bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Assessment of a mass balance equation for estimating community-level prevalence of COVID-19 using wastewater-based epidemiology in a mid-sized city
Authors: Rainey Andrew L. , Loeb Julia C. , Robinson Sarah E. , Davis Paul , Liang Song , Lednicky John A. , Coker Eric S. , Sabo-Attwood Tara , Bisesi Joseph H. , Maurelli Anthony T. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractWastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a valuable epidemiologic tool to detect the presence of pathogens and track disease trends within a community. WBE overcomes some limitations of traditional clinical disease surveillance as it uses pooled samples from the entire community, irrespective of health-seeking behaviors and symptomatic status of infected individuals. WBE has the potential to estimate the number of infections within a community by using a mass balance equation, however, it has yet to be assessed for accuracy. We hypothesized that the mass balance equation-based approach using measured SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentrations can generate accurate prevalence estimates of COVID-19 within a community. This study encompassed wastewater sampling over a 53-week period during the COVID-19 pandemic in Gainesville, Florida, to assess the ability of the mass balance equation to generate accurate COVID-19 prevalence estimates. The SARS-CoV-2 wastewater concentration showed a significant linear association (Parameter estimate = 39.43, P value < 0.0001) with clinically reported COVID-19 cases. Overall, the mass balance equation produced accurate COVID-19 prevalence estimates with a median absolute error of 1.28%, as compared to the clinical reference group. Therefore, the mass balance equation applied to WBE is an effective tool for generating accurate community-level prevalence estimates of COVID-19 to improve community surveillance.
Development and evaluation of a new assistive device for low back load reduction in caregivers: an experimental study
Authors: Omura Yuka , Hirata Masayuki , Yoshimine Toshiki , Nakatani Eiji , Inoue Tomoko 
Published: November 2022

AbstractLow back pain among healthcare professionals is associated with the manual handling of patients. Some bed features for turning and repositioning have been developed; however, the load during patient care remains heavy. We developed a device to reduce low back load in caregivers during patient bedside care and evaluated it objectively and subjectively from a caregiver’s perspective using a randomised crossover study. Overall, 28 clinical nurses and care workers were randomly assigned to two interventional groups: administering care with (Device method) and without (Manual method) the device in an experimental room. We measured the caregiver’s trunk flexion angle using inertial measurement units and video recording during care and then defined a trunk flexion angle of > 45° as the threshold; the variables were analysed using linear mixed models. Subsequently, participants responded to a survey regarding the usability of the device. Trunk flexion time and percentage of time were 26.5 s (95% confidence interval: 14.1 s, 38.9 s) (p < 0.001) and 23.0% (95% confidence interval: 16.4%, 29.6%) (p < 0.001) lower, respectively, in the Device group than in the Manual group. Furthermore, caregivers evaluated the care they could administer with the device as being better than that associated with manual care.
Seminal extracellular vesicles subsets modulate gene expression in cumulus cells of porcine in vitro matured oocytes
Authors: Mateo-Otero Yentel , Yeste Marc , Roca Jordi , Llavanera Marc , Bucci Diego , Galeati Giovanna , Spinaci Marcella , Barranco Isabel 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSeminal plasma (SP), a fluid composed mainly by secretions from accessory sex glands, contains a heterogenous population of extracellular vesicles (EVs), involved in several reproductive physiological processes. Seminal plasma has been found to modulate ovary function, in terms of hormone secretion and immune regulation. This study evaluated the potential effect of SP-EV-subsets on the modulation of cumulus-oocyte-complex (COCs) physiology during in vitro maturation (IVM). Two SP-EV-subsets, small-EVs (S-EVs) and large-EVs (L-EVs), were isolated from pig SP by size-exclusion-chromatography. Next, COCs were IVM in the absence (control) or presence of each SP-EV-subset to evaluate their uptake by COCs (PKH67-EVs labelling) and their effect on oocyte and cumulus cells (CCs) (gene expression, and progesterone and estradiol-17β levels). S-EVs and L-EVs were able to bind CCs but not oocytes. Supplementation with L-EVs induced changes (P ≤ 0.05) in the transcript levels of oocyte maturation- (HAS2) and steroidogenesis-related genes (CYP11A1 and HSD3B1) in CCs. No effect on nuclear oocyte maturation and progesterone and estradiol-17β levels was observed when COCs were IVM with any of the two SP-EV-subsets. In conclusion, while SP-EV-subsets can be integrated by CCs during IVM, they do not affect oocyte maturation and only L-EVs are able to modulate CCs function, mainly modifying the expression of steroidogenesis-related genes.
