bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multimodal 2D and 3D microscopic mapping of growth cartilage by computational imaging techniques – a short review including new research
Authors: Mürer Fredrik K , Tekseth Kim R , Chattopadhyay Basab , Olstad Kristin , Akram Muhammad Nadeem , Breiby Dag W
Published: May 2024

Being able to image the microstructure of growth cartilage is important for understanding the onset and progression of diseases such as osteochondrosis and osteoarthritis, as well as for developing new treatments and implants. Studies of cartilage using conventional optical brightfield microscopy rely heavily on histological staining, where the added chemicals provide tissue-specific colours. Other microscopy contrast mechanisms include polarization, phase- and scattering contrast, enabling non-stained or ‘label-free’ imaging that significantly simplifies the sample preparation, thereby also reducing the risk of artefacts. Traditional high-performance microscopes tend to be both bulky and expensive. Computational imaging denotes a range of techniques where computers with dedicated algorithms are used as an integral part of the image formation process. Computational imaging offers many advantages like 3D measurements, aberration correction and quantitative phase contrast, often combined with comparably cheap and compact hardware. X-ray microscopy is also progressing rapidly, in certain ways trailing the development of optical microscopy. In this study, we first briefly review the structures of growth cartilage and relevant microscopy characterization techniques, with an emphasis on Fourier ptychographic microscopy (FPM) and advanced x-ray microscopies. We next demonstrate with our own results computational imaging through FPM and compare the images with hematoxylin eosin and saffron (HES)-stained histology. Zernike phase contrast, and the nonlinear optical microscopy techniques of second harmonic generation (SHG) and two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) are explored. Furthermore, X-ray attenuation-, phase- and diffraction-contrast computed tomography (CT) images of the very same sample are presented for comparisons. Future perspectives on the links to artificial intelligence, dynamic studies and in vivo possibilities conclude the article.
A novel method for developing contrast-detail curves from clinical patient images based on statistical low-contrast detectability
Authors: Anam Choirul , Naufal Ariij , Sutanto Heri , Fujibuchi Toshioh , Dougherty Geoff
Published: May 2024

Purpose. To develop a method to extract statistical low-contrast detectability (LCD) and contrast-detail (C-D) curves from clinical patient images. Method. We used the region of air surrounding the patient as an alternative for a homogeneous region within a patient. A simple graphical user interface (GUI) was created to set the initial configuration for region of interest (ROI), ROI size, and minimum detectable contrast (MDC). The process was started by segmenting the air surrounding the patient with a threshold between −980 HU (Hounsfield units) and −1024 HU to get an air mask. The mask was trimmed using the patient center coordinates to avoid distortion from the patient table. It was used to automatically place square ROIs of a predetermined size. The mean pixel values in HU within each ROI were calculated, and the standard deviation (SD) from all the means was obtained. The MDC for a particular target size was generated by multiplying the SD by 3.29. A C-D curve was obtained by iterating this process for the other ROI sizes. This method was applied to the homogeneous area from the uniformity module of an ACR CT phantom to find the correlation between the parameters inside and outside the phantom, for 30 thoracic, 26 abdominal, and 23 head images. Results. The phantom images showed a significant linear correlation between the LCDs obtained from outside and inside the phantom, with R2 values of 0.67 and 0.99 for variations in tube currents and tube voltages. This indicated that the air region outside the phantom can act as a surrogate for the homogenous region inside the phantom to obtain the LCD and C-D curves. Conclusion. The C-D curves obtained from outside the ACR CT phantom show a strong linear correlation with those from inside the phantom. The proposed method can also be used to extract the LCD from patient images by using the region of air outside as a surrogate for a region inside the patient.
Degrading effect on electrical properties of printed gallium sulfide based photodetector
Authors: Odaci Cem , Khan Muhammad Shaukat , Jose Manoj , Kisielewska Marta , Roshanghias Ali , Aydemir Umut
Published: May 2024

Layered GaS structures have been attracting increasing research interest due to their highly anisotropic structural, electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. However, the investigation of the performance based on the responsivity, external quantum efficiency, and detectivity of printed GaS based photodetector on a flexible PET substrate with respect to a period of time under the environmental conditions have not been reported so far. This experimental study shows that the printed GaS based photodetector stored in ambient conditions undergoes a change in terms of performance in a few weeks after the fabrication. This work also holds an importance being premier study experimentally investigating the printed III–VI group monochalcogenide based photodetector stored under the environmental conditions and contributing the literature to improve the printed device performance in further applications.
Quantum Fisher kernel for mitigating the vanishing similarity issue
Authors: Suzuki Yudai , Kawaguchi Hideaki , Yamamoto Naoki
Published: May 2024

