title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=586 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: No changes in the abundance of selected fecal bacteria during increased carbohydrates consumption period associated with the racing season in amateur road cyclists link: https://peerj.com/articles/14594 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundCyclists often use high-carbohydrate, low-fiber diets to optimize the glycogen stores and to avoid the gastrointestinal distress during both, the trainings and the competitions. The impact of such dietary changes on gut microbiota is not fully known.MethodsWe assessed the abundances of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bifidobacterium spp., and Bacteroides spp. and the fecal pH in 14 amateur cyclists during the racing season. Eleven healthy men formed the control group.ResultsDespite significant differences in the diet composition and physical endurance levels of amateur cyclists before the competition season (1st term) and control group (carbohydrates: 52.2% ± 4.9% vs 41.9% ± 6.6%; VO2max: 56.1 ± 6.0 vs 39.7 ± 7.7; p < 0.01; respectively), we did not observe any significant differences in studied gut bacteria abundances or fecal pH between the groups. Although the cyclists’ carbohydrates consumption (2nd term) have increased throughout the season (4.48 g/kg b.w. ± 1.56 vs 5.18 g/kg b.w. ± 1.99; p < 0.05), the studied gut bacteria counts and fecal pH remained unchanged. It seems that the amateur cyclists’ diet with increased carbohydrates intake does not alter the gut microbiota, but further research is needed to assess the potential impact of even higher carbohydrates consumption (over 6 g/kg b.w.). creator: Jakub Wiącek creator: Joanna Szurkowska creator: Jakub Kryściak creator: Miroslawa Galecka creator: Joanna Karolkiewicz uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14594 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Wiącek et al. title: Cyclic fatigue resistance of EdgeTaper Platinum, Protaper Gold, and TruNatomy Prime rotary files before and after autoclave sterilization link: https://peerj.com/articles/14656 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundThis in vitro investigation aimed to determine the influence of multiple autoclave cycles on the cyclic fatigue resistance of three heat-treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) files: EdgeTaper Platinum (ETP), ProTaper Gold (PTG), and TruNatomy Prime (TN).MaterialsSixty NiTi files, twenty of each NiTi file type: ETP 25/.06, PTG 25/.08, and TN 26/.04 were randomly divided into four equal subgroups (n = 5). The files for the control group were left un-autoclaved. Different autoclave sterilization cycles (one, five, and ten) were used for the other three groups. The files were then placed in a metal canal block and rotated according to the manufacturer’s instructions until fracture. The length of the broken segment and the time taken for fracture were measured. The fractured surfaces were subsequently subjected to SEM imaging. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to analyze the data, followed by Dunn-Bonferroni pairwise comparisons. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsETP showed significantly greater resistance to cyclic fatigue than TN in all autoclave groups and PTG after five autoclave cycles (p = 0.014). Fatigue resistance was not affected by the number of autoclaving cycles, except for ETP. After the first and tenth autoclaving cycles, they required significantly more rotations to failure than the non-sterilized files (p = 0.039 and p = 0.021, respectively). The fractured segments of the ETP files in these two groups were also longer than those in the control group (p = 0.010).ConclusionThe cyclic fatigue resistance of ETP was greater than that of TN in all tested conditions. Repeated autoclave cycles of sterilization improved the cyclic fatigue resistance of the ETP files only and did not affect the cyclic fatigue resistance of TN and PTG. However, the ETP files separated at a longer distance from the tip with increased autoclaving cycles. creator: Rahaf A. Almohareb creator: Reem M. Barakat creator: Fahda N. Algahtani creator: Manal F. Alkadi uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14656 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Almohareb et al. title: Hygiene practices and factors influencing intestinal parasites among food handlers in the province of Belgarn, Saudi Arabia link: https://peerj.com/articles/14700 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the association between socio-demographic status, and hygienic habits among food handlers with intestinal parasitic infections.MethodsIt was a cross-sectional study in which 112 participants were recruited, from Belgarn province of Saudi Arabia. The descriptive analysis was used to evaluate demographic data and categorical variables. The association between sociodemographic characteristics and Relative Risk regression analysis was performed for each investigated factor. p-value of <0.05, was assumed to be statistically significant.ResultsOne hundred and twelve food handlers with a mean age of 33.5 ± 9.2 years were included in this study. The food handlers were from 15 different countries (11 Asians and four Africans). The majority of the food handlers were cooks (87, 77.7%), and waiters and dish washers (24, 21.4%). Among