bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structural and signaling proteins in the Z-disk and their role in cardiomyopathies
Authors: Noureddine Maya , Gehmlich Katja
Published: March 2023

The sarcomere is the smallest functional unit of muscle contraction. It is delineated by a protein-rich structure known as the Z-disk, alternating with M-bands. The Z-disk anchors the actin-rich thin filaments and plays a crucial role in maintaining the mechanical stability of the cardiac muscle. A multitude of proteins interact with each other at the Z-disk and they regulate the mechanical properties of the thin filaments. Over the past 2 decades, the role of the Z-disk in cardiac muscle contraction has been assessed widely, however, the impact of genetic variants in Z-disk proteins has still not been fully elucidated. This review discusses the various Z-disk proteins (alpha-actinin, filamin C, titin, muscle LIM protein, telethonin, myopalladin, nebulette, and nexilin) and Z-disk-associated proteins (desmin, and obscurin) and their role in cardiac structural stability and intracellular signaling. This review further explores how genetic variants of Z-disk proteins are linked to inherited cardiac conditions termed cardiomyopathies.
A highly efficient genetic transformation system for broccoli and subcellular localization
Authors: Zhao Yongyu , Yang Dongxu , Liu Yumei , Han Fengqing , Li Zhansheng
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation has been widely used for the identification of functional genes and regulatory and developmental mechanisms in plants. However, there are still some problems of low genetic transformation efficiency and high genotype dependence in cruciferous crops.

Methods

In this study, broccoli, a worldwide Brassica crop, was used to investigate the effects of genotype, explant type, concentration of hygromycin B used during seedling selection, overexpression vector type, RNAi and CRISPR/cas9 on the genetic transformation efficiency. At the same time, two vectors, PHG-031350 and PHG-CRa, were used for subcellular localization of the glucoraphanin synthesis-related gene FMOGS-OX5 and clubroot resistance gene by a PEG-Ca2+-mediated transient transformation system for broccoli protoplasts. Finally, the Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation system of broccoli was optimized and improved.

Results and Discussion

This study showed that hypocotyl explants are more suitable for Agrobacterium-mediated transgene and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing of broccoli. In contrast to previous studies, we found that 5 mg/L hygromycin B was more advantageous for the selection of resistant broccoli sprouts, and genotype 19B42 reached the highest transformation rate of 26.96%, which is higher than that in Brassica oleracea crops. In addition, the inbred line 19B42 successfully achieved high genetic transformation of overexpression, RNAi and CRISPR/Cas9 vectors; thus, it is powerful recipient material for the genetic transformation of broccoli. Subcellular localization proved that the glucoraphanin metabolism-related gene Bol031350 and clubroot resistance gene CRa were both expressed in the cytoplasm and nucleus, which provided a scientific basis for studying the regulation of glucosinolate metabolism and clubroot resistance in cruciferous crops. Therefore, these findings will provide new insight into the improvement of the genetic transformation and molecular breeding of Brassica oleracea crops.
Herbivore assemblages affect soil microbial communities by altering root biomass and available nutrients in an alpine meadow
Authors: Liu Yuzhen , Zhao Xinquan , Liu Wenting , Yang Xiaoxia , Feng Bin , Zhang Chunping , Yu Yang , Cao Quan , Sun Shengnan , Degen A. Allan , Shang Zhanhuan , Dong Quanmin
Published: March 2023

Three different herbivore grazing assemblages, namely, yak grazing (YG), Tibetan sheep grazing (SG) and yak and Tibetan sheep co-grazing (MG), are practiced in alpine meadows on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), but the effects of the different herbivore assemblages on soil microbes are relatively unknown. The microbial community plays an important role in the functional stability of alpine grassland ecosystems. Therefore, it is important to understand how the microbial community structure of grassland ecosystems changes under different herbivore grazing assemblages to ensure their sustainable development. To fill this gap, a field study was carried out to investigate the effects of YG, SG, and MG on plant communities, soil physico-chemical properties and microbial communities under moderate grazing intensity in alpine meadows. Grazing increased the β-diversity of the bacteria community and decreased the β-diversity of the fungal community. The herbivore assemblage affected the microbial community diversity, but not the plant community diversity. Total phosphorus, soil bulk density, root biomass, and plant α-diversity were correlated with both the bacterial and fungal community composition, available phosphorus and soil moisture were correlated only with the bacterial community composition, while available potassium and above-ground net primary production (ANPP) were correlated only with the fungal community composition. Soil available nitrogen, soil available phosphorus and soil bulk density were highest in SG, while ANPP was highest in MG. It was concluded that MG can improve ANPP and stabilize the soil microbial community, suggesting that MG is an effective method for sustainable use and conservation of alpine meadows on the QTP.
Genome-wide characterization of R2R3-MYB gene family in Santalum album and their expression analysis under cold stress
Authors: Tang Minqiang , Liu Le , Hu Xu , Zheng Haoyue , Wang Zukai , Liu Yi , Zhu Qing , Cui Licao , Xie Shangqian
Published: March 2023

