Browse Articles

Neuroprotective effects of melanins and melanin derivatives from Calvatia Craniiformis and Xylaria plebeja against Parkinsonian toxins

Bispecific antibody simultaneously targeting AGR2 and PD1 mediates cytotoxic T-cell-induced antitumor response in AGR2-dependent manner and inhibits AGR2-induced PDL1 upregulation

Validation of DNA methylation and transcriptional characteristics in CCL5 and CXCL8 genes in autoimmune thyroiditis with varying iodine levels

GTPBP2 in-frame deletion in canine model with non-syndromic progressive retinal atrophy

Retraction: miR-34a modulates Angiotensin II-induced myocardial hypertrophy by direct inhibition of ATG9A expression and Autophagic activity

Changes in management of owned cats in the countryside – A comparison of results from surveys undertaken in the same rural area of Denmark in 1998 and 2022

This study investigates changes in the management of owned domestic cats (Felis catus) in a rural area of Denmark, at two points in time separated by 24 years. Households in a 47 km2 area, and on 23 farms near this area, were presented with the same questionnaire in 1998 and in 2022. Additional data about the number of cats earmarked/microchipped and registered in 1998 were provided by two cat registers. The study population was compared to other rural areas in Denmark using data collected in 2021 from a nationwide probability survey of cat owners. The study area was found to represent rural areas in Denmark well. From 1998 to 2022, our study found a slight drop in the total number of owned cats. There was a major shift away from cats living on farms; this was true both of full-scale farms (that is, farms from which the farmer makes a living) where the number of cats decreased by two-thirds between 1998 and 2022 compared to 1998; and on hobby farms, where the number halved over the period. However, the number of cats living in residential homes nearly doubled, and, correspondingly, there was also a significant increase in the proportion of cats with indoor access. Cat owners have increasingly adopted measures to manage their cats, including much higher proportions of cats being spayed and castrated (there was an increase from 61% to 98% among male cats with indoor access and from 13% to 70% among male cats without indoor access). There was, also, a major increase in cats that have been earmarked/microchipped and registered, rising from 8% to 64%. This change in owner behaviour has led to many fewer unwanted kittens being born and subsequently killed. The findings therefore provide evidence of changing rural human-cat relationships, with rural cat owners increasingly managing their cats in the same way as urban cat owners. Our findings also help to explain recent evidence that the number of unowned cats in Denmark is much lower than previously assumed.

Spatial distributions and determinants of intimate partner violence among married women in Ethiopia across administrative zones

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is highly prevalent in the world, especially in low-middle-income countries including Ethiopia. Studies so far assessing risk factors for IPV often use the classical model without geographical location information and spatial effects. This study aimed to estimate the overall prevalence and associated risk factors of intimate partner violence among Ethiopian administrative zones. Method The 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) data were used. The primary outcome of the study was the experience of different types of IPV: physical, emotional, and sexual by ever-married women aged 15–49 years. We adopted a generalized multilevel mixed model with IPV as an outcome variable and zones as random effects. Results The prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual violence in Ethiopia are respectively 20.38%, 22.31%, and 7.58%. The result indicated that 1,423 (30.15%) of respondents had experienced at least one of the three types of IPV. Women who had older age had more children, had lower decision-making power, and had a husband who was a drinker and had controlling behavior were more likely to experience any forms of IPV. Significant zone-wise spatial variations of IPV were also observed. Conclusions The distribution of IPV in married women varies among Ethiopian administrative zones. Several factors were associated with IPV, therefore, interventions targeting the hotspot areas and specific determinant factors should be implemented by the concerned bodies to reduce IPV among married women in the population.

Optimal fiber mix and prediction model for compressive strength of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete

Incorporating single or mixed types of fibers into concrete is an effective method for enhancing its performance. This study aimed to investigate the optimal fiber mix for hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) that includes end-hooked steel fibers (ESF), corrugated steel fibers (CSF), and polypropylene fibers (PF), and to predict its compressive strength. To this end, three combinations of HFRC were designed: ESF and CSF (EC-HFRC), ESF and PF (EP-HFRC), and CSF and PF (CP-HFRC), respectively. Plain concrete and single-fiber reinforced concrete with the same mix proportions were also designed for comparison. The compressive strength test results demonstrate slight to moderate enhancement in the concrete’s compressive strength when hybrid fibers are employed. The hybrid effects observed in both EP-HFRC and CP-HFRC are superior to those of EC-HFRC. The optimal fiber mixing combinations are identified as 0.2% PF combined with 1.5% ESF for EP-HFRC and 0.2% PF along with 1.5% CSF for CP-HFRC. Compared with single steel fiber admixture and no fiber admixture, the mixing of hybrid fibers can significantly impact the failure mode of concrete. A novel mathematical model, based on the theory of composite mechanics, has been proposed to accurately predict the compressive strength of single steel fiber reinforced concrete and EC-HFRC, as evidenced by its close alignment with experimental data. The results of this paper provide substantial theoretical support for the design and optimization of HFRC.

