bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Transient congenital hyperinsulinism and hemolytic disease of a newborn despite rhesus D prophylaxis: a case report
Authors: Riis Sandra Simony Tornoe , Joergensen Marianne Hoerby , Rasmussen Kristina Fruerlund , Husby Steffen , Hasselby Jane Preuss , Borgwardt Lise , Brusgaard Klaus , Fagerberg Christina Ringmann , Christesen Henrik Thybo
Published: November 2021

Background

In neonates, rhesus D alloimmunization despite anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis is rare and often unexplained. Rhesus D alloimmunization can lead to hemolytic disease of the newborn with anemia and unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. In past reports, transient congenital hyperinsulinism has been described as a rare complication of rhesus D alloimmunization. Our case report illustrates that rhesus D alloimmunization can result in a pseudosyndrome with severe congenital hyperinsulinism, anemia, and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, despite correctly administered anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis.

Case presentation

We report of a 36-year-old, Caucasian gravida 1, para 1 mother with A RhD negative blood type who received routine antenatal anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis. Her full term newborn boy presented with severe congenital hyperinsulinism, anemia, and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia up to 295 µmol/L (ref. < 9), accounting for 64% of the total bilirubin. Syndromic congenital hyperinsulinism was suspected. Examinations showed a positive direct antiglobulin test, initially interpreted as caused by irregular antibodies; diffuse congenital hyperinsulinism by 18F-DOPA positron emission tomography/computed tomography scan; normal genetic analyses for congenital hyperinsulinism; mildly elevated liver enzymes; delayed, but present bile excretion by Tc99m-hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scintigraphy; and cholestasis and mild fibrosis by liver biopsy. The maternal anti-D titer was 1:16,000 day 20 postpartum. Y-chromosome material in the mother’s blood could not be identified. This could, however, not exclude late intrapartum fetomaternal hemorrhage as the cause of immunization. No causative genetic findings were deetrmined by trio whole exome sequencing. The child went into clinical remission after 5.5 months.

Conclusion

Our case demonstrates that rhesus D alloimmunization may present as a pseudosyndrome with transient congenital hyperinsulinism, anemia, and inspissated bile syndrome with conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia, despite anti-D immunoglobulin prophylaxis, possibly due to late fetomaternal hemorrhage.
Interferon-induced sarcoidosis with uveitis as the initial symptom: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Kato Ai , Ishihara Mami , Mizuki Nobuhisa
Published: November 2021

Background

In recent years, numerous studies have reported the development or exacerbation of sarcoidosis due to interferon therapy. However, ocular lesions rarely present as initial symptoms. Herein, we describe a rare case of interferon-α-induced sarcoidosis with uveitis as the initial symptom, and present a review of the relevant literature.

Case presentation

This case involved a 62-year-old-Japanese woman with a history of a combination treatment of pegylated interferon-α-2a, ribavirin, and simeprevir, after which she developed granulomatous panuveitis. She was subsequently diagnosed with sarcoidosis following histological examination of skin biopsy specimens. In addition to reporting this case, we performed a literature review of 27 cases (24 case reports) of histopathologically diagnosed interferon-α-induced sarcoidosis published between January 2009 and November 2018.

Conclusions

Among the reviewed cases, 23 (85.1%) cases developed skin lesions and 19 (70.1%) had lung lesions. Only three cases (11.1%) had accompanying eye lesions. Interferon-α therapy was discontinued in 16 cases (52.9%), and the majority exhibited improvement after systemic corticosteroid treatment. There are few reported cases of interferon-α-induced sarcoidosis with uveitis as the initial symptom. However, if uveitis develops during or after interferon-α treatment, it might represent an initial symptom of interferon-α-induced sarcoidosis, as observed in the present case.
Nitrification mainly driven by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in an anammox-inoculated wastewater treatment system
Authors: Lu Jing , Hong Yiguo , Wei Ying , Gu Ji-Dong , Wu Jiapeng , Wang Yu , Ye Fei , Lin Jih-Gaw
Published: November 2021

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has been acknowledged as an environmentally friendly and time-saving technique capable of achieving efficient nitrogen removal. However, the community of nitrification process in anammox-inoculated wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has not been elucidated. In this study, ammonia oxidation (AO) and nitrite oxidation (NO) rates were analyzed with the incubation of activated sludge from Xinfeng WWTPs (Taiwan, China), and the community composition of nitrification communities were investigated by high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that both AO and NO had strong activity in the activated sludge. The average rates of AO and NO in sample A were 6.51 µmol L−1 h−1 and 6.52 µmol L−1 h−1, respectively, while the rates in sample B were 14.48 µmol L−1 h−1 and 14.59 µmol L−1 h−1, respectively. The abundance of the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) Nitrospira was 0.89–4.95 × 1011 copies/g in both samples A and B, the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was 1.01–9.74 × 109 copies/g. In contrast, the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was much lower than AOB, only with 1.28–1.53 × 105 copies/g in samples A and B. The AOA community was dominated by Nitrosotenuis, Nitrosocosmicus, and Nitrososphaera, while the AOB community mainly consisted of Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus. The dominant species of Nitrospira were Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii, Candidatus Nitrospira Ecomare2 and Nitrospira inopinata. In summary, the strong nitrification activity was mainly catalyzed by AOB and Nitrospira, maintaining high efficiency in nitrogen removal in the anammox-inoculated WWTPs by providing the substrates required for denitrification and anammox processes.
A systematic review of GWAS identified SNPs associated with outcomes of medications for opioid use disorder
Authors: Chawar Caroul , Hillmer Alannah , Sanger Stephanie , D’Elia Alessia , Panesar Balpreet , Guan Lucy , Xie Dave Xiaofei , Bansal Nandini , Abdullah Aamna , Kapczinski Flavio , Pare Guillaume , Thabane Lehana , Samaan Zainab
Published: November 2021