Quantum kernel (QK) methods exploit quantum computers to calculate QKs for the use of kernel-based learning models. Despite a potential quantum advantage of the method, the commonly used fidelity-based QK suffers from a detrimental issue, which we call the vanishing similarity issue; the exponential decay of the expectation value and the variance of the QK deteriorates implementation feasibility and trainability of the model with the increase of the number of qubits. This implies the need to design QKs alternative to the fidelity-based one. In this work, we propose a new class of QKs called the quantum Fisher kernels (QFKs) that take into account the geometric structure of the data source. We analytically and numerically demonstrate that the QFK can avoid the issue when shallow alternating layered ansatzes are used. In addition, the Fourier analysis numerically elucidates that the QFK can have the expressivity comparable to the fidelity-based QK. Moreover, we demonstrate synthetic classification tasks where QFK outperforms the fidelity-based QK in performance due to the absence of vanishing similarity. These results indicate that QFK paves the way for practical applications of quantum machine learning toward possible quantum advantages.
An element perception and state recognition method oriented to complex assembled product
Authors: Zhao Delong , Kong Feifei , Du Fuzhou
Published: May 2024

Quality inspection during assembly process has an important impact on the performance and service life of the final product. Automated inspection solutions based on machine vision and artificial intelligence greatly improve the efficiency of inspection. However, the current mainstream large-scene inspection solutions, such as mobile vision platforms, are difficult to apply widely due to cost issues. Therefore, portable vision inspection solutions have gradually gained attention. However, the bottleneck technologies that limit this solution are full-element perception and occlusion judgment under free viewing angle, robust object matching method. To address the above problems, This paper proposes a free-viewpoint-based element perception and state recognition scheme. An improved structure estimation model is adopted to establish a bridge between virtual and actual mapping under the support of small-sample data, and all elements are located and occlusion analyzed by a 3D model-constrained view evolution algorithm. In addition, a hierarchy matching and optimization method is established to complete visual analysis. Experimental results show that this scheme performs well in structure estimation, element localization, occlusion judgment, state recognition, and work efficiency, demonstrating high application value.
Learning the dynamics of a one-dimensional plasma model with graph neural networks
Authors: Carvalho Diogo D , Ferreira Diogo R , Silva Luís O
Published: May 2024

We explore the possibility of fully replacing a plasma physics kinetic simulator with a graph neural network-based simulator. We focus on this class of surrogate models given the similarity between their message-passing update mechanism and the traditional physics solver update, and the possibility of enforcing known physical priors into the graph construction and update. We show that our model learns the kinetic plasma dynamics of the one-dimensional plasma model, a predecessor of contemporary kinetic plasma simulation codes, and recovers a wide range of well-known kinetic plasma processes, including plasma thermalization, electrostatic fluctuations about thermal equilibrium, and the drag on a fast sheet and Landau damping. We compare the performance against the original plasma model in terms of run-time, conservation laws, and temporal evolution of key physical quantities. The limitations of the model are presented and possible directions for higher-dimensional surrogate models for kinetic plasmas are discussed.
Chebyshev dynamics on two and three intervals and isomonodromic deformations
Authors: Dragović Vladimir , Shramchenko Vasilisa
Published: May 2024

We present the dynamics of Chebyshev polynomials on

d
=
2

d=2

and

d
=
3

d=3

real intervals. This dynamics, for

d
=
2

d=2

, is associated with isomonodromic deformations and Painlevé VI equations, while for

d
=
3

d=3

, it is associated with a class of constrained isomonodromic deformations for which we provide the constrained Schlesinger equations. We provide explicit solutions to these equations in terms of differentials on an appropriate family of elliptic curves for

d
=
2

d=2

and of genus

2
2

curves for

d
=
3

d=3

. From the point of view of the classical algebraic geometry we present and solve the problem of constrained Jacobi inversion for genus

2
2

curves. We motivate and apply the obtained results to the study of billiards within quadrics in the plane and in

3
3

-dimensional space.
The universal von Neumann algebra of smooth four-manifolds revisited
Authors: Etesi Gábor
Published: May 2024

Making use of its smooth structure only, out of a connected oriented smooth

4
4

-manifold a von Neumann algebra is constructed. It is geometric in the sense that is generated by local operators and as a special four dimensional phenomenon it contains all algebraic (i.e., formal or coming from a metric) curvature tensors of the underlying

4
4

-manifold. The von Neumann algebra itself is a hyperfinite factor of

II

1

\textrm {II}_1

-type hence is unique up to abstract isomorphisms of von Neumann algebras. Over a fixed

4
4

-manifold this universal von Neumann algebra admits a particular representation on a Hilbert space such that its unitary equivalence class is preserved by orientation-preserving diffeomorphisms consequently the Murray–von Neumann coupling constant of this representation is well-defined and gives rise to a new and computable real-valued smooth

4
4

-manifold invariant. Its link with Jones’ subfactor theory is noticed as well as computations in the simply connected closed case are carried out.

