bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
HCN1 pathogenic variants associated with childhood epilepsy in a cohort of Chinese patients
Authors: Yang Zhuanyi , Kuang Zhuo , Liao Hongmei , Gan Siyi , Peng Xiaomei , Yang Haiyan , Wu Liwen 
Published: November 2023

AbstractObjectiveHCN ion channel family has a widespread expression in neurons, and recently, increasing studies have demonstrated their roles in epilepsies.MethodsClinical data of the patients were gathered in a retrospective study. Exon sequencing was used for the patients with unexplained recurrent seizures and varying levels of developmental delay.ResultsIn this study, eight de novo variants of HCN1 genes were uncovered in eight patients, including six missense variants, one nonsense variant and one frameshift insertion variant; five of them were reported for the first time. The onset age for eight patients ranges from one month to one year. Their main clinical manifestations are epilepsy and varying degrees of developmental delay, and the main type of seizure is focal secondary generalized tonic–clonic seizure. Importantly, in our study, one case presented with a form of migrating focal seizure that has not been reported in the literature. Seizures from five of the eight children were effectively controlled with antiepileptic drugs including valproic acid, levetiracetam and oxcarbazepine. One child developed normally and four children developed mild delay. One child was treated with topiramate, and the convulsion was partially controlled and showed moderate to severe developmental delay. The antiepileptic treatment failed for the other two children, and the two children were treated with sodium valproate, oxcarbazepine, lamotrigine, chlorbazan, levetiracetam and nitrodiazepam successively, but their convulsions were not controlled and showed moderate to severe developmental delay.SignificanceOur research reported eight variants in HCN1 gene causing epilepsy; among these variants, five variants were never reported before. HCN1‐related epilepsy usually starts infantile period, and focal secondary generalized tonic–clonic seizure is the most common seizure type. Importantly, we reported the case with migrating focal seizure was rarely reported. Our study expanded both genotype and phenotype for HCN1‐related epilepsy.
Seismic damage identification by graph convolutional autoencoder using adjacency matrix based on structural modes
Authors: Kim Minkyu , Song Junho 
Published: November 2023

AbstractImmediate post‐earthquake identification of structural damage is essential to prevent the loss of structural functionality and system failure. Vibration‐based damage identification methods have been widely implemented, but most tend to ignore a critical damage‐sensitive feature, the spatial correlation between sensor measurements. To this end, this paper proposes near‐real‐time damage identification by a graph convolutional autoencoder (GCAE) based on seismic responses of the structural system. The GCAE model accurately considers the spatial correlation and structural characteristics using a weighted adjacency matrix based on the structural modes. The proposed model consists of three main parts: (1) an “encoder” that learns latent features of the input data by considering the spatial information; (2) a “graph structure decoder” that detects anomalies in spatial correlation; and (3) a “node feature decoder” that captures changes in vibration signals. The GCAE model is trained to reconstruct structural responses of the target structure and the adjacency matrix in a healthy state. The seismic damage is then identified by the structural damage index calculated based on the difference between the input and reconstructed data. As numerical investigations, the proposed method is applied to two‐ and three‐dimensional steel frame structures. The train, validation, and test datasets are obtained by structural analyses using ground motions from the PEER‐NGA strong motion database. The proposed method is verified by the near‐real‐time simulation using the test dataset. The results show that the proposed GCAE model can accurately identify seismic damage in near‐real‐time.
First description and conservation implications of a unique stand of the Caucasian wingnut in Lapankuri (Georgia)
Authors: Davitashvili Nino , Bétrisey Sébastien , Janiashvili Zurab , Matchutadze Izolda , Kozlowski Gregor 
Published: November 2023

