PeerJ
type: channel
link: https://peerj.com/articles/
description: Articles published in PeerJ
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
publication name: PeerJ
issn: 2167-8359
items: A novel one-step quick assay for detection of SARS-COV2 antibodies across mammalian species
items: HiCEnterprise: identifying long range chromosomal contacts in Hi-C data
items: Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa
items: Hematological and cytochemical characteristics of peripheral blood cells in the argus snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus Cantor)
items: Integrated metabolome and transcriptome revealed the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in developing Vernonia amygdalina leaves
items: Experiencing fear during the pandemic: validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in Polish
items: NFIB promotes the migration and progression of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by regulating PINK1 transcription
items: Soil fertility evaluation and spatial distribution of grasslands in Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
items: Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide promotes T-hel per17 cell differentiation by upregulating Delta-like ligand 4 expression on CD14+ monocytes
items: Re-positive of SARS-CoV-2 test is common in COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge. Data from high standard post-discharge quarantined patients in Macao SAR, China

A novel one-step quick assay for detection of SARS-COV2 antibodies across mammalian species
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has so far infected almost a hundred of millions of people and caused more than a million of death across the world. Many serological tests have been developed to track down virus infection in community via identification of antibodies against SARS-CoV2 virus. However, the tests vary in sensitivity, specificity, complexity, and speed. Here, I developed a simple, one-step, quick test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV2 N (scN) nucleocapsid protein via direct visualization of antigen-antibody reaction. A total of 40 serum samples of SARS-CoV2 patients were purchased from RayBiotech. A total of 50 pre-pandemic human serum samples from San Diego Blood Bank were used as negative controls. After performing the one-step quick test of these 90 serum samples, I found that 39 samples are positive for anti-scN antibodies. All of the 39 positives are from the 40 SARS-CoV2 patients, suggesting that the one-step test is more sensitive than the lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), the most widely used rapid antibody test. None of the 50 pre-pandemic samples is positive for anti-scN antibodies, indicating that the one-step test has an excellent specificity. The one-step test takes only ~5 min to detect the antibodies; and 1 ml of Escherichia coli culture can produce reagent proteins sufficient for thousands of the tests. Since the one-step test does not need a secondary antibody, it can be used as a universal test for anti-scN antibodies across different mammalian species to track down both human infection and the animal reservoir of SARS-CoV2 virus.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Xianjin Zhou
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Virology
subject: Hematology
subject: Immunology
subject: Infectious Diseases
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11381
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Zhou
abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has so far infected almost a hundred of millions of people and caused more than a million of death across the world. Many serological tests have been developed to track down virus infection in community via identification of antibodies against SARS-CoV2 virus. However, the tests vary in sensitivity, specificity, complexity, and speed. Here, I developed a simple, one-step, quick test to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV2 N (scN) nucleocapsid protein via direct visualization of antigen-antibody reaction. A total of 40 serum samples of SARS-CoV2 patients were purchased from RayBiotech. A total of 50 pre-pandemic human serum samples from San Diego Blood Bank were used as negative controls. After performing the one-step quick test of these 90 serum samples, I found that 39 samples are positive for anti-scN antibodies. All of the 39 positives are from the 40 SARS-CoV2 patients, suggesting that the one-step test is more sensitive than the lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), the most widely used rapid antibody test. None of the 50 pre-pandemic samples is positive for anti-scN antibodies, indicating that the one-step test has an excellent specificity. The one-step test takes only ~5 min to detect the antibodies; and 1 ml of Escherichia coli culture can produce reagent proteins sufficient for thousands of the tests. Since the one-step test does not need a secondary antibody, it can be used as a universal test for anti-scN antibodies across different mammalian species to track down both human infection and the animal reservoir of SARS-CoV2 virus.
bibliographic citation: Zhou (2021) A novel one-step quick assay for detection of SARS-COV2 antibodies across mammalian species. PeerJ 9:e11381 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11381
date submitted: 2021-01-25
date accepted: 2021-04-09
issued: 2021-04-27
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhou
  given name: Xianjin
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11381
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-27
copyright: © 2021 Zhou
attribution name: Zhou

HiCEnterprise: identifying long range chromosomal contacts in Hi-C data
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Motivation Computational analysis of chromosomal contact data is currently gaining popularity with the rapid advance in experimental techniques providing access to a growing body of data. An important problem in this area is the identification of long range contacts between distinct chromatin regions. Such loops were shown to exist at different scales, either mediating relatively short range interactions between enhancers and promoters or providing interactions between much larger, distant chromosome domains. A proper statistical analysis as well as availability to a wide research community are crucial in a tool for this task. Results We present HiCEnterprise, a first freely available software tool for identification of long range chromatin contacts not only between small regions, but also between chromosomal domains. It implements four different statistical tests for identification of significant contacts for user defined regions or domains as well as necessary functions for input, output and visualization of chromosome contacts. Availability The software and the corresponding documentation are available at: github.com/regulomics/HiCEnterprise. Supplementary information Supplemental data are available in the online version of the article and at the website regulomics.mimuw.edu.pl/wp/hicenterprise.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Hanna Kranas
creator: Irina Tuszynska
creator: Bartek Wilczynski
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Computational Biology
subject: Genomics
subject: Statistics
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10558
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Kranas et al.
