bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast strain mapping in abdominal aortic aneurysm wall reveals heterogeneous patterns
Authors: Bracco Marta Irene , Broda Magdalena , Lorenzen Ulver Spangsberg , Florkow Mateusz Cezary , Somphone Oudom , Avril Stephane , Biancolini Marco Evangelos , Rouet Laurence 
Published: June 2023

Abdominal aortic aneurysm patients are regularly monitored to assess aneurysm development and risk of rupture. A preventive surgical procedure is recommended when the maximum aortic antero-posterior diameter, periodically assessed on two-dimensional abdominal ultrasound scans, reaches 5.5 mm. Although the maximum diameter criterion has limited ability to predict aneurysm rupture, no clinically relevant tool that could complement the current guidelines has emerged so far. In vivo cyclic strains in the aneurysm wall are related to the wall response to blood pressure pulse, and therefore, they can be linked to wall mechanical properties, which in turn contribute to determining the risk of rupture. This work aimed to enable biomechanical estimations in the aneurysm wall by providing a fast and semi-automatic method to post-process dynamic clinical ultrasound sequences and by mapping the cross-sectional strains on the B-mode image. Specifically, the Sparse Demons algorithm was employed to track the wall motion throughout multiple cardiac cycles. Then, the cyclic strains were mapped by means of radial basis function interpolation and differentiation. We applied our method to two-dimensional sequences from eight patients. The automatic part of the analysis took under 1.5 min per cardiac cycle. The tracking method was validated against simulated ultrasound sequences, and a maximum root mean square error of 0.22 mm was found. The strain was calculated both with our method and with the established finite-element method, and a very good agreement was found, with mean differences of one order of magnitude smaller than the image spatial resolution. Most patients exhibited a strain pattern that suggests interaction with the spine. To conclude, our method is a promising tool for investigating abdominal aortic aneurysm wall biomechanics as it can provide a fast and accurate measurement of the cyclic wall strains from clinical ultrasound sequences.
Effects of aerobic exercise on cardiac function and gene expression of NADPH oxidases in diaphragm muscle of rats with aortic stenosis-induced heart failure
Authors: Janini Gomes Mariana , Sabela Ana Karenina , Ferreira Isabele Tiburcio Pecin , de Souza Sérgio Luiz Borges , Mota Gustavo Augusto Ferreira , da Silva Vitor Loureiro , de Campos Dijon Henrique Salomé , Lima Aline Regina Ruiz , Carvalho Marianna Rabelo , Bazan Silmeia Garcia Zanati , Corrêa Camila Renata , Cicogna Antônio Carlos , Okoshi Marina Politi , Pacagnelli Francis Lopes 
Published: June 2023

We evaluated the influence of aerobic physical exercise (EX) on gene-encoding proteins associated with oxidative stress in diaphragm muscle of rats with aortic stenosis-induced heart failure (HF). Wistar male rats were divided into four groups: Control sedentary (C); Control exercise (C-Ex); Sedentary aortic stenosis (AS); Aortic stenosis exercise (AS-Ex). Exercised rats trained 5 times a week for 10 weeks on a treadmill. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test. In the final echocardiogram, animals with aortic stenosis subjected to exercise demonstrated improvement in systolic function compared to the sedentary aortic stenosis group. In diaphragm muscle, the activity of antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde malondialdehyde concentration, protein carbonylation, and protein expression of p65 and its inhibitor IκB did not differ between groups. Alterations in gene expression of sources that generate reactive species of oxygen were observed in AS-Ex group, which showed decreased mRNA abundance of NOX2 and NOX4 compared to the aortic stenosis group (p &lt; 0.05). We concluded that aerobic exercise has a positive impact during heart failure, ameliorating systolic dysfunction and biomarkers of oxidative stress in diaphragm muscle of rats with aortic stenosis-induced heart failure.
Effects of chronic secondhand smoke exposure on cardiovascular regulation and the role of soluble epoxide hydrolase in mice
Authors: Pan Shiyue , Karey Emma , Nieves-Cintron Madeline , Chen Yi-Je , Hwang Sung Hee , Hammock Bruce D. , Pinkerton Kent E. , Chen Chao-Yin 
Published: June 2023

