bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Context-dependent effects of the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization in female mice
Authors: Marinho Eduardo A. V. , Oliveira-Lima Alexandre Justo , Reis Henrique S. , Santos-Baldaia Renan , Wuo-Silva Raphael , Hollais Andre W. , Yokoyama Thais S. , Frussa-Filho Roberto , Berro Lais F.
Published: February 2023

Introduction: The endocannabinoid system has been implicated in the neurobiology of opioid use disorder. While the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant has been shown to block some of the behavioral effects of opioids, studies suggest that the treatment environment (i.e., receiving treatment in the drug-associated environment, and/or novelty) can influence its effects. In the present study, we investigated the role of the treatment environment in the effects of rimonabant on the expression of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization.

Methods: Adult female Swiss mice were submitted to a behavioral sensitization protocol, during which they received morphine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) in the open-field apparatus, and were subsequently treated with vehicle or rimonabant (1 or 10 mg/kg, i.p.) either in the open-field, in the home-cage or in an activity box (novel environment). The expression of conditioned locomotion (increased locomotor activity in the open-field apparatus in the absence of morphine) and of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization (increased locomotor activity in animals sensitized to morphine) was evaluated during asubsequent saline and morphine challenge, respectively.

Results: Animals treated with morphine expressed behavioral sensitization, showing a significant increase in locomotor activity over time. Animals sensitized to morphine and treated with vehicle in the home-cage expressed conditioned locomotion, an effect that was blocked by home-cage treatment with rimonabant. During a saline challenge, only animals sensitized to morphine and treated with saline in the home-cage expressed morphine-induced conditioned locomotion. All morphine-treated animals that received saline during the treatment phase (control groups) expressed behavioral sensitization during the morphine challenge. Treatment with rimonabant in the open-field and in the activity box, but not in the home-cage, blocked the expression of morphine-induced behavioral sensitization.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that CB1 receptor antagonism can modulate conditioned responses to morphine even when administered in the home-cage. However, exposure to the drug-associated environment or to a novel environment is necessary for the expression of rimonabant’s effects on morphine-induced behavioral sensitization during a morphine challenge.
Ultrasound image-based deep learning to differentiate tubal-ovarian abscess from ovarian endometriosis cyst
Authors: Hu Ping , Gao Yanjuan , Zhang Yiqian , Sun Kui
Published: February 2023

Objectives: We developed ultrasound (US) image-based convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to distinguish between tubal-ovarian abscess (TOA) and ovarian endometriosis cyst (OEC).

Methods: A total of 202 patients who underwent US scanning and confirmed tubal-ovarian abscess or ovarian endometriosis cyst by pathology were enrolled in retrospective research, in which 171 patients (from January 2014 to September 2021) were considered the primary cohort (training, validation, and internal test sets) and 31 patients (from September 2021 to December 2021) were considered the independent test cohort. There were 68 tubal-ovarian abscesses and 89 OEC, 4 TOA and 10 OEC, and 10 TOA and 21 OEC patients belonging to training and validation sets, internal sets, and independent test sets, respectively. For the model to gain better generalization, we applied the geometric image and color transformations to augment the dataset, including center crop, random rotation, and random horizontal flip. Three convolutional neural networks, namely, ResNet-152, DenseNet-161, and EfficientNet-B7 were applied to differentiate tubal-ovarian abscess from ovarian endometriosis cyst, and their performance was compared with three US physicians and a clinical indicator of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) on the independent test set. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were used to evaluate the performance.

Results: Among the three convolutional neural networks, the performance of ResNet-152 was the highest, with AUROCs of 0.986 (0.954–1). The AUROCs of the three physicians were 0.781 (0.620–0.942), 0.738 (0.629–848), and 0.683 (0.501–0.865), respectively. The clinical indicator CA125 achieved only 0.564 (0.315–0.813).

Conclusion: We demonstrated that the CNN model based on the US image could discriminate tubal-ovarian abscess and ovarian endometriosis cyst better than US physicians and CA125. This method can provide a valuable predictive reference for physicians to screen tubal-ovarian abscesses and ovarian endometriosis cysts in time.
Transcriptome and metabolome analyses reveal that Bacillus subtilis BS-Z15 lipopeptides mycosubtilin homologue mediates plant defense responses
Authors: Yang Qilin , Zhang Hui , You Jia , Yang Jun , Zhang Qi , Zhao Jinjin , Aimaier Reyihanguli , Zhang Jingbo , Han Shengcheng , Zhao Heping , Zhao Huixin
Published: February 2023

