bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long goodbyes: pathways of leaving home by gender and destination in Spain
Authors: del Rey Alberto , Stanek Mikolaj , García-Gómez Jesús
Published: November 2022

This article examines the pathways of leaving home in Spain by differentiating between moving out to live with a partner (marriage or cohabitation) and without one. We analyzed the relationship between these pathways, personal and family characteristics, and various life course events in both men and women. The analysis uses Spain’s 2018 Fertility Survey data, applying logistic regression, and competing risk models.

The results revealed a major transformation in these pathways between generations, with women recording a greater diversity of situations. In general, there is a delay in leaving home among the younger generations and greater relevance of economic factors. Personal and family characteristics related to modern values are associated with new destinations, namely, cohabiting, and living without a partner, while the traditional pathway involving marriage has lost ground. Finally, life-course events are closely related to different destinations, representing the gendered professional career effect. Finding a job and building a career are positively associated with all kinds of departures among men; however, they are negatively associated with leaving home to marry among women.
HYPHAEdelity: a quantitative image analysis tool for assessing peripheral whole colony filamentation
Authors: Britton Scott J , Rogers Lisa J , White Jane S , Maskell Dawn L
Published: November 2022

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as brewer's yeast, can undergo a reversible stress-responsive transition from individual ellipsoidal cells to chains of elongated cells in response to nitrogen- or carbon starvation. Whole colony morphology is frequently used to evaluate phenotypic switching response; however, quantifying two-dimensional top-down images requires each pixel to be characterized as belonging to the colony or background. While feasible for a small number of colonies, this labor-intensive assessment process is impracticable for larger datasets. The software tool HYPHAEdelity has been developed to semi-automate the assessment of two-dimensional whole colony images and quantify the magnitude of peripheral whole colony yeast filamentation using image analysis tools intrinsic to the OpenCV Python library. The software application functions by determining the total area of filamentous growth, referred to as the f-measure, by subtracting the area of the inner colony boundary from the outer-boundary area associated with hyphal projections. The HYPHAEdelity application was validated against automated and manually pixel-counted two-dimensional top-down images of S. cerevisiae colonies exhibiting varying degrees of filamentation. HYPHAEdelity's f-measure results were comparable to areas determined through a manual pixel enumeration method and found to be more accurate than other whole colony filamentation software solutions.
Dynamic rupture simulations based on depth-dependent stress accumulation
Authors: Aochi H , Tsuda K
Published: November 2022

The depth variation in earthquake rupture behaviour is important for quantitative seismic hazard analysis. We discussed how to set up the initial stress on a fault before an earthquake based on the Mohr–Coulomb criterion considering depth variation. One can assume that the stress is uniformly loaded without exceeding the Coulomb criterion at any depth (stress-constrained condition); however, this implicitly induces a discontinuity of strain in a 1-D layered Earth model. We alternatively assumed that the strain in an upper layer does not exceed that in a lower layer (strain-constrained condition). We numerically demonstrated the dynamic rupture process through 3-D numerical simulations, particularly for the 2019 Mw 4.9 Le Teil (France) earthquake, showing a very shallow ruptured area with ground surface displacement. The rupture extent and seismogenic depth can be controlled by a limited layer at depth, which is favourably loaded in advance. The lateral extension of the rupture propagation at this layer is necessary to trigger the above layer but not enough to trigger the layers below. The depth variation of stress loading before an earthquake would be important for assessing the rupture size of moderate (magnitude 5–6) crustal earthquakes in particular.
The Prevalence of Symptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Disease in Korea; A 15-Year Multicenter Study and Analysis of Big Data From National Health Insurance System
Authors: Choi Sae Rom , Kim Kyung-Ran , Son Sohee , Kim Dong Sub , Chang Yun Sil , Cho Eun Young , Chang Mea-Young , Kim Yun-Kyung , Jo Dae Sun , Kim Jin Kyu , Cho Hye-Kyung , Park Su Eun , Park Kyung Hee , Kim Hwang Min , Lee Byung-Kook , Kim Yae-Jean
Published: November 2022

The birth prevalence of symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) disease among live birth in Korea from a multicenter study was 0.06% during 2001–2015 with increasing frequency. The administrative prevalence of cCMV infection by big-data analysis from the national health insurance system was 0.01% and the average healthcare cost was US$2010 per person.
Polysyllabic shortening in Modern Standard Arabic
Authors: Guba Mohammed Nour Abu , Mashaqba Bassil , Huneety Anas
Published: November 2022