Background

Patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) display an interindividual variability in their response to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). A genetic basis may explain the variability in this response. However, no consensus has been reached regarding which genetic variants significantly contribute to MOUD outcomes.

Objectives

This systematic review aims to summarize genome-wide significant findings on MOUD outcomes and critically appraise the quality of the studies involved.

Methods

Databases searched from inception until August 21st, 2020 include: MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, CINAHL and Pre-CINAHL, GWAS Catalog and GWAS Central. The included studies had to be GWASs that assessed MOUD in an OUD population. All studies were screened in duplicate. The quality of the included studies was scored and assessed using the Q-Genie tool. Quantitative analysis, as planned in the protocol, was not feasible, so the studies were analyzed qualitatively.

Results

Our search identified 7292 studies. Five studies meeting the eligibility criteria were included. However, only three studies reported results that met our significance threshold of p ≤ 1.0 × 10–7. In total, 43 genetic variants were identified. Variants corresponding to CNIH3 were reported to be associated with daily heroin injection in Europeans, OPRM1, TRIB2, and ZNF146 with methadone dose in African Americans, EYS with methadone dose in Europeans, and SPON1 and intergenic regions in chromosomes 9 and 3 with plasma concentrations of S-methadone, R-methadone, and R-EDDP, respectively, in Han Chinese.

Limitations

The limitations of this study include not being able to synthesize the data in a quantitative way and a conservative eligibility and data collection model.

Conclusion

The results from this systematic review will aid in highlighting significant genetic variants that can be replicated in future OUD pharmacogenetics research to ascertain their role in patient-specific MOUD outcomes.

Systematic review registration number CRD42020169121.
Are coveralls required as personal protective equipment during the management of COVID-19 patients?
Authors: Jung Jongtak , Song Kyoung-Ho , Jeong Hyeonju , Ham Sin Young , Kim Eu Suk , Kim Hong Bin
Published: November 2021

Objectives

Few studies have investigated the contamination of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the management of patients with severe-to-critical coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study aimed to determine the necessity of coveralls and foot covers for body protection during the management of COVID-19 patients.

Methods

PPE samples were collected from the coveralls of physicians exiting a room after the management of a patient with severe-to-critical COVID-19 within 14 days after the patient’s symptom onset. The surface of coveralls was categorized into coverall-only parts (frontal surface of the head, anterior neck, dorsal surface of the foot cover, and back and hip) and gown-covered parts (the anterior side of the forearm and the abdomen). Sampling of the high-contact surfaces in the patient’s environment was performed. We attempted to identify significant differences in contamination with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) between the coverall-only and gown-covered parts.

Results

A total of 105 swabs from PPEs and 28 swabs from patient rooms were collected. Of the PPE swabs, only three (2.8%) swabs from the gown-covered parts were contaminated with SARS-CoV-2. However, 23 of the 28 sites (82.1%) from patient rooms were contaminated. There was a significant difference in the contamination of PPE between the coverall-only and gown-covered parts (0.0 vs 10.0%, p = 0.022).

Conclusions

Coverall contamination rarely occurred while managing severe-to-critical COVID-19 patients housed in negative pressure rooms in the early stages of the illness. Long-sleeved gowns may be used in the management of COVID-19 patients.
Demographic, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics of COVID-19 pediatric cases in southeast Iran
Authors: Soleimani Gholamreza , Akbarirad Fatemeh , Shafighi Shahri Elham , Sajjadi Seyyed Masoud
Published: November 2021

Background

Even though children seem to be less vulnerable to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, still a diverse range of clinical presentations and symptoms have been reported in children. Few studies assessed the clinical presentations of COVID-19 among Iranian children. We aimed to evaluate the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of COVID-19 infected children.

Methods

All COVID-19 suspected and confirmed children were referred to the Ali-ibn-Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan, Iran. Patients were included in this longitudinal study. Patients were evaluated at admission and during hospitalization. Patients with some of the main COVID symptoms with positive PCR test were defined as confirmed cases. Clinical, imaging and laboratory results were collected for all patients.

