bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal breastfeeding is associated with offspring microbiome diversity; a secondary analysis of the MicrobeMom randomized control trial
Authors: Yelverton Cara A. , Killeen Sarah Louise , Feehily Conor , Moore Rebecca L. , Callaghan Shauna L. , Geraghty Aisling A. , Byrne David F. , Walsh Calum J. , Lawton Elaine M. , Murphy Eileen F. , Van Sinderen Douwe , Cotter Paul D. , McAuliffe Fionnuala M. 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundMicrobial dysbiosis in infancy can influence long-term health outcomes such as childhood obesity. The aim of this study is to explore relationships among maternal well-being during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the infant gut microbiome.MethodsThis is a secondary analysis of healthy pregnant women from the MicrobeMom study, a double-blind randomized control trial of maternal probiotic supplementation (Bifidobacterium breve 702258) versus placebo antenatally and up to 3 months postpartum. Maternal well-being was assessed using the WHO-5 well-being index at 16 weeks’ and 34 weeks’ gestation. Breastfeeding practices were recorded at discharge from hospital and at 1 month postpartum. Infant stool samples were obtained at 1 month of age. Next generation shotgun sequencing determined infant microbial diversity. Independent sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests informed adjusted regression analysis, which was adjusted for delivery mode, antibiotics during delivery, maternal age and body mass index (BMI), and probiotic vs. control study group.ResultsWomen (n = 118) with at least one measure of well-being were on average 33 years (SD 3.93) of age and 25.09 kg/m2 (SD 3.28) BMI. Exclusive breastfeeding was initiated by 65% (n = 74). Any breastfeeding was continued by 69% (n = 81) after 1 month. In early and late pregnancy, 87% (n = 97/111) and 94% (n = 107/114) had high well-being scores. Well-being was not associated with infant microbial diversity at 1 month. In adjusted analysis, exclusive breastfeeding at discharge from hospital was associated with infant microbial beta diversity (PC2; 0.254, 95% CI 0.006, 0.038). At 1 month postpartum, any breastfeeding was associated with infant microbial alpha diversity (Shannon index; −0.241, 95% CI −0.498, −0.060) and observed species; (−0.325, 95% CI −0.307, −0.060), and infant microbial beta diversity (PC2; 0.319, 95% CI 0.013, 0.045). Exclusive breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum was associated with infant alpha diversity (Shannon index −0.364, 95% CI −0.573, −0.194; Simpson index 0.339, 95% CI 0.027, 0.091), and infant’s number of observed microbial species (−0.271, 95% CI −0.172, −0.037).ConclusionBreastfeeding practices at 1 month postpartum were associated with lower microbial diversity and observed species in infants at 1 month postpartum, which is potentially beneficial to allow greater abundance of Bifidobacterium.Clinical trial registrationISRCTN53023014.
Effects of two strains of Lactobacillus isolated from the feces of calves after fecal microbiota transplantation on growth performance, immune capacity, and intestinal barrier function of weaned calves
Authors: Li Yuanyuan , Li Xin , Nie Cunxi , Wu Yanyan , Luo Ruiqing , Chen Cheng , Niu Junli , Zhang Wenju 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionWeaning stress seriously affects the welfare of calves and causes huge economic losses to the cattle breeding industry. Probiotics play an important role in improving animal growth performance, enhancing immune function, and improving gut microbiota. The newly isolated strains of Lactobacillus reuteri L81 and Lactobacillus johnsonii L29 have shown potential as probiotics. Here, we studied the probiotic properties of these two strains on weaned calves.MethodsForty calves were randomly assigned to four groups before weaning, with 10 calves in each group, control group (Ctrl group), L. reuteri L81 supplementation group (2 g per day per calf), L. johnsonii L29 supplementation group (2 g per day per calf), L. reuteri L81 and L. johnsonii L29 composite group (2 g per day per calf), and the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri L81 and Lactobacillus johnsonii L29 supplementation on growth performance, immune status, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier function of weaned calves were evaluated.ResultsThe results showed that probiotics supplementation increased the average daily weight gain of calves after weaning, reduced weaning diarrhea index (p &lt; 0.05), and increased serum IgA, IgM, and IgG levels (p &lt; 0.05). L. reuteri L81 supplementation significantly decreased IL-6, increased IL-10 and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels at 21 d after weaning (p &lt; 0.05). Moreover, probiotics supplementation significantly decreased serum endotoxin (ET), diamine oxidase (DAO), and D-lactic acid (D-LA) levels at different time points (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, supplementation with L. reuteri L81 significantly reduced the crypt depth and increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (p &lt; 0.05) in the ileum, increased gene expression of tight junction protein ZO-1, Claudin-1 and Occludin in jejunum and ileum mucosa, reduced the gene expression of INF- γ in ileum mucosa and IL-8 in jejunum mucosa, and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Oscillospira, etc.Discussionverall, these results showed that the two strains isolated from cattle feces after low concentration fecal microbiota transplantation improved the growth performance, immune performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier function of weaned calves, indicating their potential as supplements to alleviate weaning diarrhea in calves.
