bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quantitation and integrity evaluation of RNA genome in lentiviral vectors by direct reverse transcription-droplet digital PCR (direct RT-ddPCR)
Authors: He Zhiyong , Kwee Edward J. , Cleveland Megan H. , Cole Kenneth D. , Lin-Gibson Sheng , He Hua-Jun 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLentiviral vectors (LV) have proven to be powerful tools for stable gene delivery in both dividing and non-dividing cells. Approval of these LVs for use in clinical applications has been achieved by improvements in LV design. Critically important characteristics concerning quality control are LV titer quantification and the detection of impurities. However, increasing evidence concerning high variability in titration assays indicates poor harmonization of the methods undertaken to date. In this study, we developed a direct reverse transcription droplet digital PCR (Direct RT-ddPCR) approach without RNA extraction and purification for estimation of LV titer and RNA genome integrity. The RNA genome integrity was assessed by RT-ddPCR assays targeted to four distant regions of the LV genome. Results of the analyses showed that direct RT-ddPCR without RNA extraction and purification performs similarly to RT-ddPCR on purified RNA from 3 different LV samples, in terms of robustness and assay variance. Interestingly, these RNA titer results were comparable to physical titers by p24 antigen ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Moreover, we confirmed the partial degradation or the incomplete RNA genomes in the prepared 3 LV samples. These results may partially explain the discrepancy of the LV particle titers to functional titers. This work not only demonstrates the feasibility of direct RT-ddPCR in determining LV titers, but also provides a method that can be easily adapted for RNA integrity assessment.
Use of eye tracking to improve the identification of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children
Authors: Lee Dong Yun , Shin Yunmi , Park Rae Woong , Cho Sun-Mi , Han Sora , Yoon Changsoon , Choo Jaheui , Shim Joo Min , Kim Kahee , Jeon Sang-Won , Kim Seong-Ju 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder of childhood. Although it requires timely detection and intervention, existing continuous performance tests (CPTs) have limited efficacy. Research suggests that eye movement could offer important diagnostic information for ADHD. This study aimed to compare the performance of eye-tracking with that of CPTs, both alone and in combination, and to evaluate the effect of medication on eye movement and CPT outcomes. We recruited participants into an ADHD group and a healthy control group between July 2021 and March 2022 from among children aged 6–10 years (n = 30 per group). The integration of eye-tracking with CPTs produced higher values for the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC, 0.889) compared with using CPTs only (AUC, 0.769) for identifying patients with ADHD. The use of eye-tracking alone showed higher performance compare with the use of CPTs alone (AUC of EYE: 0.856, AUC of CPT: 0.769, p = 0.029). Follow-up analysis revealed that most eye-tracking and CPT indicators improved significantly after taking an ADHD medication. The use of eye movement scales could be used to differentiate children with ADHD, with the possibility that integrating eye movement scales and CPTs could improve diagnostic precision.
Clustering and trajectories of key noncommunicable disease risk factors in Norway: the NCDNOR project
Authors: Dalene Knut Eirik , Lergenmuller Simon , Sund Erik R. , Hopstock Laila A. , Robsahm Trude Eid , Nilssen Yngvar , Nystad Wenche , Larsen Inger Kristin , Ariansen Inger 
Published: September 2023

AbstractNoncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a leading cause of premature death globally and have common preventable risk factors. In Norway, the NCDNOR-project aims at establishing new knowledge in the prevention of NCDs by combining information from national registries with data from population-based health studies. In the present study, we aimed to harmonize data on key NCD risk factors from the health studies, describe clustering of risk factors using intersection diagrams and latent class analysis, and identify long-term risk factor trajectories using latent class mixed models. The harmonized study sample consisted of 808,732 individuals (1,197,158 participations). Two-thirds were exposed to ≥ 1 NCD risk factor (daily smoking, physical inactivity, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia or hypertriglyceridaemia). In individuals exposed to ≥ 2 risk factors (24%), we identified five distinct clusters, all characterized by fewer years of education and lower income compared to individuals exposed to < 2 risk factors. We identified distinct long-term trajectories of smoking intensity, leisure-time physical activity, body mass index, blood pressure, and blood lipids. Individuals in the trajectories tended to differ across sex, education, and body mass index. This provides important insights into the mechanisms by which NCD risk factors can occur and may help the development of interventions aimed at preventing NCDs.
