bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
COVID‐19 is not over and age is not enough: Using frailty for prognostication in hospitalized patients
Authors: Aliberti Márlon Juliano Romero , Szlejf Claudia , Avelino‐Silva Vivian I. , Suemoto Claudia Kimie , Apolinario Daniel , Dias Murilo Bacchini , Garcez Flavia Barreto , Trindade Carolina B. , Amaral José Renato das Graças , de Melo Leonardo Rabelo , de Aguiar Renata Cunha , Coelho Paulo Henrique Lazzaris , Hojaij Naira Hossepian Salles de Lima , Saraiva Marcos Daniel , da Silva Natalia Oliveira Trajano , Jacob‐Filho Wilson , Avelino‐Silva Thiago J. ,   COVID HCFMUSP Study Group
Published: April 2021

Background

Frailty screening using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) has been proposed to guide resource allocation in acute care settings during the pandemic. However, the association between frailty and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) prognosis remains unclear.

Objectives

To investigate the association between frailty and mortality over 6 months in middle‐aged and older patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 and the association between acute morbidity severity and mortality across frailty strata.

Design

Observational cohort study.

Setting

Large academic medical center in Brazil.

Participants

A total of 1830 patients aged ≥50 years hospitalized with COVID‐19 (March–July 2020).

Measurements

We screened baseline frailty using the CFS (1–9) and classified patients as fit to managing well (1–3), vulnerable (4), mildly (5), moderately (6), or severely frail to terminally ill (7–9). We also computed a frailty index (0–1; frail >0.25), a well‐known frailty measure. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate the association between frailty and time to death within 30 days and 6 months of admission. We also examined whether frailty identified different mortality risk levels within strata of similar age and acute morbidity as measured by the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score.

Results

Median age was 66 years, 58% were male, and 27% were frail to some degree. Compared with fit‐to‐managing‐well patients, the adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) for 30‐day and 6‐month mortality were, respectively, 1.4 (1.1–1.7) and 1.4 (1.1–1.7) for vulnerable patients; 1.5 (1.1–1.9) and 1.5 (1.1–1.8) for mild frailty; 1.8 (1.4–2.3) and 1.9 (1.5–2.4) for moderate frailty; and 2.1 (1.6–2.7) and 2.3 (1.8–2.9) for severe frailty to terminally ill. The CFS achieved outstanding accuracy to identify frailty compared with the Frailty Index (area under the curve = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.93–0.95) and predicted different mortality risks within age and acute morbidity groups.

Conclusions

Our results encourage the use of frailty, alongside measures of acute morbidity, to guide clinicians in prognostication and resource allocation in hospitalized patients with COVID‐19.
Spatial architecture of biliary tree in mammals: Fractal and Euclidean geometric features
Authors: Azmaiparashvili Elza , Patarashvili Leila , Bebiashvili Irakli , Tsomaia Keti , Gvidiani Salome , Tananashvili David , Kakabadze Manana , Gusev Sergey , Kordzaia Dimitri
Published: April 2021

The study of the fractal architecture of various organs and structures expanded the possibilities for determining the ranges of their functioning and structural arrangement, which, as a result, was reflected in the development of new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutic impacts. The architecture of the excretory duct systems, similar to the hemo‐ and lymph‐ circulatory beds and the bronchial tree, is considered fractal. At the same time, information about hitherto unknown structures of the biliary tree continues to appear in the literature. We aimed to study the features of the spatial geometry of the biliary tree and assess the significance of both its fractal and Euclidean characteristics for the development of approaches that facilitate comprehensive description of intrahepatic biliary tract architecture. We investigated the architecture of the biliary trees of six men, seven male canines, and seven male Wistar rats using the corrosion casting method. Corrosion casts were prepared by injecting solidifying latexes into the bile ducts. The preparations were studied using a light stereomicroscope and a scanning electron microscope. Biliary tree branching is of various types. In addition, the correlation between variations in the caliber and length of the bile ducts and their order is not significant. Therefore, the biliary tree should not be considered as a classical fractal and it consists of the main modules, represented by the network of the bile canaliculi (first nonfractal module) and a biliary tree with a fractal branching (second module) that drains the bile canaliculi mesh and the additional modules represented by the mucosal biliary glands (in mammals with the gallbladder) or the periportal biliary plexus (in mammals without a gallbladder) and the aberrant biliary ducts. Such a configuration of the biliary bed should optimally ensure the smooth implementation of the physiological function of the liver, as well as its adaptation to different pathologies accompanied by biliary hypertension. It also might be considered in the diagnosis and assessment of ductular reaction, biliary regeneration, and/or carcinogenesis.
Respecting upper facial anatomy for treating the glabella with neuromodulators to avoid medial brow ptosis—A refined 3‐point injection technique
Authors: Cotofana Sebastian , Pedraza Angela P. , Kaufman Joely , Avelar Luiz E.T. , Gavril Diana L. , Hernandez Claudia A. , Onishi Emy C. , Nikolis Andreas , Sakuma Thais , Frank Konstantin
Published: April 2021

Background

Current injection algorithms for treating the glabella rely on a five‐ or seven‐point injection technique with possible medial eyebrow ptosis and lateral eyebrow elevation as undesirable outcomes.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety profile of a refined 3‐point injection technique targeting horizontal and vertical glabellar lines.