Venomics of the milos viper (Macrovipera schweizeri) unveils patterns of venom composition and exochemistry across blunt-nosed viper venoms
Authors: Schulte Lennart , Damm Maik , Avella Ignazio , Uhrig Lilien , Erkoc Pelin , Schiffmann Susanne , Fürst Robert , Timm Thomas , Lochnit Günter , Vilcinskas Andreas , Lüddecke Tim 
Published: August 2023

Introduction: Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease and a globally important driver of death and morbidity. Vipers of the genus Macrovipera (Viperidae: Viperinae) are among the snakes of higher medical importance in the Old World. Despite the medical relevance of Macrovipera venoms, the knowledge regarding them is heterogeneously distributed with virtually all works conducted so far focusing on subspecies of Macrovipera lebetinus, while other species within the genus are largely overlooked. Here we present the first proteomic evaluation of the venom from the Greek endemic Milos viper (Macrovipera schweizeri). In line with clinical symptoms typically elicited by Macrovipera envenomations, Milos viper venom primarily comprises coagulotoxic and cytotoxic protein families, such as metalloproteinases (svMP) and serine proteases (svSP).Methods: We conducted comparative bioactivity assays on venoms from M. schweizeri and the M. lebetinus subspecies M. lebetinus cernovi, M. lebetinus obtusa, and M. lebetinus turanica, and showed that they all exhibit similarities in levels of cytotoxicity proteolytic activity, and inhibition of prokaryotic growth. Lastly, we compared Macrovipera venom profiles by 1D-SDS-PAGE and RP-HPLC, as well as our proteomic data with previously published Macrovipera venom proteomes.Results and discussion: The analyzes performed to reveal that a general venom profile seems to be conserved across blunt-nosed vipers, and that, M. schweizeri envenomations, similarly to those caused by other blunt-nosed vipers, are able to cause significant tissue damage. The present work represents an important starting point for the development of comparative studies across the full taxonomic range of the genus Macrovipera and can potentially help optimize the treatment of envenomations caused by M. schweizeri.
Identifying Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment with atlas-based multi-modal metrics
Authors: Long Zhuqing , Li Jie , Fan Jianghua , Li Bo , Du Yukeng , Qiu Shuang , Miao Jichang , Chen Jian , Yin Juanwu , Jing Bin 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionMulti-modal neuroimaging metrics in combination with advanced machine learning techniques have attracted more and more attention for an effective multi-class identification of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and health controls (HC) recently.MethodsIn this paper, a total of 180 subjects consisting of 44 AD, 66 MCI and 58 HC subjects were enrolled, and the multi-modalities of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and the structural MRI (sMRI) for all participants were obtained. Then, four kinds of metrics including the Hurst exponent (HE) metric and bilateral hippocampus seed independently based connectivity metrics generated from fMRI data, and the gray matter volume (GMV) metric obtained from sMRI data, were calculated and extracted in each region of interest (ROI) based on a newly proposed automated anatomical Labeling (AAL3) atlas after data pre-processing. Next, these metrics were selected with a minimal redundancy maximal relevance (MRMR) method and a sequential feature collection (SFC) algorithm, and only a subset of optimal features were retained after this step. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) based classification methods and artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm were utilized to identify the multi-class of AD, MCI and HC subjects in single modal and multi-modal metrics respectively, and a nested ten-fold cross-validation was utilized to estimate the final classification performance.ResultsThe results of the SVM and ANN based methods indicated the best accuracies of 80.36 and 74.40%, respectively, by utilizing all the multi-modal metrics, and the optimal accuracies for AD, MCI and HC were 79.55, 78.79 and 82.76%, respectively, in the SVM based method. In contrast, when using single modal metric, the SVM based method obtained a best accuracy of 72.62% with the HE metric, and the accuracies for AD, MCI and HC subjects were just 56.82, 80.30 and 75.86%, respectively. Moreover, the overlapping abnormal brain regions detected by multi-modal metrics were mainly located at posterior cingulate gyrus, superior frontal gyrus and cuneus.ConclusionTaken together, the SVM based method with multi-modal metrics could provide effective diagnostic information for identifying AD, MCI and HC subjects.
