bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immune thrombocytopenia and COVID-19: Case report and review of literature
Authors: Alonso-Beato Rubén , Morales-Ortega Alejandro , Fernández Francisco Javier De la Hera , Morón Ana Isabel Parejo , Ríos-Fernández Raquel , Rubio José Luis Callejas , Centeno Norberto Ortego
Published: June 2021

Immune thrombocytopenia, also known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), has been reported as an important complication related to COVID-19.

We present a 49-year-old male patient with systemic lupus erythematosus with lupus nephritis, antiphospholipid syndrome and history of ITP who developed an ITP flare in the context of COVID-19. He had no bleeding manifestations and had a good response to prednisone treatment.

We review the characteristics of the cases reported to date in the literature, with an analysis of 57 patients. Mean age was 56 years (±19.6 SD), and 50.9% were male. This was the first episode of ITP in most of the patients (86.05%), with SARS-CoV-2 acting as the initial trigger. We found that ITP flares may appear in both mild and severe COVID-19 cases. They also appeared at any time during the course of the disease, 48.2% of patients developed it during hospitalization, while it was diagnosed at admission in the rest of the cases. Platelet counts were significantly lower than other ITP series, with a median nadir platelet count of 8 × 109/L (IQR 2–17.75 × 109/L). These patients show a higher bleeding rate (61.4%) compared with other ITP series. They also show a better response to treatment, with good response to the first line therapies in 76.9% of them. The most common first-line treatment was intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), used alone or combined with corticosteroids in 40.4% and 32.7% of cases respectively, while 25% of patients received only corticosteroids.

Our review suggests that COVID-19-related ITP can be seen even in previously healthy patients. Clinicians must be aware that ITP may appear both in mild and severe COVID-19, at any time during its course. Given that this kind of ITP seems to be associated with a higher bleeding risk, its diagnosis in a clinical scenario such as COVID-19, where anticoagulant therapy is frequently used, may be critical. Treatment with IVIG and/or corticoids is often effective.
Theory analysis of social justice in nursing: Applications to obstetric violence research
Authors: Garcia Lorraine M
Published: June 2021

The dual purpose of this article is to present a formal theory analysis combined with recommendations for the use of social justice in nursing as a framework for the study of obstetric violence in US hospitals. A theory analysis of emancipatory nursing praxis as a middle-range theory of social justice in nursing was conducted using the strategy by Walker and Avant. The theory of social justice in nursing was determined to be logical, useful, and generalizable. The soundness and usability of the theory support the recommendations made for it to be applied to the study of obstetric violence, plus quality and outcome problems in maternity care that have been resistant to sustained progress and may benefit from a new paradigm for continued study. The alignment for obstetric violence to be studied with a social justice framework is linked to the theory’s origins in critical social theory and the evolving concept of obstetric violence as a sex-specific form of violence against women that is a violation of human rights. The postmodern expansion of the body of work based on critical theory provides examples from emancipatory and feminist researchers for recognizing how the study of obstetric violence is compatible with a theoretical framework for social justice in nursing. The suitability of this framework to guide the further research needed to better understand, identify, and minimize harms from the occurrence of obstetric violence is argued. In addition, “The Code” for the American Nurses Association (ANA) is cited as a professional reference that outlines nurses’ responsibilities for practice based on ethics, human rights, and social justice that are antithetical to the occurrence of obstetric violence.
A Process × Domain Assessment of Narcissism: The Domain-Specific Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire
Authors: Grosz Michael P. , Hartmann Isabel , Dufner Michael , Leckelt Marius , Gerlach Tanja M. , Rauthmann John F. , Denissen Jaap J. A. , Küfner Albrecht C. P. , Back Mitja D.
Published: June 2021

Research on grandiose narcissism distinguishes between self-promotional processes (i.e., narcissistic admiration) and other-derogative processes (i.e., narcissistic rivalry; Back et al., 2013). Moreover, research has begun to assess and investigate narcissistic manifestations in different domains (e.g., communal narcissism). To integrate these two lines of research, we developed the Domain-Specific Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (D-NARQ), a 72-item narcissism questionnaire that contains a self-promotional process scale (narcissistic admiration) and an other-derogatory process scale (narcissistic rivalry) for four domains: intellectual ability, social dominance, communal care, and physical attractiveness. We investigated the psychometric properties of the D-NARQ in a large online study ( N = 1,635). Model fit statistics were largely in line with the theorized factor structure. The D-NARQ scales had good to very good measurement precision, and their correlations with established narcissism scales, the Big Five personality traits, and comparative self-evaluations largely supported their convergent and discriminant validity.
Self-identification, mode of diagnosis and treatment, and perceptions of relationships with medical providers of South African Xhosa-speaking traditional healers
Authors: van der Watt A. S. J. , Menze N. , Moxley K. , Mbanga I. , Seedat S. , Dass-Brailsford P.
Published: June 2021

