bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
12. Diversity in Pre-Capitalist Societies
Authors: Bujra Janet
Published: August 2022

This chapter reflects on a range of examples of pre-capitalist societies, chosen to illustrate the major arenas of colonial disruption, in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and to show how they worked. The empires which Europe created in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were merely the last (to date) in a long line of imperial ventures. There were few areas in the world which had not previously been subject to overlordship by external forces, sometimes to the suzerainty of successive powers. However, these old empires often functioned quite differently from the newer empires created by Europe. The growth of capitalism in Europe drove a need for closer control over the type and extent of production in areas under imperial domination. Whereas in previous empires merchants had merely served the demands of wealthy minorities for luxury goods (and in the process accumulated hoards of personal wealth), now these stocks of wealth began to go directly into the transformation of productive processes in Europe (the Industrial Revolution) rather than into consumption. Thus the emphasis was increasingly on raw materials or intermediate inputs to European industry.
14. The Power of Colonial States
Authors: Potter David , Thomas Alan
Published: August 2022

This chapter examines Western European colonial rule. Colonialism and its legacies are enduringly controversial. Whether or not colonial rule had redeeming features, it is useful to recognize its major political features, which include its international dimension, bureaucratic elitism and authoritarianism, use of 'traditional' or 'customary' public authority in colonial society, use of force, technological advantage, statism, and hegemonic ideology. Being cognizant of these features equips us to get at least an initial bearing on the question of how colonial rule was maintained. The same list of aspects of colonial rule can also be used to ask questions about why European rule ended when it did, and to help understand the legacies of colonialism, including cultural dependency, distinctive features of contemporary post-colonial states, and problems of state-led development.
15. The Era of Development—A Short History
Authors: Hewitt Tom
Published: August 2022

This chapter is organized around the idea of development: what it has meant to whom and why. The colonial period at its end was the beginning of what has been termed the era of development and was the beginning of an unprecedented internationalization and the emergence of a global economy. By the end of the 1990s, there were few parts of the world left untouched by the process of globalization which occurred since World War II. The first two decades of the twenty-first century have witnessed splintering and fragmentation and what some would argue to be signs of the end of the development era. Meanwhile, 'intentional development' at global level has broadened to include goals to deal with almost all aspects of what some call 'global crisis'. Analysts of development have moved to examining politics, power, and institutions in order to understand the growing complexity of development.
24. Identity Politics and Clashing Cultures
Authors: Kirk Tom , Allen Tim , Eade John
Published: August 2022

This chapter explores the rise of identity-based explanations for domestic politics and international conflicts in the 1990s, before turning to the War on Terror and its affects. An influential view of the current global situation is that there is a clash of civilizations or cultures, especially between Islam and the West. This idea has been reinforced by terrorist atrocities in the United States and elsewhere, and by the so-called War on Terror. Conceptualizing cultures as in conflict has origins in older ideas about nationalism and ethnicity, which have had a tendency to absorb or euphemize racist attitudes to outsiders. Several well-known scholars have been scathing about the clash of civilizations thesis, but there is no doubt that the argument has profoundly affected national and international agendas, and helps explain the rise of morally populist, nationalistic, and isolationist policies in many countries. The clash of civilizations also relates more specifically to concerns in the US about its position in the world, and its declining capacity to shape global agendas.
25. Climate Change and the End of Development
Authors: Abbott Dina , Wilson Gordon , Thomas Alan
Published: August 2022

This chapter studies how the debate on climate change has evolved and how development relates to climate change. Climate change relates to development in two main ways. First, economic development is likely to exacerbate future climate change. Second, climate change as it occurs impacts on development, often negatively. The different ways in which climate change relates to development lead to different types of intervention. Climate change mitigation policies are designed to limit future climate change or reduce its impact but may themselves curtail development options. Climate change adaptation policies attempt to work with climate change and achieve development in spite of its impacts. There are also policies to cope with 'loss and damage', i.e. extreme, often irreversible, impacts which are too severe for adaptation. Lived experiences of climate change and of the effects of mitigation and adaptation policies demonstrate how their impacts result from the interaction of physical effects with existing social and power relationships, including those of gender.
Assessing Change in Participation in Clinical Evaluations of Deployed Veterans with Medically Unexplained Symptoms
Authors: Nadkarni Shree , Ecker Anthony H , Waid-Ebbs Julia Kay , Pickett Lisa C , Ray Kathleen , Chandler Helena K , McAndrew Lisa M , Helmer Drew A
Published: August 2022