Comparison of three measures for insomnia in ischemic stroke patients: Pittsburgh sleep quality index, insomnia severity index, and Athens insomnia scale
Authors: Niu Shuzhen , Wu Qian , Ding Silian , Wu Lingchun , Wang Li , Shi Yan 
Published: August 2023

ObjectiveThis study investigated the consistency and determined the optimal threshold values of three scales in the diagnosis of insomnia of ischemic stroke (IS) patients.MethodsParticipants in this study consisted of 569 acute IS patients. All 569 patients completed the assessment of the three insomnia scales. Insomnia of IS patients were assessed by Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Athens insomnia scale (AIS). Also, basic patient information, neurological function, and activities of daily living were assessed. General information was compared between the insomnia group and the no-insomnia group. Cronbach’s α coefficients, Cohen’s Kappa consistency, Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and DeLong’s test analysis were used to analyze the reliability and diagnostic validity of PSQI, ISI, and AIS.ResultsThe PSQI and ISI showed high reliability with Cronbach’s α of 0.875 and 0.858, respectively, while the AIS had an α coefficient of 0.734, demonstrating acceptable reliability. The PSQI, ISI, and AIS showed outstanding diagnostic ability with an AUC of 0.960 (95% CI: 0.946, 0.974), 0.911 (95% CI: 0.882, 0.941), and 0.876 (95% CI:0.837, 0.916). The best diagnostic cutoffs for PSQI, ISI, and AIS are ≥9, ≥15, and ≥8.ConclusionEach of the three questionnaires has advantages and disadvantages when assessing insomnia. In the evaluation of insomnia in IS patients, the best questionnaire selection should be made according to the purpose of clinical evaluation and considering the sensitivity and specificity.
Middle meningeal artery embolization without surgical evacuation for chronic subdural hematoma: a single-center experience of 209 cases
Authors: Orscelik Atakan , Senol Yigit Can , Bilgin Cem , Kobeissi Hassan , Arul Santhosh , Cloft Harry , Lanzino Giuseppe , Kallmes David F. , Brinjikji Waleed 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundMiddle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization is a minimally invasive treatment option for new and recurrent chronic subdural hematomas (cSDH).ObjectiveTo examine the safety and efficacy profile of MMA embolization without surgical evacuation for cSDH patients.MethodsA single-center retrospective study of patients with cSDHs treated by MMA embolization was undertaken. Patient demographics, hematoma characteristics, procedural details, and clinical and radiological outcomes were collected. The primary outcome was the need for retreatment, and the secondary outcomes were at least a 50% reduction in the maximum width of cSDH on the last CT imaging, complications, and an improvement in the modified Rankin scale (mRS) score. All results were presented as descriptive statistics.ResultsA total of 209 MMA embolizations were successfully performed on 144 patients. Polyvinyl alcohol particles were the primary embolization agent in all procedures. Of the total of 206 cSDH, the median maximum width at pre-intervention and last follow-up were 12 and 3 mm, respectively, and the median reduction percentage was 77.5%, with a &gt;50% improvement observed in 72.8% at the last follow-up imaging. A total of 13.8% of patients needed retreatment for recurrent, refractory, or symptomatic hematomas after embolization. The mRS score improved in 71 (49.3%) patients. Of 144 patients, 4 (2.8%) experienced complications related to the procedure, and 12 (8.4%) died during follow-up due to causes unrelated to the MMA embolization procedures.ConclusionThis study supports the fact that MMA embolization without surgical evacuation is a safe and effective minimally invasive option for the treatment of cSDHs.