There is widespread use of traditional medicine in treating common mental disorders in South Africa. We aimed to (i) explore the self-identification of traditional healers (THs; how they refer to themselves, e.g., as healer, spiritualist, sangoma, etc.); (ii) determine if different types of THs treat different conditions (physical/psychological) or use different modes of diagnosis and treatment; (iii) identify factors that influence the willingness of THs to refer patients to biomedical hospitals; and (iv) compare TH practices between two provinces. Participants included Xhosa-speaking THs (mean age = 54.10, SD = 13.57 years) from the Western ( n = 50) and Eastern ( n = 68) Cape provinces. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding self-identification, mode of diagnosis/treatment, relationship with biomedical hospitals, type of condition(s) treated, and a Patient Health Questionnaire. There were significant associations between the type of TH (as self-identified) and (i) mode of diagnosis, (ii) mode of treatment, and (iii) type of condition(s) treated. Spiritualists, male THs, and THs who had previously been hospitalised for a mental disorder were more likely to treat mental disorders. THs who had previously been hospitalised for mental disorders were more likely to report a willingness to refer patients to biomedical hospitals. Findings highlight the complex practices of Xhosa-speaking THs. Collaboration between THs and mental health care professionals could be facilitated by focusing on male THs, spiritualists, and THs who have previously been hospitalised for mental illness. Future research should provide clearer operational definitions of the type of TH included.
Black social workers: Identity, racism, invisibility/hypervisibility at work
Authors: Obasi Chijioke
Published: June 2021

This article provides a reflexive account of qualitative research with Black female social workers in the North of England. It uses ‘Africanist Sista-hood in Britain’ as the theoretical framework guiding the research. The data are gathered from six semi-structured interviews and two focus groups. Data were analysed via thematic analysis. Participant data are used to discuss issues of identity, race and racism as they contribute to positions of visibility, invisibility and hypervisibility within the social work spaces discussed. The article challenges Western forms of knowledge production as the dominant discourse in social work research, practice, education and training and links this to wider issues of power, privilege and suppression of marginalised voices.

Findings

The findings section reveals examples of racism, marginality, invisibility and hypervisibility as part of the lived experiences of Black female social workers in the study. It includes discussions of ‘collective strategic projection’ as a consequence of the development of the ‘race taboo’ often present in these work environments.

Applications

The article calls for social work educators, practitioners and the wider academic field to do more to centralise anti-racist approaches in an attempt to challenge racism in social work.
An intersectional theoretical framework for exploring racialized older immigrant women’s subjectivities
Authors: Syed Manaal
Published: June 2021

Today, racialized older women’s international migration is increasingly accelerated, cyclical and transnational, illustrating the transcendence of lives across time and space. At the same time, immigration regimes regulate and restrict these seemingly unfettered mobilities using neoliberal, gendered and ageist policies that favor (younger) skilled immigration. This article addresses the question of how social work can use intersectionality perspectives to theorize racialized older immigrant women’s lives which are stretched across multiple time(s) and space(s) yet confined within highly regulated multi-tiered immigration systems.

Findings

This article outlines a theoretical framework grounded specifically within intersectional feminist, post-structural, and transnational aging perspectives. The framework embraces the temporality, spatiality, and transnationality of gendered, aging and migrant lives and reconsiders their agency as a performed subjectivity bound by multiple forces of institutionalized regimes.

Applications

This theoretical framework moves social work inquiry to a richer understanding of the migratory realities of diverse aging lives that are simultaneously in-motion and regulated within structural constraints.
Children in domestic violence shelters: Does the feminist perspective collapse?
Authors: Côté Isabelle , Damant Dominique , Lapierre Simon
Published: June 2021

Even though an extensive body of literature on children has swept the field of domestic violence in the last 30 years, little is known about how domestic violence shelter workers understand children’s situations and how they intervene with them. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature, and presents the results of a study conducted with 48 advocates in the province of Québec (Canada).

Findings

The data suggest that most of the participants adopt a child-centred perspective and consider the children in their own right during their stay. The accounts of the participants’ practices also reveal that they perceive children as being vulnerable and at-risk. With a moderate emphasis on vulnerability and risk, the participants tend to support the children alongside their mothers, while associating potential risks with the behaviour of the perpetrator of domestic violence. However, with a strong focus on vulnerability and risk, participants tend to cast aside the perpetrators’ behaviour and monitor the women-as-mothers during their stay while associating potential risk with their [in]actions under the circumstances. This can lead to mother-blaming, surveillance and more authoritarian interactions.