abstract: Motivation Computational analysis of chromosomal contact data is currently gaining popularity with the rapid advance in experimental techniques providing access to a growing body of data. An important problem in this area is the identification of long range contacts between distinct chromatin regions. Such loops were shown to exist at different scales, either mediating relatively short range interactions between enhancers and promoters or providing interactions between much larger, distant chromosome domains. A proper statistical analysis as well as availability to a wide research community are crucial in a tool for this task. Results We present HiCEnterprise, a first freely available software tool for identification of long range chromatin contacts not only between small regions, but also between chromosomal domains. It implements four different statistical tests for identification of significant contacts for user defined regions or domains as well as necessary functions for input, output and visualization of chromosome contacts. Availability The software and the corresponding documentation are available at: github.com/regulomics/HiCEnterprise. Supplementary information Supplemental data are available in the online version of the article and at the website regulomics.mimuw.edu.pl/wp/hicenterprise.
bibliographic citation: Kranas et al. (2021) HiCEnterprise: identifying long range chromosomal contacts in Hi-C data. PeerJ 9:e10558 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10558
date submitted: 2020-07-07
date accepted: 2020-11-22
issued: 2021-04-26
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Kranas
  given name: Hanna
author list: Agent
  family name: Tuszynska
  given name: Irina
author list: Agent
  family name: Wilczynski
  given name: Bartek
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10558
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-26
copyright: © 2021 Kranas et al.
attribution name: Kranas et al.

Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Cnidarians are the oldest lineage of venomous animals and use nematocysts to discharge toxins. Whether venom toxins have been recruited to support parasitic lifestyles in the Endocnidozoa (Myxozoa + Polypodium) is, however, unknown. To examine this issue we variously employed transcriptomic, proteomic, associated molecular phylogenies, and localisation studies on representative primitive and derived myxozoans (Malacosporea and Myxosporea, respectively), Polypodium hydriforme, and the free-living staurozoan Calvadosia cruxmelitensis. Our transcriptomics and proteomics analyses provide evidence for expression and translation of venom toxin homologs in myxozoans. Phylogenetic placement of Kunitz type serine protease inhibitors and phospholipase A2 enzymes reveals modification of toxins inherited from ancestral free-living cnidarian toxins, and that venom diversity is reduced in myxozoans concordant with their reduced genome sizes. Various phylogenetic analyses of the Kunitz-type toxin family in Endocnidozoa suggested lineage-specific gene duplications, which offers a possible mechanism for enhancing toxin diversification. Toxin localisation in the malacosporean Buddenbrockia plumatellae substantiates toxin translation and thus illustrates a repurposing of toxin function for endoparasite development and interactions with hosts, rather than for prey capture or defence. Whether myxozoan venom candidates are expressed in transmission stages (e.g. in nematocysts or secretory vesicles) requires further investigation.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Ashlie Hartigan
creator: Adrian Jaimes-Becerra
creator: Beth Okamura
creator: Liam B. Doonan
creator: Malcolm Ward
creator: Antonio C. Marques
creator: Paul F. Long
subject: Environmental Sciences
subject: Marine Biology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Parasitology
subject: Zoology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11208
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Hartigan et al.
abstract: Cnidarians are the oldest lineage of venomous animals and use nematocysts to discharge toxins. Whether venom toxins have been recruited to support parasitic lifestyles in the Endocnidozoa (Myxozoa + Polypodium) is, however, unknown. To examine this issue we variously employed transcriptomic, proteomic, associated molecular phylogenies, and localisation studies on representative primitive and derived myxozoans (Malacosporea and Myxosporea, respectively), Polypodium hydriforme, and the free-living staurozoan Calvadosia cruxmelitensis. Our transcriptomics and proteomics analyses provide evidence for expression and translation of venom toxin homologs in myxozoans. Phylogenetic placement of Kunitz type serine protease inhibitors and phospholipase A2 enzymes reveals modification of toxins inherited from ancestral free-living cnidarian toxins, and that venom diversity is reduced in myxozoans concordant with their reduced genome sizes. Various phylogenetic analyses of the Kunitz-type toxin family in Endocnidozoa suggested lineage-specific gene duplications, which offers a possible mechanism for enhancing toxin diversification. Toxin localisation in the malacosporean Buddenbrockia plumatellae substantiates toxin translation and thus illustrates a repurposing of toxin function for endoparasite development and interactions with hosts, rather than for prey capture or defence. Whether myxozoan venom candidates are expressed in transmission stages (e.g. in nematocysts or secretory vesicles) requires further investigation.
