bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Active and Passive Exposure to Tobacco and e-Cigarettes During Pregnancy
Authors: Schilling Laura , Spallek Jacob , Maul Holger , Tallarek Marie , Schneider Sven
Published: November 2020

Objectives

Active and passive exposure to tobacco cigarettes during pregnancy is associated with multiple negative health outcomes for the fetus. In addition, exposure to e-cigarettes has been progressively discussed as a new threat to fetal health. Until now, there has been a lack of studies examining active and passive exposure to tobacco and e-cigarettes among pregnant women. The objective of our current STudy on E-cigarettes and Pregnancy (STEP) was to advance and complement the current knowledge regarding active and passive exposure to tobacco and e-cigarettes before pregnancy and during early and late pregnancy.

Methods

One element of the STEP study was a quantitative cross-sectional design: A sample of 540 pregnant women recruited at an obstetrician clinic in Hamburg from April 2018 to January 2019 were surveyed once via a standardized questionnaire and provided complete information regarding their consumption of tobacco and e-cigarettes. We performed a descriptive analysis of tobacco and e-cigarette use before pregnancy and during early and late pregnancy, as well as bivariate analysis of these variables with sociodemographic determinants. Passive exposure was assessed by asking the participating pregnant women about the consumption of tobacco and e-cigarettes by their partners, in general, and in their homes.

Results

Before pregnancy, 20.0% of the participants used tobacco cigarettes exclusively, 1.3% used e-cigarettes exclusively, and 6.5% were dual users. Educational level was significantly associated with tobacco cigarette use (p < 0.001) and dual use (p = 0.047) before pregnancy. During early (late) pregnancy, 8.7% (2.8%) used tobacco cigarettes and 0.4% (0.0%) used e-cigarettes exclusively. Twenty-point nine percent of women’s partners consumed tobacco cigarettes exclusively, 2.7% consumed e-cigarettes exclusively, and 2.7% consumed both. A total of 8.5% (16.7%) of the partners who consumed tobacco cigarettes exclusively (e-cigarettes exclusively) did so in the women’s homes.

Conclusions for Practice

Among pregnant women, the use of tobacco cigarettes remains prominent before and during pregnancy, while e-cigarette use predominately occurs before pregnancy. Our study shows that pregnant women are frequently exposed to their partners’ tobacco and e-cigarette use within their homes. Strategies to reduce such exposure should be further intensified.
Directionality of Macrophages Movement in Tumour Invasion: A Multiscale Moving-Boundary Approach
Authors: Suveges Szabolcs , Eftimie Raluca , Trucu Dumitru
Published: November 2020

Invasion of the surrounding tissue is one of the recognised hallmarks of cancer (Hanahan and Weinberg in Cell 100: 57–70, 2000.10.1016/S0092-8674(00)81683-9), which is accomplished through a complex heterotypic multiscale dynamics involving tissue-scale random and directed movement of the population of both cancer cells and other accompanying cells (including here, the family of tumour-associated macrophages) as well as the emerging cell-scale activity of both the matrix-degrading enzymes and the rearrangement of the cell-scale constituents of the extracellular matrix (ECM) fibres. The involved processes include not only the presence of cell proliferation and cell adhesion (to other cells and to the extracellular matrix), but also the secretion of matrix-degrading enzymes. This is as a result of cancer cells as well as macrophages, which are one of the most abundant types of immune cells in the tumour micro-environment. In large tumours, these tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) have a tumour-promoting phenotype, contributing to tumour proliferation and spread. In this paper, we extend a previous multiscale moving-boundary mathematical model for cancer invasion, by considering also the multiscale effects of TAMs, with special focus on the influence that their directional movement exerts on the overall tumour progression. Numerical investigation of this new model shows the importance of the interactions between pro-tumour TAMs and the fibrous ECM, highlighting the impact of the fibres on the spatial structure of solid tumour.
Electro-physiology Models of Cells with Spherical Geometry with Non-conducting Center
Authors: Jiang Jiamu , Smith Paul , van Rossum Mark C. W.
Published: November 2020

We study the flow of electrical currents in spherical cells with a non-conducting core, so that current flow is restricted to a thin shell below the cell’s membrane. Examples of such cells are fat storing cells (adipocytes). We derive the relation between current and voltage in the passive regime and examine the conditions under which the cell is electro-tonically compact. We compare our results to the well-studied case of electrical current flow in cylinder structures, such as neurons, described by the cable equation. In contrast to the cable, we find that for the sphere geometry (1) the voltage profile across the cell depends critically on the electrode geometry, and (2) the charging and discharging can be much faster than the membrane time constant; however, (3) voltage clamp experiments will incur similar distortion as in the cable case. We discuss the relevance for adipocyte function and experimental electro-physiology.
Economic inequality, income, and their effects on electoral and civil society participation in authoritarian regimes
Authors: Pelke Lars
Published: November 2020

