bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biodegradation of 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene and hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine by Actinomycetes species, first time isolated and characterized from water, wastewater, and sludge
Authors: Jaafaryneya Murteza , Amani Jafar , Halabian Raheleh 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBiodegradation has been applied to remediate explosives contaminants, and bacteria have a high potential for the degradation of explosives, such as hexahydro‐1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazine (RDX) and 2,4,6‐trinitrotoluene (TNT). The present study aims to screen and characterize explosive biodegradable Actinomycetes from water, wastewater, and sludge. Actinomycetes isolates were recovered from 80 environmental samples from diverse environmental resources in explosive contaminated areas of Iran and identified to the genus and species levels using conventional and molecular methods. The growth rate in the presence of pollutants and chromatography was used to determine their biodegradation capability. Twenty‐nine isolates (36.25%) of Actinomycetes were characterized from the cultured samples that belonged to 6 genus and 24 validated species. The most prevalent Actinomycetes isolated were genus Mycobacterium with 11 isolates (37.94%), genus Rhodococcus with seven isolates (24.13%), genus Nocardia with four isolates (13.8%), and genus Streptomyces with three isolates (10.33%). Moreover, our results showed that these isolates could degrade and consume 50–80% of RDX and TNT as their sole carbon and energy source. In conclusion, we showed that Actinomycetes from explosive‐contaminated areas of Iran could degrade TNT and RDX. Hence, seeking and screening untapped ecosystems that possess unexplored Actinomycetes will increase the chances of discovering the resident microorganism that has been capable of degrading TNT and RDX for application in the bioremediation process. The results of this study can be useful in using intact bacteria in nature to eliminate environmental pollution, which is one of the major environmental problems in the world.
Solar-powered multi-organism symbiont mimic system for beyond natural synthesis of polypeptides from CO
2
and N
2
Authors: Yu Wen , Zeng Yue , Wang Zenghao , Xia Shengpeng , Yang Zhiwen , Chen Weijian , Huang Yiming , Lv Fengting , Bai Haotian , Wang Shu 
Published: March 2023

Developing artificial symbionts beyond natural synthesis limitations would bring revolutionary contributions to agriculture, medicine, environment, etc. Here, we initiated a solar-driven multi-organism symbiont, which was assembled by the CO
2
fixation module of
Synechocystis
sp., N
2
fixation module of
Rhodopseudomonas palustris
, biofunctional polypeptides synthesis module of
Bacillus licheniformis
, and the electron transfer module of conductive cationic poly(fluorene-
co
-phenylene) derivative. The modular design broke the pathway to synthesize γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) using CO
2
and N
2
, attributing to the artificially constructed direct interspecific substance and electron transfer. So, the intracellular ATP and NADPH were enhanced by 69 and 30%, respectively, and the produced γ-PGA was enhanced by 104%. The strategy was further extended to produce a commercial antibiotic of bacitracin A. These achievements improve the selectivity and yield of functional polypeptides with one click by CO
2
and N
2
, and also provide an innovative strategy for creating photosynthetic systems on demand.
Diabetes-related behaviours among elderly people with pre-diabetes in rural communities of Hunan, China: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Luo Bangan , Zhang Jianglin , Hu Zhao , Gao Fan , Zhou Qiuhong , Song Shuang , Qin Lulu , Xu Huilan 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveTo explore diabetes-related behaviours and their influencing factors among elderly individuals with pre-diabetes in rural areas of China.Design, setting and participantsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among elderly individuals (≥60 years) in rural communities in Yiyang City of China. Multistaged cluster random sampling was carried out to select 42 areas, and interviews were conducted among 434 elderly individuals with pre-diabetes (fasting plasma glucose 6.1–7.0 mmol/L and/or 2-hour post-glucose load of 7.8–11.1 mmol/L) using questionnaires on diabetes-related behaviours. The diabetes-related behaviours included eight categories: average daily sedentary time; frequency of physical activities per week; regular or irregular diet; whether paying attention to diet control or not; daily dietary preferences; frequency of physical examinations per year; current smoking status; and current consumption of alcohol. Each of the risky behaviours was scored −1 and each of the healthy behaviours was scored +1. Each individual’s score of diabetes-related behaviours was the sum of the score for all behaviours.Main outcome measuresParticipants were asked about general information (age, gender, marital status, history of hyperglycaemia, family history of diabetes mellitus, presence of other diseases, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio and education) and their diabetes-related behaviours. Multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for diabetes-related behaviour among elderly individuals with pre-diabetes.ResultsThe average score of diabetes-related behaviours of elderly individuals with pre-diabetes in rural China was 2.7. The prevalences of risky diabetes-related behaviours were as follows: <1 physical examination per year (57.6%), insufficient physical activities (55.3%), lack of attention paid to diet control (51.4%), high-salt and high-fat diets (41.0%), sedentary lifestyle (35.9%), smoking (22.8%), regular alcohol uptake (15.0%) and irregular diet (3.9%). Gender and a history of hyperglycaemia were found to be influencing factors of the diabetes-related behaviour score.ConclusionsThe prevalence of risky diabetes-related behaviours was high among pre-diabetic elderly individuals in rural China. More effort should be made to promote the prevention and control of diabetes in rural China. Future studies should be undertaken on diabetes prevention strategies tailored specially for this population.Trial registration numberChiCTR-IOR-15007033; Results.
Is ambient air pollution associated with onset of sudden infant death syndrome: a case-crossover study in the UK
Authors: Litchfield Ian J , Ayres Jon G , Jaakkola Jouni J K , Mohammed Nuredin I 
Published: March 2023

