bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Water for Conservation: A Proof of Concept from Mozambique
Authors: Christian Paul , Kondylis Florence , Mueller Valerie , Zwager Astrid , Siegfried Tobias
Published: March 2021

Management of common‐pool resources in the absence of individual pricing can lead to suboptimal allocations. High‐frequency data from three irrigation schemes in Mozambique reveal patterns consistent with water inefficiency. Farmers use the amount of water required at the most sensitive stage of production as a benchmark for all allocations in the crop cycle. We demonstrate that these rule‐of‐thumb approaches create scarcity at the plot level despite schemes having sufficient water to meet farmers’ individual demands. We therefore explore the possibility of a feedback tool that visually communicates to farmers the potential to conserve by varying water applications at each stage of the crop cycle. To test the importance of tailoring the information to farmers’ own settings, we randomize a set of farmers to also receive visualizations comparing water requirements with each farmer's water use in the same season of the previous year. The experiment fails to detect an additional effect of individualized comparative feedback relative to a general information treatment. Water measurement shows that the gains from correcting observed misallocations of water in terms of water savings and avoided scarcity is potentially large as a share of water used in the agricultural sector. These findings support additional testing of feedback tools to encourage water conservation but not the expensive investments that would be required to generate feedback based on individual metering for all targeted farmers.
A regional geography of gentrification, displacement, and the suburbanisation of poverty: Towards an extended research agenda
Authors: Hochstenbach Cody , Musterd Sako
Published: March 2021

Gentrification is now a common feature of contemporary cities. The process has extended its spatial reach from urban cores into neighbourhoods previously deemed unlikely to gentrify. More recently, scholars have identified an intensifying suburbanisation of poverty reshaping socio‐spatial inequalities. In this paper we argue that it is increasingly urgent to integrate analyses of gentrification with those on the suburbanisation of poverty. The two processes are fundamentally related through the displacement and exclusion of disadvantaged populations. Drawing on Dutch full‐population register data for the 2005–2015 period, we empirically illustrate the existence of suburbanising poverty alongside urban gentrification in the urban regions of Amsterdam and Utrecht. We further show these are far from uniform processes, eschewing urban–suburban dichotomies. In addition, we find regional differences in the intensity and spatial reach of both gentrification and poverty suburbanisation. Spatial trends are more pronounced in the Amsterdam region, where low‐income households are pushed to the furthest parts of the region. By way of conclusion, we outline an agenda for future research.
Hoxa11 and Hoxa13 facilitate slow‐twitch muscle formation in C2C12 cells and indirectly affect the lipid deposition of 3T3‐L1 cells
Authors: Lin Xiangsheng , Yan Mengting , Yu Wensai , Ma Yuchen , Zhang Lifan , Wei Wei , Chen Jie
Published: March 2021

Muscle‐fiber type in livestock skeletal muscles influences meat quality, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We previously showed that Homeobox A11 (Hoxa11) and Homeobox A13 (Hoxa13) are differentially expressed in fast‐ and slow‐twitch muscles, but their effects on the formation of muscle‐fiber types and intramuscular fat deposition have not been investigated. Here, our results revealed that overexpression of Hoxa11 and Hoxa13 delayed cell‐cycle progression in C2C12 myoblasts, reduced their proliferation, and promoted their differentiation into slow‐twitch muscle fibers. Knockdown experiments produced the opposite results. The conditioned media of differentiated C2C12 cells with Hoxa11/Hoxa13 overexpression or knockdown were harvested. Staining results showed that adipogenesis of preadipocytes was significantly promoted by Hoxa13 knockdown C2C12 cell culture medium. Changes in lipid accumulation were due to a reduction in lipid decomposition and an increase in triglyceride synthesis; genes related to fatty‐acid synthesis were decreased. In conclusion, our study showed that Hoxa11 and Hoxa13 promote slow‐twitch muscle formation and indirectly regulate preadipocyte adipogenesis, which may facilitate meat‐quality improvement in the future.
Conflict: Internal and External
Authors: Sabbadini Andrea
Published: March 2021

In his focus on the concept of conflict from a psychoanalytic perspective, the author distinguishes internal from external conflicts, providing several examples from both, and suggests that external conflicts can be internalized and internal ones externalized. Conflicts are described as the consequence of the coexistence of elements perceived, experienced or believed to be mutually incompatible. The author reminds readers of the classical Freudian view of these concepts within the Structural Model, where the Ego is described as the servant of three masters: External world, Id and Super‐ego. The author refers to the role of therapists in dealing with their analysands’ conflicts and provides a vignette as illustration. He also makes references to the narratives of novels, films, plays and operas which often concern situations of external and/or internal conflict. Finally, the author provides instances of how conflicts, both intrapsychic and external, can find a resolution, including through negotiated compromises.
Strachey's Shadow: A Re‐examination of the Use of the Mutative Interpretation
Authors: Hepburn Jan McGregor
Published: March 2021

