bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Gene pseudogenization in fertility-associated genes in cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), a species with long-term low effective population size
Authors: Peers Jessica A , Nash Will J , Haerty Wilfried
Published: January 2025

We are witnessing an ongoing global biodiversity crisis, and an increasing number of mammalian populations are at risk of decline. Species that have survived severe historic bottlenecks, such as the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) exhibit symptoms of inbreeding depression including reproductive and developmental defects. Although it has long been suggested that such defects stem from an accumulation of weakly deleterious mutations, the implications of such mutations leading to pseudogenization has not been assessed. Here, we use comparative analysis of eight felid genomes to better understand the impacts of deleterious mutations in the cheetah. We find novel pseudogenization events specific to the cheetah. Through careful curation, we identify 65 genes with previously unreported premature termination codons (PTCs) that likely affect gene function. With the addition of population data (n = 6), we find 22 of these PTCs in at least one resequenced individual, four of which (DEFB116, ARL13A, CFAP119, and NT5DC4) are also found in a more recent reference genome. Mutations within three of these genes are linked with sterility, including azoospermia, which is common in cheetahs. Our results highlight the power of comparative genomic approaches for the discovery of novel causative variants in declining species.
Editorial: FEMS EC Thematic Issue “Aquatic Microbial Ecology”
Authors: Hahn Martin W , Kisand Veljo
Published: January 2025

High relative abundance of yeast (Vishniacozyma, Papiliotrema, and Filobasidium) and bacterial (Massilia) genera found in spinach seeds correlates with suppression of Globisporangium ultimum damping-off infection.
Modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline in community-dwelling older adults differ by sex and APOE4
Authors: Reas Emilie T , Parada Humberto , Bergstrom Jaclyn , McEvoy Linda K
Published: January 2025

Objectives

The extent to which lifestyle shapes trajectories of normal cognitive aging, and the factors with highest potential for mitigating cognitive decline, remain poorly uncharacterized.

Method

Participants of the Rancho Bernardo Study underwent demographic, health, and behavioral characterization at baseline, along with up to seven cognitive assessments over a 27-year follow-up period. Factor analysis of 24 baseline risk variables identified 9 composite factors. Mixed effects models on data from 1489 participants (aged 45-95 years at baseline) assessed prediction of cognitive change by baseline factor scores. Models were repeated stratified by sex and APOE4 status.

Results

Factors of hyperlipidemia and obesity; marriage and depression; occupation and education; and physical activity and subjective health best predicted rates of decline across multiple cognitive domains. Distinct risk profiles were identified for women and men, and for APOE4 carriers and non-carriers. Models of composite risk estimated that potential savings could amount to 7-9.5 years of preserved cognitive healthspan for low- versus high-risk profiles. Magnitudes of aggregate risk effects were greater among women across cognitive domains, and for APOE4 carriers for memory and verbal fluency.

Discussion

Multifactorial life-course approaches to manage cardiometabolic health and promote physical, cognitive, and social engagement, may help to mitigate cognitive decline with age, with composite risk associated with up to a decade of preserved cognitive health-span. Differences by sex and APOE4 in risk profiles and their potential for risk reduction, highlight the importance of developing personalized recommendations for multi-domain approaches to cognitive health maintenance throughout the life-course.
The architecture and design of competition authority in Bangladesh: goals, institutional design, adjudicatory process, and method for scrutiny
Authors: Bhuiyan Azhar Uddin
Published: January 2025

The objectives a legislation seeks to achieve are intricately woven into the fabric of its application and modus operandi of implementation. Now, how can the law be correctly applied, and the authority be rightly operated without fully understanding the purpose behind its enactment, and the institutional design prescribed by the law? This question is particularly pertinent in the case of Bangladesh’s competition law, where the statutory text remains largely ambivalent, offering limited guidance on its application and implementation. Despite this, it is striking that no academic inquiry to date has thoroughly examined the constitutional foundations, the legislative history, parliamentary committee reports, or the speeches delivered by parliamentarians during the law’s formulation. This is the first of its kind study on the architecture and design of the competition law in Bangladesh by analysing hard-to-access archival documents such as parliamentary debates on the enactment of the Competition Act 2012. It demonstrates that the architecture of the law and design of the competition authority Bangladesh Competition Commission does not corroborate, leading to non-fulfillment of the goals of the law, and lax enforcement or implementation of the law even after a decade.
Carbohydrate and Wound Healing in Critically Ill Burn Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Nakakura Asia M , Shields Beth A , Cancio Leopoldo C
Published: January 2025