Generation of bright autobioluminescent bacteria by chromosomal integration of the improved lux operon ilux2
Authors: Gregor Carola 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe bacterial bioluminescence system enables the generation of light by living cells without the requirement of an external luciferin. Due to the relatively low light emission, many applications of bioluminescence imaging would benefit from an increase in brightness of this system. In this report, a new approach of mutagenesis and screening of the involved proteins is described that is based on the identification of mutants with improved properties under rate-limiting reaction conditions. Multiple rounds of screening in Escherichia coli resulted in the operon ilux2 that contains 26 new mutations in the fatty acid reductase complex which provides the aldehyde substrate for the bioluminescence reaction. Chromosomal integration of ilux2 yielded an autonomously bioluminescent E. coli strain with sixfold increased brightness compared to the previously described ilux operon. The ilux2 strain produces sufficient signal for the robust detection of individual cells and enables highly sensitive long-term imaging of bacterial propagation without a selection marker.
LncDC: a machine learning-based tool for long non-coding RNA detection from RNA-Seq data
Authors: Li Minghua , Liang Chun 
Published: November 2022

AbstractLong non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an essential role in diverse biological processes and disease development. Accurate classification of lncRNAs and mRNAs is important for the identification of tissue- or disease-specific lncRNAs. Here, we present our tool LncDC (Long non-coding RNA detection) that is able to accurately predict lncRNAs with an XGBoost model using features extracted from RNA sequences, secondary structures, and translated proteins. Benchmarking experiments showed that LncDC consistently outperformed six state-of-the-art tools in distinguishing lncRNAs from mRNAs. Notably, the use of sequence and secondary structure (SASS) k-mer score features and flexible ORF features improved the classification capability of LncDC. We anticipate that LncDC will definitely promote the discovery of more and novel disease-specific lncRNAs. LncDC is implemented in Python and freely available at https://github.com/lim74/LncDC.
Empagliflozin suppresses urinary mitochondrial DNA copy numbers and interleukin-1β in type 2 diabetes patients
Authors: Lee Haekyung , Kim Hyoungnae , Jeon Jin Seok , Noh Hyunjin , Park Rojin , Byun Dong Won , Kim Hye Jeong , Suh Kyoil , Park Hyeong Kyu , Kwon Soon Hyo 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors improve cardiovascular and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. However, the mechanisms by which SGLT2 inhibitors improve the clinical outcomes remain elusive. We evaluated whether empagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, ameliorates mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory milieu of the kidneys in T2DM patients. We prospectively measured copy numbers of urinary and serum mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit-1 (mtND-1) and cytochrome-c oxidase 3 (mtCOX-3) and urinary interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in healthy volunteers (n = 22), in SGLT2 inhibitor-naïve T2DM patients (n = 21) at baseline, and in T2DM patients after 3 months of treatment with empagliflozin (10 mg, n = 17 or 25 mg, n = 4). Both urinary mtDNA copy numbers and IL-1β levels were higher in the T2DM group than in healthy volunteers. Baseline copy numbers of serum mtCOX-3 in the T2DM group were lower than those in healthy volunteers. Empagliflozin induced marked reduction in both urinary and serum mtND-1 and mtCOX-3 copy numbers, as well as in urinary IL-1β. Empagliflozin could attenuate mitochondrial damage and inhibit inflammatory response in T2DM patients. This would explain the beneficial effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiovascular and renal outcomes.
