bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polystyrene microplastics exposure induces growth toxicity and disturbs skeletal muscle angiogenesis via THBS1
Authors: Yang Yun , Liu Hu , Zou Dongbin , Ji Fengjie , Lv Renlong , Wu Hongzhi , Zhou Hanlin , Xu Tieshan , Hou Guanyu , Hu Chengjun 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background: Microplastics (MPs) exposure can cause oxidative damage, reproductive toxicity, and inflammatory diseases, attracting global attention. Microvasculature is essential for skeletal development. Its aberrant formation could impair skeletal muscle regeneration. However, the toxic effect of MPs exposure on skeletal muscle angiogenesis remains unclear.
Results: In vivo, piglets were given diets containing 0 mg/kg (CON group), 75 mg/kg (75 mg/kg MPs group), and 150 mg/kg polystyrene MPs (150 mg/kg MPs group) with particle sizes of 1.23 μm for 30 days. The findings revealed that the average daily gain of piglets in the 150 mg/kg MPs group was lower than that in the CON group. Increased MPs accumulation in skeletal muscle in the 150 mg/kg MPs group resulted in a lower redness index, myoglobin content, and type I muscle fiber, along with a rise in type II muscle fiber. Metabolomic analysis indicated significant reductions in the levels of carnosine, beta-Alanine, palmitic acid, niacinamide, and glutathione in the skeletal muscle of the 150 mg/kg MPs group compared to the CON group. In addition, piglets treated with 150 mg/kg MPs exhibited heightened oxidative stress and impaired angiogenesis in skeletal muscle. In vitro, MPs treatment hindered the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of porcine vascular endothelial cells in vitro. Further mechanistic investigation revealed that MPs up-regulated the expression of thrombospondin 1 (THBS1) by reducing mRNA and protein degradation, thus disrupting skeletal muscle angiogenesis.
Conclusions: MPs exposure limits the growth of piglets and increases the oxidative damage in skeletal muscle. In addition, MPs exposure induces type II muscle fiber formation and diminishes skeletal muscle angiogenesis through THBS1. These results contribute to a better understanding of MPs toxicology in growth and skeletal muscle development of both animals and humans.
Assessing the Role of Joint Arthroplasty and Intra-articular Injections in Improving Objective Clinical Parameters in Type 2 Diabetics
Authors: McLellan Maddison , Callan Kylie , Lung Brandon , Donnelly Megan , Issagholian Leo , DiGiovanni Ryan , Stitzlein Russell , McMaster William , Yang Steven 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Despite successful recovery from total knee arthroplasty (TJA), it is unclear whether TJA patients can lose weight and improve overall health measures. The ability to exercise after TJA is thought to improve cardiovascular health and decrease weight. With the increasing obesity epidemic, it is important to understand the role of TJA and injections in improving diabetes management and systemic health postoperatively in type 2 diabetic patients.
Methods
A retrospective review of diabetic patients, 80 undergoing primary TJA and 48 undergoing intra-articular injections, was performed to assess trends in laboratory outcomes post intervention. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, ethnicity, and medical comorbidities were compared between surgical and injection groups to assess baseline characteristics. 6-month pre and post intervention hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), albumin, cholesterol panel, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and BMI measurements were recorded to assess overall health and diabetes management.
Results
Compared to the surgical cohort, injection patients were more likely to be on insulin and had higher pre-intervention HbA1c levels. There was no statistically significant change in 6-month pre-intervention HbA1c, albumin, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), blood pressure, and BMI compared to 6-month post-intervention. In both groups, overall HbA1c levels increased by 0.2. Injection-only patients had a significant decrease in low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and total cholesterol.
Conclusions
Although weight loss is recommended for diabetic patients prior to TJA, it is unclear whether TJA can assist with improved diabetic management, weight loss, and overall health markers. In diabetics not optimized for surgery, corticosteroid injections can be considered.