What matters to a mouse? Effects of internal and external context on male vocal response to female squeaks

House mice adjust their signaling behavior depending on the social context of an interaction, but which aspects of context elicit the strongest responses from these individuals is often difficult to determine. To explore how internal and external contextual factors influence how house mice produce and respond to social signals, we assessed how dominant and subordinate male mice differed in their ultrasonic vocalization (USV) production in response to playback of broadband vocalizations (BBVs, or squeaks) when given limited access to a stimulus female. We used a repeated measures design in which each male was exposed to two types of trials with different odor conditions: either just female odors (Fem condition) or female odors in addition to the odors of potential competitors, other males (Fem+Male condition). The presence of odors from other males in this assay served as a proxy for an “audience” as the male interacted with the stimulus female. These conditions were replicated for two distinct cohorts of individuals: males exposed to the odor of familiar competitors in the Fem+Male condition (Familiar odor cohort), and males exposed to the odor of unfamiliar competitors in the Fem+Male condition (Unfamiliar odor cohort). By assessing dominance status of the focal individual and familiarity of the “audience”, we are able to explore how these factors may affect one another as males respond to BBVs. Dominants and subordinates did not differ in their baseline vocal production (vocalizations produced prior to squeak playback) or response to squeaks. However, all groups, regardless of dominance status or odor condition, reduced their vocal production in response to BBV playback. The presence of unfamiliar male odor prompted mice to decrease their baseline level of calling and decrease the complexity of their vocal repertoire compared to trials that only included female odor, and this effect also did not differ across dominance status. Importantly, the presence of male odor did not affect vocal behavior when the male odor was familiar to the focal individual. These findings suggest that mice alter their vocal behavior during courtship interactions in response to cues that indicate the presence of potential competitors, and this response is modulated by the familiarity of these competitor cues.

Genetic adaptation to amoxicillin in Escherichia coli: The limited role of dinB and katE

Bacteria can quickly adapt to sub-lethal concentrations of antibiotics. Several stress and DNA repair genes contribute to this adaptation process. However, the pathways leading to adaptation by acquisition of de novo mutations remain poorly understood. This study explored the roles of DNA polymerase IV (dinB) and catalase HP2 (katE) in E. coli’s adaptation to amoxicillin. These genes are thought to play essential roles in beta-lactam resistance—dinB in increasing mutation rates and katE in managing oxidative stress. By comparing the adaptation rates, transcriptomic profiles, and genetic changes of wild-type and knockout strains, we aimed to clarify the contributions of these genes to beta-lactam resistance. While all strains exhibited similar adaptation rates and mutations in the frdD gene and ampC operon, several unique mutations were acquired in the ΔkatE and ΔdinB strains. Overall, this study distinguishes the contributions of general stress-related genes on the one hand, and dinB, and katE on the other hand, in development of beta-lactam resistance.

Organization of A3-coupling compounds by magnetic nanocomposite bimetallic in green conditions

The current project reports two chemical reactions of A3 coupling and creation of three reactans simultaneously and in domino form by bimetallic magnetic nanocatalyst (cobalt/manganese). This bimetallic nanocatalyst was heterogeneously synthesized by a simple chemical co-precipitation method and identified and analyzed by FE-SEM, TEM, VSM, ICP, BET, FT-IR, EDX, etc. analyses. The experimental results showed that the structure of the nanocatalyst is very regular and flexible, and its surface has spaces in nanometer sizes to carry out these chemical reactions. The efficiency and power of the nanocatalyst is very high and it has a special feature for easy separation from the reaction by an external field. The performed triple coupling reactions include the formation of the imide product, the propargylic product. The derivatives of this product each have a high percentage of 76% and selectivity of 98%. These products are widely used in new precursors for making antioxidant and antimicrobial drugs in medical and chemical industries.