This is the first study that investigates polysyllabic shortening in Arabic. It aims to find out the extent to which Modern Standard Arabic employs this phonetic mechanism, which is usually associated with stress-timed languages. Data were collected from 10 Jordanian speakers reading 6 sets of words representing the six monophthongs in Arabic in a carrier sentence. Based on the acoustic analysis of 180 vowels, it was found that the vowels in monosyllabic words were significantly longer than their counterparts in polysyllabic words. However, the differences between the vowels in disyllabic and trisyllabic words were much smaller. Findings suggest that polysyllabic shortening is not invoked as a mechanism to maintain the stress-timed rhythm of stress-timed languages. Rather, it seems to be a universal phonetic feature that applies in different degrees that are commensurate with the rhythm of the language in question.
Time-course transcriptome analysis reveals regulation of Arabidopsis seed dormancy by the transcription factors WOX11/12
Authors: Liao Jiakai , Deng Ban , Cai Xinyu , Yang Qixin , Hu Bangping , Cong Jiajing , Zhang Yuxiang , Wang Gang , Xin Guiliang , Li Yuting , Yang Li , Zhang Daizhen , Zhang Jin , Liu Bobin
Published: November 2022

The induction of seed dormancy and its release involve a finely regulated genetic program controlled by various environmental and developmental cues that are critical for plant survival and population expansion. Light plays a key role in seed dormancy and germination, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of dormancy are unclear. In the present study, high-resolution temporal RNA-seq in Arabidopsis identified WOX11 as encoding a hub transcription factor during the seed dormancy induction and release stages. This gene might have evolved from gymnosperms and expanded in angiosperms with highly conserved expression patterns in seeds. WOX11 and its homolog WOX12 were highly expressed from 2 d after pollination, and mRNA abundance was greatly increased during the seed dormancy induction and release stages. Further, we found that WOX11 plays a role in the regulation of seed dormancy downstream of phytochrome B (PHYB)-mediated red-light signaling during the induction stage, indicating that WOX11/12 are newly identified components of red-light signaling transduction. Taken together, our results suggest that WOX11/12-mediated PHYB signaling regulates seed dormancy in Arabidopsis, and provide insights into the developmental regulation and evolutionary adaptation of plants to changes in the light environment.
Discovery and properties of ultra-high redshift galaxies (9 < z < 12) in the JWST ERO SMACS 0723 Field
Authors: Adams N J , Conselice C J , Ferreira L , Austin D , Trussler J A A , Juodžbalis I , Wilkins S M , Caruana J , Dayal P , Verma A , Vijayan A P
Published: November 2022

We present a reduction and analysis of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) SMACS 0723 field using new post-launch calibrations to conduct a search for ultra-high-redshift galaxies (z > 9) present within the Epoch of Reionization. We conduct this search by modelling photometric redshifts in several ways for all sources and by applying conservative magnitude cuts (mF200W < 28) to identify strong Lyman breaks greater than 1 mag. We find four z > 9 candidate galaxies which have not previously been identified, with one object at z = 11.5, and another which is possibly a close pair of galaxies. We measure redshifts for candidate galaxies from other studies and find the recovery rate to be only 23 per cent, with many being assigned lower redshift, dusty solutions in our work. Most of our z > 9 sample show evidence for Balmer-breaks, or extreme emission lines from H β and [O iii], demonstrating that the stellar populations could be advanced in age or very young depending on the cause of the F444W excess. We discuss the resolved structures of these early galaxies and find that the Sérsic indices reveal a mixture of light concentration levels, but that the sizes of all our systems are exceptionally small (<0.5 kpc). These systems have stellar masses M* ∼ 109.0 M⊙, with our z ∼ 11.5 candidate a dwarf galaxy with a stellar mass M* ∼ 107.8–108.2 M⊙. These candidate ultra high-redshift galaxies are excellent targets for future NIRSpec observations aimed to better understand their physical nature.
The infrared features and full rotational constant catalogue of the newly detected MgC2 astromolecule
Authors: Watrous Alexandria G , Fortenberry R C
Published: November 2022

The recent radioastronomical detection of magnesium dicarbide (MgC2) towards the carbon-rich star IRC+10216 leads to questions about whether this molecule can be observed in other wavelengths, especially with the wealth of IR data being produced by JWST. This present, theoretical spectral characterization, unfortunately, implies that mid-IR observations of MgC2 are unlikely due to small IR transition intensities, overlap with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon IR features, low frequencies/long wavelengths, or the relatively small column densities. In spite of this, the full set of fundamental anharmonic vibrational frequencies are provided for each of the 24Mg, 25Mg, and 26Mg isotopologues as are the complete rotational constants for the same set for additional laboratory characterization. Most notably and with regards to 24MgC2, the B0 and C0 (11452.7 and 9362.7 MHz) rotational constants are uniquely provided for the first time. The experimentally derived A0, (B + C)/2, and (B − C)/4 values are within 0.7 % of the presently computed anharmonic results implying similar accuracy for the remaining spectroscopic constants.
Local gravitational instability of stratified rotating fluids: three-dimensional criteria for gaseous discs
Authors: Nipoti Carlo
Published: November 2022