AbstractMany north‐temperate tree species survived glacial periods in small, low‐density populations in refugia. These refugia are located in eastern and western North America, South Europe, East Asia, and western Asia. As a part of western Asia, Georgia harbors two main refugia: the Colchis in western Georgia and the eastern Great Caucasus, where many Cenozoic relict plants still exist. In this article, we report a new population of Pterocarya fraxinifolia (the Caucasian wingnut) which was discovered in the eastern Great Caucasus, near the village Lapankuri. The Lapankuri P. fraxinifolia stand is unique because the species grows not only in a narrow strip of riparian vegetation, but is also occurring in a broad band up to 100 m away from the river. Pterocarya fraxinifolia is dominant in the stand and is represented by large and old trees. Many other relict trees such as Diospyros lotus and Juglans regia are also present in the Lapankuri stand. Although some Cenozoic relict species are widely cultivated and naturalized in Central and Western Europe, natural stands of these plants provide the only evidence of their past growing conditions; therefore, conservation of this place is strongly advocated.
Xylo‐oligosaccharides improve functional constipation by targeted enrichment of Bifidobacterium
Authors: Yi Wanya , Wang Qinyue , Xue Yuzheng , Cao Hong , Zhuang Ruijuan , Li Dan , Yan Jiai , Yang Ju , Xia Yanping , Zhang Feng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFunctional constipation (FC) has a negative impact on patients' quality of life. We hypothesized that dietary supplementation with xylo‐oligosaccharides (XOS) or fructo‐oligosaccharides (FOS) would improve constipation symptoms by influencing the gut microbiota. A randomized double‐blind controlled trial was conducted in FC patients. Patients were randomly divided into 6 groups and given a dietary supplement containing XOS at doses of 3, 5, or 10 g/day, FOS at doses of 10 and 20 g/day, or placebo at 5 g/day for one month. We compared improvements in gastrointestinal function after the intervention using the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score (CCCS), and Quality of Life Scale for Patients with Constipation (PAC‐QoL). 16S rRNA sequencing was used to assess changes in the structure of the gut microbiota. Changes in individual bacteria had significant effects in reducing gastrointestinal symptoms during the intervention, even though the flora structure remained unchanged from baseline. Compared to FOS, XOS enriched Bifidobacterium at a lower dose, and patients receiving XOS supplementation showed significant improvements in constipation symptoms without side effects such as diarrhea and flatulence.
Improving the microbial and physicochemical shelf life of yufka paste using Lactobacillus plantarum and calcium propionate
Authors: Bahmanpour Hannaneh , Sowti Khiabani Mahmood , Pirsa Sajad 
Published: November 2023

AbstractConsidering the importance of reducing the use of chemical preservatives in food and the increasing attention of consumers to consume food products with minimal additives, the main goal of this research was to study the effect of use of chemical (calcium propionate) and biological (Lactobacillus plantarum) preservatives on increasing shelf life of yufka paste considering its physicochemical and microbial characteristics. For this purpose, three samples of yufka paste were prepared by adding concentrations of 103, 105, and 107 cfu/mL of L. plantarum individually and three samples of paste were prepared by adding the same amount of bacteria in combination with 0.3% calcium propionate and these samples were compared with the control sample (without preservative) and the sample only containing 0.3% calcium propionate. The obtained results showed that different treatments and time had a significant effect on physicochemical properties including pH, moisture, and protein of yufka paste (p < .05). The results of the survival of L. plantarum showed that with increasing time, the survival rate of bacteria increased (p < .05). The pH of the samples showed that the L. plantarum has a significant effect on controlling the chemical quality of yufka during storage. The count of mold and yeast in the combined use of L. plantarum and 0.3% propionate was lower than the single use of propionate chemical preservative, which indicated the very good effect of the green preservative in controlling the moldy spoilage of yufka. Low concentrations of bacteria showed better antimold results than treatments containing bacteria and propionate in a combined form, propionate or control treatment.
Vincristine exposure impairs mouse oocyte quality by inducing spindle defects and early apoptosis
Authors: Chang Haoya , Cheng Siyu , Xing Guoqiang , Huang Chenyang , Zhang Chunhui , Qian Weiping , Li Jian 
Published: November 2023

