bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Climate change–drylands–food security nexus in Africa: From the perspective of technical advances, challenges, and opportunities
Authors: Hirwa Hubert , Li Fadong , Qiao Yunfeng , Measho Simon , Muhirwa Fabien , Tian Chao , Leng Peifang , Ingabire Romaine , Itangishaka Auguste Cesar , Chen Gang , Turyasingura Benson
Published: September 2022

Climate change impacts on drylands pose more vexing risks to socio-ecological systems, resulting in food security issues, biodiversity loss, and livelihood shifts in Africa. This study critically reviewed relevant literature to evaluate the complexities and feedback loops between the climate–drylands–food security (CDF) nexus, which helps assess tactics to attain sustainable dryland ecosystem management under the changing environment. Comprehensive CDF frameworks are explored for dryland dynamics, ecosystem services, and food security (FS), and current high-precision ecosystem observation networks are used to detect regional-level climate variability and identify hotspots. In addition, this review also examines challenges and uncertainties for CDF systems and effective agrarian innovations as a way forward. To bridge the gap from science to policy making in the CDF nexus, it is vital to enhance the impacts and feedbacks of ecohydrological processes on agrarian production, ecosystem service tradeoffs and their effects on livelihoods, and regional development and preservation by optimization of the ecological water security pattern. This state-of-the-art assessment uses acquired information and knowledge to conceptually evaluate the past, current, and future impacts and risks and facilitates decision making through the delivery of long-term sustainability and socio-ecological resilience.
Application of Stranded Pelagic Sargassum Biomass as Compost for Seedling Production in the Context of Mangrove Restoration
Authors: Trench Camilo , Thomas Shanna-Lee , Thorney Delroy , Maddix Gina-Marie , Francis Patrice , Small Hugh , Machado Carla Botelho , Webber Dale , Tonon Thierry , Webber Mona
Published: September 2022

The Sargassum spp. inundations across the Atlantic and Caribbean that began in 2011 have continued unabated, and new uses for the biomass are being continuously explored. Mangroves protect shorelines, store carbon, enhance water quality, and promote biodiversity. Their restoration can be hindered by poor soils associated with urbanized coastlines. Sargassum spp. application in the form of mulch, compost, and plant tonics has yielded positive results in a range of plants. As part of transforming the inundations to benefit communities, Sargassum spp. compost (SC) was assessed in mangrove seedling production for restoration. Pure SC was mixed with soil/sand medium, as different treatments, for the production of Rhizophora mangle seedlings in “wet” and “dry” nurseries. Plants in the “wet” nursery performed poorly, with 90–100% of plants in 50 and 100% SC, respectively, dying after 6 weeks. Seedlings in all SC treatments in the “dry” nursery survived with obvious and statistically significant treatment differences. Height and number of leaves indicated the best growth in the 75% SC treatment, while the control (0% SC) had the poorest growth. Seedling health, greatest in the control, was poorest in 50 and 100% SC. Elemental analysis of SC, seedlings, and soil/sand medium indicated that several elements (Na, K, Ca, As, and Se) found in high concentrations in the SC were low in the plants. Overall, low sequestration of elements by mangrove seedlings and the reported ability of mangrove soils to reduce element mobilization through chelation indicate the potential use of Sargassum spp. in soil amelioration for mangrove restoration without proportional contamination of the ecosystem. We see the potential use of nuisance Sargassum spp. blooms to support mangrove restoration, leading to increased benefits to coastal communities being affected by the inundations.
Soil quality restoration and yield stabilization in acidic soils of northeastern Himalayas: Five years impact of green manuring and crop residue management
Authors: Ansari Meraj A. , Babu Subhash , Choudhary Jairam , Ravisankar Natesan , Panwar Azad S.
Published: September 2022

