bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of TLR7 agonists in modulating COVID-19 severity in subjects with loss-of-function TLR7 variants
Authors: Naushad Shaik Mohammad , Mandadapu Gowtham , Ramaiah Mekala Janaki , Almajhdi Fahad N. , Hussain Tajamul 
Published: August 2023

AbstractWe investigate the mechanism associated with the severity of COVID-19 in men with TLR7 mutation. Men with loss-of-function (LOF) mutations in TLR7 had severe COVID-19. LOF mutations in TLR7 increased the risk of critical COVID by 16.00-fold (95% confidence interval 2.40–106.73). The deleterious mutations affect the binding of SARS-CoV2 RNA (− 328.66 ± 26.03 vs. − 354.08 ± 27.70, p = 0.03) and MYD88 (β: 40.279, p = 0.003) to TLR7 resulting in the disruption of TLR7-MyD88-TIRAP complex. In certain hypofunctional variants and all neutral/benign variants, there is no disruption of TLR7-MyD88-TIRAP complex and four TLR7 agonists showed binding affinity comparable to that of wild protein. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) also showed a higher binding affinity for the LOF variants (p = 0.03). To conclude, TLR7 LOF mutations increase the risk of critical COVID-19 due to loss of viral RNA sensing ability and disrupted MyD88 signaling. Majority of hypofunctional and neutral variants of TLR7 are capable of carrying MyD88 signaling by binding to different TLR7 agonists and NAC.
Ocular instillation of conditioned medium from mesenchymal stem cells is effective for dry eye syndrome by improving corneal barrier function
Authors: Imaizumi Tsutomu , Hayashi Ryuhei , Kudo Yuji , Li Xiaoqin , Yamaguchi Kaito , Shibata Shun , Okubo Toru , Ishii Tsuyoshi , Honma Yoichi , Nishida Kohji 
Published: August 2023

AbstractDry eye syndrome (DES) is a chronic ocular disease that induces epithelial damage to the cornea by decreasing tear production and quality. Adequate treatment options have not been established for severe DES such as Sjogren’s syndrome due to complicated pathological conditions. To solve this problem, we focused on the conditioned medium of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAdMSC-CM), which have multiple therapeutic properties. Here, we showed that hAdMSC-CM suppressed Benzalkonium Chloride (BAC)-induced cytotoxicity and inflammation in human corneal epithelial cells (hCECs). In addition, hAdMSC-CM increased the expression level and regulated the localisation of barrier function-related components, and improved the BAC-induced barrier dysfunction in hCECs. RNA-seq analysis and pharmacological inhibition experiments revealed that the effects of hAdMSC-CM were associated with the TGFβ and JAK-STAT signalling pathways. Moreover, in DES model rats with exorbital and intraorbital lacrimal gland excision, ocular instillation of hAdMSC-CM suppressed corneal epithelial damage by improving barrier dysfunction of the cornea. Thus, we demonstrated that hAdMSC-CM has multiple therapeutic properties associated with TGFβ and JAK-STAT signalling pathways, and ocular instillation of hAdMSC-CM may serve as an innovative therapeutic agent for DES by improving corneal barrier function.
Effect of citric acid on phytoextraction potential of Cucurbita pepo, Lagenaria siceraria, and Raphanus sativus plants exposed to multi-metal stress
Authors: Ibrahim Ehab A. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractPhytoextraction is a novel technique that involves using plants to remove heavy metals from contaminated soils. An outdoor pot experiment was designed to evaluate the phytoextraction potential of three plant species Cucurbita pepo, Lagenaria siceraria, and Raphanus sativus in soil contaminated with multiple metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) under the application of citric acid. The results showed that Raphanus sativus, out of all the studied plants, had the highest root and shoot dry weight and the capacity to accumulate all heavy metals at higher concentrations except for Cu. The application of citric acid into the polluted soil significantly increased plant growth, biomass, and heavy metal uptake. High bioconcentration values indicate that Raphanus sativus is a promising plant for absorbing and accumulating Cd and Ni from the soil. The maximum values of bioconcentration were also observed by the application of citric acid. The values of metal translocation from the root to the shoot were varied by plant species and the citric acid application. Regarding the biomass, metal content, as well as removal metal percentage values, it became apparent that the Raphanus sativus plant was the most effective crop in removing heavy metals from multi-metal contaminated Soil. Generally, these findings emphasize that the application of citric acid could be a useful approach to assist Cd and Ni phytoextraction by Raphanus sativus plants. When these plants are growing as vegetable crops, more attention should be given to evaluating the heavy metal content in them, especially when adding citric acid to their soil through fertigation systems to avoid food chain contamination.
Genotyped functional screening of soluble Fab clones enables in-depth analysis of mutation effects
Authors: Oksanen Sami , Saarinen Roope , Korkiakoski Anttoni , Lamminmäki Urpo , Huovinen Tuomas 
Published: August 2023

AbstractMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and their fragments are widely used in therapeutics, diagnostics and basic research. Although display methods such as phage display offer high-throughput, affinities of individual antibodies need to be accurately measured in soluble format. We have developed a screening platform capable of providing genotyped functional data from a total of 9216 soluble, individual antigen binding fragment (Fab) clones by employing next-generation sequencing (NGS) with hierarchical indexing. Full-length, paired variable domain sequences (VL–VH) are linked to functional screening data, enabling in-depth analysis of mutation effects. The platform was applied to four phage display-selected scFv/Fab screening projects and one site-saturation VH affinity maturation project. Genotyped functional screening simultaneously enabled the identification of affinity improving mutations in the VH domain of Fab 49A3 recognizing Dengue virus non-structural protein 1 (NS1) serotype 2 and informed on VH residue positions which cannot be changed from wild-type without decreasing the affinity. Genotype-based identification revealed to us the extent of intraclonal signal variance inherent to single point screening data, a phenomenon often overlooked in the field. Moreover, genotyped screening eliminated the redundant selection of identical genotypes for further study and provided a new analysis tool to evaluate the success of phage display selections and remaining clonal diversity in the screened repertoires.
24-h PCI model does affect the outcome of STEMI patients: a population-based study
Authors: Tsai Chang-Hung , Kung Pei-Tseng , Wang Shun-Mu , Tsai Tung-Han , Tsai Wen-Chen 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAcute myocardial infarction has been the second leading cause of death in Taiwan. It’s a novel issue to evaluate the relationship between the 24-h PCI service model and the outcome of STEMI patients. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of 24-h PCI service model in STEMI patients to improving survival rate. This population-based cohort study included those STEMI patients, older than 18 year-old, who had ever called emergency department from 2012 to 2018. We had two groups of our study participant, one group for STEMI patients with 24-h PCI model and the other group for STEMI patients with non-24-h PCI model. We used the Logistic regression model to analyze the risk of death within 30 days, emergency department (ED) revisits within 3 days, and readmission within 14 days. After the relevant variables were controlled, the risk of death after an ED visit among the patients with STEMI who were sent to hospitals with 24-h PCI services was significantly lower than that among the patients with STEMI who were sent to hospitals without 24-h PCI services (OR 0.85; 95% CI 0.75–0.98). However, the model could not reduce the risk of ER revisits and readmission.
The acquisition order of leukemic drug resistance mutations is directed by the selective fitness associated with each resistance mechanism
Authors: Leow Benjamin C. S. , Kok Chung H. , Yeung David T. , Hughes Timothy P. , White Deborah L. , Eadie Laura N. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractIn Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, the transition from drug sensitive to drug resistant disease is poorly understood. Here, we used exploratory sequencing of gene transcripts to determine the mechanisms of drug resistance in a dasatinib resistant cell line model. Importantly, cell samples were collected sequentially during drug exposure and dose escalation, revealing several resistance mechanisms which fluctuated over time. BCR::ABL1 overexpression, BCR::ABL1 kinase domain mutation, and overexpression of the small molecule transporter ABCG2, were identified as dasatinib resistance mechanisms. The acquisition of mutations followed an order corresponding with the increase in selective fitness associated with each resistance mechanism. Additionally, it was demonstrated that ABCG2 overexpression confers partial ponatinib resistance. The results of this study have broad applicability and help direct effective therapeutic drug usage and dosing regimens and may be useful for clinicians to select the most efficacious therapy at the most beneficial time.
Novel heat flux controlled surface cooling for hypersonic flight
Authors: Hufgard Fabian , Duernhofer Christian , Fasoulas Stefanos , Loehle Stefan 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThis paper presents a new method in theory and experiment to adjust the transpiration cooling based on the actual measured heat flux. This is particularly useful in extreme heating environments, e.g. atmospheric entry flight or combustion chamber applications. In such environments, usually cooling is set constant based on the vehicle design, yet a mass efficient and performant cooling is sought after. We present a method with real-time surface heat flux determination of the transpiration cooled wall and an automatic adjustment of the cooling. The heat flux is determined based on a system identification process. The heat flux measurement itself is derived non-intrusively from the measurement of pressure inside the plenum, i.e. the region between mass flow controller and porous wall. The particular advantage of this system is that the heat shield material is not weakened by any sensor system and its performance is optimized with respect to cooling needed at a certain heating level. Another new feature of the pressure heat flux transformation is the attenuation of a destabilizing positive feedback loop, where the transpiration cooling controller’s output (i.e. mass flow rate) strongly influences its input (i.e. plenum pressure). We describe the identification of the model parameters for the heat flux determination, which are found and verified by a calibration approach. The controlled cooling was demonstrated in a hot air plasma flow with a reference heat flux of up to 1.4 MW/m$$^2$$