Many deployed veterans experience issues reintegrating into civilian life. Addressing this in a clinical setting can prove challenging; however, assessing participation, defined as involvement in a life situation by the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, may be helpful. The Community Reintegration of Injured Service Members–Computer Adaptive Test (CRIS-CAT) is a measure of participation developed and validated in veteran populations. The War Related and Illness and Injury Study Center, which provides comprehensive evaluations to veterans with medically unexplained deployment-related concerns, used the CRIS-CAT as part of their social work evaluations during these visits and follow-up telephone calls. This retrospective review of clinical data examines the link between participation as assessed by the CRIS-CAT and factors that are mutable (such as relationships with others) and immutable (personal characteristics) as assessed in the social work evaluation over 12 months. The findings indicate that these veteran patients did not experience change in their participation as measured by the CRIS-CAT. Multivariable regression models demonstrated relationships only between change in CRIS-CAT scales and baseline scores and race. Article concludes by discussing lessons learned from this evaluation of the utility of the CRIS-CAT in clinical care and in longitudinal evaluation.
The CJEU and EU (de-)constitutionalization: Unpacking jurisprudential responses
Authors: Moser Carolyn , Rittberger Berthold
Published: August 2022

The Court of Justice of the European Union has long been considered a steadfast advocate and engine of the constitutionalization of the European Union. More recently, however, critical voices about the Court’s seemingly deferential stance on executive (crisis) governance have amplified among legal scholars and political scientists. We take issue with this claim and show that the Court’s jurisprudence is neither predominantly hard-wired in favor of constitutionalization, nor is it deferential to governments’ wishes. Instead, we show that factors external to the law—the politicization of an issue—and internal to the law—the juridification of an issue—prompt the Court to adopt different jurisprudential responses on issues of constitutional salience, ranging from the expansion of constitutionalization to its retreat. To probe our assertion, we zoom into the European Union’s internal and external security policies—namely Justice and Home Affairs, on the one hand, and the Common Foreign and Security Policy, on the other—which exhibit contrasting constitutionalization trajectories. Based on a qualitative case law analysis, we demonstrate that the Court’s constitutionalization responses are indeed systematically affected by different levels of politicization and juridification.
Motivic Decompositions of Families With Tate Fibers: Smooth and Singular Cases
Authors: Cavicchi M , Déglise F , Nagel J
Published: August 2022

We apply Wildeshaus’s theory of motivic intermediate extensions to the motivic decomposition conjecture, formulated by Deninger–Murre and Corti–Hanamura. We first obtain a general motivic decomposition for the Chow motive of an arbitrary smooth projective family $f:X \rightarrow S$ whose geometric fibers are Tate. Using Voevodsky’s motives with rational coefficients, the formula is valid for an arbitrary regular base $S$, without assuming the existence of a base field or even of a prime integer $\ell $ invertible on $S$. This result, and some of Bondarko’s ideas, lead us to a generalized formulation of Corti–Hanamura’s conjecture. Secondly we establish the existence of the motivic decomposition when $f:X \rightarrow S$ is a projective quadric bundle over a characteristic $0$ base, which is either sufficiently general or whose discriminant locus is a normal crossing divisor. This provides a motivic lift of the Bernstein–Beilinson–Deligne decomposition in this setting.
The Effectiveness of Varicella Vaccine: 25 Years of Postlicensure Experience in the United States
Authors: Shapiro Eugene D , Marin Mona
Published: August 2022

We summarize studies of varicella vaccine’s effectiveness for prevention of varicella and lessons learned during the first 25 years of the varicella vaccination program in the United States. One dose of varicella vaccine provided moderate protection (82%–85%) against varicella of any severity and high protection (100%) against severe varicella, with some waning of protection over time. The 1-dose program (1995–2006) had a substantial impact on the incidence both of varicella and of severe outcomes (71%–90% decrease) although it did not prevent low-level community transmission and some outbreaks continued to occur in highly vaccinated populations. Two doses of varicella vaccine improved the vaccine’s effectiveness by at least 10% against varicella of any severity, with further declines in the incidence both of varicella and of severe outcomes as well as in both number and size of outbreaks. There is no evidence for waning of the effectiveness of 2 doses of the vaccine.
Skeletomuscular Atlas and Deep Homology of a Metamorphosing Genitalic Appendage in a Flat-Backed Millipede (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae:Pseudopolydesmus)
Authors: Zahnle Xavier J , Ma Megan , Bond Jason E
Published: August 2022

In millipedes, gonopods are male copulatory genitalia derived from walking legs that metamorphose during postembryonic development. The morphology of gonopods is critical for genus and species diagnosis in most taxa. However, the form and function of gonopods vary drastically at the family and ordinal level, making intricate morphological comparison practically impossible. Internal morphology could provide the basis for homologizing morphological elements present in the walking legs and gonopods. Therefore, we used x-ray computed tomography to produce 3D segmentations of Pseudopolydesmus Attems, 1898 (Polydesmida: Polydesmidae) millipedes incorporating two types of morphological elements: skeletal elements and muscles. In addition to imaging the trunk and appendages of an adult male, we imaged the developing gonopod across a series of juvenile male stadia in order to trace the identities of morphological elements. Skeletal elements were homologized, but muscle homologies were limited by the dissimilarity of muscle attachment sites between the walking leg and gonopod. Furthermore, images of juvenile males showed that appendage musculature is totally obliterated once gonopod development begins in the fourth stadium. Due to these limitations, we believe it may be more tractable to homologize gonopod musculature of various millipede taxa to each other than to that of the walking legs. Because distinct genetic developmental networks responsible for walking leg and gonopod patterning have been evolving separately since the common ancestor of gonopod-bearing millipedes (a case of paramorphy), skeletomusculature among gonopods of unrelated millipede taxa is expected to be more similar than that of the gonopod and walking leg within a given millipede lineage.
2021 Patient Preferences for Point of Care Testing Survey: More Acceptance and Less Concern
Authors: Lilly Craig M , Wang Ziyue , Dunlap Denise , Kaye Jeffrey , Gohtard Sarah , Teebagy Sean , Hafer Nathaniel , Rogers Eugene J , Buchholz Bryan , McManus David
Published: August 2022

