bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Solitary pulmonary nodule in an early adolescent
Authors: Lim Melanie Si Rui , Loh Amos Hong Pheng , Gareth Jevon Peter , Ong Lin Yin , Thomas Biju
Published: September 2023

An early adolescent boy presented with 1-week history of left-sided chest pain, localised to the anterior aspect of seventh intercostal space. A chest radiograph revealed a round opacity measuring 2.6×2.4 cm in the left mid zone. A CT scan of the chest confirmed a solitary well-circumscribed pulmonary nodule measuring 2.7×2.4 cm in the central left upper lobe, adjacent to the anterior segmental bronchus. Positron emission tomography scan showed mild to moderate fluorodeoxyglucose uptake (maximum standardized uptake value 5.2) in the nodule. He underwent a video-assisted left upper lobectomy. Histology of the nodule was consistent with sclerosing pneumocytoma, a rare benign lung neoplasm that occurs predominantly in middle-aged women of Asian descent. This case highlights the challenges in diagnosis and management of solitary pulmonary nodules in children, especially those who remain symptomatic or only have minimal symptoms and provides a pragmatic approach to this condition.
National and subnational governance and decision-making processes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: an empirical analysis
Authors: Mukherjee Sanjana , Asthana Sumegha , Ukponu Winifred , Ihueze Adachioma C , Gobir Ibrahim B , Phelan Alexandra L , Standley Claire J
Published: September 2023

Governance of the COVID-19 pandemic required decision-makers to make and implement decisions amidst uncertainty, public pressure and time constraints. However, few studies have attempted to assess these decision-making processes empirically during health emergencies. Thus, we aimed to understand governance, defined as the process of decision-making and implementation of decisions, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. We conducted key informant interviews and focus group discussions with national and subnational government officials, civil society organisation (CSO) members, development partners and academic experts. Our study identified several themes on governance and decision-making processes. First, Nigeria established high-level decision-making structures at the federal and state levels, providing clear and integrated multisectoral decision-making mechanism. However, due to the emergence of conflicts between government levels, there is a need to strengthen intergovernmental arrangements. Second, while decision-makers relied on input from academic experts and CSOs, additional efforts are required to engage such stakeholders in decision-making processes, especially during the early stages of health emergencies. Third, Nigeria’s previous experiences responding to disease outbreaks aided the overall response, as many capacities and coordination mechanisms for cohesive action were present. Fourth, while decision-makers took a holistic view of scientific, social and economic factors for decision-making, this process was also adaptive to account for rapidly evolving information. Lastly, more efforts are needed to ensure decisions are inclusive, equitable and transparent, and improve overall public trust in governance processes. This study provides insights and identifies opportunities to enhance governance and decision-making processes in health emergency responses, aiding future pandemic preparedness efforts.
Value-based healthcare in fertility care using relevant outcome measures for the full cycle of care leading towards shared decision-making: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Bensink Milou , Volkerink Joy , Teklenburg Gijs , van Bavel Casandra C A W , Kuchenbecker Walter K H , Cohlen Ben J , Curfs Max H J M
Published: September 2023

Objective

To determine if the introduction of value-based healthcare (VBHC) in fertility care can help to create realistic expectations in patients resulting in increased patient value, by demonstrating the relevance of defining outcome measures that truly matter to subfertile patients.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Tertiary fertility centre.

Results

Time to pregnancy (TTP) and ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR), as a proxy for the live birth rate, for the full cycle of fertility care, regardless of which and how many treatment cycles performed, were identified as the most relevant medical outcome measures. Outcome measures were incorporated into a digital dashboard by using anonymised and validated patient data from the electronic patient file. We were able to present the TTP and OPR for the population as a whole as well as stratified for age, diagnosis, gravidity and type of gamete source used thereby resulting in a virtual ‘patient like me’ resembling the individual patient in the consultation room.

Conclusion

We have shown that, by applying VBHC principles, relevant outcome measures can be generated and stratified for different patient characteristics, in order to develop a virtual ‘patient like me’. This virtual ‘patient like me’ can be used in the consulting room in the form of a digital dashboard, attributing to create realistic patient expectations. This facilitates healthcare providers and patients in shared decision-making.
4A after access: a new mnemonic to aid timely administration of IV/IO treatment in trauma patients
Authors: Campbell Kieran , Scanlon E , Bhanot K , Harper F , Naumann D N
Published: September 2023

Administration of medication is a well-established part of prehospital trauma care. Guidance varies on the types of recommended medications and when they should be administered. Mnemonics have become commonplace in prehospital medicine to facilitate recall and retention. However, there is no comprehensive aid for the administration of medication in trauma patients. We propose a new mnemonic for the delivery of relevant intravenous or intraosseous medications in trauma patients. A ‘4A after Access’ approach should enhance memory recall for the efficient provision of patient care. These 4As are: antifibrinolysis, analgesia, antiemesis and antibiotics. This mnemonic is designed to be used as an optional aide memoire in conjunction with existing treatment algorithms in the military prehospital setting.
Delirium in patients with musculoskeletal tumours: incidence and risk factors – single-centre prospective study
Authors: Mihara Noriaki , Yazawa Yasuo , Imanishi Jungo , Torigoe Tomoaki , Onishi Hideki , Ishida Mayumi
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Delirium, a neurocognitive disorder, typically occurs in older patients and those with advanced cancer. Although there have been numerous reports on delirium in patients with cancer in various conditions, there are no reports that specifically focus on patients with musculoskeletal tumours. This prospective study aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors and prognostic implications of delirium in patients with musculoskeletal tumours.