Microbial-plant interactions protect plants from external stimuli, releasing various elicitor that activate the plants defense response and regulate its growth. Bacillus subtilis BS-Z15 was screened from cotton inter-rhizosphere soil, antagonized various plant pathogens, and protected cotton against Verticillium dahliae. This study showed that the BS-Z15 lipopeptide mycosubtilin homologue could act as an elicitor to induce systemic resistance (ISR) in plants. Mycosubtilin homologue induced ROS burst and deposition, callose deposition, MAPK cascade phosphorylation, and up-regulated PR1 and PDF1.2 gene expression in Arabidopsis seedlings, moreover enhanced resistance of Arabidopsis to Pseudomonas syringae pv. Tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000) and V. dahliae. Transcriptome analysis was then used to evaluate the impact of mycosubtilin homologue on plant gene expression control. Mycosubtilin homologues activated Arabidopsis ISR on genes in metabolic pathways such as Arabidopsis plant-pathogen interactions, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, MAPK signaling pathway, and phytohormone signaling. These analyses revealed that mycosubtilin homologues mediate the regulation of plant systemic resistance and growth and development by affecting related metabolites in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and amino acid metabolism in Arabidopsis. These findings confirmed that a mycosubtilin homologue could trigger the initiation of the Arabidopsis ISR by interacting with a variety of PTI components and transcriptional metabolic signaling pathways.
Divergent seasonal responses of above- and below-ground to environmental factors in alpine grassland
Authors: Qin Xiaojing , Nie Xiaojun , Wang Xiaodan , Hong Jiangtao , Yan Yan
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Under current global warming, the relationship between season changes of plants and environmental factors is focused on high-elevation and latitude regions. Due to the desynchronized growth of above- and below-ground and the buffering of soil, the driving factors in leaf and root show seasonal dynamics.

Methods

We measured above- and below-ground intensity in the alpine steppe over the non-growing season (October-April) and growing season (May-September). Air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and soil temperature were used to analyze the correlation based on the growth rhythm.

Results

Results showed that an earlier growth in spring and a delayed dormancy in autumn of root than leaf was observed. Our results strongly suggest that soil moisture plays a more important role in leaf unfolding while temperature is consistent with the withering of the shoots. Soil moisture comes from soil melt driving the spring phenology of roots, which derived from the storage of the subsoil layer in the last autumn.

Discussion

Climate change will affect the strong seasonal patterns that characterized these precipitation-limited systems, especially in the spring and fall shoulder seasons. As seasonality changes in the alpine steppe, divergent responses of leaf and fine root would be explored.
Genetic and morphological variants of Acidovorax avenae subsp. avenae cause red stripe of sugarcane in China
Authors: Zhao Jian-Ying , Chen Juan , Hu Zhong-Ting , Li Juan , Fu Hua-Ying , Rott Philippe C. , Gao San-Ji
Published: February 2023

Sugarcane (Saccharumspp.) is an important cash crop for production of sugar and bioethanol. Red stripe caused byAcidovorax avenaesubsp.avenae(Aaa) is a disease that occurs in numerous sugarcane-growing regions worldwide. In this study, 17 strains ofAaawere isolated from 13 symptomatic leaf samples in China. Nine of these strains produced white-cream colonies on nutrient agar medium while the other eight produced yellow colonies. In pairwise sequence comparisons of the 16S-23S rRNA internally transcribed spacer (ITS), the 17 strains had 98.4-100% nucleotide identity among each other and 98.2-99.5% identity with the reference strain ofAaa(ATCC 19860). Three RFLP patterns based on this ITS sequence were also found among the strains ofAaaobtained in this study. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) based on five housekeeping genes (ugpB,pilT,lepA,trpB, andgltA) revealed that the strains ofAaafrom sugarcane in China and a strain ofAaa(30179) isolated from sorghum in Brazil formed a unique evolutionary subclade. Twenty-four additional strains ofAaafrom sugarcane in Argentina and from other crops worldwide were distributed in two other and separate subclades, suggesting that strains ofA. avenaefrom sugarcane are clonal populations with local specificities. Two strains ofAaafrom China (CNGX08 forming white-cream colored colonies and CNGD05 forming yellow colonies) induced severe symptoms of red stripe in sugarcane varieties LC07-150 and ZZ8 but differed based on disease incidence in two separate inoculation experiments. Infected plants also exhibited increased salicylic acid (SA) content and transcript expression of genePR-1, indicating that the SA-mediated signal pathway is involved in the response to infection byAaa. Consequently, red stripe of sugarcane in China is caused by genetically different strains ofAaaand at least two morphological variants. The impact of these independent variations on epidemics of red stripe remains to be investigated.
Assessment, life circumstances, curriculum and skills: Barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing in distance learning
Authors: Lister Kate , Andrews Kyle , Buxton Jo , Douce Chris , Seale Jane
Published: February 2023

