PLOS ONE Alerts: New Articles

1. Editorial Note: Prolonged immune alteration following resolution of acute inflammation in humans

   by The PLOS One Editors

2. Use of healthcare administrative claims data in observational studies of antirheumatic drug effects on pregnancy outcomes: A scoping review

   by Shenthuraan Tharmarajah, Araniy Santhireswaran, Yasmeen Ameeriar, Lisa M. McCarthy, Dharini Mahendira, Howard Berger, Mina Tadrous, Sara J. T. Guilcher

   The safety of antirheumatic drugs in pregnancy and their impact on maternal and neonatal outcomes are understudied. Despite pregnant individuals being excluded from clinical trials, their continued use of medications raises the importance of addressing knowledge gaps regarding safety and impact on outcomes. A scoping review was conducted following JBI methodology and PRISMA reporting guidelines to describe how antirheumatic drugs and associated adverse pregnancy outcomes have been investigated in observational studies using claims data. Electronic databases (MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and CINAHL (EBSCO)) and grey literature were searched for observational studies using claims data to evaluate antirheumatic drug effects on pregnancy outcomes in individuals with rheumatic diseases. Of 4,325 articles identified, 38 eligible articles were included. The effects of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (n =  37, 97.4%) and tumor necrosis factor inhibitor biological agents (n =  23, 60.5%) were extensively reported. Preterm birth (n =  25, 65.8%), preeclampsia (n =  17, 44.7%), stillbirth (n =  17, 44.7%), caesarean delivery (n =  16, 42.1%), and congenital anomalies (n =  14, 36.8%) were the most reported adverse pregnancy outcomes. Of 14 studies reporting congenital anomalies, 12 (85.7%) specified ICD codes and 4 (28.6%) specified validated definitions for identification in claims data, the most of any reported adverse pregnancy outcome. We found considerable ambiguity and heterogeneity in adverse pregnancy outcome definitions in claims data. There is a need for greater transparency and consistency in outcome reporting in observational studies using claims data. Protocol registration details: OSF, https://osf.io/5e6tp
3. Correction: An initiative to develop capability-adjusted life years in Sweden (CALY-SWE): Selecting capabilities with a Delphi panel and developing the questionnaire

   by The PLOS One Editors

4. Fluorometric combination analysis of conformational changes in urea-induced unfolding of soybean protein isolates and their complexes with casein

   by Yangchao Gao, Yuchuan Li, Yifan Yang, Hongying He, Yanqiong Li, Shuhui Yu, Haiying Wang, Yuyu Zhang, He Liu

   Soybean proteins isolates (SPIs) could misfold to form amorphous aggregates after unfolding due to processing conditions, leading to a decrease in their solubility, and casein might be able to block the formation of amorphous aggregates. The turbidity curves showed that SPIs/7S/11S could maintain a soluble state in the presence of casein. The folding and unfolding processes of SPIs are not a single-step event. Fluorescence phase diagram method was utilized to analyze the unfolding process of SPIs and SPI-casein complexes. The results showed that there was one intermediate (molten globule, MG) in the unfolding process of SPIs, while there were two intermediates (dimer or trimer intermediates and MG) in that of SPI-casein complexes. Further attempts were made to explain the conformational changes of SPIs when binding with casein. The surface hydrophobicity index indicated that the intermediate with strong hydrophobicity was exposed when induced by 2 mol/L urea. The fluorescence quenching experiments using KI as a quencher showed that the K_sv of SPIs and 11S and their complexes with casein all reached peak values when urea concentration was 2 mol/L, while K_sv values of 7S and 7S–casein complex peaked at urea concentration 8mol/L and 6mol/L, respectively. Besides, K_sv and f_m changing trends of 7S–casein complex was similar to that of SPIs–casein. Based on the above results, it could be inferred that the interactions between SPIs and casein mainly occurs in 7S. The molecular docking of 7S chains from SPIs and casein showed that SPIs could form a “pocket” conformation to “hold” the casein chain. These findings provide new perspectives for understanding the mechanism of interaction between soy proteins and casein, and may provide a basis for research on the functionality of proteins in the food industry. Note: K_sv is the quenching constant of the quenching agent, and f_m is the quenching rate.
5. Retraction: The perception of Hungarian food by consumer segments according to food purchasing preferences based on primary research results

   by The PLOS One Editors