bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How Might We Screen for Psychological Factors in People With Pelvic Pain? An e-Delphi Study
Authors: Pontifex Angela , Savin Caris , Park Caitlin , Nunes Alina Filipe , Chalmers K Jane , Neumann Patricia B , Ng Leo , Thompson Judith A
Published: January 2021

Objective

Persistent pelvic pain (PPP) is a complex condition often influenced by psychological factors that can alter treatment outcomes. These factors are potentially modifiable; however, currently there is no instrument to screen for them. The purpose of this study was to determine: (1) which psychological factors should be screened in individuals with PPP, and (2) the most appropriate statements to represent these psychological factors.

Methods

The study used a focus group design followed by an electronic-Delphi (e-Delphi) process. A focus group consisting of 8 experts was conducted to determine the relevant psychological factors to screen. These results informed round 1 of the e-Delphi process, consisting of a panel of 14 pain/pelvic pain experts. The e-Delphi process consisted of 3 rounds of online surveys and 2 teleconference discussions to establish consensus on the most appropriate statement to screen for each of the psychological factors.

Results

The focus group identified 13 relevant psychological factors. During the e-Delphi process, relevant screening statements were assessed using a 100-point allocation system. Experts could reword and suggest new statements. Statements were assessed for consensus and stability and were eliminated as the rounds progressed if they met the exclusion criteria. At the termination of round 3, there were 15 statements remaining.

Conclusion

The final list of 15 statements will assist clinicians in screening for psychological factors and is an important step for clinicians in providing psychologically informed care to people with PPP. Future research should determine the psychometric properties of the statements to determine their clinical utility as a questionnaire.

Impact

This study has refined a list of statements to help screen for psychological factors in individuals with PPP. Developed robustly using an e-Delphi method, this list is an important first step forward for clinicians to provide psychologically informed care to these individuals.
Clinical Determinants of Dual Tasking in People With Premanifest Huntington Disease
Authors: Reyes Alvaro , Bartlett Danielle M , Rankin Timothy J , Zaenker Pauline , Turner Kate , Teo Wei-Peng , Fu Shih Ching , Domingos Josefa , Georgiou-Karistianis Nellie , Ziman Mel , Cruickshank Travis M
Published: January 2021

Objective

Dual-tasking deficiencies are common in people with Huntington disease (HD) and contribute to reduced functional independence. To date, few studies have investigated the determinants of dual-tasking deficiencies in this population. The reliability of dual-tasking measures has also been poorly investigated in HD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of clinical determinants on dual-tasking performance and to determine the association of disease burden outcomes on dual-tasking performance in individuals with premanifest HD.

Methods

Thirty-six individuals with premanifest HD and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited for this study. Participants performed 3 single-task (2 cognitive and 1 motor) and 2 dual-task assessments, comprising motor (postural stability) and cognitive (simple or complex mental arithmetic) components. In addition, participants performed a comprehensive clinical battery comprising motor, cognitive, mood, and sleep assessments as well as lifestyle and disease burden measures.

Results

Poorer sleep quality was associated with greater cognitive dual-task cost in individuals with premanifest HD. Compared with healthy controls, people with premanifest HD demonstrated an impaired capacity to dual task. Dual-task measures exhibited acceptable test–retest reliability in premanifest HD and healthy control groups.

Conclusion

These results show that dual-tasking measures are sensitive and reliable in individuals with premanifest HD. Furthermore, poor sleep quality is associated with worse cognitive performance on dual tasks, which should be considered by rehabilitation specialists when examining and therapeutically managing dual-tasking problems in individuals with HD and other neurodegenerative populations in the future.

Impact

This study adds important knowledge to the sparse literature on dual-tasking deficiencies in people with HD. When examining and therapeutically managing dual-tasking problems in this and other neurodegenerative populations, rehabilitation specialists should consider that people with premanifest HD may have an impaired capacity to dual task. Clinicians also should assess sleep quality, as poorer sleep quality is associated with worse cognitive performance on dual tasks in these individuals.

Lay Summary

If you have premanifest HD and poor quality of sleep, you may pay more attention to maintaining postural stability rather than performing arithmetic calculations to reduce the risk of falling.
The Gender Gap in Workplace Authority: Variation across Types of Authority Positions
Authors: Stojmenovska Dragana , Steinmetz Stephanie , Volker Beate
Published: January 2021

