bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of 4 mg and 8 mg Dexamethasone Added to Intrathecal Bupivacaine on Perioperative Analgesia Among Adult Orthopedic Patients at Sodo Christian Hospital
Authors: Essayas Amanuel , Legesse Mebratu , Tila Mebratu , Sintayhu Ashagire , Abreham Eyosiyas , Dendir Getahun
Published: October 2024

Background: Several adjuvant drugs have been tried to prolong spinal anesthesia block. Currently, dexamethasone appears to be effective in extending the duration of sensory block and enhancing analgesia during surgery. It is unclear, however, whether administering dexamethasone at a dose of 8 mg offers any advantages over administering it at a dose of 4 mg.

Objective: To compare the effect of adding 4 and 8 mg dexamethasone to intrathecal bupivacaine on perioperative analgesia among adult orthopedic patients at Sodo Christian Hospital from June 1 to October 31, 2021.

Methodology: A total of 178 adult patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery were randomly assigned to one of the two groups through a prospective cohort research design. A systematic random sampling method was used. For analysis, data were imported into EpiData v.4.6 and exported to SPSS v.25. Levene’s test was used to verify homogeneity of variance, whereas the Shapiro–Wilk test was used to assess data distribution. The Mann–Whitney test and the independent sample t‐test were employed to compare numerical variables between study groups. Category variables were determined using the chi‐square test. p values were deemed statistically significant if they were less than 0.05.

Result: Between groups, the perioperative and demographic features were similar. The mean durations of sensory block (347.42 ± 91.06 versus 341.46 ± 68.84), motor block (308.36 ± 80.91 versus 310.84 ± 75.50), and overall analgesia (421.51 ± 121.62 versus 412.40 ± 107.0) minutes did not show a statistically significant difference between the groups. In addition, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in postoperative analgesic use, initial analgesia rescue time, or pain severity, as measured by the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). The addition of dexamethasone did not result in any issues, nor was there a statistically significant difference in the onset time between the two groups.

Conclusion: Dexamethasone at a dose of 4 mg extends the duration of sensory, motor, and overall analgesia in a manner similar to that of 8 mg dexamethasone with comparable durations for both the initial analgesic request and overall analgesic use.
The Functional Transcriptomic Landscape Informs Therapeutic Strategies in Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Sudalagunta Praneeth Reddy , Canevarolo Rafael R. , Meads Mark B. , Silva Maria , Zhao Xiaohong , Cubitt Christopher L. , Sansil Samer S. , DeAvila Gabriel , Alugubelli Raghunandan Reddy , Bishop Ryan T. , Tungesvik Alexandre , Zhang Qi , Hampton Oliver , Teer Jamie K. , Welsh Eric A. , Yoder Sean J. , Shah Bijal D. , Hazlehurst Lori , Gatenby Robert A. , Van Domelen Dane R. , Chai Yi , Wang Feng , DeCastro Andrew , Bloomer Amanda M. , Siegel Erin M. , Lynch Conor C. , Sullivan Daniel M. , Alsina Melissa , Nishihori Taiga , Brayer Jason , Cleveland John L. , Dalton William , Walker Christopher J. , Landesman Yosef , Baz Rachid , Silva Ariosto S. , Shain Kenneth H.
Published: October 2024

Several therapeutic agents have been approved for treating multiple myeloma, a cancer of bone marrow–resident plasma cells. Predictive biomarkers for drug response could help guide clinical strategies to optimize outcomes. In this study, we present an integrated functional genomic analysis of tumor samples from patients multiple myeloma that were assessed for their ex vivo drug sensitivity to 37 drugs, clinical variables, cytogenetics, mutational profiles, and transcriptomes. This analysis revealed a multiple myeloma transcriptomic topology that generates “footprints” in association with ex vivo drug sensitivity that have both predictive and mechanistic applications. Validation of the transcriptomic footprints for the anti-CD38 mAb daratumumab (DARA) and the nuclear export inhibitor selinexor (SELI) demonstrated that these footprints can accurately classify clinical responses. The analysis further revealed that DARA and SELI have anticorrelated mechanisms of resistance, and treatment with a SELI-based regimen immediately after a DARA-containing regimen was associated with improved survival in three independent clinical trials, supporting an evolutionary-based strategy involving sequential therapy. These findings suggest that this unique repository and computational framework can be leveraged to inform underlying biology and to identify therapeutic strategies to improve treatment of multiple myeloma.

Significance: Functional genomic analysis of primary multiple myeloma samples elucidated predictive biomarkers for drugs and molecular pathways mediating therapeutic response, which revealed a rationale for sequential therapy to maximize patient outcomes.
Pharmacologic Blockade of a Pioneer Transcription Factor
Authors: Cermakova Katerina , Hodges H. Courtney
Published: October 2024

