State of data sharing in rheumatology: A systematic review of top journal practices

Background: Insufficient reproducibility in scientific research undermines credibility and progress, particularly in medical fields. Reproducibility requires raw data availability, which is not always provided. The data sharing landscape in rheumatology research has yet to be adequately assessed, leading us to initiate this study. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of data sharing statements (DSS) in rheumatology clinical studies published over the past four years in ten of the top rheumatology journals.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of articles published from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2023, in ten of the highest-impact rheumatology journals. Articles were included if they provided new primary data through original research, and articles were excluded if there was no new primary data found. Prevalence, defined as the proportion of studies including DSS, was the primary estimate.Results: A total of 1,154 articles were identified, of which 41 were excluded for failing to meet inclusion criteria, leaving 1,113 for analysis. Among these, Rheumatology was the most represented journal (286; 25.70%), and clinical trials were the most common study design (591; 53.10%). The highest number of publications occurred in 2020 (314; 28.21%). Overall, 623 (55.97%) had DSS. Six of the eight top rheumatology journals showed an overall increase in DSS prevalence from 2020 to 2023, with Rheumatology reaching 100% in 2023. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis indicated that cohort studies were significantly less likely to include DSS than clinical trials (p = 0.013). Our theme analysis of the 623 articles with DSS revealed that most data were conditionally available (553; 88.75%) or required making a data request (479; 76.89%).Conclusions: Our study describes data sharing practices in rheumatology research, highlighting trends in DSS prevalence and the influence of journal policies requiring DSS statements. While organisations like the American College of Rheumatology and National Institute of Health have promoted these practices, inconsistencies remain. We recommend implementing a standardised DSS requirement during author submission to enhance data transparency in rheumatology research

Functional responses of the warehouse pirate bug Xylocoris vipes (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) on a diet of Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocodea: Liposcelididae)

Psocids are difficult to manage using grain protectants and phosphine hence research on non-chemical control methods. This study evaluated the effectiveness of Xylocoris flavipes (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) at managing Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocodea: Liposcelididae). The functional responses of adult♀ and nymphs of X. flavipes on a diet of nymphs, adult♂, and adult♀ of L. decolor were determined under laboratory conditions at 28 ± 1 °C, 63 ± 5% RH, and a 0:24 (L:D) photoperiod. Maximum likelihood estimates (MLEs) of a logistic regression analysis showed that the functional responses of the life stages of X. flavipes on diets of three stages of L. decolor were Holling Type II. Estimates of the attack rate (a), handling time (Th), maximum predation (K) per day, and predation efficiency (η) per day for the two predator life stages against each prey life stage showed that the adult♀ X. flavipes predation rate was better compared with the nymphs. The adult♀ X. flavipes per capita consumption rate and searching efficiency were also higher than those of the nymphs. The data showed adults of L. decolor are more favorable for adult♀ X. flavipes whereas their nymphs prefer nymphs of L. decolor. Field evaluation of X. flavipes is required for their incorporation into psocid pest management.Entomology and Plant Pathology|Statistic

Chlorine concentrations at Oklahoma State University

Safe levels of disinfectants, such as chlorine, are maintained in drinking water by water treatment plants, ensuring the water meets quality standards when it leaves the facility. However, there is no monitoring or regulation of disinfectant levels at the point of use, such as taps or water fountains. Oklahoma State University (OSU) operates its own water treatment plant, but given the campus's historic nature, with buildings spanning various ages, there may be factors that influence chlorine concentrations after the water leaves the treatment plant. Our research investigates how building age, seasonal usage, and distance from the treatment plant impact chlorine levels in drinking water across campus. For this study, we have selected 35 campus buildings, including residential halls, academic facilities, and recreational centers. These buildings range in age from the historic Old Central, built in 1894, to the newly constructed Ag Hall, completed in 2024. The buildings are located across a wide geographic area, from Bennett Hall in the north to Kamm Hall in the west, the McKnight Center in the south, and the Seretean Center in the east. Chlorine concentrations will be measured using a Hach Total Chlorine Colorimeter, with testing performed consistently on the first floor of each building at the same location each time. After data collection, we will generate a Geographic Information System (GIS) model to identify areas with the highest chlorine concentrations. This model will help assess whether building age, distance from the treatment plant, or seasonal water use patterns affect chlorine levels on campus. The results will provide valuable insights for treatment plants and help identify areas where infrastructure improvements may be needed. By using this model, we can ensure that drinking water meets safety standards at all points on campus, even during periods of varying seasonal demand.Lew Wentz FoundationBiosystems and Agricultural Engineerin

