bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Safety and effectiveness of 8 weeks of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir in challenging HCV patients: Italian data from the CREST study
Authors: Aghemo Alessio , Persico Marcello , D’Ambrosio Roberta , Andreoni Massimo , Villa Erica , Bhagat Abhi , Gallinaro Valentina , Gualberti Giuliana , Merolla Rocco Cosimo Damiano , Gasbarrini Antonio
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) has demonstrated high rates (>95%) of sustained virologic response at posttreatment Week 12 (SVR12) in treatment-naïve (TN) patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and compensated cirrhosis (CC). Here, in a key real-world subset of TN Italian patients with CC, we evaluated the effectiveness and safety of 8-week G/P treatment, including subgroups of interest such as those with genotype 3 (GT3) infection, elderly patients, and those with more advanced liver disease.

Methods

Subanalysis of Italian patients enrolled in the CREST study. The full analysis set (FAS) included all patients enrolled in the study; the modified analysis set (MAS) excluded patients who discontinued G/P for nonvirologic failure or who had missing SVR12 results. Primary and secondary endpoints included SVR12 and safety, respectively.

Results

Of 42 patients included in the FAS, 1 discontinued for unknown reasons, and 2 had missing SVR12 data, leaving 39 patients included in the MAS. At treatment initiation, 74% of patients had ≥1 comorbidity, and 62% were receiving concomitant medications, including some that may potentially interact with G/P. SVR12 was achieved in 100% of patients in the MAS, and in 95% in the FAS. In subgroups of interest, the proportion of patients achieving SVR12 in the MAS (and FAS) was: 100% (94%) for patients ≥65 years, 100% (86%) for GT3, and 100% (100%) for patients with platelet count <150 × 109/L and FibroScan® >20 kPa. Overall, 2 (5%) patients had an adverse event and neither were serious.

Conclusion

Results from this real-world Italian cohort demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of 8-week G/P, with SVR12 rate >95%, even in elderly patients. These findings further support real-world evidence of the use of short-course G/P treatment in all patients with CC, including those with GT3, and those with advanced liver disease.
Incidence of lower limb deep vein thrombosis in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia through different waves of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A multicenter prospective study
Authors: Pieralli Filippo , Pomero Fulvio , Corbo Lorenzo , Fortini Alberto , Guazzini Giulia , Lastraioli Lisa , Luise Fabio , Mancini Antonio , Maddaluni Lucia , Milia Alessandro , Sammicheli Lucia , Mani Filippo , Marcucci Rossella
Published: February 2023

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia in a non-ICU setting according to the different waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods

Multicenter, prospective study of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to Internal Medicine units in Italy during the first (March-May 2020) and subsequent waves (November 2020 –April 2021) of the pandemic using a serial compression ultrasound (CUS) surveillance to detect DVT of the lower limbs.

Results

Three-hundred-sixty-three consecutive patients were enrolled. The pooled incidence of DVT was 8%: 13.5% in the first wave, and 4.2% in the subsequent waves (p = 0.002). The proportion of patients with early (< 4 days) detection of DVT was higher in patients during the first wave with respect to those of subsequent waves (8.1% vs 1.9%; p = 0.004). Patients enrolled in different waves had similar clinical characteristics, and thrombotic risk profile. Less patients during the first wave received intermediate/high dose anticoagulation with respect to those of the subsequent waves (40.5% vs 54.5%; p = 0.005); there was a significant difference in anticoagulant regimen and initiation of thromboprophylaxis at home (8.1% vs 25.1%; p<0.001).

Conclusions

In acutely ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, the incidence of DVT of the lower limbs showed a 3-fold decrease during the first with respect to the subsequent waves of the pandemic. A significant increase in thromboprophylaxis initiation prior to hospitalization, and the increase of the intensity of anticoagulation during hospitalization, likely, played a relevant role to explain this observation.
Real-world evidence: Telemedicine for complicated cases of urinary tract infection
Authors: Daumeyer Natalie M. , Kreitzberg Daniel , Gavin Kathleen M. , Bauer Timothy A.
Published: February 2023

Telemedicine programs for the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) offer an opportunity to reduce burdens on patients and providers. However, these programs are typically restricted to patients with uncomplicated UTIs. This real-world analysis evaluated treatment and resolution rates in a large-scale, national UTI telemedicine program inclusive of patients with uncomplicated and complicated UTIs. We conducted a retrospective analysis of data obtained from a commercially available telemedicine program for the treatment of UTIs among adult women in the US between 2017 and 2021 (n = 51,474). The primary outcomes were the number of women who presented with symptoms of uncomplicated UTI, complicated UTI, and vaginal infection; prescription use and antibiotic type; symptom resolution within seven days after appointment; and treatment failure or relapse. Most patients reported frequent urination (94.4%), urgency (94.5%), and dysuria (97.6%). Those with uncomplicated UTI symptoms represented the majority of patients (61.6%); however, a substantial number of patients (36.5%) also reported at least one symptom associated with a complicated UTI. One-fifth of patients (19.2%) reported at least one co-occurring symptom of vaginal infection or sexually transmitted infection. Across all treated patients, 94.0% received recommended antibiotics according to the clinical protocol. Of the treated patients who provided follow-up data (n = 3,521), 89.7% reported seven-day symptom resolution. Symptom resolution rates were similar between patients with uncomplicated UTI symptoms (90.8%) and complicated UTI symptoms (87.9%), and symptom resolution among all treated patients (89.7%) was similar to reports for in-person standard of care. These findings suggest that large-scale telemedicine programs for the treatment of UTIs can be effective in the treatment of complicated UTIs.
Deep learning-based diagnosis of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Rho Jinhyung , Shin Sung-Min , Jhang Kyoungsun , Lee Gwanghee , Song Keun-Ho , Shin Hyunguk , Na Kiwon , Kwon Hyo-Jung , Son Hwa-Young
Published: February 2023

Feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a common heart disease affecting 10–15% of all cats. Cats with HCM exhibit breathing difficulties, lethargy, and heart murmur; furthermore, feline HCM can also result in sudden death. Among various methods and indices, radiography and ultrasound are the gold standards in the diagnosis of feline HCM. However, only 75% accuracy has been achieved using radiography alone. Therefore, we trained five residual architectures (ResNet50V2, ResNet152, InceptionResNetV2, MobileNetV2, and Xception) using 231 ventrodorsal radiographic images of cats (143 HCM and 88 normal) and investigated the optimal architecture for diagnosing feline HCM through radiography. To ensure the generalizability of the data, the x-ray images were obtained from 5 independent institutions. In addition, 42 images were used in the test. The test data were divided into two; 22 radiographic images were used in prediction analysis and 20 radiographic images of cats were used in the evaluation of the peeking phenomenon and the voting strategy. As a result, all models showed > 90% accuracy; Resnet50V2: 95.45%; Resnet152: 95.45; InceptionResNetV2: 95.45%; MobileNetV2: 95.45% and Xception: 95.45. In addition, two voting strategies were applied to the five CNN models; softmax and majority voting. As a result, the softmax voting strategy achieved 95% accuracy in combined test data. Our findings demonstrate that an automated deep-learning system using a residual architecture can assist veterinary radiologists in screening HCM.
Machine learning based classification of mitochondrial morphologies from fluorescence microscopy images of Toxoplasma gondii cysts
Authors: Place Brooke C. , Troublefield Cortni A. , Murphy Robert D. , Sinai Anthony P. , Patwardhan Abhijit R.
Published: February 2023

The mitochondrion is intimately linked to energy and overall metabolism and therefore the morphology of mitochondrion can be very informative for inferring the metabolic state of cells. In this study we report an approach for automatic classification of mitochondrial morphologies using supervised machine learning to efficiently classify them from a large number of cells at a time. Fluorescence microscopy images of the chronic encysted form of parasite Toxoplasma gondii were used for this development. Manually classifying these morphologies from the hundreds of parasites within typical tissue cysts is tedious and error prone. In addition, because of inherent biological heterogeneity in morphologies, there can be variability and lack of reproducibility in manual classification. We used image segmentation to detect mitochondrial shapes and used features extracted from them in a multivariate logistic regression model to classify the detected shapes into five morphological classes: Blobs, Tadpoles, Lasso/Donuts, Arcs, and Other. The detected shapes from a subset of images were first used to obtain consensus classification among expert users to obtain a labeled set. The model was trained using the labeled set from five cysts and its performance was tested on the mitochondrial morphologies from ten other cysts that were not used in training. Results showed that the model had an average overall accuracy of 87%. There was high degree of confidence in the classification of Blobs and Arcs (average F scores 0.91 and 0.73) which constituted the majority of morphologies (85%). Although the current development used microscopy images from tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii, the approach is adaptable with minor adjustments and can be used to automatically classify morphologies of organelles from a variety of cells.
Pre-schoolers’ images, intergroup attitudes, and liking of refugee peers in Germany
Authors: Würbel Iris , Kanngiesser Patricia
Published: February 2023

There is extensive research on children’s intergroup attitudes, but their perceptions of refugee children have rarely been studied. We conducted a study with 5- and 6-year-old children (N = 60) in Germany following the arrival of unprecedented large numbers of refugees in 2015 and 2016. Children completed a set of three tasks that measured their perceptions of refugee children (minority group) and German children (majority group): a draw-a-typical-child task (including questions about whether participants wanted to interact with the depicted child), an intergroup attitude task, and a liking task. Results indicate that participants drew similar pictures of and had similar intentions to interact with refugee children and German children. There was mixed evidence for group favouritism: while participants showed similar explicit attitudes towards German and refugee peers, they indicated more liking of German peers. Moreover, children viewed refugee children as a less variable (more homogeneous) group than German children. Opportunities for intergroup contact with refugee peers (i.e., whether participants attended kindergartens with or without refugee children) had no discernible effect on any of the measures. Our findings provide a snapshot of children’s perceptions of refugees in a unique historical context and contribute to research on the development of intergroup attitudes in real-world settings.
Artificial intelligence algorithms predict the efficacy of analgesic cocktails prescribed after orthopedic surgery
Authors: Fritsch Gerhard , Steltzer Heinz , Oberladstaetter Daniel , Zeller Carolina , Prossinger Hermann
Published: February 2023

Background

Mixtures (‘cocktails’) of various analgesics are more effective in controlling post-operative pain because of potential synergetic effects. Few studies have investigated such effects in large combinations of analgesics and no studies have determined the probabilities of effectiveness.