2

. The results show the performance and verify the applicability in a real flight environment.
Friction and neuroimaging of active and passive tactile touch
Authors: Zhou Xue , Li Yiyuan , Tian Yu , Masen Marc A. , Li Yuanzhe , Jin Zhongmin 
Published: August 2023

AbstractTwo types of exploratory touch including active sliding and passive sliding are usually encountered in the daily life. The friction behavior of the human finger against the surface of objects is important in tactile perception. The neural mechanisms correlating to tribological behavior are not fully understood. This study investigated the tactile response of active and passive finger friction characterized with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The friction test and fNIRS test were performed simultaneously using the tactile stimulus of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) specimens. Results showed that the sliding modes did not obviously influence the friction property of skin. While three cortex regions were activated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), showing a higher activation level of passive sliding. This revealed that the tribological performance was not a simple parameter to affect tactile perception, and the difference in cortical hemodynamic activity of active and passive touch was also recognised. The movement-related blood flow changes revealed the role of PFC in integrating tactile sensation although there was no estimation task on roughness perception.
Carbon dioxide emissions through land use change, fire, and oxidative peat decomposition in Borneo
Authors: Shiraishi Tomohiro , Hirata Ryuichi , Hayashi Masato , Hirano Takashi 
Published: August 2023

AbstractBorneo has accumulated an abundance of woody carbon in its forests and peat. However, agricultural land conversion accompanied by plantation development, dead wood burning, and peat drying from drainage are major challenges to climate change mitigation. This study aimed to develop a method of estimating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from land use change, forest and peat fires, and oxidative peat decomposition, and CO2 uptake from biomass growth across Borneo using remote sensing data from 2001 to 2016. Although CO2 uptake by biomass growth in vast forests has shown a significant increasing trend, an annual net release of 461.10 ± 436.51 (average ± 1 standard deviation) Tg CO2 year−1 was observed. The estimated emissions were predominantly characterized by land use changes from 2001 to 2003, with the highest emissions in 2001. Land use change was evaluated from annual land use maps with an accuracy of 92.0 ± 1.0% (average ± 1 standard deviation). Forest and peat fires contributed higher emissions in 2002, 2006, 2009, 2014, and 2015 compared to other years and were strongly correlated with the Southern Oscillation Indexes. These results suggest that more CO2 may have been released into the atmosphere than previously thought.
COVID-19 activity risk calculator as a gamified public health intervention tool