bibliographic citation: Hartigan et al. (2021) Recruitment of toxin-like proteins with ancestral venom function supports endoparasitic lifestyles of Myxozoa. PeerJ 9:e11208 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11208
date submitted: 2020-12-07
date accepted: 2021-03-12
issued: 2021-04-26
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Hartigan
  given name: Ashlie
author list: Agent
  family name: Jaimes-Becerra
  given name: Adrian
author list: Agent
  family name: Okamura
  given name: Beth
author list: Agent
  family name: Doonan
  given name: Liam B.
author list: Agent
  family name: Ward
  given name: Malcolm
author list: Agent
  family name: Marques
  given name: Antonio C.
author list: Agent
  family name: Long
  given name: Paul F.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11208
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-26
copyright: © 2021 Hartigan et al.
attribution name: Hartigan et al.

Hematological and cytochemical characteristics of peripheral blood cells in the argus snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus Cantor)
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background The argus snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus Cantor) is a highly nutritious, freshwater, cultured bony fish with a high economic value. The health of the fish is closely related to its blood cells, which are critical for oxygen transport, natural defense, and immunity. We investigated the morphometry, microstructure, and cytochemical characteristics of the peripheral blood cells of O. argus. Our results may provide the basic reference values needed to monitor the health of this fish for large-scale cultivation. Methods The number of blood cells in O. argus were counted on a hemocytometer and their size was measured using a micrometer under light microscope. The morphology and classification of the blood cells were studied using Wright’s staining and the cytochemical characteristics were studied using seven chemical stains including peroxidase (POX), Sudan black B (SBB), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), chloroacetic acid AS-D naphthol esterase (AS-D), and α-naphthol acetate esterase (α-NAE). Results The peripheral blood cells in O. argus can be classified as erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes; of which, females had 2.9597 million/mm3, 88,400/mm3, and 43,600/mm3, respectively, and males had 3.0105 million/mm3, 105,500/mm3, and 34,000/mm3, respectively. Leukocytes consisted of neutrophils, monocytes, large lymphocytes, and small lymphocytes. Eosinophils and basophils were not found. Monocytes were the most numerous leukocytes identified, followed by neutrophils and small lymphocytes, while large lymphocytes were the least frequently identified. Cytochemical staining showed that erythrocytes were only positive for PAS staining. Neutrophils were strongly positive for POX, SBB, and ACP, and positive for all the other cytochemical stains. Monocytes were positive for PAS and α-NAE and were weakly positive for ACP and AS-D staining. Large lymphocytes were positive for PAS and were weakly positive for ALP, AS-D, an…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Xue Wang
creator: Zhengjie Wu
creator: Shengmei Wu
creator: Xianxian Chen
creator: Misbah Hanif
creator: Shengzhou Zhang
subject: Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science
subject: Veterinary Medicine
subject: Zoology
subject: Histology
subject: Freshwater Biology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11234
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Wang et al.
abstract: Background The argus snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus Cantor) is a highly nutritious, freshwater, cultured bony fish with a high economic value. The health of the fish is closely related to its blood cells, which are critical for oxygen transport, natural defense, and immunity. We investigated the morphometry, microstructure, and cytochemical characteristics of the peripheral blood cells of O. argus. Our results may provide the basic reference values needed to monitor the health of this fish for large-scale cultivation. Methods The number of blood cells in O. argus were counted on a hemocytometer and their size was measured using a micrometer under light microscope. The morphology and classification of the blood cells were studied using Wright’s staining and the cytochemical characteristics were studied using seven chemical stains including peroxidase (POX), Sudan black B (SBB), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), chloroacetic acid AS-D naphthol esterase (AS-D), and α-naphthol acetate esterase (α-NAE). Results The peripheral blood cells in O. argus can be classified as erythrocytes, leukocytes, and thrombocytes; of which, females had 2.9597 million/mm3, 88,400/mm3, and 43,600/mm3, respectively, and males had 3.0105 million/mm3, 105,500/mm3, and 34,000/mm3, respectively. Leukocytes consisted of neutrophils, monocytes, large lymphocytes, and small lymphocytes. Eosinophils and basophils were not found. Monocytes were the most numerous leukocytes identified, followed by neutrophils and small lymphocytes, while large lymphocytes were the least frequently identified. Cytochemical staining showed that erythrocytes were only positive for PAS staining. Neutrophils were strongly positive for POX, SBB, and ACP, and positive for all the other cytochemical stains. Monocytes were positive for PAS and α-NAE and were weakly positive for ACP and AS-D staining. Large lymphocytes were positive for PAS and were weakly positive for ALP, AS-D, an…
bibliographic citation: Wang et al. (2021) Hematological and cytochemical characteristics of peripheral blood cells in the argus snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus Cantor). PeerJ 9:e11234 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11234
date submitted: 2020-07-30
date accepted: 2021-03-17
issued: 2021-04-26
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Xue
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Zhengjie
author list: Agent
  family name: Wu
  given name: Shengmei
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Xianxian
author list: Agent
  family name: Hanif
  given name: Misbah
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Shengzhou
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11234
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-26
copyright: ©2021 Wang et al.
