PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: https://peerj.com/articles/7472
items: Serological evidence of hepatitis A, B, and C virus infection in older adults in Khon Kaen, Thailand and the estimated rates of chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection in Thais, 2017
items: Improvement of subsoil physicochemical and microbial properties by short-term fallow practices
items: Monitoring and analysis of the expansion of the Ajmr Port, Davao City, Philippines using multi-source remote sensing data
items: Trophic upgrading and mobilization of wax esters in microzooplankton
items: Modest dose anti-thymocyte globulin administered intraoperatively is safe and effective in kidney transplantations: a retrospective study
items: Differential expression of AtWAKL10 in response to nitric oxide suggests a putative role in biotic and abiotic stress responses
items: Towards a barnacle tree of life: integrating diverse phylogenetic efforts into a comprehensive hypothesis of thecostracan evolution
items: Paranoia and conspiracy: group cohesion increases harmful intent attribution in the Trust Game
items: Random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs: characterisation of a novel experimental model

https://peerj.com/articles/7472
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
title: Redescription of Hargeria rapax (Harger, 1879) and description of H. chetumalensis a new species from the Mexican Caribbean (Crustacea, Peracarida, Tanaidacea, Leptocheliidae) based upon morphological and molecular evidence
description: Until now, Hargeria was considered a monospecific leptocheliid genus, with the species Hargeria rapax considered a taxon with a wide distribution, from the Northwestern Atlantic to the Mexican Caribbean. Herein, after a detailed revision of type and topotype materials and specimens collected from the Mexican Caribbean, a new species H. chetumalensis sp. nov. is described, and the redescription of H. rapax is provided. Also, we found a significant genetic divergence between the two species based on the nucleotide sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I, which support the morphological data. The morphological features used to recognize both species are also adequate to link males, females, and juvenile stages, although these species have a high intraspecific polymorphism.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Jani Jarquín-González
creator: Luis F. Carrera-Parra
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Taxonomy
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7472
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Jarquín-González and Carrera-Parra
abstract: Until now, Hargeria was considered a monospecific leptocheliid genus, with the species Hargeria rapax considered a taxon with a wide distribution, from the Northwestern Atlantic to the Mexican Caribbean. Herein, after a detailed revision of type and topotype materials and specimens collected from the Mexican Caribbean, a new species H. chetumalensis sp. nov. is described, and the redescription of H. rapax is provided. Also, we found a significant genetic divergence between the two species based on the nucleotide sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I, which support the morphological data. The morphological features used to recognize both species are also adequate to link males, females, and juvenile stages, although these species have a high intraspecific polymorphism.
bibliographic citation: Jarquín-González et al. (2019) Redescription of Hargeria rapax (Harger, 1879) and description of H. chetumalensis a new species from the Mexican Caribbean (Crustacea, Peracarida, Tanaidacea, Leptocheliidae) based upon morphological and molecular evidence. PeerJ 7:e7472 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7472
date submitted: 2019-04-10
date accepted: 2019-07-15
issued: 2019-08-19
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Jarquín-González
  given name: Jani
author list: Agent
  family name: Carrera-Parra
  given name: Luis F.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7472
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-19
copyright: © 2019 Jarquín-González and Carrera-Parra
attribution name: Jarquín-González and Carrera-Parra

Serological evidence of hepatitis A, B, and C virus infection in older adults in Khon Kaen, Thailand and the estimated rates of chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection in Thais, 2017
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are hepatotropic viruses responsible for acute/chronic hepatitis associated with liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the limited data on the prevalence of hepatitis in the older population in Thailand, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of these viruses in elderly Thais. Using an automated immunoassay, serum samples from individuals older than 60 years of age in Chum Phae district of Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand were analyzed for anti-HAV (n = 93), HBV markers (n = 460, HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc), and anti-HCV (n = 460). Samples were classified into five age groups (61–65, 66–70, 71–75, 76–80, and >80 years). The overall seroprevalence of anti-HAV, HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV was 98.9%, 4.6%, 51.5%, 32.4%, and 1.3%, respectively. When samples were stratified into three groups representing three generations (children/young adults aged 6 months-30 years and middle-aged adults between 31–60 years old from a previous survey, and older adults aged >60 years from the current study), the highest levels of anti-HAV and anti-HBc were found in older adults. Children/young adults had the lowest levels of HBsAg and anti-HCV, and the highest level of anti-HBs. These findings are consistent with the integration of HBV vaccination into the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 1992 and coincide with increased awareness of blood-borne viral transmission in Thailand. Extrapolating from our data, the estimated numbers of cases of chronic HBV and HCV infection in Thailand in 2017 were 2.2 and 0.79 million, respectively. Thus, effective treatments for viral hepatitis B and C for middle-aged and elderly Thais are needed. This seroprevalence survey could be used to help formulate policies and possible guidelines for treatment and prevention in specific age groups, which is recommended to facilitate the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Nawarat Posuwan
creator: Viboonsak Vuthitanachot
creator: Teeraporn Chinchai
creator: Rujipat Wasitthankasem
creator: Nasamon Wanlapakorn
creator: Yong Poovorawan
subject: Virology
subject: Epidemiology
subject: Infectious Diseases
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7492
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Posuwan et al.