Fragmentation of rotating gaseous systems via gravitational instability is believed to be a crucial mechanism in several astrophysical processes, such as formation of planets in protostellar discs, of molecular clouds in galactic discs, and of stars in molecular clouds. Gravitational instability is fairly well understood for infinitesimally thin discs. However, the thin-disc approximation is not justified in many cases, and it is of general interest to study the gravitational instability of rotating fluids with different degrees of rotation support and stratification. We derive dispersion relations for axisymmetric perturbations, which can be used to study the local gravitational stability at any point of a rotating axisymmetric gaseous system with either barotropic or baroclinic distribution. Three-dimensional (3D) stability criteria are obtained, which generalize previous results and can be used to determine whether and where a rotating system of given 3D structure is prone to clump formation. For a vertically stratified gaseous disc of thickness hz (defined as containing ≈70% of the mass per unit surface), a sufficient condition for local gravitational instability is $Q_{\rm 3D}\equiv (\sqrt{\kappa ^2+\nu ^2}+c_{\rm s}h_z^{-1})/{\sqrt{4\pi G\rho }}\ \lt\ 1$, where ρ is the gas volume density, κ the epicycle frequency, cs the sound speed, and $\nu ^2\equiv \rho ^{\prime }_zp^{\prime }_z/\rho ^2$, where $\rho ^{\prime }_z$ and $p^{\prime }_z$ are the vertical gradients of, respectively, gas density and pressure. The combined stabilizing effects of rotation (κ2) and stratification (ν2) are apparent. In unstable discs, the conditions for instability are typically met close to the mid-plane, where the perturbations that are expected to grow have characteristic radial extent of a few hz.
Living in solitude or building reefs: ecophenotypic variation of the vermetid Petaloconchus varians revealed by mitochondrial DNA analysis
Authors: Breves André , de Paula Thiago Silva , Spotorno Paula , Fernandes Maurício Romulo , Lôbo-Hajdu Gisele , Pimenta Alexandre Dias
Published: November 2022

This study aimed to investigate whether the marine snails Petaloconchus varians (d'Orbigny, 1839) and Petaloconchus myrakeenae Absalão & Rios, 1987 from southeastern Brazil are conspecific. Both species were described from Rio de Janeiro, and they diverge mainly in their growth forms (i.e. gregarious for P. varians and solitary for P. myrakeenae). Examination of shell features, operculum, radula and anatomic details revealed no differences between the species. Analysis of partial cytochrome c oxidase subunits I (CO1) sequences showed that all Petaloconchus samples from Rio de Janeiro clustered into a single clade, which included specimens from the Caribbean (Venezuela). In addition, a genetic differentiation test showed that the analysed populations are structured and the species likely originated in the Caribbean and has undergone significant population expansion. We conclude that P. myrakeenae is a junior synonym of P. varians and provide a morphological redescription of the latter. Furthermore, we argue that different growth forms of P. varians are ecophenotypes, apparently influenced by wave action and water temperature. Tests should be conducted to confirm this hypothesis and to evaluate the impact of other parameters on the plasticity of growth forms, such as food supply and habitat heterogeneity.
eggNOG 6.0: enabling comparative genomics across 12 535 organisms
Authors: Hernández-Plaza Ana , Szklarczyk Damian , Botas Jorge , Cantalapiedra Carlos P , Giner-Lamia Joaquín , Mende Daniel R , Kirsch Rebecca , Rattei Thomas , Letunic Ivica , Jensen Lars J , Bork Peer , von Mering Christian , Huerta-Cepas Jaime
Published: November 2022

The eggNOG (evolutionary gene genealogy Non-supervised Orthologous Groups) database is a bioinformatics resource providing orthology data and comprehensive functional information for organisms from all domains of life. Here, we present a major update of the database and website (version 6.0), which increases the number of covered organisms to 12 535 reference species, expands functional annotations, and implements new functionality. In total, eggNOG 6.0 provides a hierarchy of over 17M orthologous groups (OGs) computed at 1601 taxonomic levels, spanning 10 756 bacterial, 457 archaeal and 1322 eukaryotic organisms. OGs have been thoroughly annotated using recent knowledge from functional databases, including KEGG, Gene Ontology, UniProtKB, BiGG, CAZy, CARD, PFAM and SMART. eggNOG also offers phylogenetic trees for all OGs, maximising utility and versatility for end users while allowing researchers to investigate the evolutionary history of speciation and duplication events as well as the phylogenetic distribution of functional terms within each OG. Furthermore, the eggNOG 6.0 website contains new functionality to mine orthology and functional data with ease, including the possibility of generating phylogenetic profiles for multiple OGs across species or identifying single-copy OGs at custom taxonomic levels. eggNOG 6.0 is available at http://eggnog6.embl.de.
dbCAN-seq update: CAZyme gene clusters and substrates in microbiomes
Authors: Zheng Jinfang , Hu Boyang , Zhang Xinpeng , Ge Qiwei , Yan Yuchen , Akresi Jerry , Piyush Ved , Huang Le , Yin Yanbin
Published: November 2022