The finding that men are disproportionately represented in positions of workplace authority to an extent that cannot be explained by human capital attributes and location within the structure of the economy is well documented. Arguing that different authority positions are differentially gendered, this article tests a more refined hypothesis: that the gender gap in authority is larger in positions that are relatively seen as more suitable for men. We distinguish authority positions by the amount of authority and the gender-typed control over resources they involve, hypothesizing a larger gender gap in positions with larger proportions of supervisory, as opposed to nonsupervisory tasks, and in positions with control over organizational, as opposed to human, resources. Our findings, based on Dutch linked survey and administrative data from about 32,000 employees who have started their careers between 1999 and 2016, largely support these ideas. We find an overall larger gender gap in positions with largely supervisory tasks as opposed to positions with only some supervisory tasks. Additionally, the authority gender gap is the largest in largely supervisory positions with control over organizational resources and smallest in positions with control over human resources. We discuss both theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Can digital communication technology reduce health system personnel time? An evaluation of personnel requirements and costs in a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wagner Nicole M , Ritzwoller Debra P , Raebel Marsha A , Goodrich Glenn K , Cvietusa Peter J , King Diane K , Shoup Jo Ann , Bender Bruce G
Published: January 2021

Use of digital communication technologies (DCT) shows promise for enhancing outcomes and efficiencies in asthma care management. However, little is known about the impact of DCT interventions on healthcare personnel requirements and costs, thus making it difficult for providers and health systems to understand the value of these interventions.

This study evaluated the differences in healthcare personnel requirements and costs between usual asthma care (UC) and a DCT intervention (Breathewell) aimed at maintaining guidelines-based asthma care while reducing health care staffing requirements. We used data from a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial conducted in a large integrated health system involving 14,978 patients diagnosed with asthma. To evaluate differences in staffing requirements and cost between Breathewell and UC needed to deliver guideline-based care we used electronic health record (EHR) events, provider time tracking surveys, and invoicing. Differences in cost were reported at the patient and health system level. The Breathewell intervention significantly reduced personnel requirements with a larger percentage of participants requiring no personnel time (45% vs. 5%, p < .001) and smaller percentage of participants requiring follow-up outreach (44% vs. 68%, p < .001). Extrapolated to the total health system, cost for the Breathewell intervention was $16,278 less than usual care. The intervention became cost savings at a sample size of at least 957 patients diagnosed with asthma. At the population level, using DCT to compliment current asthma care practice presents an opportunity to reduce healthcare personnel requirements while maintaining population-based asthma control measures.
Staying physically active during the COVID-19 quarantine: exploring the feasibility of live, online, group training sessions among older adults
Authors: Schwartz Hadar , Har-Nir Itai , Wenhoda Tamar , Halperin Israel
Published: January 2021

The COVID-19 outbreak has led to recurring quarantines resulting in drastic reductions in physical activity (PA) levels. Given its health benefits, there is a need to explore strategies to increase PA rates during this period. Video-conferencing platforms can be used to deliver live, online, group PA sessions. However, there are only few established PA protocols on how to use such platforms. Hence, the purposes of this study were to (a) design an online PA protocol and (b) explore its feasibility among older adults during a quarantine. A group of exercise specialists developed a PA protocol while accounting for challenges that may arise when using a video-conferencing platform (“Zoom”). A special focus was placed on safety, individualization, and motivational aspects. Then, 31 community dwelling older adults (71.5 ± 4 years) were recruited via social media to follow this protocol twice a week for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included adverse events, adherence rates, and satisfaction with the protocol, its delivery, and technological aspects. Twenty-eight participants completed the protocol. No adverse events occurred, and adherence rates were high (90%). Most participants (97%) indicated they would participate in such a program in the future and highly rated all aspects of the protocol (median score >6 in 1–7 Likert scales). The PA protocol delivered live via a video-conferencing platform was found to be safe and feasible with this cohort. It can therefore be implemented in practice, and in future studies planning to utilize home-based PA sessions for older adults.
Patient and Procedural Determinants of Postoperative Pain Trajectories
Authors: Vasilopoulos Terrie , Wardhan Richa , Rashidi Parisa , Fillingim Roger B. , Wallace Margaret R. , Crispen Paul L. , Parvataneni Hari K. , Prieto Hernan A. , Machuca Tiago N. , Hughes Steven J. , Murad Gregory J. A. , Tighe Patrick J.
Published: January 2021

Background

The primary goal of this study was to evaluate patterns in acute postoperative pain in a mixed surgical patient cohort with the hypothesis that there would be heterogeneity in these patterns.

Methods

This study included 360 patients from a mixed surgical cohort whose pain was measured across postoperative days 1 through 7. Pain was characterized using the Brief Pain Inventory. Primary analysis used group-based trajectory modeling to estimate trajectories/patterns of postoperative pain. Secondary analysis examined associations between sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral patient factors and pain trajectories.

Results

Five distinct postoperative pain trajectories were identified. Many patients (167 of 360, 46%) were in the moderate-to-high pain group, followed by the moderate-to-low (88 of 360, 24%), high (58 of 360, 17%), low (25 of 360, 7%), and decreasing (21 of 360, 6%) pain groups. Lower age (odds ratio, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.91 to 0.99), female sex (odds ratio, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.49 to 15.6), higher anxiety (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.14), and more pain behaviors (odds ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.18) were related to increased likelihood of being in the high pain trajectory in multivariable analysis. Preoperative and intraoperative opioids were not associated with postoperative pain trajectories. Pain trajectory group was, however, associated with postoperative opioid use (P < 0.001), with the high pain group (249.5 oral morphine milligram equivalents) requiring four times more opioids than the low pain group (60.0 oral morphine milligram equivalents).

