bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Water Ice Permafrost on Mars and on the Moon
Authors: Litvak Maxim , Sanin Anton
Published: September 2022

The Moon and Mars are the most explored planetary bodies in the solar system. For the more than 60 years of the space era, dozens of science robotic missions have explored the Moon and Mars. The primary scientific goal for many of these missions was declared to be a search for surface or ground water/water ice and gaining an understanding of its distribution and origin.

Today, for the Moon, the focus of scientific exploration has moved to the lunar polar regions and permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). PSRs do not receive any direct sunlight and are frozen at very low temperatures (< 120 K), acting as cold traps. They are considered to be a storehouse that preserves records of the solar system’s evolution by trapping water ice and potentially other volatile deposits brought by comets and asteroids over billions of years.

For Mars, the water/water ice search was part of an attempt to find traces of ancient extraterrestrial life and possibly to understand how life appeared on Earth. Current Mars is cold and dry, but its high latitudes and some equatorial regions are enriched with surface and subsurface water ice. Scientists argue that oceans could have existed on ancient Mars if it was warm and wet and that different life forms could have originated similar to Earth’s. If this is the case, then biomarkers could be preserved in the Martian ground ice depositions.

Another popular idea that ties water ice permafrost on the Moon and Mars is related to the expected future human expansion to deep space. The Moon and Mars are widely considered to be the first destinations for future manned space-colony missions or even space-colony missions. In this scenario, the long-term presence and survival of astronauts on the lunar or Martian surface strongly depend on in situ resource utilization (ISRU). Water ice is at the top of the ISRU list because it could be used as water for astronauts’ needs. Its constituents, oxygen and hydrogen, could be used for breathing and for rocket fuel production, respectively.

The Moon is the closest body to Earth and discussion about presence of water ice on the Moon has both scientific and practical interest, especially for planning manned space missions. The focus further in space is on how subsurface water ice is distributed on Mars. A related topic is the debates about whether ancient Mars was wet and warm or if, for most of its history, the Martian surface was covered with glaciers. Finally, there are fundamental questions that should be answered by upcoming Mars and Moon missions.
Ethnoarchaeology of Cattle in Zimbabwe and Surrounds
Authors: Shenjere-Nyabezi Plan
Published: September 2022

Iron Age archaeological research in Zimbabwe and surrounds has shifted from traditional concerns with culture histories and reconstruction of the sociopolitical and economic organization. Archaeologists have become concerned with a wider range of issues such as ritual, the meanings of material culture as well as the ideological backgrounds and contexts within which societies produced and reproduced themselves, and how archaeological invisibles may inform different aspects of the organization and development of past cultures. The quest to read more into the material remains from the past in context, beyond their materiality, was the inspiration behind the development of ethnoarchaeology. It is against this backdrop that the study of faunal remains from Iron Age sites in southern Africa, particularly those of cattle, has been shifting from analysis and interpretation of the bones, from a subsistence-economic-organization point of view, to attempts to read more from this class of archaeological data. Here, the contemporary Bantu cattle-keeping societies have been the subject of studies aimed at gathering data that may be usable in engaging with the bone remains from archaeological sites. The ethnoarchaeological approaches have initiated a new methodological dimension to the study of faunal remains.

Gender studies have been one of the most important areas of concern in archaeology over the past five decades. In this regard, cattle-based ethnoarchaeological studies in southern Africa have opened opportunities for alternative ways of thinking about cattle ownership and sociopolitical organization and development in the past. Here, the traditional perceptions and interpretations of cattle as an exclusively male domain have been questioned as it has emerged that women would in fact have been active players in the cattle world. Within the context of the archaeological interest in ritual, ethnoarchaeological studies have also been informative from various dimensions where indications are that the cattle-bone remains that are recovered from archaeological sites could have resulted from a variety of ritual activities, rather than food alone. Ultimately, such ethnoarchaeological studies in the region have persuaded archaeologists to begin to think about cattle bones beyond the obvious.
Digital Resources: The “Carreño Memories: Manners, Society, History” Project
Authors: Schell Patience
Published: September 2022

Across the Spanish-speaking world, the term “Carreño” has become a cultural shorthand for good manners and refined behavior, used to frame television chat show discussions about courtesy and admonish alleged etiquette infractions. The “Carreño” in question was Venezuelan Manuel Antonio Carreño (1813–1874) who published a conduct and etiquette guide, El manual de urbanidad y buenas maneras, in 1853. This text became an almost instant bestseller across the Spanish-speaking world and a publishing phenomenon that has remained in print, in original and updated versions, into the 21st century. Patience Schell has taught the Manual de urbanidad, finding that students engage more readily with issues like hierarchies, urbanization, and citizenship in Latin American when allowed to discuss sneezing, teeth brushing, the rudeness of snoring, and why men should always wear ties at home. Lively classroom discussions, prompted by the Manual, made Schell think that the text could be converted into a game. That idea became the seed of the “Carreño Memories: Manners, Society, History” website, based on Schell’s database of the many editions, reprints and adaptations of Carreño’s Manual. The bilingual site includes information on the text’s history, an interactive globe and timeline both displaying information about the texts, as well as a contribution page so that visitors can archive their own interactions with Carreño’s books and thus preserve this important aspect of the Manual’s history.
Phonological Variation and Change in Canadian and U.S. French
Authors: Szlezák Edith
Published: September 2022

