PeerJ最新文献

{"title":"Study on the absorption characteristics of euscaphic acid and tiliroside in fruits of <i>Rosa laxa</i> Retz.","authors":"Ning Wang, Li Tian","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18638","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18638","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fruits of <i>Rosa laxa</i> Retz. (FRL) have a long history of medicinal use, known for their rich composition of flavonoids, polyphenols, amino acids, sugars, and other bioactive compounds. FRL exhibits pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and antitumor activities, making it a valuable resource with significant development potential in both the food and pharmaceutical industries. This study employed a response surface methodology combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-TQ-MS) to optimize FRL extraction. Reflux extraction was determined to be the most effective method with the following optimized parameters: 65% ethanol extraction solvent, material-to-liquid ratio of 1:35 (g/mL), and extraction time of 140 min, resulting in the FRL extract (FRLE). Under these optimized conditions, the extracted amount was extract was 51.00 ± 1.07%, the average content of total polyphenols was 126.55 ± 2.61 mg/g, and the average content of euscaphic acid was 2.90 ± 0.08 mg/g, demonstrating the efficiency of the extraction method. Using the Caco-2 cell model, the study investigated the absorption characteristics of euscaphic acid and tiliroside within FRLE. Results indicated that with increasing time, the absorbed amount (<i>Qr</i>) of euscaphic acid and tiliroside gradually increased, with an efflux ratio (R_B→A/A→B) of less than 1.5, suggesting bidirectional drug transport with no significant directionality. Upon the addition of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitors Verapamil (Ver) and Ciclosporin A (CsA), as well as the chelating agent ethylenebis (oxyethylenenitrilo) tetraacetic acid (EGTA), <i>Qr</i> and <i>Papp</i> values notably increased, indicating that these two components are P-gp substrates with cellular basolateral efflux transport. Additionally, optimal absorption efficiency was observed under weakly acidic conditions (pH 6.0). In conclusion, euscaphic acid and tiliroside in FRLE demonstrated good membrane permeability, primarily relying on passive diffusion for absorption. This study offers experimental insights into the intestinal absorption of FRL <i>in vivo</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18638"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11742250/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization and action mechanism of pollutant removal performance of unsaturated vertical flow constructed wetland (UVFCW) driven by substained-release carbon source.","authors":"Yuechang Wang, Lin-Lan Zhuang, Shuang Liu, Yuanjun Su, Zhen Hu, Jian Zhang, Xiaoping Wang, Shaoming Cui, Gang Peng, Shuting Xie","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18819","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18819","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Constructed wetland (CW) technology has attracted much attention due to its economical and environmentally friendly features. The low dissolved oxygen (DO) and low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio in the wetland influent water affect the treatment performance of CW, resulting in a decrease in the removal efficiency of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄ ⁺-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃ ^--N). In order to address this problem, this study optimized the pollutants removal performance of unsaturated vertical flow constructed wetland (UVFCW) by adding sustained-release carbon sources (corn cobs + polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT)). The results showed that the sustained-release of carbon source increased the carbon source in UVFCW, thus increasing the abundance and activity of denitrifying microorganisms and enhancing the denitrification reaction, ultimately improving the removal of NO₃ ^--N, with its removal efficiency reaching up to 95.50%. The placement method of sustained-release carbon source mainly affected the distribution of carbon source and DO in water body, thus influencing the relative abundance of microorganisms, finally affecting the removal of pollutants. Among them, the removal efficiency of total nitrogen (TN), NO₃ ^--N, and total phosphorus (TP), and the relative abundance of denitrifying microorganisms in the CW_R-Cu (uniform placement of sustained-release carbon source) were significantly higher than those in the CW_R-Ca (centralized placement above) and CW_R-Cb (centralized placement below) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The surface C:O (carbon:oxygen) ratio of sustained-release carbon source after water treatment showed a decreasing trend, and CW_R-Cu exhibited the greatest decrease in C:O ratio. In summary, CW_R-Cu achieved the highest utilization of the carbon source and produced the largest number of heterotrophic microorganisms. This study reveals that CW_R-Cu is a structural process for the efficient removal of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants, and our findings provide theoretical basis and technical support for actual projects.