bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gender, Tobacco Control Policies, and Persistent Smoking Among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis of 11 European Countries
Authors: Gao Manjing , Lee Chioun , Park Soojin
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Little is known about sociodemographic and macro-level predictors of persistent smoking when one has developed a health condition that is likely caused by smoking.

Aims and Methods

We investigate the impact of gender, education, and tobacco control policies (TCPs) on persistent smoking among older Europeans. Respondents (aged 50 +) with a smoking history and at least one smoking-related health condition were pooled from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) from four waves from 2004 to 2013. We fitted gender-specific logistic regression models with two-way fixed effects (country and year) and tested interaction terms between gender, education, and TCPs.

Results

Although women are less likely to smoke than men, they were more likely to smoke persistently. The effects of education and general TCPs on persistent smoking were significant for women only. Compared to women with low levels of education, those with moderate education (odds ratio [OR] = .63; .49–.82) and high education (OR = .57; .34–.98) are less likely to be persistent smokers. TCPs are associated with a reduced risk of women’s persistent smoking (OR = .70; .51–.95) and the association is stronger for those having less education.

Conclusions

Older women, particularly those with low levels of education, are vulnerable to persistent smoking. TCPs might be effective in reducing persistent smoking for older women, with greater effects for less-educated women. Future studies are needed to understand mechanisms that explain gender differences in responsiveness to TCPs.

Implications

Persistent smoking is a particularly harmful smoking behavior as it is associated with greater risks of comorbidity and mortality. By employing the framework of the multilevel social determinants of health, this study examined the behavior of persistent smoking among older adults in European countries. Women, especially women with low levels of education are vulnerable to persistent smoking. Moreover, TCPs, in general, are significantly related to a reduction in persistent smoking among older women only and the negative association is stronger for those having less education, indicating gender and socioeconomic differences in responsiveness to TCPs.
Can States Continue to Set the Agenda for Tobacco 21? Insights From US News Coverage Between 2012 and 2020
Authors: Hrywna Mary , Singh Binu , Wackowski Olivia A , Hudson Shawna V , Delnevo Cristine D
Published: January 2022

Introduction

Existing research on media examining the news content related to Tobacco 21 (T21) predate the adoption of most T21 laws. This study examined the discussion of T21 laws in top-circulating print media sources in the United States between 2012 and 2020.

Aims and Methods

Systematic database searches using Access World News and Factiva identified T21-related news articles appearing in the top daily circulating newspapers in each state between January 2012 and December 2020 (n = 586 articles). Content analyses documented prevalence, types of articles and context related to framing of arguments for or against T21 laws.

Results

Newspaper coverage of T21 was highest in 2019 (42.8% of articles). The majority were news or features (75.4%) followed by editorials or opinions (24.6%) which largely supported T21. Most articles focused on state or local T21 action. Coverage of federal T21 increased in 2019. The most common argument supporting T21 included reducing youth tobacco prevalence (64.8%) while the most frequent objection was freedom infringement (25.1%). Tobacco and vape industries began voicing support for T21 in 2019.

Conclusions

News coverage of state-level T21 in the United States began to increase in 2015 and peaked in 2019 with enactment of federal T21, a newsworthy event. As states adopt and amend T21 laws to align with federal law, advocates can use media to help shape the narrative and encourage strong T21 policies.

Implications

This study described the volume and content of T21 print media coverage from 2012 to 2020, including common arguments used to support and oppose T21. Arguments in support of T21 included reducing youth tobacco use, particularly use of e-cigarettes, and related health effects while arguments against T21 focused on individual rights. Support for T21 reached a tipping point in 2019, including the tobacco industry’s reversal in opposing such laws. States can and should continue to improve existing T21 laws and policies and increase public awareness about critical policy components such as inspection procedures and penalties.
Fortification of foods with nano-iron: its uptake and potential toxicity: current evidence, controversies, and research gaps
Authors: Ghosh Ruchira , Arcot Jayashree
Published: January 2022

Iron fortification is a very popular practice in several countries, particularly in countries in which a large proportion of the population is suffering from iron deficiency, as in lower-middle-income countries. Food fortification with iron salts is a difficult operation, because most iron complexes (ferrous sulfate, ferrous chloride) are water soluble, which can cause undesirable alterations to the sensory properties of the food carriers. On the other hand, insoluble iron salts (eg, ferric pyrophosphate) do not have an unpleasant taste or color, but their bioavailability is low. These issues can be addressed with iron nanoparticles. The small particle size has been shown to have a significant impact on iron absorption. Iron nanoparticles with smaller particle sizes have more surface area, which improves their solubility in gastric juice and leads to better bioavailability. When compared with water-soluble iron complexes, nano-sized iron compounds generate negligible organoleptic alterations in food carriers. As a result, iron nanoparticles could be potentially used in food fortification to minimize iron-deficiency anemia. This review focuses on the absorption pathway and the toxicity of various forms of iron nanoparticles. In vitro cell studies and animal studies indicate that nano-sized iron particles can be taken up either by the Divalent Metal Transporter 1 pathway or the endocytic pathway. Nano-sized ferric phosphate and iron(III) oxo hydroxide show the most promising results, based on recent studies on fortification. To date, there are insufficient studies on the maximum intake level and potential adverse effects. Further extensive work is essential before introducing nano-iron compounds as food fortificants.
Plasma Epstein-Barr Virus MicroRNA BART8-3p as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Authors: Lin Cheng , Lin Keyu , Zhang Bin , Su Ying , Guo Qiaojuan , Lu Tianzhu , Xu Yuanji , Lin Shaojun , Zong Jingfeng , Pan Jianji
Published: January 2022

