bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glycyrrhiza polysaccharides inhibits PRRSV replication
Authors: Yang Youbing , Liu Yongjian , Lou Ran , Lei Ying , Li Gan , Xu Zhiqian , You Xiangbin 
Published: July 2023

AbstractGlycyrrhiza polysaccharide (GCP) is a natural plant active polysaccharide extracted from traditional Chinese medicine licorice. In this research, we studied the antiviral activity of glycyrrhiza polysaccharide against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), a virus of the Arteriviridae family, with a high rate of variation and has caused huge economic losses to the pig industry in various countries since its discovery. Our results show that GCP can inhibit PRRSV replication in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, GCP could inhibit the mRNA expression of receptor genes CD163 and NF-κB p65 and promote the mRNA expression of the SLA-7 gene. Because of these results, GCP can be used as a candidate drug to prevent and treat PRRS.
Statistical analysis of organelle movement using state-space models
Authors: Nishio Haruki , Hirano Satoyuki , Kodama Yutaka 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Organelle motility is essential for the correct cellular function of various eukaryotic cells. In plant cells, chloroplasts move towards the intracellular area irradiated by a weak light to maximise photosynthesis. To initiate this process, an unknown signal is transferred from the irradiated area to distant chloroplasts. Quantification of this chloroplast movement has been performed using visual estimations that are analyst-dependent and labour-intensive. Therefore, an objective and faster method is required.

Results
In this study, we developed the cellssm package of R (https://github.com/hnishio/cellssm.git), which is a user-friendly tool for state-space modelling to statistically analyse the directional movement of cells or organelles. Our method showed a high accuracy in estimating the start time of chloroplast movement in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha over a short period. The tool indicated that chloroplast movement accelerates during transport to the irradiated area and that signal transfer speed is uneven within a cell. We also developed a method to estimate the common dynamics among multiple chloroplasts in each cell, which clarified different characteristics among cells.

Conclusions
We demonstrated that state-space modelling is a powerful method to understand organelle movement in eukaryotic cells. The cellssm package can be applied to various directional movements (both accumulation and avoidance) at cellular and subcellular levels to estimate the true transition of states behind the time-series data.
Upper extremity physical performance tests in female overhead athletes: a test–retest reliability study
Authors: Kardor Sara , Gorji Zahra , Ghotbi Nastaran , Attarbashi-Moghadam Behrouz , Shadmehr Azadeh , Gorji Mona 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Objective
Despite the studies that have investigated the reliability of Upper Extremity Functional Tests(UEFTs), the reliability of Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability(CKCUES), Seated Medicine Ball Throw(SMBT), push-up(PU) and Unilateral Seated Shot Put(USSP) tests in overhead athletes has yet to be assessed. The objective of this study was to determine both the relative and absolute test–retest reliability of the four UEFTs in female overhead athletes.

Methods
Twenty-nine female overhead athletes (age: 26.6 ± 5.29 years) underwent the four UEFTs twice within a three- day interval. The upper limb stability was assessed through PU and CKCUES tests, while the power was assessed though SMBT and USSP tests. The Intraclass Correlation of Coefficient (ICC) was applied to assess the relative reliability. Absolute reliability was determined by calculating the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC). Furthermore, Bland–Altman plots were used to detect the agreements between the two measurements.

Results
The relative reliability of PU, CKCUES, SMBT, and non-dominant arm USSP tests was excellent (ICC = 0.83, 0.80, 0.91, and 0.83, respectively). SEM was within a range of 1.69 to 1.72 for stability tests and a range of 13.61 to 52.12 for power (based on a 95% confidence interval). The MDC was 4.68 for PU and 4.75 for CKCUES test. At least four repetitions are needed to be considered a real improvement on PU and CKCUES tests. This value was 144.04, in SMBT and 59.03, 37.62 cm (dominant and non-dominant arm, respectively) in USSP tests, which represents the minimum change that must occur to be considered an athlete’s progression.

Conclusion
This study revealed that both the upper limb stability and power tests have acceptable relative and absolute intra-rater reliability in female overhead athletes. These can be considered as reliable tools in research and clinical settings.
Biomechanical effects of transverse connectors on total en bloc spondylectomy of the lumbar spine: a finite element analysis
Authors: Han Ye , Ren Xuehong , Liang Yijie , Ma Xiaoyong , Wang Xiaodong 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
The influence of total en bloc spondylectomy (TES) on spinal stability is substantial, necessitating strong fixation to restore spinal stability. The transverse connector (TC) serves as a posterior spinal instrumentation that connects the left and right sides of the pedicle screw-rod system. Several studies have highlighted the potential of a TC in enhancing the stability of the fixed segments. However, contradictory results have suggested that a TC not only fails to improve the stability of the fixed segments but also might promote stress associated with internal fixation. To date, there is a lack of previous research investigating the biomechanical effects of a TC on TES. This study aimed to investigate the biomechanical effects of a TC on internal fixation during TES of the lumbar (L) spine.