Cancers frequently co-opt lineage-specific transcription factors (TF) utilized in normal development to sustain proliferation. However, the effects of these TFs on tumor development depend considerably on where in the genome they bind. A new article by Taylor and colleagues expands on previously developed diamidine compounds that obstruct the DNA binding sites of the pioneer TF PU.1 (SPI1) in acute myeloid leukemia. Immobilization and sequencing of genomic DNA targeted by these compounds revealed that these inhibitors alter the genomic binding patterns of PU.1. The authors report that their strategy constrains the genomic binding preferences of PU.1, leading to redistribution of PU.1 to promoters and other gene-proximal regions with elevated guanine/cytosine content. In this study, we discuss recent developments for targeting PU.1 in hematologic malignancies. We also explore the shared functional roles of PU.1 and SWI/SNF ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes, which not only work together to sustain the enhancer landscape needed for tumor cell proliferation but also play key roles in nontumor settings.
Figure 5 from Clinical Implications and Molecular Features of Extracellular Matrix Networks in Soft Tissue Sarcomas
Authors: Pankova Valeriya , Krasny Lukas , Kerrison William , Tam Yuen B. , Chadha Madhumeeta , Burns Jessica , Wilding Christopher P. , Chen Liang , Chowdhury Avirup , Perkins Emma , Lee Alexander T.J. , Howell Louise , Guljar Nafia , Sisley Karen , Fisher Cyril , Chudasama Priya , Thway Khin , Jones Robin L. , Huang Paul H.
Published: October 2024

Proteoglycan protein expression identifies a high-risk STS group. A, Summary of log-rank tests used to assess significant associations of matrisome-related gene sets with LRFS, MFS, and OS. The scores for each patient were obtained by taking the median expression focusing on 10 matrisome-related gene sets from the Molecular Signatures Database. B, Identities of the 11 proteoglycans included in the proteoglycan score. C, Kaplan–Meier plot of OS with stratification by the median expression of 11 proteoglycans in a combined UPS and DDLPS cohort (n = 92). D, Kaplan–Meier plot of OS with stratification by the ssGSEA score of 11 proteoglycans in a combined UPS and DDLPS cohort (n = 92). Hazard ratio, 95% CI, and P-values were determined by univariate Cox regression with a two-sided Wald test.
FDA Approval Summary: Olutasidenib for Adult Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia with an Isocitrate Dehydrogenase 1 Mutation
Authors: Woods Ashley C. , Norsworthy Kelly J. , Choe Moran , Gehrke Brenda J. , Chen Haiyan , Vallejo Jonathon , Pan Lili , Jiang Xiling , Li Hongshan , Kraft Jeffrey , Liu Jiang , Charlab Rosane , Okusanya Olanrewaju O. , Booth Brian , Pazdur Richard , Theoret Marc R. , Angelo de Claro R.
Published: October 2024

On December 1, 2022, the FDA approved the new molecular entity olutasidenib (Rezlidhia, Rigel Pharmaceuticals), a small-molecule inhibitor of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation as detected by an FDA-approved test. The efficacy of olutasidenib was established based on complete remission (CR) + CR with partial hematologic recovery (CRh) rate, duration of CR + CRh, and conversion of transfusion dependence to transfusion independence in Study 2102-HEM-101. In the pivotal trial, 147 adult patients treated with 150 mg twice daily of olutasidenib were evaluable for efficacy. With a median follow-up of 10.2 months, the CR/CRh rate was 35% (95% confidence interval, 27%–43%), with a median duration of response of 25.9 months [95% confidence interval, 13.5–not reached]. Of the 86 patients who were transfusion dependent at baseline, 29 became transfusion independent (34%). The most common (≥20%) adverse reactions were nausea, fatigue, arthralgia, leukocytosis, dyspnea, pyrexia, rash, mucositis, diarrhea, and transaminitis. An assessment of long-term safety of olutasidenib is a condition of this approval.
Copper Drives Remodeling of Metabolic State and Progression of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Bischoff Megan E. , Shamsaei Behrouz , Yang Juechen , Secic Dina , Vemuri Bhargav , Reisz Julie A. , D’Alessandro Angelo , Bartolacci Caterina , Adamczak Rafal , Schmidt Lucas , Wang Jiang , Martines Amelia , Venkat Jahnavi , Tcheuyap Vanina Toffessi , Biesiada Jacek , Behrmann Catherine A. , Vest Katherine E. , Brugarolas James , Scaglioni Pier Paolo , Plas David R. , Patra Krushna C. , Gulati Shuchi , Landero Figueroa Julio A. , Meller Jarek , Cunningham John T. , Czyzyk-Krzeska Maria F.
Published: October 2024

Copper (Cu) is a cofactor of cytochrome c oxidase (CuCOX), indispensable for aerobic mitochondrial respiration. This study reveals that advanced clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCC) accumulate Cu, allocating it to CuCOX. Using a range of orthogonal approaches, including metabolomics, lipidomics, isotope-labeled glucose and glutamine flux analysis, and transcriptomics across tumor samples, cell lines, xenografts, and patient-derived xenograft models, combined with genetic and pharmacologic interventions, we explored the role of Cu in ccRCC. Elevated Cu levels stimulate CuCOX biogenesis, providing bioenergetic and biosynthetic benefits that promote tumor growth. This effect is complemented by glucose-dependent glutathione production, which facilitates detoxification and mitigates Cu–H2O2 toxicity. Single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics reveal increased oxidative metabolism, altered glutathione and Cu metabolism, and diminished hypoxia-inducible transcription factor activity during ccRCC progression. Thus, Cu drives an integrated oncogenic remodeling of bioenergetics, biosynthesis, and redox homeostasis, fueling ccRCC growth, which can be targeted for new therapeutic approaches.