Authors: Natraj Shreyasvi , Bhide Malhar , Yap Nathan , Liu Meng , Seth Agrima , Berman Jonathan , Glorioso Christin 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has impacted over 200 countries leading to hospitalizations and deaths of millions of people. Public health interventions, such as risk estimators, can reduce the spread of pandemics and epidemics through influencing behavior, which impacts risk of exposure and infection. Current publicly available COVID-19 risk estimation tools have had variable effectiveness during the pandemic due to their dependency on rapidly evolving factors such as community transmission levels and variants. There has also been confusion surrounding certain personal protective strategies such as risk reduction by mask-wearing and vaccination. In order to create a simple easy-to-use tool for estimating different individual risks associated with carrying out daily-life activity, we developed COVID-19 Activity Risk Calculator (CovARC). CovARC is a gamified public health intervention as users can ”play with” how different risks associated with COVID-19 can change depending on several different factors when carrying out routine daily activities. Empowering the public to make informed, data-driven decisions about safely engaging in activities may help to reduce COVID-19 levels in the community. In this study, we demonstrate a streamlined, scalable and accurate COVID-19 risk calculation system. Our study also demonstrates the quantitative impact of vaccination and mask-wearing during periods of high case counts. Validation of this impact could inform and support policy decisions regarding case thresholds for mask mandates, and other public health interventions.
Detection of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome) on inanimate surfaces in high-touch public environmental surfaces
Authors: Noorimotlagh Zahra , Mirzaee Seyyed Abbas , Seif Faezeh , Kalantar Mojtaba , Roghani Tayebeh , Mousavi Seyed Ali , Honarmandpour Azam 
Published: August 2023

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease started in late 2019 and still continues as a global pandemic, spreading among people around the world. There is limited knowledge about the role of contaminated environmental surfaces, especially high-touch public surfaces, in the transmission of the disease. The objective of the present investigation was detection of different variants (Delta, UK, and Omicron) of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome) on inanimate surfaces in high-touch public environmental surfaces in different seasons. Automated teller machines of banks (ATM), point-of-sale (POS) machine, gas station pump nozzles, and escalator handrails of malls were selected as high-touch environmental surfaces in public places. Overall, 75 samples were collected from these places and examined for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA (genome), and 21 samples (28%) were positive. Although the role of fomite transmission of COVID-19 is understood, more studies should be conducted to determine the virus survival rate as well as the required efforts to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 such as frequent cleaning and the use of efficient disinfectants on environmental surfaces, especially high-touch public places. In conclusion, the results address the importance of touching contaminated inanimate objects as well as transmission through environmental surfaces, and they could be used to establish an effective protocol to prevent indirect environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2, slow down the spread of the virus, and reduce the risk of infection.
Mesenchymal stem cells enhance CCL8 expression by podocytes in lupus-prone MRL.Faslpr mice
Authors: Kim Hyung Sook , Lee Hong Kyung , Kim Kihyeon , Ahn Gi Beom , Kim Min Sung , Lee Tae Yong , Son Dong Ju , Kim Youngsoo , Hong Jin Tae , Han Sang-Bae 
Published: August 2023