The sleep EEG envelope is a novel, neuronal firing-based human biomarker
Authors: Ujma Péter P. , Dresler Martin , Simor Péter , Fabó Dániel , Ulbert István , Erőss Loránd , Bódizs Róbert 
Published: November 2022

AbstractSleep EEG reflects voltage differences relative to a reference, while its spectrum reflects its composition of various frequencies. In contrast, the envelope of the sleep EEG reflects the instantaneous amplitude of oscillations, while its spectrum reflects the rhythmicity of the occurrence of these oscillations. The sleep EEG spectrum is known to relate to demographic, psychological and clinical characteristics, but the envelope spectrum has been rarely studied. In study 1, we demonstrate in human invasive data from cortex-penetrating microelectrodes and subdural grids that the sleep EEG envelope spectrum reflects neuronal firing. In study 2, we demonstrate that the scalp EEG envelope spectrum is stable within individuals. A multivariate learning algorithm could predict age (r = 0.6) and sex (r = 0.5) from the EEG envelope spectrum. With age, oscillations shifted from a 4–5 s rhythm to faster rhythms. Our results demonstrate that the sleep envelope spectrum is a promising biomarker of demographic and disease-related phenotypes.
Discovery of potential natural dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitors and their synergism with brequinar via integrated molecular docking, dynamic simulations and in vitro approach
Authors: Khairy Asmaa , Hammoda Hala M. , Celik Ismail , Zaatout Hala H. , Ibrahim Reham S. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe critical function of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) in pyrimidine synthesis attracted a great interest throughout beyond decades. Inhibitors of human DHODH (hDHODH) have validated efficacy for remedy of many immunological diseases. Brequinar and leflunomide are examples of such compounds. However, most of such immunosuppressive medications suffer from a lot of side effects and accompanied by adverse metabolic disturbances and toxicities. So that, immunomodulation utilizing natural products received the attention of many researchers. In this study, computer-aided molecular docking, molecular dynamic (MD) simulations and biochemical testing were utilized to find new pharmacologically active chemical entities from natural sources to combat immunosuppressive diseases. More specifically, Glide docking was used for a structure-based virtual screening of in-house 3D database of compounds retrieved from some traditionally known immunomodulatory plants surveyed from literature. The top five scored plants were found to be Zingiber officinale, Curcuma longa, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Allium sativum and Olea europaea. In vitro hDHODH inhibitory assays illustrated the ability of Allium sativum and silymarin standard hits; specifically, silibinin, to significantly inhibit the hDHODH enzyme. Molecular docking and MD simulations revealed a strong binding of the discovered hits within the active site. Following that, the most promising hits were tested separately with brequinar in a fixed-ratio combination setting to assess their combined effects on hDHODH catalytic inhibition. The binary combination of silibinin and brequinar revealed that in this combination, brequinar could be utilized at a dose 9.33-fold less when compared to its single-use to produce 99% inhibition for hDHODH enzyme. These findings confirmed that this binary mixture is an excellent combination providing better therapeutic effects and lower side effects.