Student mental wellbeing is increasingly a priority for universities, and this is particularly critical in a distance learning context. Studies have found that studying, academic pressure, university culture and systems can affect students’ mental health. There are increasing calls for universities to take a compassionate, holistic approach to supporting student wellbeing, and identify the barriers that are created by university cultures, systems, pedagogies, curricula, tuition and assessment practices. This study aimed to identify barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing in distance learning, and students’ recommendations for changes to be made. Using a student survey (N = 584), we identified that assessment and life circumstances were the most significant barriers, while the greatest enablers were building study skills, the people in students’ lives, and curriculum and module content. The study revealed significant demographic differences in how students experience barriers and enablers, and how likely they feel they are to benefit from solutions. Students with disclosed mental health difficulties were consistently more likely to experience barriers than students without a disclosure, while enablers were experienced by all demographic groups. The study concludes that assessment should be prioritised as an area for action.
Emotions and reading: When reading is the best way to improve skills in adolescents
Authors: Jiménez-Pérez Elena del Pilar , de Vicente-Yagüe Jara María Isabel , León Urrutia Manuel , García Guirao Pedro
Published: February 2023

In recent years much research on reading competence in different languages has been published in parallel with the interest generated by the results of the PISA and PIRLS reports which were disseminated in the media and which have subsequently garnered the attention of public authorities. Studies that relate reading competence with emotional intelligence, however, are less frequent. This study aims to deepen the relationship between both constructs, using a quasi-experimental longitudinal approach that observes the evolution of 389 high school students in Spain from 16 to 18 years old. Evidence of a direct relationship between reading competence and emotional intelligence was obtained, particularly in the experimental group in which reading habits were stimulated.
The motivation against change in male methamphetamine users in the compulsory detoxification setting
Authors: Shen Wenwen , Li Longhui , Liu Yue , Xie Xiaohu , Chen Weisheng , Liu Huifen , Zhang Wenwu , Liu Yu , Yu Haihang , Zhou Wenhua
Published: February 2023

Aims

The study was designed to develop a measurement for the motivation for and against change in methamphetamine users in the compulsory detoxification setting.

Design

This is a cross-sectional study.

Setting

The study was carried out in a compulsory detoxification center for male drug users in China.

Participants

A total of 228 male methamphetamine users who had undergone the program for at least 30 days.

Measurements

The motivation for/against change relating to compulsory detoxification was carried out using the Likert scale. A series of questionnaires were filled out by the participants, including the Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran for rearing style, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, the adult ADHD self-report scale, and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Participants were also asked to recall the withdrawal symptoms before the program and to rate their current craving levels.

Findings

Motivations were grouped into three factors, namely, the expectation to use drugs upon the completion of the program (factor 1), the disagreement with the compulsory setting (factor 2), and the motivation to quit drug use (factor 3). Cronbach's alpha values were 0.8037, 0.8049, and 0.6292, respectively. The structural equation model showed that the overall motivation was characterized by motivation against change rather than that for change. The overall motivation was also directly affected by the current craving level and indirectly affected by the severity of addiction, paternal authoritarian upbringing style, and ADHD traits.

Conclusion

This study provided a measurement of motivation for and against change in subjects with drug misconduct and suggested that the motivation against change may disclose more psychological barriers than the motivation for change.
Core health indicators in countries with high proportion of expatriates: Case study of Qatar
Authors: Moradi-Lakeh Maziar , Toumi Amine , Khalifa Shams Eldin , Doctor Henry Victor , Alyafei Salah , Al Hamad Sara Khamis , Al-Thani Mohammed , Rashidian Arash
Published: February 2023

Background

Population size and structure have a huge impact on health indicators. In countries with a high proportion of expatriates, there are some limitations in estimating, aggregating and reporting of the health indicators, and corrections may be required in the established estimation methodologies. We review the case of Qatar to see how its specific population characteristics affect its health indicators.

Methods

We used routinely collected data and reviewed and calculated a selected list of health indicators for Qatari and non-Qatari populations residing in Qatar. Mortality and cancer incidence rates, stratified by nationality, were used for this purpose. Also, a direct method was used to estimate completeness of the death registry, compared to the mortuary data.

Results

Age and sex distribution of Qatari and non-Qatari populations are completely different. Compared to the mortuary data, completeness of death registration for the total population was estimated at 98.9 and 94.3%, with and without considering overseas deaths, respectively. Both estimates were considerably higher than estimates from the indirect methods. Mortality patterns were different even after standardization of age and stratification of sex groups; male age-standardized mortality rates were 502.7 and 242.3 per 100,000 individuals, respectively for Qataris and non-Qataris. The rates were closer in female populations (315.6 and 291.5, respectively). The leading types of cancer incidents were different in Qataris and non-Qataris.

