bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can molecular patterns help to classify overlapping entities in myeloid neoplasms?
Authors: Hoermann Gregor , Khoury Joseph D
Published: October 2024

Myeloid neoplasms include myeloproliferative and myelodysplastic neoplasms and acute myeloid leukaemia. Historically, these diseases have been diagnosed based on clinicopathological features with sometimes arbitrary thresholds that have persisted even as molecular features were gradually incorporated into their classification. As such, although current diagnostic approaches can classify the majority of myeloid neoplasms accurately using a combination of molecular and clinicopathological features, some areas of overlap persist and occasionally pose diagnostic challenges. These include overlap across BCR::ABL1‐negative myeloproliferative neoplasms; between clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance and myelodysplastic neoplasms; myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms; and, detection of KIT mutations in myeloid neoplasms other than mastocytosis, raising the prospect of systemic mastocytosis. Molecular testing has become state of the art in the diagnostic work‐up of myeloid neoplasms, and molecular patterns can inherently help to classify overlapping entities if considered within a framework of haematological presentations. For future development, molecular testing will likely include whole genome and transcriptome sequencing, and primarily molecular classifications of myeloid neoplasms have already been suggested. As such, genetically defined groups should still constitute the basis for our understanding of disease development from early onset to progression, while clinicopathological features could then be used to describe the stage of the disease rather than the specific type of myeloid neoplasm.
Infectious complications of Stevens‐Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Stewart Thomas Jonathan , Chan Chon‐Wai Jeremy , Shah Hemali , Frew John
Published: October 2024

Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare severe cutaneous adverse reactions to medications characterized by keratinocyte necrosis leading to loss of protective barrier function and increased susceptibility to infection. Infection is a major cause of morbidity, and septicemia is the leading cause of mortality in this population. This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to determine infectious complications' prevalence and risk factors in adults with SJS and TEN. This review was registered with the International Platform of Registered Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Protocols (INPLASY) and conducted in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. Thirty‐six articles describing results from 1446 cases were included. Skin infection was the most commonly diagnosed infection. The pooled prevalence of sepsis, respiratory tract infection, skin infection, and urinary tract infection was 27.3%, 21.5%, 37.5%, and 21.8%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly identified organism. The overall quality of the studies was suboptimal, and the level of heterogeneity was high. The skin, bloodstream, respiratory, and urinary tracts are most commonly infected in the course of adult SJS and TEN. During hospitalization, clinicians should closely monitor and promptly investigate for these as well as several other infectious complications. More research is needed, with greater attention to the risk factors and causative organisms that cause these infections.
Exploring the association between chronic prostatitis and the risk of herpes zoster in a cohort study in Taiwan
Authors: Lai Shih‐Wei , Kuo Yu‐Hung , Liao Kuan‐Fu
Published: October 2024

Objective

The aim of the cohort research was to study the association between chronic prostatitis and the probability of herpes zoster in Taiwan.

Methods

Using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) of Taiwan, we selected male persons newly diagnosed with chronic prostatitis aged 20–84 years between 2013 and 2020. These male persons were then matched with a non‐prostatitis group who did not have a diagnosis of prostatitis by using 1:1 propensity score matching on age and relevant comorbidities. All participants were observed either until a new diagnosis of herpes zoster was noted or until the completion of the study period in 2020. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was employed to study the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the risk of herpes zoster associated with chronic prostatitis.

Results

A total of 69 239 participants with chronic prostatitis and 69 239 participants with non‐prostatitis were included in the analysis. The incidence rate of herpes zoster was higher in participants with chronic prostatitis compared to the non‐prostatitis group (8.03 per 1000 person‐years for chronic prostatitis group versus 4.74 per 1000 person‐years for non‐prostatitis group, incidence rate ratio = 1.69, and 95%CI = 1.59–1.81). After adjusting for co‐variables, participants with chronic prostatitis were found to have a higher risk of developing herpes zoster compared to the non‐prostatitis group (adjusted HR = 1.69, 95%CI = 1.59–1.81, and p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This cohort research suggests that people with chronic prostatitis may have a greater risk of developing herpes zoster compared to the non‐prostatitis group in Taiwan. Preventive strategies, such as the administration of the herpes zoster vaccine, might be beneficial in people with chronic prostatitis.
Psychosocial risk factors of lower urinary tract symptoms among working women
Authors: Yoo Hyoungseob , Kang Mo‐Yeol
Published: October 2024

Objectives

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are prevalent among women, affecting not only their physical well‐being but also their quality of working life. This study aimed to assess the relationship between psychosocial factors at work and LUTS among working women. Additionally, we sought to investigate whether women with psychosocial risk factors at work reported reduced quality of life (QOL) and a higher degree of productivity loss from absenteeism and presenteeism.