Application to the cosmological constant problem is also discussed. Namely, the aforementioned mathematical construction allows to reformulate the classical vacuum Einstein equation with cosmological constant over a

4
4

-manifold as an operator equation over its tracial universal von Neumann algebra such that the trace of a solution is naturally identified with the cosmological constant. This framework permits to use the observed magnitude of the cosmological constant to estimate by topological means the number of primordial black holes about the Planck era. This number turns out to be negligable which is in agreement with known density estimates based on the Press–Schechter mechanism.
On Refined Conjectures of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer type for Hasse–Weil–Artin 𝐿-Series
Authors: Burns David , Macias Castillo Daniel
Published: May 2024

We consider refined conjectures of Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer type for the Hasse–Weil–Artin

L
L

-series of abelian varieties over general number fields. We shall, in particular, formulate several new such conjectures and establish their precise relation to previous conjectures, including to the relevant special case of the equivariant Tamagawa number conjecture. We also derive a wide range of concrete interpretations and explicit consequences of these conjectures that, in general, involve a thoroughgoing mixture of difficult Archimedean considerations related to refinements of the conjecture of Deligne and Gross and delicate

p
p

-adic congruence relations that involve the bi-extension height pairing of Mazur and Tate and are related to key aspects of noncommutative Iwasawa theory. In important special cases we provide strong evidence, both theoretical and numerical, in support of the conjectures.
Cubical Models of (∞,1)-Categories
Authors: Doherty Brandon , Kapulkin Krzysztof , Lindsey Zachery , Sattler Christian
Published: May 2024

We construct a model structure on the category of cubical sets with connections whose cofibrations are the monomorphisms and whose fibrant objects are defined by the right lifting property with respect to inner open boxes, the cubical analogue of inner horns. We show that this model structure is Quillen equivalent to the Joyal model structure on simplicial sets via the triangulation functor. As an application, we show that cubical quasicategories admit a convenient notion of a mapping space, which we use to characterize the weak equivalences between fibrant objects in our model structure as DK-equivalences.
Examining Links Between Distinct Affective States and Tobacco Lapse During a Cessation Attempt Among African Americans: A Cohort Study
Authors: Jones Dusti R , Potter Lindsey N , Lam Cho Y , Schlechter Chelsey R , Nahum-Shani Inbal , Fagundes Christopher , Wetter David W
Published: May 2024

Background

Affect states are posited to play a pivotal role in addiction-related processes, including tobacco lapse (i.e., smoking during a quit attempt), and distinct affective states (e.g., joy vs. happiness) may differentially influence lapse likelihood. However, few studies have examined the influence of distinct affective states on tobacco lapse.

Purpose

This study examines the influence of 23 distinct affect states on tobacco lapse among a sample of tobacco users attempting to quit.

Methods

Participants were 220 adults who identified as African American (50% female, ages 18–74). Ecological momentary assessment was used to assess affect and lapse in real-time. Between and within-person associations testing links between distinct affect states and lapse were examined with multilevel modeling for binary outcomes.

Results

After adjusting for previous time’s lapse and for all other positive or negative affect items, results suggested that at the between-person level, joy was associated with lower odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, attentiveness was associated with lower odds of lapse. Results also suggested that at the between-person level, guilt and nervous were associated with higher odds of lapse, and at the within-person level, shame was associated with higher odds of lapse.

Conclusions

The present study uses real-time, real-world data to demonstrate the role of distinct positive and negative affects on momentary tobacco lapse. This work helps elucidate specific affective experiences that facilitate or hinder the ability to abstain from tobacco use during a quit attempt.
The road less traveled: Developing pharmacist clinician-scientists through divergent training pathways
Authors: Forehand Christy , Hamblin Susan , Cook Aaron M , Cain Jeff , Somanath Payaningal R , Stollings Joanna L
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Professional organizations have emphasized the growing need for pharmacists to possess advanced research skills; however, there is a scarcity of training programs aimed at nurturing clinician-scientists. This report outlines 3 critical care–focused research programs, each offering a unique approach to training clinician-scientists.

Limited resources and formalized programs are available to bridge the gap between the demand for and availability of skilled clinician-scientists. Several programs have stepped forward to share their experiences in establishing and executing training initiatives aimed at cultivating skilled clinician-scientists in the critical care practice space.

Conclusion

Enhancing the development of clinician-scientists for clinical and translational research is necessary in the critical care clinical pharmacy community.
Artificial Intelligence, Genuine Outcome: Analysis of 72 Consecutive Cases of Subfascial Augmentation Mastopexy With Smooth Round Implants Supported by P4HB Scaffold
Authors: Bistoni Giovanni , Sofo Francesco , Cagli Barbara , Buccheri Ernesto Maria , Mallucci Patrick
Published: May 2024

Background

Ptosis recurrence often leads to unsatisfactory results after mastopexy, even more so when additional stress is provided by implants on compromised native tissue. The poly-4-hydroxybutyrate(P4HB) scaffold (GalaFLEX) with its favorable safety profile and proven long-term mechanical strength represents a preferred option for soft tissue support.

Objectives

The primary endpoint was assessment of lower pole stretch from the early postoperative period up to 3 years.

