bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early emergence of sexual dimorphism in offspring leukocyte telomere length was associated with maternal and children’s glucose metabolism—a longitudinal study
Authors: Wong Kwun Kiu , Cheng Feifei , Lim Cadmon K. P. , Tam Claudia H. T. , Tutino Greg , Yuen Lai Yuk , Wang Chi Chiu , Hou Yong , Chan Michael H. M. , Ho Chung Shun , Joglekar Mugdha V. , Hardikar Anandwardhan A. , Jenkins Alicia J. , Metzger Boyd E. , Lowe William L. , Tam Wing Hung , Ma Ronald C. W.
Published: December 2022

Background

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is suggested to be a biomarker of biological age and reported to be associated with metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Glucose metabolic traits including glucose and insulin levels have been reported to be associated with LTL in adulthood. However, there is relatively little research focusing on children’s LTL and the association with prenatal exposures. This study investigates the relationship between maternal and offspring glucose metabolism with offspring LTL in early life.

Methods

This study included 882 mother-child pairs from the HAPO Hong Kong Field Centre, with children evaluated at age 7.0 ± 0.4 (mean ± SD) years. Glucose metabolic traits including maternal post-load glucose during pregnancy, children’s glucose and insulin levels, and their derived indices at follow-up were measured or calculated. Offspring LTL was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results

Sex- and age-adjusted children’s LTL was found to be associated with children’s HOMA-IR (β=−0.046 ± 0.016, p=0.005). Interestingly, both children’s and maternal post-load glucose levels were positively associated with children’s LTL. However, negative associations were observed between children’s LTL and children’s OGTT insulin levels. In addition, the LTL in females was more strongly associated with pancreatic beta-cell function whilst LTL in males was more strongly associated with OGTT glucose levels.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest a close association between maternal and offspring glucose metabolic traits with early life LTL, with the offspring sex as an important modifier of the disparate relationships in insulin production and response.
Modulation of histone H3K4 dimethylation by spermidine ameliorates motor neuron survival and neuropathology in a mouse model of ALS
Authors: Choi Seung-Hye , Yousefian-Jazi Ali , Hyeon Seung Jae , Nguyen Phuong Thi Thanh , Chu Jiyeon , Kim Sojung , Kim Suhyun , Ryu Hannah L. , Kowall Neil W. , Ryu Hoon , Lee Junghee
Published: December 2022

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive paralysis due to motor neuron degeneration. It has been proposed that epigenetic modification and transcriptional dysregulation may contribute to motor neuron death. In this study, we investigate the basis for therapeutic approaches to target lysine-specific histone demethylase 1 (LSD1) and elucidate the mechanistic role of LSD1-histone H3K4 signaling pathway in ALS pathogenesis.

Methods

In order to examine the role of spermidine (SD), we administered SD to an animal model of ALS (G93A) and performed neuropathological analysis, body weight, and survival evaluation.

Results

Herein, we found that LSD1 activity is increased while levels of H3K4me2, a substrate of LSD1, is decreased in cellular and animal models of ALS. SD administration modulated the LSD1 activity and restored H3K4me2 levels in ChAT-positive motor neurons in the lumbar spinal cord of ALS mice. SD prevented cellular damage by improving the number and size of motor neurons in ALS mice. SD administration also reduced GFAP-positive astrogliogenesis in the white and gray matter of the lumbar spinal cord, improving the neuropathology of ALS mice. Moreover, SD administration improved the rotarod performance and gait analysis of ALS mice. Finally, SD administration delayed disease onset and prolonged the lifespan of ALS (G93A) transgenic mice.

Conclusion

Together, modulating epigenetic targets such as LSD1 by small compounds may be a useful therapeutic strategy for treating ALS.
The impact of a family web-based nutrition intervention to increase fruit, vegetable, and dairy intakes: a single-blinded randomized family clustered intervention
Authors: Drapeau Vicky , Harvey Andrée-Anne , Jacob Raphaëlle , Provencher Véronique , Panahi Shirin
Published: December 2022

Background

The importance of adopting healthy eating habits at a young age to prevent obesity and chronic diseases justifies the need for effective interventions.

Objective

This study evaluated the impact of a family web-based nutrition intervention on vegetable and fruit (V/F) and dairy product (DP) consumption, nutrient intakes, diet quality and BMI or BMI z-scores.

Methods

Forty-three families with children aged 8–16 years were randomized to either the family web-based intervention, or web-based general nutrition guidelines (control) over 8 weeks. Nutritional variables were assessed with three-day dietary records while anthropometry (body weight and height) was assessed with standardized measures at baseline (PRE), immediately after the intervention (POST 1) and 3–6 months after the intervention (POST 2). Linear mixed models for repeated measures were used to assess the main effects and their interactions followed by post hoc tests.

Results

The intervention had an effect on DP, total sugar, potassium, magnesium, and calcium in children (Group x Time, P = 0.02 to 0.03) and on DP, V/F juice, carbohydrates, total sugar, saturated fat, protein and calcium in parents (Group x Time, P = 0.01 to 0.03). Post hoc tests revealed children in the intervention group increased their DP intakes immediately after the intervention (POST1) but decreased at follow-up (POST2). No effect of the intervention on V/F, diet quality or BMI was observed.

