PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: The association between meteorological variables and road traffic injuries: a study from Macao
items: Engineering of CHO cells for the production of vertebrate recombinant sialyltransferases
items: Potential ecotoxicological effects of antimicrobial surface coatings: a literature survey backed up by analysis of market reports
items: Integrating gross morphology and bone histology to assess skeletal maturity in early dinosauromorphs: new insights from Dromomeron (Archosauria: Dinosauromorpha)
items: In silico analysis reveals a shared immune signature in CASP8-mutated carcinomas with varying correlations to prognosis
items: The blood parameters and liver function changed inconsistently among children between burns and traumatic injuries
items: Discordant financial conflicts of interest disclosures between clinical trial conference abstract and subsequent publication
items: Elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities in Nepal
items: Invasion genetics of the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus): recent anthropogenic introduction in Iberia
items: Response of adult honey bees treated in larval stage with prochloraz to infection with Nosema ceranae

The association between meteorological variables and road traffic injuries: a study from Macao
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Objective Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to estimate the influence of meteorological factors on road traffic injuries stratified by severity. Crash rate was defined as mean monthly road traffic accidents per 1,000 vectors. Design Ecological time-series study. Setting Macao traffic accident registry database between January 1st, 2001 and November 31st, 2016. Participants In total, 393,176 traffic accidents and 72,501 cases of road traffic injuries (RTIs) were enrolled; patients’ severity was divided into mild injury, required hospitalisation, and death. Exposure Variation of monthly meteorological factors. Main outcome measure Weather-condition-related road traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths. Results Windy weather significantly correlated with increased number of traffic accidents among all transport vectors (r = .375 to .637; p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression showed temperature (B = 0.704; p < 0.05) and humidity (B = − 0.537; p < 0.001) were independent factors for mild injury. The role of windy weather was relatively more obvious among patients with severe injuries (B = 0.304; p < 0.001) or those who died (B = 0.015; p < 0.001). A longer duration of sunshine was also associated to RTI-related deaths (B = 0.015; p < 0.001). In total, 13.4% of RTIs were attributable to meteorological factors and may be preventable. Conclusion The World Health Organization stated that RTIs are a major but neglected public health challenge. This study demonstrates meteorological factors have significant effects on any degree of RTIs. The results may not be generalized to other climates or populations while the findings may have implications in both preventing injuries and to announce safety precautions regarding trauma and motor vehicle collisions to the general public by public agencies.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Chon-Fu Lio
creator: Hou-Hon Cheong
creator: Chon-Hou Un
creator: Iek-Long Lo
creator: Shin-Yi Tsai
subject: Epidemiology
subject: Global Health
subject: Public Health
subject: Environmental Impacts
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6438
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Lio et al.
abstract: Objective Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to estimate the influence of meteorological factors on road traffic injuries stratified by severity. Crash rate was defined as mean monthly road traffic accidents per 1,000 vectors. Design Ecological time-series study. Setting Macao traffic accident registry database between January 1st, 2001 and November 31st, 2016. Participants In total, 393,176 traffic accidents and 72,501 cases of road traffic injuries (RTIs) were enrolled; patients’ severity was divided into mild injury, required hospitalisation, and death. Exposure Variation of monthly meteorological factors. Main outcome measure Weather-condition-related road traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths. Results Windy weather significantly correlated with increased number of traffic accidents among all transport vectors (r = .375 to .637; p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression showed temperature (B = 0.704; p < 0.05) and humidity (B = − 0.537; p < 0.001) were independent factors for mild injury. The role of windy weather was relatively more obvious among patients with severe injuries (B = 0.304; p < 0.001) or those who died (B = 0.015; p < 0.001). A longer duration of sunshine was also associated to RTI-related deaths (B = 0.015; p < 0.001). In total, 13.4% of RTIs were attributable to meteorological factors and may be preventable. Conclusion The World Health Organization stated that RTIs are a major but neglected public health challenge. This study demonstrates meteorological factors have significant effects on any degree of RTIs. The results may not be generalized to other climates or populations while the findings may have implications in both preventing injuries and to announce safety precautions regarding trauma and motor vehicle collisions to the general public by public agencies.
bibliographic citation: Lio et al. (2019) The association between meteorological variables and road traffic injuries: a study from Macao. PeerJ 7:e6438 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6438
date submitted: 2018-04-11
date accepted: 2019-01-11
issued: 2019-02-12
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Lio
  given name: Chon-Fu
author list: Agent
  family name: Cheong
  given name: Hou-Hon
author list: Agent
  family name: Un
  given name: Chon-Hou
author list: Agent
  family name: Lo
  given name: Iek-Long
author list: Agent
  family name: Tsai
  given name: Shin-Yi
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6438
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-12
copyright: ©2019 Lio et al.
attribution name: Lio et al.