attribution name: Wang et al.

Integrated metabolome and transcriptome revealed the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in developing Vernonia amygdalina leaves
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background Vernonia amygdalina as a tropical horticultural crop has been widely used for medicinal herb, feed, and vegetable. Recently, increasing studies revealed that this species possesses multiple pharmacological properties. Notably, V. amygdalina leaves possess an abundance of flavonoids, but the specific profiles of flavonoids and the mechanisms of fl avonoid bi osynthesis in developing leaves are largely unknown. Methods The total flavonoids of V. amygdalina leaves were detected using ultraviolet spectrophotometer. The temporal flavonoid profiles of V. amygdalina leaves were analyzed by LC-MS. The transcriptome analysis of V. amygdalina leaves was performed by Illumina sequencing. Functional annotation and differential expression analysis of V. amygdalina genes were performed by Blast2GO v2.3.5 and RSEM v1.2.31, respectively. qRT-PCR analysis was used to verify the gene expressions in developing V. amygdalina leaves. Results By LC-MS analysis, three substrates (p-coumaric acid, trans-cinnamic acid, and phenylalanine) for flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in V. amygdalina leaves. Additionally, 42 flavonoids were identified from V. amygdalina leaves, including six dihydroflavones, 14 flavones, eight isoflavones, nine flavonols, two xanthones, one chalcone, one cyanidin, and one dihydroflavonol. Glycosylation and methylation were common at the hydroxy group of C3, C7, and C4’ positions. Moreover, dynamic patterns of different flavonoids showed diversity. By Illumina sequencing, the obtained over 200 million valid reads were assembled into 60,422 genes. Blast analysis indicated that 31,872 genes were annotated at least in one of public databases. Greatly increasing molecular resources makes up for the lack of gene information in V. amygdalina. By digital expression profiling and qRT-PCR, we specifically characterized some key enzymes, such as Va-PAL1, Va-PAL4, Va-C4H1, Va-4CL3, Va-ACC1, Va-CHS1, Va-CHI, Va-FNSII, and Va-IFS3, involved in flavonoid biosynthes…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Lanya Shui
creator: Kaisen Huo
creator: Yan Chen
creator: Zilin Zhang
creator: Yanfang Li
creator: Jun Niu
subject: Agricultural Science
subject: Food Science and Technology
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Plant Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11239
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Shui et al.
abstract: Background Vernonia amygdalina as a tropical horticultural crop has been widely used for medicinal herb, feed, and vegetable. Recently, increasing studies revealed that this species possesses multiple pharmacological properties. Notably, V. amygdalina leaves possess an abundance of flavonoids, but the specific profiles of flavonoids and the mechanisms of fl avonoid bi osynthesis in developing leaves are largely unknown. Methods The total flavonoids of V. amygdalina leaves were detected using ultraviolet spectrophotometer. The temporal flavonoid profiles of V. amygdalina leaves were analyzed by LC-MS. The transcriptome analysis of V. amygdalina leaves was performed by Illumina sequencing. Functional annotation and differential expression analysis of V. amygdalina genes were performed by Blast2GO v2.3.5 and RSEM v1.2.31, respectively. qRT-PCR analysis was used to verify the gene expressions in developing V. amygdalina leaves. Results By LC-MS analysis, three substrates (p-coumaric acid, trans-cinnamic acid, and phenylalanine) for flavonoid biosynthesis were identified in V. amygdalina leaves. Additionally, 42 flavonoids were identified from V. amygdalina leaves, including six dihydroflavones, 14 flavones, eight isoflavones, nine flavonols, two xanthones, one chalcone, one cyanidin, and one dihydroflavonol. Glycosylation and methylation were common at the hydroxy group of C3, C7, and C4’ positions. Moreover, dynamic patterns of different flavonoids showed diversity. By Illumina sequencing, the obtained over 200 million valid reads were assembled into 60,422 genes. Blast analysis indicated that 31,872 genes were annotated at least in one of public databases. Greatly increasing molecular resources makes up for the lack of gene information in V. amygdalina. By digital expression profiling and qRT-PCR, we specifically characterized some key enzymes, such as Va-PAL1, Va-PAL4, Va-C4H1, Va-4CL3, Va-ACC1, Va-CHS1, Va-CHI, Va-FNSII, and Va-IFS3, involved in flavonoid biosynthes…
bibliographic citation: Shui et al. (2021) Integrated metabolome and transcriptome revealed the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway in developing Vernonia amygdalina leaves. PeerJ 9:e11239 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11239
date submitted: 2020-11-26
date accepted: 2021-03-17
issued: 2021-04-26
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Shui
  given name: Lanya
author list: Agent
  family name: Huo
  given name: Kaisen
author list: Agent
  family name: Chen
  given name: Yan
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Zilin
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Yanfang
author list: Agent
  family name: Niu
  given name: Jun
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11239
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-26
copyright: ©2021 Shui et al.