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with an estimated 80% of SHS-related deaths attributed to cardiovascular causes. Public health measures and smoking bans have been successful both in reducing SHS exposure and improving cardiovascular outcomes in non-smokers. Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitors have been shown to attenuate tobacco exposure-induced lung inflammatory responses, making them a promising target for mitigating SHS exposure-induced cardiovascular outcomes.Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine 1) effects of environmentally relevant SHS exposure on cardiac autonomic function and blood pressure (BP) regulation and 2) whether prophylactic administration of an sEH inhibitor (TPPU) can reduce the adverse cardiovascular effects of SHS exposure.Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice (11 weeks old) implanted with BP/electrocardiogram (ECG) telemetry devices were exposed to filtered air or 3 mg/m3 of SHS (6 hr/d, 5 d/wk) for 12 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of recovery in filtered air. Some mice received TPPU in drinking water (15 mg/L) throughout SHS exposure. BP, heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and BP variability were determined monthly.Results: SHS exposure significantly decreased 1) short-term HRV by ∼20% (p &lt; 0.05) within 4 weeks; 2) overall HRV with maximum effect at 12 weeks (−15%, p &lt; 0.05); 3) pulse pressure (−8%, p &lt; 0.05) as early as week 4; and 4) BRS with maximum effect at 12 weeks (−11%, p &lt; 0.05). Four weeks of recovery following 12 weeks of SHS ameliorated all SHS-induced cardiovascular detriments. Importantly, mice exposed to TPPU in drinking water during SHS-related exposure were protected from SHS cardiovascular consequences.Discussion: The data suggest that 1) environmental relevant SHS exposure significantly alters cardiac autonomic function and BP regulation; 2) cardiovascular consequences from SHS can be reversed by discontinuing SHS exposure; and 3) inhibiting sEH can prevent SHS-induced cardiovascular consequences.
The moderation of satisfaction with working conditions in the association between workload and mental health among healthcare workers collecting test samples in the post-COVID-19 era
Authors: Wang Kehui , Yang Bin , Wu Cuiping , Zheng Lianxue 
Published: June 2023

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the associations between workload and satisfaction with working conditions and mental health (i.e., anxiety disorder, depression, and somatization) of healthcare workers collecting test samples during the local outbreaks of COVID-19, and explore satisfaction with working conditions as a moderator of these relationships.MethodsA total of 1,349 participants were obtained via an online survey in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. Multivariate regression was used to assess the associations between workload and satisfaction with working conditions and anxiety disorder, depression, and somatization. The simple slope analysis and Johnson-Neyman technique were used to assess the effect value and change trend of the moderator.ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety disorder, depression, and somatization were 8.6, 6.9, and 19.2% of healthcare workers collecting test samples, respectively. High levels of workload were associated with an increased risk of an anxiety disorder (OR = 1.81, 95%CI = 1.17–2.78), depression (OR = 1.92, 95%CI = 1.19–3.10), and somatization (OR = 1.90, 95%CI = 1.40–2.57), while high satisfaction of working conditions was associated with a reduction in the risk of these outcomes, and ORs (95%CI) were 0.35 (0.20–0.64), 0.27 (0.13–0.56), and 0.32 (0.21–0.48), respectively. The findings also indicated that a weaker association between workload and anxiety disorder, as well as depression and somatization, has been reported in those with a high level of satisfaction with working conditions.ConclusionWorkload significantly increased the risk of healthcare workers suffering from psychological problems, while satisfaction with working conditions alleviated these negative effects, and effective resource support was crucial for healthcare workers.
Trends in food supply, diet, and the risk of non-communicable diseases in three Small Island Developing States: implications for policy and research
Authors: Halliday Cassandra , Morrissey Karyn , Saint Ville Arlette , Guell Cornelia , Augustus Eden , Guariguata Leonor , Iese Viliamu , Hickey Gordon , Murphy Madhuvanti M. , Haynes Emily , Tescar Roberts Pierre , Duvivier Predner , Unwin Nigel 
Published: June 2023

