bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Live surgery of colorectal endometriosis broadcasted from a surgeon’s routine operating theater is not associated with higher complications rate
Authors: Roman Horace , Prosszer Maria , Marabha Jamil , Merlot Benjamin , Forestier Damien , Noailles Myriam , Marpeau Loïc , Tuech Jean‐Jacques
Published: September 2021

Introduction

Although live surgeries are routinely included in surgical congress programs, they are the subject of an ongoing debate in terms of patient safety and teaching value. The goal of our study was to assess the risk of postoperative complications related to live surgery broadcast from the surgeon's routine theater, in patients managed for deep endometriosis infiltrating the digestive tract.

Material and methods

We report a retrospective comparative study, enrolling women managed for colorectal endometriosis by a gynecologic surgeon, from September 2013 to March 2020 in two referral centers. We compared the rate of postoperative bowel fistula in women managed during live surgery in the routine operating theater, with that observed in women for whom surgery was not broadcast.

Results

Among 813 women, 33 (4.1% of cases) underwent surgical procedures transmitted live to various conference rooms located outside the hospital and were compared with 780 patients who underwent non‐broadcast surgery. Women's age, body mass index, past surgical and obstetrical history, and major preoperative complaints were comparable. Cases presented with impaired constipation score, more frequent sciatic pain, and infiltration of the vagina, whereas overall revised American Fertility Society classification scores were more severe in controls. The rate of rectal nodules over 3 cm in size was comparable between the two groups (72.7% in cases vs. 72.1% in controls). Operative time was also comparable (153 ± 52 minutes vs. 148 ± 79 minutes). Cases were more frequently managed by disk excision of rectal nodules (63.7% vs. 30.3%), and more frequently involved the sacral plexus (18.2% vs. 7.3%). Postoperative complications were comparable between the two groups, in terms of bowel fistula (3% in the live surgery group vs. 4.1% in controls), pelvic abscess requiring secondary laparoscopy (3% vs. 4.9%), or bladder dysfunction requiring self‐catheterization after discharge (6.1% vs. 5.3%).

Conclusions

Performing laparoscopic management of colorectal endometriosis with live transmission of surgery from a surgeon's routine operating theater, is not related to a higher risk of major postoperative complications.
Tectonic and climatic controls on the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous stratigraphic architecture of the Xuanhua basin, North China
Authors: Lin Chengfa , Liu Shaofeng , Tian Cheng , Zhuang Qitian , Li Ruiwei , Tan Maojin , Steel Ronald J.
Published: September 2021

Arguments for recognizing autogenic vs. allogenic signals in the stratigraphic record are still far from settled, as is the decoding of unsteady allogenic responses to climate vs. tectonic forcing. We offer the case of late Mesozoic Xuanhua basin in the western Yanshan fold‐and‐thrust belt of North China to make these points. The study area is an intramontane basin that has allowed detailed structural, sedimentological, and provenance analyses in a kilometre‐thick succession (the Tuchengzi Formation) of alluvial fan, fluvial, lake‐delta and lacustrine deposits. Extensive geological mapping provided confidence of near‐basinwide later correlation of strata, revealing two large‐scale upward‐coarsening (CU) successions each 80–240 m thick, with prominent vertical changes from lacustrine through deltaic and fluvial to alluvial fan deposits. Two intervals of thrust‐related growth strata identified in the Tuchengzi Fm suggest that the CU successions were the signals of tectonic uplift and accommodation change related to Likouquan and the Mapu thrusting. In the lower CU succession, there is a stacking (30+) of small‐scale (3–16 m thick) upward‐fining cyclothems that are argued to have been generated by alternating wet‐dry climate cycles. The wet half‐cycle is argued to have initiated with high sediment and water discharge of flood‐generated mass flows into the lake and ended with accumulation of lacustrine mudstones as lake level rose. The lake deposits include the maximum flooding during the wet half‐cycle. The dry half‐cycle was characterized by continued lacustrine deposits, but increased evidence of subaerial exposure (rooting, paleosols, and mudcracks) argued to result from falling of the lake level under dry conditions.
Notch down‐regulation and inflammatory cytokines and RANKL overexpression involvement in peri‐implant mucositis and peri‐implantitis: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Milinkovic Iva , Djinic Krasavcevic Ana , Nikolic Nadja , Aleksic Zoran , Carkic Jelena , Jezdic Marija , Jankovic Sasha , Milasin Jelena
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Notch signaling pathway, known to influence bone resorption in several oral diseases, has not been analyzed in peri‐implantitis yet. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to determine the levels of Notch cascade, bone remodeling mediators, and pro‐inflammatory cytokines, in conjunction with clinical parameters, in subjects with peri‐implant mucositis and peri‐implantitis.

Material and methods

Clinical parameters: peri‐implant probing depth, bleeding on probing, suppuration on probing, and plaque index (PI) were recorded. Samples were collected from 130 participants, divided into peri‐implantitis (PI), peri‐implant mucositis (PM), and healthy implants (HI) group. Relative expression levels (REL) of Notch 1, Notch 2, Jagged 1, Hes 1, Hey 1, TNF‐α, IL‐17, IL‐1β, IL‐6, RANKL, and OPG mRNA were determined by reverse transcriptase‐real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Quantitation of Notch 1, Il‐17, and IL‐6 proteins was performed using ELISA assays.

