bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Smooth Muscle Proliferation in Hamartomatous Polyps Mimicking Prolapse in Pediatric Patients with PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome
Authors: Torres C , Morse P , He M
Published: November 2022

Introduction/Objective

In the field of pediatric pathology, it is vital to find recognize cases that could be associated with cancer predisposition syndromes. PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) is an inherited set of disorders caused by germline inactivating mutations of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene. In the GI tract, PHTS is associated with hamartomatous polyps that can display smooth muscle overgrowth. We therefore present a series of three cases of colonic polyps with smooth muscle overgrowth, mimicking prolapse, in pediatric patients with PTEN mutations.

Methods/Case Report

The first case is a 19-year-old male with PHTS who underwent colonoscopy due to hematochezia. Two pedunculated polyps were removed from the transverse and descending colon. Both polyps showed prominent smooth muscle and ganglion cells in the lamina propria. In the second case, a 9-year-old male with PHTS also underwent colonoscopy due to hematochezia. At least 20 sessile 2-4mm polyps were present in the colon. Histology showed smooth muscle proliferation and ganglion cells in the lamina propria. The third case is a 13-year-old male with undiagnosed PHTS, but a history of Chron’s disease, trichilemmoma, and plantar wart like lesions. He underwent upper and lower endoscopy for Chron’s disease assessment. Three polyps were removed from the descending colon. One was a juvenile polyp while the other two showed prominent smooth muscle proliferation and ganglion cells in the lamina propria.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

NA

Conclusion

Histologically, all hamartomatous polyps had smooth muscle overgrowth, confirmed by SMA immunostain, which could easily be confused with prolapse type changes such as in solitary rectal ulcer syndrome. The key in distinguishing between the two is by recognizing ganglion cells within the lamina propria, confirmed by S100 immunostain. Additional clues include identifying mucosal ganglion cells, disarray of crypt architecture, and fibromuscular proliferation as well as considering the location and number of polyps. It is vital for pathologists to recognize the differential diagnosis of polyps with smooth muscle proliferation, especially in pediatric populations where a diagnosis of cancer predisposition syndromes may not be established. Furthermore, is important to discuss pursuing PTEN genetic testing with clinical colleagues as it has immense medical implications and requires a thorough future medical following.
Primary Epithelioid Pulmonary Angiosarcoma with WAIHA and Thrombocytopenia: A Rare Association
Authors: Lazim A , Alsammak M , Hennawy H
Published: November 2022

Introduction/Objective

Angiosarcomas accounts for approximately 1%-2% of sarcomas, particularly involving the deep soft tissue. As a subtype, primary epithelioid angiosarcoma is an extremely rare neoplasm. Herein, we present an unusual primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of the right upper lung lobe with multiple nodal and bony metastases and associated severe form of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA) and thrombocytopenia.

Methods/Case Report

Our case is a 79-year-old female with a recent onset of warm type autoimmune hemolytic anemia with positive coombs test and thrombocytopenia. The patient serum was also positive for EBV (IgG and IgM). On chest CT scan, a right upper lobe, metabolically active lung mass with mediastinal lymphadenopathy was found. Metabolically active bilateral osseous lesions identified within thoracic spine, ribs, bilateral humeri and femurs. A transbronchial core biopsy of the lung mass revealed poorly differentiated epithelioid hemorrhagic neoplasm with extensive necrosis and vascular background. The tumor cells are positive for AE1/AE3, CK7, FLI-1, BRG1 (SMARCA4, retained), and vimentin; and faint weak focal membranous staining for CD31, Factor VIII, and ERG. They are negative for CK20, TTF-1, Napsin-A, p63, p40, SMA, Melan-A, HMB45, GATA3, PAX-8, CDX-2, HepPar, synaptophysin, calretinin, CAMTA1, EBER (EBV) and S100 (Figure-1-A-D, H&E, 10X, CK AE2/AE3, FLI-1, CD31). This immunoprofile and histologic features favor epithelioid angiosarcoma.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

NA.

Conclusion

Comprehensive morphological and immunohistochemical findings supported the diagnosis of epithelioid angiosarcoma. The importance of reporting this case was the unusual pulmonary primary presentation, associated nodal and osseous secondary involvement, together with the unique systemic presentation with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia in a patient with active EBV infection.
Three Cases Highlighting Three Potential Pitfalls in the Platelet Refractory Workup
Authors: Attieh M , Dent E A , Then C E , Barrette E , Alter D N , Duncan A , Roback J D , Sullivan H C , Happney L
Published: November 2022

Introduction/Objective

Platelet refractory (PR) patients do not achieve expected post-transfusion platelet counts. We investigate such patients with a post-transfusion platelet count, indirect Platelet Antibody Screen (ind-PAS), Class I HLA Antibody (HLA-Ab) testing, and platelet crossmatch (PXM). The following three cases highlight potential pitfalls of laboratory investigations for PR patients.