Background

The evolving opinions of our community members provide insights into how end-users perceive the value and identify key point-of-care test (POCT) characteristics.

Methods

We deployed our validated 45-item English-language survey to uncompensated volunteers and compared the results from 1264 respondents in 2021 with those obtained in 2020.

Results

Average responses for items regarding the benefits of POCTs demonstrated that the 2021 respondents indicated agreement with all 14 potential benefits. Average responses for items regarding concerns were distinctly different from those for benefits. The only concern item that scored in the agree range was “not having insurance coverage for POCTs.” Average responses to the other 13 concern items were in the disagree range. For 8 of these items, the magnitude of disagreement was greater in the 2021 survey than was observed for the 2020 survey. Differences in POCT exposure over time and by US regions suggest that higher levels of exposure to POCTs in the East are associated with stronger public support.

Conclusions

Community members strongly support the development of accurate, convenient, easy-to-use, affordable, equitably available, in-home POCTs that produce immediate results. This empowers patients and home caregivers to diagnose, manage, enhance their adherence to medical treatments, and more efficiently engage their physicians.
Admission Frailty Score Are Associated With Increased Risk of Acute Respiratory Failure and Mortality in Burn Patients 50 and Older
Authors: Galet Colette , Lawrence Kevin , Lilienthal Drew , Hubbard Janice , Romanowski Kathleen S , Skeete Dionne A , Mashruwala Neil
Published: August 2022

Herein, we assessed the utility of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging Clinical Frailty Scale (CSHA-CFS) to predict burn-specific outcomes. We hypothesized that frail patients are at greater risk for burn-related complications and require increased healthcare support at discharge. Patients 50 years and older admitted to our institution for burn injuries between July 2009 and June 2019 were included. Demographics, comorbidities, pre-injury functional status, injury and hospitalization information, complications (graft loss, acute respiratory failure, and acute kidney disease [AKI]), mortality, and discharge disposition were collected. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the association between admission frailty scored using the CSHA-CFS and outcomes. P < .05 was considered significant. Eight-hundred fifty-one patients were included, 697 were not frail and 154 were frail. Controlling for Baux scores, sex, race, mechanism of injury, 2nd and 3rd degree burn surface, and inhalation injury, frailty was associated with acute respiratory failure (OR = 2.599 [1.460–4.628], P = .001) and with mortality (OR = 6.080 [2.316–15.958]; P < .001). Frailty was also associated with discharge to skilled nursing facility, rehabilitation, or long-term acute care facilities (OR = 3.135 [1.784–5.508], P < .001), and to hospice (OR = 8.694 [1.646–45.938], P = .011) when compared to home without healthcare services. Frailty is associated with increased risk of acute respiratory failure, mortality, and requiring increased healthcare support post-discharge. Our data suggest that frailty can be used as a tool to predict morbidity and mortality and for goals of care discussions for the burn patient.
The recent amendment to the Intellectual Property Act, No. 36 of 2003 of Sri Lanka
Authors: Samaranayake Wathsala Ravihari
Published: August 2022

After a prolonged legislative process, a new piece of legislation was finally introduced into the intellectual property legal paradigm of Sri Lanka. The Intellectual Property (Amendment) Act, No. 8 of 2022, represents a significant milestone in the legal history of Sri Lanka as it establishes a national registration system for geographical indications (GIs) reinforcing the protection of GIs at both the domestic and international level.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiotherapy in Japan: nationwide surveys from May 2020 through June 2021
Authors: Tamari Keisuke , Nagata Yasushi , Mizowaki Takashi , Kodaira Takeshi , Onishi Hiroshi , Ogawa Kazuhiko , Shioyama Yoshiyuki , Shigematsu Naoyuki , Uno Takashi
Published: August 2022