IntroductionSmall island developing states (SIDS) are a diverse group of coastal and tropical island countries primarily located in the Caribbean and Pacific. SIDS share unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities, high dependency on food imports, and susceptibility to inadequate, unhealthy diets, with high burdens of two or more types of malnutrition. Our objective was to examine trends in food availability, imports, local production, and risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in three SIDS: Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and Fiji.MethodsData on food availability, imports, exports, and production was extracted from the Food and Agriculture Organization Database (FAOSTAT), and on overweight, obesity and diabetes prevalence from the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration database (NCD-RisC) from 1980 to 2018. Data were collated, graphed, and used to calculate import dependency ratios (IDRs) using Excel and R software.ResultsBetween 1980 and 2018, the availability of calories per capita per day has risen in Fiji and SVG by over 500, to around 3000. In Haiti, the increase is around 200, to a level of 2,200 in 2018, and in all three settings, &gt; 10% of calories in 2018 came from sugar. In Fiji and Haiti, the availability of fruit and vegetables is &lt;400 g per person per day (the minimum intake recommended by WHO). Between 1980 and 2010, both Fiji and SVG experienced high IDRs: around 80% (Fiji) and 65% (SVG). In Haiti, IDR has more than doubled since 1980, to around 30%. The prevalence of obesity (BMI &gt; 30 Kg/m2) has increased since 1980 (by 126% to 800%) and is substantially higher in women. In the most recent data for Fiji, an estimated 35% of women are obese (24% men); in SVG, 30% women (15% men); and in Haiti, 26% women (15% men).ConclusionThe increase in per capita availability of calories, which has taken place since 1980, is concurrent with an increase in IDR, a loss of local food, and increases in obesity prevalence. These findings highlight the importance of further research to understand the drivers of food supply transformations, and to influence improving nutrition, through production, availability, and consumption of nutritious local foods.
A Multi-Modal Approach to Islet and Pancreas Transplantation With Calcineurin-Sparing Immunosuppression Maintains Long-Term Insulin Independence in Patients With Type I Diabetes
Authors: Wisel Steven A. , Posselt Andrew M. , Szot Gregory L. , Nunez Miguel , Santos-Parker Keli , Gardner James M. , Worner Giulia , Roll Garrett R. , Syed Shareef , Kelly Yvonne , Ward Casey , Tavakol Medhi , Johnson Kristina , Masharani Umesh , Stock Peter G. 
Published: June 2023

Long-term success in beta-cell replacement remains limited by the toxic effects of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) on beta-cells and renal function. We report a multi-modal approach including islet and pancreas-after-islet (PAI) transplant utilizing calcineurin-sparing immunosuppression. Ten consecutive non-uremic patients with Type 1 diabetes underwent islet transplant with immunosuppression based on belatacept (BELA; n = 5) or efalizumab (EFA; n = 5). Following islet failure, patients were considered for repeat islet infusion and/or PAI transplant. 70% of patients (four EFA, three BELA) maintained insulin independence at 10 years post-islet transplant, including four patients receiving a single islet infusion and three patients undergoing PAI transplant. 60% remain insulin independent at mean follow-up of 13.3 ± 1.1 years, including one patient 9 years after discontinuing all immunosuppression for adverse events, suggesting operational tolerance. All patients who underwent repeat islet transplant experienced graft failure. Overall, patients demonstrated preserved renal function, with a mild decrease in GFR from 76.5 ± 23.1 mL/min to 50.2 ± 27.1 mL/min (p = 0.192). Patients undergoing PAI showed the greatest degree of renal impairment following initiation of CNI (56% ± 18.7% decrease in GFR). In our series, repeat islet transplant is ineffective at maintaining long-term insulin independence. PAI results in durable insulin independence but is associated with impaired renal function secondary to CNI dependence.
Current to Biomass: Media Optimization and Strain Selection from Cathode-Associated Microbial Communities in a Two-Chamber Electro-Cultivation Reactor
Authors: Xie Ting , Ehrhardt Linda , Günther Peter Mike , Köhler Johann Michael , Cao Jialan 
Published: June 2023