Conclusion

Compared to general nutrition guidelines, this family web-based nutrition intervention had a modest effect on nutrient intakes, but beneficial effect on DP intakes in the short term.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03798808, Registered 10 january 2019 - Retrospectively registered.
Waiting times in healthcare: equal treatment for equal need?
Authors: García-Corchero Juan David , Jiménez-Rubio Dolores
Published: December 2022

Background

In many universal health systems, waiting times act as a non-monetary rationing mechanism, one that should be based on clinical need rather than the ability to pay. However, there is growing evidence that among patients with similar levels of need, waiting times often differ according to socioeconomic status. The mechanisms underlying inequality in access remain unclear.

Methods

Using data for Spain, we study whether waiting times for primary and specialist care depend on patients’ socioeconomic status (SES). Additionally, we make use of the continuous nature of our data to explore whether the SES-related differences in waiting times found for specialist consultations vary among different points of the waiting time distribution.

Results

Our results reveal the presence of a SES gradient in waiting times for specialist services explained on the basis of education, employment status and income. In addition, for primary care, we found evidence of a slightly more moderate SES gradient mostly based on employment status. Furthermore, although quantile regression estimates indicated the presence of a SES gradient within the distribution of waiting times for specialist visits, the SES differences attenuated in the context of longer waiting times in the public sector but did not disappear.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest the principle of equal treatment for equal need, assumed to be inherent to national health systems such as the Spanish system, is not applied in practice. Determining the mechanism(s) underlying this selective barrier to healthcare is of crucial importance for policymakers, especially in the current COVID-19 health and economic crises, which could exacerbate these inequalities as increasing numbers of treatments are having to be postponed.
The impact of sulfur mustard on quality of life and mental health in Kurdish survivors in Sweden, thirty years after exposure
Authors: Moradi Faraidoun , Moradi Fazil , Li Ying , Olin Anna-Carin , Daka Bledar
Published: December 2022

Background

The Iraqi state used chemical warfare agents (CWAs) like sulfur mustard (SM) in al-Anfal genocide in the present-day Kurdistan Region of Iraq. In addition to somatic injuries, exposure to CWAs causes biopsychosocial complications. We investigated the long-term impact of SM exposure on quality of life (QoL) and depression severity in Kurdish survivors resettled in Sweden.

Methods

This is a case-control study, where subjects exposed to SM (n = 18, mean age 51.3 years, 50% women) and sex- and age-matched nonexposed subjects (n = 30, mean age 48.7 years, 47% women) of Kurdish residents in Sweden. Data were collected through in-person interviews based on the RAND 36-item Short Form Health Survey to assess QoL and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-self assessment (MADRS-S) to investigate the presence and the gravity of depressive symptoms.

Results

The SM-exposed group had a significantly lower QoL than the nonexposed group (p < 0.001). Also, the overall mean MADRS-S scores among the SM-exposed group, corresponding to moderate depression, were higher than the scores of the nonexposed (22 points (p) vs. 9 p, p < .001). Overall, the participants within the exposed group reported worse mental than physical well-being 36p and 32p, respectively. Within the SM-exposed group, there was no gendered-related difference neither in terms of depression severity nor for QoL, but the groups were small.

Conclusion

Individuals exposed to SM had worse QoL and a higher level of depressive severity compared with nonexposed individuals three decades after exposure, indicating the importance of increased clinician knowledge, guidelines, and an approach to assess and respond to the exposed groups’ biopsychosocial needs. These findings indicate that those exposed to SM might need early identification of mental illnesses and more support to promote QoL.
Anatomical type analysis of right interlobar artery based on chest thin-slice CT scan and three-dimensional reconstruction
Authors: Wang Long-fei , Zhao Lei , Lv Chang-sheng , Xu Qing-tao , Wang Rong
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To analyse and summarize branching pattern types of the interlobar portion of right pulmonary arteries (RPA) through chest thin-slice CT scans and three-dimensional reconstruction.

Methods

A total of 179 patients (58 males and 121 females, with an average age of 53.9 years) at the Thoracic Surgery Department of Ningbo First Hospital were retrospectively included from December 2020 to December 2021. All patients completed preoperative thin-slice CT scans and three-dimensional reconstructions of the chest. The clinical data and branching patterns were collected. Data were analysed using SPSS 21.0.

Results

The branching pattern types of the interlobar portion of RPA were divided into 4 types according to the order and number of branches: Type I (145/179, 81.0%), Asc. A2, MA, A6; Type II (28/179, 15.6%), Asc. A2 deletion, MA, A6; Type III (5/179, 2.8%), Asc. A2, A6, MA; and Type IV (1/179, 0.6%), MA, Asc. A2, A6. Type I was the most common pattern. Furthermore, according to the number of branches of MA and A6, this pattern can be subdivided into 15 subcategories.

