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Frontiers in Neuroscience 2024The Human Connectome Project (HCP) has become a keystone dataset in human neuroscience, with a plethora of important applications in advancing brain imaging methods and...
INTRODUCTION
The Human Connectome Project (HCP) has become a keystone dataset in human neuroscience, with a plethora of important applications in advancing brain imaging methods and an understanding of the human brain. We focused on tractometry of HCP diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) data.
METHODS
We used an open-source software library (pyAFQ; https://yeatmanlab.github.io/pyAFQ) to perform probabilistic tractography and delineate the major white matter pathways in the HCP subjects that have a complete dMRI acquisition ( = 1,041). We used diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) to model white matter microstructure in each voxel of the white matter, and extracted tract profiles of DKI-derived tissue properties along the length of the tracts. We explored the empirical properties of the data: first, we assessed the heritability of DKI tissue properties using the known genetic linkage of the large number of twin pairs sampled in HCP. Second, we tested the ability of tractometry to serve as the basis for predictive models of individual characteristics (e.g., age, crystallized/fluid intelligence, reading ability, etc.), compared to local connectome features. To facilitate the exploration of the dataset we created a new web-based visualization tool and use this tool to visualize the data in the HCP tractometry dataset. Finally, we used the HCP dataset as a test-bed for a new technological innovation: the TRX file-format for representation of dMRI-based streamlines.
RESULTS
We released the processing outputs and tract profiles as a publicly available data resource through the AWS Open Data program's Open Neurodata repository. We found heritability as high as 0.9 for DKI-based metrics in some brain pathways. We also found that tractometry extracts as much useful information about individual differences as the local connectome method. We released a new web-based visualization tool for tractometry-"Tractoscope" (https://nrdg.github.io/tractoscope). We found that the TRX files require considerably less disk space-a crucial attribute for large datasets like HCP. In addition, TRX incorporates a specification for grouping streamlines, further simplifying tractometry analysis.
PubMed: 38933816
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1389680 -
Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2024A spayed, 8-year-old female Poodle, weighing 5.7 kg, was presented with the chief complaint of vision impairment. Vision assessment, including pupillary light...
Case report: Unilateral papilledema in a dog with a large suprasellar mass and suspected intracranial hypertension: insights from funduscopy, optical coherence tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging.
A spayed, 8-year-old female Poodle, weighing 5.7 kg, was presented with the chief complaint of vision impairment. Vision assessment, including pupillary light reflexes, menace response, dazzle reflex, and maze navigation in photopic and scotopic circumstances, revealed a negative response in both eyes except for positive direct pupillary light reflex in the right eye and positive consensual pupillary light reflex from the right eye to the left eye. Systemic evaluation, including neurologic status, blood profile, and thoracic radiographs, did not reveal any abnormalities. Complete ophthalmic examinations, ocular ultrasonography, and electroretinography did not identify a cause of blindness. Upon funduscopy, the left eye exhibited an increased optic disk diameter, blurred optic disk borders, and loss of the physiologic pit, as well as an increase in vascular tortuosity. In the right eye, there were multifocal depigmented areas in the non-tapetal fundus and several pigmented spots surrounded by a region of dull tapetal reflection in the tapetal fundus. The optical coherence tomography revealed severe anterior deformation of the optic nerve head and Bruch's membrane in the peripapillary region of the left eye. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an irregular, broad-based suprasellar mass, with features suggestive of intracranial hypertension, including dorsal displacement of third ventricles, a rightward shift of the falx cerebri, -tentorial herniation, perilesional edema, flattening/protrusion of the posterior sclera, and lager optic nerve sheath diameter in left side than right side. This is the first comprehensive report that describes unilateral papilledema in a dog with a brain tumor, using advanced ophthalmic and neuro-imaging modalities.
PubMed: 38933701
DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1372802 -
Ecology and Evolution Jun 2024The equilibrium theory of island biogeography (ETIB) is a widely applied dynamic theory proposed in the 1960s to explain why islands have coherent differences in species...