James Strachey published his seminal paper on the nature of therapeutic action in 1934 in which he introduced his ideas on the mutative interpretation. He saw interpretation as the cornerstone of the psychoanalytic method. Since then, there has been a great deal of work looking at the essential nature of the interpretation and how it can promote change. By the1960s, Loewald and others were discussing how interpretation needed to incorporate new psychoanalytic thinking, particularly in the area of object relations. As the intersubjectivity of the psychoanalytic encounter gained more prominence, the use of the structural interpretation decreased. The author suggests that there is still need for further work on how interpretation can promote change. Using theoretical ideas and clinical examples, the paper concludes that the mutative interpretation continues to offer something potentially transformative, but that the technique has to take account of relational aspects of the treatment and the developmental issues of the patient. However, the clinician's relationship with the ideas about a mutative interpretation can also affect the clinician's ability to use it to a therapeutic effect.
Bridging research and practice in conservation
Authors: Kadykalo Andrew N. , Buxton Rachel T. , Morrison Peter , Anderson Christine M. , Bickerton Holly , Francis Charles M. , Smith Adam C. , Fahrig Lenore
Published: March 2021

Calls for biodiversity conservation practice to be more evidence based are growing, and we agree evidence use in conservation practice needs improvement. However, evidence‐based conservation will not be realized without improved access to evidence. In medicine, unlike in conservation, a well‐established and well‐funded layer of intermediary individuals and organizations engage with medical practitioners, synthesize primary research relevant to decision making, and make evidence easily accessible. These intermediaries prepare targeted evidence summaries and distribute them to practitioners faced with time‐sensitive and value‐laden decisions. To be effective, these intermediaries, who we refer to as evidence bridges, should identify research topics based on the priorities of practitioners; synthesize evidence; prepare and distribute easy‐to‐find and easy‐to‐use evidence summaries; and develop and maintain networks of connections with researchers and practitioners. Based on a review of the literature regarding evidence intermediaries in conservation and environmental management, as well as an anonymous questionnaire searching for such organizations, we found few intermediaries that met all these criteria. Few evidence bridges that do exist are unable to reach most conservation practitioners, which include resource managers in government and industry, conservation organizations, and farmers and other private landowners. We argue that the lack of evidence bridges from research to practitioners contributes to evidence complacency and limits the use of evidence in conservation action. Nevertheless, several existing organizations help reduce the gap between evidence and practice and could serve as a foundation for building additional components of evidence bridges in conservation. Although evidence bridges need expertise in research and evidence synthesis, they also require expertise in identifying and communicating with the community of practitioners most in need of clear and concise syntheses of evidence.

Article Impact Statement: Evidence‐based conservation will not be realized without improved access to evidence. We call for intermediary evidence bridges.
Systolic longitudinal global and segmental myocardial mechanics in symptomatic isolated left ventricular non‐compaction cardiomyopathy
Authors: Bogunovic Nikola , Farr Martin , Pirl Lukas , Faber Lothar , van Buuren Frank , Rudolph Volker , Roder Fabian
Published: March 2021

Background

Left ventricular (LV) non‐compaction cardiomyopathy (LV‐NC) is rare, and data of segmental myocardial mechanics are largely lacking. We investigated myocardial longitudinal mechanics in adults with symptomatic LV‐NC (n = 30) versus individuals with healthy hearts (n = 150). The contribution of compacted and non‐compacted myocardial layer to systolic LV function has to be determined.

Methods

Seven parameters derived from speckle tracking echocardiography were evaluated and documented utilizing polar‐diagrams to obtain overviews of myocardial mechanics of the entire LV.

Results

According to embryonal myocardial development, non‐compacted myocardium was mostly located in mid‐ventricular and apical segments of the free LV wall. LV ejection fraction was reduced in LV‐NC (34 ± 15%, healthy 63 ± 5%, P < .0001). The compact wall layer in LV‐NC demonstrated increasing systolic radial thickness (diastolic 5.6 ± 1.4, systolic 6.5 ± 1.4mm, P = .016), whereas the non‐compacted layer remained unchanged or tended to decrease in thickness (diastolic 17.6 ± 5.3, systolic 16.0 ± 4.6mm, P = .22).

Compared with heart‐healthy individuals in LV‐NC peak systolic longitudinal strain (healthy ‐21.1% vs. LV‐NC ‐8.8, P < .0001), peak systolic longitudinal strain‐rate (–1.23%/s vs. –0.64, P < .0001), and peak longitudinal displacement (12.1 vs. 5.6 mm, P < .0001) were reduced, while pre‐systolic stretch index (1.31% vs. 3.2%, P < .0001) and post‐systolic index (2.5% vs. 15.9%, P < .0001) increased. Time‐to‐peak longitudinal strain (371 vs. 389 ms, P = .065) and time‐to‐peak longitudinal strain rate (181 vs. 200 ms, P = .0677) did not differ significantly. In LV‐NC, there were no significant differences between analyses using an interpolated endocardial border along the edges of the recesses and the endocardial edge of the compact wall layer. Hence, LV function appeared to depend only on the thin compact wall layer.