Soil quality restoration and crop productivity maximization are the global challenge to feed the galloping population. The task is much more daunting in a risk-prone, fragile, and low productive hilly region due to the depletion of supporting and regulating ecosystem services. A five-year long-term (2012–2017) field experiment was conducted to stabilize the yield and soil quality through legume green manuring and crop residue recycling in intensified cropping systems in the Eastern Himalayan region of India. Four treatments involving three green manures [green gram (Vigna radiata); cowpea (Vigna unguiculata);Sesbania(Sesbania aculeata) along with control (no-green manure)], three cropping systems [groundnut (Arachis hypogaea)—pea (Pisum sativum); maize (Zea mays)—pea, and maize + groundnut–pea] and two levels of residue management practices [residue removal and residue retention] were evaluated in three times replicated split–split plot design. Among the green manure options,Sesbaniaexerted a significant positive impact on the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock, available micro- (Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu), and macronutrients (N, P and K) in surface (0–0.15 m) and subsurface (0.15–0.45 m) soils. The improvement in soil enzymatic activities (acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, dehydrogenase, beta-glucosidase, and aryl sulfatase activity) (p< 0.05) inSesbania-treated soil was +28.1% to +38.9% in surface and +18.3% to +27.3% in subsurface soils over non-green manure.Sesbania-treated soils also exhibited higher soil quality index (SQI) and stratification ratio (SR) of available soil nutrients and enzymes over non-green manured soils. Among the cropping systems, groundnut intercropped with maize followed by peas (MGP) within situresidue retention increased (p< 0.05) the available soil macro- and micronutrients, SOC stock, soil enzymes, SR, and SQI in comparison to other cropping systems.Sesbaniagreen manuring and residue retention improved the yield sustainability by +19% and +11% in the MGP system over non-green manuring and residue removal, respectively. Therefore,Sesbaniagreen manuring in the MGP cropping system along with residue retention is recommended for stabilizing the soil quality through enhancing supporting and regulating ecosystem services and maintaining long-term productivity in the fragile Eastern Himalayan ecosystem of India.
Determinants of villagers’ satisfaction with post-disaster reconstruction: Evidence from surveys ten years after the Wenchuan earthquake
Authors: Ao Yibin , Zhong Jinglin , Zhang Zijun , Han Lili , Wang Yan , Chen Yunfeng , Wang Tong
Published: September 2022

Residents’ satisfaction with post-disaster reconstruction in earthquake-stricken areas directly affects their quality of life, which cannot be ignored in post-disaster reconstruction. More than 10 years after the Wenchuan earthquake, we took ten randomly selected villages in the five areas hardest-hit by the Wenchuan earthquake as research objects and obtained 483 valid completed questionnaires. The villagers were randomly sampled and descriptive statistical analysis, factor analysis, and ordered logistic regression were used to explore the factors and relationships influencing villagers’ satisfaction with post-disaster reconstruction in Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas. The results show that: 1) the more rural residents know about the post-disaster reconstruction, the greater their level of satisfaction; 2) the more the annual income of families increases after resettlement, the greater the satisfaction of rural residents with the post-disaster reconstruction; 3) six public factors, namely the village committee acts as, housing construction quality, public service, policy of benefiting farmers, cultural environment, and hardware environment, all significantly positively affect residents’ overall satisfaction with post-earthquake reconstruction. This study thus enriches the theory of residents’ satisfaction studies and the practice of post-earthquake reconstruction.
Research on the impact of mixed ownership reform on innovation of state-owned enterprises: Evidence from Chinese industrial enterprises
Authors: Xia Wei , Zhou Xinmiao
Published: September 2022

This article focuses the research sample on Chinese State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), using the Beyond-logarithmic Stochastic Frontier Production Function and the ordinary fixed effect model to examine, and evaluates the influence of mixed ownership reform on the innovation of SOEs from the perspective of incentive and constraint mechanisms. Our study investigates the impact of the corporate governance, policy burden, and environmental regulation. The main conclusions are as follows. First, mixed ownership reform can enhance the innovation capability of SOEs. Second, mixed ownership reform stimulates innovation of SOEs by optimizing corporate governance and reducing policy constraints on enterprises which regulate enterprise decision-making behavior. Third, the environmental regulation also affects SOEs’ innovation. This study can provide a reference for the government to further deepen the reform, optimize the living environment of SOEs, improve environmental regulations and promote the sustainable development of economy.
Functional diversity of afrotropical fish communities across river gradients in the Republic of Congo, west central Africa
Authors: Walsh Gina , Pease Allison A. , Woodford Darragh J. , Stiassny Melanie L.J. , Gaugris Jérôme Y. , South Josie
Published: September 2022

Characterizing functional freshwater biodiversity patterns and understanding community determinants can aid in predicting changes and prioritizing specific conservation management actions. Afrotropical freshwater systems support diverse ecological communities, including many taxonomically undescribed species, yet few studies have been undertaken in this region and they remain poorly understood. Here, we use functional trait-based approaches to describe the functional diversity of fish assemblages in the Republic of Congo (west Central Africa) from the headwaters of a large basin (upper basin) to the coastal plains (lower basin). Functional traits were assessed using multivariate ordination, and functional diversity was calculated using functional trait-space occupation. We investigated if fish β diversity is nested regionally and at a basin-scale to understand if species assemblages exhibit non-random or environmental filtering patterns. Trait-environment relationships were modeled to determine the most significant drivers of trait diversity, and functional richness (FRic) was calculated for communities in both basins to identify whether Afrotropical systems conform to expected patterns of biodiversity along a fluvial gradient. Moderate to weak community nestedness and various traits associated with resistance and feeding were significantly correlated with habitat variables in the upper and lower basins respectively. Whilst environmental filtering is an important process of community assembly at basin scale, non-random processes are evident in the upper basin, whereas a high turnover was noted in the lower basin. Trophic traits in larger coastal plain habitats of the lower basin suggest higher trophic diversity is associated with higher spatial heterogeneity and nutrient concentrations. High functional turnover between headwaters and coastal plains suggests different functional strategies in fish assemblages between localities along the fluvial gradient. In contrast to expectations derived from temperate lotic systems, functional richness was comparable across both basinswhich suggests that headwater zones in the region harbor substantial functional diversity, especially when considering upstream catchment size. Functional diversity and environment patterns documented show unique patterns of functional richness that may assist in improving understanding of responses, vulnerabilities and conservation needs in Afrotropical systems.
Modeling the impact of digital economy on urban environmental pollution: Empirical evidence from 277 prefecture-level cities in China
Authors: Bai Fuping , Huang Yujie , Shang Mengting , Ahmad Mahmood
Published: September 2022