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18819"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11742248/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Composition of soil fungal communities and microbial activity along an elevational gradient in Mt. Jiri, Republic of Korea.","authors":"Ana Mitcov, Daegeun Ko, Kwanyoung Ko, Jaeho Kim, Neung-Hwan Oh, Hyun Seok Kim, Hyeyeong Choe, Haegeun Chung","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18762","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18762","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Approximately 64% of the Republic of Korea comprises mountainous areas, which as cold and high-altitude regions are gravely affected by climate change. Within the mountainous and the alpine-subalpine ecosystems, microbial communities play a pivotal role in biogeochemical cycling and partly regulate climate change through such cycles. We investigated the composition and function of microbial communities, with a focus on fungal communities, in Republic of Korea's second tallest mountain, Mt. Jiri, along a four-point-altitude gradient: 600-, 1,000-, 1,200-, and 1,400-m. Soil pH and elevation were negatively correlated, with soils becoming more acidic at higher altitude. Of the five soil enzyme activities analyzed, cellobiohydrolase, β-1,4-glucosidase, and β-1,4-xylosidase activity showed differences among the elevation levels, with lower activity at 600 m than that at 1,400 m. Soil microbial biomass correlated positively with increasing elevation and soil water content. The decrease in β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase suggests a reduction in fungal biomass with increasing altitude, while factors other than elevation may influence the increase in activity of the cellobiohydrolase, β-1,4-glucosidase and β-1,4-xylosidase. Fungal alpha diversity did not exhibit an elevational trend, whereas beta diversity formed two clusters (600-1,000 m and 1,200-1,400 m). Community composition was similar among the elevations, with <i>Basidiomycota</i> being the most predominant phylum, followed by <i>Ascomycota</i>. Conversely, among the fungal communities at 1,000 m, <i>Ascomycota</i> was the most dominant, possibly due to increased pathotroph percentage. Elevational gradients induce changes in soil properties, vegetation, and climate factors such as temperature and precipitation, all of which impact soil microbial communities and altogether create a mutually reinforcing system. Hence, inspection of elevation-based microbial communities can aid in inferring ecosystem properties, specifically those related to nutrient cycling, and can partly help assess the oncoming direct and indirect effects of climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18762"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11748422/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143007845","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of side and top arm techniques during the backstroke breakout phase on 15-meter swimming performance.","authors":"Zhenyu Jin, Yuhang Zhou, Dapeng Wang, Yuhong Wen","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18838","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18838","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research on the swimming starts and turns in professional swimming has become increasingly refined. The breakout phase is a crucial transition from point between underwater and above-water movements. The side arm technique is commonly used during the backstroke breakout phase. However, some swimmers have also achieved good performance using the top arm technique. The impact of the two techniques during the backstroke breakout phase is yet to be explored.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To compare the velocity and key angles differences between the side arm and top arm techniques and analyze their effect on the first 15-m performance after push-off.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The subjects were 16 high-level swimmers: eight males (20.4 ± 1.6 yr) and eight females (20.9 ± 1.7 yr). Of these, 14 were backstrokers or had individual medley as their primary event. The best performances in the history of the sport's level World Aquatics Points are 682.1 ± 59.0 and 729.3 ± 41.5 for males and females, respectively. A within-subject design was used to test both the side arm and top arm techniques. Four underwater cameras were used to capture two-dimensional data from two perspectives, focusing on the breakout phase. A two-way ANOVA used to compare segment velocity, angles, and 15-m performance between the two genders and breakout techniques. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between segment velocity and 15-m performance, and hierarchical regression was employed to investigate the impact of breakout velocity on the 15-m performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Both male and female swimmers exhibited a significantly faster top arm velocities of (1.72 ± 0.20 and 1.47 ± 0.16 m/s, respectively) compared to the side arm velocities (1.51 ± 0.23 and 1.29 ± 0.19 m/s, respectively) during the breakout phase. Additionally, significant differences were found between the two genders (<i>F</i> = 11.189, <i>p</i> = 0.002, <i>η²</i> = 0.286) and breakout techniques (<i>F</i> = 8.014, <i>p</i> = 0.008, <i>η²</i> = 0.223), with no interaction effect (<i>F</i> = 0.037, <i>p</i> = 0.849, <i>η²</i> = 0.001). Furthermore, both male (<i>R</i> = -0.447, <i>p</i> = 0.109) and female (<i>R</i> = -0.555, <i>p</i> = 0.017) swimmers showed a moderate positive correlation between breakout velocity and 15-m performance, and the regression model indicated a significant impact on the 15-m performance.