Sandalwood (Santalum album) is a high-value multifunctional tree species that is rich in aromatic substances and is used in medicine and global cosmetics. Due to the scarcity of land resources in tropical and subtropical regions, land in temperate regions is a potential resource for the development of S. album plantations in order to meet the needs of S. album production and medicine. The R2R3-MYB transcription factor family is one of the largest in plants and plays an important role in the response to various abiotic stresses. However, the R2R3-MYB gene family of S. album has not been studied. In this study, 144 R2R3-MYB genes were successfully identified in the assembly genome sequence, and their characteristics and expression patterns were investigated under various durations of low temperature stress. According to the findings, 31 of the 114 R2R3-MYB genes showed significant differences in expression after cold treatment. Combining transcriptome and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed three key candidate genes (SaMYB098, SaMYB015, and SaMYB068) to be significantly involved in the regulation of cold resistance in S. album. The structural characteristics, evolution, and expression pattern of the R2R3-MYB gene in S. album were systematically examined at the whole genome level for the first time in this study. It will provide important information for future research into the function of the R2R3-MYB genes and the mechanism of cold stress response in S. album.
Antecedents, outcomes and measurement of work related-cognition in non-work time: A multistudy report using the work-related rumination questionnaire in two languages
Authors: Pauli Roman , Gaum Petra Maria , Cropley Mark , Lang Jessica
Published: March 2023

According to the perseverative cognition hypothesis, prolonged activation for example, via work-related rumination impairs recovery and thereby poses a risk to employee health. The extent to which gender, age, occupation or longitudinal stress exposure may alter work-related rumination is an ongoing debate. Whether group or longitudinal comparisons of work-related rumination are valid, however, has never been tested. In this multistudy report, we therefore investigated measurement invariance of the widely used Work-Related Rumination Questionnaire (WRRQ) across gender, age, occupation, and longitudinal measurements by performing secondary analyses of preexisting data on work-related rumination. We examined the psychometric properties of WRRQ measurements in two languages and expand knowledge about the nomological network of affective rumination, problem-solving pondering and detachment in relation to individual employee characteristics (e.g., personality, work engagement, commitment), job stressors (e.g., work intensity, decision latitude, social relations with colleagues and supervisors) and employee health outcomes (e.g., wellbeing, irritation, somatic symptoms). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses showed partial scalar invariance of English and German WRRQ measurements and full scalar invariance across gender, age, occupation and over the period of 1 week (Study 1, n = 2,207). Correlation analyses supported criterion, convergent and discriminant validity of WRRQ measurements (Study 2, n = 4,002). These findings represent a prerequisite for comparisons of work-related cognition across groups and further the understanding of the antecedents and outcomes of different types of work-related cognition.
Employment status, psychological needs, and mental health: Meta-analytic findings concerning the latent deprivation model
Authors: Paul Karsten Ingmar , Scholl Hannah , Moser Klaus , Zechmann Andrea , Batinic Bernad
Published: March 2023

Marie Jahoda’s latent deprivation model proposes that unemployed people have a worse mental health compared to employed people. This is because they suffer not only from a lack of the manifest function of employment (earning money), but also from a lack of five so-called latent functions of employment: Time structure, social contact, collective purpose (i.e., the sense of being useful to other people), status, and activity. In order to test the basic assumptions of this theory, a study based on meta-analytic methods was conducted. Results showed that employed people reported higher levels on all five latent functions, as well as on the manifest function, compared to unemployed people. They also report more latent functions than people who are out of the labor force (OLF). Moreover, OLF-people reported more manifest and latent functions than unemployed people. Specific analyses for three OLF-subgroups found retired people to be almost as deprived of the latent functions (but not the manifest function) as unemployed people, while students were more similar to employed people but still experienced some manifest and latent deprivation. For homemakers, the effect sizes pointed in the expected direction, but they were not significant. Thus, the proposition that employment is the best provider of the latent functions was generally endorsed, although homemakers need further scrutiny in future studies. All latent functions, as well as the manifest function, emerged as significant independent predictors of mental health, when the influence of the other manifest and latent functions was controlled. Together, the dimensions in the model explained 19% of variation in mental health.
The cross-cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Spanish version of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire
Authors: García-Dopico Nuria , De La Torre-Luque Alejandro , Wand Benedict Martin , Velasco-Roldán Olga , Sitges Carolina
Published: March 2023

Introduction

In chronic low back pain (CLBP), disturbed body image has been highlighted as a contributor to the condition and a potential target for treatment. The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) allows its assessment. Following international guidelines for the cross-cultural translation of questionnaires, we aimed to translate the FreBAQ into Spanish (FreBAQ-S) and validate the new questionnaire in a sample of Spanish-speaking people with CLBP.