attribution name: Shui et al.

Experiencing fear during the pandemic: validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in Polish
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Background The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a brief self-report measure developed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The scale evaluates the emotional responses to COVID-19. To date, the FCV-19S has been translated and validated in about 20 languages and has been used in many published research. The current study aimed to validate the Polish version of the FCV-19S. Method The FCV-19S was translated into Polish using forward- and back-translation. From May 15th to June 15th 2020, a total of 708 community members (Sample 1: 383 persons, 209 females, Sample 2: 325 persons, 198 females) participated in the online study. The participants were recruited using online advertisements in social media. Participation was anonymous, voluntary, and without compensation. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the one-factor structure of the FCV-19S. Then, measurement invariance was analyzed across samples, gender and age groups. To assess the validity of the scale, correlations between the FCV-19S and the remaining scales were computed. Results Internal consistency of the FCV-19S was good in both samples (Cronbach’s alpha 0.89 and 0.85). The CFA showed that the one-factor model fits the data well (RMSEA = 0.067, 90% CI [0.059–0.094], CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.965, GFI = 0.986). The criteria for configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance were met for all models tested. The FCV-19S scores correlated significantly with age, subjective vulnerability to the disease, neuroticism, self-reported compliance with the pandemic measures, and three kinds of preventive behavior (i.e., social distancing, hand hygiene, and disinfecting things). Conclusion The Polish version of the FCV-19S had a unidimensional structure, good reliability, and correlated as predicted with other variables. With the FCV-19S and the obtained results, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the government can gain more valuable information about people who may be at risk for negative…
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Irena Pilch
creator: Zofia Kurasz
creator: Agnieszka Turska-Kawa
subject: Psychiatry and Psychology
subject: Public Health
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11263
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Pilch et al.
abstract: Background The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) is a brief self-report measure developed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. The scale evaluates the emotional responses to COVID-19. To date, the FCV-19S has been translated and validated in about 20 languages and has been used in many published research. The current study aimed to validate the Polish version of the FCV-19S. Method The FCV-19S was translated into Polish using forward- and back-translation. From May 15th to June 15th 2020, a total of 708 community members (Sample 1: 383 persons, 209 females, Sample 2: 325 persons, 198 females) participated in the online study. The participants were recruited using online advertisements in social media. Participation was anonymous, voluntary, and without compensation. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the one-factor structure of the FCV-19S. Then, measurement invariance was analyzed across samples, gender and age groups. To assess the validity of the scale, correlations between the FCV-19S and the remaining scales were computed. Results Internal consistency of the FCV-19S was good in both samples (Cronbach’s alpha 0.89 and 0.85). The CFA showed that the one-factor model fits the data well (RMSEA = 0.067, 90% CI [0.059–0.094], CFI = 0.977, TLI = 0.965, GFI = 0.986). The criteria for configural, metric, scalar and strict invariance were met for all models tested. The FCV-19S scores correlated significantly with age, subjective vulnerability to the disease, neuroticism, self-reported compliance with the pandemic measures, and three kinds of preventive behavior (i.e., social distancing, hand hygiene, and disinfecting things). Conclusion The Polish version of the FCV-19S had a unidimensional structure, good reliability, and correlated as predicted with other variables. With the FCV-19S and the obtained results, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the government can gain more valuable information about people who may be at risk for negative…
bibliographic citation: Pilch et al. (2021) Experiencing fear during the pandemic: validation of the fear of COVID-19 scale in Polish. PeerJ 9:e11263 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11263
date submitted: 2020-12-16
date accepted: 2021-03-23
issued: 2021-04-26
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Pilch
  given name: Irena
author list: Agent
  family name: Kurasz
  given name: Zofia
author list: Agent
  family name: Turska-Kawa
  given name: Agnieszka
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11263
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-26
copyright: © 2021 Pilch et al.
attribution name: Pilch et al.