Background

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated tumor that is highly common in southern China. Our previous sequencing data demonstrated that the EBV-encoded microRNA BART8-3p was most upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and was closely associated with the metastasis of NPC. However, the values of plasma BART8-3p in NPC patients have not yet been well characterized.

Material and Methods

We quantified plasma BART8-3p expression by quantitative real-time PCR in 205 newly diagnosed NPC patients. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) between the groups.

Results

Plasma pretreatment BART8-3p was highly expressed in NPC patients compared with healthy controls. Pretreatment BART8-3p yielded a 92% predictive value for detecting NPC. Importantly, BART8-3p decreased dramatically after therapy relative to pretreatment levels. High levels of pretreatment or post-treatment BART8-3p were associated with worse OS, DMFS, and LRRFS. Multivariate analysis showed that high pretreatment or post-treatment BART8-3p was an independent unfavorable prognostic marker for OS (HR 3.82, 95% CI 1.77-8.24, P = .001 or HR 2.74, 95% CI 1.27-5.91, P = .010), DMFS (HR 2.82, 95% CI 1.36-5.85, P = .005 or HR 3.27, 95% CI 1.57-6.81, P = .002), and LRRFS (HR 1.94, 95% CI 1.12-3.35, P = .018 or HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.14-3.62, P = .016) in NPC. Subgroup analysis revealed that for patients with locally advanced NPC with high levels of pretreatment BART8-3p (n = 58), more cycles of chemotherapy (≥6 cycles) tended to prolong OS (P = .070). Over 50% (6/11) patients with high levels of post-treatment BART8-3p presented distant metastasis.

Conclusion

Plasma BART8-3p is a promising biomarker for the detection and prognosis of NPC.
Survival After Induction Chemotherapy and Chemoradiation Versus Chemoradiation and Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
Authors: Kim Jin K , Marco Michael R , Roxburgh Campbell S D , Chen Chin-Tung , Cercek Andrea , Strombom Paul , Temple Larissa K F , Nash Garrett M , Guillem Jose G , Paty Philip B , Yaeger Rona , Stadler Zsofia K , Gonen Mithat , Segal Neil H , Reidy Diane L , Varghese Anna , Shia Jinru , Vakiani Efsevia , Wu Abraham J , Romesser Paul B , Crane Christopher H , Gollub Marc J , Saltz Leonard , Smith J Joshua , Weiser Martin R , Patil Sujata , Garcia-Aguilar Julio
Published: January 2022

Background

Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) improves tumor response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients compared to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy alone. The effect of TNT on patient survival has not been fully investigated.

Materials and Methods

This was a retrospective case series of patients with LARC at a comprehensive cancer center. Three hundred and eleven patients received chemoradiotherapy (chemoRT) as the sole neoadjuvant treatment and planned adjuvant chemotherapy, and 313 received TNT (induction fluorouracil and oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy in the neoadjuvant setting). These patients then underwent total mesorectal excision or were entered in a watch-and-wait protocol. The proportion of patients with complete response (CR) after neoadjuvant therapy (defined as pathological CR or clinical CR sustained for 2 years) was compared by the χ2 test. Disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival were assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test. Cox regression models were used to further evaluate DFS.

Results

The rate of CR was 20% for chemoRT and 27% for TNT (P=.05). DFS, local recurrence-free survival, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival were no different. Disease-free survival was not associated with the type of neoadjuvant treatment (hazard ratio [HR] 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.93-1.80; P = .12).

Conclusions

Although TNT does not prolong survival than neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus intended postoperative chemotherapy, the higher response rate associated with TNT may create opportunities to preserve the rectum in more patients with LARC.
Impact of Therapy in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies on Seroconversion Rates After SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
Authors: Guven Deniz C , Sahin Taha K , Akın Serkan , Uckun Fatih M
Published: January 2022

Introduction

The leading professional organizations in the field of hematology have recommended severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) vaccination for all patients with hematologic malignancies notwithstanding efficacy concerns. Here we report a systematic literature review regarding the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with hematologic malignancies and its key determinants.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search of original articles evaluating the seroconversion rates with SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in hematological malignancies from the PubMed database published between April 1, 2021 and December 4, 2021. Calculated risk differences (RD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to compare seroconversion rates between patients with hematologic malignancies versus healthy control subjects used the Review Manager software, version 5.3.