Results

A total of 62 patients participated in this study. The male:female ratio was 1:1.03. There was a significant difference in fatigue prevalence between age groups (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference between groups in terms of fever duration (P = 0.624) and maximum temperature (P = 0.629). There was a significant difference between PCR positive and negative patients in terms of neurologic signs (P = 0.003), Intensive care unit admission (P = 0.001), white blood cell (P = 0.047).

Conclusions

Even though our population was small, most of the findings matched other studies conducted on pediatric cases in Iran or other countries. It was also found that some clinical features such as pneumonia, cough, diarrhea, and tachycardia at admission time were statistically different among age groups.
Regulation of blood–brain barrier integrity by microbiome-associated methylamines and cognition by trimethylamine N-oxide
Authors: Hoyles Lesley , Pontifex Matthew G. , Rodriguez-Ramiro Ildefonso , Anis-Alavi M. Areeb , Jelane Khadija S. , Snelling Tom , Solito Egle , Fonseca Sonia , Carvalho Ana L. , Carding Simon R. , Müller Michael , Glen Robert C. , Vauzour David , McArthur Simon
Published: November 2021

Background

Communication between the gut microbiota and the brain is primarily mediated via soluble microbe-derived metabolites, but the details of this pathway remain poorly defined. Methylamines produced by microbial metabolism of dietary choline and l-carnitine have received attention due to their proposed association with vascular disease, but their effects upon the cerebrovascular circulation have hitherto not been studied.

Results

Here, we use an integrated in vitro/in vivo approach to show that physiologically relevant concentrations of the dietary methylamine trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) enhanced blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity and protected it from inflammatory insult, acting through the tight junction regulator annexin A1. In contrast, the TMAO precursor trimethylamine (TMA) impaired BBB function and disrupted tight junction integrity. Moreover, we show that long-term exposure to TMAO protects murine cognitive function from inflammatory challenge, acting to limit astrocyte and microglial reactivity in a brain region-specific manner.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate the mechanisms through which microbiome-associated methylamines directly interact with the mammalian BBB, with consequences for cerebrovascular and cognitive function.
Psychometric properties of the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) in children with internalizing symptoms: examining baseline data from a national randomized controlled intervention study
Authors: Pedersen Marit Løtveit , Jozefiak Thomas , Sund Anne Mari , Holen Solveig , Neumer Simon-Peter , Martinsen Kristin D. , Rasmussen Lene Mari P. , Patras Joshua , Lydersen Stian
Published: November 2021

Background

Prevention is essential to reduce the development of symptomology among children and adolescents into disorders, thereby improving public health and reducing costs. Therefore, easily administered screening and early assessment methods with good reliability and validity are necessary to effectively identify children’s functioning and how these develop. The Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) is an instrument designed for this purpose. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the BPM parent (BPM-P) and teacher (BPM-T) versions, including internal reliability and construct validity at assessing children with internalizing problems.

Methods

Baseline data were collected from a national randomized controlled intervention study. Children aged 8–12 years with self-reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depression with one standard deviation above a chosen population’s mean were included in this study. Teachers (n = 750) and parents (n = 596) rated children using the BPM-T and BPM-P, respectively. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach’s alpha, and multi-informant agreement between the BPM-P and BPM-T was measured using Spearman’s correlations. Construct validity was assessed via confirmatory factor analysis.

Results

Internal consistency was good throughout all domains for both the BPM-P and BPM-T, with a Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .763 to .878. Multi-informant agreement between the parents and the teacher was moderate on the externalizing, attention, and total scales and low on the internalizing scale. The model fit for the three-factor structure of the BPM was excellent for the BPM-P and good for the BPM-T.

Conclusions

Internal consistency was good, and the original three-factor solution of the BPM-P and BPM-T was confirmed based on our sample of school children at-risk for emotional problems. These promising results indicate that the BPM may be a valid short assessment tool for measuring attentional, behavioral, and internalizing problems in children.

Trial registrationin Clinical Trials: NCT02340637; June 12, 2014.
Understanding and optimizing Evolon® CR for varnish removal from oil paintings
Authors: Baij Lambert , Liu Chun , Buijs Jesse , Alvarez Martin Alba , Westert Dorien , Raven Laura , Geels Norbert , Noble Petria , Sprakel Joris , Keune Katrien
Published: November 2021

Evolon

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CR is increasingly used in paintings conservation for varnish removal from oil paintings. Its key benefits over traditional cotton swabs are limiting solvent exposure and reducing mechanical action on the paint surface. However, this non-woven microfilament textile was not originally engineered for conservation use and little is known about its chemical stability towards organic solvents. Moreover, the physical processes of solvent loading and release by Evolon

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CR, as well as solvent retention inside paint after cleaning, have not been studied. These three topics were investigated using a multi-analytical approach, aiming for an improved understanding and optimized use of Evolon

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CR for varnish removal. Our results show that the tissue is generally chemically and physically stable to organic solvents when exposed on timescales that are typical in conservation practice. However, a pre-treatment step of Evolon