NFIB promotes the migration and progression of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by regulating PINK1 transcription
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most common and aggressive type of renal cell carcinoma. Due to high mortality rate, high metastasis rate and chemical resistance, the prognosis of KIRC patients is poor. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanisms of KIRC development and to develop more effective prognostic molecular biomarkers to help clinical patients. In our study, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to investigate that the expression of nuclear factor I B (NFIB) is significantly higher in KIRC than in adjacent tissues. Moreover, NFIB expression levels are associated with multiple clinical pathological parameters of KIRC, and KIRC patients with high NFIB expression have poor prognosis, suggesting that NFIB may play vital roles in the malignant development of KIRC. Further studies demonstrated that NFIB could promote the progression and metastasis of KIRC and participate in the regulation of PTEN induced kinase 1 (PINK1). Furthermore, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments to confirm that NFIB binds to the PINK1 promoter and regulates its expression at the transcriptional level. Further experiments also confirmed the important roles of PINK1 in promoting the development of tumors by NFIB. Hence, our data provide a new NFIB-mediated regulatory mechanism for the tumor progression of KIRC and suggest that NFIB can be applied as a new predictor and therapeutic target for KIRC.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Ninghua Wang
creator: Jing Yuan
creator: Fei Liu
creator: Jun Wei
creator: Yu Liu
creator: Mei Xue
creator: Rui Dong
subject: Bioinformatics
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Nephrology
subject: Oncology
subject: Urology
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10848
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Wang et al.
abstract: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) is the most common and aggressive type of renal cell carcinoma. Due to high mortality rate, high metastasis rate and chemical resistance, the prognosis of KIRC patients is poor. Therefore, it is necessary to study the mechanisms of KIRC development and to develop more effective prognostic molecular biomarkers to help clinical patients. In our study, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases to investigate that the expression of nuclear factor I B (NFIB) is significantly higher in KIRC than in adjacent tissues. Moreover, NFIB expression levels are associated with multiple clinical pathological parameters of KIRC, and KIRC patients with high NFIB expression have poor prognosis, suggesting that NFIB may play vital roles in the malignant development of KIRC. Further studies demonstrated that NFIB could promote the progression and metastasis of KIRC and participate in the regulation of PTEN induced kinase 1 (PINK1). Furthermore, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments to confirm that NFIB binds to the PINK1 promoter and regulates its expression at the transcriptional level. Further experiments also confirmed the important roles of PINK1 in promoting the development of tumors by NFIB. Hence, our data provide a new NFIB-mediated regulatory mechanism for the tumor progression of KIRC and suggest that NFIB can be applied as a new predictor and therapeutic target for KIRC.
bibliographic citation: Wang et al. (2021) NFIB promotes the migration and progression of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma by regulating PINK1 transcription. PeerJ 9:e10848 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10848
date submitted: 2020-08-11
date accepted: 2021-01-06
issued: 2021-04-23
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wang
  given name: Ninghua
author list: Agent
  family name: Yuan
  given name: Jing
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Fei
author list: Agent
  family name: Wei
  given name: Jun
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Yu
author list: Agent
  family name: Xue
  given name: Mei
author list: Agent
  family name: Dong
  given name: Rui
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10848
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-23
copyright: ©2021 Wang et al.
attribution name: Wang et al.

Soil fertility evaluation and spatial distribution of grasslands in Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: The study assessed the overall soil characteristics of grasslands on Qilian Mountains and rated the soil nutrient status with classification standard of the second national soil survey of China. Nemerow index method was used to evaluate the soil fertility of different grassland types. GIS was used to analyze the spatial distribution of the soil nutrients and provided a database for the grassland’s ecological protection and restoration. The study graded the soil organic matter (SOM), total N, and available K at level 2 (high) or above for most regions, available soil-P at level 4, while the soil bulk density, total porosity and pH were 0.77–1.32 g cm−3, 35.36–58.83% and 7.63–8.54, respectively. The rank of comprehensive soil fertility index was temperate steppe (TS) > alpine meadow (AM) > alpine steppe (AS) >upland meadow (UM) >alpine desert (AD)> lowland meadow (LM)> temperate desert steppe (TDS)> temperate desert (TD). The areas with high, medium and low soil fertility accounted for 63.19%, 34.24% and 2.57% of the total grassland area. Soil fertility of different grassland types had different main limiting factors, for instance, the pH, total N and SOM were the main factors limiting soil fertility in LM, while pH and available P were the main factors limiting soil fertility in UM, AM, TS and AS. In summary, the grassland soil fertility was generally at the mid-upper level, and the main limiting factors were found in the different types of the grasslands and their spatial distributions were figured out. Our findings also indicated that the typical grasslands and meadows may require phosphorus application, while for desert grasslands, both nitrogen and phosphorus were required to improve their comprehensive soil fertility and grassland productivity.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Qiang Li
creator: Junyin Yang
creator: Wenhao Guan
creator: Zhigang Liu
creator: Guoxing He
creator: Degang Zhang
creator: Xiaoni Liu
subject: Ecology
subject: Plant Science
subject: Soil Science
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.10986
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Li et al.