Results

In our meta-analysis, we included 26 studies with control arms. After the first dose of vaccination, patients with hematologic malignancies had significantly lower seroconversion rates than controls (33.3% vs 74.9%; RD: −0.48%, 95% CI: −0.60%, −0.36%, P < .001). The seroconversion rates increased after the second dose, although a significant difference remained between these 2 groups (65.3% vs 97.8%; RD: −0.35%, 95% CI: −0.42%, −0.28%, P < .001). This difference in seroconversion rates was particularly pronounced for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) patients (RD: −0.46%, 95% CI: −0.56, −0.37, P < .001), and for patients with B-lineage leukemia/lymphoma treated with anti-CD20 antibodies (RD: −0.70%, 95% CI: −0.88%, −0.51%, P < .001) or Bruton Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (BTKi; RD: −0.63%, 95% CI: −0.85%, −0.41%, P < .001). The RD was lower for patients under remission (RD: −0.10%, 95% CI: −0.18%, −0.02%, P = .01).

Conclusion

The seroconversion rates following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with hematologic malignancies, especially in CLL patients and patients treated with anti-CD20 antibodies or BTKi, were significantly lower than the seroconversion rates in healthy control subjects. Effective strategies capable of improving vaccine efficacy in these vulnerable patient populations are urgently needed.
Quantitative Measurement and the Production of Meaning
Authors: Vera Héctor
Published: January 2022

This chapter analyzes how social scientists produce and employ measurements and quantification. It applies insights from symbolic interactionism and cognitive sociology to interrogate underlying assumptions of quantitative measurement, to show how researchers work to assign meaning to measures, and to depict measurement as an intersubjective accomplishment. The chapter develops three main ideas: 1) Measurement is a socio-cognitive operation. It is a radical form of single-mindedness, a mental attitude that focuses on one aspect of a multiform reality at the expense of anything else. Measurement produces quantitative differences among qualitatively fluid realities, and communities use those quantitative differences to demarcate and segregate entities in the qualitative continuum of reality. 2) Quantification is the result of meaningful interactions among people who work to assign meaning to different forms of measurements, and these measurements function as instruments that define situations and construct realities. 3) Measurements are the result of a cooperative effort in a network of people who act collectively and are organized through conventional means of doing things. Quantitative methods are an important part of the bank of knowledge that helps social scientists to coordinate large numbers of interrelated people who work at great social distances.
Environmental Justice, Climate Justice, and Animal Liberation
Movements
Authors: Pellow David N.
Published: January 2022

Comparative scholarship that examines the intersections and tensions among animal rights, environmental justice, and climate justice movements is sorely needed because of the clear overlapping interests among these political formations and the potentially high impact of these movements converging in either discursive or material registers, or both. While points of conflict will continue to shape interactions and avoidances among key stakeholders in these communities, the author argues that they are also a source for advancing important intellectual and political agendas. This chapter takes up this challenge and offers conceptual and empirical resources for better understanding the divisions among these movements as well as the importance of the collaborations and intersections that have been realized.
Feminist Judging
Authors: Kalsem Kristin
Published: January 2022

Since the 1980s, feminists have been theorizing about what feminism means and should mean in the context of judging. Different philosophies have informed scholarly and advocacy efforts to address institutional gender bias in the courts, with priorities and strategies shifting over time. Initiatives have expanded to include calls for greater diversity on the bench and improving the process of dispensing justice. This chapter begins by canvassing multiple reasons why more “outsider” judges, marked by gender, race, ethnicity, and other marginalized identities, are desirable. It then examines the ideal of “feminist judging,” concluding with two recent scholarly projects that integrate feminist judging into real-world practices of the judiciary. One project involves training judges using methods of legal participatory action research, a community-based research paradigm that takes a bottom-up approach; the other Feminist Judgments project reimagines landmark legal cases through the rewriting of judicial opinions from feminist perspectives.
Could Assistance Dogs Improve Well-Being for Aboriginal Peoples Living With Disability?
Authors: Bennett Bindi
Published: January 2022

Aboriginal Peoples with a disability experience greater intersectional discrimination and social inequality that impacts their social health and well-being. Research has shown that interactions with animals can greatly improve human physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Rates of disability continue to be much higher in Aboriginal communities than among the general Australian population. The reasons for this overrepresentation may be due to racial discrimination, the use of a deficit model in Western interventions and systems, and the social construction of disability in Western understandings. This chapter explores how dogs may be utilized for Aboriginal Peoples with a disability to improve their health and well-being. Dogs have been proven to be effective in many fields of practice, including disability, and may be pivotal for Aboriginal Peoples in providing social and emotional support that has the capacity to circumvent the systemic racism present in (human) institutional practices of care.
The Literature of Peace
Authors: Rader Pamela J.
Published: January 2022

