Highlights of the BMC Series – November 2021

A novel approach to a plant-based diet unique to sauropod dinosaurs - Importance of data deposition in open repositories - Evidence-based policy suggestions to improve response to the COVID-19 pandemic - Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on personal protective equipment - Cataloging recently mobile transposable elements in the human genome that contribute to genetic variation and disease - Exploring the benefits of participating in recreational physical activity community initiatives.

BMC生态学和进化:Exceptionally simple, rapidly replaced teeth in sauropod dinosaurs demonstrate a novel evolutionary strategy for herbivory in Late Jurassic ecosystems

© Markus C. Hurek / Picture Alliance

蜥脚类动物是一群长颈植物的恐龙,是有史以来最大的动物。在这项研究中,Melstrom及其同事表明,蜥脚类动物发展了一种独特的喂养策略,该策略帮助他们在1亿年内占据了环境。

牙齿的复杂性是3D牙齿表面特征数量的量度,与动物的饮食密切相关。例如,肉食者通常具有简单的尖锐牙齿,可用于撕裂肉,而植物肉的牙齿具有复杂的牙齿,带有许多尖齿和脊,可以磨削纤维状植被。Melstrom及其同事使用计算机断层扫描(CT)和Microct扫描,分析了来自全球各地的侏罗纪恐龙牙齿的3D模型。该小组比较了食肉兽脚类动物,草食鸟类动物和草食蜥脚类动物的牙齿复杂性。

不出所料,吃肉的兽脚类动物的牙齿简单,而植物性的鸟齿牙齿的牙齿更为复杂。但是,与今天生活的草食动物形成鲜明对比,蜥脚类动物的牙齿大多是简单的牙齿。此外,蜥脚类动物比更复杂的牙齿更快地更换了简单的牙齿。一些蜥脚类动物喜欢apatosaurusDiplodocusexhibited remarkably simple ‘peg-like’ teeth with incredibly fast replacement rates, which possibly allowed them to eat different foods from other sauropods like臂龙,牙齿更复杂。鉴于简单的牙齿的重量减轻了,减轻了头骨的重量,因此蜥脚类动物的简单牙齿可能会减轻其长颈部的压力。

BMC研究笔记:遵守国际标准在公共存储库中存入公开数据的重要性

一个男人拿着一张杯子的卡在杯子上,上面写着手写的消息,数据。
© duncanandison

开放科学实践,包括在公共存储库中的数据沉积,为个人研究人员,研究社区和社会带来了重大好处。公开数据可提高研究传播的透明度,可重复性和速度。因此,变革性的开放科学政策越来越多地成为全球标准的。BMC Research在这篇评论中指出,高级编辑委员会成员Diego Forero和同事讨论了在开放存储库中数据共享的价值以及开放科学成功的挑战和策略。评论指出,在19日19日,遵守国际标准以将公共数据存储在公共存储库中的标准比以往任何时候都更为重要。

The BMC Series actively supports open science, explore our open data principles, policies and publishing options on our recently launched “打开数据BMC系列“ 网站。

BMC Public Health:重新访问COVID-19政策:10个基于证据的建议

©KarinaEscandón

由于开放科学计划,例如欧洲委员会COVID-19数据门户, knowledge about COVID-19 has grown exponentially. With the successful development of multiple vaccines,Halperin and colleagues present a set of evidence-based policy suggestions to help reduce harm from COVID-19 and our response to it for when we move from the pandemic to the endemic phase.

BMC Infectious Diseases:Persistence of SARS-CoV-2 infection on personal protective equipment (PPE)

© ozdigital / Getty Images / iStock

该病毒导致当前的Covid-19大流行稳定和感染性的个人防护设备(PPE)多长时间?在这一点体外研究,Có​​rdoba-Lanús及其同事评估了SARS-COV-2-2稳定性和PPE礼服和FFP2(KN 95)的可行性(KN 95)脸部受病毒感染的口罩。

Genomic analyses by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) revealed that SARS-CoV-2 genomic material remains on PPE for up to 30 days post contamination. In addition, via a cell-based assay using Vero-E6 host cells that measures the cytopathic effect of the virus, the researchers demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 contaminated PPE materials remain infectious for up to 7 days. These findings could help improve PPE use and management to avoid SARS-CoV-2 infection from these items after the wearer has removed them, even after several days.

BMC基因组学:最近在人类基因组中流动的转座元素

© Ssilver / Fotolia

转座元素(TES),也称为“跳跃基因”,几乎构成了我们遗传物质的一半。TE是能够动员自身并增加宿主基因组中的拷贝数的高度重复的DNA序列。从历史上看,许多科学家将这些TE视为无用的“垃圾” DNA。但是,现在已知这些移动元素具有多种生物学功能。TE可以具有中性,有益和有害影响,并有助于人类的遗传变异和疾病。

在这项研究中,Talal bin Amin及其同事开发了一种新型的统计方法来分类最近移动的TE亚科(RMS),使人类彼此不同 - 驱动人类多态性,体细胞变异和疾病的TE类型。有趣的是,RMS目录丰富了对种系遗传疾病和各种癌症中的体细胞插入的贡献。这些RMS主要在与活性DNA调节元件相关的开放染色质区域中发现 - 因此,该组推测它们可能参与调节基因表达。使用CRISPR/CAS9删除,Talal Bin Amin及其同事表明,RMS衍生的多态性TE插入增加了表达RPL17, a gene associated with lower survival in liver cancer. The RMSs and RMS-derived polymorphic TE insertions identified in this study are a valuable resource for human disease genetics and population history studies.

BMC Public Health:探索参与基于社区的跑步和步行活动的好处:对Parkrunparticipants

© blicsejo / stock.adobe.com

我们都知道体育活动对我们的健康和福祉的好处,但是高水平的久坐行为仍然是全球健康危机。Parkrun, a charity that organises free weekly 5km running/ walking events in the UK, helps fill the need identified by the World Health Organisation for physical activity opportunities that use public spaces and engage whole communities. However, inequality inParkrunparticipation persists, with those from socioeconomically deprived areas less likely to participate.

在这一点study, researchers investigated the perceived benefits from participation inParkrunby those living in the most socioeconomically deprived areas and doing the least physical activity. Quirk and colleagues sent out 2,318,135 surveys toParkrun英国的参与者并收到60,000个回复。受访者报告了参加健身,幸福,身心健康的改善Parkrun。有趣的是,与整个样本相比,来自最社会经济贫困地区的先前不活动受访者的比例更大。

This research demonstrates how community initiatives likeParkrun可以帮助来自不同背景的人们参与娱乐体育锻炼。此外,该研究强调了需要鼓励从更活跃的群体中获得最大受益的群体的更好代表。

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