Conclusion

Chest thin-slice CT scans and 3D reconstructions can provide surgeons with accurate lung anatomy, which helps surgeons perform preoperative planning and complete surgery successfully.
Nauclea officinalis: A Chinese medicinal herb with phytochemical, biological, and pharmacological effects
Authors: Liu Bin , Geng Qi , Cao Zhiwen , Li Li , Lu Peipei , Lin Lin , Yan Lan , Lu Cheng
Published: December 2022

Nauclea officinalis (N. officinalis), a medicinal plant of the genus Nauclea in the family Rubiaceae, is used in the treatment of fever, pneumonia, pharyngolaryngitis, and enteritis in China. Extracts of N. officinalis include alkaloids, phenolic acids, pentacyclic triterpenoids, and flavonoids, which exert all kinds of pharmacological effects, for instance anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antibacterial, and antiviral and therefore show good effectiveness. To gain a comprehensive and deep understanding, the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology of N. officinalis are summarized in this review to provide a theoretical basis. The pharmacological effects were reviewed to provide evidence or insights into potential opportunities for further studies and medicinal exploitation of N. officinalis.
Ring finger protein 126 promotes breast cancer metastasis and serves as a potential target to improve the therapeutic sensitivity of ATR inhibitors
Authors: Pan You , Yang Yuchao , Huang Rong , Yang Huawei , Huang Qinghua , Ji Yinan , Dai Jingxing , Qiao Kun , Tang Wei , Xie Longgui , Yin Ming , Ouyang Jun , Ning Shipeng , Su Danke
Published: December 2022

Background/aims

This study explores the relationship between the E3 ubiquitin ligase Ring finger protein 126 (RNF126) and early breast cancer metastasis and tests the hypothesis that RNF126 determines the efficacy of inhibitors targeting Ataxia telangiectasia mutated and Rad3-related kinase (ATR).

Methods

Various metastasis-related genes were identified by univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis based on the GSE11121 dataset. The RNF126-related network modules were identified by WGCNA, whereas cell viability, invasion, and migration assays were performed to evaluate the biological characteristics of breast cancer cells with or without RNF126 knockdown. MTT, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and DNA fiber assays were conducted to determine the efficiency of ATR inhibitor in cells with or without RNF126 knockdown.

Results

RNF126 was associated with early breast cancer metastasis. RNF126 promoted breast cancer cell proliferation, growth, migration, and invasion. ATR inhibitors were more effective at killing breast cancer cells with intact RNF126 due to replication stress compared with the corresponding cells with RNF126 knockdown. Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) was involved in regulating replication stress in breast cancer cells with intact RNF126.

Conclusion

A high level of expression of RNF126 in early breast cancer patients without lymph node metastases may indicate a high-risk type of metastatic disease, possibly due to RNF126, which may increase breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion. RNF126-expressing breast cancer cells exhibit CDK2-mediated replication stress that makes them potential targets for ATR inhibitors.
Job retention vocational rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis: adaptations to the WORKWELL trial due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ching Angela , Parker Jennifer , Haig Alexandra , Sutton Chris J. , Cotterill Sarah , Forshaw Denise , Culley June , Hammond Alison
Published: December 2022

There are high levels of work disability, absenteeism (sick leave) and presenteeism (reduced productivity) amongst people with inflammatory arthritis. WORKWELL is a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial of job retention vocational rehabilitation for employed people with inflammatory arthritis. The trial tested the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the WORKWELL programme compared to the receipt of written self-help information only. Both arms continued to receive usual care. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WORKWELL trial paused to recruitment and intervention delivery. To successfully re-start, protocol amendments were rapidly submitted and changes to existing trial procedures were made. The WORKWELL protocol was adapted in response to both the practical issues likely faced by many clinical research studies active across NHS sites during the pandemic and additional trial-specific challenges. A key eligibility criterion for the trial required participants to be in paid work for at least 15 h per week. However, UK national lockdowns led to a substantial proportion of the workforce suddenly being furloughed or unable to work, and many people with arthritis taking immunosuppressive medications were asked to shield themselves. Thus, the number of eligible participants was reduced. Those continuing to work were harder to identify, as hospital clinics moved to remote delivery, and also to then screen, consent and treat, as the hospital research staff and clinical therapists were re-deployed. New recruitment and consent strategies were applied, and where sites had reduced capacity, responsibilities were absorbed by the trial management team. Remote intervention delivery and electronic data capture were also implemented. By rapidly adapting the WORKWELL protocol and procedures, the trial successfully reopened to recruitment in July 2020, only 4 months after the trial pause. We were able to achieve recruitment figures above the pre-COVID target and maintain a high retention rate. In addition, we found many of the protocol changes beneficial, as these streamlined trial procedures, thus improving efficiency. It is likely that many strategies implemented in response to the pandemic may become standard practice in future research within trials of a similar design and methodology.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03942783. Retrospectively registered on 08 May 2019. ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN61762297. Retrospectively registered on 13 May 2019.
PrImary decompressive Craniectomy in AneurySmal Subarachnoid hemOrrhage (PICASSO) trial: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Güresir Erdem , Lampmann Tim , Brandecker Simon , Czabanka Marcus , Fimmers Rolf , Gempt Jens , Haas Patrick , Haj Amer , Jabbarli Ramazan , Kalasauskas Darius , König Ralph , Mielke Dorothee , Németh Robert , Oppong Marvin Darkwah , Pala Andrej , Prinz Vincent , Ringel Florian , Roder Constantin , Rohde Veit , Schebesch Karl-Michael , Wagner Arthur , Coch Christoph , Vatter Hartmut
Published: December 2022

Background

Poor-grade aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is associated with poor neurological outcome and high mortality. A major factor influencing morbidity and mortality is brain swelling in the acute phase. Decompressive craniectomy (DC) is currently used as an option in order to reduce intractably elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). However, execution and optimal timing of DC remain unclear.

