bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
4,8-Dicarboxyl-8,9-iridoid-1-glycoside inhibits apoptosis in human osteoarthritis chondrocytes via enhanced c-MYC-mediated cholesterol metabolism in vitro
Authors: Wang WeiBing , Mai HaiMin , Xu Huang , Jing BaoSheng , Yu CuiYu , Li XiaoTing , Chen DanGui , Huang Yuan , Shao MeiMang , Pan Tao 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease related to cholesterol metabolism disorders. However, current therapies for OA are insufficient and no convincing disease-modifying OA drugs exist. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which borojoa iridoid glycoside (BIG) inhibits chondrocyte apoptosis in OA.

Methods
Borojoa pulp was heated to 70 °C, and the main active substance in borojoa, BIG, was extracted by fractionation at an ultraviolet 254-nm absorption peak. Chondrocytes were identified by immunohistochemistry and visualized by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. The proliferation of chondrocytes cultured with BIG was determined by MTS assay. The apoptosis of chondrocytes cultured with BIG was tested by Annexin V-FITC/PI, and the cytokine, protein, and cholesterol levels in chondrocytes were detected by ELISA, RT‒qPCR, Western blot, and biochemistry analyses. Protein‒protein interactions were verified by a coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay.

Results
BIG promoted chondrocyte proliferation and reduced apoptosis in vitro. BIG induced an alteration of the total RNA profiles in chondrocytes, and bioinformatic analysis showed that BIG inhibited chondrocyte apoptosis by promoting c-MYC expression; KEGG analysis confirmed that BIG-inhibited apoptosis was enriched in the cell cycle pathway. Flow cell cycle experiments confirmed that BIG promoted chondrocyte proliferation by significantly increasing the S phase cell number. The c-MYC inhibitor 10058-F4 stimulated the increased expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and AGEs and suppressed the cholesterol metabolism, which promoted chondrocyte apoptosis and autophagy. Co-IP analysis showed that BIG promoted the interaction of c-MYC and CH25H, Bcl-2, which suggests that BIG could inhibit chondrocyte apoptosis in part by enhancing c-MYC-mediated cholesterol metabolism.

Conclusions
This study confirmed that BIG promotes chondrocyte proliferation and inhibits apoptosis and autophagy, and BIG improving OA is associated with cholesterol metabolism. The results identify a potential mechanism by which BIG enhances c-MYC-mediated CH25H regulation of cholesterol metabolism in vitro and suggest that BIG might be a promising new drug against OA.
The molecular footprints of BK virus in the product of conception over the second and third gestational trimesters
Authors: Shokoofeh Mona , Malekshahi Somayeh Shatizadeh , Soltanghoraee Haleh 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Objective
Prior studies have shown controversial results on the vertical transmission of BK virus (BKV). The present study aimed to assess the possibility of BKV vertical transmission from mother to fetus in the product of conception (embryo, fetuses, and/or placentas) over the three stages of pregnancy.

Results
Of the 26 placental studied tissues, 6 were in the first trimester, and none of which were positive. Only one out of the 13 (7.7%) placental materials in the second trimester was positive. Only one out of 7 (14%) placental materials of the third trimester was positive. There were cases that no virus was detected in their placental but BKV was detected in their other tissues. Among 26 conceptuses, 17 (65%) were negative for BKV and 9 (34.6%) were positive, 7/13 (54%) were positive in the second, and 2/7 (29%) were positive in the third trimester fetuses. BKV was most frequently detected in the liver (eight cases), heart (three cases), and placenta (2 cases). There were cases that no virus was detected in their placental but BKV was detected in their other tissues.
Asynchrony enhances uncanniness in human, android, and virtual dynamic facial expressions
Authors: Diel Alexander , Sato Wataru , Hsu Chun-Ting , Minato Takashi 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Objective
Uncanniness plays a vital role in interactions with humans and artificial agents. Previous studies have shown that uncanniness is caused by a higher sensitivity to deviation or atypicality in specialized categories, such as faces or facial expressions, marked by configural processing. We hypothesized that asynchrony, understood as a temporal deviation in facial expression, could cause uncanniness in the facial expression. We also hypothesized that the effect of asynchrony could be disrupted through inversion.