Applications

The understanding of children living with domestic violence needs to remain rooted in a feminist analysis of violence against women in order to avoid some of the issues highlighted in the article. Furthermore, studies that seek to shed light on best social work practices when working with children in alliance with their mothers from a feminist perspective are crucially needed.
The influence of age group and match period on tactical performance in youth soccer: A full season study
Authors: Moreira Praça Gibson , Rochael Marcelo , Francklin Guilherme , Silva Thales Rodrigues da , Andrade André Gustavo Pereira de
Published: June 2021

Recently developed technological approaches using positional data and network analysis were adopted in this study to investigate the existence of drops in tactical performance from the first to the second half of official matches in two different age groups. Fifty outfield players from U-17 ( n = 25) and U-20 ( n = 25) youth academies were monitored over the 2020 competitive season. Players’ positional data were collected by GPS devices, and all matches were recorded for adoption of the Social Network Analysis approach. The individual and collective performances were monitored for both halves of the matches and compared between age group and match period using a mixed two-way ANOVA. Results indicated the absence of drops in collective tactical performance over the halves, although, on the individual scale, players reduced the spatial exploration from the first half to the second half. Older players presented higher density, LPWRatio and lower spatial exploration than younger players. Teams showed stable collective performance within the match, although drops in individual tactical performance were observed and were not age-dependent. Finally, older players tended to present a higher individual and collective performance.
Turning biases into hypotheses through method: A logic of scientific discovery for machine learning
Authors: Enni Simon Aagaard , Herrie Maja Bak
Published: June 2021

Machine learning (ML) systems have shown great potential for performing or supporting inferential reasoning through analyzing large data sets, thereby potentially facilitating more informed decision-making. However, a hindrance to such use of ML systems is that the predictive models created through ML are often complex, opaque, and poorly understood, even if the programs “learning” the models are simple, transparent, and well understood. ML models become difficult to trust, since lay-people, specialists, and even researchers have difficulties gauging the reasonableness, correctness, and reliability of the inferences performed. In this article, we argue that bridging this gap in the understanding of ML models and their reasonableness requires a focus on developing an improved methodology for their creation. This process has been likened to “alchemy” and criticized for involving a large degree of “black art,” owing to its reliance on poorly understood “best practices”. We soften this critique and argue that the seeming arbitrariness often is the result of a lack of explicit hypothesizing stemming from an empiricist and myopic focus on optimizing for predictive performance rather than from an occult or mystical process. We present some of the problems resulting from the excessive focus on optimizing generalization performance at the cost of hypothesizing about the selection of data and biases. We suggest embedding ML in a general logic of scientific discovery similar to the one presented by Charles Sanders Peirce, and present a recontextualized version of Peirce’s scientific hypothesis adjusted to ML.
Analysing discourse around COVID-19 in the Australian Twittersphere: A real-time corpus-based analysis
Authors: Schweinberger Martin , Haugh Michael , Hames Sam
Published: June 2021

Public discourse about the COVID-19 that appears on Twitter and other social media platforms provides useful insights into public concerns and responses to the pandemic. However, acknowledging that public discourse around COVID-19 is multi-faceted and evolves over time poses both analytical and ontological challenges. Studies that use text-mining approaches to analyse responses to major events commonly treat public discourse on social media as an undifferentiated whole, without systematically examining the extent to which that discourse consists of distinct sub-discourses or which phases characterize its development. They also confound structured behavioural data (i.e., tagging) with unstructured user-generated data (i.e., content of tweets) in their sampling methods. The present study aims to demonstrate how one might go about addressing both of these sets of challenges by combining corpus linguistic methods with a data-driven text-mining approach to gain a better understanding of how the public discourse around COVID-19 developed over time and what topics combine to form this discourse in the Australian Twittersphere over a period of nearly four months. By combining text mining and corpus linguistics, this study exemplifies how both approaches can complement each other productively.
Prognostic Factors to Determine Survivorship of Meniscal Allograft Transplant: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wang Ding-yu , Lee Cassandra A. , Li Yan-zhang , Zhang Bo , Li Nan , Jiang Dong , Yu Jia-kuo
Published: June 2021

Background:

There is much room for improvement and optimization of meniscal allograft survivorship.

Purpose:

To understand prognostic factors for survivorship using evidence-based selection criteria in order to identify patients who would best benefit from meniscal allograft transplant (MAT).

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

We conducted this systematic review to analyze prognostic factors for survivorship of MAT. The Cochrane Central Register, PubMed publisher, Embase.com , and Web of Science databases were searched through August 8, 2019. Included studies entailed patients of any age who received MAT with a reported association between prognostic factors and survivorship of the allograft. Two reviewers independently screened all titles and abstracts for eligibility, extracted the data, assessed the risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and performed a best-evidence synthesis.

Results:

The review included 18 studies with a total of 1920 patients. The mean follow-up time was 6.0 years (range, 2.1-11.2 years). A total of 20 prognostic factors were identified and shown to be associated with survivorship of MAT. Strong evidence was found that severe cartilage damage was associated with poor survivorship. Strong evidence was also found showing that sex, knee compartment, surgical side, concomitant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, and concomitant osteotomy for malalignment had no effect on survivorship. Moderate evidence was found that body mass index (<36), tobacco use, and arthroscopic versus open procedure had no influence on survivorship. Conflicting evidence was found that older age and kissing cartilage lesions (lesions on both the femur and tibia vs on a single side) decreased survivorship.