Conclusion

In LV‐NC, myocardial efficiency is severely diminished compared with healthy controls and LV function seemed to depend mainly on the compact myocardial wall layer.
Contrasting plant ecological benefits endowed by naturally occurring EPSPS resistance mutations under glyphosate selection
Authors: Vila‐Aiub Martin M. , Han Heping , Yu Qin , García Federico , Powles Stephen B.
Published: March 2021

Concurrent natural evolution of glyphosate resistance single‐ and double‐point EPSPS mutations in weed species provides an opportunity for the estimation of resistance fitness benefits and prediction of equilibrium resistance frequencies in environments under glyphosate selection. Assessment of glyphosate resistance benefit was conducted for the most commonly identified single Pro‐106‐Ser and less‐frequent double TIPS mutations in the EPSPS gene evolved in the global damaging weed Eleusine indica. Under glyphosate selection at the field dose, plants with the single Pro‐106‐Ser mutation at homozygous state (P106S‐rr) showed reduced survival and compromised vegetative growth and fecundity compared with TIPS plants. Whereas both homozygous (TIPS‐RR) and compound heterozygous (TIPS‐Rr) plants with the double TIPS resistance mutation displayed similar survival rates when exposed to glyphosate, a significantly higher fecundity in the currency of seed number was observed in TIPS‐Rr than TIPS‐RR plants. The highest plant fitness benefit was associated with the heterozygous TIPS‐Rr mutation, whereas plants with the homozygous Pro‐106‐Ser and TIPS mutations exhibited, respectively, 31% and 39% of the fitness benefit revealed by the TIPS‐Rr plants. Populations are predicted to reach stable allelic and genotypic frequencies after 20 years of glyphosate selection at which the WT allele is lost and the stable genotypic polymorphism is comprised by 2% of heterozygous TIPS‐Rr, 52% of homozygous TIPS‐RR and 46% of homozygous P106S‐rr. The high inbreeding nature of E. indica is responsible for the expected frequency decrease in the fittest TIPS‐Rr in favour of the homozygous TIPS‐RR and P106S‐rr. Mutated alleles associated with the glyphosate resistance EPSPS single EPSPS Pro‐106‐Ser and double TIPS mutations confer contrasting fitness benefits to E. indica under glyphosate treatment and therefore are expected to exhibit contrasting evolution rates in cropping systems under recurrent glyphosate selection.
The utility of climatic water balance for ecological inference depends on vegetation physiology assumptions
Authors: Young Derek J. N. , Jeronimo Sean M. A. , Churchill Derek J. , Kane Van R. , Latimer Andrew M.
Published: March 2021

Background

In explaining and predicting spatial vegetation patterns, ecologists have increasingly favoured the use of climatic water balance variables, including actual evapotranspiration (AET) and climatic water deficit (CWD), for representing the hydrologic and energetic environment experienced by plants. Much of the interest in these variables lies in their hypothesized potential to characterize biologically relevant environmental variation more directly than simple climate variables, such as precipitation and temperature. Practically, obtaining AET and CWD values across space requires hydrologic process models that involve assumptions, including assumptions about vegetation transpiration rates. However, transpiration parameter values are rarely known with precision and can vary several‐fold within and among vegetation types.

Approach

We evaluate the extent to which assumptions about vegetation physiology in water balance models affect (a) relative spatial variation in modelled water balance values and (b) ecological inferences that are derived from analyses using water balance variables. We demonstrate an approach for identifying inferences that are robust to these assumptions.

Results

Assumptions about vegetation physiology can substantially affect relative spatial variation in modelled water balance values. More importantly, such assumptions can also substantially affect the inferences (e.g., expected vegetation distributions) drawn from ecological analyses that use water balance variables as predictors. Water balance variables are less sensitive to assumptions in environmental settings with abundant water supply, where AET variation is driven primarily by available energy (e.g., temperature and insolation), but they can be highly sensitive to assumptions in drier environments.

Conclusion

Because of their sensitivity to assumptions, water balance variables are not unambiguously superior to simpler climatic and topographic variables, such as precipitation and temperature. However, they retain some advantages, primarily related to their mechanistic incorporation of interactions between water and energy, which may support their use in applications where sensitivity to hydrologic modelling assumptions is low or of minor concern.
“We were released into the so‐called Western world we knew absolutely nothing about”: Professional experiences of female employees in the Lithuanian Film Industry from the postcolonial point of view
Authors: Kaminskaitė‐Jančorienė Lina , Šalaj Jelena
Published: March 2021

In this paper, we investigate the professional experiences of female employees. Furthering ourselves from the textual film analysis prevalent in the Baltic film studies, we turn toward experiences of female film workers by using intermethodological approach, combining feminist film studies and psychology. We are focusing on the 30‐year period of the existence of independent Lithuania, which we understand as a post‐Soviet period, a time after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a postcolonial condition in which the values of the old system meet the new ones influenced by the processes of globalization. Using the method of thematic analysis, we analyze the interviews of 22 women of various age groups working in various positions in the film industry.
Management of skin thinning and aging: review of therapies for neocollagenesis; hormones and energy devices
Authors: Majidian Mandy , Kolli Hiren , Moy Ronald L.
Published: March 2021

Background

Hormone replacement therapy and various devices exist to treat signs of aging, such as skin thinning, yet there are no reviews summarizing or evaluating their role in neocollagenesis and the associated increase in skin thickness.

