bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic prospects of naturally occurring p38 MAPK inhibitors tanshinone IIA and pinocembrin for the treatment of SARS‐CoV‐2‐induced CNS complications
Authors: Valipour Mehdi
Published: June 2023

P38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway is closely related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) replication and hyperinflammatory responses in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). Therefore, blood–brain barrier‐penetrating p38 MAPK inhibitors have good potential for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) complications of COVID‐19. The aim of the present study is the characterization of the therapeutic potential of tanshinone IIA and pinocembrin for the treatment of CNS complications of COVID‐19. Studies published in high‐quality journals indexed in databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and so forth were used to review the therapeutic capabilities of selected compounds. In continuation of our previous efforts to identify agents with favorable activity/toxicity profiles for the treatment of COVID‐19, tanshinone IIA and pinocembrin were identified with a high ability to penetrate the CNS. Considering the nature of the study, no specific time frame was determined for the selection of studies, but the focus was strongly on studies published after the emergence of COVID‐19. By describing the association of COVID‐19‐induced CNS disorders with p38 MAPK pathway disruption, this study concludes that tanshinone IIA and pinocembrin have great potential for better treatment of these complications. The inclusion of these compounds in the drug regimen of COVID‐19 patients requires confirmation of their effectiveness through the conduction of high‐quality clinical trials.
Mixed Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium smegmatis infection in an adult‐onset immunodeficiency patient with anti‐interferon‐γ autoantibodies
Authors: Chou Yun‐Tse , Liao Wei‐An , Kuo Chin‐Wei
Published: June 2023

Anti‐interferon‐gamma autoantibody (AIGA) is a rare adult‐onset immunodeficiency disease that increases the risk of occult infection. Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections represent a diverse group of species and subspecies, and mixed infections with two or more NTM species have been reported. However, there is no consensus on the optimal antibiotics or immune modulator treatments for mixed NTM infections in AIGA patients. Here, we present the case of a 40‐year‐old female who initially presented with suspected lung cancer with obstructive pneumonitis. Tissue samples obtained through bronchoscopy, endoscopy, and bone marrow biopsy revealed disseminated mycobacterium infection. PCR‐based testing confirmed a mixed pulmonary infection with Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium smegmatis, as well as M. kansasii bacteremia. The patient received 12 months of anti‐NTM medications for M. kansasii, and the symptoms improved. Additionally, the images showed resolution after 6 months, even without the need for immune modulator treatment.
Molten‐Salt Electrochemical Deoxidation Synthesis of Platinum‐Neodymium Nanoalloy Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Authors: Fan Chenming , Li Guomin , Gu Jingjiu , Wang Qiang , Li Shenggang , Li Bing
Published: June 2023

Platinum‐rare earth metal (Pt‐RE) nanoalloys are regarded as a potential high performance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. However, wet chemical synthesis of the nanoalloys is a crucial challenge because of the extremely high oxygen affinity of RE elements and the significantly different standard reduction potentials between Pt and RE. Here, this paper presents a molten‐salt electrochemical synthetic strategy for the compositional‐controlled preparation of platinum‐neodymium (Pt‐Nd) nanoalloy catalysts. Carbon‐supported platinum‐neodymium (PtxNd/C) nanoalloys, with distinct compositions of Pt5Nd and Pt2Nd, are obtained through molten‐salt electrochemical deoxidation of platinum and neodymium oxide (Pt‐Nd2O3) precursors supported on carbon. The PtxNd/C nanoalloys, especially the Pt5Nd/C exhibit a mass activity of 0.40 A mg−1Pt and a specific activity of 1.41 mA cm−2Pt at 0.9 V versus RHE, which are 3.1 and 7.1 times higher, respectively, than that of commercial Pt/C catalyst. More significantly, the Pt5Nd/C catalyst is remarkably stable after undergoing 20 000 accelerated durability cycles. Furthermore, the density‐functional‐theory (DFT) calculations confirm that the ORR catalytic performance of PtxNd/C nanoalloys is enhanced by compressive strain effect of Pt overlayer, causing a suitable weakened binding energies of O* and .
Probing Sodium Storage Mechanism in Hollow Carbon Nanospheres Using Liquid Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy
Authors: Hou Jing , Song Zihan , Odziomek Mateusz , Tarakina Nadezda V.
Published: June 2023

Carbonaceous materials are promising sodium‐ion battery anodes. Improving their performance requires a detailed understanding of the ion transport in these materials, some important aspects of which are still under debate. In this work, nitrogen‐doped porous hollow carbon spheres (N‐PHCSs) are employed as a model system for operando analysis of sodium storage behavior in a commercial liquid electrolyte at the nanoscale. By combining the ex situ characterization at different states of charge with operando transmission electron microscopy experiments, it is found that a solvated ionic layer forms on the surface of N‐PHCSs at the beginning of sodiation, followed by the irreversible shell expansion due to the solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and subsequent storage of Na(0) within the porous carbon shell. This shows that binding between Na(0) and C creates a Schottky junction making Na deposition inside the spheres more energetically favorable at low current densities. During sodiation, the SEI fills the gap between N‐PHCSs, binding spheres together and facilitating the sodium ions' transport toward the current collector and subsequent plating underneath the electrode. The N‐PHCSs layer acts as a protective layer between the electrolyte and the current collector, suppressing the possible growth of dendrites at the anode.
Photothermal‐Switched Single‐Atom Nanozyme Specificity for Pretreatment and Sensing
Authors: Wu Yu , Tang Yinjun , Xu Weiqing , Su Rina , Qin Ying , Jiao Lei , Wang Hengjia , Cui Xiaowen , Zheng Lirong , Wang Canglong , Hu Liuyong , Gu Wenling , Du Dan , Lin Yuehe , Zhu Chengzhou
Published: June 2023