The equilibrium theory of island biogeography (ETIB) is a widely applied dynamic theory proposed in the 1960s to explain why islands have coherent differences in species richness. The development of the ETIB was temporarily challenged in the 1970s by the alternative static theory of ecological impoverishment (TEI). The TEI suggests that the number of species on an island is determined by its number of habitats or niches but, with no clear evidence relating species richness to the number of niches however, the TEI has been almost dismissed as a theory in favour of the original ETIB. Here, we show that the number of climatic niches on islands is an important predictor of the species richness of plants, herpetofauna and land birds. We therefore propose a model called the niche-based theory of island biogeography (NTIB), based on the MacroEcological Theory on the Arrangement of Life (METAL), which successfully integrates the number of niches sensu Hutchinson into ETIB. To account for greater species turnover at the beginning of colonisation, we include higher initial extinction rates. When we test our NTIB for resident land birds in the Krakatau Islands, it reveals a good correspondence with observed species richness, immigration and extinction rates. Provided the environmental regime remains unchanged, we estimate that the current species richness at equilibrium is ~45 species (range between 38.39 and 61.51). Our NTIB provides better prediction because it counts for changes in species richness with latitude, which is not considered in any theory of island biogeography.
PubMed: 38932973
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11540 -
Pharmaceutics May 2024(1) Background: Antimicrobial resistance is growing at an extreme pace and has proven to be an urgent topic, for research into alternative treatments. Such a prospective...
(1) Background: Antimicrobial resistance is growing at an extreme pace and has proven to be an urgent topic, for research into alternative treatments. Such a prospective possibility is hidden in antimicrobial peptides because of their low to no toxicity, effectiveness at low concentrations, and most importantly their ability to be used for multiple treatments. This work was focused on the study of the effect of the modification in position 7 of Temporin A on its biological activity; (2) Methods: The targeted peptides were synthesized using Fmoc/O-Bu SPPS. The antibacterial activity of the analogs was determined using the broth microdilution method and disk-diffusion method. In vitro tests were performed to determine the cytotoxicity, phototoxicity, and antiproliferative activity of the peptide analogs on a panel of tumor and normal cell lines; (3) Results: All analogs except DTCit showed good antibacterial activity, with DTDab having the best activity according to the disk-diffusion method. However, DTCit had an acceptable cytotoxicity, combined with good selectivity against the test MCF-7 cell line; (4) Conclusions: The obtained results revealed the importance of the basicity and length of the side chain at position 7 in the Temporin A sequence for both tested activities.
PubMed: 38931840
DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16060716 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a widespread condition in pets, with many antibiotics being prescribed, contributing to the rise in antimicrobial resistance, which...
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a widespread condition in pets, with many antibiotics being prescribed, contributing to the rise in antimicrobial resistance, which is a worldwide threat. This study's main objective was to analyze the in vitro antimicrobial activity of and fruit hydro-ethanolic extracts towards bacteria identified in the urine of companion animals experiencing UTIs. Urine samples were collected from dogs and cats ( = 83; 47 negative, 36 positive); several bacterial strains were identified ( = 49) belonging to the , , , , , , , , , and genera. Bacterial susceptibility was tested using the disk diffusion method, with the majority being resistant to several beta-lactams, quinolones, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, and nitrofurantoin. Subsequently, 13 resistant isolates were selected to evaluate the fruits extracts' antimicrobial potential using the agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods. exhibited the greatest activity against Gram-negatives (primarily ), while showed maximum effects towards Gram-positives (particularly ). The MIC was 0.01 μg/μL for both extracts; the MBC was 0.08 μg/μL for and 0.05 μg/μL for . However, showed a stronger bactericidal effect. This is the first study to investigate these fruit extracts in UTI isolates of companion animals, and these extracts might be used as substitutes or adjuvants for antibiotics, thus contributing to a reduction in antimicrobial resistance.
PubMed: 38931481
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060814 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The emergence of antibiotic resistance, caused by the improper use of antibiotics, is a significant challenge in combating infectious diseases, leading to millions of...
