bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inequities and Research Gaps in Ophthalmology
Authors: Hemmerich Christian , Jones Garrett , Staggs Jordan , Anderson Reece M. , Bacani Rigel , Vassar Matt
Published: December 2022

Importance

Deficient ophthalmologic care is costly to patients, making the identification of groups not receiving adequate care of vital importance. The current landscape of equity in ophthalmic care has yet to be thoroughly investigated and is important to ensure inclusivity and patient-centered care.

Objective

To perform a scoping review of the literature pertaining to health care inequities in the field of ophthalmology.

Evidence Review

A comprehensive database search using MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Ovid Embase was done in July 2022. English-language articles published from 2016 to 2021 were included and encompassed all article types except commentaries or correspondence. The search modeled the National Institutes of Health list of designated US health inequity populations, which includes income, education level, occupational status, rural and underresourced area, sex and gender, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identity, and race and ethnicity. A total of 8170 abstracts and titles were screened by 2 independent investigators, and 189 studies were assessed in full text for eligibility. For inclusion, articles needed to be an ophthalmic study discussing health inequities. In a masked, duplicate fashion, 2 independent investigators screened 75 full-text studies for data extraction using a pilot-tested form. Data extraction included general publication characteristics and health inequity data based on the National Institutes of Health’s defined inequity groups.

Findings

A total of 75 publications were included. Notable inequities were found among Black and Hispanic patients associated with negative ophthalmic outcomes and mixed associations regarding sex or gender. Overall, lower-income patients were more likely to have vision impairment, use eye care services less, and have lower adherence to eye examinations. No articles within our sample examined LGBTQ inequities among ophthalmology patients since the 2016 National Institutes of Health classification of sexual and gender minority populations. Substantial research gaps were observed within the ophthalmic literature pertaining to the LGBTQ community, race and ethnicity, and rural and underresourced areas.

Conclusions and Relevance

This scoping review found substantial findings associated with the LGBTQ community, race and ethnicity, and the role of telemedicine in rural and underresourced areas. Because of the importance of ophthalmic care in overall patient health, it is vital to understand the various inequities present and strive to improve the current gaps in the literature. Future studies should (1) examine barriers to clinical study and medical trainee recruitment as well as patient values and preference studies and (2) investigate the implementation of telemedicine in underresourced areas.
Laser Shock‐Induced Polycrystallization Engineering for Plasmon Damping Tuning of Metallic Nanoparticles
Authors: He Yali , Liu Jian , Hu Yizhong , Hu Yaowu
Published: December 2022

Currently, lattice defect engineering provides an effective route for plasmon damping adjustment. To address the low efficiency of defect introduction in nanoparticles, a laser shock‐induced polycrystallization strategy is proposed. The results demonstrate that Au nanoparticles undergoing the ultrahigh‐strain‐rate compression process exhibit effective grain boundary defect introduction and plasmonic damping tuning effects. The size dependence of the polycrystallization process and plasticity mechanism of nanoparticles are comprehensively explored. The correlation between the optical properties and microstructure of the deformed nanoparticles is established. The proposed process provides a facile strategy for optical loss tuning and complements the plastic deformation mechanism of plasmonic nanoparticles in extreme deformations.
Early childhood growth in Daasanach pastoralists of Northern Kenya: Distinct patterns of faltering in linear growth and weight gain
Authors: Swanson Zane S. , Nzunza Rosemary , Bethancourt Hilary J. , Saunders Jessica , Mutindwa Fionah , Ndiema Emmanuel , Braun David R. , Rosinger Asher Y. , Pontzer Herman
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Investigations of early childhood growth among small‐scale populations are essential for understanding human life history variation and enhancing the ability to serve such communities through global public health initiatives. This study characterizes early childhood growth trajectories and identifies differences in growth patterns relative to international references among Daasanach semi‐nomadic pastoralist children living in a hot, arid region of northern Kenya.

Methods

A large sample of height and weight measures were collected from children (N = 1756; total observations = 4508; age = 0–5 years) between 2018 and 2020. Daasanach growth was compared to international reference standards and Daasanach‐specific centile growth curves and pseudo‐velocity models were generated using generalized additive models for location scale and size.

Results

Compared to World Health Organization (WHO) reference, relatively few Daasanach children were stunted (14.3%), while a large proportion were underweight (38.5%) and wasted (53.6%). Additionally, Daasanach children had a distinctive pattern of growth, marked by an increase in linear growth velocity after 24 months of age and relatively high linear growth velocity throughout the rest of early childhood.

Conclusions

These results identify a unique pattern of early childhood growth faltering among children in a small‐scale population and may reflect a thermoregulatory adaptation to their hot, arid environment. As linear growth and weight gain remain important indicators of health, the results of this study provide insight into growth velocity variations. This study has important implications for global public health efforts to identify and address sources of early growth faltering and undernutrition in small‐scale populations.
Applying the polio model to New Zealand: The contingent role of socioeconomic status in infectious disease mortality
Authors: Battles Heather T.
Published: December 2022

Objectives

The traditional polio model depicts a positive relationship between the disease and socioeconomic status (SES), with higher SES associated with exposure to the poliovirus beyond infancy/early childhood and a higher mortality rate. This study uses occupation data from non‐Māori New Zealand death registrations and the Census to assess evidence for differential mortality by SES during the polio epidemics of 1916, 1924–25, and 1936–37.