Results
Sixty-four participants rated the uncanniness of synchronous or asynchronous dynamic face emotion expressions of human, android, or computer-generated (CG) actors, presented either upright or inverted. Asynchrony vs. synchrony expressions increased uncanniness for all upright expressions except for CG angry expressions. Inverted compared with upright presentations produced less evident asynchrony effects for human angry and android happy expressions. These results suggest that asynchrony can cause dynamic expressions to appear uncanny, which is related to configural processing but different across agents.
Reduced blood glucose levels by the combination of vadadustat in an elderly patient with chronic kidney disease who was receiving mitiglinide and sitagliptin: a case report
Authors: Takakura Ayumi , Hirai Toshinori , Hamaguchi Naomi , Mukohara Rika , Matsumoto Kazutaka , Yano Yutaka , Iwamoto Takuya 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Our case is the first report showing the development of hypoglycemia following the administration of vadadustat in a patient with chronic kidney disease being treated with mitiglinide and sitagliptin, possibly due to drug–drug interaction between vadadustat and sitagliptin under the administration of mitiglinide.

Case presentation
A 72-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus had received sitagliptin 50 mg once daily and mitiglinide 10 mg three times daily over the last 3 years. He initiated vadadustat 300 mg once daily orally on day X owing to renal anemia (hemoglobin A1c: 7.4% and estimated glomerular filtration rate: 28.0 mL/min/1.73 m2). On day 23, he developed hypoglycemia with a blood glucose level of 67 mg/dL. The mean blood glucose level ± standard deviation was lower in the first 24 days of co-administration of vadadustat (before breakfast: 94 ± 14 mg/dL, before lunch: 109 ± 24 mg/dL, and before dinner: 126 ± 39 mg/dL) than in the last 2 weeks (before breakfast: 108 ± 14 mg/dL, before lunch: 122 ± 24 mg/dL, and before dinner: 158 ± 39 mg/dL). Considering the timing of the concomitant administration of vadadustat, hypoglycemia may have been caused by the drug–drug interaction between sitagliptin and vadadustat, and he discontinued treatment with vadadustat. The mean blood glucose levels improved two weeks after the discontinuation of vadadustat (before breakfast: 121 ± 25 mg/dL, before lunch: 147 ± 38 mg/dL, and before dinner: 161 ± 36 mg/dL). The drug interaction probability scale was classified as "Probable" (5 points).

Conclusions
Hypoglycemia was observed when sitagliptin, mitiglinide, and vadadustat were concomitantly administered, which may have resulted in a drug–drug interaction between vadadustat and sitagliptin via OAT3 inhibition in the renal tubules.
A pan-cancer analysis of Dyskeratosis congenita 1 (DKC1) as a prognostic biomarker
Authors: Liu Xin-ying , Tan Qing , Li Lin-xiao 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Dyskeratosis congenita 1 (DKC1), a critical component of telomerase complex, is highly expressed in a variety of human cancers. However, the association of DKC1 with cancer occurrence and development stages is not clear, making a pan-cancer analysis crucial.

Methods
We conducted a study using various bioinformatic databases such as TIMER, GEPIA, UALCAN, and KM plotter Analysis to examine the different expressions of DKC1 in multiple tissues and its correlation with pathological stages. Through KEGG analysis, GO enrichment analysis and Venn analysis, we were able to reveal DKC1-associated genes and signaling pathways. In addition, we performed several tests including the CCK, wound healing assay, cell cycle arrest assay, transwell assay and Sa-β-gal staining on DKC1-deleted MDA-231 cells.

