bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improved sizing with image-based robotic-assisted system compared to image-free and conventional techniques in medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty
Authors: Batailler Cecile , Bordes Maxence , Lording Timothy , Nigues Ana , Servien Elvire , Calliess Tilman , Lustig Sébastien
Published: April 2021

Aims

Ideal component sizing may be difficult to achieve in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Anatomical variants, incremental implant size, and a reduced surgical exposure may lead to over- or under-sizing of the components. The purpose of this study was to compare the accuracy of UKA sizing with robotic-assisted techniques versus a conventional surgical technique.

Methods

Three groups of 93 medial UKAs were assessed. The first group was performed by a conventional technique, the second group with an image-free robotic-assisted system (Image-Free group), and the last group with an image-based robotic arm-assisted system, using a preoperative CT scan (Image-Based group). There were no demographic differences between groups. We compared six parameters on postoperative radiographs to assess UKA sizing. Incorrect sizing was defined by an over- or under-sizing greater than 3 mm.

Results

There was a higher rate of tibial under-sizing posteriorly in the conventional group compared to robotic-assisted groups (47.3% (n = 44) in conventional group, 29% (n = 27) in Image-Free group, 6.5% (n = 6) in Image-Based group; p < 0.001), as well as a higher rate of femoral under-sizing posteriorly (30.1% (n = 28) in conventional group, 7.5% (n = 7) in Image-Free group, 12.9% (n = 12) in Image-Based group; p < 0.001). The posterior femoral offset was more often increased in the conventional group, especially in comparison to the Image-Based group (43% (n = 40) in conventional group, 30.1% (n = 28) in Image-Free group, 8.6% (n = 8) in Image-Based group; p < 0.001). There was no significant overhang of the femoral or tibial implant in any groups.

Conclusion

Robotic-assisted surgical techniques for medial UKA decrease the risk of tibial and femoral under-sizing, particularly with an image-based system using a preoperative CT scan. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):610–618.
A feasibility study of standard dressings versus negative-pressure wound therapy in the treatment of adult patients having surgical incisions for hip fractures: the WHISH randomized controlled trial
Authors: Masters James , Cook Jonathan , Achten Juul , Costa Matt L. ,   WHISH trial collaborators
Published: April 2021

Aims

This study sought to compare the rate of deep surgical site infection (SSI), as measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) definition, after surgery for a fracture of the hip between patients treated with standard dressings and those treated with incisional negative pressure wound therapy (iNPWT). Secondary objectives included determining the rate of recruitment and willingness to participate in the trial.

Methods

The study was a two-arm multicentre randomized controlled feasibility trial that was embedded in the World Hip Trauma Evaluation cohort study. Any patient aged > 65 years having surgery for hip fracture at five recruitment centres in the UK was considered to be eligible. They were randomly allocated to have either a standard dressing or iNPWT after closure of the wound. The primary outcome measure was deep SSI at 30 and 90 days, diagnosed according to the CDC criteria. Secondary outcomes were: rate of recruitment; further surgery within 120 days; health-related quality of life (HRQoL) using the EuroQol five-level five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L); and related complications within 120 days as well as mobility and residential status at this time.

Results

A total of 462 valid randomizations were carried out (232 and 230 in the standard dressing and iNPWT groups, respectively). In the standard dressing group, 14 of 218 patients (6.4%) developed deep SSI. In the iNPWT group, four of 214 patients (1.9%) developed deep SSI. This gives a total rate of SSI of 4.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7% to 6.5%). Patients and surgeons were willing to participate in the study with 462 patients being recruited from a possible 749 (62.3%).

Conclusion

The rate of deep SSI 30 days after surgery for a fracture of the hip was 4%, which makes a study comparing the clinical effectiveness of standard dressings and iNPWT feasible. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):755–761.
Orthopaedic clinical research: building a team that lasts
Authors: Stiegel Laura , Klika Alison K. , Higuera Carlos A. , K.Barsoum Wael , Piuzzi Nicolas S.
Published: April 2021

Medical progress, including in the orthopaedic surgery field, depends on the interaction and collaboration between: physicians, with their expertise on the clinical setting; scientists, with their expertise on the research setting; and professionals who are skilled in both settings (clinical scientists). This leads to the need to develop research approaches which involves people who are committed and support the process, strategic planning, and a cohesive team that can execute the tasks. All these interactions must be supported financially in order to maintain the long-term viability of such team. Time management is crucial for the clinical research team. To ensure success, the research team must be flexible in order to adapt to dynamic clinical and surgical schedules. It is especially important that surgeons have regular, dedicated quality research time to maintain a consistent interaction with the team. Building a successful and productive orthopaedic clinical research programme involves many challenges in creating proper leadership, obtaining funding, setting proper resources, establishing necessary training, and providing guidance and insight around the importance of each role that every member plays on the team.

Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2021;6:245-251. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.6.200058
COVID-19: complications with consent and confidentiality for dental practices
Authors: Madaan Sita
Published: April 2021

Telemedicine has revolutionised the world in that remote access to the provision of patient care has been made possible. This has proved to be exceptionally useful during the COVID-19 pandemic but while telemedicine is benefitting those with medical problems, teledentistry is still slow to be implemented, with most clinics not having the software in their practices that allow this, and also no safe and official portals of communication between staff regarding patient care away from the dental practice. Our dental colleagues are having to undertake consultations with patients through non-secure means such as Zoom, WhatsApp or FaceTime and have no remote access to patient notes to document these conversations. This poses a breach to patient confidentiality. Nevertheless, owing to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, there is a growing need to converse with patients (and discuss their welfare between colleagues) away from the dental practice.
Solution not pollution!
Authors: Hasan Aliya , Harley Kathryn
Published: April 2021

Public awareness of environmental issues has been increasing over recent years. While this has always been an important topic for discussion, the warnings of climate change have been catapulted into the spotlight with famous environmental activists such as David Attenborough. In the NHS, there have been efforts to tackle a climate ‘health emergency’ for several years. Currently, the NHS produces much higher emissions for healthcare than the global average. It therefore comes as no surprise that something has to change. This change began with a nationwide NHS initiative to tackle the climate emergency and reduce the environmental footprint of the NHS. This paper discusses the current issues of environmental waste in the NHS as well as ways to reduce its impact on the planet.
A General Theory of Value and Money: Foundations of an Axiomatic Theory
Authors: Freeman Alan
Published: April 2021

This article is the first part of “A General Theory of Value and Money” and sets out the foundations of an axiomatic theory of value and money. Its purpose is to equip the public to explain the four facts that define the modern capitalist economy: the long-term post-war decline of the economies of the global North, the financial instability which produced the 2008 crash, the prolonged post-war growth in inequality between the global North and the global South, and the exceptional 30-year growth of China. The axiomatic method is poorly understood among economists. It allows us to interrogate empirical evidence in a systematic way, and is therefore the necessary precondition for an inductivist, scientific enquiry into economic events, that is, an enquiry whose starting point is the explanation of facts. The second part of “A General Theory of Value and Money,” to follow, deals with the empirical conclusions, especially the analysis of accumulation, the rate of profit, and financial crashes.
The State and Accumulation under Contemporary Capitalism
Authors: Singh Paramjit , Tiwana Balwinder Singh
Published: April 2021

The classical and neo-classical economists present capitalism as a self-regulating and self-sustaining system. A system works on Say's law of market or Walrasian general equilibrium lines where market device works so efficiently that there are no possibilities of instability. The full utilization of available resources keeps the economy on a steady state growth path. However, Marxian and Keynesian economists do not believe in this idealistic interpretation of the working of capitalist economic system. They argue that cyclical instability is a fundamental tendency of capitalist economic structure. Historically, it has been proven that the capitalist system, from its very inception, has required state intervention, not only in its external relations but also in its internal functioning. The stability of capitalism depends upon the stability of capital accumulation which in turn depends upon state facilitation and direct state intervention in the economic affairs. In the light of these facts, the present paper makes an attempt to scrutinize the role of state in the accumulation process, which has evolved with the evolution of social classes and has been dominating economic and social affairs in accordance with the needs of the dominant class.
Class, Demography, and Gay Politics in the West
Authors: Cockshott Paul
Published: April 2021

We examine the economic position of gay couples and show that they are relatively advantaged compared to heterosexual ones, with this advantage being most marked for male same-sex couples. We argue that the issue of gay marriage has to be seen in the context of a general demographic crisis affecting Western capitalist countries. We look at the impact of this on profitability and growth.
Using evidence in shaping disability policy in Romania: the case of sheltered workshops
Authors: Petrescu Claudia , Lambru Mihaela
Published: April 2021

Background:

The importance of using evidence to inform the policymaking process has been well established in the literature and practice. In Western countries evidence-based policy (EBP) is already accepted and implemented in many policy areas, including disability policy. In Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) the interest in EBP (evidence-based policy) is new and limited, hampered in many aspects by the regional specificity of the public administration and welfare services reform.

