bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Riboflavin as One of Possible Components of Keroplatus (Insecta: Diptera: Keroplatidae) Fungus Gnat Bioluminescence
Authors: Kotlobay A. A. , Dubinnyi M. A. , Polevoi A. V. , Kovalchuk S. I. , Kaskova Z. M.
Published: December 2022

Keroplatus is a genus of fungus gnats family Keroplatidae (Diptera, Bibionomorpha). Larvae of some species emit a constant blue light from the body. The bioluminescence of Keroplatidae is one of the least studied of all terrestrial insects and very few facts are known to date of its biology and biochemistry. Here we report the high level of riboflavin in Keroplatus testaceus larvae, a fluorescent compound that might be relative to its bioluminescent system. We suppose that riboflavin may play a role in Keroplatus spp. bioluminescence.
Cumulative risk factors contributing to hearing loss in preterm infants
Authors: Chant Kathy , Bitner-Glindzicz Maria , Marlow Neil
Published: December 2022

Objective

To investigate individual and concomitant risk factors for hearing loss during neonatal care.

Design

Case–control study.

Setting

Community.

Population

237 children born <32 weeks of gestation; 57 with hearing loss and 180 with normal hearing born between 2009 and 2013, matched for sex, gestation and year of birth.

Main outcome measures

Data were abstracted from clinical records for overall risk factors daily for the first 14 days and then weekly until discharge from neonatal care. All infants were screened for the presence of m.1555A>G mutation.

Results

Children with hearing loss had lower birth weight for gestational age, more severe neonatal illness, with increased exposure to inotrope, steroid, gentamicin, vancomycin and furosemide, and more frequent physiological risk, elevated bilirubin and creatinine levels and acidosis, but no index child was found to have the m.1555A>G mutation, compared with one among controls. The duration of gentamicin, vancomycin or furosemide administration in the first 14 days was associated with impaired hearing (OR per dose: 1.25; 95% CI 1.14 to 1.38). Multivariate analyses revealed independent risks for hearing loss for each day when there was physiological risk (OR per day 1.15 (1.05 to 1.27)) and each day of medication exposure (OR 1.23 (1.1 to 1.37)).

Conclusion

Although the relative contribution of underlying illness and medication cannot be identified by this study, cumulative use of ototoxic medication and the presence of physiologic risk factors independently increased the likelihood of hearing loss, warranting close monitoring of coincident therapy throughout neonatal critical care.
Longitudinal change of peripapillary vessel density and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in normal tension and primary angle closure glaucoma
Authors: Chan Poemen PuiMan , Shen Ruyue , Cheung Carol Y , Ling Anni , Yu Marco , Pang Chi-Pui , Tham Clement C
Published: December 2022

Purpose

To compare the rates of peripapillary vessel density (pVD) loss and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thinning in normal tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG).

Methods

Baseline age and severity-matched NTG and PACG eyes (75 eyes of 60 patients for each subtype) were observed longitudinally. All participants’ RNFL thickness were measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT); pVD were measured by swept-source OCT-angiography (OCT-A) and quantified by a customised MATLAB program. The rate of pVD loss and RNFL thinning were estimated by linear mixed-effects models.

Results

NTG eyes had significant pVD loss in all sectors (p≤0.05) while PACG eyes’ pVD loss was borderline significant in the global region (p=0.05). Significant RNFL thinning was detected in the inferotemporal and superonasal regions of both groups, and the superotemporal region in the NTG group (all p≤0.02). NTG had faster rate of pVD loss in the global (difference (95% CI) −1.08 (−1.90 to –0.27) %/year), temporal (−1.57 (−2.91 to –0.23) %/year) and superotemporal (−1.46 (−2.65 to –0.26) %/year) regions than PACG (all p≤0.02), without significant difference of the rate of RNFL thinning. A lower baseline mean deviation (MD) was associated with a faster rate of global pVD loss, while a lower baseline pVD was associated with a slower rate of global pVD loss in multivariable analyses (both p≤0.04).

Conclusions

NTG had more extensive and faster rate of pVD loss than PACG. Baseline global pVD and MD were independently associated with the rate of pVD loss in NTG.
Hyperpigmentary abnormalities in age-related macular degeneration: association with progression and impact on visual sensitivity
Authors: Goh Kai Lyn , Kumar Himeesh , Hadoux Xavier , Jannaud Maxime , Abbott Carla , Hodgson Lauren , Robman Luba , Makeyeva Galina , Van Wijngaarden Peter , Guymer Robyn , Wu Zhichao
Published: December 2022

Background/aims

To investigate the additional prognostic value of quantifying the extent of colour fundus photography (CFP)-defined hyperpigmentary abnormalities (HPAs) compared with their presence alone for predicting progression to late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to understand their association with visual sensitivity in individuals with intermediate AMD.

Methods

140 participants with bilateral large drusen underwent multimodal imaging and microperimetry at baseline and then every 6 months for up to 3 years. Baseline CFPs were graded for the presence of HPAs and their extent was quantified. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans were used to quantify drusen volume. Predictive models for progression to late AMD (including OCT signs of atrophy) were developed using either HPA presence or extent. The association between HPA extent with mean visual sensitivity (both overall and sector based) was also evaluated. All models were adjusted for the confounders of baseline age and drusen volume.