Various applications lead to the requirement of nanozymes with either specific activity or multiple enzyme‐like activities. To this end, intelligent nanozymes with freely switching specificity abilities hold great promise to adapt to complicated and changeable practical conditions. Herein, a nitrogen‐doped carbon‐supported copper single‐atom nanozyme (named Cu SA/NC) with switchable specificity is reported. Atomically dispersed active sites endow Cu SA/NC with specific peroxidase‐like activity at room temperature. Furthermore, the intrinsic photothermal conversion ability of Cu SA/NC enables the specificity switch by additional laser irradiation, where photothermal‐induced temperature elevation triggers the expression of oxidase‐like and catalase‐like activity of Cu SA/NC. For further applications in practice, a pretreatment‐and‐sensing integration kit (PSIK) is constructed, where Cu SA/NC can successively achieve sample pretreatment and sensitive detection by switching from multi‐activity mode to specific‐activity mode. This study sets the foundation for nanozymes with switchable specificity and broadens the application scope in point‐of‐care testing.
Severity Factor (SF): An aid to developers for application of refactoring operations to improve software quality
Authors: Agnihotri Mansi , Chug Anuradha
Published: June 2023

Bad smells are certain flaws in the structure of the code that might not disturb the normal functioning of a program but negatively affects the software quality. Developers use refactoring as a corrective measure for the treatment of bad smells. The current study aids the developers in the application of refactoring by identifying the critical classes, that is, classes that are challenging to maintain and are of degraded quality. In this study, 10 quality metrics and 10 bad smells have been selected to conduct an investigation on different releases of five open‐source systems. A new metric, severity factor (SF) has been introduced that categorizes the classes of the selected systems into four criticality levels—severe, major, mid, and low. Also, the relationship between SF, criticality levels, and the refactoring operations has been analyzed. The findings show that 60% of the total classes have been affected by bad smells, and long statement is the most dominant smell present in 27.6% of the classes. The results show 84% of the refactoring operations have been performed on highly critical classes. Thus, the SF metric plays a crucial role in driving the developer's attention to the critical classes that need to be treated urgently.
LC method for the quantification of Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterol in lyophilized liposome
Authors: Bhavsar Puja , Jha Lalit Lata , Patel Lima , Tandel Falguni
Published: June 2023

The objective of this study was to create a liquid chromatographic method that could accurately and simultaneously quantify the amount of Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterol present in lyophilized liposome used to treat metabolic syndrome. To achieve this goal, the team utilized a Shim‐pack GIST C8 column with a gradient elution of 0.1% (V/V) triethylamine buffer: acetonitrile at 30°C. They analyzed the phytoconstituents using an eluent flow rate of 1 mL/min and ultraviolet detection at 205 nm. The method was linear within a range of 25–77 μg/mL, which had excellent correlation coefficients (R2) of 0.9998, 0.9998, and 0.9996 for Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterol, respectively. The %RSD for precision and robustness of the method were also less than 2%, and the recovery values for Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterol were 99.5%, 100.5%, and 99.8%, respectively. The assay values of were found to be 100.2%, 101.6%, and 100.5% for Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterol, loaded lyophilized liposomes, respectively. As a result, this specific, accurate, and precise method can be employed for the routine analysis of Quercetin, Berberine, and Phytosterols in QC laboratories.
Metal–Organic Framework‐Derived MnO Nanocrystals Embedded in a Spindle Carbon for Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc Battery with a Molten Hydrate Electrolyte
Authors: Liu Hongwen , Chen Chih-Yao , Jiang Jialong , Zhang Runhao , Zou Lianli , Wei Yong-Sheng , Cheng Peng , Xu Qiang , Shi Wei
Published: June 2023

Rechargeable aqueous zinc batteries (RAZBs) are emerging candidates for large‐scale energy storage. However, the lack of high‐capacity cathodes because of the electrostatic interactions between Zn2+ and cathode and the inferior electronic conductivity restricts their performance. The operating voltage limitation imposed by water is another barrier for RAZBs. Herein, manganese oxide (MnO) nanocrystals embedded in a spindle carbon matrix (MnO@C) synthesized from a metal–organic framework are used as a cathode. The uniform distribution of fine‐sized MnO (≈100 nm) in the carbonized matrix (≈5 μm) and the intimate connection between them not only increase the utilization of electroactive material but also eliminate the use of conductive additive. By utilizing the molten hydrate electrolyte, ZnCl2·2.33H2O, a discharge voltage plateau approaching 1.60 V and a high reversible capacity of 106 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles are achieved. This research proposes an approach for affordable RAZBs to fulfill large‐scale energy storage.
Compression behavior of reactive powder concrete confined with high‐strength spiral stirrups
Authors: Chang Wei , Zheng Wenzhong , Hao Meijing
Published: June 2023