Methods

An online survey was conducted to collect the demographic characteristics, occupational risk factors, and LUTS among employed Korean women. Shift work, weekly working hours, occupational stress, and emotional labor were surveyed as psychosocial risk factors at work. The association between psychosocial risk factors and LUTS was assessed using adjusted logistic regression. The relationships between psychosocial risk factors and LUTS‐related outcomes, such as were examined using a generalized linear model.

Results

Of the 1057 participants, 260 (24.6%) and 294 (27.81%) had overactive bladder and urinary incontinence, respectively. Job stress, emotional labor, and night‐shift work are significantly associated with a higher prevalence of LUTS, which reduce workers' QOL and labor productivity through absenteeism and presenteeism due to urination symptoms.

Conclusions

Psychosocial factors at work, particularly job stress, emotional labor, and night‐shift work, were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of LUTS, leading to reduced QOL and labor productivity due to urination symptoms.
Neoliberalism in question: The Philippines' nurse education and labour export as liberal neo‐statist development agenda
Authors: Cabanda Exequiel , Yeoh Brenda S. A. , Acedera Kristel A. F. , Walton‐Roberts Margaret
Published: October 2024

Many scholars have used neoliberalism as an analytical framework to examine the Philippines' labour export policy. While neoliberalism entails a retreat of the state in favour of market reforms, evidence shows that state intervention of the market becomes larger and stronger over time. This paper utilises liberal neo‐statism as an alternative framework to understand the Philippines' nurse labour export by explaining that the state's role is larger than and goes beyond labour brokerage. Following the historical institutionalism approach, we show the significant timing, sequence, and path dependence that affect the emergence of institutions that govern the Philippines' nurse labour export. Our paper reveals how specific policies and regulations in labour export are tucked within the disguise of market reforms, but which are manifest within a larger state's control. These policies serve as the state's apparatus for remittance generation and protection of migrant labour rights and welfare.
Amoebic encephalitis within Australia
Authors: Carija Samantha C. , Levy Avram , Weaire‐Buchanan Graham , Lee Terence , Woodward Robin , Gazeley Jake , Edwards Troy A. , Dyke Jason M. , Fabian Vicki , Norton Katherine , Chapman Andrew , Ingram Paul R.
Published: October 2024

Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis is a rare but likely under‐recognised form of subacute, usually fatal, encephalitis. We present an illustrative case report and literature review of Australian cases, summarising clinical features, diagnostic methods, treatment and outcomes.
‘My Journey’: A Qualitative Study of Recovery From the Perspective of Individuals With Chronic Mental Illness
Authors: Yüksel Rüveyda , Çekiç Yasemin , Çolak Burçin
Published: October 2024

Due to the humanistic paradigm shift in recent years, mental health recovery has been approached through personal recovery beyond the limits of the biomedical perspective, emphasising the subjective perception and uniqueness of the individual. Therefore, approaching recovery perceptions from patients' perspectives has gained importance. This study aimed to examine in depth the recovery perceptions of individuals with chronic mental illness. It is a qualitative study conducted using a phenomenological design. The study group consisted of 12 patients who had been undergoing treatment for mental illness for at least 1 year and were selected by purposive sampling method. Data were collected face‐to‐face using a semi‐structured interview form and analysed using the content analysis technique. The content analysis revealed three main themes and seven sub‐themes. The themes were journey (a meaningful life, optimal functioning, new identity), journey ticket (resilience, support systems) and stones on the road (traditional perspective, barriers). In conclusion, the study results revealed that individuals in the recovery process required support and counselling to make sense of the process and adapt their identity. Employment should be used more effectively in the recovery process of individuals with chronic mental illness. Recovery can only be achieved by breaking away from the traditional perspective of healing and combating the perception of society towards patients. Accordingly, psychiatric nurses should provide effective guidance and counselling to show that individuals can create and live a meaningful life alongside their illnesses.
Nurses as UN champions: Increasing nursing presence and influence at the United Nations
Authors: Bellegarde‐Armstrong Kasey , Potter Teddie
Published: October 2024

Background

Representing half of the global health workforce, nurses are critical to health promotion, disease prevention, and the economic and social needs of populations. However, nursing expertise is underutilized in the UN System, and nurses are underprepared for roles in policy to influence global health and sustainable development. Innovative education strategies are necessary to address the sidelining of nursing expertise in these spaces and build nursing literacy in shaping global policy.

Aim

This quality improvement project aimed to develop and evaluate a model to build a USA‐based school of nursing's literacy and engagement with the United Nations (UN) System.

Methods

A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student developed an innovative educational model, the United Nations Essentials for Global Nursing Leadership, in partnership with a school of nursing (SON), to build faculty knowledge and skills on initiating and sustaining bidirectional engagement with the UN. In 2023, SON faculty piloted the model, and pre‐/post‐intervention survey data were utilized for improvement.

Results

Participants reported increased knowledge, awareness, and confidence related to the UN System and their ability to engage as policy influencers, health diplomats, and global citizens. In total, 100% of participants volunteered to hold the role of UN champion for the SON.