Methods

PICASSO resembles a multicentric, prospective, 1:1 randomized standard treatment-controlled trial which analyzes whether primary DC (pDC) performed within 24 h combined with the best medical treatment in patients with poor-grade SAH reduces mortality and severe disability in comparison to best medical treatment alone and secondary craniectomy as ultima ratio therapy for elevated ICP. Consecutive patients presenting with poor-grade SAH, defined as grade 4–5 according to the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies (WFNS), will be screened for eligibility. Two hundred sixteen patients will be randomized to receive either pDC additional to best medical treatment or best medical treatment alone. The primary outcome is the clinical outcome according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 12 months, which is dichotomized to favorable (mRS 0–4) and unfavorable (mRS 5–6). Secondary outcomes include morbidity and mortality, time to death, length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay and hospital stay, quality of life, rate of secondary DC due to intractably elevated ICP, effect of size of DC on outcome, use of duraplasty, and complications of DC.

Discussion

This multicenter trial aims to generate the first confirmatory data in a controlled randomized fashion that pDC improves the outcome in a clinically relevant endpoint in poor-grade SAH patients.

Trial registration

DRKS DRKS00017650. Registered on 09 June 2019.
Comparison of the variability in mortality data generated by CDC bottle bioassay, WHO tube test, and topical application bioassay using Aedes aegypti mosquitoes
Authors: Althoff Rachel A. , Huijben Silvie
Published: December 2022

Background

Insecticide resistance remains a major public health problem. Resistance surveillance is critical for effective vector control and resistance management planning. Commonly used insecticide susceptibility bioassays for mosquitoes are the CDC bottle bioassay and the WHO tube test. Less commonly used in the field but considered the gold standard for assessing insecticide susceptibility in the development of novel insecticides is the topical application bioassay. Each of these bioassays has critical differences in how they assess insecticide susceptibility that impacts their ability to differentiate between resistant and susceptible populations or determine different levels of resistance intensity.

Methods

We compared the CDC bottle bioassay, the WHO tube test, and the topical application bioassay in establishing the dose–response against deltamethrin (DM) using the DM-resistant Aedes aegypti strain MC1. Mosquitoes were exposed to a range of insecticide concentrations to establish a dose–response curve and assess variation around model predictions. In addition, 10 replicates of 20–25 mosquitoes were exposed to a fixed dose with intermediate mortality to assess the degree of variation in mortality.

Results

The topical application bioassay exhibited the lowest amount of variation in the dose–response data, followed by the WHO tube test. The CDC bottle bioassay had the highest level of variation. In the fixed-dose experiment, a higher variance was similarly found for the CDC bottle bioassay compared with the WHO tube test and topical application bioassay.

Conclusion

These data suggest that the CDC bottle bioassay has the lowest power and the topical application bioassay the highest power to differentiate between resistant and susceptible populations and assess changes over time and between populations. This observation has significant implications for the interpretation of surveillance results from different assays. Ultimately, it will be important to discuss optimal insecticide resistance surveillance tools in terms of the surveillance objective, practicality in the field, and accuracy of the tool to reach that objective.

Graphical Abstract
Oral immunization of mice with recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum expressing a Trichinella spiralis galectin induces an immune protection against larval challenge
Authors: Xu Yang Xiu Yue , Zhang Xin Zhuo , Weng Min Min , Cheng Yong Kang , Liu Ruo Dan , Long Shao Rong , Wang Zhong Quan , Cui Jing
Published: December 2022

Background

Trichinella spiralis is an important foodborne parasite that presents a severe threat to food safety. The development of an anti-Trichinella vaccine is an important step towards controlling Trichinella infection in food animals and thus ensure meat safety. Trichinella spiralis galectin (Tsgal) is a novel protein that has been identified on the surface of this nematode. Recombinant Tsgal (rTsgal) was found to participate in larval invasion of intestinal epithelium cells (IECs), whereas anti-rTsgal antibodies impeded the invasion.

Methods

The rTsgal/pSIP409- pgsA′ plasmid was constructed and transferred into Lactobacillus plantarum strain NC8, following which the in vitro biological properties of rTsgal/NC8 were determined. Five groups of mice were orally immunized three times, with a 2-week interval between immunizations, with recombinant NC8-Tsgal, recombinant NC8-Tsgal + α-lactose, empty NC8, α-lactose only or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), respectively. The vaccinated mice were infected orally with T. spiralis larvae 2 weeks following the last vaccination. Systemic and intestinal local mucosal immune responses and protection were also assessed, as were pathological changes in murine intestine and skeletal muscle.