The lateral confinement of stirrups can improve the load‐bearing capacity and ductility of reactive powder concrete (RPC) columns. To explore the compression behavior of RPC confined with high‐strength stirrups, 45 specimens were prepared and tested under axial compression. The concrete strength was in the range of 99.86–138.24 MPa, the tensile strength of stirrups was Grade 800, Grade 970, and Grade 1270, and the volumetric ratios of stirrups were in the range of 0.9%–2.0%. The results showed that the failure modes of RPC confined with stirrups were shear expansion failure. The compressive strength and ductility of confined RPC were improved with the increase of stirrups volumetric ratios, while stirrups strength slightly affected the compressive strength and ductility. In addition, the peak stress, peak strain, and residual stress prediction models were proposed. Furthermore, the ductility index prediction models were proposed, which can be applied to determine the volumetric ratio of stirrups in stirrups confined concrete columns.
Examining Language Teacher Identity and Intersectionality Across Instructional Contexts Through the Experience ofPerezhivanie
Authors: Weng Zhenjie , Troyan Francis John , Fernández Loretta , McGuire Mark
Published: June 2023

This article reports on an ethnographic case study of the professional identity development of Mark—an English language teacher who identified as cisgender, gay, Catholic, white, and not wealthy. Using the lenses of intersectionality (e.g., Crenshaw, 1989, 1991) andperezhivanie(Vygotsky, 1999)—“the emotional and visceral impact of lived experiences” (van de Veer & Valsiner, 1994, p. 339)—we examined the multiplicity of identities (e.g., Norton, 2017) in Mark's experiences across contexts in China and the USA. Ethnographic data included interviews, fieldnotes, classroom audio‐recordings, and other supportive data. The findings demonstrate the central mediating role ofperezhivaniein allowing him to safely re‐envision identities in a given context based on prior experiences and knowledge. Mark's dynamic movement ofinandoutof his multiplicity of identities across contexts produced distinctperezhivanieexperiences that informed the development of his identities and pedagogies within and beyond those contexts. Methodologically, our approach was enhanced by the use of photo‐elicited interviewing. This methodology allowed Mark to tap into his multiple identities, including those that were assigned to him by the local context or by a broader policy context and those that he felt comfortable to take up. We conclude with implications for research and practice that examines language teacher identities and intersectionality throughperezhivanieexperiences in the past and explores the relationship among them and places them in conversation with present identities and experiences.
Impact of fetal growth restriction on pregnancy outcome in women undergoing expectant management for preterm pre‐eclampsia
Authors: Cluver C. A. , Bergman L. , Bergkvist J. , Imberg H. , Geerts L. , Hall D. R. , Mol B. W. , Tong S. , Walker S. P.
Published: June 2023

Objectives

To assess whether coexisting fetal growth restriction (FGR) influences pregnancy latency among women with preterm pre‐eclampsia undergoing expectant management. Secondary outcomes assessed were indication for delivery, mode of delivery and rate of serious adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of the Pre‐eclampsia Intervention (PIE) and the Pre‐eclampsia Intervention 2 (PI2) trial data. These randomized controlled trials evaluated whether esomeprazole and metformin could prolong gestation of women diagnosed with pre‐eclampsia between 26 and 32 weeks of gestation undergoing expectant management. Delivery indications were deteriorating maternal or fetal status, or reaching 34 weeks' gestation. FGR (defined by Delphi consensus) at the time of pre‐eclampsia diagnosis was examined as a predictor of outcome. Only placebo data from PI2 were included, as the trial showed that metformin use was associated with prolonged gestation. All outcome data were collected prospectively from diagnosis of pre‐eclampsia to 6 weeks after the expected due date.

Results

Of the 202 women included, 92 (45.5%) had FGR at the time of pre‐eclampsia diagnosis. Median pregnancy latency was 6.8 days in the FGR group and 15.3 days in the control group (difference 8.5 days; adjusted 0.49‐fold change (95% CI, 0.33–0.74); P < 0.001). FGR pregnancies were less likely to reach 34 weeks' gestation (12.0% vs 30.9%; adjusted relative risk (aRR), 0.44 (95% CI, 0.23–0.83)) and more likely to be delivered for suspected fetal compromise (64.1% vs 36.4%; aRR, 1.84 (95% CI, 1.36–2.47)). More women with FGR underwent a prelabor emergency Cesarean section (66.3% vs 43.6%; aRR, 1.56 (95% CI, 1.20–2.03)) and were less likely to have a successful induction of labor (4.3% vs 14.5%; aRR, 0.32 (95% CI, 0.10–1.00)), compared to those without FGR. The rate of maternal complications did not differ significantly between the two groups. FGR was associated with a higher rate of infant death (14.1% vs 4.5%; aRR, 3.26 (95% CI, 1.08–9.81)) and need for intubation and mechanical ventilation (15.2% vs 5.5%; aRR, 2.97 (95% CI, 1.11–7.90)).