Mental, cognitive and physical outcomes after intensive care unit treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: a comparison between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients
Authors: van Houwelingen Fedor , van Dellen Edwin , Visser-Meily J. M. Anne , Valkenet Karin , Heijnen Germijn H. , Vernooij Lisette M. , Kerckhoffs Monika C. , Slooter Arjen J. C. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractTo compare mental, cognitive and physical outcomes between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients, 3–6 months after Intensive Care Unit (ICU) treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic and to compare mental outcomes between relatives of these patients. This retrospective cohort study included 209 ICU survivors (141 COVID-19 patients and 68 non-COVID-19 patients) and 168 of their relatives (maximum one per patient) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary outcomes were self-reported occurrence of mental, cognitive and/or physical symptoms 3–6 months after ICU discharge. The occurrence of mental symptoms did not differ between former COVID-19 patients (34.7% [43/124]) and non-COVID-19 patients (43.5% [27/62]) (p = 0.309), neither between relatives of COVID-19 patients (37.6% [38/101]) and relatives of non-COVID-19 patients (39.6% [21/53]) (p = 0.946). Depression scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were lower in former COVID-19 patients, compared to non-COVID-19 patients (p = 0.025). We found no differences between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients in cognitive and physical outcomes. Mental, cognitive and physical outcomes in COVID-19 ICU survivors were similar to non-COVID-19 ICU survivors. Mental symptoms in relatives of COVID-19 ICU survivors did not differ from relatives of non-COVID-19 ICU survivors, within the same time frame.
Technology-based balance performance assessment can eliminate floor and ceiling effects
Authors: Forero Juan , Vette Albert H. , Hebert Jacqueline S. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMany clinical measurement tools for balance have ceiling effects. Technology-based assessments using virtual reality systems such as the Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) may provide a way to develop objective, quantitative measures that scale from low to high levels of difficulty. Our objective was to: (1) develop a performance assessment tool (PAT) for the CAREN; (2) quantify the reliability of the tool; (3) validate the scores against clinical balance measures; and (4) compare the scores from a population with balance impairments to those from able-bodied individuals in a cross-sectional validation study. Three games were developed on the CAREN and tested on 49 participants (36 able-bodied and 13 with impaired mobility). For each module, the corresponding measures were transformed into scores using a series of functions such that ceiling and flooring effects would be minimized. The results showed an association between scores and age, an overlap in scores from impaired high-performance individuals and able-bodied low performance individuals, and a correlation of PAT scores with other clinical tests. Several of the limitations of current clinical tools, including floor and ceiling effects, were overcome by the PAT, suggesting that the PAT can be used to monitor the effect of rehabilitation and training.
Exploring the capture and desorption of CO2 on graphene oxide foams supported by computational calculations
Authors: Arango Hoyos Bryan E. , Osorio H. Franco , Valencia Gómez E. K. , Guerrero Sánchez J. , Del Canto Palominos A. P. , Larrain Felipe A. , Prías Barragán J. J. 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
In the last decade, the highest levels of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere have been recorded, with carbon dioxide (CO2) being one of the GHGs that most concerns mankind due to the rate at which it is generated on the planet. Given its long time of permanence in the atmosphere (between 100 to 150 years); this has deployed research in the scientific field focused on the absorption and desorption of CO2 in the atmosphere. This work presents the study of CO2 adsorption employing materials based on graphene oxide (GO), such as GO foams with different oxidation percentages (3.00%, 5.25%, and 9.00%) in their structure, obtained via an environmentally friendly method. The characterization of CO2 adsorption was carried out in a closed system, within which were placed the GO foams and other CO2 adsorbent materials (zeolite and silica gel). Through a controlled chemical reaction, production of CO2 was conducted to obtain CO2 concentration curves inside the system and calculate from these the efficiency, obtained between 86.28 and 92.20%, yield between 60.10 and 99.50%, and effectiveness of CO2 adsorption of the materials under study. The results obtained suggest that GO foams are a promising material for carbon capture and the future development of a new clean technology, given their highest CO2 adsorption efficiency and yield.