What effect does economic inequality in authoritarian regimes have upon the political participation of its citizens? Do individual income and repression each have a greater effect than economic inequality? Three prominent theories, namely the Conflict, Relative Power, and Resource Theories address the inequality-participation puzzle in the context of democracies. However, theoretical arguments and empirical evidence for non-democratic regimes are scarce. I argue that it is individual income and the level of repression rather than economic inequality that explain political participation in autocracies. Using three-level hierarchical models that combine micro and macro level data for 65,000 individuals covering a various set of 31 authoritarian regimes and 54 country-years, this analysis demonstrates that higher levels of economic inequality hardly suppress political participation among all citizens. However, individual income has a more powerfully effect on civil society participation, while the level of repression decreases the voting likelihood more powerful than income. These findings suggest that the Resource Theory generates the greatest empirical support for autocracies.
Lipid nanoparticle technologies for the study of G protein-coupled receptors in lipid environments
Authors: Lavington Steven , Watts Anthony
Published: November 2020

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large family of integral membrane proteins which conduct a wide range of biological roles and represent significant drug targets. Most biophysical and structural studies of GPCRs have been conducted on detergent-solubilised receptors, and it is clear that detergents can have detrimental effects on GPCR function. Simultaneously, there is increasing appreciation of roles for specific lipids in modulation of GPCR function. Lipid nanoparticles such as nanodiscs and styrene maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs) offer opportunities to study integral membrane proteins in lipid environments, in a form that is soluble and amenable to structural and biophysical experiments. Here, we review the application of lipid nanoparticle technologies to the study of GPCRs, assessing the relative merits and limitations of each system. We highlight how these technologies can provide superior platforms to detergents for structural and biophysical studies of GPCRs and inform on roles for protein-lipid interactions in GPCR function.
Knowledge-driven graph similarity for text classification
Authors: Shanavas Niloofer , Wang Hui , Lin Zhiwei , Hawe Glenn
Published: November 2020

Automatic text classification using machine learning is significantly affected by the text representation model. The structural information in text is necessary for natural language understanding, which is usually ignored in vector-based representations. In this paper, we present a graph kernel-based text classification framework which utilises the structural information in text effectively through the weighting and enrichment of a graph-based representation. We introduce weighted co-occurrence graphs to represent text documents, which weight the terms and their dependencies based on their relevance to text classification. We propose a novel method to automatically enrich the weighted graphs using semantic knowledge in the form of a word similarity matrix. The similarity between enriched graphs, knowledge-driven graph similarity, is calculated using a graph kernel. The semantic knowledge in the enriched graphs ensures that the graph kernel goes beyond exact matching of terms and patterns to compute the semantic similarity of documents. In the experiments on sentiment classification and topic classification tasks, our knowledge-driven similarity measure significantly outperforms the baseline text similarity measures on five benchmark text classification datasets.
Growth of ultra-dense MoS2 nanosheets on carbon fibers to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of polyimide composites
Authors: Yang Jin , Xiao Qingfeng , Lin Zhe , Li Yong , Jia Xiaohua , Song Haojie
Published: November 2020

To enhance the interface bonding of polyimide (PI)/carbon fiber (CF) composites, CFs were functionalized by introducing a polydopamine (PDA) transition layer, whose active groups provide absorption sites for the growth of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets and improve the bonding strength with PI. Uniform and dense MoS2 nanosheets with thicknesses of 30–40 nm on the surface of the PDA@CF were obtained via a subsequent hydrothermal method. As a result, the interface between the CF and the PI matrix becomes more compact with the help of the PDA transition layer and MoS2 nanosheets. This is beneficial in forming PI/CF-MoS2 composites with better thermal stability, higher tensile strength, and enhanced tribological properties. The lubricating and reinforcing effects of the hybrid CF-MoS2 in the PI composite are discussed in detail. The tensile strength of the PI/CF-MoS2 composite increases by 43%, and the friction coefficient and the wear rate reduce by 57% and 77%, respectively, compared to those of the pure PI. These values are higher than those of the PI/CF composites without MoS2 nanosheets. These results indicate that the CF-MoS2 hybrid material can be used as an additive to improve the mechanical and tribological properties of polymers.
A Boothby–Wang Theorem for Besse Contact Manifolds
Authors: Kegel Marc , Lange Christian
Published: November 2020

A Reeb flow on a contact manifold is called Besse if all its orbits are periodic, possibly with different periods. We characterize contact manifolds whose Reeb flows are Besse as principal $$S^1$$

S
1

-orbibundles over integral symplectic orbifolds satisfying some cohomological condition. Apart from the cohomological condition, this statement appears in the work of Boyer and Galicki in the language of Sasakian geometry (Boyer and Galicki in Sasakian geometry, Oxford Mathematical Monographs, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008). We illustrate some non-commonly dealt with perspective on orbifolds in a proof of the above result. More precisely, we work with orbifolds as quotients of manifolds by smooth Lie group actions with finite stabilizer groups. By introducing all relevant orbifold notions in this equivariant way, we avoid patching constructions with orbifold charts. As an application, and building on work by Cristofaro-Gardiner–Mazzucchelli, we deduce a complete classification of closed Besse contact 3-manifolds up to strict contactomorphism.
Heterogeneous trembles and model selection in the strategy frequency estimation method
Authors: Bland James R.
Published: November 2020

