bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Body mass index and esophageal and gastric cancer: A pooled analysis of 10 population‐based cohort studies in Japan
Authors: Koyanagi Yuriko N. , Matsuo Keitaro , Ito Hidemi , Wang Chaochen , Tamakoshi Akiko , Sugawara Yumi , Tsuji Ichiro , Ono Ayami , Tsugane Shoichiro , Sawada Norie , Wada Keiko , Nagata Chisato , Takeuchi Taro , Kitamura Tetsuhisa , Utada Mai , Sakata Ritsu , Mizoue Tetsuya , Abe Sarah Krull , Inoue Manami ,   Research Group for the Development and Evaluation of Cancer Prevention Strategies in Japan
Published: April 2023

The effect of body mass index (BMI) on esophageal and gastric carcinogenesis might be heterogeneous, depending on subtype or subsite. However, findings from prospective evaluations of BMI associated with these cancers among Asian populations have been inconsistent and limited, especially for esophageal adenocarcinoma and gastric cardia cancer. We performed a pooled analysis of 10 population‐based cohort studies to examine this association in 394,247 Japanese individuals. We used Cox proportional hazards regression to estimate study‐specific hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), then pooled these estimates to calculate summary HRs with a random effects model. During 5,750,107 person‐years of follow‐up, 1569 esophageal cancer (1038 squamous cell carcinoma and 86 adenocarcinoma) and 11,095 gastric (728 cardia and 5620 noncardia) cancer incident cases were identified. An inverse association was observed between BMI and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (HR per 5‐kg/m2 increase 0.57, 95% CI 0.50–0.65), whereas a positive association was seen in gastric cardia cancer (HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.00–1.32). A nonsignificant and significant positive association for overweight or obese (BMI ≥25 kg/m2) relative to BMI <25 kg/m2 was observed with esophageal adenocarcinoma (HR 1.32, 95% CI 0.80–2.17) and gastric cardia cancer (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.05–1.46), respectively. No clear association with BMI was found for gastric noncardia cancer. This prospective study—the largest in an Asian country—provides a comprehensive quantitative estimate of the association of BMI with upper gastrointestinal cancer and confirms the subtype‐ or subsite‐specific carcinogenic impact of BMI in a Japanese population.
Intralymphatic immunotherapy with birch and grass pollen extracts. A randomized double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial
Authors: Ahlbeck Lars , Ahlberg Emelie , Stuivers Linn , Björkander Janne , Nyström Ulla , Retsas Pavlos , Govindaraj Dhanapal , Jenmalm Maria C. , Duchén Karel
Published: April 2023

Introduction

There is a need to evaluate the safety and efficacy of intralymphatic immunotherapy (ILIT) for inducing tolerance in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Methods

Thirty‐seven patients with seasonal allergic symptoms to birch and grass pollen and skin prick test >3 mm and/or IgE to birch and timothy >0.35 kU/L were randomized to either ILIT, with three doses of 0.1 mL of birch pollen and 5‐grass pollen allergen extracts on aluminium hydroxide (10,000 SQ‐U/ml; ALK‐Abelló) or placebo using ultrasound‐guided intralymphatic injections at monthly intervals. Daily combined symptom medical score and rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score were recorded during the peak pollen seasons the year before and after treatment. Rhinoconjunctivitis total symptom score, medication score and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire were recorded annually starting 2 years after treatment. Circulating proportions of T helper cell subsets and allergen‐induced cytokine and chemokine production were analysed using flow cytometry and ELISA.

Results

There were no differences between the groups related to daily combined symptom medical score the year before and after treatment. Two years after ILIT (after unblinding), the actively treated group reported significantly fewer symptoms, lower medication use and improved quality of life than did the placebo group. After the pollen seasons the year after ILIT, T regulatory cell frequencies and grass‐induced IFN‐γ levels increased only in the actively treated group.

Conclusion

In this randomized controlled trial, ILIT with birch and grass pollen extract was safe and accompanied by immunological changes. Further studies are required to confirm or refute the efficacy of the treatment.
ARAP Revisited Discretizing the Elastic Energy using Intrinsic Voronoi Cells
Authors: Finnendahl Ugo , Schwartz Matthias , Alexa Marc
Published: April 2023

As‐rigid‐as‐possible (ARAP) surface modelling is widely used for interactive deformation of triangle meshes. We show that ARAP can be interpreted as minimizing a discretization of an elastic energy based on non‐conforming elements defined over dual orthogonal cells of the mesh. Using the intrinsic Voronoi cells rather than an orthogonal dual of the extrinsic mesh guarantees that the energy is non‐negative over each cell. We represent the intrinsic Delaunay edges extrinsically as polylines over the mesh, encoded in barycentric coordinates relative to the mesh vertices. This modification of the original ARAP energy, which we term iARAP, remedies problems stemming from non‐Delaunay edges in the original approach. Unlike the spokes‐and‐rims version of the ARAP approach it is less susceptible to the triangulation of the surface. We provide examples of deformations generated with iARAP and contrast them with other versions of ARAP. We also discuss the properties of the Laplace‐Beltrami operator implicitly introduced with the new discretization.
3D Generative Model Latent Disentanglement via Local Eigenprojection
Authors: Foti Simone , Koo Bongjin , Stoyanov Danail , Clarkson Matthew J.
Published: April 2023

