bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An integrative review of factors and interventions affecting the well‐being and safety of nurses during a global pandemic
Authors: Boone Lesa D. , Rodgers Melanie M. , Baur April , Vitek Elaine , Epstein Crystal
Published: February 2023

Background

Nurses experienced physical and mental exhaustion during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Understanding the impact of the pandemic on nurses and effective strategies to support them is critical for increasing nurse resilience and reducing burnout.

Aims

The aims of this study were (1) to synthesize the literature examining how factors associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic affected the well‐being and safety of nurses (2) and to review interventions which may promote nurse mental health during crises.

Methods

Using an integrative review approach, a comprehensive search of the literature was conducted in March 2022 using the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane. We included quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‐method primary research articles published in English in peer‐reviewed journals from March 2020 through February 2021. Included articles focused on nurses caring for COVID‐19 patients and addressed psychological factors, supportive hospital leadership strategies, or interventions to support well‐being. Studies were excluded if they focused on professions outside of nursing. Included articles were summarized and appraised for quality. Findings were synthesized using content analysis.

Results

Of the 130 articles initially identified, 17 were included. Articles were quantitative (n = 11), qualitative (n = 5), and mixed methods (n = 1). Three themes were identified: (1) loss of life, hope, and professional identity; (2) lack of visible and supportive leadership; and (3) insufficient planning and response. These experiences contributed to increased symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression, and moral distress in nurses.
Fast and sensitive GCaMP calcium indicators for neuronal imaging
Authors: Zhang Yan , Looger Loren L.
Published: February 2023

We review the principles of development and deployment of genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) for the detection of neural activity. Our focus is on the popular GCaMP family of green GECIs, culminating in the recent release of the jGCaMP8 sensors, with dramatically improved kinetics relative to previous generations. We summarize the properties of GECIs in multiple colour channels (blue, cyan, green, yellow, red, far‐red) and highlight areas for further improvement. With their low‐millisecond rise‐times, the jGCaMP8 indicators allow new classes of experiments following neural activity in time frames approaching the underlying computations.

image
BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE CREATION OF NEW FERMENTED DAIRY PRODUCTS
Authors: Nadirova S. , Sinyavskiy Yu.
Published: February 2023

The industrial production of balanced and healthy food has always been one of the most important tasks facing humanity. To solve this problem, research is relevant in the field of creating functional milk-based synbiotic products, which, along with traditional lactic acid microorganisms, include strains of probiotic bacteria with a proven specific positive effect on the macroorganism, and prebiotic substances that increase the selectivity of the benefits of the "useful" microflora of the gastrointestinal tract-intestinal tract and its biological activity.Along with lactic acid bacteria used as starters in fermented milk products, there is a population of predominantly adventitious heterofermentative lactobacilli that can have a positive effect on dairy products.This article describes the use of facultatively and obligately heterofermentative species such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus fermentum 14. The general characteristics of these species are described, as well as the desired properties (probiotic activity and taste formation) that affect the characteristics of dairy products.The general characteristics of these species are described along with the desired (probiotic activity and taste formation) properties affecting the characteristics of dairy products.Samples of yogurt based on probiotic starter cultures enriched with plant fillers were studied. The technological process of production was carried out in the traditional way. The dynamics of acid accumulation was studied, titratable and active acidity were determined. As a result of the study, it was revealed that the combination of fermented milk products with plant fillers slightly accelerates the fermentation process.
Factors Associated With Changes in Objectively Measured Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Funaki Kuya , Adachi Takuji , Kameshima Masataka , Fujiyama Hiroaki , Iritani Naoki , Tanaka Chikako , Sakui Daisuke , Hara Yasutaka , Sugiura Hideshi , Yamada Sumio
Published: February 2023

Background: This study aimed to clarify factors affecting changes in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in patients 1 to 3 months after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we enrolled patients aged <75 years who underwent PCI. MVPA was objectively measured using an accelerometer at 1 and 3 months after hospital discharge. Factors associated with increased MVPA (≥150 min/wk at 3 mo) were analyzed in participants with MVPA < 150 minutes per week at 1 month. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore variables potentially associated with increasing MVPA, using MVPA ≥ 150 minutes per week at 3 months as the dependent variable. Factors associated with decreased MVPA (<150 min/wk at 3 mo) were also analyzed in participants with MVPA ≥ 150 minutes per week at 1 month. Logistic regression analysis was performed to explore factors of declining MVPA, using MVPA < 150 minutes per week at 3 months as the dependent variable. Results: We analyzed 577 patients (median age 64 y, 13.5% female, and 20.6% acute coronary syndrome). Increased MVPA was significantly associated with participation in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (odds ratio 3.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.22–11.0), left main trunk stenosis (13.0; 2.49–68.2), diabetes mellitus (0.42; 0.22–0.81), and hemoglobin (1.47, per 1 SD; 1.09–1.97). Decreased MVPA was significantly associated with depression (0.31; 0.14–0.74) and Self-Efficacy for Walking (0.92, per 1 point; 0.86–0.98). Conclusions: Identifying patient factors associated with changes in MVPA may provide insight into behavioral changes and help with individualized PA promotion.
Concordant and opposing effects of climate and land-use change on avian assemblages in California’s most transformed landscapes
Authors: Beissinger Steven R. , MacLean Sarah A. , Iknayan Kelly J. , de Valpine Perry
Published: February 2023