With the recent technological advancements, such as the internet, big data, and cloud computing, China’s digital economy plays a significant role in economic development. However, the digital economy may also affect the environmental quality, but the prevailing literature is scant on how the digital economy affects urban environmental pollution. To fill this gap, this study established an urban digital economy index system based on 277 prefecture-level cities in China and calculated their digital economy indicators from 2011 to 2019. Using a two-way fixed effects model, a mediation effect model and a moderation effect model, a multi-dimensional empirical test is conducted to determine the impact of the digital economy on urban pollution effects and internal mechanisms. Empirical results indicate that the digital economy significantly reduces urban pollutant emissions and shows spatial heterogeneity. After a series of robustness tests and endogenous analysis, our findings are consistent. The mechanism test results reveal that the digital economy can help mitigate pollution emissions through improved industrial structure, promotion of green innovation, and financial development. Further, the empirical results also demonstrate that government intervention can significantly enhance the negative environmental impact of the digital economy. Moreover, the findings from the heterogeneity test (i.e., city size, time, and space heterogeneity) show that the development of the digital economy is more significant in reducing urban pollution in large and eastern coastal cities. While the digital economy development policy impact of the digital economy on reducing pollution has been found after being adjusted by the national strategy. Our study enriches the research regarding the causes and mechanisms of environmental pollution, provides empirical evidence that the digital economy contributes to pollution control and provides decision-making references for enabling the growth of the digital economy and maximizing its pollution reduction power.
Atmospheric humidity affects global variation of bat echolocation via indirect effects
Authors: Kotila Miika , Helle Samuli , Lehto Harry J. , Rojas Danny , Vesterinen Eero J. , Lilley Thomas M.
Published: September 2022

The peak frequency of bat echolocation is a species-specific functional trait linked to foraging ecology. It is tailored via evolution to suit conditions within the distribution range of each species, but the evolutionary drivers are not yet well-understood. Global patterns of humidity correlate with many aspects of bat ecology. We hypothesized that atmospheric absolute humidity could explain global peak frequency variation directly and indirectly via increasing species body size and bat species richness. These hypotheses were tested using Bayesian phylogenetic path analysis on 226 tropical and subtropical bat species. In line with our predictions, we found a positive total effect of humidity on peak frequency, which was dominated by the positive indirect effects via body size and bat species richness. We did not observe the negative direct effect of humidity on peak frequency, which was hypothesized based on atmospheric attenuation of sound. In line with our expectations, excluding the predominantly clutter foraging bat families from our dataset downplayed the importance of the richness-mediated route. To conclude, our findings suggest that indirect effects, owing to ecology and biogeography of bat taxa, play a major role in the global relationship between peak frequency and atmospheric humidity.
A novel immune-related radioresistant lncRNAs signature based model for risk stratification and prognosis prediction in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Zheng Jianqing , Chen Xiaohui , Huang Bifen , Li Jiancheng
Published: September 2022

Background and purpose: Radioresistance remains a major reason of radiotherapeutic failure in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Our study is to screen the immune-related long non-coding RNA (ir-lncRNAs) of radiation-resistant ESCC (rr-ESCC) via Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and to construct a prognostic risk model.

Methods: Microarray data (GSE45670) related to radioresistance of ESCC was downloaded from GEO. Based on pathologic responses after chemoradiotherapy, patients were divided into a non-responder (17 samples) and responder group (11 samples), and the difference in expression profiles of ir-lncRNAs were compared therein. Ir-lncRNA pairs were constructed for the differentially expressed lncRNAs as prognostic variables, and the microarray dataset (GSE53625) was downloaded from GEO to verify the effect of ir-lncRNA pairs on the long-term survival of ESCC. After modelling, patients are divided into high- and low-risk groups according to prognostic risk scores, and the outcomes were compared within groups based on the COX proportional hazards model. The different expression of ir-lncRNAs were validated using ECA 109 and ECA 109R cell lines via RT-qPCR.