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CR is necessary to avoid the release of unwanted saturated fatty acids into the paint during varnish removal. We show that the primary mechanism of solvent uptake by the fibers is adsorption rather than absorption and that the dominant factor dictating the maximum solvent load is the volume of the voids between the fibers. Finally, solvent induced dynamics after application of solvent-loaded Evolon

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CR within the paint film was monitored using portable laser speckle imaging on model paints. A method to quantify solvent-retention in real-time was developed and revealed that the presence of varnish on paintings results in lower dynamics of solvents within the paint in comparison to unvarnished paint. Comparing various solvents, it was found that cleaning with acetone resulted in a roughly six-fold increase in dynamics compared to ethanol and isopropanol.
An adaptive prediction method for mechanical properties deterioration of sandstone under freeze–thaw cycles: a case study of Yungang Grottoes
Authors: Liu Chenchen , Liu Yibiao , Ren Weizhong , Xu Wenhui , Cai Simin , Wang Junxia
Published: November 2021

Due to the location of the Yungang Grottoes, freeze–thaw cycles contribute significantly to the degradation of the mechanical properties of the sandstone. The factors influencing the freeze–thaw cycle are classified into two categories: external environmental conditions and the inherent properties of the rock itself. Since the parameters of rock properties are inherent to each rock, the effect of rock properties on freeze–thaw degradation cannot be investigated by the control variates method. An adaptive multi-output gradient boosting decision trees (AMGBDT) algorithm is proposed to fit nonlinear relationships between mechanical properties and physical factors. The hyperparameters in the GBDT algorithm are set as variables, and the Sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm is applied to solve the hyperparameter optimization, which means finding the maximum Score. The case study illustrates that the AMGBDT algorithm can precisely determine the effect of each independent factor on the output. The patterns of mechanical properties are similar when the number of freeze–thaw cycles and porosity are used as variables separately and when both are used simultaneously. The uniaxial compressive strength decay rate is positively correlated with the number of freeze–thaw cycles and porosity. The modulus of elasticity is negatively correlated with the number of freeze–thaw cycles and porosity. The results show that the number of freeze–thaw cycles is the main factor influencing the freeze–thaw cycling action, and the porosity is minor. In addition, the fitting accuracy of the AMGBDT algorithm is generally higher than neural networks (NN) and random forests (RF). Studying the influence of porosity and other rock properties on the freeze–thaw cycle will help to understand the failure mechanism of rock freeze–thaw cycles.
Big knowledge-based semantic correlation for detecting slow and low-level advanced persistent threats
Authors: Lajevardi Amir Mohammadzade , Amini Morteza
Published: November 2021

Targeted cyber attacks, which today are known as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), use low and slow patterns to bypass intrusion detection and alert correlation systems. Since most of the attack detection approaches use a short time-window, the slow APTs abuse this weakness to escape from the detection systems. In these situations, the intruders increase the time of attacks and move as slowly as possible by some tricks such as usingsleeperandwake upfunctions and make detection difficult for such detection systems. In addition, low APTs use trusted subjects or agents to conceal any footprint and abnormalities in the victim system by some tricks such as code injection and stealing digital certificates. In this paper, a new solution is proposed for detecting both low and slow APTs. The proposed approach uses low-level interception, knowledge-based system, system ontology, and semantic correlation to detect low-level attacks. Since using semantic-based correlation is not applicable for detecting slow attacks due to its significant processing overhead, we propose a scalable knowledge-based system that uses three different concepts and approaches to reduce the time complexity including (1) flexible sliding window calledVermiform windowto analyze and correlate system events instead of using fixed-size time-window, (2) effective inference using a scalable inference engine calledSANSA, and (3) data reduction by ontology-based data abstraction. We can detect the slow APTs whose attack duration is about several months. Evaluation of the proposed approach on a dataset containing many APT scenarios shows 84.21% of sensitivity and 82.16% of specificity.
Non-invasive detection of a femoral-to-radial arterial pressure gradient in intensive care patients with vasoactive agents
Authors: Jacquet-Lagrèze Matthias , Claveau David , Cousineau Julie , Liu Kun Peng , Guimond Jean-Gilles , Aslanian Pierre , Lamarche Yoan , Albert Martin , Charbonney Emmanuel , Hammoud Ali , Kontar Loay , Denault André
Published: November 2021

Background

In patient requiring vasopressors, the radial artery pressure may underestimate the true central aortic pressure leading to unnecessary interventions. When using a femoral and a radial arterial line, this femoral-to-radial arterial pressure gradient (FR-APG) can be detected. Our main objective was to assess the accuracy of non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measures; specifically, measuring the gradient between the NIBP obtained at the brachial artery and the radial artery pressure and calculating the non-invasive brachial-to-radial arterial pressure gradient (NIBR-APG) to detect an FR-APG. The secondary objective was to assess the prevalence of the FR-APG in a targeted sample of critically ill patients.