Methods

We used one-hot encoding of the categorical variables reported pain levels and the administered cocktails (from a total of eight analgesics) and then applied an unsupervised neural network and then the unsupervised DBSCAN algorithm to detect clusters of cocktails. We used Bayesian statistics to classify the effectiveness of these cocktails.

Results

Of the 61 different cocktails administered to 750 patients, we found that four combinations of three to four analgesics were by far the most effective. All these cocktails contained Metamizole and Paracetamol; three contained Hydromorphone and two contained Diclofenac and one Diclofenac-Orphenadrine. The ML probability that these cocktails decreased pain levels ranged from 0.965 to 0.981. Choice of a most effective cocktail involves choosing the optimum in a 4-dimensional parameter space: maximum probability of efficacy, confidence interval about maximum probability, fraction of patients with increase in pain levels, relative number of patients with successful pain level decrease.

Conclusions

We observed that administering one analgesic or at most two is not effective. We found no statistical indicators that interactions between analgesics in the most effective cocktails decreased their effectiveness. Pairs of most effective cocktails differed by the addition of only one analgesic (Diclofenac-Orphenadrine for one pair and Hydromorphone for the other). We conclude that the listed cocktails are to be recommended.
Prevalence of anemia among reproductive women in different social group in India: Cross-sectional study using nationally representative data
Authors: Sharif Nowaj , Das Bhaswati , Alam Asraful
Published: February 2023

Background

The common cause of anemia in the general population is iron deficiency. Anemia is adversely affecting women of reproductive age and child health which in turn results in increased morbidity and maternal death, and also hamper social-economic growth. Reproductive women are more prone to anemia due to inadequate dietary intake and iron loss during menstruation and pregnancy.

Objectives

This study examined the level and trend of anemia prevalence among the socially disadvantaged group (SC&ST, OBC) of women as compared to the other women (general) and identified the main responsible factors behind this.

Data and methods

The data for this analysis has been taken from three rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted during 2005–2006 (NFHS 3), 2015–16 (NFHS 4) and 2019–21 (NFHS 5). Univariate and bivariate analyses were used to assess the level of anemia among reproductive age group women of different social groups. The regression model represents the relative risk of different confounding factors on the occurrence of anemia. GIS technique used for graphical representation of anemia prevalence rate among different social groups of women in different states of India.

Result

In India more than 15 states belong to the high prevalence (>%55) of anemia among socially backward groups in 2019–21. The anemia prevalence was high (>55%) in all social groups (SC & ST, OBC, general) observed in 7 states in NFHS-3, 4 in NFHS-4 and 11 states in NFHS-5. The overall result reveals that the SC&ST women were more prone to any anemia than OBC and general women and the prevalence rate slightly increased from 2005–06 to 2019–21. Among all variables, economic status dominantly controls the anemia level in all social groups. Anemia prevalence of the poor and poorest group of general women were much worse than the women of richer and richest groups of SC&ST, OBC. The odds of women having anemia were lower among higher educated and urban women as compared to the non educated and rural women, irrespective of social group. The prevalence of anemia decreases with increased age of women and increases with the number of child bearing. All differences were statistically significant.

Conclusions

The problem of iron deficiency remains a major issue in India, where the majority of the states (eastern, north-eastern and central) suffer from high anemia prevalence rate and it increases over time. It is observed that multiple socio-demographic factors ranging from poor economic and educational status, rural residence to higher childbearing of women are responsible for predicting anemia levels among the social groups of women in India. To eradicate this problem India should improve women’s overall nutrition status and their income. Meanwhile, GOI should be more focused on the existing policies related to anemia and on their actual implementation on grassroots level.
Infectious diseases, dividend policy, and independent directors: Evidence from textual analysis
Authors: Ungpakorn Saranyu , Chatjuthamard Pattanaporn , Jiraporn Pornsit , Phiromswad Piyachart
Published: February 2023

We investigated the effect of uncertainty associated with infectious diseases on corporate dividend policy. We used a unique text-based measure of infectious diseases that includes not only the Covid-19, but also other important diseases, such as SARs, MERs, and Ebola. Based on a sample of 287,151 firm-year observations across four decades (from 1985 to 2021), our results show that a higher level of uncertainty associated with infectious diseases significantly reduce dividends. Interestingly, we also found that having more independent directors on the board mitigates the negative effect of uncertainty associated with infectious diseases on dividends which implies that the reduction in dividends was partly driven by agency conflicts. We performed several robustness checks which confirm that our findings are unlikely to be affected by endogeneity issues.
Serum lactate dehydrogenase is associated with impaired lung function: NHANES 2011–2012
Authors: Hu Sheng , Ye Jiayue , Guo Qiang , Zou Sheng , Zhang Wenxiong , Zhang Deyuan , Zhang Yang , Wang Silin , Su Lang , Wei Yiping
Published: February 2023

Background

Serum lactate dehydrogenase levels reflect disease status in a variety of organs, but its role in indicating pulmonary function is not yet clear. Therefore, this study explored the correlation between pulmonary function and serum lactate dehydrogenase, and investigated thresholds for changes in pulmonary function indicators in the total population as well as in different strata of the population.

