bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of the robotic-assistance level on upper extremity function in stroke patients receiving adjunct robotic rehabilitation: sub-analysis of a randomized clinical trial
Authors: Takebayashi Takashi , Takahashi Kayoko , Okita Yuho , Kubo Hironobu , Hachisuka Kenji , Domen Kazuhisa
Published: February 2022

Background

Robotic therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in treating upper extremity (UE) paresis in stroke survivors. However, it remains unclear whether the level of assistance provided by robotics in UE training could affect the improvement in UE function in stroke survivors. We aimed to exploratorily investigate the impact of robotic assistance level and modes of adjustment on functional improvement in a stroke-affected UE.

Methods

We analyzed the data of 30 subacute stroke survivors with mild-to-severe UE hemiplegia who were randomly assigned to the robotic therapy (using ReoGo System) group in our previous randomized clinical trial. A cluster analysis based on the training results (the percentage of each stroke patient’s five assistance modes of robotics used during the training) was performed. The patients were divided into two groups: high and low robotic assistance groups. Additionally, the two groups were sub-categorized into the following classes based on the severity of UE functional impairment: moderate-to-mild [Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) score ≥ 30] and severe-to-moderate class (FMA < 30). The outcomes were assessed using FMA, FMA-proximal, performance-time in the Wolf motor function test (WMFT), and functional assessment scale (FAS) in WMFT. The outcomes of each class in the two groups were analyzed. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted with robot assistance level and severity of UE function as explanatory factors and the change in each outcome pre- and post-intervention as the objective factor.

Results

Overall, significant differences of the group × severity interaction were found in most of the outcomes, including FMA-proximal (p = 0.038, η2 = 0.13), WMFT-PT (p = 0.021, η2 = 0.17), and WMFT-FAS (p = 0.045, η2 = 0.14). However, only the FMA score appeared not to be significantly different in each group (p = 0.103, η2 = 0.09).

Conclusion

An optimal amount of robotic assistance is a key to maximize improvement in post-stroke UE paralysis. Furthermore, severity of UE paralysis is an important consideration when deciding the amount of assistance in robotic therapy.

Trial registrationTrial enrollment was done at UMIN (UMIN 000001619, registration date was January 1, 2009)
Malondialdehyde and anion patterns in exhaled breath condensate among subway workers
Authors: Sauvain Jean-Jacques , Hemmendinger Maud , Suárez Guillaume , Creze Camille , Hopf Nancy B. , Jouannique Valérie , Debatisse Amélie , Pralong Jacques A. , Wild Pascal , Guseva Canu Irina
Published: February 2022

Background

Underground transportation systems can contribute to the daily particulates and metal exposures for both commuter and subway workers. The redox and metabolic changes in workers exposed to such metal-rich particles have yet to be characterized. We hypothesize that the distribution of nitrosative/oxidative stress and related metabolic biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) are modified depending on exposures.

Results

Particulate number and size as well as mass concentration and airborne metal content were measured in three groups of nine subway workers (station agents, locomotive operators and security guards). In parallel, pre- and post-shift EBC was collected daily during two consecutive working weeks. In this biological matrix, malondialdehyde, lactate, acetate, propionate, butyrate, formate, pyruvate, the sum of nitrite and nitrate (ΣNOx) and the ratio nitrite/nitrate as well as metals and nanoparticle concentrations was determined. Weekly evolution of the log-transformed selected biomarkers as well as their association with exposure variables was investigated using linear mixed effects models with the participant ID as random effect. The professional activity had a strong influence on the pattern of anions and malondialdehyde in EBC. The daily number concentration and the lung deposited surface area of ultrafine particles was consistently and mainly associated with nitrogen oxides variations during the work-shift, with an inhibitory effect on the ΣNOx. We observed that the particulate matter (PM) mass was associated with a decreasing level of acetate, lactate and ΣNOx during the work-shift, suggestive of a build-up of these anions during the previous night in response to exposures from the previous day. Lactate was moderately and positively associated with some metals and with the sub-micrometer particle concentration in EBC.

Conclusions

These results are exploratory but suggest that exposure to subway PM could affect concentrations of nitrogen oxides as well as acetate and lactate in EBC of subway workers. The effect is modulated by the particle size and can correspond to the body’s cellular responses under oxidative stress to maintain the redox and/or metabolic homeostasis.
Effect of ligating dogs’ arteries and veins on femoral heads
Authors: Liu Zhaofa , Feng Dachang , Chen Haitao , Tian Gan
Published: February 2022

Background

We separately ligated the arteries and veins of dogs to establish a canine femoral head necrosis model, then compared the differences between the outcomes of the two ligation methods on canine femoral heads.

Methods

Twenty-four dogs in this experiment were randomly and evenly sorted into two groups (Group A, the arterial group; and Group B, the venous group). In dogs in Group A, the unilateral deep femoral arteries of the hips were ligated. In dogs in Group B, the unilateral deep femoral veins of the hips were ligated. Two dogs from each group were randomly selected at the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th weeks postoperatively and were marked as Groups A1–A6 and B1–B6 according to the selection times. The dogs underwent X-ray (DR) and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plain scan (1.5 T) on both hip joints and were then sacrificed. Bilateral femoral head specimens were soaked in formalin and then decalcified. Hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining and histopathologic evaluation were performed on the tissue sections.