The emergence of antibiotic resistance, caused by the improper use of antibiotics, is a significant challenge in combating infectious diseases, leading to millions of annual fatalities. The occurrence of antimicrobial side effects catalyzes the investigation of novel antimicrobial compounds and sources of drugs. Consequently, the research on biological activity that is conducted on plants, plant extracts, and compounds that are produced from plant components is of utmost significance. In this study, CtAC/MNPs were obtained by the reaction of activated carbon (AC) obtained from the fruits of the (Ct) plant and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), and a CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposite was synthesized by the reduction in silver ions added to the reaction. The synthesized CtAC/MNPs and CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposites were analyzed spectroscopically (FTIR, XRD), microscopically (SEM, EDX), optically (DLS), electrochemically (zeta potential) and magnetically (VSM). The antibacterial activities of CtAC/MNPs and CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposites against and were investigated by microdilution method using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and disk diffusion methods. Antioxidant activity study, including total phenolic content and DPPH and cuprac assays, revealed the remarkable effect of the CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposite. This study has the advantages of obtaining CtAC/MNPs and CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposites in a short time without requiring energy, and most importantly, the reaction takes place without using any toxic substances. In addition, according to the data obtained in the study, the CtAC/MNPs-Ag nanocomposite is thought to shed light on biomedical research.
PubMed: 38931439
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060772 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) May 2024Carbapenem antibiotic resistance is an emerging medical concern. Bacteria that possess the carbapenemase (KPC) protein, an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of...
Carbapenem antibiotic resistance is an emerging medical concern. Bacteria that possess the carbapenemase (KPC) protein, an enzyme that catalyzes the degradation of carbapenem antibiotics, have exhibited remarkable resistance to traditional and even modern therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to identify potential natural drug candidates sourced from the leaves of (). The phytoconstituents present in dried leaves were extracted using ethanol 80%. A reasonable amount of the extract was used to identify these phytochemicals via gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). One hundred twenty-two bioactive compounds from were identified and subjected to docking analysis against the target bacterial protein. Four compounds (PubChem CID: 6917974, 159099, 628694, and 482788) were selected based on favorable docking scores (-9, -7.8, -7.7, and -7.5 kcal/mol). This computational investigation highlights the potential of these four compounds as promising antibacterial candidates against the specific PC protein. Additionally, in vitro antibacterial assays using extracts were conducted. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the bacterium was 125 μg/mL. Well-disk diffusion tests exhibited inhibition zones ranging from 10.3 ± 0.5 mm to 17 ± 0.5 mm at different concentrations, and time-kill kinetics at 12 h indicated effective inhibition of bacterial growth by leaf extracts. Our findings have revealed the pharmaceutical potential of as a natural source for drug candidates against carbapenem-resistant pathogens.
PubMed: 38931335
DOI: 10.3390/ph17060667 -
Plants (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024This study focuses on optimizing chlorophyll extraction techniques, in which leaf discs are cut from places on the leaf blade to enhance chlorophyll concentration in...
This study focuses on optimizing chlorophyll extraction techniques, in which leaf discs are cut from places on the leaf blade to enhance chlorophyll concentration in sesame ( L.) leaves. Thirty sesame genotypes, categorized into light green (LG), middle green (MG), and deep green (DG) pigment groups based on leaf coloration, were selected from a larger pool of field-grown accessions. The investigation involved determining optimal Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) value index measurements, quantifying pigment concentrations, exploring extraction solvents, and selecting suitable leaf disk positions. Significant variations in chlorophyll content were observed across genotypes, greenness categories, and leaf disk positions. The categorization of genotypes into DG, MG, and LG groups revealed a correlation between leaf appearance and chlorophyll content. The study highlighted a consistent relationship between carotenoids and chlorophyll, indicating their role in adaptation to warm environments. An examination of leaf disk positions revealed a significant chlorophyll gradient along the leaf blade, emphasizing the need for standardized protocols. Chlorophyll extraction experiments identified DMSO and 96% ethanol, particularly in those incubated for 10 min at 85 °C, as effective choices. This recommendation considers factors like cost-effectiveness, time efficiency, safety, and environmental regulations, ensuring consistent and simplified extraction processes. For higher chlorophyll extraction, focusing on leaf tips and the 75% localization along the sesame leaf blade is suggested, as this consistently yields increased chlorophyll content. Furthermore, our examination revealed significant anatomical variations in the internal structure of the mesophyll tissue leaves between deep green and light green sesame plants, primarily linked to chloroplast density and pigment-producing structures. Our findings, therefore, provide insightful knowledge of chlorophyll gradients and encourage the use of standardized protocols that enable researchers to refine their experimental designs for precise and comparable chlorophyll measurements. The recommended solvent choices ensure reliable outcomes in plant physiology, ecology, and environmental studies.