Methods

Two hundred and sixty-four adults with CLBP (91 males) and 128 healthy controls (34 males) completed an online form including the FreBAQ-S and questionnaires related to the pain experience. All participants were Spanish and no gender identities differing from biological sex were reported. A week later, 113 CLBP participants and 45 healthy controls (41 and 13 males, respectively), re-answered the FreBAQ-S to evaluate test–retest reliability. Confirmatory factor and multigroup analysis assessed the scale consistency on the patient sample. Discriminant and convergent validity were explored by between-group differences and the relationship with clinical characteristics. Reliability relied on Cronbach’s alpha estimates and test–retest (intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, minimal detectable change).

Results and discussion

Confirmatory factor analysis showed a one-factor structure of the questionnaire, without supporting evidence for item deletion (CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.06; SRMR = 0.07; SRMRu = 0.064). Multigroup analyses do not support mean invariance between groups regarding health condition or sex. The FreBAQ-S demonstrated good discriminant and convergent validity, internal consistency (α = 0.82), and test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.78; SE = 3.41; MDC = 5.12). The FreBAQ-S is a valid and reliable tool to assess back awareness in clinical and non-clinical samples.
Effectiveness of mindfulness training on pregnancy stress and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in women in China: A multicenter randomized controlled trial
Authors: Wang Shulei , Zhang Chen , Sun Mengyun , Zhang Daming , Luo Ying , Liang Kairu , Xu Tao , Pan XiaoPing , Zheng Ruimin , Shangguan Fangfang , Wang Jia
Published: March 2023

Introduction

In the past two decades, mindfulness-based intervention programs have gradually become popular.Many studies have confirmed that these programs can effectively alleviate prenatal stress and negative emotion.The mindfulness-based stress-buffering hypothesis suggests that mindfulness training can induce changes in the levels of the cortisol secreted by the HPA axis, thereby reducing stress susceptibility. However, to date, only a few high-quality evidence-based medical studies have analyzed the effect of the mindfulness-based intervention in a maternal population.Thus, this study investigated the effects of a mindfulness-based psychosomatic intervention on pregnancy stress and the HYPERLINK “javascript:;” hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis of pregnant Chinese women.

Methods

Women experiencing first-time pregnancy (n = 117) were randomly allocated to the intervention group or parallel active control group, and data were collected at baseline and post-intervention periods. The participants completed questionnaires regarding mindfulness and pregnancy stress. Saliva samples was collected at the time of waking up, and 30, 45, and 60 min after waking up for analyzing the salivary cortisol levels. We analyzed differences between the two groups and changes within the same group before and after the intervention.

Results and discussion

A total of 95 participants completed the trial. Compared with the parallel active control group, the intervention group exhibited lower levels of stress after the intervention (P = 0.047). For HPA-axis-related indicators after the intervention, Delta value (P = 0.01) and AUCM value (P = 0.031) of the intervention group were significantly higher than that of the control group. Mindfulness-based interventions effectively reduced the level of pregnancy stress and adjusted the HPA axis function in pregnant women in China.

Clinical Trial Registration

https://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR 2000033149.
The influence of parental awareness of the “Chinese double reduction” policy on junior high school students’ extracurricular physical exercise
Authors: Liu Ping , Chen Jin , Shen Yangyang , Lou Hu
Published: March 2023

Objective

In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between parental cognitive awareness (criticality, disruption and novelty cognition) of DBR, educational anxiety, and attitudes toward students’ physical exercise and students’ extracurricular physical exercise so as to construct and verify a conditional process model.

Methods

We adopted a stratified random cluster sampling approach and conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey with 2,700 junior high school students and their parents across 9 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

Results

Parents generally had a certain degree of cognitive awareness of DBR. Criticality cognition and disruption cognition had a significant positive impact on junior high school students’ extracurricular physical exercise (β = 0.24, p < 0.01; β = 0.04, p < 0.05), but the effect of novelty cognition was not significant (β = −0.04, p = 0.06). Parents’ educational anxiety played a significant mediating role in parents’ cognition of DBR and students’ extracurricular physical exercise (criticality cognition: β = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03–0.06; disruption cognition: β = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.31–0.42). Parents’ attitude toward students’ exercise also played a significant positive moderating effect in the mediation model (criticality cognition: β = 0.014, 95% CI: 0.002–0.031; disruption cognition: β = 0.010, 95% CI: 0.007–0.013).