Methods

Adult patients in an intensive care unit requiring vasopressors and instrumented with a femoral and a radial artery line were selected. We recorded invasive radial and femoral arterial pressure, and brachial NIBP. Measurements were repeated each hour for 2 h. A significant FR-APG (our reference standard) was defined by either a mean arterial pressure (MAP) difference of more than 10 mmHg or a systolic arterial pressure (SAP) difference of more than 25 mmHg. The diagnostic accuracy of the NIBR-APG (our index test) to detect a significant FR-APG was estimated and the prevalence of an FR-APG was measured and correlated with the NIBR-APG.

Results

Eighty-one patients aged 68 [IQR 58–75] years and an SAPS2 score of 35 (SD 7) were included from which 228 measurements were obtained. A significant FR-APG occurred in 15 patients with a prevalence of 18.5% [95%CI 10.8–28.7%]. Diabetes was significantly associated with a significant FR-APG. The use of a 11 mmHg difference in MAP between the NIBP at the brachial artery and the MAP of the radial artery led to a specificity of 92% [67; 100], a sensitivity of 100% [95%CI 83; 100] and an AUC ROC of 0.93 [95%CI 0.81–0.99] to detect a significant FR-APG. SAP and MAP FR-APG correlated with SAP (r2 = 0.36; p < 0.001) and MAP (r2 = 0.34; p < 0.001) NIBR-APG.

Conclusion

NIBR-APG assessment can be used to detect a significant FR-APG which occur in one in every five critically ill patients requiring vasoactive agents.
Prevalence and associated risk factors for sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women: a study from Iran
Authors: Tavoli Azadeh , Tavoli Zahra , Effatpanah Mohammad , Montazeri Ali
Published: November 2021

Background

Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) is a distressing condition linked to menopause. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and contributing factors for FSD among postmenopausal women.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of postmenopausal women attending a gynecology clinic in a teaching hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences was enrolled into the study. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to assess sexual function. In addition, demographic and psychosocial information were recorded. The association between sexual function and anxiety and depression were examined to explore the data.

Results

In all 162 postmenopausal women were studied. We performed general linear regression analysis to assess the relationship between sexual function and anxiety while including demographic variables in the model. The results showed that the model could explain about 46% of the variance observed in sexual function (adjusted R2 = 0.467). The analysis indicated that among independent variables, age (p <  0.001), sexual frequency (p <  0.001), and anxiety (p = 0.003) were significant contributing factors associated with sexual function. A similar analysis evaluating the relationship between sexual function and depression in menopausal women found that age (p <  0.001), sexual frequency (p <  0.001), and depression (p = 0.003), were significant contributing factors associated with sexual function; explaining about 46% of the variance observed (adjusted R2 = 0.466).

Conclusion

The findings showed that nearly half of menopausal women had sexual dysfunction in this convenience sample of women seeking gynecologic care. Women reporting sexual dysfunction also reported a higher prevalence of anxiety and depression. Indeed, recognition of such factors requires a holistic therapeutic approach to sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women.
Estuarine gradients dictate spatiotemporal variations of microbiome networks in the Chesapeake Bay
Authors: Wang Hualong , Chen Feng , Zhang Chuanlun , Wang Min , Kan Jinjun
Published: November 2021

Background

Annually reoccurring microbial populations with strong spatial and temporal variations have been identified in estuarine environments, especially in those with long residence time such as the Chesapeake Bay (CB). However, it is unclear how microbial taxa cooccurr and how the inter-taxa networks respond to the strong environmental gradients in the estuaries.

Results

Here, we constructed co-occurrence networks on prokaryotic microbial communities in the CB, which included seasonal samples from seven spatial stations along the salinity gradients for three consecutive years. Our results showed that spatiotemporal variations of planktonic microbiomes promoted differentiations of the characteristics and stability of prokaryotic microbial networks in the CB estuary. Prokaryotic microbial networks exhibited a clear seasonal pattern where microbes were more closely connected during warm season compared to the associations during cold season. In addition, microbial networks were more stable in the lower Bay (ocean side) than those in the upper Bay (freshwater side). Multivariate regression tree (MRT) analysis and piecewise structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that temperature, salinity and total suspended substances along with nutrient availability, particulate carbon and Chl a, affected the distribution and co-occurrence of microbial groups, such as Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria, Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. Interestingly, compared to the abundant groups (such as SAR11, Saprospiraceae and Actinomarinaceae), the rare taxa including OM60 (NOR5) clade (Gammaproteobacteria), Micrococcales (Actinobacteria), and NS11-12 marine group (Bacteroidetes) contributed greatly to the stability of microbial co-occurrence in the Bay. Modularity and cluster structures of microbial networks varied spatiotemporally, which provided valuable insights into the ‘small world’ (a group of more interconnected species), network stability, and habitat partitioning/preferences.