Carbohydrate Active EnZymes (CAZymes) are significantly important for microbial communities to thrive in carbohydrate rich environments such as animal guts, agricultural soils, forest floors, and ocean sediments. Since 2017, microbiome sequencing and assembly have produced numerous metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs). We have updated our dbCAN-seq database (https://bcb.unl.edu/dbCAN_seq) to include the following new data and features: (i) ∼498 000 CAZymes and ∼169 000 CAZyme gene clusters (CGCs) from 9421 MAGs of four ecological (human gut, human oral, cow rumen, and marine) environments; (ii) Glycan substrates for 41 447 (24.54%) CGCs inferred by two novel approaches (dbCAN-PUL homology search and eCAMI subfamily majority voting) (the two approaches agreed on 4183 CGCs for substrate assignments); (iii) A redesigned CGC page to include the graphical display of CGC gene compositions, the alignment of query CGC and subject PUL (polysaccharide utilization loci) of dbCAN-PUL, and the eCAMI subfamily table to support the predicted substrates; (iv) A statistics page to organize all the data for easy CGC access according to substrates and taxonomic phyla; and (v) A batch download page. In summary, this updated dbCAN-seq database highlights glycan substrates predicted for CGCs from microbiomes. Future work will implement the substrate prediction function in our dbCAN2 web server.
Primordial black holes and dark matter mass spectra
Authors: Kitabayashi Teruyuki
Published: November 2022

Because primordial black holes (PBHs) evaporate into all particle species in nature, PBHs may emit several dark matter (DM) particle species with specific mass spectra. We assume that PBHs are the only source of DMs, and DMs only interact with the standard model particles gravitationally. We show a relation between the number of DM particle species NDM and initial PBH density β and mass $M_{\rm BH}^{\rm in}$. β–$M_{\rm BH}^{\rm in}$ curves for different NDM tend to overlap with each other for heavy initial PBHs. We also show the allowed region of DM masses for multiple DMs.
Are CLO Collateral and Tranche Ratings Disconnected?
Authors: Griffin John M , Nickerson Jordan
Published: November 2022

Between March and August 2020, S&P and Moody’s downgraded approximately 25$\%$ of collateral feeding into CLOs and only 2$\%$ of tranche values, with rating actions concentrating in junior tranches. Both S&P and Moody’s modeling indicate that the impacts should have been considerably larger, especially for higher-rated tranches. Neither changes in correlation nor the accumulation of pre-COVID-19 protective cushions can explain the downgrade asymmetry on upper tranches. Instead, CLO managers repositioned their collateral pools to dampen the negative credit shock and rating agencies incorporated qualitative adjustments in their CLO ratings. Important potential policy and market implications from these findings are discussed.

Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Rheumatoid arthritis macrophages are primed for inflammation and display bioenergetic and functional alterations
Authors: Hanlon Megan M , McGarry Trudy , Marzaioli Viviana , Amaechi Success , Song Qingxuan , Nagpal Sunil , Veale Douglas J , Fearon Ursula
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Myeloid cells with a monocyte/macrophage phenotype are present in large numbers in the RA joint, significantly contributing to disease; however, distinct macrophage functions have yet to be elucidated. This study investigates the metabolic activity of infiltrating polarized macrophages and their impact on pro-inflammatory responses in RA.

Methods

CD14+ monocytes from RA and healthy control (HC) bloods were isolated and examined ex vivo or following differentiation into ‘M1/M2’ macrophages. Inflammatory responses and metabolic analysis ± specific inhibitors were quantified by RT-PCR, western blot, Seahorse XFe technology, phagocytosis assays and transmission electron microscopy along with RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) transcriptomic analysis.

Results

Circulating RA monocytes are hyper-inflammatory upon stimulation, with significantly higher expression of key cytokines compared with HC (P < 0.05) a phenotype which is maintained upon differentiation into mature ex vivo polarized macrophages. This induction in pro-inflammatory mechanisms is paralleled by cellular bioenergetic changes. RA macrophages are highly metabolic, with a robust boost in both oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis in RA along with altered mitochondrial morphology compared with HC. RNA-seq analysis revealed divergent transcriptional variance between pro- and anti-inflammatory RA macrophages, revealing a role for STAT3 and NAMPT in driving macrophage activation states. STAT3 and NAMPT inhibition results in significant decrease in pro-inflammatory gene expression observed in RA macrophages. Interestingly, NAMPT inhibition specifically restores macrophage phagocytic function and results in reciprocal STAT3 inhibition, linking these two signalling pathways.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates a unique inflammatory and metabolic phenotype of RA monocyte-derived macrophages and identifies a key role for NAMPT and STAT3 signalling in regulating this phenotype.
Physiological Variables Influenced by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ Infection in Two Citrus Species
Authors: Wu Fengnian , Liu Lihui , Fox Eduardo G. P. , Deng Xiaoling , Xu Meirong , Zheng Zheng , Li Xiuhong , Fu Jiawei , Zhu Hui , Huang Jianjian , Deng Tiejun
Published: November 2022