Methods/Case Report

Case #1 (57-year-old male with AML) revealed discrepant predicted and observed donor compatibility. Antibody testing demonstrated no platelet glycoprotein antibodies and HLA-ab to B13, corresponding to 4% calculated PRA (CPRA), indicating 96% predicted donor compatibility. However, PXM revealed that the patient was compatible with 11/14 (79%) screened donors. Communication with the reference laboratory revealed that two PXM incompatible units were ABO incompatible. Case #2 (27-year-old female with aplastic anemia) is a highly sensitized patient (99% CPRA). PXM revealed compatibility with 1/14 screened donors; however, she failed to respond to the compatible donor. To investigate this poor response, patient’s plasma was tested against HLA incompatible donors. Neat serum demonstrated compatibility with all donors, whereas 1:8 dilution resulted in positive crossmatches with half the donors. The false negative crossmatches are likely explained by prozone in the setting of high HLA-ab burden. Case #3 (79-year-old male with AML) demonstrated a discrepancy between the ind-PAS (PakPlus, Immucor), which was negative for HLA-ab, and HLA specificity testing (LABScreen, OneLambda), which revealed Class I antibodies, corresponding to 38% CPRA. Per the ind-PAS package insert, the sensitivity of the assay was 85%-91% compared to selected HLA-ab tests; other sources have demonstrated lower sensitivity of 68%.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

NA.

Conclusion

The three cases highlight the importance of investigating incongruent results. Cases #1 and #2 demonstrate pitfalls in the PXM: ABO incompatibility can result in positive PXM and false-negative PXM can occur in the setting of high HLA-ab burden. Case #3 reveals the importance of knowing a test’s limitation, especially sensitivity. Centers that only perform ind-PAS may miss HLA-ab detection.
Workflow Improvement after Implementing Remote Blood Allocation Devices at an Academic Medical Center Blood Bank
Authors: Quach T , Abdelmonem M , Nguyen A , Yoshizuka S , Vukic K , Cai W , Howard E , Kilambi S
Published: November 2022

Introduction/Objective

Patients with hematological cancer routinely receive red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the outpatient infusion clinical setting as part of their clinical therapy. Typically, RBCs are delivered to the outpatient infusion clinic via the pneumatic tube (P-tube). However, due to the recent expansion of the hospital footprint and the new location of the transfusion services, the P-tube encountered challenges that impacted the reliability of the delivery of RBC, which can delay patient care and affect patient satisfaction. This study’s purpose is to evaluate the pre-and post-implementation of the Haemobank-20 (HB20), remote blood storage and dispensing device, by reviewing the turn-around time (TAT) and the number of orders fulfilled outside of the transfusion service.

Methods/Case Report

Blood products are stocked to the HB in the infusion center. An electronic transfusion schedule is reviewed the night before scheduled transfusions to ensure appropriate inventory. When a patient is ready for the transfusion, the clinical nurse will use the device to retrieve blood products for the patient from the HB20. The average timed delivery time from the transfusion service to the outpatient infusion center is about 11 minutes. Data was retrospectively gathered from a 10-month interval before and after HB20 implementation to evaluate the number of orders fulfilled by the HB20.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

The HB has helped maintain nurse-to-patient ratios, reduced traffic at the blood bank issue window, and significantly sped up the turnaround time of RBCs from 11 minutes to less than 60 seconds. Before HB implementation, staff at the blood bank received 2853 units of RBCs through the blood bank window. This has been decreased by 61.2 percent to 1136 RBCs.

Conclusion

Implementing the Haemobank-20 in the outpatient infusion center has successfully reduced the turnaround time and the workload within the Transfusion Services. The current results study demonstrate that the remote blood-release system is safe and helpful in improving the efficiency of blood issue for patients in remote outpatient locations.
Chorea me a river: depression in Huntington’s disease as an exemplar of precision medicine
Authors: Hannan Anthony J
Published: November 2022

This scientific commentary refers to ‘Different depression: motivational anhedonia governs antidepressant efficacy in Huntington’s disease’ by McLauchlan et al. (https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcac278).
Development and Validation of a Strong Cation Exchange Chromatographic Column Coupled with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Meropenem and Evaluation of Its Stability in Human Plasma: Application to the Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Authors: Liu Ting , Chen Ling , Yu Panpan , Li Qingyu , Lou Jiang
Published: November 2022

Meropenem is a wide inter-individual variability in the pharmacokinetic, and standard dosing may not be adequate in critically ill patients. Therapeutic drug monitoring is a useful tool to optimize dosing. Meropenem is the amphoteric compound with an isoelectric point of 5.15. The secondary amino group of meropenem is positively charged when pH ≤ 5.4, thus we attempted to separate by strong cation exchange (SCX) column using acetonitrile/25-mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 3.0; 60:40) as mobile phase, and good peak shape and effective separation obtained. Generally, meropenem were unstable in plasma. We try to investigate stability of plasma samples using the medium QC sample with or without 3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) as stabilizer solutions at possible conditions during handling and storage. Meropenem showed higher stability at −80°C, and addition of MOPS might increase the short-term and extracted samples stability. This method is suitable for the quantification of meropenem in human plasma from 0.5 to 100 μg/mL. The accuracy was ranged from 96.53 to 101.11% with relative standard deviation ≤ 4.76%. The method has been used for determined 63 critically ill patients treated with meropenem. During the first measurement, 11 patients showed trough levels below the target ranges despite standard dosing. Through continuous or prolonged infusion, 8/11 patients (72.73%) led to adequate trough levels. The described SCX–high-performance liquid chromatography method for meropenem in human plasma is a powerful tool for therapeutic drug monitoring.
On a time-discrete convolution—space collocation BEM for the numerical solution of two-dimensional wave propagation problems in unbounded domains
Authors: Monegato Giovanni
Published: November 2022