Two randomized controlled trials conducted in acutely burned patients found clinical benefits with higher carbohydrate (60%-65% of total energy), lower fat (12%-15%) nutrition, including faster wound healing, fewer wound infections, decreased hospital stay, and less pneumonia. The primary purpose of this study was to assess whether our change in practice to a higher proportion of carbohydrates (60%) with 25% of energy from protein and 15% of energy from fat was associated with improved wound healing rates. Secondary outcomes evaluated included invasive fungal wound infections, ischemic bowel, sepsis, and mortality. Before February 2022, the use of a high-protein, relatively low-fat enteral formula (52% carbohydrate, 23% fat, and 25% protein) combined with a protein modular was the standard practice (PRE group) in our burn center. After, we implemented a higher carbohydrate feeding protocol (POST group). In this study, patients in the POST group were matched 2:1 by age, burn size, burn depth, inhalation injury, and gender to those in the PRE group. There were 66 patients evaluated: 18% female, 42 ± 13 years of age, burn size of 38% ± 21%TBSA. There was a statistically significant difference in wound healing rates (0.7% ± 0.5%TBSA/day PRE vs 1.1% ± 0.5%TBSA/day POST, P = .037). There was also significantly less sepsis (70%PRE vs 41%POST, P = .021). There were no statistically significant differences between groups in ischemic bowel (0%PRE vs 4%POST, P = .159), invasive fungal wound infection rates (14%PRE vs 5%POST, P = .245), or mortality (16%PRE, 9%POST; P = .447). We found a statistically significant increase in wound healing rates when administering a higher proportion of carbohydrate to our patients with severe burns.
Scientific production on electrical burns: a bibliometric analysis (1946-2023)
Authors: Cueva-Ramírez José Enrique , Gonzalez-Alcaide Gregorio , Ramos-Rincon Jose-Manuel
Published: January 2025

Electrical burns constitute a serious public health challenge. It is crucial to identify trends, advancements, and possible future research areas in this field. The aim is to analyze the scientific production on electrical burns using bibliometric methods. Eligible documents contained the MeSH descriptor “Burns, Electric” and were listed both in PubMed and in the Web of Science Core collection. The bibliometric analysis was based on several quantitative indicators. The analysis included 1456 articles from 455 journals. The annual average was 28.1 articles, with a growth rate of 2.08% from 1946 to 2024. The USA produced the most articles (n = 657), followed by China (n = 184). The USA also led in international collaboration, working with 26 countries. Harvard University was the leading institution (n = 85), and Burns the leading journal (n = 265). The most common subject category of the research was Surgery (31.97% of documents). Wang XW was the most prolific author (n = 21), while Lee RC had the most citations (n = 648). The main clinical MeSH descriptors were ”Surgical flaps” (n = 233), “Skin transplantation” (n = 159), and “Electric injuries” (n = 136). The results show slight growth in scientific production on electrical burns. The USA is leading research in this field.
Female oviposition decisions are influenced by the microbial environment
Authors: Fowler Emily K , Friend Lucy A , Churchill Emily R , Yu Douglas W , Archetti Marco , Bourke Andrew F G , Bretman Amanda , Chapman Tracey
Published: January 2025

In ovipositing animals, egg placement decisions can be key determinants of offspring survival. One oviposition strategy reported across taxa is laying eggs in clusters. In some species, mothers provision eggs with diffusible defence compounds, such as antimicrobials, raising the possibility of public good benefits arising from egg clustering. Here we report that Drosophila melanogaster females frequently lay eggs in mixed-maternity clusters. We tested two hypotheses for potential drivers of this oviposition behaviour: (i) the microbial environment affects fecundity and egg placement in groups of females; (ii) eggs exhibit antimicrobial activity. The results partially supported the first hypothesis. Females reduced egg laying but did not alter egg clustering, on non-sterile substrates that had been naturally colonized with microbes from the environment. However, oviposition remained unaffected when the substrate community consisted of commensal (fly-associated) microbes. The second hypothesis was not supported. There was no evidence of antimicrobial activity, either in whole eggs or in soluble egg-surface material. In conclusion, while we found no behavioural or physiological evidence that egg clustering decisions are shaped by the opportunity to share antimicrobials, females are sensitive to their microbial environment and can adjust egg-laying rates accordingly.
The sweet taste inhibitor lactisole affects aphid feeding behavior and performance
Authors: Cao He-He , Ban Ning , Liu Zhi-Fu , Li Zhe , Tian Jia-Fei , Lu Zhaozhi , Qiao Jian-Wen , Liu Tong-Xian
Published: January 2025

Aphids and numerous other phloem-feeding insects primarily rely on sucrose in the phloem to locate their feeding sites. However, it is still unclear whether this sweet perception process could serve as a target for aphid control. In this study, we investigated the impact of the sweet taste inhibitor sodium salt of 2-(4-methoxyphenoxy)-propionic acid (lactisole), a widely used food additive that binds to sugar receptors, on the feeding behavior and performance of aphids. Our findings indicate that both the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the English grain aphid Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) avoided settling on an artificial diet containing lactisole or on host plants treated with lactisole. In addition, these aphid species showed reduced weights when feeding on the artificial diet containing lactisole or on seedlings root drenched by lactisole. Furthermore, data from the electrical penetration graph revealed that S. avenae exhibited a greater number of phloem probes but significantly shorter mean and total phloem ingestion durations when feeding on wheat plants root-drenched by lactisole. It is worth noting, however, that root drenched by lactisole had a significant inhibitory effect on plant growth. These findings suggest that the sweet taste inhibitor lactisole may reduce aphid feeding preference and growth, offering a new avenue for aphid control strategies.
Overcoming the circularity divide: accelerating a circular apparel transition in Africa through trade
Authors: van der Ven Colette
Published: January 2025