Methods

Based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2012 (n = 3453), univariate and stratified analyses were performed to investigate factors associated with pulmonary function, and multiple regression analysis was used to further investigate the specific relationship with serum lactate dehydrogenase. Smoothed curve fitting, threshold effect and saturation effect analysis were used to explore the threshold level of serum lactate dehydrogenase at the onset of changes in pulmonary function indicators.

Results

Adjusted smoothed curve fit plots showed a linear relationship between serum lactate dehydrogenase levels and forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second: for each 1 U/L increase in serum lactate dehydrogenase levels, forced vital capacity decreased by 1.24 mL (95% CI = -2.05, -0.42, P = 0.0030) and forced expiratory volume in one second by 1.11 mL (95% CI = -1.82, -0.39, P = 0.0025).

Conclusions

Serum lactate dehydrogenase was negatively and linearly correlated with pulmonary function indices in the total population analyzed. Based on the total population and different population stratifications, this study determined the threshold values of serum lactate dehydrogenase at the onset of decline of pulmonary function in different populations. This provides a new serological monitoring indicator for patients suffering from respiratory diseases and has implications for patients with possible clinical impairment of pulmonary function. However, our cross-sectional study was not able to determine a causal relationship between these two factors, and further research is needed.
Did you donate? Talking about donations predicts compliance with solicitations for donations
Authors: Schröder Joris Melchior , Merz Eva-Maria , Suanet Bianca , Wiepking Pamala
Published: February 2023

Many forms of prosocial behaviour are highly institutionalized. They are facilitated by organizations that broker between donors and recipients. A highly effective tool that organizations use to elicit prosocial behaviour are solicitations for donations (e.g., of blood, time, or money). Using register and survey data on blood donations in the Netherlands, we examine to what extent compliance with these solicitations is predicted by being recruited via word of mouth (WOM) and talking about donations. Our model predicts that donors that are one unit higher on our measure of talking about donations (range = 1–4) have a 2.9 percentage points higher compliance with solicitations for donations. In addition, this association is stronger for novice donors. Our study demonstrates the social embedding of the donors’ decision-making processes about compliance. For practice, our results imply that organizations may increase their contributors’ communication about donations to increase the effectiveness of their solicitations.
Triple mediation of attitude to bridge transformational leadership on organizational citizenship behavior
Authors: Yuwono Heni , Eliyana Anis , Buchdadi Agung Dharmawan , Hamidah  , Jalil Nurul Iman Abdul
Published: February 2023

This study was conducted to determine the Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of correctional officers at the Super Maximum-Security Prison in Indonesia which is influenced by Transformational Leadership (TL) either directly or indirectly through Affective Organizational Commitment (AOC), Job Satisfaction (JS) and Job Self-Efficacy (JSE). This research was conducted on 224 prison officers as a sample size. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire distributed via Google Form. Robustness was built in two stages; the first stage was through a try out of research instruments and the second stage was through data collection which was done with the time lagged method. Furthermore, the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of AMOS 24 software. The results of this study indicate that triple mediation consisting of AOC, JS and JSE fully mediates the effect of TL on OCB. The novelty of this research lies in the role of triple mediation as the focuses of the study. Furthermore, the triple mediation has been proven to fully mediate the effect of TL on OCB thus may serve as empirical evidence that contribute to theoretical and practical developments in the fields of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior.
Sero-prevalence of hepatitis B virus and compliance with hepatitis B vaccination schedules among outpatient clinic attendees in Nairobi
Authors: Langat Benard , Muge Edward K. , Night Doris , Okoth Fredrick , Ochwedo Kevin O. , Songok Elijah M.
Published: February 2023

Background

Hepatitis B is becoming a growing public health problem in Kenya. To combat the threat, HBV vaccination should be recommended, particularly for individuals who are not covered by the national immunization program. Vaccination provides sero-protection rates approaching 95% among healthy adults after completing the three-dose vaccination course, but decreases to 87% among those who receive only two doses, emphasizing the importance of completing the three-dose vaccination course. However, data on adult adherence to HBV multi-dose vaccines in Sub-Saharan Africa are limited, despite the fact that this information is critical for prevention. As a result, more research on HBV vaccine dose completion is required. The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among out-patient clinic attendees in Nairobi, Kenya, as well as to identify beneficiaries of free vaccination and barriers to completing the recommended vaccine doses.

Methods

Between July 30thand September 30th, 2015, 2644 outpatient clinic attendees aged ≥ 4 were recruited from three hospitals in Nairobi County, Kenya: Mama Lucy, Riruta, and Loco. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect socio-demographic information, and blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using the KEMRI HEPCELL Rapid® (Hepatitis B Detection kit) test kit. Individuals who tested negative for HBsAg were given a free course of three doses of HBV vaccine. The vaccination register provided information on the number of doses administered.