them, 106 (94.6%) used uniforms, and gloves at work. In hand washing practices, 104 (92.9%) wash their hands with soap before handling and preparing food and eight (7.1%) wash without soap, 98 (87.5%) wash with soap before meals and 14 (12.5%) wash without soap, 105 (93.8%) wash with soap after visiting toilets and seven (6.2%) wash without soap. Twenty-five (42.3%) of infected food handlers are not used to trim their fingernails. Intestinal infection was observed in 59 (52.68%) participants with mean age (32.5 ± 8.1 years) for infected participants.ConclusionIn this study, food handlers had a high prevalence of intestinal parasites. Although some of the food handlers had a high level of education, the infection with intestinal parasites was detected. In addition to regular screening for intestinal parasites among food handlers, there is a need for educational programs on proper hygiene habits, modes of transmission and prevention of the infection. creator: Abdulrahman S. Alqarni creator: Majed H. Wakid creator: Hattan S. Gattan uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14700 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Alqarni et al. title: Perspectives of the Saudi medical students toward the impact of lockdowns on their physical activity level and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic link: https://peerj.com/articles/14725 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) level is affected by various factors in university students. Due to the pandemic of COVID-19, the Saudi Ministry of Education announced the closure of schools and universities as a preventive measure. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on PA levels and other lifestyle aspects among the Saudi medical students and to explore their perspectives toward it.MethodsThree hundred ninety-six medical students have completed the survey, which consisted of three sections: (1) participant’s demographic data; (2) five statements about the PA and the lockdown; and (3) the International PA Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ-SF).ResultsAbout 63.9% of the participants were female, and 60.4% were of normal weight. Approximately 80% of participants were classified as inactive. Regarding the perspective of the students, 52.8% reported that they were not exercising regularly in the gym before the lockdown, and 46.9% reported that the lockdown and transition to online learning affected their compliance with exercise. During the lockdown and shift to online learning, the majority of participants experienced decreased PA levels, 42.4% experienced weight gain, and 53.6% reported a negative impact on their psychological status.ConclusionGenerally, the results of this study showed that the COVID-19 had a negative influence on the PA level, as well as other lifestyle aspects (e.g., gaining weight) and psychological status of medical students. This study highlights aspects where universities and institutions delivering medical education can use resources to improve students’ well-being during pandemics. creator: Asma Alrushud creator: Dalyah Alamam creator: Muneera Almurdi creator: Ghaliah A. Dablan creator: Alanoud A. Alghamdi creator: Fatimah K. Almazyad creator: Malak A. Alhamdani creator: Khlood A. Alqarni creator: Hosam Alzahrani uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14725 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Alrushud et al. title: Identification of the potential biomarkers associated with circadian rhythms in heart failure link: https://peerj.com/articles/14734 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundHeart failure (HF) is a syndrome with multiple clinical symptoms resulting from damage to the heart’s structure and/or function with various pathogenic factors, which has developed as one of the most severe threats to human health. Approximately 13% of genes and about 8% of proteins contained in the heart are rhythmic, which could lead to HF if disrupted. Herein, we aimed to identify the circadian rhythms-related hub genes as potential biomarkers contributing to the identification and treatment of HF.MethodsExpression data of ischemic and dilated cardiomyopathy samples with or without HF were collected from the GEO database. First, genes with differential expression in HF and healthy samples were identified, named as differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which were then intersected with circadian rhythms-related genes to identify circadian rhythms-related DEGs. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was established to screen hub genes. The performance of the hub genes to identify HF among healthy controls was assessed by referring to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was run to further validate the hub genes depending on clinical human peripheral blood samples.ResultsA total of 10,163 DEGs were determined, composed of 4,615 up-regulated genes and 5,548 down-regulated genes in HF patients in comparison to healthy controls. By overlapping the circadian rhythms-related genes in the Circadian Gene DataBase (CGDB), 723 circadian rhythms-related DEGs were obtained, mainly enriched in regulating lipid metabolic process, circadian rhythm and AMPK signaling pathway. Eight hub genes were screened out through the PPI network. The ROC curve indicated the high accuracy of five hub genes with AUC > 0.7, which also