Results

In dogs in Group B, abnormal pathologic changes, such as adipocytes fusing into cysts, were observed at the 4th week after establishing the model. MRI scans showed abnormal signal intensity at the 6th week, and fibrocyte regrowth was demonstrated in the necrotic area of the femoral heads at the 10th week. At the same time, indicators of tissue repair and fresh granulation tissue emerged. Changes in dogs in Group A, such as interstitial haemorrhage and oedema, were not noted in pathologic sections until 6 weeks after the model was established. MRI showed abnormal signals, such as a linear low signal intensity in the weight-bearing area of the femoral heads at the 8th week. New blood vessels emerged in the necrotic area at the 12th week, while there was no proliferation of fibrocytes and tissues.

Conclusions

The development and evolution of femoral head necrosis caused by ligation of the main veins of the femoral head in dogs appeared earlier than in dogs with arterial ligation, and pathologic changes, such as necrosis and repair, were more significant in dogs in the venous group than in dogs in the other group.
Prognostic impact of functional mitral regurgitation prior to left ventricular assist device implantation
Authors: Pausch Jonas , Bhadra Oliver , Mersmann Julian , Conradi Lenard , Sill Bjoern , Barten Markus J. , Reichenspurner Hermann , Bernhardt Alexander M.
Published: February 2022

Background

Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) is a common finding of advanced heart failure with detrimental effects. The prognostic impact of uncorrected FMR prior to left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation remains controversial.

Methods

Between 2016 and 2019 77 patients underwent continuous-flow LVAD implantation at our institution. 34 patients showed FMR ≥ 2 (MR-group), whereas 43 patients showed FMR < 2 (Control-group). Data was retrospectively analyzed. Primary composite endpoint comprised freedom from death, stroke, pump-thrombosis, major bleeding and right heart failure (RHF) after 1 year.

Results

Baseline characteristics, including the severity of left and right ventricular dysfunction, and periprocedural results were comparable. The overall survival during a mean follow up of 24.9 months was 55.9% in the MR-group versus 58.1% in the Control-group (p = 0.963), whereas 1-year event-free survival was 35.3% in the MR-group compared to 44.2% in the Control-group (p = 0.404). RHF within the first postoperative year occurred more frequently in the MR-group (35.3% vs. 11.6%; p = 0.017). Furthermore, RV function was significantly reduced in comparison to baseline values in the MR-group. 12 months after surgery, 74% of patients in the MR-group were classified as NYHA III in comparison to 24% of patients in the Control-group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

Preoperative uncorrected FMR prior to LVAD implantation did not affect overall survival, nevertheless it was associated with an impaired RV function and increased incidence of right heart failure during follow-up. Furthermore, preoperative FMR ≥ 2 was associated with persistent symptoms of heart failure.
Registered psychiatric service use, self-harm and suicides of children and young people aged 0–24 before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review
Authors: Wan Mohd Yunus Wan Mohd Azam , Kauhanen Laura , Sourander Andre , Brown June S. L. , Peltonen Kirsi , Mishina Kaisa , Lempinen Lotta , Bastola Kalpana , Gilbert Sonja , Gyllenberg David
Published: February 2022

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on psychiatric symptoms of children and young people, but many psychiatric services have been disrupted. It is unclear how service use, self-harm and suicide has changed since the pandemic started. To gain timely information, this systematic review focused on studies based on administrative data that compared psychiatric service use, self-harm and suicide before and during the pandemic among children and young people.

Methods and finding

A systematic review of studies published in English from 1 January 2020 to 22 March 2021 was conducted, using the Web of Science, PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO databases. Increases or reductions in service use were calculated and compared using percentages. Of the 2,676 papers retrieved, 18 were eligible for the review and they provided data from 19 countries and regions. Most studies assessed changes during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March to July 2020, and three assessed the changes until October 2020. Fifteen studies reported a total of 21 service use outcomes that were quantitively examined. More than three-quarters of the 21 outcomes (81%) fell by 5–80% (mean reduction = 27.9%, SD = 35%). Ten of the 20 outcomes for psychiatric emergency department (ED) services reduced by 5% to 80% (mean = 40.1%, SD = 34.9%) during the pandemic. Reductions in service use were also recorded for ED visits due to suicide ideation and self-harm, referrals to secondary mental health services, psychiatric inpatient unit admissions and patients receiving treatment for eating disorders. However, there were also some increases. Suicide rate and the number of ED visits due to suicide attempts have increased, and there was an increase in the number of treatment sessions in a service that provided telemedicine.

Conclusion

Most of the studies showed reductions in the use of psychiatric services by children and young people during the early phase of the pandemic and this highlighted potential delays or unmet needs. Suicide rate has increased during the second wave of the pandemic. Further studies are needed to assess the pattern of service use in the later phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Multicenter study of lumen-apposing metal stents with or without pigtail in endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage for malignant obstruction—BAMPI TRIAL: an open-label, randomized controlled trial protocol
Authors: Garcia-Sumalla Albert , Loras Carme , Sanchiz Vicente , Sanz Rafael Pedraza , Vazquez-Sequeiros Enrique , Aparicio Jose Ramon , de la Serna-Higuera Carlos , Luna-Rodriguez Daniel , Andujar Xavier , Capilla María , Barberá Tatiana , Foruny-Olcina Jose Ramon , Martínez Belen , Dura Miguel , Salord Silvia , Laquente Berta , Tebe Cristian , Videla Sebastia , Perez-Miranda Manuel , Gornals Joan B. ,   On behalf of Spanish Working Group on Endoscopic Ultrasound Guided Biliary Drainage
Published: February 2022

Background

It is unclear whether the insertion of an axis-orienting double-pigtail plastic stent (DPS) through biliary lumen-apposing meal stent (LAMS) in EUS-guided choledochoduodenostomy (CDS) improves the stent patency. The aim of this study is to determine whether this technical variant offers a clinical benefit in EUS-guided biliary drainage (BD) for the management of distal malignant biliary obstruction.