Advancing alternatives to antibiotics: Investigating bacteriocin activity against MRSA and GBS

Introduction/Objectives: Bacteria produce antimicrobial peptides called bacteriocins that inhibit the growth and/or kill other bacteria. Efforts are being made to harness this natural activity to reduce our dependence on antibiotics, thus decreasing the spread of antibiotic resistance and associated human mortality. This study serves as an investigation into bacteriocins against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep/GBS), including improved bioprospecting techniques and antimicrobial activity assays. While this study is still underway, we anticipate zones of inhibition from Bacillus species against our target pathogens MRSA and GBS, with a protective effect against probiotic Lactobacillus spp. Our objective is to use these natural antimicrobial producers with activity against known pathogens to identify peptide structures which may 1) provide a more targeted approach to infections caused by single species, 2) preserve the integrity of our beneficial microbiome, and 3) provide an alternative to antibiotic use in clinical settings.Methods: Five species of Bacillus, isolated from environmental sources, were used as bacteriocin producers, as this genus has well documented bacteriocin activity. To determine their spectrum of inhibition, Bacillus spp., were tested against growth of pathogenic MRSA and GBS as well as beneficial microbes isolated from the infant probiotic, Flora. The 6-strain probiotic was serially diluted and plated onto BHI and MRS broth for isolation of representative beneficial microbes. An Alto Cerillo microplate reader was used to compare the growth in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Representative whole genome sequences, obtained from NCBI, were screened through anti-SMASH database, to gather information on homologous bacteriocin genes. Strains were routinely grown in BHI broth media and on agar plates at 37°Cfor 24-48hrs. Gram stain reactivity confirmed the purity of active cultures throughout experimentation.Results: Temporal spectrophotometric measurements at 600nm using the Alto Cerillo microplate reader showed the growth of GBS and MRSA over 24 hours. Duplicate analysis under anaerobic conditions confirmed the facultative anaerobicity of MRSA. Antimicrobial activity was confirmed using spot plate and well diffusion assays. Spot plates of the Bacillus spp. overlayed with 0.75% BHI and 0.75% MRS agar, imbedded with pathogens and probiotics, respectively, showed zones of inhibition for both MRSA and select probiotic indicator strains. Using the anti-SMASH database, homologous genes to known bacteriocins were confirmed.Conclusion: This research provides insights into microbial peptides effective against clinical pathogens that will help inform the future clinical options for management of infectious diseases. In order to curb the threat of antibiotic resistance, we must continue to expand our tools, and Bacillus spp. offer an intriguing route for exploration. Future studies will use cell free supernatants to assay purified peptides against additional pathogenic strains to demonstrate further efficacy

Endorsement of artificial itelligence guidelines across leading nephrology journals: A cross-sectional analysis

Introduction/Objectives: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing numerous fields, including nephrology. However, its integration raises critical concerns that may arise, such as its ethical use, transparency, and clinical implementation. Effective policy development in nephrology is important due to the prevalence of kidney disease and the lower rate of research produced in nephrology compared to other specialties. The objective of our study is to evaluate nephrology journals policies regarding the use of AI in research.Methods: We reviewed the manuscript submission guidelines of the 77 highest ranked peer-reviewed nephrology journals based on the 2023 SCImago Journal Rankings. Authors extracted relevant AI related policies from the journal's Instruction for Authors. Extracted information included authorship criteria, publication policies, and the use of AI for content and image generation. Analysis included descriptive statistics using RStudio and R(version 4.2.1).Results: Our search initially identified 77 journals, with 72 meeting inclusion criteria. Among these, 40 (55.6%) journals explicitly prohibited AI in their instructions for authors. AI generated manuscript writing was prohibited in 35 (48.6%) journals and AI generated images were prohibited in 16 (22.2%) journals. No nephrology journals mentioned established AI reporting guidelines.Conclusions: While many nephrology journals acknowledge the growing role of AI in research, their policies remain inconsistent, with few requiring the adherence to established reporting guidelines. To promote transparent, replicable, and ethical research with the use of AI, we recommend that nephrology journals address the use of AI in their instructions for authors and adopt established guidelines to strengthen nephrology’s body of literature

Effects of pinto bean and resistant starch supplementation on bone parameters in a mouse model of estrogen deficiency