abstract: The study assessed the overall soil characteristics of grasslands on Qilian Mountains and rated the soil nutrient status with classification standard of the second national soil survey of China. Nemerow index method was used to evaluate the soil fertility of different grassland types. GIS was used to analyze the spatial distribution of the soil nutrients and provided a database for the grassland’s ecological protection and restoration. The study graded the soil organic matter (SOM), total N, and available K at level 2 (high) or above for most regions, available soil-P at level 4, while the soil bulk density, total porosity and pH were 0.77–1.32 g cm−3, 35.36–58.83% and 7.63–8.54, respectively. The rank of comprehensive soil fertility index was temperate steppe (TS) > alpine meadow (AM) > alpine steppe (AS) >upland meadow (UM) >alpine desert (AD)> lowland meadow (LM)> temperate desert steppe (TDS)> temperate desert (TD). The areas with high, medium and low soil fertility accounted for 63.19%, 34.24% and 2.57% of the total grassland area. Soil fertility of different grassland types had different main limiting factors, for instance, the pH, total N and SOM were the main factors limiting soil fertility in LM, while pH and available P were the main factors limiting soil fertility in UM, AM, TS and AS. In summary, the grassland soil fertility was generally at the mid-upper level, and the main limiting factors were found in the different types of the grasslands and their spatial distributions were figured out. Our findings also indicated that the typical grasslands and meadows may require phosphorus application, while for desert grasslands, both nitrogen and phosphorus were required to improve their comprehensive soil fertility and grassland productivity.
bibliographic citation: Li et al. (2021) Soil fertility evaluation and spatial distribution of grasslands in Qilian Mountains Nature Reserve of eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. PeerJ 9:e10986 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10986
date submitted: 2020-08-17
date accepted: 2021-01-31
issued: 2021-04-23
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Qiang
author list: Agent
  family name: Yang
  given name: Junyin
author list: Agent
  family name: Guan
  given name: Wenhao
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Zhigang
author list: Agent
  family name: He
  given name: Guoxing
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Degang
author list: Agent
  family name: Liu
  given name: Xiaoni
doi: 10.7717/peerj.10986
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-23
copyright: ©2021 Li et al.
attribution name: Li et al.

Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide promotes T-hel per17 cell differentiation by upregulating Delta-like ligand 4 expression on CD14+ monocytes
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: Backgroud To investigate the effect and mechanism of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on Th17 cell differentiation mediated by CD14+ monocytes. Methods P. gingivalis LPS-activated CD14+ monocytes were co-cultured with CD4+T cells in different cell ratios. An indirect co-culture system was also established using transwell chambers. Furthermore, anti- Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll-4) antibody was used to investigate the role of Dll-4 in Th17 cell response. The mRNA expression was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and secreted cytokines in culture supernatant were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Flow cytometry was used to determine the frequencies of Th17 cells. IL-17 protein expression levels were determined using western blotting assay. Results P. gingivalis LPS increased the expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-23 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in CD14+ monocytes. Th17 cell frequency upregulated, which is not solely cytokine-dependent but rather requires cell-cell contact with activated monocytes, particularly in the 1:10 cell ratio. Furthermore, P. gingivalis LPS increased t he expression of Dll-4 on CD14+ monocytes, whereas the anti- Dll-4 a ntibody decreased the response of Th17 cells. The results suggest that P. gingivalis LPS enhances Th17 cell response via Dll-4 upregulation on CD14+ monocytes.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Chi Zhang
creator: Chenrong Xu
creator: Li Gao
creator: Xiting Li
creator: Chuanjiang Zhao
subject: Cell Biology
subject: Dentistry
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11094
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Zhang et al.
abstract: Backgroud To investigate the effect and mechanism of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on Th17 cell differentiation mediated by CD14+ monocytes. Methods P. gingivalis LPS-activated CD14+ monocytes were co-cultured with CD4+T cells in different cell ratios. An indirect co-culture system was also established using transwell chambers. Furthermore, anti- Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll-4) antibody was used to investigate the role of Dll-4 in Th17 cell response. The mRNA expression was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and secreted cytokines in culture supernatant were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Flow cytometry was used to determine the frequencies of Th17 cells. IL-17 protein expression levels were determined using western blotting assay. Results P. gingivalis LPS increased the expressions of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-23 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β in CD14+ monocytes. Th17 cell frequency upregulated, which is not solely cytokine-dependent but rather requires cell-cell contact with activated monocytes, particularly in the 1:10 cell ratio. Furthermore, P. gingivalis LPS increased t he expression of Dll-4 on CD14+ monocytes, whereas the anti- Dll-4 a ntibody decreased the response of Th17 cells. The results suggest that P. gingivalis LPS enhances Th17 cell response via Dll-4 upregulation on CD14+ monocytes.