Trade is critical to unlocking the global circular transition. However, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) often struggle to reap these benefits. With a focus on Africa’s textile and apparel sector, this article explores how LMICs can leverage trade and trade agreements to accelerate a circular transition domestically. It identifies circular economy opportunities in the textile and apparel sector in Africa, and includes an analysis of how African countries can leverage relevant agreements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to unlock these opportunities. In doing so, this article highlights the need for LMICs to adopt a proactive approach to fully utilize the opportunities presented by the circular transition.
‘Living in a world of ambivalence’: The complexity of home in exile
Authors: Tozan Oudai
Published: January 2025

The concept of home is a complicated topic for many migrants, and the dynamics of forced migration add more complexity to the concept of home. This paper shows how exile and forced migration complicate the various dimensions of the home concept, leading to ambivalence in people’s relationships with their previous homes. In particular, the paper unpacks four dilemmas related to home that forced migrants might experience. These are as follows: what helps people connect with home triggers their difficult feelings, when homeland does not feel like home anymore, missing what no longer exists and wanting to connect with home but also disconnect. As I have direct and personal experience of exile, I used a heuristic methodology that involves self-search, self-dialogue, and self-discovery to understand the nature and meaning of the phenomena. I also interviewed 13 people in exile to explore the various aspects of forced migrants’ experiences with the concept of home.
Formal and informal integration in contexts of displacement: Exploring implications for youth civic identities
Authors: Pincock Kate , Jones Nicola , Youssef Sally , Al Heiwidi Sarah
Published: January 2025

A vast number of young refugees are formally excluded from basic civil, political, and social rights in the countries where they have lived for many years, with little prospect of safe return to (and citizenship in) the places their families fled. While development policies frame youth civic participation as key to creating inclusive futures, frameworks like the Global Compact on Refugees focus on labour market integration, without reference to young people or their political subjectivities. This article draws on children’s political geographies and an intersectional approach to analyse findings from research with displaced youth in Jordan and Lebanon. Data show that although legal recognition is important, historical geopolitical dynamics, economic precarity, location, and gender significantly shape how young refugees relate to host states and navigate refugee- and nationality-based identities across and within contexts. These findings nuance understandings of young refugees’ civic identities as shaped by both interpersonal and institutional marginalization.
Concurrent Surgical Care in an Austere Military Setting: A Preparation for Mass Casualty Events
Authors: Benham Lindsay , Brocuglio Taylor , Maxwell Dylan , Becerra David
Published: January 2025

Background

The U.S. military utilizes small, forward deployed surgical teams to provide Role 2 surgical care in austere environments. These small teams are intended to be able to perform damage control resuscitation and surgery in the event of a mass casualty incident. Our team set out to demonstrate a proof of concept evolution by utilizing 2 operating rooms concurrently with a single certified registered nurse anesthetist and single surgeon to maximize the temporal efficiency of care by performing 4 elective surgical cases staggered in 2 rooms while deployed on an amphibious warship.

Materials and Methods

The surgical component of the Fleet Surgical Team is composed of a single general surgeon, a certified registered nurse anesthetist (acting as an independent practitioner), an operating room registered nurse, a critical care registered nurse, 5 surgical technicians, and 2 general duty corpsmen (consider these individuals roughly equivalent to a licensed practical nurse). Four elective surgical cases were selected to be performed on the USS Wasp while underway on the same date, divided between 2 adjacent operating suites to replicate the logistics of overlapping surgical care required during a mass casualty event.

Results

The average surgical care overlap time during the 3 turnover periods was 33 min. The total time saved over the course of the 4 case day, when factoring in both surgical care overlap time and natural turnover time, was 2 h and 33 min.

Conclusions

In the setting of multiple injured combat patients, this time saved is enough for an additional damage control trauma operation. When time is the critical factor in preventing both morbidity and mortality, the ability of a deployed surgical team to coordinate concurrent surgical care is of paramount importance. This report can act as a template for future austere surgical teams who encounter multiple simultaneous surgical casualties.
Low-mass runaways from the Orion Nebula Cluster – kinematic age constraints on star cluster formation
Authors: Fajrin Muhammad , Armstrong Joseph J , Tan Jonathan C , Farias Juan P , Eyer Laurent
Published: January 2025