Comparison of visfatin levels before and after non-surgical periodontal therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease and involves a severe inflammation of the periodontium. On the other hand, visfatin is known as one of the inflammatory markers and can probably preserve inflammation in immune cells. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to compare the mean visfatin level before and after non-surgical periodontal treatment (NSPT). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, to find relevant studies, PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched. Google Scholar was used to review gray literature. Standardized mean difference (SMD) along with 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated. To perform the meta-analysis, in cases where there was significant heterogeneity between the studies, the random-effects model was used, otherwise the fixed-effects model was used. Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results show that one month after the NSPT, there was no significant difference in the mean visfatin level of GCF (SMD: -3.91, 95%CI: -9.83, 2.01, p = 0.195, I-square, 96.6%, random effect model, n = 2) and serum (SMD: -0.33, 95%CI: -0.98, 0.33, p = 0.332, fixed effect model, n = 1), but 2, 3 and 6 months after NSPT, the mean visfatin level of GCF and serum decreased significantly. There is no significant difference one month after NSPT in diabetic patients (SMD: -5.83, 95%CI: -15.5, 3.83, p = 0.237, I-square, 97.4%, random effects model, n = 2), but three (SMD: -2.44, 95%CI: -3.37, -1.15, p = 0.001, I-square, 75.9%, random effects model, n = 3) and six months (SMD: -2.41, 95%CI: -3.81, -1.01, p = 0.001, I-square, 78.7%, random effects model, n = 2) after the treatment, a significant decrease is observed in the mean GCF visfatin level. Following the NSPT, the mean visfatin level of GCF, serum and saliva decreases, and in longer follow up time, the level of visfatin decreases significantly. Also, the mean GCF level of diabetic patients decreased after NSPT. Therefore, visfatin level may be used as a diagnostic and therapeutic noninvasive biomarker in patients with periodontitis, which requires further studies.

Unveiling parents’ lived experience with preterm infant care and support in neonatal care units of public hospitals in Nepal: A phenomenological inquiry

Background Preterm infants (PTIs) require hospitalization in different levels of neonatal care units (NCUs) for their survival and developmental needs. The quality of care provided at NCUs significantly influences infant outcomes and parents’ experiences. Parents’ experience of received support and care of PTIs is one of the indicators for determining the quality of care at NCUs. The study aims to investigate parents’ perspectives on the PTIs care and support received from nurses in NCUs of Nepal. Methods A descriptive phenomenological study was conducted within the NCUs of three public tertiary hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepal. In-depth interviews were conducted among 25 purposively selected parents, (both mothers and fathers) of low-birthweight PTIs admitted to the NCUs. Data was collected from November 2019 to February 2020. The data were meticulously analyzed using the Colaizzi method. Findings The exploration of parents’ experiences identified three main theme areas: (1) Care and support, (2) Initial involvement in PTI care, and (3) Outcome of care involvement. Parents appreciated competent and affectionate PTI care as well as informational support. However, they had varied experiences with communication, emotional support, and opportunities for infant-parent attachment. Guidance and support for PTI care from nurses and peer-parents proved instrumental in mitigating uncertainties related to initial care learning and involvement in PTI care. Parents’ involvement in hands on care of their PTIs boosted infant-parent attachment, empowered for care giving, and provided emotional solace. Conclusion Findings indicate that parents have positive experience with PTI care provided by nurses and their involvement in hands-on care of their PTIs. However, there are gaps in support expectations of parents including communication, emotional support, and care guidance. Findings have important implications for nurses, pediatricians, and policymakers for the enhancement of neonatal care practice by incorporating parental support and parents’ involvement in hands on care of PTI across NCUs in Nepal.

SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with higher chance of diabetes remission among Veterans with incident diabetes