Conclusions

There are multiple distinct acute postoperative pain intensity trajectories, with 63% of patients reporting stable and sustained high or moderate-to-high pain over the first 7 days after surgery. These postoperative pain trajectories were predominantly defined by patient factors and not surgical factors.

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What We Already Know about This Topic

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Three Cases of Clear Cell Hidradenoma With “Benign” Lymph Node Involvement
Authors: Gonzalez-Lopez Guillermo , Garrido-Ruiz Maria C. , Rios-Martin Juan J. , Rodriguez-Peralto Jose L.
Published: January 2021

The malignant counterpart of cutaneous clear cell hidradenoma (CCH), hidradenocarcinoma, is an aggressive neoplasm that may have a fatal outcome. However, some cases of benign looking CCH with isolated lymph node involvement and excellent prognosis have been described. “CCH-like neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential” or “atypical hidradenoma” have been proposed as designations for these lesions. We report 3 cases of CCH with lymph node involvement. Ages ranged from 29 to 51 years old. All cases involved the inguinal lymph nodes: 2 of them presented with an isolated lymph node lesion, and the third case had lymph node and cutaneous involvement following the resection of a previous cutaneous lesion. Imaging studies showed no systemic involvement. None of the lesions exhibited histopathologic features of malignancy. All neoplasms were well circumscribed, had cystic spaces, did not display atypia or necrosis, and had less than 4 mitoses per high power field. No recurrence has been observed at follow-up after resection in all cases. All published cases of CCH with lymph node involvement so far affected a single lymph node in the axillary or inguinal regions, lacked features of malignancy, and had excellent long-term prognosis. Some cases previously reported as hidradenocarcinoma probably fit into this category. Our series adds more evidence to this rare phenomenon of “benign metastasis.” Aggressive treatment should be avoided in these cases, and a long-term follow-up is warranted.
Analysis of 200,000 exome-sequenced UK Biobank subjects fails to identify genes influencing probability of developing a mood disorder resulting in psychiatric referral
Authors: Curtis David
Published: January 2021

Background

Depression is moderately heritable but there is no common genetic variant which has a major effect on susceptibility. A previous analysis of 50,000 subjects failed to implicate any genes or sets of genes associated with risk of affective disorder requiring specialist treatment. A large exome-sequenced dataset is now available.

Methods

Data from 200,632 exome-sequenced UK Biobank participants was analysed. Subjects were treated as cases if they had reported having seen a psychiatrist for “nerves, anxiety, tension or depression”. Gene-wise weighted burden analysis was performed to see if there were any genes or sets of genes for which there was an excess of rare, functional variants in cases.

Results

There were 22,886 cases and 176,486 controls. There were 22,642 informative genes but no gene or gene set produced a statistically significant result after correction for multiple testing. None of the genes or gene sets with the lowest p values appeared to be a biologically plausible candidate.

Limitations

The phenotype is based on self-report and the cases are likely to somewhat heterogeneous. Likewise, it is expected that some of the subjects classed as controls will in fact have suffered from depression or some other psychiatric diagnosis.

Conclusions

The results conform exactly with the expectation under the null hypothesis. It seems unlikely that the use of common, poorly defined phenotypes will produce useful advances in understanding genetic contributions to affective disorder and it might be preferable to focus instead on obtaining large exome-sequenced samples of conditions such as bipolar 1 disorder and severe, recurrent depression.
A mixture of essential oils from three Cretan Aromatic Plants (thyme, Greek sage and Cretan dittany, CAPeo) inhibits SASR-CoV-2 proliferation:in vitroevidence and a Proof-of-Concept intervention study in mild ambulatory COVID-19-positive patients
Authors: Lionis Christos , Karakasiliotis Ioannis , Petelos Elena , Linardakis Manolis , Diamantakis Athanasios , Symvoulakis Emmanouil , Panopoulou Maria , Kampa Marilena , Pirintsos Stergios A. , Sourvinos George , Castanas Elias
Published: January 2021