Results

The predictive performance for late AMD development was not significantly different for HPA presence or extent (p=0.92). Increasing HPA extent in each sector, but not its overall extent in an eye, was associated with reduced sector-based visual sensitivity (p<0.001 and p=0.671, respectively).

Conclusion

In a cohort with bilateral large drusen, quantifying HPA extent did not improve the prediction of late AMD development compared with presence alone. HPA extent was associated with more local, rather than generalised, reductions in visual sensitivity. These findings suggest that quantification of HPA extent adds little to the prediction of AMD progression, but that it provides an imaging biomarker of visual dysfunction.
Universal prevention through a digital health platform reduces injury incidence in youth athletics (track and field): a cluster randomised controlled trial
Authors: Jacobsson Jenny , Kowalski Jan , Timpka Toomas , Hansson Per-Olof , Spreco Armin , Dahlstrom Orjan
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To examine whether universal prevention via a digital health platform can reduce the injury incidence in athletics athletes aged 12–15 years and if club size had an influence on the effect of the intervention.

Methods

This was a cluster randomised trial where young athletics athletes were randomised through their club following stratification by club size into intervention (11 clubs; 56 athletes) and control (10 clubs; 79 athletes) groups. The primary endpoint was time from baseline to the first self-reported injury. Intervention group parents and coaches were given access to a website with health information adapted to adolescent athletes and were encouraged to log in and explore its content during 16 weeks. The control group continued training as normal. Training exposure and injury data were self-reported by youths/parents every second week, that is, eight times. The primary endpoint data were analysed using the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyse the second study aim with intervention status and club size included in the explanatory models.

Results

The proportion of completed training reports was 85% (n=382) in the intervention group and 86% (n=545) in the control group. The injury incidence was significantly lower (HR=0.62; χ2=3.865; p=0.049) in the intervention group. The median time to first injury was 16 weeks in the intervention group and 8 weeks in the control group. An interaction effect between the intervention and stratification factor was observed with a difference in injury risk between athletes in the large clubs in the intervention group versus their peers in the control group (HR 0.491 (95% CI 0.242 to 0.998); p=0.049).

Conclusions

A protective effect against injury through universal access to health information adapted for adolescent athletes was observed in youth athletics athletes. The efficacy of the intervention was stronger in large clubs.

Trial registration number

NCT03459313.
Contactless monitoring of respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) in non-acuity settings: a clinical validity study
Authors: Varma Muralidhar , Sequeira Trevor , Naidu Navaneetha Krishnan S , Mallya Yogish , Sunkara Amarendranath , Patil Praveen , Poojary Nagaraj , Vaidyanathan Manikanda Krishnan , Balmaekers Benoît , Thomas Joseph , Prasad N Shankar , Badagabettu Sulochana
Published: December 2022

Objective

Patient monitoring in general wards primarily involves intermittent observation of temperature, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and blood pressure performed by the nursing staff. Several hours can lapse between such measurements, and the patient may go unobserved. Despite the growing widespread use of sensors to monitor vital signs and physical activities of healthy individuals, most acutely ill hospitalised patients remain unmonitored, leaving them at an increased risk. We investigated whether a contactless monitoring system could measure vital parameters, such as HR and RR, in a real-world hospital setting.

Design

A cross-sectional prospective study.

Setting and participants

We examined the suitability of employing a non-contact monitoring system in a low-acuity setup at a tertiary care hospital in India. Measurements were performed on 158 subjects, with data acquired through contactless monitoring from the general ward and dialysis unit.

Outcome measures

Vital parameters (RR and HR) were measured using a video camera in a non-acuity setting.

Results

Three distinct combinations of contactless monitoring afforded excellent accuracy. Contactless RR monitoring was linearly correlated with Alice NightOne and manual counts, presenting coefficients of determination of 0.88 and 0.90, respectively. Contactless HR monitoring presented a coefficient of determination of 0.91. The mean absolute errors were 0.84 and 2.15 beats per minute for RR and HR, respectively.

Conclusions

Compared with existing Food and Drug Administration-approved monitors, the findings of the present study revealed that contactless monitoring of RR and HR accurately represented study populations in non-acuity settings. Contactless video monitoring is an unobtrusive and dependable method for monitoring and recording RR and HR. Further research is needed to validate its dependability and utility in other settings, including acute care.

Trial registration number

CTRI/2018/11/016246.
Improving access to primary care and annual health checks for people who have a learning disability: a multistakeholder qualitative study
Authors: Wigham Sarah , Bourne Jane , McKenzie Karen , Rowlands Gill , Petersen Katharine , Hackett Simon
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To investigate key stakeholders’ views on how to improve access to primary care in general practice settings for people with learning disabilities (or intellectual disabilities). Further to explore how inequalities and barriers in specific areas including annual health checks might be addressed.

Design

A qualitative study design was used with data collected during focus groups, interviews and open-response surveys; data analysis was thematic and informed by stakeholder consultation. Processes to facilitate quality included triangulation of stakeholder perspectives, triangulation of data collection methods and checking interpretation of findings with participants.

