title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=222 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Study on the effect of chlorogenic acid on the antimicrobial effect, physical properties and model accuracy of alginate impression materials link: https://peerj.com/articles/18228 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: BackgroundDental impressions are essential for accurately capturing the detailed anatomy of teeth and surrounding oral structures. However, these impressions often become contaminated with saliva and blood, making proper disinfection necessary. The application of chemical disinfectants has been associated with negative side effects, leading to suboptimal disinfection practices in clinical settings.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of chlorogenic acid (CA) as a disinfectant for alginate impression materials, the impact of CA disinfection on the physical properties and dimensional accuracy of alginate impressions was also investigated.MethodsThe physical properties of alginate impression materials, such as elastic recovery, strain-in-compression, initial setting time, and fluidity, were assessed after mixing the alginate impression materials with three different concentrations of CA solution (10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL). To evaluate the antimicrobial effect of CA, alginate impressions mixed with a 10 mg/mL CA solution and impressions mixed with distilled water (control group) were contaminated with four types of microorganism: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Following a five-minute incubation period, a CA solution at a concentration of either 50 mg/mL, 55 mg/mL, or 60 mg/mL was sprayed on the samples for disinfection. Samples were collected at different time intervals (10 min, 20 min, 30 min) and cultured to determine the number of colony-forming units (CFU/mL), providing insight into the antimicrobial efficacy of these CA solutions. The dimensional accuracy of alginate impressions was assessed in three groups: one with alginate impressions mixed with distilled water, another with alginate impressions sterilized with available chlorine (2,000 mg/L) mixed with distilled water, and the last group consisting of alginate impressions mixed with 10 mg/mL CA solution and sprayed with 60 mg/mL CA solution. Both the standard model and the plaster model underwent 3D scanning, and the data were processed and compared by software. The root mean square (RMS) was used as a parameter to evaluate the deviation between models.ResultsAll alginate impression materials mixed with either 10 mg/mL, 15 mg/mL, or 20 mg/mL concentrations of CA solution met the ISO 21563 standard for elastic recovery, strain-in-compression, and fluidity. However, only the material mixed with a concentration of 10 mg/mL CA had an initial setting time within the range specified by the T-6505 Japanese industrial standard. The application of CA solution by mixing or spraying showed significant antimicrobial effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. There was no significant difference in the dimensional accuracy of the alginate impressions between the group of the CA solution applied, the blank group, or the chlorine intervention group. creator: Shuling Jiang creator: Fu-Qing Chen creator: Qiao-qiao Hu creator: Fen Yang creator: Niya Hu creator: Xi Nan Luo creator: Yewen Zhang creator: Nuodan Wu creator: Na Li uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18228 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 rights: ©2024 Jiang et al. title: Identification and validation of a prognostic model based on immune-related genes in ovarian carcinoma link: https://peerj.com/articles/18235 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: BackgroundA novel valuable prognostic model has been developed on the basis of immune-related genes (IRGs), which could be used to estimate overall survival (OS) in ovarian cancer (OC) patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset and the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) dataset.MethodsThis prognostic model was engineered by employing LASSO regression in training cohort (TCGA dataset). The corresponding growth predictive values of this model for individualized survival was evaluated using survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve), and risk curve analysis. Combined with clinical characteristics, a model risk score nomogram for OS was well built. Thereafter, depended on the model risk score, patients were divided into high and low risk subgroups. The survival difference between these subgroups was measured using Kaplan-Meier survival method. In addition, correlations containing pathway enrichment, treatment, immune cell infiltration and the prognostic model were also analyzed. We established the ovarian cancer cell line W038 for this study and identified the performances of GBP1P1 knockdown on a series of activities including cellular proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of W038 cells in vitro.ResultsWe constructed a 25-genes prognostic model (TNFAIP8L3, PI3, TMEM181, GBP1P1 (LOC400759), STX18, KIF26B, MRPS11, CACNA1C, PACSIN3, GMPR, MANF, PYGB, SNRPA1, ST7L, ZBP1, BMPR1B-DT, STAC2, LINC02585, LYPD6, NSG1, ACOT13, FAM120B, LEFTY1, SULT1A2, FZD3). The areas under the curves (AUC) of 1, 2 and 3 years were 0.806, 0.773 and 0.762, in the TCGA cohort, respectively. Besides, the effectiveness of the model was verified using ICGC testing data. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis exposes the risk score as an independent prognosis predictor for OS both in the TCGA and ICGC cohort. In summary, we utilized comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to build an effective prognostic gene model for OC patients. These bioinformatic results suggested that GBP1P1 could act as a novel biomarker for OC. GBP1P1 knockdown substantially inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of W038 cells in vitro, and increased the percentage of apoptotic W038 cells.ConclusionsThe analyses of genetic status of patients with 25-genes model might improve the ability to predict the prognosis of patients with OC and help to select patients suit able to therapies. Immune-related gene GBP1P1 might serve as prognostic biomarker for OC. creator: Min Yu creator: Dan Li creator: Li Zhang creator: Ke Wang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18235 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Yu et al. title: The significance of biowaste drying analysis as a key pre-treatment for transforming it into a sustainable biomass feedstock link: https://peerj.com/articles/18248 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: The objective of this study is to investigate the drying kinetics of fruit and vegetable peel biowaste using a sustainable technique as a key-pretreatment for its conversion into useful feedstock. Biowaste represents a missed potential source of bioenergy and bioproducts, but moisture removal is required, and conventional drying methods are expensive since they require great quantity of energy supplied, almost always, by a non-renewable energy. In this study six batches with the same quantity of biowaste, and heterogeneous physical composition were dried under open-sun conditions. We evaluated the influence of the interaction between drying area and the initial moisture content on drying rate. Eight semi-theoretical models were fitted using Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm to predict drying rate, and their accuracy was assessed through goodness-of-fit tests. Maximum moisture content to preserve biomass (10%) was reached on 5th day and the equilibrium on 16th day of drying. According to goodness-of-fit test (R2 = 0.999, χ2 = 4.666 × 10−5, RMSE = 0.00683) the best model to predict drying rate was Two-term model. The mathematical model obtained from Fick’s second law is reliable to predict drying kinetics, R2 (0.9648 ± 0.0106); despite the variation between drying area and initial moisture content. Kruskal-Wallis test showed that drying rates between batches are not significantly different (p = 0.639; 0.05); nor effective diffusion coefficient (Deff = 4.97 × 10−11  ±  0.3491 × 10−11), (p = 0.723; 0.05). The study of drying kinetics is crucial for selecting the optimal biowaste treatment based on its generation context. This could enable its use as feedstock for bioproduct or bioenergy production, thereby reducing waste accumulation in landfills and environmental impact. creator: Fernando Damián Barajas Godoy creator: Marco A. Martínez-Cinco creator: José G. Rutiaga-Quiñones creator: Otoniel Buenrostro-Delgado creator: Jose Mendoza uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18248 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Barajas Godoy et al. title: A comparative study on the lipid layer thickness analysis of medical staff before and after work link: https://peerj.com/articles/18258 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: Background & AimsTo study the change of the lipid layer thickness analysis in medical staff (MS) before and after work, and to explore the significance of measuring lipid layer thickness (LLT) respectively in four quadrants.MethodsOcular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire and video display terminal using time for 55 MS were collected (the informed consent was obtained from all patients). Noninvasive tear break-up time, LLT, tear meniscus height (TMH), meibomian glands (MG) dropout, and blink pattern before and after work (worked for more than 4 h) of 110 eyes were measured by Gaush iDea Ocular surface analyzer. Lid margin abnormalities were evaluated by the slit-lamp microscopy.ResultsThe average OSDI score of 55 MS was 25.68 ± 14.91. The average LLT of 110 eyes after work (65.12 ± 3.63 nm) was significantly reduced compared to before work (66.54 ± 4.16 nm), p < 0.05. The LLT in the superior quadrant was significantly thinner than that in the other three quadrants, p < 0.01. The average LLT was positively correlated with the LLT in the inferior (r = 0.822, p < 0.001), nasal (r = 0.261, p < 0.001), and temporal quadrant (r = 0.372, p < 0.001), while was negatively correlated with the MG dropout in lower lid (r = −0.209, p = 0.002). There was a significant correlation between the LLT in the inferior quadrant and the VDTt (r = −0.173, p = 0.01). The LLT of inferior quadrant were positively related to the TMH (r = 0.149, p = 0.027) and negatively related to MG dropout in lower lid (r = −0.162, p = 0.017).ConclusionThe LLT significantly decreases after work in MS. The distribution of the lipid layer on the ocular