Methods

Out of 151 patients who underwent surgery by G.B. from March 2020 to December 2023, a total of 72 with a 12-month-mininum follow-up who had primary (46) or secondary (26) augmentation mastopexy with subfascial round smooth implants and P4HB scaffold support were included in the study. Three-dimensional artificial intelligence software was utilized for all measurements. Further analysis included evaluation of ptosis recurrence and all complications.

Results

No recurrent ptosis, bottoming out, implant displacement, or capsular contracture was reported during follow-up (mean, 24.8 months). The lower pole arch's elongation was 8.04% and 9.44% at 1 and 3 years respectively, comparing favorably with previous reports. Statistically significant correlation (P < .05) between implant size and lower pole stretch was noted, this being greater for larger implants (> 400 cc; P = .0011) and primary cases (P = .1376). Progressive volume redistribution from upper to lower pole was observed in the first year, with substantial stability thereafter.

Conclusions

This is the largest published series reporting long-term results (up to 45 months) in mastopexy augmentation with GalaFLEX, suggesting its supportive role in lower pole stability even in the setting of concurrent breast augmentation with smooth implants in a subfascial plane.

Level of Evidence: 4
Frequent oil baths and skin barrier during infancy in the PreventADALL study
Authors: Rehbinder Eva Maria , Wärnberg Gerdin Sabina , Hoyer Angela , Bradley Maria , Lødrup Carlsen Karin C , Granum Berit , Hedlin Gunilla , Jonassen Christine Monceyron , Leblanc Marissa , Nordlund Björn , Rudi Knut , Skjerven Håvard O , Staff Anne Cathrine , Vettukattil Riyas , Söderhäll Cilla
Published: May 2024

Background

In the general population randomized controlled trial PreventADALL, frequent emollient bath additives from 2 weeks of age did not prevent atopic dermatitis, while the effect on skin barrier function throughout infancy is not established.

Objectives

The primary aim of this exploratory substudy was to assess the effect of mineral-based oil baths on transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and dry skin through infancy, and secondarily to explore if filaggrin (FLG) mutations modified the effect.

Methods

Overall, 2153 infants were included and randomized to either the ‘Skin intervention’ (SI) group (n = 995) (oil bath 4 times weekly from 2 weeks through 8 months) or ‘No skin intervention’ (NSI) group (n = 1158), with TEWL measurements at 3, 6 and/or 12 months of age. Information on FLG mutation status was available for 1683 of these infants. Effects of the skin intervention on TEWL and dry skin through infancy were assessed by mixed-effects regression modelling. Background characteristics and protocol adherence were collected from electronic questionnaires, birth records and weekly diaries.

Results

The TEWL (95% confidence interval) was on average 0.42 g m–2 h–1 (0.13–0.70, P = 0.004) higher in the SI group compared with the NSI group through the first year of life, with significantly higher levels at 3 months [8.6 (8.3–9.0) vs. 7.6 (7.3–7.9)], but similar at 6 and 12 months. Dry skin was observed significantly more often in the NSI group compared with the SI group at 3 months (59% vs. 51%) and at 6 months of age (63% vs. 53%), while at 12 months of age, the difference was no longer significant. At 3 months, the TEWL of FLG mutation carriers was similar to the TEWL in the SI group. No interaction between SI and FLG mutation was found in the first year of life.

Conclusions

Infants given frequent oil baths from 2 weeks of age had reduced skin barrier function through infancy compared with controls, largely attributed to higher TEWL at 3 months of age, while the skin at 3 and 6 months appeared less dry in infants subjected to the skin intervention.
The sunbed trend in Ireland
Authors: Long Amy , O’Malley Seán , Collins Sinead
Published: May 2024

This research letter provides a report on commercial sunbed prevalence in Ireland since the introduction of the Public Health (Sunbeds) Act 2014, and a review of current legislation on indoor tanning in Ireland and the UK.
Characterization in the rat of the individual tendency to rely on alcohol to cope with distress and the ensuing vulnerability to drink compulsively
Authors: Marti-Prats Lucia , Belin David
Published: May 2024

