bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Outcomes following hepatic angioembolization for patients with traumatic liver injury
Authors: Empey Rebecca , Nirula Ram , Lombardo Sarah
Published: January 2025

Background

Management of traumatic liver injury includes observation, hemorrhage control laparotomy (HCL), and/or liver angioembolization (LAE). Although the literature supports LAE as an effective option, procedure-related complications are well described and not uncommon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether LAE is associated with worse outcomes in both patients undergoing HCL and patients managed expectantly.

Methods

This is a retrospective analysis of patients with grades III to V traumatic liver injury enrolled in the 2018 to 2020 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database. Two comparisons were performed: (1) HCL within 24 hours of admission with and without LAE, and (2) no HCL within 24 hours of admission with and without LAE. Propensity score matching was used to account for differences in patient acuity, and univariate analysis was performed to compare groups.

Results

Both groups were well balanced after matching. Among patients with initial HCL, concomitant LAE did not affect mortality, length of stay, or complications. Patients with LAE underwent more percutaneous liver drainage procedures (7.8% vs. 3.3%, p=0.016). In the second comparison, LAE was associated with a statistically significant increase in hospital length of stay (17.6 days vs. 14.2 days, p<0.001) and more percutaneous liver drainage procedures (4.3% vs. 0.8%, p=0.002) but less open liver repairs (3.5% vs. 8.3%, p=0.004). For both cohorts, patients undergoing LAE had significantly higher 4-hour transfusion volumes.

Conclusion

LAE following traumatic liver injury is associated with more percutaneous liver drainage procedures. It is associated with increased hospital length of stay when compared with patients who are managed expectantly, but does not significantly affect mortality or hospital complications. Although the literature reports a high rate of liver-related complications, we found a relatively lower rate of liver-related interventions, particularly in the non-operative group.

Level of evidence

III.
Toxoplasma gondii and related parasites in beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested as country foods by Inuit hunters in Nunavut, Canada
Authors: Merks Harriet , Iqbal Asma , Measures Lena , Dixon Brent
Published: January 2025

Toxoplasma gondii is a very common zoonotic parasite in humans and animals worldwide. Human seroprevalence is particularly high in some regions of Canada’s North and is thought to be associated with the consumption of traditionally prepared country foods. Many of the wild mammal and bird species consumed as country foods have been reported to be positive for T. gondii by either molecular or serological methods. Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) are commonly harvested and consumed by Inuit in the Canadian Arctic, but only a few studies have reported the prevalence of T. gondii, or related parasites, in these animals. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and genotypes of T. gondii, Sarcocystis spp. and Neospora caninum in available tissues (brain and spleen) of belugas harvested by Inuit hunters in the communities of Sanikiluaq and Arviat, Nunavut, Canada, in order to estimate the potential for foodborne transmission. Based on PCR and DNA sequencing, 31.3% of the 16 belugas tested were positive for T. gondii Type III and 43.8% were positive for Sarcocystis spp. DNA from both of these parasites was detected predominantly in brain tissue. Neospora caninum DNA was not detected in any of the belugas tested. The detection of T. gondii and Sarcocystis spp. DNA in brain and spleen of belugas suggests a potential food safety risk to those consuming these animals raw.
Potential effects of introduced salmonids on native lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Huron: evaluating niche overlap using stable isotopes
Authors: Lasci Jacob D. , Hobson Keith A. , Neff Bryan D.
Published: January 2025

The Lake Huron fish community is comprised of many non-native species, including the piscivorous Pacific salmonids chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawtscha, coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutc h, and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. The only abundant native piscivorous salmonid is the lake trout Salvelinus namaycush. Since 1980, there has been a steady decline in the biomass of the prey fishes these salmonids consume. Considering the collapse of alewife Alosa pseudoharengus in 2003, there has been growing concern that lake trout will be outcompeted by the non-native salmonids. Paramount to understanding this concern is determining the diet overlap between salmonids and how the overlap has shifted with changes in prey abundance. Here, stable isotope analyses (δ13C, δ15N) from lipid-extracted muscle tissues were compared among salmonids revealing large percentages of lake-wide isotopic niche overlap. Comparisons of these isotopes from salmonid scale samples taken before and after the alewife collapse revealed a shift in the diets of chinook salmon that now overlap with lake trout. Given the strong competitiveness of chinook salmon, this result is concerning for the management of the native lake trout.
Short-term microplastic exposure fails to affect swimming endurance or body condition in juvenile golden shiners Notemigonus crysoleucas
Authors: Schindler Melissa , Pennington Preston C. , Dell Anthony , Louison Michael J.
Published: January 2025