Engineering of CHO cells for the production of vertebrate recombinant sialyltransferases
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Sialyltransferases (SIATs) are a family of enzymes that transfer sialic acid (Sia) to glycan chains on glycoproteins, glycolipids, and oligosaccharides. They play key roles in determining cell–cell and cell-matrix interactions and are important in neuronal development, immune regulation, protein stability and clearance. Most fully characterized SIATs are of mammalian origin and these have been used for in vitro and in vivo modification of glycans. Additional versatility could be achieved by the use of animal SIATs from other species that live in much more variable environments. Our aim was to generate a panel of stable CHO cell lines expressing a range of vertebrate SIATs with different physicochemical and functional properties. Methods The soluble forms of various animal ST6Gal and ST3Gal enzymes were stably expressed from a Gateway-modified secretion vector in CHO cells. The secreted proteins were IMAC-purified from serum-free media. Functionality of the protein was initially assessed by lectin binding to the host CHO cells. Activity of purified proteins was determined by a number of approaches that included a phosphate-linked sialyltransferase assay, HILIC-HPLC identification of sialyllactose products and enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). Results A range of sialyltransferase from mammals, birds and fish were stably expressed in CHO Flp-In cells. The stable cell lines expressing ST6Gal1 modify the glycans on the surface of the CHO cells as detected by fluorescently labelled lectin microscopy. The catalytic domains, as isolated by Ni Sepharose from culture media, have enzymatic activities comparable to commercial enzymes. Sialyllactoses were identified by HILIC-HPLC on incubation of the enzymes from lactose or whey permeate. The enzymes also increased SNA-I labelling of asialofetuin when incubated in a plate format. Conclusion Stable cell lines are available that may provide options for the in vivo sialylation of glycoproteins. Proteins are active and s…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Benoit Houeix
creator: Michael T. Cairns
subject: Bioengineering
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Molecular Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.5788
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Houeix and Cairns
abstract: Background Sialyltransferases (SIATs) are a family of enzymes that transfer sialic acid (Sia) to glycan chains on glycoproteins, glycolipids, and oligosaccharides. They play key roles in determining cell–cell and cell-matrix interactions and are important in neuronal development, immune regulation, protein stability and clearance. Most fully characterized SIATs are of mammalian origin and these have been used for in vitro and in vivo modification of glycans. Additional versatility could be achieved by the use of animal SIATs from other species that live in much more variable environments. Our aim was to generate a panel of stable CHO cell lines expressing a range of vertebrate SIATs with different physicochemical and functional properties. Methods The soluble forms of various animal ST6Gal and ST3Gal enzymes were stably expressed from a Gateway-modified secretion vector in CHO cells. The secreted proteins were IMAC-purified from serum-free media. Functionality of the protein was initially assessed by lectin binding to the host CHO cells. Activity of purified proteins was determined by a number of approaches that included a phosphate-linked sialyltransferase assay, HILIC-HPLC identification of sialyllactose products and enzyme-linked lectin assay (ELLA). Results A range of sialyltransferase from mammals, birds and fish were stably expressed in CHO Flp-In cells. The stable cell lines expressing ST6Gal1 modify the glycans on the surface of the CHO cells as detected by fluorescently labelled lectin microscopy. The catalytic domains, as isolated by Ni Sepharose from culture media, have enzymatic activities comparable to commercial enzymes. Sialyllactoses were identified by HILIC-HPLC on incubation of the enzymes from lactose or whey permeate. The enzymes also increased SNA-I labelling of asialofetuin when incubated in a plate format. Conclusion Stable cell lines are available that may provide options for the in vivo sialylation of glycoproteins. Proteins are active and s…
bibliographic citation: Houeix et al. (2019) Engineering of CHO cells for the production of vertebrate recombinant sialyltransferases. PeerJ 7:e5788 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5788
date submitted: 2018-06-01
date accepted: 2018-09-19
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Houeix
  given name: Benoit
author list: Agent
  family name: Cairns
  given name: Michael T.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.5788
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: © 2019 Houeix and Cairns
attribution name: Houeix and Cairns

Potential ecotoxicological effects of antimicrobial surface coatings: a literature survey backed up by analysis of market reports
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: This review was initiated by the COST action CA15114 AMICI “Anti-Microbial Coating Innovations to prevent infectious diseases,” where one important aspect is to analyze ecotoxicological impacts of antimicrobial coatings (AMCs) to ensure their sustainable use. Scopus database was used to collect scientific literature on the types and uses of AMCs, while market reports were used to collect data on production volumes. Special attention was paid on data obtained for the release of the most prevalent ingredients of AMCs into the aqueous phase that was used as the proxy for their possible ecotoxicological effects. Based on the critical analysis of 2,720 papers, it can be concluded that silver-based AMCs are by far the most studied and used coatings followed by those based on titanium, copper, zinc, chitosan and quaternary ammonium compounds. The literature analysis pointed to biomedicine, followed by marine industry, construction industry (paints), food industry and textiles as the main fields of application of AMCs. The published data on ecotoxicological effects of AMCs was scarce, and also only a small number of the papers provided information on release of antimicrobial ingredients from AMCs. The available release data allowed to conclude that silver, copper and zinc are often released in substantial amounts (up to 100%) from the coatings to the aqueous environment. Chitosan and titanium were mostly not used as active released ingredients in AMCs, but rather as carriers for other release-based antimicrobial ingredients (e.g., conventional antibiotics). While minimizing the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections appeared to be the most prosperous field of AMCs application, the release of environmentally hazardous ingredients of AMCs into hospital wastewaters and thus, also the environmental risks associated with AMCs, comprise currently only a fraction of the release and risks of traditional disinfectants. However, being proactive, while the use of antimicrobial…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Merilin Rosenberg
creator: Krunoslav Ilić
creator: Katre Juganson
creator: Angela Ivask
creator: Merja Ahonen
creator: Ivana Vinković Vrček
creator: Anne Kahru
subject: Microbiology
subject: Toxicology
subject: Public Health
subject: Ecotoxicology
subject: Environmental Impacts
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6315
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Rosenberg et al.