Conclusion

Parents’ novelty, disruption, and criticality cognition of DBR have different effects on parents’ education anxiety and students’ extracurricular physical exercise, in which parental educational anxiety mediates the influence of DBR cognition on students’ extracurricular physical exercise, while attitudes toward students’ extracurricular physical exercise positively moderates the mediating effect.
Singles' similarity preferences in an ideal partner: What, when, and why
Authors: Liu Jie , Zhang Yanyan
Published: March 2023

This study investigated singles' similarity preferences concerning their ideal partner's personality traits, physical attractiveness, and social resources, as well as potential moderators (fear of being single and mate value) and mediators (forecasted satisfaction). With 1,014 Chinese singles, we found that singles preferred their ideal partner to share similarities in the HEXACO traits, physical attractiveness, and social resources, and they preferred higher similarity in Honesty–Humility and Openness to Experience. Fear of being single, mate value, and forecasted satisfaction did not affect similarity preferences concerning Honesty–Humility and Openness to Experience but had some mixed influence over similarity preferences for other features.
Optimising conditions and environments for digital participation in later life: A macro-meso-micro framework of partnership-building
Authors: Reuter Arlind , Xu Wenqian , Iwarsson Susanne , Olsson Tobias , Schmidt Steven M.
Published: March 2023

The ongoing digitalisation of societies, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to increased efforts to ensure the digital inclusion of older adults. Digital inclusion strategies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic predominantly focused on increasing access and basic digital literacy of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for all members of society. Older adults, who are more likely to experience digital exclusion, are amongst the target groups of digital inclusion strategies. We propose that beyond digital inclusion, there is a need to focus on digital participation and optimise opportunities for everyone to participate in communities and society in post-pandemic times. Creative digital skills are the foundation of digital participation and can lead to a variety of contributions. Digital participation offers conditions that support agency and active contributions in a digitalised society. Taking macro-, meso-, and micro-level enablers of digital participation in later life into account, we argue for the establishment and implementation of multi-layered and multisectoral partnerships that address environmental factors (including social and physical dimensions) of digital participation and create opportunities for diverse, meaningful and fulfilling engagement with ICTs in later life. The partnership approach can be used in designing and implementing digital participation programmes and should be further evaluated against the needs and lived experiences of older individuals. Foresighted research is needed to investigate key factors of effective partnerships for optimising environments for digital participation in later life.
Caressed by music: Related preferences for velocity of touch and tempo of music?
Authors: Sailer Uta , Zucknick Manuela , Laeng Bruno
Published: March 2023

Given that both hearing and touch are ‘mechanical senses’ that respond to physical pressure or mechanical energy and that individuals appear to have a characteristic internal or spontaneous tempo, individual preferences in musical and touch rhythms might be related. We explored this in two experiments probing individual preferences for tempo in the tactile and auditory modalities. Study 1 collected ratings of received stroking on the forearm and measured the velocity the participants used for stroking a fur. Music tempo preferences were assessed as mean beats per minute of individually selected music pieces and via the adjustment of experimenter-selected music to a preferred tempo. Heart rate was recorded to measure levels of physiological arousal. We found that the preferred tempo of favorite (self-selected) music correlated positively with the velocity with which each individual liked to be touched. In Study 2, participants rated videos of repeated touch on someone else’s arm and videos of a drummer playing with brushes on a snare drum, both at a variety of tempos. We found that participants with similar rating patterns for the different stroking speeds did not show similar rating patterns for the different music beats. The results suggest that there may be a correspondence between preferences for favorite music and felt touch, but this is either weak or it cannot be evoked effectively with vicarious touch and/or mere drum beats. Thus, if preferences for touch and music are related, this is likely to be dependent on the specific type of stimulation.
How good is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for predicting leadership-related behaviors?
Authors: Zárate-Torres Rodrigo , Correa Juan C.
Published: March 2023

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a popular tool used by psychologists working as managers' coaches in organizational contexts. Despite its popularity, few studies provide empirical evidence on the role of the MBTI as a predictor of managers' leadership-related behaviors. This article is written based on research that answers the question of how good the MBTI is to prove leadership behavior. It does so by comparing goodness-of-fit indexes of two confirmatory factor analysis models and two structural models on the personality-leadership relationship, following standards of reproducible research principles. We sampled 529 participants who were graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in business administration programs from Colombian universities. Results show conclusive evidence of the psychometric measurement of both MBTI and leadership practices, even though the relationship between MBTI and the leadership practices inventory proved to be weak.
CBT4CBT web-based add-on treatment for cocaine use disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mallorquí-Bagué Núria , Palazón-Llecha Alba , Madre Mercè , Batlle Francesca , Duran-Sindreu Santiago , Trujols Joan
Published: March 2023

Background

Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is a chronic condition that presents high relapse rates and treatment dropouts. Web-based interventions have proven to be effective when optimizing face-to-face treatments in different mental health conditions and have the potential to optimize current CUD treatments. However, web-based interventions in addictive behaviors are still limited. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether adding a web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (i.e., CBT4CBT) to standard CUD treatment, improves treatment outcomes in a Spanish sample of patients with severe CUD (which requires inpatient treatment). Additionally, we aim to explore predictive factors of treatment response and treatment gender-related differences.