Methods
A single-segment (L3 segment) TES was simulated using a comprehensive L spine finite element model. Five models were constructed based on the various positions of the TC, namely the intact model (L1-sacrum), the TES model without a TC, the TES model with a TC at L1–2, the TES model with a TC at L2–4, and the TES model with a TC at L4–5. Mechanical analysis of these distinct models was conducted using the Abaqus software to assess the variations in the biomechanics of the pedicle screw-rod system, titanium cage, and adjacent endplates.

Results
The stability of the surgical segments was found to be satisfactory across all models. Compared with the complete model, the internal fixation device exhibited the greatest constraint on overextension (95.2–95.6%), while showing the least limitation on left/right rotation (53.62–55.64%). The application of the TC had minimal effect on the stability of the fixed segments, resulting in a maximum reduction in segment mobility of 0.11° and a variation range of 3.29%. Regardless of the use of a TC, no significant changes in stress were observed for the titanium cage. In the model without the TC, the maximum von Mises stress (VMS) for the pedicle screw-rod system reached 136.9 MPa during anterior flexion. Upon the addition of a TC, the maximum VMS of the pedicle screw-rod system increased to varying degrees. The highest recorded VMS was 459.3 MPa, indicating a stress increase of 335.5%. Following the TC implantation, the stress on the adjacent endplate exhibited a partial reduction, with the maximum stress reduced by 27.6%.

Conclusion
The use of a TC in TES does not improve the stability of the fixed segments and instead might result in increased stress concentration within the internal fixation devices. Based on these findings, the routine utilisation of TC in TES is deemed unnecessary.
Phenotype and genotype heterogeneity of PLA2G6-associated neurodegeneration in a cohort of pediatric and adult patients
Authors: Dehnavi Ali Zare , Bemanalizadeh Maryam , Kahani Seyyed Mohammad , Ashrafi Mahmoud Reza , Rohani Mohammad , Toosi Mehran Beiraghi , Heidari Morteza , Hosseinpour Sareh , Amini Behnam , Zokaei Shaghayegh , Rezaei Zahra , Aryan Hajar , Amanat Man , Vahidnezhad Hassan , Mohammadi Pouria , Garshasbi Masoud , Tavasoli Ali Reza 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Phospholipase-associated neurodegeneration (PLAN) caused by mutations in the PLA2G6 gene is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that presents with four sub-groups. Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) and PLA2G6-related dystonia-parkinsonism are the main two subtypes. In this cohort, we reviewed clinical, imaging, and genetic features of 25 adult and pediatric patients harboring variants in the PLA2G6.

Methods
An extensive review of the patients’ data was carried out. Infantile Neuroaxonal Dystrophy Rating Scale (INAD-RS) was used for evaluating the severity and progression of INAD patients. Whole-exome sequencing was used to determine the disease's underlying etiology followed by co-segregation analysis using Sanger sequencing. In silico prediction analysis based on the ACMG recommendation was used to assess the pathogenicity of genetic variants. We aimed to survey a genotype-genotype correlation in PLA2G6 considering all reported disease-causing variants in addition to our patients using the HGMD database and the chi-square statistical approach.

Results
Eighteen cases of INAD and 7 cases of late-onset PLAN were enrolled. Among 18 patients with INAD, gross motor regression was the most common presenting symptom. Considering the INAD-RS total score, the mean rate of progression was 0.58 points per month of symptoms (Standard error 0.22, lower 95% − 1.10, and upper 95% − 0.15). Sixty percent of the maximum potential loss in the INAD-RS had occurred within 60 months of symptom onset in INAD patients. Among seven adult cases of PLAN, hypokinesia, tremor, ataxic gate, and cognitive impairment were the most frequent clinical features. Various brain imaging abnormalities were also observed in 26 imaging series of these patients with cerebellar atrophy being the most common finding in more than 50%. Twenty unique variants in 25 patients with PLAN were detected including nine novel variants. Altogether, 107 distinct disease-causing variants from 87 patient were analyzed to establish a genotype–phenotype correlation. The P value of the chi-square test did not indicate a significant relationship between age of disease onset and the distribution of reported variants on PLA2G6.

Conclusion
PLAN presents with a wide spectrum of clinical symptoms from infancy to adulthood. PLAN should be considered in adult patients with parkinsonism or cognition decline. Based on the current knowledge, it is not possible to foresee the age of disease onset based on the identified genotype.
Non-progressive breast carcinomas detected at mammography screening: a population study
Authors: Heggland Torunn , Vatten Lars Johan , Opdahl Signe , Weedon-Fekjær Harald 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Some breast carcinomas detected at screening, especially ductal carcinoma in situ, may have limited potential for progression to symptomatic disease. To determine non-progression is a challenge, but if all screening-detected breast tumors eventually reach a clinical stage, the cumulative incidence at a reasonably high age would be similar for women with or without screening, conditional on the women being alive.