Cathode-associated microbial communities (caMCs) are the functional key elements in the conversion of excess electrical energy into biomass. In this study, we investigated the development of electrochemical caMCs based on two-chamber microbial electrolytic cells (MECs) after optimization of media composition. Microbial communities obtained from a historical soil sample were inoculated into the cathode chamber of MECs. The inorganic medium with (A) carbon dioxide in air or (B) 100 mM sodium bicarbonate as carbon source was used in the absence of any organic carbon source. After 12 days of operation, the experimental results showed that (1) the bacterial community in group B exhibited lush growth and (2) a single strain TX168 Epilithonimonas bovis isolated from group A indicated electrochemical activity and synthesized large volumes of biomass using sodium bicarbonate. We also analyzed the caMCs of the MECs and reference samples without electro-cultivation using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the caMCs of MECs in groups A and B were dominated by the genera Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. The caMCs were further inoculated and cultured on different agars to isolate specific electroactive bacterial strains. Overall, our study highlights the possibility of converting excess energy into biomass by electro-cultivation and the importance of selecting appropriate media to enrich specific microbial communities and single strains in MECs.
Development of Terminator–Promoter Bifunctional Elements for Application in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pathway Engineering
Authors: Ni Xiaoxia , Liu Zhengyang , Guo Jintang , Zhang Genlin 
Published: June 2023

The construction of a genetic circuit requires the substitution and redesign of different promoters and terminators. The assembly efficiency of exogenous pathways will also decrease significantly when the number of regulatory elements and genes is increased. We speculated that a novel bifunctional element with promoter and terminator functions could be created via the fusion of a termination signal with a promoter sequence. In this study, the elements from a Saccharomyces cerevisiae promoter and terminator were employed to design a synthetic bifunctional element. The promoter strength of the synthetic element is apparently regulated through a spacer sequence and an upstream activating sequence (UAS) with a ~5-fold increase, and the terminator strength could be finely regulated by the efficiency element, with a ~5-fold increase. Furthermore, the use of a TATA box-like sequence resulted in the adequate execution of both functions of the TATA box and the efficiency element. By regulating the TATA box-like sequence, UAS, and spacer sequence, the strengths of the promoter-like and terminator-like bifunctional elements were optimally fine-tuned with ~8-fold and ~7-fold increases, respectively. The application of bifunctional elements in the lycopene biosynthetic pathway showed an improved pathway assembly efficiency and higher lycopene yield. The designed bifunctional elements effectively simplified pathway construction and can serve as a useful toolbox for yeast synthetic biology.
Causal Effects of Blood Lipid Traits on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Yao Ziqin , Jiang Feiyu , Luo Hongbin , Zhou Jiahui , Shi Wanting , Xu Shoufang , Zhang Yingying , Dai Feng , Li Xinran , Liu Zhiwei , Wang Xinhui 
Published: June 2023