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ is the bacterium associated with the citrus disease known as huanglongbing (HLB). This study evaluated the influence of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection on a number of key plant physiological variables concerning photosynthesis, cell integrity, reactive oxygen species scavengers’ activity, and osmoregulation of two different species of citrus—the pomelo Citrus maxima and the mandarin C. reticulata ‘Tankan’—relative to their measured ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection load. Results indicated that all measured physiological variables except soluble sugar were affected by increased ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection titers, wherein the variety C. maxima proved overall more resistant than C. reticulata. ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection was linked in both plants to decrease in chlorophyll concentration, cell membrane permeability, and malondialdehyde, as well as increased free proline and starch contents. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements taken 9 months after grafting the mandarin C. reticulata with ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ scions revealed a significant decrease in the photosynthesis variables maximum photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII), effective photochemical quantum yield of PSII, and coefficient of photochemical fluorescence quenching assuming interconnected PSII antennae, whereas nonphotochemical fluorescence quenching increased significantly; C. maxima plants, on the other hand, did not show significant differences until the 12th month from infection exposure. The variables superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase, and soluble protein initially increased and later decreased. In addition, progression of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ replication in both citrus species was accompanied by rapid changes in three reactive oxygen species scavenging enzymes in C. maxima, while the pattern was different in C. reticulata. We hypothesize that the observed interspecific differences in physiological change are related to their relative resistance against ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection. These results provide a scaffold for better describing the pathogenesis, selecting the most resistant breeds, or even validating pertaining omics research; ultimately, these detailed observations can facilitate the diagnosis of ‘Ca. L. asiaticus’ infection.
Diagnosis and Management of Functional Pouch Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Roussel Breton N. , Shah Samir A.
Published: November 2022

BACKGROUND:

Functional disorders impart significant morbidity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease who undergo restorative proctocolectomy.

OBJECTIVE:

This systematic review aimed to summarize the management strategies for various functional disorders of the pouch.

DATA SOURCES:

A database search of PubMed was conducted to identify relevant clinical studies assessing the management of various functional disorders in patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy.

STUDY SELECTION:

Published clinical studies investigating a functional disorder of the pouch in patients who previously underwent a colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis.

INTERVENTIONS:

Restorative proctocolectomy was completed in patients with inflammatory bowel disease or other indications such as a diagnosis of familial adenomatous polyposis.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:

The primary outcomes described in this review include the prevalence of functional disorders of the pouch in patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy and the relevant management strategies.

RESULTS:

Ten clinical studies were identified using the predetermined search terms and screened for relevancy to patients with inflammatory bowel disease who previously underwent colectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. A qualitative summary was developed on the basis of data from these studies and from current guidelines developed for the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

LIMITATIONS:

This systematic review is limited by the small number and low quality of the clinical studies included as well as the nonquantitative summary of the findings.

CONCLUSIONS:

Functional disorders of the pouch are likely underdiagnosed. Although a source of significant morbidity, these diseases require additional clinical studies to better elucidate effective management strategies.
Secondary Autologous Fat Grafting for the Treatment of Chin Necrosis as a Consequence of Prone Position in COVID-19 Patients
Authors: Pappalardo Marco , Starnoni Marta , De Maria Federico , Lolli Francesca , Pedone Antonio , Baccarani Alessio , De Santis Giorgio
Published: November 2022

Due to the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, an increasing number of ill patients have been admitted to intensive care unit requiring mechanical ventilation. Although prone positioning is considered beneficial, long periods in this position may induce important complications, including pressure ulcers in high-risk and uncommon body areas. We report five cases of pressure ulcer necrosis of the chin in coronavirus disease 2019 patients as a consequence of mechanical ventilation in prone positioning using autologous fat grafting (AFG) as a secondary technique. A series of five patients with secondarily-healed chin necrosis treated by AFG between February and June 2020 were reviewed. All patients had been treated initially with surgical debridement followed by conservative treatment. Secondary AFG was performed to reduce patient’s pain, improve chin contour-projection, and minimize cosmetic sequelae and scarring. Patient satisfaction was assessed using a five-point Likert scale (0–4). Vancouver scale was used to evaluate the chin scars clinically. The average amount of fat injected into the chin area was 8.1 ± 2.0 ml. At 6-month follow-up, all patients were mostly satisfied (average Likert-scale 3.2 ± 0.4). Based on the Vancouver scale, improvement of the chin scar from 9.5 ± 0.8 to 4.7 ± 0.8 was found. We report a positive experience with secondary AFG for correction of painful and unaesthetic scarring and contour abnormality following surgical debridement and secondary-intention healing of chin pressure ulcers.
Predictors of Perianal Fistula Healing in Children With Newly Diagnosed Crohn Disease
Authors: Singer Andrew A. M. , Rompca Annemarie , Gadepalli Samir K. , Adler Jeremy
Published: November 2022

Objectives:

Perianal fistulas are among the most severe complications of Crohn disease, but limited data regarding their outcomes are available in children. Our objective was to determine predictors of perianal fistula healing among pediatric patients newly diagnosed with Crohn disease.