Results

The average age of the study population was 31.4 years (range: 4–66), with females accounting for 59.2%. 1.82% (48/2644) of the participants tested positive for HBsAg. Among the 2596 individuals eligible for vaccination, 66% (1720/2596) received at least one dose, and 51.8% (1345/2596) received all three doses. Vaccination acceptance increased with age, with older patients more likely to return for subsequent dose (OR>1 for second and third dose). Unavailability and failure to contact client were cited as significant (p<0.0001) barrier to vaccination completion by 53.7% (666/1226, 95% CI 0.5–0.6) and 37% (454/1226, 95% CI 0.3–0.4) of respondents respectively.

Conclusion

The prevalence of HBV infection among outpatient clinic attendees highlights the importance of expanding HBV immunization programs in Kenya. However, given the low vaccination completion rate, there is a need for public awareness of the vaccine’s importance in preventing HBV and HBV-related complications.
Analysis of siblings’ relationship and parenting style using structure modelling approach
Authors: Krejčová Kristýna , Chýlová Hana , Rymešová Pavla
Published: February 2023

Relationships among siblings play a crucial role in early socialization and further social development. Siblings inherently belong to the system of family relationships; their observation without involving parent-child bonds, is to some extent, generalization. Therefore, our research analyzes with mutual connections between parenting styles and the characteristics of siblings’ relationships in a family using a quantitative design of data collection and processing. The outputs from the Sibling Relationship Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Parenting Styles in a Family were collected from 264 bachelor’s students. The study found the overall associations of positive emotional relationships and freedom provided by parents with generally desirable characteristics of siblings’ bonds and vice versa, and associations between negative emotional relationships and requirements with negatively perceived traits of siblings’ bonds. The unexpected outcome of our research is that it revealed more connections between paternal parenting styles and the characteristics of sibling relationships than with those of maternal parenting styles. To reflect the complexity of these relationships more precisely, complex structural equation models were created and successfully adjusted.
Phylogeny analysis of whole protein-coding genes in metagenomic data detected an environmental gradient for the microbiota
Authors: Satoh Soichirou , Tanaka Rei , Yokono Makio , Endoh Daiji , Yabuki Tetsuo , Tanaka Ayumi
Published: February 2023

Environmental factors affect the growth of microorganisms and therefore alter the composition of microbiota. Correlative analysis of the relationship between metagenomic composition and the environmental gradient can help elucidate key environmental factors and establishment principles for microbial communities. However, a reasonable method to quantitatively compare whole metagenomic data and identify the primary environmental factors for the establishment of microbiota has not been reported so far. In this study, we developed a method to compare whole proteomes deduced from metagenomic shotgun sequencing data, and quantitatively display their phylogenetic relationships as metagenomic trees. We called this method Metagenomic Phylogeny by Average Sequence Similarity (MPASS). We also compared one of the metagenomic trees with dendrograms of environmental factors using a comparison tool for phylogenetic trees. The MPASS method correctly constructed metagenomic trees of simulated metagenomes and soil and water samples. The topology of the metagenomic tree of samples from the Kirishima hot springs area in Japan was highly similarity to that of the dendrograms based on previously reported environmental factors for this area. The topology of the metagenomic tree also reflected the dynamics of microbiota at the taxonomic and functional levels. Our results strongly suggest that MPASS can successfully classify metagenomic shotgun sequencing data based on the similarity of whole protein-coding sequences, and will be useful for the identification of principal environmental factors for the establishment of microbial communities. Custom Perl script for the MPASS pipeline is available at https://github.com/s0sat/MPASS.
An NlpC/P60 protein catalyzes a key step in peptidoglycan recycling at the intersection of energy recovery, cell division and immune evasion in the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis
Authors: Reuter Jula , Otten Christian , Jacquier Nicolas , Lee Junghoon , Mengin-Lecreulx Dominique , Löckener Iris , Kluj Robert , Mayer Christoph , Corona Federico , Dannenberg Julia , Aeby Sébastien , Bühl Henrike , Greub Gilbert , Vollmer Waldemar , Ouellette Scot P. , Schneider Tanja , Henrichfreise Beate
Published: February 2023

The obligate intracellular Chlamydiaceae do not need to resist osmotic challenges and thus lost their cell wall in the course of evolution. Nevertheless, these pathogens maintain a rudimentary peptidoglycan machinery for cell division. They build a transient peptidoglycan ring, which is remodeled during the process of cell division and degraded afterwards. Uncontrolled degradation of peptidoglycan poses risks to the chlamydial cell, as essential building blocks might get lost or trigger host immune response upon release into the host cell. Here, we provide evidence that a primordial enzyme class prevents energy intensive de novo synthesis and uncontrolled release of immunogenic peptidoglycan subunits in Chlamydia trachomatis. Our data indicate that the homolog of a Bacillus NlpC/P60 protein is widely conserved among Chlamydiales. We show that the enzyme is tailored to hydrolyze peptidoglycan-derived peptides, does not interfere with peptidoglycan precursor biosynthesis, and is targeted by cysteine protease inhibitors in vitro and in cell culture. The peptidase plays a key role in the underexplored process of chlamydial peptidoglycan recycling. Our study suggests that chlamydiae orchestrate a closed-loop system of peptidoglycan ring biosynthesis, remodeling, and recycling to support cell division and maintain long-term residence inside the host. Operating at the intersection of energy recovery, cell division and immune evasion, the peptidoglycan recycling NlpC/P60 peptidase could be a promising target for the development of drugs that combine features of classical antibiotics and anti-virulence drugs.
Lost in the Fumes: Affective resistance in relation to the 2019 Hong Kong Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement
Authors: Wong Lucas L. H.
Published: February 2023