Results

All clinical parameters were significantly higher in PI compared to HI. Significant decrease of Notch 1, and higher REL of Hey 1, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and RANKL were found in PI compared to HI. PM showed significant increase of IL‐1β REL in comparison with HI. In PI versus PM, significantly higher REL was found for Hey 1, TNF‐α, IL‐17, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and RANKL. Additionally, higher protein concentrations of IL‐6 and IL‐17 were detected in PI versus PM and versus HI group.

Conclusion

The combined effect of Notch 1 down‐regulation and elevated expression of some key inflammation modulators might result in osteoclast activity increase and subsequent osteolysis in peri‐implantitis.
Mitochondrial Calcium uniporters are essential for meiotic progression in mouse oocytes by controlling Ca2+ entry
Authors: Zhang Lu yao , Lin Meng , Qingrui Zhuan , Zichuan Wang , Junjin Li , Kexiong Liu , Xiangwei Fu , Yunpeng Hou
Published: September 2021

Objectives

The alteration of bioenergetics by oocytes in response to the demands of various biological processes plays a critical role in maintaining normal cellular physiology. However, little is known about the association between energy sensing and energy production with energy‐dependent cellular processes like meiosis.

Materials and methods

We demonstrated that cell cycle‐dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ connects energy sensing to mitochondrial activity in meiosis progression within mouse oocytes. Further, we established a model in mouse oocytes using siRNA knockdowns that target mitochondrial calcium uniporters (MCUs) in order to inhibit mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations.

Results

Decreased numbers of oocytes successfully progressed to the germinal vesicle stage and extruded the first polar body during in vitro culture after inhibition, while spindle checkpoint‐dependent meiosis was also delayed. Mitochondrial Ca2+ levels changed, and this was followed by altered mitochondrial masses and ATP levels within oocytes during the entirety of meiosis progression. Abnormal mitochondrial Ca2+ concentrations in oocytes then hindered meiotic progress and activated AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) signalling that is associated with gene expression.

Conclusions

These data provide new insight into the protective role that MCU‐dependent mitochondrial Ca2+ signalling plays in meiotic progress, in addition to demonstrating a new mechanism of mitochondrial energy regulation by AMPK signalling that influences meiotic maturation.
Paradoxical outcome of heart transplantation associated with institutional case volume
Authors: Yang Zhizhou , Subramanian Melanie P. , Yan Yan , Schilling Joel D. , Puri Varun , Itoh Akinobu
Published: September 2021

Background

Previous studies in heart transplantation have shown an association between institutional case volume and outcomes. We aim to determine the case volume associated with optimal 1‐year survival after transplantation.

Methods and results

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) national database was analyzed for adult patients who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation between January 2013 and December 2017. A total of 11,196 cases at 128 transplant centers were included. Risk‐adjusted restricted cubic splines revealed a non‐linear association between institutional case volume and 1‐year post‐transplant survival. In the risk‐adjusted, random‐effect Cox model with segmented linear splines, higher heart transplant volume up to 24 cases per year was associated with better 1‐year survival (HR = .978 every additional case, 95% CI .963–.993), and optimal survival was maintained between 24 and 38 cases per year. However, further increase in volume above 38 transplants per year was associated with mildly decreased 1‐year survival (HR = 1.007 every additional case, 95% CI 1.002–1.013).

Conclusions

The relationship between institutional case volume and heart transplant 1‐year survival is non‐linear, with optimal survival observed at institutional case volume of 24–38 cases per year.
Combination of arterial lactate levels and Cv‐aCO2/Da‐vO2 ratio to predict early allograft dysfunction after liver transplantation
Authors: Sáez de la Fuente Ignacio , Sáez de la Fuente Javier , Molina Collado Zaira , Chacón Alves Silvia , Sánchez‐Bayton Griffith María , Lesmes González de Aledo Amanda , Barea Mendoza Jesús , Sánchez‐Izquierdo Riera José Ángel , García de Lorenzo Abelardo , Montejo González Juan Carlos
Published: September 2021

Purpose

We examined the ability of the P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio combined with elevated lactate levels to predict early allograft dysfunction (EAD).

Materials and methods

Patients were classified into four groups according to lactate levels and P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio: Group 1; lactate >2.0 mmol/L and P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio >1.0; Group 2; lactate >2.0 mmol/L and P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio <1.0; group 3; lactate<2.0 mmol/L and P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio >1.0; group 4; lactate<2.0 mmol/L and P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio <1.0. We defined EAD according to Olthoff criteria.

Results

One‐hundred and fifty patients were included. EAD occurred in 41 patients (27.3%), and was associated with worse graft survival at 1 year (92% vs. 73%; P = ,003) as well as a higher re‐transplantation rate (4,6% vs. 17,1%; P = ,019). The multivariate analysis revealed that P(v‐a)CO2/Da‐vO2 ratio at T6 [OR 7.05(CI95% 2.77–19.01, P<.001)] was an independent predictor for EAD. Belonging to group 1 at 6 h was associated with worse clinical outcomes but no association was found with 1‐year graft survival or 1‐year patient survival.