abstract: This review was initiated by the COST action CA15114 AMICI “Anti-Microbial Coating Innovations to prevent infectious diseases,” where one important aspect is to analyze ecotoxicological impacts of antimicrobial coatings (AMCs) to ensure their sustainable use. Scopus database was used to collect scientific literature on the types and uses of AMCs, while market reports were used to collect data on production volumes. Special attention was paid on data obtained for the release of the most prevalent ingredients of AMCs into the aqueous phase that was used as the proxy for their possible ecotoxicological effects. Based on the critical analysis of 2,720 papers, it can be concluded that silver-based AMCs are by far the most studied and used coatings followed by those based on titanium, copper, zinc, chitosan and quaternary ammonium compounds. The literature analysis pointed to biomedicine, followed by marine industry, construction industry (paints), food industry and textiles as the main fields of application of AMCs. The published data on ecotoxicological effects of AMCs was scarce, and also only a small number of the papers provided information on release of antimicrobial ingredients from AMCs. The available release data allowed to conclude that silver, copper and zinc are often released in substantial amounts (up to 100%) from the coatings to the aqueous environment. Chitosan and titanium were mostly not used as active released ingredients in AMCs, but rather as carriers for other release-based antimicrobial ingredients (e.g., conventional antibiotics). While minimizing the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections appeared to be the most prosperous field of AMCs application, the release of environmentally hazardous ingredients of AMCs into hospital wastewaters and thus, also the environmental risks associated with AMCs, comprise currently only a fraction of the release and risks of traditional disinfectants. However, being proactive, while the use of antimicrobial…
bibliographic citation: Rosenberg et al. (2019) Potential ecotoxicological effects of antimicrobial surface coatings: a literature survey backed up by analysis of market reports. PeerJ 7:e6315 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6315
date submitted: 2018-08-28
date accepted: 2018-12-19
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Rosenberg
  given name: Merilin
author list: Agent
  family name: Ilić
  given name: Krunoslav
author list: Agent
  family name: Juganson
  given name: Katre
author list: Agent
  family name: Ivask
  given name: Angela
author list: Agent
  family name: Ahonen
  given name: Merja
author list: Agent
  family name: Vinković Vrček
  given name: Ivana
author list: Agent
  family name: Kahru
  given name: Anne
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6315
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: © 2019 Rosenberg et al.
attribution name: Rosenberg et al.

Integrating gross morphology and bone histology to assess skeletal maturity in early dinosauromorphs: new insights from Dromomeron (Archosauria: Dinosauromorpha)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Understanding growth patterns is central to properly interpreting paleobiological signals in tetrapods, but assessing skeletal maturity in some extinct clades may be difficult when growth patterns are poorly constrained by a lack of ontogenetic series. To overcome this difficulty in assessing the maturity of extinct archosaurian reptiles—crocodylians, birds and their extinct relatives—many studies employ bone histology to observe indicators of the developmental stage reached by a given individual. However, the relationship between gross morphological and histological indicators of maturity has not been examined in most archosaurian groups. In this study, we examined the gross morphology of a hypothesized growth series of Dromomeron romeri femora (96.6–144.4 mm long), the first series of a non-dinosauriform dinosauromorph available for such a study. We also histologically sampled several individuals in this growth series. Previous studies reported that D. romeri lacks well-developed rugose muscle scars that appear during ontogeny in closely related dinosauromorph taxa, so integrating gross morphology and histological signal is needed to determine reliable maturity indicators for early bird-line archosaurs. We found that, although there are small, linear scars indicating muscle attachment sites across the femur, the only rugose muscle scar that appears during ontogeny is the attachment of the M. caudofemoralis longus, and only in the largest-sampled individual. This individual is also the only femur with histological indicators that asymptotic size had been reached, although smaller individuals possess some signal of decreasing growth rates (e.g., decreasing vascular density). The overall femoral bone histology of D. romeri is similar to that of other early bird-line archosaurs (e.g., woven-bone tissue, moderately to well-vascularized, longitudinal vascular canals). All these data indicate that the lack of well-developed femoral scars is autapomorphic for this species…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Christopher T. Griffin
creator: Lauren S. Bano
creator: Alan H. Turner
creator: Nathan D. Smith
creator: Randall B. Irmis
creator: Sterling J. Nesbitt
subject: Evolutionary Studies
subject: Paleontology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6331
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Griffin et al.