Recent years have demonstrated the rise of localism worldwide. In an Asian context, we are witnessing an increasing number of protest events and numerous social movement documentaries being produced. In Hong Kong, Edward Tin-kei Leung 梁天琦 was the first self-proclaimed localist to participate in a democratic election and the first to be charged for riot since the Handover. The documentary film of Leung’s story,Lost in the Fumes, achieved an impressive degree of popularity among local people during the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (ELAB) movement. Analysing its storylines and plots, as well as filming techniques, from the perspectives of film studies and cultural studies, together with several interviews as a supplement, this article examines the emotional connections of films and protesting bodies in social movements. It explores the cinematic representation of Leung and how this representation was received by viewers to facilitate self-mobilization in the Anti-ELAB Movement. Hence, I will analyse the functions of films as a cultural or emotional foundation in social movements that facilitate the creation of a shared emotional engagement.
Remembering the losers: The hopeful politics of memory in Raise the Umbrellas 撐傘
Authors: Coe Jason G.
Published: February 2023

This article examines how the documentary film Raise the Umbrellas (Evans Chan 2016) enacts a more democratic form of collective memory that generates a politics of hope by remembering the failed 2014 Umbrella Movement for universal suffrage. I argue that the documentary engages in democratic remembering by taking an agonistic and pluralist view of the movement, emphasizing the intersubjective and recursive circulation of collective memories of the event and poeticizing the failure of the movement. Through aesthetic commemoration that emphasizes the value of failed political resistance, the film generates hope – the most basic and fundamental requirement for democratization.
Una aproximación teórica al viejo y nuevo paradigma de inteligencia para la seguridad
Authors: Ivars Pérez Javier
Published: February 2023

Las amenazas para los estados han evolucionado en el tiempo, en ocasiones a causa del devenir histórico y en otras siendo estas el propio motor de cambio. Hoy en día son muchos los riesgos que acechan a nuestras sociedades y que ponen en jaque nuestro estado de bienestar y la convivencia democrática y con ello también han variado los propios conceptos de seguridad, su forma de estudio y sobre todo la herramienta de la que tradicionalmente se han servido los estados para analizar, prevenir y responder a estos, como es la inteligencia. Por ello, a raíz del interés por las políticas de seguridad y de la constante evolución de las amenazas para nuestros sistemas democráticos, a través de este artículo realizaremos una aproximación teórica a dos marcos epistemológicos, distintos y fruto del devenir histórico, sobre la forma de observar, analizar y responder ante las amenazas de la seguridad. Así, observando cómo se han estudiado tradicionalmente estas, su evolución, el tipo de respuesta que han obtenido, y las aportaciones de distintos autores, podremos delimitar teóricamente la existencia de dos paradigmas de inteligencia para la seguridad en los que la manera de analizar y responder es completamente distinta. Con esto, se pretende, no solo articular una perspectiva de seguridad y de defensa de interés sino contraponer los paradigmas de seguridad y defensa tradicionales a las nuevas corrientes, fruto del contexto actual, con el fin de hacer políticas públicas más eficaces y respetuosas con los Derechos Humanos.
The Anti-Jacobin and its Parodic Strategies: Parodying Jacobin Ideas and Authors
Authors: Ramos Ramos María Rocío
Published: February 2023

This study highlights the parodic skills employed in the literary section of The Anti-Jacobin (1797-1798), a periodical edited by William Gifford, written mainly by G. Canning, J. H. Frere and G. Ellis and supported even by Prime Minister William Pitt. Parody is its main mechanism, being generated across an extraordinary range of genres beyond poetry and scholarly and popular prose, thereby demonstrating its malleability and creativity in the Romantic era and demonstrating its versatility and originality. Due to its peculiarity, it is necessary to provide a description of the work’s nature and structure, while examples are selected and analysed in order to clarify this original use of the parodic resource in the literature-politics binomial.
Letras trazadas en hueso. Alfabetos de la València islámica sobre escápulas de bóvidos
Authors: Blasco Martín Marta , Barceló Torres Carmen
Published: February 2023

Estudio de las escápulas de bóvidos recuperadas en las excavaciones urbanas de la ciudad de València, con cronologías que abarcan desde el s. ix a inicios del xiii, todas ellas con alfabetos árabes incisos o cincelados. Se dan a conocer tres nuevos ejemplares, dos de la c/ Verge de la Misericòrdia y uno hallado en las excavaciones de la muralla islámica, y se estudian de forma conjunta. Para emprender el análisis funcional de estos huesos es previo abordar el examen del alfabeto árabe y sus usos sociales. Desde un punto de vista arqueológico y epigráfico se exponen los resultados y se analizan las hipótesis que se han formulado y discutido sobre el destino de estos objetos: una profiláctica y otra educativa. Se propone añadir la tesis, acorde con las características del material valenciano, de su carácter artesanal. Tras remarcar la importancia de dichas piezas como ejemplos de la alfabetización de parte de la sociedad y valorar el trabajo artesanal llevado a cabo para su elaboración, se propone que son objetos utilizados con finalidad didáctica para favorecer el aprendizaje y que se emplearían como muestra para copiar las letras y practicar técnicas artesanas.
Sobre el Calcolítico ibérico. El ciervo como barca celeste
Authors: Escacena Carrasco José Luis , Flores Delgado Miguel
Published: February 2023