Aims and objectives:

The present article aims to explore the development of evidence-based disability employment policy in Romania, in a specific area of work integration: sheltered workshops.

Methods:

The article draws on the findings of extensive research on sheltered workshops that included multiple research methods, such as public policy analysis, social documents analysis, and secondary data analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.

Findings:

A number of issues concerning the implementation of evidence-based disability policy in Romania have been identified. Some of these issues are related to the administrative and policy capacity of the government. Others are linked to the limitation of the advocacy capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) active in the disability area, or to the weak presence of the academic/research community in the disability policy forum.

Discussion and conclusions:

There is a limited knowledge of how evidence-based disability policy is developed in CEE countries. This article will emphasise the role of the sheltered workshops in shaping the policy solutions in the area of work integration for persons with disabilities. The article will contribute to better understanding of the disability policy reform, looking closely at how the evidence is built and used within the disability policy process.
Emotionalising the Israeli–Palestinian conflict: on the civil society engagements of Israeli mental health professionals in response to the Palestinian uprisings
Authors: Brunner José , Amrami Galia Plotkin
Published: April 2021

This article explores how Israeli mental health practitioners emotionalised the Israeli–Palestinian conflict by intervening in the public sphere. Based on a close reading of texts produced by two Israeli civil society associations of psy-professionals – Imut and Natal – we analyse and compare two languages of emotion that they developed in response to two Palestinian uprisings, the First Intifada of 1987–93 and the Al Aqsa Intifada of 2000–05. This allows us to point to differences and similarities in the ways these two associations articulated, conceptualised and represented emotions that they attributed to the Israeli-Jewish collective. Imut voiced a critical and openly political response to the outbreak of the First Intifada, while Natal adopted an ostensibly apolitical position that affirmed mainstream Israeli politics in response to the Al Aqsa Intifada. Though they differed in their politics, both Imut and Natal emotionalised the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in a dual fashion. They depicted emotions as forces (a) whose dynamics have to be understood in order to grapple with the conflict, and (b) whose detrimental effects have to be controlled through proper management. Thus, both associations portrayed emotions as an instrument for understanding the political situation and as a powerful tool to achieve social and political aims. Though both Imut and Natal emotionalised the conflict in their civil society interventions, neither of them depoliticised it. Rather, they transposed the psychological from the individual to the social level, thus embedding it in a dialectic in which the politicisation of the psychological leads to a non-reductionist emotionalisation of the political.
Organizational Supports to Promote the Community Integration of People With Dual Diagnosis
Authors: Friedman Carli
Published: April 2021

One of the most common reasons people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) return to institutions is because of maladaptive behaviors. This study's aim was to examine the impact organizational supports can have on the community outcomes of people with dual diagnosis—those with IDD and psychiatric disabilities. We analyzed secondary Personal Outcome Measures interview data from 533 people with dual diagnosis. Findings revealed people with dual diagnosis were significantly more likely to have community outcomes present when they received individualized organizational supports. In addition, we found a number of disparities in organizational supports, including related to guardianship, communication method, and residence type. A more robust service system is necessary to ensure people with dual diagnosis are integrated into their communities.
Effects of a Justice-Based Partnership Between Employees and Families in Creating Services and Supports to Enhance Quality of Life Outcomes
Authors: Maniezki Alice , Martínez-Tur Vicente , Estreder Yolanda , Moliner Carolina
Published: April 2021

We propose a justice-based partnership between employees and family members as a means to create services and support systems for people with intellectual disability, enhancing quality of life indicators. More specifically, we examine the links from mutual intergroup justice to three outcomes reported by family members: satisfaction with the center, service quality delivered by employees, and performance focused on the quality of life of people with intellectual disability. We used data from 111 centers. In each center, a group of family members (n = 845) and a group of employees (n = 914) participated. Multilevel modeling revealed that mutual intergroup justice (between employees and family members) has a positive effect on satisfaction with the center, perceptions of functional and relational service quality, and performance based on quality of life.
Directional phase-unwrapping algorithm and phase shift technique on hydrogel
Authors: Wu Yiyang , Knox Wayne
Published: April 2021