Conclusion:

Severe cartilage damage decreases the survivorship of MAT. Concomitant ACL reconstruction and osteotomy showed no relationship to survivorship. Many determinants showed conflicting and limited evidence. Older age may be of interest and should be further studied.
Reviewing the link between language abilities and peer relations in children with developmental language disorder: The importance of children’s own perspectives
Authors: Janik Blaskova Lenka , Gibson Jenny L
Published: June 2021

Background and aims

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are at risk of difficulties in their friendships and peer relations. The present review explores how research directly involving children with DLD can inform our understanding of peer relations in this group, and how research insights may change according to the nature of their involvement in the studies. We further examine how these findings might shape current theoretical understandings of the links between language impairment and peer relations.

Methods

An integrative review methodology was used in order to identify relevant studies and synthesise the findings. A structured database search was carried out using the qualitative PICo framework; Population = 4–12-year-old children with DLD, phenomenon of Interest = peer relations, Context = research studies directly including children. After screening, 52 studies were included in a narrative research synthesis. Main contribution: We identified six main types of study that directly included children with DLD; interview, sociometric, self-report, task-based, naturalistic observation and staged observation. Interview-based studies were the most likely to use a meaningful participatory approach. Indications of good practices for participation included reporting on involvement practices, seeking child assent, adapting materials and language used, using visual supports, using child-preferred communication methods and using art-based approaches. Findings from the narrative synthesis of studies highlight the importance of friendships to quality of life, and the role of pragmatic language skills and self-perceptions in building friendships.

Conclusions

Research on the peer relations of children with DLD is in the early stages when it comes to taking a participatory approach, however there are some examples of inclusive practice from which the whole field can learn. The findings show that research that directly includes children with language disorders and takes account of their communication challenges can help build a more comprehensive knowledge of their world and leads to interesting avenues for interventions targeting social adjustment. Implications: Clinical implications are discussed with reference to the highlighted pragmatic language and social needs of children with DLD, which are typically not addressed unless disproportionately affected in comparison to structural language impairments.
Frictitious commodities: Virtuality, virtue and value in the carbon economy of repair
Authors: Huff Amber
Published: June 2021

What ‘nature’ is being commodified in carbon markets, and why does it matter? How are carbon commodities and ecologies of repair co-produced through carbon forestry? Are the Polanyian notions of ‘fictitious commodification’ and ‘embeddedness’ appropriate for thinking about carbon forestry and voluntary carbon market (VCM) offsets? This article addresses these questions and extends the critical understanding of conservation in the ‘repair mode’ through an analysis that delves deeply into the black box of value production in the VCM. Focusing on the interplay of ‘virtuality’ and ‘virtue’ in the production of one variety of so-called ‘boutique’ blue forest carbon offset, this analysis demonstrates the technical abstractions needed isolate ‘carbon’ and force it into the commodity form create slippages between concrete socio-natures and geographies of offsetting and the imagined natures and geographies of a market environmentalist model of the world. This politics facilitates a dual pathway of accumulation via the material extraction of nature to feed the expansion of industrial growth (the subject of Polanyi’s critique) and, in parallel, through feeding new growth markets for nature-based commodities such as the VCM. These markets promise to repair the damage caused by industrial growth, but can only ‘work’ in the abstract, virtual realm despite entanglement with underlying concrete ecologies of repair. Based on this analysis, this article argues that the widespread view of carbon offsets as ‘embedded’ Polanyian fictitious commodities is incomplete, based on an ontological fallacy that conflates the ways in which concrete and abstracted, virtual ‘natures’ are used to produce value in the contemporary restoration economy. This fallacy implicitly reifies the central fictions and contradictions of carbon markets and the market environmentalist model more broadly. Considering VCM carbon forestry in terms of ‘scale-making’ and ‘world-making’ projects, the article presents an alternative conceptualisation of VCM carbon offsets as intangible ‘frictitious’ commodities that inhabit a complicated and only provisionally stabilised commodity form.
CMV exposure drives long-term CD57+ CD4 memory T-cell inflation following allogeneic stem cell transplant
Authors: Yeh Albert C. , Varelias Antiopi , Reddy Anupama , Barone Sierra M. , Olver Stuart D. , Chilson Kate , Onstad Lynn E. , Ensbey Kathleen S. , Henden Andrea S , Samson Luke , Jaeger Carla A , Bi Timothy , Dahlman Kimberly B. , Kim Tae Kon , Zhang Ping , Degli-Esposti Mariapia A. , Newell Evan W. , Jagasia Madan H. , Irish Jonathan M. , Lee Stephanie J. , Hill Geoffrey R.
Published: June 2021

