bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metal composition and contamination assessment of urban roadway dusts on the Abu Dhabi-Liwa Highway, UAE
Authors: Al-Taani Ahmed A. , Nazzal Yousef , Howari Fares M. , Iqbal Jibran , Naseem Muhammad , Sharma Manish , Xavier Cijo , Papandreou Dimitrios , Maloukh Lina , Ambika Lakshmi , Ben Salem Imen , Al Bsoul Abeer , Farok Haitham M. 
Published: April 2023

The metal composition of road-deposited dust along the Abu Dhabi-Liwa Highway was investigated to provide insight into the contamination profile and levels of road dust. The average concentrations of metals decreased in the order Al (28668 ± 4631 mg/kg)&gt; Fe (21461 ± 2594 mg/kg) &gt; Mn (711.8 ± 76.3 mg/kg) &gt; Zn (210.6 ± 51.6 mg/kg) &gt; Cu (94.9 ± 15.8 mg/kg) &gt; Pb (83.6 ± 5.3 mg/kg) &gt; Cd (75.1 ± 1.6 mg/kg) &gt; Co (62.6 ± 6.4 mg/kg) &gt; As (4.7 ± 2.9 mg/kg) &gt; Ni (0.10 ± 0.19 mg/kg) &gt; Cr (0.08 ± 0.06 mg/kg). The spatial variations of metals suggest different sources and contributing factors for these metals, with most dust metals having mixed traffic and non-traffic origins. The contamination factor (CF) and enrichment factor (EF) showed identically the same order, Cd&gt; Pb&gt; As&gt; Zn&gt; Co&gt; Cu&gt; Mn&gt; Ni&gt; Cr, whereas the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) follows a slightly different ranking, Cd&gt; Pb&gt; Zn&gt; Co&gt; As&gt; Cu&gt; Mn&gt; Ni&gt; Cr. Based on EF and CF levels, roadway dusts are enriched in all metals, except for Ni and Cr. Similarly, the average Igeo values show differing rates of pollution for all metals except for Mn, Ni, and Cr. All pollution indicators suggest extreme pollution with Cd. The pollution loading index values showed sites 1–10 are generally polluted, while sampling sites from 11 to 19 are unpolluted with decreasing pollution loadings. Dusts collected from both sides of highway were higher in metal content than those obtained from the central reservation area. This may be due to the prevailing southeast wind direction, resuspension of road dust, and farmlands, among others. Soils bordering the highway showed high metal contents with potential consequences on the agricultural products.
Niche models as a tool to inform restoration and conservation strategies: the case of Jubaea chilensis (palm, Arecaceae) and its seed disperser Octodon degus (rodent, Octodontidae)
Authors: Núñez-Hidalgo Ignacio , Fleury Marina , Bustamante Ramiro O. 
Published: April 2023

IntroductionBiotic interactions are a crucial component of the plant regeneration process, which has been traditionally studied at more local scales, providing the tools for planning and decision-making. Studies showing the signature of species interactions at coarser spatial scales contrasting with animal-plant interactions at fine scales have been scarce. This study aimed at integrating an approach, over both biogeographic and local scales, by testing two endemic species of Mediterranean central Chile: the relict and southernmost threatened Chilean palm Jubaea chilensis (Chilean palm; Molina; Baillón) and the caviomorph scatter-hoarding rodent Octodon degus (Degu; Molina), on which this palm currently relies for seed dispersal.MethodsIntegrating Geographic Information Systems and Ecological Niche Modeling, the intensity of seed-rodent interactions from a territorial perspective was evaluated in the range of the palm, at a biogeographic scale, identifying areas with greater or lesser potential for seed-rodent interactions; and in local populations, incorporating a variety of environmental factors that might affect palm regeneration.ResultsThe present results show that the rodent (Octodon degus) may play a role in Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis) seed dispersal and seed establishment, since; Chilean palm regeneration is higher in areas where both species co-occur. At a local scale, a prominent overlap between palm seedlings and degu burrows was also found, which, allied with other abiotic variables such as altitude and topographic humidity, are crucial for successful palm regeneration.DiscussionUnderstanding the full extent of animal-plant interactions and how they are affected by habitat perturbation in a wide range will provide essential information for the design of effective conservation and management strategies, such as rewilding based on plant species.
Identification of the genetic basis of sow pelvic organ prolapse
Authors: Bhatia Vishesh , Stevens Tomas , Derks Martijn F. L. , Dunkelberger Jenelle , Knol Egbert F. , Ross Jason W. , Dekkers Jack C. M. 
Published: April 2023