Setting

UK regional services including learning disability organisations, primary care general practitioner (GP) clinical practice networks and supported housing organisations.

Participants

Sixteen people participated in the study: four people with learning disabilities participated in a focus group; four relatives completed an interview or survey; eight GPs, practice nurses and supported housing managers participated in interviews.

Results

Five overarching themes describing approaches to improve primary care access for people with learning disabilities were identified including: prioritisation, proactivity, innovation and improvement, personalisation and prevention and follow-up. Definitions of themes were described and illustrated with quotes. Ten recommendations informed by the thematic analysis, stakeholder consultation, research and primary care guidance were codeveloped with people with learning disabilities.

Conclusions

All stakeholders identified problems, with primary care interfaces being misaligned with the needs of people with learning disabilities. The recommendations informed by all stakeholders can be used to guide development of service provision to better meet the needs of people with learning disabilities in primary care. Future research should explore professionals’ understanding of reasonable adjustments.
Mobile health-based remote interaction management intervention for patients with low anterior resection syndrome: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Li Hui , Zhou Peng , Pang Xueying , Wang Ting , Yin Danqiao , Fu Min , He Hongye , Zhu Degang , Yu Shihui , Hu Shaohua
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Low anterior resection syndrome (LARS) involves bowel dysfunction after sphincter-preserving surgery for rectal resection that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life (QoL). The improvement of LARS largely depends on patient self-management behaviour; however, insufficient information about supportive care and weak awareness of self-management lead to poor self-management behaviour. Motivational interviewing (MIs) explore and change patients’ ambivalence during the conversation, thereby changing and maintaining healthy behaviours to enhance effective participation. In recent years, mobile health has been widely used in clinical practice, providing continuous information support and remote interaction. However, current online information on LARS is suboptimal, websites are highly variable, important content is often lacking and the material is too complex for patients. Therefore, this study will evaluate the impacts of a remote LARS interaction management intervention based on a WeChat applet (‘e-bowel safety’) and MIs on patients with LARS.

Methods and analysis

This study will be a single-blind, two-arm randomised controlled trial involving patients with LARS in three tertiary grade A general hospitals who will be randomised into two groups. The intervention group will use the ‘e-bowel safety’ applet and the intervention team will conduct a monthly MI about syndrome management. The control group will receive an information booklet that contains the same information as that provided in the ‘e-bowel safety’ informational module. The intervention will last for 3 months, followed by 3 months of follow-up. The primary outcome will be global QoL; the secondary outcomes will include bowel function, social support, self-management measured at the baseline, 3 months and 6 months for three times and patients’ thinkings at the end of the intervention (at 3 months).

Ethics and dissemination

Ethics approval was granted by the Clinical Medical Research Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (PJ2022-07-53).

Trial registration number

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200061317).
Obesity among those newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis compared with the general population
Authors: Sehgal Priya , Shen Bo , Li Jianhua , Freedberg Daniel E
Published: December 2022

Objective

Obesity is a potentially modifiable risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to evaluate the body mass index (BMI) of those diagnosed with IBD early versus late in life in the context of age-adjusted background population.

Design/method

Patients with a new diagnosis of IBD from 2000 to 2021 were included. Early-onset IBD was classified as age <18 and late-onset IBD classified as age ≥65. Obesity was classified as BMI ≥30 kg/m2. Population data were obtained from community surveys.

Results

Included were 1573 patients (56.0%) with Crohn’s disease (CD) and 1234 (44.0%) with ulcerative colitis (UC). Overall, the median BMI at IBD diagnosis was 20 kg/m2(IQR 18–24) among those diagnosed at age <18 vs 26.9 kg/m2(IQR 23.1–30.0) among those diagnosed at age ≥65 (rank-sum p<0.01). In all age groups, BMI was stable during the 1-year preceding IBD diagnosis. At age <18, 11.5% of the background population was obese compared with 3.8% of those with newly diagnosed CD (p<0.01) and 4.8% of those with newly diagnosed UC (p=0.05). At age ≥65, 23.6% of the population was obese compared with 24.3% of those with newly diagnosed CD (p=0.78) and 29.5% of those with newly diagnosed UC (p=0.01).

Conclusion

Patients with IBD diagnosed at age <18 were less likely to be obese compared with the age-adjusted background population whereas those diagnosed at age ≥65 were more likely to be obese. Future prospective studies should investigate obesity as a modifiable risk factor for late-life IBD.
Efficient preclinical treatment of cortical T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with T lymphocytes secreting anti-CD1a T cell engagers
Authors: Jiménez-Reinoso Anaïs , Tirado Néstor , Martinez-Moreno Alba , Díaz Víctor M , García-Peydró Marina , Hangiu Oana , Díez-Alonso Laura , Albitre Ángela , Penela Petronila , Toribio Maria L , Menéndez Pablo , Álvarez-Vallina Luis , Sánchez Martínez Diego
Published: December 2022

Background

The dismal clinical outcome of relapsed/refractory (R/R) T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) highlights the need for innovative targeted therapies. Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have revolutionized the treatment of B cell malignancies, their clinical implementation in T-ALL is in its infancy. CD1a represents a safe target for cortical T-ALL (coT-ALL) patients, and fratricide-resistant CD1a-directed CAR T cells have been preclinically validated as an immunotherapeutic strategy for R/R coT-ALL. Nonetheless, T-ALL relapses are commonly very aggressive and hyperleukocytic, posing a challenge to recover sufficient non-leukemic effector T cells from leukapheresis in R/R T-ALL patients.

