bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti‐Proteinase 3 Antibodies as a Biomarker for Ulcerative Colitis and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis in Children
Authors: Laass Martin Walter , Ziesmann Josefine , de Laffolie Jan , Röber Nadja , Conrad Karsten
Published: December 2021

Objectives:

Anti‐neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) directed against proteinase 3 (PR3) is a marker for granulomatosis with polyangiitis, but is also found in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), mainly ulcerative colitis (UC). The aim of our study was to investigate ANCA and PR3‐ANCA in paediatric IBD.

Methods:

We tested 326 paediatric IBD patients and 164 controls for anti‐Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), ANCA (indirect immunofluorescence, IIF) and PR3‐ANCA (chemiluminescence immunoassay). We applied the Paris classification for paediatric IBD and documented liver manifestations such as primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH).

Results:

We found PR3‐ANCA in 49/121 (40%) of UC, 20/187 (11%) of Crohn disease (CD) and 2/18 (11%) of IBD‐unclassified (IBD‐U) patients but in none of the controls. 54% UC and 12% CD patients were positive for ANCA (IIF). PR3‐ANCA positive UC patients were characterised by more extensive disease (P = .070). Fourteen of 21 (67%) of UC patients with backwash ileitis were anti‐PR3 ANCA‐positive (P = .011). We diagnosed PSC or PSC/AIH in 19 UC and 3 IBD‐U patients. Fifteen of 22 (68%) patients with PSC or PSC/AIH were anti‐PR3‐ANCA positive in contrast to 36 of 117 (32%) patients without PSC (P = .001). PR3‐ANCA positive patients showed higher levels of gamma‐glutamyl transferase, alanine transaminase and aspartate transferase (P < 0.001, 0.001, 0.006, respectively). Forty‐seven percent of CD and 6% of UC patients were ASCA‐IgA positive. PR3‐ANCA‐positive and ‐negative patients showed no significant differences concerning age at diagnosis, disease activity, need for drugs, and number of hospitalisations.

Conclusions:

Our study provides data for PR3‐ANCA as a potential serological marker for paediatric UC and PSC.
Intermittent pain in patients with chronic low back pain is associated with abnormalities in muscles and fascia
Authors: Ushida Kenta , Akeda Koji , Momosaki Ryo , Yokochi Ayumu , Shimada Takaaki , Ito Toshikazu , Maruyama Kazuo
Published: December 2021

We investigated the relationship between paravertebral muscles and perimuscular connective tissues of the thoracolumbar fascia region and the four types of pain in patients suffering from chronic low back pain. A total of 17 patients with chronic low back pain participated in this study. Ultrasound imaging method was used to measure the thickness and echogenicity of the paravertebral muscles and perimuscular connective tissues. The measurement site considered in this study was located lateral to the midpoint between L2–3 and L4–5 spines. In addition, age, gender, BMI, numerical rating scale and the short-form McGill pain questionnaire 2 (includes questions with respect to continuous pain, intermittent pain, neuropathic pain and affective descriptors) were used for assessment. Statistical analysis was performed using correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. A significant association was observed between paravertebral muscle echogenicity at L2–3 and the numerical rating scale (r = 0.499), between paravertebral muscle echogenicity at L4–5 with numerical rating scale (r = 0.538) and intermittent pain (r = 0.594), and between perimuscular connective tissue thickness at L2–3 and numerical rating scale (r = 0.762). We observed that the factor influencing perimuscular connective tissue thickness at L2–3 and L4–5 was intermittent pain (β = 0.513, β = 0.597, respectively). It was also observed that some of the imaging findings were associated with age and BMI. In conclusion, we observed that paravertebral muscle echogenicity and perimuscular connective tissue thickness in patients with chronic low back pain were associated with pain, especially intermittent pain.
A Model Program to Manage Behavioral Emergencies and Support Nurses in the Medical Setting
Authors: Tommasini Nancy R. , Iennaco Joanne DeSanto
Published: December 2021