Nicotine-mediated effects in neuronal and mouse models of synucleinopathy
Authors: Fares Mohamed Bilal , Alijevic Omar , Johne Stephanie , Overk Cassia , Hashimoto Makoto , Kondylis Athanasios , Adame Anthony , Dulize Remi , Peric Dariusz , Nury Catherine , Battey James , Guedj Emmanuel , Sierro Nicolas , Mc Hugh Damian , Rockenstein Edward , Kim Changyoun , Rissman Robert A. , Hoeng Julia , Peitsch Manuel C. , Masliah Eliezer , Mathis Carole 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionAlpha-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation, transmission, and contribution to neurotoxicity represent central mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease. The plant alkaloid “nicotine” was reported to attenuate α-Syn aggregation in different models, but its precise mode of action remains unclear.MethodsIn this study, we investigated the effect of 2-week chronic nicotine treatment on α-Syn aggregation, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and motor deficits in D-line α-Syn transgenic mice. We also established a novel humanized neuronal model of α-Syn aggregation and toxicity based on treatment of dopaminergic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) with α-Syn preformed fibrils (PFF) and applied this model to investigate the effects of nicotine and other compounds and their modes of action.Results and discussionOverall, our results showed that nicotine attenuated α-Syn-provoked neuropathology in both models. Moreover, when investigating the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) signaling in nicotine’s neuroprotective effects in iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons, we observed that while α4-specific antagonists reduced the nicotine-induced calcium response, α4 agonists (e.g., AZD1446 and anatabine) mediated similar neuroprotective responses against α-Syn PFF-provoked neurodegeneration. Our results show that nicotine attenuates α-Syn-provoked neuropathology in vivo and in a humanized neuronal model of synucleinopathy and that activation of α4β2 nicotinic receptors might mediate these neuroprotective effects.
Constructing high-order functional networks based on hypergraph for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders
Authors: Yang Jie , Wang Fang , Li Zhen , Yang Zhen , Dong Xishang , Han Qinghua 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionHigh-order functional connectivity networks (FCNs) that reflect the connection relationships among multiple brain regions have become important tools for exploring the deep workings of the brain and revealing the mechanisms of brain diseases. The traditional high-order FCN constructed based on the “correlation of correlations” strategy, is a representative method for conducting whole-brain connectivity analysis and revealing global network characteristics. However, whole-brain connectivity analysis may be affected by noise carried by less important brain regions, resulting in redundant information and affecting the accuracy and reliability of the analysis. Moreover, this type of analysis has a high computational complexity.MethodsTo address these issues, a new method for constructing high-order FCN based on hypergraphs is proposed in this article, which is used to accurately capture the real interaction relationships among brain regions. Specifically, first, a low-order FCN reflecting the connection relationships between pairs of brain regions based on resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) time series is constructed, the method first constructs the low-order FCN that reflects the connection relationships between pairs of brain regions based on rs-fMRI time series, and then selects the “good friends” of each brain region from hypergraph perspective, which refers to the local friend circles with closer relationships. Then, the rs-fMRI time series corresponding to the “good friends” in each brain region’s friend circle are averaged to obtain a sequence that reflects the intimacy between brain regions in each friend circle. Finally, hypergraph high-order FCN, which reflects the interaction relationships among multiple brain regions, is obtained by calculating the correlations based on the sequence of friend circles.ResultsThe experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms traditional high-order FCN construction methods. Furthermore, integrating the high-order FCN constructed based on hypergraphs and the low-order FCN through feature fusion to achieve complementary information improves the accuracy of assisting in the diagnosis of brain diseases.DiscussionIn addition, the effectiveness of our method has only been validated in the diagnosis of ASD. For future work, we plan to extend this method to other brain connectivity patterns.