Discussion

This innovative model advances nursing knowledge and coherence in the UN System and key areas of policy, diplomacy, and global governance for meaningful UN engagement.

Conclusion and implications for nursing, health, and social policy

Models that invest in closing the global nursing leadership preparation gap can raise the profession's visible UN presence and strategic policy influence at a critical time for people and the planet.
The N‐terminal fragment of histone deacetylase 4 (1‐669aa) promotes chondrocyte apoptosis via the p53‐dependent endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway
Authors: Guo Li , Zhuo Xuhao , Lu Chengyang , Guo Hua , Chen Zhi , Wu Gaige , Liu Fengrui , Wei Xiaochun , Rong Xueqin , Li Pengcui
Published: October 2024

Exogenous administration of the histone deacetylation 4 (HDAC4) protein can effectively delay osteoarthritis (OA) progression. However, HDAC4 is unstable and easily degrades into N‐terminal (HDAC4‐NT) and C‐terminal fragments, and the HDAC4‐NT can exert biological effects, but little is known about its role in chondrocytes and cartilage. Thus, the roles of HDAC4‐NT fragments (1‐289aa, 1‐326aa and 1‐669aa) in chondrocytes and cartilage were evaluated via real‐time cell analysis (RTCA), safranin O staining, Sirius Red staining and nanoindentation. Molecular mechanisms were profiled via whole‐transcriptome sequencing (RNA‐seq) and verified in vitro and in vivo by a live cell real‐time monitoring system, flow cytometry, western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that 1‐669aa induced chondrocyte death and cartilage injury significantly, and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched mainly in the apoptotic term and p53 signalling pathway. The validation experiments showed that 1‐669aa induced chondrocyte apoptosis via the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) pathway, and up‐regulated p53 expression was essential for this process. Thus, we concluded that the HDAC4‐NT fragment 1‐669aa induces chondrocyte apoptosis via the p53‐dependent ERS pathway, suggesting that in addition to overexpressing HDAC4, preventing it from degradation may be a new strategy for the treatment of OA.
JAK2V617F‐dependent down regulation of SHP‐1 expression participates in the selection of myeloproliferative neoplasm cells in the presence of TGF‐β
Authors: Aoun Céline , Maslah Nabih , Ganesan Saravanan , Salomao Norman , Gendron Romane , Awan Toor Sarah , Letort Gil , Gou Panhong , Bonnamy Mélina , Parietti Véronique , Kiladjian Jean‐Jacques , Giraudier Stephane , Cassinat Bruno
Published: October 2024

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are characterized by an increased production of blood cells due to the acquisition of mutations such as JAK2V617F. TGF‐β, whose secretion is increased in MPN patients, is known to negatively regulate haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) proliferation. Using an isogenic JAK2V617F or JAK2 wild‐type UT‐7 cell line we observed that JAK2V617F cells resist to TGF‐β antiproliferative activity. Although TGF‐β receptors and SMAD2/3 expressions are similar in both cell types, TGF‐β‐induced phosphorylation of SMAD2/3 is reduced in UT‐7 JAK2V617F cells compared with JAK2 WT cells. We confirmed that JAK2V617F mutated cells are resistant to the antiproliferative effect of TGF‐β in a competitive assay as we observed a positive selection of JAK2V617F cells when exposed to TGF‐β. Using cell lines, CD34‐positive cells from MPN patients and bone marrow cells from JAK2V617F knock‐in mice we identified a down regulation of the SHP‐1 phosphatase, which is required for the regulation of HSC quiescence by TGF‐β. The transduction of SHP‐1 cDNA (but not a phosphatase inactive cDNA) restores the antiproliferative effect of TGF‐β in JAK2V617F mutated cells. Finally, SC‐1, a known agonist of SHP‐1, antagonized the selection of JAK2V617F mutated cells in the presence of TGF‐β. In conclusion, we show a JAK2‐dependent down regulation of SHP‐1 in MPN patients' cells which is related to their resistance to the antiproliferative effect of TGF‐β. This may participate in the clonal selection of cancer cells in MPNs.
The effect of education given to secondary school students on hand hygiene behaviors: a Quasi experimental study
Authors: Erkoca Semiha , Dündar Nursel , Çal Ayşe
Published: October 2024

Aims

This study aimed to examine the effect of the hand hygiene education on middle school students' behavioral scores related to hand hygiene practices.

Design

The research adheres to a quasi‐experimental design suitable for the pre‐test Posttest model with a control group.

Methods

The population of the study consists of a total of 1159 students, comprising 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. During the first semester of the 2021–2022 academic year, face‐to‐face education was conducted at a middle school located in Ankara. Two face‐to‐face training sessions were conducted to increase awareness of hand hygiene.