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The top arm technique during backstroke may offer a velocity advantage over the traditional side arm technique during the breakout phase, influencing 15-m performance. However, considering the short duration of the breakout phase, this advantage and its impact may need to be considered in conjunction with the smoothness of the transition to the subsequent phases.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18838"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11748401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acaricidal and insecticidal activities of entomopathogenic nematodes combined with rosemary essential oil and bacterium-synthesized silver nanoparticles against camel tick, <i>Hyalomma dromedarii</i> and wax moth, <i>Galleria mellonella</i>.","authors":"Bander Albogami, Hadeer Darwish, Akram Alghamdi, Ahmed BahaaEldin Darwish, Wafa Mohammed Al-Otaibi, Mohamed A Osman, Zamzam M Al Dhafar, Abeer Mousa Alkhaibari, Abadi M Mashlawi, Fadi Baakdah, Ahmed Noureldeen","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18782","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18782","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;An innovative approach to ticks and insect pests management is necessary to mitigate the challenges posed by the indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides, which can lead to resistance development and environmental pollution. Despite their great potential, biological control agents have significant manufacturing, application, and stability limitations. Currently, using phytochemicals, biosynthesized nanoparticles, and bioagents to get rid of arthropods might be a good alternative that would make farmers less worried about residues and resistance. The present investigation was carried out to determine for the first time the &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; acaricidal and insecticidal efficacies of endogenous two entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), &lt;i&gt;Heterorhabditis indica&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Steinernema&lt;/i&gt; sp. combined with either &lt;i&gt;Proteus mirabilis&lt;/i&gt;-synthesized silver nanoparticles or &lt;i&gt;Rosmarinus officinalis&lt;/i&gt; essential oil against the camel tick, &lt;i&gt;Hyalomma dromedarii&lt;/i&gt; larvae and females, and greater wax moth, &lt;i&gt;Galleria mellonella&lt;/i&gt; larvae as well. We also determined the potential effects of these treatments on the biological characteristics of &lt;i&gt;H. dromedarii&lt;/i&gt;'s engorged females. We further investigated &lt;i&gt;R. officinalis&lt;/i&gt; essential oil (EO) profiling and nanoparticle (AgNPs) characterization. All the evaluated combinations demonstrated synergistic effects on the larvae of &lt;i&gt;G. mellonella&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;H. dromedarii&lt;/i&gt;, as well as on engorged females. When &lt;i&gt;H. indica&lt;/i&gt; was mixed with EO or AgNPs, it worked well than when &lt;i&gt;Steinernema&lt;/i&gt; sp. was mixed with EO or AgNPs. This was shown by the highest number of tick and insect mortalities and the lowest lethal concentration (LC&lt;sub&gt;50&lt;/sub&gt;) values. One day after &lt;i&gt;G. mellonella&lt;/i&gt; was exposed to &lt;i&gt;H. indica&lt;/i&gt; (1,000 infective juveniles (IJs)) together with EO at 60 or 40 mg/mL, all tested individuals died. We obtained the same results when &lt;i&gt;H. dromedarii&lt;/i&gt; females exposed to the same level of EPN with 60 mg/mL EO, and when &lt;i&gt;H. dromedarii&lt;/i&gt; larvae treated with &lt;i&gt;H. indica&lt;/i&gt; at 500 IJs + EO at 25 mg/mL. Treatments altered all biological parameters of engorged females, revealing extremely noticeable differences between the treated and untreated groups. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis identified a total of 28 compounds in the &lt;i&gt;R. officinalis&lt;/i&gt; EO. Visual observation showed a color change from yellow to dark brown for AgNPs biosynthesized from &lt;i&gt;P. mirabilis&lt;/i&gt;; the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrum showed well-dispersed particles with a diameter of 5-45 nm; and the greatest surface plasmon peaked at 320 nm. The results demonstrated the high efficacy of combining EPN, &lt;i&gt;H. indica&lt;/i&gt;, with EO to control tick and insect pests. This is due to its acaricidal activity on different stages of &lt;i&gt;H. dromedarii&lt;/i&gt;, including larvae and engorged females, and its larvicidal effect on &lt;i&gt;G. mellonella&lt;/i&gt;.","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18782"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740739/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do goats recognise humans cross-modally?","authors":"Marianne A Mason, Stuart Semple, Harry H Marshall, Alan G McElligott","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18786","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recognition plays a key role in the social lives of gregarious species, enabling animals to distinguish among social partners and tailor their behaviour accordingly. As domesticated animals regularly interact with humans, as well as members of their own species, we might expect mechanisms used to discriminate between conspecifics to also apply to humans. Given that goats can combine visual and vocal cues to recognise one another, we investigated whether this cross-modal