bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Nutritional Counseling Program Prevents an Increase in Workers' Dietary Intake and Body Weight During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Nehme Patricia A. , Marot Luisa P. , Nogueira Luciana F. R. , Marqueze Elaine C. , Crispim Cibele A. , Moreno Claudia R. C.
Published: July 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic caused thousands of deaths and changed lives all over the world. Daily life has also altered people's eating habits, mainly among those who stayed working at home. However, changes in the eating habits of workers who remained working during the pandemic are still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dietary habits of day and shift workers from a condominium management company, as well as to measure adherence to a nutritional counseling program and its effect on workers' food intake and body weight. One hundred and fifty-one workers (77.5% of day workers and 22.5% of shift workers) were followed up in the pre-pandemic period and during the pandemic. Data on anthropometry, food consumption, and adherence to nutritional counseling were collected during nutritional meetings, which focused on qualitative modification of food intake and control of energy consumption. The rate of adherence to the program did not differ between shifts. The pandemic significantly increased the intake of calories, macronutrients, and several micronutrients in workers of both shifts. Adherence to the nutritional counseling program had an impact on the consumption of proteins and some micronutrients, and also promoted a reduction in body weight and body mass index of workers of both shifts. Evening/night shift workers overall ate their meals later than day workers and also presented an earlier afternoon snack during the pandemic when compared with the pre-pandemic period. In conclusion, the pandemic seems to contribute to the increase in food intake of workers, regardless of the work shift. Those who joined a nutritional counseling program managed their food intake and lost weight.
Next-Generation Breeding Strategies for Climate-Ready Crops
Authors: Razzaq Ali , Kaur Parwinder , Akhter Naheed , Wani Shabir Hussain , Saleem Fozia
Published: July 2021

Climate change is a threat to global food security due to the reduction of crop productivity around the globe. Food security is a matter of concern for stakeholders and policymakers as the global population is predicted to bypass 10 billion in the coming years. Crop improvement via modern breeding techniques along with efficient agronomic practices innovations in microbiome applications, and exploiting the natural variations in underutilized crops is an excellent way forward to fulfill future food requirements. In this review, we describe the next-generation breeding tools that can be used to increase crop production by developing climate-resilient superior genotypes to cope with the future challenges of global food security. Recent innovations in genomic-assisted breeding (GAB) strategies allow the construction of highly annotated crop pan-genomes to give a snapshot of the full landscape of genetic diversity (GD) and recapture the lost gene repertoire of a species. Pan-genomes provide new platforms to exploit these unique genes or genetic variation for optimizing breeding programs. The advent of next-generation clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated (CRISPR/Cas) systems, such as prime editing, base editing, and de nova domestication, has institutionalized the idea that genome editing is revamped for crop improvement. Also, the availability of versatile Cas orthologs, including Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14, improved the editing efficiency. Now, the CRISPR/Cas systems have numerous applications in crop research and successfully edit the major crop to develop resistance against abiotic and biotic stress. By adopting high-throughput phenotyping approaches and big data analytics tools like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), agriculture is heading toward automation or digitalization. The integration of speed breeding with genomic and phenomic tools can allow rapid gene identifications and ultimately accelerate crop improvement programs. In addition, the integration of next-generation multidisciplinary breeding platforms can open exciting avenues to develop climate-ready crops toward global food security.
Genome-Wide Identification and Evolutionary Analysis of Gossypium Tubby-Like Protein (TLP) Gene Family and Expression Analyses During Salt and Drought Stress
Authors: Bano Nasreen , Fakhrah Shafquat , Mohanty Chandra Sekhar , Bag Sumit Kumar
Published: July 2021

Tubby-like proteins (TLPs) possess a highly conserved closed β barrel tubby domain at C-terminal and N-terminal F-box. The role of TLP gene family members has been widely discussed in numerous organisms; however, the detailed genome-wide study of this gene family in Gossypium species has not been reported till date. Here, we systematically identified 105 TLP gene family members in cotton (Gossypium arboreum, Gossypium raimondii, Gossypium hirsutum, and Gossypium barbadense) genomes and classified them into eight phylogenetic groups. Cotton TLP12 gene family members clustered into two groups, 4 and 8. They experienced higher evolutionary pressure in comparison to others, indicating the faster evolution in both diploid as well as in tetraploid cotton. Cotton TLP gene family members expanded mainly due to segmental duplication, while only one pair of tandem duplication was found in cotton TLPs paralogous gene pairs. Subsequent qRT-PCR validation of seven putative key candidate genes of GhTLPs indicated that GhTLP11A and GhTLP12A.1 genes were highly sensitive to salt and drought stress. The co-expression network, pathways, and cis-regulatory elements of GhTLP11A and GhTLP12A.1 genes confirmed their functional importance in salt and drought stress responses. This study proposes the significance of GhTLP11A and GhTLP12A.1 genes in exerting control over salt and drought stress responses in G. hirsutum and also provides a reference for future research, elaborating the biological roles of G. hirsutum TLPs in both stress responses.
High-Throughput Sequencing of Small RNAs for the Sanitary Certification of Viruses in Grapevine
Authors: Velasco Leonardo , Padilla Carlos V.
Published: July 2021