Results: 26 ir-lncRNA genes were screened in the GSE45670 dataset with differential expression, and 180 ir-lncRNA pairs were constructed. After matching with ir-lncRNA pairs constructed by GSE53625, six ir-lncRNA pairs had a significant impact on the prognosis of ESCC from univariate analysis model, of which three ir-lncRNA pairs were significantly associated with prognosis in multivariate COX analysis. These three lncRNA pairs were used as prognostic indicators to construct a prognostic risk model, and the predicted risk scores were calculated. With a median value of 2.371, the patients were divided into two groups. The overall survival (OS) in the high-risk group was significantly worse than that in the low-risk group (p < 0.001). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year prediction performance of this risk-model was 0.666, 0.702, and 0.686, respectively. In the validation setting, three ir-lncRNAs were significantly up-regulated, while two ir-lncRNAs were obviouly down-regulated in the responder group.

Conclusion: Ir-lncRNAs may be involved in the biological regulation of radioresistance in patients with ESCC; and the prognostic risk-model, established by three ir-lncRNAs pairs has important clinical value in predicting the prognosis of patients with rr-ESCC.
Unlocking phenotypic plasticity provides novel insights for immunity and personalized therapy in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Feng , Du Hongjuan , Li Bibo , Luo Zhibin , Zhu Lei
Published: September 2022

Background: Unlocking phenotype plasticity (UPP) has been shown to have an essential role in the mechanism of tumor development and therapeutic response. However, the clinical significance of unlocking phenotypic plasticity in patients with lung adenocarcinoma is unclear. This study aimed to explore the roles of unlocking phenotypic plasticity in immune status, prognosis, and treatment in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and clinical information of UPP were selected from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database, and the GO, KEGG enrichment analyses were performed. The independent prognostic genes were determined by univariate and multivariate Cox regression, and the UPP signature score was constructed. Patients with LUAD were divided into high- and low-risk groups according to the median of score, and the immunocytes and immune function, the gene mutation, and drug sensitivities between the two groups were analyzed. Finally, the results were validated in the GEO database.

Results: Thirty-nine significantly DEGs were determined. Enrichment analysis showed that UPP-related genes were related to protein polysaccharides and drug resistance. The prognostic results showed that the survival of patients in the high-risk group was poorer than that in the low-risk group (p < 0.001). In the high- and low-risk groups, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and C > T are the most common dissent mutations. The contents of immune cells were significantly different between high- and low-risk groups. And the immune functions were also significantly different, indicating that UPP affects the immunity in LUAD. The results from TCGA were validated in the GEO.

Conclusion: Our research has proposed a new and reliable prognosis indicator to predict the overall survival. Evaluation of the UPP could help the clinician to predict therapeutic responses and make individualized treatment plans in patients with LUAD.
Comprehensive multiomics analysis of cuproptosis-related gene characteristics in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Fu Jie , Wang Sixue , Li Zhenghao , Qin Wei , Tong Qing , Liu Chun , Wang Zicheng , Liu Zhiqiang , Xu Xundi
Published: September 2022

Background: The mechanism of copper-induced cell death, which is called cuproptosis, has recently been clarified. However, the integrated role of cuproptosis-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with immune characteristics are still completely unknown.

Methods: In this study, the expression, genetic, and transcriptional regulation states of 16 cuproptosis-related genes in HCC were systematically investigated. An unsupervised clustering method was used to identify distinct expression patterns in 370 HCC patients from the TCGA-HCC cohort. Differences in functional characteristics among different expression clusters were clarified by gene set variation analysis (GSVA). The abundances of immune cells in each HCC sample were calculated by the CIBERSORT algorithm. Next, a cuproptosis-related risk score was established based on the significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among different expression clusters.

Results: A specific cluster of HCC patients with poor prognosis, an inhibitory immune microenvironment, and high expression levels of immune checkpoint molecules was identified based on the expression of the 16 cuproptosis-related genes. This cluster of patients could be well-identified by a cuproptosis-related risk score system. The prognostic value of this risk score was validated in the training and two validation cohorts (TCGA-HCC, China-HCC, and Japan-HCC cohorts). Moreover, the overall expression status of the cuproptosis-related genes and the genes used to establish the cuproptosis-related risk score in specific cell types of the tumor microenvironment were preliminarily clarified by single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing data.

Conclusion: These results indicated that cuproptosis-related genes play an important role in HCC, and targeting these genes may ameliorate the inhibitory immune microenvironment to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
ATP6AP1 is a potential prognostic biomarker and is associated with iron metabolism in breast cancer
Authors: Tian Ye , Gao Ming , Huang Liang , Zhou Hu , Wang Juan
Published: September 2022

