bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Una gravidanza 'blasfema' (Ennod. carm. 2.97 H. = 217 V.)
Authors: Prontera Alessia 
Published: June 2022

The essay explains the intertextual connection of a satiric epigram of Magnus Felix Ennodius, carm. 2.97 H. = 217 V. De anu quadam with the description of the miraculous pregnancy of Sara, Isaac’s mother, in Sedulius’ Carmen Paschale. Furthermore, the article provides an Italian translation of the poem to explain the allusion to the menopause of the old woman at l. 3.
RETRACTED: Electrospun Ta-MOF/PEBA Nanohybrids and Their CH4 Adsorption Application
Authors: Jasim Saade Abdalkareem , Hadi Jihad M. , Jalil Abduladheem Turki , Catalan Opulencia Maria Jade , Hammid Ali Thaeer , Tohidimoghadam Mohadeseh , Moghaddam-manesh Mohammadreza 
Published: June 2022

For the first time, biocompatible and biodegradable Ta-metal organic framework (MOF)/polyether block amide (PEBA) fibrous polymeric nanostructures were synthesized by ultrasonic and electrospinning routes in this study. The XRD peaks of products were wider, which is due to the significant effect of the ultrasonic and electrospinning methods on the final product. The adsorption/desorption behavior of the nanostructures is similar to that of the third type of isotherm series, which showed mesoporous behavior for the products. The sample has uniform morphology without any evidence of agglomeration. Since the adsorption and trapping of gaseous pollutants are very important, the application of the final Ta-MOF/PEBA fibrous polymeric nanostructures was investigated for CH4 adsorption. In order to achieve the optimal conditions of experiments and also systematic studies of the parameters, fractional factorial design was used. The results showed that by selecting temperature 40°C, time duration 35 min, and pressure 3 bar, the CH4 gas adsorption rate was near 4 mmol/g. Ultrasonic and electrospinning routes as well as immobilization of Ta-MOF in the PEBA fibrous network affect the performance of the final products for CH4 gas adsorption.
Bridging Size and Charge Effects of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for Crossing the Blood–Brain Barrier
Authors: Chen Yi-Ping , Chou Chih-Ming , Chang Tsu-Yuan , Ting Hao , Dembélé Julien , Chu You-Tai , Liu Tsang-Pai , Changou Chun A. , Liu Chien-Wei , Chen Chien-Tsu 
Published: June 2022

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective cellular barrier that tightly controls the microenvironment of the central nervous system to restrict the passage of substances, which is a primary challenge in delivering therapeutic drugs to treat brain diseases. This study aimed to develop simple surface modifications of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) without external stimuli or receptor protein conjugation, which exhibited a critical surface charge and size allowing them to cross the BBB. A series of MSNs with various charges and two different sizes of 50 and 200 nm were synthesized, which showed a uniform mesoporous structure with various surface zeta potentials ranging from +42.3 to −51.6 mV. Confocal microscopic results showed that 50 nm of strongly negatively charged N4-RMSN50@PEG/THPMP (∼−40 mV) could be significantly observed outside blood vessels of the brain in Tg(zfli1:EGFP) transgenic zebrafish embryos superior to the other negatively charged MSNs. However, very few positively charged MSNs were found in the brain, indicating that negatively charged MSNs could successfully penetrate the BBB. The data were confirmed by high-resolution images of 3D deconvoluted confocal microscopy and two-photon microscopy and zebrafish brain tissue sections. In addition, while increasing the size to 200 nm but maintaining the similar negative charge (∼40 mV), MSNs could not be detected in the brain of zebrafish, suggesting that transport across the BBB based on MSNs occurred in charge- and size-dependent manners. No obvious cytotoxicity was observed in the CTX-TNA2 astrocyte cell line and U87-MG glioma cell line treated with MSNs. After doxorubicin (Dox) loading, N4-RMSN50@PEG/THPMP/Dox enabled drug delivery and pH-responsive release. The toxicity assay showed that N4-RMSN50@PEG/THPMP could reduce Dox release, resulting in the increase of the survival rate in zebrafish. Flow cytometry demonstrated N4-RMSN50@PEG/THPMP had few cellular uptakes. Protein corona analysis revealed three transporter proteins, such as afamin, apolipoprotein E, and basigin, could contribute to BBB penetration, validating the possible mechanism of N4-RMSN50@PEG/THPMP crossing the BBB. With this simple approach, MSNs with critical negative charge and size could overcome the BBB-limiting characteristics of therapeutic drug molecules; furthermore, their use may also cause drug sustained-release in the brain, decreasing peripheral toxicity.
Genetic Predisposition of Anti-Cytomegalovirus Immunoglobulin G Levels and the Risk of 9 Cardiovascular Diseases
Authors: Tan Jiang-Shan , Ren Jia-Meng , Fan Luyun , Wei Yuhao , Hu Song , Zhu Sheng-Song , Yang Yanmin , Cai Jun 
Published: June 2022