Conclusion

Our results shed light on how estuarine gradients alter the spatiotemporal variations of prokaryotic microbial networks in the estuarine ecosystem, as well as their adaptability to environmental disturbances and co-occurrence network complexity and stability.
Making community voices heard in a research–health service alliance, the evolving role of the Community Advisory Group: a case study from the members’ perspective
Authors: Wale Janet L. , Di Pietro Louisa , Renton Heather , Sahhar Margaret , Walker Christine , Williams Pamela , Meehan Karen , Lynch Elly , Martyn Melissa , Bell Jane , Winship Ingrid , Gaff Clara L.
Published: November 2021

Background

The Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance (the Alliance) is a collaboration of leading hospitals, research and academic organisations, supported by its member organisations and the Victorian Government. The Alliance was set up by its members in 2013 to steer the translation of genomics, making it an integral part of health care in Victoria, Australia. The Community Advisory Group (CAG) was formed soon after, to give input and advice across the program. This was to ensure consideration of community values, perspectives and priorities, and knowledge translation for patient care. The CAG was charged with providing a strong community voice for the duration of the program. Appointed members were experienced consumer advocates with developed connections to the community.

Main body

The Alliance progressed from an initial Demonstration Project (2013–2015) to a multifaceted program (2016–2020). The CAG worked strategically to help address complex issues, for example, communication, privacy, informed consent, ethics, patient experience, measurement and evaluation standards and policies, data storage and re-use of genomic data. Many aspects of translating genomics into routine care have been tackled, such as communicating with patients invited to have genomic testing, or their caregivers, and obtaining informed consent, clinical questions across 16 areas of health care, training and education of health and laboratory professionals, genomic data management and data-sharing. Evidence generated around clinical utility and cost-effectiveness led to government funding of testing for complex genetic conditions in children.

Conclusion

The CAG activities, recorded in a CAG-inspired Activity register, span the full spectrum of information sharing and consultation to co-design and partnership. The CAG were involved at multiple levels of participation and in all tiers of activity including governance, development of policies and procedures, program planning and evaluation. Working relationships were built up and a level of trust instilled to advance the Alliance work program in ensuring an effective patient-care model of delivery of genomics. CAG input into project deliverables has been tangible. Less tangible contributions included presentations at external meetings and conferences, direct interactions at meetings with Alliance members, interactions with visitors and external experts, taking part in consultations with experts, state and federal government.
Co-designing new tools for collecting, analysing and presenting patient experience data in NHS services: working in partnership with patients and carers
Authors: Small Nicola , Ong Bie Nio , Lewis Annmarie , Allen Dawn , Bagshaw Nigel , Nahar Papreen , Sanders Caroline ,   the DEPEND team, Hodgson Damian , Dehghan Azad , Sharp Charlotte , Dixon Will , Lewis Shôn , Kontopantelis Evan , Daker-White Gavin , Bower Peter , Davies Linda , Kayesh Humayun , Spencer Rebecca , McAvoy Aneela , Boaden Ruth , Lovell Karina , Ainsworth John , Nowakowska Magdalena , Shepherd Andrew , Cahoon Patrick , Hopkins Richard , Nenadic Goran
Published: November 2021

Background

The way we collect and use patient experience data is vital to optimise the quality and safety of health services. Yet, some patients and carers do not give feedback because of the limited ways data is collected, analysed and presented. In this study, we worked together with researchers, staff, patient and carer participants, and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) contributors, to co-design new tools for the collection and use of patient experience data in multiple health settings. This paper outlines how the range of PPIE and research activities enabled the co-design of new tools to collect patient experience data.

Methods

Eight public contributors represented a range of relevant patient and carer experiences in specialist services with varied levels of PPIE experience, and eleven members of Patient and Participation Groups (PPGs) from two general practices formed our PPIE group at the start of the study. Slide sets were used to trigger co-design discussions with staff, patient and carer research participants, and PPIE contributors. Feedback from PPIE contributors alongside verbatim quotes from staff, patient and carer research participants is presented in relation to the themes from the research data.

Results

PPIE insights from four themes: capturing experience data; adopting digital or non-digital tools; ensuring privacy and confidentiality; and co-design of a suite of new tools with guidance, informed joint decisions on the shaping of the tools and how these were implemented. Our PPIE contributors took different roles during co-design and testing of the new tools, which supported co-production of the study.

Conclusions

Our experiences of developing multiple components of PPIE work for this complex study demonstrates the importance of tailoring PPIE to suit different settings, and to maximise individual strengths and capacity. Our study shows the value of bringing diverse experiences together, putting patients and carers at the heart of improving NHS services, and a shared approach to managing involvement in co-design, with the effects shown through the research process, outcomes and the partnership. We reflect on how we worked together to create a supportive environment when unforeseen challenges emerged (such as, sudden bereavement).
Ear morphology and morphometry as potential forensic tools for identification of the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba populations of Nigeria
Authors: Fakorede Samson Taiwo , Adekoya Khalid Olajide , Fasakin Taiwo Peter , Odufisan Joshua Odubambo , Oboh Bola
Published: November 2021

Background

The human external ear is unique in every individual in terms of shape, size and dimension making it suitable in forensic anthropology for sex estimation and personal identification purposes. The study aimed to evaluate sexual dimorphism and ethnic specificity of the external ear in major Nigerian ethnic populations.