A longitudinal online questionnaire survey on the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the operation of radiotherapy departments in Japan was conducted. Approximately 26.1–70.9% of the radiotherapy departments participated, and their responses were collected in May, July and November 2020, and February and June 2021. The survey results revealed that while the number of patients receiving radiotherapy decreased in 41.2% and 30.7% of institutions in May 2020 and June 2021, respectively, it increased in 4% and 16.8% of institutions in May 2020 and June 2021, respectively. There were a few institutions limiting or postponing patient treatments in June 2021. The hypofractionated regimen was used more during the pandemic than during the pre-pandemic period, particularly for the treatment of breast and prostate cancers as well as for palliation. Infection control measures for patients and staff were followed. Approximately 20% of the respondent institutions had cases of patients with COVID-19 infection receiving radiotherapy. Most institutions encountered challenges in the continuous provision of radiotherapy for patients with COVID-19. In conclusion, COVID-19 had a multifaceted impact on the operations of radiotherapy departments in Japan. Further follow-up and analysis are warranted to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19 on radiotherapy.
Amyand’s hernia: non incarcerated, inflamed appendix in inguinal sac case report
Authors: Olamaeian Faranak , Saberi Pirouz Mahdi , Sheibani Fatemeh , Tayebi Ali
Published: August 2022

Inguinal hernia is described as protrusion of abdominal structures into inguinal canal, such as intestinal loop and abdominal fascia. Appendix rarely bulges into inguinal canal which is called Amyand’s hernia. A 55-year-old diabetic male presented to an outpatient clinic with right inguinal bulging since 2 years ago which was non-tender, without erythema and became non reducible since 2 days ago. Also bulging worsened by physical activity. The patient went through operation and an inflamed appendix was found stuck in hernia sac. Non incarcerated inguinal hernia can be diagnosed with physical examination and there is no need of further imaging which makes it hard to diagnose the nature of protrusion. Amyand’s hernia usually presents with pain due to appendicitis which mimics incarcerated hernia and makes it easier to suspect the etiology and request for further investigation. However in this case, pain was suppressed and this patient was candidate for elective inguinal herniotomy.
Two Sides of the Same Coin: Direct Taxation and Negotiated Governance in Colonial Indonesia
Authors: Manse Maarten
Published: August 2022

This article investigates the implementation of direct taxes in colonial Indonesia between roughly 1870 and 1930, to widen our understanding of colonial governance and fiscal state building. It examines the various connotations given to taxation by colonial politicians and statesmen, and elucidates how these were developed and experienced rather differently in practice. Taxes became rooted in local patterns of customary law, indirect rule, and constant negotiation between colonial officials, local indigenous rulers, and subjected taxpayers. This demonstrates that local, colonial institutions did not have the weight and capacity state officials claimed they had, and that in colonial context, bottom-up practices of negotiated governance and consultation, that deliberately ignored the rules of fiscal bureaucracy imposed from above, were pivotal to taxation.
The Canon of the Pistis Sophia Books 1–3
Authors: Parkhouse Sarah
Published: August 2022

The first three books of the Pistis Sophia demonstrate an awareness of an emerging canon in a late third-century Egyptian textual community. The canonical boundary is revealed through the scriptural practices employed by the author: texts considered to be within the canon are cited and interpreted as authoritative literature, used to authenticate the teachings of Pist. Soph., whereas texts outside of the canon are open to substantial revision and woven into the narrative without a citation formula. This paper examines the author’s use of the Hebrew Bible, the Odes of Solomon, and the Gospels as canonical literature, and asks which other texts were in his literary repertoire, suggesting that the Apocryphon of John, the Gospel of Mary, and the Ascension of Isaiah were used as inspiration for composing the new narrative and dialogue.
Biogenic signals from plastids and their role in chloroplast development
Authors: Liebers Monique , Cozzi Carolina , Uecker Finia , Chambon Louise , Blanvillain Robert , Pfannschmidt Thomas
Published: August 2022

Plant seeds do not contain differentiated chloroplasts. Upon germination, the seedlings thus need to gain photoautotrophy before storage energies are depleted. This requires the coordinated expression of photosynthesis genes encoded in nuclear and plastid genomes. Chloroplast biogenesis needs to be additionally coordinated with the light regulation network that controls seedling development. This coordination is achieved by nucleus to plastid signals called anterograde and plastid to nucleus signals termed retrograde. Retrograde signals sent from plastids during initial chloroplast biogenesis are also called biogenic signals. They have been recognized as highly important for proper chloroplast biogenesis and for seedling development. The molecular nature, transport, targets, and signalling function of biogenic signals are, however, under debate. Several studies disproved the involvement of a number of key components that were at the base of initial models of retrograde signalling. New models now propose major roles for a functional feedback between plastid and cytosolic protein homeostasis in signalling plastid dysfunction as well as the action of dually localized nucleo-plastidic proteins that coordinate chloroplast biogenesis with light-dependent control of seedling development. This review provides a survey of the developments in this research field, summarizes the unsolved questions, highlights several recent advances, and discusses potential new working modes.
Two Lost Items of Humeana
Authors: Waldmann Felix
Published: August 2022

This note reports on the disappearance of two items associated with the philosopher David Hume (1711–1776). The first item, formerly preserved in the National Library of Scotland, is a portion of a manuscript: the Register of the Proceedings of the Curators and Keeper of the Library of the Faculty of Advocates. The portion concerns the period during which Hume held the Keepership of the Library. The second item, formerly preserved in the National Museums of Scotland, is one of only two extant copies of Hume’s supressed Five Dissertations (1755–6).
Genetics of Parkinson Disease
Authors: Albin Roger L.
Published: August 2022