abstract: Hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are hepatotropic viruses responsible for acute/chronic hepatitis associated with liver failure, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Due to the limited data on the prevalence of hepatitis in the older population in Thailand, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of these viruses in elderly Thais. Using an automated immunoassay, serum samples from individuals older than 60 years of age in Chum Phae district of Khon Kaen province in northeast Thailand were analyzed for anti-HAV (n = 93), HBV markers (n = 460, HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc), and anti-HCV (n = 460). Samples were classified into five age groups (61–65, 66–70, 71–75, 76–80, and >80 years). The overall seroprevalence of anti-HAV, HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV was 98.9%, 4.6%, 51.5%, 32.4%, and 1.3%, respectively. When samples were stratified into three groups representing three generations (children/young adults aged 6 months-30 years and middle-aged adults between 31–60 years old from a previous survey, and older adults aged >60 years from the current study), the highest levels of anti-HAV and anti-HBc were found in older adults. Children/young adults had the lowest levels of HBsAg and anti-HCV, and the highest level of anti-HBs. These findings are consistent with the integration of HBV vaccination into the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 1992 and coincide with increased awareness of blood-borne viral transmission in Thailand. Extrapolating from our data, the estimated numbers of cases of chronic HBV and HCV infection in Thailand in 2017 were 2.2 and 0.79 million, respectively. Thus, effective treatments for viral hepatitis B and C for middle-aged and elderly Thais are needed. This seroprevalence survey could be used to help formulate policies and possible guidelines for treatment and prevention in specific age groups, which is recommended to facilitate the elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.
bibliographic citation: Posuwan et al. (2019) Serological evidence of hepatitis A, B, and C virus infection in older adults in Khon Kaen, Thailand and the estimated rates of chronic hepatitis B and C virus infection in Thais, 2017. PeerJ 7:e7492 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7492
date submitted: 2019-04-29
date accepted: 2019-07-16
issued: 2019-08-19
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Posuwan
  given name: Nawarat
author list: Agent
  family name: Vuthitanachot
  given name: Viboonsak
author list: Agent
  family name: Chinchai
  given name: Teeraporn
author list: Agent
  family name: Wasitthankasem
  given name: Rujipat
author list: Agent
  family name: Wanlapakorn
  given name: Nasamon
author list: Agent
  family name: Poovorawan
  given name: Yong
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7492
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-19
copyright: ©2019 Posuwan et al.
attribution name: Posuwan et al.

Improvement of subsoil physicochemical and microbial properties by short-term fallow practices
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Fallow management can improve the soil nutrients in the topsoil and upper subsoil. However, little is known about the effects of short-term (one year) fallowing with different treatments, such as vegetation and fertilization, on subsoil (20–40 cm) properties. We conducted field trials to explore the changes in subsoil properties in response to such treatments in the Yellow River Delta region in China. Different vegetation and fertilization treatments were applied, and we measured the carbon and nitrogen contents, microbial biomass and microbial community structure in the subsoil. Fallowing without manure resulted in the storage of more total nitrogen (16.38%) than fallowing with manure, and meadow vegetation improved the ammonium nitrogen content (45.71%) relative to spontaneous vegetation. Spontaneous vegetation with manure improved the microbial biomass nitrogen (P < 0.05). Although the impact of short-term fallowing on microbial community structure was low, an effect of management was observed for some genera. Blastopirellula, Lysobacter, and Acidobacteria Gp6 showed significant differences among fallow treatments by the end of the year (P < 0.05). Blastopirellula abundance was related to the microbial biomass nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization rate in the subsoil. Manure retained a high abundance of Lysobacter, which may strengthen soil-borne disease resistance. The response of Acidobacteria Gp6 showed that meadow vegetation without manure may not benefit future crops. Although the treatments did not significantly improve microbial community structure in the one-year period, annual fallowing improved certain subsoil properties and increased the number of functional genera, which may enhance crop productivity in the future.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Guangyu Li
creator: Walter Timo de Vries
creator: Cifang Wu
creator: Hongyu Zheng
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Microbiology
subject: Soil Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7501
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Li et al.
