Response Ratio Research Articles

Non-native species have higher consumption rates than their native counterparts.

Non-native species can be major drivers of ecosystem alteration, especially through changes in trophic interactions. Successful non-native species have been predicted to have greater resource use efficiency relative to trophically analogous native species (the Resource Consumption Hypothesis), but rigorous evidence remains equivocal. Here, we tested this proposition quantitatively in a global meta-analysis of comparative functional response studies. We calculated the log response ratio of paired non-native and native species functional responses, using attack rate and maximum consumption rate parameters as response variables. Explanatory variables were consumer taxonomic group and functional feeding group, habitat, native assemblage latitude, and non-native species taxonomic distinctiveness. Maximum consumption rates for non-native species were 70% higher, on average, than those of their native counterparts; attack rates also tended to be higher, but not significantly so. The magnitude of maximum consumption rate effect sizes varied with consumer taxonomic group and functional feeding group, being highest in favour of non-natives for molluscs and herbivores. Consumption rate differences between non-native and native species tended to be greater for freshwater taxa, perhaps reflecting sensitivity of insular freshwater food webs to novel consumers; this pattern needs to be explored further as additional data are obtained from terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In general, our results support the Resource Consumption Hypothesis, which can partly explain how successful non-native species can reduce native resource populations and restructure food webs.

Effect of microplastics on soil greenhouse gas emissions: A global meta-analysis study.

Microplastics (MPs) emerged as a critical global pollutant, yet their effects on soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain uncertain. This meta-analysis evaluates the effects of MPs exposure on GHG emissions and identifies key influencing factors. Regardless of any influencing factors, MPs exposure decreased N2O emissions by 28.5%, while increased CO2 and CH4 emissions by 0.07% and 28.6%, respectively. However, these changes were statistically insignificant. The factors such as MPs concentration, shape, and type, initial soil type and pH, and the presence of additional additive were identified to significantly influence N2O emission response. The most substantial increase in N2O emissions occurred when MPs exposed to silt soils (+55.8%), whereas the greatest inhibition was observed in soils with fertilizer addition (-48.8%). CO2 emission response was significantly influenced by MPs size and shape, initial soil pH and type, experimental duration, and co-additives, with the MPs exposure in sand soils exhibiting the highest increase (+20.7%) and the exposure of fiber MPs causing the largest reduction (-40.4%). Additionally, MPs shape and initial soil pH and type were found to significantly affect CH4 emission response. The model selection analysis revealed that the response ratio [ln (RR)] of nirS gene to MPs exposure and MPs concentration were the most critical factors influencing N2O emissions, whereas the size, concentration, and type of MPs, ln (RR) of Chitinase, initial soil pH, additional additive, and experimental duration were the most important influencing factors for CO2 emissions. Overall, this study highlights the high uncertainty associated with the response of GHG emission to MPs exposure due to the complex interplay of abiotic and biotic processes mediated by MPs under varying conditions. In the future, extensive studies across diverse conditions of MPs (e.g., type, shape, and concentration) and soil (e.g., texture and pH) are still urgently needed.

Prior thermal acclimation gives White Sturgeon a fin up dealing with low oxygen.

Assessing how at-risk species respond to co-occurring stressors is critical for predicting climate change vulnerability. In this study, we characterized how young-of-the-year White Sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) cope with warming and low oxygen (hypoxia) and investigated whether prior exposure to one stressor may improve the tolerance to a subsequent stressor through "cross-tolerance". Fish were acclimated to five temperatures within their natural range (14-22°C) for one month prior to assessment of thermal tolerance (critical thermal maxima, CTmax) and hypoxia tolerance (incipient lethal oxygen saturation, ILOS; tested at 20°C). White Sturgeon showed a high capacity for thermal acclimation, linearly increasing thermal tolerance with increasing acclimation temperature (slope = 0.55, adjusted R2 = 0.79), and an overall acclimation response ratio (ARR) of 0.58, from 14°C (CTmax = 29.4 ± 0.2°C, mean ± S.E.M.) to 22°C (CTmax = 34.1 ± 0.2°C). Acute warming most negatively impacted hypoxia tolerance in 14°C-acclimated fish (ILOS = 15.79 ± 0.74% air saturation), but prior acclimation to 20°C conferred the greatest hypoxia tolerance at this temperature (ILOS = 2.60 ± 1.74% air saturation). Interestingly, individuals that had been previously tested for thermal tolerance had lower hypoxia tolerance than naïve fish that had no prior testing. This was particularly apparent for hypoxia-tolerant 20°C-acclimated fish, whereas naïve fish persisted the entire 15-h duration of the hypoxia trial and did not lose equilibrium at air saturation levels below 20%. Warm-acclimated fish demonstrated significantly smaller relative ventricular mass, indicating potential changes to tissue oxygen delivery, but no other changes to red blood cell characteristics and somatic indices. These data suggest young-of-the-year White Sturgeon are resilient to warming and hypoxia, but the order in which these stressors are experienced and whether exposures are acute or chronic may have important effects on phenotype.