Exercise increases MEF2A abundance in rat cardiac muscle by downregulating microRNA-223-5p
Authors: Carrillo Elba D. , Hernández Dulce I. , Clara Maikel Valle , Lezama Ivonne , García María C. , Sánchez Jorge A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractExercise plays an important role in cardiac health and enhances the transport of glucose in cardiac muscle by increasing the glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) content at the cell membrane. The GLUT4 gene is a target of myocyte enhancer transcription factor 2A (MEF2A). Several transcription factors are regulated by microRNAs (miRs), small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression at the posttranscriptional level. In this study we tested the hypothesis that exercise regulates the expression of miR-223 and that MEF2A is a direct target of miR-223. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and western blot experiments showed that GLUT4 gene expression and protein abundance increased by 30 and 23%, respectively, in the microsomal fraction immediately after exercise, and had returned to control levels after 18 h. In contrast, the increase in GLUT4 in the membrane fraction was delayed. Exercise also increased the protein abundance of transcription factors involved in GLUT4 expression. Immediately after exercise, the protein abundance of MEF2A, nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1), and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) increased by 18, 30, and 40%, respectively. qRT-PCR experiments showed that miR-223-3p and miR-223-5p expression decreased immediately after exercise by 60 and 30%, respectively, and luciferase assays indicated that MEF2A is a target of the 5p strand of miR-223. Overexpression of miR-223-5p in H9c2 cells decreased the protein abundance of MEF2A. Our results suggest that the exercise-induced increase in GLUT4 content in cardiac muscle is partly due to the posttranscriptional increase in MEF2A protein abundance caused by the decrease in miR-223-5p expression. The exercise-induced decrease in miR-223-3p expression likely contributes to the increases in NRF1 and FOXO1 abundance and GLUT4 content.
Parasitic egg recognition using convolution and attention network
Authors: AlDahoul Nouar , Karim Hezerul Abdul , Momo Mhd Adel , Escobar Francesca Isabelle F. , Magallanes Vina Alyzza , Tan Myles Joshua Toledo 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIntestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) caused by protozoan and helminth parasites are among the most common infections in humans in low-and-middle-income countries. IPIs affect not only the health status of a country, but also the economic sector. Over the last decade, pattern recognition and image processing techniques have been developed to automatically identify parasitic eggs in microscopic images. Existing identification techniques are still suffering from diagnosis errors and low sensitivity. Therefore, more accurate and faster solution is still required to recognize parasitic eggs and classify them into several categories. A novel Chula-ParasiteEgg dataset including 11,000 microscopic images proposed in ICIP2022 was utilized to train various methods such as convolutional neural network (CNN) based models and convolution and attention (CoAtNet) based models. The experiments conducted show high recognition performance of the proposed CoAtNet that was tuned with microscopic images of parasitic eggs. The CoAtNet produced an average accuracy of 93%, and an average F1 score of 93%. The finding opens door to integrate the proposed solution in automated parasitological diagnosis.
Stress-mediated aggregation of disease-associated proteins in amyloid bodies
Authors: Chandhok Sahil , Pereira Lionel , Momchilova Evgenia A. , Marijan Dane , Zapf Richard , Lacroix Emma , Kaur Avneet , Keymanesh Shayan , Krieger Charles , Audas Timothy E. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe formation of protein aggregates is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases and systemic amyloidoses. These disorders are associated with the fibrillation of a variety of proteins/peptides, which ultimately leads to cell toxicity and tissue damage. Understanding how amyloid aggregation occurs and developing compounds that impair this process is a major challenge in the health science community. Here, we demonstrate that pathogenic proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, AL/AA amyloidosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis can aggregate within stress-inducible physiological amyloid-based structures, termed amyloid bodies (A-bodies). Using a limited collection of small molecule inhibitors, we found that diclofenac could repress amyloid aggregation of the β-amyloid (1–42) in a cellular setting, despite having no effect in the classic Thioflavin T (ThT) in vitro fibrillation assay. Mapping the mechanism of the diclofenac-mediated repression indicated that dysregulation of cyclooxygenases and the prostaglandin synthesis pathway was potentially responsible for this effect. Together, this work suggests that the A-body machinery may be linked to a subset of pathological amyloidosis, and highlights the utility of this model system in the identification of new small molecules that could treat these debilitating diseases.