Biological indexing is the method generally recognized for the certification of propagative grapevines in many countries, and it is mandatory in the European Union. It consists of the evaluation of the plant material after grafting on indicators that are inspected for symptom development. This is a lengthy process that requires well-trained workers, testing field, etc. Alternative diagnostic methods such as serology and RT-qPCR have been discarded for certification because of their intrinsic drawbacks. In turn, high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of plant RNA has been proposed as a plausible alternative to bioassay, but before it is accepted, different aspects of this process must be evaluated. We have compared the HTS of small RNAs with bioassays and other diagnostic methods from a set of 40 grapevine plants submitted for certification. The results allowed the authors the identification of numerous grapevine viruses in the samples, as well as different variants. Besides, relationships between symptom expression and viromes were investigated, in particular leafroll-associated viruses. We compared HTS results using analytical and bioinformatics approaches in order to define minimum acceptable quality standards for certification schemes, resulting in a pipeline proposal. Finally, the comparison between HTS and bioassay resulted favorable for the former in terms of reliability, cost, and timing.
Maize Responses Challenged by Drought, Elevated Daytime Temperature and Arthropod Herbivory Stresses: A Physiological, Biochemical and Molecular View
Authors: Chávez-Arias Cristhian Camilo , Ligarreto-Moreno Gustavo Adolfo , Ramírez-Godoy Augusto , Restrepo-Díaz Hermann
Published: July 2021

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the main cereals grown around the world. It is used for human and animal nutrition and also as biofuel. However, as a direct consequence of global climate change, increased abiotic and biotic stress events have been reported in different regions of the world, which have become a threat to world maize yields. Drought and heat are environmental stresses that influence the growth, development, and yield processes of maize crops. Plants have developed dynamic responses at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels that allow them to escape, avoid and/or tolerate unfavorable environmental conditions. Arthropod herbivory can generate resistance or tolerance responses in plants that are associated with inducible and constitutive defenses. Increases in the frequency and severity of abiotic stress events (drought and heat), as a consequence of climate change, can generate critical variations in plant-insect interactions. However, the behavior of herbivorous arthropods under drought scenarios is not well understood, and this kind of stress may have some positive and negative effects on arthropod populations. The simultaneous appearance of different environmental stresses and biotic factors results in very complex plant responses. In this review, recent information is provided on the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of plants to the combination of drought, heat stress, and the effect on some arthropod pests of interest in the maize crop.
Angry Women Are More Trusting: The Differential Effects of Perceived Social Distance on Trust Behavior
Authors: Zhang Keshun , Goetz Thomas , Chen Fadong , Sverdlik Anna
Published: July 2021

Accumulating evidence suggests that anger can have a strong impact on discrete trust behaviors. However, the mechanisms underlying how anger influences trust are still unclear. Based on the appraisal tendency framework, we hypothesized that perceived social distance would positively mediate the effect of anger on trust, and that gender would moderate this mediation. In Study 1, a 2 (Anger vs. Control) × 2 (Men vs. Women) factorial design was used to investigate this hypothesis. Results supported our predictions that anger drove women, but not men, to perceive smaller social distance, and thus sent more money to their counterparts in a trust game as compared to controls. In Study 2, social distance was manipulated, and a 2 (Low social distance vs. Control) × 2 (Men vs. Women) factorial design was used to critically test the causal role of the mediator, namely to examine the effect of perceived social distance on trust. Results showed that women, but not men, sent more money to their counterparts in the low social distance condition than in the control condition. Results of both studies indicate that the high certainty, higher individual control, and approach motivation associated with anger could trigger optimistic risk assessment, and thus more trust toward others in women, via perceiving smaller social distance to others.
Levels of Trust in Information Sources as a Predictor of Protective Health Behaviors During COVID-19 Pandemic: A UAE Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Figueiras Maria J. , Ghorayeb Jihane , Coutinho Mariana V. C. , Marôco João , Thomas Justin
Published: July 2021