Methods

A total of n=105 patients (27 males and 78 females) with a mean age of 40.90 ± 9.2 years were investigated. The injection technique relied on targeting the muscular origin of the procerus and the corrugator supercilii muscles exclusively. The time of effect onset and the injection‐related outcome 120 days after the treatment was evaluated using the 5‐point glabellar line severity scale.

Results

The onset of the neuromodulator effect was on average 3.5 ± 1.5 days. There was no statistically significant difference in the amplitude of movement before or 14 days after the treatment with 2.99 ± 4.4 mm vs. 3.39 ± 3.6 mm (p = 0.149) for the medial head of the eyebrow and with 3.18 ± 4.7 mm vs. 3.33 ± 4.3 mm (p = 0.510) for the lateral head of the eyebrow, respectively.

Conclusion

Incorporating anatomic concepts into clinical practice for glabellar frown line neuromodulator treatments with the investigated 3‐point injection technique resulted in the absence of adverse events like eyebrow ptosis, upper eyelid ptosis, medial eyebrow ptosis, and lateral frontalis hyperactivity. This technique demonstrated efficacy throughout the 4‐month study period.
Pathophysiology, clinical findings, and management of Fox‐Fordyce disease: A systematic review
Authors: Salloum Antoine , Bouferraa Youssef , Bazzi Nagham , Bou Zerdan Maroun , Abi Chebl Joanna , Chu Thomas , Bachour Julien , Benedetto Anthony
Published: April 2021

Background

Fox‐Fordyce (FFD), also known as apocrine military, is an uncommon chronic inflammation of the apocrine sweat glands. It is characterized by pruritic, papular eruptions in apocrine‐gland‐bearing regions. FFD was described a century ago, but the exact pathogenesis of the disease and the management are not well understood.

Aims

This paper provides a wide understanding of the pathophysiology, clinical findings, and management of Fox‐Fordyce disease. Its aim is to help the physician to diagnose and manage this entity accordingly.

Methods

A research was done using PubMed database on 12 April 12, 2020, and in order to retrieve all case reports, case series, cohort studies, randomized, and nonrandomized clinical trials were included describing FFD among patients.

Results

A total of 43 articles and 68 patients were included in the study. The majority of patients were young females. The disease was bilateral in 90%, affected the axillae and to a lesser extent the pubic and the periareolar areas and rarely the thoracic area, the abdominal area, and the face. FFD followed a relapsing and remitting course, and an evident improvement in disease course was noted after menopause.

Conclusion

The typical FFD patient is a post‐pubertal female and pre‐menopause, presenting with pruritic papules in apocrine‐gland‐bearing regions. FFD can be sporadic or occurs in family, and it can be asymptomatic in 1/(3–4) of patients and can be triggered by laser hair removal and hormonal changes. Further randomized clinical trials assessing different treatment of FFD are now warranted.
Cervical duplex ultrasound for the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis with vertebral artery involvement
Authors: Kargiotis Odysseas , Psychogios Klearchos , Safouris Apostolos , Bakola Eleni , Andreadou Elizabeth , Karapanayiotides Theodore , Finitsis Stephanos , Palaiodimou Lina , Giannopoulos Sotirios , Magoufis Georgios , Tsivgoulis Georgios
Published: April 2021

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a systemic inflammatory arteriopathy of medium and large‐sized arteries, predominantly affecting branches of the external carotid artery. Ischemic stroke has been reported in 2.8–7% of patients diagnosed with GCA. The majority of ischemic strokes may involve the posterior circulation as a result of vertebral and/or, less frequently, of basilar artery vasculitis. Prompt diagnosis is crucial since high‐dose corticosteroid treatment is highly effective in preventing the occurrence or recurrence of ischemic complications, including posterior circulation ischemic stroke in cases with vertebrobasilar involvement. Cervical duplex sonography (CDS) of the temporal arteries is a powerful diagnostic tool with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of GCA. In cases with clinical suspicion or a temporal artery ultrasonographic confirmation of GCA, a detailed evaluation of the cervical, axillary, and intracranial arteries with CDS and transcranial‐duplex‐sonography, respectively, should be part of the ultrasound examination protocol. Specifically, signs of extracranial vertebral artery wall inflammation (“halo” sign) and focal luminar stenoses may be accurately depicted by ultrasounds in high‐risk patients or individuals with ischemic stroke attributed to GCA. In this review, we present three cases of GCA and posterior circulation ischemic complications that were initially evaluated with comprehensive neurosonology protocol and were promptly diagnosed with GCA based on the characteristic “halo” sign in the temporal and vertebral arteries. In addition, we discuss the relevant literature concerning the utility of CDS for the early diagnosis of GCA, focusing on the subtype with extracranial arterial involvement, particularly that of the vertebral arteries.
Diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD) for children and adolescents: An international Delphi study—Part 1‐Development of Axis I
Authors: Rongo Roberto , Ekberg EwaCarin , Nilsson Ing‐Marie , Al‐Khotani Amal , Alstergren Per , Conti Paulo Cesar Rodrigues , Durham Justin , Goulet Jean‐Paul , Hirsch Christian , Kalaykova Stanimira I. , Kapos Flavia P. , Komiyama Osamu , Koutris Michail , List Thomas , Lobbezoo Frank , Ohrbach Richard , Peck Christopher C. , Restrepo Claudia , Rodrigues Maria Joao , Sharma Sonia , Svensson Peter , Visscher Corine M. , Wahlund Kerstin , Michelotti Ambra
Published: April 2021

Background

Since in children and adolescence prevalence is assessed mainly on self‐reported or proxy‐reported signs and symptoms; there is a need to develop a more comprehensive standardised process for the collection of clinical information and the diagnosis of TMD in these populations.