In their early, formative stages star clusters can undergo rapid dynamical evolution leading to strong gravitational interactions and ejection of “runaway” stars at high velocities. While O/B runaway stars have been well studied, lower-mass runaways are so far very poorly characterized, even though they are expected to be much more common. We carried out spectroscopic observations with MAG2-MIKE to follow-up 27 high priority candidate runaways consistent with having been ejected from the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) $\gt 2.5$ Myr ago, based on Gaia astrometry. We derive spectroscopic youth indicators (Li and H $\alpha$) and radial velocities, enabling detection of bona fide runaway stars via signatures of youth and 3D traceback. We successfully confirmed 11 of the candidates as low-mass Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) on the basis of our spectroscopic criteria and derived radial velocities (RVs) with which we performed 3D traceback analysis. Three of these confirmed YSOs have kinematic ejection ages $\gt 4\:$ Myr, with the oldest being 4.7 Myr. Assuming that these stars indeed formed in the ONC and were then ejected, this yields an estimate for the overall formation time of the ONC to be at least $\sim 5\:$ Myr, i.e. about 10 free-fall times, and with a mean star formation efficiency per free-fall time of $\bar{\epsilon }_{\rm ff}\lesssim 0.05$. These results favour a scenario of slow, quasi-equilibrium star cluster formation, regulated by magnetic fields and/or protostellar outflow feedback.
Optical flares detected on a contact binary: the first photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a long-period low mass ratio contact binary HAT 307-0007476
Authors: Li Ling-Zhi , Li Kai , Gao Xiang , Chen Xiao-Dian , Feng Shuai , Gao Dong-Yang , Guo Di-Fu , Chen Xu , Gao Xing , Sun Guo-You , Bai Shahidin Yaqup Chunhai , Esamdin Ali
Published: January 2025

This paper presents the photometric and spectroscopic analysis of a long-period totally eclipsing contact binary (HAT 307-0007476) for the first time. This system is a low mass ratio ($q\sim 0.114$) and medium contact binary ($f\sim 37.1~{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$). Two flare events were detected in multiple bands observations in December 2022. The interval between the two flare events is 4 d. The average duration of these two flares is about 2289 s. Both the two flares achieve the energy levels of superflares. The excess emission of the H$_\alpha$ line in the LAMOST spectra of this object was analysed, indicating its chromospheric activity. The O–C diagram showed a long-term orbital period increase, which is due to the mass transfer between the two component stars. We conclude that HAT 307-0007476 is currently in a stable region based on both Jspin/Jorb and the comparison between the instability parameters and its current values.
The FLAMINGO project: the coupling between baryonic feedback and cosmology in light of the S8 tension
Authors: Elbers Willem , Frenk Carlos S , Jenkins Adrian , Li Baojiu , Helly John C , Kugel Roi , Schaller Matthieu , Schaye Joop , Braspenning Joey , Kwan Juliana , McCarthy Ian G , Salcido Jaime , van Daalen Marcel P , Vandenbroucke Bert , Pascoli Silvia
Published: January 2025

Large-scale structure surveys have reported measurements of the density of matter, $\Omega _\mathrm{m}$, and the amplitude of clustering, $\sigma _8$, that are in tension with the values inferred from observations of the cosmic microwave background. While this may be a sign of new physics that slows the growth of structure at late times, strong astrophysical feedback processes could also be responsible. In this work, we argue that astrophysical processes are not independent of cosmology and that their coupling naturally leads to stronger baryonic feedback in cosmological models with suppressed structure formation or when combined with a mechanism that removes dark matter from haloes. We illustrate this with two well-motivated extensions of the Standard Model known to suppress structure formation: massive neutrinos and decaying dark matter. Our results, based on the FLAMINGO suite of hydrodynamical simulations, show that the combined effect of baryonic and non-baryonic suppression mechanisms is greater than the sum of its parts, particularly for decaying dark matter. We also show that the dependence of baryonic feedback on cosmology can be modelled as a function of the ratio $f_\mathrm{b}/c^2_\mathrm{v}\sim f_\mathrm{b}/(\Omega _\mathrm{m}\sigma _8)^{1/4}$ of the universal baryon fraction, $f_\mathrm{b}$, to a velocity-based definition of halo concentration, $c^2_\mathrm{v}$, giving an accurate fitting formula for the baryonic suppression of the matter power spectrum. Although the combination of baryonic and non-baryonic suppression mechanisms can resolve the tension, the models with neutrinos and decaying dark matter are challenged by constraints on the expansion history.
A single-arm phase 2 study of abemaciclib in adult patients with recurrent grade 3 oligodendroglioma
Authors: Wills Carson A , Mohan Suyash , Nabavizadeh Ali , Patel Thara , Prior Timothy , Mansour Maikel , McCoy Emily , Shah Shivani , Angeloni Natalie , O’Neill Meghan , Frangos Suzanne , Blessing Caroline , Coghlan Leah , Maloney Eileen , Wileyto E Paul , Desai Arati S , Bagley Stephen J
Published: January 2025

Background

Novel treatments are needed for oligodendroglioma that has recurred following radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy. The cyclin D1–CDK4 axis is frequently dysregulated in oligodendroglioma. Abemaciclib is a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor that achieves pharmacologically relevant concentrations in brain tumor tissue.

Methods

We conducted a single-arm, phase 2 trial evaluating the efficacy of abemaciclib in patients with recurrent oligodendroglioma, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)-mutant and 1p/19q-codeleted, WHO grade 3, following prior RT and ≥1 line of alkylating chemotherapy. Patients received abemaciclib 200 mg twice daily. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS-6).