Objective

To review the literature regarding stimulation and generation of new collagen in the dermis in two parts. Part 2 reviews oral and topical hormone replacement therapy as well as energy‐based devices.

Methods

The PubMed database was searched for related literature. Studies involving the use of hormone supplements and energy devices with a resultant change in collagen production or skin thickness were obtained and reviewed for evidence.

Results

Hormones, including estrogen, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone, and human growth hormone have been reported with substantiating evidence for neocollagenesis and dermal thickening. Energy devices, including radiofrequency, ultrasound, and laser therapy, have also been reported to stimulate neocollagenesis.

Limitations

The results presented in certain literature are not based on randomized controlled trials.

Conclusion

Hormone deficient individuals can regain skin thickness with hormone replacement therapy. Dermal heating can provide a substantial amount of neocollagenesis; however, laser technology, specifically CO2, appears to be the most effective at increasing skin collagen and tightening.
Mental health illness in chronic respiratory disease is associated with worse respiratory health and low engagement with non‐pharmacological psychological interventions
Authors: Hunter Roseanna , Barson Elizabeth , Willis Karen , Smallwood Natasha
Published: March 2021

Patients with chronic respiratory disease commonly experience comorbid mental illness. This study aimed to explore associations between mental illness and respiratory health, as well as determine access to and uptake of mental health treatment. Mental health conditions were highly prevalent, long‐standing and associated with worse respiratory outcomes. Active treatment with psychotropic drugs was common; however, acceptance of non‐pharmacological interventions was poor. Further research is required to understand co‐existing mental illness management in chronic respiratory disease.
Vapor‐mediated melt infiltration for synthesizing SiC composite matrices
Authors: Silverstein Ravit , Zok Frank W. , Levi Carlos G.
Published: March 2021

Abstract

A two‐step synthesis of SiC involving initial exposure of carbon surfaces to Si vapor, followed by Si melt infiltration, is investigated in this article with emphases on the mechanisms, kinetics, and microstructure evolution. Interrupted differential thermal analysis of amorphous C and Si powder mixtures and microstructure characterization are used to generate insight into the stages of the reaction. Exposure to Si vapor yields a SiC layer with nano‐scale porosity driven by the volume change associated with the reaction. This forms a continuous pore network that promotes subsequent melt access to the reaction front with the C. While the pores remain open, the vapor phase reaction proceeds at a nearly constant rate and exhibits a strong temperature sensitivity, the latter due in part to the temperature sensitivity of the Si vapor pressure. The implications for enhancing the reactive melt infiltration process and fabrication of SiC matrices for ceramic composites are discussed.
Mapping stages, barriers and facilitators to the implementation of HEARTS in the Americas initiative in 12 countries: A qualitative study
Authors: Giraldo Gloria P. , Joseph Kristy T. , Angell Sonia Y. , Campbell Norm R. C. , Connell Kenneth , DiPette Donald J. , Escobar Maria C. , Valdés‐Gonzalez Yamile , Jaffe Marc G. , Malcolm Taraleen , Maldonado Javier , Lopez‐Jaramillo Patricio , Olsen Michaels Hecht , Ordunez Pedro
Published: March 2021

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Hearts Initiative offers technical packages to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases through population‐wide and targeted health services interventions. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has led implementation of the HEARTS in the Americas Initiative since 2016. The authors mapped the developmental stages, barriers, and facilitators to implementation among the 371 primary health care centers in the participating 12 countries. The authors used the qualitative method of document review to examine cumulative country reports, technical meeting notes, and reports to regional stakeholders. Common implementation barriers include segmentation of health systems, overcoming health care professionals' scope of practice legal restrictions, and lack of health information systems limiting operational evaluation and quality improvement mechanisms. Main implementation facilitators include political support from ministries of health and leading scientific societies, PAHO's role as a regional catalyst to implementation, stakeholder endorsement demonstrated by incorporating HEARTS into official documents, and having a health system oriented to primary health care. Key lessons include the need for political commitment and cultivating on‐the‐ground leadership to initiate a shift in hypertension care delivery, accompanied by specific progress in the development of standardized treatment protocols and a set of high‐quality medicines. By systematizing an implementation strategy to ease integration of interventions into delivery processes, the program strengthened technical leadership and ensured sustainability. These study findings will aid the regional approach by providing a staged planning model that incorporates lessons learned. A systematic approach to implementation will enhance equity, efficiency, scale‐up, and sustainability, and ultimately improve population hypertension control.
Community health worker interventions for older adults with complex health needs: A systematic review
Authors: Kennedy Meaghan A. , Hatchell Kayla E. , DiMilia Peter R. , Kelly Stephanie M. , Blunt Heather B. , Bagley Pamela J. , LaMantia Michael A. , Reynolds Charles F. , Crow Rebecca S. , Maden Tara N. , Kelly S. Logan , Kihwele Jacqueline M. , Batsis John A.
Published: March 2021

Background/Objectives

The number of older adults with complex health needs is growing, and this population experiences disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Interventions led by community health workers (CHWs) can improve clinical outcomes in the general adult population with multimorbidity, but few studies have investigated CHW‐delivered interventions in older adults.