The strategy frequency estimation method (Dal Bó and Fréchette in Am Econ Rev 101(1):411-429, 2011; Fudenberg in Am Econ Rev 102(2):720-749, 2012) allows us to estimate the fraction of subjects playing each of a list of strategies in an infinitely repeated game. Currently, this method assumes that subjects tremble with the same probability. This paper extends this method, so that subjects’ trembles can be heterogeneous. Out of 60 ex ante plausible specifications, the selected model uses the six strategies described in Dal Bó and Fréchette (2018), and allows the distribution of trembles to vary by strategy.
Die Pandemie offenbart die Defizite des transnationalen Menschenrechtsschutzes: Ein Plädoyer für eine Konfliktperspektive auf globale Lieferketten
Authors: Scheper Christian , Vestena Carolina A.
Published: November 2020

Die Corona-Pandemie hat zu massiven Disruptionen globaler Lieferketten geführt und damit die Exportökonomien vieler Produktionsländer existenziell getroffen. Besonders dramatisch ist dies für die Arbeiter:innen am Anfang der Wertschöpfungskette. Die Verletzungen international anerkannter sozialer und ökonomischer Rechte in globalen Lieferketten sind heute massiver als vor der Krise und offenbaren ein weitreichendes Konfliktpotenzial. Der Beitrag verdeutlicht diese Situation beispielhaft für Brasilien und Indien und problematisiert auf dieser Grundlage globale Lieferketten als Thema der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung. Lieferketten sind Räume politischer Auseinandersetzungen um materielle und ideologische Bedingungen der Produktion, die durch eine Vielzahl institutioneller Kontexte und Akteure mitgestaltet werden. Ein umkämpfter Gegenstand ist dabei der mangelnde Arbeits- und Menschenrechtsschutz. Der dominante Weg zur Adressierung dieses Mangels sind die Institutionen und Praktiken der transnationalen privaten Governance durch Standards, Zertifizierung, Monitoring und Audits. In der Pandemie offenbaren diese ohnehin lückenhaften Ansätze, dass sie gerade in Krisenzeiten ungeeignet sind, um grundlegende Arbeits- und Menschenrechte zu sichern und bestehende Konflikte zu befrieden. Der Beitrag betont abschließend die Verbindung zwischen globalen Lieferketten und lokalen Konflikten und plädiert für eine Forschungsagenda zu „Lieferketten und Konflikt“.
Dry gas seal performance analysis using a hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure decoupling method: Part 2
Authors: Li Shicong , Qian Caifu , Zhao Jun , Li Qingzhan , Li Shuangxi
Published: November 2020

This article describes a method that decouples hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure from total pressure in a dry gas seal, and analyses their functions and evaluates their contributions. It is applied to the pressure distributions of three typical symmetrical-groove dry gas seals – in particular the “fir tree” groove design – and is used to analyse the relationship between sealing performance and rotational speed. By separating the hydrodynamic and hydrostatic pressure distributions, their effects on sealing performance can be evaluated respectively. The hydrodynamic pressure of a symmetrical-groove dry gas seal is very weak because of the symmetry of the groove, which means that sealing performance is determined mainly by hydrostatic pressure. Therefore, when optimising the groove structure of such a seal, performance is improved by making the groove more receptive to high pressure. The first instalment of this article appears in the September 2020 issue of Sealing Technology (pages 4–9).
Wound Care During the COVID-19 Emergency in Padua Hospital, Italy
Authors: Avruscio Giampiero , Adamo Angelo , Tonello Chiara , Baracco Elisabetta , Nalin Fabiana , Scarpazzo Ornella , Cacco Lorenza , Ragazzo Sonia
Published: November 2020

Chronic vascular wounds have a significant economic and social impact on our society, calling for the allocation of a great deal of attention and resources. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has represented a difficult challenge to face for health care providers and fragile patients, such as for outpatients and Day-Hospital patients needing continuous care at the Angiology Unit of the University Hospital of Padova in Italy, one of the most crucial areas worldwide. The project consisted of a critical revision of all the procedures from the patients’ arrivals to their discharge after completing the entire course of treatment. The previous standard of practice was modified according to the current evidence-based guidelines and the national and local government’s indications. The new standard of practice allowed our unit to protect every patient and staff member from the coronavirus infection, providing the same high standard of care as before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Health Care Workers’ Legal Liability and Immunity During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Al-Azri Nasser Hammad
Published: November 2020

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is the most unprecedented crisis facing modern health care governance in a century. Many health care activities are attracting scrutiny from ethical and legal perspectives. Therefore, health care professionals are concerned about legal ambiguity regarding legal liability and immunity in their areas of practice. Law is a key response activity that promotes a sense of safety and security among health care workers. This article describes why it is important formally to address issues of altered operations in health care practice during emergencies. Furthermore, this article provides suggestions regarding solutions to the issue of legal liability during disasters. Implementing ethical and legal clarity during a disaster response is necessary for a strong health care system at international and local levels to achieve a stable health care workforce operating for the public good within a safe and secure working environment.
Persistence of Positive RT-PCR Results for Over 70 Days in Two Travelers with COVID-19
Authors: Kandetu Theo-Ben , Dziuban Eric J. , Sikuvi Kaveto , Beard Rachel S. , Nghihepa Reginald , van Rooyen Gerhard , Shiningavamwe Andreas , Katjitae Ismael
Published: November 2020

The relation of continuing to test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to infectivity remains unclear, with numerous consequences. This report describes 2 patients with persistent viral detection by RT-PCR for 77 and 72 days, respectively, longer than other reported case-patients who were otherwise healthy.
Urban and Rural Disparities of Personal Health Behaviors and the Influencing Factors During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Based on an Extended IMB Model
Authors: Luo Yetao , Yao Lili , Hu Ling , Zhou Li , Yuan Feng , Zhong Xiaoni
Published: November 2020

Objective:

Health behavior was conducive to control the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic. This study aimed to determine the differences in health behaviors and related factors among rural and urban residents in China.