Objective: Estrogen plays a role in regulating bone metabolism and a decrease in estrogen compromises bone health. Pinto beans (PB) are good sources of plant-derived estrogens (i.e., phytoestrogens) and fiber that can be fermented by the gut bacteria to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that have been shown to play a role in bone health. This project aims to compare the effects of PB and isolated fiber (i.e.., retrograded resistant starch, RS3 and chemically modified, RS4) on bone parameters and to understand the role of the gut bacteria in maintaining bone health in a mouse model of estrogen deficiency. Methods: One hundred twenty 3m-old female C57BL/6 mice were made estrogen deficient by injecting with either vinyl cyclohexene diepoxide (VCD, 160 mg/kg bw in sesame oil) or sesame oil (vehicle) for 30 days. After confirmation of estrogen status with vaginal cytology, mice were assigned to one of eight treatment groups for 16 weeks in 4x2 factorial design with diet (Control [AIN-93M], 10% (wt/wt) PB, 5% (wt/wt) RS3 or 5% RS4) and estrogen status (sesame oil or VCD) as factors. The dose of RS is equivalent to the fiber content of the 10% PB. At the end of treatment, fecal samples were collected, body composition was assessed, and femur and L4 vertebrae were collected. Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry was used to assess whole body composition as well as bone mineral area (BMA), content (BMC) and density (BMD) of the femur and L4 vertebrae. Micro-computed (uCT) x-ray tomography was also used for microarchitectural analysis of the femur and L4 vertebrae. Fecal samples were analyzed for the concentrations of SCFAs acids using gas chromatography while the activity of the estrogen-deconjugating enzyme, -glucuronidase, was assessed by colorimetric method. Cecal bacteria was analyzed via 16S rDNA sequencing to assess gut microbial diversity. Data were analyzed using 2-way ANOVA and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: VCD has no effect on whole body BMA but significantly reduce whole body BMC (PVCD = 0.014) and BMD (PVCD = 0.021). However, there was a significant diet effect on whole body BMC (Pdiet = 0.021) with the RS groups having the highest BMC. Despite the effects of VCD on whole body bone parameters, it has no effect on the bone densitometric parameters of the isolated femur and L4 vertebra. Similar to the whole-body BMC, there was a significant dietary effect on L4 vertebral BMA (Pdiet = 0.003), BMC (Pdiet < 0.0001), and BMD (Pdiet < 0.0001) as well as femoral BMD (Pdiet = 0.007). There was a significant dietary effect on femoral Tb. Th and Tb. N (p = 0.0003, 0.0077 respectively), with RS treatment diets tending to have highest measurements. Mice that were on the RS diets also displayed a significant dietary effect, regardless of estrogen status, on the L4 BV/TV (p = 0.0001), Tb. Sp (p = 0.029), Tb. Th (p = 0.0008) and Th. N (p = 0.0112). Mice that received the RS4 diet had the highest vertebral and femoral BMD followed by RS3 and the PB group had the lowest. The effects of RS treatment on fecal SCFAs concentrations follow the same pattern as its effects on bone. There was a significant dietary effect on total SCFA levels (Pdiet < 0.0001) with RS4 group having the highest total SCFAs followed by RS3 group. Similarly, there was a significant dietary effect on β-glucuronidase activity (Pdiet = 0.0031), specifically RS3 tending (P = 0.059) to have higher β-glucuronidase activity than the control group. Mice in the RS dietary groups, regardless of estrogen status, had an increase in microbiome Beta Diversity and Genus Abundance. Summary: Our findings demonstrate that RS supplementation made more notable improvements in bone densitometric parameters. uCT analysis will give us further insight on the effects of treatment on bone microarchitectural parameters. Moreover, data on gut bacterial diversity will provide more insight of its role on bone health. This study highlights the importance of fiber that are considered as prebiotic and its influence on the gut-bone axis and how this could be utilized to help alleviate conditions related to estrogen deficiency such as osteoporosis.Lew Wentz FoundationNutritional Science