Significance:

The work establishes a requirement for glucose-dependent coordination between energy production and redox homeostasis, which is fundamental for the survival of cancer cells that accumulate Cu and contributes to tumor growth.
Table S2 from A Database Tool Integrating Genomic and Pharmacologic Data from Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cell Lines, PDX, and Patient Samples
Authors: Arakawa Yasuhiro , Elloumi Fathi , Varma Sudhir , Khandagale Prashant , Jo Ukhyun , Kumar Suresh , Roper Nitin , Reinhold William C. , Robey Robert W. , Takebe Naoko , Gottesman Michael M. , Thomas Craig J. , Boeva Valentina , Berruti Alfredo , Abate Andrea , Tamburello Mariangela , Sigala Sandra , Hantel Constanze , Weigand Isabel , Wierman Margaret E. , Kiseljak-Vassiliades Katja , Del Rivero Jaydira , Pommier Yves
Published: October 2024

Supplement Table 2, related to Figure 5 and 6.
Table S1 from A Database Tool Integrating Genomic and Pharmacologic Data from Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cell Lines, PDX, and Patient Samples
Authors: Arakawa Yasuhiro , Elloumi Fathi , Varma Sudhir , Khandagale Prashant , Jo Ukhyun , Kumar Suresh , Roper Nitin , Reinhold William C. , Robey Robert W. , Takebe Naoko , Gottesman Michael M. , Thomas Craig J. , Boeva Valentina , Berruti Alfredo , Abate Andrea , Tamburello Mariangela , Sigala Sandra , Hantel Constanze , Weigand Isabel , Wierman Margaret E. , Kiseljak-Vassiliades Katja , Del Rivero Jaydira , Pommier Yves
Published: October 2024

Supplement Table 1
Figure S2 from A Database Tool Integrating Genomic and Pharmacologic Data from Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cell Lines, PDX, and Patient Samples
Authors: Arakawa Yasuhiro , Elloumi Fathi , Varma Sudhir , Khandagale Prashant , Jo Ukhyun , Kumar Suresh , Roper Nitin , Reinhold William C. , Robey Robert W. , Takebe Naoko , Gottesman Michael M. , Thomas Craig J. , Boeva Valentina , Berruti Alfredo , Abate Andrea , Tamburello Mariangela , Sigala Sandra , Hantel Constanze , Weigand Isabel , Wierman Margaret E. , Kiseljak-Vassiliades Katja , Del Rivero Jaydira , Pommier Yves
Published: October 2024

Supplement Figure 2 related to Figure 4
Figure 4 from A Database Tool Integrating Genomic and Pharmacologic Data from Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cell Lines, PDX, and Patient Samples
Authors: Arakawa Yasuhiro , Elloumi Fathi , Varma Sudhir , Khandagale Prashant , Jo Ukhyun , Kumar Suresh , Roper Nitin , Reinhold William C. , Robey Robert W. , Takebe Naoko , Gottesman Michael M. , Thomas Craig J. , Boeva Valentina , Berruti Alfredo , Abate Andrea , Tamburello Mariangela , Sigala Sandra , Hantel Constanze , Weigand Isabel , Wierman Margaret E. , Kiseljak-Vassiliades Katja , Del Rivero Jaydira , Pommier Yves
Published: October 2024

Examples of biomarker signatures in the ACC cell lines and surgical samples. A, The ADS varies across ACC cell lines and surgical samples and is correlated with the expression of LSS (lanosterol synthase), a key enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. B, The ADS is negatively correlated with the APM score.
Optimal QT Correction Formula for Older Chinese: Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study
Authors: Tian Wen Bo , Zhang Wei Sen , Jiang Chao Qiang , Liu Xiang Yi , Zhu Feng , Jin Ya Li , Zhu Tong , Lam Tai Hing , Cheng Kar Keung , Xu Lin
Published: October 2024

Introduction: To identify the optimal QT correction formula for generating corrected QT (QTc) and cutoffs for prolonged QTc, and examine the associations with mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older Chinese. Methods: A prospective study included 24,611 Chinese aged 50+ years and without CVD at 2003–2008 from Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study. QT interval was corrected by Bazett, Fridericia, Framingham and Hodges formulas. The slope and R2 of the QTc and heart rate regression were used to determine the optimal correction formula. The 95th percentile of QTc was used to defined prolonged QTc. Cox regression was used to examine associations of prolonged QTc with mortality and CVD. The net reclassification index was calculated to assess risk reclassification. Results: During an average follow-up of 15.3 years, 5,261 deaths and 5,539 CVD occurred. Optimal heart correction was observed for the Hodges formula, and Bazett formula performed the worst. Prolonged QTc corrected by Fridericia, Framingham and Hodges formulas had similar association strength with all-cause mortality, CVD mortality and incident CVD (especially coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke), with hazard ratios approximately being 1.25, 1.40, and 1.15, respectively. They also improved risk reclassification for all-cause mortality, CVD mortality and incident CVD by approximately 5%, 10%, and 6%, respectively. However, prolonged QTc corrected by Bazett formula was not associated with incident CVD and did not improve risk reclassification. Conclusions: Hodges formula outperformed other formulas for heart rate correction. Fridericia, Framingham, and Hodges formulas can be used for death and cardiovascular risk prediction.
Stargardt-Makuladystrophie und Therapieansätze
Authors: Fujinami Kaoru , Waheed Nadia , Laich Yannik , Yang Paul , Fujinami-Yokokawa Yu , Higgins Joseph J. , Lu Jonathan T. , Curtiss Darin , Clary Cathryn , Michaelides Michel
Published: October 2024