Methods

We carried out a comprehensive study using robustin vitroandin vivoassays comparing the efficacy of engineered T cells either expressing a second-generation CD1a-CAR or secreting CD1a x CD3 T cell-engaging Antibodies (CD1a-STAb).

Results

We show that CD1a-T cell engagers bind to cell surface expressed CD1a and CD3 and induce specific T cell activation. Recruitment of bystander T cells endows CD1a-STAbs with an enhancedin vitrocytotoxicity than CD1a-CAR T cells at lower effector:target ratios. CD1a-STAb T cells are as effective as CD1a-CAR T cells in cutting-edgein vivoT-ALL patient-derived xenograft models.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that CD1a-STAb T cells could be an alternative to CD1a-CAR T cells in coT-ALL patients with aggressive and hyperleukocytic relapses with limited numbers of non-leukemic effector T cells.
Exploiting the immunogenic potential of standard of care radiation or cisplatin therapy in preclinical models of HPV-associated malignancies
Authors: Kowalczyk Joshua T , Fabian Kellsye P , Padget Michelle R , Lopez Diana C , Hoke Austin TK , Allen Clint T , Hermsen Mario , London, Nyall R , Hodge James W
Published: December 2022

Background

While radiation and chemotherapy are primarily purposed for their cytotoxic effects, a growing body of preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrates an immunogenic potential for these standard therapies. Accordingly, we sought to characterize the immunogenic potential of radiation and cisplatin in human tumor models of HPV-associated malignancies. These studies may inform rational combination immuno-oncology (IO) strategies to be employed in the clinic on the backbone of standard of care, and in so doing exploit the immunogenic potential of standard of care to improve durable responses in HPV-associated malignancies.

Methods

Retroviral transduction with HPV16 E7 established a novel HPV-associated sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) cell line. Three established HPV16-positive cell lines were also studied (cervical carcinoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma). Following determination of sensitivities to standard therapies using MTT assays, flow cytometry was used to characterize induction of immunogenic cell stress following sublethal exposure to radiation or cisplatin, and the functional consequence of this induction was determined using impedance-based real time cell analysis cytotoxicity assays employing HPV16 E7-specific cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) with or without N803 (IL-15/IL-15-Rα superagonist) or exogenous death receptor ligands. In vitro observations were translated using an in vivo xenograft NSG mouse model of human cervical carcinoma evaluating cisplatin in combination with CTL adoptive cell transfer.

Results

We showed that subpopulations surviving clinically relevant doses of radiation or cisplatin therapy were more susceptible to CTL-mediated lysis in four of four tumor models of HPV-associated malignancies, serving as a model for HPV therapeutic vaccine or T-cell receptor adoptive cell transfer. This increased killing was further amplified by IL-15 agonism employing N803. We further characterized that radiation or cisplatin induced immunogenic cell stress in three of three cell lines, and consequently demonstrated that upregulated surface expression of Fas and TRAIL-R2 death receptors at least in part mediated enhanced CTL-mediated lysis. In vivo, cisplatin-induced immunogenic cell stress synergistically potentiated CTL-mediated tumor control in a human model of HPV-associated malignancy.

Conclusion

Standard of care radiation or cisplatin therapy induced immunogenic cell stress in preclinical models of HPV-associated malignancies, presenting an opportunity poised for exploitation by employing IO strategies in combination with standard of care.
‘You give me fever!’: are health services ready for immune cell engager therapy in advanced solid malignancies?
Authors: Pettinger Claire , Livings Claire , Grochot Rafael , Furness Andrew , Lopez Juanita
Published: December 2022

Immune cell engager therapeutic strategies using bioengineered molecules to redirect immune cells into tumor are starting to demonstrate promising clinical activity in multiple early phase trials across numerous targets and a range of solid tumor types. These therapies, however, carry the risk of exaggerated cytokine-mediated on-target off-tumor adverse events that require highly specialized inpatient facilities. We report here the Royal Marsden experience of treating patients with advanced solid tumors on early phase immune engager clinical trials in a dedicated inpatient facility, focusing specifically on patterns of cytokine-mediated toxicity seen and proposing a risk-mitigation algorithm for the safe, feasible and scalable delivery of these therapies.
SARS-CoV-2 omicron breakthrough infections in patients with multiple sclerosis
Authors: van Kempen Zoé L E , Stalman Eileen W , Steenhuis Maurice , Kummer Laura Y L , van Dam Koos P J , Wilbrink Maarten F , ten Brinke Anja , van Ham S Marieke , Kuijpers Taco , Rispens Theo , Eftimov Filip , Wieske Luuk , Killestein Joep
Published: December 2022

Background

It is unclear which patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) are most susceptible for omicron breakthrough infections.