The varieties of Canadian French are the result of both conservatism and innovation. The conservatism is manifested in the retention of archaic structures, which derive on the one hand from the dialects of northern and western France, the areas of origin of the Quebecker and Acadian settlers, and on the other hand from the common vernacular of the Ile-de-France area, the français populaire. Innovation has occurred independently of France because of the political rupture between France and New France in 1763, which also severed emotional ties: France had to cede territories to Great Britain due to its defeat in the Seven Years’ War and chose to separate from its North American colony while holding onto more profitable colonies, such as Guadeloupe. All normative influence on the development of Canadian French stopped. Since the French-speaking territories in North America have never been united administratively, and English has been the dominant language for the majority of citizens in Canada, no common institution providing prescriptive guidelines as to language use (such as the Académie Française in France) has been established. The varieties of Quebec and Acadian French spoken in Canada—and subsequently in the United States—developed freely. This resulted in an almost indescribable amount of linguistic variants in all fields. Whereas the phonological systems of Canadian and standard French (i.e., the hexagonal norm), in other words the inventory of sounds, barely differ, there is considerable variation in phonetics (i.e., pronunciation). The traditional areas of settlement for speakers of predominantly northern French dialects (Quebec) and predominantly western French dialects (Acadia and Maritime Provinces) have stayed administratively separate, resulting in considerable variation among the varieties of Canadian French.
Chinese Pragmatics
Authors: Chen Xinren
Published: September 2022

Pragmatics is a relatively new core branch of linguistics, alongside syntax, semantics, phonetics and phonology, and morphology. Committed to the study of meaning in dynamic contexts, it addresses language in use, thus complementing the other core branches on different borders. As at phonetic, morphological, and syntactic levels, universalities and variations exist across languages at the level of pragmatic research. While earlier pragmatic researchers tended to explore the more theoretical and thus universalist aspects of pragmatic issues such as speech acts, implicature, deixis, presupposition, face, (im)politeness, and metapragmatics, later researchers tend to examine more variational aspects across languages. In the latter case, compared to the English language, the Chinese language remains underexplored in terms of its pragmatic characteristics. Thus, the ‘Chinese’ aspects of pragmatic issues are less well studied. Topics of particular interest include the following: (a) Chinese speech acts (e.g., invitation, compliment and response, thanking), (b) Chinese deixis, (c) Chinese address forms, (e) Chinese presupposition triggers, (f) Chinese face, (g) maxims of Chinese politeness, (h) Chinese mitigators, (i) Chinese boosters, (j) Chinese particles, and (k) Chinese discourse markers. It is hoped that a survey could better facilitate the understanding of Chinese communication and enable contrastive pragmatic studies involving the Chinese language.
Use of Experimental Economics in Policy Design and Evaluation: An Application to Water Resources and Other Environmental Domains
Authors: Banerjee Simanti
Published: September 2022

Economics conceptualizes harmful effects to the environment as negative externalities that can be internalized through implementation of policies involving regulatory and market-based mechanisms, and behavioral economic interventions. However, effective policy will require knowledge and understanding of intended and unintended stakeholder behaviors and consequences and the context in which the policy will be implemented. This mandate is nontrivial since policies once implemented can be hard to reverse and often have irreversible consequences in the short and/or long run, leading to high social costs. Experimental economics (often in combination with other empirical evaluation methods) can help by testing policies and their impacts prior to modification of current policies, and design and implementation of new ones. Such experimental evaluation can include lab and field experiments, and choice experiments. Additionally, experimental policy evaluation should pay attention to scaling up problems and the ethical ramifications of the treatment. This would ensure that the experimental findings will remain relevant when rolled out to bigger populations (hence retaining policy makers’ interest in the method and evidence generated by it), and the treatment to internalize the externality will not create or exacerbate societal disparities and ethical challenges.
Multi-omic integration by machine learning (MIMaL)
Authors: Dickinson Quinn , Kohler Andreas , Ott Martin , Meyer Jesse G
Published: September 2022

Motivation

Cells respond to environments by regulating gene expression to exploit resources optimally. Recent advances in technologies allow for measuring the abundances of RNA, proteins, lipids and metabolites. These highly complex datasets reflect the states of the different layers in a biological system. Multi-omics is the integration of these disparate methods and data to gain a clearer picture of the biological state. Multi-omic studies of the proteome and metabolome are becoming more common as mass spectrometry technology continues to be democratized. However, knowledge extraction through the integration of these data remains challenging.