Results

The groups indicate homogeneity in terms of demographic characteristics. The mean hand hygiene behavior score was 56.45 ± 8.03 before the education in the intervention group, which increased to 59.79 ± 7.62 after the education. In the control group, the mean score was 55.98 ± 7.89 before the education and 57.15 ± 7.63 after the education. It was found that after the educational program, there was a statistically significant increase in hand hygiene behavior scores of the groups.

Conclusion

The research findings indicate a beneficial impact of hand hygiene education on students' average behavioral scores.

Impact

To foster lasting behavioral changes from a young age, it is advisable to implement hygiene education in schools periodically, including targeted interventions for middle school students.
Tail index estimation for tail adversarial stable time series with an application to high‐dimensional tail clustering
Authors: Cao Hanyue , Gao Jingying , Shao Yu , Sriram T. N. , Wang Weiliang , Wen Fei , Zhang Ting
Published: October 2024

For stationary time series with regularly varying marginal distributions, an important problem is to estimate the associated tail index which characterizes the power‐law behavior of the tail distribution. For this, various results have been developed for independent data and certain types of dependent data. In this article, we consider the problem of tail index estimation under a recently proposed notion of serial tail dependence called the tail adversarial stability. Using the technique of adversarial innovation coupling and a martingale approximation scheme, we establish the consistency and central limit theorem of the tail index estimator for a general class of tail dependent time series. Based on the asymptotic normal distribution from the obtained central limit theorem, we further consider an application to cluster a large number of regularly varying time series based on their tail indices by using a robust mixture algorithm. The results are illustrated using numerical examples including Monte Carlo simulations and a real data analysis.
Clinical and laboratory predictors for bacteremia in critically ill calves
Authors: Pas Mathilde L. , Bokma Jade , Boyen Filip , Pardon Bart
Published: October 2024

Background

Sepsis is a main contributor to calf mortality, but diagnosis is difficult.

Objectives

Develop and validate a predictive model for bacteremia in critically ill calves (CIC).

Animals

A total of 334 CIC, sampled for blood culture.

Methods

Cross‐sectional study. Multivariable logistic regression and classification tree analysis on clinical, ultrasonographic, and laboratory variables were performed on a dataset including all animals. Model validation was done on 30% of the dataset. Similar statistics (except validation) were performed on a subset of the database (n = 143), in which presumed contaminants were excluded.

Results

The best performing model to predict bacteremia, taking all detected bacteria into account, included tachypnea, tachycardia, acidemia, hypoglycemia, venous hypoxemia, and hypoproteinemia. Sensitivity and specificity of this model were 70.6% and 98.0%, respectively, but decreased to 61.5% and 91.7% during model validation. The best‐performing model, excluding presumed contaminants, included abnormal temperature, heart rate, absence of enteritis, hypocalcemia, and hyperlactatemia as risk factors for bacteremia. Sensitivity and specificity of this model were 71.4% and 93.9%, respectively. Both classification trees performed less well in comparison to logistic regression. The classification tree excluding presumed contaminants, featured hypoglycemia, absence of diarrhea, and hyperlactatemia as risk factors for bacteremia. Sensitivity and specificity were 39.4% and 92.7%, respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Hypoglycemia, hyperlactatemia, and hypoproteinemia seem relevant in assessing bacteremia in CIC. The performance of these models based on basic clinical and blood variables remains insufficient to predict bacteremia.
Impacts of Indoor Air Quality on Working‐Age Populations' Subjective Well‐Being: Evidence From China Labor Dynamics Survey
Authors: Zhou Zhengqing , Ai Hongshan , Zhang Xi
Published: October 2024

Outdoor air pollution can affect physical labor productivity and mental health, but it remains to be studied how indoor air quality (IAQ) exposure affects working‐age populations' subjective well‐being and physical health. Here, the first evidence of a link between IAQ and the subjective well‐being of working‐age populations has been provided using the dataset from a longitudinal survey in China. Using household ventilation as an instrument variable (IV) of IAQ revealed that IAQ improvements increased working‐age populations' subjective well‐being and life satisfaction by significantly affecting their physical health. Our analysis shows that an increase in IAQ by one standard deviation improves working‐age populations' subjective well‐being by 0.041 standard deviations. The marginal willingness to pay for IAQ is approximately 98.09 CNY. Compared with outdoor air quality, the impact of IAQ on well‐being and life satisfaction is more conspicuous. The results are robust to a variety of alternative specifications. For developing countries, improving IAQ is a new channel toward enhancing life quality, with lower economic and social costs.
Sculpting the good surgeon or excising the bad one: How clinical teachers could perpetuate attrition in surgical residency programmes
Authors: Rada‐Estarita Arlen Astrid , Rincón‐Ortiz María Camila , Hernández‐Rodríguez Oscar Geovanny , Olmos‐Vega Francisco Manuel
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Attrition in surgical residencies remains a significant issue, with traditional research focusing mainly on individual and programme factors. This study explores the role of clinical teachers (CTs) in influencing attrition rates. CTs are essential in moulding residents' training, serving both as enablers of workplace learning and guardians of their medical fields.