abstract: Understanding growth patterns is central to properly interpreting paleobiological signals in tetrapods, but assessing skeletal maturity in some extinct clades may be difficult when growth patterns are poorly constrained by a lack of ontogenetic series. To overcome this difficulty in assessing the maturity of extinct archosaurian reptiles—crocodylians, birds and their extinct relatives—many studies employ bone histology to observe indicators of the developmental stage reached by a given individual. However, the relationship between gross morphological and histological indicators of maturity has not been examined in most archosaurian groups. In this study, we examined the gross morphology of a hypothesized growth series of Dromomeron romeri femora (96.6–144.4 mm long), the first series of a non-dinosauriform dinosauromorph available for such a study. We also histologically sampled several individuals in this growth series. Previous studies reported that D. romeri lacks well-developed rugose muscle scars that appear during ontogeny in closely related dinosauromorph taxa, so integrating gross morphology and histological signal is needed to determine reliable maturity indicators for early bird-line archosaurs. We found that, although there are small, linear scars indicating muscle attachment sites across the femur, the only rugose muscle scar that appears during ontogeny is the attachment of the M. caudofemoralis longus, and only in the largest-sampled individual. This individual is also the only femur with histological indicators that asymptotic size had been reached, although smaller individuals possess some signal of decreasing growth rates (e.g., decreasing vascular density). The overall femoral bone histology of D. romeri is similar to that of other early bird-line archosaurs (e.g., woven-bone tissue, moderately to well-vascularized, longitudinal vascular canals). All these data indicate that the lack of well-developed femoral scars is autapomorphic for this species…
bibliographic citation: Griffin et al. (2019) Integrating gross morphology and bone histology to assess skeletal maturity in early dinosauromorphs: new insights from Dromomeron (Archosauria: Dinosauromorpha). PeerJ 7:e6331 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6331
date submitted: 2018-08-07
date accepted: 2018-12-20
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Griffin
  given name: Christopher T.
author list: Agent
  family name: Bano
  given name: Lauren S.
author list: Agent
  family name: Turner
  given name: Alan H.
author list: Agent
  family name: Smith
  given name: Nathan D.
author list: Agent
  family name: Irmis
  given name: Randall B.
author list: Agent
  family name: Nesbitt
  given name: Sterling J.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6331
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: © 2019 Griffin et al.
attribution name: Griffin et al.

In silico analysis reveals a shared immune signature in CASP8-mutated carcinomas with varying correlations to prognosis
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Sequencing studies across multiple cancers continue to reveal mutations and genes involved in the pathobiology of these cancers. Exome sequencing of oral cancers, a subset of Head and Neck Squamous cell Carcinomas (HNSCs) common among tobacco-chewing populations, revealed that ∼34% of the affected patients harbor mutations in the CASP8 gene. Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC) is another cancer where ∼10% cases harbor CASP8 mutations. Caspase-8, the protease encoded by CASP8 gene, plays a dual role in programmed cell death, which in turn has an important role in tumor cell death and drug resistance. CASP8 is a protease required for the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis and is also a negative regulator of necroptosis. Using multiple tools such as differential gene expression, gene set enrichment, gene ontology, in silico immune cell estimates, and survival analyses to mine data in The Cancer Genome Atlas, we compared the molecular features and survival of these carcinomas with and without CASP8 mutations. Results Differential gene expression followed by gene set enrichment analysis showed that HNSCs with CASP8 mutations displayed a prominent signature of genes involved in immune response and inflammation. Analysis of abundance estimates of immune cells in these tumors further revealed that mutant-CASP8 HNSCs were rich in immune cell infiltrates. However, in contrast to Human Papilloma Virus-positive HNSCs that also exhibit high immune cell infiltration, which in turn is correlated with better overall survival, HNSC patients with mutant-CASP8 tumors did not display any survival advantage. Similar analyses of UCECs revealed that while UCECs with CASP8 mutations also displayed an immune signature, they had better overall survival, in contrast to the HNSC scenario. There was also a significant up-regulation of neutrophils (p-value = 0.0001638) as well as high levels of IL33 mRNA (p-value = 7.63747E−08) in mutant-CASP8 HNSCs, which were not observed in mut…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Yashoda Ghanekar
creator: Subhashini Sadasivam
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Genomics
subject: Immunology
subject: Oncology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6402
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Ghanekar and Sadasivam
abstract: Background Sequencing studies across multiple cancers continue to reveal mutations and genes involved in the pathobiology of these cancers. Exome sequencing of oral cancers, a subset of Head and Neck Squamous cell Carcinomas (HNSCs) common among tobacco-chewing populations, revealed that ∼34% of the affected patients harbor mutations in the CASP8 gene. Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC) is another cancer where ∼10% cases harbor CASP8 mutations. Caspase-8, the protease encoded by CASP8 gene, plays a dual role in programmed cell death, which in turn has an important role in tumor cell death and drug resistance. CASP8 is a protease required for the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis and is also a negative regulator of necroptosis. Using multiple tools such as differential gene expression, gene set enrichment, gene ontology, in silico immune cell estimates, and survival analyses to mine data in The Cancer Genome Atlas, we compared the molecular features and survival of these carcinomas with and without CASP8 mutations. Results Differential gene expression followed by gene set enrichment analysis showed that HNSCs with CASP8 mutations displayed a prominent signature of genes involved in immune response and inflammation. Analysis of abundance estimates of immune cells in these tumors further revealed that mutant-CASP8 HNSCs were rich in immune cell infiltrates. However, in contrast to Human Papilloma Virus-positive HNSCs that also exhibit high immune cell infiltration, which in turn is correlated with better overall survival, HNSC patients with mutant-CASP8 tumors did not display any survival advantage. Similar analyses of UCECs revealed that while UCECs with CASP8 mutations also displayed an immune signature, they had better overall survival, in contrast to the HNSC scenario. There was also a significant up-regulation of neutrophils (p-value = 0.0001638) as well as high levels of IL33 mRNA (p-value = 7.63747E−08) in mutant-CASP8 HNSCs, which were not observed in mut…