Methods

In this single institutional study, 148 patients with musculoskeletal oncology were enrolled. The estimated risk factors included age, sex, alcohol abuse, performance status (PS), dietary status, admission route, tumour malignancy, oncological stage and blood test results. The significance of delirium in survival was also examined.

Results

Only 18 patients with malignant tumours had delirium (12.2%). Based on univariate analysis, older age, poor PS, dietary status, admission from another hospital, malignant tumour, carcinoma rather than sarcoma, anaemia and some laboratory abnormalities were found to be significant risk factors for delirium. Multivariate analysis showed that poor PS was significantly correlated with delirium. Additionally, delirium was significantly correlated with poor survival.

Conclusions

The incidence of delirium among patients with musculoskeletal tumours was 12.2% and was observed only in patients with malignant tumours. PS is a significant risk factor for delirium. Delirium is correlated with poor prognosis.
Short-season high-moisture shelled corn, snaplage, or corn silage as a partial replacement for dry-rolled barley grain or barley silage in western Canadian beef cattle finishing diets
Authors: Carey R.E. , Ribeiro G.O. , Paddock Z.D. , Moya D. , McAllister T.A. , Penner G.B.
Published: September 2023

The objective was to evaluate the replacement of barley-based ingredients with short-season high-moisture corn products on steer growth performance and carcass characteristics. Over 2 years, 320 beef steers (528 ± 36.2 kg initial body weight) were assigned to 32 pens (4 pens/treatment/year). Treatments were finishing diets that contained dry-rolled barley grain and barley silage (BGBS; control), barley grain and corn silage (BGCS), high-moisture shelled corn and barley grain with barley silage (HCBS), or snaplage (included as a silage and grain source) with barley grain (SNAP). Steers were fed for 99 days and 72 days in years 1 and 2, respectively. Steers fed BGCS did not differ ( P ≥ 0.13) from BGBS for dry matter intake, average daily gain, gain:feed, or carcass characteristics. Steers fed HCBS had greater ( P ≤ 0.05) hot carcass weight and dressing percentage than BGBS. A lesser ( P = 0.02) proportion of steers fed SNAP had severe liver abscesses than BGBS. We concluded that corn silage can replace barley silage, 50% replacement of barley grain with high-moisture shelled corn may improve hot carcass weight, and replacement of barley silage and some barley grain with snaplage decreases the proportion of cattle with severe liver abscesses at slaughter.
Special considerations for the design of ice platforms
Authors: Van Der Vinne Gary
Published: September 2023

Ice platforms are engineered sheets of floating ice that are designed to support long-term stationary loads, usually related to construction. These loads can include cranes, drill rigs, excavators, girder trucks, and tandem trucks. This paper will discuss general design procedures for ice platforms as well as cases with special considerations such as multiple long-term loads, repetitive long-term loads, objects dropped down onto the ice, loads near large holes in the ice, loads near bridge piers, loads near banks, and loads on access ramps.
Database Theory Column
Authors: Ngo Hung Q.
Published: September 2023

The 42nd edition of the ACM SIGMOD-SIGACT-SIGAI Symposium on Principles of Database Systems (PODS) was held from June 19 to June 21, 2023, in Seattle, USA. After two years of online-only and a year of hybrid conferences, PODS 2023 went back to a fully in-person conference format. As is customary, the symposium was held jointly with the ACM International Conference on Management of Data (SIGMOD).
Patient and Provider Demographics and the Management of Genitourinary Tract Infections in the Emergency Department
Authors: Sheele Johnathan M. , Mi Lanyu , Monas Jessica , Mohseni Michael
Published: September 2023

Introduction. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can have overlapping signs, symptoms, and findings on urinalysis. Our objective was to determine if patient or provider demographics are associated with differences in the diagnosis and management of UTIs and STIs in the emergency department (ED). Methods. We analyzed 38,062 ED patient encounters from a single healthcare system between April 18, 2014, and March 7, 2017. All encounters were women ≥18 years of age and not admitted to the hospital. We performed logistic regression using patient and provider demographics, laboratory testing results, ED triage data, and ED diagnoses. Results. The patient’s age, race, and marital status were not associated with having an ED UTI diagnosis with a urine culture ≥10,000 colony forming units (CFUs)/mL (vs. <10,000 CFUs/mL). Patient race and the sex of the ED provider were not associated with differences in empiric antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea and chlamydia during the ED encounter. Patient’s race and the sex of the ED provider were also not associated with discordance between empiric antibiotic therapy given in the ED and the results of gonorrhea and chlamydia tests that resulted following the ED encounter. Conclusion. In our multivariate analyses, we did not observe that the patient’s race resulted in significant differences in the diagnosis of UTIs with bacteriuria ≥10,000 CFU/mL or differences in the empiric treatment of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections among those tested for the infection in the ED. The patient’s age and marital status, but not the provider’s sex, were significantly associated with differences in the management of gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Implementation of After-Hours Nurse Line in an Academic Pediatric Endocrinology Practice
Authors: Choudhary Abha , Adhikari Soumya , White Perrin C.
Published: September 2023