Climate and land-use change could exhibit concordant effects that favor or disfavor the same species, which would amplify their impacts, or species may respond to each threat in a divergent manner, causing opposing effects that moderate their impacts in isolation. We used early 20th century surveys of birds conducted by Joseph Grinnell paired with modern resurveys and land-use change reconstructed from historic maps to examine avian change in Los Angeles and California’s Central Valley (and their surrounding foothills). Occupancy and species richness declined greatly in Los Angeles from urbanization, strong warming (+1.8°C), and drying (−77.2 millimeters) but remained stable in the Central Valley, despite large-scale agricultural development, average warming (+0.9°C), and increased precipitation (+11.2 millimeters). While climate was the main driver of species distributions a century ago, the combined impacts of land-use and climate change drove temporal changes in occupancy, with similar numbers of species experiencing concordant and opposing effects.
Ring-stacked capsids of white spot syndrome virus and structural transitions with genome ejection
Authors: Sun Meiling , Liu Mingdong , Shan Hong , Li Kang , Wang Peng , Guo Huarong , Zhao Yaqi , Wang Rui , Tao Yiwen , Yang Liuyan , Zhang Ying , Su Xiaoming , Liu Yunhui , Li Chunyang , Lin James , Chen Xiu-Lan , Zhang Yu-Zhong , Shen Qing-Tao
Published: February 2023

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is one of the largest DNA viruses and the major pathogen responsible for white spot syndrome in crustaceans. The WSSV capsid is critical for genome encapsulation and ejection and exhibits the rod-shaped and oval-shaped structures during the viral life cycle. However, the detailed architecture of the capsid and the structural transition mechanism remain unclear. Here, using cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM), we obtained a cryo-EM model of the rod-shaped WSSV capsid and were able to characterize its ring-stacked assembly mechanism. Furthermore, we identified an oval-shaped WSSV capsid from intact WSSV virions and analyzed the structural transition mechanism from the oval-shaped to rod-shaped capsids induced by high salinity. These transitions, which decrease internal capsid pressure, always accompany DNA release and mostly eliminate the infection of the host cells. Our results demonstrate an unusual assembly mechanism of the WSSV capsid and offer structural insights into the pressure-driven genome release.
Regulation of cargo exocytosis by a Reps1-Ralbp1-RalA module
Authors: Wang Shifeng , Chen Xu , Crisman Lauren , Dou Ximing , Winborn Christina S. , Wan Chun , Puscher Harrison , Yin Qian , Kennedy Matthew J. , Shen Jingshi
Published: February 2023

Surface levels of membrane proteins are determined by a dynamic balance between exocytosis-mediated surface delivery and endocytosis-dependent retrieval from the cell surface. Imbalances in surface protein levels perturb surface protein homeostasis and cause major forms of human disease such as type 2 diabetes and neurological disorders. Here, we found a Reps1-Ralbp1-RalA module in the exocytic pathway broadly regulating surface protein levels. Reps1 and Ralbp1 form a binary complex that recognizes RalA, a vesicle-bound small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPase) promoting exocytosis through interacting with the exocyst complex. RalA binding results in Reps1 release and formation of a Ralbp1-RalA binary complex. Ralbp1 selectively recognizes GTP-bound RalA but is not a RalA effector. Instead, Ralbp1 binding maintains RalA in an active GTP-bound state. These studies uncovered a segment in the exocytic pathway and, more broadly, revealed a previously unrecognized regulatory mechanism for small GTPases, GTP state stabilization.
Neural connectivity molecules best identify the heterogeneous clock and dopaminergic cell types in the
Drosophila
adult brain
Authors: Ma Dingbang , Herndon Nicholas , Le Jasmine Quynh , Abruzzi Katharine C. , Zinn Kai , Rosbash Michael
Published: February 2023

Our recent single-cell sequencing of most adult
Drosophila
circadian neurons indicated notable and unexpected heterogeneity. To address whether other populations are similar, we sequenced a large subset of adult brain dopaminergic neurons. Their gene expression heterogeneity is similar to that of clock neurons, i.e., both populations have two to three cells per neuron group. There was also unexpected cell-specific expression of neuron communication molecule messenger RNAs: G protein–coupled receptor or cell surface molecule (CSM) transcripts alone can define adult brain dopaminergic and circadian neuron cell type. Moreover, the adult expression of the CSM
DIP-beta
in a small group of clock neurons is important for sleep. We suggest that the common features of circadian and dopaminergic neurons are general, essential for neuronal identity and connectivity of the adult brain, and that these features underlie the complex behavioral repertoire of
Drosophila.
A single-cell resolution gene expression atlas of the larval zebrafish brain
Authors: Shainer Inbal , Kuehn Enrico , Laurell Eva , Al Kassar Mariam , Mokayes Nouwar , Sherman Shachar , Larsch Johannes , Kunst Michael , Baier Herwig
Published: February 2023