bibliographic citation: Zhang et al. (2021) Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide promotes T-hel per17 cell differentiation by upregulating Delta-like ligand 4 expression on CD14+ monocytes. PeerJ 9:e11094 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11094
date submitted: 2020-10-28
date accepted: 2021-02-21
issued: 2021-04-23
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhang
  given name: Chi
author list: Agent
  family name: Xu
  given name: Chenrong
author list: Agent
  family name: Gao
  given name: Li
author list: Agent
  family name: Li
  given name: Xiting
author list: Agent
  family name: Zhao
  given name: Chuanjiang
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11094
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-23
copyright: ©2021 Zhang et al.
attribution name: Zhang et al.

Re-positive of SARS-CoV-2 test is common in COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge. Data from high standard post-discharge quarantined patients in Macao SAR, China
type: item
type: AcademicArticle
description: During the pandemic of COVID-19, Macau faces tremendous pressure because it is a famous gambling and tourism city with the world’s highest population density. The Macau government implemented decisive public health intervention to control the transmission of COVID-19, and there were only two independent outbreaks in Macau. In the second outbreak, all 35 cases were infected in foreign countries. They were quarantined in airborne infection isolation rooms for at least 14 days with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests after hospital discharge. Twelve (34.3%) of them had re-positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, and none of them presented any COVID-19 signs or symptoms during the entire quarantine period. In this study, the re-positive patients were more likely to be diagnosed in the early stage of the disease with a longer hospital stay. Virus re-infection is impossible in this high standard isolation setting, and reactivation is also unlikely, so that residual virus nucleic acid should be the possible reason for this phenomenon. Due to limited data about the risk of re-positive patients, it is better to quarantine patients after discharge for a prolonged period with repeat RT-PCR tests to minimize the community’s potential risk, particularly in the regions with relative plenty of resources and low community infection rate such as Macau.
format: application/pdf
format: text/html
creator: Chi Leong Wong
creator: Sao Kuan Lei
creator: Chin Ion Lei
creator: Iek Long Lo
creator: Chong Lam
creator: Iek Hou Leong
subject: Molecular Biology
subject: Virology
subject: Health Policy
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: Public Health
description: doi:10.7717/peerj.11170
publisher: PeerJ Inc.
rights: © 2021 Wong et al.
abstract: During the pandemic of COVID-19, Macau faces tremendous pressure because it is a famous gambling and tourism city with the world’s highest population density. The Macau government implemented decisive public health intervention to control the transmission of COVID-19, and there were only two independent outbreaks in Macau. In the second outbreak, all 35 cases were infected in foreign countries. They were quarantined in airborne infection isolation rooms for at least 14 days with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests after hospital discharge. Twelve (34.3%) of them had re-positive SARS-CoV-2 test results, and none of them presented any COVID-19 signs or symptoms during the entire quarantine period. In this study, the re-positive patients were more likely to be diagnosed in the early stage of the disease with a longer hospital stay. Virus re-infection is impossible in this high standard isolation setting, and reactivation is also unlikely, so that residual virus nucleic acid should be the possible reason for this phenomenon. Due to limited data about the risk of re-positive patients, it is better to quarantine patients after discharge for a prolonged period with repeat RT-PCR tests to minimize the community’s potential risk, particularly in the regions with relative plenty of resources and low community infection rate such as Macau.
bibliographic citation: Wong et al. (2021) Re-positive of SARS-CoV-2 test is common in COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge. Data from high standard post-discharge quarantined patients in Macao SAR, China. PeerJ 9:e11170 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.11170
date submitted: 2020-12-13
date accepted: 2021-03-07
issued: 2021-04-23
is part of: PeerJ
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
author list: Agent
  family name: Wong
  given name: Chi Leong
author list: Agent
  family name: Lei
  given name: Sao Kuan
author list: Agent
  family name: Lei
  given name: Chin Ion
author list: Agent
  family name: Lo
  given name: Iek Long
author list: Agent
  family name: Lam
  given name: Chong
author list: Agent
  family name: Leong
  given name: Iek Hou
doi: 10.7717/peerj.11170
volume: 9
issn: 2167-8359
publication name: PeerJ
publication date: 2021-04-23
copyright: ©2021 Wong et al.
attribution name: Wong et al.

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