Conclusions

Expatriates are a dynamic population with high-turnover, different from Qatari population in their age-sex structure and health status. They are more likely to be young or middle-aged and are less affected by age related diseases and cancers. Also, they might be at higher risks for specific diseases or injuries. Aggregating indicators of Qatari and non-Qatari populations might be mis-leading for policy making purposes, and common estimation correction approaches cannot alleviate the limitations. High-proportion of expatriate population also imposes significant errors to some of the key demographic estimates (such as completeness of death registry). We recommend a standardized approach to consider nationality in addition to age and sex distributions for analysis of health data in countries with a high proportion of expatriates.
The impact of leader safety communication on work engagement under pandemic: The effect of OBSE and anxiety based on COVID-19
Authors: Zhou Xingchi , Guo Yujie , Liu Yuhao
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The outbreak of COVID-19 has a great impact on employees daily work and psychology. Therefore, as leaders in organization, how to alleviate and avoid the negative impact of COVID-19 so that employees can maintain a positive working attitude has become a problem to be worthy paying attention.

Methods

In this paper, we adopted a time-lagged cross-sectional design to test our research model empirically. The data from a sample of 264 participants in China were collected using existing scales in recent studies, and were used for testing our hypothesizes.

Results

The results show that leader safety communication based on COVID-19 will positively affect employees' work engagement (b = 0.47, p < 0.001), and organization-based self-esteem plays a full mediating role in the relationship between leader safety communication based on COVID-19 and work engagement (0.29, p < 0.001). In addition, anxiety based on COVID-19 positively moderates the relationship between leader safety communication based on COVID-19 and organization-based self-esteem (b = 0.18, p < 0.01), that is, when anxiety based on COVID-19 is at higher level, the positive relationship between leader safety communication based on COVID-19 and organizational-based self-esteem is stronger, and vice versa. It also moderates the mediating effect of organization-based self-esteem on the relationship between leader safety communication based on COVID-19 and work engagement as well (b = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.06, 0.40]).

Discussion

Based on Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this paper investigates the relationship between leader safety communication based on COVID-19 and work engagement, and examines the mediating role of organization-based self-esteem and the moderating role of anxiety based on COVID-19.
The knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine amongst Primary Health care workers in North-Central Trinidad
Authors: Khan Raveed , Albert Rachel , Awe Leann , De Four Renee , Francois Tichad , Hinds Tahirah , Kellman Avery , Maharaj Kelsey , Mahon Renea , Pierre Chanel , Ramai Alana , Baksh Rameez
Published: February 2023

Aim

To determine the effects of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of primary care health workers toward receiving the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine in North Central, Trinidad.

Methods

A pretested de novo questionnaire containing forty-eight (48) closed ended questions and one (1) open ended question was used to gather data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data obtained from the questionnaire. These included percentages, means and standard deviations for the descriptive aspect and the Chi-Square test to examine any significant associations. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to assess any significant differences in means among several categories and the independent samples t-test for assessing any significant difference in means between two categories.

Results

273 respondents completed the questionnaire. Most of the participants (72.2%) were female and within the age range 25–36 (56.0%). The mean knowledge score about the AstraZeneca vaccine was 16.28 (SD = 2.28) out of 19 with an overall correct response rate of 79%. 30.4% of participants had a good attitude score and 59.7% had a positive perception toward the AstraZeneca vaccine. There were significant associations between knowledge and marital status (p = 0.001), income level (p = 0.001), education level (p < 0.001), and length of employment (p = 0.041); attitudes and sex (p = 0.01), age (p = 0.04), marital status (p = 0.009), income level (p < 0.001), education level (p = 0.005) and category of staff (p < 0.001); perception and sex (p = 0.002), marital status (p = 0.027), income level (p < 0.001), and category of staff (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The main contributors to vaccine hesitancy were inadequate duration of clinical trials and fear of adverse side effects. A significant number of participants (17%) were unwilling to get the vaccine due to lack of information.
A seroepidemiological survey of adenovirus type 7 circulation among healthy adults in China and in Sierra Leone, West Africa
Authors: Wang Busen , Li Jianhua , Wu Shipo , Wang Yudong , Chen Yi , Zhai Yanfang , Song Xiaohong , Zhao Zhenghao , Zhang Zhe , Zhang Jinlong , Yu Rui , Hou Lihua , Chen Wei
Published: February 2023