Results

Connections between molecules in different omic layers were discovered through a combination of machine learning and model interpretation. Discovered connections reflected protein control (ProC) over metabolites. Proteins discovered to control citrate were mapped onto known genetic and metabolic networks, revealing that these protein regulators are novel. Further, clustering the magnitudes of ProC over all metabolites enabled the prediction of five gene functions, each of which was validated experimentally. Two uncharacterized genes, YJR120W and YDL157C, were accurately predicted to modulate mitochondrial translation. Functions for three incompletely characterized genes were also predicted and validated, including SDH9, ISC1 and FMP52. A website enables results exploration and also MIMaL analysis of user-supplied multi-omic data.

Availability and implementation

The website for MIMaL is at https://mimal.app. Code for the website is at https://github.com/qdickinson/mimal-website. Code to implement MIMaL is at https://github.com/jessegmeyerlab/MIMaL.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
‘I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For’: Evidence of Directed Search from a Field Experiment*
Authors: He Haoran , Neumark David , Weng Qian
Published: September 2022

We explore the impact of wage offers on job applications, testing implications of the directed search model and trying to distinguish it from random search. We use a field experiment conducted on a Chinese job board, with real jobs for which we randomly vary the wage offers across three ranges. We find that higher wage offers raise application rates overall, which is consistent with directed search, but can also arise with random search. We also find that higher wage offers raise application rates for job seekers with wage offers above reservation wages and that—among the latter—the increase in application rates is stronger for those with higher reservation wages. The latter two types of evidence are consistent with directed search, but not random search. Hence, our evidence lends support to directed search models.
Sleep Parameters and Plasma Biomarkers for Cognitive Impairment Evaluation in Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: Chen Xiaohan , Fang Zhuo , Zhao Yike , Cheng Wenbin , Chen Honglin , Li Genru , Xu Jin , Deng Jiale , Cai Xiao , Zhuang Jianhua , Yin You
Published: September 2022

Objectives

Cognitive impairment caused by cerebrovascular disease accounts for more than half of vascular dementia. However, neuropsychological tests are limited by their subjectivity. Additional effective approaches to evaluate cognitive impairment in patients with cerebrovascular disease are necessary.

Method

One hundred and thirty-two patients with cerebrovascular disease were recruited. One hundred participants met the criteria and completed neuropsychological scales. Sixty-nine participants proceeded with polysomnography, and 63 of them had their peripheral blood biomarkers measured. According to Mini-Mental State Examination scores, patients were divided into cognitively impaired and cognitively normal groups. The differences in biomarkers and sleep parameters between the groups were compared, and decision tree models were constructed to evaluate the evaluation ability of these indicators on cognitive decline.

Results

The integrated decision tree model of sleep parameters yielded an area under curve (AUC) of 0.952 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.911–0.993), while that of plasma biomarkers yielded an AUC of 0.872 (95% CI: 0.810–0.935) in the assessment of cognition status. Then the participants were automatically clustered into mild and severe cognitive impairment groups by multiple neuropsychological test results. The integrated plasma biomarker model showed an AUC of 0.928 (95% CI: 0.88–0.977), and the integrated sleep parameter model showed an AUC of 0.851 (95% CI: 0.783–0.919) in the assessment of mild/severe cognitive impairment.

Discussion

Integrated models which consist of sleep parameters and plasma biomarkers can accurately evaluate dementia status and cognitive impairment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease. This innovative study may facilitate drug development, early screening, clinical diagnosis, and prognosis evaluation of the disease.
Sparsity of Integral Points on Moduli Spaces of Varieties
Authors: Ellenberg Jordan S , Lawrence Brian , Venkatesh Akshay
Published: September 2022

Let $X$ be a quasi-projective variety over a number field, admitting (after passage to $\mathbb {C}$) a geometric variation of Hodge structure whose period mapping has zero-dimensional fibers. Then the integral points of $X$ are sparse: the number of such points of height $\leq B$ grows slower than any positive power of $B$. For example, homogeneous integral polynomials in a fixed number of variables and degree, with discriminant divisible only by a fixed set of primes, are sparse when considered up to integral linear substitutions.
Skeletal stem cells: a game changer of skeletal biology and regenerative medicine?
Authors: Zhu Qiaoling , Ding Lei , Yue Rui
Published: September 2022

Skeletal stem cells (SSCs) were originally discovered in the bone marrow stroma. They are capable of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, and stromal cells. Importantly, these bone marrow SSCs localize in the perivascular region and highly express hematopoietic growth factors to create the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. Thus, bone marrow SSCs play pivotal roles in orchestrating osteogenesis and hematopoiesis. Besides the bone marrow, recent studies have uncovered diverse SSC populations in the growth plate, perichondrium, periosteum, and calvarial suture at different developmental stages, which exhibit distinct differentiation potential under homeostatic and stress conditions. Therefore, the current consensus is that a panel of region-specific SSCs collaborate to regulate skeletal development, maintenance, and regeneration. Here, we will summarize recent advances of SSCs in long bones and calvaria, with a special emphasis on the evolving concept and methodology in the field. We will also look into the future of this fascinating research area that may ultimately lead to effective treatment of skeletal disorders.
Intravenous Glu-plasminogen attenuates cholesterol crystal embolism-induced thrombotic angiopathy, acute kidney injury and kidney infarction
Authors: Lyubenov Lyuben , Shi Chongxu , Zhao Danyang , Yang Luying , Lei Yutian , Mammadova-Bach Elmina , de Chiara Letizia , Semeraro Roberto , Landini Samuela , Romagnani Paola , Vörg Elena , Devarapu Satish K , Welz Ricarda , Kiessig Stephan T , Anders Hans-Joachim
Published: September 2022

Background

Cholesterol crystal (CC) embolism causes acute kidney injury (AKI) and ischaemic cortical necrosis associated with high mortality. We speculated that sustaining the fibrinolytic system with Glu-plasminogen (Glu-Plg) could be a safe way to attenuate AKI and prevent ischaemic infarction upon CC embolism.