Conclusions

In this single center, prospective, observational study in patients who received an OLT, we found that elevated lactate levels combined with a high Cv‐aCO2/Da‐vO2 after 6 h was associated with the development of EAD and worse clinical outcomes in the early postoperative period.
Longitudinal profiling of plasma and urine metabolites during liver regeneration in living liver donors
Authors: Bottiglieri Teodoro , Wang Xuan , Arning Erland , Fernandez Hoylan , Wall Anji , McKenna Greg , Ruiz Richard , Onaca Nicholas , Trotter James , Lawrence Michael , Naziruddin Bashoo , Asrani Sumeet K. , Testa Giuliano
Published: September 2021

Background

Knowledge of metabolic processes affected by major hepatectomy (MHx), and the metabolic pathways involved in liver regeneration and recovery of function, is limited and mainly derived from animal models. Assessment of restoration of hepatic function is essential in human living liver donors (LD).

Methods

We used a targeted metabolomic approach to longitudinally quantify changes in plasma and urine biomarkers from healthy LD. The biomarkers were analyzed before MHx and at scheduled intervals up to 12 months thereafter.

Results

Marked changes were found in the concentration of 15 primary and secondary plasma bile acids. Most significant changes occurred 2 days after MHx and persisted for up to 3 months. In addition, there were significant changes in acylcarnitine, phospholipid, and amino acid metabolism. The sum of aromatic amino acids and the Fischer ratio, both metabolic markers of liver damage, and the symmetrically demethylated arginine to arginine ratio, a marker of kidney function, were affected.

Conclusions

This is the first comprehensive longitudinal study investigating metabolic processes during recovery of liver function after MHx in LD. It provides further evidence of full restoration of metabolic processes 3 months after MHx and supports future investigation to understand how metabolic changes affect donors’ hepatic function.
Treatment with the combination of clavulanic acid and valproic acid led to recovery of neuronal and behavioral deficits in an epilepsy rat model
Authors: Liu Chiung‐Hui , Liao Wen‐Chieh , Li Hsin‐Hua , Tseng Li‐Ho , Wang Wei‐Han , Tung Hsin , Lin Pin‐Jiun , Jao Hsin‐Tung , Liu Wen‐Yuan , Hung Ching‐Sui , Lin Chih‐Li , Ho Ying‐Jui
Published: September 2021

Epilepsy, which is caused by abnormal neuronal firing in the brain, is a common neurological disease and affects motor and cognitive functions. Excessive levels of glutamate and insufficient levels of inhibitory GABA are involved in its pathophysiology. Valproic acid (Val), a GABAergic agonist, is one of the first‐line antiepileptic drugs, but it shows many adverse side effects at the clinical dose. Clavulanic acid (CA), a β‐lactamase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to increase glutamate transporter‐1 expression. This study evaluated the effects of CA and Val in an epilepsy rat model. Male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injections of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 35 mg/kg, every other day, IP, for 13 days) to induce kindling epilepsy. After four times of PTZ injection, rats received daily treatment with CA (1 or 10 mg/kg, IP), Val (50 or 100 mg/kg, IP), or the combination of CA (1 mg/kg) and Val (50 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days. Motor, learning, and memory functions were measured. Rats with PTZ‐induced kindling exhibited seizures, motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment, and cell loss and reduction of neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Neither 1 mg/kg CA nor 50 mg/kg Val treatment was effective in alleviating behavioral and neuronal deficits. However, treatment with 10 mg/kg CA, 100 mg/kg Val, and the combination of 1 mg/kg CA and 50 mg/kg Val improved these behavioral and neuronal deficits. Particularly, the combination of CA and Val showed synergistic effects on seizure suppression, suggesting the potential for treating epilepsy and related neuronal damage and motor and cognitive deficits.
Individual social capital and dental pain in older adults
Authors: do Amaral Júnior Orlando Luiz , Braccini Fagundes Maria Laura , Menegazzo Gabriele Rissotto , Melgarejo do Amaral Giordani Jessye
Published: September 2021

Objectives

To investigate the association between the structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital and dental pain in Brazilian adults aged 50 years and over.

Methods

This cross‐sectional study conducted individual assessments of 6154 Brazilians aged 50 years or older. Four individual variables based on structural and cognitive dimensions of social capital were assessed. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratio for dental pain with individual structural and cognitive social capital variables adjusted for associated factors. The model followed hypothetical pathways linking social capital to oral health.

Results

Cognitive social capital was associated with dental pain. Participants who did not trust their neighbourhood had a 28% greater chance (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02‐1.60) of dental pain than those who did.