Results

Ten patients were enrolled. The most common treatment-related adverse event was grade 1–2 diarrhea, occurring in all patients. Five patients (50%) were alive and progression-free at 6 months, below the minimum required (80%) to meet the primary endpoint. In patients with enhancing tumor (n = 9), best response was partial response in 2 patients (objective radiographic response = 22.2%; duration of response [DOR] 13.1 and 7.7 months), stable disease (SD) in 3 patients (33.3%; duration of SD 17.0, 6.7, and 2.5 months), progressive disease in 3 patients (33.3%), and nonevaluable in 1 patient (11.1%). The patient with nonenhancing tumor showed SD lasting 10.2 months. Median PFS was 7.7 months (95% CI, 1.7–13.1 months); median overall survival was not reached (median follow-up 17 months).

Conclusions

The efficacy of abemaciclib in recurrent grade 3 oligodendroglioma was inadequate to warrant further evaluation as monotherapy in unselected patients. However, given the objective responses and durable disease control observed in a subset of patients, further studies are warranted to identify subgroups that may benefit.
Temozolomide chemotherapy for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma in the CENTRIC EORTC 26071-22072 and CORE trials: Does time of administration matter?
Authors: Geurts Marjolein , Berchtold Luzia , Koenig Franz , Nabors Burt , Reardon David A , Tonn Joerg C , Stupp Roger , Gorlia Thierry , Weller Michael , Preusser Matthias ,   EORTC Brain Tumor Group
Published: January 2025

Background

Preclinical work and retrospective studies suggest that temozolomide chemotherapy in glioblastoma may be more effective when administered in the morning rather than the evening. Here we examine the effect of timing in a large cohort of patients in 2 contemporaneous randomized clinical trials.

Methods

We assessed toxicity and survival data in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma enrolled in the CENTRIC EORTC 26071-22072 (n = 545, MGMT methylated) and CORE (n = 265, MGMT unmethylated) trials. We compared the outcome and toxicity of patients who took maintenance (adjuvant) temozolomide (TMZ) either in the morning (TMZ-m), afternoon (TMZ-a) or in the evening (TMZ-e).

Results

In CENTRIC and CORE, n = 102/260 (39%) and 50/198 (25%) received TMZ in the morning versus n = 35/260 (13%) and 34/198 (17%) in the evening. There was no difference in overall survival (OS) between the TMZ-m and TMZ-e groups (CENTRIC: adjusted mOS 20.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 18.4-23.4) TMZ-m vs 21.1 months (95% CI, 18.4-24.5) TMZ-e; adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.93 (95% CI, 0.63-1.39); P = .7; CORE: adjusted mOS, 10.9 months (95%CI, 9.7-11.8) TMZ-m vs 11.4 months (95%CI, 9.9-12.9) TMZ-e; adjusted HR, 0.87, 95%CI, 0.55-1.38); P = .6). The TMZ-m group had a higher proportion of bone marrow toxicity (CENTRIC: TMZ-m 33% vs TMZ-e 11%, P = .013, CORE: TMZ-m 24% vs TMZ-e 3%, P < .01).

Conclusion

In this post hoc analysis, we found no difference in outcome based on the time of TMZ administration. Bone marrow toxicity might occur more frequently when temozolomide is administered in the morning. Given the limitation to data from deceased patients only, these analyses should be viewed as exploratory only.
Describing ZYN-Related Content on TikTok: Content Analysis
Authors: Donaldson Scott I , La Capria Kathryn , DeJesus Amanda , Ganz Ollie , Delnevo Cristine D , Allem Jon-Patrick
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Nicotine pouches are the fastest-growing oral smokeless tobacco or nicotine product category in the United States, and there are concerns about their potential appeal to youth. Few studies have surveilled discussions about nicotine pouches on TikTok, an audiovisual platform popular among youth. To address this gap, this study conducted a content analysis of TikTok posts related to the leading nicotine pouch brand, ZYN.

Aims and Methods

Publicly available posts (N = 665) from 10 ZYN-related hashtags were collected from the TikTok Application Programming Interface (API) between January 2023 and February 2024. The number of likes, comments, shares, and plays was collected for each post and the number of followers for each account profile was recorded. Posts were coded for themes such as product marketing and use, health warnings, and demographics.

Results

The most prevalent theme was humor (n = 581, 87.4%), followed by product use (n = 378, 56.8%), and branded merchandise (n = 378, 56.8%). Young people (ie persons in the video who appeared younger than 30) were identified in 48.3% (n = 321) of posts, and 61.5% (n = 409) of posts featured people who appeared to be male. Cessation (n = 12, 1.8%) was an uncommon theme. Most posts came from noncommercial accounts (n = 420, 63.1%), followed by commercial accounts (n = 158, 23.8%), and content creators/influencers (n = 87, 13.1%).

Conclusions

This study showed that ZYN-related posts on TikTok often featured pro-tobacco themes, such as humor and product use, while rarely mentioning anti-tobacco themes such as cessation. Future research should examine the relationship between exposure to pro-tobacco content on TikTok and tobacco-related attitudes and behaviors.