Design

We systematically reviewed the impact of CHW interventions on health outcomes among older adults with complex health needs. We searched for English‐language articles from database inception through April 2020 using seven databases. PROSPERO protocol registration CRD42019118761.

Setting

Any U.S. or international setting, including clinical and community‐based settings.

Participants

Adults aged 60 years or older with complex health needs, defined in this review as multimorbidity, frailty, disability, or high‐utilization.

Interventions

Interventions led by a CHW or similar role consistent with the American Public Health Association's definition of CHWs.

Measurements

Pre‐defined health outcomes (chronic disease measures, general health measures, treatment adherence, quality of life, or functional measures) as well as qualitative findings.

Results

Of 5671 unique records, nine studies met eligibility criteria, including four randomized controlled trials, three quasi‐experimental studies, and two qualitative studies. Target population and intervention characteristics were variable, and studies were generally of low‐to‐moderate methodological quality. Outcomes included mood, functional status and disability, social support, well‐being and quality of life, medication knowledge, and certain health conditions (e.g., falls, cognition). Results were mixed with several studies demonstrating significant effects on mood and function, including one high‐quality RCT, while others noted no significant intervention effects on outcomes.

Conclusion

CHW‐led interventions may have benefit for older adults with complex health needs, but additional high‐quality studies are needed to definitively determine the effectiveness of CHW interventions in this population. Integration of CHWs into geriatric clinical settings may be a strategy to deliver evidence‐based interventions and improve clinical outcomes in complex older adults.
Evaluation of the serum magnesium and vitamin D levels and the risk of anxiety in primary hyperhidrosis
Authors: Manav Vildan , Türk Cemre Büşra , Kara Polat Asude , Erdil Duygu , Baş Soysal , Koku Aksu Ayşe Esra
Published: March 2021

Background

Excessive sweating is considered primary hyperhidrosis if it is triggered by emotional states without any thermogenic or other underlying disease from the eccrine glands. This may be due to dysfunction in the autonomic nervous system.

Aims

To investigate the relationship between Vitamin D and Mg deficiency and the risk of anxiety and depression in patients with primary hyperhidrosis.

Patients/Methods

This cross‐sectional, case‐control study was conducted between July and October 2019. 49 primary hyperhidrosis patients in Group I and 47 age and gender matched healthy individuals in Group II were included in the study.

Results

The mean 25 (OH) D and Mg levels in Group I were statistically significantly lower than in Group II (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of anxiety and depression (p < 0.001 and p = 0.033, respectively). There was no significant relationship between the HADS‐A / HADS‐D scores and the severity of primary hyperhidrosis (r = −0.131, p = 0.096; correlation coefficient = 0.232, p = 0.447). However, a significant correlation was observed between HADS‐A scores and serum Mg levels (r = −0.439, p = 0.007).

Conclusion

Anxiety and depression are common in patients with primary hyperhidrosis. As shown in this study, both anxiety and depression can be seen with low Mg levels in patients with primary hyperhidrosis. This could possibly be related to the pathological mechanism involving Vitamin D and Mg, which determines the common pathway affecting primary hyperhidrosis and anxiety/depression.
Prior administration of chocolate improves the palatability of bitter drugs: The Choc‐with‐Med study
Authors: Truong Shannon , Tang Edith Kai Yan , Khan R. Nazim , Nguyen Minh Ngoc , von Ungern Sternberg Britta S. , Yeo Allen Wan Yan , Lim Lee Yong
Published: March 2021

Aim

The paediatric population has a low adherence and acceptance rate of unpalatable medicines. This study aimed to determine whether eating chocolate immediately prior to drug administration would help to mask the bitter taste of a drug. The difference in taste masking efficacy between white, milk and dark chocolate was a secondary measure outcome.

Methods

A controlled repeated measures crossover taste trial was conducted using a taste panel of 29 young healthy adults who met the criteria to differentiate intensity in bitterness taste. Participants separately tasted solutions of quinine, flucloxacillin and clindamycin using the swill and spit method, singularly and following blinded prior administration of white, milk or dark chocolate. Drug solutions administered without prior chocolate served as controls. Bitterness score for each tasting was recorded using a 5‐point scale.

Results

Regardless of chocolate type, mean taste scores with prior chocolate for quinine (range 2.00–2.34), clindamycin (3.72–3.83) and flucloxacillin (3.38–3.45) were all lower than mean scores for respective drugs without chocolate (3.24, 4.75 and 4.28, respectively; P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Dark chocolate was most efficacious for masking the bitter taste of quinine, but the differences in taste masking efficacy between dark, milk and white chocolates were not statistically significant for flucloxacillin and clindamycin.