Conclusion

Elements of cognitive dimension of social capital, particularly trust, reciprocity and support, as part of a common risk factor approach, should be considered when planning oral health promotion and preventive activities for older people.
Concepts for the Revitalisation of Critical Criminology
Authors: RUGGIERO VINCENZO
Published: September 2021

What survives of the notions, principles and values of critical criminology? Faced with contexts that could not be more dramatically different from those fostering critical approaches to crime and its control, what is left of the radical theories and practical initiatives that characterised it in the 1970s? This article does not offer a history of critical criminology or a survey of contemporary debates in the area. Rather, it suggests a number of concepts in the form of variables (or thematic areas) through which novel critical views of crime and its control can be elaborated. Throughout, the article will refer to the contribution of early critical criminology only in relation to the concepts proposed.
Fast Fashion: A Case of Social Harm and State‐Corporate Crime
Authors: SIMONČIČ KATJA
Published: September 2021

In this article, harm that occurs as a consequence of inadequate health and safety conditions in the production of fast fashion is highlighted as a representative example of a practice that is harmful, yet normalised in the context of neoliberal capitalism. This harmful practice is analysed with the help of two concepts which originate from critical criminology: the concept of social harm as defined by Pemberton (2016) as well as Michalowski and Kramer's (2007) concept of state‐corporate crime. The article aims to emphasise the criminological relevance of harmful, yet normalised practices such as fast fashion and to demonstrate the usefulness of the two concepts to do so.
Critical Criminology: State‐Facilitated Corporate Crime, Environmental Racism, and the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
Authors: PEDIGO KULZER SARAH , PITMAN BRIAN , YOUNG STEPHEN T.
Published: September 2021

Critical criminology continues to focus on the intersections of race, class, and green harms, as this analysis provides a more complete framework for understanding the role of state violence in capitalist projects. This article utilises the frameworks of environmental racism and state‐facilitated corporate crime to analyse the proposed 600‐mile natural gas pipeline, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). We focus on the narratives of the corporations and state in pursuing the project, including dispelling the myth that natural gas is ‘clean’. We also highlight the project's disproportionate social and environmental impact on poor and black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) communities. We end by discussing the state's role in facilitating the project through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Evaluation of Scopio Labs X100 Full Field PBS: The first high‐resolution full field viewing of peripheral blood specimens combined with artificial intelligence‐based morphological analysis
Authors: Katz Ben‐Zion , Feldman Michael D. , Tessema Minychel , Benisty Dan , Toles Grace Stewart , Andre Alicia , Shtreker Bronka , Paz Fatima Maria , Edwards Joshua , Jengehino Darrin , Bagg Adam , Avivi Irit , Pozdnyakova Olga
Published: September 2021

Background

Current digital cell imaging systems perform peripheral blood smear (PBS) analysis in limited regions of the PBS and require the support of manual microscopy without achieving full digital microscopy. We report a multicenter study that validated the Scopio Labs X100 Full Field PBS, a novel digital imaging system that utilizes a full field view approach for cell recognition and classification, in a decision support system mode.

Methods

We analyzed 335 normal and 310 abnormal PBS from patients with various clinical conditions and compared the performance of Scopio's Full Field PBS as the test method, with manual PBS analysis as the reference method. Deming regression analysis was utilized for comparisons of WBC and platelet estimates. Measurements of WBC and platelet estimation accuracy along with the agreement on RBC morphology evaluation were performed. Reproducibility and repeatability (R&R) of the system were also evaluated.

Results

Scopio's Full Field PBS WBC accuracy was evaluated with an efficiency of 96.29%, sensitivity of 87.86%, and specificity of 97.62%. The agreement between the test and reference method for RBC morphology reached 99.77%, and the accuracy for platelet estimation resulted in an efficiency of 94.89%, sensitivity of 90.00%, and specificity of 96.28%, with successful R&R tests. The system enabled a comprehensive review of full field PBS as shown in representative samples.

Conclusions

Scopio's Full Field PBS showed a high degree of correlation of all tested parameters with manual microscopy. The novel full field view of specimens facilitates the long‐expected disengagement between the digital application and the manual microscope.
Risk assessment and classification for foot ulceration among patients with type 2 diabetes in South Korea
Authors: Lee Eun Joo , Jeong Ihn Sook , Kim In Ju , Cho Young Hye , Kim Yun Jin
Published: September 2021

Aim

This study aimed to investigate the distribution of foot conditions, the risk of foot ulceration and its associated factors in patients with diabetes. Few studies have focused on the risk of foot ulceration in patients with diabetes.

Methods

A total of 267 patients with diabetes who attended outpatient clinics in two tertiary referral hospitals were recruited from June to September 2016. The risk of foot ulceration was classified using the American Diabetes Association (ADA), International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IWGDF) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) classification systems. The risk categories of each system were reclassified into high‐ (categories of 2 and 3 for the ADA and IWGDF systems and high for the SIGN system) and low‐risk.

Results

Foot deformity was the most prevalent condition (38.2%). Among 261 patients without active ulcers, between 17.6% to 35.2% were classified in the high‐risk group and overall agreement among systems ranged from .42 to .56 of the kappa statistic. Insulin treatment was consistently associated with a high‐risk of foot ulceration.