BackgroundAccumulating evidence has indicated that persistent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with several cardiovascular diseases including atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. However, whether there is a causal association between the level of anti-HCMV immune response and the risk of cardiovascular diseases remains unknown.MethodsSingle-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with anti-cytomegalovirus immunoglobulin (Ig) G levels were used as instrumental variables to estimate the causal effect of anti-cytomegalovirus IgG levels on 9 cardiovascular diseases (including atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities, rheumatic valve diseases, and non-rheumatic valve diseases). For each cardiovascular disease, Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed. Inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis (IVW) with a random-effects model was used as a principal analysis. In addition to this, the weighted median approach and MR-Egger method were used for further sensitivity analysis.ResultsIn the IVW analysis, genetically predicted anti-cytomegalovirus IgG levels were suggestively associated with coronary artery disease with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.076 [95% CI, 1.009–1.147; p = 0.025], peripheral artery disease (OR 1.709; 95% CI, 1.039–2.812; p = 0.035), and deep vein thrombosis (OR 1.002; 95% CI, 1.000–1.004; p = 0.025). In the further analysis, similar causal associations were obtained from weighted median analysis and MR-Egger analysis with lower precision. No notable heterogeneities and horizontal pleiotropies were observed (p &gt; 0.05).Conclusions/InterpretationOur findings first provide direct evidence that genetic predisposition of anti-cytomegalovirus IgG levels increases the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and deep vein thrombosis.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review of Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Li Yapeng , Zhang Tingting , Sun Jiahui , Liu Nanyang 
Published: June 2022

BackgroundMeta-analysis of randomized clinical trials (RCT) demonstrated several health benefits of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). However, there has been little comprehensive assessment of the strength and quality of evidence. We conducted an umbrella review to summarize the evidence of the association between FMT and health outcomes.MethodsPubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases were searched from inception to August 6, 2021. The random-effects model was applied to recalculate the effect estimates. We used AMSTAR 2 and GRADE to assess the methodological quality and to grade the evidence.ResultsA total of 7 meta-analyses comprising 26 RCTs (median [IQR] primary study, 6 [2-7]; median [IQR] sample size, 267 [147-431] participants) were included in the current umbrella review describing 45 unique associations. There were 22 statistically significant associations (49%) demonstrating beneficial outcomes of FMT for antibiotic resistance burden, functional constipation, inflammatory bowel disease, and C. difficile infection. FMT does not appear to be associated with positive outcomes in irritable bowel syndrome and metabolic syndrome. Eight significant associations (36%) were supported by moderate-quality evidence, nine associations (41%) were supported by low-quality evidence, and the remaining associations found to be significant were supported by very low-quality evidence.ConclusionAlthough we found that FMT was positively associated with several outcomes, caution should be exercised in choosing this approach, given the insufficient number of primary studies, low methodological quality, and low quality of evidence. Further high-quality randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are needed to improve the strength and credibility of the evidence base.
Chimonanthus nitens Oliv. Leaf Granule Ameliorates DSS-Induced Acute Colitis Through Treg Cell Improvement, Oxidative Stress Reduction, and Gut Microflora Modulation
Authors: Huang Jia-Qi , Wei Si-Yi , Cheng Nian , Zhong You-Bao , Yu Fei-Hao , Li Ming-Da , Liu Duan-Yong , Li Shan-Shan , Zhao Hai-Mei 
Published: June 2022