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as a significant environmental concern for both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Fish are particularly susceptible to aquatic MP exposure, though the effects of this exposure may differ by species and MP type. To increase our understanding of the physiological effects of MPs on fish, we conducted a study examining swimming endurance and body condition in golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas Rafinesque, 1819) following MP exposure. Over 15 days, N. crysoleucas were exposed to one of four treatments: i) nylon fibers; ii) polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle fragments; iii) Nylon fiber and PET); iv) no plastics (controls). Subsequently, swimming endurance was assessed using a swim apparatus. Fish were then euthanized and dissected to quantify MP load. Results showed no significant differences in swimming endurance or body condition among MP treatments, with a majority (54.4%) of fish found to have zero MPs in their bodies. This indicates that N. crysoleucas either avoided MP consumption or efficiently expelled particles, potentially mitigating the effects of exposure. These results underscore the resilience and adaptive mechanisms of fish in coping with MP pollution, highlighting the need for further investigation into the dynamics of MP-fish interactions to inform effective mitigation strategies and safeguard aquatic ecosystems.
Complexity Analysis on Supply Chains of Manufacturer: Introducing a Self-Built Online Platform under Dual-Channel Retailing
Authors: Kadeer Abudureheman , Zhao Mingyu , Li Mengzhe , Zhao Shiyi
Published: January 2025

We establish a long-term dynamic Stackelberg game model based on dual-channel retailing, taking into account the manufacturer’s dynamic quality decision-making. The model involves a manufacturer who has a self-built online platform and a retailer, and the complex characteristics of the system when the manufacturer makes dynamic quality decision-making are explored. We further analyze the supply chain system by exploring the stable region, global bifurcation and multistability of the dynamic system, the bifurcation diagrams, 3D-profit diagrams, and consumer utility. The conclusions are as follows: (1) There are local steady and multisteady states in the dynamic system, and the adjustment parameters of all decision variables should be kept within an appropriate range to figure out the dynamic evolutionary orbits and reduce the uncertainty. (2) The development of the supply chain is hampered by excessive channel rivalry. (3) The market-dominant manufacturer must strike a balance between product quality and the self-built online platform’s business focus. (4) While a chaotic condition of the system might lead to greater efficiency for supply chain participants, major disruptions to supply chain operations can also result from market uncertainty. (5) The chaotic behavior can be effectively controlled using the delay feedback control method.
CAN COMMUNITY-BASED CARE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISINFECTION MITIGATE THE PNEUMONIA BURDEN?
Authors: SIGAUKE MORELYN , NJAGARAH HATSON JOHN BOSCOH , KASSA SEMU MITIKU , SZOMOLAY BARBARA
Published: January 2025

Pneumonia is one of the major causes of death among children under five years of age and adults over 65, with more than 2 million deaths occurring in developing countries every year. The efforts for early detection, effective treatment, and minimizing the transmission of pneumonia are possible if the dynamics of the disease are well understood. In most countries or communities, hospitals have limited capacity to accommodate those who are sick. Therefore, individuals can be treated as outpatients or in community-based care depending on the severity of the infection. In this research, a model for the transmission dynamics of pneumonia is developed to determine the effect of disinfecting the pathogen-contaminated environment, and community-based care on the disease mitigation process. The basic properties of the model including positivity and boundedness, the basic reproduction number ([Formula: see text]), existence and stability of equilibria were determined as well as the conditions for existence of backward bifurcation, a scenario where reducing [Formula: see text] below 1 may not be enough to eradicate the disease. Sensitivity analysis was performed using the Latin Hypercube Sampling Scheme to determine the parameters with the greatest influence on the reproduction number. The results revealed that transmission rate through the contaminated environment and contact rate through person-to-person have the most significant potential of increasing the disease burden if unabated, while effective treatment and increased decay rate of microbes from the environment have the greatest potential of containing the number of infections. Numerical simulations were performed to illustrate the analytical results as well as establish the long-term behavior of the disease. It was observed that introducing community-based care can accelerate the containment of the disease as well as reducing the number of deaths in the population. In addition, a higher frequency of environmental disinfection is associated with lower infection cases not only around the peaks but also in the long term. We recommend that the community-based care be enhanced in the disease management process to cater for settings where resources are limited. To ensure proper implementation of community-based care services, training of community-based caregivers on the transmission dynamics of the disease, its management and prevention strategies is mandatory. More still, practicing proper hygiene, and applying multiple combinations of control measures including vaccination and isolation of the infected is essential if the disease is to be contained in a shorter time.
Some improper injective coloring parameters of graphs
Authors: Pious Merlin , Madhumitha S. , Naduvath Sudev
Published: January 2025

Any vertex coloring protocol of a graph can be viewed as a random experiment of assigning colors to the vertices, whose random variable is defined as the number of vertices assigned a specific color in that coloring. Based on this idea, the statistical parameters of mean and variance have been extended to chromatic mean and chromatic variance for various proper vertex colorings of graphs in the literature. In this paper, the ideas of chromatic mean and chromatic variance of graphs concerning their improper injective coloring are introduced and determined for certain standard graphs.
Tris: A Screening System for Trinary Star System Candidates
Authors: Ramanathan Vikram , Yap Yuan Xi , Gupta Prannaya , Cheong Ernest , Ricardo Bernard
Published: January 2025