abstract: Fallow management can improve the soil nutrients in the topsoil and upper subsoil. However, little is known about the effects of short-term (one year) fallowing with different treatments, such as vegetation and fertilization, on subsoil (20–40 cm) properties. We conducted field trials to explore the changes in subsoil properties in response to such treatments in the Yellow River Delta region in China. Different vegetation and fertilization treatments were applied, and we measured the carbon and nitrogen contents, microbial biomass and microbial community structure in the subsoil. Fallowing without manure resulted in the storage of more total nitrogen (16.38%) than fallowing with manure, and meadow vegetation improved the ammonium nitrogen content (45.71%) relative to spontaneous vegetation. Spontaneous vegetation with manure improved the microbial biomass nitrogen (P < 0.05). Although the impact of short-term fallowing on microbial community structure was low, an effect of management was observed for some genera. Blastopirellula, Lysobacter, and Acidobacteria Gp6 showed significant differences among fallow treatments by the end of the year (P < 0.05). Blastopirellula abundance was related to the microbial biomass nitrogen and nitrogen mineralization rate in the subsoil. Manure retained a high abundance of Lysobacter, which may strengthen soil-borne disease resistance. The response of Acidobacteria Gp6 showed that meadow vegetation without manure may not benefit future crops. Although the treatments did not significantly improve microbial community structure in the one-year period, annual fallowing improved certain subsoil properties and increased the number of functional genera, which may enhance crop productivity in the future.
bibliographic citation: Li et al. (2019) Improvement of subsoil physicochemical and microbial properties by short-term fallow practices. PeerJ 7:e7501 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7501
date submitted: 2019-02-02
date accepted: 2019-07-17
issued: 2019-08-19
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Guangyu
author list: Agent
  family name: de Vries
  given name: Walter Timo
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Cifang
author list: Agent
  family name: Zheng
  given name: Hongyu
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7501
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-19
copyright: ©2019 Li et al.
attribution name: Li et al.

Monitoring and analysis of the expansion of the Ajmr Port, Davao City, Philippines using multi-source remote sensing data
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Ports have been built or expanded in a number of countries to cater to increasing maritime trade in the 21st century. Port expansion is associated with economic and environmental impacts on the local and regional scales, and these impacts can be studied using remote sensing. The present study presents new results from multi-source remote sensing monitoring of the Ajmr Port expansion. An analysis of land use and vegetation coverage at the port is used to monitor the impact of port construction on the local ecology, while changes in roads, buildings, and lights are used to monitor the economic impact. The results show that: (1) After nine years of expansion, the port area has gradually expanded from the central to the southern coastal area, with an increase of 21.68 hectares during the expansion period. After the expansion, the area of builidings and construction in the study area increased significantly, while the area of water and green areas decreased significantly, indicating that the port construction changed the land use structure of the area. (2) From the perspective of vegetation coverage, the vegetation coverage within 5 km from the port is in good condition. After 9 years, the vegetation coverage in the region between 0.6 and 1 increased from 43.71% to 44.25%, reflecting the higher overall greening level in the region. (3) By analyzing the increase in roads and buildings, it can be seen that the port’s comprehensive transportation capacity has improved, the population of the region has increased significantly. As the scale of construction has been continuously expanded , the prosperity as increased. (4) By analyzing the changes in the light index, the light data from the northeast to the southwest in the region is very obvious, and it is clearly located along the coast, indicating that the economic development of the coastal zone is faster than other regions, and the coastal region has promoted the development of the inland region.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Humei Li
creator: Mingquan Wu
creator: Dinghui Tian
creator: Lianxi Wu
creator: Zheng Niu
subject: Environmental Impacts
subject: Spatial and Geographic Information Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7512
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Li et al.
abstract: Ports have been built or expanded in a number of countries to cater to increasing maritime trade in the 21st century. Port expansion is associated with economic and environmental impacts on the local and regional scales, and these impacts can be studied using remote sensing. The present study presents new results from multi-source remote sensing monitoring of the Ajmr Port expansion. An analysis of land use and vegetation coverage at the port is used to monitor the impact of port construction on the local ecology, while changes in roads, buildings, and lights are used to monitor the economic impact. The results show that: (1) After nine years of expansion, the port area has gradually expanded from the central to the southern coastal area, with an increase of 21.68 hectares during the expansion period. After the expansion, the area of builidings and construction in the study area increased significantly, while the area of water and green areas decreased significantly, indicating that the port construction changed the land use structure of the area. (2) From the perspective of vegetation coverage, the vegetation coverage within 5 km from the port is in good condition. After 9 years, the vegetation coverage in the region between 0.6 and 1 increased from 43.71% to 44.25%, reflecting the higher overall greening level in the region. (3) By analyzing the increase in roads and buildings, it can be seen that the port’s comprehensive transportation capacity has improved, the population of the region has increased significantly. As the scale of construction has been continuously expanded , the prosperity as increased. (4) By analyzing the changes in the light index, the light data from the northeast to the southwest in the region is very obvious, and it is clearly located along the coast, indicating that the economic development of the coastal zone is faster than other regions, and the coastal region has promoted the development of the inland region.
bibliographic citation: Li et al. (2019) Monitoring and analysis of the expansion of the Ajmr Port, Davao City, Philippines using multi-source remote sensing data. PeerJ 7:e7512 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7512
date submitted: 2019-05-06
date accepted: 2019-07-18
issued: 2019-08-19
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Humei
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Mingquan
author list: Agent
  family name: Tian
  given name: Dinghui
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Lianxi
author list: Agent
  family name: Niu
  given name: Zheng
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7512
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-19
copyright: ©2019 Li et al.
attribution name: Li et al.