Conclusion

FGR is commonly present in women with early preterm pre‐eclampsia and outcome is poorer. FGR is associated with shorter pregnancy latency, more emergency Cesarean deliveries, fewer successful inductions and increased rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality. © 2023 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Renal adenocarcinoma found in a clinically lame marbled duck (Marmaronetta angustirostris)
Authors: Langguth Anna , Spiro Simon , Strike Taina , Berry Karla , Molenaar Fieke Marije
Published: June 2023

Lameness is a frequent reason for captive waterfowl to be presented to a veterinarian. This case report describes unilateral right hindlimb lameness in an 11‐year‐old, female marbled duck kept at a zoological collection in the United Kingdom. Although the bird was euthanased after clinical and radiographic examination, both supported a diagnosis of degenerative joint disease, postmortem examination revealed a renal adenocarcinoma, which possibly put pressure on the nerves of the left hindlimb and may have interfered with the duck's mobility. This case highlights that coelomic issues may lead to lameness in avian patients and, as such, clinicians must consider changes in soft tissue structures alongside skeletal abnormalities when evaluating radiographic images in cases of lameness.
Prediction approaches for partly missing multi‐omics covariate data: A literature review and an empirical comparison study
Authors: Hornung Roman , Ludwigs Frederik , Hagenberg Jonas , Boulesteix Anne‐Laure
Published: June 2023

As the availability of omics data has increased in the last few years, more multi‐omics data have been generated, that is, high‐dimensional molecular data consisting of several types such as genomic, transcriptomic, or proteomic data, all obtained from the same patients. Such data lend themselves to being used as covariates in automatic outcome prediction because each omics type may contribute unique information, possibly improving predictions compared to using only one omics data type. Frequently, however, in the training data and the data to which automatic prediction rules should be applied, the test data, the different omics data types are not available for all patients. We refer to this type of data as block‐wise missing multi‐omics data. First, we provide a literature review on existing prediction methods applicable to such data. Subsequently, using a collection of 13 publicly available multi‐omics data sets, we compare the predictive performances of several of these approaches for different block‐wise missingness patterns. Finally, we discuss the results of this empirical comparison study and draw some tentative conclusions.

This article is categorized under:

Applications of Computational Statistics > Genomics/Proteomics/Genetics

Applications of Computational Statistics > Health and Medical Data/Informatics

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Analysis of High Dimensional Data
Do not disturb: Visitors' effect on the behavior and welfare of female and male big cats in zoos
Authors: Spiezio Caterina , Galardi Elena Giulia , Sandri Camillo , Regaiolli Barbara
Published: June 2023

The effect of visitor presence on animal behavior needs to be evaluated to ensure the welfare and improve the husbandry of the individuals in zoos. This study aims to assess the effect of visitor presence on the behavior and welfare of pairs of Amur tiger, snow leopard, and Eurasian lynx at Parco Natura Viva, Italy. The study was made of two periods: the baseline, in which the zoo was closed, and the visitor presence period, in which the zoo was opened. Per period and per subject 12 30‐min observations were done. Continuous focal animal sampling method was used to collect behavior duration of the big cats. The main results of the study highlighted that, when visitors were present, all felids except for the female lynx were significantly more inactive than in the baseline. Moreover, despite interindividual and inter‐species variability in the significance level of findings, natural behaviors such as attentive behavior, exploration/marking, locomotion, and positive social interactions were performed more in the baseline than in the visitor presence period. Finally, when visitors were present, as the studied subjects experienced daily longer exposure to visitors, inactivity increased whereas individual species‐typical behaviors (e.g., locomotion) and positive social interactions decreased. Thus, visitors seem to partially alter the behavioral time‐budgets of the study big cats, increasing inactivity and decreasing the performance of species‐specific behavior, at least in some individuals.
TUM-ParticleTyper 2: automated quantitative analysis of (microplastic) particles and fibers down to 1 $${\upmu }$$m by Raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Jacob Oliver , Ramírez-Piñero Alejandro , Elsner Martin , Ivleva Natalia P.
Published: June 2023

Accurate quantification of small microplastics in environmental and food samples is a prerequisite for studying their potential hazard. Knowledge of numbers, size distributions and polymer type for particles and fibers is particularly relevant in this respect. Raman microspectroscopy can identify particles down to 1 $${\upmu }$$
μ
m in diameter. Here, a fully automated procedure for quantifying microplastics across the entire defined size range is presented as the core of the new software TUM-ParticleTyper 2. This software implements the theoretical approaches of random window sampling and on-the-fly confidence interval estimation during ongoing measurements. It also includes improvements to image processing and fiber recognition (when compared to the previous software TUM-ParticleTyper for analysis of particles/fibers $$> 10$$

>
10

 $${\upmu }$$
μ
m), and a new approach to adaptive de-agglomeration. Repeated measurements of internally produced secondary reference microplastics were evaluated to assess the precision of the whole procedure.
Silver nanoclusters with Ag2+/3+ oxidative states are a new highly effective tool against phytopathogenic bacteria
Authors: Orfei Benedetta , Moretti Chiaraluce , Loreti Stefania , Tatulli Giuseppe , Onofri Andrea , Scotti Luca , Aceto Antonio , Buonaurio Roberto
Published: June 2023

