PLoS ONE最新文献

{"title":"Serum IL-6 and PTX3 predict severe outcome from COVID-19 in ambulatory subjects: Impact for future therapeutic decisions.","authors":"Josh Poorbaugh, Jonathan T Sims, Lin Zhang, Ching-Yun Chang, Richard E Higgs, Ajay Nirula, Robert J Benschop","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0324242","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324242","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>SARS-CoV-2 infections lead to a wide-range of outcomes from mild or asymptomatic illness to serious complications and death. While many studies have characterized hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patient immune responses, we were interested in whether serious complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be predicted early in ambulatory subjects. To that end, we used samples from SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals from the placebo arm of the BLAZE-1 clinical trial who progressed to hospitalization or death compared to individuals in the same study who did not require medical intervention and investigated whether baseline serum cytokines and chemokines could predict severe outcome. High-risk demographic factors at baseline, including age, nasal pharyngeal viral load, duration from symptom onset, and BMI provide significant predictive capacity for a hospitalization or death with an AUC of ROC = 0.77. The predictive performance of our outcome modeling increased when baseline serum protein markers were included. In fact, the one-marker model indicated that there were 51 individual proteins (including known markers of inflammation like IL-6, MCP-3, CXCL10, IL-1Ra, and PTX3) that significantly increased the AUC of ROC beyond high-risk patient demographics alone to range between 0.78 to 0.88. Moreover, a two-marker model incorporating levels of both IL-6 and PTX3 further improved the prediction over the addition of a single protein marker to an AUC of ROC = 0.91. While the analytes identified in this study have been well-documented to be altered in SARS-CoV-2 infection, this analysis demonstrates the potential value of their use in predicting hospitalization or death in ambulatory participants infected with SARS-CoV-2 and could guide early treatment decisions.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0324242"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methanolic crude extract of Litsea Monopetala leaves combats oxidative stress, clot formation, inflammation and stool frequency in animal model.","authors":"Sarder Arifuzzaman, Zubair Khalid Labu, Banani Das Ani, Samira Karim, Md Tarekur Rahman","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0313706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0313706","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Litsea monopetala (LM) leaves are used in traditional medicine system in the South Asian region for treating ailments such as digestive issues, respiratory problems and skin disorders. In this study, we investigated the possible antioxidant, thrombolytic, analgesic and antidiarrheal properties of the methanolic extract of LM leaves.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We assessed the antioxidant activity using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging and total phenolic content tests, while thrombolytic activity was evaluated by clot lysis assays. The in-vivo analgesic and antidiarrheal activities were tested by two standard methods, e.g., acetic acid-induced and castor oil-induced animal model, respectively. Prior to in vivo and in vitro evaluation of the pharmacological activities phytochemical screening was also performed to estimate the bioactive compounds (e.g., phenol, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and steroids) present.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the tested phytochemicals, our results reveal carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins as the major phytocompounds present in the extract. Within the different solvent extractives, the methanolic extract exhibited DPPH free radical scavenging features with an IC50 of 8.99 µg/ml compared to ascorbic acid, an IC50 of 13.38 µg/ml. At 500 mg/kg dose, the extract produced 67.05% decrease in the frequency of acetic acid-induced writhing while diclofenac sodium showed decrease by 74.25%. The extract also significantly (P < 0.01) decreased the frequency of castor oil-induced diarrhea in compared to the standard drug of loperamide. Finally, the clot lysis assay with the methanolic extract demonstrated an increase in the thrombolytic activity by 40.79% compared to streptokinase, which increased by 69.52%.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Overall, this study shows promise that the methanolic crude extract of LM leaves may contribute to the alternative or additive strategy to modulate conditions of oxidative stress, thrombolytic, inflammation and diarrhea. Further comprehensive investigation is necessary to clarify the exact mechanisms of action and the phytochemical composition of LM leaves.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0313706"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late emergence of pathological oscillatory activity in the retina of the Retinitis pigmentosa model RCS (Royal College of Surgeons) rat.","authors":"Marie Jung, Jing Wang, Viviana Rincón Montes, Andreas Offenhäusser, Antje Willuweit, Frank Müller","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0324345","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324345","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a leading cause of blindness. The best studied models of human RP are the rd1 and rd10 mouse and the RCS rat (Royal College of Surgeons). In many models after degeneration of the photoreceptors, a pathological rhythmic activity of the retina as well as lowered efficiency of electrical stimulation were observed. In rd10 retina, both events were shown to be intimately linked. Surprisingly, to our knowledge no retinal oscillations have been reported in RCS retina. As oscillations might interfere with the performance of therapeutic approaches to restore vision, e.g., retinal prostheses, it is important to know, whether they are a common feature of retinal degeneration. Electrical activity was recorded in retinae of 3-19 months (M3-19) old RCS rats in vitro using planar and penetrating multi-electrode-arrays. Short deflections in the local field potential resembling those observed in oscillations in rd1 and rd10 retinae were only sporadically found in M3 RCS retinae. Oscillations at appr. 2 Hz occurred more often and were more pronounced the older the animals were. Yet, even at M18-19 oscillatory periods were short and separated by long periods of non-oscillatory activity. In summary, in advanced stages of degeneration, RCS retinae display oscillations similar to rd1 and rd10 retinae. However, in RCS retina oscillatory periods are shorter than in mouse models and may, therefore, have escaped detection in earlier studies. These results together with results observed in non-rodent models suggest that pathological rhythmic activity is a common feature in RP models.