In the tradition of novels as vehicles for social change, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen offers a Vietnamese American refugee’s perspective on the war waged on Vietnamese soil. This fictional confessional chronicles the lasting devastation of war, cultural imperialism, and nationalism through its eponymous, biracial, double-agent narrator who subscribes to the loyalty of two brothers instead of the two countries he serves. In the process of his re-education or writing his confession, he produces a manuscript, or parody, whose admissions “were exercises in fiction.” Art, specifically fiction, becomes an act of resistance to assert the loss of individualism and freedom of thought in promoting a culture of peace.
Classroom Assessment Tasks as a Source of Motivational Messages
Authors: Barnes Nicole C. , Fives Helenrose , Coombs Andrew
Published: January 2022

In this scoping article, the authors summarize the extant research on students’ achievement motivation and classroom summative assessment events. The purpose is to understand the ways that different assessment tasks and assessment-related conditions can send motivational messages to students. The authors begin by summarizing two frameworks to illustrate how motivation operates in classroom assessment events. Then the authors present their findings organized into three major categories: overview of articles reviewed, task-focused investigations, and conditions-focused investigations. The goal is to provide a rich description of what is known in the field about relations among assessment tasks, assessment condition, and students’ motivation. A recurring theme in the article is the significance of the entire assessment event, from design to implementation to understanding how classroom assessments send motivational messages to students. In response, the authors call for greater collaboration across fields of educational research so that the integration of assessment and motivation theory can be intentional and lead to the development of sound recommendations for practice.
The Impossible Reformation: Protestant Europe and the Greek Orthodox Church
Authors: Calis Richard
Published: January 2022

This article identifies one of the great but unstudied paradoxes in the history of early modern global Christianity: that the stronger the desire for a uniform Christian way of life burned, the deeper the fractures between different Christian denominations began to grow. It explores this issue by examining the learned exchanges between the infamous Greek Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Lucaris (1572–1638) and members of the Dutch Reformed Church. These efforts have often been seen as an expression of Christian ecumenism or as evidence that the early modern Middle East had become yet another arena for Catholic–Protestant rivalry. But once motivations on both sides are placed in the distinctly local religious climate that fostered them neither of these explanatory paradigms suffices. On the contrary: a decentred approach to this material reveals how Protestant and Eastern Christian understandings of what reform meant and how it could be attained were completely distinct and irreconcilable. It is thus imperative to resist any simple application to Middle Eastern Christianity of categories rooted in European Christian traditions and, instead, to tease out how different Christian denominations defined reform differently. Only then can we make good on our commitment to approach early modern global Christianity as a pluriform and multi-centred phenomenon.
Phosphorylation of RNA Polymerase II by CDKC;2 Maintains the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock Period
Authors: Uehara Takahiro N , Nonoyama Takashi , Taki Kyomi , Kuwata Keiko , Sato Ayato , Fujimoto Kazuhiro J , Hirota Tsuyoshi , Matsuo Hiromi , Maeda Akari E , Ono Azusa , Takahara Tomoaki T , Tsutsui Hiroki , Suzuki Takamasa , Yanai Takeshi , Kay Steve A , Itami Kenichiro , Kinoshita Toshinori , Yamaguchi Junichiro , Nakamichi Norihito
Published: January 2022

The circadian clock is an internal timekeeping system that governs about 24 h biological rhythms of a broad range of developmental and metabolic activities. The clocks in eukaryotes are thought to rely on lineage-specific transcriptional–translational feedback loops. However, the mechanisms underlying the basic transcriptional regulation events for clock function have not yet been fully explored. Here, through a combination of chemical biology and genetic approaches, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II by CYCLIN DEPENDENT KINASE C; 2 (CDKC;2) is required for maintaining the circadian period in Arabidopsis. Chemical screening identified BML-259, the inhibitor of mammalian CDK2/CDK5, as a compound lengthening the circadian period of Arabidopsis. Short-term BML-259 treatment resulted in decreased expression of most clock-associated genes. Development of a chemical probe followed by affinity proteomics revealed that BML-259 binds to CDKC;2. Loss-of-function mutations of cdkc;2 caused a long period phenotype. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the CDKC;2 immunocomplex phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II, and BML-259 inhibits this phosphorylation. Collectively, this study suggests that transcriptional activity maintained by CDKC;2 is required for proper period length, which is an essential feature of the circadian clock in Arabidopsis.
Translation initiation landscape profiling reveals hidden open-reading frames required for the pathogenesis of tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus
Authors: Chiu Ching-Wen , Li Ya-Ru , Lin Cheng-Yuan , Yeh Hsin-Hung , Liu Ming-Jung
Published: January 2022