Results
Our study demonstrates that DKC1 has relatively low expression specificity in different tissues. Furthermore, we found that in ACC, KICH, KIRP and LIHC, the expression level of DKC1 is positively correlated with pathological stages. Conversely, in NHSC, KIRP, LGG, LIHC, MESO and SARC, we observed a negative influence of DKC1 expression level on the overall survival rate. We also found a significant positive correlation between DKC1 expression and Tumor Mutational Burden in 14 tumors. Additionally, we observed a significantly negative impact of DKC1 DNA methylation on gene expression at the promoter region in BRCA. We also identified numerous phosphorylation sites concentrated at the C-terminus of the DKC1 protein. Our GO analysis revealed a correlation between DKC1 and ribosomal biosynthesis pathways, and the common element UTP14A was identified. We also observed decreased rates of cell proliferation, migration and invasion abilities in DKC1-knockout MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Furthermore, DKC1-knockout induced cell cycle arrest and caused cell senescence.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that the precise expression of DKC1 is closely associated with the occurrence and developmental stages of cancer in multiple tissues. Depletion of DKC1 can inhibit the abilities of cancer cells to proliferate, migrate, and invade by arresting the cell cycle and inducing cell senescence. Therefore, DKC1 may be a valuable prognostic biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in various tissues.
Comparative analysis of two timepoints on [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT in various cancers
Authors: Mu Xingyu , Mo Biyun , Qin Jie , Li Zuguo , Chong Weixia , Zeng Yulong , Lu Lu , Zhang Lei , Fu Wei 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to assess the biodistribution, detection rate, and uptake of the [18F]FAPI-42 at two distinct time intervals.

Methods
This prospective study enrolled 60 consecutive patients (median age 59; range 35–74) referred to [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT. [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT was performed early and late timepoint after tracer injection for staging or restaging. Positive lesions specified for anatomic locations (primary or recurrent tumor, LN metastasis and other metastasis) by visual analysis at both timepoints. Semiquantitative analysis of the tracer activity in lesions as well as normal tissues at both time points were measured and compared. In a subgroup analysis, eleven patients underwent 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT within 1 week, the detection rate and uptake of lesion were compared between early [18F]FAPI-42 and 2-[18F]FDG.

Results
Uptake of [18F]FAPI-42 in the late timepoint was significantly lower than the early timepoint in most organs (all p < 0.05), except for bone (SUVmean 0.88 vs. 0.85; p = 0.218). Tracer retention at biliary system showed less frequent at early timepoint than late timepoint. A total of 194 lesions were detected in 60 patients. One lesion was only seen at early timepoint but not at late timepoint. Lesions on early [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT had higher visual score than that of late image(23 vs. 6). The uptake of lesion decreased significantly from early to late timepoint (all p < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, early [18F]FAPI-42 illustrated higher detection rate, visual score, and uptake of lesion than that of 2-[18F]FDG PET/CT.

Conclusion
Early [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT provided consistent detection rates and lesion uptake, but less tracer retention in the biliary system compared to late images. Therefore, acquisition at early timepoint could be a feasible strategy for improving acquisition protocols of [18F]FAPI-42 PET/CT.
Trial registration: ChiCTR2200063441. Registered 28 September 2022—Retrospectively registered, https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=149714.
A scientometric analysis of entrepreneurship research in the age of COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Lwesya Francis , Mwakasangula Eliza 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis article conducted a scientometric analysis of entrepreneurship research during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. The results show that the research focused on four thematic research clusters, namely (a) entrepreneurship and crisis management (b) social entrepreneurship and collaborative networks (c) entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial intentions, and (d) entrepreneurship and adaptation measures to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis shows that while the COVID-19 pandemic has had significant negative impacts on entrepreneurship, innovation, digital transformation, resilience and adaptability, dynamic capabilities and organisational learning, collaborative networks, government support and customer-centric approaches enabled entrepreneurs to navigate the crisis. The review highlights the role of digital technologies, self-efficacy, organisational resilience, social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education in promoting small business development in the post-pandemic era.
Classifying deviation from standard quantum behavior using the Kullback-Leibler divergence
Authors: Wani Salman Sajad , Al-Kuwari Saif , Shi Xiaoping , Chen Yiting , Naqash Abrar Ahmed , Rubab Seemin , Faizal Mir , Kannan S. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
In this letter, we propose a novel statistical method to measure which system is better suited to probe small deviations from the usual quantum behavior. Such deviations are motivated by a number of theoretical and phenomenological motivations, and various systems have been proposed to test them. We propose that measuring deviations from quantum mechanics for a system would be easier if it had a higher Kullback-Leibler divergence. We show this explicitly for a non-local Scrödinger equation and argue that it will hold for any modification to standard quantum behavior. Thus, the results of this letter can be used to classify a wide range of theoretical and phenomenological models.
Allometry: revealing evolution's engineering principles
Authors: Lindstedt Stan L. , Hoppeler Hans 
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT
An animal's body size impacts many aspects of its structure and function (Y); insights that only become apparent when viewed over several orders of magnitude of body mass (M) and expressed allometrically in the form of power law equations (Y=aMb). The resulting relationships are apparent clusters of similar exponents (b) revealing emergent ‘patterns of design’ that shed light on the universal principles of structure and function. Basic physical principles of surface area, volume and heat exchange apply to all objects, including animals, and many consequences must be attributed to these fundamental properties. Starting with Galileo's description of the shapes of bones in the 16th century and extending to 19th century explanations of heat production and loss by Sarrus and Rameaux, allometric patterns have provided numerous biological insights. Here, we examine several of these insights and explore how the selective pressures and scaling may differ when comparing animals in a vegetative (basal) state and those utilizing their maximum metabolic capacities. It seems that the selective pressures under those two conditions differ. We caution that allometric patterns invite explanations that lack supporting data or may be dismissed because there is hesitation among biologists to make comparisons lacking phylogenetic support. We argue that emergent allometric patterns have inherent value and continue to be the fodder for many fruitful hypotheses.
Cross-species gut microbiota transplantation predictably affects host heat tolerance
Authors: Dallas Jason W. , Kazarina Anna , Lee Sonny T. M. , Warne Robin W. 
Published: December 2023