Methods

We assessed omicron breakthrough infections in vaccinated patients with MS with and without disease-modifying therapies enrolled in an ongoing large prospective study. We longitudinally studied humoral responses after primary and booster vaccinations and breakthrough infections.

Results

Omicron breakthrough infections were reported in 110/312 (36%) patients with MS, and in 105/110 (96%) infections were mild. Omicron breakthrough infections occurred more frequently in patients treated with anti-CD20 therapies and sphingosine-1 phosphate receptor (S1PR) modulators, patients with impaired humoral responses after primary immunisation (regardless of treatment) and patients without prior SARS-CoV-2 infections. After infection, antibody titres increased in patients on S1PR modulator treatment while anti-CD20 treated patients did not show an increase.

Conclusions

SARS-COV-2 omicron breakthrough infections are more prevalent in patients with MS on anti-CD20 therapies and S1PR modulators compared with other patients with MS, which correlated with decreased humoral responses after vaccination. Humoral responses after infection were higher in S1PR modulator-treated patients in comparison to patients on anti-CD20 therapies, suggesting that immunological protection from contracting infection or repeated exposures may differ between these therapies.
Metaphors and decision making in parental blogs about their children with life-limiting diseases: who’s afraid of the war metaphor?
Authors: Neefjes Veronica
Published: December 2022

The use of metaphors aids understanding by allowing us to think of complex problems in terms of relatively simple and more concrete information. As such, metaphors shape thought and guide future action. While metaphors are known to play a role in medical treatment decision-making, the effect of particular metaphors is unknown.

This paper explores the metaphors West-European parents use for their child suffering from a life-limiting condition by analysing 15 blogs from Dutch, German and English and Welsh parents. The analysis found that all parents use war metaphors to describe their child and their disease. Describing their child in war metaphors, for example, ‘fighter’, ‘hero’ or ‘trooper’ allows parents to express their pride in their child. To describe the familial situation parents use both ‘life as a fight’ and a ‘time as space’ metaphor. Time is conceptualised as a space to be filled with positive experiences to allow the child to live as full a life as possible. In medical treatment decisions, parents balance ‘fighting the disease’ against their child’s ability to live a good life. No evidence was found that the use of war metaphors increase a tendency to treat when benefit is unlikely. Instead, parents primarily use war metaphors as a conduit to express their love for their child and to empower them to manage the familial situation.
Anti-HMGCR myopathy: barriers to prompt recognition
Authors: Barp Andrea , Merve Ashirwad , Shah Sachit , Desikan Mahalekshmi , Hanna Michael G , Bugiardini Enrico
Published: December 2022

Anti-HMGCR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase) myopathy is an immune-mediated necrotising myopathy. Atypical presentations hinder its recognition and its prompt treatment. We present two patients with atypical clinical or pathological features. A 45-year-old woman had an asymptomatic serum creatine kinase (CK) of ~10 000 IU/L and muscle biopsy showing minimal changes. She then developed slowly progressive proximal weakness, diagnosed as limb-girdle muscular dystrophy but with negative genetics. Twelve years later, now with severe proximal weakness, her MR scan of muscle showed diffuse asymmetrical fatty degeneration, with conspicuous hyperintense STIR signal abnormalities. HMGCR antibodies were positive and she partially improved with immunosuppression. The second patient developed slowly progressive proximal limb weakness with a high serum CK (~4000 IU/L); muscle biopsy showed a lymphocyte infiltrate with angiocentric distribution suggesting vasculitis. Serum HMGCR antibodies were positive. Anti-HMGCR myopathy can present as a slowly progressive myopathy with atypical pathology. HMGCR antibody screening is indicated for people with suspected limb-girdle muscular dystrophy or atypical inflammatory muscle conditions.
Haematological malignancies in patients with psoriatic arthritis overall and treated with TNF inhibitors: a Nordic cohort study
Authors: Cordtz Rene Lindholm , Askling Johan , Delcoigne Benedicte , Smedby Karin E , Baecklund Eva , Ballegaard Christine , Isomäki Pia , Aaltonen Kalle , Gudbjornsson Bjorn , Love Thorvardur Jon , Provan Sella Aarrestad , Michelsen Brigitte , Sexton Joseph , Dreyer Lene , Hellgren Karin
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the risk of haematological malignancies in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) overall, and in relation to treatment with tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi).

Methods

We identified that patients with PsA starting a first TNFi from the clinical rheumatology registers (CRR) in the five Nordic countries (n=10 621) and biologics-naïve PsA patients from (1) the CRR (n=18 705) and (2) the national patient registers (NPR, n=27 286, Sweden and Denmark) from 2006 through 2019. For Sweden and Denmark, general population comparators were matched 5:1 to PsA patients on birth year, year at start of follow-up and sex. By linkage to the national cancer registers in all countries, we collected information on haematological malignancies overall, and categorised into lymphoid or myeloid types. We estimated incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% CIs using modified Poisson regression for TNFi-treated versus biologics-naïve PsA patients and versus the general population adjusted for age, sex, calendar period and country.