Implications

This study highlighted the potential role of TikTok in normalizing tobacco and nicotine product use, and in particular ZYN product use, including among youth. While increased enforcement of online tobacco control policies can help reduce exposure to ZYN-related content in youth, prevention programs and interventions that incorporate tobacco-related digital media literacy are needed to inoculate adolescents and young adults from the pro-tobacco content found online.
Missed and Delayed Diagnoses of Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection in a Southern Opt-Out HIV Testing Environment Without Reflex HIV RNA Testing
Authors: Gruber Sarah F , Wilber Eli P , Smith Brittany , Rebolledo Paulina A , Colasanti Jonathan A , Iytha Rishika , Schwinne Megan , Robichaux Chad , Lora Meredith H
Published: January 2025

Prompt confirmation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is critical. We examined 10 years of discordant results without reflex HIV RNA. Of patients with acute HIV infection, 43.9% (95% confidence interval, 36.2%–52.0%) had confirmation delays >30 days or were never confirmed, indicating a need for reflex RNA to facilitate diagnosis.
Feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness app-based intervention among patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a multinational study
Authors: Bergerot Cristiane Decat , Bergerot Paulo Gustavo , Philip Errol J , Malhotra Jasnoor , Castro Daniela V , Govindarajan Ameish , Fuzita William Hiromi , França Marcos Vinicius da Silva , Azeredo Andressa Cardoso de , Anjos Gabriel Marques dos , Araujo Romildo de , Hsu JoAnn , Chawla Neal , Chehrazi-Raffle Alex , Buso Marco Murilo , Saab Bechara , Carlson Linda E , Pal Sumanta K
Published: January 2025

Background

Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) experience emotional distress and limited supportive care access. This study assesses a mindfulness app’s feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy in improving emotional symptoms, trait mindfulness, and overall quality of life for patients with mRCC on immunotherapy.

Methods

This multinational study recruited patients with mRCC undergoing immunotherapy from Brazil and the United States. Participants were required to engage in mindfulness app-based activities for 20–30 min daily, at least 4 days per week, over a 4-week period. Assessments were conducted at weeks 0, 2, 4, and 12 to evaluate emotional symptoms (PROMIS-Anxiety and Depression, Fear of Cancer Recurrence-7), fatigue (Brief Fatigue Inventory), trait mindfulness (Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale), and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-General). Self-reported data were used to assess adherence. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate changes over time for the measured outcomes.

Results

Among 50 patients with mRCC, the feasibility of this intervention was demonstrated; 96% of patients were assessed at week 4, with high adherence rates reported by 75% of patients. Participants expressed positive feedback on the smartphone-based approach. Significant improvements were observed in emotional symptoms, fatigue, and quality of life scores from baseline to post-intervention (P = .001 for each), suggesting the positive impact of this intervention.

Conclusion

Our findings provide encouraging evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness app-based intervention among patients with mRCC. This intervention may offer a viable and accessible means of providing psychosocial support to patients with mRCC.
Nationcraft and the Origins of Territory: Experiencing Romanía in the Medieval Empire of New Rome
Authors: Matheou Nicholas S M
Published: January 2025

The modernism debate in the historiography of nationhood and nationalism has fizzled out to a curious détente: the idea that nationhood and nationalism are unique to ‘modernity’ remains dominant, but ‘premodern’ fields continue to research ethnonational phenomena while largely avoiding the vocabulary. Compelling research continues to be produced on both sides of the pre/modern divide, but there is little cross-fertilization between the two. This article returns to the modernism debate, to argue for the utility of political economy as a mode of analysis able to address the dynamics of nationcraft across a range of times and places. The case study is the production and experience of national territory in the medieval empire of New Rome, traditionally termed Byzantium. Between the eighth and thirteenth centuries East Roman political economy produced a national territory known as Romanía, ‘Romanland’, experienced for the most part in terms strikingly similar to the ‘countries’ produced by contemporary nation-states, including a kind of patriotism. The implication, fleshed out with comparative suggestions in the conclusion, is that similarities and differences between the nationcraft of different times and places should be situated in political and economic motions, rather than a pre/modern binary.
Involvement of MID1-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY 1 encoding a mechanosensitive ion channel in prehaustorium development of the stem parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris
Authors: Park Jihwan , Morinaga Kyo , Houki Yuma , Tsushima Ayako , Aoki Koh
Published: January 2025

Parasitic plants pose a substantial threat to agriculture as they attack economically important crops. The stem parasitic plant Cuscuta campestris invades the host’s stem with a specialized organ referred to as the haustorium, which absorbs nutrients and water from the host. Initiation of the parasitic process in C. campestris requires mechanical stimuli to its stem. However, the mechanisms by which C. campestris perceives mechanical stimuli are largely unknown. Previous studies have shown that mechanosensitive ion channels (MSCs) are involved in the perception of mechanical stimuli. To examine if MSCs are involved in prehaustorium development upon tactile stimuli, we treated C. campestris plants with an MSC inhibitor, GsMTx-4, which resulted in a reduced density of prehaustoria. To identify the specific MSC gene involved in prehaustorium development, we analyzed the known functions and expression patterns of Arabidopsis MSC genes and selected MID1-COMPLEMENTING ACTIVITY 1 (MCA1) as a primary candidate. The MSC activity of CcMCA1 was confirmed by its ability to complement the phenotype of a yeast mid1 mutant. To evaluate the effect of CcMCA1 silencing on prehaustorium development, we performed host-induced gene silencing using Nicotiana tabacum plants that express an artificial microRNA-targeting CcMCA1. In the CcMCA1-silenced C. campestris, the number of prehaustoria per millimeter of stem length decreased, and the interval length between prehaustoria increased. Additionally, the expression levels of known genes involved in prehaustorium development, such as CcLBD25, decreased significantly in the CcMCA1-silenced plants. The results suggest that CcMCA1 is involved in prehaustorium development in C. campestris.
Bureaucratic Reputation Theory: Micro-Level Theoretical Extensions
Authors: Willems Jurgen , Waldner Carolin , Winter Vera , Wiedemann Flavia
Published: January 2025

