title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=121 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Rhamnolipids bio-production and miscellaneous applications towards green technologies: a literature review link: https://peerj.com/articles/18981 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: Growing attention towards rhamnolipids (RLs) biosurfactants with antibacterial, antifungal, antivirus and antitumor potentials encourage future research in biotechnology and biomedicine fields. Economic production from waste materials, biodegradability and low toxicity makes RLs perform as green molecules that serve in sustainability and green technologies. This review aims to focus on bioproduction, detection and applications of rhamnolipids in pharmaceuticals, soil bioremediation, agriculture and food industries in addition to future perspectives. This will help to shed light on and update the existing knowledge of feasible and sustainable biosurfactant production depending on the fermentation processes. creator: Sanaa S.A. Kabeil creator: Amira M.G. Darwish creator: Soad A. Abdelgalil creator: Abdelaal Shamseldin creator: Abdallah Salah creator: Heba A.I.M. Taha creator: Shimaa Ismael Bashir creator: Elsayed E. Hafez creator: Hesham Ali El-Enshasy uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18981 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2025 Kabeil et al. title: The optimal training intervention for improving the change of direction performance of adolescent team-sport athletes: a systematic review and network meta-analysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/18971 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: BackgroundDue to the influence of growth, adolescent team-sport athletes have the need to improve their change of direction (COD) performance and reduce the risk of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries during COD. However, the optimal intervention for improving COD performance has not yet been determined. ObjectiveTo quantitatively assess the effects of diverse training interventions on COD performance.MethodsA systematic search of five databases was conducted, adhering to the PRISMA guidelines. Randomized controlled trials that examined 10 distinct training interventions for COD performance in adolescent team-sport athletes were emphasized. Effect sizes were represented as standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% credible intervals (CI). The Cochrane study risk assessment tool evaluated the risk of bias in the selected studies.ResultsOf the 36 studies analyzed, involving 1,125 participants. Eccentric overload training (EOT) (SMD = −2.06, 95% CI [−2.83 to −1.29]) emerged as the most effective training method for overall COD performance. Subgroup analysis shows that combined training (COM) (SMD = −2.14, 95% CI [−3.54 to −0.74]) was the best training intervention for COD performance with angles less than 90°. EOT (SMD = −2.84, 95% CI [−4.62 to −1.07]) also was two best training intervention for COD performance with angles greater than 90°.ConclusionsThe choice of training intervention should be determined based on the COD angle. When the COD angle exceeds 90° or is not restricted, EOT is the optimal intervention; however, this is not the case for angles below 90°. Further high-quality studies are needed in the future to validate these findings. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024501819. creator: Yonghui Chen creator: Maiwulanjiang Tulhongjiang creator: Tianpeng Ling creator: Xinmiao Feng creator: Jing Mi creator: Ruidong Liu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18971 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Chen et al. title: Impact of self-efficacy and burnout on professional development of physical education teachers in the digital age: a systematic review link: https://peerj.com/articles/18952 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: BackgroundThe professional development of teachers in the digital age will positively impact the effectiveness of physical education teaching. Exploring key factors such as self-efficacy, burnout, and digital technology is crucial to ensure the professional development of teachers.MethodsThe search was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and utilized the following databases: Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Inclusion and exclusion criteria: population, research methods, keywords, and time limit were described for this study. This article predominantly includes cross-sectional studies, so we have used the AXIS risk assessment methodology.ResultsThe study included ten articles, seven of which (70%) were quantitative. Three key findings emerged from this review: first, the studies on self-efficacy were more noteworthy than the studies on burnout. Second, female teachers were more expressive in their digital teaching, while male teachers had higher levels of self-efficacy in their digital teaching. Finally, the study explored various factors affecting self-efficacy and burnout in relation to digital teaching. The study demonstrated that professional development has a higher impact on physical education teachers’ self-efficacy, and in turn, self-efficacy reduces burnout. Additionally, burnout had a significant impact on professional development.ConclusionThis study describes the limitations of risk assessment and uses the AXIS tool to assess