The advent of multimodal brain atlases promises to accelerate progress in neuroscience by allowing in silico queries of neuron morphology, connectivity, and gene expression. We used multiplexed fluorescent in situ RNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR) technology to generate expression maps across the larval zebrafish brain for a growing set of marker genes. The data were registered to the Max Planck Zebrafish Brain (mapzebrain) atlas, thus allowing covisualization of gene expression, single-neuron tracings, and expertly curated anatomical segmentations. Using post hoc HCR labeling of the immediate early gene
cfos
, we mapped responses to prey stimuli and food ingestion across the brain of freely swimming larvae. This unbiased approach revealed, in addition to previously described visual and motor areas, a cluster of neurons in the secondary gustatory nucleus, which express the marker
calb2a,
as well as a specific neuropeptide Y receptor, and project to the hypothalamus. This discovery exemplifies the power of this new atlas resource for zebrafish neurobiology.
A medley of gene expression adds new depth to zebrafish brain maps
Authors: Schulze Lisanne , Zada David , Lovett-Barron Matthew
Published: February 2023

The integration of large-scale gene expression mapping into a multifaceted larval zebrafish brain atlas accelerates the characterization of neurons in behaviorally relevant circuits.
A phase 2 study of thalidomide for the treatment of radiation-induced blood-brain barrier injury
Authors: Cheng Jinping , Jiang Jingru , He Baixuan , Lin Wei-Jye , Li Yi , Duan Jingjing , Li Honghong , Huang Xiaolong , Cai Jinhua , Xie Jiatian , Zhang Zhan , Yang Yuhua , Xu Yongteng , Hu Xia , Wu Minyi , Zhuo Xiaohuang , Liu Qiang , Shi Zhongshan , Yu Pei , Rong Xiaoming , Ye Xiaojing , Saw Phei Er , Wu Long-Jun , Simone Charles B. , Chua Melvin L. K. , Mai Hai-Qiang , Tang Yamei
Published: February 2023

Radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) is a debilitating sequela after radiotherapy to treat head and neck cancer, and 20 to 30% of patients with RIBI fail to respond to or have contraindications to the first-line treatments of bevacizumab and corticosteroids. Here, we reported a Simon’s minmax two-stage, single-arm, phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03208413) to assess the efficacy of thalidomide in patients with RIBI who were unresponsive to or had contraindications to bevacizumab and corticosteroid therapies. The trial met its primary endpoint, with 27 of 58 patients enrolled showing ≥25% reduction in the volume of cerebral edema on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery–magnetic resonance imaging (FLAIR-MRI) after treatment (overall response rate, 46.6%; 95% CI, 33.3 to 60.1%). Twenty-five (43.1%) patients demonstrated a clinical improvement based on the Late Effects Normal Tissues–Subjective, Objective, Management, Analytic (LENT/SOMA) scale, and 36 (62.1%) experienced cognitive improvement based on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores. In a mouse model of RIBI, thalidomide restored the blood-brain barrier and cerebral perfusion, which were attributed to the functional rescue of pericytes secondary to elevation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor β (PDGFRβ) expression by thalidomide. Our data thus demonstrate the therapeutic potential of thalidomide for the treatment of radiation-induced cerebral vasculature impairment.
Obesity promotes breast epithelium DNA damage in women carrying a germline mutation in
BRCA1 or BRCA2
Authors: Bhardwaj Priya , Iyengar Neil M. , Zahid Heba , Carter Katharine M. , Byun Dong Jun , Choi Man Ho , Sun Qi , Savenkov Oleksandr , Louka Charalambia , Liu Catherine , Piloco Phoebe , Acosta Monica , Bareja Rohan , Elemento Olivier , Foronda Miguel , Dow Lukas E. , Oshchepkova Sofya , Giri Dilip D. , Pollak Michael , Zhou Xi Kathy , Hopkins Benjamin D. , Laughney Ashley M. , Frey Melissa K. , Ellenson Lora Hedrick , Morrow Monica , Spector Jason A. , Cantley Lewis C. , Brown Kristy A.
Published: February 2023

Obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30, is an established risk factor for breast cancer among women in the general population after menopause. Whether elevated BMI is a risk factor for women with a germline mutation in
BRCA1
or
BRCA2
is less clear because of inconsistent findings from epidemiological studies and a lack of mechanistic studies in this population. Here, we show that DNA damage in normal breast epithelia of women carrying a
BRCA
mutation is positively correlated with BMI and with biomarkers of metabolic dysfunction. In addition, RNA sequencing showed obesity-associated alterations to the breast adipose microenvironment of
BRCA
mutation carriers, including activation of estrogen biosynthesis, which affected neighboring breast epithelial cells. In breast tissue explants cultured from women carrying a
BRCA
mutation, we found that blockade of estrogen biosynthesis or estrogen receptor activity decreased DNA damage. Additional obesity-associated factors, including leptin and insulin, increased DNA damage in human
BRCA
heterozygous epithelial cells, and inhibiting the signaling of these factors with a leptin-neutralizing antibody or PI3K inhibitor, respectively, decreased DNA damage. Furthermore, we show that increased adiposity was associated with mammary gland DNA damage and increased penetrance of mammary tumors in
Brca1
+/−
mice. Overall, our results provide mechanistic evidence in support of a link between elevated BMI and breast cancer development in
BRCA
mutation carriers. This suggests that maintaining a lower body weight or pharmacologically targeting estrogen or metabolic dysfunction may reduce the risk of breast cancer in this population.
Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Discovery of Dual Inhibitors of Oxygen and Fumarate Respiration in Zoonotic Parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis
Authors: Enkai Shigehiro , Kouguchi Hirokazu , Inaoka Daniel Ken , Shiba Tomoo , Hidaka Masahito , Matsuyama Hiroyuki , Sakura Takaya , Yagi Kinpei , Kita Kiyoshi
Published: February 2023