Designing realistic digital humans is extremely complex. Most data‐driven generative models used to simplify the creation of their underlying geometric shape do not offer control over the generation of local shape attributes. In this paper, we overcome this limitation by introducing a novel loss function grounded in spectral geometry and applicable to different neural‐network‐based generative models of 3D head and body meshes. Encouraging the latent variables of mesh variational autoencoders (VAEs) or generative adversarial networks (GANs) to follow the local eigenprojections of identity attributes, we improve latent disentanglement and properly decouple the attribute creation. Experimental results show that our local eigenprojection disentangled (LED) models not only offer improved disentanglement with respect to the state‐of‐the‐art, but also maintain good generation capabilities with training times comparable to the vanilla implementations of the models. Our code and pre‐trained models are available at github.com/simofoti/LocalEigenprojDisentangled.
Are We There Yet? A Roadmap of Network Visualization from Surveys to Task Taxonomies
Authors: Filipov Velitchko , Arleo Alessio , Miksch Silvia
Published: April 2023

Networks are abstract and ubiquitous data structures, defined as a set of data points and relationships between them. Network visualization provides meaningful representations of these data, supporting researchers in understanding the connections, gathering insights, and detecting and identifying unexpected patterns. Research in this field is focusing on increasingly challenging problems, such as visualizing dynamic, complex, multivariate, and geospatial networked data. This ever‐growing, and widely varied, body of research led to several surveys being published, each covering one or more disciplines of network visualization. Despite this effort, the variety and complexity of this research represents an obstacle when surveying the domain and building a comprehensive overview of the literature. Furthermore, there exists a lack of clarification and uniformity between the terminology used in each of the surveys, which requires further effort when mapping and categorizing the plethora of different visualization techniques and approaches. In this paper, we aim at providing researchers and practitioners alike with a “roadmap” detailing the current research trends in the field of network visualization. We design our contribution as a meta‐survey where we discuss, summarize, and categorize recent surveys and task taxonomies published in the context of network visualization. We identify more and less saturated disciplines of research and consolidate the terminology used in the surveyed literature. We also survey the available task taxonomies, providing a comprehensive analysis of their varying support to each network visualization discipline and by establishing and discussing a classification for the individual tasks. With this combined analysis of surveys and task taxonomies, we provide an overarching structure of the field, from which we extrapolate the current state of research and promising directions for future work.
The future of yak farming and herding culture in Bhutan: A case of the Brokpa herders of Merak and Sakteng
Authors: Wangchuk Dorji
Published: April 2023

This article explores the impacts of recent trends in yak farming on yak herding culture among the Brokpa of Merak and Sakteng in eastern Bhutan. It assesses the challenges experienced by herders in the context of climate variability and socioeconomic development. The data were collected through participant observation and semi‐structured interviews with 20 Brokpa in Merak and Sakteng and through analysis of livestock census records of six consecutive years (2013–2018). The results of the study reveal a number of significant issues: a labor shortage resulting from Brokpa youths leaving villages for better job opportunities, overgrazing and shrinking of rangelands, and declining yak populations due to disease and predation. In addition, study respondents worried about the unpredictable displacement of Brokpa and a possible loss of identity as a result. Unless alternative policies and interventions are adopted to ensure the sustainability of yak farming and rangelands, the future of yak herding culture is uncertain.
Threats of land use to the global diversity of vascular plants
Authors: Moreira Hadassa , Kuipers Koen J. J. , Posthuma Leo , Zijp Michiel C. , Hauck Mara , Huijbregts Mark A. J. , Schipper Aafke M.
Published: April 2023

Aim

Land use is a main driver of biodiversity loss worldwide. However, quantifying its effects on global plant diversity remains a challenge due to the limited availability of data on the distributions of vascular plant species and their responses to land use. Here, we estimated the global extinction threat of land use to vascular plant species based on a novel integration of an ecoregion‐level species‐area model and the relative endemism richness of the ecoregions.

Location

Global.

Methods

First, we assessed ecoregion‐level extinction threats using a countryside species–area relationship model based on responses of local plant richness to land use types and intensities and a high‐resolution global land use map. Next, we estimated global species extinction threat by multiplying the relative endemism richness of each ecoregion with the ecoregion‐level extinction threats.

Results

Our results indicate that 11% of vascular plant species are threatened with global extinction. We found the largest extinction threats in the Neotropic and Palearctic realms, mainly due to cropland of minimal and high intensity, respectively.

Main Conclusions

Our novel integration of the countryside species–area relationship and the relative endemism richness allows for the identification of hotspots of global extinction threat, as well as the contribution of specific land use types and intensities to this threat. Our findings inform where the development of measures to protect or restore plant diversity globally are most needed.
Association of glycation gap with all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality in US adults: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Gu Lingfeng , Wang Sibo , Du Chong , Deng Bo , Ma Yao , Yang Tongtong , Shan Tiankai , Sun Jiateng , Wang Hao , Wang Liansheng
Published: April 2023

Aim

To investigate the relationship of the glycation gap (GGap) with all‐cause and cardiovascular (CV) mortality in US adults.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study comprising 12 909 individual participant data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004 and their mortality data through 31 December 2019. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models and restricted cubic splines were used to investigate the associations between GGap and mortality.