Cancer occurrence and progression may be facilitated by aberrant expression of ATPase H+ transporting accessory protein 1 (ATP6AP1). However, the clinical relevance of ATP6AP1 in breast cancer remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the association between ATP6AP1 and breast cancer. Data collected from patients with breast cancer from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used in this study. To determine the relationship between ATP6AP1 and breast cancer survival rates, Kaplan-Meier analysis was used. To determine the prognostic value of ATP6AP1, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed. To identify the major pathways involving ATP6AP1, we performed functional enrichment analysis using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). We analyzed the association between ATP6AP1 expression and tumor immunity using the ESTIMATE algorithm and single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA). A nomogram based on a Cox regression analysis was constructed to predict the impact of ATP6AP1 on prognosis. ATP6AP1 expression was significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues. Moreover, patients with elevated ATP6AP1 expression had shorter total survival rates than those with lower expression levels (p = 0.032). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for ATP6AP1 was 0.939. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that reaction iron uptake and transport, proteasome degradation, glutathione metabolism, and pyruvate metabolism were enriched in the ATP6AP1 high expression phenotype. The relationship between immune infiltration cells and ATP6AP1 expression, including macrophages, B cells, dendritic cells, cytotoxic cells, NK cells, and T cells, was found to be negative, suggesting that ATP6AP1 overexpression results in immunosuppression. Based on the Cox regression analyses, the calibration plot of the nomogram demonstrated effective performance in predicting breast cancer patients. ATP6AP1 may facilitate breast cancer progression by inhibiting antitumor immunity and promoting iron metabolism and may be a biomarker for breast cancer prognosis.
COVID-19–associated lncRNAs as predictors of survival in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma: A prognostic model
Authors: Ding Yang , Li Xia , Li Jiena , Liqun Zhu
Published: September 2022

Background: Patients with uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) may be susceptible to the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Long non–coding RNAs take on a critical significance in UCEC occurrence, development, and prognosis. Accordingly, this study aimed to develop a novel model related to COVID-19–related lncRNAs for optimizing the prognosis of endometrial carcinoma.

Methods: The samples of endometrial carcinoma patients and the relevant clinical data were acquired in the Carcinoma Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. COVID-19–related lncRNAs were analyzed and obtained by coexpression. Univariate, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to establish a COVID-19–related lncRNA risk model. Kaplan–Meier analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and functional enrichment annotation were used to analyze the risk model. Finally, the potential immunotherapeutic signatures and drug sensitivity prediction targeting this model were also discussed.

Results: The risk model comprising 10 COVID-19–associated lncRNAs was identified as a predictive ability for overall survival (OS) in UCEC patients. PCA analysis confirmed a reliable clustering ability of the risk model. By regrouping the patients with this model, different clinic-pathological characteristics, immunotherapeutic response, and chemotherapeutics sensitivity were also observed in different groups.

Conclusion: This risk model was developed based on COVID-19–associated lncRNAs which would be conducive to the precise treatment of patients with UCEC.
N1-methyladenosine methylation-related metabolic genes signature and subtypes for predicting prognosis and immune microenvironment in osteosarcoma
Authors: Wang Guowei , Wang Hongyi , Cheng Sha , Zhang Xiaobo , Feng Wanjiang , Zhang Pan , Wang Jianlong
Published: September 2022

N1-methyladenosine methylation (m1A), as an important RNA methylation modification, regulates the development of many tumours. Metabolic reprogramming is one of the important features of tumour cells, and it plays a crucial role in tumour development and metastasis. The role of RNA methylation and metabolic reprogramming in osteosarcoma has been widely reported. However, the potential roles and mechanisms of m1A-related metabolic genes (MRmetabolism) in osteosarcoma have not been currently described. All of MRmetabolism were screened, then selected two MRmetabolism by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and multifactorial regression analysis to construct a prognostic signature. Patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups based on the median riskscore of all patients. After randomizing patients into train and test cohorts, the reliability of the prognostic signature was validated in the whole, train and test cohort, respectively. Subsequently, based on the expression profiles of the two MRmetabolism, we performed consensus clustering to classify patients into two clusters. In addition, we explored the immune infiltration status of different risk groups and different clusters by CIBERSORT and single sample gene set enrichment analysis. Also, to better guide individualized treatment, we analyzed the immune checkpoint expression differences and drug sensitivity in the different risk groups and clusters. In conclusion, we constructed a MRmetabolism prognostic signature, which may help to assess patient prognosis, immunotherapy response.
Understanding gender dynamics in mHealth interventions can enhance the sustainability of benefits of digital technology for maternal healthcare in rural Nigeria
Authors: Udenigwe Ogochukwu , Okonofua Friday E. , Ntoimo Lorretta F. C. , Yaya Sanni
Published: September 2022

Introduction

Nigeria faces enormous challenges to meet the growing demands for maternal healthcare. This has necessitated the need for digital technologies such as mobile health, to supplement existing maternal healthcare services. However, mobile health programs are tempered with gender blind spots that continue to push women and girls to the margins of society. Failure to address underlying gender inequalities and unintended consequences of mobile health programs limits its benefits and ultimately its sustainability. The importance of understanding existing gender dynamics in mobile health interventions for maternal health cannot be overstated.

Objective

This study explores the gender dimensions of Text4Life, a mobile health intervention for maternal healthcare in Edo State, Nigeria by capturing the unique perspectives of women who are the primary beneficiaries, their spouses who are all men, and community leaders who oversaw the implementation and delivery of the intervention.