Methods

We induced CC embolism by injecting CC into the left kidney artery of C57BL/6J mice. The primary endpoint was glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Results

Starting as early as 2 h after CC embolism, thrombotic angiopathy progressed gradually in the interlobular, arcuate and interlobar arteries. This was associated with a decrease of GFR reaching a peak at 18 h, i.e. AKI, and progressive ischaemic kidney necrosis developing between 12–48 h after CC injection. Human plasma Glu-Plg extracts injected intravenously 4 h after CC embolism attenuated thrombotic angiopathy, GFR loss as well as ischaemic necrosis in a dose-dependent manner. No bleeding complications occurred after Glu-Plg injection. Injection of an intermediate dose (0.6 mg/kg) had only a transient protective effect on microvascular occlusions lasting for a few hours without a sustained protective effect on AKI at 18–48 h or cortical necrosis, while 1.5 mg/kg were fully protective. Importantly, no bleeding complications occurred.

Conclusions

These results provide the first experimental evidence that Glu-Plg could be an innovative therapeutic strategy to attenuate thrombotic angiopathy, AKI, kidney necrosis and potentially other clinical manifestations of CC embolism syndrome.
Comparative effectiveness of guselkumab in psoriatic arthritis: updates to a systematic literature review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Mease Philip J , McInnes Iain B , Tam Lai-Shan , Rajalingam Raji , Peterson Steve , Hassan Fareen , Chakravarty Soumya D , Contré Christine , Armstrong Alison , Boehncke Wolf-Henning , Ritchlin Christopher
Published: September 2022

Objective

The IL-23 p19-subunit inhibitor guselkumab has been previously compared with other targeted therapies for PsA through network meta-analysis (NMA). The objective of this NMA update was to include new guselkumab COSMOS trial data, and two key comparators: the IL-23 inhibitor risankizumab and the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib.

Material and methods

A systematic literature review was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials up to February 2021. A hand-search identified newer agents up to July 2021. Bayesian NMAs were performed to compare treatments on ACR response, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) response, modified van der Heijde–Sharp (vdH-S) score, and serious adverse events (SAEs).

Results

For ACR 20, guselkumab 100 mg every 8 weeks (Q8W) and every 4 weeks (Q4W) were comparable (i.e. overlap in credible intervals) to most other agents, including risankizumab, upadacitinib, subcutaneous TNF inhibitors and most IL-17A inhibitors. For PASI 90, guselkumab Q8W and Q4W were better than multiple agents, including subcutaneous TNF and JAK inhibitors. For vdH-S, guselkumab Q8W was similar to risankizumab, while guselkumab Q4W was better; both doses were comparable to most other agents. Most agents had comparable SAEs.

Conclusions

Guselkumab demonstrates better skin efficacy than most other targeted PsA therapies, including upadacitinib. For vdH-S, both guselkumab doses are comparable to most treatments, with both doses ranking higher than most, including upadacitinib and risankizumab. Both guselkumab doses demonstrate comparable ACR responses to most other agents, including upadacitinib and risankizumab, and rank favourably in the network for SAEs.
Impacts of Dutch elm disease–causing fungi on foliage photosynthetic characteristics and volatiles in Ulmus species with different pathogen resistance
Authors: Kännaste Astrid , Jürisoo Liina , Runno-Paurson Eve , Kask Kaia , Talts Eero , Pärlist Piret , Drenkhan Rein , Niinemets Ülo
Published: September 2022