Die Stargardt-Makuladystrophie (Morbus Stargardt, STGD1; OMIM 248200) ist die häufigste erbliche Makuladystrophie. STGD1 ist eine autosomal rezessive Erkrankung, die durch mehrere pathogene Sequenzvarianten im großen ABCA4-Gen (OMIM 601691) verursacht wird. Bedeutende Fortschritte im Verständnis der klinischen und molekularen Charakteristika sowie der zugrunde liegenden Pathophysiologie haben zu zahlreichen abgeschlossenen, laufenden und geplanten klinischen Studien mit neuartigen Therapien geführt. Ziel dieser kurzen Übersichtsarbeit ist es, 1) die detaillierten phänotypischen und genotypischen Merkmale der Erkrankung, die multimodalen bildgebenden Befunde, den Krankheitsverlauf und die Pathogenese zu beschreiben, 2) die vielfältigen Möglichkeiten der Forschung und therapeutischen Intervention, einschließlich pharmakologischer, zellulärer und anderer Arten von Therapien, zu beschreiben und 3) die neuen therapeutischen Ansätze am translationalen Horizont darzulegen, die darauf abzielen, STGD1 durch den Ersatz des gesamten, 6,8 kb großen, offenen Leserasters von ABCA4 zu behandeln.
Deep Learning-Based Algorithm for Staging Secondary Caries in Bitewings
Authors: van Nistelrooij Niels , Chaves Eduardo Trota , Cenci Maximiliano Sergio , Cao Lingyun , Loomans Bas A.C. , Xi Tong , El Ghoul Khalid , Romero Vitor Henrique Digmayer , Lima Giana Silveira , Flügge Tabea , van Ginneken Bram , Huysmans Marie-Charlotte , Vinayahalingam Shankeeth , Mendes Fausto Medeiros
Published: October 2024

Introduction: Despite the notable progress in developing artificial intelligence-based tools for caries detection in bitewings, limited research has addressed the detection and staging of secondary caries. Therefore, we aimed to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based algorithm for these purposes using a novel approach for determining lesion severity. Methods: We used a dataset from a Dutch dental practice-based research network containing 2,612 restored teeth in 413 bitewings from 383 patients aged 15–88 years and trained the Mask R-CNN architecture with a Swin Transformer backbone. Two-stage training fine-tuned caries detection accuracy and severity assessment. Annotations of caries around restorations were made by two evaluators and checked by two other experts. Aggregated accuracy metrics (mean ± standard deviation – SD) in detecting teeth with secondary caries were calculated considering two thresholds: detecting all lesions and dentine lesions. The correlation between the lesion severity scores obtained with the algorithm and the annotators’ consensus was determined using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots. Results: Our refined algorithm showed high specificity in detecting all lesions (0.966 ± 0.025) and dentine lesions (0.964 ± 0.019). Sensitivity values were lower: 0.737 ± 0.079 for all lesions and 0.808 ± 0.083 for dentine lesions. The areas under ROC curves (SD) were 0.940 (0.025) for all lesions and 0.946 (0.023) for dentine lesions. The correlation coefficient for severity scores was 0.802. Conclusion: We developed an improved algorithm to support clinicians in detecting and staging secondary caries in bitewing, incorporating an innovative approach for annotation, considering the lesion severity as a continuous outcome.
De onde veio, onde está e para onde vai a publicidade na visão de Bruno Pompeu
Authors: Pawlow Cecilia
Published: October 2024

Bruno Pompeu, em seu livro "De onde veio, onde está e para onde vai a publicidade" (2021), realiza uma análise sobre a história e a evolução da publicidade, destacando sua relação com a cultura e a comunicação. O autor explora as quatro eras culturais para traçar o percurso histórico da publicidade, desde suas primeiras aparições na cultura oral até a era da cibercultura e das tecnologias digitais. Pompeu discute como a publicidade digital redefine a relação entre anunciantes e consumidores, enfatizando o papel dos dados e algoritmos na personalização das mensagens publicitárias. Além disso, o autor aborda questões éticas e morais relacionadas à publicidade contemporânea, destacando a importância de os publicitários assumirem a responsabilidade da construção da realidade
Os signos visuais de marca das instituições culturais de Belém às vésperas da COP30: uma análise semiótica Peirceana
Authors: Gonsales Flavia Igliori
Published: October 2024

This study investigates the identifying visual signs (logos) of public cultural institutions in Belém do Pará. After reviewing the literature on tangible brand manifestations, the logos of 12 institutions were analyzed following the methodological principles based on Peircean semiotics, specifically following the semiotics of Charles W. Morris (1901-1979). Analysis found syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic problems in the visual signs. To address them, this study recommends that the logos be redesigned as part of a comprehensive rebranding of the public cultural institutions in Belém do Pará, seizing the opportunity opened up by the proximity of COP30.
Prospective Study of Sleep Talking and Risk of Stroke
Authors: Liu Ying , Chen Shuohua , Pavlova Milena , Li Yaqi , Liu Yesong , Zhang Jihui , Sun Liang , Yu Zhenjian , Gao Xiang
Published: October 2024