The main measure worldwide adopted to manage plant bacterial diseases is based on the application of copper compounds, which are often partially efficacious for the frequent appearance of copper-resistant bacterial strains and have raised concerns for their toxicity to the environment and humans. Therefore, there is an increasing need to develop new environmentally friendly, efficient, and reliable strategies for controlling plant bacterial diseases, and among them, the use of nanoparticles seems promising. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of protecting plants against attacks of gram-negative and gram-positive phytopathogenic bacteria by using electrochemically synthesized silver ultra nanoclusters (ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs®) with an average size of 1.79 nm and characterized by rare oxidative states (Ag2+/3+). ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs strongly inhibited the in vitro growth (effective concentration, EC50, less than 1 ppm) and biofilm formation of Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and of quarantine bacteria Xanthomonas vesicatoria, Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. In addition, treatments with ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs also provoked the eradication of biofilm for P. syringae pv. tomato, X. vesicatoria, and C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. Treatment of tomato plants via root absorption with ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs (10 ppm) is not phytotoxic and protected (80%) the plants against P. syringae pv. tomato attacks. ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs at low doses induced hormetic effects on P. syringae pv. tomato, X. vesicatoria, and C. michiganensis subsp. michiganensis as well as on tomato root growth. The use of ARGIRIUM‑SUNCs in protecting plants against phytopathogenic bacteria is a possible alternative control measure.

Key points

• ARGIRIUM‑SUNC has strong antimicrobial activities against phytopathogenic bacteria;

• ARGIRIUM‑SUNC inhibits biofilm formation at low doses;

• ARGIRIUM‑SUNC protects tomato plants against bacterial speck disease.
Neurodegeneration in the retina of motoneuron diseases: a longitudinal study in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Kennedy’s disease
Authors: Miscioscia Alessandro , Puthenparampil Marco , Blasi Lorenzo , Rinaldi Francesca , Perini Paola , Sorarù Gianni , Gallo Paolo
Published: June 2023

Background

To what extent retinal atrophy in neurodegenerative diseases reflects the severity and/or the chronicity of brain pathology or is a local independent phenomenon remains to be clarified. Moreover, whether retinal atrophy has a clinical (diagnostic and prognostic) value in these diseases remains unclear.

Objective

To add light on the pathological significance and clinical value of retinal atrophy in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Kennedy’s disease (KD).

Methods

Thirty-five ALS, thirty-seven KD, and forty-nine age-matched healthy controls (HC) were included in a one-year longitudinal study. Spectrum-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) was performed at study entry (T0) and after 12 months (T1). Disease duration and functional rating scale (FRS) for ALS and KD patients were correlated to retinal thicknesses.

Results

Compared to HC, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness was significantly thinner in both ALS (p = 0.034) and KD (p = 0.003). pRNFL was thinner in KD compared to ALS, but the difference was not significant. In KD, pRNFL atrophy significantly correlated with both disease severity (r = 0.296, p = 0.035) and disease duration (r = – 0.308, p = 0.013) while no significant correlation was found in ALS (disease severity: r = 0.147, p = 0.238; disease duration: r = – 0.093, p = 0.459). During the follow-up, pRNFL thickness remained stable in KD while significantly decreased in ALS (p = 0.043).

Conclusions

Our study provides evidence of retinal atrophy in both ALS and KD and suggests that retinal thinning is a primary local phenomenon in motoneuron diseases. The clinical value of pRNFL atrophy in KD is worthy of further investigation.
Assessing Prevalence and Characteristics of Oro-bulbar Involvement in Children and Adults with SMA Type 2 and 3 Using a Multimodal Approach
Authors: Trucco Federica , Salmin Francesca , Lizio Andrea , Coratti Giorgia , Albamonte Emilio , Frisoni Maria Chiara , Mauro Luca , Carraro Elena , Palazzo Giovanni , Lops Jessica , Cattaneo Camilla , Pozzi Susanna , Casiraghi Jacopo , Di Bari Alessandra , Berti Beatrice , Stanca Giulia , Ricci Martina , Pane Marika , Heatwole Chad , Dilek Nuran , Mercuri Eugenio , Sansone Valeria Ada
Published: June 2023

Bulbar and jaw muscles are impaired in patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) but the assessment of their severity and progression are limited by the lack of age-appropriate and disease-specific measures. We investigated mastication and swallowing in children and adults with SMA, sitters and walkers. In a 2-year multicentre cross-sectional prospective study, lip and tongue strength (Iowa Oral Performance Instrument), chewing and swallowing (Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids), active mouth opening (aMMO) were compared to age-appropriate normative data. The perceived burden of oro-bulbar involvement (SMA-Health Index) was recorded. 78 patients were included, 45 children (median age 7.4 years),22 adults (median age 26.8 years) on nusinersen and 11 untreated (median age 32.7 years). Forty-three percent children had reduced mouth opening, 50% had prolonged total time to eat. These issues were more prominent in sitters than in walkers (p = 0.019, p = 0.014). Sixty-six percent needed increased swallows for bolus clearance. Nusinersen treated adults had median aMMO, tongue strength and total time at TOMASS values within normal range (z score: −1.40, −1.22, −1.32, respectively) whereas untreated adults had reduced aMMO (z score: −2.68) and tongue strength (z score: −2.20). Only a minority of children (2/17) and treated adults (5/21) reported burden in swallowing or mastication compared to all untreated adults (5/5). After 16 months, mastication and swallowing were stable in treated children and adults, whether sitters or walkers. The reported multimodal approach to assess oro-bulbar functions demonstrate that swallowing and mastication are impaired in SMA despite patients’ perception. These results suggest a trend towards stabilization of oro-bulbar function in patients on long-term treatment with nusinersen.
Predicting the state of synchronization of financial time series using cross recurrence plots
Authors: Shabani Mostafa , Magris Martin , Tzagkarakis George , Kanniainen Juho , Iosifidis Alexandros
Published: June 2023