Results

During a median follow‐up of 16.8 years, 3528 deaths occurred, including 1140 CV deaths. The associations of GGap with risk of all‐cause and CV mortality were U‐shaped (both P for non‐linearity < .001). Compared with individuals with a GGap of 0.09%‐0.38% (61st‐80th centiles), the multivariable‐adjusted HRs and 95% CIs for individuals with a GGap less than −0.83% (first‐fifth centiles) and individuals with a GGap greater than 0.90% (96th‐100th centiles) were 1.36 (1.10, 1.69) and 1.21 (1.00, 1.45) for all‐cause mortality, and 1.77 (1.16, 2.71) and 1.43 (1.04, 1.95) for CV mortality. The GGap value associated with the lowest risk of all‐cause and CV mortality was 0.38% in the general population and 0.78% among individuals with diabetes.

Conclusions

We found a U‐shaped association between GGap and all‐cause and CV mortality, with significant positive or negative GGap values associated with increased mortality risk, probably because of glycaemic variability and fructosamine‐3‐kinase activity.
Plant residues do not have an immediate impact on soil bacterial community composition and abundance
Authors: Yuan Chaolei , Sun Zhaoyang , Li Jing
Published: April 2023

Plant residues are often used as soil amendments in laboratory experiments, but they can reportedly release compounds interfering with soil DNA extraction and subsequent molecular biological analyses. Theoretically, for accurate comparison of microbial community composition in soils with and without added plant residues after a period of incubation, no significant difference at the beginning of the experiment is required between the amended and unamended control soils. We mixed plant residue into soil and immediately (within 10 min) commenced DNA extraction, and then performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine bacterial community composition and abundance. Soil without plant residue addition served as a control. Five commonly used DNA extraction kits, 16S rRNA gene primer pairs, and soils, and two types (rice straw and alfalfa shoots) and three addition rates (2%, 4%, and 6%; w/w) of plant residue, were tested. In all cases, we found no significant difference in measured bacterial community composition or abundance between the treatments with and without added plant residue.
A history of net debt as a reflection of Canadian federal government fiscal management
Authors: Baker Ron , Rennie Morina D.
Published: April 2023

Canada entered the COVID‐19 pandemic with a strong fiscal position, which gave it room to mitigate its economic impacts. Of interest in this paper is the history of Canada's financial position in terms of net debt as reported in the Government of Canada's annual financial statements. Net debt is a measure of fiscal sustainability that has been reported in the Government of Canada's public accounts since the country's earliest days. It created (and continues to create) a particular visibility of the “effectiveness” of the federal government's financial management and of the country's financial position at a particular point in time but also impacts future political policy. Although there were periods of sharp increases in the federal net debt over the country's history, the federal government was always able to regain control, and this has resulted in the reasonable level of net debt the country has today. This study shows how this net debt changed, was sustained over time, and was influenced by the political and economic context in which it was situated. We find evidence of its use for supporting government accountability to the population but also as an accounting measure employed by the government to influence public opinion and thereby gain support for government policy.
ZBTB7A regulates primed‐to‐naïve transition of pluripotent stem cells via recognition of the PNT‐associated sequence by zinc fingers 1–2 and recognition of γ‐globin −200 gene element by zinc fingers 1–4
Authors: Yang Yang , Xiao Lizhan , Xue Yanting , Idris Mukhtar Oluwaseun , Liu Jing , Pei Duanqing , Shi Yunyu , Liao Baojian , Li Fudong
Published: April 2023

ZBTB7A, a transcription factor containing a tandem array of four Cys2‐His2 zinc fingers (ZFs), is vital for multiple physiological events through directional binding to different genomic loci. Our previously determined crystal structure of ZBTB7A in complex with a GCCCCTTCCCC sequence revealed that all four ZFs (ZF1–4) are involved in binding to γ‐globin −200 gene element to repress fetal haemoglobin expression. Recently, it has been reported that ZBTB7A drives primed‐to‐naïve transition (PNT) of pluripotent stem cells through binding to a 12‐bp consensus sequence ([AAGGACCCAGAT], referred to as PNT‐associated sequence). Here, we report a crystal structure of ZBTB7A ZF1–3 in complex with the PNT‐associated sequence. The structure shows that ZF1 and ZF2 primarily contribute to recognizing the GACCC core sequence mimicking the half part (GCCCC) of γ‐globin −200 gene element via specific hydrogen bonding and van der Waals contacts. The mutations of key residues in ZF1–2 remarkably reduce their binding affinities for the PNT‐associated sequence in vitro and cannot restore epiblast stem cells to the naïve pluripotent state in vivo. Collectively, our studies demonstrate that ZBTB7A mainly employs its ZF1–2 to recognize the PNT‐associated sequence but recognizes γ‐globin −200 gene element via ZF1–4, providing insights into the molecular mechanism for the diversity of ZBTB7A's genomic localization.
Words of advice: teaching macromolecular crystallography
Authors: Srinivasan Bharath
Published: April 2023