ABSTRACT
The gut microbiome is known to influence and have regulatory effects in diverse physiological functions of host animals, but only recently has the relationship between host thermal biology and gut microbiota been explored. Here, we examined how early-life manipulations of the gut microbiota in larval amphibians influenced their critical thermal maximum (CTmax) at different acclimation temperatures. We stripped the resident microbiome from egg masses of wild-caught wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) via an antibiotic wash, and then inoculated the eggs with pond water (control), no inoculation, or the intestinal microbiota of another species that has a wider thermal tolerance – green frogs (Lithobates clamitans). We predicted that this cross-species transplant would increase the CTmax of the recipient wood frog larvae relative to the other treatments. In line with this prediction, green frog microbiome-recipient larvae had the highest CTmax while those with no inoculum had the lowest CTmax. Both the microbiome treatment and acclimation temperature significantly influenced the larval gut microbiota communities and α-diversity indices. Green frog microbiome-inoculated larvae were enriched in Rikenellaceae relative to the other treatments, which produce short-chain fatty acids and could contribute to greater energy availability and enhanced heat tolerance. Larvae that received no inoculation had a higher relative abundance of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas spp., which negatively affects host health and performance. Our results are the first to show that cross-species gut microbiota transplants alter heat tolerance in a predictable manner. This finding has repercussions for the conservation of species that are threatened by climate change and demonstrates a need to further explore the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota modulate host thermal tolerance.
Freie Strasse – Ein Weg durch 2000 Jahre Basler Geschichte
Authors: Bernasconi Marco , Savary Johann , Schmidig Roman , Wicki Sarah 
Published: December 2023

Die neuen Ausgrabungen am Marktplatz, in der Freien Strasse und ihren Nebengassen erbrachten viele neue Erkenntnisse zur Basler Stadtgeschichte in einem zentralen, archäologisch bisher nur vage bekannten Gebiet. Im wissenschaftlichen Bericht werden die vorläufigen Ergebnisse erstmals zusammengestellt. Während im oberen Teil der Freien Strasse eine römische Strasse am Hangfuss nachgewiesen ist, dürfte in der unteren Hälfte der mittelalterliche Strassenbau und die angrenzende Besiedlung im 9./10. Jahrhundert eingesetzt und sich kontinuierlich entwickelt haben. Mehrere übereinanderliegende Strassenkörper und Reste von Gebäuden konnten freigelegt werden.
Das Inventar aus einem Haus, das gegen Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts am Marktplatz abbrannte, gewährt einen faszinierenden Einblick in den spätmittelalterlichen Alltag. Objekte aus früheren Grabungen wie im Spiegelhof (UMIS) und beim Amt für Umwelt und Energie (AUE) unterstreichen den gewerblichen Kontext der neuen Entdeckungen. Ein Katalog mit ausgewählten Funden, die ab 18. Mai 2024 im Museum Kleines Klingental ausgestellt werden, ergänzt den Bericht.
How well do rudimentary plasticity rules predict adult visual object learning?
Authors: Lee Michael J. , DiCarlo James J. 
Published: December 2023