For the numerical solution of a classical two-dimensional Dirichlet exterior problem for the wave equation in the time domain, we consider a space-time boundary integral equation approach, based on its discretization by means of the coupling of a time discrete convolution quadrature of order 2, with the classical continuous piecewise linear boundary element method. The latter is either the Galerkin method or the collocation one, this being computationally much cheaper. For the efficient evaluation of most of the integrals generated by these two boundary element methods, but also for the subsequent analysis, we first define a new Gaussian quadrature. After recalling that stability and convergence have been proved for the Galerkin method, while for the collocation one we only have numerical evidences of these properties, to (partially) fill this gap, we first note that collocation can be obtained directly from the Galerkin system, after discretizing its inner product integral by using the composite trapezoidal rule, which in this case turns out to be the Gaussian rule mentioned above with $1$ node. Then, we show that for all (positive) time step-sizes $\varDelta _t$, when we let $h\rightarrow 0$, independently from $\varDelta _t$, the matrix of the linear system produced by the collocation method, properly normalized, converges, in the $\infty $-norm, to the corresponding Galerkin matrix. The behavior of the associated absolute and relative errors in the $\infty $-norm, as $h\rightarrow 0$, are $O\big (h^{\frac {5}{3}}+\varDelta _t^{-(1+\varepsilon )}h^{\frac {5+\varepsilon }{2}}[|\!\ln \varDelta _t|+|\!\ln h|]\big )$ and $O\big (h^{\frac {2}{3}}/|\!\ln \varDelta _t|+\varDelta _t^{-(1+\varepsilon )}h^{\frac {3+\varepsilon }{2}}[1+|\!\ln h|/|\!\ln \varDelta _t|]\big )$, respectively, with $\varepsilon>0$ as close as one likes to $0$ and the $O(\cdot )$ constant independent from $\varDelta _t, h$. Some possible extensions of the investigation we carried out are also mentioned.
Inequalities in the prevalence of skilled birth attendance in Ghana between 1993 and 2014
Authors: Tetteh Justice Kanor , Ameyaw Edward Kwabena , Adu Collins , Agbaglo Ebenezer , Agbadi Pascal , Nutor Jerry John
Published: November 2022

Background

Globally, maternal and neonatal health remains a public health priority, particularly for resource-constrained regions like sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Skilled birth attendance (SBA) is essential in promoting maternal and neonatal health. This study investigated the inequalities in the prevalence of SBA in Ghana using data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) between 1993 and 2014.

Methods

Data were analysed using the World Health Organization's Health Equity Assessment Toolkit software. In analysing the data, we first disaggregated SBA by four inequality stratifiers: wealth index, education, residence, and region. Second, we measured the inequality through summary measures, namely difference, population attributable risk, ratio, and population attributable fraction. A 95% confidence interval was constructed for point estimates to measure statistical significance.

Results

Throughout the period, SBA was highest among women in the highest wealth quintile and those with a secondary or higher level of education. The analysis also indicated that SBA was highly concentrated among urban residents in 1993 (80.78 [95% uncertainty interval {UI} 76.20–84.66]) and persisted to 2014 (91.55 [95% UI 88.80–93.68]). In 1993, Northern region recorded the lowest prevalence of SBA in Ghana (15.69 [95% UI 11.20–21.54]) and the region consistently recorded the lowest SBA prevalence even into 2014 (38.21 [95% UI 27.44–50.27]).

Conclusions

There are significant inequalities in SBA across education, wealth, residence, and region in Ghana. To enhance SBA, there is the need for policymakers and interventionists to design and develop targeted policies and programs that are tailored to the needs of the subpopulations at risk of low SBA: women with no formal education, those within the poorest wealth quintile, rural-dwelling women and women in the Northern region. This will facilitate the uptake of SBA and ultimately translate into the realization of Sustainable Development Goals 3.1 and 3.2.
The Role of Forensic Veterinary Toxicology in Pet Custody Cases
Authors: Turkmen Zeynep , Zengin Simge , Kuloglu Genc Merve , Yayla Murat , Tekin Bulbul Tugba , Mercan Selda
Published: November 2022

