title: PeerJ description: Articles published in PeerJ link: https://peerj.com/articles/index.rss3?journal=peerj&page=722 creator: info@peerj.com PeerJ errorsTo: info@peerj.com PeerJ language: en title: New insights into the cranial osteology of the Early Cretaceous paracryptodiran turtle Lakotemys australodakotensis link: https://peerj.com/articles/13230 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: Lakotemys australodakotensis is an Early Cretaceous paracryptodire known from two shells and a skull from the Lakota Formation of South Dakota, USA. Along with the Early Cretaceous Arundelemys dardeni and the poorly known Trinitichelys hiatti, Lakotemys australodakotensis is generally retrieved as an early branching baenid, but more insights into the cranial anatomy of these taxa is needed to obtain a better understanding of paracryptodiran diversity and evolution. Here, we describe the skull of Lakotemys australodakotensis using micro-computed tomography to provide the anatomical basis for future phylogenetic analyses that will be needed to investigate more precisely the intrarelationships of Paracryptodira. Preliminary comparisons reveal that the cranial anatomy of Lakotemys australodakotensis is very similar to that of the Aptian-Albian basal baenid Arundelemys dardeni, that both taxa exhibit a remarkable combination of derived characters found in baenodds and characters found in non-baenid paracryptodires, particularly Pleurosternidae, and that Lakotemys australodakotensis is the only known baenid to date to possess a canal for the palatine artery. creator: Yann Rollot creator: Serjoscha W. Evers creator: Richard L. Cifelli creator: Walter G. Joyce uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13230 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Rollot et al. title: Physical activity questionnaire for older children (PAQ-C): Arabic translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and psychometric validation in school-aged children in Saudi Arabia link: https://peerj.com/articles/13237 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: The validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) has been mostly studied in North America and Europe. We investigated the psychometric validation of the Arabic version of the PAQ-C in students in Saudi Arabia. The students (n = 327, age = 8–14 years) of six primary schools in the Majmaah region participated in the study. Participants completed the PAQ-C, and their demographics were recorded. The PAQ-C scores satisfied the following factor analysis assumptions: diagonal elements of the anti-image correlation matrix (>0.5), Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.001), determinant (>0.00001), Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin test of sampling adequacy (>0.8), and communality (all values > 0.2). Exploratory factor analysis results were inconclusive, with two measures favoring a 2-factor solution (Kaiser’s criteria (Eigenvalue ≥ 1), and cumulative variance rule (>40%)); whereas, the scree test and the Monte Carlo parallel analysis favored a 1-factor structure. The confirmatory factor analysis favored a 1-factor solution: highest CFI, lowest RMSEA, non-significant χ2 statistics, and lowest χ2/df. The values of item-total correlation, corrected item-total correlation, and Cronbach’s alpha if an item was deleted, ranged from 0.20–0.57, 0.42–0.64, and 0.70–0.75, respectively. The PAQ-C showed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.74. A 1-factor structure of the Arabic version of the PAQ-C had adequate psychometric validity in schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia. creator: Mohamed Sherif Sirajudeen creator: Mohamed Waly creator: Md. Dilshad Manzar creator: Mazen Alqahtani creator: Msaad Alzhrani creator: Ahmad Alanazi creator: Radhakrishnan Unnikrishnan creator: Hariraja Muthusamy creator: Rashmi Saibannavar creator: Wafa Alrubaia uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13237 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Sirajudeen et al. title: Phylogeny, distribution and potential metabolism of candidate bacterial phylum KSB1 link: https://peerj.com/articles/13241 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: Candidate phylum KSB1 is composed of uncultured bacteria and has been reported across various environments. However, the phylogeny and metabolic potential of KSB1 have not been studied comprehensively. In this study, phylogenomic analysis of KSB1 genomes from public databases and eleven metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from marine and hydrothermal sediments revealed that those genomes were clustered into four clades. Isolation source and relative abundance of KSB1 genomes showed that clade I was particularly abundant in bioreactor sludge. Genes related to dissimilatory reduction of nitrate to ammonia (DNRA), the last step of denitrification converting nitrous oxide to nitrogen and assimilatory sulfur reduction were observed in the expanded genomes of clade I, which may due to horizontal gene transfer that frequently occurred in bioreactor. Annotation and metabolic reconstruction of clades II and IV showed flagellum assembly and chemotaxis genes in the genomes, which may indicate that exploration and sensing for nutrients and chemical gradients are critical for the two clades in