Results

There was variation in the morphological features of the external ear of the sampled subjects. The external ear features vary in the right and left ears in both sexes of the ethnic groups. All variables were statistically significant (p < 0.05) except ear width. Univariate discriminant function gave sex prediction accuracies between 56.4 and 57.3% for left and right ears, respectively. Population-specific sex prediction accuracy using stepwise discriminant analysis of left ear variables ranged 58–69.7% and 57.5–74.2% for right ear.

Conclusion

The ear parameters showed potential for sex estimation, but cannot be solely relied upon for personal identification.
Influence of time of feeding on dam performance prepartum and postpartum and its impact on its kids
Authors: Adegbeye Moyosore Joseph , Omotoso Oluwatosin Bode , Fajemisin Adebowale Noah , Aro Samuel Olanrewaju , Obadare Damilola Deborah , Adunbi Michael Eyitope , Faniyi Tolulope Oreoluwa
Published: November 2021

Background

This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of time of feeding on the performance of WAD goats during pregnancy, and to assess how the time of feeding of the dam affect the growth of their kids’ postpartum. Twelve (12) pregnant does were used in the pre-partum and in the postpartum, the same 12 lactating does and their 12 kids (1 kid per doe) were used. The dams were randomly distributed into three treatments and were fed once daily either in the morning, noon, or evening at 0600 h, 12:00 h and 18:00 h respectively under the natural light–dark cycle.

Result

Serum creatinine in noon-fed does was higher (P = 0.005) than in morning and evening-fed does. In addition, low density lipoprotein in morning-fed gravid does was the high (P = 0.007) compared to noon-fed does while the evening-fed does had the lowest. During postpartum, morning and noon-fed dams consumed more feed (forage, concentrate, and total daily feed intake) than evening-fed dams (P ≤ 0.006). Kid weight of morning-fed does was numerically higher than noon-fed does, which was higher than kids of evening-fed does.

Conclusion

This study shows that time of feeding did not affect the performance of pregnant WAD goats. However, it has the potential to influence the serum parameters of pregnant animals. It also showed that time of feeding influences maternal feed intake postpartum and can influence the growth of the kids.
Cardiovascular risk assessment using ASCVD risk score in fibromyalgia: a single-centre, retrospective study using “traditional” case control methodology and “novel” machine learning
Authors: Surendran Sandeep , Mithun C. B. , Moni Merlin , Tiwari Arun , Pradeep Manu
Published: November 2021

Background

In autoimmune inflammatory rheumatological diseases, routine cardiovascular risk assessment is becoming more important. As an increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is recognized in patients with fibromyalgia (FM), a combination of traditional CVD risk assessment tool with Machine Learning (ML) predictive model could help to identify non-traditional CVD risk factors.

Methods

This study was a retrospective case–control study conducted at a quaternary care center in India. Female patients diagnosed with FM as per 2016 modified American College of Rheumatology 2010/2011 diagnostic criteria were enrolled; healthy age and gender-matched controls were obtained from Non-communicable disease Initiatives and Research at AMrita (NIRAM) study database. Firstly, FM cases and healthy controls were age-stratified into three categories of 18–39 years, 40–59 years, and ≥ 60 years. A 10 year and lifetime CVD risk was calculated in both cases and controls using the ASCVD calculator. Pearson chi-square test and Fisher's exact were used to compare the ASCVD risk scores of FM patients and controls across the age categories. Secondly, ML predictive models of CVD risk in FM patients were developed. A random forest algorithm was used to develop the predictive models with ASCVD 10 years and lifetime risk as target measures. Model predictive accuracy of the ML models was assessed by accuracy, f1-score, and Area Under 'receiver operating Curve' (AUC). From the final predictive models, we assessed risk factors that had the highest weightage for CVD risk in FM.

Results

A total of 139 FM cases and 1820 controls were enrolled in the study. FM patients in the age group 40–59 years had increased lifetime CVD risk compared to the control group (OR = 1.56, p = 0.043). However, CVD risk was not associated with FM disease severity and disease duration as per the conventional statistical analysis. ML model for 10-year ASCVD risk had an accuracy of 95% with an f1-score of 0.67 and AUC of 0.825. ML model for the lifetime ASCVD risk had an accuracy of 72% with an f1-score of 0.79 and AUC of 0.713. In addition to the traditional risk factors for CVD, FM disease severity parameters were important contributors in the ML predictive models.