ObjectivesAir pollution has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity in several studies with indications that its effect could be more severe in children. This study examined the relationship between short-term variations in criteria air pollutants and occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).DesignWe used a case-crossover study design which is widely applied in air pollution studies and particularly useful for estimating the risk of a rare acute outcome associated with short-term exposure.SettingThe study used data from the West Midlands region in the UK.ParticipantsWe obtained daily time series data on SIDS mortality (ICD-9: 798.0 or ICD-10: R95) for the period 1996–2006 with a total of 211 SIDS events.Primary outcome measuresDaily counts of SIDS events.ResultsFor an IQR increase in previous day pollutant concentration, the percentage increases (95% CI) in SIDS were 16 (6 to 27) for PM10, 1 (−7 to 10) for SO2, 5 (−4 to 14) for CO, −17 (−27 to –6) for O3, 16 (2 to 31) for NO2and 2 (−3 to 8) for NO after controlling for average temperature and national holidays. PM10and NO2showed relatively consistent association which persisted across different lag structures and after adjusting for copollutants.ConclusionsThe results indicated ambient air pollutants, particularly PM10and NO2, may show an association with increased SIDS mortality. Thus, future studies are recommended to understand possible mechanistic explanations on the role of air pollution on SIDS incidence and the ways in which we might reduce pollution exposure among infants.
Cluster randomised controlled trial of a multicomponent intervention to support the implementation of policies and practices that promote healthier environments at junior sports clubs: study protocol
Authors: Milner Sharin , Sherker Shauna , Clinton-McHarg Tara , Dray Julia , Zukowski Nadya , Gonzalez Sharleen , Kingsland Melanie , Ooi Jia Ying , Murphy Allan , Brooke Daisy , Wiggers John , Wolfenden Luke 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionA large proportion of children and adolescents participate in organised sport, making community sports clubs a promising setting to support healthy behaviours. To date, however, there have been few interventions conducted in junior sports clubs that have targeted health-promoting practices. The primary aim of this pilot study is to assess the potential effectiveness of an intervention to implement health-promoting policies and practices in junior sporting clubs targeting alcohol and tobacco practices, healthy food and beverage availability, and physical activity via participation in sport. A secondary outcome is to assess the impact of such strategies on child exposure to alcohol and tobacco use at the club, purchasing behaviours by/for children at the club canteen and child sports participation opportunities.Methods and analysisThe study will employ a cluster randomised controlled trial design and be conducted in metropolitan and regional areas of two Australian states. Randomisation will occur at the level of the football league. Community football clubs with over 40 junior players (players under 18 years) within each league will be eligible to participate. The intervention will be developed based on frameworks that consider the social, cultural and environmental factors that influence health behaviours. Intervention clubs will be supported to implement 16 practices targeting alcohol management, tobacco use, nutrition practices, new player recruitment activity, equal participation for players and the development of policies to support these practices. Trained research staff will collect outcome data via telephone interviews at baseline and follow-up. Interviews will be conducted with both club representatives and parents of junior players.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by the University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee (H-2013-0429). The results of the study will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and presentations at conferences.Trial registration numberACTRN12617001044314; Pre-results.
Financial impact of injury in older workers: use of a national retrospective e-cohort to compare income patterns over 3 years in a universal injury compensation scheme
Authors: Davie Gabrielle , Lilley Rebbecca 
Published: March 2023