bibliographic citation: Ghanekar et al. (2019) In silico analysis reveals a shared immune signature in CASP8-mutated carcinomas with varying correlations to prognosis. PeerJ 7:e6402 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6402
date submitted: 2018-11-06
date accepted: 2019-01-07
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Ghanekar
  given name: Yashoda
author list: Agent
  family name: Sadasivam
  given name: Subhashini
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6402
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: ©2019 Ghanekar and Sadasivam
attribution name: Ghanekar and Sadasivam

The blood parameters and liver function changed inconsistently among children between burns and traumatic injuries
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Objective Burn and traumatic injury are two kinds of injury by modality. They cause acute phase response and lead to a series of pathological and physiological changes. In this study, we explored whether there are differences in routine blood parameters and liver enzyme levels between burned and traumatically injured children. Methods Patients under 18 years old with injuries were recruited. Their demographic and clinical data were recorded. Collected clinical data included routine blood parameters (white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), platelets (PLT), hemoglobin (HB)), serological enzyme levels (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholinesterase (CHE)), and total protein (TP) levels (albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB)). A generalized linear model and multivariate analysis of variance were used to conduct comparisons. Results A total of 162 children (109 with burns and 53 with traumatic injuries) with a mean age of 4.36 ± 4.29 years were enrolled in the study. Burned children had higher levels of RBC, HB, WBC, AST and lower levels of TP, CHE, ALB than traumatically injured children (P < 0.05). Moreover, the concentration of WBC and HB was higher in males compared to females (P < 0.001). Conversely, the level of AST and TP in males was lower, AST levels were significantly lower in males (P = 0.005). Age positively correlated with the levels of HB, AST and TP (P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with WBC (P < 0.001). With decreasing body mass index (BMI), the levels of WBC, HB, AST and TP significantly increased in both groups of injured children (P < 0.001). In addition, ISS was positively correlated with WBC and HB levels (P < 0.001), but negatively correlated with AST and TP levels (P < 0.001). Conclusions Children with burn injuries suffered a greater acute response and liver damage than traumatically injured children. This may in part underlie clinical observations …
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Chan Nie
creator: Tao Wang
creator: Huiting Yu
creator: Xue Wang
creator: Xueqin Zeng
creator: Zairong Wei
creator: Xiuquan Shi
subject: Dermatology
subject: Gastroenterology and Hepatology
subject: Hematology
subject: Pediatrics
subject: Public Health
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6415
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Nie et al.
abstract: Objective Burn and traumatic injury are two kinds of injury by modality. They cause acute phase response and lead to a series of pathological and physiological changes. In this study, we explored whether there are differences in routine blood parameters and liver enzyme levels between burned and traumatically injured children. Methods Patients under 18 years old with injuries were recruited. Their demographic and clinical data were recorded. Collected clinical data included routine blood parameters (white blood cell count (WBC), red blood cell count (RBC), platelets (PLT), hemoglobin (HB)), serological enzyme levels (alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), glutamyltransferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), cholinesterase (CHE)), and total protein (TP) levels (albumin (ALB), globulin (GLB)). A generalized linear model and multivariate analysis of variance were used to conduct comparisons. Results A total of 162 children (109 with burns and 53 with traumatic injuries) with a mean age of 4.36 ± 4.29 years were enrolled in the study. Burned children had higher levels of RBC, HB, WBC, AST and lower levels of TP, CHE, ALB than traumatically injured children (P < 0.05). Moreover, the concentration of WBC and HB was higher in males compared to females (P < 0.001). Conversely, the level of AST and TP in males was lower, AST levels were significantly lower in males (P = 0.005). Age positively correlated with the levels of HB, AST and TP (P < 0.001), and negatively correlated with WBC (P < 0.001). With decreasing body mass index (BMI), the levels of WBC, HB, AST and TP significantly increased in both groups of injured children (P < 0.001). In addition, ISS was positively correlated with WBC and HB levels (P < 0.001), but negatively correlated with AST and TP levels (P < 0.001). Conclusions Children with burn injuries suffered a greater acute response and liver damage than traumatically injured children. This may in part underlie clinical observations …
bibliographic citation: Nie et al. (2019) The blood parameters and liver function changed inconsistently among children between burns and traumatic injuries. PeerJ 7:e6415 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6415
date submitted: 2018-10-24
date accepted: 2019-01-08
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Nie
  given name: Chan
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Tao
author list: Agent
  family name: Yu
  given name: Huiting
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Xue
author list: Agent
  family name: Zeng
  given name: Xueqin
author list: Agent
  family name: Wei
  given name: Zairong
author list: Agent
  family name: Shi
  given name: Xiuquan
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6415
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: ©2019 Nie et al.
attribution name: Nie et al.