Methods

All individuals coming for inpatient cocaine detoxification who meet the inclusion criteria will have the possibility to be part of the study. The participants of this open-label randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) will be allocated to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU+CBT4CBT after the hospitalization for cocaine detoxification. During the inpatient treatment they will all receive an individualized psychological intervention. There will be six time point assessments: at 48–72 h of starting inpatient treatment, at the end of inpatient treatment and before starting day care and outpatient treatment, at the end of the 8 weeks CTB4CBT / TAU arm treatment and at three follow-up time points (1-, 3-, and 6-months post-treatment).

Discussion

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT that explores the efficacy of adding a web-based cognitive behavioral therapy to usual CUD treatment with patients of a clinical sample in Europe.

Trial registration

IIBSP-CTB-2020-116, NCT05207228. Submitted 8th of April 2021, posted 26 st of January 2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05207228?cond=Cocaine+Use+Disorder&draw=2&rank=1.
Effect of religious fatalism and concern about new variants on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines
Authors: Mamani-Benito Oscar , Farfán-Solís Rosa , Huayta-Meza Mariné , Tito-Betancur Madona , Morales-García Wilter C. , Tarqui Edison Effer Apaza
Published: March 2023

Introduction

To protect public health, it is important that the population be vaccinated against COVID-19; however, certain factors can affect vaccine acceptance.

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine whether religious fatalism and concern about new variants have a significant effect on the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines.

Methodology

An explanatory study was conducted with 403 adults of legal age captured through non-probabilistic convenience sampling in vaccination centers in the 13 health networks of the Regional Health Directorate of Puno, Peru. Data were collected through a brief scale of religious fatalism, a scale of acceptance of vaccines against COVID-19 and a scale of concern about a new variant of COVID-19.

Results

The proposed model obtained an adequate fit. There was a negative effect of religious fatalism on vaccine acceptance, a positive effect of fatalism on vaccine rejection, a positive effect of concern about new variants on the acceptance of vaccines, and a positive effect of concern about new variants on vaccine rejection.

Conclusion

These findings provide evidence for the usefulness of considering both religious fatalism and concern about new variants affect the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in adults in southern Peru.
Heart failure and depression: A perspective from bibliometric analysis
Authors: Lam Mei Ieng , Chen Pan , Xie Xiao-Meng , Lok Grace K. I. , Liu Yu-Fei , Si Tong Leong , Ungvari Gabor S. , Ng Chee H. , Xiang Yu-Tao
Published: March 2023

Background

Depression commonly occurs in heart failure patients, and negatively influences quality of life and disease prognosis. This study explored heart failure and depression-related research from a bibliometric perspective.

Methods

Relevant publications were searched on June 24, 2022. The Bibliometrix package in R was used to conduct quantitative analyses including the trends in publications, and related countries, articles, authors and keywords. VOSviewer software was used to conduct the visualization map on co-word, co-author, and institution co-authorship analyses. CiteSpace software was used to illustrate the top keywords with citation burst.

Results

A total of 8,221 publications in the heart failure and depression-related research field were published between 1983 and 2022. In this field, the United States had the most publications (N = 3,013; 36.65%) and highest total citation (N = 149, 376), followed by China, Germany, Italy and Japan. Author Moser and Duke University were the most productive author and institution, respectively. Circulation is the most influential journal. Apart from “heart failure” and “depression,” “quality of life,” “mortality” and “myocardial infarction” were the most frequently used keywords in this research area; whereas more recently, “self care” and “anxiety” have been used more frequently.

Conclusion

This bibliometric analysis showed a rapid growth of research related to heart failure and depression from 1989 to 2021, which was mostly led by North America and Europe. Future directions in this research area include issues concerning self-care and anxiety about heart failure. As most of the existing literature were published in English, publications in other languages should be examined in the future.
Effect of fecal microbiota transplantation in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review
Authors: Zhang Jing , Zhu Gang , Wan Lin , Liang Yan , Liu Xinting , Yan Huimin , Zhang Bo , Yang Guang
Published: March 2023

Background

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may be helpful in the treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as rebalancing the gut microbiome has been shown to potentially improve behavioral symptoms in children with ASD.

Methods

This systematic review was conducted to assess the effect of FMT for children with ASD. The Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published from inception to October 6, 2022. Two reviewers independently screened the identified records and undertook data extraction.

Results

The search identified a total of five studies: two prospective open-label studies, two retrospective observational studies, and a case report; however, no randomized controlled trial was identified. All five studies reported a significant post-FMT-treatment improvement in neuropsychological assessment of ASD. The two prospective open-label studies suggested that the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) score, and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) score at the posttreatment assessment decreased from the baseline (Wilcoxon signed-rank test; all p < 0.01]). The two retrospective observational studies suggested that FMT helped to improve the ASD symptoms. One observational study reported that the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score and ABC score of the constipation group decreased from the baseline after the second course assessment (CARS [baseline: mean 35.25 ± standard deviation 4.36, second course: 32.5 ± 3.1, p = 0.015]; ABC [baseline: 56.21 ± 16.08, second course: 46.54 ± 16.54, p = 0.046]). Another observational study found that both ABC and CARS scores decreased as the number of FMT courses increased, and significant differences were found at the end of each course as compared with the baseline.