Ascofuranone (AF), a meroterpenoid isolated from various filamentous fungi, including
Acremonium egyptiacum
, has been reported as a potential lead candidate for drug development against parasites and cancer. In this study, we demonstrated that AF and its derivatives are potent anthelminthic agents, particularly against
Echinococcus multilocularis
, which is the causative agent of alveolar echinococcosis.
Structural Basis of the Mechanisms of Action and Immunity of Lactococcin A, a Class IId Bacteriocin
Authors: Li Ruilian , Duan Jinsong , Zhou Yicheng , Wang Jiawei
Published: February 2023

Class IId (lactococcin-like) bacteriocins and class IIa (pediocin-like) bacteriocins share a few similarities: (i) both induce membrane leakage and cell death by specifically binding the mannose phosphotransferase system (man-PTS) on their target cells, and (ii) cognate immunity proteins recognize and bind to the bacteriocin–man-PTS complex to block membrane leakage. However, class IId bacteriocins lack the “pediocin box” motif, which is typical of class IIa bacteriocins, and basically target only lactococcal cells; in contrast, class IIa bacteriocins target diverse bacterial cells, but not lactococcal cells.
Improved Genomic Prediction of Staphylococcus epidermidis Isolation Sources with a Novel Polygenic Score
Authors: Hellmann K. Taylor , Challagundla Lavanya , Gray Barry M. , Robinson D. Ashley
Published: February 2023

Staphylococcus epidermidis
infections can be challenging to diagnose due to the species frequent contamination of clinical specimens and indolent course of infection. Nevertheless,
S. epidermidis
is the major cause of late-onset sepsis among premature infants and of intravascular infection in all age groups.
Terminology and diagnostic criteria used in studies investigating patients with subacromial pain syndrome from 1972 to 2019: a scoping review
Authors: Witten Adam , Mikkelsen Karen , Wagenblast Mayntzhusen Thomas , Clausen Mikkel Bek , Thorborg Kristian , Hölmich Per , Barfod Kristoffer Weisskirchner
Published: February 2023

Introduction

There is no recognised terminology, nor diagnostic criteria, for patients with subacromial pain syndrome (SAPS). This is likely to cause heterogeneity across patient populations. This could be a driver of misconceptions and misinterpretations of scientific results. We aimed to map the literature regarding terminology and diagnostic criteria used in studies investigating SAPS.

Materials and methods

Electronic databases were searched from inception to June 2020. Original peer-reviewed studies investigating SAPS (also known as subacromial impingement or rotator cuff tendinopathy/impingement/syndrome) were eligible for inclusion. Studies containing secondary analyses, reviews, pilot studies and studies with less than 10 participants were excluded.

Results

11 056 records were identified. 902 were retrieved for full-text screening. 535 were included. 27 unique terms were identified. Mechanistic terms containing ‘impingement’ are used less than before, while SAPS is used increasingly. For diagnoses, combinations of Hawkin’s, Neer’s, Jobe’s, painful arc, injection test and isometric shoulder strength tests were the most often used, though this varied considerably across studies. 146 different test combinations were identified. 9% of the studies included patients with full-thickness supraspinatus tears and 46% did not.

Conclusion

The terminology varied considerably across studies and time. The diagnostic criteria were often based on a cluster of physical examination tests. Imaging was primarily used to exclude other pathologies but was not used consistently. Patients with full-thickness supraspinatus tears were most often excluded. In summary, studies investigating SAPS are heterogeneous to an extent that makes it difficult, and often impossible, to compare studies.
Prevalence and characteristics of anti-Indigenous bias among Albertan physicians: a cross-sectional survey and framework analysis
Authors: Roach Pamela , Ruzycki Shannon M , Hernandez Santanna , Carbert Amanda , Holroyd-Leduc Jayna , Ahmed Sofia , Barnabe Cheryl
Published: February 2023

Objective

Recent deaths of Indigenous patients in the Canadian healthcare system have been attributed to structural and interpersonal racism. Experiences of interpersonal racism by Indigenous physicians and patients have been well characterised, but the source of this interpersonal bias has not been as well studied. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of explicit and implicit interpersonal anti-Indigenous biases among Albertan physicians.

Design and setting

This cross-sectional survey measuring demographic information and explicit and implicit anti-Indigenous biases was distributed in September 2020 to all practising physicians in Alberta, Canada.

Participants

375 practising physicians with an active medical licence.

Outcomes

Explicit anti-Indigenous bias, measured by two feeling thermometer methods: participants slid an indicator on a thermometer to indicate their preference for white people (full preference is scored 100) or Indigenous people (full preference, 0), and then participants indicated how favourably they felt toward Indigenous people (100, maximally favourable; 0, maximally unfavourable). Implicit bias was measured using an Indigenous-European implicit association test (negative scores suggest preference for European (white) faces). Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare bias across physician demographics, including intersectional identities of race and gender identity.

Main results

Most of the 375 participants were white cisgender women (40.3%; n=151). The median age of participants was 46–50 years. 8.3% of participants felt unfavourably toward Indigenous people (n=32 of 375) and 25.0% preferred white people to Indigenous people (n=32 of 128). Median scores did not differ by gender identity, race or intersectional identities. White cisgender men physicians had the greatest implicit preferences compared with other groups (−0.59 (IQR −0.86 to –0.25); n=53; p<0.001). Free-text responses discussed ‘reverse racism’ and expressed discomfort with survey questions addressing bias and racism.