The discovery and cataloguing of trinary star systems are of significant interest to the field of astronomy, with implications from stellar system formation dynamics to satellite star capture frequency. However, this often involves the intensely laborious task of manually analysing photometric data, making large-scale classification difficult. While a few semi-automated algorithms to aid in this task have been developed, they both struggle with noisy data and are closed source, making their application limited. In our paper, by analyzing variations in the Eclipse Timings of known Eclipsing Binaries (EBs) using filtering and signal processing techniques, a noise-resistant semi-automated system to screen EBs for potential trinary companions was developed. Additionally, our system was run on the Kepler EB Catalogue v3 and the presence of 850 trinary star candidates out of a dataset of 2865 stellar systems was detected. The algorithm used in this study allows for the rapid processing of EBs and enables the large-scale identification of trinary stars.
Wigner Crystallization Versus Goldstone Theorem in a 2D Surface One Component Plasma
Authors: Fantoni Riccardo
Published: January 2025

We present a self contained derivation of the Wigner crystallization in a bidimensional one-component classical plasma.
Review of "Salt of the earth: Rhetoric, preservation and white supremacy by James Chase Sanchez," Sanchez, J. C. (2021).
Salt of the earth: Rhetoric, preservation, and white supremacy.
Conference on College Composition and Communication, NCTE Press.
Authors: Gray Kat M.
Published: January 2025

In
Salt of the earth: Rhetoric, preservation, and white supremacy
, James Chase Sanchez examined rhetorical processes that sustain white supremacy: identity construction, storytelling, and silencing. This cultural rhetorics project used narrative inquiry, autoethnography, and constellation to explore "hegemonic storytelling" (p. 47--48). Sanchez centered narratives about growing up "Brown" (p. 10) in Grand Saline, Texas and returning to his hometown years later to create a documentary film,
Man on Fire
, about minister Charles Moore's self-immolation in a local parking lot. Ultimately, Sanchez argued that a deeper understanding of oppressive rhetorics is useful for rhetorical scholars, communications practitioners, and storytellers of all types (historians, journalists, filmmakers, archivists, etc.). He guided rhetoric and communications design towards more thoughtful consideration of embedded communicative norms and the harmful practices they conceal.
Augmenting for Accessible Environments: Layering Deep Mapping, Deep Accessibility, and Community Literacy
Authors: Heilig Leah , Overbay Ally , Jones Madison , Roberts Taylor
Published: January 2025

This article reports on lessons learned from the first phase of an ongoing multimodal project aimed at promoting digital and environmental literacy in concert with access and accessibility on our university's main campus. We discuss an emerging, student-led locative media project, built to increase engagement with the North Woods, an approximately 300 acre parcel of unmanaged forests and wetlands on the north part of our campus. By layering together deep mapping and accessibility, this project intervenes in the binaries between art and science and nature and technology, with a strong focus on how digital, environmental, and community literacy can contribute to more accessible experiences.
Special Section dedicated to Dr. Halcyon Lawrence: "Please Continue This Good Work!": A Letter to Dr. Halcyon Lawrence from a Brief Friend
Authors: Dammeyer Sarah
Published: January 2025

Dear Halcyon,

You probably didn't realize the impact you had when, sitting on that bench outside of The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) at the 2023 CPTSC conference, you changed the topic of our conversation from your new house to, "And what is your research on, Sarah?"

No one had ever asked me that before.
Dr. Halcyon Lawrence: A Resounding Legacy
Authors: Neefe Lauren
Published: January 2025

I last heard from Dr. Lawrence about two weeks before she died when she responded to my request for her expertise:

Dr. Neefe,

Attached are my comments on the 2 surveys. I'm concerned about the length of the POE survey in particular...It's long and I'm assuming if people are responding to this this [sic] on their way out of the building, they are not going to give it the careful thought and reflection that many of the questions require. But maybe I have the context of the survey wrong...

I hope my comments are helpful --- this is such an exciting project,

Halcyon
Dr. Halcyon Lawrence's "Siri Disciplines": Examining Accented English and Pedagogical Implications of Biased Technologies through an African Diasporic Lens
Authors: Ojedele-Adejumo Temitope
Published: January 2025

In the Fall of 2023, my professor, a fellow graduate student, and I dedicated months of intensive work to a project that held great significance for us because of its relevance to human values and the broader conversation on social justice. We applied to a conference and were eager to disseminate our methodology and findings. This conference promised to be a landmark experience for me; it was going to be my first time attending this conference and an opportunity to present our work to a like-minded audience. We were accepted and the schedule listed our presentation last on the panel. I anticipated our presentation with a mix of excitement and responsibility.
Cultivating Empathic Engineering Design through UX Pedagogy: Challenges and Insights
Authors: Rea Ashley , Balghare Akshata
Published: January 2025

This article reports on a study about design thinking pedagogy in technical communication courses taken by engineering students. The study suggests that design thinking pedagogy can foster engineering students' empathy for users, particularly their ability to recognize the feelings, knowledge, and perspectives of others. However, its findings reinforce the difficulty faced when encouraging students' societal-level empathy and the limitations of empathy. While engineering students may struggle to transfer user empathy to courses in their major, this study found that engineering students believe design thinking has relevance to their future careers. This article offers teaching strategies and project ideas for technical and professional communication instructors to facilitate students' ability to transfer user empathy to their disciplines.
Matching GPT-simulated populations with real ones in psychological studies - the case of the EPQR-A personality test
Authors: Ferreira Gregorio , Amidei Jacopo , Nieto Rubén , Kaltenbrunner Andreas
Published: January 2025

This article analyzes how well OpenAI's LLM GPT-4 can emulate different personalities and simulate populations to answer psychological questionnaires similarly to real population samples. For this purpose, we performed different experiments with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Abbreviated (EPQR-A) in three different languages (Spanish, English, and Slovak). The EPQR-A measures personality on four scales: extraversion (E: sociability), neuroticism (N: emotional stability), psychoticism (P: tendency to break social rules, and not having empathy), and lying (L: social desirability).