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0324345"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Management compliance attention, social performance and pay gap: Evidence from China.","authors":"Fei Han, Yong Jiang, Yanhan Sun","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0324031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The pronounced pay gap prevalent in companies has raised critical concerns regarding organizational equity. This study investigates mechanisms to mitigate pay gap through the lens of management compliance attention, with the dual objectives of enhancing intra-firm distributive justice and fostering sustainable organizational development. Furthermore, this study employs a comprehensive methodology, including textual analysis of annual reports to construct management compliance attention variables and the Chinese Huazheng ESG rating system to measure social performance. The results show that:(1) Management compliance attention is negatively correlated with pay gap(β = -0.010,p < 0.01); (2) Social performance is negatively correlated with pay gap(β = -0.035,p < 0.01); (3) Social performance strengthens the negative effect of management compliance attention on pay gap(β = -0.022,p < 0.05). Based on the results, we find that management compliance attention and social performance can narrow pay gap respectively, and that social performance positively moderates the relationship between compliance attention and pay gap. In addition, organizational resilience is identified as a partial mediator, explaining how compliance attention enhances firms' ability to adapt to external changes, thereby reducing pay gap. Heterogeneity analysis shows that management compliance attention and social performance effectively narrow pay gap in state-owned shareholding companies, and widen pay gap in private shareholding companies. This study contributes to the literature on the economic consequences of corporate compliance and social performance and the determinants of pay gap. Practical implications involve recommendations for firms to strengthen corporate compliance systems, enhance social performance and organizational resilience, and establish transparent compensation frameworks.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0324031"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing policies during an epidemic: An economic analysis.","authors":"Francesco Flaviano Russo","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0322292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>I build a stochastic epidemiological model with production and endogenous responses to the epidemic to compare different testing policies to isolate and quarantine the infectious: voluntary tests, random screenings and contact tracing. To increase the number of screened individuals at given testing capacity, I also allow for the use of group testing. Contact tracing with group testing is the best testing policy unless in case of: very contagious diseases, socially dense countries, high test costs and limited testing capacity. The gains include a lower mortality, a smaller output loss, and lower peaks of infections and hospitalizations. I show that sophisticated tracing technologies are not needed to achieve these gains.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0322292"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161426","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"South China sea issue and Southeast Asian countries' perception of China's image: An empirical study based on GDELT big data.","authors":"Zibo Wei, Xuan Chen, Genli Tang, Yishuai Xie","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0323218","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323218","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How does the South China Sea issue affect China's image in Southeast Asian countries? Has it diminished Southeast Asian countries' perception of China? Based on the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone (GDELT) from 2010 to 2024, this study empirically examines the impact of the South China Sea issue on Southeast Asian countries' perception of China's image using a panel multiple linear regression model. The empirical results show a significant positive correlation between the South China Sea issue and Southeast Asian countries' perception of China's image. Specifically, the positive impact of verbal events, material events, and the scale of events related to the South China Sea significantly enhances the positive evaluation and recognition of China among Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, GDP plays a moderating role in this process, weakening the positive impact of verbal events, factual events, and the scale of South China Sea events on China's positive evaluation and recognition. In Southeast Asian countries with territorial disputes and sovereignty conflicts with China, the influence of factual events and the scale of South China Sea events on the perception of China's image is more pronounced. In contrast, in Southeast Asian countries without such disputes, verbal events have a more significant impact on their perception of China's image.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0323218"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161431","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The citizen's perception of a shared responsibility during the COVID-19 management: Insights from a focus group study across four European countries.","authors":"L S Kengne Kamga, A C G Voordouw, M C De Vries, S Kemper, M P G Koopmans, A Timen","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0322019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organisation emphasises the importance of a whole-of-society approach to the management of health emergencies, which includes a need to involve citizens. Yet, little guidance is found on how this should occur and, more importantly, the citizen's current perspective of their role. Understanding citizens' perceptions is the first step in preparing for citizen engagement during a future pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A qualitative research study of 16 focus groups comprising 89 participants was conducted in Finland, Slovenia, Spain, and the Netherlands. Four age-stratified focus groups in each country were organised online in the country's primary language. Inductive analysis of each focus group transcript was used to identify important themes that captured the participants' perceptions of their role in COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three common themes were found in the cross-country analysis. The first theme was the citizen's personal involvement, with specific references to the citizen's responsibilities and their concrete actions during COVID-19 preparedness, response, and recovery. The second theme was that of the citizen as an information receiver, with specific references to the quantity and quality of the information received. The final theme was the relationship between the citizen and decision-makers, with specific references to the citizen's level of trust in the decision-maker, the decision-maker's communication style as perceived by the citizens, as well as the level of interaction between the citizens and decision-makers as perceived by the citizens.