Materials and Methods

Polio deaths were classified by father's occupation using the Caversham Project scheme, which includes nine collapsible urban occupational strata and codes rural occupations separately. Evidence for differential mortality and differences in age at death between rural and urban areas and among urban occupational strata was assessed using nonparametric Mann–Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, Jonckheere‐Terpstra, and chi‐square tests.

Results

There was limited evidence of either differential mortality or differences in age at death among collapsed urban strata, mainly in 1924/25, only partially meeting the expectations of the traditional polio model. For 1916 only, the rural group had a higher proportion of deaths (χ2 (1, n = 95) = 8.341, p = 0.0039, φ = 0.30)) and higher age at death (U = 828.00, p = 0.026, r = −0.23).

Discussion

These results suggest that rural New Zealand was more isolated from poliovirus infection prior to 1916, but thereafter rural and urban groups faced more similar exposure patterns and mortality—at least among non‐Māori. The degree to which occupational categories reflect conditions of exposure requires further research.
Demographic model and biological adaptation inferred from the genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism data reveal tripartite origins of southernmost Chinese Huis
Authors: He Guanglin , Fan Zhi‐Quan , Zou Xing , Deng Xiaohui , Yeh Hui‐Yuan , Wang Zheng , Liu Jing , Xu Quyi , Chen Ling , Deng Xiao‐Hua , Wang Chuan‐Chao , Liu Changhui , Wang Mengge , Liu Chao
Published: December 2022

Objectives

The culturally unique Sanya Hui (SYH) people are considered descendants of ancient Cham people in Central Vietnam and exhibit a scenario of complex migration and admixture history. We aimed to characterize the genetic structure, origin, and admixture history of SYH people and explore the effect of the cultural admixture from Central/South Asia and East Asia on their genetic admixture.

Materials and Methods

We sampled 94 Hui individuals from Hainan and genotyped these samples using the Infinium Global Screening Array version 2 with over 717K SNPs. We then investigated the demographic history of SYH people by combining currently available modern and ancient genome‐wide SNP data and leveraging shared allele‐ and haplotype‐based strategies.

Results

Patterns of genetic differentiation showed that SYH people were genetically different from the northern Hui but harbored a close genomic affinity with indigenous Vietnamese. SYH had a relatively distant relationship with the Cham, which confirmed the hypothesis of the documented recent historical migration from Central Vietnam and assimilation with the Hainan indigenous people. The fitted three‐way admixture models and the reconstructed demographic frameworks showed that SYH was the admixture result with primary ancestry from East Asia and mainland Southeast Asia and minor ancestry related to Central/South Asia. GLOBETTRTER and ALDER‐based admixture time estimation revealed that genetic contact with Central Asia occurred around 28 generations ago. Our model was consistent with the frequent cultural communication along the Southern Maritime Silk Road and extensive interaction with East Asia. Besides, analyses focused on natural‐selected signatures of SYH people revealed some candidate loci associated with metabolism and immune function.

Discussion

The SYH people are considered to be Cham refugees' descendants. A long‐standing hypothesis posits that SYH derives from different genetic and cultural origins, which hypothesizes that the genetically attested admixture history of SYH people is different from northern Hui people possessing prominent Han‐related ancestry and minor western Eurasian ancestry. We found that the genetic structure of SYH people was different from Vietnam Cham and geographically diverse Hui people. Generally, three genetically attested genealogies from Central Vietnam, East Asia, and Central/South Asia in modern SYH people supported their tripartite model of genomic origins.
Spatiotemporal fluctuations of population structure in the Americas revealed by a meta‐analysis of the first decade of archaeogenomes
Authors: Campelo dos Santos Andre Luiz , Lavalle Sullasi Henry Socrates , Gokcumen Omer , Lindo John , DeGiorgio Michael
Published: December 2022

Objectives

Since 2010, genome‐wide data from hundreds of ancient Native Americans have contributed to the understanding of Americas' prehistory. However, these samples have never been studied as a single dataset, and distinct relationships among themselves and with present‐day populations may have never come to light. Here, we reassess genomic diversity and population structure of 223 ancient Native Americans published between 2010 and 2019.

Materials and Methods

The genomic data from ancient Americas was merged with a worldwide reference panel of 278 present‐day genomes from the Simons Genome Diversity Project and then analyzed through ADMIXTURE, D‐statistics, PCA, t‐SNE, and UMAP.

Results

We find largely similar population structures in ancient and present‐day Americas. However, the population structure of contemporary Native Americans, traced here to at least 10,000 years before present, is noticeably less diverse than their ancient counterparts, a possible outcome of the European contact. Additionally, in the past there were greater levels of population structure in North than in South America, except for ancient Brazil, which harbors comparatively high degrees of structure. Moreover, we find a component of genetic ancestry in the ancient dataset that is closely related to that of present‐day Oceanic populations but does not correspond to the previously reported Australasian signal. Lastly, we report an expansion of the Ancient Beringian ancestry, previously reported for only one sample.