Methods

We employed a hermeneutic phenomenology framework to understand the sociocultural impacts on attrition. Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews involving 19 CTs, 3 residents who left the programme and 2 who underwent remediation, following a six‐step hermeneutic phenomenological analysis process.

Results

The entrenched ‘good surgeon’ narrative within the department demanded selflessness and total dedication, which CTs reinforced, thereby normalising a rigorous and challenging environment. This has led to attrition when residents fail to meet these challenges or choose to disengage from the system. We illustrated that CTs were pivotal in perpetuating these expectations, contributing significantly to resident attrition.

Conclusions

CTs played a crucial role in resident attrition by enforcing a stringent cultural norm within surgical training programmes. Addressing this issue requires a visible change in CTs' role to foster a more supportive educational environment. Emphasising the beneficial aspects of the ‘good surgeon’ narrative and mitigating its adverse impacts is essential for reducing attrition rates and assisting all residents, including those facing challenges, in successfully completing their training.
Bridge monitoring using mobile sensing data with traditional system identification techniques
Authors: Cronin Liam , Sen Debarshi , Marasco Giulia , Matarazzo Thomas , Pakzad Shamim
Published: October 2024

Mobile sensing has emerged as an economically viable alternative to spatially dense stationary sensor networks, leveraging crowdsourced data from today's widespread population of smartphones. Recently, field experiments have demonstrated that using asynchronous crowdsourced mobile sensing data, bridge modal frequencies, and absolute mode shapes (the absolute value of mode shapes, i.e., mode shapes without phase information) can be estimated. However, time‐synchronized data and improved system identification techniques are necessary to estimate frequencies, full mode shapes, and damping ratios within the same context. This paper presents a framework that uses only two time‐synchronous mobile sensors to estimate a spatially dense frequency response matrix. Subsequently, this matrix can be integrated into existing system identification methods and structural health monitoring platforms, including the natural excitation technique eigensystem realization algorithm and frequency domain decomposition. The methodology was tested numerically and using a lab‐scale experiment for long‐span bridges. In the lab‐scale experiment, synchronized smartphones atop carts traverse a model bridge. The resulting cross‐spectrum was analyzed with two system identification methods, and the efficacy of the proposed framework was demonstrated, yielding high accuracy (modal assurance criterion values above 0.94) for the first six modes, including both vertical and torsional. This novel framework combines the monitoring scalability of mobile sensing with user familiarity with traditional system identification techniques.
Characterization of thioredoxin–thioredoxin reductase system in Filifactor alocis
Authors: Mishra Arunima , Dou Yuetan , Fletcher Hansel M.
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Filifactor alocis is a newly appreciated member of the periodontal community with a strong periodontal disease correlation. Little is known about the survival mechanisms by which F. alocis copes with oxidative stress and establishes the infection within the local inflammatory microenvironment of the periodontal pocket. The aim of this study is to investigate if F. alocis putative peroxiredoxin/AhpC protein FA768 may constitute an alkyl hydroperoxide reductase system utilizing putative thioredoxin reductase protein FA608, and putative thioredoxin/glutaredoxin homolog FA1411/FA455.

Methods

FA768, FA608, FA1411 and FA455 proteins from F. alocis were expressed and purified from Escherichia coli. Insulin and 5,5‐dithio‐bis‐2‐nitrobenzoic acid (DTNB) reduction assays were performed to determine if purified FA1411 and FA455 proteins could be a substrate for FA608. The peroxidase activity of FA768 was examined by measuring its ability to reduce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with FA608 and FA1411/FA455 provided as the reducing systems. Further, the hydroperoxide substrate specificity of FA768 was analyzed by monitoring the NADPH oxidation in the presence of different peroxides, including H2O2, cumyl hydroperoxide (CHP), and tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (t‐BHP).

Results

In this study, we have demonstrated the existence of a functioning thioredoxin‐dependent alkyl hydroperoxide system in F. alocis. This system is comprised of a thioredoxin reductase (FA608), a thioredoxin/glutaredoxin homolog (FA1411/FA455), and a typical 2‐cysteine peroxiredoxin/AhpC (FA768). FA608, together with FA1411/FA455, can function as a thioredoxin reductase system to reduce insulin, DTNB, and FA768. FA455 is a glutaredoxin‐like protein with thioredoxin functions in F. alocis. Both the FA768/FA608/FA1411 and FA768/FA608/FA455 reductase systems were NADPH‐dependent and exhibited specificity for broad hydroperoxide substrates H2O2, CHP, and t‐BHP.