Health information sources and the level of trust in a particular source may influence the subsequent adoption of advocated health behaviors. Information source preference and levels of trust are also likely to be influenced by sociodemographic (culture, age, gender) variables. Understanding these source-trust-behavior relationships across various national and cultural contexts is integral to improved health messaging. The present study identified the sources most frequently consulted to obtain information about COVID-19 during the pandemic's early stages in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study quantified levels of trust across an array of information sources, factoring in sociodemographic variables. Finally, the study explored the relationship between sociodemographic variables, levels of trust in information sources, and the adoption of COVID-19 related protective behaviors. Participants (n = 1585) were recruited during the first 2 weeks of April 2020 via announcements in the UAE media and through email networks. All participants completed a web-based survey presented in English or Arabic, as preferred. The most frequently consulted information sources were websites (health information websites), social media, government communications, and family and friends. The sources rated most trustworthy were: personal physicians, health care professionals, and government communications. There were differences in the use of sources and levels of trust according to age, gender, and education. The levels of trust in sources of information were associated with the adoption of protective behaviors, significantly so for citizens of the UAE. These findings may help inform the improvement of pandemic–related health messaging in multicultural contexts.
Understanding the Path Toward Financial Well-Being: Evidence From India
Authors: Sehrawat Kanchan , Vij Madhu , Talan Gaurav
Published: July 2021

Many countries are taking steps to establish national strategies to improve the financial well-being (FWB) of their people. However, FWB as a term is still in the infancy stage with a handful of models developed in the context of developed countries. Thus, there is a need to understand FWB from a multi-disciplinary and multi-dimensional approach to draft and implement efficient strategies, especially in the context of developing countries like India. In this study, we have performed path analysis to identify the specific constituents of financial literacy, financial behavior (FinB), and personality traits that affect the FWB (perceived and objective) of an individual in Indian context. Survey responses of 349 respondents are analyzed to empirically validate the proposed relationships using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The analysis mostly provides support to existing literature and challenges some. The findings provide support to 12 out of 17 tested effects with eight hypotheses. The understanding of pathways that lead to increased FWB of individuals has the potential to facilitate effective policy-making and designing of curriculum to support efforts of individuals toward higher FWB and responsible FinBs.
School Adjustment and Socio-Family Risk as Predictors of Adolescents’ Peer Preference
Authors: Sánchez-Sandoval Yolanda , Verdugo Laura
Published: July 2021

This work analyzes peer preferences at the beginning of adolescence. For this purpose, each adolescent’s sociometric status was studied in their classroom group, and attempts were made to identify indicators of academic, personal, and socio-family adjustment related to that status. Participants were 831 adolescents studying 1st grade of Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE), in 31 classrooms from 10 schools. The 31 tutors of these students also participated. Sample selection was intentional. A quantitative research approach was used. Sociometric data were collected using the nomination method. Teachers provided information about these youths’ adjustment and family risk variables. Descriptive analyses and bivariate correlations were calculated as a preliminary analysis of the study. Chi-square tests or ANOVAs examined the similarities and differences between status based on personal, socio-family, and school adjustment variables. Lastly, linear regression analysis and a Structural Equation Model (SEM) were performed. These latter analyses revealed that good performance and academic adjustment are important predictors of successful social relations. Also, the data show that the presence of personal and socio-family risk variables makes it difficult for adolescents to be accepted by their peers. The results suggest the need for school and family support to promote peer acceptance. Working on both aspects can help improve classroom coexistence. Intervention techniques are recommended for the entire group to intervene on attitudes, interpretations, and behaviors that enrich individual tools and the collective climate.
Perceived Stress and Smartphone Addiction in Medical College Students: The Mediating Role of Negative Emotions and the Moderating Role of Psychological Capital
Authors: Wang Wenbo , Mehmood Anam , Li Ping , Yang Zhaonan , Niu Jinbao , Chu Haiyun , Qiao Zhengxue , Qiu Xiaohui , Zhou Jiawei , Yang Yanjie , Yang Xiuxian
Published: July 2021

Background: Many studies have confirmed the existence of an extremely close relationship between smartphone addiction and perceived stress. However, the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying the association between perceived stress and smartphone addiction in medical college students remain largely unexplored.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed among a total of 769 medical college students in Heilongjiang Province, China. Participants completed measures of perceived stress, smartphone addiction, negative emotions, and psychological capital. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to test the correlations between variables. The analysis of a moderated mediation model was performed using Hayes’s PROCESS macro.

Results: Pearson’s correlation analysis indicated that perceived stress (r = 0.18, p < 0.01) and negative emotions (r = 0.31, p < 0.01) were positively correlated with smartphone addiction, and psychological capital was negatively correlated with smartphone addiction (r = −0.29, p < 0.01). The moderated mediation analysis indicated that negative emotions partially mediated the association between perceived stress and smartphone addiction [mediation effect accounted for 33.3%, SE = 0.10, 95% CI = (0.10, 0.24)], and the first stage of the mediation process was significantly moderated by psychological capital [moderated mediation = −0.01, SE = 0.01, 95% CI = (−0.01, −0.00)].