Objective

To develop new instruments and to adapt the diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (DC/TMD) for the evaluation of TMD in children and adolescents.

Method

A modified Delphi method was used to seek international consensus among TMD experts. Fourteen clinicians and researchers in the field of oro‐facial pain and TMD worldwide were invited to participate in a workshop initiated by the International Network for Orofacial Pain and Related Disorders Methodology (INfORM scientific network) at the General Session of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR, London 2018), as the first step in the Delphi process. Participants discussed the protocols required to make physical diagnoses included in the Axis I of the DC/TMD. Thereafter, nine experts in the field were added, and the first Delphi round was created. This survey included 60 statements for Axis I, and the experts were asked to respond to each statement on a five‐item Likert scale ranging from ‘Strongly disagree’ to ‘Strongly agree’. Consensus level was set at 80% agreement for the first round, and at 70% for the next.

Results

After three rounds of the Delphi process, a consensus among TMD experts was achieved and two adapted DC/TMD protocols for Axis I physical diagnoses for children and adolescents were developed.

Conclusion

Through international consensus among TMD experts, this study adapted the Axis I of the DC/TMD for use in evaluating TMD in children and adolescents.
Overview of Evidence Concerning School‐Based Interventions for Improving the Health of School‐Aged Children and Adolescents
Authors: Suto Maiko , Miyazaki Celine , Yanagawa Yuko , Takehara Kenji , Kato Tsuguhiko , Gai Ruoyan , Ota Erika , Mori Rintaro
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND

Universal prevention approaches that target the general population can be effective for promoting children's health. This overview aims to summarize evidence presented in existing reviews of school‐based interventions.

METHODS

We present an overview of evidence sourced from Campbell and Cochrane systematic reviews. These reviews examined randomized controlled trials concerning school‐based health‐promotion programs for children (mostly aged 4‐18 years) in the general population.

RESULTS

We identified 56 high‐quality reviews. The reviews focused on emotional and behavioral outcomes, infectious diseases, injury reduction, mental health, nutrition intake, oral health, physical and developmental changes, sense‐organ diseases, sexual‐health outcomes, and substance use/abuse. Positive evidence—such as vision screening plus provision of free spectacles for spectacle wear increase and a combination of social competence and social‐influence approaches for preventing illicit drug use—were considered high certainty.

CONCLUSIONS

Of the various interventions implemented in school settings that involved people from various occupations, some positive effects were found. In most cases, evidence certainty was negatively affected by a high risk of bias within studies, inconsistencies within the estimates, and insufficient sample sizes. Further primary studies in these areas would be helpful for accumulating evidence to promote stronger cooperation between health and education stakeholders.
Aggressiveness of Fusarium culmorum isolates for head blight symptoms is highly stable across four cereal crops
Authors: Miedaner Thomas , Lieberherr Bärbel , Gaikpa David S.
Published: April 2021

Fusarium culmorum is an important component of Fusarium head blight (FHB) in Northern Europe in all cereals. We analysed the stability of six isolates differing in origin by inoculating them on four winter cereal crops (bread wheat, durum wheat, triticale and rye) with two cultivars each across three years and used disease symptoms as aggressiveness trait. Isolates significantly differed in their aggressiveness, measured as mean FHB severity, as well as the resistance of the cereals (p ≤ .01). Within the crops, bread and durum wheat were the most susceptible and showed significant differences between cultivars, triticale and rye were much less affected. Isolate × cereal and isolate × cultivar interactions were not significant. Accordingly, the isolates showed a similar ranking for all cereals and cultivars. The nivalenol‐producing isolate FC60 was the least aggressive isolate. Despite large differences on the host side, aggressiveness was a stable, highly heritable trait in F. culmorum.
Seaweed polysaccharide mitigates intestinal barrier dysfunction induced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli through NF‐κB pathway suppression in porcine intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Guo Xiaobo , Chen Jun , Yang Jin , He Qin , Luo Bowen , Lu Yafei , Zou Tiande , Wang Zirui , You Jinming
Published: April 2021