We perform a comparative analysis of the answers of synthetic populations with those of two real population samples of Spanish students as well as the unconditioned baseline personality of GPT. Furthermore, the impact of time (what year the questionnaire is answered), questionnaire language, and student age and gender are analyzed.

To our knowledge, this is the first time the EPQR-A test has been used to assess the GPT´s personality and the impact of different language versions and time are measured.

Our analysis reveals that GPT-4 exhibits an extroverted, emotionally stable personality with low psychoticism levels and high social desirability. GPT-4 replicates some differences observed in real populations in terms of gender but only partially replicates the results for real populations.
Failure Diagnosis in Microservice Systems: A Comprehensive Survey and Analysis
Authors: Zhang Shenglin , Xia Sibo , Fan Wenzhao , Shi Binpeng , Xiong Xiao , Zhong Zhenyu , Ma Minghua , Sun Yongqian , Pei Dan
Published: January 2025

Widely adopted for their scalability and flexibility, modern microservice systems present unique failure diagnosis challenges due to their independent deployment and dynamic interactions. This complexity can lead to cascading failures that negatively impact operational efficiency and user experience. Recognizing the critical role of fault diagnosis in improving the stability and reliability of microservice systems, researchers have conducted extensive studies and achieved a number of significant results. This survey provides an exhaustive review of 98 scientific papers from 2003 to the present, including a thorough examination and elucidation of the fundamental concepts, system architecture, and problem statement. It also includes a qualitative analysis of the dimensions, providing an in-depth discussion of current best practices and future directions, aiming to further its development and application. In addition, this survey compiles publicly available datasets, toolkits, and evaluation metrics to facilitate the selection and validation of techniques for practitioners.
An Empirical Study on Challenges for LLM Application Developers
Authors: Chen Xiang , Gao Chaoyang , Chen Chunyang , Zhang Guangbei , Liu Yong
Published: January 2025

In recent years, large language models (LLMs) have seen rapid advancements, significantly impacting various fields such as computer vision, natural language processing, and software engineering. These LLMs, exemplified by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have revolutionized the way we approach language understanding and generation tasks. However, in contrast to traditional software development practices, LLM development introduces new challenges for AI developers in design, implementation, and deployment. These challenges span different areas (such as prompts, APIs, and plugins), requiring developers to navigate unique methodologies and considerations specific to LLM application development.

Despite the profound influence of LLMs, to the best of our knowledge, these challenges have not been thoroughly investigated in previous empirical studies. To fill this gap, we present the first comprehensive study on understanding the challenges faced by LLM developers. Specifically, we crawl and analyze 29,057 relevant questions from a popular OpenAI developer forum. We first examine their popularity and difficulty. After manually analyzing 2,364 sampled questions, we construct a taxonomy of challenges faced by LLM developers. Based on this taxonomy, we summarize a set of findings and actionable implications for LLM-related stakeholders, including developers and providers (especially the OpenAI organization).
Emotional influences on remembering and forgetting explained by frontal and parietal dynamics
Authors: Chen Zhuo , Wang Lin , Ying Shaofei , Yuan Jiaqi , Ren Jiaxin , Yan Ye , Qin Yun , Liu Tiejun , Yao Dezhong
Published: January 2025

This study provides experimental evidence that emotional memories, especially negative ones, are more difficult to intentionally forget than neutral memories within the item-method directed forgetting paradigm. It explores the cognitive mechanisms underlying this process, highlighting the role of selective rehearsal and inhibitory control. In addition, it reveals emotion-dependent low-frequency phase synchronization between frontal and parietal regions, offering new insights into active forgetting of emotional memories.
Unusual Surgical Resection of Asymptomatic Schwannoma of the Cervical Vagus Nerve With Risk of Stroke: Case Report
Authors: Martins Roberto Sérgio , Oliveira Adilson J. M. de , Lucas Evander , Siqueira Mario Gilberto
Published: January 2025

Schwannomas are the most common tumors of the peripheral nerves, originating from their support cells, the Schwann cells. The location of the tumor in the vagus nerve is rare. Vagus schwannomas usually present as a solitary, slow‐growing, asymptomatic mass that rarely causes neurological alterations. The differential diagnosis of vagus nerve schwannomas includes other tumors of the parapharyngeal space or neoplasms of the jugular foramen. We report the case of a patient with an asymptomatic schwannoma of the vagus nerve involving important neck structures, with radiological compression of the carotid artery with a high risk of stroke; because of this, we underwent surgery using a transcervical approach with intracapsular excision of the tumor. The patient has a good outcome. In asymptomatic patients’ surgical indication is not an easy decision; in this case, the main reason for surgical indication was the risk of stroke with potential neurological sequels.
Subcutaneous Emphysema and Severe Interstitial Lung Disease in the Setting of Anti‐MDA 5 Positive Dermatomyositis in a Hispanic Patient
Authors: Subhadarshani Sweta , Woodie Brad , Bookal Emerson , Reed Justin
Published: January 2025

