bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Rare Infection Post Hyaluronic Acid Injection in the Trochanter: Case Report and Literature Review
Authors: Ahmed Mohamed Badie , Al-Mohannadi Fatima Saoud , Bensaoua Amina , Binfayed Mansour , Alsherawi Abeer
Published: June 2024

Filler injection has become a commonplace aesthetic procedure. Although the incidence of infection following filler injections is typically low, ranging between 0.04% and 0.2%, the potential consequences can be serious. In this manuscript, we present the case of a 29-year-old female patient who presented to our emergency department after receiving a hyaluronic acid filler injection in the trochanteric area at a private center. She developed signs and symptoms shortly after the procedure, including bilateral hip pain and a fever that persisted for 3 days. Despite initial antibiotic and pain medication treatment, the patient’s condition continued to worsen. Incision and drainage were performed, and pus culture revealed profuse Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-producing Serratia marcescens. The patient experienced clinical improvement following the incision and drainage procedure and initiation of antibiotics sensitive to the pathogen. Although rare, S. marcescens infection following filler injections has been reported in 2 previous cases. Therefore, early recognition of infection signs and symptoms is crucial to mitigate the severity of consequences and improve outcomes. Aggressive surgical and medical interventions, such as incision and drainage, debridement, and appropriate antibiotic therapy, may be necessary to achieve a successful outcome.

Level of Evidence: 5
Role of a novel endoplasmic reticulum–resident glycoprotein Mtc6/Ehg2 in high-pressure growth: stability of tryptophan permease Tat2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Kato Yusuke , Mioka Tetsuo , Uemura Satoshi , Abe Fumiyoshi
Published: June 2024

Deep-sea organisms are subjected to extreme conditions; therefore, understanding their adaptive strategies is crucial. We utilize Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model to investigate pressure-dependent protein regulation and piezo-adaptation. Using yeast deletion library analysis, we identified 6 poorly characterized genes that are crucial for high-pressure growth, forming novel functional modules associated with cell growth. In this study, we aimed to unravel the molecular mechanisms of high-pressure adaptation in S. cerevisiae, focusing on the role of MTC6. MTC6, the gene encoding the novel glycoprotein Mtc6/Ehg2, was found to stabilize tryptophan permease Tat2, ensuring efficient tryptophan uptake and growth under high pressure at 25 MPa. The loss of MTC6 led to promoted vacuolar degradation of Tat2, depending on the Rsp5-Bul1 ubiquitin ligase complex. These findings enhance our understanding of deep-sea adaptations and stress biology, with broad implications for biotechnology, environmental microbiology, and evolutionary insights across species.
Image-based molecular representation learning for drug development: a survey
Authors: Li Yue , Liu Bingyan , Deng Jinyan , Guo Yi , Du Hongbo
Published: June 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) powered drug development has received remarkable attention in recent years. It addresses the limitations of traditional experimental methods that are costly and time-consuming. While there have been many surveys attempting to summarize related research, they only focus on general AI or specific aspects such as natural language processing and graph neural network. Considering the rapid advance on computer vision, using the molecular image to enable AI appears to be a more intuitive and effective approach since each chemical substance has a unique visual representation. In this paper, we provide the first survey on image-based molecular representation for drug development. The survey proposes a taxonomy based on the learning paradigms in computer vision and reviews a large number of corresponding papers, highlighting the contributions of molecular visual representation in drug development. Besides, we discuss the applications, limitations and future directions in the field. We hope this survey could offer valuable insight into the use of image-based molecular representation learning in the context of drug development.
Comparing full variation profile analysis with the conventional consensus method in SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny
Authors: Fiam Regina Nóra , István Csabai , Norbert Solymosi
Published: June 2024

This study proposes a novel approach to studying severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus mutations through sequencing data comparison. Traditional consensus-based methods, which focus on the most common nucleotide at each position, might overlook or obscure the presence of low-frequency variants. Our method, in contrast, retains all sequenced nucleotides at each position, forming a genomic matrix. Utilizing simulated short reads from genomes with specified mutations, we contrasted our genomic matrix approach with the consensus sequence method. Our matrix methodology, across multiple simulated datasets, accurately reflected the known mutations with an average accuracy improvement of 20% over the consensus method. In real-world tests using data from GISAID and NCBI-SRA, our approach demonstrated an increase in reliability by reducing the error margin by approximately 15%. The genomic matrix approach offers a more accurate representation of the viral genomic diversity, thereby providing superior insights into virus evolution and epidemiology.
TP-LMMSG: a peptide prediction graph neural network incorporating flexible amino acid property representation
Authors: Chen Nanjun , Yu Jixiang , Zhe Liu , Wang Fuzhou , Li Xiangtao , Wong Ka-Chun
Published: June 2024