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of seaweed polysaccharide (SWP) on intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction induced by E. coli in an IPEC‐J2 model. A preliminary study was done to screen optimum SWP concentrations by cell viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis and proliferation evaluation. The regular study was conducted to evaluate the protective effects of SWP against E. coli challenge via the analysis of transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), tight junction proteins, NF‐κB signalling pathway, proinflammatory cytokines and the E. coli adhesion and invasion. Our results show that 4 h E. coli challenge down‐regulated tight junction proteins expression, decreased TEER, activated NF‐κB signalling pathway and increased proinflammatory response, which indicates that the E. coli infection model was well‐established. Pre‐treatment with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h alleviated the 4 h E. coli ‐induced intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction, as evidenced by the up‐regulated expression of Occludin, Claudin‐1 and ZO‐1 at both mRNA and protein level and the increased TEER of IPEC‐J2 cells. Pre‐incubation with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h inhibited the activation of the NF‐κB signalling pathway by 4 h E. coli challenge, including the decreased mRNA expression of TLR‐4, MyD88, IκBα, p‐65, as well as the reduced ratio of protein expression of p‐p65/p65. Also, pre‐treatment with 240 μg/ml SWP for 24 h decreased proinflammatory response (IL‐6 and TNF‐α) induced by 4 h E. coli challenge and decreased the E. coli adhesion and invasion. In conclusion, SWP mitigated intestinal barrier dysfunction caused by E. coli through NF‐κB pathway in IPEC‐J2 cells and 240 μg/ml SWP exhibited better effect. Our results also provide a fundamental basis for SWP in reducing post‐weaning diarrhoea of weaned piglets, especially under E. coli ‐infected or in‐feed antibiotic‐free conditions.
Changes in growth and biochemical parameters in Dunaliella salina (Dunaliellaceae) in response to auxin and gibberellin under colchicine‐induced polyploidy
Authors: Mansouri Hakimeh , Soltani Nezhad Fatemeh
Published: April 2021

We reported the significant effect of auxin and gibberellin on mixoploid cultures created by colchicine in Dunaliella salina. Polyploidy induction increased growth and the amount of all biochemical parameters measured in this work including chlorophyll, carotenoid, starch, glycerol, sugar, and protein. Treatment with colchicine 0.1%, which resulted in 58.26% of polyploid cells, had a better effect on increasing the amount of analyzed parameters. Auxin increased the amount of all measured parameters except protein. Low concentrations of auxin (1 and 10 µM) caused an increase in growth and the amount of chlorophyll, carotenoid, sugar, starch, glycerol, and protein in the cells treated with colchicine. Gibberellin significantly increased the amount of the mentioned parameters in a concentration‐dependent manner. In cultures treated with colchicine, additive effects of gibberellin were observed in glycerol, protein, starch, and sugar content. Our results showed that the use of phytohormones such as auxin and gibberellin can be a good way to increase the biochemical value of algal polyploid cell biomass.
Is the social study of finance necessarily nominalist? Using realism to address shortcomings in actor‐network theory approaches to financialisation and everyday life
Authors: Mulcahy Niamh
Published: April 2021

The financial crisis of 2007–2009 has reignited an interest among sociologists and social scientists in finance and economics, especially in technical aspects of the economy and the inner workings of market relations. However, in these cases social studies of finance retain a distinctly nominalist character, focusing on individual interactions in a market treated as a means of coordinating exchange. The social study of finance as a field seeking to address everyday financial decisions in relation to market expansion and fluctuation is predominantly characterised by its use of actor‐network theory to explain the emergence and development of financial systems and networks, to the exclusion of equally necessary studies of the inequality that pervades newly financialised economies. I therefore argue for the need to revisit earlier political economy approaches to the study of finance, taking seriously criticisms leveled at such work by actor‐network theorists who worry about excessive structural determinism and rigidity. To this end, I contrast nominalism with realism, in order to think about financial systems as emergent properties within the contemporary social formation. By thinking about actors as individuals that enter into existing sets of social relations, which shape their actions, it is possible to understand the origins of financial inequality. As actors interact with social structures, however, they ultimately change their character, rendering them anew in different circumstances, and therefore avoid the deterministic character of structures.
Understanding patterns and potential drivers of forest diversity in northeastern China using machine‐learning algorithms
Authors: Luo Weixue , Zhang Chunyu , Zhao Xiuhai , Liang Jingjing
Published: April 2021

Question

Forest ecosystems are the most important global repositories of terrestrial biodiversity. The mixed temperate forests in northeastern China constitute one of the most biodiverse temperate regions globally and provide nearly one‐third of China's wood supply. We ask what are the spatial patterns and potential drivers of tree species diversity in mixed temperate forests.

Location

Temperate, mixed forests of northeastern China.

Methods

Using a large set of ground‐source forest inventory data (FIN) and geospatial covariates derived from published raster layers, we compared different machine‐learning and statistical models to study spatial patterns of tree species diversity and their underpinning drivers.

Results

The spatial distribution of tree species diversity (species richness and evenness) varied greatly across northeastern China. Tree species diversity varied most with climatic (annual precipitation and annual mean temperature), topographic (elevation and slope), and anthropogenic factors. Anthropogenic factors affected tree species evenness (importance value = 13%) more than tree species richness (importance value = 9%). Based on these relationships, we mapped spatial patterns of tree diversity throughout the region at a 1 km × 1 km resolution.