Conclusions

Prior administration of chocolate results in lower perceived bitterness compared to control tastings of quinine, flucloxacillin and clindamycin solutions; however, there is no clear difference in this effect between the dark, milk and white chocolates used in this study.
Assessment of bacterial and fungal populations in urine from clinically healthy dogs using next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Melgarejo Tonatiuh , Oakley Brian B. , Krumbeck Janina A. , Tang Shuiquan , Krantz Adam , Linde Annika
Published: March 2021

Background

Urine from clinically healthy dogs is not sterile. Characterizing microbial diversity and abundance within this population of dogs is important to define normal reference ranges for healthy urine.

Objectives

To establish composition and relative representation of bacterial and fungal microbiomes in urine of clinically healthy dogs.

Animals

Fifty clinically healthy dogs.

Methods

Analytic study. Urine sampling via cystocentesis. Comprehensive evaluation of urine including standard urinalysis, culture and sensitivity, next‐generation sequencing (NGS), and bioinformatics to define bacterial and fungal microbiome.

Results

Culture did not yield positive results in any samples. Next‐generation sequencing of urine established low presence of bacteria, fungi, or both in all samples. Diversity and abundance of bacterial and fungal communities varied between urine samples from different dogs. Struvite crystals were associated with bacterial community structure (P= .07) and there was a positive correlation between struvite crystals and pH.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

The microbiome in urine of clinically healthy dogs has diverse bacterial and fungal species These findings highlight limitations of conventional culture testing and the need for culture‐independent molecular diagnostics to detect microorganisms in urine.
Bathymetric distribution of brachyuran crabs: Alpha and beta diversity variation in an upwelling area
Authors: Sousa Aline Nonato , Bernardes Veronica Pereira , Bernardo Camila Hipolito , Silva Thiago Elias , Sancinetti Gustavo Sérgio , Costa Rogério Caetano , Fransozo Adilson
Published: March 2021

Biodiversity studies might help to understand the ecological dynamics of regions under the influence of upwelling and serve as a baseline to conservation and management strategies. Here, we evaluated the alpha (species richness and Shannon‐Wienner index – H’) and beta (Bray Curtis index) diversities of a Brachyura assemblage within a depth gradient (5, 10, 15, 25, 35, and 45 m) in the Macaé region, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 1,221 decapod individuals were sampled, comprising 11 species .The highest diversity index was recorded at 5 m in depth and the lowest at 25 m. The ecological indexes (diversity and evenness indexes) were inversely proportional to the organic matter and phi (sediment texture). This finding suggests that the heterogeneous sediment of shallow areas increases habitat complexity, therefore increasing biodiversity. Since the study area is an upwelling zone, the coastal area is more affected by cold‐water masses, leading to a distinct biodiversity distribution when compared with regions that are not under the influence of upwelling. Considering these peculiarities, the importance of coastal areas to the biodiversity of regions affected by upwelling becomes evident. Such areas must have differential importance when conducting environmental conservation and management projects.
Fussy eating in toddlers: A content analysis of parents' online support seeking
Authors: Fraser Kylie , Markides Brittany Reese , Barrett Norma , Laws Rachel
Published: March 2021

The development of healthy eating habits in childhood is essential to reducing later risk of obesity. However, many parents manage fussy eating in toddlerhood with ineffective feeding practices that limit children's dietary variety and reinforce obesogenic eating behaviours. Understanding parents' feeding concerns and support needs may assist in the development of feeding interventions designed to support parents' uptake of responsive feeding practices. A total of 130 original posts by parents of toddlers (12–36 months) were extracted from the online website Reddit's ‘r/Toddlers’ community discussion forum over a 12‐month period. Qualitative content analysis was used to categorise the fussy eating topics that parents were most concerned about and the types of support they were seeking from online peers. The most frequently raised fussy eating concerns were refusal to eat foods offered, inadequate intake (quantity and quality), problematic mealtime behaviours and changes in eating patterns. Parents were primarily seeking practical support (69.2%) to manage emergent fussy eating behaviours. This consisted of requests for practical feeding advice and strategies or meal ideas. Nearly half of parents sought emotional support (47.7%) to normalise their child's eating behaviour and seek reassurance from people with lived experience. Informational support about feeding was sought to a lesser extent (16.2%). Fussy eating poses a barrier to children's dietary variety and establishing healthy eating habits. These results suggest parents require greater knowledge and skills on ‘how to feed’ children and support to manage feeding expectations. Health professionals and child feeding interventions should focus on providing parents with practical feeding strategies to manage fussy eating. Supporting parents to adopt and maintain responsive feeding practices is vital to developing healthy eating habits during toddlerhood that will continue throughout adulthood.
Pollinators mediate floral microbial diversity and microbial network under agrochemical disturbance
Authors: Wei Na , Russell Avery L. , Jarrett Abigail R. , Ashman Tia‐Lynn
Published: March 2021