surface is uneven. It is unreasonable for current detection instruments to measure the inferior quadrant LLT alone to represent average LLT. creator: Qian Li creator: Xiufen Liu creator: Yu Ren creator: Tianlong He creator: Fei Shao creator: Nuerailimu Yimingtuohuti creator: Dan Li creator: Chengwei Lu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18258 license: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ rights: title: The influence of inactivated entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis on the immune responses of the Colorado potato beetle link: https://peerj.com/articles/18259 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: BackgroundInvasion of microorganisms into the gut of insects triggers a cascade of immune reactions accompanied by increased synthesis of effectors (such as antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, and amino acids), leading to changes in the physiological state of the host. We hypothesized that even an inactivated bacterium can induce an immune response in an insect. The aim of this study was to compare the roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and of the response of detoxification and antioxidant systems in a Colorado potato beetle (CPB) larval model in the first hours after invasion by either an inactivated or live bacterium.MethodsThe influence of per os inoculation with inactivated entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. tenebrionis (Bt) on the survival and physiological and biochemical parameters of CPB larvae was assessed as changes in the total hemocyte count (THC), activity of phenoloxidases (POs), glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs), nonspecific esterases (ESTs), catalase, peroxidases, superoxide dismutases (SODs) and formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).ResultsA series of changes occurred within the hemolymph and the midgut of CPBs inoculated with inactivated Bt at 12 h after inoculation. These physiological and biochemical alterations serve to mediate generalized resistance to pathogens. The changes were associated with an increase in the THC and a 1.4–2.2-fold enhancement of detoxification enzymatic activities (such as GST and EST) as well as increased levels of antioxidants (especially peroxidases) in hemolymph in comparison to the control group. Suppressed EST activity and reduced ROS formation were simultaneously detectable in the larval midgut. Inoculation of beetle larvae with active Bt cells yielded similar results (elevated THC and suppressed PO activity). A fundamental difference in the immune activation processes between larvae that ingested the inactivated bacterium and larvae that had consumed the active bacterium was that the inactivated bacterium did not influence ROS formation in the hemolymph but did reduce their formation in the midgut. At 24 h postinfection with active Bt, ROS levels went up in both the hemolymph and the midgut. This was accompanied by a significant 5.7-fold enhancement of SOD activity and a 5.3-fold suppression of peroxidase activity. The observed alterations may be due to within-gut toxicity caused by early-stage bacteriosis. The imbalance in the antioxidant system and the accumulation of products toxic to the “putative” pathogen can activate detoxification mechanisms, including those of an enzymatic nature (EST and GST). The activation of detoxification processes and of innate immune responses is probably due to the recognition of the “putative” pathogen by gut epithelial cells and is similar in many respects to the immune response at early stages of bacteriosis. creator: Olga V. Polenogova creator: Natalia A. Kryukova creator: Tatyana Klementeva creator: Anna S. Artemchenko creator: Alexander D. Lukin creator: Viktor P. Khodyrev creator: Irina Slepneva creator: Yana Vorontsova creator: Viktor V. Glupov uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18259 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Polenogova et al. title: Compositions of the major ions, variations in their sources, and a risk assessment of the Qingshuijiang River Basin in Southwest China: a 10-year comparison of hydrochemical measurements link: https://peerj.com/articles/18284 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: Rivers in karst areas face increased risks from persistent growth in human activity that leads to changes in water chemistry and threatens the water environment. In this study, principal component analysis (PCA), ion ratio measurements, and other methods were used to study the water chemistry of the Qingshuijiang River Basin over the past 10 years. The results showed that the main ions in the river were Ca2+ and HCO3–, with a cation order of Ca2+ (mean: 0.93 mmol/L) > Mg2+ (mean: 0.51 mmol/L) > Na+ (mean: 0.30 mmol/L) > K+ (mean: 0.06 mmol/L) and HCO3– (mean: 2.00 mmol/L) > SO42– (mean: 0.49 mmol/L) > Cl– (mean: 0.15 mmol/L) > NO3– (mean: 0.096 mmol/L) > F– (mean : 0.012 mmol/L). In the past 10 years, the concentration of major ions in the river water in the basin has increased significantly. The weathering input of rock (mainly upstream carbonate) was the main source of Mg2+, Ca2+, and HCO3−, though sulfuric acid was also involved in this process. While K+ and Na+ were affected by the combination of human activity and the weathering input of silicate