The need for therapeutic regimens for the non-critically ill patients of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unmet. In this line, repurposing existing drugs, against known or predicted SARS-CoV-2 protein actions, has been advanced, while natural products have also been tested. Previous work has shown that a Cretan Aromatic Plant (Thymbra capitata(L.) Cav.,Salvia fruticosaMill. andOriganum dictamnusL.) essential oil mixture (CAPeo) has a remarkablein vitroantiviral activity against Influenza A & B and Rhinovirus 14 strains, decreasing the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, while proven safe in experimental animals and humans. Here, we tested CAPeo in VERO cells infected with SASR-CoV-2. We report that this mixture, at similar concentrations as those previously reported, exhibits a remarkable antiviral activity. Administration of 1 ml of a 1.5% CAPeo in olive oil, in a Proof-of-Concept intervention study in SARS-CoV-2-positive, exhibiting mild COVID-19 symptoms, humans resulted in a significant amelioration of general and local symptoms of the disease. We conclude that CAPeo may be a valuable addition for the prevention and/or treatment of mild COVID-19 ambulatory patients, pending a confirmation through a prospective randomized controlled trial in humans (NCT04705753).
Simple Linear Cancer Risk Prediction Models with Novel Features Outperform Complex Approaches
Authors: Kulm Scott , Kofman Lior , Mezey Jason , Elemento Olivier
Published: January 2021

A patient’s risk for cancer is usually estimated through simple linear models that sum effect sizes of proven risk factors. In theory, more advanced machine learning models can be used for the same task. Using data from the UK Biobank, a large prospective health study, we have developed linear and machine learning models for the prediction of 12 different cancers diagnoses within a 10 year time span. We find that the top machine learning algorithm, XGBoost (XGB), trained on 707 features generated an average area under the receiver operator curve of 0.736 (with a range of 0.65-0.85). Linear models trained with only 10 features were found to be statistically indifferent from the machine learning performance. The linear models were significantly more accurate than the prominent QCancer models (p = 0.0019), which are trained on 45 million patient records and available to over 4,000 United Kingdom general practices. The increase in accuracy may be caused by the consideration of often omitted feature types, including survey answers, census records, and genetic information. This approach led to the discovery of significant novel risk features, including self-reported happiness with own health (relevant to 12 cancers), measured testosterone (relevant to 8 cancers), and ICD codes for rehabilitation procedures (relevant to 3 cancers). These ten feature models can be easily implemented within the clinic, allowing for personalized screening schedules that may increase the cancer survival within a population.
Impact of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on the Mental Health and Physical Activity of Pharmacy Students at the University of Zambia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mudenda Steward , Mukosha Moses , Mwila Chiluba , Saleem Zikria , Kalungia Aubrey Chichoni , Munkombwe Derick , Daka Victor , Witika Bwalya Angel , Kampamba Martin , Chileshe Misheck , Hikaambo Christabel , Kasanga Maisa , Mufwambi Webrod , Mfune Ruth Lindizyani , Matafwali Scott Kaba , Bwalya Angela Gono , Banda David Chimbizgani , Gupta Akash , Phiri Maureen Nkandu , Kazonga Eustarckio
Published: January 2021

Background

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious global health problem that has negatively impacted the mental health of students.

Methods

We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. A partial proportional odds regression model was used to determine the predictors of anxiety. All statistical tests were set at 95% confidence level (p<0.05).

Results

A response rate of 70% was obtained with the majority of the students being female 51.6%. Of the 273 respondents, 23.8% did not experience anxiety, 34.4% experienced mild anxiety, 24.9% experienced moderate anxiety while 16.9% experienced severe anxiety about COVID-19. It was also found that 61.2% of students reported that their attention to mental health increased during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas 44.3% reported an increased resting time with a significant reduction in relaxation 51.3% and physical activity 45.4% time. Factors that affected mental health included; reduced family care (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.74), not changing attention to mental health (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.62), being in the final year of study (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.84), reduced time of resting (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.26-3.50) and feeling helpless (OR: 0.42; 95% CI:0.23-0.75).

Conclusion

COVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health and physical activity of pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. This can have negative health and academic outcomes for students going forward. Higher learning institutions and key stakeholders should implement measures to aid students to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and physical activity.
The 2020 SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in England: key epidemiological drivers and impact of interventions
Authors: Knock Edward S. , Whittles Lilith K. , Lees John A. , Perez-Guzman Pablo N. , Verity Robert , FitzJohn Richard G. , Gaythorpe Katy AM , Imai Natsuko , Hinsley Wes , Okell Lucy C. , Rosello Alicia , Kantas Nikolas , Walters Caroline E. , Bhatia Sangeeta , Watson Oliver J , Whittaker Charlie , Cattarino Lorenzo , Boonyasiri Adhiratha , Djaafara Bimandra A. , Fraser Keith , Fu Han , Wang Haowei , Xi Xiaoyue , Donnelly Christl A. , Jauneikaite Elita , Laydon Daniel J. , White Peter J , Ghani Azra C. , Ferguson Neil M. , Cori Anne , Baguelin Marc
Published: January 2021

We fitted a model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in care homes and the community to regional surveillance data for England. Among control measures implemented, only national lockdown brought the reproduction number below 1 consistently; introduced one week earlier it could have reduced first wave deaths from 36,700 to 15,700 (95%CrI: 8,900–26,800). Improved clinical care reduced the infection fatality ratio from 1.25% (95%CrI: 1.18%–1.33%) to 0.77% (95%CrI: 0.71%–0.84%). The infection fatality ratio was higher in the elderly residing in care homes (35.9%, 95%CrI: 29.1%–43.4%) than those residing in the community (10.4%, 95%CrI: 9.1%–11.5%). England is still far from herd immunity, with regional cumulative infection incidence to 1st December 2020 between 4.8% (95%CrI: 4.4%–5.1%) and 15.4% (95%CrI: 14.9%–15.9%) of the population.