Plant viruses with densely packed genomes employ noncanonical translational strategies to increase the coding capacity for viral function. However, the diverse translational strategies used make it challenging to define the full set of viral genes. Here, using tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV, genus Begomovirus) as a model system, we identified genes beyond the annotated gene sets by experimentally profiling in vivo translation initiation sites (TISs). We found that unanticipated AUG TISs were prevalent and determined that their usage involves alternative transcriptional and/or translational start sites and is associated with flanking mRNA sequences. Specifically, two downstream in-frame TISs were identified in the viral gene AV2. These TISs were conserved in the begomovirus lineage and led to the translation of different protein isoforms localized to cytoplasmic puncta and at the cell periphery, respectively. In addition, we found translational evidence of an unexplored gene, BV2. BV2 is conserved among TYLCTHV isolates and localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum and plasmodesmata. Mutations of AV2 isoforms and BV2 significantly attenuated disease symptoms in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In conclusion, our study pinpointing in vivo TISs untangles the coding complexity of a plant viral genome and, more importantly, illustrates the biological significance of the hidden open-reading frames encoding viral factors for pathogenicity.
LeafNet: a tool for segmenting and quantifying stomata and pavement cells
Authors: Li Shaopeng , Li Linmao , Fan Weiliang , Ma Suping , Zhang Cheng , Kim Jang Chol , Wang Kun , Russinova Eugenia , Zhu Yuxian , Zhou Yu
Published: January 2022

Stomata play important roles in gas and water exchange in leaves. The morphological features of stomata and pavement cells are highly plastic and are regulated during development. However, it is very laborious and time-consuming to collect accurate quantitative data from the leaf surface by manual phenotyping. Here, we introduce LeafNet, a tool that automatically localizes stomata, segments pavement cells (to prepare them for quantification), and reports multiple morphological parameters for a variety of leaf epidermal images, especially bright-field microscopy images. LeafNet employs a hierarchical strategy to identify stomata using a deep convolutional network and then segments pavement cells on stomata-masked images using a region merging method. LeafNet achieved promising performance on test images for quantifying different phenotypes of individual stomata and pavement cells compared with six currently available tools, including StomataCounter, Cellpose, PlantSeg, and PaCeQuant. LeafNet shows great flexibility, and we improved its ability to analyze bright-field images from a broad range of species as well as confocal images using transfer learning. Large-scale images of leaves can be efficiently processed in batch mode and interactively inspected with a graphic user interface or a web server (https://leafnet.whu.edu.cn/). The functionalities of LeafNet could easily be extended and will enhance the efficiency and productivity of leaf phenotyping for many plant biologists.
Does monitoring performance act as an incentive for improving research performance? National and organizational level analysis of Finnish universities
Authors: Himanen Laura , Puuska Hanna-Mari
Published: January 2022

Monitoring of research performance, especially performance-based allocation of research funding inevitably creates intended and unintended incentives for universities. In this article, we study if monitoring performance acts as an incentive for improved research performance by scrutinizing the development of two essential indicators of Finnish universities’ research performance, publication output, and international competitive research funding at both national and organizational level, by combining several statistical data sources. The results are reflected to the recent changes in Finnish universities’ national funding model as well as the organizational research assessment performed in 12 universities between the years 2009 and 2019. Based on our analysis, we suggest that the incentives brought on by national and organizational level actions have not hindered the positive development in the two elements of research performance as seen in the data, and in fact the introduction of an indicator that emphasizes the quality of publication channels to the university funding model has incentivized positive development in publication counts. Universities’ research assessments seem to have no systematic influence on the developments of the two indicators under scrutiny. However, according to our analysis, research assessments in Finnish universities are conducted first and foremost for developmental reasons, so it is likely that possible changes in research performance happen during a much longer period than what our data cover.
Democratic and expert legitimacy: Science, politics and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Weingart Peter , van Schalkwyk François , Guenther Lars
Published: January 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an extraordinary test case for an analysis of the interrelations between policymakers and scientific experts faced with grave decisions and given the respective levels of trust they enjoy. The article provides a comparative analysis between three countries—Germany, the USA and South Africa (SA)—of the interrelation between the public’s perceptions of the threat posed by the pandemic, the trust in governments and in scientific experts formally organized to advise governments, and the acceptance of governments’ decisions to mitigate the pandemic. These scientific experts enjoyed a high degree of acceptance even when admitting uncertainty and the need for further research. Support for politicians also remained high in spite of the severity of the measures implemented and their increasingly evident departure from their experts’ advice. However, trust in politicians deteriorated as the pandemic progressed, most dramatically in the USA, less so in SA and Germany, due to the politicization of the pandemic. The analysis is limited to events during 2020.
Are there political cycles hidden inside collaborative innovation efficiency? An empirical study based on Chinese cities
Authors: Fan Fei , Zhang Xuerong , Wang Xueli
Published: January 2022

Shifting political interests of government officials stemming from the Provincial Party Congress (PPC) affects the efficiency of urban innovation. In this paper, intra-city collaborative innovation efficiency (CIE) and inter-city CIE were both analyzed. The intra-city CIE among 285 Chinese cities from 2004 to 2018 was estimated using network data envelopment analysis model, with a gravity model utilized to measure inter-city CIE. Based on a fixed-effect model, the relationship between estimated change in CIE and political cycle is revealed from the perspective of PPC. The study finds that across all cities, (1) cyclical fluctuations in CIE synchronize with the timing of PPC. The inter-city CIE is more sensitive to political cycles than that of intra-city. (2) The turnover effect of PPC cannot be equated with leadership transition alone at non-PPC years. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis identified differential effects of features of government officials and cities on political cycles of urban CIE.
miR319a targeting of CsTCP10 plays an important role in defense against gray blight disease in tea plant (Camellia sinensis)
Authors: Liu Lu , Chen Hongrong , Zhu Junyan , Tao Linglng , Wei Chaoling
Published: January 2022

