title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=484 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: The complete mitochondrial genome and description of a new cryptic Brazilian species of Metopiellus Raffray (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) link: https://peerj.com/articles/15697 last-modified: 2023-07-27 description: MetopiellusRaffray, 1908 is a genus of South American rove beetles typically found in tropical humid forests. Here we describe a new cryptic species from Eastern Amazon, in northern Brazil, Metopiellus crypticus Asenjo sp. nov., and its major morphologic diagnostic features, which were photographed and illustrated. In addition, we bring the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of M. crypticussp. nov., and its position within the phylogenetic context of the family, including previously available mitogenomes of Staphylinidae species. creator: Angélico Asenjo creator: Marcus Paulo Alves de Oliveira creator: Renato R.M. Oliveira creator: Eder Soares Pires creator: Marcely Valois creator: Guilherme Oliveira creator: Santelmo Vasconcelos uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15697 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Asenjo et al. title: Metabolic cost of walking with electromechanical ankle exoskeletons under proportional myoelectric control on a treadmill and outdoors link: https://peerj.com/articles/15775 last-modified: 2023-07-27 description: Lower limb robotic exoskeletons are often studied in the context of steady state treadmill walking in a laboratory environment. However, the end goal for exoskeletons is to be used in real world, complex environments. To reach the point that exoskeletons are openly adopted into our everyday lives, we need to understand how the human and robot interact outside of a laboratory. Metabolic cost is often viewed as a gold standard metric for measuring exoskeleton performance but is rarely used to evaluate performance at non steady state walking outside of a laboratory. In this study, we tested the effects of robotic ankle exoskeletons under proportional myoelectric control on the cost of transport of walking both inside on a treadmill and outside overground. We hypothesized that walking with the exoskeletons would lead to a lower cost of transport compared to walking without them both on a treadmill and outside. We saw no significant increases or decreases in cost of transport or exoskeleton mechanics when walking with the exoskeletons compared to walking without them both on a treadmill and outside. We saw a strong negative correlation between walking speed and cost of transport when walking with and without the exoskeletons. In the future, research should consider how performing more difficult tasks, such as incline and loaded walking, affects the cost of transport while walking with and without robotic ankle exoskeletons. The value of this study to the literature is that it emphasizes the importance of both hardware dynamics and controller design towards reducing metabolic cost of transport with robotic ankle exoskeletons. When comparing our results to other studies using the same hardware with different controllers or very similar controllers with different hardware, there are a wide range of outcomes as to metabolic benefit. creator: Rachel Hybart creator: K. Siena Villancio-Wolter creator: Daniel Perry Ferris uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15775 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Hybart et al. title: Protective effect of fustin against adjuvant-induced arthritis through the restoration of proinflammatory response and oxidative stress link: https://peerj.com/articles/15532 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: Rheumatoid arthritis causes irreparable damage to joints. The present research sought to check fustin’s anti-arthritic efficacy against the complete Freund’s adjuvant-induced arthritis paradigm in animals by altering the inflammatory response. In the rats, complete Freund’s adjuvant was used to trigger arthritis and they received fustin at 50 and 100 mg/kg for 21 days. At regular intervals, the hind paw volume and arthritic score were assessed. After the trial period, hematological, antioxidant, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and other biochemical parameters were estimated. Fustin-treated rats showed the down-regulation of hind paw volume, arthritic score, and altered hematological parameters (TLC, DLC (neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, basophil)). Furthermore, fustin significantly mitigates proinflammatory cytokine (reduced interleukin, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-1β), oxidative stress (attenuated malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD)), attenuated production of prostaglandin E2 and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and improved nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) action. Fustin led to the benefit in arthritis-prone animals elicited by complete Freund’s adjuvant via pro-inflammatory cytokine. creator: Sultan Alshehri creator: Shareefa A. AlGhamdi creator: Amira M. Alghamdi creator: Syed Sarim Imam creator: Wael A. Mahdi creator: Mohammad A. Almaniea creator: Baraa Mohammed Hajjar creator: Fahad A. Al-Abbasi creator: Nadeem Sayyed creator: Imran Kazmi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15532 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Alshehri et al. title: Effects of high-risk human papillomavirus infection on P53, pRb, and survivin in lung adenocarcinoma—a retrospective study link: https://peerj.com/articles/15570 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: ObjectiveTo observe the effects of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection on P53, pRb, and survivin in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).MethodsThe cancerous and cancer-adjacent tissues of 102 patients with LUAD from January 2020 to April 2022 were selected for the study. HR-HPV infection was detected by flow fluorescence method, and P53, pRb, and survivin protein expression was detected by immunohistochemical staining method. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the differences in the HR-HPV infection and the expression of P53, pRb, and survivin proteins between LUAD tissues and cancer-adjacent tissues; the correlation between HR-HPV infection and P53, pRb, and survivin protein expression in cancer tissues; and the correlation between HR-HPV infection and clinicopathological features of LUAD.ResultsThe infection rate of HR-HPV was higher in the LUAD tissues (28.43%) than in cancer-adjacent tissues (7.84%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The positive rates of P53 and survivin protein were higher in the LUAD group (33.33% and 67.16%, respectively) than in the cancer-adjacent group (3.92% and 11.73%, respectively), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The positive rate of pRb protein was lower in the LUAD group (58.82%) than in the cancer-adjacent group (92.14%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The positive rates of P53 and survivin proteins were significantly higher in the HR-HPV LUAD group (58.62% and 86.21%, respectively) than in the non-HR-HPV LUAD group (41.38% and 67.12%, respectively), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The expression rate of pRb protein was significantly lower in the HR-HPV LUAD group (37.93%) than in the non-HR-HPV LUAD group (67.12%), and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The expression of p53 and survivin protein was positively correlated with HR-HPV infection (r = 0.338 and 0.444, P < 0.05), whereas the expression of pRb protein was negatively correlated with HR-HPV infection (r =  − 0.268, P < 0.05). HR-HPV infection was not associated with gender, age, and smoking in patients with LUAD (P > 0.05). HR-HPV infection was associated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of LUAD (P < 0.05).ConclusionsHR-HPV infection was associated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage of LUAD, which may be achieved by up-regulating p53 and survivin protein expression and down-regulating pRb protein expression. creator: Wenwen Sun creator: Hui Yang creator: Lu Cao creator: Ruochen Wu creator: Baoqi Ding creator: Xiaocui Liu creator: Xinli Wang creator: Qiang Zhang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15570 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Sun et al. title: Recombination of endophytic bacteria in asexual plant Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. caused by transplanting link: https://peerj.com/articles/15579 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: BackgroundLong-term asexual reproduction can easily lead to the degradation of plant germplasm, serious diseases and insect pests, reduction of production and even catastrophic crop failure. “Mountain Breeding and Dam Cultivation” is the main cultivation mode of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort., which successfully avoided the germplasm degradation caused by long-term asexual reproduction. The recombination of endophytic fungi of L. chuanxiong caused by off-site transplantation was considered to be an important reason for its germplasm rejuvenation. However, whether bacteria have the same regularity is not yet known.MethodsIn this study, we carried out the experiment of cultivating propagation materials of L. chuanxiong in different regions and transplanting them to the same region. High-throughput sequencing was performed to analyze the bacterial communities in L. chuanxiong and its soil.ResultsThe results showed that after transplanting, the plant height, tiller number, fresh weight, etc. of L. chuanxiong in mountainous areas were significantly higher than those in dam areas. At the same time, significant changes had taken place in the endophytic bacteria in reproductive material stem nodes (Lingzi, abbreviated as LZ). The diversity and abundance of bacteria in dam area LZ (YL) are significantly higher than those in mountainous area LZ (ML). The relative abundance of bacteria such as Xanthobacteraceae, Micromonosporaceae, Beijerinkiaceae, Rhodanobacteria, in ML is significantly higher than YL, mainly classified in Proteobateria and Actinobacteriota. In addition, the abundance advantage of Actinobacteriota still exists in MY (underground mature rhizomes obtained by ML). Meanwhile, the bacterial community was different in different area of transplanting. The diversity of bacterial communities in dam soil (YLS) is significantly higher than that in mountain soil (MLS). MLS had more Acidobacteriota than YLS. Comparative analysis showed that 74.38% of bacteria in ML are found in MLS, and 87.91% of bacteria in YL are found in YLS.ConclusionsWe can conclude that the community structure of endophytic bacteria recombined after the transplantation of L. chuanxiong, which was related to the bacterial community in soils. Moreover, after transplanting in mountainous areas, LZ accumulated more potentially beneficial Actinobacteriota, which may be an important reason for promoting the rejuvenation of germplasm in L. chuanxiong. However, this hypothesis requires more specific experiments to verify. This study provided a new idea that off-site transplanting may be a new strategy to restore vegetative plant germplasm resources. creator: Wanting Xiao creator: Zhanling Zhang creator: Hai Wang creator: Guiqi Han creator: Zhu-Yun Yan creator: Dongmei He uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15579 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Xiao et al. title: Dapagliflozin-affected endothelial dysfunction and altered gut microbiota in mice with heart failure link: https://peerj.com/articles/15589 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: AimTo investigate the potential microbiome profile of a mouse model with heart failure (HF) during dapagliflozin treatment.MethodAn HF model was constructed in 8-week-old male mice, and cardiac tissues were analyzed using histological staining. Hemodynamic indexes were measured, and fecal samples were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing. Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson were used for α-diversity analysis. b-Diversity analysis was conducted using principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on the Bray–Curtis distance. Linear discriminant analysis coupled with effect size measurements (LEfSe) was used to identify signature gut microbiota, and phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) was used to predict the function of altered gut microbiota.ResultDapagliflozin treatment reduced inflammation, infarction area, and cardiac fibrosis in HF mice. It also increased endothelial-dependent dilation and inflammation in mice with HF. Dapagliflozin decreased the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes, which was increased in HF mice. There was no significant statistical difference in α-diversity among the control, HF, and HF+dapagliflozin groups. Desulfovibrio, AF12, and Paraprevotella were enriched in HF+dapagliflozin, while Rikenella and Mucispirillum were enriched in HF based on LEfSe. KEGG analysis revealed that altered gut microbiota was associated with fermentation, amino acid biosynthesis, nucleoside and nucleotide biosynthesis/degradation, fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis, carbohydrate biosynthesis/degradation, and cofactor/prosthetic group/electron carrier/vitamin biosynthesis.ConclusionUnderstanding the microbiome profile helps elucidate the mechanism of dapagliflozin for HF. The signature genera identified in this study could be used as a convenient method to distinguish between HF patients and healthy individuals. creator: Nandi Bao creator: Xiaoli Liu creator: Xiaoling Zhong creator: Shuangshuang Jia creator: Ning Hua creator: Li Zhang creator: Guoxin Mo uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15589 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2023 Bao et al. title: Utilization of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive donors in liver transplantation for recipients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective and propensity score matching analysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/15620 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: IntroductionThe use of extended criteria donor (ECD) grafts such as donor with infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a potential solution for organ shortage. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the safety and long-term survival of utilization of hepatitis B surface antigen-positive (HBsAg+) donor livers in HCC patients using propensity score matching (PSM) analysis.MethodsForty-eight donors with HBsAg-positive and 279 donors with HBsAg-negative were transplanted and enrolled in this study. PSM analysis were used to eliminate selection bias. Perioperative data and survival were collected and analyzed.ResultsPSM generated 44 patient pairs. When comparing intra- and post-operative data, no significant difference was found between groups (P > 0.05). Patients with a HBsAg-positive donor had significantly worse progression-free survival (1-year: 65.9% vs. 90.9%; 3-year: 18.1% vs. 70.4%, P = 0.0060) and overall survival (1-year: 84.1% and 95.4%; 3-year: 27.2% vs. 79.5%, P = 0.0039). In multivariate analysis, donor HBsAg-positivity was an independent risk factor for survival and occurrence (P = 0.005 and 0.025, respectively).ConclusionIn conclusion, with adequate antiviral prophylaxis and treatment, utilization of HBsAg positive liver grafts did not increase the incidence of early-stage complications. However, patient with an HBsAg-positive graft had poorer progression-free survival and overall survival. creator: Zhitao Chen creator: Yihao Ma creator: Yuqi Dong creator: Chuanbao Chen creator: Hanyu Wang creator: Tielong Wang creator: Jia Yu creator: Xitao Hong creator: Maogen Chen creator: Xiaoshun He creator: Weiqiang Ju uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15620 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Chen et al. title: Unique antimicrobial activity in honey from the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) link: https://peerj.com/articles/15645 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: Honey produced by the Australian honeypot ant (Camponotus inflatus) is valued nutritionally and medicinally by Indigenous peoples, but its antimicrobial activity has never been formally studied. Here, we determine the activity of honeypot ant honey (HPAH) against a panel of bacterial and fungal pathogens, investigate its chemical properties, and profile the bacterial and fungal microbiome of the honeypot ant for the first time. We found HPAH to have strong total activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not against other bacteria, and strong non-peroxide activity against Cryptococcus and Aspergillus sp. When compared with therapeutic-grade jarrah and manuka honey produced by honey bees, we found HPAH to have a markedly different antimicrobial activity and chemical properties, suggesting HPAH has a unique mode of antimicrobial action. We found the bacterial microbiome of honeypot ants to be dominated by the known endosymbiont genus Candidatus Blochmannia (99.75%), and the fungal microbiome to be dominated by the plant-associated genus Neocelosporium (92.77%). This study demonstrates that HPAH has unique