Refractive index microstructures, which can be written by multiphoton absorption with femtosecond lasers, have many applications. Here we present a directional phase-unwrapping algorithm with phase-shifting technique and apply it to the metrology of hydrogel microstructures. A staircase phase-unwrapping algorithm is demonstrated. This fast quality-guided path phase-unwrapping applies well to situations that are geometrically well defined and is quite tolerant of phase noise. To achieve precise very small phase shifts, we also present a slant angle technique on a DC servo stage along with phase shift measurement, allowing us to achieve 6.5 nm step sizes.
Experimental demonstration of OAM-based transmitter mode diversity data transmission under atmosphere turbulence
Authors: Wang Andong , Zhu Long , Deng Mingliang , Lu Bing , Guo Xiaojin
Published: April 2021

Twisted light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), which features helical phase front, has shown its potential applications in diverse areas, especially in optical communications. For OAM-based free-space optical (FSO) links, a significant challenge is the power fading induced by atmospheric turbulence. In this paper, we experimentally demonstrate the mitigation of atmospheric turbulence effects with an OAM-based transmitter mode diversity scheme. By designing multi-OAM phase patterns, we successfully generate multiple OAM modes (OAM-1,0,1, OAM+2,+3,+4, OAM+5,+6,+7) carrying the same data stream for transmitter diversity without adding system complexity. An intensity-modulated direct-detection (IM-DD) system with 39.06 Gbit/s discrete multi-tone (DMT) signal is employed to confirm the feasibility of the OAM-based transmitter mode diversity scheme under atmosphere turbulence. The obtained experimental results show that the received power fluctuation and average bit-error rate (BER) are decreased under moderate to strong turbulence compared to the traditional single OAM mode transmission. In addition, the required transmitted power at 10% interruption probability is relaxed by nearly 2 dB under moderate to strong turbulence.
Polarization selective Dove prism
Authors: Ameen Yasir P. A. , Goyal Sandeep K.
Published: April 2021

We propose a passive all optical device capable of transforming the orbital angular momentum (OAM) state of light conditioned over the polarization states. The efficiency of this device is ensured due to its linear optical nature. As applications of this device, we show CNOT and SWAP operations between polarization and OAM qubits, non-interferometric OAM mode sorter and generalized Pauli X operation on a four-dimensional subspace of OAM.
Palm-sized methane TDLAS sensor based on a mini-multi-pass cell and a quartz tuning fork as a thermal detector
Authors: Wei Tingting , Wu Hongpeng , Dong Lei , Cui Ruyue , Jia Suotang
Published: April 2021

A palm-sized methane (CH4) tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensor is reported, in which a quartz tuning fork (QTF) is used as a thermal detector, working together with a mini-multi-pass cell (mini-MPC) to compose a gas detection module (GDM) with a compact dimension of 78 mm × 40 mm × 40 mm. A 1.65 µm near-infrared distributed feedback (DFB) laser is installed in the sensor for CH4 detection. A minimum detection limit (MDL) of 52 ppb is achieved at an integration time of 300 ms, corresponding to a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient (NNEA) of 2.1×10−8 cm−1W/Hz1/2. A seven-day continuous monitoring of atmospheric CH4 concentration is implemented to verify the sensor’s long-term stability.
2.5 Gbps free-space optical transmission between two 5G airship floating base stations at a distance of 12 km
Authors: Yu Xiaonan , Zhang Lei , Zhang Yiqun , Song Yansong , Tian Mingguang , Wang Tong , Tong Shoufeng
Published: April 2021

We experimentally demonstrated a long-range, large-capacity-featured, airship-based, free-space optical transmission system by using key technologies, such as GPS/INS real-time precision laser pointing, coarse and fine compound high-bandwidth laser tracking, avalanche photodiode detector adaptive control turbulence channel compensation, and the aurora laser fifth-generation (5G) interface protocol, to solve the problems of laser tracking and targeting based on an airship motion platform, high-speed signal transmission under atmospheric channel perturbation, and interface protocol between a wireless laser link and 5G base station signal, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, the first FSO transmission of 5G base station signals between airship platforms with a rate of 2.5 Gbps and a distance of 12 km was realized, and channel turbulence jitter was also recorded for laser links of different altitudes, from 200 to 1000 m, which provides technical and data support for the application of wireless laser links in 5G floating base stations.
Computational epitope map of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein
Authors: Sikora Mateusz , von Bülow Sören , Blanc Florian E. C. , Gecht Michael , Covino Roberto , Hummer Gerhard
Published: April 2021