Forensic veterinary toxicology has become a popular branch of toxicology, dealing with animal cruelty (e.g., malicious poisoning), regulatory issues (e.g., contamination of the feed supply chain), insurance litigation or wildlife poisoning. The current study highlights the importance of the toxicological aspects of animal health-related disagreements in a pet custody case following a divorce. In this study, the custody case of three dogs and a cat was concluded with the aid of toxicological test results that were obtained from the pets’ blood samples for the first time in Turkey. The results confirmed the presence of benzoylecgonine in one of the blood samples, as alleged by one of the owners. The study also aims to raise the veterinarians’, as well as the judicial system members’, awareness of drug abuse in pets.
Some linguistic features of the dialect of Acre and their possible explanation by the history of the city
Authors: Zuʾbi Amal
Published: November 2022

This paper introduces the main characteristics of a variety of Acre Arabic spoken by local residents in Acre today. The description provided is based on new evidence gathered in 2016–17 through interviews with various people, particularly older people, who grew up in Acre. Throughout the paper I discuss a number of distinctive phonological, morphological and syntactical features and compare them to Palestinian Arabic, especially Galilean Arabic, and also to Old Damascene Arabic and Egyptian Arabic. While some features occur in Palestinian Arabic but under different circumstances, other features do not occur in Palestinian Arabic, but are characteristic of Syrian Arabic and/or Egyptian Arabic dialects. Features of the dialect that are unique to Acre are presented, along with some speculations on how the linguistic evidence reflects the history of the city. Finally, a transcribed and translated text is provided.
Towards a Better Understanding of the Ḥarsusi Language
Authors: Rubin Aaron D
Published: November 2022

The Ḥarsusi texts collected by T.M. Johnstone and published by Harry Stroomer (2004) comprise the only corpus of Ḥarsusi texts published to date, and thus remain an invaluable source for the study of that language. A re-examination of the audio recordings of these texts reveal that the draft manuscripts on which the published edition was based contain numerous discrepancies, including many errors. By using these audio recordings in order to obtain corrected readings, we are able to better analyse and more accurately describe the phonology and morphology of Ḥarsusi, a language for which we as yet have no comprehensive description.
Grand theft in international law
Authors: Kulamadayil Lys
Published: November 2022

Commonly subsumed under the legal concepts of corruption and money-laundering, the theft of public wealth on a massive scale with the aid of transnational financial institutions has, so far, largely been neglected by legal scholarship and legal practise. Drawing on two grand theft cases, this article’s objectives are threefold. Firstly, it explains the concept of grand theft by illustrating how it operates. Secondly, it retraces legal responses to grand theft in jurisdictions of countries, which are home to key financial markets places, to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this legal regime in practice. Thirdly, it reflects on the obstacles to researching grand theft.
The IPD-IMGT/HLA Database
Authors: Barker Dominic J , Maccari Giuseppe , Georgiou Xenia , Cooper Michael A , Flicek Paul , Robinson James , Marsh Steven G E
Published: November 2022

It is 24 years since the IPD-IMGT/HLA Database, http://www.ebi.ac.uk/ipd/imgt/hla/, was first released, providing the HLA community with a searchable repository of highly curated HLA sequences. The database now contains over 35 000 alleles of the human Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) named by the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System. This complex contains the most polymorphic genes in the human genome and is now considered hyperpolymorphic. The IPD-IMGT/HLA Database provides a stable and user-friendly repository for this information. Uptake of Next Generation Sequencing technology in recent years has driven an increase in the number of alleles and the length of sequences submitted. As the size of the database has grown the traditional methods of accessing and presenting this data have been challenged, in response, we have developed a suite of tools providing an enhanced user experience to our traditional web-based users while creating new programmatic access for our bioinformatics user base. This suite of tools is powered by the IPD-API, an Application Programming Interface (API), providing scalable and flexible access to the database. The IPD-API provides a stable platform for our future development allowing us to meet the future challenges of the HLA field and needs of the community.
Investigation of white matter functional networks underlying different behavioral profiles in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Authors: Bu Xuan , Gao Yingxue , Liang Kaili , Chen Ying , Guo Lanting , Huang Xiaoqi
Published: November 2022

Background

Cortical functional network alterations have been widely accepted as the neural basis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recently, white matter has also been recognized as a novel neuroimaging marker of psychopathology and has been used as a complement to cortical functional networks to investigate brain–behavior relationships. However, disorder-specific features of white matter functional networks (WMFNs) are less well understood than those of gray matter functional networks. In the current study, we constructed WMFNs using a new strategy to characterize behavior-related network features in ADHD.

Methods

We recruited 46 drug-naïve boys with ADHD and 46 typically developing (TD) boys, and used clustering analysis on resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data to generate WMFNs in each group. Intrinsic activity within each network was extracted, and the associations between network activity and behavior measures were assessed using correlation analysis.

Results

Nine WMFNs were identified for both ADHD and TD participants. However, boys with ADHD showed a splitting of the inferior corticospinal–cerebellar network and lacked a cognitive control network. In addition, boys with ADHD showed increased activity in the dorsal attention network and somatomotor network, which correlated positively with attention problems and hyperactivity symptom scores, respectively, while they presented decreased activity in the frontoparietal network and frontostriatal network in association with poorer performance in response inhibition, working memory, and verbal fluency.