The ability to view structures of proteins at atomic resolution, facilitated by the rise of macromolecular crystallography, has had a tremendous impact in many areas of sciences, including molecular pharmacology, drug discovery and biotechnology. However, the teaching of macromolecular crystallography in universities across the globe has been less than optimal. This could be attributed to the interdisciplinary nature of this subject, making it appear esoteric and incomprehensible, at least at first glance, for students who have exclusive training in only one specific discipline. For the instructor, this problem is compounded further by the plethora of complex concepts and specialized terminologies that the science of macromolecular crystallography has accumulated over the course of its evolution. Moreover, the advent of robotics and several sophisticated software algorithms have reduced the incentive to understand the beautiful conceptual bedrock on which this subject is based. As a way of addressing some of the challenges delineated above, this Words of Advice article attempts to formulate the broad framework within which the teaching and learning of macromolecular crystallography should be approached. It advocates the acknowledgement that this is an interdisciplinary field, with substantial contributions from chemical, physical, biological and mathematical sciences, requiring the evolution of teaching approaches that acknowledge this reality. Moreover, it suggests the use of visual tools, use of computational resources and history to make the subject more relatable to students.
Spatial heterogeneity of global forest aboveground carbon stocks and fluxes constrained by spaceborne lidar data and mechanistic modeling
Authors: Ma Lei , Hurtt George , Tang Hao , Lamb Rachel , Lister Andrew , Chini Louise , Dubayah Ralph , Armston John , Campbell Elliott , Duncanson Laura , Healey Sean , O'Neil‐Dunne Jarlath , Ott Lesley , Poulter Benjamin , Shen Quan
Published: April 2023

Forest carbon is a large and uncertain component of the global carbon cycle. An important source of complexity is the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation vertical structure and extent, which results from variations in climate, soils, and disturbances and influences both contemporary carbon stocks and fluxes. Recent advances in remote sensing and ecosystem modeling have the potential to significantly improve the characterization of vegetation structure and its resulting influence on carbon. Here, we used novel remote sensing observations of tree canopy height collected by two NASA spaceborne lidar missions, Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation and ICE, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite 2, together with a newly developed global Ecosystem Demography model (v3.0) to characterize the spatial heterogeneity of global forest structure and quantify the corresponding implications for forest carbon stocks and fluxes. Multiple‐scale evaluations suggested favorable results relative to other estimates including field inventory, remote sensing‐based products, and national statistics. However, this approach utilized several orders of magnitude more data (3.77 billion lidar samples) on vegetation structure than used previously and enabled a qualitative increase in the spatial resolution of model estimates achievable (0.25° to 0.01°). At this resolution, process‐based models are now able to capture detailed spatial patterns of forest structure previously unattainable, including patterns of natural and anthropogenic disturbance and recovery. Through the novel integration of new remote sensing data and ecosystem modeling, this study bridges the gap between existing empirically based remote sensing approaches and process‐based modeling approaches. This study more generally demonstrates the promising value of spaceborne lidar observations for advancing carbon modeling at a global scale.
Prognosis of home‐cared or hospital‐treated acute fever in older adults: A prospective multicenter case‐control study
Authors: Arai Yasuyuki , Suzuki Takao , Jeong Seungwon , Ohta Hideki
Published: April 2023

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the prognosis of older patients who received home care or hospitalized care to treat acute fever in Japan.

Methods

This prospective case–control study screened 192 registered acutely pyrexic older patients who received home care at 10 medical institutions in Japan, and enrolled 15 and 30 patients who were treated in the hospital (hospitalized group) and at home (home‐care group), respectively, matched for fever and the physical conditions before fever onset. Intergroup differences in the 90‐day mortality from fever onset and changes in patients' disability and dementia from the pre‐fever to 90 days post‐fever onset were determined.

Results

No significant intergroup difference in the 90‐day mortality rate was detected (26.7% vs 13.3% for hospitalized and home‐care groups, respectively, P = 0.41). Disability tended to worsen in the hospitalized group compared with the home‐care group (54.5% vs 23.1%, respectively, P = 0.06), whereas dementia significantly worsened in the hospitalized group compared with the home‐care group (45.5% vs 3.8%, respectively, P = 0.02).

Conclusions

Home care confers a better prognosis for treating acute fever in older people whose daily functions have deteriorated enough to necessitate regular home care. This study assists those people in making informed choices about where to receive treatment for acute fever. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 355–361.
Applying self‐determination theory towards motivational factors of physical activity in people undergoing haemodialyses: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Huang Mei , Lv Honghong , Lv Aili , Yang Feng , Tang Yuning , Li Yang , Hua Yan , Liu Hongbao , Ni Chunping
Published: April 2023

Introduction

The level of physical activity of people undergoing haemodialyses is low, so understanding what factors underlie the motivation to be physically active in people undergoing haemodialyses is important. Therefore, this qualitative study aims to explore the different motivation types and corresponding basic psychological needs (BPNs) of people undergoing haemodialyses based on self‐determination theory.