Discussion

Overall, our findings support a complex scenario for the settlement of the Americas, accommodating the occurrence of founder effects and the emergence of ancestral mixing events at the regional level.
TDP‐43 pathology effect on volume and flortaucipir uptake in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Carlos Arenn F. , Tosakulwong Nirubol , Weigand Stephen D. , Senjem Matthew L. , Schwarz Christopher G. , Knopman David S. , Boeve Bradley F. , Petersen Ronald C. , Nguyen Aivi T. , Reichard R. Ross , Dickson Dennis W. , Jack Clifford R. , Lowe Val , Whitwell Jennifer L. , Josephs Keith A.
Published: December 2022

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients ≥70 years show smaller medial temporal volumes despite less 18F‐flortaucipir‐positron emission tomography (PET) uptake than younger counterparts. We investigated whether TAR DNA‐binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) was contributing to this volume‐uptake mismatch.

Methods

Seventy‐seven participants with flortaucipir‐PET and volumetric magnetic resonance imaging underwent postmortem AD and TDP‐43 pathology assessments. Bivariate‐response linear regression estimated the effect of age and TDP‐43 pathology on volume and/or flortaucipir standardized uptake volume ratios of the hippocampus, amygdala, entorhinal, inferior temporal, and midfrontal cortices.

Results

Older participants had lower hippocampal volumes and overall flortaucipir uptake. TDP‐43‐immunoreactivity correlated with reduced medial temporal volumes but was unrelated to flortaucipir uptake. TDP‐43 effect size was consistent across the age spectrum. However, at older ages, the cohort mean volumes moved toward those of TDP‐43‐positives, reflecting the increasing TDP‐43 pathology frequency with age.

Discussion

TDP‐43 pathology is a relevant contributor driving the volume‐uptake mismatch in older AD participants.

Highlights

TDP‐43 pathology affects medial temporal volume loss but not tau radiotracer uptake.

Greater TDP‐43 pathology effect is seen in old age due to its increasing frequency.

TDP‐43 pathology is a relevant driver of the volume‐uptake mismatch in old AD patients.
Use of didactic training and feedback to improve quality and acceptability of progress notes written by direct‐care staff on a psychiatric inpatient unit
Authors: Romani Patrick W. , Ladyga Rileigh , McCleary Matthew
Published: December 2022

Writing progress notes represent a critical activity of practicing clinicians in a variety of settings. They provide a way for medical practitioners, insurance companies, and others to communicate in a timely fashion regarding ongoing clinical care. Previous research showed that intervention components like didactic training, using note templates, and feedback improved the quality of progress notes. At least two questions remain despite several studies already addressing progress note writing. First, previous research most often used multiple intervention components to improve progress notes. Thus, the relative impact of two common components of interventions, such as didactic training and feedback, is unclear. Second, previous research has not evaluated the acceptability of improved progress notes for the practitioners that actually utilize them. Thus, the purpose of the current study evaluated the components of didactic training and feedback on improved progress note writing for four direct staff employed by a psychiatric inpatient unit. A second purpose of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the training procedures by both (a) the direct‐care staff participating in this study and (b) four members of the psychiatric treatment team that used direct‐care staff progress notes to inform their clinical care. Results showed that feedback was necessary to improve the accuracy of progress notes for three of four participants. The direct‐care staff reported the training procedures as acceptable and the treatment team noted improvements in the quality of the progress notes after intervention. These data will be discussed in terms of ways to arrange effective training programs to improve direct‐care staff's progress notes.
Critical network factors for eco‐innovation in manufacturing: A Delphi study from a triple helix perspective
Authors: Janahi Noora A. , Durugbo Christopher M. , Al‐Jayyousi Odeh R.
Published: December 2022

Managing networks for eco‐innovation remains a top priority in manufacturing due to industrial collaborations being the de facto mode of functioning for modern manufacturing firms. Accordingly, an awareness of critical network factors is imperative for strategies that lead to successful sustainability‐focused partnerships and profitable collaborations. This study applies a group‐based multi‐criterion decision‐making technique—the Delphi methodology—to evaluate critical network factors for eco‐innovation in manufacturing from the viewpoint of 116 experts within the triple helix, that is, university, industry and government experts. The study uniquely frames the eco‐innovation strategy challenge for manufacturing from a network perspective. Review of literature and an online survey identifies 63 network motivational, configurational and transformational factors. Subsequent polled results show heterogeneity during Delphi selection (Cochran's Q: p < 0.001) and prioritisation (Friedman's Q: p < 0.001) rounds with ‘environmental concern by top management’, ‘innovative organisational strategies’, and ‘integrity norms of signed contract’ as the top motivational, configurational and transformational factors. The study also discusses the theoretical and managerial implications of the study for triadic orientations and triple helix framing of eco‐innovation networks and concludes by identifying research limitations and potential future research areas.
Linkages between smart, lean, and resilient manufacturing for sustainable development
Authors: Benkhati Imane , Belhadi Amine , Kamble Sachin S. , Ezahra Touriki Fatima
Published: December 2022