Direct measurement of internal temperatures of commercially-available 18650 lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Jones Casey M. , Sudarshan Meghana , García R. Edwin , Tomar Vikas 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDirect access to internal temperature readings in lithium-ion batteries provides the opportunity to infer physical information to study the effects of increased heating, degradation, and thermal runaway. In this context, a method to insert temperature sensors into commercial 18650 cells to determine the short- and long-term effects through characterization testing is developed. Results show that sensor insertion only causes a decrease in capacity of 0.5–2.3%, and an increase in DC resistance of approximately 15 mΩ. The temperatures of the modified cells are approximately 0.5 °C higher than the control cells, the difference between the internal and external temperature readings of the modified cells is approximately 0.4 °C, and the modified cells exhibit the same temperature behavior and trend during cycling as the control cells. The cells are able to operate and collect data for 100–150 cycles before their capacities fade and resistances increase beyond what is observed in the control cells. The results of the testing show that cells modified with internal temperature sensors provide useful internal temperature data for cells that have experienced little or no cyclic aging.
Comparing clinical outcomes of Optiwave Refractive Analysis, Lenstar, and surgeon’s modified method for intraocular lens power calculation in Asian eyes
Authors: Lin Hung-Yuan , Kao Shu-Ting , Chen Shuan , Chuang Ya-Jung , Lin Pi-Jung 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe study aimed to compare the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) calculation to predict postoperative refraction by Optiwave Refractive Analysis (ORA), Lenstar LS 900, and the surgeon’s Modify method in normal Asian eyes. The IOL power of the Lenstar group was calculated according to Lenstar LS 900, whereas the surgeon's Modify group used topography, axial length (AL) of Lenstar, and Barrett Universal II online formula. Intraoperative aphakic measurements and IOL power calculations were obtained with the ORA system. From the results acquired through Lenstar, Modify, and ORA, the surgeon used his judgment to select the actual IOL power. Postoperative manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE) was obtained 2 months after surgery. The prediction error (PE) was calculated as the difference between the postoperative MRSE and the target refraction proposed by three methods. AL, anterior chamber depth (ACD, measured from corneal endothelium to lens), lens thickness (LT), and ACD + 1/2LT were also included in the survey. In 67 eyes, the average real PE was smaller for the Lenstar (0.06 ± 0.44) and Modify (− 0.05 ± 0.40) than for the ORA group (− 0.25 ± 0.60, p < 0.05). The ORA system demonstrated the best results of IOL power selection in eyes with a normal range of ACD + 0.5 LT (5.2–5.6 mm) in Asian eyes.
Texture analysis using Horadam polynomial coefficient estimate for the class of Sakaguchi kind function
Authors: Priya H. , Sruthakeerthi B. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis present work provides the initial co-efficient bounds of the functionf(z) which is defined in open unit disk$$\mathbb {D}$$D. We introduced bi-univalent class$$\mathcal {C}_{\Sigma }(\lambda , t,\nu )$$CΣ(λ,t,ν). Making use of Horadam polynomials$$h_{n}(\nu )$$hn(ν)and the generating function$$\Pi (\nu ,z)$$Π(ν,z), we estimated the bounds of$$a_{2}$$a2and$$a_{3}$$a3for the given function to be in the defined class. Moreover Fekete-Szego inequalities are calculated. In addition to all the results obtained mathematically, we provide application for Horadam polynomial in computer vision.