Results

rTsgal was expressed on the surface of NC8-Tsgal. Oral immunization of mice with rTsgal vaccine induced specific forms of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG), namely IgG1/IgG2a, as well as IgA and gut mucosal secretion IgA (sIgA). The levels of interferon gamma and interleukin-4 secreted by cells of the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes, Peyer's patches and intestinal lamina propria were significantly elevated at 2–6 weeks after immunization, and continued to rise following challenge. Immunization of mice with the oral rTsgal vaccine produced a significant immune protection against T. spiralis challenge, as demonstrated by a 57.28% reduction in the intestinal adult worm burden and a 53.30% reduction in muscle larval burden, compared to the PBS control group. Immunization with oral rTsgal vaccine also ameliorated intestinal inflammation, as demonstrated by a distinct reduction in the number of gut epithelial goblet cells and mucin 2 expression level in T. spiralis-infected mice. Oral administration of lactose alone also reduced adult worm and larval burdens and relieved partially inflammation of intestine and muscles.

Conclusions

Immunization with oral rTsgal vaccine triggered an obvious gut local mucosal sIgA response and specific systemic Th1/Th2 immune response, as well as an evident protective immunity against T. spiralis challenge. Oral rTsgal vaccine provided a prospective approach for control of T. spiralis infection.

Graphical Abstract
Exponential stability of an alternate control system with double impulses
Authors: Hu Xingkai
Published: December 2022

In this paper, we propose a new system called an alternate control system with double impulses. The present system is a cyclic control system, composed of four parts in a circle: to the first and last halves of each period of the system we add different continuous controls, and at the half-period time and the end of each period of the system we add different impulses. We then investigate the exponential stability of the considered system. An example based on Chua’s circuit is provided to confirm the effectiveness of the theoretical result.
Selfie phenomenon among a sample of Egyptian university students: rate and psychiatric correlates
Authors: Hashem Reem El Sayed Mohamed , Hassan Ghada A. M. , El-Sheikh Mona Mahmoud , Hassan Hadeer , Azzam Lobna Abu-Bakr Ismail
Published: December 2022

Background

The selfie phenomenon is an emanating one, specifically affecting adolescents and young adults. It emerges as a reflection of a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders. Based on this, the current study aimed to assess the rate of the selfie phenomenon among Egyptian university students and its sociodemographic and psychiatric correlates. During the study procedure, we enrolled 200 undergraduate Egyptian university students from two different faculties and were assessed using the Selfie Behavioral Scale, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis II Disorders, and Global Assessment of Functioning Scale.

Results

49.5% of the students being assessed had borderline selfitis with a higher rate among females. We found a highly significant association between the selfie phenomenon and depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and other psychiatric disorders and personality disorders, and we also found that selfies had a significant negative association with the level of functioning among students.

Conclusions

Results concur with previous existing literature regarding the magnitude of the selfie phenomenon and its relationship with different psychiatric disorders and personality disorders.
Beers criteria and potentially inappropriate medications in elderly: awareness, practice, knowledge and barriers among community pharmacists in Nigeria
Authors: Akande-Sholabi Wuraola , Fafemi Adeola
Published: December 2022

Background

Potential inappropriate medications (PIMs) used in the elderly are an avoidable source of disease and death. Beers Criteria is among the commonly used measures that document PIMs. Community pharmacists’ knowledge on PIMs and existing criteria are essential to moderate the use of PIMs which would enhance overall health outcomes and costs. This study investigates awareness, knowledge, practice, and barriers of PIMs among community pharmacists in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out on 109 community pharmacists with the use of a self-administered questionnaire. Nine clinical vignettes based on the 2019 Beers Criteria were used to evaluate PIMs knowledge. Practice behavior regarding elderly clients was evaluated using a 5-point Likert scale with six items. Data were summarized by descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

Respondents who knew guidelines that listed specific PIMs were (49; 47.1%), and of these, (21; 42.9%) were aware of Beers Criteria. From all the respondents, only 45 (41.3%) demonstrated good knowledge of Beers Criteria, while 82 (75.2%) narrated good practice when dealing with elderly clients in terms of asking suitable questions and contemplating their ages while dispensing medications. Major barrier identified was lack of knowledge of Beers Criteria (80; 73.4%). Pharmacists who were aware of Beers Criteria statistically had better knowledge than others (p = 0.003).

Conclusion

Beers Criteria awareness among community pharmacists is sub-optimal in Ibadan, Nigeria. Although practice when dealing with elderly customers was satisfactory, the knowledge was unsatisfactory. This underscores the need to intensify the awareness and use of guidelines that document specific PIMs such as Beers Criteria among community pharmacists.
Outcome and morbidity of liver surgery in children: a single-centre, 47-year experience
Authors: Zaidan Hind , Said Hanan , Mortell Alan , AlShafei Abdulrahman , Breatnach Finn , Heaton Nigel , Corbally Martin T.
Published: December 2022

Background

The outcome and survival of children with both benign and malignant liver tumours, over a 47-year period was recorded at The National Paediatric Cancer Centre, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital (OLCHC), Crumlin. The retrospective study documents the impact of improved chemotherapy, multidisciplinary team approach and specific paediatric hepatobiliary surgical training on morbidity, outcome and survival.