Conclusion

Compared with the baseline, FMT significantly improved symptoms of autism in children with ASD in observational studies. However, rigorously designed randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to establish the safety and efficacy of FMT as a treatment for ASD.
The burden of hepatitis C virus in the world, China, India, and the United States from 1990 to 2019
Authors: Yang Jia , Qi Jin-Lei , Wang Xiao-Xiao , Li Xiao-He , Jin Rui , Liu Bai-Yi , Liu Hui-Xin , Rao Hui-Ying
Published: March 2023

Background and aim

Hepatitis C virus infection can lead to an enormous health burden worldwide. Investigating the changes in HCV-related burden between different countries could provide inferences for disease management. Hence, we aim to explore the temporal tendency of the disease burden associated with HCV infection in China, India, the United States, and the world.

Methods

Detailed data on the total burden of disease related to HCV infection were collected from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 database. Joinpoint regression models were used to simulate the optimal joinpoints of annual percent changes (APCs). Further analysis of the age composition of each index over time and the relationship between ASRs and the socio-demographic Index (SDI) were explored. Finally, three factors (population growth, population aging, and age-specific changes) were deconstructed for the changes in the number of incidences, deaths, and DALYs.

Results

It was estimated that 6.2 million new HCV infections, 0.54 million HCV-related deaths, and 15.3 million DALYs worldwide in 2019, with an increase of 25.4, 59.1, and 43.6%, respectively, from 1990, are mainly due to population growth and aging. China experienced a sharp drop in age-standardized rates in 2019, the United States showed an upward trend, and India exhibited a fluctuating tendency in the burden of disease. The incidence was increasing in all locations recently.

Conclusion

HCV remains a global health concern despite tremendous progress being made. The disease burden in China improved significantly, while the burden in the United States was deteriorating, with new infections increasing recently, suggesting more targeted interventions to be established to realize the 2030 elimination goals.
Overview of the SARS-CoV-2 genotypes circulating in Latin America during 2021
Authors: Molina-Mora Jose Arturo , Reales-González Jhonnatan , Camacho Erwin , Duarte-Martínez Francisco , Tsukayama Pablo , Soto-Garita Claudio , Brenes Hebleen , Cordero-Laurent Estela , Ribeiro dos Santos Andrea , Guedes Salgado Cláudio , Santos Silva Caio , Santana de Souza Jorge , Nunes Gisele , Negri Tatianne , Vidal Amanda , Oliveira Renato , Oliveira Guilherme , Muñoz-Medina José Esteban , Salas-Lais Angel Gustavo , Mireles-Rivera Guadalupe , Sosa Ezequiel , Turjanski Adrián , Monzani María Cecilia , Carobene Mauricio G. , Remes Lenicov Federico , Schottlender Gustavo , Fernández Do Porto Darío A. , Kreuze Jan Frederik , Sacristán Luisa , Guevara-Suarez Marcela , Cristancho Marco , Campos-Sánchez Rebeca , Herrera-Estrella Alfredo
Published: March 2023

Latin America is one of the regions in which the COVID-19 pandemic has a stronger impact, with more than 72 million reported infections and 1.6 million deaths until June 2022. Since this region is ecologically diverse and is affected by enormous social inequalities, efforts to identify genomic patterns of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 genotypes are necessary for the suitable management of the pandemic. To contribute to the genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 in Latin America, we extended the number of SARS-CoV-2 genomes available from the region by sequencing and analyzing the viral genome from COVID-19 patients from seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru). Subsequently, we analyzed the genomes circulating mainly during 2021 including records from GISAID database from Latin America. A total of 1,534 genome sequences were generated from seven countries, demonstrating the laboratory and bioinformatics capabilities for genomic surveillance of pathogens that have been developed locally. For Latin America, patterns regarding several variants associated with multiple re-introductions, a relatively low percentage of sequenced samples, as well as an increment in the mutation frequency since the beginning of the pandemic, are in line with worldwide data. Besides, some variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI) such as Gamma, Mu and Lambda, and at least 83 other lineages have predominated locally with a country-specific enrichments. This work has contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of the pandemic in Latin America as part of the local and international efforts to achieve timely genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.
Exploring the intersection of brain injury and mental health in survivors of intimate partner violence: A scoping review
Authors: Toccalino Danielle , Moore Amy , Cripps Elizabeth , Gutierrez Sophia Chuon , Colantonio Angela , Wickens Christine M. , Chan Vincy , Nalder Emily , Haag Halina (Lin)
Published: March 2023

Rationale

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most commonly occurring form of violence against women. The most common site of injury in IPV is the head, face, and neck, resulting in possible brain injury (BI). Independently, mental health (MH) concerns are highly prevalent among both IPV survivors and individuals with BI; however, no systematic review exists on the combined experience of BI and MH in IPV.