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Generally, citizens included in this study from Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain felt a shared responsibility in curbing the spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the pandemic. However, they emphasised the imperative need to be better informed about the likelihood of, and the developments during a pandemic in their country. Furthermore, the quality of the information provision emerged as an important theme.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0322019"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of computer science education in primary schools: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Iraq.","authors":"Satoshi Shimizutani, Shimpei Taguchi, Hiroyuki Yamada","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0323166","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323166","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the growing digitization of society, there is a need to enhance computational thinking as an indispensable skill for modern daily life. Consequently, computer science education for children at early ages has become increasingly important. This study conducts a randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of the interventions using educational robotics as well as computer-aided mathematics drills (via a \"math app\") on students' performance in primary schools in Basra, Iraq. We provide several new empirical findings. First, the short-run impact of robotics-based learning on computational thinking is positive and statistically significant for girls, particularly poor performing girls, but not for boys. Second, the impact on computational thinking is augmented by introducing a math app, further improving computational thinking. Together, these two interventions also enhance general intelligence. Third, the positive impact was still evident more than three months after the interventions for girls who received both computer science and math education, suggesting their complementarity. Our results show that computer science education using educational robots in primary schools is effective in enhancing computational thinking and relevant skills.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0323166"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide scan for signatures of selection in Hanwoo and Angus cattle using whole-genome sequence data.","authors":"Hyoun Ju Kim, Nasir Moghaddar, Sam Clark, Julius H J van der Werf, Sara de Las Heras-Saldana","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0324034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study used whole-genome sequence data on 406 beef cattle (203 Hanwoo and 203 Angus) to detect signatures of selection using four different methods; integrated haplotype score (iHS), Rsb, XP-EHH, and runs of homozygosity (ROH). Based on Rsb and XP-EHH analysis, 36 and 21 genomic regions differed significantly between Angus and Hanwoo breeds. Within breeds, we identified 108 regions (76 in Hanwoo and 32 in Angus) with the ROH analysis and 331 regions with the iHS method (298 in Hanwoo and 33 in Angus). The candidate genes related to meat quality, such as HSPA9 and LPL, were found within Hanwoo, while genes associated with growth and meat quantity traits, including ACTC1 and TMEM68, were identified within Angus. This study can assist in understanding the selection history of these breeds and identifying the genomic regions associated with the traits selected for in the breeding programs for these cattle breeds.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0324034"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144160821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Post-abortion contraceptive use among currently married women in India: New evidence from National Family Health Survey 2019-2021 (NFHS-5).","authors":"Joemet Jose, Ajit Kumar Kannaujiya, Kaushalendra Kumar, Lotus McDougal, Katherine Hay, Abhishek Singh","doi":"10.1371/journal.pone.0322784","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0322784","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-abortion contraceptive use is a critical element of reproductive healthcare aimed at preventing unintended pregnancies and promoting reproductive agency. This study investigates changes in post-abortion contraceptive use and factors associated with that use. We use reproductive calendars implemented in 2015-16 and 2019-21 National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) to investigate changes in post-abortion contraceptive use among currently married women age 15-49 in India. We then use 2019-21 NFHS to examine the factors associated with post-abortion contraceptive use. Our analysis is based on a weighted sample of 5,473 women from NFHS-4 and 5,103 women from NFHS-5. The study employs a two-stage estimation procedure using the Inverse Mills Ratio (IMR) framework to address potential biases in abortion reporting. In the second stage, we used a multinomial probit regression model to assess factors influencing post-abortion contraceptive use. Post-abortion contraceptive use increased from 49% in NFHS-4 to 57% in NFHS-5. Multinomial probit regression analysis revealed that gestational age of abortion was negatively associated with post-abortion contraceptive use, while factors such as having a son or prior contraceptive use increased the likelihood. Women who had abortions in private or non-health facilities were less likely to use post-abortion Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARC), compared to public health facilities. Those who reported unplanned pregnancy or contraceptive failure as the reason for abortion were more likely to use traditional methods of post-abortion contraception. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating family planning services into abortion care and ensuring comprehensive information and counselling on contraceptive options during the post-abortion period, as crucial measures to improve women's health.</p>","PeriodicalId":20189,"journal":{"name":"PLoS ONE","volume":"20 5","pages":"e0322784"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144160876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"综合性期刊","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}