Gray blight disease occurs widely in major tea-producing areas and harms the leaves of tea trees, which affects the quality and yield of processed tea. According to an analysis of previous sequencing data, miR319a may be important in the resistance of tea plants to gray blight disease. In this study, based on 5′RLM-RACE, qRT-PCR, sODN, CIN and transient transformation experiments in tobacco, CsTCP10 and CsTCP4 were found to be cleaved by miR319a. qRT-PCR and northern blotting also revealed that the expression pattern of CsTCP10 in tea leaves was opposite to that of miR319a, while that of CsTCP4 displayed no similar change. Furthermore, a large amount of reactive oxygen species was found to accumulate in tea leaves in the antisense oligodeoxynucleotide experiment, while the expression of CsTCP10 was inhibited. These results suggest that CsTCP10 is a positive regulator of the resistance of tea plants to gray blight disease. Compared with the wild-type, the expression of AtTCP10 in transgenic Arabidopsis plants was downregulated. After infection with the pathogen, the transgenic plants were more severely damaged. Our results suggest that miR319a facilitates Pestalotiopsis infection by suppressing the expression of CsTCP10 in tea plants.
First Detection of Frogeye Leaf Spot in Soybean Fields in North Dakota and the G143A Mutation in the Cytochrome b Gene of Cercospora sojina
Authors: Neves Danilo L. , Berghuis Brandt G. , Halvorson Jessica M. , Hansen Bryan C. , Markell Samuel G. , Bradley Carl A.
Published: January 2022

Frogeye leaf spot, caused by Cercospora sojina, is an important foliar disease of soybean (Glycine max) in the United States. Application of quinone outside inhibitor (QoI) fungicides has been an important tool available to farmers to help manage this disease, but in 2010, C. sojina isolates with resistance to QoI fungicides were first discovered in Tennessee and then additional states in the years to follow. During the 2020 growing season, C. sojina isolates collected from North Dakota soybean fields were tested for QoI resistance using laboratory and molecular assays. The results of these assays showed that QoI fungicide-resistant C. sojina isolates are present in North Dakota. Similar to previous findings in other states, these QoI-resistant C. sojina isolates contain the G143A mutation. Soybean farmers in North Dakota will need to use an integrated approach of cultural practices, genetic resistance, and fungicides with multiple modes of action to manage this disease in light of QoI-resistant C. sojina isolates being present in the state.
Normal-pressure hydrocephalus
Authors: Liang Kyle , Chebrolu Puja
Published: January 2022

Normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is characterized by the clinical triad of dementia, gait instability, and urinary incontinence. The estimated annual incidence is 1.8 cases in 100,000 persons, making NPH a rare diagnosis and uncommon cause of dementia. NPH is a form of communicating hydrocephalus that can easily be missed in older adults with multiple comorbidities, so clinicians must exclude reversible causes of dementia before diagnosing irreversible causes such as Alzheimer disease.
A Standardized Investigational Ki-67 Immunohistochemistry Assay Used to Assess High-Risk Early Breast Cancer Patients in the monarchE Phase 3 Clinical Study Identifies a Population With Greater Risk of Disease Recurrence When Treated With Endocrine Therapy Alone
Authors: Polewski Monika D. , Nielsen Gitte B. , Gu Ying , Weaver Aaron T. , Gegg Gavin , Tabuena-Frolli Siena , Cajaiba Mariana , Hanks Debra , Method Michael , Press Michael F. , Gottstein Claudia , Gruver Aaron M.
Published: January 2022