recognition extends to discriminating among familiar humans. We presented 26 goats (17 males and nine females) with facial photographs of familiar people and two repeated playbacks of a voice, either congruent (from the same person) or incongruent with that photograph (from a different person). When cues were incongruent, violating their expectations, we expected goats to show changes in physiological parameters and moreover, respond faster and for longer after playbacks. Accordingly, heart rate decreased as the playback sequence progressed, but only when the face and voice presented were incongruent. Heart rate variability was also affected by congruency, but we were unable to determine precisely where differences lay. However, goats showed no changes in time taken to respond, or how long they responded for (our primary variables of interest). We also found evidence to suggest that shifts in cardiac responses may not have been robust. Although our findings could imply that goats had successfully perceived differences in congruency between the visual and vocal identity information presented, further evidence is needed to determine whether they are capable of cross-modal recognition of humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18786"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740737/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sleep-wake patterns of fencing athletes: a long-term wearable device study.","authors":"Jiansong Dai, Xiaofeng Xu, Gangrui Chen, Jiale Lv, Yang Xiao","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18812","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18812","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Sleep is the most efficient means of recovery for athletes, guaranteeing optimal athletic performance. However, many athletes frequently experience sleep problems. Our study aims to describe the sleep-wake patterns of fencing athletes and determine whether factors, such as sex, competitive level and training schedules, could affect the sleep-wake rhythm.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sleep data from 23 fencing athletes were collected using the Huawei Band 6, monitoring key sleep parameters such as bedtime, wake time, duration of deep and light sleep, wake periods, REM sleep duration, and nap duration. During this period, athletes were required to wear the band continuously for 24 hours daily, except bathing, charging, and competition times.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Athletes averaged 7.97 hours of sleep per night, with significant differences observed in wake time (<i>p</i> = 0.015) and midpoint of sleep (<i>p</i> = 0.048) between high-level and low-level athletes, as well as a higher frequency of naps among high-level (<i>χ</i>2 = 11.97, <i>p</i> = 0.001) and female (<i>χ</i>2 = 3.88, <i>p</i> = 0.049) athletes. Nap duration was negatively correlated with night sleep duration (<i>r</i> =  - 0.270, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Athletes were observed for changes in sleep-wake patterns from Monday to Sunday. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when there was no morning training, the athletes' wake-up time and the midpoint of sleep were shifted significantly backward, and there were significant differences in sleep parameters between training days and rest days.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The sleep patterns of athletes differ according to level and gender. The sleep-wake patterns of athletes are influenced by training schedules, indicating the presence of sleep rhythm disruption.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18812"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740734/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demography and homing behavior in the poorly-known Philippine flat-headed frog <i>Barbourula busuangensis</i> (Anura: Bombinatoridae).","authors":"Marta Miñarro, Patricia Burrowes, Claudia Lansac, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Leticia E Afuang, Ignacio De la Riva","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18694","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18694","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The flat-headed frog, <i>Barbourula busuangensis</i>, is a poorly known, riverine species, endemic to the province of Palawan in the Philippines. We applied capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods to follow individuals at two sites (Malbato and San Rafael) in the island of Busuanga over 10 months in 2022-2023. We used passive internal transponders (PITs) to mark adult and subadults and single-colored visual internal elastomers (VIEs) for cohorts of juveniles. From a total of 196 frogs PIT-tagged in Malbato and 144 in San Rafael, we obtained overall recapture rates of 49% and 60% respectively. We used the POPAN formulation in MARK software to estimate abundance, survival, movement, and age-class demographics. Our best model estimated an average population size of 268 frogs at Malbato and 232 at San Rafael, and constant survival probabilities (mean ≥ 0.97) at both sites. When adding age classes to the model, abundance of adults was always higher than that of subadults producing an age structure dominated by adults at both sites. Growth rates decreased significantly with body size, being higher in juveniles (1.51 mm/month) and subadults (1.56 mm/month) than in adult frogs (0.60 mm/month). At these growth rates frogs may reach adulthood at 2.5 years, with the oldest individuals likely being over 11 years old. CMR data confirmed site fidelity, and translocation experiments revealed that frogs have the ability to home when displaced 10-50 m upstream and downstream from their original capture site. This is the first long-term study of <i>B. busuangensis</i> using robust field and analysis methods. Our data suggest that <i>B. busuangensis</i> is stable at present in Busuanga, with long-lived adults and dispersing subadults. We expect that these data may serve as baseline of current population abundance, age structure and growth rates which are factors that tend to be affected when species are threatened. In this way it may help researchers and conservation practitioners detect potential changes that may occur as this species confronts the challenges of the Anthropocene.