Background. After-hours triage of pediatric patients by trained nurses improves consistency of triage decisions, access, and quality of care, and decreases burden on physicians on-call. There is a lack of published experience with this approach in the pediatric diabetes population. Methods. An after-hours call service was established in September 2019 in our large urban pediatric teaching hospital. Barton Schmitt guidelines, which are widely accepted as the standard for telephone triage care, were modified to include institution specific diabetes management protocols. We analyzed demographics, reasons for call, clinical presentation to the emergency room, and clinical disposition of the callers. Results. The after-hours call service handled 70% of calls without physician involvement. There were no patients triaged to home care who subsequently required an emergency room visit or hospitalization. Patients who called the after-hours nurse line prior to coming to the emergency room were less sick and were discharged more often from the emergency room. Spanish-speaking parents utilized the service less than English speakers. There were no disparities in utilization based on the insurance status or race. Conclusions. The after-hours service accurately triaged calls and reduced physician burden. Patients of all races and insurance statuses utilized the after-hours service equally well. Language was a barrier in the utilization.
Evolution of Anxiety Disorder Prevalence and Associated Factors in First Responders in Both the Medium and Long Terms after the January 2015 Terrorist Attacks in France
Authors: Girault Cécile , Aubert Lydéric , Motreff Yvon , Pirard Philippe , Vuillermoz Cécile , Vandentorren Stéphanie
Published: September 2023

First responders intervening in crisis situations are likely to subsequently develop mental disorders. We aimed to identify factors associated with anxiety disorders after a terrorist attack in both the medium and long terms. We used data collected on 180 first responders (medical/psychological health professionals and emergency rescue teams) interviewed face to face at 6-10 months (medium term) and 18-22 months (long term) after the January 2015 terrorist attacks in France. Anxiety disorders were measured using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview V6 and several other variables including terror exposure (comprising perceived level of exposure and real exposure level), sociodemographic characteristics, social support, mental health history, and access to psychological support resources. We developed a structural equation model to examine the interactions between these different factors. Postattack anxiety disorder prevalence in the medium and long terms was 16% and 14%, respectively. The main associated factors in the medium term were barriers to social support, perceived level of exposure, and a lack of psychological support resources. In the long term, the presence of anxiety disorders in the medium term and barriers to social support were directly associated with having anxiety disorders, while reexposure was indirectly associated. Barriers to social support played a crucial role in the prevalence of anxiety disorders in first responders following this traumatic event, both in the medium and long terms. Promoting stronger social cohesion and providing more psychological support resources following a disaster could help prevent anxiety disorders in this population.
Unique Common Fixed Points for Expansive Maps
Authors: Alzumi Hadeel Z. , Bouhadjera Hakima , Abdo Mohammed S.
Published: September 2023

In this work, we establish three common fixed point results for expansive maps satisfying implicit relations in metric and dislocated metric spaces. We do this by utilizing recently developed concept of occasionally weakly biased maps of type . These studies about the theory of common fixed points refine several earlier ones. Some illustrative examples are offered to support our theorems, and even better, a pertinent application is supplied to demonstrate the viability and applicability of one of these results.
Virulence Factors and Antimicrobial Resistance of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli EQ101 UPEC Isolated from UTI Patient in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Authors: Fatima Sareen , Akbar Ali , Irfan Muhammad , Shafee Muhammad , Ali Amjad , Ishaq Zaara , Raza Syed Kashif , Samad Abdul , Alshahrani Mohammad Y. , Hassan Syed Shah
Published: September 2023

Infectious diseases have been tremendously increasing as the organisms of even normal flora become opportunistic and cause an infection, and Escherichia coli (E. coli EQ101) is one of them. Urinary tract infections are caused by various microorganisms, but Escherichia coli is the primary cause of almost 70%–90% of all UTIs. It has multiple strains, possessing diverse virulence factors, contributing to its pathogenicity. Furthermore, these virulent strains also can cause overlapping pathogenesis by sharing resistance and virulence factors among each other. The current study is aimed at analyzing the genetic variants associated with multi‐drug‐resistant (MDR) E. coli using the whole genome sequencing platform. The study includes 100 uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) microorganisms obtained from urine samples out of which 44% were multi‐drug‐resistant (MDR) E. coli. Bacteria have been isolated and antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) was determined by disk diffusion method on the Mueller‐Hinton agar plate as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2020, and one isolate has been selected which shows resistance to most of the antibiotics, and that isolate has been analyzed by whole genome sequencing (WGS), accompanied by data and phylogenetic analysis, respectively. Organisms were showing resistance against ampicillin (10 μg), cefixime (5 μg), ceftriaxone (30 μg), nalidixic acid (30 μg), ciprofloxacin (5 μg), and ofloxacin (5 μg) on antimicrobial susceptibility test. WGS were done on selected isolate which identified 25 virulence genes (air, astA, chuA, fyuA, gad, hra, iha, irp2, iss, iucC, iutA, kpsE, kpsMII_K1, lpfA, mchF, ompT, papA_F43, sat, senB, sitA, terC, traT, usp, vat, and yfcV) and seven housekeeping genes (adk, fumC, gyrB, icd, mdh, purA, and recA). Among resistance genes, seven genes (TolC, emrR, evgA, qacEdelta1, H-NS, cpxA, and mdtM) were identified to be involved in antibiotic efflux, three AMR genes (aadA5, mphA, and CTX-M-15) were involved in antibiotic inactivation, and two genes (sul1 and dfrA14) were found to be involved in antibiotic drug replacement. Our data identified antibiotic resistance and virulence genes of the isolate. We suggest further research work to establish region‐based resistance profile in comparison with the global resistance pattern.
MiR-34a-Functionalized Hydroxyapatite by Lyophilization Promoted Bone Regeneration in Irradiated Bone Defects
Authors: Wu Xi , Feng Xiaoke , Zhang Gang , Liu Huan
Published: September 2023