Methods

We adopted the objective sampling method to select 19 patients with the end‐stage renal disease aged from 28 to 66 years old from a tertiary hospital in Xi'an. They underwent haemodialyses five to six times every 2 weeks for more than 3 months. Then, we conducted semistructured one‐on‐one interviews with 19 people undergoing haemodialyses using qualitative content analysis. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed on a thematic analysis.

Results

We analyzed four motivation types of patients, namely four themes, including entrenching in physical inactivity (Amotivation), breaking physical inactivity (Controlled motivation), finding one's way (Autonomous regulation) and enjoying the positive effects of physical activity (Intrinsic motivation). Each motivation is dominated by one or more BPNs. For example, inadequate Competence such as decreased physical function is the reason why the patient does not perform physical activities. Due to the lack of health education on physical activity, people undergoing haemodialyses often lack the motivation for controlled regulation. The motivation for self‐regulation is generated by the patients' promotion of meeting BPNs, such as normal social interactions. The formation of patients' autonomous motivation can't be separated from the effective understanding felt by other patients, because their situations are similar. Enjoying physical activity promotes the formation of patients' intrinsic motivation and the maintenance of this behaviour.

Conclusion

Perceived Competence, Relatedness and Autonomous Motivation are important determinants for physical activity in people undergoing haemodialyses. Patients need to internalize the changed values and skills, so as to generate the motivation of self‐regulation, rather than external or controlled forms of motivation regulation, to better maintain behaviour change.

Patient or Public Contribution

People undergoing haemodialyses were involved in the development of the interview topic guide to ensure all relevant topics were explored.
PU.1 is a useful nuclear marker to distinguish between histiocytosis and histiocyte‐rich tumours
Authors: Ungureanu Irena Antonia , Cohen‐Aubart Fleur , Héritier Sébastien , Haroche Julien , Donadieu Jean , Emile Jean‐François
Published: April 2023

Aims

The aim was to test the expression of PU.1 on different types of histiocytoses and to test the utility of PU.1 in confirming or excluding a histiocytic origin in tumour samples with suspicion of histiocytosis.

Methods and Results

We analysed 66 biopsies of nonmalignant histiocytoses represented by Langerhans‐cell histiocytosis (n = 13), Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD) (n = 19), Rosai–Dorfman disease (RDD) (n = 14), mixed ECD‐RDD (n = 3), ALK‐positive histiocytosis (n = 6), and juvenile xanthogranuloma (n = 11). All cases were positive for PU.1 in reactive and neoplastic histiocytes. In addition, 39 cases of tumours with high‐grade cytological atypia were referred to our center as suspicion of malignant histiocytosis/histiocytic sarcoma and only 18 were confirmed. Indeed, more than half of these tumours (21/39) were either undifferentiated malignant tumours with a stroma rich in histiocytes, diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, or high‐grade dedifferentiated liposarcoma. PU.1 was useful to distinguish between the negativity of large atypical nuclei and the positivity of stromal reactive histiocytes.

Conclusion

PU.1 is expressed by all types of histiocytosis. It distinguishes histiocytosis from histiocyte‐rich tumours with an easy interpretation due to its sharp nuclear staining. Its negativity in lesional/tumour cells in histiocyte‐like lesions is useful to eliminate a histiocytosis.
Weight gain following the single substitution of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate by tenofovir alafenamide in HIV‐infected people from the French Dat'AIDS cohort: A propensity score‐matched analysis
Authors: Hocqueloux Laurent , Menard Amélie , Arvieux Cédric , Joly Véronique , Becker Agathe , Chéret Antoine , Duvivier Claudine , Cabié André , Delpierre Cyrille , Allavena Clotilde ,   for the Dat'AIDS Study Group
Published: April 2023

Objectives

To minimize confounding factors, we aimed to describe the changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) following the single substitution of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) by tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Methods

We designed a retrospective study in a large French cohort. We included all HIV‐suppressed adults under TDF + emtricitabine + rilpivirine or elvitegravir/cobistat, who experienced a first switch from TDF to TAF, while other antiretrovirals remained unchanged (Switch group). We compared this population to a propensity score‐matched Control group (1:1) who stayed on the same TDF‐based regimen. Changes were evaluated after 6 (M6) and 12 months (M12).

Results

Some 1260 and 468 PLWH were evaluable per group at M6 and M12, respectively. In the Switch group, there was a mean (95% confidence interval [95% CI]) weight gain of +1014 g (+826 to +1201) at M6 (p < 0.0001) and +1365 g (+910 to +1820) at M12 (p < 0.0001), as compared with baseline. Meanwhile, there was no significant weight gain at M6 (+139 g [−50 to +328]) and M12 (−32 g [−413 to +350]) in the matched Control group. Similarly, mean BMI increased significantly in the Switch group at M6 (+0.35, 95% CI: +0.29 to +0.41, p < 0.0001) and M12 (+0.49, 95% CI: +0.32 to +0.65, p < 0.0001), while it was stable at M6 (+0.05, 95% CI: −0.01 to +0.12, p = 0.11) and M12 (+0.01, 95% CI: −0.12 to +0.14, p = 0.89) in the No Switch group.