A core problem in visual object learning is using a finite number of images of a new object to accurately identify that object in future, novel images.
One longstanding, conceptual hypothesis asserts that this core problem is solved by adult brains through two connected mechanisms: 1) the re-representation of incoming retinal images as points in a fixed, multidimensional neural space, and 2) the optimization of linear decision boundaries in that space, via simple plasticity rules applied to a single downstream layer.
Though this scheme is biologically plausible, the extent to which it explains learning behavior in humans has been unclear—in part because of a historical lack of image-computable models of the putative neural space, and in part because of a lack of measurements of human learning behaviors in difficult, naturalistic settings.
Here, we addressed these gaps by 1) drawing from contemporary, image-computable models of the primate ventral visual stream to create a large set of testable learning models (n = 2,408 models), and 2) using online psychophysics to measure human learning trajectories over a varied set of tasks involving novel 3D objects (n = 371,000 trials), which we then used to develop (and publicly release) empirical benchmarks for comparing learning models to humans.
We evaluated each learning model on these benchmarks, and found those based on deep, high-level representations from neural networks were surprisingly aligned with human behavior. While no tested model explained the entirety of replicable human behavior, these results establish that rudimentary plasticity rules, when combined with appropriate visual representations, have high explanatory power in predicting human behavior with respect to this core object learning problem.
Evaluation of a large-scale aptamer proteomics platform among patients with kidney failure on dialysis
Authors: Ren Yue , Ruan Peifeng , Segal Mark , Dobre Mirela , Schelling Jeffrey R. , Banerjee Upasana , Shafi Tariq , Ganz Peter , Dubin Ruth F. ,   the CRIC Study Investigators
Published: December 2023

Background
Patients with kidney failure suffer high mortality, and we currently lack markers for risk stratification for these patients. We carried out a quality control study of a modified aptamer assay (SomaScan v.4.0) that measures ~ 5000 proteins, in preparation for a larger study using this platform in cohorts with kidney failure.

Methods
Forty participants from the Cardiac, Endothelial Function and Arterial Stiffness in End-Stage Renal Disease (CERES study) were selected to analyze technical and short-term biological variability, orthogonal correlations and differential protein expression in plasma from patients who died during 2.5 year follow-up. Long-term (one year) variability was studied in 421 participants in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort. We evaluated 4849 aptamers (4607 unique proteins) using data formats including raw data and data formatted using Adaptive Normalization by Maximum Likelihood (ANML), an algorithm developed for SomaScan data in individuals with normal kidney function.

Results
In ANML format, median[IQR] intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV) was 2.38%[1.76, 3.40] and inter-assay CV was 7.38%[4.61, 13.12]. Short-term within-subject CV was 5.76% [3.35, 9.72]; long-term CV was 8.71%[5.91, 13.37]. Spearman correlations between aptamer and traditional assays for PTH, NT-proBNP, FGF-23 and CRP were all > 0.7. Fold-change (FC) in protein levels among non-survivors, significant after Bonferroni correction, included SVEP1 (FC[95% CI] 2.14 [1.62, 2.82]), keratocan (1.74 [1.40, 2.15]) and LanC-like protein 1 (0.56 [0.45, 0.70]). Compared to raw aptamer data, technical and short-term biological variability in paired samples was lower in ANML-formatted data. ANML formatting had minimal impact on orthogonal correlations with traditional assays or the associations of proteins with the phenotype of mortality.

Conclusions
SomaScan had excellent technical variability and low within-subject short-term variability. ANML formatting could facilitate comparison of biomarker results with other studies that utilize this format. We expect SomaScan to provide novel and reproducible information in patients with kidney failure on dialysis.