Methods:

From February 14 to 22, 2020, during the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic in China, a total of 2449 participants (1783 (72.81%) urban residents and 666 (27.19%) rural residents) were recruited by snowball sampling on WeChat and QQ social platforms, both owned by Tencent. Data were collected through the Web-questionnaire guided by an information–motivation–behavioral skills model. The multiple-group structural equation model was applied to analyze the factors.

Results:

Rural residents had lower health behavior scores than urban residents, even after adjusting demographic characteristics (33.86 vs 34.29, P = 0.042; total score was 40). Motivational, behavioral skills, and stress had direct positive and negative influences on health behaviors of urban and rural residents. Information and positive perception of interventions had direct effects on health behaviors in rural residents, but not in urban residents. All the factors were mediated by behavioral skills in rural and urban residents.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that the government should pay attention to substantial rural and urban disparities and implement different COVID-19 prevention and intervention policies for health behaviors targeting rural and urban residents.
Self-Localization in Highly Dynamic Environments Based on Dual-Channel Unscented Particle Filter
Authors: Hao Chen , Chengju Liu , Qijun Chen
Published: November 2020

Self-localization in highly dynamic environments is still a challenging problem for humanoid robots with limited computation resource. In this paper, we propose a dual-channel unscented particle filter (DC-UPF)-based localization method to address it. A key novelty of this approach is that it employs a dual-channel switch mechanism in measurement updating procedure of particle filter, solving for sparse vision feature in motion, and it leverages data from a camera, a walking odometer, and an inertial measurement unit. Extensive experiments with an NAO robot demonstrate that DC-UPF outperforms UPF and Monte–Carlo localization with regard to accuracy.
Cultural Genocide and Restitution: The Early Wave of Jewish Cultural Restitution in the Aftermath of World War II
Authors: Bilsky Leora
Published: November 2020

Cultural restitution in international law typically aims to restore cultural property to the state of origin. The experience of World War II raised the question of how to adapt this framework to deal with states that persecuted cultural groups within their own borders. Nazi Germany’s persecution of Jews and its attempt to destroy their cultural heritage began before the war and was carried out systematically throughout the war in the conquered territories. After the war, the Polish Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin advocated for the recognition of the new crime of genocide and, in particular, its cultural dimensions. Jewish organizations also argued that cultural destruction should be seen as an integral component of the crime of genocide and that the remedy of cultural restitution should be part of the effort to rehabilitate the injured group, but their efforts to gain recognition in the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg for the unique harm suffered by the Jews were unsuccessful. This article discusses an innovative approach developed by Jewish jurists and scholars in the late 1940s and 1950s, according to which heirless cultural property was returned to Jewish organizations as trustees for the Jewish people. Though largely forgotten in the annals of law, this approach offers a promising model for international law to overcome its statist bias and recognize the critical importance of cultural heritage for the rehabilitation of (non-state) victim groups.
Generalizations of the Ruzsa–Szemerédi and rainbow Turán problems for cliques
Authors: Gowers W. T. , Janzer Barnabás
Published: November 2020

Considering a natural generalization of the Ruzsa–Szemerédi problem, we prove that for any fixed positive integers r, s with r < s, there are graphs on n vertices containing
$n^{r}e^{-O\left(\sqrt{\log{n}}\right)}=n^{r-o(1)}$
copies of Ks such that any Kr is contained in at most one Ks. We also give bounds for the generalized rainbow Turán problem ex (n, H, rainbow - F) when F is complete. In particular, we answer a question of Gerbner, Mészáros, Methuku and Palmer, showing that there are properly edge-coloured graphs on n vertices with
$n^{r-1-o(1)}$
copies of Kr such that no Kr is rainbow.
Beauty
Authors: Siegel Jonah
Published: November 2020

Alfred Tennyson's poem “The Palace of Art” (1832/1842) is liable to strike the modern reader as all too clear in its meanings. Yet the author evidently feels the need to gloss the theme of the workandto elaborately preview its narrative in a brief poem that he includes with the piece when he sends it to his friend Richard Trench. “I send you here a sort of allegory (For you will understand it),” Tennyson writes in a peculiar formulation that muddies several issues about the aspirations of the work even while expressing certainty about the poem's clarity. The suggestion is that Trench will have access to a particular insight (“you will understand” being something we say when others may not). Or does Tennyson mean that the allegory is so clear that its tendency is unmissable? That would certainly be a reasonable construal of the claim about a poem with few apparent mysteries.
Negotiating Convention: Pop-Ups and Populism at the San Francisco Opera
Authors: STEIGERWALD ILLE MEGAN
Published: November 2020