Donor and recipient cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus correlate with transplant-related mortality that is associated with reduced survival following allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT). Prior epidemiologic studies have suggested that CMV seronegative recipients (R–) receiving a CMV-seropositive graft (D+) experience inferior outcomes compared with other serostatus combinations, an observation that appears independent of viral reactivation. We therefore investigated the hypothesis that prior donor CMV exposure irreversibly modifies immunologic function after SCT. We identified a CD4+/CD57+/CD27– T-cell subset that was differentially expressed between D+ and D– transplants and validated results with 120 patient samples. This T-cell subset represents an average of 2.9% (D–/R–), 18% (D–/R+), 12% (D+/R–), and 19.6% (D+/R+) (P < .0001) of the total CD4+ T-cell compartment and stably persists for at least several years post-SCT. Even in the absence of CMV reactivation post-SCT, D+/R– transplants displayed a significant enrichment of these cells compared with D–/R– transplants (P = .0078). These are effector memory cells (CCR7–/CD45RA+/−) that express T-bet, Eomesodermin, granzyme B, secrete Th1 cytokines, and are enriched in CMV-specific T cells. These cells are associated with decreased T-cell receptor diversity (P < .0001) and reduced proportions of major histocompatibility class (MHC) II expressing classical monocytes (P < .0001), myeloid (P = .024), and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (P = .0014). These data describe a highly expanded CD4+ T-cell population and putative mechanisms by which prior donor or recipient CMV exposure may create a lasting immunologic imprint following SCT, providing a rationale for using D– grafts for R– transplant recipients.
Enhanced HbF reactivation by multiplex mutagenesis of thalassemic CD34+ cells in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Psatha Nikoletta , Georgakopoulou Aphrodite , Li Chang , Nandakumar Vivek , Georgolopoulos Grigorios , Acosta Reyes , Paschoudi Kiriaki , Nelson Jemma , Chee Daniel , Athanasiadou Anastasia , Kouvatsi Anastasia , Funnell Alister Peter William , Lieber André , Yannaki Evangelia , Papayannopoulou Thalia
Published: June 2021

Thalassemia or sickle cell patients with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) have an ameliorated clinical phenotype and, in some cases, can achieve transfusion independence. Inactivation via genome editing of γ-globin developmental suppressors, such as BCL11A or LRF/ZBTB7A, or of their binding sites, have been shown to significantly increase expression of endogenous HbF. To broaden the therapeutic window beyond a single-editing approach, we have explored combinations of cis- and trans-editing targets to enhance HbF reactivation. Multiplex mutagenesis in adult CD34+ cells was well tolerated and did not lead to any detectable defect in the cells’ proliferation and differentiation, either in vitro or in vivo. The combination of 1 trans and 1 cis mutation resulted in high editing retention in vivo, coupled with almost pancellular HbF expression in NBSGW mice. The greater in vivo performance of this combination was also recapitulated using a novel helper-dependent adenoviral-CRISPR vector (HD-Ad-dualCRISPR) in CD34+ cells from β-thalassemia patients transplanted to NBSGW mice. A pronounced increase in HbF expression was observed in human red blood cells in mice with established predominant β0/β0-thalassemic hemopoiesis after in vivo injection of the HD-Ad-dualCRISPR vector. Collectively, our data suggest that the combination of cis and trans fetal globin reactivation mutations has the potential to significantly increase HbF both totally and on a per cell basis over single editing and could thus provide significant clinical benefit to patients with severe β-globin phenotype.
GPR34 activation potentially bridges lymphoepithelial lesions to genesis of salivary gland MALT lymphoma
Authors: Korona Boguslawa , Korona Dagmara , Zhao Wanfeng , Wotherspoon Andrew C. , Du Ming-Qing
Published: June 2021

GPR34 translocation and mutation are specifically associated with salivary gland MALT lymphoma (SG-MALT-lymphoma). The majority of GPR34 mutations are clustered in its C-terminus, resulting in truncated proteins lacking the phosphorylation motif important for receptor desensitization. It is unclear why GPR34 genetic changes associate with SG-MALT-lymphoma and how these mutations contribute to the development of lymphoma. We generated isogenic Flp-InTRex293 cell lines that stably expressed a single copy of GPR34 or its various mutants and performed a range of in vitro assays. We found that the GPR34 Q340X truncation, but not the R84H and D151A mutants, conferred a significantly increased resistance to apoptosis and greater transforming potential than the GPR34 wild type. The GPR34 truncation mutant had a significantly delayed internalization compared with the wild type after ligand (lysophosphatidylserine) stimulation. Among the 9 signaling pathways examined, the GPR34 Q340X truncation, and to a lesser extent the D151A mutant, significantly activated CRE, NF-κB, and AP1 reporter activities, particularly in the presence of ligand stimulation. We further described the enhanced activities of phospholipase-A1/2 in the culture supernatant of Flp-InTRex293 cells that expressed the GPR34 Q340X mutant, as well as their potential to catalyze the synthesis of lysophosphatidylserine from phosphatidylserine. Importantly, phospholipase-A1 was abundantly expressed in the duct epithelium of salivary glands and those involved in lymphoepithelial lesions (LELs). Our findings advocate a model of paracrine stimulation of malignant B cells via GPR34, in which phospholipase A is released by LELs and hydrolyzes the phosphatidylserine exposed on apoptotic cells, generating lysophosphatidylserine, the ligand for GPR34. Thus, GPR34 activation potentially bridges LELs to genesis of SG-MALT-lymphoma.
The contact activation inhibitor AB023 in heparin-free hemodialysis: results of a randomized phase 2 clinical trial
Authors: Lorentz Christina U. , Tucker Erik I. , Verbout Norah G. , Shatzel Joseph J. , Olson Sven R. , Markway Brandon D. , Wallisch Michael , Ralle Martina , Hinds Monica T. , McCarty Owen J. T. , Gailani David , Weitz Jeffrey I. , Gruber András
Published: June 2021