Convalescent plasma treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infected high-risk patients: a matched pair analysis to the LEOSS cohort
Authors: Freise Noemi F. , Gliga Smaranda , Fischer Johannes , Lübke Nadine , Lutterbeck Matthias , Schöler Miriam , Bölke Edwin , Orth Hans Martin , Feldt Torsten , Roemmele Christoph , Wilke Dominik , Schneider Jochen , Wille Kai , Hohmann Christian , Strauss Richard , Hower Martin , Ruf Andreas , Schubert Joerg , Isberner Nora , Stecher Melanie , Pilgram Lisa , Vehreschild Jörg J. ,   LEOSS Study Group, de With Katja , Spinner Christoph , Lanznaster Julia , Beutel Gernot , Jung Norma , Göpel Siri , Westhoff Timm , Hohenstein Bernd , Rothfuss Katja , Rieg Siegbert , Ruethrich Maria Madeleine , Rupp Jan , Hanses Frank , Luedde Tom , Jensen Björn 
Published: November 2022

AbstractEstablishing the optimal treatment for COVID-19 patients remains challenging. Specifically, immunocompromised and pre-diseased patients are at high risk for severe disease course and face limited therapeutic options. Convalescent plasma (CP) has been considered as therapeutic approach, but reliable data are lacking, especially for high-risk patients. We performed a retrospective analysis of 55 hospitalized COVID-19 patients from University Hospital Duesseldorf (UKD) at high risk for disease progression, in a substantial proportion due to immunosuppression from cancer, solid organ transplantation, autoimmune disease, dialysis. A matched-pairs analysis (1:4) was performed with 220 patients from the Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2-infected Patients (LEOSS) who were treated or not treated with CP. Both cohorts had high mortality (UKD 41.8%, LEOSS 34.1%). A matched-pairs analysis showed no significant effect on mortality. CP administration before the formation of pulmonary infiltrates showed the lowest mortality in both cohorts (10%), whereas mortality in the complicated phase was 27.8%. CP administration during the critical phase revealed the highest mortality: UKD 60.9%, LEOSS 48.3%. In our cohort of COVID-19 patients with severe comorbidities CP did not significantly reduce mortality in a retrospective matched-pairs analysis. However, our data supports the concept that a reduction in mortality is achievable by early CP administration.
A short exposure to a semi-natural habitat alleviates the honey bee hive microbial imbalance caused by agricultural stress
Authors: Gorrochategui-Ortega June , Muñoz-Colmenero Marta , Kovačić Marin , Filipi Janja , Puškadija Zlatko , Kezić Nikola , Parejo Melanie , Büchler Ralph , Estonba Andone , Zarraonaindia Iratxe 
Published: November 2022

AbstractHoneybee health and the species’ gut microbiota are interconnected. Also noteworthy are the multiple niches present within hives, each with distinct microbiotas and all coexisting, which we termed “apibiome”. External stressors (e.g. anthropization) can compromise microbial balance and bee resilience. We hypothesised that (1) the bacterial communities of hives located in areas with different degrees of anthropization differ in composition, and (2) due to interactions between the multiple microbiomes within the apibiome, changes in the community of a niche would impact the bacteria present in other hive sections. We characterised the bacterial consortia of different niches (bee gut, bee bread, hive entrance and internal hive air) of 43 hives from 3 different environments (agricultural, semi-natural and natural) through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Agricultural samples presented lower community evenness, depletion of beneficial bacteria, and increased recruitment of stress related pathways (predicted via PICRUSt2). The taxonomic and functional composition of gut and hive entrance followed an environmental gradient. Arsenophonus emerged as a possible indicator of anthropization, gradually decreasing in abundance from agriculture to the natural environment in multiple niches. Importantly, after 16 days of exposure to a semi-natural landscape hives showed intermediate profiles, suggesting alleviation of microbial dysbiosis through reduction of anthropization.