Background

The potential clinical implication of sleep talking in relation to stroke has not been explored to date. This study aimed to prospectively examine the association between sleep talking and the risk of developing stroke in a community‐based cohort.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Included were 8001 participants (mean age, 54 years) of the Kailuan Study, China. Sleep talking was measured by a questionnaire in 2012. Cases of incident stroke were confirmed by review of medical records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the association between sleep talking and stroke, adjusting for several sleep parameters (ie, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, snoring, and use of hypnotics) and other potential confounders. During 8 years of follow‐up, 333 incident stroke cases were identified. Relative to participants without sleep talking at baseline, those with sleep talking had a higher risk of developing stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.03–1.65]), adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with participants without probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and sleep talking, those with sleep talking and probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder had a higher risk of stroke (adjusted HR, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.40–2.66]).

Conclusions

The presence of sleep talking was associated with a higher risk of developing stroke. Future studies with cases of clinically confirmed sleep talking and a longer follow‐up would be appropriate to further investigate this association.
Perivascular Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Exacerbate Microvasospasm After Experimental Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Authors: Nakagawa Ryota , Itokazu Takahide , Shibuya Nao , Kishima Haruhiko , Yamashita Toshihide
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) can lead to acute or delayed cerebral ischemia. Recent findings have revealed that spasm of microvessels, called microvasospasm, may contribute to SAH-related cerebral ischemia, and perivascular inflammation is considered important in the development of microvasospasms. However, owing to the difficulty in investigating the dynamics of vascular and perivascular events, little is known about the mechanisms underlying microvasospasms.

METHODS:

We established an experimental system aiming to investigate the vascular and perivascular pathology of SAH by combining a SAH mouse model with intravital 2-photon imaging. SAH was induced by intracisternal blood injection, and the distribution of erythrocytes, neutrophil behavior, and morphological changes in the pial arterioles were analyzed over time by 2-photon microscopy imaging. To further explore the role of neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in microvasospasm, we performed neutrophil depletion by intraperitoneal administration of neutrophil-specific antibody or NETs removal by intracisternal administration of DNase.

RESULTS:

Erythrocytes were immediately distributed in the perivascular space of the arterioles after SAH induction; neutrophils intensively infiltrated the perivascular space within 2 days and subsequently showed NETosis; and pial arterioles in the same region developed pearl-string-like microvasospasms in the subacute phase. Neutrophil depletion significantly reduced the number of microvasospasms. Furthermore, the removal of perivascular NETs drastically reduced microvasospasms.

CONCLUSIONS:

By establishing a unique experimental system, we demonstrated that perivascular NETs could be a new therapeutic target for microvasospasms.
Effects of Haptoglobin on Early Brain Injury, Vasospasm, and Lymphatic Drainage After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Mice
Authors: Kawakita Fumihiro , Nakajima Hideki , Suzuki Yume , Nampei Mai , Oinaka Hiroki , Suzuki Hidenori
Published: October 2024

BACKGROUND:

Erythrolysis releases free Hb (hemoglobin), which is one of the most upstream and important molecules causing early brain injury and cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The purpose of this study was to investigate if a Hb scavenger protein Hp (haptoglobin) supplementation prevents early brain injury and cerebral vasospasm and influences the lymphatic drainage mechanism in an established SAH model of mice by a blood injection into the prechiasmatic cistern.

METHODS:

This study consisted of 4 parts, with a total of 317 C57BL/6 male mice undergoing sham or SAH modeling, randomly followed by 24-hour intracerebroventricular infusion of no vehicle, 30.1 mg/mL BSA, 30.1 mg/mL Hp (100%; a mixture of Hp1-1, Hp2-1, and Hp2-2), 50% Hp, 25% Hp, and 12.5% Hp solutions from 30 minutes postmodeling. The effects were evaluated at 24 and 48 hours postmodeling.

RESULTS:

The 100%Hp decreased mortality and brain edema until 48 hours post-SAH and suppressed post-SAH neurological impairments, Hb infiltrations into the perivascular spaces and brain tissues, fibrinogen-positive microthrombi formation, microglial activation, and caspase-dependent neuronal apoptosis, as well as large-vessel vasospasm on India-ink angiography at 24 hours compared with vehicle-treated SAH mice. The Hp solutions up to 50% concentrations also prevented post-SAH neurological impairments, and those up to 25% concentrations suppressed post-SAH neuronal apoptosis and vasospasm development until 48 hours. Immunohistochemical staining of deep cervical and mandibular lymph nodes demonstrated that Hb was increased in the lymphatic sinus after SAH and was further increased by Hp administration in SAH animals.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study first showed that an Hp concentrate prevented early brain injury and cerebral vasospasm by inhibiting Hb penetration into brain tissues and increasing lymphatic drainage of free Hb in an established SAH model of mice.
VertexWiseR: A package for simplified vertex-wise analyses of whole-brain and hippocampal surfaces in R
Authors: Billaud Charly Hugo Alexandre , Yu Junhong
Published: October 2024