Conclusions

Our findings shed light on the processes behind community assembly and biodiversity patterns in mixed temperate forests in northeastern China, and provide a benchmark for future assessment of biodiversity. Our high‐resolution tree species diversity maps can be useful to landowners and land management agencies in their decision‐making processes about sustainable forest management, biodiversity conservation, and forest restoration — a priority task outlined by the recently implemented 2050 China National Forest Management Plan.
Distension‐contraction profile of peristalsis in patients with nutcracker esophagus
Authors: Zifan Ali , Muta Kazumasa , Mittal Ravinder K.
Published: April 2021

Introduction

High amplitude peristaltic esophageal contractions, that is, nutcracker esophagus, were originally described in association with “angina‐like pain” of esophageal origin. However, significant number of nutcracker patients also suffer from dysphagia. High‐resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) assesses only the contraction phase of peristalsis. The degree of esophageal distension during peristalsis is a surrogate of relaxation and can be measured from the intraluminal esophageal impedance measurements.

Aims

Determine the amplitude of distension and temporal relationship between distension and contraction during swallow‐induced peristalsis in nutcracker patients.

Methods

HRM impedance (HRMZ) studies were performed and analyzed in 24 nutcracker and 30 normal subjects in the Trendelenburg position. A custom‐built software calculated the numerical data of the amplitudes of distension and contraction, the area under the curve (AUC) of distension and contraction, and the temporal relationship between distension and contraction.

Results

In normal subjects, the distension peaks similar to contraction traverse sequentially the esophagus. The amplitude of contraction is greater in the nutcracker esophagus but the amplitude of distension and area under the curve of distension are smaller in patients compared to controls. Distension peaks are aligned closely with contraction in normal subjects, but in patients, the bolus travels faster to the distal esophagus, resulting in a smaller time interval between the onset of swallow and distension peak. Receiver operative characteristics (ROC) curve reveals high sensitivity and specificity of the above parameters in patients.

Conclusion

Abnormalities in the distension phase of peristalsis are a possible mechanism of dysphagia in patients with nutcracker esophagus.
Healthcare spending and utilization for pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome in a commercially insured population
Authors: Beinvogl Beate , Palmer Nathan , Kohane Isaac , Nurko Samuel
Published: April 2021

Background

Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is common and can be associated with disabling gastrointestinal symptoms. Comprehensive data regarding utilization and cost of pediatric IBS are lacking. Our aim was to determine the annual all‐cause spending and healthcare utilization in pediatric IBS.

Methods

Cross‐sectional cohort study using a national claims database of commercially insured individuals. 932,592 members, age 8–18 years, were included. Members were selected based on PheWas codes and continuous enrollment in 2014. Linear and binomial regression models were used to calculate healthcare spending and compare comorbidities between IBS subjects and controls.

Key Results

1215 members with claims for IBS (68.4% female) and 931,377 controls (55.7% female) were included. Mean age was 15.03 ± 2.83 (median 16) years in the IBS group and 13.14 ± 3.12 (median 13) years in controls. Mental health and chronic pain comorbidities were more prevalent in the IBS cohort. Healthcare spending: The mean annual all‐cause incremental spending of members with IBS was $6,364.60 compared to controls when adjusting for age and gender. Healthcare utilization: Members with IBS had increased healthcare utilization including higher rates of inpatient, outpatient, and emergency room visits, and higher rates of health service utilization including medical care, radiology/laboratory services, surgery, anesthesia, mental health, and physical therapy. General pediatrics was more frequently consulted by controls. All subspecialty consultations, with the exception of dental medicine and endocrinology, were sought more frequently by IBS patients.

Conclusion

Patients with IBS incur significant annual spending through increased healthcare utilization.
Heat stress response mechanisms in pollen development
Authors: Chaturvedi Palak , Wiese Anna J. , Ghatak Arindam , Záveská Drábková Lenka , Weckwerth Wolfram , Honys David
Published: April 2021

Being rooted in place, plants are faced with the challenge of responding to unfavourable local conditions. One such condition, heat stress, contributes massively to crop losses globally. Heatwaves are predicted to increase, and it is of vital importance to generate crops that are tolerant to not only heat stress but also to several other abiotic stresses (e.g. drought stress, salinity stress) to ensure that global food security is protected. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the temperature stress response in pollen will be a significant step towards developing effective breeding strategies for high and stable production in crop plants. While most studies have focused on the vegetative phase of plant growth to understand heat stress tolerance, it is the reproductive phase that requires more attention as it is more sensitive to elevated temperatures. Every phase of reproductive development is affected by environmental challenges, including pollen and ovule development, pollen tube growth, male–female cross‐talk, fertilization, and embryo development. In this review we summarize how pollen is affected by heat stress and the molecular mechanisms employed during the stress period, as revealed by classical and ‐omics experiments.
Verwirklichung einer vollkommenen Glücksmöglichkeit/A perfect bliss‐potential realized
Authors: Zhang Huiwen Helen
Published: April 2021