Bioactive peptide therapeutics has been a long-standing research topic. Notably, the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been extensively studied for its therapeutic potential. Meanwhile, the demand for annotating other therapeutic peptides, such as antiviral peptides (AVPs) and anticancer peptides (ACPs), also witnessed an increase in recent years. However, we conceive that the structure of peptide chains and the intrinsic information between the amino acids is not fully investigated among the existing protocols. Therefore, we develop a new graph deep learning model, namely TP-LMMSG, which offers lightweight and easy-to-deploy advantages while improving the annotation performance in a generalizable manner. The results indicate that our model can accurately predict the properties of different peptides. The model surpasses the other state-of-the-art models on AMP, AVP and ACP prediction across multiple experimental validated datasets. Moreover, TP-LMMSG also addresses the challenges of time-consuming pre-processing in graph neural network frameworks. With its flexibility in integrating heterogeneous peptide features, our model can provide substantial impacts on the screening and discovery of therapeutic peptides. The source code is available at https://github.com/NanjunChen37/TP_LMMSG.
Assessing citation integrity in biomedical publications: corpus annotation and NLP models
Authors: Sarol Maria Janina , Ming Shufan , Radhakrishna Shruthan , Schneider Jodi , Kilicoglu Halil
Published: June 2024

Motivation

Citations have a fundamental role in scholarly communication and assessment. Citation accuracy and transparency is crucial for the integrity of scientific evidence. In this work, we focus on quotation errors, errors in citation content that can distort the scientific evidence and that are hard to detect for humans. We construct a corpus and propose natural language processing (NLP) methods to identify such errors in biomedical publications.

Results

We manually annotated 100 highly-cited biomedical publications (reference articles) and citations to them. The annotation involved labeling citation context in the citing article, relevant evidence sentences in the reference article, and the accuracy of the citation. A total of 3063 citation instances were annotated (39.18% with accuracy errors). For NLP, we combined a sentence retriever with a fine-tuned claim verification model to label citations as ACCURATE, NOT_ACCURATE, or IRRELEVANT. We also explored few-shot in-context learning with generative large language models. The best performing model—which uses citation sentences as citation context, the BM25 model with MonoT5 reranker for retrieving top-20 sentences, and a fine-tuned MultiVerS model for accuracy label classification—yielded 0.59 micro-F1 and 0.52 macro-F1 score. GPT-4 in-context learning performed better in identifying accurate citations, but it lagged for erroneous citations (0.65 micro-F1, 0.45 macro-F1). Citation quotation errors are often subtle, and it is currently challenging for NLP models to identify erroneous citations. With further improvements, the models could serve to improve citation quality and accuracy.

Availability and implementation

We make the corpus and the best-performing NLP model publicly available at https://github.com/ScienceNLP-Lab/Citation-Integrity/.
PredGCN: a Pruning-enabled Gene-Cell Net for automatic cell annotation of single cell transcriptome data
Authors: Qi Qi , Wang Yunhe , Huang Yujian , Fan Yi , Li Xiangtao
Published: June 2024

Motivation

The annotation of cell types from single-cell transcriptomics is essential for understanding the biological identity and functionality of cellular populations. Although manual annotation remains the gold standard, the advent of automatic pipelines has become crucial for scalable, unbiased, and cost-effective annotations. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of these automatic methods, particularly those employing deep learning, significantly depends on the architecture of the classifier and the quality and diversity of the training datasets.

Results

To address these limitations, we present a Pruning-enabled Gene-Cell Net (PredGCN) incorporating a Coupled Gene-Cell Net (CGCN) to enable representation learning and information storage. PredGCN integrates a Gene Splicing Net (GSN) and a Cell Stratification Net (CSN), employing a pruning operation (PrO) to dynamically tackle the complexity of heterogeneous cell identification. Among them, GSN leverages multiple statistical and hypothesis-driven feature extraction methods to selectively assemble genes with specificity for scRNA-seq data while CSN unifies elements based on diverse region demarcation principles, exploiting the representations from GSN and precise identification from different regional homogeneity perspectives. Furthermore, we develop a multi-objective Pareto pruning operation (Pareto PrO) to expand the dynamic capabilities of CGCN, optimizing the sub-network structure for accurate cell type annotation. Multiple comparison experiments on real scRNA-seq datasets from various species have demonstrated that PredGCN surpasses existing state-of-the-art methods, including its scalability to cross-species datasets. Moreover, PredGCN can uncover unknown cell types and provide functional genomic analysis by quantifying the influence of genes on cell clusters, bringing new insights into cell type identification and characterizing scRNA-seq data from different perspectives.