Conclusions

We discovered a dual pattern of white matter network activity in drug-naïve ADHD boys, with hyperactive symptom-related networks and hypoactive cognitive networks. These findings characterize two distinct types of WMFN in ADHD psychopathology.
Mapping brain functional and structural abnormities in autism spectrum disorder: moving toward precision treatment
Authors: Duan Xujun , Chen Huafu
Published: November 2022

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a formidable challenge for psychiatry and neuroscience because of its high prevalence, lifelong nature, complexity, and substantial heterogeneity. A major goal of neuroimaging studies of ASD is to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of this disorder from multi-dimensional and multi-level perspectives, by investigating how brain anatomy, function, and connectivity are altered in ASD, and how they vary across the population. However, ongoing debate exists within those studies, and neuroimaging findings in ASD are often contradictory. Over the past decade, we have dedicated to delineate a comprehensive and consistent mapping of the abnormal structure and function of the autistic brain, and this review synthesizes the findings across our studies reaching a consensus that the “social brain” are the most affected regions in the autistic brain at different levels and modalities. We suggest that the social brain network can serve as a plausible biomarker and potential target for effective intervention in individuals with ASD.
P023 Defining sleep hygiene in the scientific literature: A bibliographic review of observational studies
Authors: De Pasquale C , El Kazzi M , Sutherland K , Dissanayake H , Vincent G , Bin Y
Published: November 2022

Introduction

‘Sleep hygiene’ is a term used to describe the behavioural and environmental factors within an individual’s control that can influence sleep outcomes. There is no universal consensus on this definition and what factors comprise sleep hygiene. The aim of this systematic scoping review is to define sleep hygiene based on its use in published observational studies.

Methods

A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and CINAHL databases was conducted from inception until 31st December 2021 using the phrase ‘sleep hygiene’ in the title or abstract.

Results

The search identified 250 eligible studies. Studies’ definitions of sleep hygiene converged on three themes: behavioural factors, environmental factors, and an aspect of control. Factors included in individual studies included caffeine (included in 68% of studies), sleep timing (67%) alcohol (65%), exercise (64%), light (62%), smoking (62%) a comfortable environment (60%), wind-down routine (60%), napping (58%), noise (54%), stress (53%), other psychological factors (49%), stimulus control (49%), bed restriction (41%), food intake (28%), other substances (20%) and sleep medications (16%). The most common method of measuring sleep hygiene was the Sleep Hygiene Index, used by 71 studies (28%).

Discussion

This review showed researchers’ understanding of sleep hygiene to include modifiable behavioural and environmental factors that influence sleep, however, the elements included were highly variable, as were the details of each element. The inconsistency in researchers’ understanding of sleep hygiene implies inconsistency in research results. This may act as a barrier to providing the best evidence-based sleep health education and sleep health promotion.
Retracted: P094 Sleep quality assessment among Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients in a tertiary teaching hospital
Authors: Rajagopalan P
Published: November 2022

This article has been retracted. Please see: https://doi.org/10.1093/sleepadvances/zpad009
Population Genetic Analysis of Fusarium decemcellulare, a Guaraná Pathogen, Reveals High Genetic Diversity in the Amazonas State, Brazil
Authors: Queiroz Claudia A. , Caniato Fernanda F. , Siqueira Vanessa K. S. , de Moraes Catarino Aricléia , Hanada Rogério E. , O’Donnell Kerry , Laraba Imane , Rehner Stephen A. , Sousa Nelcimar Reis , Silva Gilvan F.
Published: November 2022

Guaraná is indigenous to the Brazilian Amazon where it has cultural and agroeconomic significance. However, its cultivation is constrained by a disease termed oversprouting of guaraná caused by Fusarium decemcellulare, with yield losses reaching as high as 100%. The disease can affect different parts of the plant, causing floral hypertrophy and hyperplasia, stem galls, and oversprouting of vegetative buds. To date, no study has been conducted characterizing the genetic diversity and population structure of this pathogen. Here, we report genetic diversity and genetic structure among 224 isolates from eight guaraná production areas of Amazonas State, Brazil, that were genotyped using a set of 10 inter-simple-sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Despite moderate gene diversity (Hexp = 0.21 to 0.32), genotypic diversity was at or near maximum (223 multilocus genotypes among 224 isolates). Population genetic analysis of the 10 ISSR marker fragments with STRUCTURE software identified two populations designated C1 and C2 within the F. decemcellulare collection from the eight sites. Likewise, UPGMA hierarchical clustering and discriminant analysis of principal components of the strains from guaraná resolved these same two groups. Analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that 71% of genetic diversity occurred within the C1 and C2 populations. A pairwise comparison of sampling sites for both genetic populations revealed that 59 of 66 were differentiated from one another (P < 0.05), and high and significant gene flow was detected only between sampling sites assigned to the same genetic population. The presence of MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 strains, in conjunction with the high genotypic diversity and no significant linkage disequilibrium, suggests that each population of F. decemcellulare might be undergoing sexual reproduction. Isolation by distance was not observed (R2 = 0.02885, P > 0.05), which suggests that human-mediated movement of seedlings may have played a role in shaping the F. decemcellulare genetic structure in Amazonas State, Brazil.
Identification and Virulence of Five Isolates of Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne floridensis on Vegetables
Authors: Marquez Josiah , Hajihassani Abolfazl
Published: November 2022