rock in the middle and lower reaches of the river, human activity was the main source of SO42−, NO3−, and F− ions. Irrigation water quality and health risks were evaluated by calculating the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), soluble sodium percentage (Na%), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), and hazard quotient (HQ). The findings indicated that the river water was generally safe for irrigation and drinking, and the health risks were gradually reduced over time. However, long-term monitoring of the river basin is still essential, especially for the risk of excessive F− in a few tributaries in the basin. creator: Jiemei Lv creator: Tianhao Yang creator: Yanling An uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18284 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Lv et al. title: Deep-ocean macrofaunal assemblages on ferromanganese and phosphorite-rich substrates in the Southern California Borderland link: https://peerj.com/articles/18290 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: Mineral-rich hardgrounds, such as ferromanganese (FeMn) crusts and phosphorites, occur on seamounts and continental margins, gaining attention for their resource potential due to their enrichment in valuable metals in some regions. This study focuses on the Southern California Borderland (SCB), an area characterized by uneven and heterogeneous topography featuring FeMn crusts, phosphorites, basalt, and sedimentary rocks that occur at varying depths and are exposed to a range of oxygen concentrations. Due to its heterogeneity, this region serves as an optimal setting for investigating the relationship between mineral-rich hardgrounds and benthic fauna. This study characterizes the density, diversity, and community composition of macrofauna (>300 μm) on hardgrounds as a function of substrate type and environment (depth and oxygen ranges). Rocks and their macrofauna were sampled quantitatively using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) during expeditions in 2020 and 2021 at depths above, within, and below the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). A total of 3,555 macrofauna individuals were counted and 416 different morphospecies (excluding encrusting bryozoans and hydrozoans) were identified from 82 rocks at depths between 231 and 2,688 m. Average density for SCB macrofauna was 11.08 ± 0.87 ind. 200 cm−2 and mean Shannon-Wiener diversity per rock (H′[loge]) was 2.22 ± 0.07. A relationship was found between substrate type and macrofaunal communities. Phosphorite rocks had the highest H′ of the four substrates compared on a per-rock basis. However, when samples were pooled by substrate, FeMn crusts had the highest H′ and rarefaction diversity. Of all the environmental variables examined, water depth explained the largest variance in macrofaunal community composition. Macrofaunal density and diversity values were similar at sites within and outside the OMZ. This study is the first to analyze the macrofaunal communities of mineral-rich hardgrounds in the SCB, which support deep-ocean biodiversity by acting as specialized substrates for macrofaunal communities. Understanding the intricate relationships between macrofaunal assemblages and mineral-rich substrates may inform effects from environmental disruptions associated with deep-seabed mining or climate change. The findings contribute baseline information useful for effective conservation and management of the SCB and will support scientists in monitoring changes in these communities due to environmental disturbance or human impact in the future. creator: Michelle Guraieb creator: Guillermo Mendoza creator: Kira Mizell creator: Greg Rouse creator: Ryan A. McCarthy creator: Olívia S. Pereira creator: Lisa A. Levin uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18290 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Guraieb et al. title: Prioritising non-native fish species for management actions in three Polish rivers using the newly developed tool—dispersal-origin-status-impact scheme link: https://peerj.com/articles/18300 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: BackgroundBiological invasions are a major threat to global biodiversity, with freshwater ecosystems being among the most susceptible to the successful establishment of non-native species and their respective potential impacts. In Poland, the introduction and spreading of non-native fish has led to biodiversity loss and ecosystem homogenisation.MethodsOur study applies the Dispersal-Origin-Status-Impact (DOSI) assessment scheme, which is a population-level specific assessment that integrates multiple factors, including dispersal mechanisms, origin, status, and impacts, providing a nuanced framework for assessing invasion risks at local and regional levels. We used this tool to evaluate the risks associated with non-native fish species across three major Polish rivers (Pilica, Bzura, and Skrwa Prawa) and to prioritise them for management actions.ResultsUsing DOSI, we assessed eight non-native species identified in the three studied rivers: seven in both Pilica and Bzura and four in Skrwa Prawa. The DOSI assessment scheme identified high variability in the ecological impacts and management priorities among the identified non-native species. Notably, species such as the