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on chronic hemodialysis have repeated blood exposure to artificial surfaces that can trigger clot formation within the hemodialysis circuit. Dialyzer clotting can lead to anemia despite erythropoietin and iron supplementation. Unfractionated heparin prevents clotting during hemodialysis, but it is not tolerated by all patients. Although heparin-free dialysis is performed, intradialytic blood entrapment can be problematic. To address this issue, we performed a randomized, double-blind, phase 2 study comparing AB023, a unique antibody that binds factor XI (FXI) and blocks its activation by activated FXII, but not by thrombin, to placebo in 24 patients with ESRD undergoing heparin-free hemodialysis. Patients were randomized to receive a single predialysis dose of AB023 (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg) or placebo in a 2:1 ratio, and safety and preliminary efficacy were compared with placebo and observations made prior to dosing within each treatment arm. AB023 administration was not associated with impaired hemostasis or other drug-related adverse events. Occlusive events requiring hemodialysis circuit exchange were less frequent and levels of thrombin-antithrombin complexes and C-reactive protein were lower after AB023 administration compared with data collected prior to dosing. AB023 also reduced potassium and iron entrapment in the dialyzers, consistent with less blood accumulation within the dialyzers. We conclude that despite the small sample size, inhibition of contact activation–induced coagulation with AB023 was well tolerated and reduced clotting within the dialyzer. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03612856.
Multi-Scale Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit Networks for Tool Wear Prediction in Smart Manufacturing
Authors: Xu Weixin , Miao Huihui , Zhao Zhibin , Liu Jinxin , Sun Chuang , Yan Ruqiang
Published: June 2021

As an integrated application of modern information technologies and artificial intelligence, Prognostic and Health Management (PHM) is important for machine health monitoring. Prediction of tool wear is one of the symbolic applications of PHM technology in modern manufacturing systems and industry. In this paper, a multi-scale Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit network (MCGRU) is proposed to address raw sensory data for tool wear prediction. At the bottom of MCGRU, six parallel and independent branches with different kernel sizes are designed to form a multi-scale convolutional neural network, which augments the adaptability to features of different time scales. These features of different scales extracted from raw data are then fed into a Deep Gated Recurrent Unit network to capture long-term dependencies and learn significant representations. At the top of the MCGRU, a fully connected layer and a regression layer are built for cutting tool wear prediction. Two case studies are performed to verify the capability and effectiveness of the proposed MCGRU network and results show that MCGRU outperforms several state-of-the-art baseline models.
Associations between handgrip strength and hypertension in relation to circulating CD34-positive cell levels among Japanese older men: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Shimizu Yuji , Kawashiri Shin-Ya , Nobusue Kenichi , Yamanashi Hirotomo , Nagata Yasuhiro , Maeda Takahiro
Published: June 2021

Background

A positive association between handgrip strength and blood pressure has been reported. Since these factors are linked to the condition of the endothelium, the activity of endothelial repair might influence the association between handgrip strength and hypertension.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 257 Japanese men aged 60–69 years who underwent an annual health checkup. As individuals with high level of circulating CD34-positive cells might show active endothelial repair, which plays an important role in vascular homeostasis, participants were stratified by circulating CD34-positive cell levels, using the median value of this population (0.96 cells/μL) as the cutoff.

Results

Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, for participants with a high CD34-positive cell, handgrip strength is significantly positively associated with hypertension (odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of hypertension for 1 standard deviation increment of handgrip strength were 1.85 (1.19, 2.88) but not for participants with a low CD34-positive cell (0.91 (0.61, 1.37)).