Method

This qualitative study used criterion-based purposive sampling to recruit a total of 66 participants: 39 women, 25 men, and two ward development committee chairpersons. Data collection involved 8 age and sex desegregated focus group discussions with women and men and in-depth interviews with ward development committee chairpersons in English or Pidgin English. Translated and transcribed data were exported to NVivo 1.6 and data analysis followed a conventional approach to thematic analysis.

Results

Women had some of the necessary resources to participate in the Text4Life program, but they were generally insufficient thereby derailing their participation. The program enhanced women's status and decision-making capacity but with men positioned as heads of households and major decision-makers in maternal healthcare, there remained the possibility of deprioritizing maternal healthcare. Finally, while Text4Life prioritized women's safety in various contexts, it entrenched systems of power that allow men's control over women's reproductive lives.

Conclusion

As communities across sub-Saharan Africa continue to leverage the use of mHealth for maternal health, this study provides insights into the gender implications of women's use of mHealth technologies. While mHealth programs are helpful to women in many ways, they are not enough on their own to undo entrenched systems of power through which men control women's access to resources and their reproductive and social lives.
Saving more lives on time: Strategic policy implementation and financial inclusion for safe abortion in Indonesia during COVID-19 and beyond
Authors: Saraswati Putri Widi
Published: September 2022

Abortion is common in Indonesia, with 79% being unsafe. Unsafe abortion is one of the top five causes of maternal deaths globally. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) is still high, with up to 30% of it being related to unsafe abortion. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unsafe abortions is expected to increase along with a 15–30% increase in unintended pregnancies. This will add to the number of maternal deaths on top of direct deaths caused by COVID-19. In Indonesia, access to safe abortion is still limited based on grounds. There are also gaps in implementation and in the financing mechanism of legal safe abortion, especially in the era of the national health insurance scheme (Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional/JKN). This brief aims to guide how to equitably implement and inclusively finance safe abortion in Indonesia—in and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic—to gain maximum socioeconomic benefit and leave no one behind.
Serial infection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 following three-dose COVID-19 vaccination
Authors: Lapointe Hope R. , Mwimanzi Francis , Cheung Peter K. , Sang Yurou , Yaseen Fatima , Kalikawe Rebecca , Datwani Sneha , Waterworth Rachel , Umviligihozo Gisele , Ennis Siobhan , Young Landon , Dong Winnie , Kirkby Don , Burns Laura , Leung Victor , Holmes Daniel T. , DeMarco Mari L. , Simons Janet , Matic Nancy , Montaner Julio S.G. , Brumme Chanson J. , Prystajecky Natalie , Niikura Masahiro , Lowe Christopher F. , Romney Marc G. , Brockman Mark A. , Brumme Zabrina L.
Published: September 2022

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infections are common among individuals who are vaccinated or have recovered from prior variant infection, but few reports have immunologically assessed serial Omicron infections. We characterized SARS-CoV-2 humoral responses in an individual who acquired laboratory-confirmed Omicron BA.1.15 ten weeks after a third dose of BNT162b2, and BA.2 thirteen weeks later. Responses were compared to 124 COVID-19-naive vaccinees. One month post-second and -third vaccine doses, the participant’s wild-type and BA.1-specific IgG, ACE2-displacement and virus neutralization activities were average for a COVID-19-naive triple-vaccinated individual. BA.1 infection boosted the participant’s responses to the cohort ≥95th percentile, but even this strong “hybrid” immunity failed to protect against BA.2. Reinfection increased BA.1 and BA.2-specific responses only modestly. Though vaccines clearly protect against severe disease, results highlight the continued importance of maintaining additional protective measures to counteract the immune-evasive Omicron variant, particularly as vaccine-induced immune responses naturally decline over time.
The AIRE G228W mutation disturbs the interaction of AIRE with its partner molecule SIRT1
Authors: Santos Jadson C. , Dametto Mariangela , Masson Ana Paula , Faça Vitor M. , Bonacin Rodrigo , Donadi Eduardo A. , Passos Geraldo Aleixo
Published: September 2022