How pollinators mediate microbiome assembly in the anthosphere is a major unresolved question of theoretical and applied importance in the face of anthropogenic disturbance. We addressed this question by linking visitation of diverse pollinator functional groups (bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, beetles, true bugs and other taxa) to the key properties of the floral microbiome (microbial α‐ and β‐diversity and microbial network) under agrochemical disturbance, using a field experiment of bactericide and fungicide treatments on cultivated strawberries that differ in flower abundance. Structural equation modelling was used to link agrochemical disturbance and flower abundance to pollinator visitation to floral microbiome properties. Our results revealed that (i) pollinator visitation influenced the α‐ and β‐diversity and network centrality of the floral microbiome, with different pollinator functional groups affecting different microbiome properties; (ii) flower abundance influenced the floral microbiome both directly by governing the source pool of microbes and indirectly by enhancing pollinator visitation; and (iii) agrochemical disturbance affected the floral microbiome primarily directly by fungicide, and less so indirectly via pollinator visitation. These findings improve the mechanistic understanding of floral microbiome assembly, and may be generalizable to many other plants that are visited by diverse insect pollinators in natural and managed ecosystems.
Brachial plexus neuropathy induced by methotrexate‐associated lymphoproliferative disorder in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Sugimoto Takamichi , Ishikawa Ruoyi , Abe Takafumi , Ohno Narumi , Tazuma Taku , Giga Mayumi , Naito Hiroyuki , Kono Tomoyuki , Oiwa Hiroshi , Shiote Yasuhiro , Ichimura Koichi , Nomura Eiichi
Published: March 2021

We present a case of 74‐year‐old female patient with rheumatoid arthritis with left upper limb movement disorder who was diagnosed with brachial plexus neuropathy induced by methotrexate‐associated lymphoproliferative disorder (MTX‐LPD). Nerve hypertrophy and contrast effects were observed at the left brachial plexus and the more distal peripheral nerves on MRI. An attenuated image at the left axillary lymph node was observed on FDG‐PET. A biopsy sample from the same node revealed diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma. The symptoms improved in 1 month due to cessation of methotrexate. In patients taking methotrexate with neurological abnormalities, MTX‐LPD should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
Simultaneous tree stem and soil greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4, N2O) flux measurements: a novel design for continuous monitoring towards improving flux estimates and temporal resolution
Authors: Bréchet Laëtitia M. , Daniel Warren , Stahl Clément , Burban Benoît , Goret Jean‐Yves , Salomόn Roberto L. , Janssens Ivan A.
Published: March 2021

Tree stems and soils can act as sources and sinks for the greenhouse gases (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Since both uptake and emission capacities can be large, especially in tropical rainforests, accurate assessments of the magnitudes and temporal variations of stem and soil GHG fluxes are required.

We designed a new flexible stem chamber system for continuously measuring GHG fluxes in a French Guianese rainforest. Here, we describe this new system, which is connected to an automated soil GHG flux system, and discuss measurement uncertainty and potential error sources.

In line with findings for soil GHG flux estimates, we demonstrated that lengthening the stem chamber closure time was required for accurate estimates of tree stem CH4 and N2O flux but not tree stem CO2 flux. The instrumented stem was a net source of CO2 and CH4 and a weak sink of N2O.

Our experimental setup operated successfully in situ and provided continuous tree and soil GHG measurements at a high temporal resolution over an 11‐month period. This automated system is a major step forward in the measurement of GHG fluxes in stems and the atmosphere concurrently with soil GHG fluxes in tropical forest ecosystems.
Neutral sphingomyelinase‐2 and cardiometabolic diseases
Authors: Sindhu Sardar , Leung Yat Hei , Arefanian Hossein , Madiraju S. R. Murthy , Al‐Mulla Fahd , Ahmad Rasheed , Prentki Marc
Published: March 2021

Sphingolipids, in particular ceramides, play vital role in pathophysiological processes linked to metabolic syndrome, with implications in the development of insulin resistance, pancreatic ß‐cell dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, inflammation, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and cancer. Ceramides are produced by the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin, catalyzed by different sphingomyelinases, including neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2), whose dysregulation appears to underlie many of the inflammation‐related pathologies. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge on the biochemistry of nSMase2 and ceramide production and its regulation by inflammatory cytokines, with particular reference to cardiometabolic diseases. nSMase2 contribution to pathogenic processes appears to involve cyclical feed‐forward interaction with proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF‐α and IL‐1ß, which activate nSMase2 and the production of ceramides, that in turn triggers the synthesis and release of inflammatory cytokines. We elaborate these pathogenic interactions at the molecular level and discuss the potential therapeutic benefits of inhibiting nSMase2 against inflammation‐driven cardiometabolic diseases.
Insulin Dependence Increases the Risk of Complications and Death in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta‐(Regression) Analysis
Authors: Wu Li‐min , Si Hai‐bo , Li Ming‐yang , Wu Yuan‐gang , Zeng Yi , Shen Bin
Published: March 2021

Objectives

To investigate the proportion of insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients among diabetic patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and whether insulin dependence is associated with postoperative complications.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in EMBASE, PubMed, Ovid, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, the China Science and Technology Journal Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure from the inception dates to 10 September 2019. Observational studies reporting adverse events with IDDM following TJA were included. Primary outcomes were cardiovascular complications, pulmonary complications, kidney complications, wound complications, infection, and other complications within 30 days of surgery. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of IDDM patients among diabetic patients undergoing TJA and its time trend.