Methods/design

This is a multicenter open-label, randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Eighty-four patients with malignant biliary obstruction will undergo EUS-BD (CDS type) using LAMS in 7 tertiary hospitals in Spain and will be randomized to the LAMS and LAMS plus DPS groups. The primary endpoint is the rate of recurrent biliary obstruction, as a stent dysfunction parameter, detected during follow-up. Secondary endpoints: technical and clinical success (reduction in bilirubin > 50% within 14 days of stent placement), safety, and others (number of reinterventions, time to biliary obstruction, prognostic factors, survival rate).

Discussion

The BAMPI trial has been designed to determine whether the addition of a coaxial axis-orienting DPS through LAMS is superior to LAMS alone to prevent stent dysfunction.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT04595058. Registered on October 14, 2020.
Critical metabolic pathways and genes cooperate for epoxy fatty acid-enriched oil production in developing seeds of Vernonia galamensis, an industrial oleaginous plant
Authors: Sun Yan , Liu Baoling , Xue Jinai , Wang Xiaodan , Cui Hongli , Li Runzhi , Jia Xiaoyun
Published: February 2022

Background

Vernonia galamensis native to Africa is an annual oleaginous plant of Asteraceae family. As a newly established industrial oil crop, this plant produces high level (> 70%) of vernolic acid (cis-12-epoxyoctadeca-cis-9-enoic acid), which is an unusual epoxy fatty acid (EFA) with multiple industrial applications. Here, transcriptome analysis and fatty acid profiling from developing V. galamensis seeds were integrated to uncover the critical metabolic pathways responsible for high EFA accumulation, aiming to identify the target genes that could be used in the biotechnological production of high-value oils.

Results

Based on oil accumulation dynamics of V. galamensis seeds, we harvested seed samples from three stages (17, 38, and 45 days after pollination, DAP) representing the initial, fast and final EFA accumulation phases, and one mixed sample from different tissues for RNA-sequencing, with three biological replicates for each sample. Using Illumina platform, we have generated a total of 265 million raw cDNA reads. After filtering process, de novo assembly of clean reads yielded 67,114 unigenes with an N50 length of 1316 nt. Functional annotation resulted in the identification of almost all genes involved in diverse lipid-metabolic pathways, including the novel fatty acid desaturase/epoxygenase, diacylglycerol acyltransferases, and phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferases. Expression profiling revealed that various genes associated with acyl editing, fatty acid β-oxidation, triacylglycerol assembly and oil-body formation had greater expression levels at middle developmental stage (38 DAP), which were consistent with the fast accumulation of EFA in V. galamensis developing seed, these genes were detected to play fundamental roles in EFA production. In addition, we isolated some transcription factors (such as WRI1, FUS3 and ABI4), which putatively regulated the production of V. galamensis seed oils. The transient expression of the selected genes resulted in a synergistic increase of EFA-enriched TAG accumulation in tobacco leaves. Transcriptome data were further confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR for twelve key genes in EFA biosynthesis. Finally, a comprehensive network for high EFA accumulation in V. galamensis seed was established.

Conclusions

Our findings provide new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying the natural epoxy oil production in V. galamensis. A set of genes identified here could be used as the targets to develop other oilseeds highly accumulating valued epoxy oils for commercial production.
Feasibility of a tailored home-based exercise intervention during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients
Authors: Sturgeon Kathleen M. , Smith Amanda M. , Federici Elizabeth H. , Kodali Namratha , Kessler Renée , Wyluda Edward , Cream Leah V. , Ky Bonnie , Schmitz Kathryn H.
Published: February 2022

Purpose

To evaluate the feasibility of a home-based moderate-to-vigorous intensity, phased (introduction, intermediate, maintenance), exercise prescription in breast cancer patients receiving cardiotoxic neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods

Nineteen breast cancer patients were randomized to intervention or control for the duration of chemotherapy (16–24 weeks). The intervention was one aerobic exercise session at 80–90% VO2max for 25 min/week and 65%-75% VO2max for ≥ 50 min/week. Adherence to the tailored home-based program was assessed by heart rate monitors. Acceptability, tolerability, feasibility, efficacy, change in VO2max, and patient reported outcomes, safety, and clinical events were assessed.