Conclusions

Although modest, there is a significant weight gain following the substitution of TDF by TAF. This should be anticipated in certain at‐risk populations.
Memory CD8+ T cell‐mediated protection against liver‐stage malaria
Authors: Hassert Mariah , Arumugam Sahaana , Harty John T.
Published: April 2023

Nearly half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, a disease caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, which is estimated to cause more than 240,000,000 infections and kill more than 600,000 people annually. The emergence of Plasmodia resistant to chemoprophylactic treatment highlights the urgency to develop more effective vaccines. In this regard, whole sporozoite vaccination approaches in murine models and human challenge studies have provided substantial insight into the immune correlates of protection from malaria. From these studies, CD8+ T cells have come to the forefront, being identified as critical for vaccine‐mediated liver‐stage immunity that can prevent the establishment of the symptomatic blood stages and subsequent transmission of infection. However, the unique biological characteristics required for CD8+ T cell protection from liver‐stage malaria dictate that more work must be done to design effective vaccines. In this review, we will highlight a subset of studies that reveal basic aspects of memory CD8+ T cell‐mediated protection from liver‐stage malaria infection.
Evaluation of primary care physicians' competence in selective skin tumour triage after short versus long dermoscopy training: a randomized non‐inferiority trial
Authors: Harkemanne E. , Legrand C. , Sawadogo K. , van Maanen A. , Vossaert K. , Argenziano G. , Braun R. , Thomas L. , Baeck M. , Tromme I.
Published: April 2023

Background

Although primary care physicians (PCPs) play a key role in skin cancer screening, their skills in detecting malignant tumours is suboptimal.

Objectives

To determine whether a short dermoscopy e‐learning course (4 h) in skin tumour diagnosis for PCPs is non‐inferior to a long course (12 h) in selective triage of skin lesions. Secondly, to evaluate whether regular refresher training sessions are necessary to maintain the PCPs' skills in the medium term.

Methods

A randomized 2 × 2 factorial non‐inferiority trial was conducted online over an 8‐month period among 233 PCPs including 126 certified general practitioners, 94 PCPs in training, and 13 occupational physicians, all without prior advanced dermoscopy training. Participants were randomized 1:1:1:1 to receive short training and mandatory refreshers (n = 58), short training and optional refreshers (n = 59), long training and mandatory refreshers (n = 58), or long training and optional refreshers (n = 58). PCPs' skills were evaluated before training (T0), immediately after training (T1) to test the non‐inferiority, and after 5 months (T2) to evaluate the impact of the refreshers. The primary endpoint was the difference in the change of score after short and long training. The non‐inferiority margin was set at −28%.

Results

Among the 233 randomized participants, 216 (93%) completed T1 and 197 (84.5%) completed T2. For short versus long training, the primary endpoint was 1.392 (95% CI: 0.138; 2.645) in the per‐protocol population (p < 0.001) and 1.016 (95% CI: −0.224; 2.256) in the modified intention‐to‐treat population (p < 0.001). After training, the type of refresher showed no impact on the score (p = 0.840). However, PCPs who completed all refreshers showed the best mean overall score at T2 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

These findings confirm that short dermoscopy e‐learning is non‐inferior in training PCPs to triage skin lesions compared to long training. After training, regular refreshers are important to maintain the PCPs' acquired skills over time.
Bt cotton and modern insecticide adoption decreases Helicoverpa spp. population recruitment in a subtropical cropping system
Authors: Grundy Paul R. , Spargo Gail
Published: April 2023

Extensive crop sampling for Helicoverpa spp. pupae was undertaken (2017–2021) to provide insights as to how pest population dynamics have altered in a subtropical cropping system following the introduction of transgenic Bt cotton and newer generation insecticides for pulse production. Previously (1996–1999), a pattern of year‐round population cycling and build‐up was identified to occur between summer cotton (non‐Bt) and winter chickpea, enabled by widespread resistance to broad‐spectrum insecticides used at the time. Current pupae sampling was unable to recover pupae from Bt cotton, suggesting this crop had become a population sink rather than a source for Helicoverpa spp. Pupae were less abundant in pulses, with monthly counts varying from 0 to 3192/ha in chickpea being a fraction of previous densities that ranged from 10,000 to 100,000/ha whilst pupae were not detected in mungbean crops. Poor survival (0%–39.5%) of pupae collected from chickpea, likely due to sub‐lethal insecticide exposure during the larval stage, further limited population recruitment. The highest densities of pupae (up to 18,666/ha) were routinely recovered from unsprayed pigeon pea grown as refuges for Bt cotton resistance management, although Tachinid spp. parasitoids caused increasing pupal mortality with refuge age. This study suggests that the high control efficacy afforded by transgenic Bt traits incorporated into cotton and newer insecticides used on pulse crops has provided a form of area‐wide management that may explain suppression of Helicoverpa spp. pupae densities compared to levels previously recorded across the cropping system.
Arabidopsis pollen‐specific glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase‐like genes are essential for pollen tube tip growth
Authors: Wang Chong , Cheng Hao , Xu Wenjing , Xue Jingshi , Hua Xinguo , Tong Guimin , Ma Xujun , Yang Chuanping , Lan Xingguo , Shen Shi‐Yi , Yang Zhongnan , Huang Jirong , Cheng Yuxiang
Published: April 2023