Discordant financial conflicts of interest disclosures between clinical trial conference abstract and subsequent publication
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) are known to be prevalent in medicine. Authorship of pivotal trials reap non-financial benefits including publication productivity that can be used for assessment of tenure positions and promotion. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the prevalence and discordance of academic trial author (authors) FCOI in industry-sponsored drug trials that were initially presented as oral abstracts and subsequently resulted in a peer-reviewed publication. Methods Oral abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2017 Annual Meeting that were subsequently published were identified. Studies that were non-industry sponsored, non-adult, or non-therapeutic trials were excluded. Studies that did not have a subsequent peer-reviewed publication or had a publication preceding the ASCO 2017 Annual Meeting were also excluded. FCOI was categorized and impact factor (IF) for the journal at the time of publication was retrieved. FCOI discordance between the oral abstract and publication was calculated based on geographic location and IF. Results A total of 22 paired abstract and publications met inclusion criteria for further analysis. A total of 384 authors were identified, of these 280 authors (74.1%) were included in both the oral abstract and subsequent publication. A total of 76% of these 280 authors had FCOI and 66.4% had FCOI discordance. There were statistically significant differences for the sum of FCOI discordance for U.S.-based authors (p = 0.0004) but not for journal IF. When analyzing the sum of absolute differences of FCOI discordance, statistical significance was reached for authors from any of the three geographic regions, as well as, low and high IF journals (all p-values < 0.0001). Conclusions This study draws attention to the lack of uniformity and vetting of FCOI reporting in abstracts and journals publishing solid tumor oncology trial results. This is particularly concerning, since FCOI is p…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Glen J. Weiss
creator: Roger B. Davis
subject: Clinical Trials
subject: Oncology
subject: Ethical Issues
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6423
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Weiss and Davis
abstract: Background Financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) are known to be prevalent in medicine. Authorship of pivotal trials reap non-financial benefits including publication productivity that can be used for assessment of tenure positions and promotion. The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the prevalence and discordance of academic trial author (authors) FCOI in industry-sponsored drug trials that were initially presented as oral abstracts and subsequently resulted in a peer-reviewed publication. Methods Oral abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2017 Annual Meeting that were subsequently published were identified. Studies that were non-industry sponsored, non-adult, or non-therapeutic trials were excluded. Studies that did not have a subsequent peer-reviewed publication or had a publication preceding the ASCO 2017 Annual Meeting were also excluded. FCOI was categorized and impact factor (IF) for the journal at the time of publication was retrieved. FCOI discordance between the oral abstract and publication was calculated based on geographic location and IF. Results A total of 22 paired abstract and publications met inclusion criteria for further analysis. A total of 384 authors were identified, of these 280 authors (74.1%) were included in both the oral abstract and subsequent publication. A total of 76% of these 280 authors had FCOI and 66.4% had FCOI discordance. There were statistically significant differences for the sum of FCOI discordance for U.S.-based authors (p = 0.0004) but not for journal IF. When analyzing the sum of absolute differences of FCOI discordance, statistical significance was reached for authors from any of the three geographic regions, as well as, low and high IF journals (all p-values < 0.0001). Conclusions This study draws attention to the lack of uniformity and vetting of FCOI reporting in abstracts and journals publishing solid tumor oncology trial results. This is particularly concerning, since FCOI is p…
bibliographic citation: Weiss et al. (2019) Discordant financial conflicts of interest disclosures between clinical trial conference abstract and subsequent publication. PeerJ 7:e6423 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6423
date submitted: 2018-09-27
date accepted: 2019-01-09
issued: 2019-02-11
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Weiss
  given name: Glen J.
