Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):24172. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03250-7.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:34907250 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03250-7
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):24013. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03419-0.
ABSTRACT
What we mean by species and whether they have any biological reality has been debated since the early days of evolutionary biology. Some biologists even suggest that plant species are created by taxonomists as a subjective, artificial division of nature. However, the nature of plant species has been rarely tested critically with data while ignoring taxonomy. We integrate phenomic and genomic data collected across hundreds of individuals at a continental scale to investigate this question in Escallonia (Escalloniaceae), a group of plants which includes 40 taxonomic species (the species proposed by taxonomists). We first show that taxonomic species may be questionable as they match poorly to patterns of phenotypic and genetic variation displayed by individuals collected in nature. We then use explicit statistical methods for species delimitation designed for phenotypic and genomic data, and show that plant species do exist in Escallonia as an objective, discrete property of nature independent of taxonomy. We show that such species correspond poorly to current taxonomic species ([Formula: see text]) and that phenomic and genomic data seldom delimit congruent entities ([Formula: see text]). These discrepancies suggest that evolutionary forces additional to gene flow can maintain the cohesion of species. We propose that phenomic and genomic data analyzed on an equal footing build a broader perspective on the nature of plant species by helping delineate different ‘types of species’. Our results caution studies which take the accuracy of taxonomic species for granted and challenge the notion of plant species without empirical evidence. Note: A version of the complete manuscript in Spanish is available in the Supplemental Materials.
PMID:34907249 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03419-0
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):23999. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03409-2.
ABSTRACT
SARS-CoV-2 is a highly contagious virus causing mainly respiratory track disease called COVID-19, which dissemination in the whole world in the 2020 has resulted in World Health Organisation (WHO) announcing the pandemic. As a consequence Polish Government made a decision to go into a lockdown in order to secure the population against SARS-CoV-2 outbreak what had its major influence on the Polish Health Care System. All of the social and medical factors caused by the pandemic might influence children’s health care, including urgent cases. The aim of this survey was the analysis of medical charts with focus on the course and results of surgical treatment of children who underwent appendectomy before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods: We performed analysis of charts of 365 subjects hospitalized in the Pediatric Surgery Department from 1st January 2019 to 31st December 2020 because of acute appendicitis. Patients were divided into two groups-those treated in 2019-before pandemic outbreak, and those treated in 2020 in the course of pandemic. Results: the most common type of appendicitis was phlegmonous (61% of cases in 2019 and 51% of cases in 2020). Followed by diffuse purulent peritonitis (18% of cases in 2019 vs 31% of cases in 2020), gangrenous (19% of cases in 2019 vs 15% of cases in 2020) and simple superficial appendicitis (1% of cases in 2019 vs 3% of cases in 2020). There was statistically significant difference in the length of hospitalization: in 2019 the mean length of hospi-talization was 4.761 vs 5.634 in 2020. Laparoscopic appendectomy was performed more frequently before the COVID period (63% of cases treated in 2019 vs 61% of cases treated in 2020). In the pandemic year 2020, there was double increase in the number of conversion from the laparoscopic approach to the classic open surgery. In the year 2019 drainage of abdominal cavity was necessary in 22% of patients treated with appendectomy, in 2020 the amount of cases threated with appendectomy and drainage increased to 32%. Conclusions: fear of being infected, the limited availability of appointments at General Practitioners and the new organisation of the medical health care system during pandemic, delay proper diagnosis of appendicitis. Forementioned delay leads to higher number of complicated cases treated with open appendectomy and drainage of abdominal cavity, higher number of conversions from the laparoscopic to classic open technique, and longer hospitalization of children treated with appendectomy in the year of pandemic.
PMID:34907247 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03409-2
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):23939. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03347-z.
ABSTRACT
In this work, we have proposed a neutrosophic statistical approach for the analysis of resistance of conducting material depending on the temperature variance. We have developed a neutrosophic formula and applied it to the resistance data. We also use the classical statistical approach for making a comparison between both approaches. As a result, it is observed that the neutrosophic statistical approach is more flexible and informative. Also, this work suggests that the neutrosophic statistical approach analyzes the resistance of conducting material for big data.
PMID:34907243 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03347-z
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):23964. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03437-y.
ABSTRACT
Successful delivery of plasmid DNA into the microbial cells is fundamental in recombinant DNA technology. Natural bacterial transformation is limited to only certain species due in part to the repulsive forces between negatively charged DNA and bacterial membranes. Most common method of DNA delivery into bacteria is artificial transformation through heat shock and electroporation. These methods require sophisticated instruments and tedious steps in preparation of competent cells. Transformation by conjugation is also not applicable to all plasmids. Nanoparticles have been used successfully in therapeutics for drug delivery into animal cells. They are starting to gain popularity in plant sciences as novel DNA nano carriers. Despite their promise as tool for DNA delivery, their use in microbial cell transformation has not been reported yet. Here we report the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) from citric acid and β-alanine and their use in DNA delivery into E. coli cells. CDs were fabricated using microwave assisted synthesis. Plasmids carrying RFP reporter and ampicillin resistance genes were transferred to bacterial cells and further confirmed using polymerase chain reaction. Our findings indicate that CDs can be used successfully for delivery of foreign DNA of up to 10 kb into E. coli. We have demonstrated the use of β-alanine/citric acid carbon dots as nanocarriers of DNA into E. coli cells and identified their limitation in terms of the size of plasmid DNA they could carry. Use of these carbon dots is a novel method in foreign DNA delivery into bacterial cells and have a potential for the transformation of resistant organism for which there is still no reliable DNA delivery systems.
PMID:34907242 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03437-y
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):23989. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03294-9.