Ponto-Caspian gobies exhibited higher risk levels due to their rapid spread and considerable ecological effects, contrasting with other species that demonstrated lower impact levels and, hence, received a lower priority for intervention.ConclusionThe adoption of the DOSI scheme in three major rivers in Poland has provided valuable insights into the complexities of managing biological invasions, suggesting that localised, detailed assessments are crucial for effective conservation strategies and highlighting the importance of managing non-native populations locally. creator: Dagmara Błońska creator: Joanna Grabowska creator: Ali S. Tarkan creator: Ismael Soto creator: Phillip J. Haubrock uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18300 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Błońska et al. title: FastProtein—an automated software for in silico proteomic analysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/18309 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: Although various tools provide proteomic information, each tool has limitations related to execution platforms, libraries, versions, and data output format. Integrating data generated from different software is a laborious process that can prolong analysis time. Here, we present FastProtein, a protein analysis pipeline that is user-friendly, easily installable, and outputs important information about subcellular location, transmembrane domains, signal peptide, molecular weight, isoelectric point, hydropathy, aromaticity, gene ontology, endoplasmic reticulum retention domains, and N-glycosylation domains. It also helps determine the presence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol and obtain functional information from InterProScan, PANTHER, Pfam, and alignment-based annotation searches. FastProtein provides the scientific community with an easy-to-use computational tool for proteomic data analysis. It is applicable to both small datasets and proteome-wide studies. It can be used through the command line interface mode or a web interface installed on a local server. FastProtein significantly enhances proteomics analysis workflows by producing multiple results in a single-step process, thereby streamlining and accelerating the overall analysis. The software is open-source and freely available. Installation and execution instructions, as well as the source code and test files generated for tool validation, are available at https://github.com/bioinformatics-ufsc/FastProtein. creator: Renato Simões Moreira creator: Vilmar Benetti Filho creator: Guilherme Augusto Maia creator: Tatiany Aparecida Teixeira Soratto creator: Eric Kazuo Kawagoe creator: Bruna Caroline Russi creator: Luiz Cláudio Miletti creator: Glauber Wagner uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18309 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Moreira et al. title: Factors influencing health-promoting behavior among single mothers in Northeastern Malaysia: a cross-sectional study link: https://peerj.com/articles/18359 last-modified: 2024-10-31 description: IntroductionHealth-promoting behaviors (HPB) play a vital role in maintaining and enhancing overall well-being. Single mothers are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and less involvement in HPB due to psychosocial disadvantages.ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the HPB scores and factors influencing HPB among single mothers in Kelantan (Northeastern, Malaysia).MethodsThis study employed a cross-sectional design, selecting 242 single mothers from Kelantan through proportional stratified sampling. Data were gathered through questionnaires covering sociodemographic details, the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II), the Malay Version of Health Beliefs Related to Cardiovascular Disease (HBCVD-M), and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support (MPSS). The relationships between the dependent variable (HPB) and independent variables were analyzed using multivariable linear regression models.ResultsThe respondents achieved an average HPB score of 118.03 (SD = 19.2), with the highest mean scores in spiritual growth (22.46 [SD = 3.70]) and interpersonal relationships (22.05 [SD = 3.67]). Physical activity had the lowest mean score at 15.09 (SD = 4.62). Significant positive associations were found between HPB and perceived severity of CVD (adjusted β = 1.60; 95% CI [0.68–2.53]; p < 0.001) as well as perceived social support (adjusted β = 0.63; 95% CI [0.37–0.90]; p < 0.001). Conversely, educational level (adjusted β = −10.36; 95% CI [−16.06 to −4.67]; p < 0.001) and perceived benefits of reducing CVD risk (adjusted β = −1.43; 95% CI [−2.37 to −0.48]; p < 0.001) were negatively associated with HPB.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the importance of health beliefs, social support, and education in shaping HPB among single mothers. Community health initiatives targeting this population should develop strategies to strengthen individuals’ health beliefs and promote a supportive environment. creator: Saidah Adilah Mohamed Yusof creator: Tengku Alina Tengku Ismail creator: Kamarul Imran Musa creator: Hasmaryanti Kamaruzzaman uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18359 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Mohamed Yusof et al.