author list: Agent
  family name: Davis
  given name: Roger B.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6423
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-11
copyright: © 2019 Weiss and Davis
attribution name: Weiss and Davis

Elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities in Nepal
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Geographical patterns of species diversity are one of the key topics in biogeography and ecology. The effects of biogeographical affinities on the elevational patterns of species diversity have attracted much attention recently, but the factors driving elevational patterns of the percentages of plants with tropical and temperate biogeographical affinities have not been adequately explored. Methods We first used univariate least squares regressions to evaluate the effects of each predictor on the elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities in Nepal. Then, the lowest corrected Akaike information criterion value was used to find the best-fit models for all possible combinations of the aforementioned predictors. We also conducted partial regression analysis to investigate the relative influences of each predictor in the best-fit model of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities. Results With the increase of elevation, the percentage of plant genera with tropical affinity significantly decreased, while that of plant genera with temperate affinity increased. The strongest predictor of the percentages of plant genera with tropical affinity in the examined area was the minimum temperature of the coldest month. For the elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with temperate affinity, the strongest predictor was the maximum temperature of the warmest month. Compared with mid-domain effects (MDE), climatic factors explained much more of the elevational variation of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities. Discussion The elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical affinities and the factors driving them supported the revision of the freezing-tolerance hypothesis. That is, freezing may filter out plant genera with tropical affinity, resulting in the decrease of their percentages, with winter coldness playing a predomi…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Yunyun Lai
creator: Jianmeng Feng
subject: Biogeography
subject: Ecology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6116
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Lai and Feng
abstract: Background Geographical patterns of species diversity are one of the key topics in biogeography and ecology. The effects of biogeographical affinities on the elevational patterns of species diversity have attracted much attention recently, but the factors driving elevational patterns of the percentages of plants with tropical and temperate biogeographical affinities have not been adequately explored. Methods We first used univariate least squares regressions to evaluate the effects of each predictor on the elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities in Nepal. Then, the lowest corrected Akaike information criterion value was used to find the best-fit models for all possible combinations of the aforementioned predictors. We also conducted partial regression analysis to investigate the relative influences of each predictor in the best-fit model of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities. Results With the increase of elevation, the percentage of plant genera with tropical affinity significantly decreased, while that of plant genera with temperate affinity increased. The strongest predictor of the percentages of plant genera with tropical affinity in the examined area was the minimum temperature of the coldest month. For the elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with temperate affinity, the strongest predictor was the maximum temperature of the warmest month. Compared with mid-domain effects (MDE), climatic factors explained much more of the elevational variation of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities. Discussion The elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical affinities and the factors driving them supported the revision of the freezing-tolerance hypothesis. That is, freezing may filter out plant genera with tropical affinity, resulting in the decrease of their percentages, with winter coldness playing a predomi…
bibliographic citation: Lai et al. (2019) Elevational patterns of the percentages of plant genera with tropical and temperate affinities in Nepal. PeerJ 7:e6116 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6116
date submitted: 2018-05-15
date accepted: 2018-11-14
issued: 2019-02-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Lai
  given name: Yunyun
author list: Agent
  family name: Feng
  given name: Jianmeng
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6116
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-08
copyright: © 2019 Lai and Feng
attribution name: Lai and Feng

Invasion genetics of the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus): recent anthropogenic introduction in Iberia
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Human activities such as trade and transport have increased considerably in the last decades, greatly facilitating the introduction and spread of non-native species at a global level. In the Iberian Peninsula, Fundulus heteroclitus, a small euryhaline coastal fish with short dispersal, was found for the first time in the mid-1970s. Since then, F. heteroclitus has undergone range expansions, colonizing the southern region of Portugal, southwestern coast of Spain and the Ebro Delta in the Mediterranean Sea. Cytochrome b sequences were used to elucidate the species invasion pathway in Iberia. Three Iberian locations (Faro, Cádiz and Ebro Delta) and 13 other locations along the native range of F. heteroclitus in North America were sampled. Results revealed a single haplotype, common to all invasive populations, which can be traced to the northern region of the species’ native range. We posit that the origin of the founder individuals is between New York and Nova Scotia. Additionally, the lack of genetic structure within Iberia is consistent with a recent invasion scenario and a strong founder effect. We suggest the most probable introduction vector is associated with the aquarium trade. We further discuss the hypothesis of a second human-mediated introduction responsible for the establishment of individuals in the Ebro Delta supported by the absence of adequate muddy habitats linking Cádiz and the Ebro Delta. Although the species has a high tolerance to salinity and temperature, ecological niche modelling indicates that benthic habitat constraints prevent along-shore colonisation suggesting that such expansions would need to be aided by human release.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Teófilo Morim
creator: Grant R. Bigg
creator: Pedro M. Madeira
creator: Jorge Palma
creator: David D. Duvernell
creator: Enric Gisbert
creator: Regina L. Cunha
creator: Rita Castilho
subject: Biogeography
subject: Genetics
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6155
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Morim et al.
abstract: Human activities such as trade and transport have increased considerably in the last decades, greatly facilitating the introduction and spread of non-native species at a global level. In the Iberian Peninsula, Fundulus heteroclitus, a small euryhaline coastal fish with short dispersal, was found for the first time in the mid-1970s. Since then, F. heteroclitus has undergone range expansions, colonizing the southern region of Portugal, southwestern coast of Spain and the Ebro Delta in the Mediterranean Sea. Cytochrome b sequences were used to elucidate the species invasion pathway in Iberia. Three Iberian locations (Faro, Cádiz and Ebro Delta) and 13 other locations along the native range of F. heteroclitus in North America were sampled. Results revealed a single haplotype, common to all invasive populations, which can be traced to the northern region of the species’ native range. We posit that the origin of the founder individuals is between New York and Nova Scotia. Additionally, the lack of genetic structure within Iberia is consistent with a recent invasion scenario and a strong founder effect. We suggest the most probable introduction vector is associated with the aquarium trade. We further discuss the hypothesis of a second human-mediated introduction responsible for the establishment of individuals in the Ebro Delta supported by the absence of adequate muddy habitats linking Cádiz and the Ebro Delta. Although the species has a high tolerance to salinity and temperature, ecological niche modelling indicates that benthic habitat constraints prevent along-shore colonisation suggesting that such expansions would need to be aided by human release.