Conclusion

FM patients of the 40–59 years age group had increased lifetime CVD risk in our study. Although FM disease severity was not associated with high CVD risk as per the conventional statistical analysis of the data, it was among the highest contributor to ML predictive model for CVD risk in FM patients. This also highlights that ML can potentially help to bridge the gap of non-linear risk factor identification.
Contextualizing communities in an instructional improvement initiative: exploring STEM faculty engagement in teaching-related conversations
Authors: Aster Ellen Marie , Bouwma-Gearhart Jana , Fisher Kathleen Quardokus
Published: November 2021

A frequently cited strategy for fostering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instructional improvements is creating communities where faculty can share and learn evidence-based teaching practices. Despite research-documented benefits, little is known about why (and with whom) faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, including those fostered by initiative communities. We explored how STEM faculty engage in teaching-related conversations, via analysis of faculty interviews and discussion networks, to identify factors potentially influencing teaching-related conversations over the life of an initiative. Our results suggest aspects that might inhibit STEM faculty from engaging in teaching-related conversations, including: 1) faculty members’ autonomy with teaching practices; 2) faculty members’ varied interests in teaching improvements; 3) varied degrees of support to engage in teaching-related conversations; and 4) a lack of inclusive and non-judgmental spaces to talk about teaching. We suggest that those fostering STEM faculty communities consider working with others across the institution to map the instructional improvement opportunities faculty may already take part in and attend to areas lacking support. Initiative leaders and designers should also elicit and build off faculty members’ teaching-related knowledge and concerns. We further suggest making conversational spaces inclusive and safe, to help faculty honestly share teaching-related challenges and insights. We recommend creating and fostering spaces that bring faculty together across department boundaries. Our study echoes prior research by drawing attention to administrative support for instructional improvement initiatives, which can foster and sustain opportunities for faculty to talk about teaching and learn instructional improvements.
Chaenomeles speciosa fruit endophytic fungi isolation and characterization of their antimicrobial activity and the secondary metabolites composition
Authors: Lykholat Yurii V. , Khromykh Nina O. , Didur Oleh O. , Drehval Oksana A. , Sklyar Tetyana V. , Anishchenko Andrii O.
Published: November 2021

Background

Endophytes promote the survival of the host plants affected by unfavorable environment. To confirm the endophytes role in Chaenomeles speciosa pathogenic resistance, fungal isolates were derived from both fruit peel and pulp, and presumptively identified using macroscopic and microscopic techniques. Antifungal potential of the isolates was assayed by dual culture method and agar disc method against Alternaria alternata, Fusarium culmorum, and Fusarium oxysporum strains. Two most active fungal isolates were cultured in Czapek's liquid medium to obtain metabolites. The crude ethyl acetate extracts of metabolites were characterized for antibacterial activity against Basillus subtilis and Erwinia dissolvens, and for component composition by GC–MS technique.

Results

Nine fungal endophytic isolates were derived from the peel and pulp of C. speciosa fruits and tentatively attributed to Penicillium spp. (seven isolates), Aspergillus spp. (one isolate), Mucor spp. (one isolate). Two fungal isolates, one each of the fruit peel and pulp, were designated as Penicillium sp. I and Penicillium sp. II respectively, and selected for further research. Both isolates showed similar activity against A. alternata; however, Penicillium sp. I activity against F. culmorum and F. oxysporum exceeded the activity of Penicillium sp. II. Cultural medium ethyl acetate extracts of both endophytes exhibited higher antibacterial activity against Gram-positive B. subtilis, while mycelium extracts were more active against Gram-negative E. dissolvens. In general, Penicillium sp. I antibacterial activity was higher in cultural medium extracts, while activity of Penicillium sp. II dominated in mycelium extracts. GC–MS analysis of the fungal metabolites component composition revealed the identity of 27 and 17 compounds, respectively in the ethyl acetate extracts of Penicillium sp. I and Penicillium sp. II cultural medium. Basic compounds produced by the first isolate, were represented by 3-Furanacetic acid, 4-hexyl-2,5-dihydro-2,5-dioxo, Diisooctyl phthalate, 11-Hexadecyn-1-ol, and Propanedioic acid, dihydroxy. At the same time, Phthalic acid diisooctyl ester and other phthalates constituted the main part of the second isolate metabolites, followed by Hexadecanoic acid, Eicosyl isopropyl ether, and 4-Butoxy-2-butanone at a lower content.

Conclusions

The findings showed that the antimicrobial potential of Chaenomeles fruits endophytic fungi is promising and deserves further investigation.
Strategic management accounting and performance implications: a literature review and research agenda
Authors: Ojra Jafar , Opute Abdullah Promise , Alsolmi Mohammad Mobarak
Published: November 2021

The important role that management accounting plays in driving organisational performance has been reiterated in the literature. In line with that importance, the call for more effort to enhance knowledge on strategic management accounting has increased over the years. Responding to that call, this study utilised a qualitative approach that involved a systematic review to synthesise existing literature towards understanding the strategic management accounting foundation, contingency factors, and organisational performance impact. Based on the evidence in reviewed literature, we flag key directions for advancing this theoretical premise towards providing further insights that would enable practitioners strategically align their strategic management accounting practices for optimal organisational performance. The limitations of this study have been acknowledged.