One-sentence summary

We fit a mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to surveillance data from England, to estimate transmissibility, severity, and the impact of interventions
Emergence and Evolution of Big Data Science in HIV Research: Bibliometric Analysis of Federally Sponsored Studies 2000-2019
Authors: Liang Chen , Qiao Shan , Olatosi Bankole , Lyu Tianchu , Li Xiaoming
Published: January 2021

Background

The rapid growth of inherently complex and heterogeneous data in HIV/AIDS research underscores the importance of Big Data Science. Recently, there have been increasing uptakes of Big Data techniques in basic, clinical, and public health fields of HIV/AIDS research. However, no studies have systematically elaborated on the evolving applications of Big Data in HIV/AIDS research. We sought to explore the emergence and evolution of Big Data Science in HIV/AIDS-related publications that were funded by the US federal agencies.

Methods

We identified HIV/AIDS and Big Data related publications that were funded by seven federal agencies from 2000 to 2019 by integrating data from National Institutes of Health (NIH) ExPORTER, MEDLINE, and MeSH. Building on bibliometrics and Natural Language Processing (NLP) methods, we constructed co-occurrence networks using bibliographic metadata (e.g., countries, institutes, MeSH terms, and keywords) of the retrieved publications. We then detected clusters among the networks as well as the temporal dynamics of clusters, followed by expert evaluation and clinical implications.

Results

We harnessed nearly 600 thousand publications related to HIV/AIDS, of which 19,528 publications relating to Big Data were included in bibliometric analysis. Results showed that (1) the number of Big Data publications has been increasing since 2000, (2) US institutes have been in close collaborations with China, Canada, and Germany, (3) some institutes (e.g., University of California system, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Harvard Medical School) are among the most productive institutes and started using Big Data in HIV/AIDS research early, (4) Big Data research was not active in public health disciplines until 2015, (5) research topics such as genomics, HIV comorbidities, population-based studies, Electronic Health Records (EHR), social media, precision medicine, and methodologies such as machine learning, Deep Learning, radiomics, and data mining emerge quickly in recent years.

Conclusions

We identified a rapid growth in the cross-disciplinary research of HIV/AIDS and Big Data over the past two decades. Our findings demonstrated patterns and trends of prevailing research topics and Big Data applications in HIV/AIDS research and suggested a number of fast-evolving areas of Big Data Science in HIV/AIDS research including secondary analysis of EHR, machine learning, Deep Learning, predictive analysis, and NLP.
A rising burden of adolescents obesity of age group 13-17 years among tribal population of central India: a community-based exploratory study
Authors: Shukla Nikhil , Chourasia Prabal Kumar , Jain Somit Kumar , Rajendrakumar Aravind Lathika , Nair Anand Thakarakkattil Narayanan , Nangia Charvi , Chourasia Mehul Kumar
Published: January 2021

Background

Upsurge of adolescent obesity is an upcoming national public health concern. Obese adolescents are at significant risk of becoming obese adults and its co-morbidities. This study estimates the prevalence of adolescent obesity and explore the potential determinants among young adults residing in tribal populated villages of Chhattisgarh, India.

Methods

A community-based nutritional survey was carried out among adolescent of the age group of 13-17 years.

Results

Among 1,296 participants, 23.4 % of young adults were either overweight or obese. Higher family earnings (Odds ratio [OR], 2.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.29-6.38), Skipping breakfast (3.09, 1.11-8.30), Television viewing > 2 hours/ day (2.16, 1.3-6.2), Energy intake (2.98, 1.19-15.6), significantly increased the risk of adolescent obesity.

Conclusion

Prevalence of adolescence obesity among the tribes is alarming and needs to be tackled with health system measures. Future research may require assessing the trajectory of obesity and related comorbidities in a tribal population.
Mitigation of COVID-19 using social distancing of the elderly in Brazil: The vertical quarantine effects in hospitalizations and deaths
Authors: Venturieri Vito Ribeiro , Gonçalves Matheus Silva , Fuck Vinícius Rios
Published: January 2021