bibliographic citation: Morim et al. (2019) Invasion genetics of the mummichog (Fundulus heteroclitus): recent anthropogenic introduction in Iberia. PeerJ 7:e6155 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6155
date submitted: 2018-08-31
date accepted: 2018-11-25
issued: 2019-02-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Morim
  given name: Teófilo
author list: Agent
  family name: Bigg
  given name: Grant R.
author list: Agent
  family name: Madeira
  given name: Pedro M.
author list: Agent
  family name: Palma
  given name: Jorge
author list: Agent
  family name: Duvernell
  given name: David D.
author list: Agent
  family name: Gisbert
  given name: Enric
author list: Agent
  family name: Cunha
  given name: Regina L.
author list: Agent
  family name: Castilho
  given name: Rita
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6155
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-08
copyright: ©2019 Morim et al.
attribution name: Morim et al.

Response of adult honey bees treated in larval stage with prochloraz to infection with Nosema ceranae
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Among numerous factors that contribute to honey bee colony losses and problems in beekeeping, pesticides and Nosema ceranae have been often reported. In contrast to insecticides, whose effects on bees have been widely studied, fungicides did not attract considerable attention. Prochloraz, an imidazole fungicide widely used in agriculture, was detected in honey and pollen stored inside hives and has been already proven to alter immune gene expression of honey bees at different developmental stages. The aim of this study was to simulate the realistic conditions of migratory beekeeping, where colonies, both uninfected and infected with N. ceranae, are frequently transported to the vicinity of crop fields treated with prochloraz. We investigated the combined effect of prochloraz and N. ceranae on honey bees that faced fungicide during the larval stage through food consumption and microsporidium infection afterwards. The most pronounced changes in gene expression were observed in newly emerged Nosema-free bees originating from colonies previously contaminated with prochloraz. As exclusively upregulation was registered, prochloraz alone most likely acts as a challenge that induces activation of immune pathways in newly emerged bees. The combination of both stressors (prochloraz and Nosema infection) exerted the greatest effect on six-day-old honey bees. Among ten genes with significantly altered expression, half were upregulated and half downregulated. N. ceranae as a sole stressor had the weakest effects on immune gene expression modulation with only three genes significantly dysregulated. In conclusion, food contaminated with prochloraz consumed in larval stage could present a threat to the development of immunity and detoxification mechanisms in honey bees.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Uros Glavinic
creator: Tanja Tesovnik
creator: Jevrosima Stevanovic
creator: Minja Zorc
creator: Ivanka Cizelj
creator: Zoran Stanimirovic
creator: Mojca Narat
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Entomology
subject: Molecular Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.6325
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2019 Glavinic et al.
abstract: Among numerous factors that contribute to honey bee colony losses and problems in beekeeping, pesticides and Nosema ceranae have been often reported. In contrast to insecticides, whose effects on bees have been widely studied, fungicides did not attract considerable attention. Prochloraz, an imidazole fungicide widely used in agriculture, was detected in honey and pollen stored inside hives and has been already proven to alter immune gene expression of honey bees at different developmental stages. The aim of this study was to simulate the realistic conditions of migratory beekeeping, where colonies, both uninfected and infected with N. ceranae, are frequently transported to the vicinity of crop fields treated with prochloraz. We investigated the combined effect of prochloraz and N. ceranae on honey bees that faced fungicide during the larval stage through food consumption and microsporidium infection afterwards. The most pronounced changes in gene expression were observed in newly emerged Nosema-free bees originating from colonies previously contaminated with prochloraz. As exclusively upregulation was registered, prochloraz alone most likely acts as a challenge that induces activation of immune pathways in newly emerged bees. The combination of both stressors (prochloraz and Nosema infection) exerted the greatest effect on six-day-old honey bees. Among ten genes with significantly altered expression, half were upregulated and half downregulated. N. ceranae as a sole stressor had the weakest effects on immune gene expression modulation with only three genes significantly dysregulated. In conclusion, food contaminated with prochloraz consumed in larval stage could present a threat to the development of immunity and detoxification mechanisms in honey bees.
bibliographic citation: Glavinic et al. (2019) Response of adult honey bees treated in larval stage with prochloraz to infection with Nosema ceranae. PeerJ 7:e6325 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6325
date submitted: 2018-11-30
date accepted: 2018-12-20
issued: 2019-02-08
is part of: PeerJ
license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Glavinic
  given name: Uros
author list: Agent
  family name: Tesovnik
  given name: Tanja
author list: Agent
  family name: Stevanovic
  given name: Jevrosima
author list: Agent
  family name: Zorc
  given name: Minja
author list: Agent
  family name: Cizelj
  given name: Ivanka
author list: Agent
  family name: Stanimirovic
  given name: Zoran
author list: Agent
  family name: Narat
  given name: Mojca
doi: 10.7717/peerj.6325
volume: 7
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2019-02-08
copyright: ©2019 Glavinic et al.
attribution name: Glavinic et al.

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