Trophic upgrading and mobilization of wax esters in microzooplankton
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Heterotrophic protists play pivotal roles in aquatic ecosystems by transferring matter and energy, including lipids, from primary producers to higher trophic predators. Using Oxyrrhis marina as a model organism, changes to the non-saponifiable protist lipids were investigated under satiation and starvation conditions. During active feeding on the alga Cryptomonas sp., the O. marina hexane soluble non-saponifiable fraction lipid profile reflected its food source with the observed presence of long chain mono-unsaturated fatty alcohols up to C25:1. Evidence of trophic upgrading in O. marina was observed with long chain mono-unsaturated fatty alcohol accumulation of up to C35:1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence that heterotrophic dinoflagellates are capable of producing ester derived alcohols and that dinoflagellates like O. marina are capable of synthesizing fatty alcohols up to C35. Additionally, we show evidence of trophic upgrading of lipids. During a 20-day resource deprivation, the lipid profile remained constant. During starvation, the mobilization of wax esters as energy stores was observed with long chain fatty alcohols mobilized first. Changes in lipid class profile and utilization of wax esters in O. marina provides insight into the types of lipids available for energy demand, the transfer of lipids through the base of marine food webs, and the catabolic response induced by resource deprivation.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Keyana Roohani
creator: Brad A. Haubrich
creator: Kai-Lou Yue
creator: Nigel D’Souza
creator: Amanda Montalbano
creator: Tatiana Rynearson
creator: Susanne Menden-Deuer
creator: Christopher W. Reid
subject: Biochemistry
subject: Marine Biology
subject: Microbiology
subject: Aquatic and Marine Chemistry
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7549
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Roohani et al.
abstract: Heterotrophic protists play pivotal roles in aquatic ecosystems by transferring matter and energy, including lipids, from primary producers to higher trophic predators. Using Oxyrrhis marina as a model organism, changes to the non-saponifiable protist lipids were investigated under satiation and starvation conditions. During active feeding on the alga Cryptomonas sp., the O. marina hexane soluble non-saponifiable fraction lipid profile reflected its food source with the observed presence of long chain mono-unsaturated fatty alcohols up to C25:1. Evidence of trophic upgrading in O. marina was observed with long chain mono-unsaturated fatty alcohol accumulation of up to C35:1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence that heterotrophic dinoflagellates are capable of producing ester derived alcohols and that dinoflagellates like O. marina are capable of synthesizing fatty alcohols up to C35. Additionally, we show evidence of trophic upgrading of lipids. During a 20-day resource deprivation, the lipid profile remained constant. During starvation, the mobilization of wax esters as energy stores was observed with long chain fatty alcohols mobilized first. Changes in lipid class profile and utilization of wax esters in O. marina provides insight into the types of lipids available for energy demand, the transfer of lipids through the base of marine food webs, and the catabolic response induced by resource deprivation.
bibliographic citation: Roohani et al. (2019) Trophic upgrading and mobilization of wax esters in microzooplankton. PeerJ 7:e7549 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7549
date submitted: 2019-04-07
date accepted: 2019-07-25
issued: 2019-08-19
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Roohani
  given name: Keyana
author list: Agent
  family name: Haubrich
  given name: Brad A.
author list: Agent
  family name: Yue
  given name: Kai-Lou
author list: Agent
  family name: D’Souza
  given name: Nigel
author list: Agent
  family name: Montalbano
  given name: Amanda
author list: Agent
  family name: Rynearson
  given name: Tatiana
author list: Agent
  family name: Menden-Deuer
  given name: Susanne
author list: Agent
  family name: Reid
  given name: Christopher W.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7549
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-19
copyright: © 2019 Roohani et al.
attribution name: Roohani et al.

Modest dose anti-thymocyte globulin administered intraoperatively is safe and effective in kidney transplantations: a retrospective study
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy in renal transplantation is facing the dilemma of reducing the incidence of acute rejection (AR) and delayed graft function (DGF) or increasing risks of infection and malignancy. The purpose of this study was to delineate the safety and efficiency of the optimal ATG dosage. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 91 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) in our institution between March 2011 and January 2019. The patients were classified into three groups based on induction therapy: (1) Group 1: modest-dose ATG (three mg/kg) intraoperatively (N = 21); (2) Group 2: low-dose ATG (1–1.5 mg/kg) intraoperatively (N = 23); (3) Group 3: basiliximab 20 mg both on day 0 and 4 (N = 47). In Groups 1 and 2, all patients received a daily low-dose program (1–1.5 mg/kg each day) with target dosage of six mg/kg. Induction therapy was combined with standard immunosuppressive regimen consisting of calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate/the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors and corticosteroids. Results There was no significant difference in patient characteristics among groups. The outcomes of infection rate, biopsy-proven acute rejection, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, graft survival, and patient survival were similar among groups. Compared to the daily low-dose ATG regimen, the intraoperative modest-dose regimen did not cause more dose interruption and hence was more likely to reach the target ATG dosage. The intraoperative modest-dose regimen also seemed to reduce the rate of DGF. Discussion In recent years, a trend of using a “lower” dose of ATG has seemed to emerge. Our results suggest intraoperative modest-dose ATG followed by daily low-dose ATG regimen was safe and effective in cadaveric renal transplantations for preventing DGF, AR, and graft loss.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Hui-Ying Liu
creator: Yuan-Tso Cheng
creator: Hao Lun Luo
creator: Chiang-Chi Huang
creator: Chien Hsu Chen
creator: Yuan-Chi Shen
creator: Wen-Chin Lee
subject: Nephrology
subject: Urology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7274
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Liu et al.