Conclusion: Negative emotions play a mediating role between perceived stress and smartphone addiction, and psychological capital plays an important moderating role in the first stage of the mediation process.
Effects of Attentional Control on Gait and Inter-Joint Coordination During Dual-Task Walking
Authors: Wang Cenyi , Wang Guodong , Lu Aming , Zhao Ying
Published: July 2021

In the process of walking, attentional resources are flexibly allocated to deal with varying environmental constraints correlated with attentional control (AC). A dual-task paradigm was used to investigate the effects of AC on gait and inter-joint coordination. Fifty students volunteered to participate in this study. Based on the reaction time (RT) in the Stroop task, the top 15 participants were assigned to the High Attentional Control (HAC) group, while the last 15 participants were assigned to the Low Attentional Control (LAC) group. The participants in the two groups were randomly asked to perform three tasks: (i) single 2-back working memory task (ST 2-back); (ii) single walking task (ST walking); and (iii) dual task (DT). Cognitive outcomes and gait spatiotemporal parameters were measured. Continuous relative phase (CRP), derived from phase angles of two adjacent joints, was used to assess inter-joint coordination. The LAC group exhibited significant task effects regarding RT, correct rate (CR), step width, gait cycle, step time, forefoot contact times, heel-forefoot times, hip-knee mean absolute relative phase (MARP), and deviation phase (DP) in the stance and swing phases (p < 0.05). In the HAC group, significant task effects were only detected in RT and foot progression angle of the left foot (p < 0.05). Under the three task conditions, the LAC group exhibited a higher CR in ST, longer heel contact times, and longer heel-forefoot times when compared with the LAC group (p < 0.05). Compared with the LAC group, the HAC group exhibited significantly smaller (closer to zero) MARP and weaker hip-knee DP values in the swing phase across all gait conditions (p < 0.05). In the stance phase, the HAC group had smaller MARP (closer to zero) values when compared with the LAC group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the ability to maintain gait control and modulate inter-joint coordination patterns in young adults is affected by the level of attentional control in accommodating gait disturbances. AC is correlated with the performance of motor control, which theoretically supports the competitive selection of athletes and fall prevention strategies for a specific population.
Prospective Memory and Positivity Bias in the COVID-19 Health Crisis: The Effects of Aging
Authors: Aizpurua Alaitz , Migueles Malen , Aranberri Ainara
Published: July 2021

This study aimed to determine whether the observed tendency to remember more positive than negative past events (positivity phenomena) also appears when recalling hypothetical events about the future. In this study, young, middle-aged, and older adults were presented with 28 statements about the future associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, half positive and half negative. In addition, half of these statements were endowed with personal implications while the other half had a more social connotations. Participants rated their agreement/disagreement with each statement and, after a distraction task, they recalled as many statements as possible. There was no difference in the agreement ratings between the three age groups, but the participants agreed with positive statements more than with negative ones and they identified more with statements of social content than of personal content. The younger and older individuals recalled more statements than the middle-aged people. More importantly, older participants recalled more positive than negative statements (positivity effect), and showed a greater tendency to turn negative statements into more positive or neutral ones (positivity bias). These findings showed that the positivity effect occurs in even such complex and situations as the present pandemic, especially in older adults. The results are discussed by reference to the notion of commission errors and false memories resulting from the activation of cognitive biases.
A Pseudo-Value Approach to Analyze the Semantic Similarity of the Speech of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Adams Joel R. , Salem Alexandra C. , MacFarlane Heather , Ingham Rosemary , Bedrick Steven D. , Fombonne Eric , Dolata Jill K. , Hill Alison Presmanes , van Santen Jan
Published: July 2021

Conversational impairments are well known among people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but their measurement requires time-consuming manual annotation of language samples. Natural language processing (NLP) has shown promise in identifying semantic difficulties when compared to clinician-annotated reference transcripts. Our goal was to develop a novel measure of lexico-semantic similarity – based on recent work in natural language processing (NLP) and recent applications of pseudo-value analysis – which could be applied to transcripts of children’s conversational language, without recourse to some ground-truth reference document. We hypothesized that: (a) semantic coherence, as measured by this method, would discriminate between children with and without ASD and (b) more variability would be found in the group with ASD. We used data from 70 4- to 8-year-old males with ASD (N = 38) or typically developing (TD; N = 32) enrolled in a language study. Participants were administered a battery of standardized diagnostic tests, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). ADOS was recorded and transcribed, and we analyzed children’s language output during the conversation/interview ADOS tasks. Transcripts were converted to vectors via a word2vec model trained on the Google News Corpus. Pairwise similarity across all subjects and a sample grand mean were calculated. Using a leave-one-out algorithm, a pseudo-value, detailed below, representing each subject’s contribution to the grand mean was generated. Means of pseudo-values were compared between the two groups. Analyses were co-varied for nonverbal IQ, mean length of utterance, and number of distinct word roots (NDR). Statistically significant differences were observed in means of pseudo-values between TD and ASD groups (p = 0.007). TD subjects had higher pseudo-value scores suggesting that similarity scores of TD subjects were more similar to the overall group mean. Variance of pseudo-values was greater in the ASD group. Nonverbal IQ, mean length of utterance, or NDR did not account for between group differences. The findings suggest that our pseudo-value-based method can be effectively used to identify specific semantic difficulties that characterize children with ASD without requiring a reference transcript.
Two Forms of Social Inequality in Students' Socio-Emotional Skills: Do the Levels of Big Five Personality Traits and Their Associations With Academic Achievement Depend on Parental Socioeconomic Status?
Authors: Lechner Clemens M. , Bender Jens , Brandt Naemi D. , Rammstedt Beatrice
Published: July 2021