Objective

The aim of this review was to describe the identification of and relationships between BI, MH, and IPV in the literature and the implications for health policy and practice.

Methods

A search strategy including text words and subject headings related to BI, IPV, and MH was developed for MEDLINE and translated to EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science. Two reviewers independently assessed articles for inclusion. Articles discussing MH, BI, and IPV in relation to one another were included in the review.

Results

Twenty-eight articles were identified for inclusion. Methods for identifying IPV, BI, and MH were highly variable across studies. Fourteen studies reported significantly higher MH scores in IPV survivors with BI than in those without BI. Articles predominantly focused on cis gender women in heterosexual relationships and the impact of race and ethnicity were largely overlooked. Healthcare access was explored by eight articles, though none discussed the implications of co-occurring BI and MH.

Conclusion

Brain injury and MH are highly prevalent among IPV survivors; however, little research discusses the implication for healthcare. Future research should explore healthcare-related needs and experiences to inform policy and practice and better represent the diversity of IPV survivors.
Financial precarity, food insecurity, and psychological distress prospectively linked with use of potentially dangerous dietary supplements during the pandemic in the US
Authors: Austin S. Bryn , Beccia Ariel L. , Raffoul Amanda , Jackson Destiny A. , Sarda Vishnudas , Hart Jaime E. , Chavarro Jorge E. , Rich-Edwards Janet
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Supplements sold with claims to promote weight loss, cleansing/detoxing, increased energy, or boosted immunity can be dangerous, and consumers experiencing extreme stressors may be especially vulnerable to deceptive claims. The purpose of our study was to investigate associations of financial strain and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic with use of supplements sold for weight loss, cleanse/detox, energy, or immunity.

Methods

We used repeated-measures data gathered over five survey waves from April/May 2020–April 2021 from the COVID-19 Substudy (N = 54,951), within three prospective US national cohorts (Nurses' Health Study 2, Nurses' Health Study 3, and Growing Up Today Study), to investigate longitudinal associations between financial strain and psychological distress and risk of use of potentially dangerous types of supplements. Surveys assessed use of supplements prior to and during the first year of the pandemic, as well as financial precarity, food insecurity, depressive and anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, and daily hassles. We fit sociodemographic-adjusted modified Poisson GEE models to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between baseline or lagged time-varying predictors and prevalent or incident (i.e., new-onset) use of each supplement type.

Results

At baseline in April/May 2020, soon after pandemic onset, current use of supplement types was: weight loss 2.7%; cleanse/detox 3.2%; energy 4.4%; immune 22.6%. By the end of the study period, cumulative incidence was: weight loss 3.5%; cleanse/detox 3.7%; energy 4.5%; immune 21.3%. In prevalent-use analyses, financial precarity, food insecurity, and psychological distress were associated with up to 2.4 times the risk of use of these types of supplements across the study period. Similarly, in incident-use analyses, financial precarity and psychological distress were associated with up to 2.1 times the risk of initiating use; whereas, high food insecurity was associated with nearly 1.8 times higher risk of onset of weight-loss supplements use but was not associated with onset of use of other types of supplements.

Discussion

We found consistent evidence that during the first year of the pandemic, participants experiencing elevated financial strain and psychological distress were at heightened risk of initiating use of potentially dangerous types of supplements. Our findings raise concerns about deceptive claims about the safety and product effectiveness by manufacturers of these supplements to profit from vulnerable consumers during the pandemic.
Development and validation of nomogram including high altitude as a risk factor for COPD: A cross-sectional study based on Gansu population
Authors: Lin Ao , Mao Chun , Rao Boqi , Zhao Hongjun , Wang Yunchao , Yang Guokang , Lei Haisheng , Xie Chenli , Huang Dongsheng , Deng Yibin , Zhang Xuhui , Wang Xinhua , Lu Jiachun
Published: March 2023

Background

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common and harmful disease that requires an effective tool to early screen high-risk individuals. Gansu has unique environments and customs, leading to the different prevalence and etiology of COPD from other regions. The association between altitude and COPD once attracted epidemiologists' attention. However, the prevalence in Gansu and the role of altitude are still unclarified.

Methods

In Gansu, a multistage stratified cluster sampling procedure was utilized to select a representative sample aged 40 years or older. The questionnaire and spirometry examination were implemented to collect participants' information. The diagnosis and assessment of COPD were identified by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criterion, while post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC < LLN was for sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, the effect of high altitude on COPD was evaluated by the logistic regression model after propensity score matching (PSM). Finally, the participants were randomly divided into training and validation sets. The training set was used to screen the relative factors and construct a nomogram which was further assessed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) in the two sets.