Medically hospitalized individuals have high rates of comorbid psychiatric, substance abuse, and behavioral disorders. Disruptive and sometimes aggressive behaviors may arise when mental health needs of patients go unrecognized or are inadequately addressed. Health care workers experience the most workplace violence compared with other professions, with nurses and nursing aides at highest risk. A Behavioral Emergency Support Team (BEST) model can be an effective approach to providing a customized response to a patient's agitation through identification of underlying clinical and environmental contributors to the onset of aggression as well as to provide behavioral education and support of nursing staff. Results from 2 years of BEST model use resulted in 124 events among 96 patients of whom 19 had repeated events. The most common reasons for codes were aggression (79%) and elopement threat/attempt (45%), and the most frequent patient diagnosis was cognitive impairment (54%). Development of a BEST model provides support to nurses that is not otherwise available for events that are disruptive to care in inpatient medical settings and help minimize the occurrence of workplace violence.
Behavioral Health Challenges in an Acute Care Hospital During the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Swann Julie
Published: December 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all areas of health care and posed unique challenges in managing patient care. COVID-19 precautions were taken in every practice setting. The placement and care of patients with a behavioral health (BH) diagnosis have revealed unforeseen acute care challenges during this pandemic. There were new barriers for acute care hospitals in the timely transition of care of BH patients who tested positive for COVID-19. The purpose of this article is to highlight the challenges encountered by an acute care hospital to provide extended care for BH patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Immediately following COVID-19 recovery, the patients could not be placed in a licensed BH facility for continued care because of state COVID-19 quarantine executive order and public health mandate for congregate facilities. This mandate resulted in the acute care hospitals in Georgia adapting in real time to provide extended inpatient care for BH patients. This article presents 2 case studies, outlining challenges, interventions, and lessons learned, of how one acute care hospital ensured the best outcomes for extended-stay BH patients admitted with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.
The Nurse Leader's Role in Nurse Substance Use, Mental Health, and Suicide in a Peripandemic World
Authors: Choflet Amanda , Barnes Arianna , Zisook Sidney , Lee Kelly C. , Ayers Cadie , Koivula Deborah , Ye Gordon , Davidson Judy
Published: December 2021

Nurses are known to be at an increased risk of death by suicide, and recent studies have found links between nurse suicide, substance use, mental health issues, and job problems. Because of stigma, inaccessibility of resources, and regulatory and legal issues, nurses are unlikely to seek help unless a crisis forces them into treatment. The purpose of this article is to review the current understanding of nurse suicide, the psychological impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the strategic planning approach to identify the needs of nurses, and promising interventions and practices. Evidence-based strategies to intervene at the personal, institutional, and regulatory levels should be employed to reduce nurse suicide by focusing not only on suicide but also on treatment of substance and mental health issues, as well as a renewed focus on disciplinary procedures that may place nurses in immediate danger of death by suicide. Nurse leaders have a moral obligation to provide proactive, meaningful interventions to reduce the risk of death by suicide among nurses.
Do intra-articular knee injuries detected by preoperative MRI affect the clinical management of extensor mechanism ruptures?
Authors: Turner Elizabeth H.G. , Akoh Craig C. , Hetzel Scott J. , Markhardt B. Keegan , Spiker Andrea M.
Published: December 2021

Objectives:

We sought to determine the prevalence of intra-articular findings at the time of extensor mechanism injury that required subsequent surgical intervention.

Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting:

Level 1 academic trauma center.

Patients/participants:

Sixty-seven knees in 66 nonconsecutive patients (mean age 53.6 years, 95.6% male) with extensor mechanism injury and preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before undergoing open primary surgical repair.

Main outcome measurements:

Patellar or quadriceps tendon rupture, high or low injury energy level, and age above or below 45 years were used to stratify patients. The primary outcome was additional surgery for intra-articular injury. Demographics, comorbidities, mechanism and location of injury, and internal derangements based on MRI findings were also collected.

Results:

Fifty-one knees (76.1%) had quadriceps tendon injury, 13 knees (19.4%) had patellar tendon injury, and 3 knees (4.6%) had both. Thirty-four knees (50.7%) had intra-articular pathology and 3 (4.5%) required additional surgery, including 1 knee (7.7%) with patellar tendon injury and 2 knees (3.9%) with quadriceps tendon injury. Patellar tendon injuries were more commonly associated with cruciate ligament injury (P < .01) and occurred in younger patients (P < .001) than quadriceps tendon injury.

Conclusions:

50.7% of cases with extensor mechanism injury had intra-articular pathology but only 4.5% required additional surgery. The results of our study suggest that preoperative MRI is unlikely to be of significant clinical utility in most extensor mechanism injuries but should be considered in cases of patellar tendon rupture in younger patients where the incidence of concomitant cruciate ligament injury is higher.

Level of evidence:

Diagnostic Level III.
Circulating CD4+ TEMRA and CD4+ CD28− T cells and incident diabetes among persons with and without HIV
Authors: Bailin Samuel S. , Kundu Suman , Wellons Melissa , Freiberg Matthew S. , Doyle Margaret F. , Tracy Russell P. , Justice Amy C. , Wanjalla Celestine N. , Landay Alan L. , So-Armah Kaku , Mallal Simon , Kropski Jonathan A. , Koethe John R.
Published: December 2021

Objective:

A higher proportion of circulating memory CD4+ T cells is associated with prevalent diabetes mellitus in persons with HIV (PWH) and HIV-negative persons. We assessed whether circulating T-cell subsets could also identify individuals who will subsequently develop diabetes.

Design:

This is a longitudinal follow-up study of PWH and similar HIV-negative individuals from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study who provided peripheral mononuclear blood cells between 2005 and 2007.

Methods:

We quantified T-cell subsets using flow cytometry and functional assays to identify CD4+ and CD8+ naive, activated, senescent, memory (central, effector, and effector RA+), and TH1, TH2, and TH17-phenotype cells. The occurrence of an incident diabetes diagnosis (i.e. after baseline blood draw) was adjudicated by a two-physician chart review. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for traditional risk factors, cytomegalovirus serostatus, and plasma inflammatory biomarkers assessed the relationship between T-cell subsets and incident diabetes.

