title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=287 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: Do the effects last? A comparison between internal and external focus of attention instructions on golf putting accuracy over multiple days link: https://peerj.com/articles/17718 last-modified: 2024-07-11 description: BackgroundThe role of attentional focus is a well-explored topic in exercise sciences. Studies generally indicate that external focus (EF) enhances motor performance and learning compared with internal focus (IF). However, most studies only included one or two experimental days which limits participants’ exposure to the focus conditions. This raises the question of whether the superiority of EF varies over time.MethodsAccordingly, in this pre-registered within-subject study, we examined the effects of focus instructions on golf-putting performance over four days, with 48–72 h between them. On each day, participants performed 15 putts under three instructional conditions: (1) EF, (2) IF, and (3) control, in a randomized and counterbalanced order.ResultsWe observed trivial differences in performance between conditions but considerable improvements from day 1 to day 4. When using an exploratory analysis, we found that participants performed better under EF and control conditions compared with the IF condition on day 1, but not on subsequent days.ConclusionsSince IF instructions are more commonly used in practice, we speculate that the two other focus conditions were experienced as more novel, potentially accounting for their superiority on Day 1. Nevertheless, our results question the significance of employing EF to enhance performance. creator: Miri Nevo creator: Israel Halperin creator: Gal Ziv uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17718 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Nevo et al. title: Hypertension in frail older adults: current perspectives link: https://peerj.com/articles/17760 last-modified: 2024-07-11 description: Hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases in older people, and the prevalence is on the rise as the global population ages. Hypertension is closely associated with many adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and mortality, which poses a substantial threat to global public health. Reasonable blood pressure (BP) management is very important for reducing the occurrence of adverse events. Frailty is an age-related geriatric syndrome, characterized by decreased physiological reserves of multiple organs and systems and increased sensitivity to stressors, which increases the risk of falls, hospitalization, fractures, and mortality in older people. With the aging of the global population and the important impact of frailty on clinical practice, frailty has attracted increasing attention in recent years. In older people, frailty and hypertension often coexist. Frailty has a negative impact on BP management and the prognosis of older hypertensive patients, while hypertension may increase the risk of frailty in older people. However, the causal relationship between frailty and hypertension remains unclear, and there is a paucity of research regarding the efficacious management of hypertension in frail elderly patients. The management of hypertension in frail elderly patients still faces significant challenges. The benefits of treatment, the optimal BP target, and the choice of antihypertensive drugs for older hypertensive patients with frailty remain subjects of ongoing debate. This review provides a brief overview of hypertension in frail older adults, especially for the management of BP in this population, which may help in offering valuable ideas for future research in this field. creator: Liying Li creator: Linjia Duan creator: Ying Xu creator: Haiyan Ruan creator: Muxin Zhang creator: Yi Zheng creator: Sen He uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17760 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Li et al. title: Anthropogenic fertilization influences a shift in barley rhizosphere microbial communities link: https://peerj.com/articles/17303 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundAnthropogenic mediations contribute a significant role in stimulating positive reactions in soil–plant interactions; however, methodical reports on how anthropogenic activities impact soil microorganism-induced properties and soil health are still inadequate. In this study, we evaluated the influence of anthropogenic fertilization of farmland soil on barley rhizosphere microbial community structure and diversity, and the significant impacts on agro-ecosystem productivity. This will help validate the premise that soil amendment with prolonged synthetic fertilizers can lead to a significant reduction in bacterial abundance and diversity, while soils amended with organic fertilizers elicit the succession of the native soil microbial community and favor the growth of copiotrophic bacteria.MethodsThe total metagenomic DNA was extracted from soils obtained from the barley rhizosphere under chemical fertilization (CB), organic fertilization (OB), and bulk soil (NB). Subsequently, these samples were sequenced using an amplicon-based sequencing approach, and the raw sequence dataset was examined using a metagenomic rast server (MG-RAST).ResultsOur findings showed that all environments (CB, OB, and NB) shared numerous soil bacterial phyla but with different compositions. However, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria predominated in the barley rhizosphere under chemical fertilization, organic fertilization, and bulk soils, respectively. Alpha and beta diversity analysis showed that the diversity of bacteria under organic barley rhizosphere was significantly higher and more evenly distributed than bacteria under chemical fertilization and bulk soil.ConclusionUnderstanding the impact of conventional and organic fertilizers on the structure, composition, and diversity of the rhizosphere microbiome will assist in soil engineering to enhance microbial diversity in the agroecosystem. creator: Ben Jesuorsemwen Enagbonma creator: Ayomide Emmanuel Fadiji creator: Olubukola Oluranti Babalola uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17303 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Enagbonma et al. title: Estimation of environment stability for fruit yield and capsaicin content by using two models in Capsicum chinense Jacq. (Ghost Pepper) with multi-year evaluation link: https://peerj.com/articles/17511 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundCapsicum chinense Jacq. (Ghost Pepper) is well-known for its high pungency and pleasant aroma. The recent years witnessed a significant decline in popularity of this important crop due to the use of inferior planting material and lack of elite lines. To maintain constant performance across a variety of settings, it is crucial to choose stable lines with high yield and capsaicin content, as these are the most promising traits of Ghost Pepper.MethodIn this study, 120 high-capsaicin genotypes were subjected to a 3-year (kharif 2017, 2018 and 2019) stability investigation utilizing two well-known stability methods: Eberhart-Russell (ER) and additive main effects and multiple interaction (AMMI). Three replications were used following Randomized Complete Block Design for 11 traits. The experiment soil was sandy loam with pH 4.9. Minimum and maximum temperature of 18.5 °C, 17.5 °C, 17.4 °C and 32.2 °C, 31.3 °C, 32.7 °C and rainfall of 1,781, 2,099, 1,972 mm respectively was recorded for the study period.ResultThe genotype-environment linear interaction (G×E Lin.) was highly significant for days to 50% flowering, capsaicin content, fruit length and girth, fruit yield per plant and number of fruits per plant at p < 0.005. G×E interaction for fruit yield and capsaicin content in AMMI-analysis of variance reported 67.07% and 71.51% contribution by IPCA-1 (interactive principal component axis) and 32.76% and 28.49% by IPCA-2, respectively. Eight genotypes were identified to be stable with high yield and capsaicin content. The identified stable lines can be opted for cultivation to reduce the impact of crop failure when grown in different macro-environments. Moreover, the pharmaceutical and spice sectors will also be benefitted from the lines with high capsaicin content. Further research assessing the lines’ performance across various regions of India can provide a solid foundation for the crop’s evaluation at national level. creator: Joyashree Baruah creator: Twahira Begum creator: Mohan Lal uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17511 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Baruah et al. title: Identification and validation of calcium extrusion-related genes prognostic signature in colon adenocarcinoma link: https://peerj.com/articles/17582 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundDisruptions in calcium homeostasis are associated with a wide range of diseases, and play a pivotal role in the development of cancer. However, the construction of prognostic models using calcium extrusion-related genes in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) has not been well studied. We aimed to identify whether calcium extrusion-related genes serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in the COAD progression.MethodsWe constructed a prognostic model based on the expression of calcium extrusion-related genes (SLC8A1, SLC8A2, SLC8A3, SLC8B1, SLC24A2, SLC24A3 and SLC24A4) in COAD. Subsequently, we evaluated the associations between the risk score calculated by calcium extrusion-related genes and mutation signature, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoint molecules. Then we calculated the immune score, stromal score, tumor purity and estimate score using the Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumor tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm. The response to immunotherapy was assessed using tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE). Finally, colorectal cancer cells migration, growth and colony formation assays were performed in RKO cells with the overexpression or knockdown SLC8A3, SLC24A2, SLC24A3, or SLC24A4.ResultsWe found that patients with high risk score of calcium extrusion-related genes tend to have a poorer prognosis than those in the low-risk group. Additionally, patients in high-risk group had higher rates of KRAS mutations and lower MUC16 mutations, implying a strong correlation between KRAS and MUC16 mutations and calcium homeostasis in COAD. Moreover, the high-risk group showed a higher infiltration of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, our study identified two previously unreported model genes (SLC8A3 and SLC24A4) that contribute to the growth and migration of colorectal cancer RKO cells.ConclusionsAltogether, we developed a prognostic risk model for predicting the prognosis of COAD patients based on the expression profiles of calcium