In angiosperms, pollen tube growth is critical for double fertilization and seed formation. Many of the factors involved in pollen tube tip growth are unknown. Here, we report the roles of pollen‐specific GLYCEROPHOSPHODIESTER PHOSPHODIESTERASE‐LIKE (GDPD‐LIKE) genes in pollen tube tip growth. Arabidopsis thaliana GDPD‐LIKE6 (AtGDPDL6) and AtGDPDL7 were specifically expressed in mature pollen grains and pollen tubes and green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐AtGDPDL6 and GFP‐AtGDPDL7 fusion proteins were enriched at the plasma membrane at the apex of forming pollen tubes. Atgdpdl6 Atgdpdl7 double mutants displayed severe sterility that was rescued by genetic complementation with AtGDPDL6 or AtGDPDL7. This sterility was associated with defective male gametophytic transmission. Atgdpdl6 Atgdpdl7 pollen tubes burst immediately after initiation of pollen germination in vitro and in vivo, consistent with the thin and fragile walls in their tips. Cellulose deposition was greatly reduced along the mutant pollen tube tip walls, and the localization of pollen‐specific CELLULOSE SYNTHASE‐LIKE D1 (CSLD1) and CSLD4 was impaired to the apex of mutant pollen tubes. A rice pollen‐specific GDPD‐LIKE protein also contributed to pollen tube tip growth, suggesting that members of this family have conserved functions in angiosperms. Thus, pollen‐specific GDPD‐LIKEs mediate pollen tube tip growth, possibly by modulating cellulose deposition in pollen tube walls.
Effect of incisal preparation design on the fracture strength of monolithic zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate laminate veneers
Authors: Jurado Carlos A. , Sadid‐Zadeh Ramtin , Watanabe Hidehiko , Robbins Craig E. , Afrashtehfar Kelvin I. , Fischer Nicholas G. , Lee Damian J.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the fracture resistance of monolithic zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate laminate veneers (LVs) fabricated on various incisal preparation designs.

Materials and methods

Sixty maxillary central incisors with various preparation designs were 3D‐printed, 15 each, including preparation for: (1) LV with feathered‐edge design; (2) LV with butt‐joint design; (3) LV with palatal chamfer; and (4) full‐coverage crown. Restorations were then designed and manufactured from zirconia‐reinforced lithium silicate (ZLS) following the contour of a pre‐operation scan. Restorations were bonded to the assigned preparation using resin cement and following the manufacturer's instructions. Specimens were then subjected to 10,000 thermocycles at 5 to 55°C with a dwell time of 30 s. The fracture strength of specimens was then assessed using a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1.0 mm/min. One‐way ANOVA and Bonferroni correction multiple comparisons were used to assess the fracture strength differences between the test groups (α = 0.001). Descriptive fractographic analysis of specimens was carried out with scanning electron microscopy images.

Results

Complete coverage crown and LV with palatal chamfer design had the highest fracture resistance values (781.4 ± 151.4 and 618.2 ± 112.6 N, respectively). Single crown and LV with palatal chamfer had no significant difference in fracture strength (p > 05). LV with feathered‐edge and butt‐joint designs provided significantly (p < 05) lower fracture resistance than complete coverage crown and LV with palatal chamfer design.

Conclusion

The fracture resistance of chairside milled ZLS veneers was significantly influenced by the incisal preparation designs tested. Within the limitation of this study, when excessive occlusal forces are expected, LV with palatal chamfer display is the most conservative method of fabricating an indirect restoration.
Oral food challenge outcomes in children and adolescents in a tertiary centre: A 5‐year experience
Authors: Jacob Joshua G , Fernando Suran L , Nickolls Claire , Li Jamma
Published: April 2023

Aim

Oral food challenges (OFC) are an important tool in the assessment of food allergy. We sought to identify factors available at initial assessment visit which were associated with successful outcome or challenge failure in Australian children.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective review of all paediatric patients who underwent OFC in our allergy service over a 5‐year period. Clinical data comprising patient demographics, co‐morbidities, skin prick test (SPT) results, nature of previous reactions, elapsed time since previous reactions and outcome at OFC were recorded.

Results

Four hundred and fifty‐six OFCs were conducted, with 56 cases (12.3%) resulting in a reaction. Likelihood of reaction at OFC was significantly increased for patients with atopic dermatitis (odds ratio 1.99). When stratified by food substance, atopic dermatitis had the strongest association with reaction within the peanut group (odds ratio 3.2), and no association was demonstrated for soy or prawn. Increasing SPT wheal size (P < 0.001) and previous history of anaphylaxis to the challenge food (P < 0.001) correlated with failure at OFC. A low‐risk group was identified, of patients with no clear history of prior reaction to the challenge food, and SPT result <3 mm.