Results:

One thousand, eight hundred and thirty-seven participants (1259 PWH) without diabetes at baseline were included; 69% were black, 95% were men, and median follow-up was 8.6 years. Higher baseline frequencies of CD4+ T effector memory RA+ (TEMRA) cells defined as CD45RA+ CD27− (P = 0.04) and senescent T cells defined as CD4+ CD28− (P = 0.04) were associated with incident diabetes in PWH only.

Conclusions:

Higher frequencies of CD4+ TEMRA and CD4+ CD28− T cells were associated with incident diabetes in PWH only after adjustment for other factors. Additional studies are necessary to assess whether these cells act in blood via inflammatory mediators or reflect T-cell populations in metabolically active tissues.
Contributions of chronic tobacco smoking to HIV-associated brain atrophy and cognitive deficits
Authors: Liang Hua-Jun , Ernst Thomas , Cunningham Eric , Chang Linda
Published: December 2021

Objectives:

Tobacco smoking is linked to cognitive deficits and greater white matter (WM) abnormalities in people with HIV disease (PWH). Whether tobacco smoking additionally contributes to brain atrophy in PWH is unknown and was evaluated in this study.

Design:

We used a 2 × 2 design that included 83 PWH (43 nonsmokers, 40 smokers) and 171 HIV-seronegative (SN, 106 nonsmokers, 65 smokers) participants and assessed their brain structure and cognitive function.

Methods:

Selected subcortical volumes, voxel-wise cortical volumes and thickness, and total WM volume were analyzed using FreeSurfer. Independent and interactive effects of HIV and smoking were evaluated with two-way analysis of covariance on cognitive domain Z-scores and morphometric measures on T1-weighted MRI.

Results:

Regardless of smoking status, relative to SN, PWH had smaller brain volumes [basal ganglia, thalami, hippocampi, subcortical gray matter (GM) and cerebral WM volumes (P = 0.002–0.042)], steeper age-related declines in the right superior-parietal (interaction: P < 0.001) volumes, and poorer attention/working memory and learning (P = 0.016–0.027). Regardless of HIV serostatus, smokers tended to have smaller hippocampi than nonsmokers (−0.6%, P = 0.055). PWH smokers had the smallest total and regional subcortical GM and cortical WM volume and poorest cognitive performance.

Conclusions:

Tobacco smoking additionally contributed to brain atrophy and cognitive deficits in PWH. The greater brain atrophy in PWH smokers may be due to greater neuronal damage or myelin loss in various brain regions, leading to their poor cognitive performance. Therefore, tobacco smoking may exacerbate or increase the risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders.
Clinical Characteristics for Predicting Recovery of Acquired Fourth Cranial Nerve Palsy
Authors: Kim Jae Hyun , Choi Hee-Young , Jeon Hyeshin
Published: December 2021

Background:

Fourth cranial nerve palsy is the most common disease diagnosed in patients with vertical diplopia. Although it is reported to present a good prognosis, there are currently no agreed on prognostic factors that anticipate the recovery of the palsy other than the etiology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognostic factors of acquired fourth cranial nerve palsy.

Methods:

The medical records of consecutive patients diagnosed with acquired unilateral fourth cranial nerve palsy from 2010 to 2020 and followed up for ≥6 months were retrospectively reviewed. The cause and degree of palsy, ocular deviation (horizontal, vertical, and cyclo), and fundus torsion were reviewed. The cause of palsy was classified as ischemic, traumatic, intracranial mass, others, or idiopathic. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to palsy recovery: complete recovery (group CR) or not CR (group NCR). The clinical characteristics of the 2 groups were compared, and the risk factors for incomplete recovery were investigated.

Results:

Thirty-five patients (25 men) were included in the study. The average age was 55.94 ± 16.11 years. CR was achieved in 23 patients (65.7%), and the time to recovery was 3.91 ± 4.03 months. The most common cause was traumatic (40.0%), followed by ischemia (37.1%), intracranial mass (11.4%), others (8.6%), and idiopathic (2.9%). The degree of palsy and fundus torsion was significantly higher in group NCR (P= 0.010 andP= 0.001). Severe oculomotor limitation, large fundus torsion, and intracranial mass cause rather than ischemic cause indicated a higher risk of incomplete or no recovery (P= 0.016,P= 0.009, andP= 0.043).