Results

25.7% of eligible women consented (acceptability). Adherence was 87.6%. Women were not able to maintain exercise intensity as chemotherapy progressed (23.7% of exercise minutes were completed at prescribed heart rate during maintenance). Efficacy of the intervention was demonstrated by maintenance of VO2max (−1.0 ± 13.2%) compared to (−27.5 ± 7.4%) the control group. Further, during and after therapy, patients in the intervention arm reported less fatigue (control-baseline: 14.4 ± 15.9; midpoint: 19.0 ± 11.4; follow-up: 29.4 ± 20.0; intervention-baseline: 29.2 ± 24.6; midpoint: 24.6 ± 14.4; follow-up: 23.6 ± 11.9), impairment in activities (control-baseline: 13.7 ± 16.0; midpoint: 32.8 ± 17.0; follow-up: 58.6 ± 27.9; intervention-baseline: 38.7 ± 31.8; midpoint: 47.1 ± 27.5; follow-up: 47.5 ± 31.0), and pain (control-baseline: 80.8 ± 17.1; midpoint: 73.9 ± 20.7; follow-up: 50.7 ± 25.7; intervention-baseline: 68.7 ± 28.4; midpoint: 61.4 ± 22.5; follow-up: 65.3 ± 22.4). There were no differences in adverse events, treatment delays, or pathological complete response.

Conclusions

Neoadjuvant breast cancer patients maintained approximately one hour/week of moderate-intensity exercise over the course of their treatment. Further, this volume of exercise was sufficient to maintain fitness capacity and quality of life compared to the control group.

Trial registry: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03280836, prospectively registered 9/13/2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03280836.
Sequential occurrence of recurrent Sweet syndrome and erythema nodosum without an underlying secondary cause: a case report
Authors: Mettananda Chamila , Peiris Hansika , Uwyse Ahamed
Published: February 2022

Background

Sweet syndrome is a rare cause of acute fever and painful erythematous skin plaques. Erythema nodosum is acute or chronic tender erythematous skin nodules of bilateral shins. The concurrent presence of both dermatoses is rare but reported in the literature. There are no reported cases of recurrent and sequential Sweet syndrome and erythema nodosum without an underlying secondary cause.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 64-year-old Asian woman, who had possible Sweet syndrome 12 years ago and biopsy-proven erythema nodosum 5 years ago, presenting with an acute episode of Sweet syndrome. Extensive investigations did not reveal any underlying secondary cause.

Conclusions

Recurrent Sweet syndrome and sequential presence with erythema nodosum raises suspicion if Sweet syndrome and erythema nodosum are different presentations of one disease, which warrants further study. This case proves that recurrent Sweet syndrome and erythema nodosum can occur in healthy individuals without an underlying malignancy or secondary cause.
The dual role of p62 in ferroptosis of glioblastoma according to p53 status
Authors: Yuan Fanen , Sun Qian , Zhang Si , Ye Liguo , Xu Yang , Deng Gang , Xu Zhou , Zhang Shenqi , Liu Baohui , Chen Qianxue
Published: February 2022

Background

Ferroptosis plays a key role in human cancer, but its function and mechanism in glioma is not clear. P62/SQSTM1 was reported to inhibit ferroptosis via the activation of NRF2 signaling pathway. In this study we reveal a dual role of p62 in ferroptosis of glioblastoma (GBM) according to p53 status.

Method

Lipid peroxidation analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), GSH assay were performed to determine the level of ferroptosis. Western blot and qPCR were obtained to detect the expression of ferroptosis markers. Construction of mutant plasmids, immunoprecipitation, luciferase assay and rescue-experiments were performed to explore the regulatory mechanism.

Results

P62 overexpression facilitates ferroptosis and inhibits SLC7A11 expression in p53 mutant GBM, while attenuates ferroptosis and promotes SLC7A11 expression in p53 wild-type GBM. P62 associates with p53 and inhibits its ubiquitination. The p53-NRF2 association and p53-mediated suppression of NRF2 antioxidant activity are diversely regulated by p62 according to p53 status. P53 mutation status is required for the dual regulation of p62 on ferroptosis. In wild-type p53 GBM, the classical p62-mediated NRF2 activation pathway plays a major regulatory role of ferroptosis, leading to increased SLC7A11 expression, resulting in a anti-ferroptosis role. In mutant p53 GBM, stronger interaction of mutant-p53/NRF2 by p62 enhance the inhibitory effect of mutant p53 on NRF2 signaling, which reversing the classical p62-mediated NRF2 activation pathway, together with increased p53’s transcriptional suppression on SLC7A11 by p62, leading to a decrease of SLC7A11, resulting in a pro-ferroptosis role.

Conclusion

Together, this study shows novel molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis regulated by p62; the mutation status of p53 is an important factor that determines the therapeutic response to p62-mediated ferroptosis-targeted therapies in GBM.
Partial asymptotic stability of neutral pantograph stochastic differential equations with Markovian switching
Authors: Mchiri Lassaad , Caraballo Tomás , Rhaima Mohamed
Published: February 2022

In this paper, we investigate the partial asymptotic stability (PAS) of neutral pantograph stochastic differential equations with Markovian switching (NPSDEwMSs). The main tools used to show the results are the Lyapunov method and the stochastic calculus techniques. We discuss a numerical example to illustrate our main results.
Absolute versus relative socioeconomic disadvantage and homicide: a spatial ecological case–control study of US zip codes
Authors: Gobaud Ariana N. , Mehranbod Christina A. , Dong Beidi , Dodington James , Morrison Christopher N.
Published: February 2022

Background

Homicide is a major cause of death and contributes to health disparities in the United States. This burden overwhelmingly affects people from racial and ethnic minority populations as homicide occurs more often in neighborhoods with high proportions of racial and ethnic minority residents. Research has identified that environmental factors contribute to variation in homicide rates between neighborhoods; however, it is not clear why some neighborhoods with high concentrations of racial and ethnic minority residents have high homicide rates while neighborhoods with similar demographic compositions do not. The aim of this study was to assess whether relative socioeconomic disadvantage, (i.e., income inequality), or absolute socioeconomic disadvantage (i.e., income) measured at the ZIP code- and state-levels, is associated with high homicide rates in US ZIP codes, independent of racial and ethnic composition.