Twenty-first-century North American opera houses have attempted to bring in new audiences to make up for a declining and aging population of subscribers through means both traditional and unorthodox. The San Francisco Opera's SF Lab Initiative (2015–2018) was created with such goals in mind. Alternative forms of programming, which I categorize as auxiliary programming, have gained traction as a marketing and aesthetic strategy in recent years, and ultimately signal a dramatic shift in approaches to regional opera production in the United States. While scholars have explored the creation and funding of contemporary operatic productions in the United States, little attention has been given to forms of programming beyond the operatic mainstage. Using interviews with company members and analysis of advertising and reception of the events, I examine the SFO Lab programming as a site of negotiation between operatic convention and experimentation. Based on a populist vision of operatic access, the SF Opera Lab re-contextualized rather than eliminated class and intellectual hierarchies. More broadly, this application of experimental performativity contributes to discourses about Pan-American experimentalism(s) and demonstrates the ways in which a focus on local encounters can yield broad applications for genres and/or scenes beyond opera in the United States.
Finding Florence Mills: The Voice of the Harlem Jazz Queen in the Compositions of William Grant Still and Edmund Thornton Jenkins
Authors: DOKTOR STEPHANIE
Published: November 2020

After her performances inShuffle Along(1921) on Broadway and inDover Street to Dixie(1923) in London, Florence Mills became one of the most famous jazz and vaudeville singers. Known as the Harlem Jazz Queen, Mills was revered by Black Americans for her international breakthrough and because she used her commercial success as a platform to speak out against racial inequality. Extensive descriptions of her performance style and voice exist in writing, but there are no recordings of her singing. I respond to this archival loss by considering the sound of Mills's voice in two compositions written for her: William Grant Still'sLevee Land(1925) and Edmund Thornton Jenkins'sAfram(1924). In my analysis, I show that Still and Jenkins imagined a much more musically complicated and politically powerful voice than that found in the racialized and gendered stereotypes permeating both her vaudeville and Broadway repertory and the language of her reception. While scholars have written about how Mills's outspokenness regarding issues of race and omission of sexually explicit roles made her central to 1920s Black political and artistic life, I consider how the sonic properties of her voice positioned her as a leading figure in the New Negro Renaissance.
COVID-19-Pandemie in Berlin und Brandenburg – Eine Ist-Analyse in Krankenhäusern aus Sicht des Pflegemanagements
Authors: Gräske Johannes , Lengert-Brzozowski Sandra , Neumann Fränze , Görsch Luisa , Biniok Maria , Koppe Louise
Published: November 2020

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Während der COVID-19-Pandemie ist unklar, wie Krankenhäuser in den Bundesländern Berlin und Brandenburg bezüglich struktureller Änderungen, Personalsituation, Schutzausrüstung und Schulungsmaßnahmen aufgestellt sind. Daher ist das Ziel der Untersuchung, die Ist-Standsbeschreibung aller Krankenhäuser in beiden Ländern zu erfassen und gegenüberzustellen. Methodik: Im April 2020 wurde eine online-basierte Ist-Standserhebung aller Krankenhäuser in Berlin und Brandenburg (n = 99) durchgeführt. Gefragt wurden nach strukturellen Kapazitäten, der Personalsituation, Schutzausrüstung und Schulungsmaßnahmen. Ergebnisse: Die Krankenhäuser (Rücklaufquote: 31,3 %) haben bis auf n = 1 Einrichtung, alle strukturelle Veränderungen vorgenommen. Die Ausfallquote wird sowohl vor (58,6 %) als auch während der Pandemie (51,5 %) mehrheitlich mit 5 – 10 % als kritisch angegeben. Der Anteil mit > 10 % Ausfallquote steigt von 20,7 % auf 31,0 %. 45,2 % der Krankenhäuser geben an, selten Engpässe bei Schutzkleidung zu haben. Oftmals werden Pflegepersonen peripherer Stationen im Umgang mit Beatmungspatient_innen geschult. Der Umfang beträgt im Median 2 – 8 Stunden. Signifikante Unterschiede zwischen Berlin und Brandenburg wurden nicht gefunden. Schlussfolgerungen: Die Krankenhäuser in Berlin und Brandenburg sind zum Zeitpunkt der Umfrage gut auf die Herausforderungen durch die COVID-19-Pandemie vorbereitet. Im April 2020 reichen die Maßnahmen aus, die Versorgung sicherzustellen.
The prognostic impact of RAS on overall survival following liver resection in early versus late-onset colorectal cancer patients
Authors: Jácome Alexandre A. , Vreeland Timothy J. , Johnson Benny , Kawaguchi Yoshikuni , Wei Steven H. , Nancy You Y. , Vilar Eduardo , Vauthey Jean-Nicolas , Eng Cathy
Published: November 2020

Background

The impact of molecular aberrations on survival after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) in patients with early-age-onset (EOCRC) versus late-age-onset colorectal cancer (LOCRC) is unknown.

Methods

Patients who underwent liver resection for CLM with known RAS, BRAF and MSI status were retrospectively studied. The prognostic impact of RAS mutations by age was analysed with age as a categorical variable and a continuous variable.

Results

The study included 573 patients, 192 with EOCRC and 381 with LOCRC. The younger the age of onset of CRC, the greater the negative impact on overall survival of RAS mutations in the LOCRC, EOCRC, and ≤40 years (hazard ratio (HR), 1.64 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.23–2.20), 2.03 (95% CI, 1.30–3.17), and 2.97 (95% CI, 1.44–6.14), respectively. Age-specific mortality risk and linear regression analysis also demonstrated that RAS mutations had a greater impact on survival in EOCRC than in LOCRC (slope: −4.07, 95% CI −8.10 to 0.04, P = 0.047, R2 = 0.08).