ObjectiveThe study aims to quantify the impact of injury on the financial well-being of older workers. The hypothesis was that injured older workers have substantially reduced income from work following injury, but that New Zealand’s (NZ) universal injury compensation scheme mitigates the difference for total income.Design, setting and participantsAn e-cohort of 617 722 workers aged 45–64 years old was created using de-identified linked administrative data in NZ’s Integrated Data Infrastructure. Person-level data from numerous government agencies were used to compare 21 639 with an injury-related entitlement claim in 2009 with the remaining 596 133. Event date was the date of injury, or for the comparison group, a randomly selected date in 2009.Primary and secondary outcome measuresGeometric mean ratios (GMRs) were used to compare income from work and total income from all taxable sources between those injured and the comparison group. Adjusted GMRs estimated income differences up to 36 months following the event date.ResultsDifferences in total income increased over time. In the third year, those injured received 6.7% less (adjusted GMR 0.933 (95% CI 0.925 to 0.941)) than the comparison group, equivalent to an average loss of $NZ2628. Restricting to income from work, those injured received 29.2% less than the comparison group at 3 years (adjusted GMR 0.708 (95% CI 0.686 to 0.730)). For both men and women, those injured at 45–49 years consistently had the greatest relative income loss compared with those aged 50–54, 55–59 or 60–64 years.ConclusionsAlthough the substantial impacts of injury on income were mainly mitigated by public income transfers, relative losses in income in those aged 45–64 years increased in the 3 years following injury. Policies focused on adequate compensation and reducing the time away from employment could reduce these financial impacts in older workers.
Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of a recovery-focused group therapy intervention for adults with bipolar disorder: trial protocol
Authors: Beck Alison K , Baker Amanda , Jones Steven , Lobban Fiona , Kay-Lambkin Frances , Attia John , Banfield Michelle 
Published: March 2023

IntroductionImproving accessible, acceptable recovery-oriented service provision for people with bipolar disorder (BD) is an important priority. Mindfulness and acceptance-based cognitive and behavioural therapies (or ‘third -wave’ CBT) may prove fruitful due to the considerable overlap between these approaches and key features of personal recovery. Groups also confer therapeutic benefits consistent with personal recovery and may improve recovery-oriented service provision by adding another modality for accessing support. The primary objective of this trial is to explore the feasibility and acceptability of a new recovery-focused group therapy (RfGT) intervention for adults with BD. This is the first published feasibility assessment of a time-limited RfGTrecovery-focused group therapy intervention for BD.Methods/ analysisThis protocol describes an open feasibility study, utilising a pre-treatment design versus post- treatment design and nested qualitative evaluation. Participants will be recruited from the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, from primary care providers, specialist mental health services, non-government organisations and via self-referral. The primary outcomes are feasibility and acceptability as indexed by recruitment, retention, intervention adherence, adverse events (if any) and detailed consumer feedback. Clinical outcomes and process measures will be assessed to inform future research. Primary outcome data will utiliseuse descriptive statistics (eg, summarizingsummarising recruitment, demographics, attendance, attrition and intervention adherence). Secondary outcomes will be assessed using repeated-measures analysis of covariance across all time points (including change, effect size and variability).Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been granted by the Northern Sydney Local Health District HREChuman research ethics committee (HREC) (HREC/16/HAWKE/69) and The University of Newcastle HREC (H-2016–0107). The Ffindings will be used to improve the intervention per user needs and preferences, and inform what amendments and/or information are required before a follow-on trial would be possible. This study contributes to a growing body of innovative, recovery-oriented innovations of psychological treatments for adults with BD.Trial registration numberACTRN12616000887471; Pre-results.
Familial and socio-cultural barriers in maintaining tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh: a comparative cross-sectional study
Authors: Haque Md Imdadul , Zafar Ullah Abu Naser , Akter Tasnim , Chowdhury ABM Alauddin , Mamun Abdullah al , Tamanna Tabassum Islam , Hossain Md Kamrul , Khan Hafiz TA , Harun Md Golam Dostogir 
Published: March 2023