Introduction: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is one contributor to recent increases in sow mortality that have been observed in some populations and environments, leading to financial losses and welfare concerns.Methods: With inconsistent previous reports, the objective here was to investigate the role of genetics on susceptibility to POP, using data on 30,429 purebred sows, of which 14,186 were genotyped (25K), collected from 2012 to 2022 in two US multiplier farms with a high POP incidence of 7.1% among culled and dead sows and ranging from 2% to 4% of all sows present by parity. Given the low incidence of POP for parities 1 and &gt;6, only data from parities 2 to 6 were retained for analyses. Genetic analyses were conducted both across parities, using cull data (culled for POP versus another reason), and by parity, using farrowing data. (culled for POP versus culled for another reason or not culled).Results and Discussion: Estimates of heritability from univariate logit models on the underlying scale were 0.35 ± 0.02 for the across-parity analysis and ranged from 0.41 ± 0.03 in parity 2 to 0.15 ± 0.07 in parity 6 for the by-parity analyses. Estimates of genetic correlations of POP between parities based on bivariate linear models indicated a similar genetic basis of POP across parities but less similar with increasing distance between parities. Genome wide association analyses revealed six 1 Mb windows that explained more than 1% of the genetic variance in the across-parity data. Most regions were confirmed in several by-parity analyses. Functional analyses of the identified genomic regions showed a potential role of several genes on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, and 14 in susceptibility to POP, including the Estrogen Receptor gene. Gene set enrichment analyses showed that genomic regions that explained more variation for POP were enriched for several terms from custom transcriptome and gene ontology libraries.Conclusion: The influence of genetics on susceptibility to POP in this population and environment was confirmed and several candidate genes and biological processes were identified that can be targeted to better understand and mitigate the incidence of POP.
Promotion of BST2 expression by the transcription factor IRF6 affects the progression of endometriosis
Authors: Li Jixin , He Yanan , Qu Yanjun , Ren Chengcheng , Wang Xiaotong , Cheng Yan , Sun Liyuan , Zhang Xin , Zhang Guangmei 
Published: April 2023

BackgroundEndometriosis (EM) is a benign, multifactorial, immune-mediated inflammatory disease that is characterized by persistent activation of the NF‐κB signaling pathway and some features of malignancies, such as proliferation and lymphangiogenesis. To date, the pathogenesis of EM is still unclear. In this study, we investigated whether BST2 plays a role in the development of EM.MethodsBioinformatic analysis was performed with data from public databases to identify potential candidate targets for drug treatment. Experiments were conducted at the cell, tissue, and mouse EM model levels to characterize the aberrant expression patterns, molecular mechanisms, biological behaviors of endometriosis as well as treatment outcomes.ResultsBST2 was significantly upregulated in ectopic endometrial tissues and cells compared with control samples. Functional studies indicated that BST2 promoted proliferation, migration, and lymphangiogenesis and inhibited apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. The transcription factor (TF) IRF6 induced high BST2 expression by directly binding the BST2 promoter. The underlying mechanism by which BST2 functions in EM was closely related to the canonical NF‐κB signaling pathway. New lymphatic vessels may serve as a channel for the infiltration of immune cells into the endometriotic microenvironment; these immune cells further produce the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β, which in turn further activates the NF‐κB pathway to promote lymphangiogenesis in endometriosis.ConclusionTaken together, our findings provide novel insight into the mechanism by which BST2 participates in a feedback loop with the NF‐κB signaling pathway and reveal a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for endometriosis.
Hemagglutinin expressed by yeast reshapes immune microenvironment and gut microbiota to trigger diverse anti-infection response in infected birds
Authors: Xie Ruyu , Zhang Huixia , Zhang Han , Li Changyan , Cui Daqing , Li Shujun , Li Zexing , Liu Hualei , Huang Jinhai 
Published: April 2023