In a highly competitive and changing environment, manufacturers are called to adopt the paradigms of smart, sustainable, resilient, and lean manufacturing (SSRL). However, despite the growing interest in the topic and the potential of smart manufacturing features to enable sustainable development, little is known about these interactions in the system of SSRL. Therefore, to address this gap, this study investigates the moderating effect of SM on lean manufacturing and resilient manufacturing for SP while examining the existing relationship between lean and resilience. Drawing upon a hybrid methodology including the partial least squares‐structural equation modeling (PLS‐SEM) and machine learning algorithms, this research paper develops and tests the hypothetical model using collected data from 399 organizations in China, Africa, and Europe. The findings reveal important implications regarding the fostering effect of SM on the components of the SSRL system and how firms can be both lean and resilient and achieve high sustainable performance simultaneously.
Applications of digital Medicine in oncology: Prospects and challenges
Authors: Ge Hewei , Li Lixi , Zhang Di , Ma Fei
Published: December 2022

The current state of oncology medical services is not encouraging and is unable to fully meet the needs of patients with cancer. In recent years, rapidly developing artificial intelligence technology and gradual advancements in mobile phones, sensors, and wearable devices, which have made these more compact, affordable, and popular, have greatly expanded the development of digital medicine. Digital medicine refers to clinical evidence‐based technology and products with a direct impact on disease management and research. Integrating digital medicine into clinical practice has the advantages of broader applicability, greater cost‐effectiveness, better accessibility, and improved diagnostic and therapeutic performance. Digital medicine has emerged in different clinical application scenarios, including cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as clinical trials. Additionally, big data generated from digital medicine can be used to improve levels of clinical diagnosis and treatment. However, digital medicine also faces many challenges, including security regulation and privacy protection, product usability, data management, and optimization of algorithms. In summary, the application and development of digital medicine in the field of cancer face numerous opportunities and challenges.
Pyrotinib‐associated acute kidney injury: A case report
Authors: Miao Kang , Zhang Li , Si Xiaoyan
Published: December 2022

Pyrotinib is a novel human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). Previous studies of pyrotinib showed that it is mainly excreted through the gastrointestinal tract rather than the kidneys, with little effect on renal function. Here, we report a patient with HER2‐mutated nonsmall cell lung cancer who developed acute kidney injury (AKI) after receiving pyrotinib treatment. This case alerts clinicians to the adverse renal effects of HER2 TKIs, especially in patients with chronic kidney disease. However, tumor treatment should remain a priority in clinical practice. In this case, AKI induced by pyrotinib was reversible. Therefore, there is no need to restrict the use of HER2 TKIs due to concerns about possible nephrotoxicity.
Preventing radicalization leading to violence: Insights from the significance quest theory and its 3N model
Authors: Da Silva Caroline , Amadio Nicolas , Sarg Rachel , Domingo Bruno , Tibbels Sarah , Benbouriche Massil
Published: December 2022

Radicalization leading to violence is a major societal issue all over the globe. In order to prevent its increase and expansion, measures need to be taken at different instances and levels. In the present narrative review, to inform evidence‐based practices, we bring together numerous applied recommendations made by scholars studying the psychological underpinnings of radicalization within the framework of the Significance Quest Theory and its 3N model. The applied recommendations target at least one of the three elements of the 3N model (i.e., need, narrative, and network) in at least one of the three levels of prevention (i.e., primary, secondary, and tertiary). In the discussion, we highlight which of these are still lacking empirical evaluation, which might be problematic and why, and how policymakers, practitioners, and researchers can work together to provide an integrative model of intervention addressing both the need for significance and the influence of radical narratives and groups. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.
Bulbar projecting subcortical GABAergic neurons send collateral branches extensively and selectively to primary olfactory cortical regions
Authors: Hook Chelsea , Puche Adam C.
Published: December 2022

Circuit operations of the olfactory bulb are modulated by higher order projections from multiple regions, many of which are themselves targets of bulbar output. Multiple glutamatergic regions project to the olfactory bulb, including the anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), prefrontal cortex (PFC), piriform cortex (PC), entorhinal cortex (EC), and tenia tecta (TT). In contrast, only one region provides GABAergic projections to the bulb. These GABA neurons are located in the horizontal limb of the diagonal band of Broca extending posteriorly through the magnocellular preoptic nucleus to the nucleus of the lateral olfactory bulb. However, it was unclear whether bulbar projecting GABAergic neurons collaterallize projecting to other brain regions. To address this, we mapped collateral projections from bulbar projecting GABAergic neurons using intersectional strategies of viral and traditional tract tracers. This approach revealed bulbar projecting GABAergic neurons show remarkable specificity targeting other primary olfactory cortical regions exhibiting abundant collateral projections into the accessory olfactory bulb, AON, PFC, PC, and TT. The only "nonolfactory" region receiving collateral projections was sparse connectivity to the medial prefrontal orbital cortex. This suggests that basal forebrain inhibitory feedback also modulates glutamatergic feedback areas that are themselves prominent bulbar projection regions. Thus, inhibitory feedback may be simultaneously modulating both synaptic processing of olfactory information in the bulb and associational processing of olfactory information from primary olfactory cortex. We hypothesize that these olfactory GABAergic feedback neurons are a regulator of the entire olfactory system.
Ultrawide Hydrazine Concentration Monitoring Sensor Comprising Ir−Ni Nanoparticles Decorated with Multi‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes in On‐Site Alkaline Fuel Cell Operation
Authors: Nde Dieudonne Tanue , Park Jihyeon , Lee Sang Hyuk , Lee Jaeyoung , Lee Hye Jin
Published: December 2022