ObjectivesChildren, pregnant women and the elderly at a global level are all being dangerously exposed to tobacco use in the household (HH). However, there is no understanding of the familial and socio-cultural factors that provide barriers to ensuring tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh either in urban or rural areas (U&RAs). This study therefore investigates those barriers to help enable a move towards tobacco-free homes in Bangladesh.DesignComparative cross-sectional study.SettingsData were collected from both urban and rural settings in Bangladesh.ParticipantsA probability proportional sampling procedure was used to select 808 participants in U&RAs out of a total of 3715 tobacco users. Semi-structured interviews through the use of a questionnaire were conducted with the participants followed by a multivariate logistic regression analysis of the data in order to explore the familial and socio-cultural factors associated with tobacco use at home.ResultsThe prevalence of tobacco use at home was 25.7% in urban areas and 47.6% in rural areas. In urban areas: marital status (adjusted OR (AOR)=3.23, 95% CI 1.37 to 6.61), education (AOR=2.14, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.99), the smoking habits of elderly family members (AOR=1.81, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.89), offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=1.85, 95% CI 0.94 to 2.95) and lack of religious practices (AOR=2.39, 95% CI 1.27 to 4.54) were identified as significant socio-cultural predictors associated with tobacco use at home. In rural areas: age (AOR=5.11, 95% CI 2.03 to 12.83), extended family (AOR=3.08, 95% CI 1.28 to 7.38), lack of religious practices (AOR=4.23, 95% CI 2.32 to 7.72), using children to buy or carry tobacco (AOR=3.33, 95% CI 1.11 to 9.99), lack of family guidance (AOR=4.27, 95% CI 2.45 to 7.42) and offering tobacco as a traditional form of leisure activity at home (AOR=3.81, 95% CI 2.23 to 6.47) were identified as significant determinants for tobacco use at home.ConclusionThis study concludes that socio-cultural traditions and familial norms in Bangladesh provide significant barriers for enabling tobacco-free homes. The identification of these barriers can aid policymakers and programme planners in Bangladesh in devising appropriate measures to mitigate the deadly consequences of tobacco use in the home. The consequences also include the dangers involved in family members being exposed to secondhand smoke.
Page curve and phase transition in deformed Jackiw–Teitelboim gravity
Authors: Lu Cheng-Yuan , Yu Ming-Hui , Ge Xian-Hui , Tian Li-Jun 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe consider the entanglement island in a deformed Jackiw–Teitelboim black hole in the presence of the phase transition. This black hole has the van der Waals–Maxwell-like phase structure as it is coupled with a Maxwell field. We study the behavior of the Page curve of this black hole by using the island paradigm. In the fixed charge ensemble, we discuss different situations with different charges that influence the system’s phase structure. There is only a Hawking–Page phase transition in the absence of charges, which leads to an unstable small black hole. Hence, the related Page curve does not exist. However, a van der Waals–Maxwell-like phase transition occurs in the presence of charges. This yields three black hole solutions. The Page curve of the middle size black hole does not exist. For the extremal black hole, the Page time approaches zero in the phase transition situation but becomes divergent without the phase transition. In a word, we study the Page curve and the island paradigm for different black hole phases and in different phase transition situations.
Efficacy and Safety of Eplerenone for Treating Chronic Kidney Disease: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hu Honglei , Cao Mengdie , Sun Yao , Jin Xingqian , Zhao Xiaodong , Cong Xiangguo 
Published: March 2023