Some researchers and policymakers advocate a stronger focus on fostering socio-emotional skills in the hope of helping students to succeed academically, especially those who are socially disadvantaged. Others have cautioned that this might increase, rather than reduce, social inequality because personality traits conducive to achievement are themselves unevenly distributed in disfavor of socially disadvantaged students. Our paper contributes to this debate. Analyzing representative, large-scale data on 9,300 ninth graders from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS) and using the Big Five personality traits as a measure of socio-emotional skills, we cast light on two related yet distinct aspects of social inequality in socio-emotional skills: First, do levels of personality traits conducive to achievement vary as a function of students' parental socioeconomic status (pSES)? Second, do the returns to personality traits in terms of trait–achievement relations vary as function of pSES? Results showed that differences in Big Five traits between students with different pSES were small (0.04 ≤ |r| ≤ 0.09), especially when compared with pSES-related differences in cognitive skills (fluid intelligence) and sex-related differences in personality. The returns to Conscientiousness—the personality trait most relevant to achievement—in terms of its relations to academic achievement were higher in higher- vs. lower-SES students. Trait–achievement relations did not vary as a function of pSES for the other Big Five traits. Overall, both types of inequality were limited in magnitude. We discuss the implications of these findings for policy and practice and delineate directions for further research.
The Impact of Persistent Irritability on the Medication Treatment of Paediatric Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Baweja Raman , Waschbusch Daniel A. , Pelham William E. , Pelham William E. , Waxmonsky James G.
Published: July 2021

This study compares the efficacy and tolerability of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with and without prominent irritability (IRR) over the course of 30 months. This is a secondary analysis of a study examining growth patterns in medication naïve children with ADHD subsequently treated with CNS stimulants (predominantly OROS-Methylphenidate, up to 54 mg per day) for 30 months. Participants had to meet full diagnostic criteria for ADHD and been treated with CNS stimulants for under 30 days. Children were classified as IRR if they were rated as pretty much or very much on either of the “often angry” or easily annoyed” items plus “lose temper,” items of the Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (DBDRS). Structured ratings of ADHD symptoms, impairment, side effects, and symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were collected every 2–12 weeks for the duration of the study. Medication use was measured by pill count and parent report. The IRR group comprised 28% of all participants. The IRR group had significantly higher levels of ADHD and ODD symptoms, impairment, and side effects ratings at baseline. In the IRR group, ODD symptoms, emotional lability, and impairment significantly decreased for participants with higher medication use. Total side effects increased for non-IRR participants with higher medication use. Emotional side effects decreased for IRR participants with higher medication use. Central nervous system stimulants were a tolerable and efficacious treatment in treatment naïve youth with ADHD with irritability.

Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01109849
Online Gambling's Associations With Gambling Disorder and Related Problems in a Representative Sample of Young Swiss Men
Authors: Marmet Simon , Studer Joseph , Wicki Matthias , Khazaal Yasser , Gmel Gerhard
Published: July 2021

Background and Aims: Internet gambling has recently grown in popularity, but relatively little is known about how online and the combination of online and offline (mixed) gambling are associated with gambling disorder (GD) and related problems. The present research examined in a cohort study sample of young Swiss men how their gambling activities and gambling-related problems differed across the spectrum from offline to online gambling.

Sample: A general-population based sample from the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors (C-SURF), consisting of 5,352 young Swiss men (mean age 28.26 years old).

Measures: The spectrum from exclusively offline to almost exclusively online (>90% of gambling money spent online) gambling was measured using one question about the proportion of gambling money spent online. Total money gambled and time spent on gambling were also assessed. GD severity (range 0–9) was measured using items reflecting the nine DSM-5 GD criteria. The number of gambling-related problems (e.g., financial difficulties, range 0–10), other addictive disorders and mental health problems were also inquired about.

Methods: We estimated a generalised linear model using a count model (negative binomial link function) for GD severity and gambling-related problems associated with the amounts and proportions of money gambled online and offline.