A highly sensitive amperometric hydrazine monitoring sensor offering an ultrawide dynamic range of 5 μM to 1 M in alkaline media (e. g., 1 M KOH) was developed via co‐electrodepositing iridium‐nickel alloy nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (Ir−Ni−MWCNTs) on a disposable screen‐printed carbon electrode. The synergistic interaction of MWCNTs with Ir−Ni alloy NPs resulted in enlarged active surface area, rapid electron transfer, and alkaline media stability with an onset potential of −0.12 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) toward hydrazine oxidation. A limit of detection for hydrazine was 0.81 μM with guaranteed reproducibility, repeatability, and storage stability alongside a superb selectivity toward ethanolamine, urea, dopamine, NaBH4, NH4OH, NaNO2, and Na2CO3. The sensor was finally applied to on‐site monitoring of the carbon‐free hydrazine concentration at the anode and cathode of a hydrazine fuel cell, providing more insight into the hydrazine oxidation process during cell operation.
Pyrene‐Based D‐A Molecules as Efficient Heterogeneous Catalysts for Visible‐Light‐Induced Aerobic Organic Transformations
Authors: Jiang Zhihui , Sun Wenhao , Yang Zhenyan , Pan Hui , Tang Zubing , Shi Wei , Xiang Yonggang , Yan Dingce , Teng Huailong
Published: December 2022

In this work, an efficient visible light promoted aerobic dehydro‐coupling of amines, oxidation of thioethers and hydroxylation of arylboronic acids under benign conditions by using pyrene‐based donor‐acceptor (D‐A) conjugated organic molecules was described. Donor‐acceptor structure influences their π‐conjugation and band gap a lot, and thereby enhances their visible light absorption ability, single electron transfer and oxidative behaviors. Alkynyl units in PS‐IV play a crucial role in the catalyst which could serve as electron transferring bridge to strengthen electron delocalization, thus facilitating the single electron transfer from photosensitizer to substrates, and making it an efficient ⋅O2− generator. While PS‐III without alkynyl units tends to produce 1O2. Therefore, these molecules can serve as efficient catalysts for different kinds of visible‐light‐induced aerobic organic reactions. More importantly, the simply structured molecule is insoluble and stable in various solvents, and thus could be recycled as heterogeneous catalyst for many rounds with slight catalytic activity degradation. Besides, large scale (1 mol) reaction of benzylamine coupling proceeded smoothly under the standard conditions.
Detection and Semi‐Quantification of Lipids on High‐Performance Thin‐Layer Chromatography Plate Using Ceric Ammonium Molybdate Staining
Authors: Asressu Kesatebrhan Haile , Zhang Qibin
Published: December 2022

It is desirable to quickly check the composition of lipids in small size samples, but achieving this is challenging using the existing staining methods. Herein, a highly sensitive and semi‐quantitative method is developed for analysis of lipid samples with ceric ammonium molybdate (CAM) staining. The CAM detection method is systematically evaluated with a wide range of lipid classes including phospholipids, sphingolipids, glycerolipids, fatty acids (FA), and sterols, demonstrating high sensitivity, stability, and overall efficiency. Additionally, CAM staining provides a clean yellow background in high performance thin‐layer chromatography (HPTLC) which facilitates quantification of lipids using image processing software. Lipids can be stained with CAM reagent regardless of their head group types, position of the carbon–carbon double bonds, geometric isomerism, and the variation in the length of FA chain, but staining is mostly affected by the degree of unsaturation of the FA backbone. The mechanism of the CAM staining of lipids is proposed on principles of the reduction–oxidation reaction, in which Mo(VI) oxidizes the unsaturated lipids into carbonyl compounds on the HPTLC plate upon heating, while itself being reduced to Mo(IV). This method is applied for the separation, identification, and quantification of lipid extracts from porcine brain.