Adenovirus type 7 (HAdV7) is one of the most pathogenic human adenoviruses (HAdVs) and can cause severe illness and even death, particularly in people with weakened immune systems. Many countries worldwide have experienced epidemics of this highly contagious pathogen, including China and Sierra Leone; however, studies describing the seroprevalence of anti-HAdV7 neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) are still lacking. Herein, we established an efficient neutralization assay based on a recombinant luciferase-expressing HAdV7 virus (HAd7-Luc) to monitor historical HAdV7 infections and predict outbreak distributions. Among the 2,350 serum samples collected from eight sites in China and Sierra Leone in this cross-sectional serological survey, the overall proportion of anti-HAdV7-seropositive individuals was nearly 60%, with higher seroprevalence rates in Sierra Leone than in China. Regionally, HAdV7 nAb titers were higher in China than in Sierra Leone and showed a geographic variation across different regions. Regardless of the location, the seropositive rate of HAdV7 nAb was lower than that of HAdV5 nAb, as was the nAb titer. The prevalence rates of antibodies against HAdV7 and HAdV5 were both related to age but not to sex. In addition, serologic cross-reactions were rarely observed among people infected with HAdV7 and HAdV5. These results indicate a humoral immune response acquired through endemic HAdV7 infection and enrich the understanding of not only the epidemiological prevention and control of HAdV7 but also the clinical application of HAdV7-based vaccines or gene therapy tools.
Solidarity and strife after the Atlanta spa shootings: A mixed methods study characterizing Twitter discussions by qualitative analysis and machine learning
Authors: Criss Shaniece , Nguyen Thu T. , Michaels Eli K. , Gee Gilbert C. , Kiang Mathew V. , Nguyen Quynh C. , Norton Samantha , Titherington Eli , Nguyen Leah , Yardi Isha , Kim Melanie , Thai Nhung , Shepherd Ariel , Kennedy Chris J.
Published: February 2023

Background

On March 16, 2021, a white man shot and killed eight victims, six of whom were Asian women at Atlanta-area spa and massage parlors. The aims of the study were to: (1) qualitatively summarize themes of tweets related to race, ethnicity, and racism immediately following the Atlanta spa shootings, and (2) examine temporal trends in expressions hate speech and solidarity before and after the Atlanta spa shootings using a new methodology for hate speech analysis.

Methods

A random 1% sample of publicly available tweets was collected from January to April 2021. The analytic sample included 708,933 tweets using race-related keywords. This sample was analyzed for hate speech using a newly developed method for combining faceted item response theory with deep learning to measure a continuum of hate speech, from solidarity race-related speech to use of violent, racist language. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on random samples of 1,000 tweets referencing Asians before the Atlanta spa shootings from January to March 15, 2021 and 2,000 tweets referencing Asians after the shooting from March 17 to 28 to capture the immediate reactions and discussions following the shootings.

Results

Qualitative themes that emerged included solidarity (4% before the shootings vs. 17% after), condemnation of the shootings (9% after), racism (10% before vs. 18% after), role of racist language during the pandemic (2 vs. 6%), intersectional vulnerabilities (4 vs. 6%), relationship between Asian and Black struggles against racism (5 vs. 7%), and discussions not related (74 vs. 37%). The quantitative hate speech model showed a decrease in the proportion of tweets referencing Asians that expressed racism (from 1.4% 7 days prior to the event from to 1.0% in the 3 days after). The percent of tweets referencing Asians that expressed solidarity speech increased by 20% (from 22.7 to 27.2% during the same time period) (p < 0.001) and returned to its earlier rate within about 2 weeks.

Discussion

Our analysis highlights some complexities of discrimination and the importance of nuanced evaluation of online speech. Findings suggest the importance of tracking hate and solidarity speech. By understanding the conversations emerging from social media, we may learn about possible ways to produce solidarity promoting messages and dampen hate messages.
Nutritional priorities, practices and preferences of athletes and active individuals in the context of new product development in the sports nutrition sector
Authors: Carey Conor C. , Doyle Lorna , Lucey Alice
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Sports nutrition is a rapidly growing sector with increasing demand for evidence-based nutritional products to support competitive and healthy lifestyles. The product development process for novel foods should rely heavily on end-user engagement to facilitate future success, however there is a dearth of published information available. An understanding of the practices and self-reported nutritional priorities of athletes and active individuals is required for the development of new food products, facilitating evidence-based product formulation.

Methods

Participants were at least 18 years of age, actively participating in competitive sport or structured physical activity on at least two occasions per week. Participants were asked to undertake a comprehensive online survey assessing their nutritional practice, perceived nutritional priorities and preferences for product characteristics. Questions were developed on the basis of critical evaluation of the current scientific literature and the hosting of two scoping focus group sessions with prospective end-users.

Results

405 individuals (29 ± 9 years) completed this questionnaire. 295 participants reported active participation in competitive sport while the remaining 110 participants undertook structured physical activity exclusively. When asked to rank their top three most sought-after product claims in sports nutrition, “enhanced muscular recovery” was the most prioritised receiving 101 first choice preferences (25%) and 295 top 3 preferences. Fifty-eight percent of participants reported taking nutritional supplements. Caffeine containing functional foods (excluding caffeine supplements) were the most commonly used functional food group. A very low incidence of functional food usage was reported otherwise. When asked to rank the importance of various food product attributes, “nutritional profile” was ranked as the most important with rating of 3.37 ± 0.7 out of 4 followed by “taste” and “accessibility”. Whole food nutritional products received the most first preference selections and most top 3 selections when presented with a number of popular performance and recovery products on the market.