Meloidogyne floridensis is of particular concern because it reproduces on tomato, pepper, corn, and tobacco cultivars that have resistance to the common tropical root-knot nematode (RKN) species (i.e., Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica). During a survey of 436 randomly selected vegetable fields in Georgia in 2018, 6 M. floridensis-infested fields were found and cultured from single egg-mass isolates on a susceptible tomato (cultivar Rutgers), and speciated using molecular analyses. Five isolates of M. floridensis were identified from collard, cowpea, cucumber, watermelon, and tomato fields by DNA sequence-based identification targeting mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, transfer RNAHis, large subunit ribosomal RNA, and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5). Two greenhouse trials determined the host preference and reproduction level for each M. floridensis isolate. Evaluations were conducted on Rutgers tomato, a resistant tomato (cultivar Skyway, carrying the Mi-1.2 gene), and vegetable crops associated with the origin of M. floridensis populations. This study confirmed that most associated vegetables, except collards, were good hosts to M. floridensis, having a reproduction factor >1. All isolates were able to reproduce aggressively on the resistant tomato. We found variations among M. floridensis isolates in pathogenicity and reproduction levels on the vegetable crops tested which should be considered when using or developing host resistance.
Trauma and Death in the Emergency Department: A Time to PAUSE (Promoting Acknowledgment, Unity, and Sympathy at the End of Life)
Authors: Welch Alyssa A. , Esquibel Brendon M. , Osterloth Kohei A. , Kallies Kara J. , Fitzsimmons Alec J. , Waller Christine J.
Published: November 2022

Background:

Witnessing death can be difficult and emotionally draining for health care workers and presents a risk factor for burnout. The practice of a ritual pause at patient death to recognize the patient as a person, reflect, and acknowledge the health care team is an emerging intervention that has not been well studied in trauma.

Objective:

This study aims to explore the effect of a team pause on trauma team member attitudes after emergency department patient death.

Methods:

This is a pre- and postintervention study of the implementation of a Trauma PAUSE (Promoting Acknowledgment, Unity, and Sympathy at the End of Life) conducted from March 2018 to June 2020.

Results:

A total of 466 participated in this study. Emergency department employee responses to the pre- (296 of 745 employees contacted responded) and postimplementation surveys (170 of 732 employees contacted responded) were compared. Although not statistically significant, responses to the postsurvey suggested an increased connection to patients and belief in the need for a moment of silence following a death. Employees who had participated in a PAUSE (57/170) reported improvements in internal conflict, feeling of emptiness, resilience, and ability to move on to the next task. Overall, 84.2% (48/57) of Trauma PAUSE participants were satisfied with the Trauma PAUSE.

Conclusion:

The Trauma PAUSE is a meaningful way to help trauma staff members find peace, maintain resiliency, and readily shift their focus to providing care to other patients.
Validation of Trauma-Informed Care Instruments: Emergency Department Environment and Transitional Secondary Environment
Authors: Wholeben Melissa , McCreary Robert , Salazar Gloria
Published: November 2022

Background:

Trauma-informed care is a paradigm of care that requires health care practitioners to understand multiple types of traumas and their effects on the trauma survivor and then incorporate that knowledge into practice. However, there are few psychometrically robust instruments to evaluate trauma-informed care, and none have been applied in the trauma patient setting.

Objective:

The purpose of this article is to validate two trauma-informed care instruments in the trauma patient setting.

Method:

Exploratory factor analysis and simultaneous pairwise marginal independence testing procedures were conducted on the “Emergency Department Environment” and the “Transitional Secondary Environment” instruments from September 2020 to November 2020. Descriptive statistics were reported for the content experts participating in the instrument validation.

Result:

Exploratory data analysis results for each trauma-informed care statement in the tools indicate multidimensionality of trauma-informed care core values, with statistically significant (p < .05) overlap between two or more trauma-informed care core values. After accounting for item interdependence, the associations between the trauma-informed care core values do not appear to be spurious consequences of response interdependence.

Conclusion:

The two instruments showed high levels of internal consistency supporting the multidimensional models posited by the trauma-informed care framework. The findings will allow for routine monitoring and early detection of gaps in health care provider behaviors in the individualized care of trauma survivors. This will enable identification of trends in trauma care delivery and inform trauma-informed care education for health care providers, ultimately enhancing the healing of trauma survivors.
Single-Sided Deafness: Emotional and Social Handicap, Impact on Health Status and Quality of Life, Functional Hearing, and the Effects of Cochlear Implantation
Authors: Távora-Vieira Dayse , Wedekind Andre
Published: November 2022

Objective

To evaluate the functional and subjective outcomes in individuals with single-sided deafness (SSD) treated with a cochlear implant (CI).