Walking an unexplored path, Huiwen Helen Zhang contextualizes Kafka's pithy and cryptic parable, “Wish, to Become Indian” in his transplantation of Daoist philosophy—an astonishing cross‐cultural enigma that Zhang terms “Kafka's Dao”—and parses it through a micro‐level approach that Zhang terms “transreading.” Contextualizing “Wish, to Become Indian” in Kafka's dialogue with ancient Chinese philosophers such as Laozi, Liezi, and Zhuangzi enables the reader to comprehend a series of otherwise incomprehensible puzzles. Zhang's scrutiny of Kafka's Dao shows how, through creative writing, Kafka not only penetrates esoteric Daoist classics, but also furthers their spirit in a way that transcends Richard Wilhelm, the pioneer European Sinologist. Transreading “Wish, to Become Indian” illuminates nuances that otherwise might have been overlooked. Wordplay, punctuational oddity, syntactic complexity, lyric density, and the curiously interlaced tenses and cases are all part of the idiosyncratic delivery of Kafka's message. Integrating the four activities of transreading—lento reading demanded and enhanced by cultural hermeneutics, creative writing required and inspired by poetic translation—unravels Kafka's riddle as a historical‐cultural phenomenon.
Zinc import mediated by AdcABC is critical for colonization of the dental biofilm by Streptococcus mutans in an animal model
Authors: Ganguly T. , Peterson A.M. , Kajfasz J.K. , Abranches J. , Lemos J.A.
Published: April 2021

Trace metals are essential to all domains of life but toxic when found at high concentrations. Although the importance of iron in host–pathogen interactions is firmly established, contemporary studies indicate that other trace metals, including manganese and zinc, are also critical to the infectious process. In this study, we sought to identify and characterize the zinc uptake system(s) of Streptococcus mutans, a keystone pathogen in dental caries and a causative agent of bacterial endocarditis. Different than other pathogenic bacteria, including several streptococci, that encode multiple zinc import systems, bioinformatic analysis indicated that the S. mutans core genome encodes a single, highly conserved, zinc importer commonly known as AdcABC. Inactivation of the genes coding for the metal‐binding AdcA (ΔadcA) or both AdcC ATPase and AdcB permease (ΔadcCB) severely impaired the ability of S. mutans to grow under zinc‐depleted conditions. Intracellular metal quantifications revealed that both mutants accumulated less zinc when grown in the presence of a subinhibitory concentration of a zinc‐specific chelator. Notably, the ΔadcCB strain displayed a severe colonization defect in a rat oral infection model. Both Δadc strains were hypersensitive to high concentrations of manganese, showed reduced peroxide tolerance, and formed less biofilm in sucrose‐containing media when cultivated in the presence of the lowest amount of zinc that support their growth, but not when zinc was supplied in excess. Collectively, this study identifies AdcABC as the major high affinity zinc importer of S. mutans and provides preliminary evidence that zinc is a growth‐limiting factor within the dental biofilm.
Energy market dynamics and the role of fiscal policy in oil‐exporting countries: a TVAR approach
Authors: Shaheen Rozina
Published: April 2021

While realising the macroeconomic significance of oil price fluctuations, this research examines the role of fiscal policy under changing dynamics of energy market for selected oil‐exporting countries. We specify a non‐linear threshold structural vector autoregression model which constitutes policy variables such as general government expenditures and primary fiscal balance and macroeconomic indicators such as real GDP growth and the inflation rate. To capture the energy market dynamics, this research selects Brent crude oil price as threshold variable and segregates the sample period 1991‐2019 as ‘high’ and ‘low’ oil price regimes. While using non‐linear generalised impulse response functions, we find that under higher oil price regime, an increase in government expenditures and reduction in fiscal deficit have larger multiplier effect to enhance output growth in most of the sampled countries. In addition, this research identifies larger inflationary effects of an increase in government expenditures and fiscal deficit under higher oil price regime for all countries except Canada. However, under a higher oil price regime, a fiscal deficit induced output growth, and under a lower oil price regime, a reduction in government expenditure brings inflation in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, this research provides an alternative measure of threshold crude oil price for the sampled countries to their accounting‐based concept of fiscal break‐even price.
Achieve Closed Reduction of Irreducible, Unilateral Vertically Displaced Pelvic Ring Disruption with an Unlocking Closed Reduction Technique
Authors: Chen Hua , Zhang Qun , Wu Yan , Chang Zuhao , Zhu Zhengguo , Zhang Wei , Tang Peifu
Published: April 2021

Objective

To be able to treat irreducible unilateral vertically displaced pelvic ring disruption (UVDPRD) using closed reduction, we introduced a technique named Unlocking Closed Reduction Technique (UCRT) and evaluated its effectiveness with improved pelvic closed reduction system (PCRS).

Methods

A retrospective study was performed in our department. Between January 2014 and December 2017, 43 patients whose UVDPRD were not successfully reduced using transcondylar traction. Subsequently, they were treated with UCRT using improved PCRS. The study included 19 male and 24 female patients, with a mean age at the time of the operation of 46.2 years. During surgery, operation time and blood loss were recorded. Post‐surgical reduction quality was evaluated using Matta scoring criteria and patient lower‐extremity functional outcome was evaluated using Majeed functional scoring criteria.

Results

When used with improved PCRS, UCRT achieved pelvic reduction in all 43 cases of irreducible UVDPRD with postoperative pelvic reduction quality rated excellent and good for 42/43 (97.6%) patients according to the Matta scoring criteria (Matta Score < 10 mm). While no post‐surgical complications emerged as the direct result of UCRT in this cohort of patients, 8/37 patients who were treated with subcutaneous supra‐acetabular pedicle screw internal fixation (INFIX) for anterior ring fixation developed lateral femoral cutaneous nerve injury but recovered 6 months postoperatively. No revision surgery was performed on any of the recruited patients. All patients' lower‐extremity functionality was rated excellent with an average Majeed function score of 94.3 during the last follow‐up at an average of 41.6 months postoperatively.