Cross-correlation analysis is a powerful tool for understanding the mutual dynamics of time series. This study introduces a new method for predicting the future state of synchronization of the dynamics of two financial time series. To this end, we use the cross recurrence plot analysis as a nonlinear method for quantifying the multidimensional coupling in the time domain of two time series and for determining their state of synchronization. We adopt a deep learning framework for methodologically addressing the prediction of the synchronization state based on features extracted from dynamically sub-sampled cross recurrence plots. We provide extensive experiments on several stocks, major constituents of the S &P100 index, to empirically validate our approach. We find that the task of predicting the state of synchronization of two time series is in general rather difficult, but for certain pairs of stocks attainable with very satisfactory performance (84% F1-score, on average).
Clavicular bone defects managed with free vascularised fibular grafting: evidence to date
Authors: Wakefield Sophia M. , Giannoudis Vasileios P. , Giannoudis Peter V.
Published: June 2023

Reconstructive surgery of the clavicle using free vascularised fibula grafting (FVFG) is sometimes required for the management of severe bone loss or non-union. As the procedure is relatively rare, there is no universal agreement on the management and outcome. This systematic review aimed to first, identify the conditions for which FVFG has been applied; second, to gain an understanding of the surgical techniques used; and third, to report outcomes related to bone union, infection eradication, function and complications. A PRISMA strategy was used. Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus and EMBASE library databases were interrogated using pre-defined MeSH terms and Boolean operators. Quality of evidence was evaluated based on OCEBM and GRADE systems. Fourteen studies based on 37 patients were identified with a mean follow-up time of 33.3 months. The most common reasons for the procedure were: fracture non-union; tumours requiring resection; post-radiation treatment osteonecrosis and osteomyelitis. The operation approaches were similar, involving graft retrieval, insertion and fixation and vessels chosen for reattachment. The mean clavicular bone defect size was 6.6 cm (± 1.5), prior to FVFG. Bone union occurred in 94.6% with good functional outcomes. Complete infection eradication occurred in those with preceding osteomyelitis. The main complications were broken metalwork, delayed union/non-union and fibular leg paraesthesia (n = 20). The mean re-operation number was 1.6 (range 0–5.0). The study demonstrates that FVFG is well tolerated and has a high success rate. However, patients should be advised about complication development and re-intervention requirement. Interestingly, overall data is sparse with no large cohort groups or randomised trials.
Response in axillary lymph nodes to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancers: correlation with breast response, pathologic features, and accuracy of radioactive seed localization
Authors: Clark Beth Z. , Johnson Ronald R. , Berg Wendie A. , McAuliffe Priscilla , Bhargava Rohit
Published: June 2023

Objectives

This study examined the accuracy of radioactive seed localization (RSL) of lymph nodes (LNs) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for invasive breast carcinoma, recorded pathologic features of LNs following NAC, evaluated concordance of response between breast and LNs, and identified clinicopathologic factors associated with higher risk of residual lymph node involvement.

Methods

Clinical records, imaging, and pathology reports and slides were retrospectively reviewed for 174 breast cancer patients who received NAC. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare differences in risk of residual lymph node disease.

Results

Retrieval of biopsied pre-therapy positive LN was confirmed in 86/93 (88%) cases overall, and in 75/77 (97%) of cases utilizing RSL. Biopsy clip site was the best pathologic feature to confirm retrieval of a biopsied lymph node. Pre-therapy clinical N stage > 0, positive pre-therapy lymph node biopsy, estrogen and progesterone receptor positivity, Ki67 < 50%, HR + /HER2− tumors, and residual breast disease had higher likelihood of residual lymph node disease after NAC (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

RSL-guided LN excision improves retrieval of previously biopsied LNs following NAC. The pathologist can use histologic features to confirm retrieval of targeted LNs, and tumor characteristics can be used to predict a higher risk of residual LN involvement.
Educational Participatory Design in the Crossroads of Histories and Practices – Aiming for Digital Transformation in Language Pedagogy
Authors: Kinnula Marianne , Iivari Netta , Kuure Leena , Molin-Juustila Tonja
Published: June 2023

Some level of digital technology design skills and competencies is important in any profession but in their education and work life this is often ignored. We explore the potential of Educational Participatory Design (EPD) in transforming work practices within diverse disciplines. This is done through a transdisciplinary case where EPD was used as an approach for transforming language teacher education seen to respond too slowly to technological advancements in society and work life. Based on our findings, we propose EPD as a useful approach for building the design agency of future professionals with various disciplinary and professional backgrounds. In the context of real-life work practice with students as future workers, EPD invites them to act as ‘designers’ envisioning novel practices and technologies for their own work, engaging their ‘users’ in the PD processes. EPD as a novel methodological approach integrates design with work practice learning and education and therefore, we suggest, belongs to the core expertise of CSCW research and design interested in the digital transformation of work practices.
Rotation invariant GPS trajectory mining
Authors: Leodolter Maximilian , Plant Claudia , Brändle Norbert
Published: June 2023