the methodological quality of this review report instead of using the risk of bias tool. The use of digital teaching methods can increase self-efficacy and alleviate burnout among physical education teachers. This review analyses the effects of digital technology, self-efficacy, and burnout on the career progression of physical education instructors and examines the implications for future developments. creator: Luhong Ma creator: Chen Soon Chee creator: Saidon Amri creator: Xuejiao Gao creator: Qinglei Wang creator: Nina Wang creator: Pan Liu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18952 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Ma et al. title: Proteomic and phosphoproteomic profilings reveal distinct cellular responses during Tilapinevirus tilapiae entry and replication link: https://peerj.com/articles/18923 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: BackgroundTilapia Lake virus (TiLV) poses a significant threat to global tilapia aquaculture, causing high mortality rates and severe economic losses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying TiLV-host interactions remain largely unexplored.MethodologyWe investigated the proteomic and phosphoproteomic changes in two piscine cell lines, E-11 and RHTiB cells, following TiLV inoculation at different time points. Differential protein expressions at 10-min and 24-h post infection were selected for constructing protein-protein interactions and analyzing enriched pathways related to the viral entry and replication.ResultsOur findings revealed significant alterations in protein expression and phosphorylation states, highlighting distinct responses between the cell lines. In E-11 cells, TiLV infection suppressed proteins involved in the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription and Fas-associated death domain protein-tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor pathways, leading to activation of nucleotide oligomerization domain signaling and apoptosis. In RHTiB cells, TiLV suppressed host cellular metabolism by reducing protein phosphatase activity to facilitate early viral entry, while later stages of infection showed increased activity of myosin heavy chain 9 and enhanced host immune responses via phosphorylation of ribosomal protein L17 and GTPase immunity-associated protein 7 (GIMAP7).ConclusionOur study suggested that TiLV employs different strategies to manipulate host cellular pathways depending on the cell type. Further studies are essential to validate these findings and ultimately facilitate the development of effective antiviral strategies. creator: Tuchakorn Lertwanakarn creator: Matepiya Khemthong creator: Piyathip Setthawong creator: Narumon Phaonakrop creator: Sittiruk Roytrakul creator: Sekkarin Ploypetch creator: Win Surachetpong uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18923 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Lertwanakarn et al. title: Construction and verification of a prognostic model for bladder cancer based on disulfidptosis-related angiogenesis genes link: https://peerj.com/articles/18911 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: BackgroundBladder cancer (BLCA) is the most common malignancy of the urinary system and one of the most common cancers worldwide. This study seeks to examine the influence of angiogenesis-related genes (ARGs) linked to disulfidptosis on BLCA patients and to formulate a prognostic model for evaluating their prognosis and response to immunotherapy.MethodsThis study used sequencing data of BLCA in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Unsupervised consensus clustering analysis, cox regression analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis were used to screen hub genes and construct a related prognostic risk model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and independent prognostic analysis were then used to verify the predictive performance of the signature genes. Clinical characteristics, immune status, and Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB) of the prognostic risk model were evaluated. The expression levels of model genes within standard bladder epithelial cell lines (SV-HUC-1) and bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and SW1710) were quantified through qRT-PCR.ResultsThe constructed prognostic risk model can be used as an independent risk indicator for BLCA and was validated in an external dataset. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that CD8+T cells, Tregs and dendritic cells were significantly different between the two groups. A significant increase was observed in the Stromal score, Immune score and ESTIMATE score in the high-risk group compared with the low-risk group. The Immune Exclusion score and Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) score of the high-risk group were higher than those of the low-risk score group. Compared with the normal bladder epithelial cell line (SV-HUC-1), the expression levels of 2 model genes (COL5A2 and SCG2) in bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and SW1710) were significantly elevated.ConclusionThis study helps us understand the characteristics of disulfidptosis-related subgroups. The characteristics of disulfidptosis-related ARGs may be used to evaluate the prognosis and immunotherapy response of BLCA patients. creator: Zhihao Zhou creator: Yuwei Zhang creator: Yuhua Zhou creator: Jiayu Gu creator: Jufa Li creator: Jianfeng Shao creator: Ninghan Feng uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18911 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Zhou et al. title: Genetic structure and designing a preliminary core collection of Zizania latifolia in China based on 12 microsatellites markers link: https://peerj.com/articles/18909 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: The genetic diversity and structure of wild crop relatives are crucial for their conservation and utilization in breeding programs. This study presents a comprehensive survey and collection of Zizania latifolia across its natural distribution range in China. Using 12 microsatellite markers, the genetic diversity of 357 wild Z. latifolia accessions from 25 populations was evaluated, revealing a high genetic diversity (He = 0.439). The genetic structure analysis indicated significant genetic differentiation among populations, with evidence of isolation by distance. CoreHunter3 and PowerMarker software were employed to design a preliminary core collection, and the final core collection comprised 92 wild accessions. The core collection was found to be representative of the original germplasm, ensuring the effective conservation of Z. latifolia’s genetic resources. This study would provide valuable insights for the development of conservation strategies and the utilization of Z. latifolia. creator: Xiangliang Lei creator: Xiaona Su creator: Chengchuan Zhou creator: Shaolin Jiang creator: Xiaoquan Yuan creator: Yao Zhao creator: Shaomei Jiang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18909 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Lei et al. title: Spatial and temporal trends in dung beetle research link: https://peerj.com/articles/18907 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: Dung beetles are one of the most charismatic animal taxa. Their familiarity as ecosystem service providers is clear, but they also play a range of roles in a variety of different ecosystems worldwide. Here, we give an overview of the current state of dung beetle research and the changes in the prevalence of topics in a collated corpus of 4,145 peer-reviewed articles of dung beetle research, spanning from 1930 until 2024. We used a range of text-analysis tools, including topic modelling, to assess how the peer-reviewed literature on dung beetles has changed over this period. Most of the literature is split into three distinct, but related discourses–the agri/biological topics, the ecological topics, and the taxonomic topics. Publications on the ‘effect of veterinary chemicals’ and ‘nesting behaviour’ showed the largest drop over time, whereas articles relating to ‘ecosystem function’ had a meteoric rise from a low presence before the 2000’s to being the most prevelant topic of dung beetle research in the last two decades. Research into dung beetles is global, but is dominated by Europe and North America. However, the research from South America, Africa, and Australia ranges wider in topics. Research in temperate and tropical mixed forests, as well as grasslands, savanna and shrublands dominated the corpus, as would be expected from a group of species directly associated with large mammals. Our assessment of dung beetle research comes when ecosystem service provision is becoming more important and more dominant in the literature globally. This review therefore should be of direct interest to dung beetle researchers, as well as researchers working in agricultural, ecological, and taxonomic arenas globally. Research worldwide and across agri/biological, ecological, and taxonomic discourses is imperative for a continued understanding of how dung beetles and their ecosystem services are modified across rapidly changing natural and agricultural landscapes. creator: Zac Hemmings creator: Maldwyn J. Evans creator: Nigel R. Andrew uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18907 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Hemmings et al. title: Potential role of ghrelin in neuroprotection and cognitive function: implications for diabetic cognitive impairment link: https://peerj.com/articles/18898 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: Ghrelin is a class of brain and intestinal peptides. It regulates food intake and body glucose levels and maintains cellular homeostasis. In recent years, research has revealed that ghrelin may positively impact learning and memory. Despite ghrelin’s multiple functions in the central nervous system, its use as a therapeutic agent for neurologic dysfunction remains unclear. Diabetic cognitive impairment (DCI) is a severe neurological complication of diabetes mellitus. Its incidence is increasing as a comorbidity in endocrinology and neurology. Additionally, it is a risk factor for Alzheimer’ s disease (AD). Ghrelin levels are altered in patients with diabetes mellitus combined with cognitive impairment. Furthermore, modulation of ghrelin levels improved cognitive function in rats with DCI. These findings suggest the potential therapeutic importance of ghrelin in the pathogenesis of DCI. This article presents a comprehensive review of the pathogenesis of DCI and its potential modulation by ghrelin and its mimics. Furthermore, this study elucidates the therapeutic prospects of ghrelin and its mimics for DCI, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets and research avenues for the prevention and