Hybridization patterns and morphological variation in Quercus welshii

Hybridization is common among plant species with weak reproductive barriers and overlapping geographic ranges. It can increase genetic and phenotypic variation in plant species, which is especially important for endemic species with restricted distributions. Species of the genus Quercus, commonly known as oaks, are particularly prone to hybridization and are good examples of how a group of interbreeding species can maintain gene flow while remaining taxonomically distinct. Since hybrid individuals tend to display characteristics that are intermediate of their parent species, our study aims to investigate how the proportion of genetic purity affects the degree of expression of morphological traits. Using Bayesian clustering (STRUCTURE), we assessed genetic admixture in our focal species, Quercus welshii, with four sympatric species (Q. gambelii, Q. turbinella, Q. grisea, and Q. arizonica). We then examined the correlation between admixture proportion in Q. welshii populations and their geographic distance from the nearest population of a potential hybridizing species. Additionally, generalized linear models were used to investigate the relationship between proportion of admixture and leaf trait variation. We found substantial hybridization between Q. welshii populations and other species in close proximity. Our analysis also supported the hypothesis that our populations would be more likely to hybridize as the geographic distance to other known hybridizing species decreased. Finally, our results indicated that admixture proportion in Q. welshii populations influences population mean leaf traits rather than their coefficient of variation. This study is the first step in better understanding how hybridization affects the genetic and morphological variation within populations, which is of special concern when creating conservation programs for species with limited distributions. However, whether these morphological changes confer an adaptive advantage is unclear and should be investigated further.Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolutio

Evaluating data sharing practices in high yield pulmonology journals

Objective: To evaluate the current state of data sharing practices in pulmonology research, focusing on data sharing statements (DSS) and identifying barriers to accessing data.Background: Chronic lower respiratory diseases affect over 34 million Americans and are significant causes of mortality and economic burden. Despite this, pulmonology research receives minimal funding. Data sharing is crucial for improving transparency, reproducibility, and minimizing research waste.Methods: We searched Journal Citation Reports for top five pulmonology journals. Next, we selected original research articles using MEDLINE (PubMed) published between 2018 and 2023. In a masked duplicate manner, data was extracted on DSS presence, funding sources, study design, and publication year. Hierarchical logistic regression and thematic analysis were used to identify trends within DSS. Data was adjusted for nested data structures and sample sizes.Results: Our final sample included 1077 articles, with 487 including DSS. Of these, 403 DSS were thematically analyzed. DSS inclusion rates increased from 2018 (19/200; 9.50%) to 2023 (87/134; 64.93%). The Lancet Respiratory Medicine had the highest DSS rate (215/257; 83.66%), while Pulmonology had the lowest (3/33; 9.09%). Clinical trials (416/772; 53.89%) were more likely to include DSS than cohort studies (65/282; 23.05%). Common DSS themes found were “conditional data availability” and “gatekeeper role.”Conclusion: Data sharing practices in high-impact pulmonology journals are inconsistent, highlighting the need for standardized policies. Although DSS inclusion has improved, many studies still lack DSS, and the quality of DSS varies. Clearer mandates and enforcement are necessary to ensure effective data sharing and advancement in pulmonology research

Exploring GPCR activation of CFTR in model human airway cell lines

Introduction: Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) protein. The disease causes respiratory and digestive complications. CFTR protein activity can be modulated through GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor) signaling pathways. However, in vitro models for studying GPCR-mediated CFTR activation are not well-established. In this study, we investigated the potential utility of widely available model airway epithelial cell lines to study GPCR-mediated CFTR regulation. Methods: We cultured wild-type and F508del-CFTR human bronchial epithelial (HBE). Using Ussing chambers, we examined the effects of prostaglandin ligands on CFTR-mediated chloride transport. Results: Prostaglandin receptors were expressed in 16HBE cells. Application of prostaglandin ligands resulted in activation of CFTR-mediated ion transport. Conclusion: Prostaglandin ligand treatment enhanced CFTR function, consistent with presence of prostaglandin receptor expression in the tested cell lines. Further research is needed to characterize the cell type-specific responses to prostaglandin ligands and their effects on CFTR activation.Lew Wentz FoundationIntegrative Biolog

Sonic fatigue in closely-spaced rectangular nozzle exhausts under realistic conditions

Jet coupling in closely spaced nozzles has been extensively studied in idealized conditions, particularly for supersonic rectangular twin jets operating under identical parameters. However, this symmetry does not reflect the reality of aircraft operation, where discrepancies in engine health, wear, or manufacturing variations often lead to non-identical nozzle conditions. As a result, the coupling mechanisms between non-identical jets remain poorly understood. This research aims to investigate the aeroacoustic interactions between two closely spaced rectangular nozzles operating at slightly different conditions. By examining how variations in operating parameters influence jet coupling, this study seeks to improve the understanding of real-world jet interactions and their implications for noise generation and structural fatigue in aerospace applications.Lew Wentz FoundationMechanical and Aerospace Engineerin