antimicrobial characteristics that validate its therapeutic use by Indigenous peoples and may provide a lead for the discovery of novel antimicrobial compounds. creator: Andrew Z. Dong creator: Nural Cokcetin creator: Dee A. Carter creator: Kenya E. Fernandes uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15645 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2023 Dong et al. title: Effect of finger rest positions on upper limb muscle activity during pre-clinical procedures link: https://peerj.com/articles/15663 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: ObjectivesThis study aimed to observe the effect of different finger rest positions on the muscular activity of the hand, forearm, arm, shoulder, thorax, and neck, as well as on the angular deviation from the neutral position of the neck, trunk, upper arm, and forearm on the working side during pre-clinical procedures.MethodsAn experimental laboratory study was performed. Response variables were muscle activation of the abductor pollicis, brachioradialis, biceps brachii, deltoid, pectoralis major, and right sternocleidomastoid muscles and angular deviation from the neutral position of the neck, trunk, arm, and forearm during simulated clinical procedures. Independent variable was finger-rest position during cavity preparation (no finger rest, usual rest, and ergonomic rest). Class I cavity preparations (N = 120) were performed on artificial first molars (16, 26, 36, and 46) (N = 120). Muscular activation was assessed by surface electromyography and angular deviations using Software for Postural Assessment (SAPO) version 0.69. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s or Games-Howell’s post-hoc tests were performed (α = 0.05).ResultsFor the sternocleidomastoid muscle, there was no statistically significant difference between the different rest positions. For the deltoid muscle, work with no finger rest resulted in greater muscle activation (p < 0.001) during work on tooth 36. Regarding the pectoralis major and right brachioradialis muscles, we observed that for both teeth 16 and 26, working with ergonomic rest showed less muscle activation. Muscle activation of the right biceps brachii was higher for work with no rest in both the upper and lower arches, differing significantly only from the usual rest in tooth 16 (p < 0.001), usual rest and ergonomic rest in teeth 26 and 46 (p < 0.001), and only ergonomic rest in tooth 36 (p = 0.044). In the right abductor pollicis muscle, work with ergonomic rest resulted in less muscle activation for cavity preparation in teeth 16, 26, and 36, which was significantly different from work with no rest (p = 0.029, p < 0.001, and p = 0.013, respectively). Regarding angular deviation, it was observed that for tooth 16, there was a greater angular deviation of the arm when performing cavity preparations with no finger rest. For teeth 26 and 46, the ergonomic finger rest provided lower angular deviation from the neutral position of the right arm. For tooth 36, ergonomic rest provided less angular deviation from the neutral neck position.ConclusionIn general, the use of non-active finger rest during simulated cavity preparations, regardless of the type of rest, provided less muscle activation and angular deviation from the neutral position of the body’s upper extremity when performing pre-clinical procedures. creator: Júlia Margato Pazos creator: Mariana Segnini Tiberti creator: Simone Cecilio Hallak Regalo creator: Lívia Nordi Dovigo creator: Patricia Petromilli Nordi Sasso Garcia uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15663 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2023 Margato Pazos et al. title: DNAJ heat shock protein family member C1 can regulate proliferation and migration in hepatocellular carcinoma link: https://peerj.com/articles/15700 last-modified: 2023-07-26 description: BackgroundDNAJ heat shock protein family (Hsp40) member C1(DNAJC1) is a member of the DNAJ family. Some members of the DNAJ gene family had oncogenic properties in many cancers. However, the role of DNAJC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was unclear.MethodsIn this study, expression and prognostic value of DNAJC1 in HCC were analyzed by bioinformatics. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to verify DNAJC1 expression in liver cancer cell lines. Furthermore, immunohistochemical (IHC) was used to detect DNAJC1 expression in liver cancer tissues. Subsequently, the effect of DNAJC1 on the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of HCC cells was detected by knocking down DNAJC1. Finally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to investigate the potential mechanism of DNAJC1 and was verified by Western blotting.ResultsDNAJC1 was highly expressed in HCC and was significantly associated with the prognosis of patients with HCC. Importantly, the proliferation, migration and invasion of Huh7 and MHCC97H cells were inhibited by the knockdown of DNAJC1 and the knockdown of DNAJC1 promoted Huh7 and MHCC97H cell apoptosis. Furthermore, compared to the negative control group, DNAJC1 knockdown in Huh7 and MHCC97H cells promoted the expression of p21, p53, p-p53(Ser20), Bax and E-cadherin proteins, while inhibiting the expression of PARP, MMP9, Vimentin, Snai1, Bcl-2 and N-cadherin proteins.ConclusionsDNAJC1 had a predictive value for the prognosis of HCC. Knockdown of DNAJC1 may inhibit HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion and promote the HCC cell apoptosis through p53 and EMT signaling pathways. creator: Yu-Chun Fan creator: Zhi-Yong Meng creator: Chao-Sheng Zhang creator: De-Wei Wei creator: Wan-Shuo Wei creator: Xian-Dong Xie creator: Ming-Lu Huang creator: Li-He Jiang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15700 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Fan et al.