AbstractVincristine (VCR) is a microtubule‐destabilizing chemotherapeutic agent commonly administered for the treatment of cancers in patients, which can induce severe side effects including neurotoxicity. In context of the effects on female fertility, ovarian toxicity has been found in patients and mice model after VCR exposure. However, the influence of VCR exposure on oocyte quality has not been elucidated. We established VCR exposure in vitro and in vivo model. The results indicated in vitro VCR exposure contributed to failure of oocyte maturation through inducing defects in spindle assembly, activation of SAC, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and early apoptosis, which were confirmed by using in vivo exposure model. Moreover, in vivo VCR exposure caused aneuploidy, reduced oocyte‐sperm binding ability, and the number of cortical granules in mouse oocyte cortex. Taken together, this study demonstrated that VCR could cause meiotic arrest and poor quality of mouse oocyte.
Effect of photobiomodulation at 830 nm on gene expression correlated with JAK/STAT signalling in wounded and diabetic wounded fibroblasts in vitro
Authors: Leyane Thobekile S. , Jere Sandy W. , Houreld Nicolette N. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTreatment of chronic diabetic wounds is an ongoing socio‐economic challenge. Dysregulated signalling pathways characterise cells from chronic diabetic wounds. Photobiomodulation (PBM) stimulates healing by eliciting photochemical effects that affect gene regulation. JAK/STAT signalling is a primary signal transduction pathway involved in wound healing. This in vitro study aimed to determine if PBM at 830 nm and a fluence of 5 J/cm2 regulates genes related to JAK/STAT signalling in wounded and diabetic wounded fibroblast cells. A continuous wave diode laser (12.53 mW/cm2) was used to irradiate cells. Forty‐eight hours post‐PBM, RT‐qPCR was used to analyse 84 genes related to JAK/STAT signalling. Five genes were upregulated and four downregulated in wounded cell models, while six genes were downregulated in diabetic wounded models. The results show drastic gene expression differences between wounded and diabetic wounded cell models in response to PBM using 830 nm.
Early in vivo detection of denervation‐induced atrophy by luminescence transient nanothermometry
Authors: Lifante José , Moreno‐Rupérez Álvaro , Ximendes Erving , Marin Riccardo , Priego Teresa , López‐Calderón Asunción , Martín Ana Isabel , Nieto‐Bona María Paz , Nebot Elena , Lifante‐Pedrola Ginés , Jaque Daniel , Monge Luis , Fernández Nuria , Granado Miriam 
Published: November 2023

AbstractDenervation induces skeletal muscle atrophy due to the loss of control and feedback with the nervous system. Unfortunately, muscle atrophy only becomes evident days after the denervation event when it could be irreversible. Alternative diagnosis tools for early detection of denervation‐induced muscle atrophy are, thus, required. In this work, we demonstrate how the combination of transient thermometry, a technique already used for early diagnosis of tumors, and infrared‐emitting nanothermometers makes possible the in vivo detection of the onset of muscle atrophy at short (<1 day) times after a denervation event. The physiological reasons behind these experimental results have been explored by performing three dimensional numerical simulations based on the Pennes' bioheat equation. It is concluded that the alterations in muscle thermal dynamics at the onset of muscle atrophy are consequence of the skin perfusion increment caused by the alteration of peripheral nervous autonomous system. This work demonstrates the potential of infrared luminescence thermometry for early detection of diseases of the nervous system opening the venue toward the development of new diagnosis tools.
Gradient‐based adaptive wavelet de‐noising method for photoacoustic imaging in vivo
Authors: Li Xinke , Ge Peng , Shen Yuting , Gao Feng , Gao Fei 
Published: November 2023