Conclusions

Explicit anti-Indigenous bias was present among Albertan physicians. Concerns about ‘reverse racism’ targeting white people and discomfort discussing racism may act as barriers to addressing these biases. About two-thirds of respondents had implicit anti-Indigenous bias. These results corroborate the validity of patient reports of anti-Indigenous bias in healthcare and emphasise the need for effective intervention.
Primary open-angle glaucoma in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea in a Colombian population: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Cerquera Jaramillo Maria Alejandra , Moreno Mazo Sara Edith , Toquica Osorio Jeanneth Eloyne
Published: February 2023

Objective

Determine the prevalence, functional and structural alterations of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Tertiary hospital associated with specialised center in ophthalmologic images in Bogota, Colombia.

Participants

150 patients, for a sample of 300 eyes, 64 women (42.7%) and 84 men (57.3%) between 40 and 91 years old with a mean age of 66.8 (±12.1) years.

Interventions

Visual acuity, biomicroscopy, intraocular pressure, indirect gonioscopy and direct ophthalmoscopy. Patients classified as glaucoma suspects underwent automated perimetry (AP) and optical coherence tomography of the optic nerve

Outcome measure

The primary outcomes are the determination of prevalence of glaucoma suspects and POAG in patients with OSA. Secondary outcomes are the description of functional and structural alterations in computerised exams of patients with OSA.

Results

The prevalence of glaucoma suspect was 12.6%, and for POAG was 17.3%. No alterations in the appearance of the optic nerve was seen in 74.6%, focal or diffuse thinning of the neuroretinal rim (16.6%) was the most frequently finding, followed by asymmetry of the disc>0.2 mm (8.6%) (p=0.005). In the AP, 41% showed arcuate, nasal step and paracentral focal defects. The mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was normal (>80 µM) in 74% of the mild OSA group, 93.8% of the moderate group and 17.1% of the severe group. Similarly, normal (P5-90) ganglion cell complex (GCC) in 60%, 68% and 75%, respectively. Abnormal results in the mean RNFL was seen in 25.9%, 6.3% and 23.4% of the mild, moderate and severe groups, respectively. In the GCC, 39.7%, 33.3% and 25% of the patients in the aforementioned groups.

Conclusion

It was possible to determine the relationship between structural changes in the optic nerve and the severity of OSA. No relationship with any of the other studied variables was identified.
Maternal and infant outcomes of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, Lebanese and migrant women giving birth in a tertiary public hospital in Lebanon: a secondary analysis of an obstetric database
Authors: McCall Stephen J , El Khoury Tanya C , Ghattas Hala , Elbassuoni Shady , Murtada Mhd Hussein , Jamaluddine Zeina , Haddad Christine , Hussein Aya , Krounbi Amina , DeJong Jocelyn , Khazaal Janoub , Chahine Rabih
Published: February 2023

Objectives

This study aims to assess whether the characteristics, management and outcomes of women varied between Syrian and Palestinian refugees, migrant women of other nationalities and Lebanese women giving birth at a public tertiary centre in Beirut, Lebanon.

Methods

This was a secondary data analysis of routinely collected data from the public Rafik Hariri University Hospital (RHUH) between January 2011 and July 2018. Data were extracted from medical notes using text mining machine learning methods. Nationality was categorised into Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian and migrant women of other nationalities. The main outcomes were diabetes, pre-eclampsia, placenta accreta spectrum, hysterectomy, uterine rupture, blood transfusion, preterm birth and intrauterine fetal death. Logistic regression models estimated the association between nationality and maternal and infant outcomes, and these were presented using ORs and 95% CIs.

Results

17 624 women gave birth at RHUH of whom 54.3% were Syrian, 39% Lebanese, 2.5% Palestinian and 4.2% migrant women of other nationalities. The majority of women had a caesarean section (73%) and 11% had a serious obstetric complication. Between 2011 and 2018, there was a decline in the use of primary caesarean section (caesarean section performed for the first time) from 7% to 4% of births (p<0.001). The odds of preeclampsia, placenta abruption and serious complications were significantly higher for Palestinian and migrant women of other nationalities compared to Lebanese women, but not for Syrian women. Very preterm birth was higher for Syrians (OR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.40) and migrant women of other nationalities (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.03) compared to Lebanese women.

Conclusion

Syrian refugees in Lebanon had similar obstetric outcomes compared to the host population, except for very preterm birth. However, Palestinian women and migrant women of other nationalities appeared to have worse pregnancy complications than the Lebanese women. There should be better healthcare access and support for migrant populations to avoid severe complications of pregnancy.
T cell-mediated targeted delivery of tadalafil regulates immunosuppression and polyamine metabolism to overcome immune checkpoint blockade resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Wang Xiaobin , Zhang Qiaoyun , Zhou Jingwen , Xiao Zecong , Liu Jianxin , Deng Shaohui , Hong Xiaoyang , Huang Wensou , Cai Mingyue , Guo Yongjian , Huang Jingjun , Wang Yong , Lin Liteng , Zhu Kangshun
Published: February 2023

Background

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) monotherapy provides poor survival benefit in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to ICB resistance caused by immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and drug discontinuation resulting from immune-related side effects. Thus, novel strategies that can simultaneously reshape immunosuppressive TME and ameliorate side effects are urgently needed.