The rehabilitation of bone defects after radiotherapy requires the development of osteoinductive bone substitutes. MicroRNA could be used as an osteogenic factor to fabricate functional materials for bone regeneration. In this study, we used miR-34a to enhance bone regeneration after irradiation. We lyophilized lipofectamine-agomiR-34a lipoplexes on hydroxyapatite (HA) to develop miR-34a-functionalized hydroxyapatite (HA-agomiR-34a). The morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. Fluorescence microscopy confirmed the retention of agomiR-34a on the surface of HA. HA-agomiR-34a showed high transfection efficiency and good biocompatibility. HA-agomiR-34a enhanced the osteoblastic differentiation of radiation-impaired bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Implantation of HA-agomiR-34a promoted bone regeneration in irradiated bone defects. HA-agomiR-34a may be a novel and safe bone substitute to promote the reconstruction of bone defects after radiotherapy.
Transposable Elements Are Co-opted as Oncogenic Regulatory Elements by Lineage-Specific Transcription Factors in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Grillo Giacomo , Keshavarzian Tina , Linder Simon , Arlidge Christopher , Mout Lisanne , Nand Ankita , Teng Mona , Qamra Aditi , Zhou Stanley , Kron Ken J. , Murison Alex , Hawley James R. , Fraser Michael , van der Kwast Theodorus H. , Raj Ganesh V. , He Housheng Hansen , Zwart Wilbert , Lupien Mathieu
Published: September 2023

Transposable elements hold regulatory functions that impact cell fate determination by controlling gene expression. However, little is known about the transcriptional machinery engaged at transposable elements in pluripotent and mature versus oncogenic cell states. Through positional analysis over repetitive DNA sequences of H3K27ac chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data from 32 normal cell states, we report pluripotent/stem and mature cell state–specific “regulatory transposable elements.” Pluripotent/stem elements are binding sites for pluripotency factors (e.g., NANOG, SOX2, OCT4). Mature cell elements are docking sites for lineage-specific transcription factors, including AR and FOXA1 in prostate epithelium. Expanding the analysis to prostate tumors, we identify a subset of regulatory transposable elements shared with pluripotent/stem cells, including Tigger3a. Using chromatin editing technology, we show how such elements promote prostate cancer growth by regulating AR transcriptional activity. Collectively, our results suggest that oncogenesis arises from lineage-specific transcription factors hijacking pluripotent/stem cell regulatory transposable elements.

Significance:

We show that oncogenesis relies on co-opting transposable elements from pluripotent stem cells as regulatory elements altering the recruitment of lineage-specific transcription factors. We further discover how co-option is dependent on active chromatin states with important implications for developing treatment options against drivers of oncogenesis across the repetitive DNA.

This article is featured in Selected Articles from This Issue, p. 2293
Table S2 from Effect of Test History at Ages 50–64 on Later Cervical Cancer Risk: A Population-based Case–control Study
Authors: Kultalahti Henric , Heinävaara Sirpa , Sarkeala Tytti , Pankakoski Maiju
Published: September 2023

Table S2 shows test results for cases and controls at ages 50–64 with data restricted to years 2000–2015, i.e. sensitivity analyses for missing opportunistic test data from 2014 onwards.
Table S1 from Effect of Test History at Ages 50–64 on Later Cervical Cancer Risk: A Population-based Case–control Study
Authors: Kultalahti Henric , Heinävaara Sirpa , Sarkeala Tytti , Pankakoski Maiju
Published: September 2023

Table S1 shows test uptake for cases and controls at ages 50–64 in and outside the screening program with data restricted to years 2000–2015, i.e. sensitivity analyses for missing opportunistic test data from 2014 onwards.
TABLE 3 from Effect of Test History at Ages 50–64 on Later Cervical Cancer Risk: A Population-based Case–control Study
Authors: Kultalahti Henric , Heinävaara Sirpa , Sarkeala Tytti , Pankakoski Maiju
Published: September 2023

Test uptake for cases and controls at ages 50–64 in and outside the screening program. aOR for developing invasive cervical cancer at ages 65–79 compared with those not tested
Supplementary Figure 2 from Surgical Inflammation Alters Immune Response to Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Davis Richard W. , Klampatsa Astero , Cramer Gwendolyn M. , Kim Michele M. , Miller Joann M. , Yuan Min , Houser Cassandra , Snyder Emma , Putt Mary , Vinogradov Sergei A. , Albelda Steven M. , Cengel Keith A. , Busch Theresa M.
Published: September 2023