deep-sea and hydrothermal sediment. Metabolic potentials of fatty acids and short-chain hydrocarbons utilization were predicted in clades I and IV of KSB1. Collectively, phylogenomic and metabolic analyses of KSB1 clades provide insight into their anaerobic heterotrophic lifestyle and differentiation in potential ecological roles. creator: Qingmei Li creator: Yingli Zhou creator: Rui Lu creator: Pengfei Zheng creator: Yong Wang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13241 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Li et al. title: Factors related to overweight and obese populations maintaining metabolic health link: https://peerj.com/articles/13242 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: BackgroundFor people who are overweight or obese, maintaining a metabolically healthy status can decrease the risks of developing cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 diabetes. Despite this, only a limited amount of research has discussed the metabolically healthy overweight and obesity (MHOO) population in Asia and the factors associated with them maintaining their metabolic health.MethodsThis study enrolled 195 MHOO participants from communities in northern Taiwan during 2009–2010 (baseline). Of the 195 participants, 89 completed the follow-up assessment after a median follow-up time of nine years. Body type was determined by body mass index (BMI, kg/m2). We defined overweight as a BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 and <27 kg/m2 and defined obese as a BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2. Metabolic health was defined as the absence of cardiometabolic diseases and the presence of ≤1 of the cardiometabolic risk factors, namely hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Metabolic health, BMI, and other covariates were evaluated at both baseline and follow-up. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) models were used to analyze the factors associated with maintenance of metabolic health during the follow-up period.ResultsAt baseline, the mean age of the study participants was 47.4 (SD 5.3) years and 46 (51.7%) of the participants were women. There were 51 (57.3%) individuals who maintained their metabolic health status at the time of the nine-year follow-up. The detrimental factors pertaining to metabolic health included older age, longer duration until follow-up, BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2, and increase in waist circumference. No significant relationships were observed between sociodemographic factors and lifestyle factors, such as sex, level of education, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity, and sustained metabolic health among MHOO individuals.ConclusionsTo maintain metabolic health and prevent negative changes in health status, control of bodyweight and waist circumference should remain a priority for MHOO individuals even when there are no metabolic disorders present. creator: Yi-Hsuan Lin creator: Hsiao-Ting Chang creator: Yen-Han Tseng creator: Harn-Shen Chen creator: Shu-Chiung Chiang creator: Tzeng-Ji Chen creator: Shinn-Jang Hwang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13242 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Lin et al. title: Icaritin attenuates 6-OHDA-induced MN9D cell damage by inhibiting oxidative stress link: https://peerj.com/articles/13256 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: BackgroundWe assessed whether ICT can alleviate 6-OHDA-induced cell damage via inhibition of oxidative stress by evaluating the protective effect of icaritin (ICT) against 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced MN9D cell damage and further determined the mechanism by which ICT reduces oxidative stress.MethodsMN9D cells were treated with 6-OHDA, to study the mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of ICT. MN9D cell damage was assessed by the CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry was performed to measure the content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells, a superoxide dismutase (SOD) kit was used to evaluate SOD activity, and Western blotting was used to measure the expression of α-synuclein (α-Syn), Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1).ResultsICT reduced damage to MN9D cells induced by 6-OHDA. ICT increased SOD activity and TH expression and reduced ROS production and α-Syn expression. ICT promoted the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus and further increased the protein expression of HO-1.ConclusionsICT protects against 6-OHDA-induced dopaminergic neuronal cell injury by attenuating oxidative stress, and the mechanism is related to modulate the activities of Nrf2, HO-1 protein, and SOD. creator: Xinyu Zhou creator: Nanqu Huang creator: Xiaoyi Hou creator: Li Zhu creator: Yiman Xie creator: Zhisheng Ba creator: Yong Luo uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13256 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Zhou et al. title: Expression and promoter analysis of MEP pathway enzyme-encoding genes in Pinus massoniana Lamb link: https://peerj.com/articles/13266 last-modified: 2022-04-12 description: The methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway provides the universal basic blocks for the biosynthesis of terpenoids and plays a critical role in the growth and