Only some vulnerable individuals who recreationally drink alcohol eventually develop the compulsive drinking pattern that characterizes alcohol use disorder. A new frontier in biomedical research lies in understanding the neurobehavioural mechanisms of this individual vulnerability, a necessary step towards developing novel effective therapeutic strategies. Translational research has been hindered by the lack of valid, reliable and robust approaches that enable the study of the influence of the reliance on alcohol to cope with stress or self-medicate negative emotional states on the subsequent transition to alcohol use disorder. We have therefore developed a behavioural task in the rat that enables the investigation of the neural and cellular basis of the exacerbation of the vulnerability to develop compulsive alcohol drinking by the use of alcohol to develop an adjunctive, anxiolytic, polydipsic drinking behaviour in a schedule-induced polydipsia procedure. Hence, in our task, alcohol is introduced in the schedule-induced polydipsia context after several weeks of training with water so that rats are exposed to alcohol for the first time in a distressing context and learn to drink alcohol as a coping strategy. Capitalizing on this protocol, we have consistently been able to identify a subpopulation of rats that were unable to learn to cope with negative states by drinking water and relied on alcohol to do so. This maladaptive reliance on alcohol drinking to cope with distress has been shown to be associated with an exacerbation of the subsequent transition to compulsive drinking. Furthermore, these vulnerable rats reached blood alcohol levels comparable to that of intoxication in humans, thereby developing two key features of alcohol use disorder, namely excessive alcohol intake and compulsive drinking. Altogether, this behavioural task provides a novel and unique tool for the investigation of the neurobehavioural mechanisms underlying the exacerbation of the individual vulnerability to developing compulsive alcohol drinking by the use of alcohol as a strategy to cope with distress, and for the evaluation of the efficacy of potential therapeutic strategies in a personalized medicine approach. This procedure, which focuses on an understudied but key factor of the development of alcohol use disorder, may become widely used as it benefits the fields of alcohol, emotion regulation and stress, the interest in which has substantially increased since the evidence of a profound exacerbation of alcohol use and alcohol-related negative consequences by the distress and social isolation engendered by the various measures implemented worldwide in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
YouTube as a source of information for self-skin examinations: an analysis of content and quality
Authors: Algarin Yanci A , Pulumati Anika , Reznik Alex , Pariser Robert J
Published: May 2024

YouTube stands as the premier video-sharing platform in the USA, boasting over 2 billion daily views. Despite YouTube’s declaration of using machine learning algorithms to curb misinformation, research indicates a notable deficiency in the quality of health-related content shared on the platform. We sought to evaluate the quality of skin self-examination videos on YouTube and compare them to the recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatology and the American Cancer Society.
Drug-eluting balloon to treat immediate post-coronary artery bypass grafting ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a case report
Authors: Shah Muhammad Usman , Haider Muhammad Anis , Poudyal Krishna , Loubani Mahmoud , Naqvi Syed Yaseen
Published: May 2024

Background

Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery represents a major cardiovascular operation and may be associated with post-operative ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) due to graft failure. This is challenging to diagnose and treat as the implanted grafts may be prone to complications when treated percutaneously with drug-eluting stents.

Case summary

A man in his 60 s underwent CABG and developed new persistent ST elevations of 2 mm in anterior leads with no significant chest pain, although, administered with intravenous opiates post-operatively. Transthoracic echocardiography was non-diagnostic. Invasive angiography performed emergently showed a thrombotic occlusion of the mid-left anterior descending artery at the site of the anastomosis with the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft. Intervention via the graft was considered high risk of complications, therefore, native coronary arteries were used to approach the occlusion, which was successfully cleared with a combination balloon angioplasty with a semi-compliant and then a drug-eluting balloon. The LIMA started working again with the resolution of ST elevation and no immediate complications.

Discussion

Early post-operative ST elevations in continuous leads should not be ignored as they often may be the only feature of new-onset STEMI. Drug-eluting balloons represent a feasible and possibly safer option than drug-eluting stents to treat these conditions.
Comparative effects of different antiplatelet strategies in carriers of CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles: a network meta-analysis
Authors: Galli Mattia , Occhipinti Giovanni , Benenati Stefano , Laborante Renzo , Ortega-Paz Luis , Franchi Francesco , D'Amario Domenico , Nerla Roberto , Castriota Fausto , Frati Giacomo , Biondi-Zoccai Giuseppe , Sciarretta Sebastiano , Angiolillo Dominick J
Published: May 2024

Background

Carriers of cytochrome 2C19 (CYP2C19) loss-of-function (LoF) alleles treated with clopidogrel have impaired drug metabolism, resulting in reduced active metabolite levels, high platelet reactivity (HPR), and an increased risk of thrombotic events. Several alternative antiplatelet therapies have been proposed to overcome HPR in these patients, but their comparative effects remain poorly explored.

Methods

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing different oral antiplatelet therapies in carriers of CYP2C19 LoF alleles undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) were included. A frequentist network meta-analysis was conducted to estimate mean difference (MD) or odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The primary outcome was platelet reactivity assessed by VerifyNow and reported as P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU). The secondary outcome was the rate of HPR. Standard dose of clopidogrel (75 mg daily) was used as a reference treatment.

Results

A total of 12 RCTs testing 6 alternative strategies (i.e. clopidogrel 150 mg, prasugrel 3.75 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg, ticagrelor 90 mg bid, and adjunctive cilostazol 100 mg bid) were included in the network. Compared with standard-dose clopidogrel, the greatest reduction in PRU was observed with prasugrel 10 mg (MD −127.91; 95% CI −141.04; −114.78) and ticagrelor 90 mg bid (MD −124.91; 95% CI −161.78; −88.04), followed by prasugrel 5 mg (MD −76.33; 95% CI −98.01; −54.65) and prasugrel 3.75 mg (MD −73.00; 95% CI −100.28; −45.72). Among other strategies, adjunctive cilostazol (MD −42.64; 95% CI −64.72; −20.57) and high-dose clopidogrel (MD −32.11; 95% CI −51.33; −12.90) were associated with a modest reduction in PRU compared with standard-dose clopidogrel.