PubMed: 38931021
DOI: 10.3390/plants13121589 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The article discusses the phenomena and destructive mechanisms occurring on the surface of 1.2344 steel dies used during the hot forging of disc-type forgings....
Increasing the Working Time of Forging Tools Used in the Industrial Process of Producing a Disk-Type Forging Assigned for a Gearbox through the Application of Hybrid Layers.
The article discusses the phenomena and destructive mechanisms occurring on the surface of 1.2344 steel dies used during the hot forging of disc-type forgings. Preliminary research has shown that gas nitriding alone, used so far, is insufficient due to the occurrence of destructive mechanisms other than abrasive wear, such as thermal and thermomechanical fatigue, which cause the average durability of such tools to be approximately 5000 forgings. Analyses were also carried out to assess the load on forging tools using numerical modeling (Forge 3.0NxT), which confirmed the occurrence of large and cyclically changing thermal and mechanical loads during the forging process. Therefore, in order to increase operational durability, it was decided to use two types of hybrid layers, differing in the PVD coating used: TiCrAlN and CrN, and then subjected to gas nitriding (GN). The obtained results showed that, depending on the area of the tool and the current working conditions, the applied PVD coatings protect the surface layer of the tool against the dominant destructive mechanisms. In both cases, the strength increased to the level of 7000 forgings, the tools could continue to work, and globally, slightly better results were obtained for the GN+TiCrAlN layer. The CrN-type layer protects the tool more against thermal fatigue, while the TiCrAlN layer is more resistant to abrasive wear. In areas where the hybrid layer was worn, a decrease in hardness was observed from 1300 HV to 600-700 HV, and in places of intense material flow (front-point 2 and tool bridge-point 9) the hardness dropped to below 400 HV, which may indicate local tempering of the material. Moreover, the research has shown that each process and tool should be analyzed individually, and the areas in the tool where particular destructive mechanisms dominate should be identified, so as to further protect the forging tool by using appropriate protective coatings in these areas.
PubMed: 38930374
DOI: 10.3390/ma17123005 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024In this study, the ball-on-disk sliding wear and tribocorrosion behavior in the HSO and HCl solution of NiCoCrMoCu alloys with carbon additions of 0.2, 1, 1.5, and 2...
In this study, the ball-on-disk sliding wear and tribocorrosion behavior in the HSO and HCl solution of NiCoCrMoCu alloys with carbon additions of 0.2, 1, 1.5, and 2 wt.% with the AlO ball as a counterpart was investigated systematically. Obvious tribocorrosion antagonistic effects were found after wear in both aqueous solutions. Compared with dry sliding wear conditions, the lubrication effect of the aqueous solution significantly reduces the wear rate of the alloy, and the reduction effect in the HSO aqueous solution was more obvious than that in HCl. The antagonistic effects of the 0.2C and 1C alloys decrease with the load and sliding rate, while those of the 1.5C and 2C alloys increase. The (coefficient of friction) COF and wear rate under different loads and sliding rates were analyzed using the response surface analysis (RSM) method. It was found that the COF mainly showed dependence on the sliding rate, while the wear rate showed dependence on load and sliding speed.
PubMed: 38930340
DOI: 10.3390/ma17122971