ABSTRACT
The specific changes linked to de novo development of postoperative PVR have remained elusive and were the object of the underlying study. Vitreous fluid (VF) was obtained at the beginning of vitrectomy from 65 eyes that underwent vitrectomy for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) without preoperative PVR. Eyes developing postoperative PVR within 6 months after re-attachment surgery were compared to those which did not regarding the preoperative concentrations of 43 cytokines and chemokines in the VF, using multiplex beads analysis. For all comparisons Holm’s correction was applied in order to control for multiple comparisons. Twelve out of 65 eyes (18.5%) developed PVR postoperatively. While 12 of the chemokines and cytokines presented concentration differences on a statistical level of p < 0.05 (CXCL5, CCL11, CCL24, CCL26, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, CCL8, CCL7, MIF, MIG/CXCL9, CCL19, and CCL25), CXCL5 was the only cytokine with sufficiently robust difference in its VF concentrations to achieve significance in eyes developing postoperative PVR compared to eyes without PVR. CXCL5 may represent a potent biomarker for the de novo development of postoperative PVR. In line with its pathophysiological role in the development of PVR, it might serve as a basis for the development of urgently needed preventive options.
PMID:34907233 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03294-9
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):24015. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03247-2.
ABSTRACT
Urinary levels of modified nucleosides reflect nucleic acids turnover and can serve as non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring tumour circadian dynamics, and treatment responses in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. In 39 patients, median overnight urinary excretion of LC-HRMS determinations of pseudouridine, was ~ tenfold as large as those of 1-methylguanosine, 1-methyladenosine, or 4-acetylcytidine, and ~ 100-fold as large as those of adenosine and cytidine. An increase in any nucleoside excretion after chemotherapy anticipated plasma carcinoembryonic antigen progression 1-2 months later and was associated with poor survival. Ten fractionated urines were collected over 2-days in 29 patients. The median value of the rhythm-adjusted mean of urinary nucleoside excretion varied from 64.3 for pseudouridine down to 0.61 for cytidine. The rhythm amplitudes relative to the 24-h mean of 6 nucleoside excretions were associated with rest duration, supporting a tight link between nucleosides turnover and the rest-activity rhythm. Moreover, the amplitude of the 1-methylguanosine rhythm was correlated with the rest-activity dichotomy index, a significant predictor of survival outcome in prior studies. In conclusion, urinary excretion dynamics of modified nucleosides appeared useful for the characterization of the circadian control of cellular proliferation and for tracking early responses to treatments in colorectal cancer patients.
PMID:34907230 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03247-2
Sci Rep. 2021 Dec 14;11(1):23922. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-03177-z.
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of propofol and dexmedetomidine over different timescales on the IVF outcomes for transvaginal oocyte retrieval (TVOR). Twenty-four rats included in the study were divided into two main groups and three subgroups were subjected to the ovulation induction process. Group 1 was administered propofol (100 mg/kg i.v.) and group 2 were administered dexmedetomidine (25 µg/kg i.p.) The oviduct collection procedure was completed within 15 min for subgroup Pro15min, Dex15min (n = 4), within 16 to 30 min for subgroup Pro30min, Dex30min (n = 4) and within 31 to 60 min for subgroup Pro60min, Dex60min (n = 4) after euthanasia. The total number of oocytes was counted. After in vitro fertilization, the number and quality of embryos were evaluated. The number of pups born were evaluated after embryo transfer. The embryo number, quality and pup count decreased as the administration time for propofol increased (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the dexmedetomidine subgroups for embryo number, quality and pup count(p > 0.05). As the exposure time to propofol increased, the number and quality of embryos obtained, and the pup count, decreased. The use of dexmedetomidine had no negative impacts on the number of embryos, their quality or the number of pups.
PMID:34907217 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-03177-z
Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 14;12(1):7274. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-26970-w.
ABSTRACT
Mendelian Randomisation (MR) is an increasingly popular approach that estimates the causal effect of risk factors on complex human traits. While it has seen several extensions that relax its basic assumptions, most suffer from two major limitations; their under-exploitation of genome-wide markers, and sensitivity to the presence of a heritable confounder of the exposure-outcome relationship. To overcome these limitations, we propose a Latent Heritable Confounder MR (LHC-MR) method applicable to association summary statistics, which estimates bi-directional causal effects, direct heritabilities, and confounder effects while accounting for sample overlap. We demonstrate that LHC-MR outperforms several existing MR methods in a wide range of simulation settings and apply it to summary statistics of 13 complex traits. Besides several concordant results with other MR methods, LHC-MR unravels new mechanisms (how disease diagnosis might lead to improved lifestyle) and reveals new causal effects (e.g. HDL cholesterol being protective against high systolic blood pressure), hidden from standard MR methods due to a heritable confounder of opposite effect direction.
PMID:34907193 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-26970-w
Nat Commun. 2021 Dec 14;12(1):7278. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27366-6.
ABSTRACT
Perception is thought to be shaped by the environments for which organisms are optimized. These influences are difficult to test in biological organisms but may be revealed by machine perceptual systems optimized under different conditions. We investigated environmental and physiological influences on pitch perception, whose properties are commonly linked to peripheral neural coding limits. We first trained artificial neural networks to estimate fundamental frequency from biologically faithful cochlear representations of natural sounds. The best-performing networks replicated many characteristics of human pitch judgments. To probe the origins of these characteristics, we then optimized networks given altered cochleae or sound statistics. Human-like behavior emerged only when cochleae had high temporal fidelity and when models were optimized for naturalistic sounds. The results suggest pitch perception is critically shaped by the constraints of natural environments in addition to those of the cochlea, illustrating the use of artificial neural networks to reveal underpinnings of behavior.
PMID:34907158 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-27366-6