Dynamics of thermal tolerance plasticity across fish species and life stages.

Climate warming with associated heat waves presents a concerning challenge for ectotherms such as fishes. During heatwaves, the ability to rapidly acclimate can be crucial for survival. However, surprisingly little is known about how different species and life stages vary in their acclimation dynamics, including the magnitude of change in thermal tolerance through acclimation (i.e. acclimation capacity; also known as the acclimation response ratio, ARR), the duration needed for the novel acclimation temperature to significantly alter thermal tolerance from the initial level (which we term the response induction time, tinduction), or the duration needed to achieve the new acclimation steady state (which we term the time to full acclimation, tsteady). To shed light on this knowledge gap, we studied the acclimation dynamics of three wild-caught fishes (goldsinny wrasse, three-spined stickleback and European flounder) by assessing upper thermal tolerance (CTmax) after different periods of time acclimating to a warmed environment. We also measured both CTmax and lower thermal tolerance (CTmin) in juvenile and adult lab-bred zebrafish acclimated to a warmed environment. Upper thermal tolerance of zebrafish and sticklebacks significantly increased after a 3h exposure to a warm treatment, while tinduction took six and 24h in the wrasse and flounder, respectively. Goldsinny wrasse had the highest ARR, and did not reach full acclimation of CTmax within the duration of the study (10 days). All other species fully acclimated within 4-10 days. Juvenile zebrafish showed similar acclimation dynamics to adults for both upper and lower thermal tolerance, but had a higher CTmin for all acclimation durations. Our results demonstrate that acclimation dynamics of thermal tolerance vary across species, but can be similar between life stages within species. Understanding species-specific thermal plasticity is important for accurately modeling the projected impacts of climate change.

Inference of Verb Meaning Using Morphosyntactic Clues in Preschool Children with Delayed Language Development

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine whether preschool children with delayed language development use morphosyntactic clues such as particles or arguments when understanding the meaning of new verbs. Methods: The participants were 16 children aged 4 to 5 years with delayed language development and 16 children whose chronological age was matched. We analyze the characteristic of the two groups understanding the meaning of sentences containing new actions through particles tasks and argument tasks. Results: First, as a result of comparing the differences between the two groups in the particles conditions (nominative, objective), there was no significant difference in the correct response scores between the two groups in the nominative particle condition. Second, there was a significant difference in the correct response scores between the two groups in the objective particle condition. Lastly, there was no significant difference in the response ratio according to the group and argument condition. Regardless of the number of arguments, all children chose more relational action scenes than independent action scenes. Conclusion: In the particles task, children with language delay showed similar performance to typical children in the nominative case condition, but showed difficulty in the objective case condition. Children with language delay were able to infer verb meaning using particle cues, just like typical children. However, this ability was limited in the objective particle condition. In the argument task, there was no significant difference between the two groups, indicating that inferring verb meaning was not affected by the number of nouns.