Supplemental Figure 2. TI promotes acute inflammation
FIGURE 5 from Surgical Inflammation Alters Immune Response to Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Davis Richard W. , Klampatsa Astero , Cramer Gwendolyn M. , Kim Michele M. , Miller Joann M. , Yuan Min , Houser Cassandra , Snyder Emma , Putt Mary , Vinogradov Sergei A. , Albelda Steven M. , Cengel Keith A. , Busch Theresa M.
Published: September 2023

Splenocyte cells from TI/PDT treated mice transfer immunosuppression that limits PDT-induced antitumor immunity. Splenocytes isolated from the spleen of naïve mice, tumored mice, or tumored mice treated with TI, PDT, or TI/PDT were transferred alongside AB12 cells into recipient mice. Daily average tumor volume in recipient mice (A) and number of days for tumor growth to 150 mm3 (B) are shown. Splenocytes transferred from mice whose tumors were treated with PDT significantly delayed the growth of tumors. Compared with splenocytes isolated from mice receiving PDT alone, splenocytes transferred from mice whose tumors received TI prior to PDT permitted faster tumor growth in recipient mice. n = 5 recipient mice per group; *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.
FIGURE 4 from Surgical Inflammation Alters Immune Response to Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Davis Richard W. , Klampatsa Astero , Cramer Gwendolyn M. , Kim Michele M. , Miller Joann M. , Yuan Min , Houser Cassandra , Snyder Emma , Putt Mary , Vinogradov Sergei A. , Albelda Steven M. , Cengel Keith A. , Busch Theresa M.
Published: September 2023

CD8+ T cells mediate a robust anti-PDT response and transfer antitumor activity. A, In mice bearing AB12 tumors, administration of CD8+-depleting antibodies prior to PDT (n = 13) impeded tumor response compared with mice treated with isotype control prior to PDT (n = 12; P < 0.001). The median time of tumor growth to the 400 mm3 endpoint was 4–5 days in mice treated with CD8+-depleting antibodies (n = 9) or isotype (n = 3) in the absence of PDT. B, T cells were isolated from the spleens of naïve mice, tumored mice, or mice whose tumors were treated with PDT or TI/PDT and transferred alongside AB12 cells into recipient mice. T cells isolated from the spleen of mice bearing tumors generated growth delays in recipient mice compared with the T cells isolated from the naïve group; this growth delay was maintained when the T cells were alternatively harvested from PDT or TI/PDT treated mice relative to the naïve group. n = 5 recipient mice per group.
FIGURE 3 from Surgical Inflammation Alters Immune Response to Intraoperative Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Davis Richard W. , Klampatsa Astero , Cramer Gwendolyn M. , Kim Michele M. , Miller Joann M. , Yuan Min , Houser Cassandra , Snyder Emma , Putt Mary , Vinogradov Sergei A. , Albelda Steven M. , Cengel Keith A. , Busch Theresa M.
Published: September 2023

TI does not significantly impede direct PDT damage. Clonogenic analysis of tumor tissue immediately (A) or 24 hours (B) after PDT. At 24 hours after TI and/or PDT, reductions were observed in the median number of clonogenic cells per gram of tumor tissue compared with untreated controls (9.3-fold change for TI, 5.9-fold change for PDT, and 4.9-fold change for TI/PDT). Significance was only observed in the TI/PDT group versus untreated tumor control (TC, P = 0.0192). C, Immunoblot analysis of PARP cleavage 24 hours after PDT administration revealed no differences in TI-exposed tumors. n = 4 mice per group. D, Histologic samples taken from TI-, PDT-, or TI/PDT-treated tumors. H&E-stained sections are shown at 10X and 20X magnification. One representative image is shown from three repetitions showing similar extent of necrosis between PDT- and TI/PDT-treated tumors. n = 7–11 mice per group.
Comparative Efficacy and Acceptability of 12 Phosphorus-Lowering Drugs in Adults with Hyperphosphatemia and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Luo Houli , Feng Jian , Xue Gang , Zhang Yanbiao , Li Yunming , Huang Xi , Chen Xin , You Shuang , Dong Hongfei , Li Lingfan , Li Juncheng , Xiao Hualin , Ai Xiang , Li Xianhui , Huang Bo
Published: September 2023