Durante el III milenio a. C. la Península Ibérica conoció una especial proliferación iconográfica del ciervo, en escenas que muchas veces cuentan con imágenes solares. Esta asociación abunda sobre todo en la pintura rupestre esquemática, pero también se ha encontrado como decoración incisa en recipientes de cerámica campaniforme. En diversas ocasiones los animales cuentan con más de cuatro extremidades, que serían las esperables si las representaciones plasmaran la realidad. Por ello podríamos estar ante barcas astrales que dispusieran de una cabeza de ciervo en la proa, mientras que sus múltiples patas aludirían a los remos.
El registro arqueológico indica, además, que las cuernas de ciervo fueron muy populares entre los ajuares funerarios. En este caso no pueden considerarse la evidencia de alimentos para el difunto, pues muchas de ellas son astas de desmogue. Este dato sugiere que pudieron ser parte de embarcaciones hechas con materiales perecederos que llevaran cuernas como mascarón, si es que no estamos ante simples sinécdoques de naves psicopompas.
Estratigrafía, radiocarbono y producción textil: seriación cronotipológica de las pesas de telar de la Edad del Bronce en el cuadrante suroriental de la península ibérica
Authors: Basso Rial Ricardo , Jover Maestre Francisco Javier , L´ópez Padilla Juan Antonio
Published: February 2023

En este artículo se pretende evidenciar la importancia que, como indicador cronológico, posee en el cuadrante suroriental de la península ibérica uno de los objetos del registro arqueológico de la Edad del Bronce hasta ahora no considerados: las pesas de telar. A partir del análisis de su seriación tipológica, debidamente concatenada con la información contextual de aparición en ámbitos de hábitat y cronoestratigráfica a partir de dataciones absolutas asociadas de yacimientos argáricos, del Bronce Valenciano y del  Bronce en La Mancha, se muestra cómo más allá de las implicaciones que sus cambios morfológicos pudieron tener en el marco de las innovaciones técnicas y en la organización de la artesanía textil a lo largo más de un milenio, también pueden ser empleadas como un indicador cronológico fiable en la ordenación temporal de contextos de hábitat.
Epidemiology and Economic Burden of Acute Infectious Gastroenteritis Among Adults Treated in Outpatient Settings in US Health Systems
Authors: Moon Rena C. , Bleak Tammy C. , Rosenthal Ning A. , Couturier Brianne , Hemmert Rachael , Timbrook Tristan T. , Brown Harold , Fang Ferric C.
Published: February 2023

INTRODUCTION:

Acute infectious gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common reason for outpatient visits and hospitalizations in the United States. This study aimed to understand the demographic and clinical characteristics, common pathogens detected, health care resource utilization (HRU), and cost among adult outpatients with AGE visiting US health systems.

METHODS:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using one of the largest hospital discharge databases (PINC AI Healthcare Database) in the United States. Adult patients (aged ≥18 years) with a principal diagnosis of AGE during an outpatient visit between January 1, 2016, and June 30, 2021, were included. Pathogen detection analysis was performed in those with microbiology data available.

RESULTS:

Among 248,896 patients, the mean age was 44.3 years (range 18–89+ years), 62.9% were female, and 68.5% were White. More than half (62.0%) of the patients did not have any preexisting comorbidity, and only 18.3% underwent stool workup at the hospital. Most patients (84.7%) were seen in the emergency department, and most (96.4%) were discharged home. Within 30 days of discharge, 1.0% were hospitalized, and 2.8% had another outpatient visit due to AGE. The mean cost of the index visit plus 30-day AGE-related follow-up was $1,338 per patient, amounting to $333,060,182 for the total study population. Among patients with microbiology data available (n = 12,469), common pathogens detected were Clostridioides difficile (32.2%), norovirus (6.3%), and Campylobacter spp. (4.0%).

DISCUSSION:

AGE is a common and costly disease affecting adults of all ages and more females than males, including individuals with or without baseline conditions in a hospital-based outpatient setting. C. difficile was the most common pathogen detected.
Early Antibody Dynamics in a Prospective Cohort of Children At Risk of Celiac Disease
Authors: Valitutti Francesco , Leonard Maureen M. , Kenyon Victoria , Montuori Monica , Piemontese Pasqua , Francavilla Ruggiero , Malamisura Basilio , Norsa Lorenzo , Calvi Angela , Lionetti Maria Elena , Baldassarre Mariella , Trovato Chiara Maria , Perrone Michela , Passaro Tiziana , Sansotta Naire , Crocco Marco , Morelli Annalisa , Raguseo Lidia Celeste , Malerba Federica , Elli Luca , Cristofori Fernanda , Catassi Carlo , Fasano Alessio ,   CD-GEMM Team
Published: February 2023

INTRODUCTION:

The purpose of this study was to identify possible serum biomarkers predicting celiac disease (CD) onset in children at risk.