Conclusion

The positive association between handgrip strength and hypertension is limited to high CD34-positive cells. This result may help clarify the role of vascular homeostasis in maintaining muscle strength.
The variability of urban safety performance functions for different road elements: an Italian case study
Authors: Intini Paolo , Berloco Nicola , Cavalluzzi Gabriele , Lord Dominique , Ranieri Vittorio , Colonna Pasquale
Published: June 2021

Background

Urban safety performance functions are used to predict crash frequencies, mostly based on Negative Binomial (NB) count models. They could be differentiated for considering homogeneous subsets of segments/intersections and different predictors.

Materials and methods

The main research questions concerned: a) finding the best possible subsets for segments and intersections for safety modelling, by discussing the related problems and inquiring into the variability of predictors within the subsets; b) comparing the modelling results with the existing literature to highlight common trends and/or main differences; c) assessing the importance of additional crash predictors, besides traditional variables. In the context of a National research project, traffic volumes, geometric, control and additional variables were collected for road segments and intersections in the City of Bari, Italy, with 1500 fatal+injury related crashes (2012–2016). Six NB models were developed for: one/two-way homogeneous segments, three/four-legged, signalized/unsignalized intersections.

Results

Crash predictors greatly vary within the different subsets considered. The effect of vertical signs on minor roads/driveways, critical sight distance, cycle crossings, pavement/markings maintenance was specifically discussed. Some common trends but also differences in both types and effect of crash predictors were found by comparing results with literature.

Conclusion

The disaggregation of urban crash prediction models by considering different subsets of segments and intersections helps in revealing the specific influence of some predictors. Local characteristics may influence the relationships between well-established crash predictors and crash frequencies. A significant part of the urban crash frequency variability remains unexplained, thus encouraging research on this topic.
A rat model for retinitis pigmentosa with rapid retinal degeneration enables drug evaluation in vivo
Authors: Inoue Chisato , Takeuchi Tamaki , Shiota Akira , Kondo Mineo , Nshizawa Yuji
Published: June 2021

Background

Although retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is most frequently studied in mouse models, rats, rabbits, and pigs are also used as animal models of RP. However, no studies have reported postnatal photoreceptor cell loss before complete development in these models. Here, we generated a transgenic rat strain, named the P347L rat, in which proline at position 347 in the rhodopsin protein was replaced with leucine.

Results

A pathological analysis of photoreceptor cells in the P347L rat model was performed, and drugs with potential use as therapeutic agents against RP were investigated. The data clearly showed rapid degeneration and elimination of the outer nuclear layer even before the photoreceptor cells were fully established in P347L rats. To test the usefulness of the P347L rat in the search for new therapeutic agents against RP, the effects of rapamycin on RP were investigated in this rat strain. The findings suggest that rapamycin promotes autophagy and autophagosomal uptake of the rhodopsin that has accumulated abnormally in the cytoplasm, thereby alleviating stress and delaying photoreceptor cell death.

Conclusions

In this RP model, the time to onset of retinal degeneration was less than that of previously reported RP models with other rhodopsin mutations, enabling quicker in vivo evaluation of drug efficacy. Administration of rapamycin delayed the photoreceptor cell degeneration by approximately 1 day.
Long non-coding RNA exploration for mesenchymal stem cell characterisation
Authors: Riquier Sébastien , Mathieu Marc , Bessiere Chloé , Boureux Anthony , Ruffle Florence , Lemaitre Jean-Marc , Djouad Farida , Gilbert Nicolas , Commes Thérèse
Published: June 2021

Background

The development of RNA sequencing (RNAseq) and the corresponding emergence of public datasets have created new avenues of transcriptional marker search. The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute an emerging class of transcripts with a potential for high tissue specificity and function. Therefore, we tested the biomarker potential of lncRNAs on Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), a complex type of adult multipotent stem cells of diverse tissue origins, that is frequently used in clinics but which is lacking extensive characterization.

Results

We developed a dedicated bioinformatics pipeline for the purpose of building a cell-specific catalogue of unannotated lncRNAs. The pipeline performs ab initio transcript identification, pseudoalignment and uses new methodologies such as a specific k-mer approach for naive quantification of expression in numerous RNAseq data. We next applied it on MSCs, and our pipeline was able to highlight novel lncRNAs with high cell specificity. Furthermore, with original and efficient approaches for functional prediction, we demonstrated that each candidate represents one specific state of MSCs biology.

Conclusions

We showed that our approach can be employed to harness lncRNAs as cell markers. More specifically, our results suggest different candidates as potential actors in MSCs biology and propose promising directions for future experimental investigations.
Integrated metabolome and transcriptome analysis of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in relation to color mutation in miniature roses
Authors: Lu Jiaojiao , Zhang Qing , Lang Lixin , Jiang Chuang , Wang Xiaofeng , Sun Hongmei
Published: June 2021

Background

Roses are famous ornamental plants worldwide. Floral coloration is one of the most prominent traits in roses and is mainly regulated through the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway. In this study, we investigated the key genes and metabolites of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway involved in color mutation in miniature roses. A comparative metabolome and transcriptome analysis was carried out on the Neptune King rose and its color mutant, Queen rose, at the blooming stage. Neptune King rose has light pink colored petals while Queen rose has deep pink colored petals.