IntroductionThe H5N8 influenza virus is a highly pathogenic pathogen for poultry and human. Vaccination is the most effective method to control the spread of the virus right now. The traditional inactivated vaccine, though well developed and used widely, is laborious during application and more interests are stimulated in developing alternative approaches.MethodsIn this study, we developed three hemagglutinin (HA) gene-based yeast vaccine. In order to explore the protective efficacy of the vaccines, the gene expression level in the bursa of Fabricius and the structure of intestinal microflora in immunized animals were analyzed by RNA seq and 16SrRNA sequencing, and the regulatory mechanism of yeast vaccine was evaluated.ResultsAll of these vaccines elicited the humoral immunity, inhibited viral load in the chicken tissues, and provided partial protective efficacy due to the high dose of the H5N8 virus. Molecular mechanism studies suggested that, compared to the traditional inactivated vaccine, our engineered yeast vaccine reshaped the immune cell microenvironment in bursa of Fabricius to promote the defense and immune responses. Analysis of gut microbiota further suggested that oral administration of engineered ST1814G/H5HA yeast vaccine increased the diversity of gut microbiota and the increasement of Reuteri and Muciniphila might benefit the recovery from influenza virus infection. These results provide strong evidence for further clinical use of these engineered yeast vaccine in poultry.
Comparative transcriptomic analysis of gill reveals genes belonging to mTORC1 signaling pathway associated with the resistance trait of shrimp to VPAHPND
Authors: Liu Yuan , Yu Yang , Li Shihao , Sun Mingzhe , Li Fuhua 
Published: April 2023

Selective breeding for acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) resistant shrimp is an effective way to deal with heavy losses to shrimp aquaculture caused by AHPND. However, knowledge about the molecular mechanism of susceptibility or resistance to AHPND is very limited. We herein performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of gill tissue between AHPND susceptible and resistant families of the white Pacific shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei during Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VPAHPND) infection. A total of 5,013 genes that were differentially expressed between the two families at 0 and 6 h post-infection, and 1,124 DEGs were shared for both two time points. Both GO and KEGG analyses in each or two time point’s comparisons showed DEGs involved in endocytosis, protein synthesis and cell inflammation were significantly enriched. Several immune DEGs including PRRs, antioxidants and AMPs were also identified. The susceptible shrimp showed enhanced endocytosis, higher aminoacyl-tRNA ligase activity and occurrence of inflammatory response, while the resistant shrimp had much more strong ability in ribosome biogenesis, antioxidant activity and pathogen recognition and clearance. These genes and processes were mostly associated with mTORC1 signaling pathway, which could reflect differences in cell growth, metabolism and immune response between the two families. Our findings indicate a close link between mTORC1 signaling-related genes and Vibrio-resistance phenotype of shrimp, and provide new clues for further research on resistance strategy of shrimp to AHPND.
Randomized phase II clinical trial of ruxolitinib plus simvastatin in COVID19 clinical outcome and cytokine evolution
Authors: Garcia-Donas Jesus , Martínez-Urbistondo Diego , Velázquez Kennedy Kyra , Villares Paula , Barquin Arántzazu , Dominguez Andrea , Rodriguez-Moreno Juan Francisco , Caro Elena , Suarez del Villar Rafael , Nistal-Villan Estanislao , Yagüe Monica , Ortiz Maria , Barba Maria , Ruiz-Llorente Sergio , Quiralte Miguel , Zanin Massimiliano , Rodríguez Cristina , Navarro Paloma , Berraondo Pedro , Madurga Rodrigo 
Published: April 2023

BackgroundManaging the inflammatory response to SARS-Cov-2 could prevent respiratory insufficiency. Cytokine profiles could identify cases at risk of severe disease.MethodsWe designed a randomized phase II clinical trial to determine whether the combination of ruxolitinib (5 mg twice a day for 7 days followed by 10 mg BID for 7 days) plus simvastatin (40 mg once a day for 14 days), could reduce the incidence of respiratory insufficiency in COVID-19. 48 cytokines were correlated with clinical outcome.ParticipantsPatients admitted due to COVID-19 infection with mild disease.ResultsUp to 92 were included. Mean age was 64 ± 17, and 28 (30%) were female. 11 (22%) patients in the control arm and 6 (12%) in the experimental arm reached an OSCI grade of 5 or higher (p = 0.29). Unsupervised analysis of cytokines detected two clusters (CL-1 and CL-2). CL-1 presented a higher risk of clinical deterioration vs CL-2 (13 [33%] vs 2 [6%] cases, p = 0.009) and death (5 [11%] vs 0 cases, p = 0.059). Supervised Machine Learning (ML) analysis led to a model that predicted patient deterioration 48h before occurrence with a 85% accuracy.ConclusionsRuxolitinib plus simvastatin did not impact the outcome of COVID-19. Cytokine profiling identified patients at risk of severe COVID-19 and predicted clinical deterioration.Trial registrationhttps://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier NCT04348695.
Human adenovirus infection induces pulmonary inflammatory damage by triggering noncanonical inflammasomes activation and macrophage pyroptosis
Authors: Li Lexi , Fan Huifeng , Zhou Jinyu , Xu Xuehua , Yang Diyuan , Wu Minhao , Cao Can , Lu Gen 
Published: April 2023