Methods

Eighty-one adult CI users with SSD participated in this study. Functional assessments consisted of speech in noise testing and localization. Subjective assessments consisted of the Speech Spatial Quality of Hearing Scale, the Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire, the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit questionnaire, the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adults questionnaire, and the Glasgow Health Status Inventory and the Glasgow Benefit Inventory questionnaires.

Results

SSD has remarkable consequences on quality of life (QoL) and imposes a substantial emotional and social handicap on the individuals. Self-reported QoL improved after CI with tinnitus intrusion significantly reduced as early as 3 months post-CI. A significant improvement was seen in all speech understanding in noise configurations. Localization ability significantly improved with CI on.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that SSD reduces social and psychological QoL and imposes a remarkable level of handicap as per general and specific self-assessments tool. CI provided a significant improvement in function including speech understanding in noise and localization ability, as well as improved QoL and reduced tinnitus significantly in both the early and long terms.
Four-Point Impedance Changes After Cochlear Implantation for Lateral Wall and Perimodiolar Implants
Authors: Razmovski Tayla , Bester Christofer , Collins Aaron , Tan Eren , O'Leary Stephen J.
Published: November 2022

Objective

Monitor four-point impedance in cochlear implant recipients over time and determine if implant type, surgical approach, and electrode positioning affected impedance measurements.

Study Design

Prospective observational.

Setting

Hospital.

Patients

Adult cochlear implant recipients implanted with a perimodiolar or lateral wall cochlear implant.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Mean values for four-point impedances were calculated for all electrode contacts at perioperative and 3 months after surgery. Linear mixed models were applied to the impedance data to compare between implant types and time points. The angular insertion depth and electrode position relative to the medial and lateral wall, commonly termed the Intracochlear Position Index (ICPI), were collected and compared with impedance measurements.

Results

Perioperatively, the four-point impedance was similar between implant types, with perimodiolar implants having marginally higher impedance values in the basal region. At 3 months after surgery, impedances significantly increased in the basal half of the electrode array for both implants, with higher impedance values for CI532 implants. There were no significant differences in insertion angle depth between implant types. The ICPI values for the seven most basal electrodes were similar for both implants; however, CI532 arrays were significantly more medially placed along the remaining apical portion of the array, which is expected. ICPI values did not correlate with impedance measurements for either implant.

Conclusions

Four-point impedance increases at 3 months after surgery may reflect fibrous tissue formation after cochlear implantation. The higher impedance values in perimodiolar implants may reflect a more extensive fibrosis formation as a result of surgical approaches used, requiring drilling of the cochlea bone.
Symptoms Underestimate the Presence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks of the Temporal Bone
Authors: Chidambaram Rama , Hendriks Thomas , Phung Scott , Kuthubutheen Jafri
Published: November 2022

Objective

To determine the severity of symptoms and degree of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (sCSF) leaks of the temporal bone given the known association between sCSF leaks and OSA.

Study Design

Retrospective case review.

Setting

Ambulatory clinics in tertiary referral centers.

Patients

Polysomnogram testing in 34 consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with sCSF leaks of the temporal bone was examined. Diagnosis of sCSF leak was defined as biochemically confirmed CSF from middle ear fluid with no other obvious source.

Intervention

Diagnostic.

Main Outcomes Measure(s)

Patient characteristics (age, sex, body mass index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, presence of hypoxia, overnight change in blood pressure, and apnea hypopnea index [AHI]) were recorded. Diagnosis of OSA was defined as mild when AHI ≥5 and <15/h, moderate when AHI ≥15 and <30/h, and severe when AHI ≥30/h.

Results

Of the 34 patients, 28 (82%) had a confirmed diagnosis of OSA. There was a male predisposition in those with OSA, and 17 of 28 (61%) were male. A majority were overweight, and the mean body mass index was 30.1 (SD, 4.8; range, 23.2–40) kg/m2. The mean severity of OSA was moderate, and the mean AHI was 28.7 (SD, 21.9; range, 5.4–92.8). Of the 28 patients, 13 with OSA (46%) had Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores higher than 8, suggesting that many were asymptomatic for excessive daytime sleepiness at the time of presentation.

Conclusion

OSA is highly prevalent among patients with sCSF leaks of the temporal bone. Patients with sCSF leaks irrespective of symptoms of OSA should undergo formal polysomnogram testing.
On the emergence of the correlation between life expectancy and the variance in the age at death
Authors: Fernandez Oscar E. , Beltrán-Sánchez Hiram
Published: November 2022