Antimelanoma differentiation‐associated gene 5 (MDA5) dermatomyositis (DM) is a subtype of DM associated with characteristic mucocutaneous features. These individuals have an increased risk of developing interstitial lung disease (ILD) that ultimately leads to a complicated clinical course. Certain clinical findings suggest anti‐MDA5 positive DM over anti‐MDA5 negative DM, including cutaneous ulcers, diffuse nonscarring alopecia, and panniculitis. ILD and pneumomediastinum are known to be two of the most important pulmonary complications of anti‐MDA5 DM because of the possibility of a rapidly progressive course and poor survival. This case outlines the unique presentation of pneumomediastinum, subcutaneous emphysema, and ILD in a patient with anti‐MDA5 positive DM.
Prothrombotic State and Vascular Damage in Angiotensin II–Induced Hypertension: Influence of Waterpipe Smoke Exposure
Authors: Beegam Sumaya , Al-Salam Suhail , Zaaba Nur Elena , Elzaki Ozaz , Nemmar Abderrahim
Published: January 2025

Hypertension is a risk factor for vascular injury and thrombotic complications, and smoking tobacco is a risk factor for the development and exacerbation of hypertension. The influence of waterpipe smoke (WPS) on coagulation and vascular injury in hypertension is not fully understood. Here, we evaluated the effects of WPS in mice made hypertensive (HT) by infusing angiotensin II (Ang II) for 42 days. On day 14 of the infusion of Ang II or vehicle (normotensive; NT), mice were exposed either to air or WPS for four consecutive weeks. Each session was 30 min/day for 5 days/week. The concentrations of tissue factor, von Willebrand factor, fibrinogen, and plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 were elevated in the HT + WPS group versus either HT + air or NT + WPS groups. Similarly, in the HT + WPS group, thrombogenicity was increased both in vivo and in vitro, compared with either HT + air or NT + WPS groups. In aortic tissue, adhesion molecules including P‐selectin, E‐selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule‐1, and vascular adhesion molecule‐1 were increased in the HT + WPS group versus the controls. Likewise, various proinflammatory cytokines and markers of oxidative stress augmented in the HT + WPS group compared with either HT + air or NT + WPS. DNA damage, cleaved caspase‐3, and cytochrome C were increased in the HT + WPS group versus the controls. The immunohistochemical expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 was increased in the HT + WPS group versus either HT + air or NT + WPS. Taken together, our findings show that WPS exposure intensified thrombogenicity and vascular damage in experimentally induced hypertension. Our data suggest that vascular toxicity of WPS may be exaggerated in hypertensive patients.
Supplementary Table S5 from Phosphocreatine Promotes Epigenetic Reprogramming to Facilitate Glioblastoma Growth Through Stabilizing BRD2
Authors: Chen Lishu , Qi Qinghui , Jiang Xiaoqing , Wu Jin , Li Yuanyuan , Liu Zhaodan , Cai Yan , Ran Haowen , Zhang Songyang , Zhang Cheng , Wu Huiran , Cao Shuailiang , Mi Lanjuan , Xiao Dake , Huang Haohao , Jiang Shuai , Wu Jiaqi , Li Bohan , Xie Jiong , Qi Ji , Li Fangye , Liang Panpan , Han Qiuying , Wu Min , Zhou Wenchao , Wang Chenhui , Zhang Weina , Jiang Xin , Zhang Kun , Li Huiyan , Zhang Xuemin , Li Ailing , Zhou Tao , Man Jianghong
Published: January 2025

Supplementary Table S5 shows the detailed genetic mutations of four GBM cell lines.
Supplementary Table S3 from Phosphocreatine Promotes Epigenetic Reprogramming to Facilitate Glioblastoma Growth Through Stabilizing BRD2
Authors: Chen Lishu , Qi Qinghui , Jiang Xiaoqing , Wu Jin , Li Yuanyuan , Liu Zhaodan , Cai Yan , Ran Haowen , Zhang Songyang , Zhang Cheng , Wu Huiran , Cao Shuailiang , Mi Lanjuan , Xiao Dake , Huang Haohao , Jiang Shuai , Wu Jiaqi , Li Bohan , Xie Jiong , Qi Ji , Li Fangye , Liang Panpan , Han Qiuying , Wu Min , Zhou Wenchao , Wang Chenhui , Zhang Weina , Jiang Xin , Zhang Kun , Li Huiyan , Zhang Xuemin , Li Ailing , Zhou Tao , Man Jianghong
Published: January 2025

Supplementary Table S3 shows UCSC-predicted transcription factors that bind to CKB promoters.
Personalised Care in CKD: Moving Beyond Traditional Biomarkers
Authors: McDonnell Thomas , Banks Rosamonde E. , Taal Maarten W. , Vuilleumier Nicolas , Kalra Philip A.
Published: January 2025