Bureaucratic Reputation Theory (BRT) focuses on the role of public agencies’ reputation as an asset in socio-political dynamics. Agencies aim to manage their reputation for different audiences to have higher levels of (publicly legitimized) strategic independence, autonomy, and discretion. Considering that reputations form because of shared reputational beliefs among individuals, we study bureaucratic reputation from a dialogic perspective between agencies and the individual stakeholders in their audiences. First, we make a case that such socio-cognitive elements are relevant for a broad range of public-serving organizations, pinpointing the broader relevance of BRT beyond public agencies. Second, building on interdisciplinary insights on the formation and evolution of individual perceptions, as well as the social network interactions within and between audiences, we derive 10 micro-level theoretical propositions in three related themes: (1) distinct information sources for reputational beliefs, (2) the episodic nature of agency-audience interactions, and (3) the reputation spillovers between structurally related units.
Failure of the farm bill process in 2023—a perspective from social media activity
Authors: Keeney Roman , Widmar Nicole Olynk , Berenda Austin
Published: January 2025

In September 2023, the current farm bill was allowed to expire. This marked the fourth consecutive farm bill to see its authorization lapse before replacement legislation was signed into law. The failure in 2023 is notable as significant trade and covid shocks revealed needed reforms in farm and food safety nets. We develop a unique online and social media dataset and metrics to examine 2023 online activity to understand drivers of online farm bill discussion and implications for the future of the traditional farm bill political coalition. These findings echo the increasing concern about future farm bills amid a broadening political divide.
Evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of emergency medicine physicians in managing priapism cases—a cross section study
Authors: Aziz Sameh Saad , Siam Walaa Adel , Saleh Yasser Salem N , Hashem Asmaa A , Bandy Altaf , Bahaj Saleh Salem , Elshemally Amany Ali Essa
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Priapism is an emergency condition treated by emergency medicine (EM) physicians and urologists/andrologists. EM physicians are the first-line healthcare providers for this condition, and their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding priapism remain unclear.

Aim

The aim of this study was to understand emergency physicians’ perspectives regarding priapism to help re-structure EM programs.

Methods

This cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveyed emergency physicians from a university and other hospitals in the Ismailia governorate, Egypt. A validated questionnaire was sent via an online e-survey following the CHEERIES guidelines. Bivariate analysis of demographic characteristics and KAP was performed using by odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Spearman’s rho was used to measure the correlation between knowledge, attitude, and practice. A P <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Main Outcome Measure

Emergency physicians completed an e-survey of their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding priapism.

Results

A total of 149 participants were surveyed. 140 (93%) of EM physicians believed priapism was a medical emergency. 139 (93%) respondents were aware of the long-term complications of priapism. Further, 136 (91.3%) respondents strongly supported the multidisciplinary approach. Of these, 79 (53%) gave intra-cavernous sympathomimetic therapy and 75 (50.3%) did aspiration with irrigation. EM physicians <30 years of age had significantly better knowledge about priapism (OR = 2.47 (1.23-4.96); P = 0.01). Similarly, young physicians had better attitudes (OR = 3.24 (1.31-8.02); P = 0.01) and female physicians demonstrated better practice (OR = 3.36 (1.65-6.82); P = 0.001) toward priapism. A significant positive correlation was observed between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.487), and knowledge and practice (r = 0.281) at P <0.001.

Clinical Implications

EM physicians agreed that EM-based therapy is appropriate for straightforward cases of acute ischemic priapism. Existing educational programs for EM physicians may not adequately equip them in handling priapism in practice.

Strengths and Limitations

This study is the first to investigate EM knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) for priapism handling. The study identified areas for improvement in this regard. However, the cross-sectional design, single governorate setting, and self-administered questionnaire limit its generalizability.

Conclusion

Despite the satisfactory knowledge and attitudes of EM physicians regarding priapism and infection control, this study identified potential areas for improvement in the use of guidelines on invasive treatment.
Sleep trajectory of hospitalized medically ill older adults: do sleep medications make a difference?
Authors: Smichenko Juliana , Shochat Tamar , Zisberg Anna
Published: January 2025

Study Objectives

Sleep disturbances are prevalent during acute hospitalization in medically ill older patients, with undesirable outcomes. Sleep medication use is common, but its effectiveness is questionable. This study explored the trajectory of sleep parameters from home to hospital and assessed the impact of sleep medication use, considering covariates such as physical symptom burden.