Methods
Using high-quality population data with 24 years of follow-up from the gradually introduced BreastScreen Norway program, we studied whether all breast carcinomas detected at mammography screening 50–69 years of age would progress to clinical symptoms within 85 years of age. First, we estimated the incidence rates of breast carcinomas by age in scenarios with or without screening, based on an extended age-period-cohort incidence model. Next, we estimated the frequency of non-progressive tumors among screening-detected cases, by calculating the difference in the cumulative rate of breast carcinomas between the screening and non-screening scenarios at 85 years of age.

Results
Among women who attended BreastScreen Norway from the age of 50 to 69 years, we estimated that 1.1% of the participants were diagnosed with a breast carcinoma without the potential to progress to symptomatic disease by 85 years of age. This proportion of potentially non-progressive tumors corresponded to 15.7% [95% CI 3.3, 27.1] of breast carcinomas detected at screening.

Conclusions
Our findings suggest that nearly one in six breast carcinomas detected at screening may be non-progressive.
CimpleG: finding simple CpG methylation signatures
Authors: Maié Tiago , Schmidt Marco , Erz Myriam , Wagner Wolfgang , G. Costa Ivan 
Published: July 2023

AbstractDNA methylation signatures are usually based on multivariate approaches that require hundreds of sites for predictions. Here, we propose a computational framework named CimpleG for the detection of small CpG methylation signatures used for cell-type classification and deconvolution. We show that CimpleG is both time efficient and performs as well as top performing methods for cell-type classification of blood cells and other somatic cells, while basing its prediction on a single DNA methylation site per cell type. Altogether, CimpleG provides a complete computational framework for the delineation of DNAm signatures and cellular deconvolution.
The mechanism of fluorescence quenching of naphthalimide A/C leak detector by copper (II)
Authors: Badran Ismail , Riyaz Najamus Sahar 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Fluorescence quenching is an interesting phenomenon with the potential to be applied across various fields. The mechanism is commonly used across analytical applications for monitoring the concentration of trace substances. Naphthalimide and its family of compounds are commonly used as fluorescent detectors. This work investigated an analytical technique through which naphthalimide-based dyes could be quantified. A commercial A/C leak detector was used as the dye and Cu2+ ions as the quencher. Experiments were also conducted to investigate the effect of temperature on quenching. To study the mechanism of quenching further, density functional theory (DFT) was used.

Results
The method detection limit obtained in this work is 1.7 × 10–6 mol/L. The results from the quenching experiments demonstrated a pattern which fit a modified Stern–Volmer (SV) model, with an R2 value of 0.9886. From the experiments on the effect of temperature, a dynamic quenching behavior was observed given the emission spectra demonstrated an inverse relationship with temperature.

Conclusions
The quenching of the commercial A/C dye by Cu2+ ions can be used to develop a rapid and sensitive detection method for metal ions such as Cu2+, and for future fabrication of chemosensors for Cu2+.
PyGellermann: a Python tool to generate pseudorandom series for human and non-human animal behavioural experiments
Authors: Jadoul Yannick , Duengen Diandra , Ravignani Andrea 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Objective
Researchers in animal cognition, psychophysics, and experimental psychology need to randomise the presentation order of trials in experimental sessions. In many paradigms, for each trial, one of two responses can be correct, and the trials need to be ordered such that the participant’s responses are a fair assessment of their performance. Specifically, in some cases, especially for low numbers of trials, randomised trial orders need to be excluded if they contain simple patterns which a participant could accidentally match and so succeed at the task without learning.

Results
We present and distribute a simple Python software package and tool to produce pseudorandom sequences following the Gellermann series. This series has been proposed to pre-empt simple heuristics and avoid inflated performance rates via false positive responses. Our tool allows users to choose the sequence length and outputs a .csv file with newly and randomly generated sequences. This allows behavioural researchers to produce, in a few seconds, a pseudorandom sequence for their specific experiment. PyGellermann is available at https://github.com/YannickJadoul/PyGellermann.
Carnivoran fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina): Santiago Roth collections in Switzerland
Authors: Ruiz-Ramoni Damián , Carrillo‑Briceno Jorge D. , Voglino Damian , Prevosti Francisco Juan 
Published: July 2023