Methods:

This single-center retrospective study followed patients with perianal fistulas at Crohn disease diagnosis until fistula healing. Time to healing was analyzed using Cox proportional hazard regression models considering relevant covariates including patient demographics, disease characteristics, medical therapies [no anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α therapy, anti-TNFα therapy ±therapeutic drug monitoring], and perianal surgical procedures including fistulotomy, fistulectomy, removal of perianal lesions, seton placement, and incision and drainage.

Results:

Of 485 patients identified, 107 (22%) had a perianal fistula at Crohn disease diagnosis. Multivariate analysis identified that perianal fistulotomy, fistulectomy, and lesion removal [hazard ratio (HR) 0.46; P = 0.028], non-White race (HR 0.30, P < 0.01), and male sex (HR 0.42; P = 0.02) were associated with delayed fistula healing. Faster fistula healing was associated with treatment with anti-TNFα with therapeutic drug monitoring (HR 1.78, P = 0.009). There were no other differences in healing by treatment.

Conclusions:

Fistulotomy, fistulectomy, and perianal lesion removal as well as non-White race were associated with delayed fistula healing. Anti-TNFα therapy was associated with faster fistula healing when combined with therapeutic drug monitoring, compared to all other medical treatment groups, including anti-TNFα therapy without therapeutic drug monitoring.
Nutri‐Score
Authors: Chouraqui Jean‐Pierre , Dupont Christophe , Briend André , Darmaun Dominique , Peretti Noel , Bocquet Alain , Chalumeau Martin , De Luca Arnaud , Feillet François , Frelut Marie‐Laure , Guimber Dominique , Lapillonne Alexandre , Linglart Agnès , Rozé Jean‐Christophe , Simeoni Umberto , Turck Dominique ,   Committee on Nutrition of the French Society of Pediatrics (CN‐SFP)
Published: November 2022

Reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is one of the top priorities of public health policies worldwide. One of the recognized means of achieving this objective is to improve the diet quality. The Nutri‐Score (N‐S) is a [five‐color—A, B, C, D, E letters] front‐of‐pack labeling logo intended to help consumers quickly identify the healthier prepackaged foods within a food category. Available studies have shown that the N‐S is an efficient tool to achieve this aim in terms of consumers’ awareness, perception, understanding, and purchasing and that its use may help to reduce the prevalence of NCDs. The N‐S is currently implemented on a voluntary basis in 7 European countries and a discussion is underway within the European Commission to achieve a harmonized mandatory label. However, no study on the putative impact of the N‐S on children’s dietary patterns and health is available. The N‐S is not applicable to infants’ and young children’s formulas and to specific baby foods, the compositions of which are already laid down in European Union regulations. The N‐S does not replace age‐appropriate dietary guidelines. As children consume an increasing number of adult type and processed foods, the relevance of the N‐S for children should be evaluated considering the children’s high specific requirements, especially in younger children. This is especially necessary for fitting fat and iron requirements, whereas protein‐rich foods should be better framed. Moreover, efforts should be made to inform on how to use the N‐S and in education on healthy diets.
High-risk human papillomavirus genotype distribution among women living with and at risk for HIV in Africa
Authors: Chachage Mkunde , Parikh Ajay P. , Mahenge Anifrid , Bahemana Emmanuel , Mnkai Jonathan , Mbuya Wilbert , Mcharo Ruby , Maganga Lucas , Mwamwaja Jaqueline , Gervas Reginald , Kibuuka Hannah , Maswai Jonah , Singoei Valentine , Iroezindu Michael , Fasina Abiola , Esber Allahna , Dear Nicole , Imbach Michelle , Crowell Trevor A. , Hern Jaclyn , Song Xiaofang , Hoelscher Michael , Polyak Christina S. , Ake Julie A. , Geldmacher Christof
Published: November 2022

Objective:

Cervical cancer is a common preventable cancer among African women living with HIV (WLWH). Molecular diagnostics for high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) genotypes are standard components of cervical cancer screening in resource-rich countries but not in resource-limited settings. We evaluated HR-HPV genotypes among women with and without HIV in four African countries to inform cervical cancer preventive strategies.

Methods:

The African Cohort Study (AFRICOS) enrolled participants with and without HIV at 12 clinics in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. Cervical cytobrush specimens from women were genotyped for 14 HR-HPV types using the multiplex Seegene Anyplex real-time PCR assay. Robust Poisson regression was used to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with HR-HPV in WLWH.