Background. In recent years, a large amount of clinical evidence and animal experiments have demonstrated the unique advantages of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) for treating chronic kidney disease (CKD). Aims. Accordingly, the present study aimed to systematically assess the second-generation selective MRAs eplerenone’s safety and effectiveness for treating CKD. Methods. Four databases (PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCT) correlated with eplerenone for treating CKD up to September 21, 2022. By complying with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, literature screening, and data extraction were conducted. Results. A total of 19 randomized controlled articles involving 4501 cases were covered. As suggested from the meta-analysis, significant differences were reported with the 24-h urine protein (MD = −42.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -76.72 to −7.73,

P

= 0.02), urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) (MD = −23.57, 95% CI = −29.28 to −17.86,

P

< 0.00001), the systolic blood pressure (SBP) (MD = −2.73, 95% CI = −4.86 to −0.59,

P

= 0.01), and eGFR (MD = −1.56, 95% CI = −2.78 to −0.34,

P

= 0.01) in the subgroup of eplerenone vs placebo. The subgroups of eplerenone vs placebo (MD = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.07 to 0.18,

P

< 0.00001) and eplerenone vs thiazide diuretic (MD = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.13 to 0.23,

P

< 0.00001) showed the significantly increased potassium levels. However, no statistical significance was reported between the eplerenone treatment groups and the control in the effect exerted by serum creatinine (MD=0.03, 95% CI = −0.01 to 0.07,

P

= 0.12) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (MD = 0.11, 95% CI = −0.41 to 0.63,

P

= 0.68). Furthermore, significant risks of hyperkalemia were reported in the eplerenone group (K+ ≥ 5.5 mmol/l, RR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.35 to 2.13,

P

=< 0.00001; K+ ≥ 6.0 mmol/l, RR = 1.61, 95% CIs = 1.06 to 2.44,

P

= 0.02), respectively. Conclusions. Eplerenone has beneficial effects on CKD by reducing urinary protein and the systolic blood pressure, but it also elevates the risk of hyperkalemia.
FPR2 Shapes an Immune-Excluded Pancreatic Tumor Microenvironment and Drives T-cell Exhaustion in a Sex-Dependent Manner
Authors: He Fei , Tay Apple H.M. , Calandigary Ahmed , Malki Enana , Suzuki Sayaka , Liu Tianjie , Wang Qi , Fernández-Moro Carlos , Kaisso Marina , Olofsson-Sahl Peter , Melssen Marit , Sze Siu Kwan , Björnstedt Mikael , Löhr Matthias J. , Karlsson Mikael C.I. , Heuchel Rainer , Sarhan Dhifaf 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

Sex-driven immune differences can affect tumor progression and the landscape of the tumor microenvironment. Deeper understanding of these differences in males and females can inform patient selection to improve sex-optimized immunotherapy treatments. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing and protein analyses uncovered a subpopulation of myeloid cells in pancreatic lesions associated with an immune-excluded tumor phenotype and effector T-cell exhaustion exclusively in females. This myeloid subpopulation was positively correlated with poor survival and genetic signatures of M2-like macrophages and T-cell exhaustion in females. The G-protein coupled receptor formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) mediated these immunosuppressive effects. In vitro, treatment of myeloid cells with a specific FPR2 antagonist prevented exhaustion and enhanced cytotoxicity of effector cells. Proteomic analysis revealed high expression of immunosuppressive secretory proteins PGE2 and galectin-9, enriched integrin pathway, and reduced proinflammatory signals like TNFα and IFNγ in female M2-like macrophages upon FPR2 agonist treatment. In addition, myeloid cells treated with FPR2 agonists induced TIM3 and PD-1 expression only in female T cells. Treatment with anti-TIM3 antibodies reversed T-cell exhaustion and stimulated their ability to infiltrate and kill pancreatic spheroids. In vivo, progression of syngeneic pancreatic tumors was significantly suppressed in FPR2 knockout (KO) female mice compared with wild-type (WT) female mice and to WT and FPR2 KO male mice. In female mice, inoculation of tumors with FPR2 KO macrophages significantly reduced tumor growth compared with WT macrophages. Overall, this study identified an immunosuppressive function of FPR2 in females, highlighting a potential sex-specific precision immunotherapy strategy.

Significance:
FPR2 is a sex-dependent mediator of macrophage function in pancreatic cancer and can be targeted to reprogram macrophages and stimulate antitumor immunity in females.