The ultimate goal of precision medicine is to tailor treatment to specific disease processes, thereby optimising patient outcomes. This approach moves beyond the one-size-fits-all model, recognising at an individual level the unique combinations of molecular, genetic, and environmental factors determining disease progression and treatment response. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) exemplifies the need for precision medicine, given its complex and heterogeneous nature. Traditional biomarkers, such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR), have long been the cornerstone of CKD diagnosis and management. However, these markers homogenise a diverse group of distinct conditions within CKD with separate pathophysiologies and progression rates. The standardisation of CKD definition has improved clarity and consistency but has inadvertently led to a generic classification system, which categorises patients with CKD based on these non-specific markers and fails to capture the nuances of individual patient conditions. As a result, there is a critical need for novel biomarkers that can more accurately represent specific aetiologies and mechanisms of CKD progression. By identifying and utilising novel biomarkers, the field of nephrology could better understand individual mechanisms of CKD progression and move towards tailored risk prediction and treatment strategies, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

This review is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all biomarkers in CKD but a proposal to the nephrology community to think more pathophysiologically about CKD, recognise the importance of distinct primary kidney diseases, and start working towards a more personalised medicine approach.
Placental Hypoxia-Induced Ferroptosis Drives Vascular Damage in Preeclampsia
Authors: Park Chanho , Alahari Sruthi , Ausman Jonathan , Liu Ruizhe , Nguyen Frederik , Sallais Julien , Post Martin , Caniggia Isabella
Published: January 2025

BACKGROUND:

Iron is an essential micronutrient for cell survival and growth; however, excess of this metal drives ferroptosis. Although maternal iron imbalance and placental hypoxia are independent contributors to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, the mechanisms by which their interaction impinge on maternal and placental health remain elusive.

METHODS:

We used placentae from normotensive and preeclampsia pregnancy cohorts, human H9 embryonic stem cells differentiated into cytotrophoblast-like cells, and placenta-specific
Phd2

−/−

preeclamptic mice. Lipid peroxidation and iron cargo of placenta-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) isolated from the maternal circulation of control and preeclampsia individuals were examined by mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, and colorimetry. Human microvascular endothelial cells’ angiogenic capacity and function were examined after exposure to control and pathological sEVs.

RESULTS:

Placentae from preeclampsia pregnancies contain increased ferrous iron and lipid peroxidation byproduct, malondialdehyde. Antioxidant capacity is significantly lower in preeclampsia placentae, with decreased glutathione content, and GPx4 (glutathione peroxidase 4) expression and activity. Hypoxia triggers the occurrence of ferroptosis in human trophoblast cells and mouse
Phd2

−

/−

placentae. Disrupted placental iron homeostasis in preeclampsia is accompanied by improper extrusion of iron through sEVs mediated by the pentaspan protein prominin-2. Heightened lipid peroxidation content was found in villous explants and maternal circulating sEVs of preeclampsia individuals. Exposure of human microvascular endothelial cells to preeclampsia-derived placental sEVs results in endothelial activation and impaired angiogenesis, which is rescued by treatment with hinokitiol, a compound known to restore tissue iron balance.

CONCLUSIONS:

In pregnancy, iron and oxygen work synergistically to conserve an operative antioxidant system to maintain iron homeostasis and protect the placenta from ferroptotic death. Hindrance to this system due to hypoxia results in heightened ferroptosis rates and sEV-mediated extrusion of harmful lipid peroxides from trophoblast cells into the circulation thereby contributing to maternal endothelial dysfunction characterizing preeclampsia.
Nephronectin Is Required for Vascularization in Zebrafish and Sufficient to Promote Mammalian Vessel‐Like Structures in Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering
Authors: Patra Chinmoy , Rayrikar Amey , Wagh Ganesh , Kleefeldt Florian , Roshanbinfar Kaveh , Cop Florian , Nikolic Iva , Schmidt Mirko H. H. , Acker‐Palmer Amparo , Ergün Süleyman , Engel Felix B.
Published: January 2025

Background

Organs and tissues need to be vascularized during development. Similarly, vascularization is required to engineer thick tissues. How vessels are formed during organogenesis is not fully understood, and vascularization of engineered tissues remains a significant challenge.

Methods and Results

Here, we show that the extracellular matrix protein nephronectin is required for vascularization during zebrafish development as well as adult fin regeneration and is sufficient to promote mammalian vessel formation and maturation. Nephronectin a morphants and mutants exhibit diminished axial vein sprouting and posterior intersegmental vessel growth. Notably, the angiogenesis‐associated integrins
itgav
and
itgb3.1
are coexpressed with nephronectin a in the region of the caudal vein plexus and posterior somites; nephronectin binds to integrin alpha‐V/integrin beta‐3.1 (ITGAV/ITGB3.1), and
itgav
morphants phenocopy nephronectin a mutants. In addition, nephronectin a mutants showed decreased vessel maturation compared with wild‐type siblings during caudal fin regeneration in adult zebrafish. Moreover, nephronectin promotes mammalian endothelial cell migration and tube formation in 2D and 3‐dimensional in vitro tissue culture. Further, nephronectin enhances vascular endothelial growth factor‐induced periaortic vascular capillary interconnectivity, vessel diameter, and vessel stability.