Results:

From January 2015 to March 2020, 868 WLWH and 134 women living without HIV (WLWoH) were tested for HR-HPV with prevalence of 50.9 and 38.1%, respectively (P = 0.007). Among WLWH, 844 (97.4%) were antiretroviral therapy (ART)-experienced and 772 (89.7%) virally suppressed 1000 copies/ml or less. The most frequent HR-HPV types among WLWH were HPV-16 (13.5%), HPV-52 (9.5%), and HPV-35 (9.3%). HR-HPV infection was more common among Tanzanian WLWH (adjusted RR: 1.23, 95% CI 1.05–1.44, P = 0.012). Also, WLWH with CD4+ T cells of less than 200 cell/μl had 1.51-fold increased risk of having HR-HPV (95% CI 1.23–1.86, P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

HR-HPV was common in WLWH in four African countries, particularly among women with low CD4+ cell count. Scale up of HPV vaccines and development of vaccines with broader activity against less common HR-HPV types may improve cervical cancer prevention in Africa.
Humoral and Cellular Response of Transplant Recipients to a Third Dose of mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Bailey Adrian J.M. , Maganti Harinad B. , Cheng Wei , Shorr Risa , Arianne Buchan C. , Allan David S.
Published: November 2022

Background.

High rates of nonresponse to 2 doses of mRNA severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine have been reported in transplant recipients. Several studies have investigated the efficacy of a third dose in this population. However, efficacy remains unclear, as response rates vary across studies. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of a third dose of any mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in transplant recipients.

Methods.

Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis reporting guidelines (PROSPERO:CRD42021281498) were followed. Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to December 2, 2021, without restrictions. All full-text studies reporting on the efficacy of a third dose of any mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in pediatric and adult transplant recipients were included. The National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool for case series and the Cochrane risk of bias tool determined study quality. Meta-analysis was performed via the DerSimonian-Laird random-effect model.

Results.

Of 84 records, 12 studies totaling 1257 patients met inclusion criteria. One study was a randomized controlled trial, whereas all other studies were observational. Across 7 studies (801 patients), humoral response after 3 doses was observed in 66.1% (95% confidence interval, 62.8%-69.4%; I
2 = 0%) of transplant recipients. Triple immunosuppression, mycophenolate, antiproliferatives, and belatacept use were associated with reduced odds of humoral response in studies reporting multivariate analyses. Transplant recipients receiving a third dose displayed higher levels of neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 variants (Alpha, Beta, and Delta) compared with placebo.

Conclusions.

A third dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine should be strongly considered in transplant recipients. Limitations included lack of controlled studies and clinically relevant thresholds to determine response to vaccination.
Image-localized biopsy mapping of brain tumor heterogeneity: A single-center study protocol
Authors: Urcuyo Javier C. , Curtin Lee , Langworthy Jazlynn M. , De Leon Gustavo , Anderies Barrett , Singleton Kyle W. , Hawkins-Daarud Andrea , Jackson Pamela R. , Bond Kamila M. , Ranjbar Sara , Lassiter-Morris Yvette , Clark-Swanson Kamala R. , Paulson Lisa E. , Sereduk Chris , Mrugala Maciej M. , Porter Alyx B. , Baxter Leslie , Salomao Marcela , Donev Kliment , Hudson Miles , Meyer Jenna , Zeeshan Qazi , Sattur Mithun , Patra Devi P. , Jones Breck A. , Rahme Rudy J. , Neal Matthew T. , Patel Naresh , Kouloumberis Pelagia , Turkmani Ali H. , Lyons Mark , Krishna Chandan , Zimmerman Richard S. , Bendok Bernard R. , Tran Nhan L. , Hu Leland S. , Swanson Kristin R.
Published: November 2022

Brain cancers pose a novel set of difficulties due to the limited accessibility of human brain tumor tissue. For this reason, clinical decision-making relies heavily on MR imaging interpretation, yet the mapping between MRI features and underlying biology remains ambiguous. Standard (clinical) tissue sampling fails to capture the full heterogeneity of the disease. Biopsies are required to obtain a pathological diagnosis and are predominantly taken from the tumor core, which often has different traits to the surrounding invasive tumor that typically leads to recurrent disease. One approach to solving this issue is to characterize the spatial heterogeneity of molecular, genetic, and cellular features of glioma through the intraoperative collection of multiple image-localized biopsy samples paired with multi-parametric MRIs. We have adopted this approach and are currently actively enrolling patients for our ‘Image-Based Mapping of Brain Tumors’ study. Patients are eligible for this research study (IRB #16-002424) if they are 18 years or older and undergoing surgical intervention for a brain lesion. Once identified, candidate patients receive dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) perfusion MRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), in addition to standard sequences (T1, T1Gd, T2, T2-FLAIR) at their presurgical scan. During surgery, sample anatomical locations are tracked using neuronavigation. The collected specimens from this research study are used to capture the intra-tumoral heterogeneity across brain tumors including quantification of genetic aberrations through whole-exome and RNA sequencing as well as other tissue analysis techniques. To date, these data (made available through a public portal) have been used to generate, test and validate predictive regional maps of the spatial distribution of tumor cell density and/or treatment-related key genetic marker status to identify biopsy and/or treatment targets based on insight from the entire tumor makeup. This type of methodology, when delivered within clinically feasible time frames, has the potential to further inform medical decision-making by improving surgical intervention, radiation, and targeted drug therapy for patients with glioma.
How effective are commercialized products used in the treatment of superficial partial-thickness burn injuries? – Systematic Review with Meta-analysis
Authors: da Silva Oliveira Merola Luana Nice , Sampaio Guilherme Albuquerque , Vinaud Marina Clare , Coutinho Erika Lima , de Souza Lino Junior Ruy
Published: November 2022

Burns are an important public health issue, related to 11 million cases annually around the world and up to 180 thousand direct or indirect deaths. Thus, it is vitally important to understand the effectiveness of the different products commercialized for the treatment of burn injuries.