Conclusions

As the risk varies between systems, nurses should select a suitable classification system through validation studies and assess the risk in patients with diabetes, particularly, those receiving insulin treatment.
A theoretical model of cross‐cultural impression management in employment interviews
Authors: Arseneault Rene , Roulin Nicolas
Published: September 2021

With organizations being increasingly multinational and multicultural, there is a need for understanding the implications of having job applicants and interviewers from various cultural backgrounds interacting in an employment interview. We propose a theoretical model for understanding how cultural values translate into preferences for, and use of, impression management (IM) tactics in employment interviews. Building upon previous cross‐cultural IM models and relying on GLOBE cultural framework, we suggest that various cultural dimensions are associated with subsequent differences in applicants' use of both honest and deceptive forms of self‐focused, other‐focused, and defensive IM tactics in interviews. Our model also predicts that cultural distance, and indirectly difference between applicant IM use and interviewers' expectations, will determine how interviewers evaluate applicant interview performance. We highlight the importance of organizations taking responsibility in developing culturally conscientious selection methods to avoid potentially biased hiring decisions.
Influence of aging on periodontal regenerative therapy using enamel matrix derivative: A 3‐year prospective cohort study
Authors: Mikami Risako , Mizutani Koji , Shioyama Hidehiro , Matsuura Takanori , Aoyama Norio , Suda Tomonari , Kusunoki Yukako , Takeda Kohei , Izumi Yuichi , Aida Jun , Aoki Akira , Iwata Takanori
Published: September 2021

Aim

To investigate the influence of chronological aging on periodontal regenerative therapy (PRT) outcomes with enamel matrix derivative (EMD).

Materials and Methods

In total, 253 intra‐bony defects (151 patients) including 44 furcation involvement were prospectively investigated for 3 years after regenerative therapy with EMD by evaluating probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and radiographic bone defect depth (RBD). The influence of age on these outcomes was assessed using multilevel regression analyses adjusting for confounders.

Results

Participants' mean age was 55.9 ± 12.3 years (range: 22–85). Baseline PPD, CAL, and RBD were 6.14 ± 1.82, 7.22 ± 2.14, and 5.08 ± 2.04 mm, respectively. Significant improvement was observed with PPD reductions of 2.84 ± 1.73 and 2.87 ± 1.87 mm, CAL gains of 2.40 ± 1.87 and 2.47 ± 1.89 mm, and RBD gains of 1.76 ± 1.98 and 2.39 ± 2.41 mm at 1‐ and 3‐year examinations, respectively. At the 1‐year examination, multivariate analysis revealed a significant negative association between age and improvement in PPD and CAL (coefficients: −0.13, −0.23 mm per 10 years). However, by the 3‐year examination, no significant association was noted between age and improvement in PPD, CAL, or RBD.

Conclusion

Although the statistical difference was detected with age at 1‐year examination, PRT with EMD significantly improved clinical outcomes on long‐term observation, irrespective of the patient's age.

Clinical trial registration number

UMIN000039846.
Are the chilblain‐like lesions observed during the COVID‐19 pandemic due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2? Systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Sánchez‐García V. , Hernández‐Quiles R. , de‐Miguel‐Balsa E. , Docampo‐Simón A. , Belinchón‐Romero I. , Ramos‐Rincón J.M.
Published: September 2021

The expansion of the COVID‐19 pandemic has been accompanied by numerous reports of chilblain‐like lesions (CLL) in different countries; however, the pathogenesis of these lesions is still unclear. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to assess the prevalence of COVID‐19 (diagnosed using PCR and/or serology) in patients with CLL. We undertook a literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus (to 15 March 2021), including studies that reported on the number of patients with CLL with positive PCR and/or serology for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) or with a clinical suspicion of COVID‐19. Regardless of data heterogeneity, a random‐effects model was used to pool prevalence estimates. The meta‐analysis included 63 original studies, involving 2919 cases of CLL. A subgroup of these patients underwent diagnostic tests for COVID‐19 (PCR: n = 1154, 39.5%; serology: n = 943, 32.3%). The pooled prevalence of COVID‐19 in the overall sample and in the subgroup who were tested for COVID‐19 was, respectively: (i) positive PCR: 2.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9% to 3.4%] and 5.5% (95% CI, 3.7–7.7%); (ii) positive serology for SARS‐CoV‐2: 7.2% (95% CI, 4.7–10.2%) and 11.8% (95% CI, 7.9–16.3%); and (iii) positive PCR and/or serology, 15.2% (95% CI, 10.4–20.7%) and 7.5% (95% CI, 5.1–10.3%). Altogether, a small proportion of diagnostic tests for SARS‐CoV‐2, both PCR and serologies, show positive results in patients with CLL.
Does female resistance to mating select for live‐fast‐die‐young strategies in males? A comparative analysis in the genus Drosophila
Authors: Macartney Erin L. , Bonduriansky Russell
Published: September 2021

Female promiscuity is a pervasive selective force on male reproductive traits, and the strength of sexual selection is predicted to influence the trade‐off between lifespan and reproduction. In species where sexual selection is intense, males are predicted to invest in sexual strategies that shorten their lifespan, potentially resulting in female‐biased sexual dimorphism in longevity. However, comparative analyses have provided contrasting results, potentially due to the use of broad mating system categories or sexual size dimorphism as a proxy for sexual selection. Here, we used female remating rate (i.e. female promiscuity) as a more direct measure of sexual selection strength and conducted a phylogenetic comparative analysis of the relationship between female remating rate and sexual dimorphism in lifespan in 29 species of Drosophila. We did not find strong evidence that female remating rate was correlated with sexual dimorphism in lifespan. However, we found that male and female lifespans are positively correlated among species and that phylogeny and residual variance (i.e. variation in non‐phylogenetic factors) are important in determining female remating rate, male and female lifespans separately, and the correlation between male and female lifespan. We suggest that variation in the nature of sexual competition and variation between studies could account for some of the unexplained variation among species in the relation between female remating rate and sexual dimorphism in lifespan.
Identifying consumer segments based on COVID‐19 pandemic perceptions and responses
Authors: Sheng Xiaojing , Ketron Seth C. , Wan Yubing
Published: September 2021