Objective To examine the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on long-term glycemia. Research design and methods We conducted a retrospective inception cohort study using Veterans Health Administration data (March 1, 2020–May 31, 2022) among individuals with ≥ 1 positive nasal swab for SARS-CoV-2 and individuals with ≥ 1 laboratory test of any type but no positive swab. Two incident diabetes cohorts were defined based on: 1) a computable phenotype using a combination of diagnosis codes, laboratory tests, and receipt of glucose-lowering medications (n = 17,754); and 2) the presence of ≥ 2 HbA1c results ≥ 6.5% (n = 4,768). We fit log-binomial models examining associations of SARS-CoV-2 with diabetes remission, defined as ≥ 2 HbA1c measurements < 6.5% ≥ 90 days apart after cessation of any glucose-lowering medications. To help equalize laboratory surveillance of glycemia, we conducted a subgroup analysis among non-hospitalized participants. Results In cohorts 1 and 2 respectively, 25% and 29% had ≥ 1 positive test for SARS-CoV-2 prior to enrollment, and 21% and 11% had remission. SARS-CoV-2 was associated with a higher chance of remission by both definitions (1: RR 1.22 [95%CI 1.14–1.29]; 2: RR 1.27 [95%CI 1.07–1.50]) over an average 503 (±202) and 494 (±184) days. The association was attenuated among non-hospitalized participants (1: RR 1.11 [1.04–1.20]; 2: R: 1.17 [95%CI 0.97–1.42]). Conclusions Diabetes remission was more common in Veterans with new-onset diabetes after SARS-CoV-2. In non-hospitalized participants, who were likely to have more similar laboratory surveillance, the association was diminished. Differences in surveillance or transient hyperglycemia may explain the observed association.

Description of physical activity and screen time among U.S. middle school students

Background Physical activity (PA) is important for students in secondary school, however, trends in PA among secondary school students have shown a significant decline. There is a need to understand the PA of middle school students. Objective The first objective is to identify the PA levels and screen time of students in middle school. The second objective of the study is to examine the PA levels and screen time among students of different genders. Methods Participants from four consecutive two-year cycles of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2011–2012, 2013–2014, 2015–2016, and 2017–2018) were included in this study. Spearman correlation model was used to identify the correlation between participants’ demographics, PA, and screen time data. Negative binomial regression model was used to describe students’ PA and screen time (Dependent variable) in different grades (Independent variables). Gender and Age were taken as control variables. Results After the data preprocessing, 2516 participants were included in this study. A significant correlation has been found between grade and PA, instead of screen time. Negative binomial regression shows that students have the lowest PA in their transition year grade 6, and their screen time decreased with the grade increased. Significant differences can be found across gender. Future efforts should focus on developing school transition support programs designed to improve PA.

T-Racing: a modern tool for supporting epidemiological investigation in animal disease outbreaks in Italy

The One Health approach unites efforts across human-animal-environment interfaces against shared threats like zoonotic diseases. T-Racing is a Shiny web application, that supports epidemiological investigations and helps contain livestock-related disease spread, aligning with multidisciplinary principles to safeguard public health. The application uses Temporal Network Analysis techniques to address the dynamic nature of animal trade, facilitating backward and forward tracing strategies. T-Racing leverages web services to retrieve data from multiple sources simultaneously and in near real-time through the plumber package and is distributed using Shinyproxy. T-Racing manages and analyze extensive and diverse datasets within the same environment, including animal movement data, disease outbreak data, and genomic data, all obtained from Italian National databases. In this work, we show T-Racing’s capabilities by simulating epidemiological investigations of brucellosis and tuberculosis outbreaks that occurred in non–endemic areas of Italy. To further highlight its capabilities, an interactive demo of T-Racing is available, showcasing its potential and features. This tool supports epidemiological investigations by adopting a data-driven approach, guiding users through the analysis via an iterative process while leveraging their expertise. Therefore, it enables faster data analysis, improves understanding of disease transmission patterns, and facilitates prompt and targeted interventions.

Examining holistic processing strategies in dogs and humans through gaze behavior

Extensive studies have shown that humans process faces holistically, considering not only individual features but also the relationships among them. Knowing where humans and dogs fixate first and the longest when they view faces is highly informative, because the locations can be used to evaluate whether they use a holistic face processing strategy or not. However, the conclusions reported by previous eye-tracking studies appear inconclusive. To address this, we conducted an experiment with humans and dogs, employing experimental settings and analysis methods that can enable direct cross-species comparisons. Our findings reveal that humans, unlike dogs, preferentially fixated on the central region, surrounded by the inner facial features, for both human and dog faces. This pattern was consistent for initial and sustained fixations over seven seconds, indicating a clear tendency towards holistic processing. Although dogs did not show an initial preference for what to look at, their later fixations may suggest holistic processing when viewing faces of their own species. We discuss various potential factors influencing species differences in our results, as well as differences compared to the results of previous studies.