Methods

This ecological case–control study compared median household income and income inequality in 250 ZIP codes with the highest homicide rate in our sample in 2017 (cases) to 250 ZIP codes that did not experience any homicide deaths in 2017 (controls). Cases were matched to controls 1:1 based on demographic composition. Variables were measured at both the ZIP code- and state-levels.

Results

Lower median household income at the ZIP code-level contributed most substantially to the homicide rate. Income inequality at the state-level, however, was additionally significant when controlling for both ZIP code- and state-level factors.

Conclusions

Area-based interventions that improve absolute measures of ZIP code socioeconomic disadvantage may reduce gaps in homicide rates.
Assessing vulnerability and adaptation strategy of the cyclone affected coastal area of Bangladesh
Authors: Rahman Md. Mizanoor , Hossain Md. Alamgir , Ali Md. Rayhan , Ahmed Zihad , Hedayutul Islam A. H. M.
Published: February 2022

Bangladesh is a land of natural calamities. Due to locational disadvantages, especially being situated at the tip of the funnel-shaped Bay of Bengal on the south and at the foot of Himalayas on the north, every year it experiences a number of different types of natural calamities, such as flood, cyclone, river bank erosion, drought etc. As a result of climate change events, an increasing trend in frequency has been observed in recent time. Spatial distribution of natural calamities portraits northern part as prone to flood, western part to drought, eastern part (basically hilly region) to flash flood and southern part to cyclone. The Southern part, especially the coastal belt of the country is the worst affected area to cyclones and their ultimate effects. Among these cyclones, Aila was a severe one that tore through the area in 2009 affecting the livelihood of the inhabitants. This study is an effort to discuss the inhabitants’ vulnerability and their adaptation strategies to economic changes caused by Aila, such as occupation, income, expenditure capacity, savings, housing structures, general and agricultural land use etc. For the study required data has been collected from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data have been collected through questionnaire survey and group discussion while secondary data, especially satellite images have been collected from Google Earth. Then different softwares like SPSS have been used for analysis and graphic presentation of the collected primary data, and ERDAS IMAGINE and ArcGIS have been used for mapping analysis and presentation. The research findings indicate that because of the cyclone Aila, economy of the area has taken downturn. Most of the people were engaged in agriculture allied activities, but after Aila, agricultural land had been converted into aquaculture. Consequently, people have switched to occupations with lesser earnings, such as daily labour, rickshaw puller, brick field worker etc. As a result, people had to reduce all sorts of daily consumptions to cope up with the changing situation. The Governmental Organisations and the Non-Governmental Organisations extended little help to rebuild houses, embankment, road, reforestation etc. but not towards any income generates activities. So, the livelihood of the people is still vulnerable in terms of economy, and attention of the responsible authorities needs to be drawn to create income generating activities to recover the vulnerable situation in the study area.
Association of CAPN10 haplotype combinations with type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome among Egyptians: pilot study—genotyping of three CAPN10 variants
Authors: El-Far Shaymaa W. , Kassem Heba Sh. , Embaby Amira M. , Saad Abir A. , Mowafy Nader , Haroun Medhat
Published: February 2022

Background

T2DM is a polygenic, metabolic complex and multifactorial disease. Several genes contribute to risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome among different populations.

Results

An relationship between three identified CAPN-10 variants [SNP-43 (rs#3792267), SNP-19 (rs#3842570) and SNP-63 (rs#5030952)] localized on 2q37 and type 2 diabetic patients with and without metabolic syndrome (MS) have been reported in our comparative study (diabetic vs health control individuals). Genotyping of study cohorts was carried out using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR). Statistical analysis of data reveals that the haplotype combination 111/112 confers a significant risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients with the homozygous haplotype combination of 122/122 are less susceptible to MS when compared to other patients carrying other haplotype combinations. Regarding obesity, a core component in MS, the haplotype combinations 111/121 and 122/122 demonstrate a significant protective role. Furthermore, the haplotype combination 111/111 displays a significant risk for high levels of total cholesterol.

Conclusion

Present findings address that these haplotype combinations 111/112, 111/121 and 122/122 of CAPN-10 SNP-43, -19 and -63 constitute unique DNA biomarker fingerprints toward susceptibility and risk for T2DM and MS among Egyptians when compared to other haplotype combinations reported in other populations of different ethnicity. To enhance the power of human evolution control nowadays, mutations and polymorphisms in target genes associated with human diseases should be well understood.
Importance of Cytopathologic Diagnosis in Early Cancer Diagnosis in Resource-Constrained Countries
Authors: Yadav Kavita , Cree Ian , Field Andrew , Vielh Philippe , Mehrotra Ravi
Published: February 2022

PURPOSE

The rising cancer burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) stresses already weak health care systems and poses unique challenges. In resource-constrained LMICs and in circumstances where most patients must pay out of pocket for diagnostic tests, these may not be available or affordable for many. Cytopathology provides a simple, inexpensive, standardized, and low-technology diagnostic procedure that is increasingly used as an effective tool to address the hurdles faced in cancer control programs in LMICs. This review explores the potential role of cytopathology in LMICs in reducing the cancer burden.