Conclusion

Among carriers of CYP2C19 LoF alleles undergoing PCI, standard-dose prasugrel or ticagrelor are most effective in reducing platelet reactivity, while double-dose clopidogrel and additional cilostazol showed modest effects. Reduced-dose of prasugrel may represent a balanced strategy to overcome HPR without a significant increase in bleeding. The clinical implications of these pharmacodynamic findings warrant further investigation.
Taking Dworkin’s Legal Monism Seriously
Authors: Bustamante Thomas
Published: May 2024

In this review essay, I analyse two philosophical positions presented by Cormac Mac Amhlaigh in New Constitutional Horizons – namely, a pluralistic analytic legal theory, which offers a criterion of ‘individuation’ of legal systems in the context of transnational laws (to explain the relationship between domestic and international law), and a pluralistic account of constitutionalism, which understands the concept of ‘constitution’ and related political concepts in the context of transnational legal relationships (treating them as ‘interpretive concepts’ in the sense of Ronald Dworkin). My main target is not Mac Amhlaigh’s account of constitutionalism, with which I agree, but, rather, his analytic legal theory. After a brief summary of the former, to make explicit the interpretive methodology of the book, I respond to the latter in two ways: first, I present Dworkin’s argument to defend Hans Kelsen’s international legal monism against H.L.A. Hart’s objections, and, second, I argue that the analytic ambition to provide a test to distinguish sharply between municipal law and international law, treating them as separate while simultaneously valid systems, is unachievable. I end with a claim that Dworkin’s thesis of the unity of value entails a distinctive version of legal monism, which is more plausible than Kelsen’s traditional legal monism because it is not committed to a ‘linear’ or ‘hierarchical’ theory of law.
Mitral valve prolapse: arrhythmic risk during pregnancy and postpartum
Authors: Sabbag Avi , Aabel Eivind W , Castrini Anna Isotta , Siontis Konstantinos C , Laredo Mikael , Nizard Jacky , Duthoit Guillaume , Asirvatham Samuel , Sehrawat Ojasay , Kirkels Feddo P , van Rosendael Philippe J , Beinart Roy , Acha Moshe Rav , Peichl Petr , Lim Han S , Sohns Christian , Martins Raphael , Font Jonaz , Truong Nguyen N K , Estensen Mette , Haugaa Kristina H
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

Arrhythmic mitral valve prolapse (AMVP) is linked to life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), and young women are considered at high risk. Cases of AMVP in women with malignant VA during pregnancy have emerged, but the arrhythmic risk during pregnancy is unknown. The authors aimed to describe features of women with high-risk AMVP who developed malignant VA during the perinatal period and to assess if pregnancy and the postpartum period were associated with a higher risk of malignant VA.

Methods

This retrospective international multi-centre case series included high-risk women with AMVP who experienced malignant VA and at least one pregnancy. Malignant VA included ventricular fibrillation, sustained ventricular tachycardia, or appropriate shock from an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. The authors compared the incidence of malignant VA in non-pregnant periods and perinatal period; the latter defined as occurring during pregnancy and within 6 months after delivery.

Results

The authors included 18 women with AMVP from 11 centres. During 7.5 (interquartile range 5.8–16.6) years of follow-up, 37 malignant VAs occurred, of which 18 were pregnancy related occurring in 13 (72%) unique patients. Pregnancy and 6 months after delivery showed increased incidence rate of malignant VA compared to the non-pregnancy period (univariate incidence rate ratio 2.66, 95% confidence interval 1.23–5.76).

Conclusions

The perinatal period could impose increased risk of malignant VA in women with high-risk AMVP. The data may provide general guidance for pre-conception counselling and for nuanced shared decision-making between patients and clinicians.
Spontaneous resolution or antibiotic effectiveness? Reflection on a case of pediatric urinary tract infections caused by Enterococcus raffinosus
Authors: Zhang Mengshuang , Qin Rui , Zhang Xuzhan , GE Liping , Li Guixia , Chen Chen , Cai Xuedong
Published: May 2024

Enterococcus raffinosus, named by Collins et al. in 1989, is a cocci-shaped bacterium that typically appears in pairs or short chains. As a Gram-positive and non-motile bacterium, it grows at 10°C–45°C, exhibiting negative peroxidase activity [1]. It is a normal flora in the oropharynx and gastrointestinal tract of domestic cats [2] and can also be isolated from human rectal swabs [3], it belongs to the same genus Enterococcus as Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium constitute 90% of clinically isolated strains. However, the incidence of other enterococci, excluding E. faecalis and E. faecium, is on the rise [4]. In this case report, a patient with pediatric urinary tract infections caused by E. raffinosus was presented, and a summary of relevant literature was provided.
Do Health and Housing Attributes Motivate Residential Moves Among Older Chinese Adults? Evidence From an 8‑Year Follow‑up Study
Authors: Zhang Ziqi
Published: May 2024

Background and Objectives

Despite the widespread belief in aging-in-place as the preferred housing arrangement for older adults, they are increasingly embracing moving. The person–environment fit theory explains that environmental changes due to residential moves can pose health risks, discouraging older people from moving. However, it also suggests that moves may be suitable when living conditions no longer meet their physical needs. The correlation between older people’s health, housing, and their subsequent moving or staying actions in China remains underexplored.