Association of vitamin B1 with cardiovascular diseases, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in US adults
Authors: Wen He , Niu Xiaona , Zhao Ran , Wang Qiuhe , Sun Nan , Ma Le , Li Yan , Zhang Wei 
Published: August 2023

BackgroundThe correlation between dietary vitamin B1 intake and cardiovascular diseases, as well as the all-cause and cardiovascular-associated mortality, is not well known. A large-scale data pool was used to examine the aforementioned correlations of Vitamin B1.MethodsThis paper analyzed the dietary data from the survey conducted by National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES; 1999–2018). The correlation of vitamin B1 intake in each quartile with cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and heart failure was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression models. The hazard ratios for dietary vitamin B1 intake in each quartile, along with all-cause and cardiovascular-associated mortality, were performed using multivariate cox regression analysis, setting the lowest quartile (Q1) as a reference. The restricted cubic spline (RCS) method was used to study the nonlinear relationship. Subgroup stratification and sensitivity analyses were used to further investigate the association between them.ResultsThe study enrolled 27,958 subjects (with a mean follow-up time of 9.11 years). After multivariate adjustment, dietary vitamin B1 intake was significantly associated with hypertension, heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, with the most significant association in quartile 4 (Q4) of vitamin B1 intake. The results of the restricted cubic spline showed that vitamin B1 intake was nonlinearly associated with hypertension, whereas it was linearly associated with heart failure and cardiovascular mortality. Meanwhile, a dose–response correlation was observed, indicating that increased vitamin B1 intake leads to reduced risk of both cardiovascular prevalence and mortality. The stratified analysis showed that the correlation between age ≥ 50 years, overweight, smoking history, drinking history and dyslipidemia were more significant in male patients. The associations remained similar in the sensitivity analyses.ConclusionThe large NHANES-based studies indicate a gradual trend toward decreasing the risk of hypertension and heart failure prevalence and cardiovascular mortality with increasing dietary vitamin B1 intake. This association is especially significant in elderly-aged men, overweight individuals, smokers, drinkers, and dyslipidemia patients.
Encapsulation of betalain-rich extract from beetroot postharvest waste using a binary blend of gum Arabic and maltodextrin to promote a food circular bioeconomy
Authors: Mkhari Tshamisane , Kaseke Tafadzwa , Fawole Olaniyi Amos 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionThe present study evaluated the potential of maltodextrin (MT), gum Arabic (GA), and their blends to produce functional beetroot waste extract powder (BWEP).MethodsThe beetroot waste extracts were produced using 50% ethanol and encapsulated using 10% (1:10, w/v) of the GA and MT carriers at different blending ratios, namely, GA:MT 1:0, GA:MT 0:1, GA:MT 1:1, GA:MT 2:1, and GA:MT 1:2, respectively. The BWEP were analyzed for physicochemical, technofunctional, morphological, crystallinity, and antioxidant properties.ResultsBWEP produced using either GA or MT exhibited better color, solubility, encapsulation efficiency, and betalain content. Powders from the blends of GA and MT showed better oil holding capacity and total phenolic content. On the other hand, powder yield, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, bulk density, and DPPH radical scavenging activity did not significantly differ (p &gt; 0.05) among the powders. BWEP produced using GA and MT separately was relatively smaller and more regular compared to the powders from the blended biopolymers. All powders showed signs of agglomeration, which was more pronounced in the powders from the blended biopolymers. A total of 16 metabolites, including betalains (9), phenolic acids (2), and flavonoids (5), were tentatively identified. The majority of the metabolites were entrapped in the BWEP produced using GA and MT separately. The quantified metabolites included gallic acid (33.62–44.83 μg/g DM), (+)-catechin (32.82–35.84 μg/g DM), (−)-epicatechin (37.78–45.89 μg/g DM), and myricetin (30.07–35.84 μg/g DM), which were significantly higher in the BWEP produced from GA or MT separately.DiscussionThe study showed that although blending GA and MT has the potential to improve the quality of BWEP, using these biopolymers separately showed a promise to promote a food circular bioeconomy.