Consumer responses to the COVID‐19 pandemic have varied widely. Thus, marketers need to understand consumer segments based on pandemic‐related responses and behaviors. Through two studies conducted 9 months apart, we find that consumers shift from three segments in Study 1—the Apprehensive, the Prepared, and the Dismissive, to two segments in Study 2—the Dedicated and the Dismissive. The Apprehensive feel particularly threatened of the virus. The Prepared and the Dedicated perceive a lower susceptibility but still take the health threat seriously. The Dismissive downplay the threat and exhibit more negative reactions to mitigation measures. We also demonstrate between‐segment downstream response differences. While the Apprehensive and the Prepared/Dedicated exhibit positive attitude toward companies enforcing guidelines, the Apprehensive engage in the most panic buying, hoarding, and stockpiling. The Dedicated also express greater stress and less life satisfaction than the Dismissive. The findings offer theoretical and practical implications for pandemic‐related consumer responses.
Asset Pricing and Sports Betting
Authors: MOSKOWITZ TOBIAS J.
Published: September 2021

Sports betting markets offer a novel laboratory to test theories of cross‐sectional asset pricing anomalies. Two features of this market—no systematic risk and terminal values exogenous to betting activity—evade the joint hypothesis problem, allowing mispricing to be detected. Examining a large and diverse set of liquid betting contracts, I find strong evidence of momentum, consistent with delayed overreaction and inconsistent with underreaction and rational pricing. Returns are a fraction of those in financial markets and fail to overcome transactions costs, preventing arbitrage from eliminating them. An insight from betting also predicts value and momentum returns in U.S. equities.
Are pregnancy and postpartum oxytocin level a predictive biomarker for postpartum depression?
Authors: Cevik Ayseren , Alan Sultan
Published: September 2021

Aim

This study aims to determine the relationship between the late pregnancy and postpartum oxytocin levels and postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms.

Methods

This longitudinal study was conducted with 70 pregnant women. Data collection was performed through two interviews. While the first interview was conducted in the 30th to 38th gestational weeks, the second interview was conducted in the 4th to 12th weeks in the postpartum period. Oxytocin level measurement was performed with a saliva sample. Saliva samples were analyzed with enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Results

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in the postpartum period was found significantly higher than the prevalence in late pregnancy. Depression symptoms reached the highest level in the 12th week. The late pregnancy oxytocin level was significantly higher than the postpartum oxytocin level. A weak, negative correlation was found between PPD symptoms and the late pregnancy oxytocin level. However, when linear regression analysis was performed, it was concluded that there was a medium, negative relationship model between PPD symptoms and the late pregnancy oxytocin level. However, no relationships were found between PPD symptoms and oxytocin level.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study found that the late pregnancy oxytocin level could be a predictive biomarker for postpartum depression. Predicting the risk of PPD in the pregnancy period could provide an opportunity for early diagnosis and treatment.
Variations of digestive enzymatic activity of the longarm river prawn, Macrobrachium tenellum (Smith 1871) adapted from the wild to culture with prepared meals
Authors: De los Santos Romero Rodolfo , Álvarez‐González Alfonso , Peña‐Marín Emyr , Jacinto Edilmar Cortes , Hernández Luis Héctor , García‐Guerrero Marcelo
Published: September 2021

Macrobrachium tenellum is an omnivorous freshwater prawn living in rivers near the coast and in coastal lagoons with potential to be cultured. It is distributed in rivers, estuaries, and coastal lagoons, and in each of those habitats, it has access to food items with different features and nutritional content. In this research, it has been tested if this variety of food availability has an immediate effect on their digestive enzymatic activity once animals are brought to laboratory and fed with different meals. Wild prawns were captured in a river and coastal lagoon, and after acclimation, they were fed with three different experimental diets. Total alkaline protease, trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, and α amylase were measured from prawns fed experimental diets at 15 and 30 days. There were significant differences in the enzymatic activity of prawns depending on their original habitat and diet. However, the proportion in which these enzymes are expressed in the prawns from different treatments remains proportional to what was observed in wild specimens, as reported in previous research. We consider that the study of this phenomenon can contribute to a better understanding of the nutritional needs of this species if a species‐specific diet needs to be prepared.
Development and regeneration of wheat–rice hybrid zygotes produced by in vitro fertilization system
Authors: Maryenti Tety , Ishii Takayoshi , Okamoto Takashi
Published: September 2021

Hybridization plays a decisive role in the evolution and diversification of angiosperms. However, the mechanisms of wide hybridization remain open because pre‐ and post‐fertilization barriers limit the production and development of inter‐subfamily/intergeneric zygotes, respectively.

We examined hybridization between wheat and rice using an in vitro fertilization (IVF) system to bypass these barriers. Several gamete combinations of allopolyploid wheat–rice hybrid zygotes were successfully produced, and the developmental profiles of hybrid zygotes were analyzed.