Research Design and Methods

Using alternative operating variables of key concepts and the China Family Panel Studies 2012–2018 data sets, this study examines the effects of health and housing status on older people’s residential moves in China. The study outlines changes in health indicators and housing characteristics during multiple moves, as well as examines the relationship between the health and housing status of older adults and moving over a relatively long period of time using both regression models with lagged explanatory variables and fixed effects binary choice models.

Results

The results reveal that: (1) higher rates of subsequent moves were observed among older adults with better self-rated health, positive self-rated health changes, and no ADL impairment, but no significant associations were found between most health variables and moving; and (2) the correlation between older persons’ house ownership/type and their residential moves was significant and consistent over time, steady and lasting.

Discussion and Implications

Potential mechanisms explaining the association between specific housing types and ownership statuses on moving are discussed. The findings encourage a focus on the positive benefits of moving in later life and how to provide additional housing options for older individuals.
Barriers and enablers to a healthy lifestyle in people with infertility: a mixed-methods systematic review
Authors: Torkel Sophia , Wang Rui , Norman Robert J , Zhao Lijun , Liu Kai , Boden Dana , Xu Wentong , Moran Lisa , Cowan Stephanie
Published: May 2024

BACKGROUND

While there is a recognized role of optimizing lifestyle (diet and physical activity) behaviours in the management of infertility, the best practice remains unknown and factors influencing the lifestyle of people with infertility are not well understood.

OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE

This systematic review evaluated barriers and enablers to a healthy lifestyle in people with infertility, from the perspectives of people with infertility and health professionals, in order to inform optimal behavioural change strategies.

SEARCH METHODS

Ovid MEDLINE(R), PsycINFO, EMBASE, EBM Reviews, and CINAHL were searched from inception to 28 August 2023. Eligible studies were qualitative and quantitative primary studies that explored barriers and/or enablers to lifestyle for infertility management. Quality assessment was performed using the Centre for Evidence-Based Management Critical Appraisal of a Survey Tool and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme Qualitative Checklist. Data were analysed by thematic analysis with themes mapped to the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation and Behaviour (COM-B) model and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

OUTCOMES

After screening 12 326 abstracts and 99 full-texts, 27 studies were included (12 quantitative, 6 qualitative and 9 mixed-methods) with 22 studies of women with infertility (n = 2524), 11 studies of men with infertility (n = 1407), and 6 studies of health professionals (n = 372). We identified barriers and enablers relating to capability (e.g. strategies for behaviour change), opportunity (e.g. limited time, resources, and money), and motivation (e.g. interplay between lifestyle and emotional state). Based on the identified themes, suggested intervention components to integrate into lifestyle management of infertility include facilitating development of self-management skills to support lifestyle change (e.g. self-monitoring, action planning, and goal setting) and incorporating mental health strategies (e.g. providing information about the benefits of healthy lifestyle behaviours for mental health and encouraging patients to reframe healthy lifestyle behaviours as self-care strategies).

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

The findings have identified important factors that influence lifestyle management in people with infertility and have suggested relevant intervention components to consider when designing interventions. Given the paucity of qualitative studies identified, more research is needed to further understand the complex and interacting factors that shape lifestyle during the fertility journey.
A taxonomy for advancing systematic error analysis in multi-site electronic health record-based clinical concept extraction
Authors: Fu Sunyang , Wang Liwei , He Huan , Wen Andrew , Zong Nansu , Kumari Anamika , Liu Feifan , Zhou Sicheng , Zhang Rui , Li Chenyu , Wang Yanshan , St Sauver Jennifer , Liu Hongfang , Sohn Sunghwan
Published: May 2024

Background

Error analysis plays a crucial role in clinical concept extraction, a fundamental subtask within clinical natural language processing (NLP). The process typically involves a manual review of error types, such as contextual and linguistic factors contributing to their occurrence, and the identification of underlying causes to refine the NLP model and improve its performance. Conducting error analysis can be complex, requiring a combination of NLP expertise and domain-specific knowledge. Due to the high heterogeneity of electronic health record (EHR) settings across different institutions, challenges may arise when attempting to standardize and reproduce the error analysis process.

Objectives

This study aims to facilitate a collaborative effort to establish common definitions and taxonomies for capturing diverse error types, fostering community consensus on error analysis for clinical concept extraction tasks.

Materials and Methods

We iteratively developed and evaluated an error taxonomy based on existing literature, standards, real-world data, multisite case evaluations, and community feedback. The finalized taxonomy was released in both .dtd and .owl formats at the Open Health Natural Language Processing Consortium. The taxonomy is compatible with several different open-source annotation tools, including MAE, Brat, and MedTator.