The genetics of Parkinson disease (PD) are reviewed in this chapter. Current understanding of PD was markedly affected by the application of modern genomic methods. Both Mendelian forms of PD and genetic risk factors are discussed in detail. Pleomorphic risk loci, defined as the connection between identified Mendelian forms of PD and genetic risk factors, are discussed. The best-documented Mendelian forms of PD and PD associated with glucocerebrosidase mutations are described. The roles of genetic studies in exploring PD pathogenesis and identifying potential therapeutic targets are discussed.
Prodromal Parkinson Disease
Authors: Albin Roger L.
Published: August 2022

The concept of prodromal Parkinson disease (PD) is reviewed. A large body of data indicates that overt, defining clinical manifestations are preceded by long periods of subclinical neurodegeneration and gradually emergent functional abnormalities below thresholds for clinical diagnosis. The general concept of long prodromal periods is consistent with neuropathologic evidence of apparently asymptomatic brain α-synucleinopathy pathologies. The importance of idiopathic (isolated) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is highlighted. Studies of observational cohorts, iRBD cohorts, genetic cohorts, and pure autonomic failure are reviewed.
Clinical Features II
Authors: Albin Roger L.
Published: August 2022

In this chapter, the nature, variety, and impact of non-motor features of Parkinson disease (PD) are reviewed. Non-motor features, commonly termed non-motor symptoms (NMS), are aspects of PD with great clinical impacts. The high morbidity associated with many non-motor features is emphasized: in both health-related quality of life (QoL) studies and surveys of clinical impacts of PD, non-motor features are identified by patients, caregivers, and clinicians as some of the most troublesome aspects of PD. Cognitive impairments, neuropsychiatric disorders, sleep disorders, pain, fatigue, autonomic disorders, visual disorders, and oral health problems are reviewed.
Pharmacology I
Authors: Albin Roger L.
Published: August 2022

Pharmacotherapy is the cornerstone of management for Parkinson disease (PD). Pharmacotherapy is the most impactful intervention, and other treatment modalities generally work best in conjunction with judicious pharmacotherapy. Pharmacotherapy is primarily symptomatic dopamine (DA) replacement therapy (DRT) with L-dopa preparations, adjuncts to L-dopa preparations, and/or DA agonists. L-dopa preparations continue to be the best treatment for PD. This chapter reviews the fundamentals of dopaminergic neurotransmission, and L-dopa pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The potential mechanism of peak dose dyskinesias is reviewed, as are the interactions of disease progression with L-dopa pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
“Say, Who Owns This House?”: US Violence, Indebtedness, and Care in Toni Morrison’s Home
Authors: Pak Yumi
Published: August 2022

The simultaneous exclusion from and the complicated desire for inclusion within the narrative of “America” haunts Home (2012), Toni Morrison’s tenth novel. Taking place primarily in 1954, the novel follows two seemingly disparate story lines, the first being that of Frank Money, a Black veteran of the Korean War, the second focusing on his younger sister Cee, who is subject to the eugenics project headed by her employer. As these storylines intersect, by virtue of these two characters being siblings, Morrison addresses the ties between military and reproductive violence and their ongoing legacies in the United States. I argue that military and reproductive violence are part and parcel of Frank and Cee’s possibilities of being hailed as Americans, to feel at “home.” Yet Frank’s interpellation is only possible when he participates in the murderous imperialism that drives US intervention in Asia, and Cee’s body is made fungible in the name of racist scientific “progress.” To be American is to buttress white supremacist ideologies around American empire and exceptionalism, and to be violent. Morrison demonstrates how exclusion from this narrative is fundamentally, necessarily, a Black feminist framework. I also address debt and indebtedness and how we imagine what is owed to whom. Finally, I draw on Christina Sharpe’s theorizing on “wake work” to demonstrate Morrison’s argument that spaces of home divorced from violence are only made possible through a Black feminist practice of care.
Maximum iron loading of ferritin: half a century of sustained citation distortion
Authors: Hagen Wilfred R
Published: August 2022