Conclusion

Among patients undergoing CLM resection, RAS mutations have a greater negative influence on survival in patients with EOCRC, more so in patients ≤40 years, than in patients with LOCRC and should be considered as a prognostic factor in multidisciplinary treatment planning.
Proteomic profiling and genome-wide mapping of O-GlcNAc chromatin-associated proteins reveal an O-GlcNAc-regulated genotoxic stress response
Authors: Liu Yubo , Chen Qiushi , Zhang Nana , Zhang Keren , Dou Tongyi , Cao Yu , Liu Yimin , Li Kun , Hao Xinya , Xie Xueqin , Li Wenli , Ren Yan , Zhang Jianing
Published: November 2020

O-GlcNAc modification plays critical roles in regulating the stress response program and cellular homeostasis. However, systematic and multi-omics studies on the O-GlcNAc regulated mechanism have been limited. Here, comprehensive data are obtained by a chemical reporter-based method to survey O-GlcNAc function in human breast cancer cells stimulated with the genotoxic agent adriamycin. We identify 875 genotoxic stress-induced O-GlcNAc chromatin-associated proteins (OCPs), including 88 O-GlcNAc chromatin-associated transcription factors and cofactors (OCTFs), subsequently map their genomic loci, and construct a comprehensive transcriptional reprogramming network. Notably, genotoxicity-induced O-GlcNAc enhances the genome-wide interactions of OCPs with chromatin. The dynamic binding switch of hundreds of OCPs from enhancers to promoters is identified as a crucial feature in the specific transcriptional activation of genes involved in the adaptation of cancer cells to genotoxic stress. The OCTF nuclear respiratory factor 1 (NRF1) is found to be a key response regulator in O-GlcNAc-modulated cellular homeostasis. These results provide a valuable clue suggesting that OCPs act as stress sensors by regulating the expression of various genes to protect cancer cells from genotoxic stress.
A possible route towards dissipation-protected qubits using a multidimensional dark space and its symmetries
Authors: Santos Raul A. , Iemini Fernando , Kamenev Alex , Gefen Yuval
Published: November 2020

Quantum systems are always subject to interactions with an environment, typically resulting in decoherence and distortion of quantum correlations. It has been recently shown that a controlled interaction with the environment may actually help to create a state, dubbed as “dark”, which is immune to decoherence. To encode quantum information in the dark states, they need to span a space with a dimensionality larger than one, so different orthogonal states act as a computational basis. Here, we devise a symmetry-based conceptual framework to engineer such degenerate dark spaces (DDS), protected from decoherence by the environment. We illustrate this construction with a model protocol, inspired by the fractional quantum Hall effect, where the DDS basis is isomorphic to a set of degenerate Laughlin states. The long-time steady state of our driven-dissipative model exhibits thus all the characteristics of degenerate vacua of a unitary topological system.
Enhanced CAR-T activity against established tumors by polarizing human T cells to secrete interleukin-9
Authors: Liu Lintao , Bi Enguang , Ma Xingzhe , Xiong Wei , Qian Jianfei , Ye Lingqun , Su Pan , Wang Qiang , Xiao Liuling , Yang Maojie , Lu Yong , Yi Qing
Published: November 2020

CAR-T cell therapy is effective for hematologic malignancies. However, considerable numbers of patients relapse after the treatment, partially due to poor expansion and limited persistence of CAR-T cells in vivo. Here, we demonstrate that human CAR-T cells polarized and expanded under a Th9-culture condition (T9 CAR-T) have an enhanced antitumor activity against established tumors. Compared to IL2-polarized (T1) cells, T9 CAR-T cells secrete IL9 but little IFN-γ, express central memory phenotype and lower levels of exhaustion markers, and display robust proliferative capacity. Consequently, T9 CAR-T cells mediate a greater antitumor activity than T1 CAR-T cells against established hematologic and solid tumors in vivo. After transfer, T9 CAR-T cells migrate effectively to tumors, differentiate to IFN-γ and granzyme-B secreting effector memory T cells but remain as long-lived and hyperproliferative T cells. Our findings are important for the improvement of CAR-T cell-based immunotherapy for human cancers.
Proton-enabled activation of peptide materials for biological bimodal memory
Authors: Song Min-Kyu , Namgung Seok Daniel , Choi Daehwan , Kim Hyeohn , Seo Hongmin , Ju Misong , Lee Yoon Ho , Sung Taehoon , Lee Yoon-Sik , Nam Ki Tae , Kwon Jang-Yeon
Published: November 2020

The process of memory and learning in biological systems is multimodal, as several kinds of input signals cooperatively determine the weight of information transfer and storage. This study describes a peptide-based platform of materials and devices that can control the coupled conduction of protons and electrons and thus create distinct regions of synapse-like performance depending on the proton activity. We utilized tyrosine-rich peptide-based films and generalized our principles by demonstrating both memristor and synaptic devices. Interestingly, even memristive behavior can be controlled by both voltage and humidity inputs, learning and forgetting process in the device can be initiated and terminated by protons alone in peptide films. We believe that this work can help to understand the mechanism of biological memory and lay a foundation to realize a brain-like device based on ions and electrons.
Portable, non-invasive video imaging of retinal blood flow dynamics
Authors: Cho Kyoung-A , Rege Abhishek , Jing Yici , Chaurasia Akash , Guruprasad Amit , Arthur Edmund , Cabrera DeBuc Delia
Published: November 2020