Results

The resulting error taxonomy comprises 43 distinct error classes, organized into 6 error dimensions and 4 properties, including model type (symbolic and statistical machine learning), evaluation subject (model and human), evaluation level (patient, document, sentence, and concept), and annotation examples. Internal and external evaluations revealed strong variations in error types across methodological approaches, tasks, and EHR settings. Key points emerged from community feedback, including the need to enhancing clarity, generalizability, and usability of the taxonomy, along with dissemination strategies.

Conclusion

The proposed taxonomy can facilitate the acceleration and standardization of the error analysis process in multi-site settings, thus improving the provenance, interpretability, and portability of NLP models. Future researchers could explore the potential direction of developing automated or semi-automated methods to assist in the classification and standardization of error analysis.
A matter of age? How age affects the adaptation of lactating dairy cows to virtual fencing
Authors: Confessore Andrea , Schneider Manuel K , Pauler Caren M , Aquilani Chiara , Fuchs Patricia , Pugliese Carolina , Dibari Camilla , Argenti Giovanni , Accorsi Pier Attilio , Probo Massimiliano
Published: May 2024

Virtual Fencing (VF) can be a helpful technology in managing herds in pasture-based systems. In VF systems, animals wear a VF collar using global positioning, and physical boundaries are replaced by virtual ones. The Nofence (Nofence AS, Batnfjordsøra, Norway) collars used in this study emit an acoustic warning when an animal approaches the virtual boundaries, followed by an aversive electrical pulse if the animal does not return to the defined area. The stimuli sequence is repeated up to three times if the animal continues to walk forward. Although it has been demonstrated that animals successfully learn to adapt to the system, it is unknown if this adaptation changes with animal age and thus has consequences for VF training and animal welfare. This study compared the ability of younger and older dairy cows to adapt to a VF system and whether age affected activity behavior, milk yield, and animal long-term stress under VF management. The study was conducted on four comparable strip-grazing paddocks. Twenty lactating Holstein-Friesian cows, divided into four groups of five animals each, were equipped with VF collars and pedometers. Groups differed in age: two groups of older cows (>4 lactations) and two groups of younger ones (first lactation). After a 7-d training, paddock sizes were increased by successively moving the virtual fence during four consecutive grazing periods. Throughout the study, the pedometers recorded daily step count, time spent standing, and time spent lying. For the determination of long-term stress, hair samples were collected on the first and last day of the trial and the hair cortisol content was assessed. Data were analyzed by generalized mixed-effect models. Overall, age had no significant impact on animal responses to VF, but there were interaction effects of time: the number of acoustic warnings in the last period was higher in younger cows (P < 0.001), and the duration of acoustic warnings at training was shorter for older cows (P < 0.01). Moreover, younger cows walked more per day during the training (P < 0.01). Finally, no effects on milk yield or hair cortisol content were detected. In conclusion, all cows, regardless of age, adapted rapidly to the VF system without compromising their welfare according to the indicators measured.
Sweeping up the best things
Authors: Donnelly Eloise
Published: May 2024

Travelling abroad to acquire objects at source was an important aspect of the South Kensington Museum’s collecting policy from the outset. With curatorial focus on Italian Renaissance works of art, and growing competition for such objects at salerooms and curiosity shops in London, buying trips to Italy played a critical role in the expansion of the museum’s collections throughout its first half-century. This article examines the interactions between curators at South Kensington and the Milanese art market, and considers the role played by Milan in shaping the museum collections between 1850 and 1910. Through the prism of dealers’ records, curatorial correspondence and key acquisitions, the museum’s activities in Milan are reconstructed and key dealer–curator networks are illuminated, underlining Milan’s position as a centre of the art market in the nineteenth century.
Sympathetic nerve signals: orchestrators of mammary development and stem cell vitality
Authors: Ye Zi , Xu Yu , Zhang Mengna , Cai Cheguo
Published: May 2024

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ that undergoes significant changes at multiple stages of postnatal development. Although the roles of systemic hormones and microenvironmental cues in mammary homeostasis have been extensively studied, the influence of neural signals, particularly those from the sympathetic nervous system, remains poorly understood. Here, using a mouse mammary gland model, we delved into the regulatory role of sympathetic nervous signaling in the context of mammary stem cells and mammary development. Our findings revealed that depletion of sympathetic nerve signals results in defective mammary development during puberty, adulthood, and pregnancy, accompanied by a reduction in mammary stem cell numbers. Through in vitro three-dimensional culture and in vivo transplantation analyses, we demonstrated that the absence of sympathetic nerve signals hinders mammary stem cell self-renewal and regeneration, while activation of sympathetic nervous signaling promotes these capacities. Mechanistically, sympathetic nerve signals orchestrate mammary stem cell activity and mammary development through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Collectively, our study unveils the crucial roles of sympathetic nerve signals in sustaining mammary development and regulating mammary stem cell activity, offering a novel perspective on the involvement of the nervous system in modulating adult stem cell function and organ development.