Result

A total of 190 flavonoid-related metabolites and 38,551 unique genes were identified. The contents of 45 flavonoid-related metabolites, and the expression of 15 genes participating in the flavonoid pathway, varied significantly between the two cultivars. Seven anthocyanins (cyanidin 3-O-glucosyl-malonylglucoside, cyanidin O-syringic acid, cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside, cyanidin 3-O-galactoside, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, peonidin 3-O-glucoside chloride, and pelargonidin 3-O-glucoside) were found to be the major metabolites, with higher abundance in the Queen rose. Thirteen anthocyanin biosynthetic related genes showed an upregulation trend in the mutant flower, which may favor the higher levels of anthocyanins in the mutant. Besides, eight TRANSPARENT TESTA 12 genes were found upregulated in Queen rose, probably contributing to a high vacuolar sequestration of anthocyanins. Thirty transcription factors, including two MYB and one bHLH, were differentially expressed between the two cultivars.

Conclusions

This study provides important insights into major genes and metabolites of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway modulating flower coloration in miniature rose. The results will be conducive for manipulating the anthocyanin pathways in order to engineer novel miniature rose cultivars with specific colors.
A severe case of human coronavirus 229E pneumonia in an elderly man with diabetes mellitus: a case report
Authors: Sun Wen , Liao Ji-Ping , Yu Kun-Yao , Qiu Jian-Xing , Que Chen-Li , Wang Guang-Fa , Ma Jing
Published: June 2021

Background

With pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), human coronaviruses (HCoVs) have recently attached worldwide attention as essential pathogens in respiratory infection. HCoV-229E has been described as a rare cause of lower respiratory infection in immunocompetent adults.

Case presentation

We reported a 72-year-old man infected by HCoV-229E with rapid progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome, in conjunction with new onset atrial fibrillation, intensive care unit acquired weakness, and recurrent hospital acquired pneumonia. Clinical and radiological data were continuously collected. The absolute number of peripheral T cells and the level of complement components diminished initially and recovered after 2 months. The patient was successfully treated under intensive support care and discharged from the hospital after 3 months and followed.

Conclusion

HCoV-229E might an essential causative agent of pulmonary inflammation and extensive lung damage. Supportive treatment was essential to HCoVs infection on account of a long duration of immunological recovery in critical HCoV-229E infection.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic: an overview of systematic reviews
Authors: Borges do Nascimento Israel Júnior , O’Mathúna Dónal P. , von Groote Thilo Caspar , Abdulazeem Hebatullah Mohamed , Weerasekara Ishanka , Marusic Ana , Puljak Livia , Civile Vinicius Tassoni , Zakarija-Grkovic Irena , Pericic Tina Poklepovic , Atallah Alvaro Nagib , Filoso Santino , Bragazzi Nicola Luigi , Marcolino Milena Soriano ,   On behalf of the International Network of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (InterNetCOVID-19)
Published: June 2021

Background

Navigating the rapidly growing body of scientific literature on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is challenging, and ongoing critical appraisal of this output is essential. We aimed to summarize and critically appraise systematic reviews of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans that were available at the beginning of the pandemic.

Methods

Nine databases (Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, PDQ-Evidence, WHO’s Global Research, LILACS, and Epistemonikos) were searched from December 1, 2019, to March 24, 2020. Systematic reviews analyzing primary studies of COVID-19 were included. Two authors independently undertook screening, selection, extraction (data on clinical symptoms, prevalence, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, diagnostic test assessment, laboratory, and radiological findings), and quality assessment (AMSTAR 2). A meta-analysis was performed of the prevalence of clinical outcomes.

Results

Eighteen systematic reviews were included; one was empty (did not identify any relevant study). Using AMSTAR 2, confidence in the results of all 18 reviews was rated as “critically low”. Identified symptoms of COVID-19 were (range values of point estimates): fever (82–95%), cough with or without sputum (58–72%), dyspnea (26–59%), myalgia or muscle fatigue (29–51%), sore throat (10–13%), headache (8–12%) and gastrointestinal complaints (5–9%). Severe symptoms were more common in men. Elevated C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase, and slightly elevated aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, were commonly described. Thrombocytopenia and elevated levels of procalcitonin and cardiac troponin I were associated with severe disease. A frequent finding on chest imaging was uni- or bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacity. A single review investigated the impact of medication (chloroquine) but found no verifiable clinical data. All-cause mortality ranged from 0.3 to 13.9%.

Conclusions

In this overview of systematic reviews, we analyzed evidence from the first 18 systematic reviews that were published after the emergence of COVID-19. However, confidence in the results of all reviews was “critically low”. Thus, systematic reviews that were published early on in the pandemic were of questionable usefulness. Even during public health emergencies, studies and systematic reviews should adhere to established methodological standards.