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18694"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740736/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143008048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identification and mechanistic insights of cell senescence-related genes in psoriasis.","authors":"Guiyan Deng, Cheng Xu, Dunchang Mo","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18818","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18818","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2-3% of the global population, characterised by red scaly patches that significantly affect patients' quality of life. Recent studies have suggested that cell senescence, a state in which cells cease to divide and secrete inflammatory mediators, plays a critical role in various chronic diseases, including psoriasis. However, the involvement and mechanisms of action of senescence-related genes in psoriasis remain unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study aimed to identify senescence-related genes associated with psoriasis and explore their molecular mechanisms. RNA sequencing data from psoriasis and control samples were obtained from the GEO database. Differential expression analysis was performed using DESeq2 to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The intersection of DEGs with cell senescence-related genes from the CellAge database was used to identify the candidate genes. Protein-protein interaction networks, Gene Ontology, and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted to explore the functions and pathways of these genes. Machine learning algorithms, including Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression and Support vector machine-recursive feature elimination (SVE-RFE), were used to select feature genes that were validated by qRT-PCR. Additionally, an immune cell infiltration analysis was performed to understand the roles of these genes in the immune response to psoriasis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study identified 4,913 DEGs in psoriasis, of which 46 were related to cell senescence. Machine learning highlighted four key genes, CXCL1, ID4, CCND1, and IRF7, as significant. These genes were associated with immune cell infiltration and validated by qRT-PCR, suggesting their potential as therapeutic targets for psoriasis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study identified and validated key senescence-related genes involved in psoriasis, providing insights into their molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets and offering a foundation for developing targeted therapies for psoriasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18818"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740738/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Benchmarking of a time-saving and scalable protocol for the extraction of DNA from diverse viromes.","authors":"Michael Shamash, Saniya Kapoor, Corinne F Maurice","doi":"10.7717/peerj.18785","DOIUrl":"10.7717/peerj.18785","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The virome, composed of viruses inhabiting diverse ecosystems, significantly influences microbial community dynamics and host health. The phenol-chloroform DNA extraction protocol for viromes, though effective, is time-intensive and requires the use of multiple toxic chemicals. This study introduces a streamlined, scalable protocol for DNA extraction using a commercially-available kit as an alternative, assessing its performance against the phenol-chloroform method across human fecal, mouse fecal, and soil samples. No significant differences in virome diversity or community composition were seen between methods. Most viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) were common to both methods, with only a small percentage unique to either approach. Alpha- and beta-diversity analyses showed no significant impact of the extraction method on virome composition, confirming the kit's efficacy and versatility on sample types beyond those officially supported by the manufacturer. While the kit approach offers benefits like reduced toxicity and increased throughput, it has limitations such as higher costs and potential issues reliably capturing low-abundance taxa. This protocol provides a viable option for large-scale virome studies, although the phenol-chloroform approach may still be preferable for specific sample types.</p>","PeriodicalId":19799,"journal":{"name":"PeerJ","volume":"13 ","pages":"e18785"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740735/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143009496","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}