Conclusion

With excellent surgical and functional outcomes in patients with irreducible UVDPRD, improved PCRS‐assisted UCRT proved to be a safe and effective method for the treatment of irreducible UVDPRD.
Risk Factors and Outcomes for Preoperative Asymptomatic Pulmonary Embolism in Patients Aged 60 Years and Over with Hip Fracture
Authors: Zhou Fang‐lun , Wang Li‐hong , Dai Cheng‐qian , Shentu Guo‐jian , Xu Guo‐hong
Published: April 2021

Objective

To investigate the risk factors for, and outcomes of, preoperative asymptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients ≥60 years old following delayed operation for hip fracture.

Methods

From March 2017 to December 2018, 90 patients aged ≥60 years with hip fracture who suffered a delay in surgery were recruited to this prospective study following admission to our hospital. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) was used to detect preoperative asymptomatic PE and calculated its incidence. Time from injury to admission, baseline characteristics, medical comorbidities, and blood biomarker levels were evaluated as potential risk factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors. Mortality and major bleeding events were recorded and compared between individuals with PE and without. Data were analyzed by t‐test, Mann–Whitney U test, χ2 test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis.

Results

The incidence of preoperative asymptomatic PE was 18.9% (17/90 patients). In the univariate analysis, the risk factors for preoperative asymptomatic PE were male sex, hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, smoking, plasma D‐dimer level, potassium level, urea level, creatinine level, and cysteine level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of preoperative asymptomatic PE was higher in patients with hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 10.048; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.118–90.333), cerebrovascular accident (OR = 20.135; 95% CI, 1.875–216.164), smoking (OR = 48.741; 95% CI, 4.155–571.788), high plasma D‐dimer levels (OR = 1.200; 95% CI, 1.062–157.300), and high plasma potassium levels (OR = 12.928; 95% CI, 1.062–157.300). All patients were followed up for 21.0 months (range, 2 to 36 months). Mortality within the first year postoperatively was higher in patients with PE (29.41% vs 9.59%, P = 0.046).

Conclusions

In view of the high incidence of preoperative asymptomatic PE and the inferior prognosis in individuals with PE, routine CTPA examination for preoperative asymptomatic PE could be useful for patients aged ≥60 years with hip fracture for whom surgery is delayed.
Pragmatic Skepticism
Authors: Rinard Susanna
Published: April 2021

Pragmatic responses to skepticism have been overlooked in recent decades. This paper explores one such response by developing a character called the Pragmatic Skeptic. The Pragmatic Skeptic accepts skeptical arguments for the claim that we lack evidence for our ordinary beliefs, and that they do not constitute knowledge. However, they do not think we should give up our beliefs in light of these skeptical conclusions. Rather, we should retain them, since we have good practical reasons for doing so. This takes the sting out of skepticism: we can be skeptics, of a kind, without thereby succumbing to practical or intellectual disaster. I respond to objections, and compare the position of the Pragmatic Skeptic to views found in the work of (among others) David Hume, William James, David Lewis, Berislav Marušić, and Robert Pasnau.
KIFC1 regulates ZWINT to promote tumor progression and spheroid formation in colorectal cancer
Authors: Akabane Shintaro , Oue Naohide , Sekino Yohei , Asai Ryuichi , Thang Pham Quoc , Taniyama Daiki , Sentani Kazuhiro , Yukawa Masashi , Toda Takashi , Kimura Ken‐ichi , Egi Hiroyuki , Shimizu Wataru , Ohdan Hideki , Yasui Wataru
Published: April 2021

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer‐related mortality worldwide. Kinesin Family Member C1 (KIFC1) has been proposed as a promising therapeutic target due to its pivotal role in centrosome clustering to mediate cancer cell progression. This study aimed to analyze the expression and biological function of KIFC1 in CRC. Immunohistochemically, 67 (52%) of 129 CRC cases were positive for KIFC1 and statistically associated with poorer overall survival. KIFC1 small interfering RNA (siRNA)‐transfected cells demonstrated lower cell proliferation as compared to the negative control cells. A specific KIFC1 inhibitor, kolavenic acid analog (KAA) drastically inhibited CRC cell proliferation. Microarray analysis revealed that KAA‐treated CRC cells presented reduced ZW10 interacting kinetochore protein (ZWINT) expression as compared to control cells. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that 61 (47%) of 129 CRC cases were positive for ZWINT and ZWINT expression was significantly correlated with KIFC1 expression. ZWINT‐positive cases exhibited significantly worse overall survival. KIFC1 siRNA‐transfected cells showed reduced ZWINT expression while ZWINT siRNA‐transfected cells decreased cell proliferation. Both KIFC1 and ZWINT knockdown cells attenuated spheroid formation ability. This study provides new insights into KIFC1 regulating ZWINT in CRC progression and its potential as a therapeutic target.
Difference in the distribution of tumor‐infiltrating CD8+ T cells and FOXP3+ T cells between micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma and micronodular thymic carcinoma with lymphoid stroma
Authors: Yagi Haruna , Nakaguro Masato , Ito Masafumi , Okumura Yuki , Takahashi Seishiro , Aoshima Yoichiro , Enomoto Yasunori , Meguro Shiori , Kawasaki Hideya , Kosugi Isao , Shimoyama Yoshie , Ogawa Hiroshi , Tateyama Hisashi , Iwashita Toshihide
Published: April 2021