Availability and implementation

The source code is available at https://github.com/IrisQi7/PredGCN and test data is available at https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/PredGCN/25251163.
The downregulation of NSUN5 may contribute to preeclampsia
Authors: Zhang Tianying , Li Hua , Jiang Enhui , Liu Lisheng , Zhang Cong
Published: June 2024

Preeclampsia (PE) is a complication of pregnancy characterized by the new onset of hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation. The incidence of PE is steadily rising, posing a significant threat to the lives of both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Most studies on PE pathogenesis currently focus on the placenta, but maternal decidualization forms the foundation for placental growth and development. Recent studies have shown that impaired decidualization is also a cause of PE. Decidualization is a process where endometrial stromal cells gradually transform into secretory decidual cells during early pregnancy. While NSUN5 encodes a member of a conserved family of proteins, its role in pregnancy remains unknown. In this study, we conducted experiments and observed a significant downregulation of NSUN5 expression in severe PE decidual tissues compared to those of normal pregnant women. When inducing decidualization in vitro, we found an increase in NSUN5 expression. However, when we used siRNA to knockdown NSUN5 expression, the process of decidualization was prevented. Moreover, we observed a decrease in ATP content during both cell decidualization and after knockdown of NSUN5. Finally, through immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry, we discovered that the protein ATP5B interacts with NSUN5. Furthermore, after knocking down ATP5B using siRNA, we observed impaired decidualization. Moreover, transfection with siRNA to suppress NSUN5 resulted in a decrease in ATP5B expression. These significant findings provide strong evidence that NSUN5 plays a crucial role in decidualization and is closely associated with the development of PE through its interaction with ATP5B.
‘Where Have I Found Myself’? Exploring How Black Social Work Students Navigate Identities in School-Based Practice Learning
Authors: Rafter Jenny , Sangha Jas , Mano Irine
Published: June 2024

In 2020, the social work in schools (SWIS) project was implemented with an initial cohort of fifty-four social work students from an Eastern English university. With the aim of exploring the student experience, we undertook an initial focus group. One unanticipated aspect of these discussions was how black students reflected on their experience of being placed in predominantly white schools, which merited a follow-up focus group to explore this in more depth. Intersectionality underpinned this study as it offered an analytical approach to understand the interconnected identities of black students within the context of schools. Constructivist grounded theory was used to analyse the data, and three categories were identified in understanding experiences of participants: Race and Experiences of Being Placed in Schools; Intersections of Race, Racism, and Acceptance; and Experiences of Learning in Schools. Concepts of belonging, acceptance and racial identity underpin these categories and help us understand black students’ experiences of undertaking SWIS placements. Black students developed their skills, knowledge, self-concept and confidence in schools. Conclusions are drawn highlighting the centrality of harnessing black students’ cultural wealth and knowledge to facilitate positive relationships for learning.
Advances in understanding the phylogenetic relationships of the subfamily Larreoideae using morphological and molecular evidence
Authors: Vento Bárbara , Mego Natalia , Puebla Gabriela G
Published: June 2024

Larreoideae are one of the major representatives of Zygophyllaceae in South America. In this work, we analysed the phylogenetic relationships of species in the subfamily Larreoideae using morphological and molecular data in a total evidence context. We also evaluated the monophyly of Larreoideae considering both morphological and a combined set of data (morphological + molecular), providing a discussion of the phylogenetic position of its members. Finally, we constructed a molecular tree based on nuclear and plastid sequences, analysing them separately. The integration of morphological and molecular data reaffirms the monophyly of Larreoideae. The phylogenetic analysis supports the traditional genera as well-supported groups. Species in Bulnesia are clearly separated by molecular and morphological characters which reinforce the consolidation of the genus Gonopterodendron. Therefore, we recognize eight genera forming Larreoideae. We confirm the taxonomic position of Guaiacum angustifolium (Porlieria angustifolia) in Guaiacum supported by molecular and morphological data, and suggest the inclusion of Pintoa chilensis and Metharme lanata in Larreoideae based on morphological features shared with members of the subfamily.
Evaluating the associations between intelligence quotient and multi-tissue proteome from the brain, CSF and plasma
Authors: Shi Sirong , Chen Yujing , Chu Xiaoge , Shi Panxing , Wang Bingyi , Cai Qingqing , He Dan , Zhang Na , Qin Xiaoyue , Wei Wenming , Zhao Yijing , Jia Yumeng , Zhang Feng , Wen Yan
Published: June 2024