Background: Hyperphosphatemia is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Drug therapy has an irreplaceable role in the management of hyperphosphatemia. Objectives: We aimed to compare and rank phosphorus-lowering drugs, including phosphate binder and nonphosphate binder, in hyperphosphatemia adults with CKD. Methods: We did a systematic review and frequentist random-effect network meta-analysis. We searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Embase from inception to February 1, 2023, for randomized controlled trials of 12 phosphorus-lowering drugs in adults with hyperphosphatemia and CKD. Primary outcomes were efficacy (changes in serum phosphorus) and acceptability (treatment withdrawals due to any cause). We ranked each drug according to the value of surface under the cumulative ranking curve. We applied the Confidence in Network Meta-Analysis frameworks to rate the certainty of evidence. This study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42022322270. Results: We identified 2,174 citations, and of these, we included 94 trials comprising 14,459 participants and comparing 13 drugs or placebo. In terms of efficacy, except for niacinamide, all drugs lowered the level of serum phosphorus compared with placebo, with mean difference ranging between −1.61 (95% credible interval [CrI], −2.60 to −0.62) mg/dL for magnesium carbonate and −0.85 (−1.66 to −0.05) mg/dL for bixalomer. Only ferric citrate with odds ratios 0.56 (95% CrI: 0.36–0.89) was significantly associated with fewer dropouts for acceptability. Of the 94 trials, 43 (46%), 7 (7%), and 44 (47%) trials were rated as high, moderate, and low risk of bias, respectively, the certainty of the evidence was moderate to very low. Conclusions: Magnesium carbonate has the best phosphorus-lowering effect in hyperphosphatemia adults with CKD; considering efficacy and acceptability, ferric citrate shows evidence to be the most appropriate drug with or without dialysis.
An Unusual Presentation of Hearing Impairment in an Adult with Pineal Region Germinoma: A Case Report
Authors: Mahboob Hani , Hamzah Abdulaziz , Alothman Ahmed , Ashqar Alaa Adel , Samkari Alaa , Alsinani Taghreed Abdulhameed , Almatrafi Faisal Rashed
Published: September 2023

Tumors of the pineal region typically present with symptoms and signs of mass effect and increased intracranial pressure. However, although rare and can be overlooked, hearing impairment is a potential clinical finding in these cases. The authors describe a 24-year-old male who presented to the emergency room complaining of bilateral hearing impairment. Brain computed tomography showed a pineal region tumor. Histopathological examination demonstrated features consistent with germinoma. This case reports a rare presentation rarely seen in the literature and in practice as evident by the conducted literature review. Therefore, we highlight the importance of considering hearing impairment as a presenting symptom of pineal region tumors since prompt recognition and intervention, as demonstrated in this case, can lead to successful outcomes.
A comunidade de jornalistas LGBTQIA+ e o esforço das ações afirmativas num Brasil conservador
Authors: Assis Francisco de
Published: September 2023

Este ensaio discute o esforço da comunidade de jornalistas LGBTQIA+ em ações afirmativas no mundo do trabalho, considerando a onda conservadora que tomou conta da cena político-social do Brasil nos últimos anos. São evidenciadas três iniciativas: a criação de uma Comissão LGBT pelo Sindicato dos Jornalistas Profissionais no Estado de São Paulo; uma pesquisa sobre profissionais de jornalismo que se identificam com a referida sigla; e o Manual de Comunicação LGBTI+ destinado a amparar jornalistas em relação às pautas de gênero. Embora significativas, em um contexto marcado por preconceitos e por silenciamentos de minorias, essas ações caminham devagar, justamente porque esbarram em outras questões, resultando em paradoxo semelhante ao que o feminismo identificou, há tempos, sobre a divisão sexual do trabalho: “tudo muda, mas nada muda”.
Resistência aos media e desconexão digital na literatura ocidental
Authors: Figueiras Rita , Brites Maria José , Schrøder Kim Christian
Published: September 2023

Este artigo visa contribuir para o debate sobre a desconexão digital por meio do conceito de resistência, um construto relacionado e mais estabelecido nos estudos dos media e da comunicação. Para tal, realizámos uma meta-análise aos artigos científicos que abordam ambos os conceitos e destacamos duas tendências principais: uma perspetiva centrada nos media e uma outra centrada no contexto. A análise da literatura sugere que essas duas tendências principais não são lineares nem sequenciais, mas cíclicas e recursivas. Ou seja, essas tendências podem ser entendidas como relatos de ondas de constrangimentos. Em conclusão, o artigo sugere que os estudos sobre a desconexão se beneficiariam se se afastassem de uma perspetiva assente em uma agência individualista em favor de uma abordagem mais sensível ao contexto.
"Mulheres Fotógrafas Anos 80": narrativas sobre uma exposição dedicada a mulheres
Authors: Nichele Heloisa , Corrêa Ronaldo de Oliveira
Published: September 2023

Neste artigo, propomos uma reconstrução da mostra “Mulheres fotógrafas anos 80”, promovida pelo Instituto Nacional de Fotografia da Funarte em 1989, no Rio de Janeiro. A partir de uma investigação documental de registros fragmentários e heterogêneos, tais como reportagens, notas de jornais e o catálogo resultante da mostra, criamos narrativas preliminares sobre a produção, circulação e recepção da exposição que coincidem com agendas sociais e políticas coletivas, tais como os movimentos feministas, o processo de institucionalização da fotografia no Brasil e a adesão de mulheres ao campo profissional. Por fim, pretendemos contribuir com a visibilidade de eventos desconsiderados pela historiografia, de forma a ampliar as versões sobre a participação de mulheres na história da fotografia brasileira.
O pintor e a polícia
Authors: English Darby , Muniz Leandro , Benetti Liliane
Published: September 2023