development of higher plants. Pinus massoniana is the most valuable oleoresin producer tree with an extensive terrestrial range. It has the potential to produce more oleoresin with commercial value, while being resistant to pine wood nematode (PWN) disease. For this study, eleven MEP pathway associated enzyme-encoding genes and ten promoters were isolated from P. massoniana. Three PmDXS and two PmHDR existed as multi-copy genes, whereas the other six genes existed as single copies. All eleven of these MEP enzymes exhibited chloroplast localization with transient expression. Most of the MEP genes showed higher expression in the needles, while PmDXS2, PmDXS3, and PmHDR1 had high expression in the roots. The expressions of a few MEP genes could be induced under exogenous elicitor conditions. The functional complementation in a dxs-mutant Escherichia coli strain showed the DXS enzymatic activities of the three PmDXSs. High throughput TAIL PCR was employed to obtain the upstream sequences of the genes encoding for enzymes in the MEP pathway, whereby abundant light responsive cis-elements and transcription factor (TF) binding sites were identified within the ten promoters. This study provides a theoretical basis for research on the functionality and transcriptional regulation of MEP enzymes, as well as a potential strategy for high-resin generation and improved genetic resistance in P. massoniana. creator: Peihuang Zhu creator: Yu Chen creator: Fan Wu creator: Miaojing Meng creator: Kongshu Ji uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13266 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Zhu et al. title: Ecomorphospace occupation of large herbivorous dinosaurs from Late Jurassic through to Late Cretaceous time in North America link: https://peerj.com/articles/13174 last-modified: 2022-04-11 description: Following the Late Jurassic, megaherbivore communities in North America undergo a dramatic turnover in faunal composition: sauropods decline to the point of becoming relatively minor components of ecosystems, stegosaurs become extinct, and hadrosaurids, ceratopsids and ankylosaurs rise in diversity and abundance. Although a variety of causes have been proposed to account for the dramatic decrease in sauropod diversity following the Late Jurassic and could have also been applicable to the disappearance of stegosaurs, the potential for competitive replacement of sauropods by hadrosauroids as an explanation has been previously dismissed due to morphological differences without further investigation. Using twelve ecomorphological correlates of the skull, this study provides a preliminary investigation into ecomorphospace occupation of major megaherbivore clades from the Late Jurassic through to the Late Cretaceous of North America and assess if morphological differences were enough to have potentially facilitated dietary niche partitioning between sauropods and iguanodontians and stegosaurs and ankylosaurs. Overlap in reconstructed ecomorphospace was observed between sauropods (particularly non-diplodocid sauropods) and iguanodontians, as would be expected if morphological differences were not enough to facilitate niche partitioning, contrary to original claims used to dismiss the competitive replacement hypothesis. Overlap was also observed between stegosaurs and ankylosaurs, particularly between Late Cretaceous ankylosaurs. Whether this overlap is reflective competitive replacement or opportunistic occupation of recently vacated niches will require further assessment as sampling of some clades prior to the Late Cretaceous is too poor to make a reliable assessment and several underlying assumptions necessary for competition to occur (e.g., resource limitation) still need investigation. Teasing out the cause(s) of the ‘sauropod decline’ and extinction of stegosaurs in North America following the Late Jurassic will require future research not only into the competitive exclusion hypothesis, but other hypotheses as well with better sampling from Early Cretaceous and Late Jurassic intervals. creator: Taia Wyenberg-Henzler uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13174 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: ©2022 Wyenberg-Henzler title: Effects of exergaming on executive function of older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis link: https://peerj.com/articles/13194 last-modified: 2022-04-11 description: BackgroundExecutive function (EF) involves a series of high-level processes, such as inhibition, switching, and updating. Aging-related cognitive decline has been shown to be strongly associated with EF worsening. The aims of this study were to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of exergaming, an emerging intervention, on EF performance in older adults and to conduct a moderator analysis of exergaming effects on EF.MethodsRandomized controlled trials examining exergaming influences on EF in older adults were collated by searching the Web of Science, Elsevier Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Statistical data were quantified in Comprehensive Meta-analysis software. Overall EF and EF domains (inhibition, switching, and updating) were analyzed separately.ResultsA total of 15 studies were included. The meta-analysis results indicated that exergaming had a significant influence on overall EF in the older