Analysis of citation networks in biomedical research has indicated that belief in a specific scientific claim can gain unfounded authority through citation bias (systematic ignoring of papers that contain content conflicting with a claim), amplification (citation to papers that don't contain primary data), and invention (citing content but claiming it has a different meaning). There is no a priori reason to expect that citation distortion is limited to particular fields of science. This Pespective presents a case study of the literature on maximum iron loading of the ferritin protein to illustrate that the field of metallomics is no exception to the rule that citation distortion is a widespread phenomenon.
Performance of creatinine-based equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in White and Black populations in Europe, Brazil and Africa
Authors: Delanaye Pierre , Vidal-Petiot Emmanuelle , Björk Jonas , Ebert Natalie , Eriksen Björn O , Dubourg Laurence , Grubb Anders , Hansson Magnus , Littmann Karin , Mariat Christophe , Melsom Toralf , Schaeffner Elke , Sundin Per-Ola , Bökenkamp Arend , Berg Ulla B , Åsling-Monemi Kajsa , Åkesson Anna , Larsson Anders , Cavalier Etienne , Dalton R Neil , Courbebaisse Marie , Couzi Lionel , Gaillard Francois , Garrouste Cyril , Jacquemont Lola , Kamar Nassim , Legendre Christophe , Rostaing Lionel , Stehlé Thomas , Haymann Jean-Philippe , Selistre Luciano da Silva , Strogoff-de-Matos Jorge P , Bukabau Justine B , Sumaili Ernest K , Yayo Eric , Monnet Dagui , Nyman Ulf , Pottel Hans , Flamant Martin
Published: August 2022

Background

A new Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation without the race variable has been recently proposed (CKD-EPIAS). This equation has neither been validated outside USA nor compared with the new European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) and Lund-Malmö Revised (LMREV) equations, developed in European cohorts.

Methods

Standardized creatinine and measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from the European EKFC cohorts (n = 13 856 including 6031 individuals in the external validation cohort), from France (n = 4429, including 964 Black Europeans), from Brazil (n = 100) and from Africa (n = 508) were used to test the performances of the equations. A matched analysis between White Europeans and Black Africans or Black Europeans was performed.

Results

In White Europeans (n = 9496), both the EKFC and LMREV equations outperformed CKD-EPIAS (bias of –0.6 and –3.2, respectively versus 5.0 mL/min/1.73 m², and accuracy within 30% of 86.9 and 87.4, respectively, versus 80.9%). In Black Europeans and Black Africans, the best performance was observed with the EKFC equation using a specific Q-value (= concentration of serum creatinine in healthy males and females). These results were confirmed in matched analyses, which showed that serum creatinine concentrations were different in White Europeans, Black Europeans and Black Africans for the same measured GFR, age, sex and body mass index. Creatinine differences were more relevant in males.

Conclusion

In a European and African cohort, the performances of CKD-EPIAS remain suboptimal. The EKFC equation, using usual or dedicated population-specific Q-values, presents the best performance in the whole age range in the European and African populations included in this study.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study of bardoxolone methyl in patients with diabetic kidney disease: design and baseline characteristics of the AYAME study
Authors: Nangaku Masaomi , Takama Hirotaka , Ichikawa Tomohiro , Mukai Kazuya , Kojima Masahiro , Suzuki Yusuke , Watada Hirotaka , Wada Takashi , Ueki Kohjiro , Narita Ichiei , Kashihara Naoki , Kadowaki Takashi , Hase Hiroki , Akizawa Tadao
Published: August 2022

Background

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), but currently available treatments do not improve kidney function or prevent the initiation of dialysis/kidney replacement therapy. A previous study demonstrated that bardoxolone methyl improves the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), but the study was prematurely terminated because of an imbalance in heart failure between treatment groups. The subsequent phase 2 TSUBAKI study demonstrated no incidence of heart failure and an improved eGFR and GFR as determined by inulin clearance in DKD patients.

Methods

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre phase 3 study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of bardoxolone methyl in DKD patients with an eGFR ≥15.0–<60.0 ml/min/1.73 m2 and a urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (UACR) ≤3500 mg/g but without risk factors for heart failure. The primary endpoint is the time to onset of a ≥30% decrease in the eGFR or ESKD. Randomized patients (1:1) have been under treatment with once-daily oral bardoxolone methyl (5, 10 or 15 mg by intrapatient dose adjustment) or placebo for at least 3 years.

Results

The mean age of the 1013 patients is 65.9 years, 21.5% are female, the mean eGFR is 37.84 ml/min/1.73 m2 and the median UACR is 351.80 mg/g.

Conclusions

Appropriate patients are enrolled in this study. This study will investigate the long-term efficacy and safety of bardoxolone methyl in DKD patients covering a wider range of eGFR (≥15.0–<60.0 ml/min/1.73 m2) and albuminuria (≤3500 mg/g) compared with previous studies.
Thrombotic microangiopathy in patients with malignant hypertension
Authors: Cavero Teresa , Auñón Pilar , Caravaca-Fontán Fernando , Trujillo Hernando , Arjona Emi , Morales Enrique , Guillén Elena , Blasco Miquel , Rabasco Cristina , Espinosa Mario , Blanco Marta , Rodríguez-Magariños Catuxa , Cao Mercedes , Ávila Ana , Huerta Ana , Rubio Esther , Cabello Virginia , Barros Xoana , Goicoechea de Jorge Elena , Rodríguez de Córdoba Santiago , Praga Manuel
Published: August 2022

Background

Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is a complication of malignant hypertension (mHTN) attributed to high blood pressure (BP). However, no studies have investigated in patients with mHTN of different aetiologies whether the presence of TMA is associated with specific causes of mHTN.