Intelligence quotient is a vital index to evaluate the ability of an individual to think rationally, learn from experience and deal with the environment effectively. However, limited efforts have been paid to explore the potential associations of intelligence quotient traits with the tissue proteins from the brain, CSF and plasma. The information of protein quantitative trait loci was collected from a recently released genome-wide association study conducted on quantification data of proteins from the tissues including the brain, CSF and plasma. Using the individual-level genotypic data from the UK Biobank cohort, we calculated the polygenic risk scores for each protein based on the protein quantitative trait locus data sets above. Then, Pearson correlation analysis was applied to evaluate the relationships between intelligence quotient traits (including 120 330 subjects for ‘fluid intelligence score’ and 38 949 subjects for ‘maximum digits remembered correctly’) and polygenic risk scores of each protein in the brain (17 protein polygenic risk scores), CSF (116 protein polygenic risk scores) and plasma (59 protein polygenic risk scores). The Bonferroni corrected P-value threshold was P < 1.30 × 10−4 (0.05/384). Finally, Mendelian randomization analysis was conducted to test the causal relationships between ‘fluid intelligence score’ and pre-specific proteins from correlation analysis results. Pearson correlation analysis identified significant association signals between the protein of macrophage-stimulating protein and fluid intelligence in brain and CSF tissues (Pbrain = 1.21 × 10−8, PCSF = 1.10 × 10−7), as well as between B-cell lymphoma 6 protein and fluid intelligence in CSF (PCSF = 1.23 × 10−4). Other proteins showed close-to-significant associations with the trait of ‘fluid intelligence score’, such as plasma protease C1 inhibitor (PCSF = 4.19 × 10−4, Pplasma = 6.97 × 10−4), and with the trait of ‘maximum digits remembered correctly’, such as tenascin (Pplasma = 3.42 × 10−4). Additionally, Mendelian randomization analysis results suggested that macrophage-stimulating protein (Mendelian randomization-Egger: β = 0.54, P = 1.64 × 10−61 in the brain; β = 0.09, P = 1.60 × 10−12 in CSF) had causal effects on fluid intelligence score. We observed functional relevance of specific tissue proteins to intelligence quotient and identified several candidate proteins, such as macrophage-stimulating protein. This study provided a novel insight to the relationship between tissue proteins and intelligence quotient traits.
Cardiac ageing: from hallmarks to therapeutic opportunities
Authors: Hastings Margaret H , Zhou Qiulian , Wu Chao , Shabani Parisa , Huang Shengyuan , Yu Xuejing , Singh Anand P , Guseh J Sawalla , Li Haobo , Lerchenmüller Carolin , Rosenzweig Anthony
Published: June 2024

Cardiac ageing is an intricate and multifaceted process with considerable impact on public health, especially given the global demographic shift towards aged populations. This review discusses structural, cellular, and functional changes associated with cardiac ageing and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Key molecular mediators are considered within the framework of the established hallmarks of ageing, with particular attention to promising therapeutic candidates. We further delineate the differential impacts of ageing on cardiac structure and function in men and women, addressing hormonal and chromosomal influences. The protective and mitigating effects of exercise in cardiac ageing and HFpEF in particular are discussed, as an inspiration for the identification of pathways that mitigate biological ageing. We also emphasize how much remains to be learned and the importance of these efforts in enhancing the cardiac health of ageing populations worldwide.
Sexually differentiated decision-making involves faster recruitment in the early stages for the Tibetan antelopes Pantholops hodgsonii
Authors: Zhu Qin , Guan Jian , Lei Tianya , Xuan Kun , Guo Sile , Zhao Yumeng , Fu Changjian , Yang Le , Li Zhongqiu
Published: June 2024

Group living is widespread across diverse taxa, and the mechanisms underlying collective decision-making in contexts of variable role division are critical for understanding the dynamics of group stability. While studies on collective behavior in small animals such as fish and insects are well-established, similar research on large wild animals remains challenging due to the limited availability of sufficient and systematic field data. Here, we aimed to explore the collective decision-making pattern and its sexual difference for the dimorphic Tibetan antelopes Pantholops hodgsonii (chiru) in Xizang Autonomous Region, China, by analyzing individual leadership distribution, as well as the joining process, considering factors such as calving stages and joining ranks. The distinct correlations of decision participants’ ratio with group size and decision duration underscore the trade-off between accuracy and speed in decision-making. Male antelopes display a more democratic decision-making pattern, while females exhibit more prompt responses after calving at an early stage. This study uncovers a partially shared decision-making strategy among Tibetan antelopes, suggesting flexible self-organization in group decision processes aligned with animal life cycle progression.
Immature development and adult longevity of the soybean tentiform leafminer (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae)
Authors: Ribeiro Arthur V , Menger James P , Führ Fábio M , Koch Robert L
Published: June 2024

The leaf-mining microlepidopteran, Macrosaccus morrisella (Fitch) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), has emerged as a new pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill (Fabales: Fabaceae), in Canada and the United States, but little is known about its life history traits. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the immature developmental rate of M. morrisella, from egg to adult emergence, on soybean at different temperatures, and the longevity of adults supplied with water and/or honey at different temperatures. The time to 50% emergence of adults was 71.90, 36.33, 24.62, and 17.83 days at 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C, respectively. The lower developmental threshold of M. morrisella was estimated at 8.96 °C, with 425.04 degree-days required for egg-to-adult development. For adult longevity, time to 50% mortality at 25 °C was 15.00, 4.00, and 2.00 days when adults were provided with 25% (v/v) honey–water solution, water, or nothing, respectively. In a follow-up experiment, time to 50% mortality at 25 °C was 24.00, 6.00, 3.00, and 3.00 days when adults were provided with honey and water (offered separately), honey, water, or nothing, respectively, with a synergistic effect when honey and water were offered simultaneously as opposed to honey or water alone. Finally, when fed 25% (v/v) honey–water solution and maintained at 20, 25, and 30 °C, time to 50% mortality of adults was 26.50, 15.00, and 15.00 days. These results inform the understanding of the basic biology of M. morrisella and will help inform the future development of management programs for this insect in soybean.
Characteristics and outcome in cardiogenic shock according to vascular access site for percutaneous coronary intervention
Authors: Peters Elma J , Bogerd Margriet , Ten Berg Sanne , Timmermans Marijke J C , Engström Annemarie E , Thiele Holger , Jung Christian , Schrage Benedikt , Sjauw Krischan D , Verouden Niels J W , Teeuwen Koen , Dedic Admir , Meuwissen Martijn , Danse Peter W , Claessen Bimmer E P M , Henriques José P S ,   Participating Centers of the PCI Registration Committee of the Netherlands Heart Registration, Meuwissen M , Henriques J P , Marques K M J , Teeuwen K , Daemen J , Schotborgh C E , Snijder R J R , Scherptong R , Brouwer J , Dedic A , Camaro C , Danse P W , Lipšic E , Kraaijeveld A O
Published: June 2024