Retinal blood flow (RBF) information has the potential to offer insight into ophthalmic health and disease that is complementary to traditional anatomical biomarkers as well as to retinal perfusion information provided by fluorescence or optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). The present study was performed to test the functional attributes and performance of the XyCAM RI, a non-invasive imager that obtains and assesses RBF information. The XyCAM RI was installed and used in two different settings to obtain video recordings of the blood flow in the optic nerve head region in eyes of healthy subjects. The mean blood flow velocity index (BFVi) in the optic disc and in each of multiple arterial and venous segments was obtained and shown to reveal a temporal waveform with a peak and trough that correlates with a cardiac cycle as revealed by a reference pulse oximeter (correlation between respective peak-to-peak distances was 0.977). The intra-session repeatability of the XyCAM RI was high with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 1.84 ± 1.13% across both sites. Artery-vein comparisons were made by estimating, in a pair of adjacent arterial and venous segments, various temporal waveform metrics such as pulsatility index, percent time in systole and diastole, and change in vascular blood volume over a cardiac cycle. All arterial metrics were shown to have significant differences with venous metrics (p < 0.001). The XyCAM RI, therefore, by obtaining repeatable blood flow measurements with high temporal resolution, permits the differential assessment of arterial and venous blood flow patterns in the retina that may facilitate research into disease pathophysiology and biomarker development for diagnostics.
No effect of moderate alcohol intake on the detection of concealed identity information in the laboratory
Authors: Suchotzki Kristina , May Heidi , Gamer Matthias
Published: November 2020

The Concealed Information Test (CIT) enables the detection of certain (e.g., crime-relevant or personal) information, even if participants aim to conceal their knowledge. The current preregistered study investigated whether previously observed impairing effects of alcohol intoxication on participants’ performance in a reaction time CIT (RT CIT) field study also translate to a laboratory environment. In contrast to the previous study of Suchotzki and Gamer (Sci Rep 8:7825, 2018) in which alcohol consumption was voluntary and self-administered, the current study used a randomized assignment of participants to either an alcohol group (n = 88; receiving a drink with 3 cl alcohol) or a sober control group (n = 89; receiving a drink with just some alcohol drops to hide group assignment). After drink administration, participants completed an RT CIT, in which they were instructed to hide knowledge of their own identity. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was estimated via breath alcohol ratio. In contrast to the previous field study, results revealed no differences in CIT-performance between intoxicated and sober participants. Aside from questioning the robustness of the result of the previous field study, our results also point to a number of interesting theoretical explanations for the discrepancy between both results, which are elaborated in the discussion.
Macrophage modulation of dental pulp stem cell activity during tertiary dentinogenesis
Authors: Neves Vitor C. M. , Yianni Val , Sharpe Paul T.
Published: November 2020

The interaction between immune cells and stem cells is important during tissue repair. Macrophages have been described as being crucial for limb regeneration and in certain circumstances have been shown to affect stem cell differentiation in vivo. Dentine is susceptible to damage as a result of caries, pulp infection and inflammation all of which are major problems in tooth restoration. Characterising the interplay between immune cells and stem cells is crucial to understand how to improve natural repair mechanisms. In this study, we used an in vivo damage model, associated with a macrophage and neutrophil depletion model to investigate the role of immune cells in reparative dentine formation. In addition, we investigated the effect of elevating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to understand how this might regulate macrophages and impact upon Wnt receiving pulp stem cells during repair. Our results show that macrophages are required for dental pulp stem cell activation and appropriate reparative dentine formation. In addition, pharmacological stimulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway via GSK-3β inhibitor small molecules polarises macrophages to an anti-inflammatory state faster than inert calcium silicate-based materials thereby accelerating stem cell activation and repair. Wnt/β-catenin signalling thus has a dual role in promoting reparative dentine formation by activating pulp stem cells and promoting an anti-inflammatory macrophage response.
Clinical value and potential association of Rab1A and FoxM1 aberrant expression in colorectal cancer
Authors: Xu Menglin , Shao Xinyu , Li Haoran , Zhang Zhengrong , Zhou Chunli , Cheng Zhengwu
Published: November 2020