Conclusions

Collectively, our results identify nephronectin as a proangiogenic factor during embryonic development, which can be used to improve the vascularization of engineered tissues.
Cardiovascular Reactivity to Mental Stress and Adverse Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Moazzami Kasra , Sullivan Samaah , Wang Maggie , Okoh Alexis K. , Almuwaqqat Zakaria , Pearce Brad , Shah Amit J. , Sun Yan V. , Ko Yi‐An , Raggi Paolo , Bremner J. Douglas , Vaccarino Viola , Quyyumi Arshed A.
Published: January 2025

Background

Acute psychological stress may induce physiological changes predisposing individuals to adverse health outcomes through hemodynamic and vascular effects. We studied the association between the aggregated stress‐induced changes in hemodynamic and vascular function tests with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease, after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Methods and Results

Individuals with stable coronary artery disease from 2 prospective cohort studies were studied. Hemodynamic reactivity, changes in endothelial function, and vasoconstriction during mental stress were evaluated using changes in rate‐pressure product, brachial artery flow‐mediated vasodilation, and peripheral arterial tonometry, respectively. A cardiovascular reactivity risk score was calculated by allotting 0 to 3 points for each quartile of increasing abnormality for each of the 3 reactivity responses and summing the quartile points from the MIPS (Mental Stress Ischemia Prognosis Study) to yield a cardiovascular reactivity risk score ranging from 0 to 9. The outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and heart failure hospitalizations during follow‐up. A total of 629 participants were included. After adjustment for demographic and traditional risk factors, a blunted hemodynamic response, a greater decrease in flow‐mediated vasodilation, and a greater degree of peripheral vasoconstriction to mental stress were all independently associated with a higher risk of adverse outcomes in both cohorts. By adding the cardiovascular reactivity risk score, the C‐statistic increased significantly by 10% (
P
<0.001).

Conclusions

Among individuals with stable coronary artery disease, a risk score derived from cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress was predictive of adverse cardiovascular outcomes beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Comprehensive Assessment of the Risk of Symptomatic Embolism in Patients With Infective Endocarditis
Authors: Santos‐Patarroyo Sebastian D. , Quintero‐Martinez Juan A. , Lahr Brian D. , Chesdachai Supavit , DeSimone Daniel C. , Villarraga Hector R. , Michelena Hector I. , Baddour Larry M.
Published: January 2025

Background

Echocardiographic evaluation of vegetations is crucial in infective endocarditis (
IE
). Although several studies have noted a link between larger vegetations and an increased risk of embolization, a more comprehensive evaluation of vegetation characteristics in a contemporary cohort has not been conducted. Our study aimed to define the short‐term risk of symptomatic embolization in patients with
IE
.

Methods and Results

The Mayo Clinic
IE
registry was screened to identify patients from 2015 to 2021 who had undergone transesophageal echocardiography. Multivariable subdistribution hazards regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the cumulative incidence of symptomatic embolism over 30 days accounting for the competing risk of death. Overall, 779 patients with
IE
were included, of whom 517 (66.4%) were men, median age was 65.0 (
interquartile range,
52.9–74.8) years, and 89.3% were White. In total, 234 patients had a symptomatic embolic event, a 30‐day cumulative incidence of 30.2%. In multivariable analysis, a highly mobile vegetation was the strongest predictor of embolism (
P
<0.001). Vegetation length with interaction of
IE
type was also associated with embolic risk (
P
<0.001), with a stronger effect in native valve
IE
(
P
interaction=0.001). Other associated factors included multiple vegetations, younger age, and
Staphylococcus aureus
. A nomogram that incorporated these factors was constructed to facilitate the prediction of embolic risk.

Conclusions

Highly mobile, larger vegetations are associated with embolic events. Embolic risk could be assessed by evaluating length as a continuous variable, alongside other echocardiographic findings, using a newly developed scoring tool; external validation is warranted.
Effects of Age and Sex on Systemic Inflammation and Cardiometabolic Function in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Dushay Jody , Rickers Eva S. , Wang Enya , Gilman Jessica , Zhang Ying , Blankstein Ron , Gervino Ernest V. , Jerosch‐Herold Michael , Veves Aristidis
Published: January 2025

Background

Systemic inflammation, aging, and type 2 diabetes (T2D) lead to varying degrees of cardiovascular dysfunction and impaired aerobic exercise capacity. This study evaluates the impact of inflammation and sex differences on coronary and peripheral vascular function and exercise capacity in older individuals with and without T2D.

Methods

Older individuals (aged≥65 years) underwent biochemical and tissue inflammatory phenotyping, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging, and vascular reactivity testing. Correlation and regression analyses determined the effects of systemic inflammation, older age, and sex on cardiovascular health, stratified by T2D status.

Results

For the 133 recruited individuals (44% women; median age, 71±7 years, 41% with T2D), the presence of T2D most significantly increased the white blood cell count (
P
=0.004;
P
.adj.=0.140) among markers of systemic inflammation. White blood cell count was comparable in men and women. Hyperemic myocardial blood flow and flow‐mediated and flow‐independent nitroglycerin–induced brachial artery dilation were significantly impaired in men but not women with T2D. Peak oxygen consumption during exercise was lower with T2D (
P
=0.021), and overall reduced in women compared with men (
P
=0.002). Across all participants, both peak oxygen consumption during exercise and hyperemic myocardial blood flow were significantly impaired with increased white blood cell count. Women showed more adverse myocardial remodeling assessed by extracellular volume than men (
P
=0.008), independently of T2D status.