Conclusion:

Identifying whether a patient has an intracranial mass, severe oculomotor limitation, or large fundus excyclotorsion may be useful for predicting the recovery of acquired unilateral fourth cranial nerve palsy.
Detection of invasive Trichosporon asahii in patient blood by a fungal PCR array
Authors: Weber Jasmin K. , Scharf Sebastian , Walther Grit , Flüh Greta , MacKenzie Colin R. , Kondakci Mustafa , Henrich Birgit , Kohns Vasconcelos Malte
Published: December 2021

Rare invasive fungal infections are increasingly emerging in hosts with predisposing factors such as immunodeficiency. Their timely diagnosis remains difficult, as their clinical picture may initially mimic infections with more common fungal species and species identification may be difficult with routine methods or may require time-consuming subcultures. This often results in ineffective drug administration and fatal outcomes. We report on a patient in their early twenties with mixed cellularity classical Hodgkin lymphoma with a disseminated Trichosporon asahii (T. asahii) infection. Even though pathogen detection and identification was possible via the standard procedure consisting of culture followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation–time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, the patient passed away in the course of multi organ failure. Herein, we report on a retrospectively applied experimental diagnostic fungal PCR-analysis used on an EDTA blood sample and consisting of two pan-fungal reactions and seven branch-specific reactions. Regarding invasive T. asahii infection, this PCR array could considerably shorten time to diagnosis and switch to a targeted therapy with triazoles.
Online prescribing for sexually transmitted infections – what’s on offer? An evaluation of internet pharmacies based in the United Kingdom
Authors: Okecha Elizabeth , Boardman Emily , Patel Saleha , Morgan Emile
Published: December 2021

Background

Online pharmacies offer an alternative approach for patients to manage their sexual health. Our aim was to determine the type of antimicrobials sold as treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by UK internet pharmacies and if providers were adhering to national guidelines.

Methods

A search engine results page (SERP) generated a list of registered UK online pharmacies offering treatment for the following infections: Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Herpes simplex and Trichomonas vaginalis. An initial audit in 2017 benchmarked each provider against the British Association of Sexual Health & HIV (BASHH guidelines. Results were fed back to each provider before re-audit in 2020. Websites selling antibiotics for non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) and Mycoplasma genitalium were included at re-audit.

Results

There were 30 pharmacies identified in 2017 of which, five were excluded. Treatment could be obtained for Neisseria gonorrhoeae from five pharmacies without providing a culture result; three (60%) pharmacies sold BASHH approved antibiotics for Neisseria gonorrhoeae. All 25 pharmacies sold Chlamydia trachomatis treatment; 22 (88%) offered first line treatment options but no website assessed for proctitis. Herpes simplex treatment was sold on 22 websites of which, 13 (59%) offered treatment recommended by BASHH. Trichomonas vaginalis treatment was sold by four websites in line with BASHH. Results at re-audit showed an improvement in standards, although advice before, during and after treatment remained variable.

Discussion

Our work has allowed us to engage with providers to improve prescribing within the UK online pharmacy industry. However, tougher regulation is needed in order to embed sustainable change for patients who choose to access treatment online.
Comparative efficacy of interferential therapy, bronchodilators, and body positioning on asthma control and quality of life of patients with bronchial asthma: Study protocol
Authors: Oladejo Eniola Awolola , Sooknunan Sonill Maharaj
Published: December 2021

Background

Interferential therapy (IFT) is the application of two medium frequency currents to the skin to stimulate and activate different systems in the body using specific frequencies and frequency ranges. IFT aims to reduce myalgia in the chest and upper back, reduce muscular fatigue and induce mucus expectoration. This study is designed to compare the efficacy of IFT on asthma control and quality of life of asthma patients pre-and post-administration of bronchodilators and determine the most influential body position in its application.

Methods

Forty-eight (48) patients aged 18 years and above with bronchial Asthma attending the respiratory clinic at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja (LASUTH) will be assessed for the study eligibility. The study design will be a double-blinded, randomized control trial with four intervention groups and four parallel placebo control groups. IFT will be administered as an intervention to patients on short and long-acting bronchodilators in an assigned fundamental body position for 20 minutes. Six continuous outcome variables at different points will be utilized as an outcome measure. Baseline Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) will be assessed on entry into the study, Quality of life and asthma control will be evaluated every two (2) weeks of the study. Data obtained will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of repeated ANOVA; P<0.05.

Discussion

The study outcome will compare the efficacy of IFT on Bronchial Asthma, identify its effect in different body positions, and compare the relationship between its application and the bronchodilator medication frequently used by the patients.

Trial Registration

https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=10942:

PACTR202005807526130
Metabolic phenotyping of tear fluid as a prognostic tool for personalised medicine exemplified by T2DM patients
Authors: Brunmair Julia , Bileck Andrea , Schmidl Doreen , Hagn Gerhard , Meier-Menches Samuel M. , Hommer Nikolaus , Schlatter Andreas , Gerner Christopher , Garhöfer Gerhard
Published: December 2021

Background/Aims

One goal of predictive, preventive, and personalised medicine is to improve the prediction and diagnosis of diseases, as well as to monitor therapeutic efficacy and to tailor individualised treatments with as little side effects as possible. New methodological developments should preferably rely on non-invasively sampled biofluids like sweat and tears in order to provide optimal compliance. Here we have thus investigated the metabolic composition of human tears in comparison to finger sweat and evaluated whether tear analyses may provide insight into ocular and systemic disease mechanisms.