Results

During 59 827 person-years, 40 haematological malignancies occurred among TNFi-treated patients with PsA resulting in a pooled IRR of 0.96 (0.68–1.35) versus biologics-naïve PsA from CRR and an IRR of 0.84 (0.64–1.10) versus biologics-naïve PsA from NPR. The IRR of haematological malignancies in PsA overall versus general population comparators was 1.35 (1.17–1.55). The estimates were largely similar for lymphoid and myeloid malignancies.

Conclusions

Treatment with TNFi in patients with PsA was not associated with an increased incidence of haematological malignancies. Conversely, a moderately increased underlying risk was seen in patients with PsA compared with the general population.
Self-start HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEPSE), to reduce time to first dose and increase efficacy
Authors: Fox Julie M , Lee Ming Jie , Fairhead Cassandra Leach , Ledwaba-Chapman Lesedi m , Nori Achyuta V , McQuillan Orla , Wang Yanzhong , Clarke Amanda , Menon-Johansson Anatole
Published: December 2022

Background

Effectiveness of HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEPSE) correlates with speed of uptake following HIV exposure. Time to first dose has not improved in the UK for over 10 years. On-demand pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has shown that people can self-start medication for HIV prevention.

We hypothesised that advanced provision of PEPSE (HOME PEPSE) for men who have sex with men (MSM) to self- initiate would reduce time to first dose following HIV exposure.

Methods

Phase IV, randomised, prospective, 48-week, open-label study was carried out. MSM at medium risk of acquiring HIV were randomised (1:1) to immediate or deferred standard of care (SOC) HOME PEPSE. Every 12 weeks, participants self-completed mental health/risk behaviour surveys and had HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing.

HOME PEPSE comprised a 5-day pack of emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/maraviroc 600 mg once daily initiated following potential exposure to HIV. If taken, participants completed a risk survey; PEPSE continuation was physician directed. Primary outcome was time from potential exposure to HIV to first PEPSE dose.

Findings

139 participants randomised 1:1; 69 to immediate HOME PEPSE and 70 to deferred HOME PEPSE. Median age 30 years (IQR 26–39), 75% white, 55% UK born and 72% university educated. 31 in HOME PEPSE and 15 in SOC arm initiated PEPSE. Uptake of HOME PEPSE was appropriate in 27/31 cases (87%, 95% CI: 71% to 95%). Median time from exposure to first dose was 7.3 hours (3.0, 20.9) for HOME PEPSE and 28.5 hours (17.3, 34.0) for SOC (p<0.01). HOME PEPSE was well tolerated with no discontinuations.

No significant differences in missed opportunities for PEPSE uptake, sexual behaviour or bacterial STI infections between treatment arms.

Interpretation

HOME PEPSE reduced the time from exposure to first-dose PEPSE by 21+ hours, with no impact on safety. This significantly improves the efficacy of PEPSE and provides an option for people declining PrEP.
The Ediacaran–Cambrian Chapel Island Formation of Newfoundland, Canada: evaluating the impact of outcrop quality on trace-fossil data sets at the Cambrian GSSP and less-explored sections
Authors: Gougeon Romain , Mángano M. Gabriela , Buatois Luis A. , Narbonne Guy M. , Laing Brittany A. , Paz Maximiliano
Published: December 2022

In 1992, the Chapel Island Formation at Fortune Head was selected as the Cambrian GSSP, which was placed at the first appearance of the ichnotaxon Treptichnus pedum. Although the transition from the Ediacaran to the Cambrian was well studied in Fortune Head and Grand Bank Head, it is also exposed at Lewin’s Cove and Point May. Here, we report new ichnologic and sedimentologic data sets from the four localities. Ichnologic data sets consist of bioturbation intensities, burrow width and depth, ichnotaxonomic composition, and stratigraphic appearances. Sedimentologic data sets include sediment grain size, bed thickness and architecture, sandstone/mudstone ratio, and physical sedimentary structures. In addition, the quality of each outcrop is evaluated (i.e., accessibility, lateral and vertical continuity, stratigraphic completeness, and type of exposure). At the four localities, the base of the Cambrian can be placed at the first appearance of Treptichnus pedum or of vertical trace fossils of the T. pedum Ichno-Assemblage Zone. In addition, Fortune Head, Grand Bank Head, and Lewin’s Cove display increases in ichnodiversity and bioturbation intensities that are concomitant with the first appearance of penetrative trace fossils. Point May stands out as a section with low ichnodiversity and an inconsistent data set on bioturbation intensities. Its limited data set is a consequence of poor bed surface exposures, which impact negatively on the preservation and visibility of horizontal trace fossils. This study demonstrates that evaluation of outcrop quality should be an essential procedure to any research addressing evolutionary trends that took place at this critical time of the history of life.
Effect of GUP on the large scale structure formation in the universe
Authors: Khanday Abdul W. , Upadhyay Sudhaker , Ganai Prince A.
Published: December 2022

We study the clustering of galaxies in generalized uncertainty principle (GUP) modified Newtonian potential. We compute the corrected N-particle partition function which leads to the modified equations of state. The GUP corrected clustering parameter is compared with the original clustering parameter. An investigation of the distribution function for the system of galaxies is also made. Moreover, we analyze the effect of GUP on the two-point correlation function of the system. In order to find the optimal value of the clustering parameter we perform data analysis and compare our model with the data.
Supporting Online Teaching Faculty Beyond the Pandemic: A “faculty concierge” model
Authors: Samuel Anita
Published: December 2022