Results: The number of GD criteria were associated with money gambled online (IRR [95%CI] = 2.81 [2.43, 3.24]) and offline (IRR = 2.68 [2.40, 3.00]). This was also found for the number of gambling-related problems (IRR = 2.43 [2.13, 2.79] and IRR = 2.89 [2.59, 3.23]). Compared with exclusively-offline gamblers, mixed gamblers (26–90% of money gambled online) showed the highest levels of GD symptoms and gambling-related problems, followed by the almost-exclusively-online gamblers (≥91% money gambled online) and, overall, these associations were still significant after adjustment for overall involvement in gambling (time spent and money gambled). Levels of other addictive disorders and mental health problems were higher among mixed gamblers than among offline-only gamblers, but levels among almost-exclusively-online gamblers were not.

Conclusions: Symptoms of gambling disorder and gambling related problems are highest among gamblers engaging in both offline and online gambling. Prevention efforts need to target the combination of offline and online gambling.
Risk and Protective Factors of Lifetime Cocaine-Associated Chest Pain
Authors: Clergue-Duval Virgile , Nicolas-Sacy Louise , Karsinti Emily , Zerdazi El-Hadi , Laplanche Jean-Louis , Brousse Georges , Marees Andries T. , Derks Eske M. , Henry Patrick , Bellivier Frank , Vorspan Florence , Bloch Vanessa
Published: July 2021

Introduction: Cocaine users often present with repetitive events of cocaine-associated chest pain (CACP), clinically resembling acute coronary syndromes. The aim of the study is to describe the specific risk factors for CACP.

Method: Cocaine users (n = 316) were recruited for a multicenter cross-sectional study. Lifetime CACP history, sociodemographic factors, and lifetime use of cocaine and other substances were assessed. Thirty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of NOS3, ROCK2, EDN1, GUCY1A3, and ALDH2 genes, suggested by the literature on coronary spasms, were selected. The associations with CACP history were tested using the chi-square test, Student's t-test and logistic regression.

Results: Among the 316 subjects [78.5% men, mean age 37.5 years, (standard-deviation ±8.7)], 190 (60.1%) were daily cocaine users and 103 (32.6%) reported a lifetime CACP history. Among those with a lifetime CACP history, the median was 10 events per individual. In multivariate analysis, lifetime CACP history was associated with daily cocaine use [odds-ratio (OR) 3.24; 95% confidence intervals (1.29–9.33)], rapid route of cocaine use [OR 2.33 (1.20–4.64) vs. intranasal use], and lifetime amphetamine use [daily amphetamine use: OR 2.80 (1.25–6.32) and non-daily amphetamine use: OR 2.14 (1.15–4.04) vs. never used]. Patients with lifetime opioid maintenance treatment (OMT) reported significantly less lifetime CACP history [OR 0.35 (0.16–0.76)]. None of the selected SNPs was associated with CACP history after multiple testing corrections.

Conclusions: Clinical variables describing the intensity of stimulant use were positively associated with lifetime CACP history, while OMT was negatively associated with it. Specific harm reduction strategies can target these risk factors.
Community-Based Measures to Against the COVID-19: An Experience From Vietnam With Consecutive 3 Months of no New Infection in the Community During the First Wave of Pandemic
Authors: Nam Nguyen Hai , Do Le Bao-Tran , Huy Nguyen Tien
Published: July 2021

Vietnam has faced a high risk of transmission of COVID-19 during the pandemic. Despite the specific challenges that come with a low-resource country, the Vietnamese government has provided a sustainable response, demonstrating both great capacity and rapid decision-making to manage the entirety of the COVID-19 outbreak with lessons learned from the SARS and H1N1 epidemics in 2003 and 2009, respectively. A rapid response, specific epidemiological F0–F5 tracing system, and public education are some of the key measures that have helped Vietnam to control the outbreak. As of July 15, 2020, Vietnam has reported 373 accumulated confirmed cases and no deaths within the last 90 consecutive days of no new infections in the community. Vietnam can now consider declaring an end to the COVID-19 crisis on their part.
Oral Cancer Stem Cells: Therapeutic Implications and Challenges
Authors: Shahoumi Linah A.
Published: July 2021