Conclusions

The pathophysiological manifestations of T2D on vascular function and aerobic exercise capacity are distinct in older men and women, and this may reflect underlying differences in vascular and myocardial aging in the presence of T2D.
On Walter Benjamin's “Thirteen Theses Against Snobs”
Authors: Hamacher Sophie
Published: January 2025

This article analyzes Walter Benjamin's “Thirteen Theses Against Snobs” (1925), a cryptic text that explores the relationship between artworks and documents. The analysis originates from conversations between the author and her father, literary scholar Werner Hamacher, during her undergraduate years following her visit to Documenta 11 in 2002. Through close reading and translation work, Hamacher examines Benjamin's complex binary oppositions between artworks and documents, revealing how these distinctions remain relevant to contemporary discussions about documentary practices, particularly in the age of AI and digital manipulation.

The article provides a detailed interpretation of each of Benjamin's thirteen theses, which are presented in both German and English. Hamacher argues that Benjamin's text positions itself between genres, combining thesis statements with narrative and poetic elements. The analysis reveals how Benjamin characterizes artworks as synthetic, meaning-focused creations that intensify through repeated viewing, while documents are portrayed as analytical tools dominated by subject matter that impact through surprise. The article demonstrates how Benjamin's framework continues to offer valuable insights into current debates about facticity, the politics of perception, and the evolution of documentary forms in contemporary art.

This interpretation serves both as a scholarly analysis and a personal document, as Hamacher chose to preserve her early-career reading of the text rather than revising it, making the article itself a testament to the complex relationship between document and artwork that Benjamin explores.
On Indiana: A Disorientation Guide
Authors: Gleisser Faye R.
Published: January 2025

Where does the concept “at risk” come from and what does it do and for whom? This essay critiques the ways that discussion of artists and art workers labeled “at risk” tends to focus primarily on moments of extreme crisis, leaving under-studied the “slow violence” of colonial, anti-Black, and neoliberal funding, promotion, retention, and lawfare deployed by museums and universities, as well as the ways that “at-riskness” is marketed and romanticized in the arts. In response, Faye Gleisser, a curator and art historian based in Bloomington, Indiana, fashions a disorientation guide that questions the geographic imaginaries of risk, normalized “frontlines” of crisis, and risk management practices that maintain asymmetrical relations of vulnerability to state-sanctioned violence.

In so doing, this disorientation guide argues that the artworld is itself a riskocracy: a regulatory structure that privileges and prioritizes racialized, gendered, and classed notions of “responsible” risk as the mark of genius, value, and leadership, and criminalizes, dismisses, and undermines risk-taking deemed “irreverent” by those in positions of institutional power. One way to begin to study and thereby come to know and undo riskocracy is to recognize its structures and processes of governance. This practice requires pushing against prevalent narrations of risk knowledge and responsive aid that focus on valorizing individual acts of agency within comparative registers of imperial violence and censorship. Through the interlacing of the co-constitutive vulnerabilities experienced by artists and curators—Kelli Morgan, Samia Halaby, Javier Cardona Otero, Lauren Pacheco, and Rebecca Fasman—each with different ties to the central, southern, and northern parts of the state of Indiana, this guide puts pressure on legal and rights-oriented solutions to “at-riskness” and demonstrates how the dismantling of the riskocratic regime of contemporary art requires a collectivized reimagining of “at risk” logics of care.
Digital Media Trends in Public Diplomacy: the Case of Taiwan’s Youth Ambassadors
Authors: Kostadinov Yavor A , Chow W Emily
Published: January 2025

Digital media facilitate global reach and empower individuals as cultural influencers. Taiwanese youth ambassadors (YA s) can tell Taiwan’s story online to boost its credibility and attract attention. This article explores the role of these non-state actors as potential social media influencers in cultural diplomacy. Findings from a survey and focus group in the International Youth Ambassador Exchange Programme indicate that YA s reject the role of social media influencers. YA s view social media as inadequate for trust building and credibility compared with interpersonal interactions. While some YA s see social media as a cross-cultural bridge, others view it as contentious, particularly around Taiwan’s political status. To avoid controversy, YA s focus on positive image building and cultural promotion. Ultimately, some of their efforts aim to enhance Taiwan’s global awareness and cultivate collective pride among Taiwanese youth. This case contributes to understanding the digital role and experience of non-state diplomatic actors from state-affiliated cultural diplomacy programmes.
Cicero and the Philosophic Grounds of Liberty
Authors: Hawley Michael C.
Published: January 2025

The prevailing view of the origin of the idea of republican liberty holds that it emerged as a polemical tool to wield against political opponents in the Roman republic. But viewing republican liberty as partisan rhetorical device has obscured the important philosophical innovations that were necessary to render it theoretically viable and coherent. Turning to Cicero, the earliest extant theorist of republican liberty, I seek to explore the depth of the conceptual revolution that made it possible to articulate that ideal. Cicero transforms the practice of republican libertas into a coherent ideal through a re-thinking of some of the central claims of Greek political philosophy.