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), have become a global health problem with a rapid growth of incidence in newly industrialized countries. Observational studies have recognized associations between blood lipid traits and IBDs, but the causality still remains unclear. To determine the causal effects of blood lipid traits, including triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) on IBDs, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were conducted using the summary-level genome-wide association study (GWAS) statistics of blood lipid traits and IBDs. Our univariable MR using multiplicative random-effect inverse-variance weight (IVW) method identified TC (OR: 0.674; 95% CI: 0.554, 0.820; p < 0.00625) and LDL-C (OR: 0.685; 95% CI: 0.546, 0.858; p < 0.00625) as protective factors of UC. The result of our multivariable MR analysis further provided suggestive evidence of the protective effect of TC on UC risk (OR: 0.147; 95% CI: 0.025, 0.883; p < 0.05). Finally, our MR-BMA analysis prioritized TG (MIP: 0.336; θ^MACE: −0.025; PP: 0.31; θ^λ: −0.072) and HDL-C (MIP: 0.254; θ^MACE: −0.011; PP: 0.232; θ^λ: −0.04) for CD and TC (MIP: 0.721; θ^MACE: −0.257; PP: 0.648; θ^λ: −0.356) and LDL-C (MIP: 0.31; θ^MACE: −0.095; PP: 0.256; θ^λ: −0.344) for UC as the top-ranked protective factors. In conclusion, the causal effect of TC for UC prevention was robust across all of our MR approaches, which provide the first evidence that genetically determined TC is causally associated with reduced risk of UC. The finding of this study provides important insights into the metabolic regulation of IBDs and potential metabolites targeting strategies for IBDs intervention.
Detection of Antagonistic Compounds Synthesized by Bacillus velezensis against Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri by Metabolome and RNA Sequencing
Authors: Rabbee Muhammad Fazle , Baek Kwang-Hyun 
Published: June 2023

Biological control of plant diseases has gained attraction for controlling various bacterial diseases at a field trial stage. An isolated endophytic bacterium, Bacillus velezensis 25 (Bv-25), from Citrus species had strong antagonistic activity against Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), which causes citrus canker disease. When Bv-25 was incubated in Landy broth or yeast nutrient broth (YNB), the ethyl acetate extract of Landy broth exhibited higher levels of antagonistic activity against Xcc compared to that of YNB. Therefore, the antimicrobial compounds in the two ethyl acetate extracts were detected by high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. This comparison revealed an increase in production of several antimicrobial compounds, including difficidin, surfactin, fengycin, and Iturin-A or bacillomycin-D by incubation in Landy broth. RNA sequencing for the Bv-25 grown in Landy broth were performed, and the differential expressions were detected for the genes encoding the enzymes for the synthesis of antimicrobial compounds, such as bacilysin, plipastatin or fengycin, surfactin, and mycosubtilin. Combination of metabolomics analysis and RNA sequencing strongly suggests that several antagonistic compounds, especially bacilysin produced by B. velezensis, exhibit an antagonistic effect against Xcc.
Effectof annealing temperature on opticaland electrical propertiesof SnS thin films
Authors: 1نجيبة عبدالله الحمداني  , 2علية عبد المحسن شهاب  , 2ضحى مولود عبداللطيف  
Published: June 2023

SnS thin films have been depositedat R.T. with thickness (300 nm ± 0.01) by using a thermal evaporation technique and annealed at 200°C for 2hour.The optical band gap of the SnS film determined from optical transmittancespectrum, in the range (400-1100 nm)and the data was used to calculate absorption coefficient and optical band gap. The film as grownand annealed has shown a direct band gap ~ 2.24 eV and 2.17eV respectively.The optical constant such as extinction coefficient (k), absorption coefficient (α) and refractive index (n) have been evaluated.
At the annealing temperature the SnS film had the best electrical properties the mobility was up to 52.35 cm².V¯¹.s ¯¹, and the resistivity was about 0.14×106(Ω.cm).
The role of uric acid in the development of infl ammation in kidney disease
Authors: Kunitskaya N. A. , Ariev A. L. , Kulaeva N. N. 
Published: June 2023

Asymptomatic hyperuricemia is frequently seen in patients with kidney disease. A significant number of epidemiological studies suggest that elevated uric acid levels play a causal role in the development and progression of kidney disease. But whether hyperuricemia is simply the result of reduced renal excretion of uric acid or contributes to the progression of renal disease remains controversial. Over the past two decades, numerous experimental studies have expanded the knowledge of the biological effects of uric acid beyond its role in the development of gout. In particular, uric acid induces activation of the immune system and affects not only renal tissue cells but also endothelial cells. All this has led to the presentation of uric acid as a potential and modifying risk factor for kidney disease. This review examines the effects of uric acid on the immune system and further on renal tissue during inflammation.