Governments and epidemiologists have been proposing several mitigation strategies based on non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. In this work, we quantitatively compare the effects of elderly population (60 years old or more) selective isolation with a no isolation scenario using an adapted Susceptible - Exposed - Infectious - Removed (SEIR) compartmental model. For these simulated scenarios, we estimate the number of hospitalizations and deaths for different Brazilian cities, including those due to the lack of hospital beds. Our simulations show that, for São Paulo City, the isolation of the elderly would reduce demand for hospital beds by 9% and deaths by 16% compared to the no intervention scenario. Other Brazilian cities follow the same pattern, with median reductions of deaths ranging from 12-18%. We conclude that the social distancing of the elderly would be marginally effective and would not avoid health system collapse in several Brazilian cities.
REPEATABILITY OF A DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNOLOGY FOR DENTAL PLAQUE QUANTITATION (QRAYCAM™ PRO) IN CURRENT, FORMER AND NEVER SMOKERS – STUDY PROTOCOL
Authors: Conte Gianluca , Pacino Sebastiano Antonio , Urso Toti , Emma Rosalia , Caponnetto Pasquale , Cibella Fabio , Polosa Riccardo
Published: January 2021

Although the detrimental health effects of smoking on human health are well described, the impact of smoking on dental plaque build-up lacks consistent records. This is because dental research on periodontal health has primarily relied on subjective indices with poor discriminatory power. Novel digital imaging techniques for the objective quantitation of dental plaque are now available. Quantitative Light-Induced Fluorescence (QLF) technology has been used in several studies for digital quantification and monitoring of dental plaque.

The objective of the study is to quantitate and compare short- and long-term repeatability of dental plaque among current, former, and never smokers by using a high resolution, auto-focus, hand-held QLF scanner (QRayCam™ Pro; Inspektor Research Systems BV, Amsterdam, NL).

Demonstration of good reproducibility of QLF technology with clear discrimination for dental plaque quantitation among current, former, and never smokers will pave the way to future application of this test for both medical and regulatory research applied not only to combustion-free tobacco products (e.g. e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, oral tobacco/nicotine products, etc.) and smoking cessation medications, but also to consume care product for oral hygiene.
Toward Assessing Clinical Trial Publications for Reporting Transparency
Authors: Kilicoglu Halil , Rosemblat Graciela , Hoang Linh , Wadhwa Sahil , Peng Zeshan , Malički Mario , Schneider Jodi , Riet Gerben ter
Published: January 2021

Objective

To annotate a corpus of randomized controlled trial (RCT) publications with the checklist items of CONSORT reporting guidelines and using the corpus to develop text mining methods for RCT appraisal.

Methods

We annotated a corpus of 50 RCT articles at the sentence level using 37 fine-grained CONSORT checklist items. A subset (31 articles) was double-annotated and adjudicated, while 19 were annotated by a single annotator and reconciled by another. We calculated inter-annotator agreement at the article and section level using MASI (Measuring Agreement on Set-Valued Items) and at the CONSORT item level using Krippendorff’s α. We experimented with two rule-based methods (phrase-based and section header-based) and two supervised learning approaches (support vector machine and BioBERT-based neural network classifiers), for recognizing 17 methodology-related items in the RCT Methods sections.

Results

We created CONSORT-TM consisting of 10,709 sentences, 4,845 (45%) of which were annotated with 5,246 labels. A median of 28 CONSORT items (out of possible 37) were annotated per article. Agreement was moderate at the article and section levels (average MASI: 0.60 and 0.64, respectively). Agreement varied considerably among individual checklist items (Krippendorff’s α= 0.06-0.96). The model based on BioBERT performed best overall for recognizing methodology-related items (micro-precision: 0.82, micro-recall: 0.63, micro-F1: 0.71). Combining models using majority vote and label aggregation further improved precision and recall, respectively.

Conclusion

Our annotated corpus, CONSORT-TM, contains more fine-grained information than earlier RCT corpora. Low frequency of some CONSORT items made it difficult to train effective text mining models to recognize them. For the items commonly reported, CONSORT-TM can serve as a testbed for text mining methods that assess RCT transparency, rigor, and reliability, and support methods for peer review and authoring assistance. Minor modifications to the annotation scheme and a larger corpus could facilitate improved text mining models. CONSORT-TM is publicly available at https://github.com/kilicogluh/CONSORT-TM.

Graphical abstract

Highlights

We constructed a corpus of RCT publications annotated with CONSORT checklist items.

We developed text mining methods to identify methodology-related check-list items.

A BioBERT-based model performs best in recognizing adequately reported items.

A phrase-based method performs best in recognizing infrequently reported items.

The corpus and the text mining methods can be used to address reporting transparency.
Phylogenomics of plant-associatedBotryosphaeriaceaespecies
Authors: Garcia Jadran , Lawrence Daniel P. , Morales-Cruz Abraham , Travadon Renaud , Minio Andrea , Hernandez-Martinez Rufina , Rolshausen Philippe E. , Baumgartner Kendra , Cantu Dario
Published: January 2021