Conclusions

The transition towards a food first approach in sports nutrition is vital for athletes and active individuals to achieve their goals; with the development of evidence-based functional foods, particularly with a focus on muscle recovery, endurance, and strength enhancement at the forefront for new food product design and innovation.
State of the art of breeding, milking, and milk processing for the production of curdled milk and Wagashi Gassirè in Benin: Practices favoring the contamination of its dairy products
Authors: Komagbe Gwladys S. , Dossou Alphonse , Seko Orou Baké Marie-Thérèse , Sessou Philippe , Azokpota Paulin , Youssao Issaka , Hounhouigan Joseph , Scippo Marie-Louise , Clinquart Antoine , Mahillon Jacques , Farougou Souaïbou
Published: February 2023

Introduction

This study aimed to identify the factors favoring the contamination of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassirè cheese during their production and preservation in order to develop strategies to improve their quality.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of 401 randomly selected stakeholders encompassing all levels of the dairy production chain in the Nikki and Dassa-Zoumé communes of Benin was conducted. The data obtained were analyzed using the SAS software for the calculation of frequencies and the R software for classifying the stakeholders based on the hygiene practices they adopted during the production and conservation of raw cow's milk, curdled milk, and Wagashi Gassirè.

Results and discussion

The study identified three types of dairy farmers based on how they medically treated their cattle and implemented hygiene practices, including farmers who (1) relied on themselves or received help from veterinarians trained in animal husbandry and milking to monitor the animals on their farms; (2) relied only on veterinarians; and (3) relied only on themselves. The majority of these dairy farmers felt that hygienic milking practices were very restrictive and difficult to implement. In addition, three groups of Wagashi Gassirè producers were identified: (1) producers trained in good hygiene practices who did not boil or sundry the cheese; (2) producers lacking the infrastructure to protect from weather exposure who used all parts of Calotropis procera for colored Wagashi Gassirè production; and (3) producers who did not often filter the milk and boiled the Wagashi Gassirè in bags before immersion in simple water or whey. The sanitary quality of milk and milk products is influenced by the diverse handling practices employed by producers. These practices must be considered according to the types of farmers and processors when suggesting improved intervention policies.
Bamboo charcoal mediated plant secondary metabolites biosynthesis in tomato against South American tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta)
Authors: Chen Limin , Li Xiaowei , Wang Jinchao , Chen Tingting , Zhang Jinming , Zhu Qianggen , Huang Jun , Zhang Zhijun , Hafeez Muhammad , Zhou Shuxing , Ren Xiaoyun , Dong Wanying , Jin Aiwu , Hou Youming , Lu Yaobin
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The south American tomato pinworm (Tuta absoluta), an invasive insect pest species, has established itself in more than 33 Chinese prefectures, where it is mainly damaging tomato crops. Immediate efforts have been initiated to find strategies to control this pest. Studies have shown that biochar (BC) amendment to soil can enhance plant growth and resistance to herbivory.

Methods

First, we quantified the morphological performance of tomato plants grown in different coconut bran and bamboo charcoal (v/v) combinations and selected the most beneficial one. Then we checked the T. absoluta survival on the tomato plants grown in the selected bamboo charcoal combination. Finally, we studied the leaf metabolite accumulation and gene expression changes in tomato plants after growing in the selected bamboo charcoal combination.

Results

We found that the 30:1 ratio of bamboo charcoal and coconut bran is the most beneficial to tomato growth as its amendment to soil increased tomato plant height, stem thickness, and chlorophyll content, whereas, the T. absoluta survival decreased. The metabolome profiles of BC tomato leaves showed an increased accumulation of flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids compared to CK. Transcriptome sequencing resulted in the identification of 244 differentially expressed genes. Most of the upregulated genes were associated with stress-related hub proteins, flavonoid biosynthesis, MAPK and phytohormone signaling, and terpenoid biosynthesis. Additionally, the expression of many genes related to signaling and defense was changed in response to the bamboo charcoal amendment.

Discussion

We conclude that bamboo charcoal induces biosynthesis of flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids, which improve plant growth and tolerance against T. absoluta, thus reducing the survival of destructive pests.
The safe and effective use of supercritical CO2-processed bone allografts for cervical and lumbar interbody fusion: A retrospective study
Authors: Aurouer Nicolas , Guerin Patrick , Cogniet Arnaud , Pedram Morad
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The clinical efficacy and safety of supercritical CO2-processed bone allografts prepared from living donors has yet to be confirmed in spinal surgery. Here we report our clinical and surgical experience of using supercritical CO2-processed bone allografts for lumbar and cervical fusion.

Methods

Sixteen patients underwent one or two level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and 37 patients underwent anterior retroperitoneal route lumbar fusion using bone allografts processed using supercritical CO2 extraction combined with chemical viral inactivation. Fusion success was assessed radiographically in the immediate postoperative period and at one month, six months, one year, and three years postoperatively. Function and pain were assessed using visual analog scales, Odom's criteria, the neck disability index (NDI), and the Oswestry disability index (ODI).