Methods

Both in vitro and orthotopic HCC models were used to explore and demonstrate the new role of a conventional, clinically used drug, tadalafil (TA), in conquering immunosuppressive TME. In detail, the effect of TA on M2 polarization and polyamine metabolism in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) was identified. After making clear the aforementioned immune regulatory effect of TA, we introduced a nanomedicine-based strategy of tumor-targeted drug delivery to make better use of TA to reverse immunosuppressive TME and overcome ICB resistance for HCC immunotherapy. A dual pH-sensitive nanodrug simultaneously carrying both TA and programmed cell death receptor 1 antibody (aPD-1) was developed, and its ability for tumor-targeted drug delivery and TME-responsive drug release was evaluated in an orthotopic HCC model. Finally, the immune regulatory effect, antitumor therapeutic effect, as well as side effects of our nanodrug combining both TA and aPD-1 were analyzed.

Results

TA exerted a new role in conquering immunosuppressive TME by inhibiting M2 polarization and polyamine metabolism in TAMs and MDSCs. A dual pH-sensitive nanodrug was successfully synthesized to simultaneously carry both TA and aPD-1. On one hand, the nanodrug realized tumor-targeted drug delivery by binding to circulating programmed cell death receptor 1-positive T cells and following their infiltration into tumor. On the other hand, the nanodrug facilitated efficient intratumoral drug release in acidic TME, releasing aPD-1 for ICB and leaving TA-encapsulated nanodrug to dually regulate TAMs and MDSCs. By virtue of the combined application of TA and aPD-1, as well as the efficient tumor-targeted drug delivery, our nanodrug effectively inhibited M2 polarization and polyamine metabolism in TAMs and MDSCs to conquer immunosuppressive TME, which contributed to remarkable ICB therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects in HCC.

Conclusions

Our novel tumor-targeted nanodrug expands the application of TA in tumor therapy and holds great potential to break the logjam of ICB-based HCC immunotherapy.
Gut microbiota in SLE: from animal models to clinical evidence and pharmacological perspectives
Authors: Toumi Eya , Mezouar Soraya , Plauzolles Anne , Chiche Laurent , Bardin Nathalie , Halfon Philippe , Mege Jean Louis
Published: February 2023

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial autoimmune disease driven by complex interactions between genetics and environmental factors. SLE is characterised by breaking self-immune tolerance and autoantibody production that triggers inflammation and damage of multiple organs. Given the highly heterogeneous nature of SLE, the treatments currently used are still not satisfactory with considerable side effects, and the development of new therapies is a major health issue for better patient management. In this context, mouse models significantly contribute to our knowledge of the pathogenesis of SLE and are an invaluable tool for testing novel therapeutic targets. Here, we discuss the role of the most used SLE mouse models and their contribution to therapeutic improvement. Considering the complexity of developing targeted therapies for SLE, adjuvant therapies are also increasingly proposed. Indeed, murine and human studies have recently revealed that gut microbiota is a potential target and holds great promises for successful new SLE therapies. However, the mechanisms of gut microbiota dysbiosis in SLE remain unclear to date. In this review, we propose an inventory of existing studies investigating the relationship between gut microbiota dysbiosis and SLE to establish microbiome signature that may serve as a potential biomarker of the disease and its severity as well as a new potential therapy target. This approach may open new possibilities for early diagnosis, prevention and therapeutic perspectives of SLE based on gut microbiome.
Equilibrium temperature for black holes with nonextensive entropy
Authors: Çimdiker Ilim , Da̧browski Mariusz P. , Gohar Hussain
Published: February 2023

Hawking temperature has been widely utilized in the literature as the temperature that corresponds to various nonextensive entropies. In this study, we analyze the compatibility of the Hawking temperature with the nonextensive entropies. We demonstrate that, for every nonextensive entropy, one may define an effective temperature (which we call equilibrium temperature) by utilizing the equilibrium condition, and that there is always an additive equilibrium entropy associated with this effective temperature. Except for Bekenstein entropy, we show that Hawking temperature is thermodynamically inconsistent with other nonextensive entropies. We focus on the equilibrium requirement for the Tsallis–Cirto black hole entropy and demonstrate that the Bekenstein–Hawking entropy is the related equilibrium entropy, and the Hawking temperature is the associated equilibrium temperature for the Tsallis–Cirto black hole entropy.
Signatures of regular black holes from the quasar continuum spectrum
Authors: Banerjee Indrani
Published: February 2023

Regular black holes arising in Einstein gravity coupled to non-linear electrodynamics are worth studying as they can circumvent the $$r=0$$

r
=
0

curvature singularity arising in general relativity. In this work we explore the signatures of regular black holes with a Minkowski core from the quasar continuum spectrum. We use thin-disk approximation to derive the theoretical luminosity from the accretion disk and compare it with the optical data of eighty Palomar Green quasars. Our analysis based on error estimators like the $$\chi ^2$$

χ
2

, the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, the index of agreement etc. reveal that optical observations of quasars favor black holes with a small non-linear electrodynamics charge parameter $$k\simeq 0.15$$

k
≃
0.15

although the Kerr scenario is allowed within $$2-\sigma $$

2
-
σ

interval. The implications are discussed.
Impact of LIGO-Virgo black hole binaries on gravitational wave background searches
Authors: Lewicki Marek , Vaskonen Ville
Published: February 2023