TheBotryosphaeriaceaeis a fungal family that includes many destructive vascular pathogens of woody plants (e.g., Botryosphaeria dieback of grape, Panicle blight of pistachio). Species in the generaBotryosphaeria, Diplodia, Dothiorella, Lasiodiplodia, Neofusicoccum, andNeoscytalidiumattack a range of horticultural crops, but they vary in virulence and in their abilities to infect their hosts via different infection courts (flowers, green shoots, woody twigs). Isolates of seventeen species, originating from symptomatic apricot, grape, pistachio, and walnut were tested for pathogenicity to grapevine wood after four months of incubation in potted plants in the greenhouse. Results revealed significant variation in virulence in terms of the length of the internal wood lesions caused by these seventeen species. Phylogenomic comparisons of the seventeen species of wood-colonizing fungi revealed clade-specific expansion of gene families representing putative virulence factors involved in toxin production and mobilization, wood degradation, and nutrient uptake. Statistical analyses of the evolution of the size of gene families revealed expansions of secondary metabolism and transporter gene families inLasiodiplodiaand of secreted cell wall degrading enzymes (CAZymes) inBotryosphaeriaandNeofusicoccumgenomes. In contrast,Diplodia, Dothiorella, andNeoscytalidiumgenerally showed a contraction in the number of members of these gene families. Overall, species with expansions of gene families, such as secreted CAZymes, secondary metabolism, and transporters, were the most virulent (i.e., were associated with the largest lesions), based on our pathogenicity tests and published reports. This study represents the first comparative phylogenomic investigation into the evolution of possible virulence factors from diverse, cosmopolitan members of theBotryosphaeriaceae.
A simple method for comparing peripheral and central color vision by means of two smartphones
Authors: Rozhkova Galina I. , Belokopytov Alexander V. , Gracheva Maria A. , Ershov Egor I. , Nikolaev Petr P.
Published: January 2021

Information on peripheral color perception is far from being sufficient since it was predominantly obtained using small stimuli, limited ranges of eccentricities, and sophisticated experimental conditions. Our purpose was to consider a possibility of facilitating technical realization of the classical method of asymmetric color matching (ACM) developed by Moreland and Cruz (1959) for assessing appearance of color stimuli in the peripheral visual field (VF). We adopted the ACM method by employing two smartphones to implement matching procedure at various eccentricities. Although smartphones were successfully employed in vision studies, we are aware that some photometric parameters of smartphone displays are not sufficiently precise to ensure accurate color matching in foveal vision; moreover, certain technical characteristics of commercially available devices are variable. In the present study we provide evidence that, despite these shortages, smartphones can be applied for general and wide investigations of the peripheral vision. In our experiments, the smartphones were mounted on a mechanical perimeter to simultaneously present colored stimuli foveally and peripherally. Trying to reduce essential discomfort and fatigue experienced by most observers in peripheral vision studies, we did not apply bite bars, pupil dilatation, and Maxwellian view. The ACM measurements were performed without prior training of observers and in a wide range of eccentricities, varying between 0 and 95°. Color appearance was measured in the HSV color space coordinates as a function of eccentricity and stimulus luminance. We demonstrate that our easy-to-conduct method provides a reliable means to estimate color appearance in the peripheral vision and to assess inter-individual differences.
Somatic Depolarization Enhances Hippocampal CA1 Dendritic Spike Propagation and Distal Input Driven Synaptic Plasticity
Authors: Bock Tobias , Siegelbaum Steven A.
Published: January 2021

Synaptic inputs that target distal regions of neuronal dendrites can often generate local dendritic spikes that can amplify synaptic depolarization, induce synaptic plasticity, and enhance neuronal output. However, distal dendritic spikes are subject to significant attenuation by dendritic cable properties, and often produce only a weak subthreshold depolarization of the soma. Nonetheless, such spikes have been implicated in memory storage, sensory perception and place field formation. How can such a weak somatic response produce such powerful behavioral effects? Here we use dual dendritic and somatic recordings in acute hippocampal slices to reveal that dendritic spike propagation, but not spike initiation, is strongly enhanced when the somatic resting potential is depolarized, likely as a result of increased inactivation of A-type K+channels. Somatic depolarization also facilitates the induction of a form of dendritic spike driven heterosynaptic plasticity that enhances memory specificity. Thus, the effect of somatic membrane depolarization to enhance dendritic spike propagation and long-term synaptic plasticity is likely to play an important role in hippocampal-dependent spatial representations as well as learning and memory.
A simple explanation for declining temperature sensitivity with warming
Authors: Wolkovich E. M. , Auerbach J. L. , Chamberlain C. J. , Buonaiuto D. M. , Ettinger A. K. , Morales-Castilla I. , Gelman A.
Published: January 2021

Temperature sensitivity—the magnitude of a biological response per °C—is a fundamental concept across scientific disciplines, especially biology, where temperature determines the rate of many plant, animal and ecosystem processes. Recently, a growing body of literature in global change biology has found temperature sensitivities decline as temperatures rise (Fuet al., 2015; Güsewell et al., 2017; Piao et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2019; Dai et al., 2019). Such observations have been used to suggest climate change is reshaping biological processes, with major implications for forecasts of future change. Here we present a simple alternative explanation for observed declining sensitivities: the use of linear models to estimate non-linear temperature responses. We show how linear estimates of sensitivities will appear to decline with warming for events that occur after a cumulative thermal threshold is met—a common model for many biological events. Corrections for the non-linearity of temperature response in simulated data and long-term phenological data from Europe remove the apparent decline. Our results show that rising temperatures combined with linear estimates based on calendar time produce observations of declining sensitivity—without any shift in the underlying biology. Current methods may thus undermine efforts to identify when and how warming will reshape biological processes.