Inclusion of bimetallic Fe0.75Cu0.25-BDC MOFs into Alginate-MoO3/GO as a novel nanohybrid for adsorptive removal of hexavalent chromium from water
Authors: Mahmoud Mohamed E. , Amira Mohamed F. , Azab Mayar M. H. M. , Abdelfattah Amir M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractMetal–organic frameworks (MOFs) as porous materials have recently attracted research works in removal of toxic pollutants from water. Cr(VI) is well-known as one of the most toxic forms of chromium and the selection of efficient and effective Cr(VI)-remediation technology must be focused on a number of important parameters. Therefore, the objective of this work is to fabricate a novel nanohybrid adsorbent for removal of Cr(VI) by using assembled bimetallic MOFs (Fe0.75Cu0.25-BDC)-bound- Alginate-MoO3/Graphene oxide (Alg-MoO3/GO) via simple solvothermal process. The aimed Fe0.75Cu0.25-BDC@Alg-MoO3/GO nanohybrid was confirmed by FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD and TGA. Adsorptive extraction of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution was aimed by various optimized experimental parameters providing optimum pH = 3, dosage = 5–10 mg, starting concentration of Cr(VI) = 5–15 mg L−1, shaking time = 5–10 min. The point of zero charge (pHPzc) was 3.8. For Cr(VI) removal by Fe0.75Cu0.25-BDC@Alg-MoO3/GO, four isotherm models were estimated: Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) with calculated correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.9934) for Langmuir model which was higher than others. The collected results from the kinetic study clarified that pseudo-second order model is the most convenient one for describing the adsorption behavior of Cr(VI) and therefore, the adsorption process was suggested to rely on a chemisorption mechanism. Thermodynamic parameters referred that the adsorption mechanism is based on a spontaneous and exothermic process. Finally, the emerged Fe0.75Cu0.25-BDC@Alg-MoO3/GO nanohybrid was confirmed as an effective adsorbent for extraction of hexavalent chromium from real water specimens (tap, sea water and wastewater) with percentage recovery values > 98%.
Craniofacial and three-dimensional palatal analysis in cleft lip and palate patients treated in Spain
Authors: Viñas María José , Galiotto-Barba Francesca , Cortez-Lede María Gabriela , Rodríguez-González María Ángeles , Moral Ignacio , Delso Elena , González-Meli Beatriz , Lobo Fernando , López-Cedrún José Luis , Neagu David , Garatea Joaquín , Garatea Amaia , Berenguer Beatriz , Lorca-García Concepción , Delgado María Dolores , Martí Eunate , Gutiérrez José Manuel , Hernández Carlos , Murillo-González Jorge , Martínez-Álvarez Concepción , Martínez-Sanz Elena 
Published: November 2022

AbstractGrowth alterations have been described in patients operated on for oral clefts. The purpose of this work was to analyze the craniofacial and palate morphology and dimensions of young adults operated on for oral clefts in early childhood in Spain. Eighty-three patients from eight different hospitals were divided into four groups based on their type of cleft: cleft lip (CL, n = 6), unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP, n = 37), bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP, n = 16), and cleft palate only (CPO, n = 24). A control group was formed of 71 individuals. Three-dimensional (3D) digital models were obtained from all groups with an intraoral scanner, together with cephalometries and frontal, lateral, and submental facial photographs. Measurements were obtained and analyzed statistically. Our results showed craniofacial alterations in the BCLP, UCLP, and CPO groups with an influence on the palate, maxilla, and mandible and a direct impact on facial appearance. This effect was more severe in the BCLP group. Measurements in the CL group were similar to those in the control group. Cleft characteristics and cleft type seem to be the main determining factors of long-term craniofacial growth alterations in these patients. Prospective research is needed to clearly delineate the effects of different treatments on the craniofacial appearance of adult cleft patients.
New optimum solutions of nonlinear fractional acoustic wave equations via optimal homotopy asymptotic method-2 (OHAM-2)
Authors: Zada Laiq , Nawaz Rashid , Jamshed Wasim , Ibrahim Rabha W. , Tag El Din El Sayed M. , Raizah Zehba , Amjad Ayesha 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe second iteration of the optimal homotopy asymptotic technique (OHAM-2) has been protracted to fractional order partial differential equations in this work for the first time (FPDEs). Without any transformation, the suggested approach can be used to solve fractional-order nonlinear Zakharov–Kuznetsov equations. The Caputo notion of the fractional-order derivative, whose values fall within the closed interval [0, 1], has been taken into consideration. The method's appeal is that it provides an approximate solution after just one iteration. The suggested method's numerical findings have been contrasted with those of the variational iteration method, residual power series method, and perturbation iteration method. Through tables and graphs, the proposed method's effectiveness and dependability are demonstrated.