Objectives

To analyze the effectiveness of products used in the treatment of superficial-type partial-thickness burn injuries.

Methods

This is a systematic review, using the PICO strategy, with a search period between 2004 and 2020, consulting the COCHRANE Library, Lilacs, Medline, PubMed and Scielo databases. The inclusion criteria were studies that used commercialized products for the treatment of superficial-type partial-thickness burn injuries in humans. To assess the quality and risk of bias of the studies, the Oxford scale and criteria from the Cochrane Guidelines were used.

Results

19 eligible studies were selected, most of the products were presented as an alternative to the traditional treatment that involves the use of the silver sulfadiazine product. The methodological quality of the studies allowed performing a meta-analysis of only 2 studies, evaluating the healing outcome, the low number of studies included for statistical analysis suggests that it is not possible to conclude which product is more effective.

Conclusions

There is a limitation in the available studies that address the costs and outcomes of existing interventions for the treatment of burns. Future research should develop systematic, valid measures in order to obtain an analytically and statistically adequate result.
KIT-LSTM: Knowledge-guided Time-aware LSTM for Continuous Clinical Risk Prediction
Authors: Liu Lucas Jing , Ortiz-Soriano Victor , Neyra Javier A. , Chen Jin
Published: November 2022

Rapid accumulation of temporal Electronic Health Record (EHR) data and recent advances in deep learning have shown high potential in precisely and timely predicting patients’ risks using AI. However, most existing risk prediction approaches ignore the complex asynchronous and irregular problems in real-world EHR data. This paper proposes a novel approach called Knowledge-guIded Time-aware LSTM (KIT-LSTM) for continuous mortality predictions using EHR. KIT-LSTM extends LSTM with two time-aware gates and a knowledge-aware gate to better model EHR and interprets results. Experiments on real-world data for patients with acute kidney injury with dialysis (AKI-D) demonstrate that KIT-LSTM performs better than the state-of-the-art methods for predicting patients’ risk trajectories and model interpretation. KIT-LSTM can better support timely decision-making for clinicians.
Did financial interventions offset the impact of financial adversity on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? A longitudinal analysis of the UCL COVID-19 Social Study
Authors: Paul Elise , Fancourt Daisy
Published: November 2022

Background

It remains unclear whether financial support interventions (e.g., furlough, mortgage freezes, foodbanks, Universal Credit) provide protection against the negative impact of financial adversity on mental health.

Methods

Data were from adults who took part in the UCL COVID -19 Social Study between 1 April 2020 and 4 April 2022 who had variability over time in depression (N = 27,297) and anxiety symptoms (N = 26,452). Fixed-effects Poisson regressions examined the associations between an index of financial adversity (e.g., job or income loss) with depression and anxiety symptoms and controlled for other adversities and loneliness. Interaction terms between financial adversity and having used i) any, ii) charity based, iii) government based, iv) work based, and v) other forms of financial supports were examined.

Results

Experiencing financial adversity had a negative impact on mental health. Only charity based support (e.g., foodbanks) consistently attenuated the impact of financial adversity on mental health, whilst work based support exacerbated the impact. Government based support only attenuated the impact of facing limited financial adversity on depression symptoms.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that most financial interventions are insufficient for alleviating mental health difficulties resulting from financial adversity.
Social Media Sensors to Detect Early Warnings of Influenza at Scale
Authors: Martín-Corral David , García-Herranz Manuel , Cebrian Manuel , Moro Esteban
Published: November 2022

Detecting early signs of an outbreak in a viral process is challenging due to its exponential nature, yet crucial given the benefits to public health it can provide. If available, the network structure where infection happens can provide rich information about the very early stages of viral outbreaks. For example, more central nodes have been used as social network sensors in biological or informational diffusion processes to detect early contagious outbreaks. We aim to combine both approaches to detect early warnings of a biological viral process (influenza-like illness, ILI), using its informational epidemic coverage in public social media. We use a large social media dataset covering three years in a country. We demonstrate that it is possible to use highly central users on social media, more precisely high out-degree users from Twitter, as sensors to detect the early warning outbreaks of ILI in the physical world without monitoring the whole population. We also investigate other behavioral and content features that distinguish those early sensors in social media beyond centrality. While high centrality on Twitter is the most distinctive feature of sensors, they are more likely to talk about local news, language, politics, or government than the rest of the users. Our new approach could detect a better and smaller set of social sensors for epidemic outbreaks and is more operationally efficient and privacy respectful than previous ones, not requiring the collection of vast amounts of data.