Moving time zones in a flash with light therapy during sleep
Authors: Lok Renske , Duran Marisol , Zeitzer Jamie M. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn humans, exposure to continuous light is typically used to change the timing of the circadian clock. This study examines the efficiency of a sequence of light flashes (“flash therapy”) applied during sleep to shift the clock. Healthy participants (n = 10) took part in two 36-h laboratory stays, receiving a placebo (goggles, no light) during one visit and the intervention (goggles, 2-ms flashes broad-spectrum light for 60 min, delivered every 15 s, starting 30 min after habitual sleep onset) during the other. Circadian phase shift was assessed with changes in salivary dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). Sleep, measured with polysomnography, was analyzed to assess changes in sleep architecture and spectral power. After 1 h of flashes, DLMO showed a substantial delay (1.13 ± 1.27 h) compared to placebo (12 ± 20 min). Two individuals exhibited very large shifts of 6.4 and 3.1 h. There were no substantive differences in sleep architecture, but some evidence for greater instability in sleep. 1 h of flash therapy during sleep evokes large changes in circadian timing, up to 6 h, and does so with only minimal, if any, impact on sleep. Flash therapy may offer a practical option to delay the circadian clock in shift workers and jet travelers.
Integrating glycolysis, citric acid cycle, pentose phosphate pathway, and fatty acid beta-oxidation into a single computational model
Authors: Kloska Sylwester M. , Pałczyński Krzysztof , Marciniak Tomasz , Talaśka Tomasz , Wysocki Beata J. , Davis Paul , Wysocki Tadeusz A. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe metabolic network of a living cell is highly intricate and involves complex interactions between various pathways. In this study, we propose a computational model that integrates glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), the fatty acids beta-oxidation, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) using queueing theory. The model utilizes literature data on metabolite concentrations and enzyme kinetic constants to calculate the probabilities of individual reactions occurring on a microscopic scale, which can be viewed as the reaction rates on a macroscopic scale. However, it should be noted that the model has some limitations, including not accounting for all the reactions in which the metabolites are involved. Therefore, a genetic algorithm (GA) was used to estimate the impact of these external processes. Despite these limitations, our model achieved high accuracy and stability, providing real-time observation of changes in metabolite concentrations. This type of model can help in better understanding the mechanisms of biochemical reactions in cells, which can ultimately contribute to the prevention and treatment of aging, cancer, metabolic diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders.
Proteome profiling of hippocampus reveals the neuroprotective effect of mild hypothermia on global cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats
Authors: Wang Jiajia , Sun Xiaopeng , Dai Yuting , Ma Yuan , Wang Mingshan , Li Xiaoxia , Qin Weiwei 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCerebral ischemia is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality worldwide. Blood reperfusion of ischemic cerebral tissue may cause cerebral ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury. In this study, a rat model of global cerebral I/R injury was established via Pulsinelli’s four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) method. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and bioinformatics analysis were employed to examine the ipsilateral hippocampus proteome profiles of rats with/without MH (32 °C) treatment after IR injury. Totally 2 122 proteins were identified, among which 153 proteins were significantly changed associated with MH (n = 7 per group, fold change-1.5, p < 0.05). GO annotation of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) revealed that cellular oxidant detoxification, response to zinc ions, aging, oxygen transport, negative regulation of catalytic activity, response to hypoxia, regulation of protein phosphorylation, and cellular response to vascular endothelial growth factor stimulus were significantly enriched with MH treatment. The KEGG analysis indicated that metabolic pathways, thermogenesis, pathways of neurodegeneration, chemical carcinogenesis—reactive oxygen species, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis, and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum were significantly enriched with MH treatment. Importantly, changes in 16 DEPs were reversed by MH treatment. Among them, VCAM-1, S100A8, CaMKK2 and MKK7 were verified as potential markers associated with MH neuroprotection by Western blot analysis. This study is one of the first to investigate the neuroprotective effects of MH on the hippocampal proteome of experimental models of cerebral IR injury. These DEPs may be involved in the most fundamental molecular mechanisms of MH neuroprotection, and provide a scientific foundation for further promotion of reparative strategies in cerebral IR injury.