AbstractNephritis is common in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and is associated with hyper-activation of immune and renal cells. Although mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ameliorate nephritis by inhibiting T and B cells, whether MSCs directly affect renal cells is unclear. To address this issue, we examined the direct effect of MSCs on renal cells with a focus on chemokines. We found that expression of CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL8, CCL19, and CXCL10 increased 1.6–5.6-fold in the kidney of lupus-prone MRL.Faslpr mice with advancing age from 9 to 16 weeks. Although MSCs inhibited the increase in the expression of most chemokines by 52–95%, they further increased CCL8 expression by 290%. Using renal cells, we next investigated how MSCs enhanced CCL8 expression. CCL8 was expressed by podocytes, but not by tubular cells. MSCs enhanced CCL8 expression by podocytes in a contact-dependent manner, which was proved by transwell assay and blocking with anti-VCAM-1 antibody. Finally, we showed that CCL8 itself activated MSCs to produce more immunosuppressive factors (IL-10, IDO, TGF-β1, and iNOS) and to inhibit more strongly IFN-γ production by T cells. Taken together, our data demonstrate that MSCs activate podocytes to produce CCL8 in a contact-dependent manner and conversely, podocyte-derived CCL8 might potentiate immunosuppressive activity of MSCs in a paracrine fashion. Our study documents a previously unrecognized therapeutic mechanism of MSCs in nephritis.
Molecular characterization of emerging chicken and turkey parvovirus variants and novel strains in Guangxi, China
Authors: Zhang Yanfang , Feng Bin , Xie Zhixun , Zhang Minxiu , Fan Qing , Deng Xianwen , Xie Zhiqin , Li Meng , Zeng Tingting , Xie Liji , Luo Sisi , Huang Jiaoling , Wang Sheng 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAvian parvoviruses cause several enteric poultry diseases that have been increasingly diagnosed in Guangxi, China, since 2014. In this study, the whole-genome sequences of 32 strains of chicken parvovirus (ChPV) and 3 strains of turkey parvovirus (TuPV) were obtained by traditional PCR techniques. Phylogenetic analyses of 3 genes and full genome sequences were carried out, and 35 of the Guangxi ChPV/TuPV field strains were genetically different from 17 classic ChPV/TuPV reference strains. The nucleotide sequence alignment between ChPVs/TuPVs from Guangxi and other countries revealed 85.2–99.9% similarity, and the amino acid sequences showed 87.8–100% identity. The phylogenetic tree of these sequences could be divided into 6 distinct ChPV/TuPV groups. More importantly, 3 novel ChPV/TuPV groups were identified for the first time. Recombination analysis with RDP 5.0 revealed 15 recombinants in 35 ChPV/TuPV isolates. These recombination events were further confirmed by Simplot 3.5.1 analysis. Phylogenetic analysis based on full genomes showed that Guangxi ChPV/TuPV strains did not cluster according to their geographic origin, and the identified Guangxi ChPV/TuPV strains differed from the reference strains. Overall, whole-genome characterizations of emerging Guangxi ChPV and TuPV field strains will provide more detailed insights into ChPV/TuPV mutations and recombination and their relationships with molecular epidemiological features.
Effective inhibition of T95 steel corrosion in 15 wt% HCl solution by aspartame, potassium iodide, and sodium dodecyl sulphate mixture
Authors: Solomon Moses M. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractSustainable development goal 12 advocates the production and consumption of green and sustainable commodities. As such, pressure is mounting on the oil and gas industries for a paradigm shift. This work explores the potential of aspartame (a derivative of aspartic acid and phenylalanine) based formulation as a green inhibitor. The inhibiting effect of aspartame alone and in combination with potassium iodide (KI) or sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) or both on T95 steel in 15 wt% HCl solution at 60–90 °C is investigated using weight loss, electrochemical, and surface analysis techniques. The results show severe metal corrosion especially at 90 °C with a corrosion rate (v) of 186.37 mm/y. Aspartame inhibits corrosion and its inhibition efficiency (η) increases with an increase in temperature. At 6.80 mM, η of 86% is obtained at 90 °C. The addition of SDS to aspartame produces an antagonistic effect. A KI-aspartame mixture produces an antagonistic effect at 60 °C and 70 °C but a synergistic effect at 80 °C and 90 °C. There is a strong synergy when aspartame (6.80 mM), KI (1 mM), and SDS (1 mM) are mixed especially at higher temperatures. The mixture reduces v from 186.37 to 14.35 mm/y, protecting the metal surface by 92% at 90 °C. The mixture can be considered an acidizing corrosion inhibitor.