Conclusions

Factors identified at assessment visit which correlated with reaction at OFC are atopic dermatitis, prior history of anaphylaxis, and increasing SPT wheal size. Domiciliary OFC could be considered in a select low‐risk group of patients undergoing food challenge. This study was performed at a single centre with limited sample size, further large‐scale and multicentre study verification of our data will provide more accurate representation of the Australian demographic.
Burden and contributing factors to overweight and obesity in young adolescents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Authors: Drysdale Roisin E. , Tadesse Amare W. , Worku Alemayehu , Berhane Hanna Y. , Shinde Sachin , Madzorera Isabel , Sharma Deepika , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: April 2023

The prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents has increased globally, including in low‐ and middle‐income countries. Early adolescence provides an opportunity to develop and encourage positive health and behavioural practices, yet it is an understudied age group with limited information to guide and inform appropriate interventions. This study aims to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity in young adolescents, aged between 10 and 14 years attending public schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and to explore the contributing factors. A cross‐sectional school‐based study was conducted. Adolescents completed individual questionnaires. Weight (kg) and height (m) measurements were converted to BMI‐for‐age and gender z‐scores. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the associated factors. The overall prevalence of overweight/obesity was 8% among adolescents aged 10–14 years and it was significantly higher in females (13%) than males (2%). The diet quality for the majority of the adolescents was inadequate, putting them at risk for poor health outcomes. The contributors to overweight/obesity were different between males and females. Age and no access to a flush toilet were negatively associated with overweight/obesity in males and access to a computer, laptop or tablet was positively associated. In females, menarche was positively associated with overweight/obesity. Living with only their mother or another female adult and an increase in physical activity were negatively associated with overweight/obesity. There is a need to improve the diet quality of young adolescents in Ethiopia and understand the reasons why females are less physically active to limit the risk of poor diet‐related health outcomes.
Correlates of internalizing and externalizing problems among school‐going young adolescents in Sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Shinde Sachin , Perumal Nandita , Vandormael Alain , Tadesse Amare W. , Mwanyika‐Sando Mary , Baernighausen Till , Sharma Deepika , Fawzi Wafaie W.
Published: April 2023

Mental health in adolescence is important for health and well‐being throughout the life course, but evidence from Sub‐Saharan Africa is sparse. This study aimed to assess the correlates of internalizing, externalizing and cumulative problems among early adolescents. This study used cross‐sectional survey data from 3516 school‐going adolescents in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We used a 25‐item Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to measure internalizing, externalizing and cumulative problems. We carried out multi‐variable linear regression analyses with the estimation of adjusted mean differences and 95% confidence intervals, to determine the factors associated with internalizing, externalizing and cumulative problems. Overall, 1 in 8 adolescents had internalizing problems, while 1 in 10 had externalizing problems. In two sites, having friends was related to lower internalizing problems, while repeating a grade, physical fights and household food insecurity were related to greater internalizing problems. Household food insecurity and involvement in physical fights were associated with greater externalizing problems across sites, while repeating a grade was linked with greater externalizing problems in two sites. Having a caring adult in school was associated with fewer externalizing problems across sites, while having friends was associated with fewer externalizing problems in two sites. Overall, having friends was related to fewer cumulative problems, while physical fights and household food insecurity were related to higher cumulative problems. School‐based mental health and food programs may be useful in addressing social‐emotional problems among school‐aged adolescents in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Hybrid semantic segmentation for tunnel lining cracks based on Swin Transformer and convolutional neural network
Authors: Zhou Zhong , Zhang Junjie , Gong Chenjie
Published: April 2023

In the field of tunnel lining crack identification, the semantic segmentation algorithms based on convolution neural network (CNN) are extensively used. Owing to the inherent locality of CNN, these algorithms cannot make full use of context semantic information, resulting in difficulty in capturing the global features of crack. Transformer‐based networks can capture global semantic information, but this method also has the deficiencies of strong data dependence and easy loss of local features. In this paper, a hybrid semantic segmentation algorithm for tunnel lining crack, named SCDeepLab, is proposed by fusing Swin Transformer and CNN in the encoding and decoding framework of DeepLabv3+ to address the above issues. In SCDeepLab, a joint backbone network is introduced with CNN‐based Inverse Residual Block and Swin Transformer Block. The former is used to extract the local detailed information of the crack to generate the shallow feature layer, whereas the latter is used to extract the global semantic information to obtain the deep feature layer. In addition, Efficient Channel Attention enhanced Feature Fusion Module is proposed to fuse the shallow and deep features to combine the advantages of the two types of features. Furthermore, the strategy of transfer learning is adopted to solve the data dependency of Swin Transformer. The results show that the mean intersection over union (mIoU) and mean pixel accuracy (mPA) of SCDeepLab on the data sets constructed in this paper are 77.41% and 84.42%, respectively, which have higher segmentation accuracy than previous CNN‐based and transformer‐based semantic segmentation algorithms.