Mining of GPS trajectories of moving vehicles and devices can provide valuable insights into urban systems, planning and operational applications. Understanding object motion often requires that the spatial-temporal matching of trajectories be invariant to shifting, scaling and rotation. To this end, Procrustes analysis enables to transform one data set of a trajectory to represent another set of data as closely as possible. We propose a novel shift-scale-rotation invariant Procrustes distance metric based on the Kabsch algorithm, which calculates the optimal rotation matrix by minimizing the root-mean squared deviation between two paired sets of points of trajectories or trajectory segments. We present two novel runtime efficient algorithms which are based on our proposed distance metric: 1) the sliding-shifting-scaling-Kabsch-rotation (S3KR) algorithm for detecting recurring short query patterns in longer motion trajectories and 2) a novel time series subsequence clustering algorithm to group GPS trajectory data and to discover prototypical patterns. We demonstrate the potential of our proposed sliding Procrustes analysis algorithms by applying it on real-world GPS trajectories collected in urban and rural areas from different transport modes, as well as on nautical GPS trajectories. We also demonstrate that our methods outperform the state of the art in accuracy and runtime on synthetic and real world data.
Suicidal Risk and Depression in Pregnant Women in Times of Pandemic
Authors: Solis Mirta , Valverde-Barea Mercedes , Gutiérrez-Rojas Luis , Romera Inmaculada , Cruz-Bailén Sheila , Jiménez-Fernández Sara
Published: June 2023

Purpose

Pregnancy is a risk period for the development of mental disorders. About 10% of pregnant women worldwide experience a mental disorder, mainly depression, and this percentage has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of pregnant women.

Methods

Three hundred and one pregnant women in the week 21.85 ± 9.9 were recruited through social media and pregnant women forums from September 2020 to December 2020. A multiple-choice questionnaire was administered to evaluate the sociodemographic characteristics of the women, the care provided, and different aspects related to COVID-19. A Beck Depression Inventory was also delivered.

Results

Of the pregnant women 23.5% had seen or had considered seeing a mental health professional during pregnancy. Predictive models using multivariate logistic regression found that this fact was associated with an increased risk of depression (OR = 4.22; CI 95% 2.39–7.52; P < 0.001). Among women with moderate-severe depression, it was associated with an increased risk of having suicidal thoughts (OR = 4.99; CI 95% 1.11–27.9; P = 0.044) and age was found to be a protective variable (OR = 0.86; CI 95% 0.72–0.98; P = 0.053).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a major mental health challenge for pregnant women. Despite the decrease in face-to-face visits, there are opportunities for health professionals to identify the existence of psycho-pathological alterations and suicidal ideation by asking the patient if she is seeing or considering seeing a mental health professional. Therefore, it is necessary to develop tools for early identification to ensure correct detection and care.
Luvadaxistat: A Novel Potent and Selective d-Amino Acid Oxidase Inhibitor Improves Cognitive and Social Deficits in Rodent Models for Schizophrenia
Authors: Fradley Rosa , Goetghebeur Pascal , Miller David , Burley Russell , Almond Sarah , Gruart i Massó Agnès , Delgado García José M. , Zhu Bin , Howley Eimear , Neill Jo C. , Grayson Ben , Gaskin Philip , Carlton Mark , Gray Ian , Serrats Jordi , Davies Ceri H.
Published: June 2023

N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hypofunctionality is a well-studied hypothesis for schizophrenia pathophysiology, and daily dosing of the NMDA receptor co-agonist, d-serine, in clinical trials has shown positive effects in patients. Therefore, inhibition of d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) has the potential to be a new therapeutic approach for the treatment of schizophrenia. TAK-831 (luvadaxistat), a novel, highly potent inhibitor of DAAO, significantly increases d-serine levels in the rodent brain, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid. This study shows luvadaxistat to be efficacious in animal tests of cognition and in a translational animal model for cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. This is demonstrated when luvadaxistat is dosed alone and in conjunction with a typical antipsychotic. When dosed chronically, there is a suggestion of change in synaptic plasticity as seen by a leftward shift in the maximum efficacious dose in several studies. This is suggestive of enhanced activation of NMDA receptors in the brain and confirmed by modulation of long-term potentiation after chronic dosing. DAAO is highly expressed in the cerebellum, an area of increasing interest for schizophrenia, and luvadaxistat was shown to be efficacious in a cerebellar-dependent associative learning task. While luvadaxistat ameliorated the deficit seen in sociability in two different negative symptom tests of social interaction, it failed to show an effect in endpoints of negative symptoms in clinical trials. These results suggest that luvadaxistat potentially could be used to improve cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia, which is not well addressed with current antipsychotic medications.
Moral foundations theory and the narrative self: towards an improved concept of moral selfhood for the empirical study of morality
Authors: van den Berg Tom Gerardus Constantijn , Corrias Luigi Dennis Alessandro
Published: June 2023