Hybrid zygotes derived from one rice egg cell and one wheat sperm cell ceased at the multicellular embryo‐like structure stage. This developmental barrier was overcome by adding one wheat egg cell to the wheat–rice hybrid zygote. In the reciprocal combination, one wheat egg and one rice sperm cell, the resulting hybrid zygotes failed to divide. However, doubling the dosage of rice sperm cell allowed the hybrid zygotes to develop into plantlets. Rice chromosomes appeared to be progressively eliminated during the early developmental stage of these hybrid embryos, and c. 20% of regenerated plants showed abnormal morphology.

These results suggest that hybrid breakdown can be overcome through optimization of gamete combinations, and the present hybrid will provide a new horizon for utilization of inter‐subfamily genetic resources.
Potential economic impacts of groundwater conservation in the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer (MRAA), Louisiana, USA
Authors: Bhatta Dependra , Paudel Krishna P. , Li Bin
Published: September 2021

Overextraction of groundwater reduces groundwater height, increases the energy cost, and may threaten an aquifer's economic life. Water‐intensive crops, corn, and soybean, dominate the agricultural land in the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer (MRAA) region of the United States, thus stressing this confined aquifer. Groundwater conservation policy or the adoption of efficient irrigation technology could save both water and energy. This study aims to estimate the future returns from the irrigated land under the scenarios of 30%, 20%, 10%, 5%, and no groundwater conservation from 2020 to 2022. An accurate model to predict the crop choice decision is important to estimate the impact of groundwater policies. We develop a crop choice model where an individual farmer has a crop planting or land fallowing choice each year. We use the random forest, boosted regression trees, and support vector machine for the crop choice prediction. Boosted regression trees perform the best in our classification problem with 75.5% out of sample accuracy. The prediction model shows that the numbers of corn growers increase in the future. Our results show that the profit of 2572 farmers increased cumulatively by 0.14% when they conserve groundwater by 30% for 3 years. From a policy perspective, providing financial and technical assistant to farmers for making investments to conserve groundwater could save energy costs and sustain the economic life of the MRAA.

Recommendations for Resource Managers

Land allocations to water‐intensive crops such as corn and soybeans will expand in Louisiana.

More efficient irrigation technology may reduce the groundwater extraction volume.

Groundwater extraction volume using a choice prediction model gives a more accurate account of water use compared to the status quo crop choice decision scenario.

Since efficient irrigation measures do not reduce crop yield, profit from the irrigated land is higher as it reduces the extraction cost.

Government cost‐share to adopt efficient irrigation measures may help conserve groundwater resources.
Overexpression of METAL TOLERANCE PROTEIN8 reveals new aspects of metal transport in Arabidopsis thaliana seeds
Authors: Höller S. , Küpper H. , Brückner D. , Garrevoet J. , Spiers K. , Falkenberg G. , Andresen E. , Peiter E.
Published: September 2021

METAL TOLERANCE PROTEIN8 (MTP8) of Arabidopsis thaliana is a member of the CATION DIFFUSION FACILITATOR (CDF) family of proteins that transports primarily manganese (Mn), but also iron (Fe). MTP8 mediates Mn allocation to specific cell types in the developing embryo, and Fe re‐allocation as well as Mn tolerance during imbibition. We analysed if an overexpression of MTP8 driven by the CaMV 35S promoter has an effect on Mn tolerance during imbibition and on Mn and Fe storage in seeds, which would render it a biofortification target.

Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations in MTP8‐overexpressing lines in wild type and vit1‐1 backgrounds were analysed by ICP‐MS. Distribution of metals in intact seeds was determined by synchrotron µXRF tomography.

MTP8 overexpression led to a strongly increased Mn tolerance of seeds during imbibition, supporting its effectiveness in loading excess Mn into the vacuole. In mature seeds, MTP8 overexpression did not cause a consistent increase in Mn and Fe accumulation, and it did not change the allocation pattern of these metals. Zn concentrations were consistently increased in bulk samples.

The results demonstrate that Mn and Fe allocation is not determined primarily by the MTP8 expression pattern, suggesting either a cell type‐specific provision of metals for vacuolar sequestration by upstream transport processes, or the determination of MTP8 activity by post‐translational regulation.
Role of the KNOTTED1‐LIKE HOMEOBOX protein (KD1) in regulating abscission of tomato flower pedicels at early and late stages of the process
Authors: Sundaresan Srivignesh , Philosoph‐Hadas Sonia , Ma Chao , Jiang Cai‐Zhong , Riov Joseph , Kochanek Betina , Salim Shoshana , Reid Michael S. , Meir Shimon
Published: September 2021

The KNOTTED1‐LIKE HOMEOBOX PROTEIN1 (KD1) gene is highly expressed in flower and leaf abscission zones (AZs), and KD1 was reported to regulate tomato flower pedicel abscission via alteration of the auxin gradient and response in the flower AZ (FAZ). The present work was aimed to further examine how KD1 regulates signaling factors and regulatory genes involved in pedicel abscission, by using silenced KD1 lines and performing a large‐scale transcriptome profiling of the FAZ before and after flower removal, using a customized AZ‐specific microarray. The results highlighted a differential expression of regulatory genes in the FAZ of KD1‐silenced plants compared to the wild‐type. In the TAPG4::antisense KD1‐silenced plants, KD1 gene expression decreased before flower removal, resulting in altered expression of regulatory genes, such as epigenetic modifiers, transcription factors, posttranslational regulators, and antioxidative defense factors occurring at zero time and before affecting auxin levels in the FAZ detected at 4 h after flower removal. The expression of additional regulatory genes was altered in the FAZ of KD1‐silenced plants at 4–20 h after flower removal, thereby leading to an inhibited abscission phenotype, and downregulation of genes involved in abscission execution and defense processes. Our data suggest that KD1 is a master regulator of the abscission process, which promotes abscission of tomato flower pedicels. This suggestion is based on the inhibitory effect of KD1 silencing on flower pedicel abscission that operates via alteration of various regulatory pathways, which delay the competence acquisition of the FAZ cells to respond to ethylene signaling.
Wrestling with the Past and Mapping the Future: A Call to the Field
Authors: Tieken Mara Casey , Wright Earl
Published: September 2021