Methods

A retrospective review of the hospital records of all children who presented with a primary liver tumour (benign or malignant) or a primary malignancy significantly involving the liver was undertaken. A review of the management of all such patients at OLCHC, between 1964 and 2011 was performed. This retrospective study reports on two distinct periods, group 1 (1964–1990, N = 21 patients, previously reported) and group 2 (1994–2011, N = 33). Follow-up for all group 2 patients ended in November 2014.

Results

A marked difference in survival was noted between the groups with 91% overall survival in group 2 patients as compared to 28% in group 1. Significant complications were documented in group 1 but were uncommon in group 2.

Conclusion

The improvement in mortality and morbidity reflects improved staging and chemotherapy in all patients with a malignant disease but also improved surgical strategies and multi-disciplinary team management (MDT). Specialist training in liver surgery had a significant impact on post-operative morbidity. The results suggest that in certain circumstances, rare and complex liver surgery may be performed in small centres if the necessary supports and experience co-exist.
A deep learning workflow for weak reflection extraction in pitch-catch measurements in the cased hole
Authors: Wang Qiang , Wang Hua , Shi Shaopeng
Published: December 2022

As a key technology to evaluate cement bonds in the cased hole, an advanced ultrasonic logging tool combines pulse-echo and pitch-catch measurements in which the latter one provides reflections from the cement-formation interface (called third-interface-echo [TIE]) to evaluate the bond condition and determine casing eccentering as well as cement velocity. However, the TIE would be weak and not easy to pick due to the eccentered tool and casing and it would overlap with the strong multiple reflections between the casing inner surface and the transducer-housing tool. We have developed a deep learning workflow to extract weak TIE from noisy data and to preserve its amplitude at the same time. First, we use synthetic waveforms from thousands of finite-difference simulations as initial training data sets to train a deep learning network, which is modified from a network in speech separation. Then, the trained model is used to predict the field data through an active-learning strategy. The improved network is further used to extract the weak TIEs, which are not easy to pick in the initial deep learning model. Finally, the TIE waves image is converted to a pseudovelocity image to obtain the minimum traveltime path by solving the eikonal equation. The shortest traveltime path is used as the TIE arrival time. In addition, a 3D visualization is used to display the borehole shape from the picked arrival time. The applications in synthetic data and data set from a calibration well illustrate a good performance of our workflow in which the weakest TIE extracted from the network can reach 50 dB compared to the maximum amplitude in the full waveform. The picked arrival times can be used to reconstruct a borehole shape.
Towards simulating time evolution of specific quantum many-body system by lower counts of quantum gates
Authors: Jian Guanlin , Yang Yuan , Liu Ze , Zhu Zhen-Gang , Wang Zhengchuan
Published: December 2022

In the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era, quantum computers have become important tools to simulate the real-time evolution of strong correlated many-body systems. The general scheme of designing quantum circuits to simulate the quantum dynamics is based on the Trotter-Suzuki decomposition technique, which has its limitation because the accuracy of evolution process depends on the size of trotter steps when the evolution operator is decomposed as quantum gates. Going beyond the limitation of the Trotter-Suzuki scheme, we design a parameterized quantum circuit named α-circuit with simple determined size and the only one control parameter θ to simulate the real-time evolution of the specific XXX Heisenberg model with the specific initial state

. The α-circuit can accurately generate the time-evolution results by tuning parameter θ, which means the circuit can also be regarded as a good state preparation machine (SPM).
Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy
Authors: Mul Karlien
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article reviews the current knowledge on the clinical characteristics and disease mechanism of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), as well as advances in targeted therapy development.

RECENT FINDINGS

FSHD has a wide range of severity, yet a distinct phenotype characterized by weakness of the facial, shoulder, and upper arm muscles, followed by weakness of the trunk and leg muscles. It can be caused by two genetic mechanisms that share a common downstream pathway, namely, the epigenetic derepression and subsequent misexpression of the myotoxic DUX4 transcription factor. Treatment is currently supportive and outlined in evidence-based guidelines. Advances in the understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of FSHD are paving the way for targeted therapy development. Approaches for targeted therapies to reduce DUX4 expression that are currently being explored include small molecules, antisense oligonucleotides, vector-based RNA interference, and gene therapy. In anticipation of more clinical trials, “clinical trial preparedness,” including the development of sensitive biomarkers and clinical outcome measures, are needed.

The cornerstones of the diagnosis of FSHD are clinical observation and genetic testing. Management is currently supportive, but progress in the understanding of the disease mechanism has shifted the field of FSHD toward targeted therapy development.
Metabolic Myopathies
Authors: Tarnopolsky Mark A.
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Metabolic myopathies are disorders that affect skeletal muscle substrate oxidation. Although some drugs and hormones can affect metabolism in skeletal muscle, this review will focus on the genetic metabolic myopathies.