Methods

We investigated the presence of TMA (microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia) in a large and well-characterized cohort of 199 patients with mHTN of different aetiologies [primary HTN 44%, glomerular diseases 16.6%, primary atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) 13.1%, renovascular HTN 9.5%, drug-related HTN 7%, systemic diseases 5.5%, endocrine diseases 4.5%]. Outcomes of the study were kidney recovery and kidney failure.

Results

Patients with TMA [40 cases (20.1%)] were younger, were more likely female and had lower BP levels and worse kidney function at presentation. Their underlying diseases were primary aHUS (60%), drug-related mHTN (15%), glomerular diseases [all of them immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN); 10%], systemic diseases (10%) and primary HTN (5%). The presence of TMA was 92.3% in primary aHUS, 42.9% in drug-related HTN, 36.4% in systemic diseases, 12.1% in glomerular diseases and 2.3% in primary HTN. No patient with renovascular HTN or mHTN caused by endocrine diseases developed TMA, despite BP levels as high as patients with TMA. A higher proportion of TMA patients developed kidney failure as compared with patients without TMA (56.4% versus 38.9%, respectively).

Conclusions

The presence of TMA in patients with mHTN should guide the diagnosis towards primary aHUS, drug-related mHTN, some systemic diseases and IgAN, while it is exceptional in other causes of mHTN.
Hologenomic insights into mammalian adaptations to myrmecophagy
Authors: Cheng Shao-Chen , Liu Chun-Bing , Yao Xue-Qin , Hu Jing-Yang , Yin Ting-Ting , Lim Burton K , Chen Wu , Wang Guo-Dong , Zhang Cheng-Lin , Irwin David M , Zhang Zhi-Gang , Zhang Ya-Ping , Yu Li
Published: August 2022

Highly specialized myrmecophagy (ant- and termite-eating) has independently evolved multiple times in species of various mammalian orders and represents a textbook example of phenotypic evolutionary convergence. We explored the mechanisms involved in this unique dietary adaptation and convergence through multi-omic analyses, including analyses of host genomes and transcriptomes, as well as gut metagenomes, in combination with validating assays of key enzymes’ activities, in the species of three mammalian orders (anteaters, echidnas and pangolins of the orders Xenarthra, Monotremata and Pholidota, respectively) and their relatives. We demonstrate the complex and diverse interactions between hosts and their symbiotic microbiota that have provided adaptive solutions for nutritional and detoxification challenges associated with high levels of protein and lipid metabolisms, trehalose degradation, and toxic substance detoxification. Interestingly, we also reveal their spatially complementary cooperation involved in degradation of ants’ and termites’ chitin exoskeletons. This study contributes new insights into the dietary evolution of mammals and the mechanisms involved in the coordination of physiological functions by animal hosts and their gut commensals.
Collider bias and the obesity paradox
Authors: Horita Nobuyuki , Kato Shingo , Utsunomiya Daisuke
Published: August 2022

Obesity paradoxes have been reported in many diseases to date. As the wording “paradox” indicates, our intuition rejects the hypothesis that obese people have a better life expectancy or fewer cardiovascular events. One of the most plausible explanations for the obesity paradox is collider bias, but controversy about this is ongoing. If the findings of the original research are affected by collider bias, meta-analyses of that research will also be affected by the same bias. It is to be hoped that the use of appropriate analytical techniques will enable the true nature of the obesity bias to become clear.
Constitutional Reform by Legal Transplantation: The United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020
Authors: Horsley Thomas
Published: August 2022

This article develops the comparative law framework on legal transplantation to theorise the impact of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA) on the UK constitution across three registers of analysis—the territorial, the material and the conceptual. It arrives at three conclusions. First, in relation to the territorial constitution, this article argues that the UKIMA introduces something transformative: the concept of an internal market as a shared regulatory space that cuts across the respective competences of the UK and devolved legislatures. Secondly, the legal transplant framework points to the introduction of a powerful commitment to the principles of a liberal market economy as the basis of the UK’s material constitution. Finally, regarding the conceptual constitution, this article concludes that the UKIMA effects a qualitative change to established patterns of judicial review through its co-opting of courts as agents to secure the foundations of the newly recast material constitution.
How do policy approaches affect refugee economic outcomes? Insights from studies of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon
Authors: Krafft Caroline , Malaeb Bilal , Al Zoubi Saja
Published: August 2022

The vast majority of refugees globally are hosted in developing countries. In Jordan and Lebanon, nearly one in ten people are refugees. This paper reviews how different policy environments in Jordan and Lebanon have shaped economic outcomes for Syrian refugees, focusing on education, work, social assistance, and welfare outcomes. The review summarizes key research on how to improve refugee economic outcomes. We demonstrate that there can be effective service delivery for refugees, dependent on state capacity. For example, differences in policy led to better education outcomes for Syrian refugees in Jordan than in Lebanon. A variety of interventions can support refugee livelihoods, while generally doing no harm to host communities. Both countries also demonstrate the difficulties of achieving refugee economic self-sufficiency. Although Jordan has allowed (limited) legal work opportunities for refugees, Syrian refugees in both countries remain primarily in precarious work and supported by international aid.
The DC1 Domain Protein BINUCLEATE POLLEN is Required for POLLEN Development in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Arias Leonardo A , D’Ippolito Sebastián , Frik Jésica , Amigo Natalia L , Marchetti Fernanda , Casalongué Claudia A , Pagnussat Gabriela C , Fiol Diego F
Published: August 2022