Methods

In addition to finger sweat, tear fluid was sampled from 20 healthy volunteers using commercially available Schirmer strips. Tear fluid extraction and analysis using high-resolution mass spectrometry hyphenated with liquid chromatography was performed with optimized methods each for metabolites and eicosanoids. As second approach, we performed a clinical pilot study with 8 diabetic patients and compared them to 19 healthy subjects.

Results

Tear fluid was found to be a rich source for metabolic phenotyping. Remarkably, several molecules previously identified by us in sweat were found significantly enriched in tear fluid, including creatine or taurine. Furthermore, other metabolites such as kahweol and various eicosanoids were exclusively detectable in tears, demonstrating the orthogonal power for biofluid analysis in order to gain information on individual health states. The clinical pilot study revealed that many endogenous metabolites that have previously been linked to type 2 diabetes such as carnitine, tyrosine, uric acid and valine were indeed found significantly up-regulated in tears of diabetic patients. Nicotinic acid and taurine were elevated in the diabetic cohort as well and may represent new biomarkers for diabetes specifically identified in tear fluid. Additionally, systemic medications like metformin, bisoprolol, and gabapentin, were readily detectable in tears of patients. These findings highlight the potential diagnostic and prognostic power of tear fluid analyses, in addition to the promising methodological support for pharmacokinetic studies and patient compliance control.

Conclusions

Tear fluid analysis may support the development of clinical applications in the context of predictive, preventive, and personalised medicine as it reveals rich molecular information in a non-invasive way.
Testing the effect of oxytocin on social grooming in bonobos
Authors: Brooks James , Kano Fumihiro , Yeow Hanling , Morimura Naruki , Yamamoto Shinya
Published: December 2021

Oxytocin has attracted research attention due to its role in promoting social bonding. In bonobos and chimpanzees, the two Pan species closely related to humans, urinary oxytocin is known to correlate with key behaviours related to social bonding, such as social grooming in chimpanzees and female-female sexual behaviour in bonobos. However, no study has demonstrated that the administration of oxytocin promotes real-life social interactions in Pan, leaving it unclear whether oxytocin is merely correlated with social behaviors or does affect them in these species. To test this, we administered nebulized oxytocin or saline placebo to a group of female bonobos and subsequently observed the change in their gross behavior during free interaction. We found an overall effect of more frequent grooming in the oxytocin condition. However, on the individual level this effect remained significant for only one participant in our follow-up models, suggesting future work should explore inter-individual variation. Our results provide some experimental support for the biobehavioural feedback loop hypothesis, which posits that some functions of the oxytocin system support the formation and maintenance of social bonds through a positive feedback loop; however, further tests with a larger number of individuals are required. Our results, at a minimum, demonstrated that oxytocin affects spontaneous, naturalistic social interactions of at least some female bonobos, adding to accumulating evidence that oxytocin modulates complex social behaviors of Pan.
monaLisa: an R/Bioconductor package for identifying regulatory motifs
Authors: Machlab Dania , Burger Lukas , Soneson Charlotte , Rijli Filippo M. , Schübeler Dirk , Stadler Michael B.
Published: December 2021

Proteins binding to specific nucleotide sequences, such as transcription factors, play key roles in the regulation of gene expression. Their binding can be indirectly observed via associated changes in transcription, chromatin accessibility, DNA methylation and histone modifications. Identifying candidate factors that are responsible for these observed experimental changes is critical to understand the underlying biological processes. Here we present monaLisa, an R/Bioconductor package that implements approaches to identify relevant transcription factors from experimental data. The package can be easily integrated with other Bioconductor packages and enables seamless motif analyses without any software dependencies outside of R.

Availability

monaLisa is implemented in R and available on Bioconductor at https://bioconductor.org/packages/monaLisa with the development version hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/fmicompbio/monaLisa.

Contact

michael.stadler@fmi.ch
Perceived barriers and enablers influencing physical activity in heart failure: a qualitative one-to-one interview study
Authors: Amirova Aliya , Lucas Rebecca , Cowie Martin R , Haddad Mark
Published: December 2021

In heart failure (HF), increased physical activity is associated with improved quality of life, reduced hospitalisation, and increased longevity and is an important aim of treatment. However, physical activity levels in individuals living with HF are typically extremely low. This qualitative study with one-to-one interviews systematically explores perceived clinical, environmental, and psychosocial barriers and enablers in older adults (>70 years old) living with HF. Semi-structured interviews (N = 16) based on the Theoretical Domains Framework elicited 78 belief statements describing the barriers and enablers to physical activity. Theoretical domains containing these beliefs and corresponding constructs that were both pervasive and common were deemed most relevant. These were: concerns about physical activity (Beliefs about Consequences), self-efficacy (Beliefs about Capabilities), social support (Social Influences), major health event (Environmental Context and Resources), goal behavioural (Goal), action planning (Behavioural Regulation). This work extends the limited research on the modifiable barriers and enablers for physical activity participation by individuals living with HF. The research findings provide insights for cardiologists, HF-specialist nurses, and physiotherapists to help co-design and deliver a physical activity intervention more likely to be effective for individuals living with HF.
Mitochondrial control of microglial phagocytosis in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Fairley Lauren H. , Lai Kei Onn , Wong Jia Hui , Salvatore Anselm Vincent , D’Agostino Giuseppe , Wu Xiaoting , Jayaraman Anusha , Langley Sarah R. , Ruedl Christiane , Barron Anna M.
Published: December 2021