RECENT FINDINGS

Impairments in glycogenolysis/glycolysis (glycogen storage disease), fatty acid transport/oxidation (fatty acid oxidation defects), and mitochondrial metabolism (mitochondrial myopathies) represent most metabolic myopathies; however, they often overlap clinically with structural genetic myopathies, referred to as pseudometabolic myopathies. Although metabolic myopathies can present in the neonatal period with hypotonia, hypoglycemia, and encephalopathy, most cases present clinically in children or young adults with exercise intolerance, rhabdomyolysis, and weakness. In general, the glycogen storage diseases manifest during brief bouts of high-intensity exercise; in contrast, fatty acid oxidation defects and mitochondrial myopathies usually manifest during longer-duration endurance-type activities, often with fasting or other metabolic stressors (eg, surgery, fever). The neurologic examination is often normal between events (except in the pseudometabolic myopathies) and evaluation requires one or more of the following tests: exercise stress testing, blood (eg, creatine kinase, acylcarnitine profile, lactate, amino acids), urine (eg, organic acids, myoglobin), muscle biopsy (eg, histology, ultrastructure, enzyme testing), and targeted (specific gene) or untargeted (myopathy panels) genetic tests.

Definitive identification of a specific metabolic myopathy often leads to specific interventions, including lifestyle, exercise, and nutritional modifications; cofactor treatments; accurate genetic counseling; avoidance of specific triggers; and rapid treatment of rhabdomyolysis.
Genetic-Based Treatment Strategies for Muscular Dystrophy and Congenital Myopathies
Authors: Findlay Andrew R. , Weihl Conrad C.
Published: December 2022

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This article discusses the foundational concepts of genetic treatment strategies employed in neuromuscular medicine, as well as the importance of genetic testing as a requirement for applying gene-based therapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Gene therapies have become a reality for several neuromuscular disorders. Exon-skipping and (in Europe) ribosomal read-through approaches are currently available to a subset of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Microdystrophin gene replacement has shown promise and is nearing the final stages of clinical trials. Numerous gene-based therapies for other muscular dystrophies and congenital myopathies are progressing toward approval as well.

Muscular dystrophies and congenital myopathies are a heterogenous group of hereditary muscle disorders. Confirming a diagnosis with genetic testing is not only critical for guiding management, but also an actual prerequisite for current and future gene therapies. Recessive loss-of-function or dominant haploinsufficiency disorders may be treated with gene replacement strategies, whereas dominant negative and toxic gain-of-function disorders are best addressed with a variety of knockdown approaches. It is important to recognize that many therapeutics are mutation specific and will only benefit a subset of individuals with a specific disease.
Afro-Autarky
Authors: Blanes Ruy Llera , Samussuku Hitler
Published: December 2022

This dispatch examines contemporary activist movements in Angola and their political utopias, namely their relevance to citizenship and governance, and their increasing importance in the political landscape. The authors describe the civic mobilization toward the implementation of a municipal electoral system (autarquia) and argue that it poses an Afro-utopian challenge: the issue of autarky, or the recognition of self-organization and self-sufficiency vis-à-vis postcolonial autocratic rule.
The fission yeast kinetochore complex Mhf1–Mhf2 regulates the spindle assembly checkpoint and faithful chromosome segregation
Authors: Jian Yanze , Nie Lingyun , Liu Sikai , Jiang Yueyue , Dou Zhen , Liu Xing , Yao Xuebiao , Fu Chuanhai
Published: December 2022

The outer kinetochore serves as a platform for the initiation of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and for mediating kinetochore–microtubule attachments. How the inner kinetochore subcomplex CENP-S–CENP-X is involved in regulating the SAC and kinetochore–microtubule attachments has not been well characterized. Using live-cell microscopy and yeast genetics, we found that Mhf1–Mhf2, the CENP-S–CENP-X counterpart in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, plays crucial roles in promoting the SAC and regulating chromosome segregation. The absence of Mhf2 attenuates the SAC, impairs the kinetochore localization of most of the components in the constitutive centromere-associated network (CCAN), and alters the localization of the kinase Ark1 (yeast homolog of Aurora B) to the kinetochore. Hence, our findings constitute a model in which Mhf1–Mhf2 ensures faithful chromosome segregation by regulating the accurate organization of the CCAN complex, which is required for promoting SAC signaling and for regulating kinetochore–microtubule attachments.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Proteomics-based determination of double-stranded RNA interactome reveals known and new factors involved in Sindbis virus infection
Authors: Girardi Erika , Messmer Mélanie , Lopez Paula , Fender Aurélie , Chicher Johana , Chane-Woon-Ming Béatrice , Hammann Philippe , Pfeffer Sébastien
Published: December 2022