Global warming affects the abiotic and biotic growth environment of plants, including the spread of fungal diseases such as Dutch elm disease (DED). Dutch elm disease-resistance of different Ulmus species varies, but how this is reflected in leaf-level physiological pathogen responses has not been investigated. We studied the impacts of mechanical injury alone and mechanical injury plus inoculation with the DED-causing pathogens Ophiostoma novo-ulmi subsp. novo-ulmi and O. novo-ulmi subsp. americana on Ulmus glabra, a more vulnerable species, and U. laevis, a more resistant species. Plant stress responses were evaluated for 12 days after stress application by monitoring leaf net CO2 assimilation rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), ratio of ambient to intercellular CO2 concentration (Ca/Ci) and intrinsic water-use efficiency (A/gs), and by measuring biogenic volatile (VOC) release by plant leaves. In U. glabra and U. laevis, A was not affected by time, stressors or their interaction. Only in U. glabra, gs and Ca/Ci decreased in time, yet recovered by the end of the experiment. Although the emission compositions were affected in both species, the stress treatments enhanced VOC emission rates only in U. laevis. In this species, mechanical injury especially when combined with the pathogens increased the emission of lipoxygenase pathway volatiles and dimethylallyl diphosphate and geranyl diphosphate pathway volatiles. In conclusion, the more resistant species U. laevis had a more stable photosynthesis, but stronger pathogen-elicited volatile response, especially after inoculation by O. novo-ulmi subsp. novo-ulmi. Thus, stronger activation of defenses might underlay higher DED-resistance in this species.
Endoluminal Surgery Using a New Enabling Platform With Working Channels to Facilitate Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection in the Treatment of Complex Colorectal Lesions
Authors: Tatar Cihad , Ozgur Ilker , Sapci Ipek , Catalano Brogan , Liska David , Gorgun Emre
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND:

Although endoscopic submucosal dissection provides higher en-bloc resection rates for larger colorectal lesions, it has not been widely adopted because of technical difficulties. Here we present our initial experience with a novel device facilitating endoluminal surgery.

IMPACT OF INNOVATION:

The impact of innovation is the development of an endoluminal device increasing the utilization of the endoscopic submucosal dissection technique with higher success rates and lower complications.

TECHNOLOGY MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This was a single-center experimental feasibility study involving 15 patients who had undergone endoscopic submucosal dissection between August 2019 and December 2020. The DiLumen C2 device was used selectively in patients with complex colorectal lesions.

PRELIMINARY RESULTS:

Fifteen patients with complex colorectal lesions underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection with a mean age of 64.5 years. The mean lesion size was 40.7 mm. All patients except 1 had an R0 en-bloc endoscopic submucosal dissection resection. There were no procedural or postprocedural complications. The median length of stay was 1 day.

CONCLUSION:

We report the safety and feasibility of the novel endoscopic platform facilitating en-bloc resection of colorectal lesions.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS:

The study needs validation in larger comparative series of patients with longer follow-up.
Detection of Parechovirus and Enterovirus Among Infants Evaluated for Late-onset Sepsis in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: The Viral Respiratory Infections in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-Parechovirus-Enterovirus Study
Authors: Sánchez Pablo J. , Woods Reginald A. , Wang Huanyu , Ronchi Andrea , Pietrasanta Carlo , Michelow Ian C. , Mosca Fabio , Pugni Lorenza , Leber Amy
Published: September 2022

In a prospective cohort study of 65 inborn infants who were evaluated for late-onset sepsis at >72 hours of age in 2 academic neonatal intensive care units, none had parechovirus or enterovirus RNA detected by polymerase chain reaction performed on nasopharyngeal specimens during the first or subsequent sepsis evaluations (n = 80).
Evaluation of phakic intraocular lens power calculation using the new Linz-Homburg-Castrop formula and comparison with four conventional methods
Authors: Wendelstein Jascha A. , Hinterberger Sarah , Hoffmann Peter C. , Hirnschall Nino , Koss Michael J. , Langenbucher Achim , Jirak Paul , Bolz Matthias
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

To evaluate the accuracy of phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) power calculation in a middle European patient cohort.

Setting:

EyeLaser Clinic, Linz, Austria.

Design:

Single-center single-surgeon retrospective consecutive case series.

Methods:

Patients were included after uneventful pIOL surgery implanting 91 nontoric and toric Visian implantable collamer lens model V4c. Online Calculation and Ordering System (OCOS) software, JPhakic software, Olsen-Feingold formula, Holladay formula, and Linz-Homburg-Castrop (LHC) formula were compared. When possible, lens constants were optimized for the patient cohort. Data of single eye per patient were included. Outcome measures were mean absolute prediction error, median absolute prediction error, mean prediction error with SD, and median prediction error, as well as the percentage of eyes with an absolute prediction error within limits of 0.25 diopters (D), 0.5 D, 0.75 D, and 1.0 D.

Results:

91 eyes of 91 patients were assessed. After application of the Cochran Q test, the Olsen-Feingold formula achieved a significantly lower percentage of eyes within an absolute prediction error of 1.0 D than all other methods.

Conclusions:

In the patient cohort, OCOS software, JPhakic software, and Holladay and LHC formulas showed equal results and can be cross-checked. The LHC formula was not published before. A ready-to-use Excel sheet is available as an addendum.
Perception of visual outcomes in patients after delayed compared with immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery
Authors: Arsenault Roxanne , Hébert Mélanie , You Eunice , Légaré Marie Eve , Mercier Mathieu
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

To evaluate patient-reported visual outcomes of immediately sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS) compared with delayed sequential bilateral cataract surgery (DSBCS).

Setting:

Tertiary university teaching hospital of Laval University, Quebec City, Canada.

Design:

Prospective observational cohort study.