Micronodular thymoma with lymphoid stroma (MNT) is a rare thymic epithelial neoplasm subtype characterized by a micronodular tumor cell growth pattern and abundant lymphoid stroma. Micronodular thymic carcinoma with lymphoid stroma (MNCA) is considered as a malignant counterpart of MNT and exhibits a growth pattern similar to that of MNT but has histologic features reminiscent of thymic squamous cell carcinoma, such as cytologic atypia and CD5 and CD117 immunoexpression. Although both MNT and MNCA are characterized by abundant lymphoid stroma, it remains unknown whether there are differences in infiltrating lymphocytes between MNT and MNCA. We analyzed the immune microenvironment profile in eight MNT and three MNCA cases. The cell density of CD8‐positive T cells was significantly higher in MNT than in MNCA, whereas that of FOXP3‐positive T cells was significantly higher in MNCA than in MNT. There was no significant difference in the cell density of programmed death protein 1‐positive T cells and programmed death ligand 1 expression between the MNT and MNCA cases. Our findings indicated that the immune microenvironment of MNCA differed from that of MNT and, compared with the T‐cell profile of MNT, that of MNCA was more suppressive to patients′ antitumor immune response.
Candidate Evaluations Through the Lens of Adaptive Followership Psychology: How and Why Voters Prefer Leaders Based on Character Traits
Authors: Laustsen Lasse
Published: April 2021

An extensive literature in political science shows how citizens' evaluations of politicians—as well as their electoral behavior—are affected by trait impressions of these politicians. However, deeper, interdisciplinary theory building that seeks to address when and for whom specific trait impressions come to guide candidate evaluations remains absent. In this article, I outline the theory of adaptive followership that seeks to address this shortcoming. Grounded in evolutionary psychology, I argue that leadership evolved as a solution to problems of intragroup coordination in ancestral small‐scale societies. In order to understand the traits that drive followers' and voters' evaluations of leaders and politicians, one should therefore focus on problems related to group coordination and ask how these problems might regulate followers' prioritizations of various traits in leaders. On this basis, I outline an analytical framework consisting of three predictions that simultaneously formulate how (1) contexts and (2) individual differences of relevance to a given group‐coordination problem regulate trait preferences, and (3) how such preferences differ between leaders and nonleaders (i.e., other social categories). The analytical framework is applied for structuring two reviews (including new empirical studies) of the ways through which intergroup conflict and disease threat, respectively, affect followers' trait preferences in leaders. Finally, directions and suggestions for future research on trait‐based candidates and leader evaluations are discussed.
Expansion and population structure of transplanted Aristida beyrichiana (wiregrass) tussocks: results of a 37‐year study
Authors: Laucevicius Anthony M. , Robertson Kevin M. , Means D. Bruce , Mitchell Trina R. , Taylor Porter B.
Published: April 2021

Aristida beyrichiana (wiregrass) is a foundation bunchgrass species in many southeastern U.S. native pine communities, but it has been dramatically reduced in extent. The potential for reintroduced wiregrass to reproduce and spread is not well studied because of its slow growth and limited conditions for successful reproduction. We present a case study where tussocks of wiregrass were transplanted and recensused 18 and 37 years later to study their population dynamics. We remeasured a subset of tussocks to estimate diameter growth over 2 years. With frequent prescribed fires (1–3 year intervals, about half in April–July when flowering is induced), the initial population of 160 tussocks increased to 1,199 through seed dispersal and clonal fragmentation, and the total basal area approximately tripled. Relationships among tussock density, diameter, and basal area per m2 and their changes over time suggest density‐dependent regulation of population structure, possibly from intraspecific competition and competitive exclusion. Tussock diameter growth averaged 0.9 cm per year over a 2‐year period and was independent of initial diameter. This study, the longest of a wiregrass population to date, suggests that a low‐density population established in native soil types has a slow but robust tendency to reproduce by seed and expand if provided frequent fire, including April–July burns, in a high light environment without soil disturbance. Wiregrass can be characterized as a competitive, late‐successional, dominant species in stable, climax‐like native savannas, promising long‐term success under appropriate conditions as part of restoration efforts.
Technology adoption and the middle‐income trap: Lessons from the Middle East and East Asia
Authors: Arezki Rabah , Fan Rachel Yuting , Nguyen Ha
Published: April 2021

This paper documents the existence of a “middle‐income trap” for the Middle East and North Africa region and contrasts the evidence with that of the East Asia and Pacific region. The results are twofold. First, nonparametric regressions show that the average rate of economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa has not only been significantly lower than that in the East Asia and Pacific region, but has also tended to drop at an earlier level of income. Second, econometric results point to the Middle East and North Africa having experienced a relatively slow pace of technology adoption in general‐purpose technologies and that a slower adoption pace of technology is associated with significantly lower economic growth. The paper concludes that barriers to the adoption of general‐purpose technologies related to the lack of contestability in key sectors constitute an important channel of transmission for the middle‐income trap.