The rising incidence of ulcerative colitis has become a new challenge for public health. Chimonanthus nitens Oliv. leaf granule (COG) is a natural medicine used for the treatment of respiratory diseases, which has excellent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. However, the therapeutic effect of COG in ulcerative colitis (UC) has not been reported. Here, the experimental colitis was treated with dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) and COG. After treatment with high (30 g/kg), medium (15 g/kg), and low (7.5 g/kg) doses of COG for 11 consecutive days, the body weight, disease activity index (DAI) score, colon length, colon weight index, and the pathological score of mice were effectively improved. COG significantly reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines in UC mice in vitro and in vivo and restored the secretion levels of IL-6 and IL-10 in the colon. Meanwhile, compared to mice with colitis, COG-treated mice showed lower levels of MDA, MPO, NO, and eNOS and higher levels of GSH-Px and MAO, which indicated that oxidative stress damage in colitic mice was alleviated by COG. Moreover, less Th17 and more Tregs were observed in the COG-treated groups. In addition, COG improved the diversity and relative abundance of gut microflora in the colon of colitic mice, and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-006 were obviously regulated at the genus level. In summary, COG has a protective effect on DSS-induced experimental colitis, mainly through inhibition of immune-inflammatory responses and oxidative stress and regulation of mTreg cell responses and intestinal flora composition.
Illness-Death Model as a Framework for Chronic Disease Burden Projection: Application to Mental Health Epidemiology
Authors: Ito Chisato , Kurth Tobias , Baune Bernhard T. , Brinks Ralph 
Published: June 2022

IntroductionEstimates of future disease burden supports public health decision-making. Multistate modeling of chronic diseases is still limited despite a long history of mathematical modeling of diseases. We introduce a discrete time approach to the illness-death model and a recursion formula, which can be utilized to project chronic disease burden. We further illustrate an example of the technique applied to anxiety disorders in Germany.Materials and EquipmentThe illness-death model is a multistate model that relates prevalence, incidence, mortality, and remission. A basic recursion formula that considers prevalence, incidence, mortality among the susceptible, and mortality among the diseased can be applied to irreversible chronic diseases such as diabetes. Among several mental disorders, remission plays a key role and thus an extended recursion formula taking remission into account is derived.MethodsUsing the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 data and population projections from the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, a total number of individuals with anxiety disorders by sex in Germany from 2019 to 2030 was projected. Regression models were fitted to historical data for prevalence and incidence. Differential mortality risks were modeled based on empirical evidence. Remission was estimated from prevalence, incidence, and mortality, applying the extended recursion formula. Sex- and age-specific prevalence of 2019 was given as the initial value to estimate the total number of individuals with anxiety disorders for each year up to 2030. Projections were also made through simple extrapolation of prevalence for comparison.ResultsFrom 2019 to 2030, we estimated a decrease of 52,114 (−1.3%) individuals with anxiety disorders among women, and an increase of 166,870 (+8.5%) cases among men, through the illness-death model approach. With prevalence extrapolation, an increase of 381,770 (+9.7%) among women and an increase of 272,446 (+13.9%) among men were estimated.DiscussionApplication of the illness-death model with discrete time steps is possible for both irreversible chronic diseases and diseases with possible remissions, such as anxiety disorders. The technique provides a framework for disease burden prediction. The example provided here can form a basis for running simulations under varying transition probabilities.
Increased Virulence and Large-Scale Reduction in Genome Size of Tetraploid Candida albicans Evolved in Nematode Hosts
Authors: Smith Amanda C. , Rizvi Hassan , Hickman Meleah A. , Morran Levi T. 
Published: June 2022