METHODS:

A subgroup from an ongoing, international prospective study of children at risk of CD was classified according to an early trajectory of deamidated gliadin peptides (DGPs) immunoglobulin (Ig) G and clinical outcomes (CD, potential CD, and CD autoimmunity).

RESULTS:

Thirty-eight of 325 children developed anti-tissue transglutaminase IgA antibody (anti-tTG IgA) seroconversion. Twenty-eight of 38 children (73.6%) showed an increase in anti-DGPs IgG before their first anti-tTG IgA seroconversion.

DISCUSSION:

Anti-DGPs IgG can represent an early preclinical biomarker predicting CD onset in children at risk.
Examination of the Prediction of Pre-Service Teachers' Teaching Motivation and Academic motivation for the Intention to Choose a Teaching Career, Teaching Career Preparation, and Academic Attitude
Authors:   Center For Educational Research, Song Juyeon , Kang Jinyoung
Published: February 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to confirm the relative prediction of teaching motivation and academicmotivation for pre-service teachers' intention to choose a teaching career, teaching career preparation,academic effort persistence, and academic procrastination.
Methods: To this end, 261 pre-service teachers attending the teacher training period participated inthe survey. In the survey, the pre-service teachers' intention to choose a teaching career and teachingcareer preparation were measured, and effort persistence and academic procrastination in major andteaching subjects were measured as academic attitudes. The efficacy, value, and cost of teaching, major,and teaching subjects were measured with teaching motivation and academic motivation, respectively. Logistic regression analysis and path analysis were conducted to verify the hypothesis.
Results: As a result, the research revealed differential predictions of teaching motivation, major andteaching subject motivation for intention to choose a teaching career, teaching career preparation, andacademic attitude. teaching value predicted the intention to choose a teaching career. Teaching efficacyand cost predicted teaching career preparation positively, and the cost of major subjects predictedteaching career preparation negatively. Teaching value, the efficacy and value of the major subjects,and the efficacy of the teaching subjects predicted the effort persistence in the major subjects. Theefficacy and cost of major subjects also predicted academic procrastination in the major subjects. Theefficacy of major and teaching subjects and the value of teaching subjects statistically predicted effortpersistence in the teaching subjects. The efficacy of major subjects and the value and cost of teachingsubjects predicted academic procrastination in teaching subjects.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, we proposed guidelines on how to encourage themotivation for pre-service teachers' intention to enter the teaching profession and career preparationbehavior and the motivation for learning during the teacher training period as follows. The higherthe value of the teaching career, the higher the intention to choose a teaching career and the effortpersistence in the major subject, but this may not necessarily positively function in teaching careerpreparation or academic attitudes. The research findings suggest that pre-service teachers' teachingefficacy should be improved and their cost perception for teaching and major should be reduced inorder to increase their preparation for a teaching career. In addition, in order to encourage low academicprocrastination and effort persistence in major and teaching subjects, it is important to increasemotivation for each class.
HEGEMONI OLIGARKI DAN AMBRUKNYA SUPREMASI HUKUM
Authors: Suteki Suteki
Published: February 2023

Hukum, demokrasi dan hak asasi manusia mempunyai hubungan yang bersifat piramidal. Baik buruknya citra negara hukum akan memengaruhi perwujudan demokrasi. Sementara itu, supremasi hukum merupakan suatu prinsip yang harus diutamakan dalam penyelenggaraan negara hukum. Supremasi hukum dapat ambruk oleh dominasi atau hegemoni kekuasaan baik dari aspek penguasa pemerintahan, pengusaha hingga partai politik. Studi dalam perspektif hukum dan masyarakat ini penting untuk memahami bagaimana hubungan implikatif antara hegemoni oligarki terhadap supremasi hukum di negara demokrasi Indonesia tersebut. Hasil studi menunjukkan bahwa ketika parpol seakan menganut sistem oligarki maka terjadilah pembungkaman suara rakyat hingga timbul rasa apatis di sebagian besar kalangan masyarakat terhadap politik itu sendiri. Pada akhirnya, oligarki kekuasaan dapat menyebabkan collaps-nya negara hukum dan dengan sendirinya prinsip-prinsip demokrasi akan mati. Ketika oligarki kekuasaan muncul, mesin demokrasi pun sebenarnya telah mengalami senjakala. Pertanyaan tentang “How Democracies Die” dengan demikian sudah terjawab. Jalan keluar mengurangi hegemoni oligarki hingga supremasi hukum terwujud ialah menerapkan sistem hukum berkeadilan ala Islam dengan prinsip: tidak boleh dipengaruhi oleh rasa suka atau tak suka, kawan atau lawan, dekat atau jauh. Selain itu, tidak boleh dipengaruhi oleh rasa kasihan sehingga berakibat tidak menjalankan hukum terhadap pelaku kriminal, serta hukum berlaku untuk semua.