Top 25 Health Sciences Articles of 2022

Top 25 Articles

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  Gut microbiome-wide association study of depressive symptoms

  Here, the authors analyze the relation of fecal microbiota diversity and composition with depressive symptoms in 1,054 participants from the Rotterdam Study cohort and in 1,539 subjects of the Amsterdam HELIUS cohort, finding associations with bacteria known to be involved in the synthesis of key neurotransmitters for depression.

  • Djawad Radjabzadeh
  • Jos A. Bosch
  • Najaf Amin

  ArticleOpen Access6 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Associations between alcohol consumption and gray and white matter volumes in the UK Biobank

  Heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with brain structural changes. Here, using data from the UK biobank, the authors report associations between alcohol intake and brain macrostructure and microstructure.

  • Remi Daviet
  • Gökhan Aydogan
  • Reagan R. Wetherill

  ArticleOpen Access4 Mar 2022 Nature Communications
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  How people wake up is associated with previous night’s sleep together with physical activity and food intake

  In a prospective longitudinal study of 833 adults, we demonstrate that how you wake up and regain alertness in the hours after sleep is weakly associated with your genes. Instead, the modifiable factors of how you are sleeping, eating and exercising influence your return to full alertness, free of sleepiness.

  • Raphael Vallat
  • Sarah E. Berry
  • Matthew P. Walker

  ArticleOpen Access19 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Genomic analysis of sewage from 101 countries reveals global landscape of antimicrobial resistance

  Understanding the emergence, evolution, and transmission of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential to combat antimicrobial resistance. Here, Munk et al. analyse ARGs in hundreds of sewage samples from 101 countries and describe regional patterns, diverse genetic environments of common ARGs, and ARG-specific transmission patterns.

  • Patrick Munk
  • Christian Brinch
  • Frank M. Aarestrup

  ArticleOpen Access1 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Reported sleep duration reveals segmentation of the adult life-course into three phases

  Sleep varies within and between individuals. Here, using self-reported sleep duration from a large sample of participants across 63 countries, the authors show three phases in the adult human life-course, consistent across culture, gender, education and other demographics.

  • A. Coutrot
  • A. S. Lazar
  • H. J. Spiers

  ArticleOpen Access13 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Pan-cancer single-cell analysis reveals the heterogeneity and plasticity of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment

  Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a predominant and critical component of the tumour microenvironment. Here, the authors integrate and analyse single-cell RNA-seq data of CAFs across 10 common solid cancer types, identifying their plasticity and interactions with other cell types.

  • Han Luo
  • Xuyang Xia
  • Heng Xu

  ArticleOpen Access4 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  An online atlas of human plasma metabolite signatures of gut microbiome composition

  Here, Dekkers et al. characterize associations of 1528 gut metagenomic species with the plasma metabolome in 8583 participants of the SCAPIS Study, and find that gut microbiota explain up to 58% of the variance of individual plasma metabolites.

  • Koen F. Dekkers
  • Sergi Sayols-Baixeras
  • Tove Fall

  ArticleOpen Access23 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Federated learning enables big data for rare cancer boundary detection

  Federated ML (FL) provides an alternative to train accurate and generalizable ML models, by only sharing numerical model updates. Here, the authors present the largest FL study to-date to generate an automatic tumor boundary detector for glioblastoma.

  • Sarthak Pati
  • Ujjwal Baid
  • Spyridon Bakas

  ArticleOpen Access5 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Multimodal monitoring of human cortical organoids implanted in mice reveal functional connection with visual cortex

  Neuronal organoids derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells can be transplanted and integrated into the rodent cortex for the study of brain development and function. Here the authors demonstrate use of transparent graphene microelectrodes and two photon imaging for longitudinal, multimodal monitoring of functional connectivity between human iPSC derived neuronal organoids and the mouse cortex.

  • Madison N. Wilson
  • Martin Thunemann
  • Duygu Kuzum

  ArticleOpen Access26 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Spelling interface using intracortical signals in a completely locked-in patient enabled via auditory neurofeedback training

  The authors record neural firing rates in a patient with ALS in completely locked-in state and show that the patient can modulate neural firing rates based on auditory feedback to select letters to form words and phrases to communicate his needs and experiences.

  • Ujwal Chaudhary
  • Ioannis Vlachos
  • Niels Birbaumer

  ArticleOpen Access22 Mar 2022 Nature Communications
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  Mapping the effects of pregnancy on resting state brain activity, white matter microstructure, neural metabolite concentrations and grey matter architecture

  Animal studies have shown that pregnancy is associated with unique changes in the mammalian brain and behaviour, although pregnancy-associated changes in the human brain are less well studied. Here the authors show that pregnancy is associated with changes in resting state brain activity and brain anatomy which are most pronounced in the default mode network.

  • Elseline Hoekzema
  • Henk van Steenbergen
  • Eveline A. Crone

  ArticleOpen Access22 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Lactate increases stemness of CD8 + T cells to augment anti-tumor immunity

  Lactic acid from glycolytic metabolism of cancer cells has been associated with immune suppressive functions. Here authors show that lactate, when depart from the acidic protons, inhibits histone deacetylases in CD8 + T cells, which turns them into potent anti-tumour immune cells.

  • Qiang Feng
  • Zhida Liu
  • Jinming Gao

  ArticleOpen Access6 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Mode of delivery modulates the intestinal microbiota and impacts the response to vaccination

  The establishment and composition of the host microbiota is known to impact the function of the host immune response. Here the authors show that mode of delivery may impact the intestinal microbiota composition from birth and modulate the response to routine childhood vaccines.