We study the impact of the black hole binary population currently probed by LIGO-Virgo on future searches for the primordial gravitational wave background. We estimate the foreground generated by the binaries using the observed event rate and a simple modeling of the black hole population. We subtract individually resolvable binaries from the foreground and utilize Fisher analysis to derive sensitivity curves for power-law signals including these astrophysical foregrounds. Even with optimistic assumptions, we find that the reach of future experiments will be severely reduced.
Quantum states of H2+ and H2 in an icosahedral potential well
Authors: Longo Savino , Lonigro Davide , Lerario Giuseppe , Stripoli Carla , Micca Longo Gaia
Published: February 2023

We investigate the potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the hydrogen-based cation H2+ and the neutral molecule H2 confined inside an infinite potential well in the shape of a regular icosahedron. The numerical computations are performed using the diffusion Monte Carlo method and are based on an analytical technique for obtaining simple equations of the surfaces of convex polyhedra proposed by S. Onaka. Different states and different orientations of the molecules inside the confining potential well, as well as various sizes of the latter, are studied. We provide a detailed symmetry analysis and consistent labeling of the H2+ states considered. The results show that the icosahedral confinement is closely isotropic in its inner region, leading to PESs that develop pronounced minima, as in the case of simpler confinement geometries. Shape-specific effects can be evidenced when the nuclei are in contact with the confining wall.
Three-dimensional nanowire networks fabricated by ion track nanotechnology and their applications
Authors: Wagner M. F. P. , Voss K.-O. , Trautmann C. , Toimil-Molares M. E.
Published: February 2023

The existing and future accelerator facilities at GSI and FAIR offer unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research, especially for material science and nanotechnology. On their way through polymers, swift heavy ions with GeV energy deposit enormous energy densities along their trajectory, generating long nanoscopic damage trails known as ion tracks. Ion-track technology utilizes the small track size (few nm) combined with the extensive track length (up to 100 μm and more) to synthesize and control the geometry of high-aspect-ratio nanostructures such as tailored nanochannels and nanowires. In particular, electrodeposition and ion-track nanotechnology provide an excellent platform for developing unique 3D networks of nanowires with controlled dimensions, composition and crystallographic properties. Here, a summary of recent results obtained on the synthesis and characterization of stable 3D architectures of semiconductor and semimetal nanowires, and their implementation in the fields of photoelectrochemistry and thermoelectrics, is presented.
Optical and electronic properties of defect chalcopyrite ZnGa2S4
Authors: Asadullayeva S. G. , Ismayilova N. A. , Musayev M. A. , Abbasov I. I.
Published: February 2023

In this paper, we have performed a study on the optical properties of single crystals ZnGa2S4 by method of density functional theory (DFT) and ellipsometry measurements. The calculated results for the real [Formula: see text] and imaginary [Formula: see text] parts of the dielectric function are compared with the measured experimental spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) spectra in the 0.7–6.5 eV spectral region. Absorption coefficient-photon energy dependency revealed the existence of direct bandgap transitions with energy 3.5 eV. This result is very close to bandgap obtained from our theoretical calculation.
Neural Networks for Drug Discovery and Design
Authors: Monroe Don
Published: February 2023

Architectures suited for molecules streamline the identification of pharmaceutical candidates.
Flash Sintering Preparation and Characterizations of (M0.5Ta0.5)0.05Ti0.95O2 (M = Al, Ga, In) Colossal Dielectric Ceramics
Authors: Wang Zhentao , Zheng Haisheng , Zhang Lei , Cheng Zhan , Zhao Feiwen , Zuo Ruzhong , Li Tianyu , Xu Dong
Published: February 2023

In this paper, (M0.5Ta0.5)0.05Ti0.95O2 (M = Al, Ga, In) ceramic materials were successfully prepared by Flash Sintering (FS) under an electric field of 550 V cm−1 at 1200 °C for 18 min. The influences of different ionic radius on flash sintering behavior, crystal structure, microstructure and dielectric properties of TiO2-based colossal permittivity (CP) ceramics were systematically investigated. FS can reduce the sintering temperature by 200 °C and shorten the sintering time by more than 12 times. The results show that all flash sintering samples were pure rutile TiO2 structure. The grain size decreased with increasing ionic radius. ATTO had the lowest dielectric loss of 0.2 and ITTO had a maximum dielectric constant of 8100 at 1 kHz. XPS analysis confirms that Ti3+ content increased gradually with increasing ion radius. Impedance spectroscopy analysis shows that all flash sintering ceramics were composed of semi-conductive grains and insulating grain boundaries. The CP behavior was explained using the internal barrier layer capacitance effect. This work provides a very meaningful method for the preparation of co-doped TiO2 CP ceramic materials.
Enhanced Energy Storage Properties of (1-x) Ba0.96Li0.04TiO3−xBiYO3 Ceramics
Authors: Liu Qing-Qing , Yang Jian , Wu Fei , Ren Yu-Rong , Chen Zhi-Hui
Published: February 2023