Results

A total of 19 studies involving 85,689 participants were included. Among patients undergoing TJA, 26% of diabetic patients had IDDM. Compared with non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes (NIDDM), the incidences of cardiac arrest (risk ratio [RR], 2.346; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.553 to 3.546), renal failure (relative risk [RR], 2.758; 95% CI, 1.830 to 4.156), deep incisional surgical site infection (RR, 1.968; 95% CI, 1.107 to 3.533), wound dehiscence (RR, 2.209; 95% CI, 1.830 to 4.156), and death (RR, 2.292; 95% CI, 1.568 to 3.349) were all significantly increased in IDDM. A significant time trend was witnessed for the prevalence of IDDM (P = 0.014). There was no statistical significance for organ/space surgical site infection, thrombotic events (deep venous thrombosis/ pulmonary embolism), and revision rates.

Conclusion

Insulin‐dependent diabetes is an independent high‐risk factor for increased adverse outcomes relative to NIDDM, suggesting that hierarchical and optimal blood glucose management may contribute to reducing the adverse complications after surgery for these patients. In addition, because the risk of sepsis, deep wound infection, organ/space surgical site infection, urinary tract infection, renal insufficiency, and renal failure significantly increase after TJA in IDDM patients, more active postoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis may be needed on the premise of protecting renal function.
Congenital malalignment of the great toenail: Conservative and definitive treatment
Authors: Domínguez‐Cherit Judith , Lima‐Galindo Anabell Andrea
Published: March 2021

Congenital malalignment of the great toenail, or ungual malalignment, is a rarely recognized disorder. It is characterized by lateral deviation of the longitudinal axis of the nail plate with respect to the distal phalanx, and if untreated, complications in the late teens and adulthood may arise. In this study, we have reviewed conservative and definitive treatments for this disorder.
Children’s decision making in cancer therapy: A long‐term observational study
Authors: Michinobu Ryoko , Yamamoto Masaki , Hori Tsukasa , Mikami Takahiro , Igarashi Keita , Iesato Kotoe , Takebayashi Akira , Tsugawa Takeshi , Kawasaki Yukihiko , Tsutsumi Hiroyuki
Published: March 2021

Background

The survival rate of children with cancer has increased substantially in recent years. Shared decision making (i.e., the ability of children with cancer to express their will and share it with medical personnel) has become a particularly important issue. The nature and developmental processes of children’s decision making in hospital should be understood. There is, however, a lack of research in this area.

Methods

From January 2016 to March 2018, we conducted a longitudinal qualitative observational study, within the context of medical anthropology, in a hospital pediatric ward in Japan. We investigated the nature and development of decision making among seven children aged 5–12 years with hematologic cancers. We recorded their everyday behaviors, interactions, narratives, and events in the ward. The recording was conducted systematically and it was analyzed thematically using both variable‐oriented and process‐oriented modes to assess causal relationships between phenomena.

Results

The thematic analysis identified three thematic scenes in which children developed their will regarding cancer treatment: (1) adjusting to hospital life; (2) forming friendships with other children; and (3) communicating with medical personnel. Sharing information, building trusting relationships, and sharing treatment goals with medical personnel were identified as forms of children’s participation in medical decision making. Through cultivated friendships, children’s peer groups were sources of resilience and strength in overcoming difficulties in hospital life.

Conclusions

The development of children’s decision making in a pediatric oncology ward was based on various rich human relationships. Such relationships should be promoted to improve shared decision making substantially.
Standard photopatch test battery? Proposal based on current epidemiology and experience in our Skin Allergy Unit
Authors: García Castro Rubén , Velasco Tirado Virginia , Alonso Sardón Montserrat , González de Arriba Marta
Published: March 2021

Background

The diagnosis of photoallergic contact dermatitis (PACD) is confirmed by photopatch testing (PPT). In Spain, the latest recommendation on which allergens to test in PPT dates from 1995.

Methods

In the last 4 years, we studied 455 patients with epicutaneous tests and performed PPT on 33 of those patients (7.3%).

Results

The most prevalent allergens in PPT were as follows: non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (46%), fragrances (21%), and solar filters (18%).

Discussion

In our country, the most common photoallergens continue to be NSAIDs (ketoprofen). The increasingly common use of sunscreens has led to a growing involvement of solar filters in PACD, which can be also contained in other cosmetics. In our experience, PACD due to fragrances is nonetheless at least similar in frequency.

Conclusions

The PPT battery must adapt to the prescription, use, and exposure habits of each country. We propose a diagnostic model to guide which allergens to test in PPT, which in our experience should also include fragrances.