Practical applications: The CAM staining method that is developed in this work shows a high sensitivity for diverse lipid classes following HPTLC separation. HPTLC with CAM staining is a promising method for quick assessment of the identity and quantity of diverse lipid classes in lipid extracts of small size biological samples.
Ruthenium Catalyzed Oxidative Cleavage of High Oleic Sunflower Oil: Considerations Regarding the Synthesis of a Fully Biobased Triacid
Authors: Santos Correa Luis , Meier Michael A. R.
Published: December 2022

Tricarboxylic acids are molecules of interest for the synthesis of highly cross‐linked polymers, for instance, for the curing of epoxy resins. Herein, a synthesis route to a novel high oleic sunflower oil based triacid is described by applying a ruthenium catalyzed oxidative cleavage of its double bonds. A statistical concept is devised for the prediction of the yields of mono‐, di‐, and trifunctional derivatives that can be formed from high oleic sunflower oil, depending on the overall conversion of double bonds into this functional group and the overall oleic acid content of the used oil. This concept proved to be highly useful for the explanation of seemingly moderate triacid yields, which are inherently dependent on the unsaturated fatty acid content of the used oil. All obtained sunflower oil based polyacids are fully analyzed by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR‐IR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS), 1H, 13C, and quantitative 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. In addition, a more sustainable purification procedure is developed to obtain a polymerizable mixture of polyacids containing more than 2.0 carboxylic acids per molecule in average.

Practical applications: Tricarboxylic acids are valuable monomers for the synthesis of cross‐linked polymers. The herein reported procedure represents a hitherto unknown synthesis route towards a new triacid and polyacid mixture directly from high oleic sunflower oil.
Antagonistic effect of kale soluble dietary fiber and kale flavonoids, fails to alleviate colitis
Authors: Wang Hui , Huang Xiaojun , Xia Shengkun , Chen Xiaomin , Chen Chunhua , Zhang Yanli , Xiao Jianbo , Nie Shaoping
Published: December 2022

Kale has been reported to have potential alleviating effects on colitis. However, the functional activities of kale dietary fibers and kale flavonoids (KF), as well as the effects of their combined use, were currently unknown. In this study, the efficacy of whole kale, kale soluble dietary fiber (KSDF), kale insoluble dietary fiber (KIDF), KF, mixture of KSDF and KF, and mixture of KIDF and KF on dextran sulfate sodium‐induced colitis mice was assessed to dissect which component(s) play the key role in alleviating colitis. The study demonstrated that administration of KSDF, KIDF, or KF resulted in various degrees of beneficial effects, including reduction of weight loss, colonic shortening, disease activity index score, and mRNA levels of inflammatory factors (TNF‐α, IL‐6, IL‐1β, and IL‐33), increase of mucin expression and suppression of intestinal g_Sutterella, g_Parabacteroides, f_Enterobacteriaceae relative abundance. However, 20% mouse mortality was found in group of KSDF combined with KF. Further analysis found that the combination antagonized the alleviating effects of both agents alone on colitis in mice. It is the first to report that there is antagonism between KSDF and KF in colitis, and the regulation of intestinal flora may be the mechanism. In addition, this study also showed that KSDF, KIDF, and KF alone had excellent effects to alleviate colitis. This study provides a new perspective and evidence to explore the effect of interaction among different food nutrients on intestinal inflammation.
Effect of auto‐exhaust pollution on leaf anatomy and micromorphology of Pistacia vera L.
Authors: Açar Mikail
Published: December 2022

One of the important causes of air pollution is automobile emissions Automobile exhausts can be toxic and harmful to plants. In light of this, this study aimed to examine the anatomical and micromorphological effects of auto exhaust pollution on Pistacia vera L. (Pistachio), an important agricultural plant. Pistachio leaflet samples taken from heavy traffic areas and rural areas were compared anatomically and micromorphologically. Also, the data were statistically evaluated. As a result of the study, it was seen that there are anatomical and micromorphological differences between the plant in the rural area and the plant in the heavy traffic area in the city center where air pollution and the number of cars are high. In particular, significant differences were detected in the epidermis surface and cuticle structure, trichome cover, stomatal characteristics, as well as mesophyll width, and epidermis anticlinal outer wall width. As a result, the study revealed that the agriculturally important P. vera is affected by pollution anatomically and micromorphologically.
Cell‐specific targeting of extracellular vesicles through engineering the glycocalyx
Authors: Zheng Wenyi , He Rui , Liang Xiuming , Roudi Samantha , Bost Jeremy , Coly Pierre‐Michael , van Niel Guillaume , Andaloussi Samir E. L.
Published: December 2022

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are promising carriers for the delivery of a variety of chemical and biological drugs. However, their efficacy is limited by the lack of cellular specificity. Available methods to improve the tissue specificity of EVs predominantly rely on surface display of proteins and peptides, largely overlooking the dense glycocalyx that constitutes the outermost layer of EVs. In the present study, we report a reconfigurable glycoengineering strategy that can endogenously display glycans of interest on EV surface. Briefly, EV producer cells are genetically engineered to co‐express a glycosylation domain (GD) inserted into the large extracellular loop of CD63 (a well‐studied EV scaffold protein) and fucosyltransferase VII (FUT7) or IX (FUT9), so that the engineered EVs display the glycan of interest. Through this strategy, we showcase surface display of two types of glycan ligands, sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) and Lewis X, on EVs and achieve high specificity towards activated endothelial cells and dendritic cells, respectively. Moreover, the endothelial cell‐targeting properties of sLeX‐EVs were combined with the intrinsic therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), leading to enhanced attenuation of endothelial damage. In summary, this study presents a reconfigurable glycoengineering strategy to produce EVs with strong cellular specificity and highlights the glycocalyx as an exploitable trait for engineering EVs.
A failure in the medication delivery system—how disclosure and systems investigation improve patient safety
Authors: Lucas Scott R. , Pollak Ed , Makowski Charles
Published: December 2022