Higher education is faced with a shifting milieu that actively embraces online education. This environment requires robust faculty support. Enter the faculty concierge model of faculty support, which extends the instructional designer-focused concierge model of online support proposed by McCurry and Mullinx through a faculty-centered lens. The faculty concierge model aims to provide high-touch, individualized faculty support. Faculty concierges respect the experiences and expertise of the faculty members they work with; they start with small changes and focus on offering simple and accessible support. As we look ahead to a new landscape of education, it is time to explore different models.
Dataset Column: Overview, Scope and Call for Contributions
Authors: Constantin Mihai Gabriel , Fliegel Karel , Vega Maria Torres
Published: December 2022

The Dataset Column (https://records.sigmm.org/open-science/datasets/) of ACM SIGMM Records provides timely updates on the developments in the domain of publicly available multimedia datasets as enabling tools for reproducible research in numerous related areas. It is intended as a platform for further dissemination of useful information on multimedia datasets and studies of datasets covering various domains, published in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, dissertations, or as results of applied research in industry.

The aim of the Dataset Column is therefore not to substitute already established platforms for disseminating multimedia datasets, e.g., Qualinet Databases (https://qualinet.github.io/databases/) [2], Multimedia Evaluation Benchmark (https://multimediaeval.github.io/), but promote such platforms and particularly interesting datasets and benchmarking challenges associated with them. Multimedia Evaluation Benchmark, MediaEval 2021, registration is now open (https://multimediaeval.github.io). This year's MediaEval features a wide variety of tasks and datasets tackling a large number of domains, including video privacy, social media data analysis and understanding, news items analysis, medicine and wellbeing, affective and subjective content analysis, and game and sports associated media.

The Column will also continue reporting of contributions presented within Dataset Tracks at relevant conferences, e.g., ACM Multimedia (MM), ACM Multimedia Systems (MMSys), International Conference on Quality of Multimedia Experience (QoMEX), International Conference on Multimedia Modeling (MMM).
MPEG Column: 135th MPEG Meeting (virtual/online)
Authors: Timmerer Christian
Published: December 2022

The original blog post can be found at the Bitmovin Techblog and has been modified/updated here to focus on and highlight research aspects.
Learning and Understanding User Interface Semantics from Heterogeneous Networks with Multimodal and Positional Attributes
Authors: Ang Gary , Lim Ee-Peng
Published: December 2022

User interfaces (UI) of desktop, web, and mobile applications involve a hierarchy of objects (e.g., applications, screens, view class, and other types of design objects) with multimodal (e.g., textual and visual) and positional (e.g., spatial location, sequence order, and hierarchy level) attributes. We can therefore represent a set of application UIs as a heterogeneous network with multimodal and positional attributes. Such a network not only represents how users understand the visual layout of UIs but also influences how users would interact with applications through these UIs. To model the UI semantics well for different UI annotation, search, and evaluation tasks, this article proposes the novel Heterogeneous Attention-based Multimodal Positional (HAMP) graph neural network model. HAMP combines graph neural networks with the scaled dot-product attention used in transformers to learn the embeddings of heterogeneous nodes and associated multimodal and positional attributes in a unified manner. HAMP is evaluated with classification and regression tasks conducted on three distinct real-world datasets. Our experiments demonstrate that HAMP significantly out-performs other state-of-the-art models on such tasks. To further provide interpretations of the contribution of heterogeneous network information for understanding the relationships between the UI structure and prediction tasks, we propose Adaptive HAMP (AHAMP), which adaptively learns the importance of different edges linking different UI objects. Our experiments demonstrate AHAMP’s superior performance over HAMP on a number of tasks, and its ability to provide interpretations of the contribution of multimodal and positional attributes, as well as heterogeneous network information to different tasks.
Deferoxamine prevents poststroke memory impairment in female diabetic rats: potential links to hemorrhagic transformation and ferroptosis
Authors: Li Weiguo , Abdul Yasir , Chandran Raghavendar , Jamil Sarah , Ward Rebecca A. , Abdelsaid Mohammed , Dong Guangkuo , Fagan Susan C. , Ergul Adviye
Published: December 2022

The current study shows for the first time that diabetes does not promote aberrant cerebrovascularization in female rats. This contrasts with what we reported in male animals in various diabetes models. Deferoxamine preserved recognition memory function in diabetic female animals after stroke. The effect(s) of stroke and deferoxamine on cerebrovascular density and microglial activation also appear(s) to be different in female diabetic rats. Lastly, deferoxamine exerts detrimental effects on animals and BMVECs under control conditions.
Similarity and Finite Difference Solution on Biomagnetic Flow and Heat Transfer of Blood‐Fe3O4 through a Thin Needle
Authors: Alsenafi Abdulaziz , Ferdows M.
Published: December 2022