showed high accuracy validated by the external validation dataset. Furthermore, according to the results of quantitative RT-PCR, the HF group showed significantly increased relative mRNA expression of CRY2 and BHLHE41 while the decreased ARNTL and NPAS2 in comparison to controls, indicating the four hub genes as potential biomarkers of HF.ConclusionOur study validated that ARNTL, CRY2, BHLHE41 and NPAS2 could serve as potential biomarkers of circadian rhythm in HF. These results may provide a reference for employing novel markers or targets for the diagnosis and treatment of HF. creator: Qiang Sun creator: Jun Zhao creator: Li Liu creator: Xiaoliang Wang creator: Xinshun Gu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14734 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Sun et al. title: Mendelian randomization investigation identified the causal relationship between body fat indexes and the risk of bladder cancer link: https://peerj.com/articles/14739 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: BackgroundObservational studies have suggested that obesity is associated with the risk of bladder cancer (BCa). However, their causal relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to prove the causal relationship between obesity and the risk of BCa by using Mendelian randomization.MethodsSingle-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) correlated with body fat indexes were screened from several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) with more than 300,000 individuals. Summary-level genetic data of BCa-related GWAS were obtained from a European cohort with a sample size of 218,792. An inverse-variance-weighted (IVW) method was used as the major MR analysis. The MR-Egger regression, IVW regression, leave-one-out test, and MR-Pleiotropy Residual Sum and Outlier methods were used to test the reliability and stability of MR results.ResultsGenetically predicted per 1-SD increase in body fat indexes (whole body fat mass, and the right leg, left leg, right arm, left arm, and trunk fat mass) were associated with increased BCa risk with values of 51.8%, 77.9%, 75.1%, 67.2%, 59.7%, and 36.6%, respectively. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the genetically determined risk effect of obesity on BCa was stable and reliable.ConclusionsOur study provided powerful evidence to support the causal hypothesis that the genetically predicted high body fat mass was associated with a risk increase for BCa. The finding is a new idea for drawing up prevention strategies for BCa. creator: Bangbei Wan creator: Ning Ma creator: Weiying Lu uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14739 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Wan et al. title: Almost nothing is known about the tiger shark in South Atlantic waters link: https://peerj.com/articles/14750 last-modified: 2023-01-20 description: The tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) has been relatively well assessed concerning biology and ecology aspects in both Atlantic and Pacific North America and in Caribbean waters. The amount of data in these regions has led to the species protection under capture quotas and with the creation of sanctuaries. The reality in developing countries, however, is the exact opposite, with scarce information on the species in the southern hemisphere, namely South American and African waters. In these regions, protection measures are insufficient, and studies on tiger shark biology and ecology are scarce, significantly hindering conservation and management efforts. Thus, the aim of this study was to compile scientific literature on the tiger shark in the South Atlantic and discuss the impact of these data (or lack thereof) distributed within a total of ten research categories for guiding management plans. In total, 41 scientific publications on different G. cuvier biology and ecology aspects were obtained. The most studied topics were Feeding Ecology (n = 12), followed by Human Interactions (n = 8), and Movements and Migration (n = 7). Northeastern Brazil (Southwest Atlantic) was the most researched area, probably due to the higher coastal abundance of tiger sharks in this area, alongside a high number of recorded attacks, justifying funding for studies in the region. No studies carried out in other South American or African countries were found. It is important to mention that even though some research topics are relatively well covered, a severe knowledge gap is noted for risk assessments and fisheries management, with a proposition for the implementation of sanctuaries noted. This is, however, particularly worrisome, as the South Atlantic is mostly unexplored in this regard for tiger sharks. It is also important to note how different the attention given to this species is in the North Atlantic when compared to the South region. Lastly, we highlight that the existence of sub-populations, the lack of migratory corridors geographically connecting distinct areas used by the species, and the lack of fisheries statistics on tiger shark landings, all increase the vulnerability of this species in the South Atlantic. creator: Samuel Balanin creator: Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis creator: Eloísa Giareta creator: Patricia Charvet creator: Natascha Wosnick uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14750 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2023 