Recent empirical studies have found various patterns in the correlations between lifespan inequality and life expectancy in modern human populations. However, it is unclear how general these regularities are. Here we establish three theorems that provide theoretical foundations for such regularities. We show that for populations with a finite maximum lifespan
ω
, and under certain continuity assumptions, the variance in the age at death is bounded by a function of lifespan that has a maximum and tends to zero as life expectancy tends to zero and
ω
. We show how the change in said variance is determined by a particular interplay between the coefficient of variation and the mean age in the population. These results lead to three hypotheses—a three-phased pattern of change for the correlation between the variance and life expectancy, a particular shape of the associated variance function, and that survival curve Type is one driver of the pattern. We illustrate those hypotheses empirically via a study of the 10 countries in the Human Mortality Database with the oldest available data. Our results elucidate the emergence of the aforementioned correlation patterns and provide demographically meaningful conditions under which those correlations reverse.
COVID-19 lockdown highlights impact of recreational activities on the behaviour of coral reef fishes
Authors: Feeney William E. , Cowan Zara-Louise , Bertucci Frédéric , Brooker Rohan M. , Siu Gilles , Jossinet Frédérique , Bambridge Tamatoa , Galzin René , Lecchini David
Published: November 2022

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a reduction in human activities and restriction of all but essential movement for much of the world's population. A large, but temporary, increase in air and water quality followed, and there have been several reports of animal populations moving into new areas. Extending on long-term monitoring efforts, we examined how coral reef fish populations were affected by the government-mandated lockdown across a series of Marine Protected Area (MPA) and non-Marine Protected Area (nMPA) sites around Moorea, French Polynesia. During the first six-week lockdown that Moorea experienced between March and May 2020, increases (approx. two-fold) in both harvested and non-harvested fishes were observed across the MPA and nMPA inner barrier reef sites, while no differences were observed across the outer barrier sites. Interviews with local amateur and professional fishers indicated that while rules regarding MPA boundaries were generally followed, some subsistence fishing continued in spite of the lockdown, including within MPAs. As most recreational activities occur along the inner reef, our data suggest that the lockdown-induced reduction in recreational activities resulted in the recolonization of these areas by fishes, highlighting how fish behaviour and space use can rapidly change in our absence.
Data-driven control of spatiotemporal chaos with reduced-order neural ODE-based models and reinforcement learning
Authors: Zeng Kevin , Linot Alec J. , Graham Michael D.
Published: November 2022

Deep reinforcement learning (RL) is a data-driven method capable of discovering complex control strategies for high-dimensional systems, making it promising for flow control applications. In particular, the present work is motivated by the goal of reducing energy dissipation in turbulent flows, and the example considered is the spatiotemporally chaotic dynamics of the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation (KSE). A major challenge associated with RL is that substantial training data must be generated by repeatedly interacting with the target system, making it costly when the system is computationally or experimentally expensive. We mitigate this challenge in a data-driven manner by combining dimensionality reduction via an autoencoder with a neural ODE framework to obtain a low-dimensional dynamical model from just a limited data set. We substitute this data-driven reduced-order model (ROM) in place of the true system during RL training to efficiently estimate the optimal policy, which can then be deployed on the true system. For the KSE actuated with localized forcing (‘jets’) at four locations, we demonstrate that we are able to learn a ROM that accurately captures the actuated dynamics as well as the underlying natural dynamics just from snapshots of the KSE experiencing random actuations. Using this ROM and a control objective of minimizing dissipation and power cost, we extract a control policy from it using deep RL. We show that the ROM-based control strategy translates well to the true KSE and highlight that the RL agent discovers and stabilizes an underlying forced equilibrium solution of the KSE system. We show that this forced equilibrium captured in the ROM and discovered through RL is related to an existing known equilibrium solution of the natural KSE.
The Jones polynomial of collections of open curves in 3-space
Authors: Barkataki Kasturi , Panagiotou Eleni
Published: November 2022

Measuring the entanglement complexity of collections of open curves in 3-space has been an intractable, yet pressing mathematical problem, relevant to a plethora of physical systems, such as in polymers and biopolymers. In this manuscript, we give a novel definition of the Jones polynomial that generalizes the classic Jones polynomial to collections of open curves in 3-space. More precisely, first we provide a novel definition of the Jones polynomial of linkoids (open link diagrams) and show that this is a well-defined single variable polynomial that is a topological invariant, which, for link-type linkoids, coincides with that of the corresponding link. Using the framework introduced in (Panagiotou E, Kauffman L. 2020Proc. R. Soc. A476, 20200124. ((doi:10.1098/rspa.2020.0124)), this enables us to define the Jones polynomial of collections of open and closed curves in 3-space. For collections of open curves in 3-space, the Jones polynomial has real coefficients and it is a continuous function of the curves’ coordinates. As the endpoints of the curves tend to coincide, the Jones polynomial tends to that of the resultant link. We demonstrate with numerical examples that the novel Jones polynomial enables us to characterize the topological/geometrical complexity of collections of open curves in 3-space for the first time.
Judgment on the evolution state of asymmetric games
Authors: Song Sha , Pan Qiuhui , He Mingfeng
Published: November 2022

In this article, we probe into two-role two-player two-strategy asymmetric evolutionary games by utilizing replicator dynamic equations and present all equilibrium points and their stability conditions. Further, the resulting evolution state of the system can be depicted directly according to the specific payoff matrix and initial values. This study facilitates and perfects the research of asymmetric evolutionary games.