Assessment of the influence of nonlinear soil effects on seismic response of RC structures with floating columns considering soil–structure interaction

Nonlinear dynamic properties of soil crucially influence structural responses during seismic events, highlighting the interdependence between soil and structural behavior. Incorporating soil–structure interaction (SSI) significantly increases structural vulnerability, especially in irregular conditions, compared to traditional fixed-base structures. Despite the emerging construction of reinforced concrete structures with floating columns in urban areas, their seismic performance, particularly when considering soil-structure interaction, remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the structural seismic response of mid-rise reinforcement concrete structures with and without floating columns situated on multilayered soil deposits, incorporating the effects of SSI. The nonlinearity of the soil materials was modeled using an isotropic hardening elastoplastic hysteretic constitutive model. A three-dimensional numerical investigation, employing finite element nonlinear time history analysis, was conducted to study seismic responses of structures under different configurations and base conditions. The results were presented as the ratio of structural responses with soil-structure interaction to fixed-base responses subjected to earthquake events. Structures with floating columns exhibited 1.43 times higher peak lateral storey displacement and 55% higher inter-storey drift ratio compared to those without, considering soil-structure interaction. The analysis results demonstrated a decrease in base shear values of up to 35% when accounting for SSI effects.

Treatment Analysis of Very Early and Early Onset Psychosis in the Youth Inpatient Setting.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved 6 atypical antipsychotics for pediatric treatment of schizophrenia. However, little has been published on the effectiveness of these medications in the acute treatment setting of adolescents with psychosis. Since the clinical uncertainty and poor prognosis proceeding the early onset of schizophrenia has a significant impact on a child's development, there is a critical need for evidence-based data on this population. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of various antipsychotics on young patients admitted to the inpatient ward presenting with acute psychosis. A retrospective analysis was performed to review the medical records of the patients with specified schizophrenia disorders who were admitted to the inpatient psychiatric unit for treatment with antipsychotics. We analyzed the efficiency of treatment by measuring 30-day readmissions (yes/no), number of readmissions in 30 days, and the length of stay in the inpatient ward. Negative binomial regression and binary logistic regression were used to count the discrete occurrences of an outcome and predict the likelihood of that outcome. We analyzed the medical records of 1117 patients who were assigned to groups based on whether they were treated with aripiprazole (31.9%), risperidone (26.0%), quetiapine (16.2%), and olanzapine (26.0%). Pairwise comparisons revealed receiving risperidone increased the log count of days by an incidence response ratio of 1.15 (1/0.87) compared to receiving aripiprazole (P < .05, 95% CI [0.76, 0.98]). Similarly, quetiapine increased the count of hospital days by a factor of 1.22 (1/0.82) (P < .01, 95% CI [0.70, 0.94]), as well as olanzapine by a factor of 1.23 (1/0.82) compared to receiving aripiprazole (P < .001, 95% CI [0.72, 0.93]). The number of admissions in 30 days was not significantly associated with medication groups (χ2 = 3.93, P = .270) when controlling for other variables. The medication group was also not significantly associated with the likelihood of readmission (χ2 = 5.594, P = .133) when controlling for other variables. Aripiprazole was significantly associated with shortening the log count of days (χ2 = 21.82, P < .0001) when compared to olanzapine and quetiapine. There was no statistical evidence to conclude a difference in readmission rates when comparing medication groups. To our knowledge, these results provide the largest cohort describing the efficacy of different antipsychotics for acute stabilization of psychosis in the inpatient setting.

Impact of Melatonin Application on Wheat Agronomic Traits Under Abiotic Stress: A Meta‐Analysis