Aims

The optimal vascular access site for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) remains uncertain. While observational data favour transradial access (TRA) due to lower complication rates and mortality, transfemoral access (TFA) PCI offers advantages such as shorter access and procedure times, along with quicker escalation to mechanical circulatory support (MCS). In this study, we aimed to investigate factors associated with a transfemoral approach and compare mortality rates between TRA and TFA in AMI-CS patients undergoing PCI.

Methods and results

Data from a nationwide registry of AMI-CS patients undergoing PCI (2017–2021) were analysed. We compared patient demographics, procedural details, and outcomes between TRA and TFA groups. Logistic regression identified access site factors and radial-to-femoral crossover predictors. Propensity score–matched (PSM) analysis examined the impact of access site on mortality. Of the 1562 patients, 45% underwent TRA PCI, with an increasing trend over time. Transfemoral access patients were more often female, had a history of coronary artery bypass grafting, lower blood pressure, higher resuscitation and intubation rates, and elevated lactate levels. After PSM, 30-day mortality was lower in TRA (33% vs. 46%, P < 0.001). Predictors for crossover included left coronary artery interventions, multivessel PCI, and MCS initiation.

Conclusion

Significant differences exist between TRA and TFA PCI in AMI-CS. Transfemoral access was more common in patients with worse haemodynamics and was associated with higher 30-day mortality compared with TRA. This mortality difference persisted in the PSM analysis.
Prevalence of asymptomatic valvular heart disease in the elderly population: a community-based echocardiographic study
Authors: Tsampasian Vasiliki , Militaru Cristian , Parasuraman Sathish Kumar , Loudon Brodie L , Lowery Crystal , Rudd Amelia , Srinivasan Janaki , Singh Satnam , Dwivedi Girish , Mahadavan Gnanadevan , Dawson Dana , Clark Allan , Vassiliou Vassilios S , Frenneaux Michael P
Published: June 2024

Aims

With an ageing population, the presence of asymptomatic valvular heart disease (VHD) in the community remains unknown. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and associated factors of asymptomatic VHD in individuals ≥60 years old and to evaluate the feasibility of echocardiographic screening for VHD in this population.

Methods and results

This was a prospective cohort study conducted between 2007 and 2016 in the UK. Asymptomatic patients with no prior indication for echocardiography were invited to participate and evaluated with a health questionnaire, clinical examination, and transthoracic echocardiography. A total of 10,000 individuals were invited through their general practices. A total of 5429 volunteered to participate, of whom 4237 were eligible for inclusion. VHD was diagnosed in more than a quarter of patients (28.2%). The most common types of VHD were regurgitation of the tricuspid (13.8%), mitral (12.8%), and aortic (8.3%) valves (trivial regurgitation was not included). The rate of prevalence of clinically significant VHD was 2.4% (2.2% moderate and 0.2% severe), with mitral and aortic regurgitation being the most common. The only parameter associated with significant VHD was age (odds ratio 1.07 per 1 year increment, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.09, P < 0.001). The number needed to scan to diagnose one clinically significant case of VHD is 42 for individuals ≥60 and 15 for those ≥75 years old.

Conclusion

Asymptomatic VHD is present in a significant proportion of otherwise healthy individuals without known VHD over 60 years old. Age is strongly associated with an increased incidence of significant VHD.
A case report of primary pericardial sarcoma
Authors: Ravindran Abhijit , Miller Matthew S , Ayers Emily , Gimple Lawrence , Ayers Michael
Published: June 2024

Background

Primary pericardial sarcomas are extremely rare malignancies. In this case of primary pericardial synovial sarcoma, we discuss the initial steps to work-up pericardial effusions and review features that warrant more detailed investigation.

Case summary

A 29-year-old male with no relevant past medical history presents with a few weeks of fatigue, dyspnoea, orthopnoea, leg swelling, and back pain. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed pericardial effusion for which pericardiocentesis and drain placement were done. He was discharged with a diagnosis of post-viral pericarditis. He returned 5 months later with worsening symptoms. Advanced imaging with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) showed heterogeneous pericardial mass later revealed to be a high-grade synovial sarcoma on biopsy. The patient was started on a doxorubicin-based chemotherapy regimen, but due to kidney dysfunction and multi-organ failure, he was transitioned to palliative care measures.