Results

At a mean of 43 and 47 months postoperatively, 95.3% and 90.5% of cervical and lumbar fusion patients had radiographic evidence of bone fusion, respectively. Over 80% of patients reported good to excellent outcomes according to Odom's criteria, the perception of pain significantly decreased, and the mean NDI and ODI scores significantly improved at the last follow-up compared with before the operations. There were no safety concerns. For the cervical group, the mean NDI score improved from 26.3 ± 6.01 preoperatively to 15.00 ± 8.03 and 17.60 ± 13.95 at immediate post-op (p = 0.02) and last follow-up visits (p = 0.037) respectively. For the lumbar cases, the mean ODI score improved from 28.31 ± 6.48 preoperatively to 14.68 ± 5.49 (p < 0.0001) and 12.54 ± 10.21 (p < 00001) at immediate post-op and last follow-up visits respectively.

Conclusion

Within the limitations of this study, the use of supercritical CO2-processed bone allografts resulted in satisfactory clinical outcomes and fusion rates with acceptable safety for both cervical and lumbar surgeries.
A qualitative study exploring the perceived effects of veterinarians' mental health on provision of care
Authors: Campbell Megan , Hagen Briana N. M. , Gohar Basem , Wichtel Jeffrey , Jones-Bitton Andria
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Veterinary medicine is a rewarding, yet demanding profession with a myriad of occupational stressors that can impact the mental health of veterinarians. Stress, mental health outcomes, and associated risk factors amongst veterinarians have been well-researched. Much less research has investigated how high stress and/or poor mental health can impact veterinarians' provision of care.

Methods

One-on-one research interviews were conducted with 25 veterinarians at a Canadian veterinary conference in July 2016 and verbatim transcripts were produced from the audio recordings. The research team collaboratively analyzed the interviews using thematic analysis.

Results

Five themes described the perceived impacts of high stress and/or poor mental health: perceived negative impacts on interactions with (1) co-workers and (2) clients; (3) reduced concentration; (4) difficulty in decision making; and (5) reduced quality of care.

Discussion

These results highlight the perceived impacts of self-reported high stress and/or poor mental health on veterinary team dynamics, the potential to impact case outcomes, and possibly endanger patient safety. Interventions to help mitigate the impacts of high stress and poor mental health are discussed.
Description of normal pulmonary radiographic findings in 55 apparently healthy juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii)
Authors: Barrett Christa E. , Moore Debra P. , Lee Alison M. , Dennison Sophie
Published: February 2023

A total of 55 digital radiographic studies from 53 individual juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) were retrospectively used to determine the normal radiographic anatomy of the lower respiratory tract in sea turtles that had been stranded due to hook-and-line injury and were otherwise clinically healthy. There were three or four projections available for each study: dorsoventral (DV), rostrocaudal (RoCd), and left and/or right lateral. The DV and RoCd were most conducive for assessing global lung volume and symmetry of lung volume. The DV and lateral views were most helpful for evaluating the main bronchus and its branching channels and for assessing lung margination. The RoCd view was most useful for assessing the symmetry of the lung opacity. The lateral views were most helpful for assessing the ventral margin of each lung lobe. On the lateral view, the main bronchus lay ventrally and coursed horizontally through the lung from cranial to caudal. On the DV view, the bronchus lay medially and was observed to be curvilinear coursing caudomedially. On the RoCd view, the main bronchus was located ventromedially. The RoCd view demonstrated the channels and niches end-on resulting in a reticulated or honeycomb appearance. The channels were seen as uniform striations coursing perpendicular to the main bronchus on the lateral views (vertical striations coursing dorsal to ventral) and DV views (horizontal striations coursing medially to laterally).
Drug-disease interaction: Clinical consequences of inflammation on drugs action and disposition
Authors: Abdallah Yasmeen El Hajj , Chahal Sukhman , Jamali Fakhreddin , Mahmoud Sherif Hanafy
Published: February 2023