The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein functions as a tetramer, interacting with partner proteins to form the “AIRE complex,” which relieves RNA Pol II stalling in the chromatin of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). AIRE is the primary mTEC transcriptional controller, promoting the expression of a large set of peripheral tissue antigen genes implicated in the negative selection of self-reactive thymocytes. Under normal conditions, the SIRT1 protein temporarily interacts with AIRE and deacetylates K residues of the AIRE SAND domain. Once the AIRE SAND domain is deacetylated, the binding with SIRT1 is undone, allowing the AIRE complex to proceed downstream with the RNA Pol II to the elongation phase of transcription. Considering that the in silico and in vitro binding of the AIRE SAND domain with SIRT1 provides a powerful model system for studying the dominant SAND G228W mutation mechanism, which causes the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome-1, we integrated computational molecular modeling, docking, dynamics between the whole SAND domain with SIRT1, and surface plasmon resonance using a peptide harboring the 211 to 230 residues of the SAND domain, to compare the structure and energetics of binding/release between AIRE G228 (wild-type) and W228 (mutant) SAND domain to SIRT1. We observed that the G228W mutation in the SAND domain negatively influences the AIRE-SIRT1 interaction. The disturbed interaction might cause a disruption in the binding of the AIRE SAND domain with the SIRT1 catalytic site, impairing the AIRE complex to proceed downstream with RNA Pol II.
Discovery of functionally distinct anti-C7 monoclonal antibodies and stratification of anti-nicotinic AChR positive Myasthenia Gravis patients
Authors: Lekova Eleonora , Zelek Wioleta M. , Gower David , Spitzfaden Claus , Osuch Isabelle H. , John-Morris Elen , Stach Lasse , Gormley Darren , Sanderson Andrew , Bridges Angela , Wear Elizabeth R. , Petit-Frere Sebastien , Burden Michael N. , Priest Richard , Wattam Trevor , Kitchen Semra J. , Feeney Maria , Davis Susannah , Morgan B. Paul , Nichols Eva-Maria
Published: September 2022

Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is mediated by autoantibodies against acetylcholine receptors that cause loss of the receptors in the neuromuscular junction. Eculizumab, a C5-inhibitor, is the only approved treatment for MG that mechanistically addresses complement-mediated loss of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. It is an expensive drug and was approved despite missing the primary efficacy endpoint in the Phase 3 REGAIN study. There are two observations to highlight. Firstly, further C5 inhibitors are in clinical development, but other terminal pathway proteins, such as C7, have been relatively understudied as therapeutic targets, despite the potential for lower and less frequent dosing. Secondly, given the known heterogenous mechanisms of action of autoantibodies in MG, effective patient stratification in the REGAIN trial may have provided more favorable efficacy readouts. We investigated C7 as a target and assessed thein vitrofunction, binding epitopes and mechanism of action of three mAbs against C7. We found the mAbs were human, cynomolgus monkey and/or rat cross-reactive and each had a distinct, novel mechanism of C7 inhibition. TPP1820 was effective in preventing experimental MG in rats in both prophylactic and therapeutic dosing regimens. To enable identification of MG patients that are likely to respond to C7 inhibition, we developed a patient stratification assay and showed in a small cohort of MG patients (n=19) that 63% had significant complement activation and C7-dependent loss of AChRs in thisin vitroset up. This study provides validation of C7 as a target for treatment of MG and provides a means of identifying patients likely to respond to anti-C7 therapy based on complement-activating properties of patient autoantibodies.
Detection of innate immune response modulating impurities (IIRMI) in therapeutic peptides and proteins: Impact of excipients
Authors: Thacker Seth G. , Her Cheng , Kelley-Baker Logan , Ireland Derek D C. , Manangeeswaran Mohanraj , Pang Eric S. , Verthelyi Daniela
Published: September 2022

Unintended immunogenicity can affect the safety and efficacy of therapeutic proteins and peptides, so accurate assessments of immunogenicity risk can aid in the selection, development, and regulation of biologics. Product- and process- related impurities can act as adjuvants that activate the local or systemic innate immune response increasing the likelihood of product immunogenicity. Thus, assessing whether products have innate immune response modulating impurities (IIRMI) is a key component of immunogenicity risk assessments. Identifying trace levels of individual IIRMI can be difficult and testing individually for all potential impurities is not feasible. Therefore, to mitigate the risk, cell-based assays that use human blood cells or monocyte-macrophage reporter cell lines are being developed to detect minute quantities of impurities capable of eliciting innate immune activation. As these are cell-based assays, there is concern that excipients could blunt the cell responses, masking the presence of immunogenic IIRMI. Here, we explore the impact of frequently used excipients (non-ionic detergents, sugars, amino acids, bulking agents) on the sensitivity of reporter cell lines (THP-1- and RAW-Blue cells) and fresh human blood cells to detect purified TLR agonists as model IIRMI. We show that while excipients do not modulate the innate immune response elicited by TLR agonists in vivo, they can impact on the sensitivity of cell-based IIRMI assays. Reduced sensitivity to detect LPS, FSL-1, and other model IIRMI was also evident when testing 3 different recombinant drug products, product A (a representative mAb), B (a representative growth factor), C (a representative peptide), and their corresponding formulations. These results indicate that product formulations need to be considered when developing and validating cell-based assays for assessing clinically relevant levels of IIRMI in therapeutic proteins. Optimization of reporter cells, culture conditions and drug product concentration appear to be critical to minimize the impact of excipients and attain sensitive and reproducible assays.
Improvement of the sepsis survival rate by adenosine 2a receptor antagonists depends on immune regulatory functions of regulatory T-cells
Authors: Zhang Teng , Zhao Jie , Fu Jingnan , Chen Guibing , Ma Tao
Published: September 2022