Balanin et al. title: A comparative study on third trimester fetal biometric parameters with maternal age link: https://peerj.com/articles/14528 last-modified: 2023-01-19 description: BackgroundAdvanced maternal age is an important parameter associated with increased risk of feto-maternal complications and it is an evolving trend in society for women planning for pregnancy in late ages. However there are no studies done whether advanced maternal age has its effects on expression of growth pattern in the fetus. So this study was done to compare the maternal age with the third trimester fetal biometric parameters.MethodsThis study was done in 100 antenatal women and divided into two groups: Group 1: optimal maternal age group between 21–29 years of age and Group 2: advanced maternal age 30 and above. The pre-pregnant maternal weight, gestational age and third trimester fetal biometrics using ultrasound are noted and compared between the groups.ResultsThe maternal weight gain between the groups was optimal but the third trimester fetal parameters were significantly less in advanced maternal age. The abdominal circumference in optimal age group and head circumference in advanced maternal age group was closer to calculated estimated date of delivery (EDD) and would be specific in calculating the gestational age.ConclusionsThough there is no significant difference in maternal weight gain, there are fetal growth restrictions in advanced maternal age group due to which the third trimester fetal parameters are lesser than the optimal age group. Head circumference would be specific in calculating the estimated date of delivery in advanced maternal age group. creator: Yogitha Poojari creator: Prudhvinath reddy Annapureddy creator: Sharmila Vijayan creator: Vinoth Kumar Kalidoss creator: Yuvaraj Mf creator: Sankaran Pk uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14528 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Poojari et al. title: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) reader IGF2BP1 facilitates clear-cell renal cell carcinoma aerobic glycolysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/14591 last-modified: 2023-01-18 description: Emerging articles have reported that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is mainly involved in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tumorigenesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of m6A reader IGF2BP1 involved in ccRCC tumor energy metabolism are currently unknown. Results showed that the m6A reader IGF2BP1 exhibited significantly higher expression in ccRCC cells. Functionally, results by gain/loss functional assays indicated that IGF2BP1 promoted the glycolytic characteristics, including glucose uptake, lactate production and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR). Mechanistically, IGF2BP1 recognized the m6A modified sites on LDHA mRNA and enhanced its mRNA stability, thereby accelerating tumor energy metabolism. Thus, our work reveals a novel facet of the m6A that promoted mRNA stability and highlighted the functional importance of IGF2BP1 as m6A readers in post-transcriptional gene regulation. creator: Bao Yuan creator: Jin Zhou uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14591 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2023 Yuan and Zhou title: Transcriptomic differences between bleached and unbleached hydrozoan Millepora complanata following the 2015-2016 ENSO in the Mexican Caribbean link: https://peerj.com/articles/14626 last-modified: 2023-01-18 description: The 2015-2016 El Niño-southern oscillation or “ENSO” caused many M. complanata colonies that live in the Mexican Caribbean to experience extensive bleaching. The purpose of this work was to analyze the effect of bleaching on the cellular response of M. complanata, employing a transcriptomic approach with RNA-seq. As expected, bleached specimens contained a significantly lower chlorophyll content than unbleached hydrocorals. The presence of algae of the genera Durusdinium and Cladocopium was only found in tissues of unbleached M. complanata, which could be associated to the greater resistance that these colonies exhibited during bleaching. We found that 299 genes were differentially expressed in M. complanata bleached colonies following the 2015-2016 ENSO in the Mexican Caribbean. The differential expression analysis of bleached M. complanata specimens evidenced enriched terms for functional categories, such as ribosome, RNA polymerase and basal transcription factors, chaperone, oxidoreductase, among others. Our results suggest that the heat-shock response mechanisms displayed by M. complanata include: an up-regulation of endogenous antioxidant defenses; a higher expression of heat stress response genes; up-regulation of transcription-related genes, higher expression of genes associated to transport processes, inter alia. This study constitutes the first differential gene expression analysis of the molecular response of a reef-forming hydrozoan during bleaching. creator: Víctor H. Hernández Elizárraga creator: Norma Olguín-López creator: Rosalina Hernández-Matehuala creator: Juan Caballero-Pérez creator: César Ibarra-Alvarado creator: Alejandra Rojas-Molina uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.14626 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2023 Hernández Elizárraga et al.