The lead-free perovskite ceramics of (1-x) Ba0.96Li0.04TiO3-xBiYO3 (BLT-xBY) (x = 0.02 ∼ 0.10) were synthesized using traditional solid reaction sintering at 1250 °C. XRD and Raman spectra analysis showed that the phase structure transformation occurred at 0.06 < x < 0.08. When x is in the range of 0.02 ∼ 0.06, the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases coexist in the sample. When x ≥ 0.08, the tetragonal phase disappears, and the orthorhombic phase and the cubic phase coexist. All the samples displayed almost pore-free microstructures with relative densities above 91%. As x increases, the maximum permittivity decreases and moves towards low temperature. The dielectric constant at different frequencies shows dispersion phenomenon. When x = 0.08, the remnant polarization (Pr) and the maximum polarization (Pmax) of the composition were 1.047 μC cm−2 and 11.643 μC cm−2, respectively. Meanwhile, the recoverable energy storage density (Wrec) is increased to 0.319 J cm−3 with a high dielectric breakdown strength (BDS) of 69.2 kV cm−1 at x = 0.08.
Chemical Characterization, Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antibiofilm Activities of Essential Oils of Plumeria alba (Forget-Me-Not)
Authors: Mary Mawumenyo Mamattah Kirsty , Kusiwaa Adomako Abigail , Nketia Mensah Caleb , Borquaye Lawrence Sheringham
Published: February 2023

Essential oils are known to possess many biological properties such as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Plumeria alba flowers are used in traditional remedies for diarrhea, cough, fever, and asthma treatment. This work evaluated the chemical composition and the biological activities of essential oils obtained from the flowers and leaves of Plumeria alba. The essential oils were extracted using the Clevenger-type apparatus and characterized using GC-MS. In the flower essential oil, a total of 17 compounds were identified, with linalool (23.91%), α-terpineol (10.97%), geraniol (10.47%), and phenyl ethyl alcohol (8.65%) being abundant. In the leaf essential oil, a total of 24 compounds were identified, with benzofuran, 2,3-di, hydro-(3.24%), and muurolol (1.40%) being present. Antioxidant activities were assessed using hydrogen peroxide scavenging, phosphomolybdenum, and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging assays. Antimicrobial activities were assessed through a microdilution assay. The essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against test microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 25.0 to 50.0 mg/mL. Biofilm inhibition ranged from 27.14 ± 1.0 to 58.99 ± 0.6 mg/mL. The essential oil exhibited total antioxidant capacities which ranged from 17.5 μg/g AAE to 83 μg/g AAE in the phosphomolybdenum assay. The IC50 values in the DPPH and hydrogen peroxide radical scavenging assays for both flowers and leaves ranged from 18.66 μg/mL to 38.28 μg/mL. Both essential oils also displayed good antibiofilm activities, with the concentration required for half-maximal inhibition of biofilm formation being ∼60 mg/mL for both oils. This study shows that essential oils of Plumeria alba possess good antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and could be used as a source of natural antioxidants and antimicrobial agents.
Learning to Discriminate Adversarial Examples by Sensitivity Inconsistency in IoHT Systems
Authors: Zhang Huan , Tan Hao , Zhu Bin , Wang Le , Shafiq Muhammad , Gu Zhaoquan
Published: February 2023

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have been widely adopted in many fields, and they greatly promote the Internet of Health Things (IoHT) systems by mining health‐related information. However, recent studies have shown the serious threat to DNN‐based systems posed by adversarial attacks, which has raised widespread concerns. Attackers maliciously craft adversarial examples (AEs) and blend them into the normal examples (NEs) to fool the DNN models, which seriously affects the analysis results of the IoHT systems. Text data is a common form in such systems, such as the patients’ medical records and prescriptions, and we study the security concerns of the DNNs for textural analysis. As identifying and correcting AEs in discrete textual representations is extremely challenging, the available detection techniques are still limited in performance and generalizability, especially in IoHT systems. In this paper, we propose an efficient and structure‐free adversarial detection method, which detects AEs even in attack‐unknown and model‐agnostic circumstances. We reveal that sensitivity inconsistency prevails between AEs and NEs, leading them to react differently when important words in the text are perturbed. This discovery motivates us to design an adversarial detector based on adversarial features, which are extracted based on sensitivity inconsistency. Since the proposed detector is structure‐free, it can be directly deployed in off‐the‐shelf applications without modifying the target models. Compared to the state‐of‐the‐art detection methods, our proposed method improves adversarial detection performance, with an adversarial recall of up to 99.7% and an F1‐score of up to 97.8%. In addition, extensive experiments have shown that our method achieves superior generalizability as it can be generalized across different attackers, models, and tasks.
FHAAPS: Efficient Anonymous Authentication with Privacy Preservation Scheme for Farm-to-Home Communication
Authors: Rajasekaran Arun Sekar , Azees M. , Yahya Khalid
Published: February 2023

With the advancement in information and communication technology (ICT), secure farm-to-home communication has become an emerging concept. Food is the most basic essential commodity for the survival of human beings which is produced by farmers. However, because of the presence of intermediaries, farmers/producers do not make a sufficient profit and also the consumers have to pay more money to buy food items from these mediators. As a result, in this work, we proposed an efficient farm-to-home anonymous authentication privacy-preserving scheme in which the storehouse will buy goods from farmers and sell them to the consumers at the base rate. Moreover, in our scheme, an unprofitable trusted delivery agent assists in the transfer of food commodities between end users and storehouses to provide maximum profit for the farmers and consumers. Further, essential security parameters are provided to the end users and it provides conditional privacy to the delivery agent; i.e., if any mishap occurs, then the malicious delivery agent’s privacy is revoked to avoid further damage to the system. The performance analysis section shows that our scheme supports the transfer of food commodities with minimum computational and communication costs.