Currently, whole-brain vertex-wise analyses on brain surfaces commonly require specially configured operating systems/environments to run and are largely inaccessible to R users. As such, these analyses are inconvenient to execute and inaccessible to many aspiring researchers. To address these limitations, we present VertexWiseR, a user-friendly R package, to run cortical and hippocampal surface vertex-wise analyses, in just about any computer, requiring minimal technical expertise and computational resources. The package allows cohort-wise anatomical surface data to be highly compressed into a single, compact, easy-to-share file. Users can then run a range of vertex-wise statistical analyses with that single file without requiring a special operating system/environment and direct access to the preprocessed file directories. This enables the user to easily take the analyses “offline”, which would be highly appropriate and conducive in classroom settings. This R package includes a conventional suite of tools for extracting, manipulating, analyzing, and visualizing vertex-wise data, and is designed to be easy for beginners to use. Furthermore, it also contains novel or advanced functionalities such as hippocampal surface analyses, meta-analytic decoding, threshold-free cluster enhancement, and mixed-effects models that would appeal to experienced researchers as well. In the current report, we showcase these functionalities in the analyses of two publicly accessible datasets. Overall, our R package opens up new frontiers for the R’s user base/community and makes such neuroimaging analyses accessible to the masses.
FONDUE: Robust resolution-invariant denoising of MR images using Nested UNets
Authors: Adame-Gonzalez Walter , Brzezinski-Rittner Aliza , Zeighami Yashar , Chakravarty M. Mallar , Farivar Reza , Dadar Mahsa
Published: October 2024

Recent human magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies continually push the boundaries of spatial resolution as a means to enhance levels of neuroanatomical detail and increase the accuracy and sensitivity of derived brain morphometry measures. However, acquisitions required to achieve these resolutions have a higher noise floor, potentially impacting segmentation and morphometric analysis results. This study proposes a novel, fast, robust, and resolution-invariant deep learning method to denoise structural human brain MRIs. We explore denoising of T1-weighted (T1w) brain images from varying field strengths (1.5T to 7T), voxel sizes (1.2 mm to 250 µm), scanner vendors (Siemens, GE, and Phillips), and diseased and healthy participants from a wide age range (young adults to aging individuals). Our proposed Fast-Optimized Network for Denoising through residual Unified Ensembles (FONDUE) method demonstrated stable denoising capabilities across multiple resolutions with performance on par or superior to the state-of-the-art methods while being several orders of magnitude faster at low relative cost when using a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). FONDUE achieved the best performance on at least one of the four denoising-performance metrics on all the test datasets used, showing its generalization capabilities and stability. Due to its high-quality performance, robustness, fast execution times, and relatively low-GPU memory requirements, as well as its open-source public availability, FONDUE can be widely used for structural MRI denoising, especially in large-cohort studies. We have made the FONDUE repository and all training and evaluation scripts as well as the trained weights available at https://github.com/waadgo/FONDUE.
The Political and Economic Effects of the Ukrainian War on the Arab Gulf Countries
Authors: Abou Zahr Maya
Published: October 2024

Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, sparking armed conflict between the two countries. This “operation” has had huge global effects, including on political architecture, the prices of goods and energy, food security, and immigration. The effects of the conflict have reached the Arab Gulf, and this article discusses the way in which the countries in the region have dealt with the conflict so far in political and economic terms. The article highlights Arab Gulf policies and the role of international energy markets and OPEC+. It also aims to clarify how the effects of the conflict will shape future relations between the Arab Gulf countries, on the one hand, and Russia, the West, and China, on the other.
A Transnational History in the Making
Authors: Al-Saif Bader
Published: October 2024

Hip hop and Islam have reshaped visions of one another in hip hop’s homeland, the United States (US), and Islam’s birthplace, the Middle East. This article surveys the history and rise of American Muslim hip hop (AMHH). It then examines Middle Eastern Muslim hip hop. I argue that the skillful appropriation of religious motifs in music generates transnational connections via AMHH, while music’s utilization of Islam reinforces Islam’s long-standing transnationalism, albeit through an unconventional platform. AMHH simultaneously reflects and reconfigures Islam and hip hop in the US, making it a model for Middle Eastern counterparts who borrow from AMHH’s musical, religious themes. I further argue that the highlighted sample of AMHH artists holds a reified understanding of Islam that it consistently advances, whether extremist, conservative, or liberal. In contrast, the highlighted Muslim Middle Eastern hip hop displays incoherent Muslim identity markers that combine all three distinct strands of Sunni Islam.
Erdogan and Ayatollah Khamenei’s Political Framing Modeling on Twitter toward Arab Masses
Authors: Numan Haitham
Published: October 2024

This article aims to compare the contents, discourse, and message frames of two Twitter accounts targeting Arab audiences using Arabic: first, the official account of Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei (@khamenei_ir), who is a Twelver Shia Marja and current supreme leader of the Iranian regime, the second since 1989; and the official account of Recep Tayyip Erdogan (@RTErdogan), the president of Turkey since 2014. Covering all tweets from June 2018 to June 2020, the study collected 712 Khamenei and 388 Erdogan tweets. The article applies content analysis and framing theory, basing the analysis process on a mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative) that uses grounded theory and considers each tweet as a unit of analysis. It reveals fifteen themes on Erdogan’s Twitter account and sixteen on Khamenei’s. The article shows that these two sets of themes were both convergent and divergent.
Resistance Among the Druze
Authors: Aboultaif Eduardo Wassim
Published: October 2024