Microglial phagocytosis is an energetically demanding process that plays a critical role in the removal of toxic aggregates of beta amyloid (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent evidence indicates that metabolic programming may breakdown in microglia in AD, thereby disrupting this important protective function. The mechanisms coordinating mitochondrial metabolism to fuel phagocytosis in microglia remain poorly understood, however. Here we demonstrate that mitochondrial displacement of the glucose metabolizing enzyme, hexokinase-II (HK) regulates microglial metabolism and phagocytosis, and that deletion of the translocator protein (TSPO) inhibits this. TSPO is a PET-visible inflammatory biomarker and therapeutic target in AD, previously shown to regulate microglial metabolism via an unknown mechanism. Using RNAseq and proteomic analyses, we found TSPO function in the brain to be linked with the regulation of mitochondrial bioenergetics, lipid metabolism and phagocytosis. In cultured microglia, TSPO deletion was associated with elevated mitochondrial recruitment of HK, which was associated with a switch to non-oxidative glucose metabolism, reduced mitochondrial energy production, lipid storage and impaired phagocytosis. Consistent with in vitro findings, TSPO expression was also associated with phagocytic microglia in both AD brain and AD mice. Conversely, TSPO deletion in AD mice reduced phagocytic microglia and exacerbated amyloid accumulation. Based on these findings we propose that microglial TSPO functions as an immunometabolic brake via regulation of mitochondrial HK recruitment, preventing hyperglycolysis and promoting phagocytosis in AD. Further, we demonstrate that targeting mitochondrial HK may offer a novel immunotherapeutic approach to promote microglial phagocytosis in AD.
Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation
Authors: Abdellahi Mahmoud E. A. , Koopman Anne C. M. , Treder Matthias S. , Lewis Penelope A.
Published: December 2021

Several studies show that memories are reactivated during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, but the question of whether equivalent reactivation can be detected in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is hotly debated. To examine this, we used a technique called targeted memory reactivation (TMR) in which sounds are paired with learned material in wake, and then re-presented in subsequent sleep to trigger reactivation. We then used machine learning classifiers to identify reactivation in REM related to the encoded wake activity. The reactivation we measured was mediated by high theta activity and was sometimes temporally compressed and sometimes dilated compared to wakeful experience. Reactivation strength positively predicted overnight performance improvement. These findings provide the first evidence for wake-like memory reactivation in human REM sleep after TMR.
Mapping lesion, structural disconnection, and functional disconnection to symptoms in semantic aphasia
Authors: Souter Nicholas E. , Wang Xiuyi , Thompson Hannah , Krieger-Redwood Katya , Halai Ajay D. , Lambon Ralph Matthew A. , Thiebaut de Schotten Michel , Jefferies Elizabeth
Published: December 2021

Patients with semantic aphasia have impaired control of semantic retrieval, often accompanied by executive dysfunction following left hemisphere stroke. Many but not all of these patients have damage to the left inferior frontal gyrus, important for semantic and cognitive control. Yet semantic and cognitive control networks are highly distributed, including posterior as well as anterior components. Accordingly, semantic aphasia might not only reflect local damage but also white matter structural and functional disconnection. Here we characterise the lesions and predicted patterns of structural and functional disconnection in individuals with semantic aphasia and relate these effects to semantic and executive impairment. Impaired semantic cognition was associated with infarction in distributed left- hemisphere regions, including in the left anterior inferior frontal and posterior temporal cortex. Lesions were associated with executive dysfunction within a set of adjacent but distinct left frontoparietal clusters. Performance on executive tasks was also associated with interhemispheric structural disconnection across the corpus callosum. In contrast, poor semantic cognition was associated with small left-lateralized structurally disconnected clusters, including in the left posterior temporal cortex. Little insight was gained from functional disconnection symptom mapping. These results demonstrate that while left- lateralized semantic and executive control regions are often damaged together in stroke aphasia, these deficits are associated with distinct patterns of structural disconnection, consistent with the bilateral nature of executive control and the left-lateralized yet distributed semantic control network.
Transcription feedback dynamics in the wake of cytoplasmic degradation shutdown
Authors: Chappleboim Alon , Joseph-Strauss Daphna , Gershon Omer , Friedman Nir
Published: December 2021