A recent medication error at Vanderbilt University Medical Center contributed to the death of a patient. The ensuing criminal indictment of the administering nurse has shaken the medical community. This has led to clinical staff questioning whether they can disclose patient safety incidents without fear of criminal prosecution. However, because of the publicity of this case, hospitals can benefit from the lessons learned and mitigate the risk of this and similar events at their facilities. To uncover the most impactful and relevant safety recommendations, the Vanderbilt case is examined from a systems investigation perspective using the available public information gathered from media reports, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation report, and Vanderbilt's corrective action plan submitted to CMS. We present an example of how hospitals can benefit from disclosure: Henry Ford Health used the Vanderbilt case study as part of its medication safety continuous improvement initiatives, which are underpinned by available medication safety recommendations from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Using this experience and the lessons learned from the Vanderbilt case, a proactive action plan is presented for hospitals nationwide to prevent the recurrence of this medication error. Without disclosure, these analyses and safety recommendations would not have been possible.
Whole‐genome RNA sequencing identifies distinct transcriptomic profiles in impingement cartilage between patients with femoroacetabular impingement and hip osteoarthritis
Authors: Kuhns Benjamin D. , Reuter John M. , Hansen Victoria L. , Soles Gillian L. , Jonason Jennifer H. , Ackert‐Bicknell Cheryl L. , Wu Chia‐Lung , Giordano Brian D.
Published: December 2022

Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) has a strong clinical association with the development of hip osteoarthritis (OA); however, the pathobiological mechanisms underlying the transition from focal impingement to global joint degeneration remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study is to use whole‐genome RNA sequencing to identify and subsequently validate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in femoral head articular cartilage samples from patients with FAI and hip OA secondary to FAI. Thirty‐seven patients were included in the study with whole‐genome RNA sequencing performed on 10 gender‐matched patients in the FAI and OA cohorts and the remaining specimens were used for validation analyses. We identified a total of 3531 DEGs between the FAI and OA cohorts with multiple targets for genes implicated in canonical OA pathways. Quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction validation confirmed increased expression of FGF18 and WNT16 in the FAI samples, while there was increased expression of MMP13 and ADAMTS4 in the OA samples. Expression levels of FGF18 and WNT16 were also higher in FAI samples with mild cartilage damage compared to FAI samples with severe cartilage damage or OA cartilage. Our study further expands the knowledge regarding distinct genetic reprogramming in the cartilage between FAI and hip OA patients. We independently validated the results of the sequencing analysis and found increased expression of anabolic markers in patients with FAI and minimal histologic cartilage damage, suggesting that anabolic signaling may be increased in early FAI with a transition to catabolic and inflammatory gene expression as FAI progresses towards more severe hip OA. Clinical significance:Cam‐type FAI has a strong clinical association with hip OA; however, the cellular pathophysiology of disease progression remains poorly understood. Several previous studies have demonstrated increased expression of inflammatory markers in FAI cartilage samples, suggesting the involvement of these inflammatory pathways in the disease progression. Our study further expands the knowledge regarding distinct genetic reprogramming in the cartilage between FAI and hip OA patients. In addition to differences in inflammatory gene expression, we also identified differential expression in multiple pathways involved in hip OA progression.
Mass spectrometry‐based glycoprofiling of biopharmaceuticals by using an automated data processing tool: SimGlycan®
Authors: Puranik Amita , Goswami Rupanjan , Sutar Purushottam , Tupe Devika , Rasam Pratap , Dandekar Prajakta , Jain Ratnesh
Published: December 2022

The therapeutic and immunological properties of biopharmaceuticals are governed by the glycoforms contained in them. Thus, bioinformatics tools capable of performing comprehensive characterization of glycans are significantly important to the biopharma industry. The primary structural elucidation of glycans using mass spectrometry is tricky and tedious in terms of spectral interpretation. In this study, the biosimilars of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody and an Fc‐fusion protein with moderate and heavy glycosylation, respectively, were employed as representative biopharmaceuticals for released glycan analysis using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry instead of conventional mass spectrometry‐based analysis. SimGlycan® is a software with proven ability to process tandem MS data for released glycans could identify eight additional glycoforms in Fc‐fusion protein biosimilar, which were not detected during mass spectrometry analysis of released glycans or glyco‐peptide mapping of the same molecule. Thus, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis of released glycans not only complements conventional liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry‐based glycan profiling but can also identify additional glycan structures that may otherwise be omitted during conventional liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry based analysis of mAbs. The mass spectrometry data processing tools, such as PMI Byos™, SimGlycan®, etc., can display pivotal analytical capabilities in automated liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry‐based glycan analysis workflows, especially for high‐throughput structural characterization of glycoforms in biopharmaceuticals.
Psychosocial impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on women with trauma histories: Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
Authors: Jakubowski Karen P. , Koffer Rachel E. , Matthews Karen A. , Burnett‐Bowie Sherri‐Ann M. , Derby Carol A. , Yu Elaine W. , Green Robin , Thurston Rebecca C.
Published: December 2022