abstract: Background Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy in renal transplantation is facing the dilemma of reducing the incidence of acute rejection (AR) and delayed graft function (DGF) or increasing risks of infection and malignancy. The purpose of this study was to delineate the safety and efficiency of the optimal ATG dosage. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 91 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) in our institution between March 2011 and January 2019. The patients were classified into three groups based on induction therapy: (1) Group 1: modest-dose ATG (three mg/kg) intraoperatively (N = 21); (2) Group 2: low-dose ATG (1–1.5 mg/kg) intraoperatively (N = 23); (3) Group 3: basiliximab 20 mg both on day 0 and 4 (N = 47). In Groups 1 and 2, all patients received a daily low-dose program (1–1.5 mg/kg each day) with target dosage of six mg/kg. Induction therapy was combined with standard immunosuppressive regimen consisting of calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate/the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors and corticosteroids. Results There was no significant difference in patient characteristics among groups. The outcomes of infection rate, biopsy-proven acute rejection, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, graft survival, and patient survival were similar among groups. Compared to the daily low-dose ATG regimen, the intraoperative modest-dose regimen did not cause more dose interruption and hence was more likely to reach the target ATG dosage. The intraoperative modest-dose regimen also seemed to reduce the rate of DGF. Discussion In recent years, a trend of using a “lower” dose of ATG has seemed to emerge. Our results suggest intraoperative modest-dose ATG followed by daily low-dose ATG regimen was safe and effective in cadaveric renal transplantations for preventing DGF, AR, and graft loss.
bibliographic citation: Liu et al. (2019) Modest dose anti-thymocyte globulin administered intraoperatively is safe and effective in kidney transplantations: a retrospective study. PeerJ 7:e7274 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7274
date submitted: 2018-08-27
date accepted: 2019-06-10
issued: 2019-08-16
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Hui-Ying
author list: Agent
  family name: Cheng
  given name: Yuan-Tso
author list: Agent
  family name: Luo
  given name: Hao Lun
author list: Agent
  family name: Huang
  given name: Chiang-Chi
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Chien Hsu
author list: Agent
  family name: Shen
  given name: Yuan-Chi
author list: Agent
  family name: Lee
  given name: Wen-Chin
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7274
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-16
copyright: © 2019 Liu et al.
attribution name: Liu et al.

Differential expression of AtWAKL10 in response to nitric oxide suggests a putative role in biotic and abiotic stress responses
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Plant defense against pathogens and abiotic stresses is regulated differentially by communicating signal transduction pathways in which nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role. Here, we show the biological role of Arabidopsis thaliana wall-associated kinase (AtWAK) Like10 (AtWAKL10) that exhibits greater than a 100-fold change in transcript accumulation in response to the NO donor S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CysNO), identified from high throughput RNA-seq based transcriptome analysis. Loss of AtWAKL10 function showed a similar phenotype to wild type (WT) with, however, less branching. The growth of atwakl10 on media supplemented with oxidative or nitrosative stress resulted in differential results with improved growth following treatment with CysNO but reduced growth in response to S-nitrosoglutatione (GSNO) and methyl-viologen. Further, atwakl10 plants exhibited increased susceptibility to virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) DC3000 with a significant increase in pathogen growth and decrease in PR1 transcript accumulation compared to WT overtime. Similar results were found in response to Pst DC3000 avrB, resulting in increased cell death as shown by increased electrolyte leakage in atwakl10. Furthermore, atwakl10 also showed increased reactive oxygen species accumulation following Pst DC3000 avrB inoculation. Promoter analysis of AtWAKL10 showed transcription factor (TF) binding sites for biotic and abiotic stress-related TFs. Further investigation into the role of AtWAKL10 in abiotic stresses showed that following two weeks water-withholding drought condition most of the atwakl10 plants got wilted; however, the majority (60%) of these plants recovered following re-watering. In contrast, in response to salinity stress, atwakl10 showed reduced germination under 150 mM salt stress compared to WT, suggesting that NO-induced AtWAKL10 differentially regulates different abiotic stresses. Taken together, this study further elucidates the importance of NO-induced changes in …
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Phearom Bot
creator: Bong-Gyu Mun
creator: Qari Muhammad Imran
creator: Adil Hussain
creator: Sang-Uk Lee
creator: Gary Loake
creator: Byung-Wook Yun
subject: Genomics
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Plant Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7383
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Bot et al.