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, which depend on the host cellular machineries to replicate their genome and complete their infectious cycle. Long double-stranded (ds)RNA is a common viral by-product originating during RNA virus replication and is universally sensed as a danger signal to trigger the antiviral response. As a result, viruses hide dsRNA intermediates into viral replication factories and have evolved strategies to hijack cellular proteins for their benefit. The characterization of the host factors associated with viral dsRNA and involved in viral replication remains a major challenge to develop new antiviral drugs against RNA viruses. Here, we performed anti-dsRNA immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry analysis to fully characterize the dsRNA interactome in Sindbis virus (SINV) infected human cells. Among the identified proteins, we characterized SFPQ (splicing factor, proline-glutamine rich) as a new dsRNA-associated proviral factor upon SINV infection. We showed that SFPQ depletion reduces SINV infection in human HCT116 and SK-N-BE(2) cells, suggesting that SFPQ enhances viral production. We demonstrated that the cytoplasmic fraction of SFPQ partially colocalizes with dsRNA upon SINV infection. In agreement, we proved by RNA-IP that SFPQ can bind dsRNA and viral RNA. Furthermore, we showed that overexpression of a wild-type, but not an RNA binding mutant SFPQ, increased viral infection, suggesting that RNA binding is essential for its positive effect on the virus. Overall, this study provides the community with a compendium of dsRNA-associated factors during viral infection and identifies SFPQ as a new proviral dsRNA binding protein.
Türkiye’de Şeri Yönetişim: Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu Örneği
Authors: Yenice Ali Can , Bektaş İsmail
Published: December 2022

Bu çalışma; “Türkiye’deki şeri yönetişim mekanizmasında Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu’nun (DİYK) nasıl bir yeri vardır?” sorusuna yanıt aramaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışmada, Türkiye’deki şeri yönetişim aktörlerinden olan DİYK’nin şeri yönetişim mekanizmasındaki yerinin ve öneminin keşfedilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. DİYK’nin şeri yönetişimdeki rolünü ve fonksiyonlarını ele almak için nitel araştırma desenlerinden durum çalışması (case study) tercih edilerek yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma grubunu üç kurul üyesi ve üç kurul uzmanı oluşturmaktadır. Görüşmeler sonucunda 530 dakikalık ses kayıtları elde edilerek çözümlenmiş ve 67 sayfalık metin elde edilmiştir. Bu metinler ve görüşme notları Atlas Ti programı aracılığıyla analiz edilerek 5 tema ve bunlara bağlı 33 alt temaya ulaşılmıştır. Bu temalar şunlardır: Erişim kanalları, fetva, kurumsal boyut, İslam ekonomisi ve finansı (İEF) alanına katkıları, şeri yönetişim. İlgili temalar, DİYK’nin Türkiye’deki şeri yönetişimdeki yerini ve önemini keşfetmek açısından zengin bir içerik sunmaktadır. Türkiye’deki şeri yönetişimi ele alan sınırlı sayıdaki çalışmalardan biri olan bu çalışmanın hem saha çalışmasına dayanması hem de şeri yönetişim aktörlerinden DİYK’yi ele alması açısından literatüre özgün bir katkı yapması beklenmektedir.
Examining the Relationships Among Teachers’ Work Engagement, Teamwork Attitudes, and Efficacy for Classroom Diversity
Authors: Gülbahar Bahadır , Sezen Gültekin Gözde , Gün Mesut
Published: December 2022

The purpose of this quantitative research is to examine the relationships among teachers’ work engagement, teamwork attitudes, and efficacy for classroom diversity within the scope of structural equation modeling. The sample of the study consists of 355 teachers involved in the Project Supporting the Integration of Syrian Children into the Turkish Education System (PIKTES) during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Teachers’ Teamwork Attitude Scale, Work Engagement Scale, and Teacher Efficacy Scale for Classroom Diversity have been used for collecting the data. Four hypotheses were developed based on the structural model created within the context of this study. Accordingly, (i) teachers’ work engagement is claimed to positively affects both teachers’ efficacy for classroom diversity as well as their (ii) teamwork attitude; and (iii) teachers’ efficacy for classroom diversity is claimed to positively affect their teamwork attitude, and (iv) teachers’ work engagement is also claimed to positively affect their teamwork attitude through their efficacy for classroom diversity. To verify these hypotheses, the relationships among the variables were determined first, and all the variables were seen to have moderately positive relationships. Based on these relations, the given structural model was then created and tested using path analysis. The findings showed all the hypotheses to have been proven confirmed.
Elitler Arası Uyumsuzluğun Suudi Dış Politikasına Etkisi
Authors: Acar Necmettin
Published: December 2022

2015 sonrası dönemde Suudi Arabistan; Levant, Güney Arabistan ve Körfez bölgesinde iddialı ve müdahaleci bir dış politikaya yönelmiştir. Bu dönem aynı zamanda ülkede hanedan içerisinde gücün ve prestijin dengeli dağılımına dayanan geleneksel sistemin ortadan kalktığı ve elitler arası uyumun bozulduğu bir dönem olarak da ön plana çıkmıştır. Ülkede ortaya çıkan elit uyumsuzluğunun en önemli sebebi, Veliaht Prens Muhammed bin Selman’ın Suud hanedanının güçlü üyelerini yönetimin üst kademelerinden uzaklaştırması olmuştur. 2021 yılı itibarıyla Katar ablukasının hiçbir sonuç elde edilemeden kaldırılması, Yemen savaşından beklenen politik kazançların elde edilememesi ve Lübnan’da Suudi Arabistan lehine politik bir düzen kurulamaması, iddialı dış politikanın ülkenin ulusal güvenliğine ve çıkarlarına beklenen katkıyı yapmadığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ülke dış politikasında ortaya çıkan bu başarısızlıkların en önemli sebeplerinden birisi son dönemde ortaya çıkan elit uyumsuzluğudur.