AbstractSantiago Roth (1850–1924) was a naturalist that collected and sold fossils from the Pampean region (Argentina) in Europe. Much of the specimens collected by Roth are hosted at the Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich and Muséun D’Histoire Naturelle of Geneva in Switzerland, but were never studied. In this article, we review the specimens of the order Carnivora under a taxonomical and temporal approach. We confirm the presence of 16 specimens of Carnivora collected by Roth between the provinces of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires. We identify felids (Smilodon sp., Panthera onca, and specimens related to these taxa), ursids (Arctotherium sp.), and canids (Dusicyon avus and specimens related, Lycalopex sp., and Caninae indet.). According to the information reported by S. Roth, all materials are from the Pleistocene of the Pampean Formation. However, given the scarcity of data, only the specific age of few specimens could be more accurately established.
Effects of Hedera helix L. removal on the understory early regeneration in an oak temperate forest in Mexico City
Authors: Jiménez-Hernández Héctor Adrián , Bonilla-Valencia Leticia , Martínez-Orea Yuriana , Zamora-Almazan Mara Jessica , Espinosa-García Francisco Javier , Castillo-Argüero Silvia 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Hederahelix L. is an invasive weed species introduced in several regions of the world, so it is relevant to study its effects on the plant community and the changes occurring after its eradication. We established invaded (with/without removal of H. helix) and non-invaded (with/without removal of the understory) plots to compare some community attributes in an oak forest in Mexico City and monitored them every 2 months for 1 year, taking soil samples to compare some edaphic variables between the plots. If invasive species negatively affect natural regeneration, seedlings of native species would be less abundant in plots invaded by H. helix than in the non-invaded ones. As invasive species modify the soil microbiota through exudates and often allelochemicals, soil chemical variables would differ between invaded and non-invaded plots.

Results
The abundance of native species was lower in the invaded plots, but the richness and diversity of species were not statistically different. The composition of the two invaded plots was similar to each other and more alike to that of the non-invaded plots. The species composition of the invaded plots was associated with soil potassium and phosphorus concentrations, whereas that of the non-invaded plots was more associated with soil nitrogen concentration.

Conclusions
Following the removal of H.helix, several native species were registered, leading to a similar species composition as in the non-invaded plots, suggesting that some vegetation recovery can be expected following H. helix removal in 1 year.
Performance of commercial growing-finishing pigs fed supplemental isoquinoline alkaloids: a statistical process control analysis
Authors: Artuso-Ponte V. , Steiner T. , Neher F. , Cano Emilio L. , Morillo-Alujas A. 
Published: July 2023

Abstract
Background
Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a powerful statistical tool that can be used in animal production to evaluate the evolution of production parameters overtime in response to the implementation of a specific strategy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing growing-finishing pigs with isoquinoline alkaloids (IQ) on growth performance parameters by using the SPC method. IQ are natural secondary plant metabolites which have been extensively investigated in food animals due to their efficacy in supporting growth performance and the overall health status. Performance parameters and medication usage were collected from 1,283,880 growing-finishing pigs fed the same basal diet, 147,727 of which were supplemented with IQ from day 70 of life until slaughter.

Results
Supplementation with IQ improved feed conversion ratio, while feed intake and daily gain were maintained.

Conclusion
SPC methods are useful statistical tools to evaluate the effect of using a new feed additive in the feed of pigs on growth performance at a commercial level. Additionally, IQ supplementation improved growth performance and it can be considered as a good strategy to reduce feed conversion in growing-finishing pigs.
Quality indicators and patients' characteristics in relation to early outcome of Kasr-al-ainy stroke unit
Authors: Zaki Maha Atef , Abdelalim Ahmed Mohamed , Mourad Husam Salah , Saad Abdallah Adel , Fouad Amr Mohamed 
Published: July 2023

AbstractBackgroundA wide variety of factors have been reported to influence stroke prognosis. Quality indicators serve as standards of care. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with stroke and to measure quality indicators in relation to stroke early outcome. We analyzed a prospective hospital-based data. All patients with acute stroke admitted to Kasr-al-ainy stroke unit over a 1-year period were included. Clinical variables and quality indicators were studied in relation to early outcome which was measured by both disability at discharge assessed by modified Rankin score (mRS) and in-hospital death.ResultsWe studied 242 patients with acute stroke, 145 patients (59.9%) had poor outcome at discharge [mRS 3–6]. There were 36 (14.9%) in-hospital deaths. High mRS and National institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) at stroke onset, low Gugging swallowing scale (GUSS) score and hypertension (HTN) were independent predictors for more disability on discharge. Chest infection, bed sores, high mRS at stroke onset and hemorrhagic transformation were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality. Receiving recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) showed significant association with good outcome. Mean door to needle time (DNT) was 50.6 min. Low GUSS score was associated with increased risk of chest infection.ConclusionsStroke severity, potentially modifiable risk factors and complications are associated with an increased risk of poor early outcome. Dysphagia screening using GUSS scale can predict patients with higher risk of aspiration pneumonia after stroke. DNT needs to be improved.