abstract: Plant defense against pathogens and abiotic stresses is regulated differentially by communicating signal transduction pathways in which nitric oxide (NO) plays a key role. Here, we show the biological role of Arabidopsis thaliana wall-associated kinase (AtWAK) Like10 (AtWAKL10) that exhibits greater than a 100-fold change in transcript accumulation in response to the NO donor S-nitroso-L-cysteine (CysNO), identified from high throughput RNA-seq based transcriptome analysis. Loss of AtWAKL10 function showed a similar phenotype to wild type (WT) with, however, less branching. The growth of atwakl10 on media supplemented with oxidative or nitrosative stress resulted in differential results with improved growth following treatment with CysNO but reduced growth in response to S-nitrosoglutatione (GSNO) and methyl-viologen. Further, atwakl10 plants exhibited increased susceptibility to virulent Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato (Pst) DC3000 with a significant increase in pathogen growth and decrease in PR1 transcript accumulation compared to WT overtime. Similar results were found in response to Pst DC3000 avrB, resulting in increased cell death as shown by increased electrolyte leakage in atwakl10. Furthermore, atwakl10 also showed increased reactive oxygen species accumulation following Pst DC3000 avrB inoculation. Promoter analysis of AtWAKL10 showed transcription factor (TF) binding sites for biotic and abiotic stress-related TFs. Further investigation into the role of AtWAKL10 in abiotic stresses showed that following two weeks water-withholding drought condition most of the atwakl10 plants got wilted; however, the majority (60%) of these plants recovered following re-watering. In contrast, in response to salinity stress, atwakl10 showed reduced germination under 150 mM salt stress compared to WT, suggesting that NO-induced AtWAKL10 differentially regulates different abiotic stresses. Taken together, this study further elucidates the importance of NO-induced changes in …
bibliographic citation: Bot et al. (2019) Differential expression of AtWAKL10 in response to nitric oxide suggests a putative role in biotic and abiotic stress responses. PeerJ 7:e7383 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7383
date submitted: 2018-12-20
date accepted: 2019-06-30
issued: 2019-08-16
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Bot
  given name: Phearom
author list: Agent
  family name: Mun
  given name: Bong-Gyu
author list: Agent
  family name: Imran
  given name: Qari Muhammad
author list: Agent
  family name: Hussain
  given name: Adil
author list: Agent
  family name: Lee
  given name: Sang-Uk
author list: Agent
  family name: Loake
  given name: Gary
author list: Agent
  family name: Yun
  given name: Byung-Wook
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7383
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-16
copyright: © 2019 Bot et al.
attribution name: Bot et al.

Towards a barnacle tree of life: integrating diverse phylogenetic efforts into a comprehensive hypothesis of thecostracan evolution
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Barnacles and their allies (Thecostraca) are a biologically diverse, monophyletic crustacean group, which includes both intensely studied taxa, such as the acorn and stalked barnacles, as well as cryptic taxa, for example, Facetotecta. Recent efforts have clarified phylogenetic relationships in many different parts of the barnacle tree, but the outcomes of these phylogenetic studies have not yet been combined into a single hypothesis for all barnacles. In the present study, we applied a new “synthesis” tree approach to estimate the first working Barnacle Tree of Life. Using this approach, we integrated phylogenetic hypotheses from 27 studies, which did not necessarily include the same taxa or used the same characters, with hierarchical taxonomic information for all recognized species. This first synthesis tree contains 2,070 barnacle species and subspecies, including 239 barnacle species with phylogenetic information and 198 undescribed or unidentified species. The tree had 442 bifurcating nodes, indicating that 79.3% of all nodes are still unresolved. We found that the acorn and stalked barnacles, the Thoracica, and the parasitic Rhizocephala have the largest amount of published phylogenetic information. About half of the thecostracan families for which phylogenetic information was available were polyphyletic. We queried publicly available geographic occurrence databases for the group, gaining a sense of geographic gaps and hotspots in our phylogenetic knowledge. Phylogenetic information is especially lacking for deep sea and Arctic taxa, but even coastal species are not fully incorporated into phylogenetic studies.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Christine Ewers-Saucedo
creator: Christopher L. Owen
creator: Marcos Pérez-Losada
creator: Jens T. Høeg
creator: Henrik Glenner
creator: Benny K.K. Chan
creator: Keith A. Crandall
subject: Biodiversity
subject: Biogeography
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Taxonomy
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7387
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Ewers-Saucedo et al.