In the last decade, multiple studies have shown that cells maintain a balance of mRNA production and degradation, but the mechanisms by which cells implement this balance remain unknown. Here, we monitored cells’ mRNA and nascent mRNA profiles immediately following an acute depletion of Xrn1 - the main 5’-3’ mRNA exonuclease - that was previously implicated in balancing mRNA levels. We captured the detailed dynamics of the cells’ adaptation to rapid degradation of Xrn1 and observed a significant accumulation of mRNA, followed by a delayed global reduction in nascent transcription and a gradual return to baseline mRNA levels. We present evidence that this transcriptional response is linked to cell cycle progression, and that it is not unique to Xrn1 depletion; rather, it is induced earlier when upstream factors in the 5’-3’ degradation pathway are perturbed. Our data suggest that the RNA feedback mechanism is cell-cycle-linked and monitors the accumulation of inputs to the 5’-3’ exonucleolytic pathway rather than its outputs.
Fast volumetric imaging with line-scan confocal microscopy by an electro-tunable lens
Authors: Mac Khuong Duy , Qureshi Muhammad Mohsin , Na Myeongsu , Chang Sunghoe , Kwon Hyuk-Sang , Eom Tae Joong , Je Hyunsoo Shawn , Kim Young Ro , Chung Euiheon
Published: December 2021

In microscopic imaging of biological tissues, particularly real-time visualization of neuronal activities, rapid acquisition of volumetric images poses a prominent challenge. Typically, two-dimensional (2D) microscopy can be devised into an imaging system with 3D capability using any varifocal lens. Despite the conceptual simplicity, such an upgrade yet requires additional, complicated device components and suffers a reduced acquisition rate, which is critical to document neuronal dynamics properly. In this study, we implemented an electro-tunable lens (ETL) in the line-scan confocal microscopy, enabling the volumetric acquisition at the rate of 20 frames per second with the maximum volume of interest of 315 × 315 × 80 μm3. The axial extent of point-spread-function (PSF) was 17.6 ± 1.6 μm and 90.4 ± 2.1 μm with the ETL operating in either stationary or resonant mode, respectively, revealing significant depth elongation by the resonant mode ETL microscopy. We further demonstrated the utilities of the ETL system by volume imaging of cleared mouse brain ex vivo samples and in vivo brains. The current study foregrounds the successful application of resonant ETL for constructing a basis for a high-performance 3D line-scan confocal microscopy system, which will enhance our understanding of various dynamic biological processes.
Experimental sound exposure modifies swimming activities and increases food handling error in adult zebrafish
Authors: Mohsenpour Reza , Shafiei Sabet Saeed
Published: December 2021

Anthropogenic noise is increasing globally and is recognized as a source of environmental pollution in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Sound is an important sensory stimulus for aquatic organisms and it may alter stress-related physiological indices and induce broad behavioural effects in a range of marine and freshwater fishes. Specifically, sound exposure may induce changes in swimming activities, feed efficiency and spatial distribution changes in fish. Here, we experimentally tested sound effects on swimming activities and foraging performance in thirty individually housed, captive adult Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Adult zebrafish and water fleas (Daphnia magna) were used as model predator and prey species, respectively. Acoustic stimuli consisted of four sound treatments with different temporal patterns. All had the same frequency range and were administered on average 121 dB re 1 µPa2/Hz. Our results constitute strong evidence for sound-related effects on zebrafish behaviour. All sound treatments led to a significant increase in the number of startle responses, and the brief and prolonged swimming speed for zebrafish. We found sound effects on the spatial distribution of zebrafish; Although there were no significant sound-related changes for horizontal spatial displacement in all treatments, zebrafish swam significantly more in the lower layer of the tank except during the irregular intermittent 1:1-7 in brief sound exposure treatment. The results of foraging performance showed that food discrimination error was unaffected by sound treatments and was low for the zebrafish. However, food handling error was affected by sound treatments; all treatments induced a significant rise in handling error. This study highlights the impact of sound on zebrafish swimming activities, and that more feeding bouts are needed to consume the same number of food items increasing energy demand under noisy conditions.
Trade of commercial potting substrates: A largely overlooked means of the long-distance dispersal of plants
Authors: Sonkoly Judit , Takács Attila , Molnár V. Attila , Török Péter
Published: December 2021