Dynamic landslide displacement prediction model: A variational mode decomposition based SSO-LSTM approach
Authors: Wang Haiying , Ao Yang , Wang Chenguang , Zhang Yingzhi , Zhang Xiaofeng 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Addressing the limitations of existing landslide displacement prediction models in capturing the dynamic characteristics of data changes, this study introduces a novel dynamic displacement prediction model for landslides. The proposed method combines Variational Mode Decomposition (VMD) with Sparrow Search Optimization (SSO) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) techniques to formulate a comprehensive VMD-SSO-LSTM model. Through the application of variational mode decomposition, the method dissects cumulative displacement and rainfall data, thereby extracting distinct components such as trend, periodicity, and fluctuation components for displacement, as well as low-frequency and high-frequency components for rainfall. Furthermore, leveraging Gray Correlational Analysis, the interrelationships between the periodic component of displacement and the low-frequency component of rainfall, as well as the fluctuation component of displacement and the high-frequency component of rainfall, are established. Building upon this foundation, the SSO-LSTM model dynamically predicts the interrelated displacement components, synthesizing the predicted values of each component to generate real-time dynamic forecasts. Simulation results underscore the effectiveness of the proposed VMD-SSO-LSTM model, indicating root-mean-square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values of 1.2329 mm and 0.1624%, respectively, along with a goodness of fit (R2) of 0.9969. In comparison to both BP prediction model and LSTM prediction model, the VMD-SSO-LSTM model exhibits heightened predictive accuracy.
Identification of quantitative trait loci associated with leaf rust resistance in rye by precision mapping
Authors: Mateusz Matuszkiewicz , Agnieszka Grądzielewska , Magdalena Święcicka , Alperen Ozturk , Monika Mokrzycka , Dolapo Igbari Aramide , Jie Song , Andrzej Kilian , Rakoczy-Trojanowska Monika 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background:
Leaf rust (LR) is among the most destructive fungal diseases of rye (Secale cereale L.). Despite intensive research using various analytical and methodological approaches, such as quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, candidate gene expression analysis, and transcriptome sequencing, the genetic basis of the rye immune response to LR remains unclear.
Results:
A genome-wide association study was employed to detect QTLs controlling the immune response to LR of rye. A mapping population, G38A, was constructed by crossing two inbred lines: 723 (susceptible to LR) and JKI-NIL-Pr3 (a donor of the LR resistance gene Pr3). For genotyping, SNP-DArT and silico-DArT markers were used. Resistance phenotyping was conducted by visual assessment of the infection severity in detached leaf segments inoculated with two isolates of Puccinia recondita f. sp. secalis, namely, 60/17/2.1 (isolate S) in the main experiment and 86/n/2.1_5x (isolate N) in the validation experiment, at 10 and 17 days post-infection (dpi), respectively.
In total, 42773 SNP-DArT and 105866 silico-DArT markers were included in the main analysis including isolate S, of which 129 and 140 SNP-DArTs and 767 and 776 silico-DArTs were significantly associated (p ≤ 0.001; −log10(p) ≥ 3.0) with the immune response to LR at 10 and 17 dpi, respectively. Most significant markers were mapped to chromosome 1R. The number of common markers from both systems and at both time points occupying common chromosomal positions was 37, of which 21 were positioned in genes, comprising 18 markers located in exons and three in introns. This gene pool included genes encoding proteins with a known function in response to LR (e.g., a NBS-LRR disease resistance protein-like protein and carboxyl-terminal peptidase).
Conclusion:
This study has expanded and supplemented existing knowledge of the genetic basis of rye resistance to LR by (1) detecting two QTLs associated with the LR immune response of rye, of which one located on the long arm of chromosome 1R is newly detected, (2) assigning hundreds of markers significantly associated with the immune response to LR to genes in the ‘Lo7’ genome, and (3) predicting the potential translational effects of polymorphisms of SNP-DArT markers located within protein-coding genes.