Conclusions

This is the first study of a thioredoxin dependent alkyl hydroperoxide system from a periodontal pathogen. This system is proposed to protect F. alocis against oxidative stress due to the likely absence of a catalase or an additional peroxiredoxin homolog.
Preliminary Application of Bilateral Submandibular Horizontal Incision in the Treatment of Upper Cervical Tumors
Authors: Ji Jingtao , Chen Guang Dong , Miao Jun
Published: October 2024

The upper cervical spine has a complex anatomical structure, making anterior surgical approaches challenging and prone to complications. This study aims to explore the use of bilateral submandibular incisions to provide safer and more convenient exposure of the upper cervical spine and to assess the feasibility of this approach for anterior surgical treatment of complex upper cervical diseases. From November 2019 to August 2021, three patients with malignant tumors of the upper cervical spine were subjected to an anterior–posterior combined approach for cervical tumor resection. The cohort consisted of one male and two females, aged between 41 and 51 years. The anterior approach began with a submandibular incision, followed by blunt dissection through the prevertebral muscles to expose the diseased vertebra. Subsequently, the diseased vertebra was excised, and either a titanium cage or a pre‐customized 3D‐printed artificial vertebral body was implanted anteriorly. Then, posterior fixation of the cervical spine was performed using pedicle screws to provide additional stability. Follow‐up ranged from 8 to 34 months. All patients experienced varying degrees of pain relief within 24 hours post‐operation. Frankel grading showed improvement by at least one grade in all three cases. Regular X‐ray and magnetic resonance imaging examinations revealed no tumor recurrence or involvement of adjacent vertebrae in the surgical area. The anterior bilateral submandibular horizontal incision approach offers comprehensive exposure of the anatomical structures of the upper cervical spine. This approach introduces a new option for the anterior treatment of upper cervical spine diseases.
The Molecular Mechanism of Embryonic Development in Decapod Crustaceans
Authors: Farhadi Ardavan , Zhao Qun , Tan Karsoon
Published: October 2024

In recent decades, the decapod aquaculture industry has grown significantly in many parts of the world. Despite this progress, production levels still fall short of market demands, indicating a need for further efforts to increase the production. Investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic development in decapods provide valuable insights into the complex embryonic development processes of this economically and ecologically important animal group. In this review, we explore the molecular mechanisms underlying decapod embryonic development, focusing on key genes, signaling pathways, and microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in the embryogenesis. Numerous genes have been identified that regulate various aspects of embryogenesis including egg activation, maternal‐to‐zygotic transition (MZT), mesoderm development, segmentation, nervous system development, sex determination, germline development, and exoskeleton formation. We also discuss the pivotal role of signaling pathways such as Hedgehog, Wnt, Notch, MAPK, TGF‐β, Jak‐STAT, VEGF, and Ecdysteroid in the regulation of embryogenesis. Additionally, this review identifies current research gaps in decapod embryogenesis and proposes directions for future investigation. This review is anticipated to be especially beneficial for researchers delving into the molecular mechanisms driving embryonic development in decapods.
The Effect of Probiotics and Prebiotics on Feed Intake in Cultured Fish
Authors: Guerreiro Inês , Oliva‐Teles Aires , Enes Paula
Published: October 2024

With aquaculture intensification, improving feed intake in order to increase fish growth as well as to reduce production costs and environmental impacts assume a high importance. In this sense, probiotics and prebiotics' capacity to positively modulate animals' appetite is of high interest and has been the focus of several studies in mammals, while in fish these studies are scarce, and available information is dispersed. Probiotics and prebiotics' role in appetite regulation mechanisms can be mediated by short‐chain fatty acids produced by gut microbiota, or by several other microbial‐derived metabolites, proteins, and lipopolysaccharides. The possible way these molecules may affect fish appetite is the focus of this review, which also highlights novel research directions for better elucidation of the impact of probiotics and prebiotics in the regulation of fish appetite, contributing to the definition of better feeding strategies, that optimize feed utilization efficiency and fish growth, leading to a more sustainable aquaculture production.
Establishing perennial strips in a cultivated floodplain for habitat restoration: monitoring over 4 years and success drivers
Authors: Damar Hada , Vaillancourt Mathieu , Bourgeois Bérenger , Poulin Monique
Published: October 2024

Floodplains, one of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems, are under threat from intensive crop production. Implementing perennial strips alongside agricultural ditches and streams could reduce negative impacts of intensive agriculture and restore wildlife habitats in cultivated floodplains. To successfully set up perennial strips, it is important to understand the parameters that drive their establishment. Here we assessed the establishment success of reed canarygrass (RCG; Phalaris arundinacea) strips in the lake Saint Pierre (LSP) floodplain, Québec, Canada by monitoring RCG biomass and vegetation height over 4 years and identify the factors driving its establishment. A total of 26 RCG strips across six municipalities of LSP were monitored. Biomass and vegetation height of RCG increased over time to reach an average of 5048 kg/ha in year 4 and 104 cm in year 3 in established strips. The RCG established successfully in 62% of surveyed plots and three environmental parameters explained 61% of this success. Establishment of RCG was most successful when a first rain came right after seeding (<3 days). High clay content and low elevation were associated with establishment failures. Overall, our results highlight the ability of RCG strips to restore dense perennial vegetation cover in cultivated floodplain, thereby providing suitable habitat for fish spawning during spring floods. This study provides significant insight into the drivers of establishment of perennial grass strips in highly constrained cultivated areas such as floodplains.
Is reinforcement a viable conservation strategy for the endangered perennial herb, Astragalus applegatei?
Authors: Stewart Sean M. , Byrne Kerry M.
Published: October 2024