  • Emma M. de Koff
  • Debbie van Baarle
  • Susana Fuentes

  ArticleOpen Access15 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Randomized controlled trial for time-restricted eating in healthy volunteers without obesity

  Time-restricted eating, both early (eTRF) and mid-day (mTRF), have been shown to have metabolic benefits. Here the authors report a randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of eTRF and mTRF in healthy volunteers without obesity, and find that eTRF is more effective in improving the primary outcome insulin sensitivity.

  • Zhibo Xie
  • Yuning Sun
  • Yilei Mao

  ArticleOpen Access22 Feb 2022 Nature Communications
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  Self-assembling nanofibrous bacteriophage microgels as sprayable antimicrobials targeting multidrug-resistant bacteria

  Bacteriophage are natural antibiotic agents and provide natural building blocks for living biomaterials. Here, the authors crosslink self-organised bacteriophages to make sprayable microgels which preserves the natural antibacterial action, have tuneable auto-fluorescence and demonstrate application in food decontamination.

  • Lei Tian
  • Leon He
  • Zeinab Hosseinidoust

  ArticleOpen Access5 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Immune monitoring and treatment in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

  Immune monitoring assists in the diagnosis and clinical management of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.

  • Femke van Wijk
  • Marjolein de Bruin
  • Stefan Nierkens

  PosterOpen Access7 Jun 2022 Nature Communications
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  The circadian clock influences T cell responses to vaccination by regulating dendritic cell antigen processing

  Circadian rhythms are known to impact a range of biological processes including in the immune system. Here the authors show how circadian rhythms modulate the T cell response to vaccination via regulation of dendritic cell metabolism.

  • Mariana P. Cervantes-Silva
  • Richard G. Carroll
  • Annie M. Curtis

  ArticleOpen Access5 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Targeting endogenous kidney regeneration using anti-IL11 therapy in acute and chronic models of kidney disease

  Repair processes in kidney are impaired in severe disease. Here, the authors show that in kidney failure, genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of IL11 releases the brake on regeneration, reverses tissue damage and restores kidney function.

  • Anissa A. Widjaja
  • Sivakumar Viswanathan
  • Stuart A. Cook

  ArticleOpen Access5 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Impact of pulmonary African trypanosomes on the immunology and function of the lung

  A number of human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, patients suffer from respiratory symptoms commonly attributed to cardiac insufficiency. Here, the authors characterise the role of pulmonary Trypanosoma brucei in respiratory infection.

  • Dorien Mabille
  • Laura Dirkx
  • Guy Caljon

  ArticleOpen Access18 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Cost-effective methylome sequencing of cell-free DNA for accurately detecting and locating cancer

  Early cancer detection by cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is challenged by the low amount of tumour DNA in cfDNA, tumour heterogeneity and the small patient cohorts. Here, the authors develop a method, cfMethyl-Seq, for cost-effective methylome profiling of cfDNA and for detecting and locating cancer.

  • Mary L. Stackpole
  • Weihua Zeng
  • Xianghong Jasmine Zhou

  ArticleOpen Access29 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Single-cell and spatial analysis reveal interaction of FAP⁺ fibroblasts and SPP1⁺ macrophages in colorectal cancer

  Tumour microenvironment profiling during colorectal cancer progression may enable the discovery of therapeutic targets. Here, single cell and spatial RNA sequencing of tumour and adjacent normal tissues reveals an interaction between FAP⁺ fibroblasts and SPP1⁺ macrophages that could be disrupted as an immunotherapy strategy.

  • Jingjing Qi
  • Hongxiang Sun
  • Bing Su

  ArticleOpen Access1 Apr 2022 Nature Communications
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  Genome-wide mutational signatures in low-coverage whole genome sequencing of cell-free DNA

  Detection of mutational signatures in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is challenging due to low sequence coverage and low mutant allele fractions. Here, the authors identify mutational signatures in plasma whole genome sequencing of cancer patients and use machine learning to distinguish them from healthy individuals.

  • Jonathan C. M. Wan
  • Dennis Stephens
  • Luis A. Diaz Jr.

  ArticleOpen Access23 Aug 2022 Nature Communications
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  Gene expression based inference of cancer drug sensitivity

  Predicting treatment response in cancer remains a highly complex task. Here, the authors develop Precily, a deep neural network framework to predict treatment response in cancer by considering gene expression, pathway activity estimates and drug features, and test this method in multiple datasets and preclinical models.

  • Smriti Chawla
  • Anja Rockstroh
  • Debarka Sengupta

  ArticleOpen Access27 Sep 2022 Nature Communications
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  Genetic variants associated with psychiatric disorders are enriched at epigenetically active sites in lymphoid cells

  The role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders is unclear. Here, the authors show that genetic risk variants for multiple psychiatric disorders are enriched in regions of the genome active in the brain and in lymphoid cells, especially stimulated T cells, but not in myeloid cells.

  • Mary-Ellen Lynall
  • Blagoje Soskic
  • Ed Bullmore

  ArticleOpen Access15 Oct 2022 Nature Communications
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  CRISPR activation screen identifies BCL-2 proteins and B3GNT2 as drivers of cancer resistance to T cell-mediated cytotoxicity

  Loss-of-function CRISPR-based screens have identified several genes associated with cancer resistance to T cell-induced cytotoxicity. Here the authors perform a genome-scale, gain-of-function CRISPR screen and identify candidate genes, including the poly-N-acetyllactosamine synthase B3GNT2, whose overexpression confers tumor cell resistance to T cell cytotoxicity

  • Julia Joung
  • Paul C. Kirchgatterer
  • Feng Zhang

  ArticleOpen Access25 Mar 2022 Nature Communications