The Effect of Social Support on Adolescent Athletes Engagement: Self-Efficacy and Mental Toughness of the Chain Mediated Effects
Authors: Wang Pukui , Shi Chenge , Chen Jun , Wang Zewen , Gao Xiang , Fan Yongzhao , Mao Yongqiang 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
To explore the relationship between social support and adolescent athlete engagement and the role of self-efficacy and mental toughness in this relationship. A convenience sampling method was used to administer the athletes' received social support questionnaire, general self-efficacy scale, mental toughness inventory, and athletic engagement questionnaire to adolescent athletes in seven youth sports schools in China, and 513 valid questionnaires were collected. 1) After controlling for the effects of adolescent athlete age and sport level, regression analyses revealed that social support positively predicted adolescent athlete engagement; 2) Self-efficacy and mental toughness mediated the relationship between social support and adolescent athlete engagement, and this mediation consisted of three pathways: parallel mediation of both self-efficacy and mental toughness, and chain mediation of both self-efficacy and mental toughness. The mediating effects model constructed in this study can inform the promotion of youth athlete engagement levels, which can be crucial for improving youth athlete engagement in the future by enriching youth athletes' social support networks, enhancing self-efficacy, and developing mental toughness levels.
Identifications of charcoal resistance hybrids among sunflower genotypes by using line by tester analysis
Authors: Basharat Taiyybah , Gul Samrin , Rauf Saeed , Ahmad Salman , Sajid Muhammad 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Sunflower is an important oilseed of the world and yield of the sunflower has been threatened by the biotic and abiotic factors under current scenario of global climate change. Charcoal rot is a peculiar disease of tropical and subtropical climate and is characterized by the presence of lesions on stem which causes wilting and premature lodging of stem. Introgression of disease resistant genes is the only solution to combat disease. To find out charcoal resistant lines this research was carried out in the department of Plant Breeding & Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Pakistan during 2021-23. Four (04) charcoal resistant inbred lines (B-208, B-124, B-224, B-112) were crossed with the four (04) male fertility restorer lines (RH.334, RH.456, RH.459, R.SIN.82) in line × tester fashion to yield 16 half sib cross combination. Plants were inoculated at the base of stem with the concentration of 3 basidium µL-1, after 30 days after sowing. Crosses were found significantly different for the incidence of charcoal rot resistance. However, C.112 ×RSIN.82 was found to be less infested and considered as resistant hybrids. Moreover, cross combinations C.112 ×RSIN.82 and C.208 ×RH.344 showed significant negative heterosis and complete to overdominance toward resistant breeding lines. Heterosis estimates were low and show high magnitude of dominance variance than additive variance for disease resistance. Breeding lines B-112, B-208 and RSIN.82 had significant general combining ability effects and may be exploited in breeding program.
Molecular Rapid Diagnostic Testing for Bloodstream Infections: Nanopore Targeted Sequencing with Pathogen-Specific Primers
Authors: Han Dongsheng , Yu Fei , Zhang Dan , Hu Juan , Zhang Xuan , Xiang Dairong , Wang Jingchao , Zheng Jieyuan , Lou Bin , Zheng Shufa , Chen Yu 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background
Nanopore sequencing, known for real-time analysis, shows promise for rapid clinical infection diagnosis but lacks effective assays for bloodstream infections (BSIs).
Methods
We prospectively assessed a novel nanopore targeted sequencing (NTS) assay's performance in identifying pathogens and predicting antibiotic resistance in BSIs, analyzing 387 blood samples from December 2021 to April 2023.
Results
The positivity rate for NTS (69.5%, 269/387) nearly matches that of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) (74.7%, 289/387; p = 0.128) and surpasses the positivity rate of conventional blood culture (BC) (33.9%, 131/387; p < 0.01). Frequent pathogens detected by NTS included Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 54), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 36), Escherichia coli (n = 36), Enterococcus faecium (n = 30), Acinetobacter baumannii(n = 26), Staphylococcus aureus(n = 23), and Human cytomegalovirus (n = 37). Against a composite BSI diagnostic standard, NTS demonstrated a sensitivity and specificity of 84.0% (95% CI 79.5%-87.7%) and 90.1% (95% CI 81.7%-88.5%), respectively. The concordance between NTS and mNGS results (the percentage of total cases where both either detected BSI-related pathogens or were both negative) was 90.2% (359/387), whereas the consistency between NTS and BC was only 60.2% (233/387). In 80.6% (50/62) of the samples with identical pathogens identified by both NTS tests and BCs, the genotypic resistance identified by NTS correlated with culture-confirmed phenotypic resistance. Using NTS, 95% of samples can be tested and analyzed in approximately 7 hours, allowing for early patient diagnosis.