Reinforcing imperiled plant populations with transplanted individuals is a conservation tool that is increasingly used to counter the negative effects of land use change and habitat fragmentation. A reinforcement project's success is dependent on the survival of planted individuals and the support of the extant population's growth; thus, demographic comparisons of planted and extant individuals within the same population are critical to quantify success. We assessed long‐term demographic data from planted (9 years) and extant (7 years) individuals of a rare perennial herb, Astragalus applegatei, to quantify the success of a reinforcement project. We compared cumulative survival among extant and planted cohorts and constructed generalized mixed‐effect models to understand how age affected survival, flowering, and plant size of both planted and extant individuals. Overall, 9.7% of planted individuals survived after 9–11 years. Although young planted individuals had higher flowering percentages than extant individuals, our models for survival, flowering, and plant size were similar in planted and extant individuals as they aged. Cumulative survival curves among planted cohorts varied while they were similar among extant cohorts. Furthermore, there was evidence of recruitment by planted individuals, an essential benchmark of successful translocation projects. Combined, these results suggest that reinforcement can be a successful conservation tool for A. applegatei under the right conditions and may be used to inform conservation strategies for other imperiled herbaceous perennials.
Frontier AI developers need an internal audit function
Authors: Schuett Jonas
Published: October 2024

This article argues that frontier artificial intelligence (AI) developers need an internal audit function. First, it describes the role of internal audit in corporate governance: internal audit evaluates the adequacy and effectiveness of a company's risk management, control, and governance processes. It is organizationally independent from senior management and reports directly to the board of directors, typically its audit committee. In the Institute of Internal Auditors' Three Lines Model, internal audit serves as the third line and is responsible for providing assurance to the board, whereas the combined assurance framework highlights the need to coordinate the activities of internal and external assurance providers. Next, the article provides an overview of key governance challenges in frontier AI development: Dangerous capabilities can arise unpredictably and undetected; it is difficult to prevent a deployed model from causing harm; frontier models can proliferate rapidly; it is inherently difficult to assess frontier AI risks; and frontier AI developers do not seem to follow best practices in risk governance. Finally, the article discusses how an internal audit function could address some of these challenges: Internal audit could identify ineffective risk management practices; it could ensure that the board of directors has a more accurate understanding of the current level of risk and the adequacy of the developer's risk management practices; and it could serve as a contact point for whistleblowers. But frontier AI developers should also be aware of key limitations: Internal audit adds friction; it can be captured by senior management; and the benefits depend on the ability of individuals to identify ineffective practices. In light of rapid progress in AI research and development, frontier AI developers need to strengthen their risk governance. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they should follow existing best practices. Although this might not be sufficient, they should not skip this obvious first step.
Cultural Barriers to Women's Progression in Academic Careers: A France‐Brazil Comparison Through the Lens of the Queen Bee Phenomena
Authors: Esnard Catherine , Grangeiro Rebeca da Rocha
Published: October 2024

Despite significant improvements, women are still underrepresented at high levels in academia. Most research on these inequalities is conducted within a specific national academic system, without taking into account its cultural roots. The aim of the present study was to analyze the extent to which the cultural context acts as a barrier on women's career progression. Specifically, we focused on psychological processes described under the metaphor of Queen Bee Phenomenon that may reflect the ways in which female academics conform to male‐gender roles encoded in androcentric social and academic culture. Two samples of women academic, one French (N = 73), the other Brazilian (N = 88), were compared through the lens of two dimension of the Queen Bee Phenomena: self‐group distancing and gender hierarchy legitimation. Brazilian women identify more with their female peer group than their French counterparts. French women are more hostile to quotas and more inclined to adhere to meritocratic discourses than their Brazilian counterparts. Both academic contexts tend to perpetuate gender inequalities, but in different ways: by maintaining gender‐stereotypical expectations in Brazil and meritocratic ideology in France. The implications for policies to promote a more egalitarian university context are discussed herein.
Duty of care toward the Kinabatangan River: Environmental monitoring, social learning and Care of Place in Sabah, Malaysia
Authors: Cooke Fadzilah Majid , Vogel Martin , Acciaioli Greg , Sharip Zati ,   Village Co‐operative Researchers, Tajuddin Nor Azlin
Published: October 2024