Results

There were 2,486 eligible participants in the final analysis, of which 1,584 lived in low altitudes and 902 lived in high altitudes. Based on the GOLD criterion, the crude and standardized prevalences in Gansu were 20.4% (18.7–22.0) and 19.7% (17.9–21.6). After PSM, the logistic regression model indicated that high altitude increased COPD risk [PSM OR: 1.516 (1.162–1.978)]. Altitude, age, sex, history of tuberculosis, coal as fuel, and smoking status were reserved for developing a nomogram that demonstrated excellent discrimination, calibration, and clinical benefit in the two sets.

Conclusions

COPD has become a serious public health problem in Gansu. High altitude is a risk factor for COPD. The nomogram has satisfactory efficiency in screening high-risk individuals.
Rarecare: A policy perspective on the burden of rare diseases on caregivers in Latin America
Authors: Dias Ariadne Guimarães , Daher Antoine , Barrera Ortiz Lucy , Carreño-Moreno Sonia , Hafez H Sylvia R. , Jansen Angela Marie , Rico-Restrepo Mariana , Chaparro-Diaz Lorena
Published: March 2023

In Latin America (LA), 40–50 million people live with rare diseases (RDs) that require constant monitoring, care, and attention. Caregivers help them with their basic life activities and medication administration, which they would otherwise be unable to perform. Family caregivers complement healthcare and social security systems; however, their unpaid work is often underappreciated and under-protected. Recognizing the need to address these unrecognized and undervalued women, the Americas Health Foundation (AHF) convened a panel of LA experts on caregiving for people with RDs to provide recommendations to support the undervalued family caregivers. A panel of LA experts in caregiving for RDs were given questions to address the challenges faced by family caregivers of people with RDs in LA. During a 3-day conference, the panelists' responses were discussed and edited until the panel agreed on recommendations to address the challenges. The identified challenges for caregivers included physical, emotional, and economical areas. Caregivers, primarily women, experienced physical pain, and social isolation, and were forced to pay substantial out-of-pocket expenses in their caregiving roles. Brazil and Colombia are at the forefront of policies to protect caregivers and their experiences in attempting to provide for this group are outlined as case studies for what is possible in LA. Finally, recognizing that caregivers must be included in formulating, executing, and evaluating care policies for people living with RDs and that the caregivers themselves require social assurances, the panel suggested policy objectives aimed at protecting caregivers of people living with RDs. The recommendations ranged from recognizing the role of the family caregiver as an essential supplement to the formal healthcare system to providing financial assistance, training, and workplace protection, among others. Finally, monitoring and evaluating the impact of policies is necessary to ensure that LA is moving forward in caring for family caregivers for people with RDs.
Vaccine research and development capacity in Central and West Asia: A path toward sustainable vaccine R&D programs
Authors: Hare Jonathan , Riggall Giovanna , Bongers Alexander , Ramesh Kirthi , Kokareva Larissa , Chin Brian
Published: March 2023

The ability to support a comprehensive vaccine research and development (R&D) portfolio from a health security perspective has taken on enhanced significance over the past 3 years whereby countries that had existing vaccine R&D infrastructure (G7, Russia and China) have been at the forefront of global efforts to combat COVID-19. Few countries outside of these key players have the infrastructure necessary to develop national vaccine programs, though this is beginning to change with investment across many low- and middle-income countries. These same opportunities exist for countries in Central and West Asia, and in this perspective, we highlight the existing infrastructure and expertise across seven countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) and propose opportunities for enhanced collaboration along with a bold proposal for establishing a new-build, regional vaccine translational research institute to facilitate the development of a robust, regional vaccine R&D environment to combat existing and future health challenges.
Bone age assessment based on deep neural networks with annotation-free cascaded critical bone region extraction
Authors: Li Zhangyong , Chen Wang , Ju Yang , Chen Yong , Hou Zhengjun , Li Xinwei , Jiang Yuhao
Published: March 2023

Bone age assessment (BAA) from hand radiographs is crucial for diagnosing endocrinology disorders in adolescents and supplying therapeutic investigation. In practice, due to the conventional clinical assessment being a subjective estimation, the accuracy of BAA relies highly on the pediatrician's professionalism and experience. Recently, many deep learning methods have been proposed for the automatic estimation of bone age and had good results. However, these methods do not exploit sufficient discriminative information or require additional manual annotations of critical bone regions that are important biological identifiers in skeletal maturity, which may restrict the clinical application of these approaches. In this research, we propose a novel two-stage deep learning method for BAA without any manual region annotation, which consists of a cascaded critical bone region extraction network and a gender-assisted bone age estimation network. First, the cascaded critical bone region extraction network automatically and sequentially locates two discriminative bone regions via the visual heat maps. Second, in order to obtain an accurate BAA, the extracted critical bone regions are fed into the gender-assisted bone age estimation network. The results showed that the proposed method achieved a mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.45 months on the public dataset Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and 3.34 months on our private dataset.