Methods:

The Catquest-9SF questionnaire was administered on the day of surgery for ISBCS patients and on the day of first-eye surgery for DSBCS patients who underwent cataract surgery between August and September 2021. The questionnaire was administered again 1 month postoperatively for ISBCS patients and 1 month postoperatively after each surgery for DSBCS patients.

Results:

186 patients (ISBCS: n = 152 vs DSBCS: n = 34) were included. At 1 month postoperatively, the Catquest-9SF score of ISBCS patients was significantly lower than that of DSBCS patients after first-eye surgery (P < .001). Furthermore, the ISBCS group achieved significantly better scores on multiple tasks of the Catquest-9SF, such as reading text in the newspaper (P < .001) or reading text on television (P < .001). In multiple linear regression analysis, the type of surgery was the factor most associated with a lower Catquest-9SF score (β = −0.391, P < .001). 1 month after the second-eye surgery, DSBCS patients had achieved similar Catquest-9SF scores compared with ISBCS patients.

Conclusions:

Compared with DSBCS patients, ISBCS patients had significantly greater perceived visual function and fewer vision-related limitations in their daily activities at 1 month postoperatively. This difference lost significance 1 month after the second-eye surgery of DSBCS patients. This patient-reported outcome study did not find evidence of perceived bilateral visual impairment in the early postoperative period after ISBCS.
Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Delivery System Effectiveness
Authors: Averill Richard F. , Mills Ronald E.
Published: September 2022

The socioeconomic status (SES) component of the Social Vulnerability Index ranks US counties based on the SES of county residents and was used to evaluate the impact of SES on the performance of the health care delivery system. Using Medicare fee-for-service data, the performance of the health care delivery system was evaluated based on population measures such as per capita hospital admissions, quality of care measures such as surgical mortality, postacute care measures such as readmissions, and service volume measures such as posthospitalization nursing home and rehabilitation admissions. Substantial differences in delivery system performance across SES populations were observed.
Nutritional and metabolic management for cystic fibrosis in a post-cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance modulator era
Authors: Wilschanski Michael , Peckham Daniel
Published: September 2022

Purpose of review

The introduction of highly effective cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulators has resulted in a paradigm shift towards treating underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) rather than the ensuing complications. In this review, we will describe the impact of these small molecules on growth, nutrition, and metabolic status in people with CF (pwCF).

Recent finding

Results of clinical trials and real world data demonstrate that these small molecules are having a significant impact of on augmenting body weight, improving nutritional status and reducing gastrointestinal symptom burden. Early treatment can also positively impact on pancreatic endocrine and exocrine function.

Nutritional and metabolic management of pwCF needs to change in order to maximize long term health and avoid future complications relating to obesity and increased cardiovascular risk. Longitudinal registry studies will be key to improve our understanding of the longer-term outcome of these new therapies.
Psychosocial considerations in the combined bariatric surgery and organ transplantation population: a review of the overlapping pathologies and outcomes
Authors: Fipps David C. , Sinha Shirshendu , Diwan Tayyab S. , Clark Matthew M.
Published: September 2022

Purpose of review

This review highlights the salient data of the psychosocial concerns that influence outcomes of bariatric surgery and organ transplantation.

Recent findings

Bariatric surgery has emerged as an important intervention with data supporting substantial and sustained weight loss, enhanced quality of life, remission of obesity-related medical comorbidities, and improved long-term patient and graft survival in transplant patients. Depression, suicide, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, adherence, and psychopharmacology considerations can influence outcomes of both these surgeries.

Obesity is increasingly prevalent among patients pursuing transplantation surgery, and it is often a factor in why a patient needs a transplant. However, obesity can be a barrier to receiving a transplant, with many centers implementing BMI criteria for surgery. Furthermore, obesity and obesity-related comorbidities after transplant can cause poor outcomes. In this context, many transplant centers have created programs that incorporate interventions (such as bariatric surgery) that target obesity in transplant candidates. A presurgery psychosocial assessment is an integral (and required) part of the process towards receiving a bariatric surgery and/or a transplantation surgery. When conducting a dual (bariatric and transplantation surgery) psychosocial assessment, it is prudent to understand the overlap and differentiation of specific psychosocial components that influence outcomes in these procedures.
Proliferation of Novel Synthetic Opioids in Postmortem Investigations After Core-Structure Scheduling for Fentanyl-Related Substances
Authors: Papsun Donna M. , Krotulski Alex J. , Logan Barry K.
Published: September 2022