Conclusions
NTS is rapid, sensitive, and efficient for detecting BSIs and drug-resistant genes, making it a potential preferred diagnostic tool for early infection identification in critically ill patients.
Early blood pressure drop exacerbates renal function deterioration and mortality in ICU patients with liver failure
Authors: Guo Rubing , Tong Jingjing , Ma Liang , Wei Lianhua , Cao Yongtong , Zhao Wei 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background: The relationship between early blood pressure drop and worsening renal function (WRF) in this patient population is currently unknown but has significant clinical importance. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between early blood pressure drop and WRF in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with liver failure and to evaluate their clinical outcomes, which may improve patient prognosis and clinical management strategies.
Method: This retrospective study utilized data from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) version 2.2 database. The study included ICU patients with liver failure who met specific inclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA), the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the chi-square test were used for the analysis. Multivariate linear regression models were used to assess the determinants of blood pressure drop. Cox proportional hazards and generalized additive models were used to evaluatethe relationship between blood pressure drop, WRF, and 60-day in-hospital mortality. Subgroup analyses and log-rank tests were performed.
Results: Peak systolic blood pressure (SBP) drop was independently associated with a higher risk of WRF (HR: 1.08 per 10 mmHg SBP drop; P < 0.001) and 60-day in-hospital death (HR: 1.14 per 10 mm Hg SBP drop; P <0.001), even after adjusting for potential confounders including baseline SBP. Patients experiencing a peak blood pressure drop above the median and those developing WRF faced a heightened risk of 60-day in-hospital mortality; however, the P-value for interaction was >0.05. The independent risk relationship observed between peak diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) drop, and the occurrence of WRF and 60-day in-hospital mortality, was similar to that of the peak SBP drop.
Conclusions: In ICU patients with liver failure, a significant early drop in blood pressure was associated with a higher incidence of WRF, increased risk of 60-day in-hospital mortality, and a poorer prognosis.
Comparative analysis of the RVA VP7 and VP4 antigenic epitopes circulating in Iran and the Rotarix and RotaTeq vaccines
Authors: Fallah Tina , Ghanaie Roxana Mansour , Karimi Abdollah , Zahraei Seyed Mohsen , Mahmoudi Sussan , Alebouyeh Masoud 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Background Group A rotavirus is a leading cause of diarrheal disease, with its prevalence remaining high in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, circulating lineages of VP4 and VP7 proteins of human RVA isolates from children under 5 years of age were analyzed and their cytotoxic T cell and antigenic epitopes were compared to the RotaTeq and Rotarix vaccine strains.
Methods Viral RNA was extracted from 51 positive samples and amplified using specific primers. Sequencing was performed and multiple sequence alignments were done in MEGA and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Similarity of VP7 and VP4 amino acids with the vaccine stains and structural analysis were performed using the UCSF Chimera-Molecular Modeling System.
Results The Iranian strains clustered in the G1/II, G2/IV, G3/I, G4/I, G9/III, P[8]/III, P[4]/IV, and P[6]/I lineages. Comparative analysis of VP7 antigenic epitopes showed that G1/II strains are completely conserved, but G2/IV, G3/I, G4/I, G6, G9/III strains contained 2, 3-5, 2, 4 and 9 amino acids substitutions, respectively. P[8]/III genotypes differed by 3 amino acids, while P[6]/I genotypes had the most substitutions. CTL epitopes were completely conserved in G3/I strains, but other genotypes differed by 1-4 amino acids in comparison to the vaccine strains.
Conclusions Considering the diversity of circulating RVA genotypes and the observed mutations in the neutralizing and CTL epitopes, immune escape by some of the strains is likely in Iran. This finding underscores the importance of evaluating the effect of rotavirus vaccines on local genotypes and related lineages before implementing the vaccination program.
Study on the mechanism of zinc finger proteins ROCK1 and DMD in zinc-mediated cognitive impairment caused by aluminum exposure
Authors: Shang Nan , Li Xianlin , Zhang Lan , Wang ShanShan , He Chanting , Zhang Ling , Niu Qiao , Zheng Xiaojun 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background: Aluminum (Al) exposure was implicated in neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive impairment, yet the involvement of zinc (Zn) and its mechanism in Al-induced mild cognitive impairment (MCI) remains poorly understood.