METHODS

This review studied the existing literature across the globe regarding the utilization of cytopathology as a diagnostic or screening tool for various types of malignancies as well as its advantages and disadvantages, depending on the local situation.

RESULTS

Apart from the usefulness of cytopathology, this review also sheds light on the barriers to using cytopathology in LMICs. Most recently, SARS-CoV-2 has produced several unique challenges for cytopathology. These are being met with innovative measures to combat the effects of the pandemic and ensure the safe delivery of essential cytopathology services.

CONCLUSION

The usefulness of cytopathologic techniques has been demonstrated via various studies, even during the recent pandemic. If cytology is to be used appropriately, the focus needs to be on integrating it into the national cancer screening and diagnostic programs as well as providing well-trained human resources.
Chirped elliptic waves: Coupled Helmholtz equations
Authors: Saha Naresh , Roy Barnana , Khare Avinash
Published: February 2022

Exact chirped elliptic wave solutions are obtained within the framework of coupled cubic nonlinear Helmholtz equations in the presence of non-Kerr nonlinearity like self-steepening and self-frequency shift. It is shown that, for a particular combination of the self-steepening and the self-frequency shift parameters, the associated nontrivial phase gives rise to chirp reversal across the solitary wave profile. But a different combination of non-Kerr terms leads to chirping but no chirp reversal. The effect of nonparaxial parameter on physical quantities such as intensity, speed and pulse width of the elliptic waves is studied too. It is found that the speed of the solitary wave can be tuned by altering the nonparaxial parameter. Stable propagation of these nonparaxial elliptic waves is achieved by an appropriate choice of parameters.
Sex-specific Association of Subclinical Hypothyroidism With Incident Metabolic Syndrome: A Population-based Cohort Study
Authors: Wu Zhiyuan , Jiang Yue , Zhou Di , Chen Shuo , Zhao Yu , Zhang Haiping , Liu Yue , Li Xia , Wang Wei , Zhang Jingbo , Kang Xiaoping , Tao Lixin , Gao Bo , Guo Xiuhua
Published: February 2022

Objective

Subclinical hypothyroidism is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and mortality. However, the longitudinal association between subclinical hypothyroidism and incident metabolic syndrome remains unclear.

Methods

A total of 3615 participants from Beijing Health Management Cohort were enrolled from 2012 to 2014 and followed through 2019. People were placed into subclinical hypothyroidism and euthyroidism groups according to serum-free thyroxine and TSH concentrations. We used Cox proportional hazards regression models to investigate the relationship between TSH level and incident metabolic syndrome considering the modification effect of sex and age.

Results

Of 3615 participants, 1929 were men (53.4%); mean (SD) age was 43.51 (11.73) years. Throughout the follow-up (median [interquartile range], 3.0 [2.8-3.2] years), 738 individuals developed metabolic syndrome. Subclinical hypothyroidism was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome development only in men, and the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.87 (95% CI, 1.21-2.90) compared with euthyroidism group. Of note, there was no increased risk of metabolic syndrome in people aged 50 years or older with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Conclusions

Subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with incident metabolic syndrome in young men. Further studies are needed to evaluate the targeted threshold and benefit of thyroid hormone replacement therapy for metabolic health.
Sanitizing Philosophical Love
Authors: Denton Chad S.
Published: February 2022

Even though Enlightenment philosophes often drew on relativistic comparisons among societies and historical eras to legitimize their ideas for reform, most would not argue for extending social tolerance of same-sex love, even when faced with historical trends such as Greek pederasty. Although in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries French classicists and historians did more to challenge established interpretations and narratives, they still sought to construct a rational foundation for denying the historical reality for legitimized sodomy or to draw arguments for chaste pederasty from ancient sources. Examining early modern French translations of Aristophanes and Plato's Symposium, as well as detailed historical narratives of ancient Greece from 1650 to 1789, this essay argues that scholarly treatments of Greek pederasty reflected broader shifts in attitudes toward sodomy.

Les philosophes des Lumières ont souvent invoqué les comparaisons relativistes entre différentes sociétés et époques historiques afin de légitimer leurs idées de réforme. Cependant, malgré leur connaissance des exemples comme la pédérastie grecque, ils n'ont pas adopté la tolérance sociale pour l'amour homosexuel. Bien que les savants et les historiens du XVIIe au XVIIIe siècle aient fait un grand travail de réinterprétation de l'antiquité, ils s'efforçaient quand même soit à nier l'existence d'une sodomie légitimée par les usages de la société grecque, soit à évoquer une pédérastie chaste dans les sources anciennes. En examinant les traductions françaises d'Aristophane et du « Banquet » de Platon et les œuvres historiques sur la Grèce antique parues entre 1650 et 1789, cet essai montre que les interprétations savantes de la pédérastie grecque reflétaient les mentalités de l’époque moderne vis-à-vis de la sodomie.
Archives, Memories, and Masks in Writing the History of the French Resistance
Authors: Jackson Julian
Published: February 2022

This article uses the writings of the famous resister-turned-historian Daniel Cordier as a prism through which to examine how witnesses and historians have approached the history of the French Resistance since 1945. Cordier, having served as Jean Moulin's secretary in the war, later became his biographer. His neopositivist approach prioritized the use of written archives over memories. Since Cordier himself later wrote his own memoirs, the article examines the problems with this autobiographical text. Examining Cordier's reticence about discussing his own homosexuality, it suggests that between the lines of his memoir one can envisage the possibility one day of writing an emotional history of the Resistance.

