression at discrete and sparsely-sampled timepoints. This missing timepoint information impedes downstream cell developmental analyses. We proposescNODE, an end-to-end deep learning model that can predictin silicosingle-cell gene expression at unobserved timepoints.scNODEintegrates a variational autoencoder (VAE) with neural ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to predict gene expression using a continuous and non-linear latent space. Importantly, we incorporate a dynamic regularization term to learn a latent space that is robust against distribution shifts when predicting single-cell gene expression at unobserved timepoints. Our evaluations on three real-world scRNA-seq datasets show thatscNODEachieves higher predictive performance than state-of-the-art methods. We further demonstrate thatscNODE’s predictions help cell trajectory inference under the missing timepoint paradigm and the learned latent space is useful forin silicoperturbation analysis of relevant genes along a developmental cell path. The data and code are publicly available athttps://github.com/rsinghlab/scNODE.
Multi-level framework to assess social variation in response to ecological and social factors: modeled with coral gobies
Authors: Froehlich Catheline Y.M. , Heatwole Siobhan J. , Klanten O. Selma , Hing Martin L. , Hildebrandt Courtney A. , Smith Jemma O. , Wong Marian Y.L. 
Published: November 2023

1.AbstractUnderstanding variation in social organization that does not have a strong phylogenetic signal represents a key focus of research in behavioural and evolutionary ecology. In light of this, we established a sociality framework that identifies four categories of variation in social organisation that range from large-scale to fine-scale and can each be related to various ecological factors: (1) forms of sociality, (2) degree of sociality, (3) social plasticity, and (4) within-group plasticity. We modelled this framework by quantifying the four categories of variation over time, space and disturbance regime using multiple species of coral-dwelling gobies from the genusGobiodon. Gobies are a particularly interesting model system as they vary in social structure, have within-group cooperation and form mutualistic relationships with their coral hosts which are vulnerable to climatic disturbances. We found that gobies varied in forms of sociality – from being solitary, to paired or group-living depending on location and disturbance regime. Only low or moderate degrees of sociality were observed in gobies, and this was influenced by location or disturbance regime depending on species. Gobies were more often solitary or pair-forming than group-forming (which became extremely rare) in a high disturbance regime whereas they were more often found in groups in a moderate disturbance regime. The size of coral hosts affected the social plasticity of gobies, and corals were smaller due to climatic disturbances. Gobies did not exhibit within-group social plasticity, as there were no changes to the structure of size-based hierarchies or sex allocation patterns with location or disturbance regime. Lastly, by combining the four categories of variation, we find that there is a high loss of sociality in coral-dwelling gobies due environmental disturbances, which likely affects overall goby survival as living in groups can improve survival and fitness. By using our structured framework, we identified which categories of social variation were influenced by ecological factors like location and disturbance. This framework therefore provides an excellent tool for predicting future responses of animal societies to environmental stressors.
The extinction crisis of the world’s amphibians is easing rapidly
Authors: van de Pol Martijn 
Published: November 2023

SummaryA recent paper (Nature622, 308–14)1analysed changes in the extinction risk of 7,102 amphibian species from 1980 to 2004 to 2022 using the Red List Index2,3(RLI) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It concluded that the global amphibian extinction crisis has not abated. However, this conclusion appears too pessimistic and not supported by the data. Rather, it is a result of intrinsic limitations of the RLI. These limitations have implications well beyond amphibians, as the RLI is used worldwide for policy, for example as a headline indicator for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework4.
Organ-on-a-Chip Fabrication using Dynamic Photomask
Authors: Ching Terry , Chang Shu-Yung , Toh Yi-Chin , Hashimoto Michinao 
Published: November 2023

AbstractOrgan-on-a-chip (OoC) technology is a powerful tool for creating physiologically relevant microscale models applicable to biomedical studies. Despite the advances in OoC technology, its fabrication method still primarily relies on soft lithography, which (1) lacks the adaptability to accommodate dynamic cell culture (e.g., spheroids and organoid culture) and (2) has a long design-to-prototype cycle that lowers its manufacturability. To overcome these challenges, we developed a system to fabricate OoC (consisting of microchannels and multiple cell types in a well-defined spatial arrangement) dynamically using a digital photomask aligned with a microchamber. Our approach used a pre-defined microfluidic chamber customized by xurography and cell-laden microfluidic channels photopatterned by a digital photomask; the entire design-to-prototype cycle was achieved within two hours. The versatility of our approach offered previously unattainable crucial features in the fabrication of OoC, including a gradual change in the height of the microchannels, and real-time modification of channel designs to trap live tissues (e.g., spheroids). In summary, this work highlights a versatile system to fabricate OoC that can accommodate various design requirements of microenvironments of specific organ tissues. We envision the effectiveness of our system for the rapid fabrication of OoC to contribute to the wide adoption of the technology for therapeutic screening and elucidation of disease mechanisms in both academic and industrial settings.
Long chain omega-3 fatty acid intake in pregnancy and risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring: Two large Scandinavian pregnancy cohorts – MoBa and DNBC
Authors: Lund-Blix Nicolai A. , Bjerregaard Anne A. , Tapia German , Størdal Ketil , Brantsæter Anne Lise , Strøm Marin , Halldorsson Thorhallur I. , Granstrøm Charlotta , Svensson Jannet , Joner Geir , Skrivarhaug Torild , Njølstad Pål R. , Olsen Sjurdur F. , Stene Lars C. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundLong-chain marine omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid; EPA and docosahexaenoic acid; DHA) have anti-inflammatory effects. Dietary intake of EPA and DHA in pregnancy was associated with lower offspring risk of asthma in a randomized trial, and lower risk of type 1 diabetes in the offspring in retrospective observational studies.AimWe aimed to investigate whether higher intakes of EPA and DHA during pregnancy is associated with a lower type 1 diabetes risk in children in two of the world’s largest birth cohorts.MethodsThe Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC) and the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) together include 153,843 mother-child pairs with prospectively collected data on EPA and DHA intake during pregnancy using validated food frequency questionnaires. Type 1 diabetes diagnosis in children (n=634) was ascertained from national diabetes registries.ResultsThere was no association between the sum of EPA and DHA intake during pregnancy and offspring risk of type 1 diabetes (hazard ratio per g/d of intake: 1.00 in both MoBa and DNBC, pooled 95% CI: 0.88-1.14). Adjustment for potential cofounders and robustness analyses gave very similar results.ConclusionThe hypothesis that a higher maternal omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy reduce the risk of offspring type 1 diabetes was not supported.
Associations between Social Contact, Sleep and Dietary Patterns Among Children: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mühlematter Christophe , Beaugrand Matthieu , Markovic Andjela , Kurth Salome 
Published: November 2023