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies with a dismal 5-year survival rate. Our recent study indicated that Rab1A expression was closely related to GLI1 expression. A previous study shows that aberrant overexpression of GLI1 promotes colorectal cancer metastasis via FoxM1 overexpression. However, the potential correlation between Rab1A and FoxM1 in CRC remains elusive. Immunohistochemistry was performed to investigate the association of the expression of Rab1A and FoxM1 and to determine the prognosis in 135 CRC tissue and adjacent normal tissues. Using Oncomine datasets, we found that Rab1A and FoxM1 mRNA were obviously upregulated in CRC tissues compared to normal tissues. Additionally, the expression of Rab1A and FoxM1 was significantly higher in CRC tissues than that in normal tissues. Rab1A expression was positively correlated with FoxM1 expression in CRC, especially in TNM stage III. In addition, Rab1A and FoxM1 overexpression was found to be significantly correlated with poor prognosis in CRC patients. Besides, both high expression of Rab1A and FoxM1 led to a worse prognosis than anyone low group, and both low expression of Rab1A and FoxM1 had a better prognosis than the anyone low group. Therefore, Rab1A and FoxM1 play crucial roles and could be used as clinical biomarkers in CRC.
A new fat-dissociation method to detect lymph nodes in colorectal cancer: a prospective randomized study
Authors: Fujino Shiki , Miyoshi Norikatsu , Ohue Masayuki , Ito Aya , Yasui Masayoshi , Ogino Takayuki , Takahashi Hidekazu , Uemura Mamoru , Matsuda Chu , Yamamoto Hirofumi , Mizushima Tsunekazu , Doki Yuichiro , Eguchi Hidetoshi , Matsuura Nariaki
Published: November 2020

Histological examination of the lymph nodes (LNs) is crucial to determine the colorectal cancer (CRC) stage. We previously reported a new fat-dissociation method (FM) to detect LNs from surgically resected mesentery. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of FM compared with that of conventional palpation method (PM) in CRC. This single-center, open-label, randomized controlled study was performed at Osaka International Cancer Institute in Japan in 2014. Randomization was performed using a computer-generated permuted-block sequence. Patients were stratified by surgical procedures and the LN dissection area. The primary endpoint was the time required for LN identification. The secondary endpoint was the number of LNs and 5-year cancer-specific survival. The 130 enrolled patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the FM and the PM groups. LN identification times were 45 (range 15–80) and 15 (range 7–30) minutes in the PM and the FM groups, respectively (P < 0.001). In the PM group, body mass index and identification time were correlated (P = 0.047). The number of LN which could be examined pathologically was 16 (range 2–48) and 18 (range 4–95) in the PM and FM groups, respectively (P = 0.546). In right-sided CRC, the number of LNs was higher in the FM group than in the PM group (P = 0.031). Relapse-free survival rates and cancer-specific survival rates did not differ between the groups. In conclusion, FM reduced the time required for LN detection without reducing the number of detected LNs, making it is a useful method to detect LNs in surgical specimens.
Influence of implantations of extended depth-of-focus on standard automated perimetry
Authors: Lee Jinhee , Mori Yosai , Nejima Ryohei , Minami Keiichiro , Miyata Kazunori
Published: November 2020

This prospective study aimed to investigate the influence of an extended depth-of-focus intraocular lens (EDOF IOL) on standard automated perimetry. Ninety eyes of 90 patients who had undergone cataract surgery from February 2018 to December 2018 were included. No patients had any diseases that might affect the visual field. ZMB00 (+ 4.00 D add), ZXR00V (+ 1.75 D add), and ZCB00V (Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision, Santa Ana, CA, USA) were used as multifocal, EDOF, and monofocal IOLs, respectively. Humphrey Visual Field 10–2 testing was performed 2–3 months after cataract surgery, acceptable reliability indices were measured, and mean deviation (MD), pattern standard deviation (PSD), foveal sensitivity and mean sensitivity (MS) were compared. Seventy-one eyes (ZXR00V: 24 eyes, ZMB00: 25 eyes, ZCB00V: 22 eyes) were used for the analyses. The MD and MS of the EDOF and monofocal groups were significantly higher than those of the multifocal group (P < 0.0051). However, the MD and MS of the EDOF and monofocal groups were not different (P > 0.23). The PSD and foveal sensitivity were not different among the groups. In non-glaucomatous patients, the MD and MS of the EDOF IOL were comparable to those of the monofocal IOL and better than those of the multifocal IOL.
A prediction model for outcome in patients with HBV-ACLF based on predisposition, injury, response and organ failure
Authors: Liu Fangfang , Zou Zhengsheng , Shen Lijun , Wu Weiwei , Luo Jiajun , Lankford Seth , Yang Yongli , Huang Huang , You Shaoli , Zhu Bing , Li Jin , Mu Jinsong , Zhang Yawei , Xin Shaojie
Published: November 2020

We aimed to develop a prediction model based on the PIRO concept (Predisposition, Injury, Response and Organ failure) for patients with Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) related acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). 774 patients with HBV related ACLF defined in the CANONIC study were analyzed according to PIRO components. Variables associated with mortality were selected into the prediction model. Based on the regression coefficients, a score for each PIRO component was developed, and a classification and regression tree was used to stratify patients into different nodes. The prediction model was then validated using an independent cohort (n = 155). Factors significantly associated with 90-day mortality were: P: age, gender and ACLF type; I: drug, infection, surgery, and variceal bleeding; R: systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), spontaneous bacteria peritonitis (SBP), and pneumonia; and O: the CLIF consortium organ failure score (CLIF-C OFs). The areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve (95% confidence interval) for the combined PIRO model for 90-day mortality were 0.77 (0.73–0.80). Based on the scores for each of the PIRO components and the cut-offs estimated from the classification and regression tree, patients were stratified into different nodes with different estimated death probability. Based on the PIRO concept, a new prediction model was developed for patients with HBV related ACLF, allowing stratification into different clusters using the different scores obtained in each PIRO component. The proposed model will likely help to stratify patients at different risk, defining individual management plans, assessing criteria for specific therapies, and predicting outcomes.