IntroductionHuman adenovirus (HAdV) is a common respiratory virus, which can lead to severe pneumonia in children and immunocompromised persons, and canonical inflammasomes are reported to be involved in anti-HAdV defense. However, whether HAdV induced noncanonical inflammasome activation has not been explored. This study aims to explore the broad roles of noncanonical inflammasomes during HAdV infection to investigate the regulatory mechanism of HAdV-induced pulmonary inflammatory damage. MethodsWe mined available data on GEO database and collected clinical samples from adenovirus pneumonia pediatric patients to investigate the expression of noncanonical inflammasome and its clinical relevance. An in vitro cell model was employed to investigate the roles of noncanonical inflammasomes in macrophages in response to HAdV infection.ResultsBioinformatics analysis showed that inflammasome-related genes, including caspase-4 and caspase-5, were enriched in adenovirus pneumonia. Moreover, caspase-4 and caspase-5 expression levels were significantly increased in the cells isolated from peripheral blood and broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of pediatric patients with adenovirus pneumonia, and positively correlated with clinical parameters of inflammatory damage. In vitro experiments revealed that HAdV infection promoted caspase-4/5 expression, activation and pyroptosis in differentiated THP-1 (dTHP-1) human macrophages via NF-κB, rather than STING signaling pathway. Interestingly, silencing of caspase-4 and caspase-5 in dTHP-1 cells suppressed HAdV-induced noncanonical inflammasome activation and macrophage pyroptosis, and dramatically decreased the HAdV titer in cell supernatants, by influencing virus release rather than other stages of virus life cycle.DiscussionIn conclusion, our study demonstrated that HAdV infection induced macrophage pyroptosis by triggering noncanonical inflammasome activation via a NF-kB-dependent manner, which may explore new perspectives on the pathogenesis of HAdV-induced inflammatory damage. And high expression levels of caspase-4 and caspase-5 may be a biomarker for predicting the severity of adenovirus pneumonia.
Interplay between systemic inflammation, anemia, and mycobacterial dissemination and its impact on mortality in TB-associated HIV: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Araújo-Pereira Mariana , Schutz Charlotte , Barreto-Duarte Beatriz , Barr David , Villalva-Serra Klauss , Vinhaes Caian L. , Ward Amy , Meintjes Graeme , Andrade Bruno B. 
Published: April 2023

IntroductionAnemia frequently affects people living with HIV (PLHIV). Nevertheless, the impact of anemia on treatment outcomes of patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB) and the underlying molecular profiles are not fully characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the interplay between anemia, the systemic inflammatory profile, dissemination of TB and death in HIV-TB patients in an ad hoc analysis of results from a prospective cohort study.Methods496 hospitalized PLHIV ≥18 years old, with CD4 count &lt;350 cells/μL and high clinical suspicion of new TB infection were enrolled in Cape Town between 2014-2016. Patients were classified according to anemia severity in non-anemic, mild, moderate, or severe anemia. Clinical, microbiologic, and immunologic data were collected at baseline. Hierarchical cluster analysis, degree of inflammatory perturbation, survival curves and C-statistics analyses were performed.ResultsThrough the analysis of several clinical and laboratory parameters, we observed that those with severe anemia exhibited greater systemic inflammation, characterized by high concentrations of IL-8, IL-1RA and IL-6. Furthermore, severe anemia was associated with a higher Mtb dissemination score and a higher risk of death, particularly within 7 days of admission. Most of the patients who died had severe anemia and had a more pronounced systemic inflammatory profile.DiscussionTherefore, the results presented here reveal that severe anemia is associated with greater TB dissemination and increased risk of death in PLHIV. Early identification of such patients through measurement of Hb levels may drive closer monitoring to reduce mortality. Future investigations are warranted to test whether early interventions impact survival of this vulnerable population.
Three trap designs evaluated for a deepwater lionfish fishery
Authors: Harris Holden E. , Garner Steven B. , Tarnecki Joseph H. , Gittings Stephen R. , Chagaris David D. , Patterson William F. 
Published: April 2023