abstract: Barnacles and their allies (Thecostraca) are a biologically diverse, monophyletic crustacean group, which includes both intensely studied taxa, such as the acorn and stalked barnacles, as well as cryptic taxa, for example, Facetotecta. Recent efforts have clarified phylogenetic relationships in many different parts of the barnacle tree, but the outcomes of these phylogenetic studies have not yet been combined into a single hypothesis for all barnacles. In the present study, we applied a new “synthesis” tree approach to estimate the first working Barnacle Tree of Life. Using this approach, we integrated phylogenetic hypotheses from 27 studies, which did not necessarily include the same taxa or used the same characters, with hierarchical taxonomic information for all recognized species. This first synthesis tree contains 2,070 barnacle species and subspecies, including 239 barnacle species with phylogenetic information and 198 undescribed or unidentified species. The tree had 442 bifurcating nodes, indicating that 79.3% of all nodes are still unresolved. We found that the acorn and stalked barnacles, the Thoracica, and the parasitic Rhizocephala have the largest amount of published phylogenetic information. About half of the thecostracan families for which phylogenetic information was available were polyphyletic. We queried publicly available geographic occurrence databases for the group, gaining a sense of geographic gaps and hotspots in our phylogenetic knowledge. Phylogenetic information is especially lacking for deep sea and Arctic taxa, but even coastal species are not fully incorporated into phylogenetic studies.
bibliographic citation: Ewers-Saucedo et al. (2019) Towards a barnacle tree of life: integrating diverse phylogenetic efforts into a comprehensive hypothesis of thecostracan evolution. PeerJ 7:e7387 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7387
date submitted: 2018-12-19
date accepted: 2019-07-01
issued: 2019-08-16
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ewers-Saucedo
  given name: Christine
author list: Agent
  family name: Owen
  given name: Christopher L.
author list: Agent
  family name: Pérez-Losada
  given name: Marcos
author list: Agent
  family name: Høeg
  given name: Jens T.
author list: Agent
  family name: Glenner
  given name: Henrik
author list: Agent
  family name: Chan
  given name: Benny K.K.
author list: Agent
  family name: Crandall
  given name: Keith A.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7387
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-16
copyright: © 2019 Ewers-Saucedo et al.
attribution name: Ewers-Saucedo et al.

Paranoia and conspiracy: group cohesion increases harmful intent attribution in the Trust Game
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Current theories argue that hyper-sensitisation of social threat perception is central to paranoia. Affected people often also report misperceptions of group cohesion (conspiracy) but little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underpinning this conspiracy thinking in live interactions. In a pre-registered experimental study, we used a large-scale game theory approach (N > 1,000) to test whether the social cohesion of an opposing group affects paranoid attributions in a mixed online and lab-based sample. Participants spanning the full population distribution of paranoia played as proposers in a modified Trust Game: they were allocated a bonus and chose how much money to send to a pair of responders which was quadrupled before reaching these responders. Responders decided how much to return to the proposers through the same process. Participants played in one of two conditions: against a cohesive group who communicated and arrived at a joint decision, or a non-cohesive group who made independent decisions. After the exchange, proposers rated the extent to which the responders’ decisions were driven by (i) self-interest and (ii) intent to harm. Although the true motives are ambiguous, cohesive responders were reliably rated by participants as being more strongly motivated by intent to harm, indicating that group cohesion affects social threat perception. Highly paranoid participants attributed harmful intent more strongly overall but were equally reactive to social cohesion as other participants. This suggests that paranoia involves a generally lowered threshold for social threat detection but with an intact sensitivity for cohesion-related group characteristics.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Anna Greenburgh
creator: Vaughan Bell
creator: Nichola Raihani
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Cognitive Disorders
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7403
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Greenburgh et al.
abstract: Current theories argue that hyper-sensitisation of social threat perception is central to paranoia. Affected people often also report misperceptions of group cohesion (conspiracy) but little is known about the cognitive mechanisms underpinning this conspiracy thinking in live interactions. In a pre-registered experimental study, we used a large-scale game theory approach (N > 1,000) to test whether the social cohesion of an opposing group affects paranoid attributions in a mixed online and lab-based sample. Participants spanning the full population distribution of paranoia played as proposers in a modified Trust Game: they were allocated a bonus and chose how much money to send to a pair of responders which was quadrupled before reaching these responders. Responders decided how much to return to the proposers through the same process. Participants played in one of two conditions: against a cohesive group who communicated and arrived at a joint decision, or a non-cohesive group who made independent decisions. After the exchange, proposers rated the extent to which the responders’ decisions were driven by (i) self-interest and (ii) intent to harm. Although the true motives are ambiguous, cohesive responders were reliably rated by participants as being more strongly motivated by intent to harm, indicating that group cohesion affects social threat perception. Highly paranoid participants attributed harmful intent more strongly overall but were equally reactive to social cohesion as other participants. This suggests that paranoia involves a generally lowered threshold for social threat detection but with an intact sensitivity for cohesion-related group characteristics.
bibliographic citation: Greenburgh et al. (2019) Paranoia and conspiracy: group cohesion increases harmful intent attribution in the Trust Game. PeerJ 7:e7403 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7403
date submitted: 2019-04-16
date accepted: 2019-07-03
issued: 2019-08-16
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Greenburgh
  given name: Anna
author list: Agent
  family name: Bell
  given name: Vaughan
author list: Agent
  family name: Raihani
  given name: Nichola
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7403
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-16
copyright: ©2019 Greenburgh et al.
attribution name: Greenburgh et al.