New generations of novel synthetic opioids (NSOs) have emerged to fill a void in the illicit drug markets left by the decline in popularity of fentanyl analogs subsequent to core-structure scheduling of fentanyl-related substances in the United States and China. These new opioids include members of the 2-benzyl benzimidazole (eg, isotonitazene, metonitazene, N-pyrrolidino etonitazene, protonitazene, etodesnitazene), benzimidazolone (eg, brorphine), and cinnamylpiperazine (eg, AP-238, 2-methyl AP-237) subclasses. Novel synthetic opioids continue to be detected in opioid-related fatal overdoses, demonstrating the harms associated with exposure to these drugs. Between January 2020 and December 2021, 384 casework blood samples were reported by our laboratory to contain 1 or more of the prior listed 8 NSOs. Isotonitazene (n = 144), metonitazene (n = 122), and brorphine (n = 91) were the 3 most prevalent substances, with positivity for isotonitazene and brorphine peaking just before the announcement of emergency scheduling. These NSOs have been documented as significant drivers of drug mortality, and this case series described here highlights the challenges medical examiners and coroners face in staying current with emerging drugs. Challenges include regional differences, rapid turnover, short lifecycles, variable toxicology testing, and difficulty in assessing individual drug toxicity in polydrug cases.
Characteristics and Geographic Variation in Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths in the District of Columbia
Authors: Isbey Sarah C. , Howard Mary Beth , Abdulrahman Eiman , Giese Kristinza , Cuchara Breanna , Gourishankar Anand
Published: September 2022

Sleep-related infant death is a major cause of infant mortality in the United States. In the District of Columbia, infant mortality varies widely among regions (2 to 14 per 1000 live births). The study objectives were to analyze the patient characteristics and related variables to sudden unexpected infant deaths at 2 pediatric emergency department (ED) sites and the geographic patterns of infant deaths and their relationship to social vulnerability. This retrospective cohort study examined infants under 1 year of age presenting with cardiac arrest at 2 ED sites from 2010 to 2020. Analysis showed 81 deaths with a median population age of 75 days (SD, 46 days). The most frequent demographics of deceased patients were African American Black (89%) with Medicaid insurance (63%), born at term gestation (66%), and without comorbidity (60%). The cause of death was most frequently undetermined (32%) and asphyxia (31%). Most cases involved bed-sharing (63%), despite more than half of those cases having a known safe sleep surface available. Infant death location showed that most deaths occurred in areas with the highest social vulnerability index, including near a community ED location. Understanding the etiologies of this geographic variability may enhance sleep-related infant death prevention strategies.
Is Measuring Physical Literacy in School-Aged Children With Cystic Fibrosis or Congenital Heart Disease Needed?
Authors: Noordstar Johannes J. , Sprong Maaike C. A. , Slieker Martijn G. , Takken Tim , van Brussel Marco , van der Ent Cornelis K. , Hulzebos Erik H.J.
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

To explore the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and other physical literacy domains in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) or congenital heart disease (CHD).

Methods:

In 28 children with CF (n = 10) or CHD (n = 18), aged 7 to 11 years, cardiorespiratory fitness and the following physical literacy domains were measured: (a) physical competence, (b) motivation and confidence, (c) knowledge and understanding, and (d) daily behavior (ie, self-perceived moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA]).

Results:

Cardiorespiratory fitness was significantly associated with motivation and confidence and self-perceived MVPA. There were no other significant associations.

Conclusions:

Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with self-perceived MVPA, motivation, and confidence in children with CF or CHD.
Nonsurgical Correction of Congenital Ear Deformities: The Relationship Between Age of Presentation and Regression
Authors: Hazkour Nissim , Palacios Jose , Gray Rachel , Pessino Kenneth , Rivera Robin , Bastidas Nicholas
Published: September 2022

Purpose:

After 3 weeks of age, studies show ear molding to be unsuccessful due to increased regression rates. Studies have not differentiated success rates based on regression severity; partial regressions may be deemed successful and satisfactory by parents. We examined successful ear molding at different ages of presentation by measuring regression severity and parental satisfaction.

Methods:

Patients who presented to [blinded for review] for ear molding from January 2017 to October 2018 were eligible for inclusion. Molds were applied on the initial visit and monitored biweekly. Treatment length was based on age, deformity type, and severity. One month after treatment completion, parents completed a satisfaction survey where they assessed regression on a 3-point severity scale.

Results:

A total of 165 patients were included in this study. Sixty-seven were younger than 3 weeks of age and had an overall correction rate of 95%. The complete correction rate was 80% and only 5% saw complete regression. In the remaining 98, the overall correction rate was 94%, with a 63% complete correction rate. Only 6% saw complete regression. There was no statistical significance in parental satisfaction, perceived improvement, or likelihood to recommend ear molding between age groups.

Conclusions:

Regression rates are higher in children older than 3 weeks although not statistically significant. Most regressions were partial and ear molding still significantly corrected most deformities. We suggest that ear molding be offered past 3 weeks of age, with maximum age being dependent on deformity type, as it still leads to high parental satisfaction.
Patient-Reported Pain Distributions in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Impact on Patient Psychosocial Outcomes
Authors: Tripp Dean A. , Walker Sarah , Moreau Julia , Jones Krista , Ropeleski Mark J. , Beyak Michael
Published: September 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a painful chronic gastrointestinal disease associated with diminished quality of life. No research documents IBD body pain or the associations of pain patterns to outcomes. Objectives were to map patient body pain areas and examine the associations between pain patterns with depression, catastrophizing, pain severity, and quality of life. A cross-sectional survey was collected from consecutive tertiary-care IBD clinic patients (n = 255). Patients were classified into three pain pattern groups (No Pain; Localized Pain Only; and Widespread Pain) with more than 40% reporting widespread pain. The Localized Pain Only and Widespread Pain groups reported pain in the abdomen, the uterus/testes, vagina/penis, bladder, and pelvis/buttock areas. The body area most often reported was the anterior abdomen for the Localized Pain Only and Widespread Pain groups, with additional endorsement of lower back and anterior thigh and knees for the Widespread Pain group. The pain versus no pain patients reported greater depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and diminished quality of life. Patients reported a variety of pain patterns during clinic visits. Widespread pain is associated with greatest pain and poorest psychosocial outcomes.
Long-Term Outcomes after Adolescent Bariatric Surgery
Authors: de la Cruz-Muñoz Nestor , Xie Luyu , Quiroz Hallie J , Kutlu Onur C , Atem Folefac , Lipshultz Steven E , Mathew M Sunil , Messiah Sarah E
Published: September 2022