A magnetic fluid is composed of a base fluid and magnetic particles, where magnetic particles are carefully distraught in the base fluid. Here, we will assume that blood is the base fluid that exhibits electrical conductivity and polarization properties and Fe3O4 as magnetic particles. The addition of Fe3O4 into the blood can remarkably ameliorate the properties of the blood’s thermal conductivity. Such physical aspects can play a vital role in biomedical and bioengineering. The presented model studies the biomagnetic fluid flow, such as blood that contains magnetic particles through a thin needle in the appearance of a strong magnetic dipole. First, the governing equations are transformed using similarity transformation into a system of dimensional differential equations, which are then nondimensionalized. The system of nondimensional equations is then solved numerically using a finite difference method. By analyzing the results, we find that the axial flow decreases for the ferromagnetic number, magnetic field number, and Eckert number, while the temperature increases with volume fraction, where the size of the needle plays a significant role. Finally, the results also indicate that the presence of ferromagnetism significantly influences the skin friction coefficient. Our presented results will also be compared with existing literature that is similar to our work.
Current Studies on Molecular Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance
Authors: Pei Jinli , Wang Baochun , Wang Dayong
Published: December 2022

Diabetes is a metabolic disease that raises the risk of microvascular and neurological disorders. Insensitivity to insulin is a characteristic of type II diabetes, which accounts for 85-90 percent of all diabetic patients. The fundamental molecular factor of insulin resistance may be impaired cell signal transduction mediated by the insulin receptor (IR). Several cell-signaling proteins, including IR, insulin receptor substrate (IRS), and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), have been recognized as being important in the impaired insulin signaling pathway since they are associated with a large number of proteins that are strictly regulated and interact with other signaling pathways. Many studies have found a correlation between IR alternative splicing, IRS gene polymorphism, the complicated regulatory function of IRS serine/threonine phosphorylation, and the negative regulatory role of p85 in insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. This review brings up-to-date knowledge of the roles of signaling proteins in insulin resistance in order to aid in the discovery of prospective targets for insulin resistance treatment.
Green Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles Using Monoon longifolium Leaf Extract for Removal of Fluoride from Aqueous Solution
Authors: Ganta Dawit Darcha , Hirpaye Belete Yilma , Raghavanpillai Sabu Kuzhunellil , Menber Solomon Yayeh
Published: December 2022

Hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) calcium phosphate is a robust and viable magnetic material for the treatment of polluted air, water, and soil. Because of its unique structure and appealing properties such as high adsorption capabilities, acid-base adaptability, ion-exchange capability, and thermal stability, hydroxyapatite (HAp) has a lot of potential in the field of environmental management. An aqueous extract of Monoon longifolium leaves was used for the preparation of hydroxyapatite nonparticles as the adsorbent for fluoride ion removal from aqueous solution in this work, resulting in bio-based hydroxyapatite nanoparticles. The prepared adsorbent was characterized by using instrumental techniques such as TGA/DTA, XRD, AAS, FT-IR, and UV-Vis spectroscopy as well as SEM. The batch adsorption approach was used to determine the optimum adsorption efficiency of HAp NPs under various experimental conditions. As a result, the best removal efficiency corresponds to 0.75 g HAp NPs, 15 mg/L, and pH 7 at 50 minutes (96%). The equilibrium adsorption data were better fitted into the Freundlich isotherms (R2 = 0.99), and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was found to be suitable (R2 = 0.99) for the kinetic model. Fluoride ion adsorption on HAp NPs is spontaneous, endothermic, and possible at temperatures over 318 K, according to thermodynamic calculations. The results hint at a conclusion that the synthesized HAp NPs were an efficient adsorbent for the removal of fluoride ions and the overall process can be an economical choice for scaled-up water treatment processes.
Preparation and Properties of Nano-ZnO Combined with Biomass Heavy Oil Composite-Modified Asphalt
Authors: Tao He , Liu Hongming , Xie Xiangbing , Sun Tao , Dong Ruipeng , Lu Xiaolu
Published: December 2022

Biomass heavy oil is employed to partially substitute the petroleum-based asphalt due to its renewability, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective advantages. However, its usage weakens the high-temperature performance of petroleum asphalt. Therefore, nano-ZnO was employed as a modifier to make composite-modified asphalt to improve the high-temperature performance in this paper. It was prepared in two steps: first, bio-asphalt was prepared by adding biomass heavy oil based on a certain content of matrix asphalt and then adding nano-ZnO with the particle size of 20 nm. The modification methods of bio-asphalt and composite-modified asphalt were analyzed by Fourier infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments. Three major indexes test, dynamic shear rheological test, Brookfield rotational viscosity test (RV), and thermogravimetric analysis (TG-DSC) are used to analyze the high-temperature performance of bio-asphalt and composite-modified asphalt. The results show that biomass heavy oil and nano-ZnO are used to physically and chemically modify asphalt and the modification effect of bio-asphalt is the best when the biomass heavy oil content is about 9%. The high-temperature performance of composite heavy oil-modified asphalt is improved significantly. The performance indexes of Bio-6% and 1% nano-ZnO composite-modified asphalt are better than bio-asphalt. However, the high-temperature performance of Bio-12% and 3% nano-ZnO composite-modified asphalt is the best.