AbstractPhotoacoustic imaging (PAI) has been applied to many biomedical applications over the past decades. However, the received PA signal usually suffers from poor SNR. Conventional solution of employing higher‐power laser, or doing long‐time signal averaging, may raise the system cost, time consumption, and tissue damage. Another strategy is de‐noising algorithm design. In this paper, we propose a gradient‐based adaptive wavelet de‐noising method, which sets the energy gradient mutation point of low‐frequency wavelet components as the threshold. We conducted simulation, ex‐vivo and in‐vivo experiments using acoustic‐resolution PAM. The quality of de‐noised PA image/signal by our proposed algorithm has improved by at least 30%, in comparison to the traditional signal denoising algorithms, which produces better contrast and clearer details. Moreover, it produces good results when dealing with multi‐layer structures. The proposed de‐noising method provides potential to improve the SNR of PA signal under single‐shot low‐power laser illumination for biomedical applications in vivo.
Reverse stable isotope labelling with Raman spectroscopy for microbial proteomics
Authors: Karlo Jiro , Dhillon Ashish Kumar , Siddhanta Soumik , Singh Surya Pratap 
Published: November 2023

AbstractGlobal proteome changes in microbes affect the survival and overall production of commercially relevant metabolites through different bioprocesses. The existing methods to monitor proteome level changes are destructive in nature. Stable isotope probing (SIP) coupled with Raman spectroscopy is a relatively new approach for proteome analysis. However, applying this approach for monitoring changes in a large culture volume is not cost‐effective. In this study, for the first time we are presenting a novel method of combining reverse SIP using 13C‐glucose and Deuterium to monitor the proteome changes through Raman spectroscopy. The findings of the study revealed visible changes (blue shifts) in proteome related peaks that can be used for monitoring proteome dynamics, that is, synthesis of nascent amino acids and its turnover with time in a non‐destructive, cost‐effective, and label‐free manner.
Experimental study on the mechanical properties and thermal damage of laser welding the ruptured flexor digitorum longus tendons
Authors: Huang Jun , Wu Jinjin , Chen Yuxin , Xu Tongyu , Wang Kehong , Rui Yunfeng 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTo investigate the influence of laser parameters on the performance of tendon tissue, experiments were conducted and the process of laser‐assisted tendon welding was studied. Several conclusions were drawn by analyzing the effects of laser parameters on the tensile strength, microstructure, and collagen content of tendon tissue incisions. The optimal parameters for laser welding tendon tissue were found to be a laser power of 5 W, a scanning speed of 150 mm/s, and a defocus amount of 0 mm, resulting in a laser energy density of 32.164 J/cm2. At these parameters, the percentage of inactivated cells due to thermal damage was only 23.78%, and the tensile strength of the tendon tissue incisions reached 0.61 MPa. Additionally, the collagen content around the incision was measured to be 33.679%, composed of type I and type III collagens, with the latter accounting for 50.714% of the total collagen content.
In vivo photoacoustic flow cytometry‐based study of the effect of melanin content on melanoma metastasis
Authors: Pang Kai , Liu Qi , Zhu Yuxi , Wei Xunbin 
Published: November 2023

AbstractA major cause of death in cancer patients is distant metastasis of tumors, in which circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are an important marker. Photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) can monitor CTCs in real time, non‐invasively, and label‐free; we built a PAFC system and validated the feasibility of PAFC for monitoring CTCs using in vivo animal experiments. By cultivating heavily‐pigmented and moderately‐pigmented melanoma cells, more CTCs were detected in mice inoculated with moderately‐pigmented tumor cells, resulting in more distant metastases and poorer survival status. Tumor cells with lower melanin content may produce more CTCs, increasing the risk of metastasis. CTC melanin content may be down‐regulated during the metastatic which may be a potential indicator for assessing the risk of melanoma metastasis. In conclusion, PAFC can be used to assess the risk of melanoma metastasis by dynamically monitoring the number of CTCs and the CTC melanin content in future clinical diagnoses.
Flow cytometry: Aspects and application in plant and biological science
Authors: Jyoti Thakur Prava , Chandel Shivani , Singh Rajveer 
Published: November 2023