Although long-distance dispersal (LDD) events are considered to be rare and highly stochastic, they are disproportionately important and drive several large-scale ecological processes. The realisation of the disproportionate importance of LDD has led to an upsurge in studies of this phenomenon; yet, we still have a very limited understanding of its frequency, extent and consequences. Humanity intentionally spreads a high number of species, but a less obvious issue is that it is associated with the accidental dispersal of other plant species. Although the global trade of potted plants and horticultural substrates is capable of dispersing large quantities of propagules, this issue has hardly been studied from an ecological point of view. We used the seedling emergence method to assess the viable seed content of different types of commercial potting substrates to answer the following questions: (i) In what richness and density do substrates contain viable seeds? (ii) Does the composition of substrates influence their viable seed content? and (iii) Are there common characteristics of the species dispersed this way? We detected altogether 438 seedlings of 66 taxa and found that 1 litre of potting substrate contains an average of 13.27 seeds of 6.24 species, so an average 20-litre bag of substrate contains 265 viable seeds. There was a high variability in the seed content of the substrates, as substrates containing cattle manure contained a substantially higher number of species and seeds than substrates without manure. Based on this, this pathway of LDD is an interplay between endozoochory by grazing livestock and accidental human-vectored dispersal, implying that the diet preference of grazing animals largely determines the ability of a plant species to be dispersed this way. According to our results, potting substrates can disperse large quantities of seeds of a wide range of plant species, moreover, these dispersal events occur on very long distances in almost all cases. We conclude that this kind of human-vectored LDD may have complex effects on plant populations and communities; however, as this dispersal pathway is largely understudied and has hardly been considered as a type of LDD, its consequences are still largely unknown and further studies of the issue are of great importance.
Evaluation of the efficacy of simethicone in the abdominal ultrasound and pancreas evaluation on dogs
Authors: Garcia L. F. C. , Cottar B. H. , Rodacki M. , Gonçalves M. M. , Grendel V. , Albrecht L. , Weber S. H. , Tasqueti U. I.
Published: December 2021

Intestinal gas results in low quality imaging in abdominal ultrasound in domestic animals. On dogs, suggested preparation protocols are varied and low studied. The aim of this work was comparing the efficacy between two preparations in improving the complete abdominal ultrasound exam and pancreas preview. 40 dogs were enrolled in this study. They were separated in two groups (NS diet: fasting; WS diet: fasting added to simethicone). The pancreas images were taken from left lateral decubitus. A score of one to three (1: bad, 2: fair and 3: good) measured separately the quality of the complete exam, left and right limbs and pancreatic body. In both treatments, there were results above 50% of good images of the complete exam and right limb of the pancreas. Otherwise, there were results above 90% of bad images of the right limb and pancreatic body. According to the fact of there is no statistically significant difference between the diets, as well submitted animals to the NS diet as the WS diet, all the results obtained from this work (bad or good images) could be acquired from any of both diets. The good abdominal exam preview as well submitted animals to the simethicone as those without the medication refute this medicine requirement to the abdominal ultrasound exam, but not to the evaluation of the left limb and pancreatic body.
Quasi-Entropy Closure: A Fast and Reliable Approach to Close the Moment Equations of the Chemical Master Equation
Authors: Wagner Vincent , Castellaz Benjamin , Oesting Marco , Radde Nicole
Published: December 2021

Motivation

The Chemical Master Equation is the most comprehensive stochastic approach to describe the evolution of a (bio-)chemical reaction system. Its solution is a time-dependent probability distribution on all possible configurations of the system. As the number of possible configurations is typically very large, the Master Equation is often practically unsolvable. The Method of Moments reduces the system to the evolution of a few moments of this distribution, which are described by a system of ordinary differential equations. Those equations are not closed, since lower order moments generally depend on higher order moments. Various closure schemes have been suggested to solve this problem, with different advantages and limitations. Two major problems with these approaches are first that they are open loop systems, which can diverge from the true solution, and second, some of them are computationally expensive.

Results

Here we introduce Quasi-Entropy Closure, a moment closure scheme for the Method of Moments which estimates higher order moments by reconstructing the distribution that minimizes the distance to a uniform distribution subject to lower order moment constraints. Quasi-Entropy closure is similar to Zero-Information closure, which maximizes the information entropy. Results show that both approaches outperform truncation schemes. Moreover, Quasi-Entropy Closure is computationally much faster than Zero-Information Closure. Finally, our scheme includes a plausibility check for the existence of a distribution satisfying a given set of moments on the feasible set of configurations. Results are evaluated on different benchmark problems.

Abstract Figure
Sentinel2GlobalLULC: A deep-learning-ready Sentinel-2 RGB image dataset for global land use/cover mapping
Authors: Benhammou Yassir , Alcaraz-Segura Domingo , Guirado Emilio , Khaldi Rohaifa , Achchab Boujemâa , Herrera Francisco , Tabik Siham
Published: December 2021

Land-Use and Land-Cover (LULC) mapping is relevant for many applications, from Earth system and climate modelling to territorial and urban planning. Global LULC products are continuously developing as remote sensing data and methods grow. However, there is still low consistency among LULC products due to low accuracy for some regions and LULC types. Here, we introduce Sentinel2GlobalLULC, a Sentinel-2 RGB image dataset, built from the consensus of 15 global LULC maps available in Google Earth Engine. Sentinel2GlobalLULC v1.1 contains 195572 RGB images organized into 29 global LULC mapping classes. Each image is a tile that has 224 × 224 pixels at 10 × 10 m spatial resolution and was built as a cloud-free composite from all Sentinel-2 images acquired between June 2015 and October 2020. Metadata includes a unique LULC type annotation per image, together with level of consensus, reverse geo-referencing, and global human modification index. Sentinel2GlobalLULC is optimized for the state-of-the-art Deep Learning models to provide a new gate towards building precise and robust global or regional LULC maps.