The Syrian Druze in the Golan Heights have been resisting Israeli occupation for more than five decades. Their efforts in preserving their Arab-Syrian nationality and heritage against the “Israelization” of the Golan Heights have been widely undertheorized. The aim of this article is to study the types and methods of resistance that the Syrian Druze community in the Golan Heights have utilized in rejecting Israeli occupation. Apart from a brief incidence of military resistance by the Syrian Druze in the Golan Heights, which was quickly suppressed by Israel, the essence of the community’s anti-Israeli activities has been within the framework of civil resistance. This paper analyzes three types of civil resistance in the Golan Heights: political and identity-based, socio-economic, and environmental resistance. The paper links these types of civil resistance to Gene Sharp’s pragmatic approach to civil resistance and disobedience.
Factors Affecting the Rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Parliamentary Elections in Kuwait 2023
Authors: Al-Mekaimi Haila
Published: October 2024

This article seeks to shed light on the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Kuwaiti parliamentary elections of 2023. It identifies a number of structural factors behind the increase in the number of Muslim Brotherhood deputies: the weak coordination of the Salafist movement; the return of Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahd Al-Sabah to the government; and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s victory in the 2023 Turkish presidential elections. The article is based on fieldwork collecting data from primary sources, including the official electoral data issued by the Ministry of the Interior and the Kuwait News Agency, in addition to meetings with political candidates and activists in Kuwait. It concludes that the dominance of conservatives in the Kuwaiti parliament has played an important role in the composition of the Kuwaiti government, which is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood. This will determine the nature of the future relationship between parliament and government.
Media, Communication, and the Water Security Crisis
Authors: Matar Soad , Yassine-Hamdan Nahla
Published: October 2024

The Middle East region is facing several problems related to local issues, including the Blue Nile Dam crisis that threatens Egypt’s water security. The crisis arose when Ethiopia announced its intention to build a dam on the Blue Nile for economic purposes. Despite ongoing negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia, the dispute has escalated in the past three years and the parties have failed to reach an agreement. The media has played an active role in highlighting the positions of the parties to the Blue Nile Dam crisis. This article focuses on monitoring and analyzing the media discourse about the Blue Nile Dam crisis in the Egyptian, Sudanese, and Ethiopian press and the interpretation of its trends in light of its connection with what the media discourse presents to countries in the surrounding political and media context.
The Use of Television Visual Technologies in Presenting Terrorism
Authors: Al Ibrahim Daleen
Published: October 2024

This study examines how RT Arabic and Sky News Arabia channels present the news about ISIS through their newscasts; revealing the visual technologies these networks adopted in covering ISIS. This study centers its analysis on a sample of news stories solely about ISIS in two international news networks, RT Arabic and Sky News Arabia as broadcast on their satellite channels and their websites from the period 2014 to 2017. The study found that among the eleven different types of newsroom visual technologies identified in the study, both channels relied on graphs most frequently to present ISIS news visually. However, unlike Sky News Arabia, RT Arabic employed limited usage of visual technology to cover the brutality and violent acts of ISIS in its coverage.
Forced Returns and Fragile Lives: Strategies for Safeguarding Syrian Refugees and Ensuring Their Protection
Authors: Elshobake Mohammed R. M. , Sakka Alaa
Published: October 2024

The article discusses the deportation of Syrian refugees from Lebanon and Turkey between 2017 and 2024. It attempts to bring light on the experiences of these refugees facing forced returns, emphasising the human consequences and complicated causes underlying such actions. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness about the deportation of Syrian refugees and the urgent need for collective action to address this humanitarian disaster and preserve the lives of vulnerable individuals affected by forced repatriation. Using the descriptive analytical approach, this article investigates the legislative frameworks and international commitments that should safeguard refugees from forced repatriation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (udhr), The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol and rules of International Humanitarian Law will be used as a standard for the definition and legal framework of refugee’s rights. The article dives into the obstacles that host countries confront, including as social, economic, and political pressures. It also emphasises the necessity of advocacy activities and protective measures to defend Syrian refugees’ rights and well-being. The findings of the article are expected to benefit Syrian refugees and raise awareness about their situation, which will contribute preserve their lives and well-being.
Along the Middle Senegal Valley and Beyond: the First Millennium BC at Diallowali, Senegal
Authors: Coutros Peter R.
Published: October 2024

During the first millennium BC, West Africa was in the midst of social, political, technological, and environmental change. The Diallowali site system, located along the western edge of the Middle Senegal Valley (MSV), is one of the few sites from this period to be intensively investigated and has produced a wealth of data regarding these processes. By considering a variety of artifacts, including stone tools, copper, iron, and worked bone, as well as approximately 5,000 kg of pottery, this paper establishes a detailed cultural chronology for Diallowali – the first of its kind in the Western MSV. Furthermore, these data indicate that the West African world of the first millennium BC was one of expansive interaction, including the trade and exchange of goods and ideas across an area including Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and beyond.
The War in Tigray and Its Immediate Impact on Cultural Heritage in Eastern Tigray
Authors: Mulubrhan Gebretsadkan , Tekulu Fikre Belay , Gebre Haftom Teshale , Hailu Hagos Gebremariam , Asgedom Desalegn Berhane , Hadgu Tadesse Brhane
Published: October 2024