Cet article prend les écrits du célèbre résistant-historien Daniel Cordier comme un prisme pour analyser comment témoins et historiens ont abordé l'histoire de la Résistance depuis 1945. Ayant servi comme secrétaire à Jean Moulin pendant la guerre, Cordier devient trente ans après son biographe, prônant une démarche résolument néo-positiviste qui privilégie les archives écrites sur les témoignages. Ensuite Cordier lui-même livre son propre témoignage dans son livre Alias Caracalla. Examinant quelques problèmes soulevés par ce texte autobiographique, dont la réticence de Cordier à aborder le sujet de sa propre homosexualité, on perçoit entre les lignes de ses mémoires des pistes pour une future histoire émotionnelle (et sexuelle) de la Résistance.
Proust, Typical Novelist: Literary Context as Type
Authors: Ossa-Richardson Anthony
Published: February 2022

A decade ago Rita Felski argued that reliance on context shuts down a text’s meaning by enclosing it in a restrictive historical “box” and alienating its individuality. This essay offers a rebuttal to Felski’s critique, first by delineating the genealogy of her concerns in literary, philosophical, and architectural thought of the late nineteenth century, and second by exploring an alternative model of context as type, as revealed by a close reading of Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu. Proust’s novel repeatedly makes use of a notion of the type (a person, an artwork, a battle) that prioritizes the act of typifying, an act that does not sacrifice but discloses, or even constitutes, the individual. Like the Proustian type, context is best understood not as an alienation from, but as a route to, the particularity of the literary object.
Les Femmes dans la querelle de la moralité du théâtre
Authors: Scotto di Clemente Clément
Published: February 2022

Au sein des polémiques théâtrales du XVIIe siècle, le traité de Mademoiselle de Beaulieu tient lieu de modèle et d’exception. En fondant son argumentation sur un détournement des topiques théâtrophobes, qui promeut une réforme esthétique et économique de la scène, son texte est emblématique des stratégies apologétiques au sein des querelles sur le théâtre. Il se singularise cependant par l’éloge fait à Isabella Andreini, qui relève autant de la provocation sur le comédien idolâtre que de la promotion d’une actrice politique. La querelle du théâtre ainsi engagée croise les enjeux esthétiques, politiques et religieux, dans un contexte de guerre des religions et de changement de pouvoir. Mlle de Beaulieu en use pour servir trois femmes et trois causes : elle-même et la place des femmes dans le champ des lettres ; Andreini et l’art théâtral italien ; Marie de Médicis, son mécénat et sa politique.
Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier dans la querelle des Anciens et des Modernes, ou comment être soi et nièce
Authors: Forment Lise
Published: February 2022

Cet article se concentre sur la participation de Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier aux Querelles des Contes et des Femmes, et cherche à éclairer le sens de son intervention dans les débats entre Anciens et Modernes. La conteuse y fait entendre une voix singulière, qui ne se résume pas aux liens de parenté et d’intérêt l’unissant à Charles Perrault, son « oncle » et mentor. C’est précisément par l’étude du motif de la filiation qu’on peut problématiser la trop évidente solidarité familiale observable entre les deux auteurs : se formule en effet, à la croisée des querelles auxquelles Lhéritier participe, une appropriation originale des figures de la transmission. Sa position apparaît non seulement dans les généalogies et scénographies féminines que ses péritextes construisent, mais aussi, de manière spéculaire, dans les « historiettes » des Œuvres meslées, où il est question d’héritages fort délicats – de « dons » bien sûr, de « survivance » aussi, et d’« apanage » . . . Ce faisant, l’autrice interroge et concurrence les vues des Modernes comme celles des Anciens.
This Quarrel That Is Not One
Authors: Tidman Gemma
Published: February 2022

This article explores the women’s interventions in an overlooked eighteenth-century quarrel about how to reform literary teaching in the boys’ collèges. It begins by introducing this quarrel, here called the querelle des collèges, that involved more than 120 actors, just 3 of whom are known to be women. After presenting the quarrel texts written by Adelaïde d’Espinassy; Joséphine de Monbart; and Anne d’Aubourg de La Bove, comtesse de Miremont; the article explores why and how these women engaged in such a highly publicized, male-dominated quarrel. They intervened, the article shows, to redirect public interest in reforming boys’ schools toward reforming girls’ education. And they employed creative strategies to minimize the risk they ran, as women, by quarreling. By embedding their texts in other, existing disputes concerning women, and by engaging creatively with agonistic discursive practices usually reserved for men, these women destabilized this masculine dispute. In so doing, they reclaimed some room in this quarrel (and others like it) for women.
Tracking Meat of the Sand
Authors: du Plessis Pierre
Published: February 2022