adult (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.349, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.191–0.506], p < 0.001). The same effects were also found in EF domains of inhibition (SMD = 0.415, 95% CI [0.102–0.729], p = 0.009), switching (SMD = 0.243, 95% CI [0.071–0.415], p = 0.005), and updating (SMD = 0.366, 95% CI [0.140–0.592], p = 0.002). The effects of exergaming on overall EF were found to be moderated by the frequency of the intervention (Q(1) = 3.537, p = 0.06).ConclusionExergaming was confirmed to improve overall EF, as well as in older adults, and the effect of exergaming on EF was shown to be moderated by intervention frequency. creator: Jiahui Jiang creator: Wei Guo creator: Biye Wang uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13194 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Jiang et al. title: A model of multiple tumor marker for lymph node metastasis assessment in colorectal cancer: a retrospective study link: https://peerj.com/articles/13196 last-modified: 2022-04-11 description: BackgroundAssessment of colorectal cancer (CRC) lymph node metastasis (LNM) is critical to the decision of surgery, prognosis, and therapy strategy. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a multiple tumor marker nomogram for predicting LNM in CRC patients.MethodsA total of 674 patients who met the inclusion criteria were collected and randomly divided into primary cohort and internal test cohort at a ratio of 7:3. An external test cohort enrolled 178 CRC patients from the West China Hospital. Clinicopathologic variables were obtained from electronic medical records. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and interquartile range analysis were carried out for variable dimensionality reduction and feature selection. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to develop predictive models of LNM. The performance of the established models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration belt, and clinical usefulness.ResultsBased on minimum criteria, 18 potential features were reduced to six predictors by LASSO and interquartile range in the primary cohort. The model demonstrated good discrimination and ROC curve (AUC = 0.721 in the internal test cohort, AUC = 0.758 in the external test cohort) in LNM assessment. Good calibration was shown for the probability of CRC LNM in the internal and external test cohorts. Decision curve analysis illustrated that multi-tumor markers nomogram was clinically useful.ConclusionsThe study proposed a reliable nomogram that could be efficiently and conveniently utilized to facilitate the assessment of individually-tailored LNM in patients with CRC, complementing imaging and biopsy tests. creator: Jiangping Fu creator: Mengjie Tu creator: Yin Zhang creator: Yan Zhang creator: Jiasi Wang creator: Zhaoping Zeng creator: Jie Li creator: Fanxin Zeng uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13196 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Fu et al. title: A long noncoding RNA GTF2IRD2P1 suppresses cell proliferation in bladder cancer by inhibiting the Wnt/β‑catenin signaling pathway link: https://peerj.com/articles/13220 last-modified: 2022-04-11 description: BackgroundThere is growing evidence that long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are key in the development of a variety of human tumors. However, the role of lncRNA GTF2IRD2P1 has not been well studied in cancer. The impact of GTF2IRD2P1 on the biological function and clinical relevance in bladder cancer is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the biological role of GTF2IRD2P1 in bladder evolution and carcinogenesis.MethodsWe used bioinformatics to obtain the lncRNA GTF2IRD2P1 from bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The expression of lncRNA GTF2IRD2P1 was detected by qRT-PCR. The CCK8 assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the lncRNA GTF2IRD2P1 function on the proliferation of bladder cancer cells. A western blot was used to calculate the protein level of cell cycle proteins and Wnt signaling pathway proteins. The effect of lncRNA GTF2IRD2P1 on tumorigenesis of bladder cancer was confirmed by a xenograft nude mouse model.ResultsGTF2IRD2P1 expression was found to be lower in both human bladder cancer tissues and cell lines (UM-UC-3, RT4, and 5637), and elevated in T24 compared to the corresponding normal controls. GTF2IRD2P1 expression was also enhanced after transfection of UM-UC-3 cells with the overexpression vector. Meanwhile, overexpression of GTF2IRD2P1 inhibited the proliferation of UM-UC-3 and prolonged the cell cycle. The silencing of GTF2IRD2P1 significantly increased the proliferation and shortened the cell cycle of T24 cells and induced Wnt signaling activity to promote the progression of bladder cancer. Similarly, the transplanted tumor nude mouse model demonstrated that silencing GTF2IRD2P1 strengthens the progression of bladder cancer by targeting the Wnt signaling pathway. creator: Zhuo Huang creator: Hongbin Gao creator: Liangliang Qing creator: Biao Wang creator: Chaoyong He creator: Ning Luo creator: Chuncheng Lu creator: Shipeng Fan creator: Peng Gu creator: Hui Zhao uri: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13220 license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ rights: © 2022 Huang et al.