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is currently one of the 10 most common malignancies worldwide, characterized by a biologically highly diverse group of tumors with non-specific biomarkers and poor prognosis. The incidence rate of HNSCC varies widely throughout the world, with an evident prevalence in developing countries such as those in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. Tumor relapse and metastasis following traditional treatment remain major clinical problems in oral cancer management. Current evidence suggests that therapeutic resistance and metastasis of cancer are mainly driven by a unique subpopulation of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), or cancer-initiating cells (CICs), which are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal, maintenance of stemness and increased tumorigenicity. Thus, more understanding of the molecular mechanisms of CSCs and their behavior may help in developing effective therapeutic interventions that inhibit tumor growth and progression. This review provides an overview of the main signaling cascades in CSCs that drive tumor repropagation and metastasis in oral cancer, with a focus on squamous cell carcinoma. Other oral non-SCC tumors, including melanoma and malignant salivary gland tumors, will also be considered. In addition, this review discusses some of the CSC-targeted therapeutic strategies that have been employed to combat disease progression, and the challenges of targeting CSCs, with the aim of improving the clinical outcomes for patients with oral malignancies. Targeting of CSCs in head and neck cancer (HNC) represents a promising approach to improve disease outcome. Some CSC-targeted therapies have already been proven to be successful in pre-clinical studies and they are now being tested in clinical trials, mainly in combination with conventional treatment regimens. However, some studies revealed that CSCs may not be the only players that control disease relapse and progression of HNC. Further, clinical research studying a combination of therapies targeted against head and neck CSCs may provide significant advances.
Contraceptive Method Mix and HIV Risk Behaviors Among Kenyan Adolescent Girls and Young Women Seeking Family Planning Services: Implications for Integrating HIV Prevention
Authors: Nyaboe Edward , Larsen Anna , Sila Joseph , Kinuthia John , Owiti George , Abuna Felix , Kohler Pamela , John-Stewart Grace , Pintye Jillian
Published: July 2021

Background: Understanding HIV risk behaviors among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) seeking contraception could help inform integrating HIV prevention services within family planning (FP) clinics.

Methods: From 10/2018 to 04/2019, we conducted a survey at 4 FP clinics in Kisumu, Kenya to evaluate risk behaviors among AGYW without HIV infection seeking contraception. All AGYW aged 15–24 were invited to participate following receipt of FP services. Adolescent girls and young women initiating or refilling contraception were included in this analysis. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) included intrauterine devices, implants, or injectables. Non-LARC methods included oral contraceptive pills (OCP) or condoms. We used an empiric risk score to assess HIV risk behaviors; HIV risk scores of ≥5 (corresponding to 5–15% HIV incidence) defined “high” HIV risk.

Results: Overall, 555 AGYW seeking FP were included. Median age was 22 years [interquartile range (IQR) 20–23], median completed education was 12 years (IQR 10–12); 23% of AGYW had HIV risk scores of ≥5. The most frequent form of contraception was injectables (43%), followed by implants (39%). After adjustment for education, prior pregnancy, and marital status, LARC users more frequently engaged in transactional sex than non-LARC users [6 vs. 0%, adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.17, 95% CI 1.09–1.29, p < 0.001]; LARC use was not associated with HIV risk scores ≥5. Among LARC users, AGYW using injectables more frequently had condomless sex compared to AGYW using other LARC methods (85 vs. 75%, adjusted PR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.09–2.10, p = 0.012); injectable use was not associated with HIV risk scores ≥5.

Conclusions: Adolescent girls and young women seeking contraception frequently had high HIV risk, emphasizing the importance of integrating HIV prevention within FP. Multipurpose technologies for contraception and HIV prevention could particularly benefit AGYW.
JAYLA (Junior Agent to typifY Levels of Autism): A Virtual Training Platform to Teach Severity Levels of Autism
Authors: Tavassoli Fatemeh , Howell Diane M. , Black Erik W. , Lok Benjamin , Gilbert Juan E.
Published: July 2021

This initial exploratory study’s primary focus is to investigate the effectiveness of a virtual patient training platform to present a health condition with a range of symptoms and severity levels. The secondary goal is to examine visualization’s role in better demonstrating variances of symptoms and severity levels to improve learning outcomes. We designed and developed a training platform with a four-year-old pediatric virtual patient named JAYLA to teach medical learners the spectrum of symptoms and severity levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder in young children. JAYLA presents three sets of verbal and nonverbal behaviors associated with age-appropriate, mild autism, and severe autism. To better distinguish the severity levels, we designed an innovative interface called the spectrum-view, displaying all three simulated severity levels side-by-side and within the eye span. We compared its effectiveness with a traditional single-view interface, displaying only one severity level at a time. We performed a user study with thirty-four pediatric trainees to evaluate JAYLA’s effectiveness. Results suggest that training with JAYLA improved the trainees’ performance in careful observation and accurate classification of real children’s behaviors in video vignettes. However, we did not find any significant difference between the two interface conditions. The findings demonstrate the applicability of the JAYLA platform to enhance professional training for early detection of autism in young children, which is essential to improve the quality of life for affected individuals, their families, and society.
Affective and Physiological Responses During Acute Pain in Virtual Reality: The Effect of First-Person Versus Third-Person Perspective
Authors: Turbyne Collin , de Koning Pelle , Smit Dirk , Denys Damiaan
Published: July 2021

Background: Virtual reality (VR) has been previously shown as a means to mitigate acute pain. The critical parameters involved in the clinical efficacy of mitigating acute pain from different perspectives remains unknown. This study attempted to further deconstruct the critical parameters involved in mitigating acute pain by investigating whether affective and physiological responses to painful stimuli differed between a first and a third person perspective in virtual reality.