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of humans, yet the within-host dynamics of C. albicans infection are not clear. While C. albicans is commonly diploid, it exhibits a range of ploidies, including tetraploidy. Previous work found that tetraploid C. albicans populations exhibited rapid adaptation and significant genome instability when evolved in vitro. Host immune function alters the rate and magnitude of C. albicans virulence evolution, but the effects of the host immunity on tetraploid C. albicans populations are unclear. Here, we tested the effects of the host immunity on genome stability and virulence evolution of tetraploid C. albicans using experimental evolution. We selected for C. albicans increased virulence within either immunocompetent or immunocompromised Caenorhabditis elegans hosts. After nine passages we observed a response to selection for increased virulence. Both populations exposed to either immunocompetent or immunocompromised hosts increased virulence after passage through C. elegans hosts. However, the C. albicans populations passaged through immunocompetent hosts under selection exhibited unique temporal dynamics, a rapid increase in virulence and then subsequent loss of virulence. Most C. albicans populations exhibited genome size reduction within six passages, however populations exposed to immunocompetent hosts exhibited the most rapid transition to ~diploid. Therefore, we found that tetraploids rapidly increase in virulence and decrease genome size within host environments. Further, the combination of selection for greater virulence in the presence of immunocompetent hosts results in major virulence fluctuations and genome size changes. Thus, host immunity significantly impacts the evolutionary trajectories of tetraploid C. albicans.
Effects of Automated Emergency Braking and Seatbelt Pre-Pretensioning on Occupant Injury Risks in High-Severity Frontal Crashes
Authors: Mishra Ekant , Mroz Krystoffer , Pipkorn Bengt , Lubbe Nils 
Published: June 2022

In high-severity crashes, occupant protection is challenging. Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) and seatbelt pre-pretensioning (PPT) are means to improve occupant protection; the purpose of this study was to quantify their effects on occupant injury risks in high-severity full-frontal crashes by Finite Element (FE) simulations. The SAFER Active average male Human Body Model was used as an occupant substitute. The crash pulses used were from separate full-frontal crash simulations using a Honda Accord FE model. The vehicle interior model comprised a seat, an instrument panel, a three-point pretensioned seatbelt system with a load-limiter of 3.1 kN force level, and a frontal passenger airbag. The effects of AEB and PPT were evaluated by simulating a 1 g pre-crash braking scenario for 0.5 s, with and without AEB, for three different PPT force levels: 0, 300, and 600 N. The impact speed of 80 km/h was reduced to 69 km/h by AEB. When neither system was activated, the predicted risk for an occupant to sustain two or more fractured ribs (NFR2+) was 100% for both 45- and 65-year-old male occupants. The risks were reduced when the AEB was activated, particularly for the 45-year-old occupant. When the AEB was activated, the risks of concussion and rib fractures were reduced; upper neck tension forces, pelvis Anterior Superior Iliac Spine (ASIS) forces, and lower extremity forces were also reduced. Increasing the PPT forces reduced the rib fracture risk further (to about 48% for a 45-year-old occupant with 600 N PPT force). The reduced speed due to AEB resulted in a lower concussion risk (from 71.3% to 31%). However, the concussion risk increased slightly with increased PPT forces.
High Expression of TMEM33 Predicts Poor Prognosis and Promotes Cell Proliferation in Cervical Cancer
Authors: Chen Hanxiang , Zhao Xia , Li Yongqing , Zhang Shaoming , Wang Yunshan , Wang Lili , Ma Wanshan 
Published: June 2022