AbstractFlow cytometry is a potent method that enables the quick and concurrent investigation of several characteristics of single cells in solution. Photodiodes or photomultiplier tubes are employed to detect the dispersed and fluorescent light signals that are produced by the laser beam as it passes through the cells. Photodetectors transform the light signals produced by the laser into electrical impulses. A computer then analyses these electrical impulses to identify and measure the various cell populations depending on their fluorescence or light scattering characteristics. Based on their fluorescence or light scattering properties, cell populations can be examined and/or isolated. This review covers the basic principle, components, working and specific biological applications of flow cytometry, including studies on plant, cell and molecular biology and methods employed for data processing and interpretation as well as the potential future relevance of this methodology in light of retrospective analysis and recent advancements in flow cytometry.
Returns behavior of ESG ETFs in the COVID‐19 market crash: Are green funds more resilient?
Authors: ElBannan Mona A. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis study explores the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in explaining the returns and volatility of returns of exchange‐traded funds (ETFs) during the market crash induced by the COVID‐19 pandemic. The study uses an unbalanced panel of monthly data during the period 2005–2021 for a diversified sample of 160 iShares Morgan Stanley Capital International conventional and ESG/socially responsible investment (SRI) equity funds. To obtain robust results, a variety of analyses are conducted, including multiple panel regressions based on one‐way clustering, standard error estimates obtained from different covariance matrix estimators that are heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent, simultaneous quantile and inter‐quantile regressions, weighted least square regressions with alternative weights for the regression coefficients, and tests of coefficient equality with bootstrapped standard error of difference in subsample regressions. All the sensitivity analyses give similar results, confirming their validity. The results provide strong evidence for the resilience of sustainable funds during the crash, with ETF returns showing persistence during the market downturn. This study suggests that ESG/SRI investments may help ETFs to outperform their counterparts, indicates that sustainability investments matter in times of crisis, and implies the adoption of strategies that promote sustainable investment development.
Effectiveness of a randomized intervention by a geriatric team in frail hospital inpatients in non‐geriatric settings: FRAILCLINIC project
Authors: Checa‐López Marta , Costa‐Grille Alba , Álvarez‐Bustos Alejandro , Carnicero‐Carreño Jose A. , Sinclair Alan , Scuteri Angelo , Landi Francesco , Solano‐Jaurrieta Juan José , Bellary Srikanth , Rodríguez‐Mañas Leocadio 
Published: November 2023

AbstractBackgroundLittle research has been undertaken on the benefits of frailty management within different hospital settings. The objective of this study is to provide evidence on the viability and effectiveness of frailty management in non‐geriatric hospital settings on mortality and functional decline after discharge.MethodsData from the FRAILCLINIC (NCT02643069) study were used. FRAILCLINIC is a randomized controlled trial developed in non‐geriatric hospital inpatient settings (emergency room, cardiology and surgery) from Spain (2), Italy (2) and the United Kingdom (1). Inpatients must met frailty criteria (according to the Frailty Phenotype and/or FRAIL scale), ≥75 years old. The control group (CG) received usual care. The intervention group (IG) received comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) and a coordinated intervention consisting in recommendations to the treating physician about polypharmacy, delirium, falls, nutrition and physical exercise plus a discharge plan. The main outcomes included functional decline (worsening ≥5 points in Barthel Index) and mortality at 3 months. We used multivariate logistic regression models adjusted by age, gender and the Charlson index. Intention‐to‐treat (ITT) and per‐protocol (PP) analyses were used.ResultsEight hundred twenty one participants (IG: 416; mean age 83.00 ± 4.91; 51.44% women; CG: 405; mean age 82.46 ± 6.03; 52.35% women) were included. In the IG, 77.16% of the participants followed the geriatric team's recommendations as implemented by the treating physicians. The intervention showed a benefit on functional decline and mortality [OR: 0.67(0.47–0.96), P‐value 0.027 and 0.29(0.14–0.57), P‐value < 0.001, respectively) when fully followed by the treating physician. A trend to benefit (close to statistical significance) in functional decline and mortality were also observed when any of the recommendations were not followed [OR (95% CI): 0.72 (0.51–1.01), P‐value: 0.055; and 0.64 (0.37–1.10), P‐value: 0.105, respectively].ConclusionsAn individualized intervention in frail in‐patients reduces the risk of functional deterioration and mortality at 3 months of follow‐up when a care management plan is designed and followed.