The objectives were to develop a standardized Ki-67 immunohistochemistry (IHC) method for precise, robust, and reproducible assessment of patients with early breast cancer, and utilize this assay to evaluate patients participating in the monarchE study (NCT03155997). The Ki-67 assay was developed and validated for sensitivity, specificity, repeatability, precision, and robustness using a predefined ≥20% cutoff. Reproducibility studies (intersite and intrasite, interobserver and intraobserver) were conducted at 3 external laboratories using detailed scoring instructions designed for monarchE. Using the assay, patient tumors were classified as displaying high (≥20%) or low (<20%) Ki-67 expression; Kaplan-Meier methods evaluated 2-year invasive disease-free survival rates for these 2 groups among patients treated with endocrine therapy (ET) alone. All analytical validation and reproducibility studies achieved point estimates of >90% for negative, positive, and overall percent agreement. Intersite reproducibility produced point estimate values of 94.7%, 100.0%, and 97.3%. External interobserver reproducibility produced point estimate values of 98.9%, 97.8%, and 98.3%. Among 1954 patients receiving ET alone, 986 (50.5%) had high and 968 (49.5%) had low Ki-67 expression. Patients with high Ki-67 had a clinically meaningful increased risk of developing invasive disease within 2 years compared with those with low Ki-67 [2-y invasive disease-free survival rate: 86.1% (95% confidence interval: 83.1%-88.7%) vs. 92.0% (95% confidence interval: 89.7%-93.9%), respectively]. This standardized Ki-67 methodology resulted in high concordance across multiple laboratories, and its use in the monarchE study prospectively demonstrated the prognostic value of Ki-67 IHC in HR+, HER2− early breast cancer with high-risk clinicopathologic features.
Hairy Cell Leukemia Presenting as Presternal Soft Tissue Mass: A Case Report With Review of Literature
Authors: Murshed Khaled Abdelfattah , Fadul Afraa , Yassin Mohamed A. , Hilmi Feryal , Elsayed Ahmed Mounir , Al-Bozom Issam
Published: January 2022

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is an uncommon chronic lymphoproliferative disorder. Initial presentation frequently includes symptoms related to peripheral blood cytopenias. It can sometimes have atypical manifestations and can present at unusual sites. We report an unusual presentation of HCL as a presternal soft tissue mass in a 45-year-old man. His peripheral blood counts showed pancytopenia. There were no palpable lymph nodes or hepatosplenomegaly. CT-scan revealed a middle mediastinal mass with extension into the presternal soft tissue. Tissue core biopsy was taken and histopathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of HCL. To our knowledge, this is the second reported case of HCL presenting as a presternal soft tissue mass. Although rare, HCL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of tumors involving extramedullary/extranodal sites including the soft tissue and bone, so the patient can get the utmost benefit for early diagnosis of a treatment responsive disease.
Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia in a Patient With a Germline Predisposition and Short Telomeres
Authors: Nageshwar Monika , Duong Vu H. , Koka Rima , Singh Zeba , Kallen Michael E.
Published: January 2022

Myeloid neoplasms with germline predisposition are an increasingly recognized category within the World Health Organization classification. Detection requires a high degree of suspicion, with mounting awareness of clinically silent phenotypes and heterogeneous presentations, challenging diagnostic and laboratory testing considerations, need for surveillance of disease progression, and unique concerns in donor selection for stem cell transplantation. We describe the case of a patient who presented as a teenager with thrombocytopenia and was later diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, with eventual transformation to acute myeloid leukemia, which has relapsed after stem cell transplantation. She was found to have short telomeres and a TERT mutation, in addition to numerous features suggestive of a germline predisposition syndrome. These findings have not been specifically associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and raise interesting questions about the associations between myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms, telomere biology disorders, and the roles of specific myeloid mutations as drivers of disease.
Implant-Based Reconstruction following Mastectomy in Patients Who Have Had a Previous Breast Augmentation: Lessons from the National Multicenter Implant Breast Reconstruction Evaluation Study
Authors: Baker Benjamin G. , Sewart Emma , Harvey James , Potter Shelley ,   On behalf of the Implant Breast Reconstruction Evaluation Study Steering Group and Breast Reconstruction Research Collaborative
Published: January 2022

Background:

Breast augmentation is the most commonly performed cosmetic procedure, and increasingly women in this group present with breast cancer or request risk-reducing surgery, but their optimal management is unclear. The authors explored the clinical and patient-reported outcomes of patients undergoing immediate implant-based breast reconstruction following previous augmentation and compared these with outcomes of patients who had not had cosmetic implants in the Implant Breast Reconstruction Evaluation (iBRA) Study.

Methods:

Patients undergoing immediate implant-based breast reconstruction were prospectively recruited from breast and plastic surgical units across the United Kingdom. Demographic, operative, and oncologic data, and information regarding complications within 3 postoperative months were collected. Patient-reported outcomes at 18 months were assessed using the BREAST-Q. The clinical and patient-reported outcomes of patients undergoing immediate implant-based breast reconstruction with and without previous breast augmentation were compared.

Results:

A total of 2108 women were included in the iBRA Study, of whom 49 had undergone a previous augmentation. Women in the augmentation group were younger (median age, 45 years versus 50 years; p = 0.01), had a lower body mass index (22.8 kg/m2 versus 24.9 kg/m2; p < 0.01), and had smaller tumors (15 mm versus 25 mm; p = 0.01) than patients without augmentation. No differences were seen in operative technique between the groups. Complications at 3 months were similar in both groups and there were no significant differences in patient-reported outcomes at 18 months.

Conclusions:

The clinical and patient-reported outcomes of patients undergoing immediate implant-based breast reconstruction following previous augmentation are consistent with those observed in the wider iBRA Study cohort, supporting the safety of this approach.
Clarifying the Anatomy of the Zygomatic Cutaneous Ligament: Its Application in Midface Rejuvenation
Authors: Duan Jing , Cong Li-Yao , Luo Cheng-En , Luo Sheng-Kang
Published: January 2022

Background:

Anatomical knowledge of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament is crucial for rejuvenation of the anteromedial midface. However, there is a lack of satisfactory descriptions of the anatomy of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament, and the exact range and location are still controversial. The present study attempts to clarify the anatomy of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament to provide vital information for clinical operations.