Background: The prognosis of patients with advanced cervical cancer remains unsatisfactory. A study indicated that transmembrane protein 33 (TMEM33) was implicated in tumor recurrence, while its role in cervical cancer has not been elucidated.Methods: TMEM33 expression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) was primarily screened in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and further validated in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The Kaplan–Meier plotter analysis and Cox regression were constructed to evaluate the prognostic value of TMEM33 in CESC. Functional enrichment analysis was performed with GO, KEGG and GSEA tools. CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay were performed to investigate the carcinogenesis role of TMEM33 in cervical cancer cell proliferation.Results: TMEM33 expression was significantly elevated in CESC compared with normal tissues. High expression of TMEM33 was associated with poor prognostic clinical characteristics in CESC patients. KM-plotter analysis revealed that patients with increased TMEM33 had shorter overall survival (OS), progress free interval (PFI), and disease specific survival (DSS). Moreover, Multivariate Cox analysis confirmed that high TMEM33 expression was an independent risk factor for OS in patients with CESC. TMEM33 was associated with immune infiltrates, and its expression was correlated with tumorigenesis-related genes RNF4, OCIAD1, TMED5, DHX15, MED28 and LETM1. More importantly, knockdown of TMEM33 in cervical cancer cells decreased the expression of those genes and inhibited cell proliferation.Conclusion: Increased TMEM33 in cervical cancer can serve as an independent prognostic marker and might play a role in tumorigenesis by promoting cell proliferation.
Anti-MDA5 Antibody Linking COVID-19, Type I Interferon, and Autoimmunity: A Case Report and Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Tonutti Antonio , Motta Francesca , Ceribelli Angela , Isailovic Natasa , Selmi Carlo , De Santis Maria 
Published: June 2022

IntroductionThe SARS-CoV-2 infection has been advocated as an environmental trigger for autoimmune diseases, and a paradigmatic example comes from similarities between COVID-19 and the myositis-spectrum disease associated with antibodies against the melanoma differentiation antigen 5 (MDA5) in terms of clinical features, lung involvement, and immune mechanisms, particularly type I interferons (IFN).Case ReportWe report a case of anti-MDA5 syndrome with skin manifestations, constitutional symptoms, and cardiomyopathy following a proven SARS-CoV-2 infection.Systematic Literature ReviewWe systematically searched for publications on inflammatory myositis associated with COVID-19. We describe the main clinical, immunological, and demographic features, focusing our attention on the anti-MDA5 syndrome.DiscussionMDA5 is a pattern recognition receptor essential in the immune response against viruses and this may contribute to explain the production of anti-MDA5 antibodies in some SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The activation of MDA5 induces the synthesis of type I IFN with an antiviral role, inversely correlated with COVID-19 severity. Conversely, elevated type I IFN levels correlate with disease activity in anti-MDA5 syndrome. While recognizing this ia broad area of uncertainty, we speculate that the strong type I IFN response observed in patients with anti-MDA5 syndrome, might harbor protective effects against viral infections, including COVID-19.
Impacts of Delivery Mode and Maternal Factors on Neonatal Oral Microbiota
Authors: Xu Tiansong , Yan Lihuang , Sun Bohui , Xu Qi , Zhang Jieni , Zhu Wenhui , Zhang Qian , Chen Ning , Liu Guoli , Chen Feng 
Published: June 2022

ObjectivesInitial oral microbial colonization has complicatedly interacted with growth and development. The aim of our study was to discover links between oral microbiota community structure and mode of delivery, maternal factors, such as systemic diseases, abortion history, and pregnancy complications.MethodsA total of 177 pregnant women and their neonates were enrolled at Peking university people’s hospital. We collected oral samples, medical history, and development phenotype and used a 16S rRNA gene sequence to analyze microbial diversity at all taxonomic levels, network structure, and metabolic characteristics.ResultsFirmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteriota were the most predominant bacteria of neonatal oral samples among these phyla. Alpha-diversity of pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), abortion history, and without immune diseases was higher than in control groups, and no significant dissimilarity in beta-diversity was observed between different maternal factors. Obvious separation or trend failed to be seen in different development phenotype groups. Besides, Oscillospirales were significantly more abundant in a natural delivery group than in the cesarean section group.ConclusionOur study indicated that maternal factors and mode of delivery influenced the oral microbial structure, but longitudinal studies were indispensable for capturing the long-term effects on neonatal development phenotype and oral microbiota.