This article explores the skilled arts of tracking and gathering as methods for noticing and theorizing multispecies landscapes in the Kalahari Desert, Botswana. Tracking is typically used to describe a practice of following animals, usually for hunting, whereas gathering primarily refers to the collection of plant and fungal materials. The author presents a case in which these terms have been scrambled during long-term ethnographic field research. The author and his interlocutors tracked the Kalahari desert truffle, an experience that demonstrates how aspects of tracking extend to gathering, but also how the practices are attentive to the movements of landscapes more broadly. This form of tracking attends to multiple spatial and temporal movements that include nonanimals and other nonhumans. It represents a way of noticing the assemblages of more-than-human relations that make up landscapes. These convergences, first identified through tracking, are then explored through the more distributed analytic of gathering. Inspired by Ursula LeGuin’s call to describe stories of gatherers and collectives in her “Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction,” the article argues that thinking tracking through the gathering analytic helps articulate a “carrier bag approach” for understanding landscapes through the gatherings of relations with which they emerge.
Behind the Colonial Silence of Wilderness
Authors: Ferdinand Malcom
Published: February 2022

What is the relevance of the concept of wilderness today? For some, the recognition of a troubled history of wilderness regarding people of color does not challenge its pertinence in facing the ecological crisis. However, the author contends that the wilderness concept is problematic because of its inability to recognize other conceptualizations of the Earth held by Indigenous and Black peoples in the Americas and the Caribbean. As a case in point, the author critically engages with a failed attempt to accommodate Black enslaved experiences into a wilderness perspective made by Andreas Malm in a 2018 paper titled “In Wildness Lies the Liberation of the World: On Maroon Ecology and Partisan Nature.” Paradoxically, in suggesting that fugitive slaves’ experiences of “wild” spaces can point to a Marxist theory of wilderness, Malm ignores the concerns of Maroons and Indigenous peoples, including their theorizing voices, their ecology, and their demands for justice. Wilderness is portrayed as emancipatory on the condition that the enslaved and the colonized remain silenced. In response, the author argues that it was not “wilderness” but the ingenious relationships Maroons nurtured with these woods that created the possibility of a world: in marronage lies the search of a world.
Can Technology Solve the Principal-Agent Problem? Evidence from China’s War on Air Pollution
Authors: Greenstone Michael , He Guojun , Jia Ruixue , Liu Tong
Published: February 2022

We examine the introduction of automatic air pollution monitoring to counter suspected tampering at the local level, a central feature of China’s “war on pollution.” Exploiting 654 regression discontinuity designs based on city-level variation in the day that monitoring was automated, we find an immediate and lasting increase of 35 percent in reported PM10 concentrations post-automation. Moreover, automation’s introduction increased online searches for face masks and air filters, which are strong predictors of purchases. Overall, our findings suggest that the biased and imperfect information prior to automation led to suboptimal investments in defensive measures, plausibly imposing meaningful welfare costs. (JEL D82, O13, P28, Q53, Q55, Q58)
Risk Exposure and Acquisition of Macroeconomic Information
Authors: Roth Christopher , Settele Sonja , Wohlfart Johannes
Published: February 2022

We conduct an experiment with a representative sample from the United States to study households’ demand for macroeconomic information. Respondents who learn of a higher personal exposure to unemployment risk during recessions increase their demand for an expert forecast about the likelihood of a recession. This finding is consistent with macroeconomic models of endogenous information acquisition, according to which the demand for information depends on its expected benefits. Moreover, respondents’ updating about their personal unemployment risk suggests that households are imperfectly informed about their exposure to aggregate fluctuations, which may distort their beliefs about the benefits of acquiring macroeconomic information. (JEL D12, D83, E24, E32, G01, J64)
Oppositional poly(A) tail length regulation by FMRP and CPEB1
Authors: Shin Jihae , Paek Ki Young , Chikhaoui Lies , Jung Suna , Ponny SitharaRaju , Suzuki Yutaka , Padmanabhan Kiran , Richter Joel D.
Published: February 2022

Poly(A) tail length is regulated in both the nucleus and cytoplasm. One factor that controls polyadenylation in the cytoplasm is CPEB1, an RNA binding protein that associates with specific mRNA 3′UTR sequences to tether enzymes that add and remove poly(A). Two of these enzymes, the noncanonical poly(A) polymerases GLD2 (TENT2, PAPD4, Wispy) and GLD4 (TENT4B, PAPD5, TRF4, TUT3), interact with CPEB1 to extend poly(A). To identify additional RNA binding proteins that might anchor GLD4 to RNA, we expressed double tagged GLD4 in U87MG cells, which was used for sequential immunoprecipitation and elution followed by mass spectrometry. We identified several RNA binding proteins that coprecipitated with GLD4, among which was FMRP. To assess whether FMRP regulates polyadenylation, we performed TAIL-seq from WT and FMRP-deficient HEK293 cells. Surprisingly, loss of FMRP resulted in an overall increase in poly(A), which was also observed for several specific mRNAs. Conversely, loss of CPEB1 elicited an expected decrease in poly(A), which was examined in cultured neurons. We also examined polyadenylation in wild type (WT) and FMRP-deficient mouse brain cortex by direct RNA nanopore sequencing, which identified RNAs with both increased and decreased poly(A). Our data show that FMRP has a role in mediating poly(A) tail length, which adds to its repertoire of RNA regulation.