Methods:

Facial dissection was performed on 36 cadaver hemifaces. The location of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament was investigated and recorded relative to the Frankfort horizontal line and several vertical reference lines. The relative relationship of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament with surrounding anatomical structures was also investigated.

Results:

The zygomatic cutaneous ligament is a septum-like osteocutaneous ligament originating from the periosteum of the maxilla and zygoma. The overall range of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament starts at the origin of the levator labii superioris and then extends laterally, following the curvature of the inferior bone margin. After merging with the ligamentous part at the origin of zygomaticus minor and zygomaticus major muscle (11.65 mm inferior to the horizontal line), it continues as the zygomatic retaining ligament on the zygomatic arch. The vertical distances between the zygomatic cutaneous ligament and horizontal line along the L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 reference lines are 9.1, 19.5, 22.1, 21.7, and 18.7 mm, respectively.

Conclusion:

The anatomical data obtained in the present study regarding the location of the zygomatic cutaneous ligament might be valuable for understanding the appearance of the midcheek fold and be helpful for surgical procedures to rejuvenate the anteromedial midface.
Smooth versus Textured Implants and Their Association with the Frequency of Capsular Contracture in Primary Breast Augmentation
Authors: Filiciani Sandra , Siemienczuk Guillermo F. , Etcheverry Mariano G.
Published: January 2022

Background:

Capsular contracture is the most frequent complication of breast implant augmentation. Although studies indicate that textured implants have a low incidence of contracture, they have been associated with anaplastic cell lymphoma, which influences the choice of surface. This study estimated and compared the annual capsular contracture rate of both smooth and textured implants in primary breast implants.

Methods:

Two hundred fifty-three patients (506 implants) were evaluated from January of 2017 to July of 2019; 42.2 percent of the implants were smooth and 57.8 percent were textured. The inframammary approach was used in the subfascial (55.3 percent) and submuscular (44.7 percent) pockets. The primary outcome was the appearance of capsular contracture (Baker grade II, III, and IV) within the first postoperative year.

Results:

Smooth implants had a higher capsular contracture rate at 1 year postoperatively compared with textured implants, although with borderline statistical significance (p = 0.06). Smooth surface breast implants in the subfascial plane had a 4-fold higher risk of contracture than those with a textured surface in the same plane (OR, 4.4; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.6 to 12.4). However, when placed in the submuscular plane, both textures had a similar contracture risk. The rate of contracture was similar after 2 years postoperatively (p = 0.21).

Conclusions:

Using the inframammary approach and a standardized technique, there were no significant differences in the incidence of capsular contracture between the smooth and textured implants. In the subfascial plane, the contracture rate with smooth implants was higher than with textured implants. However, in the submuscular plane, there was no difference between the surfaces.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCW:

Therapeutic, III.
Relationship between Preoperative Abdominal Wall Strength and Bulging at the Abdominal Free Flap Donor Site for Breast Reconstruction
Authors: Tokumoto Hideki , Akita Shinsuke , Kubota Yoshitaka , Mitsukawa Nobuyuki
Published: January 2022

Background:

Abdominal bulging at the donor site of free abdominal flaps for breast reconstruction is a common postoperative complication. In addition to the thickness of abdominal muscles, the authors identified the rectus abdominis diastasis as an important factor that compromises abdominal wall strength. This study aimed to assess the relationship between preoperative abdominal wall strength and postoperative abdominal bulging.

Methods:

A total of 224 patients were enrolled in this study. Patient demographics, the rectus and lateral abdominis muscle thicknesses, and the rate of rectus abdominis diastasis were compared (with versus without bulging). Muscle thickness and rectus abdominis diastasis were investigated by preoperative computed tomography.

Results:

The group with bulging consisted of 32 patients (14.3 percent), whereas the group without bulging consisted of 192 patients. The group with bulging had a significantly higher gestational history rate. The thickness of the rectus abdominis muscle in the group with bulging was significantly thinner (median, 8.6 mm versus 10.5 mm; p < 0.001) and the rate of rectus abdominis diastasis was significantly higher (78.1 percent versus 32.3 percent; p < 0.001). There were no significant differences with respect to the thickness of the lateral abdominal muscle and the other factors (i.e., age, body mass index, history of laparotomy. and operative details).

Conclusions:

Because the diagnosis of abdominal bulging was based on severity, the rate may be high compared to that reported from previous studies. Because the factor of gestational history correlated to thickness of the rectus abdominis muscle and rectus abdominis diastasis, this factor influenced the occurrence of abdominal bulging. Patients with a thin rectus abdominis muscle and rectus abdominis diastasis were at higher risk of abdominal bulging.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Risk, III.