Despite Rural Sociology’s long history of publishing rigorous research about rurality, one notable area for improvement is attention to race and racial issues. As Tieken and Wright argue, this special issue is an important first step toward expanding the journal’s scope and reckoning with its historical failings. This issue introduction summarizes the critical insights the issue’s articles offer the field at this pivotal moment of racial awareness and demographic change. The authors end with a call for emancipatory scholarship—that is, research that reflects the lived experiences of all rural residents and can be used to dismantle racist policies and practices.
A cluster of BK polyomavirus‐associated hemorrhagic cystitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Hosoi Hiroki , Murata Shogo , Suzuki Tetsuro , Li Tian‐Cheng , Hatanaka Kazuo , Tanaka‐Taya Keiko , Mushino Toshiki , Kuriyama Kodai , Tamura Shinobu , Hanaoka Nobuyoshi , Sonoki Takashi
Published: September 2021

Background

BK polyomavirus (BKV) can cause hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in immunocompromised patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It remains unclear whether nosocomial BKV infections occur. During a 9‐month period, an increase in BKV‐associated HC (BKV‐HC) cases was observed at our institution.

Aim

The BKV‐HC cluster population was compared with populations of HSCT patients from before and after the BKV‐HC cluster to evaluate whether nosocomial BKV transmission had occurred.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was carried out to assess the risk of patients developing BKV‐HC after HSCT. The background data of the cluster patients were compared with those of the patients who underwent HSCT before or after the cluster, and the collected BKV isolates were serotyped.

Results

BKV‐HC involving grade ≥2 hematuria occurred in six of 15 HSCT recipients during a 9‐month period. The incidence of BKV‐HC was significantly higher in this period than in the other periods (p = 0.0014). There were no significant differences in the patients’ background data between the cluster and non‐cluster periods, including in terms of risk factors for BKV‐HC. Serotype analyses of BKV revealed that the BKV detected in the urine samples from four of the six BKV‐HC patients belonged to subtype Ic. The gene sequences of these four BKV exhibited >99.5% homology.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that nosocomial BKV infections may occur after HSCT. Although many cases of BKV‐HC are caused by the reactivation of a latent virus, it is necessary to employ appropriate hygiene measures when cases of BKV‐HC occur.
Characterizing screening strategies for type 2 diabetes in high-risk ethnic communities: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Kavian Foorough , Benton Fiona , Mcgill Josephine , Luscombe-Marsh Natalie
Published: September 2021

Objective:

This review aims to identify the characteristics of screening strategies for type 2 diabetes to determine the most pragmatic approach to improve relevance to high-risk community groups from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Introduction:

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly contributing to the global burden of disease and is more common in some community groups. Although screening underpins the success of primary prevention programs for type 2 diabetes, screening of high-risk community groups from ethnically diverse backgrounds require different screening protocols and can be challenging. These strategies have never been systematically scoped.

Inclusion criteria:

This scoping review will consider screening strategies for type 2 diabetes that target high-risk ethnic community groups. Studies with adults older than 18 years will be considered for inclusion. Screening strategies may include, but are not limited to, risk-assessment questionnaires, blood tests, or both, using an opportunistic approach involving general practices or a targeted approach toward high-risk community groups from ethnically diverse backgrounds. Experimental and observational quantitative studies and mixed methods studies will be included.

Methods:

MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Informit, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Scopus will be searched. Studies will be screened for inclusion by two independent reviewers, and data will be extracted using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework. Results will be summarized in tables accompanied by narrative text.
Fabrication, Assembly, and Erection
Authors: Becht Charles
Published: September 2021

Chapter V of ASME B31.3 covers the base Code rules for fabrication, assembly, and erection. It includes requirements for welding, details for specific types of welded joints, and conditions for preheating, heat treatment, bending and forming, brazing and soldering, assembly, and erection.
Leak Testing
Authors: Becht Charles
Published: September 2021

While the exercise of pressurizing a piping system and checking for leaks is sometimes called pressure testing, the Code refers to it as leak testing. The main purpose of the test is to demonstrate that the piping can confine fluid without leaking. When the piping is leak tested at pressures above the design pressure, the test also demonstrates that the piping is strong enough to withstand the pressure. For large bore piping where the pipe wall thickness is close to the minimum required by the Code, being strong enough to withstand the pressure is an important test. For small bore piping that typically has a significant amount of extra pipe wall thickness, being strong enough is not in question. Making sure that the piping is leak free is important for all piping systems.