Methods: Two conditions were compared in a repeated-measures within subject study design for 17 healthy participants: First person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical and egocentric perspective) and third person perspective (i.e., where participants experienced their bodies from an anatomical perspective from across the room). The participants received noxious electrical stimulation at pseudorandom intervals and anatomical locations during both conditions. Physiological stress responses were measured by means of electrocardiography (ECG) and impedance cardiography (ICG). Subjective scores measuring tension, pain, anger, and fear were reported after every block sequence.

Results: There were no significant differences in physiological stress responses between conditions. However, the participants reported significantly higher tension during the third person condition.

Conclusion: Relative to a third person perspective, there are no distinct physiological benefits to inducing a first person perspective to mitigate physiological stress responses to acute pain in healthy individuals. However, there may be additional clinical benefits for doing so in specific clinical populations that have shown to benefit from relaxation techniques. Further research is needed in order to refine the clinical utility of different perspectives during virtual reality immersions that serve to act as a non-pharmacological analgesic during acute pain.
Good Food, Good Mood: Perspectives on the Relationship Between Nutrition and Mental Health With Division I Collegiate Athletic Programs
Authors: McCabe Emma M. , Ketcham Caroline J. , Hall Eric E.
Published: July 2021

Research has shown a strong relationship between nutrition and mental health. Packed schedules and little rest time may make student-athletes more susceptible to mental health issues than the general population, but few athletes are fully aware of the effects that nutrition can have on their mental health. While collegiate athletic programs are beginning to recognize the individual contributions of nutrition and mental health to performance and are hiring sport dietitians and psychologists for their athletes, it is unclear whether these topics are ever discussed within the same context. The goal of this study was to understand the perspectives of different athletic personnel on the relationship between nutrition and mental health. 17 athletic personnel (11 Female, 6 Male) from 6 NCAA Division I universities were recruited for a 30–45-min semi-structured WebEx interview. Participants included athletic trainers, coaches, dietitians, sport psychologists, strength and conditioning coaches, and sports medicine physicians. Participants were asked questions about their educational backgrounds, resources, and perspectives on the integration of nutrition and mental health in their programs. Transcribed responses were sorted into four themes: (1) Resources, (2) Education, (3) Department Integration or Collaboration, and (4) Student and Coach Engagement. All participants reported a need for greater monetary resources and staffing. Around 59% of the participants felt they had little more than general or personal interest-level knowledge on topics pertaining to nutrition or mental health, with the exception of sports dietitians or psychologists. Each school varied in the degree to which their athletic staff regularly communicated about their work and athlete health statuses. Athletes were reportedly more or less likely to utilize the resources provided depending on coach attitudes toward nutrition or mental health. Regardless of size, reputation and annual spending, each university was reported to be in the early stages of integrating nutrition and mental health programs into their existing athletic departments. Implications of this work may be to help schools plan for ways to reallocate funding for nutrition or mental health programming.
Are Freshwater Snails, Melanoides sp. and Invasive Tarebia granifera (Gastropoda: Thiaridae) Suitable Intermediate Hosts for Calicophoron microbothrium (Trematoda: Paramphistomoidea)? An Experimental Study
Authors: Malatji Mokgadi P. , Myende Nkululeko , Mukaratirwa Samson
Published: July 2021

Prosobranch snails and adult Paramphistomoidea flukes were collected from water bodies and cattle abattoir located in Mpumalanga province of South Africa, respectively. The snails were identified based on morphological characters as well as the ITS-2 and 16S markers as Melanoides sp. and Tarebia granifera, respectively, and the Paramphistomoidea flukes were identified as Calicophoron microbothrium using the ITS-1/5.8S/ITS-2 marker. After confirming identification, the snails were bred to first filial generation (F1) under laboratory conditions. Ninety snails were randomly selected from the laboratory-bred F1 snails and 25 Melanoides sp. and 20 T. granifera were exposed to C. microbothrium miracidia, and the same numbers were maintained as non-exposed controls. Results showed that C. microbothrium successfully established in Melanoides sp. and produced cercariae, and the prepatent period recorded was 21 days. Three snails shed cercariae at day 21 postexposure (PE), and rediae and free cercariae were detected in the soft tissues of one snail on dissection at day 44 PE. The same fluke did not establish in T. granifera. Melanoides sp. started producing offspring at day 7 PE, and T. granifera at day 14 PE. In conclusion, our results showed that Melanoides sp. used in this study is a suitable intermediate host for C. microbothrium under experimental conditions, and given the wide distribution of this snail species, it is important to determine its role in the natural transmission of other Calicophoron species that have been reported in South Africa.