Discussion

Transthoracic echocardiogram and computed tomography are often the initial tests of choice for pericardial effusions with pericardiocentesis recommended for effusions with tamponade physiology, for moderate-to-large effusions, or if there is concern for infection/neoplasm. Due to improved tissue characterization and spatial resolution, CMR and positron emission tomography should also be considered for atypical or recurrent pericardial effusions to assess for less common aetiologies such as malignancy.
Comparative cardiovascular and renal effectiveness of empagliflozin and dapagliflozin: Scandinavian cohort study
Authors: Engström Arvid , Söderling Jonas , Hviid Anders , Eliasson Björn , Gudbjörnsdottir Soffia , Wintzell Viktor , Hveem Kristian , Jonasson Christian , Melbye Mads , Pasternak Björn , Ueda Peter
Published: June 2024

Aims

To assess the comparative cardiovascular and renal effectiveness and safety of empagliflozin vs. dapagliflozin among patients with type 2 diabetes in routine clinical practice.

Methods and results

Cohort study using data from nationwide registers in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, from June 2014 to June 2021 included 141 065 new users of empagliflozin and 58 306 new users of dapagliflozin. Coprimary outcomes were major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death), heart failure (hospitalization or death because of heart failure) and serious renal events (renal replacement therapy, hospitalization for renal events, and death from renal causes). Secondary outcomes were the individual components of the primary outcomes, any cause death, and diabetic ketoacidosis. Use of empagliflozin vs. dapagliflozin was associated with similar risk of major cardiovascular events [adjusted incidence rate: 15.9 vs. 15.8 events per 1000 person-years; HR 1.02, (95% confidence interval 0.97–1.08)], heart failure [6.5 vs. 6.3 events per 1000 person-years; HR 1.05 (0.97–1.14)] and serious renal events [3.7 vs. 4.1 events per 1000 person-years; HR 0.97 (0.87–1.07)]. In secondary outcome analyses, the HRs for use of empagliflozin vs. dapagliflozin were 1.00 (0.93–1.07) for myocardial infarction, 1.03 (0.95–1.12) for stroke, 1.01 (0.92–1.13) for cardiovascular death, 1.06 (1.00–1.11) for any cause death, 0.77 (0.60–0.99) for renal replacement therapy, 1.20 (0.75–1.93) for renal death, 1.01 (0.90–1.12) for hospitalization for renal events and 1.12 (0.94–1.33) for diabetic ketoacidosis.

Conclusion

Use of empagliflozin and dapagliflozin was associated with similar risk of cardiovascular and renal outcomes, mortality, and diabetic ketoacidosis.
Exercise training improves exercise capacity and quality of life in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Baral Ranu , Ho Jamie Sin Ying , Soroya Ayesha Nur , Hanger Melissa , Clarke Rosemary Elizabeth , Memon Sara Fatima , Glatzel Hannah , Ahmad Mahmood , Providencia Rui , Bray Jonathan James Hyett , D’Ascenzo Fabrizio
Published: June 2024

Aims

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and there are limited proven therapeutic strategies. Exercise has been shown to be beneficial in several studies. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of exercise on functional, physiological, and quality-of-life measures.

Methods and results

A comprehensive search of Medline and Embase was performed. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adult HFpEF patients with data on exercise intervention were included. Using meta-analysis, we produced pooled mean difference (MD) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with Review Manager (RevMan) software for the peak oxygen uptake (VO2), Minnesota living with heart failure (MLWHF) and, other diastolic dysfunction scores. A total of 14 studies on 629 HFpEF patients were included (63.2% female) with a mean age of 68.1 years. Exercise was associated with a significant improvement in the peak VO2 (MD 1.96 mL/kg/min, 95% CI 1.25–2.68; P < 0.00001) and MLWHF score (MD −12.06, 95% CI −17.11 to −7.01; P < 0.00001) in HFpEF. Subgroup analysis showed a small but significant improvement in peak VO2 with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) vs. medium-intensity continuous exercise (MCT; MD 1.25 mL/kg/min, 95% CI 0.41–2.08, P = 0.003).

Conclusion

Exercise increases the exercise capacity and quality of life in HFpEF patients, and high-intensity exercise is associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in exercise capacity than moderate intensity. Further studies with larger participant populations and longer follow-up are needed to confirm these findings and elucidate potential differences between high- and medium-intensity exercise.
Global burden of ischaemic heart disease from 2022 to 2050: projections of incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years
Authors: Shi Hujuan , Xia Yihang , Cheng Yiran , Liang Pengcheng , Cheng Mingmei , Zhang Baoliang , Liang Zhen , Wang Yanzhong , Xie Wanqing
Published: June 2024

Aims

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) has been a significant public health issue worldwide. This study aims to predict the global burden of IHD in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Methods and results

Incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for IHD from 1990 to 2021 were derived from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 database, and three models (linear, exponential, and Poisson regression) were used to estimate their trends over time at the global, regional, and national levels by age, sex, and country groups, with the gross domestic product per capita was applied to adjust the model. The model results revealed that the global burden of IHD is expected to increase continuously by 2050. By 2050, global IHD incidence, prevalence, deaths, and DALYs are projected to reach 67.3 million, 510 million, 16 million, and 302 million, respectively, which represents an increase of 116%, 106%, 80%, and 62%, respectively, from 2021. Moreover, the results showed that regions with lower sociodemographic index (SDI) bore a greater burden of IHD than those with higher SDI, with men having a higher burden of IHD than women. People over 70 years old account for a major part of the burden of IHD, and premature death of IHD is also becoming more serious.