Tendo como pano de fundo histórico as manifestações contra a brutalidade policial dirigida às pessoas racializadas, Darby English detém-se, neste ensaio, em uma única pintura de Kerry James Marshall, Sem título (policial), de 2015, propondo, como método de análise, a descrição minuciosa de elementos formais, tais como a posição da figura no plano, seus trajes, as cores empregadas e outros tantos detalhes da cena. Ressaltando as ambiguidades e as indeterminações sustentadas pelo artista no trabalho, o autor formula questões cruciais sobre o sistema de representação vigente na arte e na cultura contemporâneas.
A arte e sua sombra: o que é contemporâneo na nova exposição do Acervo do MAC-USP
Authors: Ferreira José Bento Machado
Published: September 2023

Resenha sobre a nova exposição do Acervo do MAC-USP.
Effective Delivery of Vagus Nerve Stimulation Requires Many Stimulations Per Session and Many Sessions Per Week Over Many Weeks to Improve Recovery of Somatosensation
Authors: Ruiz Andrea D. , Malley Kaitlyn M. , Danaphongse Tanya T. , Ahmad Fatima N. , Mota Beltran Clareth , Rennaker Robert L. , Kilgard Michael P. , Hays Seth A.
Published: September 2023

Background

Chronic sensory loss is a common and undertreated consequence of many forms of neurological injury. Emerging evidence indicates that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) delivered during tactile rehabilitation promotes recovery of somatosensation.

Objective

Here, we characterize the amount, intensity, frequency, and duration of VNS therapy paradigms to determine the optimal dosage for VNS-dependent enhancement of recovery in a model of peripheral nerve injury (PNI).

Methods

Rats underwent transection of the medial and ulnar nerves in the forelimb, resulting in chronic sensory loss in the paw. Eight weeks after injury, rats were implanted with a VNS cuff and received tactile rehabilitation sessions consisting of repeated mechanical stimulation of the previously denervated forepaw paired with short bursts of VNS. Rats received VNS therapy in 1 of 6 systematically varied dosing schedules to identify a paradigm that balanced therapy effectiveness with a shorter regimen.

Results

Delivering 200 VNS pairings a day 4 days a week for 4 weeks produced the greatest percent improvement in somatosensory function compared to any of the 6 other groups (One Way analysis of variance at the end of therapy, F[4 70] P = .005).

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that an effective VNS therapy dosage delivers many stimulations per session, with many sessions per week, over many weeks. These results provide a framework to inform the development of VNS-based therapies for sensory restoration.
Pedestrian gaze pattern before crossing road in a naturalistic traffic setting
Authors: Zhao Qingxian , Zhuang Xiangling , Zhang Tong , He Yunqi , Ma Guojie
Published: September 2023

Background

Gaze is the primary way for pedestrians to obtain clues from traffic scenes before making decisions. Therefore, understanding pedestrian gaze pattern is vital for traffic safety in general and for the design of autonomous vehicles.

Methods

In this study, participants made road-crossing decisions in a naturalistic traffic scene, with an eye-tracker recording their gaze behaviors. We manually encoded the recorded videos with 14,898 fixations, and then analyzed the gaze pattern at three levels from general to specific: gaze towards overall scenes, gaze towards vehicles and gaze towards components of vehicles.

Findings

At the first level, our findings indicate that frequent fixations began to appear at the distance of 100 m and peaked around 5–30 m away from pedestrians. Transversely pedestrians mainly gazed at the two lanes adjacent to themselves. Pedestrians allocated 53% gaze duration to motor vehicles. For a specific vehicle, which is the second level, the gaze duration varied with vehicles' attributes such as distances, sizes, and types. Finally, at the third level, we discovered that pedestrians’ gaze duration on different vehicle components varied with the longitudinal distance. As vehicles approach, the main area of fixation expanded from the near side headlight to the whole front and near side, and finally shift to the near side of a vehicle.

Implications

The distribution of fixations in space and vehicle components before pedestrian crossing can provide fundamental information for understanding and modeling of pedestrian's road-crossing behaviors. In practice, our findings can guide the timing and position of information displays on autonomous vehicles to facilitate friendly interaction with pedestrians.
HMCDA: a novel method based on the heterogeneous graph neural network and metapath for circRNA-disease associations prediction
Authors: Liang Shiyang , Liu Siwei , Song Junliang , Lin Qiang , Zhao Shihong , Li Shuaixin , Li Jiahui , Liang Shangsong , Wang Jingjie
Published: September 2023

Circular RNA (CircRNA) is a type of non-coding RNAs in which both ends are covalently linked. Researchers have demonstrated that many circRNAs can act as biomarkers of diseases. However, traditional experimental methods for circRNA-disease associations identification are labor-intensive. In this work, we propose a novel method based on the heterogeneous graph neural network and metapaths for circRNA-disease associations prediction termed as HMCDA. First, a heterogeneous graph consisting of circRNA-disease associations, circRNA-miRNA associations, miRNA-disease associations and disease-disease associations are constructed. Then, six metapaths are defined and generated according to the biomedical pathways. Afterwards, the entity content transformation, intra-metapath and inter-metapath aggregation are implemented to learn the embeddings of circRNA and disease entities. Finally, the learned embeddings are used to predict novel circRNA-disase associations. In particular, the result of extensive experiments demonstrates that HMCDA outperforms four state-of-the-art models in fivefold cross validation. In addition, our case study indicates that HMCDA has the ability to identify novel circRNA-disease associations.
Purifying selection leads to low protein diversity of the mitochondrial cyt b gene in avian malaria parasites
Authors: Wang Xinyi , Bensch Staffan , Huang Xi , Dong Lu
Published: September 2023

Background

Mitochondrial respiration plays a central role in the survival of many eukaryotes, including apicomplexan parasites. A 479-bp fragment from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene is widely used as a barcode to identify genetic lineages of avian malaria parasites Plasmodium and related haemosporidians. Here we looked for evidence of selection in the avian Plasmodium cyt b gene, using tests of selection and protein structure modeling. We also tested for the association between cyt b polymorphism and the host specificity of these parasites.