A deepwater (&gt;40 m) fishery for invasive lionfish (Pterois volitans/miles) offers a potential means to control invasive lionfish densities and mitigate their impacts on reefs too deep for SCUBA removals. Trapping could provide a scalable solution—if an effective fishing gear with minimal environmental impacts could be permitted and adopted by fishers. We tested the efficacy of wooden slat lobster traps, wire sea bass traps, and experimental non-containment Gittings traps. One hundred deployments of each trap type were made at 120 mesophotic (38–78 m deep) natural reef sites in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico (29.6–30.1°N, 86.1–87.6°W). Reef sites were surveyed with remotely operated vehicles (ROV) before and after trap deployments, and remote time-lapse video cameras were affixed above 86 traps to sample in situ recruitment to the traps. The video data showed that lionfish were attracted to the vicinity of the three trap types at similar rates, but that lionfish rarely entered the lobster or sea bass traps. The high bycatch rates of sea bass traps suggested their use is likely unsuitable for targeting lionfish. Lobster traps had lower rates of bycatch, but their relatively high ratio of bycatch-to-lionfish catches suggests that modifications will be needed to make them more efficient. The Gittings traps had the highest lionfish catch rates and lowest bycatches of native fishes, but operational issues were also identified. They failed to open on 20% of deployments and one entangled a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). Even with the best-performing trap design, the average catch rate of lionfish was less than one lionfish per trap. A potential explanation could be the low biomass of lionfish observed during the ROV surveys, which averaged 0.3 kg lionfish per site. The time-lapse video data suggested that lionfish recruitment to Gittings traps could increase with higher densities of lionfish on the nearby reefs, if traps were retrieved after approximately two days of deployment, and if traps were retrieved during dawn or dusk. Further research, development, and testing is needed for lionfish traps, and critical bio- and techno-economic assessments appear warranted to evaluate the feasibility of a deepwater lionfish fishery.
Premorbid use of selective beta-blockers improves sepsis incidence and course: Human cohort and animal model studies
Authors: Hong Shiao-Ya , Lai Chih-Cheng , Teng Nai-Chi , Chen Chao-Hsien , Hsu Chun-Chun , Chan Nai-Ju , Wang Cheng-Yi , Wang Ya-Hui , Lin You Shuei , Chen Likwang 
Published: April 2023

IntroductionBeta-blockers are widely prescribed to manage hypertension and cardiovascular diseases and have been suggested as an attractive therapy to improve the prognosis of sepsis. Herein, we investigated the potential benefits of premorbid selective beta-blocker use in sepsis with a real-world database and explored the underlying mechanism by in vivo and in vitro experiments.MethodsA total of 64,070 sepsis patients and 64,070 matched controls who were prescribed at least one anti-hypertensive drug for more than 300 days within 1 year were selected for the nested case–control study. Female C57BL/6 J mice and THP-1 cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used for studying systemic responses during sepsis to validate our clinical findings.ResultsThe risk of sepsis was lower in current selective beta-blocker users than in non-users (adjusted OR (aOR), 0.842; 95% CI, 0.755–0.939), and in recent users than in non-users (aOR, 0.773; 95% CI, 0.737–0.810). A mean daily dose of ≥0.5 DDD was associated with a lower risk of sepsis (aOR, 0.7; 95% CI, 0.676–0.725). Metoprolol, atenolol, and bisoprolol users had lower risk of sepsis than non-users. In a LPS-induced sepsis mouse model, mice pre-fed with atenolol had significantly reduced mortality. While atenolol had some mild effects on LPS-induced release of inflammatory cytokines in septic mice, it significantly reduced serum soluble PD-L1 levels. Notably, atenolol treatment reversed the negative correlation of sPD-L1 with inflammatory cytokines in septic mice. Moreover, atenolol markedly downregulated the PD-L1 expression on LPS-stimulated THP-1 monocytes/macrophages via targeting ROS-induced NF-κB and STAT3 activation.ConclusionAtenolol pretreatment can reduce sepsis mortality in mice, and in vivo and in vitro studies of PD-L1 expression suggest a role for atenolol in the modulation of immune homeostasis. These findings may contribute to the reduced incidence of sepsis in hypertensive patients with premorbid treatment with selective beta-blockers, especially atenolol.