ABSTRACTThis meta‐analysis assesses the effects of melatonin (Mel) on various wheat agronomic traits, revealing significant heterogeneity and potential publication bias. This comprehensive analysis highlights the variability across studies (I2 &gt; 98% for overall, leaf area, root and shoot weight), indicating a potential for selective reporting in the analysed studies. Grain yield and root weight showed I2 values of 93.78% and 99.54%, respectively, confirming the complex nature of melatonin's impact, which necessitates the use of random‐effects models. Notably, the study uncovers significant heterogeneity in wheat traits (p &lt; 0.05). Mel increased grain yield by 33.50% and positively influenced root and shoot weights compared to control (no melatonin; nMel). However, the effects varied across different Mel concentration, application method and environmental stressors. Grain yield significantly increased with Mel application, particularly in foliar spray by 41.40%, compared to nMel. Mel consistently enhanced the overall response ratio (lnRR) of grain yield, grain weight, root length, shoot length, leaf area, plant height, shoot weight and root weight by 33.50%, 24.01%, 21.28%, 32.99%, 36.33%, 15.94%, 22.14% and 20.86% compared to nMel. Compared to nMel, the most pronounced grain yield was observed in Mel under salt stress conditions. The benefits of Mel were more pronounced in Egypt, where grain yield increased by 52.91%, suggesting that local environmental factors significantly influence its efficacy. Its impact varied across different cultivars, with Jimai_22 increased root length by 70.83% and Sids_14 by 56.39% compared to nMel, emphasising the importance of genetic factors. Mel application under salt and Cd stress conditions increased root weight by 336% and 470%, respectively, while decreased by 87% under waterlogging compared to no stress conditions. This indicates that Mel greatly increased plant resistance to abiotic stresses by modulating stress‐responsive pathways and improving agronomic traits.

Effects of molecular weight of chitosan on its binding ability with OSA starch and oil-water interface behavior of complex-stabilized emulsion.

This work examined the effects of molecular weight (2-15 kDa) and concentration (10-30 mg/mL) of chitosan (CTS) on the binding capacity and interface behavior between octenyl succinic acid sodium starch (OSS) and CTS, as well as their effects on the storage stability of emulsions. The results of the isothermal calorimetry titration demonstrated that OSS and CTS were complexed by electrostatic interaction and spontaneous hydrogen bonding driven by enthalpy (ΔH from -3931 to -7983 cal/mol, ΔS from -38.5 to -49.2 cal/mol/deg., ΔG from -6436.6 to -7542.0 cal/mol), and the affinity and binding capacity (N = 2.83-22.90 sites) were reinforced with CTS molecular weight. The interfacial adsorption kinetics revealed that the OSS/CTS complexes with high-molecular-weight CTS exhibited a markedly accelerated rate of interfacial diffusion and recombination, and rapidly reduced interfacial tension. CTS incorporation enhanced mass (1980.32-3522.56 ng/cm2), thickness (35.12-51.29 nm), viscosity (52.81-67.06 kPa), and elasticity (1.70-3.49 kPa) of interfacial film through the dissipative quartz crystal microbalance. OSS/CTS complexes displayed superior emulsification properties and adjustable interfacial viscoelastic ratio in response to frequency interference. Emulsions stabilized by the OSS/CTS complexes with high molecular weight and concentration of CTS exhibited more uniform spherical structures and superior storage stability. This work will facilitate the broader utilization of OSS and CTS in the emulsion delivery system.

Contrasting Soil Organic Carbon Concentrations and Mass Storage Between Conventional Farming and Organic Farming: A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis studied the impact of conventional versus organic farming practices on soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations and mass storage. We aimed to understand the carbon dynamics associated with adopting organic agricultural practices by reviewing and synthesizing data from 1950 to 2023. We analyzed data from 64 experimental field comparisons that involved SOC concentration and mass storage measurements, covering a wide range of studies selected for soil depth analyses, carbon concentration measurements, and comparative methods between conventional and organic systems. Our results indicated a significant increase in SOC under organic agriculture. An analysis of the response ratios (LnRR) for SOC concentration showed variability, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.089–0.149. Similarly, the analysis of carbon storage data indicated a 95% confidence interval of LnRR of 0.053–0.205. These increases in SOC concentration and mass storage reflect the variable but statistically positive impact of organic farming on SOC. Fine soil textures demonstrated the highest mean LnRR for both SOC concentration (0.163) and mass storage (0.173), suggesting the role of soil texture in mediating the effects of organic agriculture on SOC dynamics. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between soil pH and SOC mass storage, with a regression coefficient of −0.174 (p &lt; 0.039). Although a slight positive correlation was observed between temperature and SOC mass storage as LnRR, other environmental factors likely play a critical role in SOC dynamics. These findings emphasize the complexity of SOC dynamics and the significant impact of organic agriculture on increasing SOC concentrations and mass storage. This study broadly contributes to the debate in sustainable agriculture by providing quantitative evidence of the role and benefits of organic agriculture on climate change mitigation. The results also emphasize the importance of adopting organic farming practices for broadly enhancing ecosystems’ resilience and long-term food security.