Objective: Exploring the role of Zn in Al-induced cognitive impairment and its potential mechanisms.
Methods:
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test scores, and serum Al, Zn from Al industry workers were collected. A mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the role of serum Zn among serum Al and MoCA test scores. Subsequently, an Al-exposure study was conducted on a rat model categorized into control, low, medium, and high dose groups. After a Morris Water Maze test and detection of Al, Zn content in the hippocampus, integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses between the control group and the high-dose group were performed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEPs), proteins (DEPs), and pathways. To corroborate these findings, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blotting (WB) were selected to identify the genes and proteins results.
Results:
Zn overall mediates the relationship between serum Al and cognitive function (mediation effect 17.82%, Effect value = -0.0351). In the Al-exposed rat model, 734 DEGs, 18 miRNAs, 35 lncRNAs, 64 circRNAs, and 113 DEPs were identified between the high-dose group and the control group. Among them, ROCK1, DMD, and other 4 DEPs were identified as related to Zinc finger proteins (ZNF). Co-enrichment analyses of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) linked these changes to the RHOA/ROCK1 signaling axis. ZNF-related proteins Rock1, DMD, and DHX57 in the high-dose group were downregulated (p = 0.006, 0.003, 0.04), and the expression of Myl9, Rhoa, miR431, and miR182 was also downregulated (p = 0.003, 0.032, 0.032 and 0.046). These findings also show correlations between Al, Zn levels in the hippocampus, water maze performance and expressions of Myl9, Rhoa, miR431, miR182, DMD, ROCK1, and DHX57, with both negative and positive associations.
Conclusion: Based on the results, we determined that Zn was involved in Al-induced MCI in Al workers and Al-exposed rat models. Al exposure and interaction with Zn could trigger the downregulation of ZNF of ROCK1, DMD, and DHX57. miR431, miR182 regulate RHOA/ROCK1 was one of the Zn-involved pathways in Al-induced cognitive impairment.
A Black Phosphorus Nanosheet-based RNA Delivery System for Prostate Cancer Therapy by Increasing the Expression Level of Tumor Suppressor Gene PTEN via CeRNA Mechanism
Authors: Su Shunye , Liu Leyi , Fu Qingfeng , Ma Minghao , Yang Na , Pan Ting , Geng Shengyong , Yu Xue-Feng , Zhu Jianqiang 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Background
Prostate cancer (PCa) has a high incidence in men worldwide, and almost all PCa patients progress to the androgen-independent stage which lacks effective treatment measures. PTENP1, a long non-coding RNA, has been shown to suppress tumor growth through the rescuing of PTEN expression via a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism. However, PTENP1 was limited to be applied in the treatment of PCa for the reason of rapid enzymatic degradation, poor intracellular uptake, and excessively long base sequence to be synthesized. Considering the unique advantages of artificial nanomaterials in drug loading and transport, black phosphorus (BP) nanosheet was employed as a gene-drug carrier in this study.
Results
The sequence of PTENP1 was adopted as a template which was randomly divided into four segments with a length of about 1000 nucleotide bases to synthesize four different RNA fragments as gene drugs, and loaded onto polyethyleneimine (PEI)-modified BP nanosheets to construct BP-PEI@RNA delivery platforms. The RNAs could be effectively delivered into PC3 cells by BP-PEI nanosheets and elevating PTEN expression by competitive binding microRNAs (miRNAs) which target PTEN mRNA, ultimately exerting anti-tumor effects.
Conclusions
Therefore, this study demonstrated that BP-PEI@RNAs is a promising gene therapeutic platform for PCa treatment.
RETRACTED: Antibacterial Effects of Silver Diamine Fluoride, Potassium Iodide and Nanosilver Fluoride on Dual-species Biofilm
Authors: Karaduran Büşra , Çelik Sibel , Üçüncü Merve Yıldırım , Topçuoğlu Nursen , Gök Mehmet Koray , Koruyucu Mine 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.