Methods

A prospective multicenter study was conducted in four Israeli hospitals. Cognitively intact older patients (n = 683), with an admission interview and at least one follow-up, were recruited. Total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), sleep quality (SQ), number of awakenings (NOAs), sleep medication use, sleep medication burden (quantity and dosage), and physical symptom burden were recorded daily. Personal and illness-related covariates were included in a repeated measures mixed models design.

Results

Participants (male: 54%, aged 77.31 ± 6.60) showed shorter TST (329.73 ± 111.94 vs. 377.03 ± 101.06 min), lower SE (71.49 ± 19.28% vs. 76.14 ± 15.53%), and higher probability for lower SQ, in the hospital compared to home. Sleep medication use was not correlated with any sleep parameters; sleep medication burden was associated with NOA. Physical symptom burden showed significant main effects on SE, SQ, and NOA, and a significant interaction was found with time points on TST, such that higher burden was more strongly associated with shorter TST at first in-hospital follow-up than at admission, with no differences between all subsequent in-hospital time points.

Conclusions

Sleep declined during acute hospitalization compared to the home, with sleep medications showing minimal effect. Managing symptom burden should be prioritized when addressing sleep disturbances in older patients during hospitalization.
Introduction: Racism of Omission
Authors: Kramer Rory , Ray Victor , Bonilla-Silva Eduardo
Published: January 2025

Racism, in both the popular imagination and academic conceptualizations, is often characterized as an act of commission. Scholarship sees racism as the actions of individuals, organizations, and states whose choices and policies disadvantage marginalized groups. Discrimination is conceptualized as actions that deny access to housing, work, schooling, or other resources, or as differential treatment once people of color gain entrance to white-dominated spaces. Studying racism as acts of commission has provided insight into the emergence and persistence of racialized exclusion. Yet, focusing disproportionately on commission may downplay long-standing claims about the “structural,” “institutional,” or “systemic” aspects of racism, which can be effectively reproduced through strategic inaction or omissions. This special issue inverts the dominant logic in the study of racism, arguing that scholars should pay greater attention to racism as an act of omission or choosing not to act. As the articles in this special issue show, conceptualizing the racism of omission provides a theoretical bridge between individual and structural accounts because once processes of racial exclusion are institutionalized, they are perpetuated through normalized inaction.
Policy change and national identification: the discursive institutionalism of Japan’s migrant admission policy
Authors: Takaya Sachi
Published: January 2025

This article examines the discursive strategies and institutional context that led the Abe administration to change Japan’s migrant admission policy. For the past thirty years, Japan officially refused to admit migrant workers and instead relied on a side-door policy. However, in 2018, the Japanese government introduced the Specified Skilled Worker Program, marking the first official migrant worker program in post-war Japan. Key factors behind Japan’s reluctance to admit migrants and its reliance on the side-door policy include the pivotal roles of the bureaucracy, institutional constraints, and negative public perceptions of migrants. To overcome these obstacles, the Abe administration employed top-down decision-making within institutional frameworks and used discourses such as the ‘utilisation of foreign human resources’ to justify the reform while framing it as ‘not an immigration policy’ to ensure its legitimacy. Additionally, the discourse surrounding ‘competition for human resources’ and Japan as ‘a chosen country’ motivated the policy reform by emphasising the need to enhance national competitiveness. Drawing on the framework of discursive institutionalism, this article demonstrates that discourses in specific institutional contexts play a critical role in explaining the shift in Japan’s migrant admission policy and reflect changing national identifications.
The impact of multiple infections and community knowledge on engagement with a historical deworming programme: hookworm and Ascaris in Jamaica, 1913–1936
Authors: Roberts Jonathan David , Waddington Lorna L , Quinnell Rupert J , Dunn Alison M
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Community engagement with public health efforts often depends on existing knowledge of a health issue.

Methods

Here, qualitative analysis of archival material from the Jamaica Hookworm Commission (1919–1936) and quantitative analysis of prevalence data are used to assess knowledge of and ecological interactions between different helminths during a historical hookworm eradication campaign.

Results

Archival sources demonstrate that Jamaicans were familiar with Ascaris lumbricoides. Surveys revealed a high prevalence of hookworm (62% of individuals infected), Ascaris (30%) and Trichuris trichiura (32%) in communities targeted for hookworm control. Community prevalence of Trichuris was positively associated with the prevalence of Ascaris and hookworm. Many individuals were infected with more than one parasite. At an individual level, data from hospital patients and soldiers showed significant associations between all three parasites. The co-occurrence of hookworm and Ascaris, alongside folk treatment of Ascaris with the same plant used by the Hookworm Commission (Chenopodium ambrisoides) to treat hookworm, made biomedical claims about hookworm credible and biomedical treatment more acceptable. Expulsions of Ascaris following treatment also provided dramatic proof of the effectiveness of treatment, further facilitating engagement.

Discussion/Conclusion

Knowledge of Ascaris and other helminths directly shaped engagement with hookworm treatment, demonstrating how folk medical knowledge, grounded in the biology of the worms, aided a biomedical public health program.