Conclusion

The global burden of IHD will increase further by 2050, potentially due to population ageing and economic disparities. Hence, it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of IHD and formulate targeted strategies according to different SDI regions and special populations.
The Italian Fabry Disease Cardiovascular Registry (IFDCR)
Authors: Limongelli Giuseppe , Biagini Elena , Cappelli Francesco , Graziani Francesca , Monda Emanuele , Olivotto Iacopo , Parisi Vanda , Pieroni Maurizio , Rubino Marta , Serratore Serena , Sinagra Gianfranco , Indolfi Ciro , Perrone Filardi Pasquale
Published: June 2024

Aims

The Italian Fabry Disease Cardiovascular Registry (IFDCR) comprises 50 Italian centres with specific expertise in managing cardiovascular manifestations and complications of patients with Fabry disease (FD). The primary aim of the IFDCR is to examine and improve the clinical care and outcomes of patients with FD by addressing several knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, natural history, genotype–phenotype correlations, diagnosis, and management of this condition, with particular focus on cardiovascular manifestations and complications.

Methods and Results

The IFDCR is an international, longitudinal, multicentre, non-interventional, observational study. Consecutive patients aged ≥2 years with a diagnosis of FD will be included in the study. The recruitment period consists of two parts: the retrospective enrolment period, from January 1981 to December 2023, and the prospective enrolment period, spanning from January 2024 to December 2031. The registry collects baseline and follow-up data, including the enrolment setting, patient demographics, family history, symptoms, clinical manifestations, electrocardiogram, cardiovascular imaging, laboratory assessment, medical therapy, genetic testing results, and outcomes.

Conclusions

The IFDCR is a national, multicentre, registry that includes patients with FD. It holds detailed and multiparametric data across the patient pathway and clinical manifestations, acting as a powerful tool for improving the quality of care and conducting high-impact research.
Women in political power and school closure during COVID times
Authors: Danzer Natalia , Garcia-Torres Sebastian , Steinhardt Max Friedrich , Stella Luca
Published: June 2024

This study explores the relationship between women’s representation in political power and school closures during the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Using a cross-country dataset in Europe, we document a striking negative relationship between the share of female members in national governments and school closures. We show that a one-standard deviation increase in female members of national governments is associated with a significant reduction in the likelihood of school lockdowns by 24% relative to the average share of school closures. This result is robust to an extensive set of sensitivity checks. We attribute this pattern to a higher awareness of female politicians about the potential costs that school closures imply for families, in particular working mothers with young children.
Characterization and trans-generation dynamics of mitogene pool in the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)
Authors: Li Jinlin , Wu Hengshu , Zhou Yingna , Liu Manhong , Zhou Yongheng , Chu Jianing , Kamili Elizabeth , Wang Wenhui , Yang Jincheng , Lin Lijun , Zhang Qi , Yang Shuhui , Xu Yanchun
Published: June 2024

Multicopied mitogenome are prone to mutation during replication often resulting in heteroplasmy. The derived variants in a cell, organ, or an individual animal constitute a mitogene pool. The individual mitogene pool is initiated by a small fraction of the egg mitogene pool. However, the characteristics and relationship between them has not yet been investigated. This study quantitatively analyzed the heteroplasmy landscape, genetic loads, and selection strength of the mitogene pool of egg and hatchling in the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) using high-throughput resequencing. The results showed heteroplasmic sites distribute across the whole mitogenome in both eggs and hatchlings. The dominant substitution was Transversion in eggs and Transition in hatching accounting for 95.23%±2.07% and 85.38%±6.94% of total HP sites, respectively. The total genetic loads were 0.293±0.044 in eggs and 0.228±0.022 in hatchlings (P=0.048). The dN/dS ratio was 58.03±38.98 for eggs and 9.44±3.93 for hatchlings (P=0.037). These results suggest that the mitogenomes were under strong positive selection in eggs with tolerance to variants with deleterious effects, while the selection was positive but much weaker in hatchlings showing marked quality control. Based on these findings, we proposed a trans-generation dynamics model to explain differential development mode of the two mitogene pool between oocyte maturation and ontogenesis of offspring. This study sheds light on significance of mitogene pool for persistence of populations and subsequent integration in ecological studies and conservation practices.
High Polymorphism Levels of De Novo ORFs in a Yoruba Human Population
Authors: Vara Covadonga , Montañés José Carlos , Albà M Mar
Published: June 2024