Results

Based on 1,089 lineages retrieved from the Malavi database, we found that the frequency of the most conserved amino acids in most sites was more than 90%, indicating that the protein diversity of the avian Plasmodium cyt b barcode was low. The exceptions were four amino acid sites that were highly polymorphic, though the substitutions had only slight functional impacts on the encoded proteins. The selection analyses revealed that avian Plasmodium cyt b was under strong purifying selection, and no positively selected sites were detected. Besides, lineages with a wide host range tend to share cyt b protein haplotypes.

Conclusions

Our research indicates that purifying selection is the dominant force in the evolution of the avian Plasmodium cyt b lineages and leads to its low diversity at the protein level. Host specificity may also play a role in shaping the low mitochondrial diversity in the evolution of avian malaria parasites. Our results highlight the importance of considering selection pressure on the cyt b barcode region and lay a foundation for further understanding the evolutionary pattern of mitochondrial genes in avian malaria.
Codon usage pattern of the ancestor of green plants revealed through Rhodophyta
Authors: Yao Huipeng , Li Tingting , Ma Zheng , Wang Xiyuan , Xu Lixiao , Zhang Yuxin , Cai Yi , Tang Zizhong
Published: September 2023

Rhodophyta are among the closest known relatives of green plants. Studying the codons of their genomes can help us understand the codon usage pattern and characteristics of the ancestor of green plants. By studying the codon usage pattern of all available red algae, it was found that although there are some differences among species, high-bias genes in most red algae prefer codons ending with GC. Correlation analysis, Nc-GC3s plots, parity rule 2 plots, neutrality plot analysis, differential protein region analysis and comparison of the nucleotide content of introns and flanking sequences showed that the bias phenomenon is likely to be influenced by local mutation pressure and natural selection, the latter of which is the dominant factor in terms of translation accuracy and efficiency. It is worth noting that selection on translation accuracy could even be detected in the low-bias genes of individual species. In addition, we identified 15 common optimal codons in seven red algae except for G. sulphuraria for the first time, most of which were found to be complementary and bound to the tRNA genes with the highest copy number. Interestingly, tRNA modification was found for the highly degenerate amino acids of all multicellular red algae and individual unicellular red algae, which indicates that highly biased genes tend to use modified tRNA in translation. Our research not only lays a foundation for exploring the characteristics of codon usage of the red algae as green plant ancestors, but will also facilitate the design and performance of transgenic work in some economic red algae in the future.
Genome-wide identification of GhRLCK-VII subfamily genes in Gossypium hirsutum and investigation of their functions in resistance to Verticillium wilt
Authors: Liu Xiuyan , Lei Zhongping , Yang Yuzhen , Wang Zhenkai , Ha Shengying , Lei Zhangying , He Daohua
Published: September 2023

Background

The receptor-like cytoplasmic kinases subfamily VII (RLCK-VII) is critical in regulating plant growth, development, and pattern-triggered immunity. However, a comprehensive exploration of these genes in the allotetraploid Gossypium hirsutum is still lacking. This study aimed to identify RLCK-VII genes in G. hirsutum and investigate their evolutionary history, structural features, expression patterns, and role in plant defense.

Results

Seventy-two RLCK-VII genes in the G. hirsutum genome were unveiled and classified into nine groups following their phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis thaliana. Group VII-1 was the largest, accounting for 28%, while Groups VII-2 and VII-3 had only one member each. The analysis using MCScanX revealed that these 72 genes formed 166 collinear gene pairs and were resided on 26 chromosomes of G. hirsutum, suggesting that they were derived from whole genome segmental duplication events. Their calculated Ka/Ks values were below one, implying the occurrence of purification selection during the evolution and inhibition of gene function differentiation/loss. All members of the RLCK-VII subfamily possessed two conserved domains, PKinase-Tyr and PKinase, and several conserved PBS1 kinase subdomains, individually included in one of the ten motifs identified using MEME. The RNA-Seq results showed that RLCK-VII genes exhibited different spatiotemporal expression, indicating their involvement in cotton growth, development, and defense responses to Verticillium dahliae. The transcription patterns of RLCK-VII genes found by RNA-Seq were further validated using qRT-PCR assays after inoculating “20B12” (cotton cultivar) with “V991” (V. dahliae). The virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) assays uncovered that two RLCK-VII genes (Gohir.A13G227248 and Gohir.A10G219900) were essential to G. hirsutum resistance to Verticillium wilt.

Conclusions

These observations offer valuable insight into the attributes and roles of RLCK-VII genes in G. hirsutum, potentially enable the breeding of new cotton cultivars with enhanced resistance to Verticillium wilt.