AbstractSocial isolation in adults can be associated with altered sleep and eating behavior. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between the extent of social contact, eating behavior and sleep in infants and preschool children. In an observational study, 439 caregivers of 562 children aged 0-6 years provided information on sleep (i.e., duration, latency, bedtimes and nighttime awakenings), eating behaviors (i.e., meal size, consumption of sweet snacks, salty snacks, fruits and vegetables) and social contact (i.e., quarantine status, household size, social activities) during the Covid-19 pandemic (April 2020). In infants (0-3 years), the change in meal size and consumption of snacks, fruits, and vegetables did not significantly relate to the extent of social contact. For preschool children (3-6 years), a trend was observed, suggesting that quarantine status was associated with increased meal size. Changes in sleep duration, sleep latency, bedtimes and nighttime awakenings from before to during the pandemic were not significantly linked to the 3 variables quantifying social contact in both age groups. The study highlights that, contrary to expectations, the extent of social contact has negligible associations with infants’ and preschool children’s sleep and eating behaviors. These findings indicate that other factors beyond social isolation play a role in shaping children’s eating habits and sleep patterns.
Genetic studies of gestational diabetes mellitus in 21,813 Chinese women
Authors: Zhu Huanhuan , Xiao Han , Li Linxuan , Yang Meng , Cai Mingzhi , Zhou Jieqiong , Zeng Jingyu , Zhou Yan , Lan Xianmei , Liu Jiuying , Qian Xiaobo , Zhong Yuanyuan , Liu Panhong , Zhang Xinyi , Lin Ying , Cao Zhongqiang , Mei Hong , Cai Xiaonan , Hu Liqin , Zhou Rui , Xu Xun , Yang Huanming , Wang Jian , Jin Xin , Zhou Aifen 
Published: November 2023

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy with adverse effects on both mothers and fetuses. The relationship between GDM and clinical information has been largely investigated; however, the role of laboratory features and genetic components in GDM are relatively understudied, especially in the Chinese population. In this study, we recruited 21,813 pregnant Chinese women and investigated the risk factors for GDM from both environmental and genetic aspects. In addition to the serum fasting glucose and urine glucose measured in the first trimester, our study revealed the close relations of γ-glutamyl transferase, prealbumin, and uric acid to GDM. The GWAS and subsequent conditional & joint association analysis identified four genome-wide significant SNPs, rs35261542, rs4712530, rs3781637, and rs12225378, mapped onCDKAL1andMTNR1B. The allele frequencies of the latter three SNPs showed substantial differences in European and East Asian populations. The ancient DNA analysis demonstrated that mutation of rs3781637 was originally appeared in an ancient Chinese in the Holocene period. This result might provide useful reference for explaining the distinct genetic background of GDM in different populations. Considering both clinical measurements and genetic components, we constructed an early prediction model for GDM by using only a dozen indicators and achieved acceptable prediction performance. We believe that our study will certainly become an important reference for the genetic study of GDM and will have important implications for elucidating the genetic mechanisms of GDM.
Primate origins of human event cognition
Authors: Wilson Vanessa A. D. , Sauppe Sebastian , Brocard Sarah , Ringen Erik , Daum Moritz M. , Wermelinger Stephanie , Gu Nianlong , Andrews Caroline , Isasi-Isasmendi Arrate , Bickel Balthasar , Zuberbühler Klaus 
Published: November 2023

AbstractHuman language relies on a rich cognitive machinery, partially shared with other animals. One key mechanism, decomposing events into causally-linked agent-patient roles, however, has remained elusive with no known animal equivalent. In humans, agent-patient relations in event cognition drive how languages are processed neurally and expressions structured syntactically. We compared visual event tracking between humans and great apes, using stimuli that would elicit causal processing in humans. After accounting for attention to background information, we found similar gaze patterns to agent-patient relations in all species, mostly alternating attention to agents and patients, presumably in order to learn the nature of the event, and occasionally privileging agents under specific conditions. Six-month-old infants, in contrast, did not follow agent-patient relations and attended mostly to background information. We conclude that event role tracking, a cognitive foundation of syntax, evolved long before language but requires time and experience to become ontogenetically available.Significance statementHuman adults and great apes, but not human infants, track natural events as agent-patient relations, a cognitive foundation for syntax.