Predicting Future Development of Stress-Induced Anhedonia From Cortical Dynamics and Facial Expression.

The current state of mental health treatment for individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder leaves billions of individuals with first-line therapies that are ineffective or burdened with undesirable side effects. One major obstacle is that distinct pathologies may currently be diagnosed as the same disease and prescribed the same treatments. The key to developing antidepressants with ubiquitous efficacy is to first identify a strategy to differentiate between heterogeneous conditions. Major depression is characterized by hallmark features such as anhedonia and a loss of motivation1,2, and it has been recognized that even among inbred mice raised under identical housing conditions, we observe heterogeneity in their susceptibility and resilience to stress3. Anhedonia, a condition identified in multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, is described as the inability to experience pleasure and is linked to anomalous medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activity4. The mPFC is responsible for higher order functions5-8, such as valence encoding; however, it remains unknown how mPFC valence-specific neuronal population activity is affected during anhedonic conditions. To test this, we implemented the unpredictable chronic mild stress (CMS) protocol9-11 in mice and examined hedonic behaviors following stress and ketamine treatment. We used unsupervised clustering to delineate individual variability in hedonic behavior in response to stress. We then performed in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging to longitudinally track mPFC valence-specific neuronal population dynamics during a Pavlovian discrimination task. Chronic mild stress mice exhibited a blunted effect in the ratio of mPFC neural population responses to rewards relative to punishments after stress that rebounds following ketamine treatment. Also, a linear classifier revealed that we can decode susceptibility to chronic mild stress based on mPFC valence-encoding properties prior to stress-exposure and behavioral expression of susceptibility. Lastly, we utilized markerless pose tracking computer vision tools to predict whether a mouse would become resilient or susceptible based on facial expressions during a Pavlovian discrimination task. These results indicate that mPFC valence encoding properties and behavior are predictive of anhedonic states. Altogether, these experiments point to the need for increased granularity in the measurement of both behavior and neural activity, as these factors can predict the predisposition to stress-induced anhedonia.

Targeted yield based fertilizer prescriptions for autumn rice (Oryza sativa L.) in inceptisols of Assam, India

Soil Test Crop Response (STCR) study was conducted during 2010-11 for autumn rice under integrated plant nutrition system (IPNS) in Inceptisols (Aeric Endoaquepts) in Jorhat district of Assam. The basic parameters were computed from the STCR data, and the fertilizer prescription equations were developed for recommending fertilizer doses in autumn rice. The nutrient requirement (NR) for producing one quintal of autumn rice was found to be 2.40 kg, 0.84 kg and 2.25 kg of N, P2O5 and K2O, respectively. The percent contribution of nutrients from soil (CS), fertilizer (CF) and FYM (CO) were calculated as 12.49, 45.31 and 32.92 for N, 13.42, 28.52 and 11.84 for P2O5 and 21.99, 47.58 and 29.76 for K2O, respectively. These equations were validated in farmers’ fields during 2012 and the variation between actual yield and targeted yield ranged from +1.36 to +5.33.The fertilizer estimates under STCR-IPNS for 3000 and 4000 kg ha-1 targeted yield recorded maximum response ratio and economic benefit in the field trial and confirmed the validity of proposed fertilizer prescription equations for autumn rice.