management of DCI in the future. creator: Yuhan Zhang creator: Ruihua Zhang creator: Xin Wang creator: Leilei Shi creator: Hongzhe Zhu creator: Jiping Liu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18898 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Zhang et al. title: Extending the fossil record of late Oligocene non-biting midges (Chironomidae, Diptera) of New Zealand link: https://peerj.com/articles/18893 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: BackgroundThe modern chironomid fauna of New Zealand is diverse, highly endemic and reflects a complex biogeographical history. This fauna has been important for developing phylogenetic and biogeographic concepts including Brundin’s writings on transantarctic relationships but until now the fossil record to support these reconstructions has been very limited. Here we describe the first fossil species of Chironomidae, subfamily Orthocladiinae, from New Zealand, based on inclusions in amber from the late Oligocene Pomahaka Formation of the South Island.MethodsWe examined newly excavated fossil tree resin (amber) from the late Oligocene Pomahaka Formation in southern New Zealand for inclusions. Amber pieces containing chironomids were prepared and morphologically investigated using light-microscopy and µCT-scanning. Specimens were taxonomically evaluated using identification keys for modern adult chironomid midges. Habitus and key morphological features of each specimen were documented photographically and/or by line drawings.ResultsThirteen Chironomidae specimens from Pomahaka amber were identified as members of the subfamily Orthocladiinae Kieffer. Bryophaenocladius zealandiae sp. nov. Baranov is the first Southern Hemisphere fossil of the genus. Bryophaenocladius Thienemann, 1934 is absent from the extant fauna of the main islands of New Zealand; however, it may be present on the subantarctic Auckland Islands. Two incompletely preserved specimens are described as Morphotype 1 cf. Bryophaenocladius zealandiae. Based on a male adult, Pterosis extinctus sp. nov. Baranov is described as the first fossil record of the extant genus Pterosis Sublette and Wirth, today represented by a single endemic species on the New Zealand subantarctic Auckland Islands and Campbell Island. Two female adult specimens are described as Morphotype 2 cf. Metriocnemini. The new fossils of the genera Bryophaenocladius and Pterosis belong to chironomid taxa requiring terrestrial or semi-aquatic habitats for larval development, supporting the notion of a humid forest swamp paleoenvironment for the Pomahaka amber source forest. creator: Viktor O. Baranov creator: Jörg U. Hammel creator: Daphne E. Lee creator: Alexander R. Schmidt creator: Uwe Kaulfuss uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18893 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Baranov et al. title: A375 melanoma-derived lactate controls A375 melanoma phenotypes by inducing macrophage M2 polarization via TCA cycle and TGF-β signaling link: https://peerj.com/articles/18887 last-modified: 2025-02-21 description: IntroductionMacrophage phenotypes have been linked to progression and prognosis of cutaneous melanoma. However, the association between Warburg effect in A375 melanoma and macrophages polarization, as well as the underlying mechanisms, remains less well documented.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to investigate the effect of lactate derived from A375 melanoma on macrophage polarization, melanoma phenotype responses and the underlying mechanisms.MethodsFlow cytometry was performed to evaluate the expression of M1 and M2 markers, cell cycle and apoptosis. Levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Proliferation and invasion were assessed by CCK8 and transwell assays, respectively. The extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and oxygen consumption rate (OCR) were analyzed using an XF96 extracellular flux analyzer. Protein expressions were determined by Western blotting.ResultsOur results revealed that melanoma A375 conditioned medium (A375-CM) induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to polarize toward anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. M2 markers CD206 and ARG1 expression increased, as did TGF-β secretion. Conversely, M1 marker CD68 expression decreased. Furthermore, hypoxia promoted macrophage M2 polarization induced by A375-CM. Elevated lactate level in PIG1-conditioned medium (PIG1-CM) induced M2 polarization, whereas the lactate transport inhibitor AZD3965 suppressed this effect in PBMCs cultured with A375-CM. Additionally, lactate derived from melanoma regulated M1/M2 polarization by the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle instead of glycolysis. Significantly, polarized macrophages altered melanoma phenotypes including proliferation, clone formation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion via TCA cycle and TGF-β.ConclusionOur data collectively demonstrate that lactate derived from melanoma facilitates polarization of M2 macrophages, which subsequently leads to modifications in melanoma phenotypes via TCA cycle and TGF-β signaling. creator: Qifei Wang creator: Yurui Shi creator: Zelian Qin creator: Mengli Xu creator: Jingyi Wang creator: Yuhao Lu creator: Zhenmin Zhao creator: Hongsen Bi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18887 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2025 Wang et al.