Older adults, particularly those with trauma histories, may be vulnerable to adverse psychosocial outcomes during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We tested associations between prepandemic childhood abuse or intimate partner violence (IPV) and elevated depressive, anxiety, conflict, and sleep symptoms during the pandemic among aging women. Women (N = 582, age: 65–77 years) from three U.S. sites (Pittsburgh, Boston, Newark) of the longitudinal Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) reported pandemic‐related psychosocial impacts from June 2020–March 2021. Prepandemic childhood abuse; physical/emotional IPV; social functioning; physical comorbidities; and depressive, anxiety, and sleep symptoms were drawn from SWAN assessments between 2009 and 2017. There were no measures of prepandemic conflict. In total, 47.7% and 35.3% of women, respectively, reported childhood abuse or IPV. Using logistic regression models adjusted for age; race/ethnicity; education; site; prepandemic social functioning and physical comorbidities; and, in respective models, prepandemic depressive, anxiety, or sleep symptoms, childhood abuse predicted elevated anxiety symptoms, OR = 1.67, 95% CI [1.10, 2.54]; household conflict, OR = 2.19, 95% CI [1.32, 3.61]; and nonhousehold family conflict, OR = 2.14, 95% CI [1.29, 3.55]. IPV predicted elevated sleep problems, OR = 1.63, 95% CI [1.07, 2.46], and household conflict, OR = 1.96, 95% CI [1.20, 3.21]. No associations emerged for depressive symptoms after adjusting for prepandemic depression. Aging women with interpersonal trauma histories reported worse anxiety, sleep, and conflict during the COVID‐19 pandemic than those without. Women's trauma histories and prepandemic symptoms are critical to understanding the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic.
An empirical examination of SMEs sustainable performance through lean manufacturing
Authors: Anwar Aliya , Jamil Khalid , Idrees Muhammad , Atif Muhammad , Ali Basharat
Published: December 2022

In the modern business world, manufacturing entities seek the modern way of production, which can help them to minimize the wastage of material. To minimize the wastage of materials in manufacturing entities, use different modern techniques, and one of the modern techniques is lean manufacturing. This study aims to explore the relationship between lean manufacturing and the sustainable performance (SP) of the firm. For this purpose, data were collected from SMEs working in Pakistan. Results elaborate that four lean manufacturing practices, that is, process and equipment, product design, supplier relationship, and customer relationship have a positive and significant impact on SP, but the impact of planning and control and HR practices could not be verified. Moreover, green supply chain management (GSCM) found a mediator between HR practices, product design, supplier relationships, customer relationships, and SP. Outcomes of this study provide the higher management of SMEs with a way forward to implement modern techniques within their organizations to minimize the wastage of material during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, this study will cover the deficiency in the literature about the mediating role of GSCM between lean manufacturing and sustainable performance.
On the generic behavior of the metric entropy, and related quantities, of uniformly continuous maps over Polish metric spaces
Authors: Carvalho Silas L. , Condori Alexander
Published: December 2022

In this work, we show that if f is a uniformly continuous map defined over a Polish metric space, then the set of f‐invariant measures with zero metric entropy is a set (in the weak topology). In particular, this set is generic if the set of f‐periodic measures is dense in the set of f‐invariant measures. This settles a conjecture posed by Sigmund (Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 190 (1974), 285–299), which states that the metric entropy of an invariant measure of a topological dynamical system that satisfies the periodic specification property is typically zero. We also show that if X is compact and if f is an expansive or a Lipschitz map with a dense set of periodic measures, typically the lower correlation entropy for is equal to zero. Moreover, we show that if X is a compact metric space and if f is an expanding map with a dense set of periodic measures, then the set of invariant measures with packing dimension, upper rate of recurrence and upper quantitative waiting time indicator equal to zero is residual.
The weak Stokes problem associated with a flow through a profile cascade in Lr$L^r$‐framework
Authors: Neustupa Tomáš
Published: December 2022

We study the weak steady Stokes problem, associated with a flow of a Newtonian incompressible fluid through a spatially periodic profile cascade, in the ‐setup. The mathematical model used here is based on the reduction to one spatial period, represented by a bounded 2D domain Ω. The corresponding Stokes problem is formulated using three types of boundary conditions: the conditions of periodicity on the “lower” and “upper” parts of the boundary, the Dirichlet boundary conditions on the “inflow” and on the profile and an artificial “do nothing”‐type boundary condition on the “outflow.” Under appropriate assumptions on the given data, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a weak solution in and its continuous dependence on the data. We explain the sense in which the “do nothing” boundary condition on the “outflow” is satisfied.