This case study contributes to the conceptualisation of, and methodology for, studying caringscapes/carescapes that concern the relations among humans and between human and non‐human subjects. It analyses how some local villagers along the Lower Kinabatangan River express their ‘duty of care’ toward the river through their sustained local participation in restorative work by means of such projects as assessing changing water quality in their wetlands. Making sense of their emergent sense of responsibility to foster care for the river entails examining not only how the local sense of place centres upon the river, but also how the river itself affects local communal and personal identity in a two‐way flow. This case study highlights the agency of those experiencing the process of socioecological change involving a social learning process covering two decades via learning networks, community participation in citizen science, trust, and leadership by example.
A 4000‐km‐Long Late Devonian Continental Arc in Eastern Asia and the Opening of the Palaeo‐Tethys
Authors: Xu Wentao , Liu Lishuang , Hao Yujie , Ren Guangming , Xu Wang
Published: October 2024

The Palaeozoic–early Mesozoic Palaeo‐Tethyan evolution was crucial for the formation of present‐day eastern Asia. However, the exact timing and mechanism of the opening of the main Palaeo‐Tethys Ocean, represented by the Longmuco‐Shuanghu‐Changning‐Menglian‐Bentong‐Raub Suture, remain debated. Here, we report U–Pb–Hf isotopes and trace elements for Late Devonian detrital zircons from the Batang area, which exhibit arc‐like geochemical signatures, indicating strong continental arc magmatism in the North Qiangtang terrane. These characteristics match well with those of coeval zircons from the Indochina and Hainan terranes, thus defining a 4000‐km‐long Late Devonian continental arc. Supported by available geological and geophysical evidence, our results suggest that the southward subduction of the Jinshajiang‐Ailaoshan‐Song Ma Ocean led to the northward migration of the North Qiangtang‐Indochina‐Hainan continental ribbon and the subsequent opening of a back‐arc basin, which evolved into the main Palaeo‐Tethys Ocean.
Decrease in purifying selection pressures on wheat homoeologous genes: tetraploidization versus hexaploidization
Authors: Ezoe Akihiro , Todaka Daisuke , Utsumi Yoshinori , Takahashi Satoshi , Kawaura Kanako , Seki Motoaki
Published: October 2024

A series of polyploidizations in higher‐order polyploids is the main event affecting gene content in a genome. Each polyploidization event can lead to massive functional divergence because of the subsequent decrease in selection pressure on duplicated genes; however, the causal relationship between multiple rounds of polyploidization and the functional divergence of duplicated genes is poorly understood. We focused on the Triticum–Aegilops complex lineage and compared selection pressure before and after tetraploidization and hexaploidization events. Although both events led to decreased selection pressure on homoeologous gene pairs (compared with diploids and tetraploids), the initial tetraploidization had a greater impact on selection pressure on homoeologous gene pairs than did subsequent hexaploidization. Consistent with this, selection pressure on expression patterns for the initial event relaxed more than those for the subsequent event. Surprisingly, the decreased selection pressure on these homoeologous genes was independent of the existence of in‐paralogs within the same subgenome. Wheat homoeologous pairs had different evolutionary consequences compared with orthologs related to other mechanisms (ancient allopolyploidization, ancient autopolyploidization, and small‐scale duplication). Furthermore, tetraploidization and hexaploidization also seemed to have different evolutionary consequences. This suggests that homoeologous genes retain unique functions, including functions that are unlikely to be preserved in genes generated by the other duplication mechanisms. We found that their unique functions differed between tetraploidization and hexaploidization (e.g., reproductive and chromosome segregation processes). These findings imply that the substantial number of gene pairs resulting from multiple allopolyploidization events, especially initial tetraploidization, may have been a unique source of functional divergence.
Global nuclear reorganization during heterochromatin replication in the giant‐genome plant Nigella damascena L.
Authors: Arifulin Eugene A. , Sorokin Dmitry V. , Anoshina Nadezhda A. , Kuznetsova Maria A. , Valyaeva Anna A. , Potashnikova Daria M. , Omelchenko Denis O. , Schubert Veit , Kolesnikova Tatyana D. , Sheval Eugene V.
Published: October 2024

Among flowering plants, genome size varies remarkably, by >2200‐fold, and this variation depends on the loss and gain of noncoding DNA sequences that form distinct heterochromatin complexes during interphase. In plants with giant genomes, most chromatin remains condensed during interphase, forming a dense network of heterochromatin threads called interphase chromonemata. Using super‐resolution light and electron microscopy, we studied the ultrastructure of chromonemata during and after replication in root meristem nuclei of Nigella damascena L. During S‐phase, heterochromatin undergoes transient decondensation locally at DNA replication sites. Due to the abundance of heterochromatin, the replication leads to a robust disassembly of the chromonema meshwork and a general reorganization of the nuclear morphology visible even by conventional light microscopy. After replication, heterochromatin recondenses, restoring the chromonema structure. Thus, we show that heterochromatin replication in interphase nuclei of giant‐genome plants induces a global nuclear reorganization.