extrusion-related genes, Furthermore, we validated two previously unreported tumor suppressor genes (SLC8A3 and SLC24A4) involved in colorectal cancer progression. creator: Mingpeng Jin creator: Chun Yin creator: Jie Yang creator: Xiaoning Yang creator: Jing Wang creator: Jianjun Zhu creator: Jian Yuan uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17582 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Jin et al. title: Pan-cancer analysis identifies olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 as a potential biomarker for glioma link: https://peerj.com/articles/17631 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundHuman olfactory receptors (ORs) account for approximately 60% of all human G protein-coupled receptors. The functions of ORs extend beyond olfactory perception and have garnered significant attention in tumor biology. However, a comprehensive pan-cancer analysis of ORs in human cancers is lacking.MethodsUsing data from public databases, such as HPA, TCGA, GEO, GTEx, TIMER2, TISDB, UALCAN, GEPIA2, and GSCA, this study investigated the role of olfactory receptor family 7 subfamily A member 5 (OR7A5) in various cancers. Functional analysis of OR7A5 in LGG and GBM was performed using the CGGA database. Molecular and cellular experiments were performed to validate the expression and biological function of OR7A5 in gliomas.ResultsThe results revealed heightened OR7A5 expression in certain tumors, correlating with the expression levels of immune checkpoints and immune infiltration. In patients with gliomas, the expression levels of OR7A5 were closely associated with adverse prognosis, 1p/19p co-deletion status, and wild-type IDH status. Finally, in vitro experiments confirmed the inhibitory effect of OR7A5 knockdown on the proliferative capacity of glioma cells and on the expression levels of proteins related to lipid metabolism.ConclusionThis study establishes OR7A5 as a novel biomarker, potentially offering a novel therapeutic target for gliomas. creator: Yanqiu Bao creator: Ziqi Tang creator: Renli Chen creator: Xuebin Yu creator: Xuchen Qi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17631 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 rights: ©2024 Bao et al. title: The potential role of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and one branch connected with tissue-resident memory in non-luminal breast cancer link: https://peerj.com/articles/17667 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: Advances in understanding the pathological mechanisms of breast cancer have resulted in the emergence of novel therapeutic strategies. However, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a molecular subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis, lacks classical and general therapeutic targets, hindering the clinical application of several therapies to breast cancer. As insights into the unique immunity and molecular mechanisms of TNBC have become more extensive, immunotherapy has gradually become a valuable complementary approach to classical radiotherapy and chemotherapy. CD8+ cells are significant actors in the tumor immunity cycle; thus, research on TNBC immunotherapy is increasingly focused in this direction. Recently, CD8+ tissue-resident memory (TRM) cells, a subpopulation of CD8+ cells, have been explored in relation to breast cancer and found to seemingly play an undeniably important role in tumor surveillance and lymphocytic infiltration. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in the mechanisms and relative targets of CD8+ T cells, and discuss the features and potential applications of CD8+ TRM cells in non-luminal breast cancer immunotherapy. creator: Ziqi Zhao creator: Xinyu Ma creator: Zhengang Cai uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17667 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0 rights: © 2024 Zhao et al. title: The osteology of the wrist of Heyuannia huangi (Oviraptorosauria) and its implications for the wrist folding mechanism link: https://peerj.com/articles/17669 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: The wrist of extant birds is highly specialized which permits folding of the forelimb in order to protect the pennaceous feathers when they are relaxed. This mechanism is absent in most non-avian theropods and is unknown in oviraptorosaurs because of the rarity of the specimens with well-preserved wrist. Here we give a detailed description of the wrist of two three-dimensionally preserved oviraptorosaurian Heyuannia huangi specimens from the Upper Cretaceous in Southern China. Heyuannia huangi possesses a highly specialized wrist with a strongly dorsoventrally compressed distal ulna, a larger radiale angle and a strongly convex semilunate carpal. The morphology of its wrist suggests that the distal ulna would not hinder the rotation of the manus, resulting in the smallest angle between the manus and the ulna being less than 90 degrees. The combination of the morphology of the wrist of oviraptorosaurs and the phylogenetic result indicates functional convergence in the wrist of oviraptorids and extant birds. creator: Rui Qiu creator: Yanli Du creator: Zhiqing Huang creator: Xufeng Zhu creator: Xiaoli Yang creator: Qiang Wang creator: Xiaolin Wang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17669 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Qiu et al. title: Molecular insights into programmed cell death in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma link: https://peerj.com/articles/17690 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundEsophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a deadly type of esophageal cancer. Programmed cell death (PCD) is an important pathway of cellular self-extermination and is closely involved in cancer progression. A detailed study of its mechanism may contribute to ESCC treatment.MethodsWe obtained expression profiling data of ESCC patients from public databases and genes related to 12 types of PCD from previous studies. Hub genes in ESCC were screened from PCD-related genes applying differential expression analysis, machine learning analysis, linear support vector machine (SVM), random forest and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression analysis. In addition, based on the HTFtarget and TargetScan databases, transcription factors (TFs) and miRNAs interacting with the hub genes were selected. The relationship between hub genes and immune cells were analyzed using the CIBERSORT algorithm. Finally, to verify the potential impact of the screened hub genes on ESCC occurrence and development, a series of in vitro cell experiments were conducted.ResultsWe screened 149 PCD-related DEGs, of which five DEGs (INHBA, LRRK2, HSP90AA1, HSPB8, and EIF2AK2) were identified as the hub genes of ESCC. The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the integrated model developed using the hub genes reached 0.997, showing a noticeably high diagnostic accuracy. The number of TFs and miRNAs regulating hub genes was 105 and 22, respectively. INHBA, HSP90AA1 and EIF2AK2 were overexpressed in cancer tissues and cells of ESCC. Notably, INHBA knockdown suppressed ECSS cell migration and invasion and altered the expression of important apoptotic and survival proteins.ConclusionThis study identified significant molecules with promising accuracy for the diagnosis of ESCC, which may provide a new perspective and experimental basis for ESCC research. creator: Min Chen creator: Yijun Qi creator: Shenghua Zhang creator: Yubo Du creator: Haodong Cheng creator: Shegan Gao uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17690 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2024 Chen et al. title: Predator in proximity: how does a large carnivore respond to anthropogenic pressures at fine-scales? Implications for interface area management link: https://peerj.com/articles/17693 last-modified: 2024-07-10 description: BackgroundDriven by habitat loss and fragmentation, large carnivores are increasingly navigating human-dominated landscapes, where their activity is restricted and their behaviour altered. This movement, however, raises significant concerns and costs for people living nearby. While intricately linked, studies often isolate human and carnivore impacts, hindering effective management efforts. Hence, in this study, we brought these two into a common framework, focusing on an interface area between the critical tiger habitat and the human-dominated multiple-use buffer area of a central Indian protected area.MethodsWe employed a fine-scale camera trap survey complemented by GPS-collar movement data to understand spatio-temporal activity patterns and adjustments of tigers in response to anthropogenic pressures. We used an occupancy framework to evaluate space use, Bayesian circular GLMs to model temporal activity, and home range and step length analyses to assess the movement patterns of tigers. Further, we used predation-risk models to understand conflict patterns as a function of tiger presence and other habitat variables.ResultsDespite disturbance, a high proportion of the sampled area was occupied by 17 unique tigers (ψ = 0.76; CI [0.73–0.92]). The distance to villages (β ± SE = 0.63 ± 0.21) and the relative abundance of large-bodied wild prey (β ± SE = 0.72 ± 0.37) emerged as key predictors of tiger space use probability, indicating a preference for wild prey by tigers, while human influences constrained their habitat utilisation. Distance to villages was also identified as the most significant predictor of the tigers’ temporal activity (μ ± σ = 3.03 ± 0.06 rad) that exhibited higher nocturnality near villages. A total of 11% of tiger home ranges were within village boundaries, accompanied by faster movement in these areas (displacement 40–82% higher). Livestock depredation probability by tigers increased with proximity to villages (P = 0.002) and highway (P = 0.003). Although tiger space use probability (P = 0.056) and wild prey abundance (P = 0.134) were non-significant at the 0.05 threshold, their presence in the best-fit predation-risk model suggests their contextual relevance for understanding conflict risk. The results highlight the importance of appropriately managing livestock near human infrastructures to effectively mitigate conflict.ConclusionsShared space of carnivores and humans requires dynamic site-specific actions grounded in evidence-based decision-making. This study emphasises the importance of concurrently addressing the intricate interactions between humans and large carnivores, particularly the latter’s behavioural adaptations and role in conflict dynamics. Such an integrated approach is essential to unravel cause-effect relationships and promote effective interface management in human-dominated landscapes. creator: Manu Mohan creator: Sambandam Sathyakumar creator: Ramesh Krishnamurthy uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17693 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2024 Mohan et al.