Adenosine shows a significant immunosuppressive effect in sepsis via binding to the adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR). Both genetic deletion and pharmacological inhibition of the A2aR may improve survival in sepsis. However, available research on this protective mechanism is quite limited. We used an A2aR antagonist (ZM241385) to treat a cecal ligation and puncture model of normal mice or regulatory T-cell (Treg)-depletion mice and found that the protective effect of ZM241385 is dependent on Tregs. Mechanically, A2aR inactivation was associated with decreased frequencies and reduced function of Foxp3+ Tregs, as evidenced by Foxp3 and CTLA-4 expression and classical effector T-cell proliferative assays, suggesting Treg modulation is a potential protective mechanism against sepsis. Simultaneously, the function and quantity of abdominal neutrophils were improved with ZM241385 treatment. To see if a link exists between them, Tregs and neutrophils were co-cultured, and it was found that ZM241385 blocked the inhibitory effect of Tregs on neutrophils. According to our research, Tregs play a key role in how A2aR antagonists improve sepsis prognosis and bacterial clearance.
Interferon add-on therapy increased clinical cure significantly for interferon-experienced chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg
Authors: Yang Xiaoan , Zhang Ka , Xu Qihuan , Shu Xin , Mo Zhishuo , Xie Dongying , Gao Zhiliang , Deng Hong
Published: September 2022

Currently, interferon add-on therapy brings hope for clinical cure of chronic hepatitis B patients with low HBsAg. However, in clinical practice patients with poor responses to their first interferon therapy were often switched to nucleos(t)ide analog therapy and then labeled as unsuitable patients for interferon therapy. Even if their HBsAg levels dropped to a low level, they were reluctant or not recommended to take interferon again, which caused them to miss out on interferon add-on therapy and clinical cure. Therefore, it is urgent to elucidate the effectiveness of interferon add-on therapy to get clinical cure for these interferon-experienced patients with low HBsAg. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether interferon-experienced patients could achieve the same HBsAg clearance and HBsAg seroconversion rates as interferon-naive patients. Also, the associated factor of HBsAg clearance and seroconversion were aimed to be clarified. 292 patients, including 85 interferon-experienced patients, were enrolled with HBsAg< 1500 IU/ml, HBeAg negative and HBV-DNA negative. And then, peg-interferon α-2b add-on therapy was performed. The results showed that the week 48 HBsAg clearance and seroconversion rates of all patients were 29.8% and 22.0%. There was no statistically significant difference between interferon-experienced and interferon-naive patients in week 48 HBsAg clearance and seroconversion rates, suggesting satisfactory clinical cure of the interferon add-on therapy for interferon-experienced patients. The age, baseline HBsAg, and week 12 HBsAg were negative correlated factors for week 48 HBsAg clearance and seroconversion. Furthermore, the age, baseline HBsAg and week 12 HBsAg for predicting the week 48 HBsAg clearance were cut off at 40.5 years, at 152.0 IU/ml and at 34.99 IU/ml, and for predicting seroconversion were cut off at 40.5 years, at 181.9 IU/ml and at 34.99 IU/ml, correspondingly. Significantly, interferon-experienced patients with low HBsAg were suggested with interferon add-on therapy to achieve clinical cure as soon as possible. This research provided evidences and cut-offs for the interferon add-on therapy against chronic hepatitis B.
Spatio-temporal analysis of east greenland polar front
Authors: Liu Yu , Wang Jianhui , Han Guoqing , Lin Xiayan , Yang Guijing , Ji Qiyan
Published: September 2022

The East Greenland Polar Front (EGPF) is an important front with strong salinity and temperature gradients in the Nordic Seas. It is formed by the interaction between Arctic-origin and Atlantic-origin water. The variations of EGPF are closely linked with sea ice melting and heat content transport associated with North Atlantic water recirculation. For a three-dimensional (3D) daily analysis, we use the global ocean eddy resolution reanalysis product (GLORYS12V1) from 1993 to 2018 to calculate the salinity and temperature horizontal gradient in the upper ocean and obtain the spatiotemporal distribution and intensity characteristics of EGPF. After assessment, the thresholds of the salinity and temperature fronts are set to 0.04 psu/km and 0.09°C/km, respectively. Compared with satellite observations of sea ice concentration, a significant spatial relationship is observed between the main position of EGPF and the ice edge before the sea ice shrinks to the continental shelf sea area. Affected by the freshening of the Arctic-origin water due to the melting of the sea ice, the intensity and area of EGPF show significant seasonal variations. Against the background of global warming, the sea ice area presents an obvious decreasing trend in the Greenland Sea. The melting of sea ice increased annually every summer from 1998 to 2018. The heat content transport of the Atlantic-origin water has also increased in recent years. The 3D characteristics (intensity and volume) of EGPF as salinity and temperature fronts exhibit increasing trends.