Significance statement

Recently a growing body of literature has observed declining temperature sensitivities of plant leafout and other events with higher temperatures. Such results suggest that climate change is already reshaping fundamental biological processes. These temperature sensitivities are often estimated as the magnitude of a biological response per °C from linear regression. The underlying model for many events—that a critical threshold of warmth must be reached to trigger the event—however, is non-linear. We show that this mismatch between the statistical and biological models can produce the illusion of declining sensitivities with warming using current methods. We suggest simple alternative approaches that can better identify when and how warming will reshape biological processes.
High-resolution structural and functional deep brain imaging using adaptive optics three-photon microscopy
Authors: Streich Lina , Boffi Juan , Wang Ling , Alhalaseh Khaleel , Barbieri Matteo , Rehm Ronja , Deivasigamani Senthilkumar , Gross Cornelius , Agarwal Amit , Prevedel Robert
Published: January 2021

Multi-photon microscopy has become a powerful tool to visualize the morphology and function of neural cells and circuits in the intact mammalian brain. Yet, tissue scattering, optical aberrations, and motion artifacts degrade the achievable image quality with depth. Here we developed a minimally invasive intravital imaging methodology by combining three-photon excitation, indirect adaptive optics correction, and active electrocardiogram gating to achieve near-diffraction limited resolution up to a depth of 1.2mm in the mouse brain. We demonstrate near-diffraction-limited imaging of deep cortical and sub-cortical dendrites and spines as well as of calcium transients in deep-layer astrocytesin vivo.
Dominant and nondominant distal radius microstructure: predictors of asymmetry and effects of a unilateral mechanical loading intervention
Authors: Troy Karen L. , Mancuso Megan E. , Johnson Joshua E. , Butler Tiffiny A. , Ngo Bao Han , Schnitzer Thomas J.
Published: January 2021

Most information about distal radius microstructure is based on the non-dominant forearm, with little known about the factors that contribute to bilateral asymmetries in the general population, or what factors may influence bilateral changes over time. Here, we analyzed bilateral longitudinal high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT) data collected over a 12-month period as part of a clinical trial that prescribed a well-controlled, compressive loading task to the nondominant forearm. Baseline data from 102 women age 21-40, and longitudinal data from 66 women who completed the 12-month trial, were examined to determine factors responsible for side-to-side asymmetries in bone structure and change in structure over time. Cross-sectionally, the dominant radius had 2.4%-2.7% larger cross-sectional area, trabecular area, and bone mineral content than the nondominant radius, but no other differences were noted. Those who more strongly favored their dominant arm had significantly more, thinner, closely spaced trabecular struts in their dominant versus nondominant radius. Individuals assigned to a loading intervention had significant bilateral gains in total bone mineral density (2.0% and 1.2% in the nondominant versus dominan sides), and unilateral gains in cortical area (3.1%), thickness (3.0%), bone mineral density (1.7%) and inner trabecular density (1.3%). Each of these gains were significantly predicted by loading dose, a metric that included bone strain, number of cycles, and strain rate. Within individuals, change was negatively associated with age, meaning that women closer to age 40 experienced less of a gain in bone versus those closer to age 21. We believe that dominant/nondominant asymmetries in bone structure reflect differences in habitual loads during growth and past ability to adapt, while response to loading reflects current individual physiologic capacity to adapt.
Diversification dynamics and (non-)parallel evolution along an ecological gradient in African cichlid fishes
Authors: Weber A. A.-T. , Rajkov J. , Smailus K. , Egger B. , Salzburger W.
Published: January 2021

Understanding the drivers and dynamics of diversification is a central topic in evolutionary biology. Here, we investigated the dynamics of diversification in the cichlid fishAstatotilapia burtonithat diverged along a lake-stream environmental gradient. Whole-genome and morphometric analyses revealed that divergent selection was essential at the early stages of diversification, but that periods in allopatry were likely involved towards the completion of speciation. While morphological differentiation was continuous, genomic differentiation was not, as shown by two clearly separated categories of genomic differentiation. Reproductive isolation increased along a continuum of genomic divergence, with a “grey zone” of speciation at ∼0.1% net nucleotide divergence. The quantification of the extent of (non-)parallelism in nine lake-stream population pairs from four cichlid species by means of multivariate analyses revealed one parallel axis of genomic and morphological differentiation among seven lake-stream systems. Finally, we found that parallelism was higher when ancestral lake populations were more similar.