During evolution, new open reading frames (ORFs) with the potential to give rise to novel proteins continuously emerge. A recent compilation of noncanonical ORFs with translation signatures in humans has identified thousands of cases with a putative de novo origin. However, it is not known which is their distribution in the population. Are they universally translated? Here, we use ribosome profiling data from 65 lymphoblastoid cell lines from individuals of Yoruba origin to investigate this question. We identify 2,587 de novo ORFs translated in at least one of the cell lines. In line with their de novo origin, the encoded proteins tend to be smaller than 100 amino acids and encode positively charged proteins. We observe that the de novo ORFs are more polymorphic in the population than the set of canonical proteins, with a substantial fraction of them being translated in only some of the cell lines. Remarkably, this difference remains significant after controlling for differences in the translation levels. These results suggest that variations in the level translation of de novo ORFs could be a relevant source of intraspecies phenotypic diversity in humans.
Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults Living in Foster Families in the French West Indies: Baseline Screening of the KArukera Study of Aging in Foster Families (KASAF) Cohort
Authors: Boucaud-Maitre Denis , Villeneuve Roxane , Rambhojan Christine , Simo-Tabué Nadine , Thibault Nathalie , Rinaldo Leila , Dartigues Jean-François , Dramé Moustapha , Amieva Hélène , Tabué-Teguo Maturin
Published: June 2024

Background and Objectives

Foster families for older adults could represent a transitional or alternative model to nursing homes. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics of older adults in foster families and to compare them with those of residents in nursing homes in French West Indies.

Research Design and Methods

This study is a cross-sectional analysis of the KArukera Study of Aging in Foster Families (KASAF) cohort. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were extracted. Dependency was assessed using the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale and cognition using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scale. Age, gender, ADL, and MMSE scores were compared with nursing home residents from a twin study of KASAF (n = 332).

Results

A total of 107 older adults (mean age 81.8 years; 61.7% women) were recruited in 56 foster families between September 2020 and May 2021. In all, 25.5% had diabetes mellitus and 45.8% suffered from hypertension. The mean MMSE score was 9.3 ± 10.1 and 76.0% had major cognitive impairment (MMSE score <18); 12.5% were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and 42.0% of the residents were confined to bed or in a wheelchair, with a mean ADL score of 1.5 ± 1.8. Almost all the residents (96.3%) benefited from a medical follow-up by a nurse who visited once or twice a day. Compared to older adults living in nursing homes, those in foster families were more frequently women (61.7% vs 49.4%) and had lower ADL score (1.5 vs 2.4) and lower MMSE score (9.3 vs 11.3).

Discussion and Implications

The clinical profile of foster families’ residents was quite similar to that of nursing home residents in terms of demographics, dementia, and dependency. Foster families might represent an interesting strategy to address the unmet clinical and social needs of dependent older adults, especially in countries where nursing homes are not sufficiently developed.

Clinical Trials Registration Number

NCT04545775
The Copyright Amendment Bill: A New Vista for Fair Remuneration for South African Creators and Performers?
Authors: Oriakhogba Desmond O , Erhagbe Eunice O
Published: June 2024

The South African Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) was passed by parliament on 29 February 2024. From the formal commencement of the legislative process for the enactment of the CAB, by way of its introduction to parliament in 2017 to its eventual passage and afterwards, there has been very serious debate about whether or not the CAB will live up to the objectives it is formulated to achieve. The debate has mainly been centred around the limitations and exceptions the CAB seeks to introduce into the copyright regime in South Africa. This debate has the effect of blurring other key proposals in the CAB that are geared towards ensuring and promoting fair remuneration for creators and performers in South Africa’s creative industries. Building on previous work and based on desk research, this report undertakes an in-depth analysis of key clauses in the CAB relating to equitable remuneration and fair royalty, reversionary right, licensing of orphan works, artist resale royalty and regulation of collective management organisations (CMOs) in order to illuminate and ignite debate on the CAB’s proposals aimed at ensuring fair remuneration for South African creators and performers.
Incorporation of observation uncertainty in stock assessment using spatio-temporal modeling of catch-at-length and age-at-length survey data
Authors: Breivik Olav Nikolai , Zimmermann Fabian , Johannesen Edda , Ono Kotaro , Fall Johanna , Howell Daniel , Nielsen Anders
Published: June 2024

Spatio-temporal models are essential tools for estimating abundance indices and quantifying the associated uncertainty. Time series of index uncertainties can be used to objectively determine the influence each index has on the assessment. This can involve reducing the influence of indices in years with limited data. However, incorporating uncertainty in age-length conversion into assessment models has remained a challenge. In this research, we propose an index estimation approach that combines an abundance-at-length model with a model for age-at-length to generate age-specific abundance indices. By jointly modeling abundance-at-length and age-at-length, we address uncertainties in both components of the index-at-age. Using North East Arctic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) as a case study, we validate the uncertainty of the indices by integrating them into the state space assessment model SAM. The results indicate that the uncertainty estimates are realistic, and we further demonstrate that incorporating uncertainty in age conversion has effects on the assessment results. Our case study demonstrates that incorporating the uncertainty in age-at-length data improves the characterization of uncertainty in stock assessment, and hence better accounts for risk in precautionary management.