The development of the male gametophyte is a tightly regulated process that requires the precise control of cell division and gene expression. A relevant aspect to understand the events underlying pollen development regulation constitutes the identification and characterization of the genes required for this process. In this work, we showed that the DC1 domain protein BINUCLEATE POLLEN (BNP) is essential for pollen development and germination. Pollen grains carrying a defective BNP alleles failed to complete mitosis II and exhibited impaired pollen germination. By yeast two-hybrid analysis and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we identified a set of BNP-interacting proteins. Among confirmed interactors, we found the NAC family transcriptional regulators Vascular Plant One-Zinc Finger 1 (VOZ1) and VOZ2. VOZ1 localization changes during pollen development, moving to the vegetative nucleus at the tricellular stage. We observed that this relocalization requires BNP; in the absence of BNP in pollen from bnp/BNP plants, VOZ1 nuclear localization is impaired. As the voz1voz2 double mutants showed the same developmental defect observed in bnp pollen grains, we propose that BNP requirement to complete microgametogenesis could be linked to its interaction with VOZ1/2 proteins. BNP could have the role of a scaffold protein, recruiting VOZ1/2 to the endosomal system into assemblies that are required for their further translocation to the nucleus, where they act as transcriptional regulators.
Mysterious ciliates: seasonally recurrent and yet hard to predict
Authors: Kath Nadja J , Thomas Mridul K , Gaedke Ursula
Published: August 2022

Ciliates represent a crucial link between phytoplankton and bacteria and mesozooplankton in pelagic food webs, but little is known about the processes influencing the dynamics of individual species. Using long-term, high-frequency observations, we compared the diversity and the temporal variability in biomass and species composition of the ciliate community in large, deep, mesotrophic Lake Constance to that of the phytoplankton and rotifer communities in the same lake. Furthermore, we used boosted regression trees to evaluate possible environmental predictors (temperature, three prey groups, four predator/competitor groups) influencing ciliate net growth. The biomass of all ciliate species showed a common, recurrent seasonal pattern, often with peaks in spring and summer. The ciliate community was more diverse than the rotifer community, exhibited highly synchronous dynamics and its species were regularly encountered during the season. The top-down control by copepods likely contributes to the ciliates’ synchronized decline prior to the clear-water phase when food concentration is still high. The high temporal autocorrelation of the ciliate biomasses together with the inter-annual recurrent seasonal patterns and the low explanatory power of the environmental predictors suggest that the dynamics of individual ciliate species are strictly controlled, yet it remains difficult to determine the responsible factors.
Seroconversion after a third COVID-19 vaccine is affected by rituximab dose but persistence is not in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: van der Togt Céleste J T , Ten Cate David F , van den Bemt Bart J F , Rahamat-Langendoen Janette , den Broeder Nathan , den Broeder Alfons A
Published: August 2022

Objectives

In patients with RA treated with (ultra-)low-dose rituximab (RTX), we investigated the association of dosing and timing of RTX on seroconversion after a third coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and the persistence of humoral response after a two-dose vaccination.

Material and methods

In this monocentre observational study, patients from the COVAC cohort were included in the third vaccine analysis if humoral response was obtained 2–6 weeks after a third vaccination in previous non-responders and in the persistence analysis if a follow-up humoral response was obtained before a third vaccination in previous responders. Dichotomization between positive and negative response was based on the assay cut-off. The association between the latest RTX dose before first vaccination, timing between the latest RTX dose and vaccination and response was analysed with univariable logistic regression.

Results

Of the 196 patients in the cohort, 98 were included in the third vaccine analysis and 23 in the persistence analysis. Third vaccination response was 19/98 (19%) and was higher for 200 mg RTX users [5/13 (38%)] than for 500 and 1000 mg users [7/37 (19%) and 7/48 (15%), respectively]. Non-significant trends were seen for higher response with lower dosing [200 vs 1000 mg: odds ratio (OR) 3.66 (95% CI 0.93, 14.0)] and later timing [per month since infusion: OR 1.16 (95% CI 0.97, 1.35)]. Humoral response persisted in 96% (22/23) and 89% (8/9) of patients who received RTX between the two measurements.

Conclusions

Repeated vaccination as late as possible after the lowest RTX dose possible seems the best vaccination strategy. A once positive humoral response after COVID-19 vaccination persists irrespective of intercurrent RTX infusion.

Study registration. Netherlands Trial Registry (https://www.trialregister.nl/), NL9342.