The study aimed to conduct an assessment of the damage caused by the two year war in Tigray on some of the cultural heritage from Eastern Tigray. Field surveys and interviews with local inhabitants were used to collect relevant data. The gathered data were analyzed and interpreted using a qualitative approach. The survey results showed that churches, monasteries, mosques, towns, and villages were frequently shelled by combatants and that there was significant and deliberate destruction of built heritage sites and looting of sites and treasures. These data suggest that the aims of this destruction were to (1) dominate local historical narratives and identities, (2) suppress communities, and (3) exploit resources for personal gain. The hate speech engraved on the walls indicated that cultural heritage in Eastern Tigray was targeted with intention. This intentional destruction of important cultural heritage was expressed in the horrific massacre of civilians and religious leaders. The current preliminary assessment overall shows that iconic cultural resources were heavily damaged and historic documents and treasures were looted following the two-year war in Tigray. We conclude this study with an urgent call for recovery projects aimed at preventing further loss of cultural heritage in Eastern Tigray.
The History of the Palace of Fahd ibn Suʿūd at al-Diriyah and an Analysis of Its Components Utilizing Architectural Evidence
Authors: Ilayan Jamal Shafiq
Published: October 2024

This article1 presents an analytical study of the components of the palace of Fahd ibn Suʿūd, brother of Imam ʿAbd Allāh ibn Suʿūd, one of the last defenders of al-Diriyah. It is an important palace and dates to the final stage of the First Saudi State. By means of analysis of the surviving architectural components of the palace, the article seeks to identify evidence for its lost architectural and structural elements. This will assist in identifying the original form of the palace and its architectural spatial composition at the time of its construction, as well as the stages of development of its subsequent architectural accretions, before any restoration or rehabilitation work is begun, and which should govern the process of its architectural preservation.
Pure act, impure act: A critical comparison between Giovanni Gentile and Antonio Gramsci
Authors: Meregalli Daniele
Published: October 2024

At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, European Marxists participated in the difficult process of self-interrogation known as revisionism. In Italy, through multiple authors, publications and debates, these reflections culminated in Antonio Gramsci's philosophy of praxis, which will have an outsized importance not only for Italian communism. Although the direct ascendency of Italian Neo-Idealism over Gramsci's thought, and especially Benedetto Croce's philosophy, has always been evident and universally recognized, the influence of Giovanni Gentile's actualism on the philosophy of praxis is still debated, and often underestimated. Starting from an analysis of Gramsci's 64th note of the 11th Quaderno del carcere, where he distinguishes his ‘impure act’ from Gentile's ‘pure act’, this article intends to compare the two authors’ thoughts and their role in the philosophical revision of Marxism. By discussing various interpretations about the alleged connections between Gramsci's and Gentile's conceptions—from the most orthodox Marxist readings to the ones that, first of all, see a form of ‘post-actualism’ in the philosophy of praxis —it will attempt to highlight from a philosophical perspective their contact points, and to demonstrate how and where they are different.
An elusive line in an elusive frontier: Delineating the historical trajectory of the inner line in India’s northeast
Authors: Thejalhoukho
Published: October 2024

The Inner Line remains one of the most contentious yet enduring legacies of colonial rule in the erstwhile British India’s northeast frontier. However, there is a major disconnect between the popular conception of the Inner Line as a legal shield protecting ‘vulnerable’ communities, and the scholarly deconstruction of the Inner Line as a colonial instrument designed for the exploitation of resources and the policing of hill communities. This article traces the historical trajectory of the Inner Line in India’s northeast and highlights the significant moments when the Inner Line was subjected to varying interpretations. It argues that the history of the Inner Line was characterised by flexibility and instability not only in its physical manifestation as a geographical marker but more particularly in its perceived intent and purpose. Delineating the shifts in the roles and functions that were ascribed to the Inner Line at different historical junctures, this article attempts to reconcile the varied and even contradictory understandings of the Inner Line that continue to persist in postcolonial Northeast India.
The Interplay of Foreign Direct Investment in Unravelling the Nexus of Technological Innovation and Economic Dynamics: An Integrated Study Using Vector Error Correction Model
Authors: Maheshwari Meenu , Loke Rupali
Published: October 2024

Most lower-middle income countries prioritise innovation, with foreign direct investment (FDI) as a key funding source for sustainable development. This article studies the interplay between FDI, technological innovation (measured by patent-granted residents), gross domestic product (GDP), research and development (R&D) expenditure (RDE) and inflation of the Indian economy from 2002–2003 to 2022–2023. It uses a vector error correction model, Johansen cointegration tests, Granger causality tests, the impulse response function and variance decomposition. The study finds two cointegration relationships between the variables. GDP and RDE have a significant positive effect on technological innovation in the long term. Neither FDI nor inflation shows such an impact. FDI policies should therefore consider factors such as a conducive regulatory framework, tax breaks and grants for R&D to enhance their impact on innovation.

JEL Codes: O31, O32, F21, F23, E01, O47