Random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs: characterisation of a novel experimental model
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Organ cross-talk describes interactions between a primary affected organ and a secondarily injured remote organ, particularly in lung-brain interactions. A common theory is the systemic distribution of inflammatory mediators that are released by the affected organ and transferred through the bloodstream. The present study characterises the baseline immunogenic effects of a novel experimental model of random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs designed to analyse the role of the bloodstream in organ cross-talk. Methods After approval of the State and Institutional Animal Care Committee, 20 anesthetized pig were randomized in a donor and an acceptor (each n = 8): the acceptor animals each received high-volume whole blood transfusion from the donor (35–40 ml kg−1). Four animals received balanced electrolyte solution instead of blood transfusion (control group; n = 4). Afterwards the animals underwent extended cardiorespiratory monitoring for eight hours. Post mortem assessment included pulmonary, cerebral and systemic mediators of early inflammatory response (IL-6, TNF-alpha, iNOS), wet to dry ratio, and lung histology. Results No adverse events or incompatibilities occurred during the blood transfusion procedures. Systemic cytokine levels and pulmonary function were unaffected. Lung histopathology scoring did not display relevant intergroup differences. Neither within the lung nor within the brain an up-regulation of inflammatory mediators was detected. High volume random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs neither impaired pulmonary integrity nor induced systemic, lung, or brain inflammatory response. Conclusion This approach can represent a novel experimental model to characterize the blood-bound transmission in remote organ injury.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Alexander Ziebart
creator: Moritz M. Schaefer
creator: Rainer Thomas
creator: Jens Kamuf
creator: Andreas Garcia-Bardon
creator: Christian Möllmann
creator: Robert Ruemmler
creator: Florian Heid
creator: Arno Schad
creator: Erik K. Hartmann
subject: Anesthesiology and Pain Management
subject: Emergency and Critical Care
subject: Hematology
subject: Respiratory Medicine
subject: Surgery and Surgical Specialties
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.7439
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Ziebart et al.
abstract: Background Organ cross-talk describes interactions between a primary affected organ and a secondarily injured remote organ, particularly in lung-brain interactions. A common theory is the systemic distribution of inflammatory mediators that are released by the affected organ and transferred through the bloodstream. The present study characterises the baseline immunogenic effects of a novel experimental model of random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs designed to analyse the role of the bloodstream in organ cross-talk. Methods After approval of the State and Institutional Animal Care Committee, 20 anesthetized pig were randomized in a donor and an acceptor (each n = 8): the acceptor animals each received high-volume whole blood transfusion from the donor (35–40 ml kg−1). Four animals received balanced electrolyte solution instead of blood transfusion (control group; n = 4). Afterwards the animals underwent extended cardiorespiratory monitoring for eight hours. Post mortem assessment included pulmonary, cerebral and systemic mediators of early inflammatory response (IL-6, TNF-alpha, iNOS), wet to dry ratio, and lung histology. Results No adverse events or incompatibilities occurred during the blood transfusion procedures. Systemic cytokine levels and pulmonary function were unaffected. Lung histopathology scoring did not display relevant intergroup differences. Neither within the lung nor within the brain an up-regulation of inflammatory mediators was detected. High volume random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs neither impaired pulmonary integrity nor induced systemic, lung, or brain inflammatory response. Conclusion This approach can represent a novel experimental model to characterize the blood-bound transmission in remote organ injury.
bibliographic citation: Ziebart et al. (2019) Random allogeneic blood transfusion in pigs: characterisation of a novel experimental model. PeerJ 7:e7439 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7439
date submitted: 2018-10-18
date accepted: 2019-07-08
issued: 2019-08-16
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ziebart
  given name: Alexander
author list: Agent
  family name: Schaefer
  given name: Moritz M.
author list: Agent
  family name: Thomas
  given name: Rainer
author list: Agent
  family name: Kamuf
  given name: Jens
author list: Agent
  family name: Garcia-Bardon
  given name: Andreas
author list: Agent
  family name: Möllmann
  given name: Christian
author list: Agent
  family name: Ruemmler
  given name: Robert
author list: Agent
  family name: Heid
  given name: Florian
author list: Agent
  family name: Schad
  given name: Arno
author list: Agent
  family name: Hartmann
  given name: Erik K.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7439
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-08-16
copyright: ©2019 Ziebart et al.
attribution name: Ziebart et al.

PeerJ
type: Periodical
uri: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359