Impact of Vitamin D Levels on Progression-Free Survival and Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women despite advances in early detection. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) is now standard for early-stage BC, with vitamin D (VD) emerging as a potential prognostic biomarker considering its positive pleiotropic effects. This review and meta-analysis assess the impact of baseline VD levels on outcomes in BC patients undergoing NACT. Methods: Inclusion criteria required patients to be over 18 years of age, have a pathologically confirmed BC diagnosis, and have their VD levels assessed prior to chemotherapy. Studies were included if they reported odds ratios (ORs) for response and/or hazard ratios (HRs) for PFS with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A comprehensive literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus/ELSEVIER (2014-2024) was conducted, and data were analyzed using fixed- and random-effects models, with Forest plots illustrating the results. Study quality and potential biases were assessed using the MINORS, NOS, and RoB2 scales, and statistical heterogeneity was evaluated with I2 statistics and funnel plots. Results: Six studies were included in the analysis. All studies addressed stages II and III, with three also including stage I. The meta-analysis covered data from 722 patients regarding NACT response and 1033 patients for PFS. The results revealed a 22% reduction in the likelihood of non-response to NACT associated with adequate VD levels (low/deficient VD vs. high/sufficient VD; OR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.30-1.25; p = 0.001) and a 35% reduction in progression risk with sufficient baseline VD levels (low/deficient VD vs. high/sufficient VD; HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.33-0.97; p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings highlight the significance of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels in BC treatment and encourage further studies to unravel the role of VD on cancer biology.

Erratum: Investigating the relationship between hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1, and the optical redox ratio in response to radiation therapy

Erratum: Investigating the relationship between hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor 1, and the optical redox ratio in response to radiation therapy

An improved notion for the computation of strain ratio in equivalent linear site response

An improved notion for the computation of strain ratio in equivalent linear site response

Enhancing COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy: Dual Adjuvant Strategies with TLR7/8 Agonists and Glycolipids.

The controlled release of immunostimulatory agents represents a promising strategy to enhance vaccine efficacy while minimizing side effects. This study aimed to improve the efficacy of the RBD-Fc-based COVID-19 vaccine through combining of an iNKT cell agonist and a TLR7/8 agonist using covalent conjugation and temporal delivery. We hypothesized that these combinations would yield a more balanced Th1/Th2 immune response. For covalent conjugation, we employed an uncleavable linker and a self-immolative disulfide linker to conjugate α-galactosylceramide (αGC) to imidazoquinoline (IMDQ). The αGC-SS-IMDQ-Ac conjugate, designed with a prodrug strategy for controlled TLR7/8 agonist release, elicited a higher IFN-γ/IL-4 T cell response ratio than individual adjuvants or their admixture. In the temporal delivery approach, administering IMDQ followed by αGC after 2 h resulted in the highest IgG2a/IgG1 ratio, significantly surpassing other groups. A 6 h delay between glycolipid and IMDQ injections yielded balanced IgG responses, enhancing IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a levels synergistically.

Synergetic Effect of Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE) and Macerating Enzymes on Aroma and Sensory Profiles of Marquette Red Wine

This research explored the effects of using Accentuated Cut Edges (ACE) and macerating enzymes on the aroma and sensory profile of Marquette red wines after nine months of aging. The aroma analysis was conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) with solid-phase microextraction (SPME). The intensity of basic sensory attributes, including color, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel, were evaluated by eight trained panelists through descriptive analysis using 15 cm line scales. ACE treatment affected the aroma compounds profile, as suggested by the increased response ratio of ethyl butanoate, ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, and ethyl 3-methylbutanoate. Statistically, it significantly intensified honey (by 1.6 times) and green apple (by 2.1 times) notes, as perceived by panelists, compared to the control during the sensory descriptive analysis. Regardless of the type of enzymes, combined ACE and enzymes treatment amplified the color intensity of wine by up to 71.4% as observed by panelists, though this was not captured by spectrophotometric measurements (p &gt; 0.05) from the previous study. A lower concentration of ester-derived compounds was found in ACE with enzymes wines, which was associated with the lower intensity of fruity notes during the descriptive analysis. Notably, none of the treatments affected astringency perception, likely due to the low concentration and small molecular weight of condensed tannins, alongside changes in the composition of soluble polysaccharide in Marquette red wines.

High neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a cost-effective marker of acute kidney injury and in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery: a case-control study

Background Inflammation is one of the important pathophysiological characteristics of acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery. The aim was to explore the relationship between preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a simple and cost-effective maker of inflammatory response, and AKI after cardiac surgery. Furthermore, whether the NLR affected in-hospital mortality was also investigated. Methods The electronic medical records of patients from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2018 undergoing cardiac surgery were utilized. The interest outcome was AKI, defined as the criteria of Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO), and other outcomes were severe AKI (KDIGO stage ≥2) and in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression was utilized to assess the association of preoperative NLR with outcomes while adjust for potential confounders. Results Totally, 23,638 patients were included. The incidence of AKI was 27.6%. The NLR was significantly greater in patients with AKI compared to those without. As the nonlinear relationship between NLR and AKI indicated by restricted cubic spline, NLR was analyzed as a categorical variable with the cutoff value of five. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that NLR > 5 was significantly associated with an increased risk of AKI, with an odds ratio of 5.046 (95% confidence interval, 4.589 to 5.548), when compared to patients with NLR ≤ 5. Furthermore, high NLR was also an independent risk factor for severe AKI and in-hospital mortality. Conclusions A higher preoperative NLR was increased the risk of AKI, severe AKI, and in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery, which may be helpful for stratifying patients to develop individualized treatment.

Febuxostat enhances the efficacy of dasatinib by inhibiting ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) in chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

Dasatinib is a second-generation breakpoint cluster region-abelson 1 (BCR::ABL1) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Overexpression of ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) in CML cells contributes to dasatinib resistance and poor chemotherapeutic responses. Considering that the xanthine oxidase inhibitor febuxostat has anti-ABCG2 activity, febuxostat may enhance the efficacy of dasatinib. However, the mechanism of action of febuxostat and its effects on the efficacy and safety of dasatinib in patients with CML are unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to retrospectively investigate the clinical impact of concomitant febuxostat on the efficacy of dasatinib in 65 patients with CML. Moreover, its underlying mechanism was explored in vitro using an ABCG2-overexpressing CML cell line (K562-ABCG2 cells). The retrospective study revealed that the achievement ratios of early molecular response at three months and major molecular response at 12 months after dasatinib treatment in patients with febuxostat were significantly higher than those in patients without febuxostat (91 % vs. 70 %, p = 0.034, 86 % vs. 53 %, p = 0.013, respectively). In vitro studies showed that febuxostat significantly decreased cell viability and increased the residual dasatinib concentration in dasatinib-treated K562-ABCG2 cells. Moreover, phosphorylated BCR::ABL1 levels in dasatinib-treated K562-ABCG2 cells were significantly decreased by febuxostat. Overall, concomitant febuxostat enhanced the efficacy of dasatinib in patients with CML. This was achieved partially by inhibition of ABCG2-mediated excretion of dasatinib from CML cells. Therefore, these findings provide important insights for improving CML treatment and overcoming TKI resistance.

Conditioned fear selectively increases the perception and neural processing of respiratory stimuli relative to somatosensory stimuli

Interoception is crucial to the experience of bodily complaints in chronic conditions. Fear can distort the perception of sensations like breathlessness and pain, yet few studies investigated the effects of conditioned fear on both self-report and neural processing of these sensations. In the current study, we conditioned fear of neutral female faces in healthy adults, pairing certain faces (CS+) with an aversive scream. In Experiment 1, we delivered paired inspiratory occlusions during the viewing of the faces. We collected self-reported intensity and unpleasantness of occlusions, and measured N1 and P2 amplitudes of the respiratory-related evoked potential (RREP) in the electroencephalogram, as well as neural gating (the ratio of N1 response to the second over the first occlusion, S2/S1). Skin conductance and self-reported fear increased in response to CS+ faces, and perception of occlusions increased during fear conditioning (FC) relative to baseline, with higher unpleasantness and RREP amplitudes during CS+ relative to CS- trials. We found no effects on neural gating. In Experiment 2, we used the same FC protocol, and delivered paired electrocutaneous pulses during the viewing of the faces. We measured intensity/unpleasantness, fear, N1/P2 amplitudes of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), and neural gating. While skin conductance and fear increased, no perceptual effects were found. Unexpectedly, SEP amplitudes decreased and neural gating increased during FC, likely due to habituation. The current results indicate that FC increases the perception and neural processing of respiratory stimuli specifically, consistent with previous literature on respiratory psychophysiology and fearful states.