Within the empirical study of moral decision making, people’s morality is often identified by measuring general moral values through a questionnaire, such as the Moral Foundations Questionnaire provided by Moral Foundations Theory (MFT). However, the success of these moral values in predicting people’s behaviour has been disappointing. The general and context-free manner in which such approaches measure moral values and people’s moral identity seems crucial in this respect. Yet, little research has been done into the underlying notion of self. This article aims to fill this gap. Taking a phenomenological approach and focusing on MFT, we examine the concept of moral self that MFT assumes and present an improved concept of moral self for the empirical study of morality. First, we show that MFT adopts an essentialist concept of moral self, consisting of stable moral traits. Then, we argue that such a notion is unable to grasp the dynamical and context sensitive aspects of the moral self. We submit that Ricoeur’s narrative notion of identity, a self that reinterprets itself in every decision situation through self-narrative, is a viable alternative since it is able to incorporate context sensitivity and change, while maintaining a persisting moral identity. Finally, we argue that this narrative concept of moral self implies measuring people’s morality in a more exploratory fashion within a delineated context.
‘Experience’, ordinary and philosophical: a corpus study
Authors: Sytsma Justin , Fischer Eugen
Published: June 2023

Common arguments for realism about phenomenal consciousness contend that this is a folk concept, with proponents expecting it to be lexicalised in ordinary language. In English, the word ‘experience’ is typically regarded as the best candidate. This predicts that ‘experience’ will be used to refer to mental states and episodes, not only in philosophical but also in ordinary discourse. We conduct a corpus study in order to assess this claim and to understand the actual use of the word in non-academic, academic, and philosophical discourse. In non-academic discourse, uses that refer to knowledge or sources of knowledge, and to public events, are found to dominate. Uses that refer to mental states or episodes dominate only in the philosophy of mind (and not even in philosophy at large).
The potential role of micro-RNA 125b-5p level in predicting outcome from thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke
Authors: Mostafa Sara , Al Masry Hatem , Hussein Mona , Abd Elkareem Rehab M. , Masoud Mohammed M.
Published: June 2023

Several studies highlighted a significant role of specific miRNA as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for acute ischemic stroke. The aim of this work was to study micro-RNA 125b-5p level in patients with acute ischemic stroke in relation to stroke etiology, risk factors, severity and outcome. This case–control study was conducted on 40 patients with acute ischemic stroke eligible for receiving rt-PA and 40 age and sex matched healthy controls, Patients were submitted to neurological and radiological assessment. Functional outcome after 3 months was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Plasma micro-RNA 125b-5p levels were measured for both patients and control groups by quantitative real time PCR. MiRNA-125b-5p was extracted from the plasma samples then Real-time quantitative reversed transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis was done. To analyze miRNA-125b-5p expression in plasma, the ∆Cq value of miRNA-125b-5p was calculated by subtracting Cq of miRNA-125b-5p from the average Cq of MiRNA RNU6B.
Stroke patients had significantly higher circulating micro-RNA 125b-5p levels in comparison to healthy controls (P value = 0.01). The circulating levels of micro-RNA 125b-5p were positively correlated with stroke severity assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and infarction size. Stroke patients with poor outcome had significantly higher circulating levels of micro-RNA 125b-5p in comparison to those with good outcome (P value ≤ 0.001). The circulating levels of micro-RNA 125b-5p were significantly higher in patients who developed complications after receiving rt-PA (P value ≤ 0.001). Logistic regression model revealed that each unit increase in micro-RNA125b-5p decreased the odds of good outcome by 0.095 (95% CI 0.016–0.58, P value = 0.011). Plasma micro-RNA 125b-5p is significantly elevated is ischemic stroke patients. It is positively correlated with stroke severity and strongly associated with poor outcome and complications after thrombolytic therapy.
Turkey adenovirus 3: ORF1 gene sequence comparison between vaccine-like and field strains
Authors: Quaglia Giulia , Di Francesco Antonietta , Catelli Elena , Mescolini Giulia , Lupini Caterina
Published: June 2023

Haemorrhagic enteritis is an economically significant disease reported in the majority of the countries where turkeys are raised intensively; it is caused by Turkey adenovirus 3 (TAdV-3). The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the ORF1 gene 3′ region from turkey haemorrhagic enteritis virus (THEV) vaccine-like and field strains in order to develop a molecular diagnostic method to differentiate the strains from each other. Eighty samples were analysed by sequencing and phylogenetic analyses using a new set of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers targeting a genomic region spanning the partial ORF1, hyd and partial IVa2 gene sequences. A commercial live vaccine was also included in the analysis. The results showed that 56 of the 80 sequences obtained in this study showed ≥99.8% nucleotide identity with the homologous vaccine strain sequence. Three non-synonymous mutations – ntA1274G (aaI425V), ntA1420C (aaQ473H) and ntG1485A (aaR495Q) – were detected in the THEV field strains but not in the vaccine strain. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the clustering of the field and vaccine-like strains in different phylogenetic branches. In conclusion, the method employed in this study could be a useful tool towards making a correct diagnosis. The data could contribute to the knowledge of field distribution of THEV strains and increase the limited existing information available on native isolates around the world.