BACKGROUND:

Metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is a safe and effective treatment option for adolescents with severe obesity, but no long-term studies are available with more than10 years of follow-up data to document sustained improved outcomes.

METHODS:

A total of 96 patients who completed MBS at 21 years of age or younger in a tertiary academic center 2002 to 2010 were contacted for a telehealth visit. Body weight, comorbidity status, social/physical function status, and long-term complications were evaluated 10 to 18 years after surgery.

RESULTS:

Mean participant (83% female, 75% Hispanic) age at MBS was 18.8 (±1.6) years (median age 19 years, range 15–21 years), and median pre-MBS BMI was 44.7 kg/m2 (SD 6.5). At follow-up (mean 14.2 [±2.2] years) post-MBS (90.6% Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [RYGB] or 8.3% laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding [LAGB]) mean total body weight decreased by 31.3% (interquartile range [IQR] 20.0% to 38.9%); 32.0% (IQR, 21.3% to 40.1%) among RYGB participants and 22.5% (IQR, 0.64% to 28.3%) among LAGB participants. Patients with pre-MBS hyperlipidemia (14.6%), asthma (10.4%), and diabetes/hyperglycemia (5.2%) reported 100% remission at follow-up (p < 0.05 for all). Pre–post decrease in hypertension (13.5% vs 1%, p = 0.001), sleep apnea (16.7% vs 1.0%, p < 0.001), gastroesophageal reflux disease (13.5% vs 3.1%, p = 0.016), anxiety (7.3% vs 2.1%, p = 0.169), and depression (27.1% vs 4.2%, p < 0.001) were also found.

CONCLUSIONS:

Significant sustained reductions in weight and comorbidities, and low rates of long-term complications, a decade or more after completing MBS as an adolescent were found. These findings have important implications for adolescents who may be considering MBS for weight reduction and overall health improvements that extend into adulthood.
Bi-stable lateral buckled beam: quasi-static snap-through behaviour analysis
Authors: Jiang Weihong , Dai Fuhong
Published: September 2022

A cantilever beam with lateral buckled deformation performs bi-stable characteristic. The snapping mechanism between its two stable configurations can be triggered when applying displacement or angle on the free end. In this paper, an analytical model based on the modal superposition method is established to investigate the snap-through behaviour. A spring with stiffness
k
introduced in the analytical model ensures the quasi-static loading, bringing about the accurate snapping response. In addition, the initial lateral buckling of the cantilever beams and the snap-through behaviour of the lateral buckled beams are simulated using the FE method. The theoretical and numerical results are then validated on specially designed and built apparatus. Geometric parameters analysis indicates that the theoretical model is more accurate in predicating the snapping responses of bi-stable lateral buckled beams with slender features. Understanding the mechanics of snap-through behaviour is important for designing novel lateral buckled beams with target shapes and functions.
Jovian enables direct inference of germline haplotypes from short reads via sequence-to-sequence modeling
Authors: O’Fallon Brendan , Bolia Ashini , Durtschi Jacob , Yang Luobin , Frederickson Eric , Noble Katherine , Coleman Joshua , Best Hunter
Published: September 2022

Detection of germline variants in next-generation sequencing data is an essential component of modern genomics analysis. Variant detection tools typically rely on statistical algorithms such as de Bruijn graphs, Hidden Markov Models and regression models, often coupled with heuristic techniques and thresholds to identify variants. Here we describe a new approach that replaces these handcrafted statistical methods with a single, end-to-end deep learning model that directly infers germline haplotypes from short read pileups. Our model, called Jovian, frames variant detection as a sequence-tosequence modeling task, akin to language translation, and employs a transformer-based architecture to translate alignment columns into two predicted haplotype sequences. After training with 17 whole genome sequences from Genome-in-a-Bottle cell lines, we demonstrate that this method learns to realign complex and ambiguous read mappings to produce accurate haplotype predictions, predicts variant genotypes and phase accurately, and leverages the local read context to inform predictions about a given position. We also demonstrate that a 2-dimensional positional encoding significantly improved precision of the detected variants. Compared to other callers, sensitivity and precision is higher than GATK HaplotypeCaller, but lower than DeepVariant and Strelka2.