Inflammation is a culprit in many conditions affecting millions of people worldwide. A plethora of studies has revealed that inflammation and inflammatory mediators such as cytokines and chemokines are associated with altered expression and activity of various proteins such as those involved in drug metabolism, specifically cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs). Emphasis of most available reports is on the inflammation-induced downregulation of CYPs, subsequently an increase in their substrate concentrations, and the link between the condition and the inflammatory mediators such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha. However, reports also suggest that inflammation influences expression and/or activity of other proteins such as those involved in the drug-receptor interaction. These multifaced involvements render the clinical consequence of the inflammation unexpected. Such changes are shown in many inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, acute respiratory illnesses as well as natural processes such as aging, among others. For example, some commonly used cardiovascular drugs lose their efficacy when patients get afflicted with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Interestingly, this is despite increased concentration subsequent to reduced clearance. The observation is attributed to a simultaneous reduction in the expression of target receptor proteins such as the calcium and potassium channel and β-adrenergic receptor as well as the metabolic enzymes. This narrative review summarizes the current understanding and clinical implications of the inflammatory effects on both CYPs and drug-receptor target proteins.
SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination-Induced Immunogenicity in Heart Transplant Recipients
Authors: Memenga Felix , Kueppers Simon Thomas , Borof Katrin , Kirchhof Paulus , Duengelhoef Paul Maria , Barten Markus Johannes , Lütgehetmann Marc , Berisha Filip , Fluschnik Nina , Becher Peter Moritz , Kondziella Christoph , Bernhardt Alexander M. , Reichenspurner Hermann , Blankenberg Stefan , Magnussen Christina , Rybczynski Meike
Published: February 2023

Among heart transplant (HT) recipients, a reduced immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination has been reported. We aimed to assess the humoral and T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in HT recipients to understand determinants of immunogenicity. HT recipients were prospectively enrolled from January 2021 until March 2022. Anti-SARS-CoV-2-Spike IgG levels were quantified after two and three doses of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BNT162b2, mRNA1273, or AZD1222). Spike-specific T-cell responses were assessed using flow cytometry. Ninety-one patients were included in the study (69% male, median age 55 years, median time from HT to first vaccination 6.1 years). Seroconversion rates were 34% after two and 63% after three doses. Older patient age (p = 0.003) and shorter time since HT (p = 0.001) were associated with lower antibody concentrations after three vaccinations. There were no associations between vaccine types or immunosuppressive regimens and humoral response, except for prednisolone, which was predictive of a reduced response after two (p = 0.001), but not after three doses (p = 0.434). A T-cell response was observed in 50% after two and in 74% after three doses. Despite three vaccine doses, a large proportion of HT recipients exhibits a reduced immune response. Additional strategies are desirable to improve vaccine immunogenicity in this vulnerable group of patients.
Competences That Foster Digital Transformation of Public Administrations: An Austrian Case Study
Authors: Edelmann Noella , Mergel Ines , Lampoltshammer Thomas
Published: February 2023

Digitalisation has changed society, and, as a result, public administrations are required to undergo significant changes to satisfy emergent societal needs. These changes impact all areas of the public sector, including the development and provision of digital services, the design of processes, and the development of policy. To implement the digital strategies and transformation requirements, public administrations must rethink the competences that their workforce as well as the external stakeholders may need. To understand how one nation implements its digital strategy and upskills its civil servants, we conducted a qualitative analysis of 41 Austrian expert interviews. The research shows that different stakeholders require a variety of competences to participate in the digital transformation of its processes and services. The results demonstrate the high level of diversity and the need for a holistic approach to tackle the complexity of the digital public sector, where leadership plays the most important role. In addition, the study shows that the use of competence frameworks for measurement and monitoring needs to be adapted to the local context.
A Method of Modern Standardized Apple Orchard Flowering Monitoring Based on S-YOLO
Authors: Zhou Xinzhu , Sun Guoxiang , Xu Naimin , Zhang Xiaolei , Cai Jiaqi , Yuan Yunpeng , Huang Yinfeng
Published: February 2023

Monitoring fruit tree flowering information in the open world is more crucial than in the research-oriented environment for managing agricultural production to increase yield and quality. This work presents a transformer-based flowering period monitoring approach in an open world in order to better monitor the whole blooming time of modern standardized orchards utilizing IoT technologies. This study takes images of flowering apple trees captured at a distance in the open world as the research object, extends the dataset by introducing the Slicing Aided Hyper Inference (SAHI) algorithm, and establishes an S-YOLO apple flower detection model by substituting the YOLOX backbone network with Swin Transformer-tiny. The experimental results show that S-YOLO outperformed YOLOX-s in the detection accuracy of the four blooming states by 7.94%, 8.05%, 3.49%, and 6.96%. It also outperformed YOLOX-s by 10.00%, 9.10%, 13.10%, and 7.20% for mAPALL, mAPS, mAPM, and mAPL, respectively. By increasing the width and depth of the network model, the accuracy of the larger S-YOLO was 88.18%, 88.95%, 89.50%, and 91.95% for each flowering state and 39.00%, 32.10%, 50.60%, and 64.30% for each type of mAP, respectively. The results show that the transformer-based method of monitoring the apple flower growth stage utilized S-YOLO to achieve the apple flower count, percentage analysis, peak flowering time determination, and flowering intensity quantification. The method can be applied to remotely monitor flowering information and estimate flowering intensity in modern standard orchards based on IoT technology, which is important for developing fruit digital production management technology and equipment and guiding orchard production management.