Hosta clausa (Asparagaceae) in East Asia: Intraspecific chloroplast genome variation and its phylogenomic implications

Hosta species are abundant in northeastern Asia, offering significant ornamental and horticultural value due to their diverse foliage colors and textures, as well as their showy, fragrant flowers. Among the eight taxa naturally distributed in Korea, H. clausa is found in central and northern Korea, as well as northeastern China, providing valuable resources for developing and improving new varieties. Currently, four intraspecific taxa of H. clausa are recognized at the variety level based on reproductive (opened vs. closed perianth), vegetative (leaf shape), and habitat characteristics: var. clausa, var. normalis, var. ensata, and var. geumgangensis. Despite its horticultural and taxonomic importance, little is known about the degree of intraspecific chloroplast genome variation and relationships among the varieties of H. clausa. This could provide some valuable information for marker-assisted breeding programs and molecular cultivar identification. In this study, we investigated the complete plastid genome of 14 accessions of H. clausa, covering its native distribution range. We characterized genome size and features and performed comparative plastome analyses (frequency of codon usage, nucleotide diversity, mutation hotspots). Our analysis revealed highly conserved structures and gene content organization in H. clausa, along with significantly (two to three times) lower nucleotide diversity compared to intraspecific herbaceous and woody species. The phylogenetic analysis did not support the recognition of intraspecific taxa as currently delimited, and a broad-scale geographical structure of complete plastomes was not apparent. The asexual reproductive mode of H. clausa appears to contribute to the low plastome genetic diversity. A total of 72 polymorphic sites identified among 14 accessions of H. clausa and their phylogenetic relationships, in conjunction with their geographical distribution and morphological characteristics, will be a valuable resource for barcoding study, marker-assisted breeding programs, and developing conservation strategies for hosta species in East Asia.

A music structure analysis method based on beat feature and improved residual networks

In response to the issues of insufficient audio feature representation and insufficient model generalization ability in music structure analysis methods, a music structure analysis method based on beat feature fusion and an improved residual network was designed. Music structure analysis (MSA) contains two tasks, boundary detection and segment labeling. Boundary detection and Segment labeling are expected to accurately divide music segments and clarify the function. In this paper, a method is studied to accomplish the two tasks. First, the labels of music structure are refactored into 9 types and refined to each beat. Secondly, a beat-wise feature extraction is studied to segment music according to its beats and incorporates various acoustic features to achieve highly accurate segmentation. Then, a Resnet-34 based on a self-attentive mechanism is used to predict the category of each beat. Finally, a post-processing step is designed to filter predicted labels. The method is evaluated on the dataset SALAMI-IA, and experiments show that it is 3 percentage points higher than the current optimal method on HR3F. It is better than the most advanced methods on PWF and Sf.

Impact of blended NPSB fertilizer rates on sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) varieties: Seed cane yield and quality insights from North western Ethiopia

Sugarcane primarily cultivated for sugar production and other multiple uses. A field experiment was conducted at Tana Beles sugar project, North western Ethiopia during 2021 and 2022 cropping season to determine the optimum rate of NPSB fertilizer on three sugarcane varieties. The treatments were laid out in factorial randomized complete block design arranged with three replications. The experiment was arranged with five of NPSB blended fertilizer (0, 200, 260, 320 and 380 kg ha-1) combined with three sugarcane varieties (NCO-334, N-14 and C86/56). Among the parameters of seed cane crop; germination percent stalk weight, stalk diameter, node length, inter node number, plant height, stalk population, and sett yield for growth and yield parameters and sett moisture content, sett nitrogen content, reducing sugar content and total sugar content for seed cane quality parameters were significantly affected by applied NPSB fertilizer, varieties and their interaction (p<0.05). Brix% and pol% were not significantly affected by different rates of NPSB fertilizer rates and varieties (p<0.05). The highest leaf area index, plant population, sett yield, average cane weight, seed cane moisture content and total nitrogen content was attained with 380 kg ha-1NPSB fertilizer applied on variety NCO-334 and N-14. Maximum population stand, average plant height, and sett yield of verity C86/56 were recorded at 320 kg ha-1 NPSB fertilizer rate. Sett yield, were positively correlated with germination percent, population stand count, inter node number, seed cane weight, seed cane diameter reducing sugar content, total sugar yield and sett moisture content. Therefore, it is advisable to recommend 380 kg NPSB ha1 for variety NCO-334 and N-14, and 320 kg NPSB ha1 for variety C86/56 with application of 160 kg ha-1 urea at the age of two month and half for effective seed cane production. It was aimed to fill the seed cane fertilizer rate problems of different sugarcane varieties.