The primary immunological target of COVID-19 vaccines is the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein. S is exposed on the viral surface and mediates viral entry into the host cell. To identify possible antibody binding sites, we performed multi-microsecond molecular dynamics simulations of a 4.1 million atom system containing a patch of viral membrane with four full-length, fully glycosylated and palmitoylated S proteins. By mapping steric accessibility, structural rigidity, sequence conservation, and generic antibody binding signatures, we recover known epitopes on S and reveal promising epitope candidates for structure-based vaccine design. We find that the extensive and inherently flexible glycan coat shields a surface area larger than expected from static structures, highlighting the importance of structural dynamics. The protective glycan shield and the high flexibility of its hinges give the stalk overall low epitope scores. Our computational epitope-mapping procedure is general and should thus prove useful for other viral envelope proteins whose structures have been characterized.
Using Hawkes Processes to model imported and local malaria cases in near-elimination settings
Authors: Unwin H. Juliette T. , Routledge Isobel , Flaxman Seth , Rizoiu Marian-Andrei , Lai Shengjie , Cohen Justin , Weiss Daniel J. , Mishra Swapnil , Bhatt Samir
Published: April 2021

Developing new methods for modelling infectious diseases outbreaks is important for monitoring transmission and developing policy. In this paper we propose using semi-mechanistic Hawkes Processes for modelling malaria transmission in near-elimination settings. Hawkes Processes are well founded mathematical methods that enable us to combine the benefits of both statistical and mechanistic models to recreate and forecast disease transmission beyond just malaria outbreak scenarios. These methods have been successfully used in numerous applications such as social media and earthquake modelling, but are not yet widespread in epidemiology. By using domain-specific knowledge, we can both recreate transmission curves for malaria in China and Eswatini and disentangle the proportion of cases which are imported from those that are community based.
Building blocks and blueprints for bacterial autolysins
Authors: Mitchell Spencer J. , Verma Deeptak , Griswold Karl E. , Bailey-Kellogg Chris
Published: April 2021

Bacteria utilize a wide variety of endogenous cell wall hydrolases, or autolysins, to remodel their cell walls during processes including cell division, biofilm formation, and programmed death. We here systematically investigate the composition of these enzymes in order to gain insights into their associated biological processes, potential ways to disrupt them via chemotherapeutics, and strategies by which they might be leveraged as recombinant antibacterial biotherapies. To do so, we developed LEDGOs (lytic enzyme domains grouped by organism), a pipeline to create and analyze databases of autolytic enzyme sequences, constituent domain annotations, and architectural patterns of multi-domain enzymes that integrate peptidoglycan binding and degrading functions. We applied LEDGOs to eight pathogenic bacteria, gram negatives Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and gram positives Clostridioides difficile, Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Our analysis of the autolytic enzyme repertoires of these pathogens reveals commonalities and differences in their key domain building blocks and architectures, including correlations and preferred orders among domains in multi-domain enzymes, repetitions of homologous binding domains with potentially complementarity recognition modalities, and sequence similarity patterns indicative of potential divergence of functional specificity among related domains. We have further identified a variety of unannotated sequence regions within the lytic enzymes that may themselves contain new domains with important functions.
LuxT controls specific quorum-sensing-regulated behaviors in Vibrionaceae spp. via repression of qrr1, encoding a small regulatory RNA
Authors: Eickhoff Michaela J. , Fei Chenyi , Huang Xiuliang , Bassler Bonnie L.
Published: April 2021

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of chemical communication bacteria use to transition between individual and collective behaviors. QS depends on the production, release, and synchronous response to signaling molecules called autoinducers (AIs). The marine bacteriumVibrio harveyimonitors AIs using a signal transduction pathway that relies on five small regulatory RNAs (called Qrr1-5) that post-transcriptionally control target genes. Curiously, the small RNAs largely function redundantly making it difficult to understand the necessity for five of them. Here, we identify LuxT as a transcriptional repressor ofqrr1. LuxT does not regulateqrr2-5, demonstrating thatqrrgenes can be independently controlled to drive unique downstream QS gene expression patterns. LuxT reinforces its control over the same genes it regulates indirectly via repression ofqrr1, through a second transcriptional control mechanism. Genes dually regulated by LuxT specify public goods including an aerolysin-type pore-forming toxin. Phylogenetic analyses reveal that LuxT is conserved amongVibrionaceaeand sequence comparisons predict that LuxT repressesqrr1 in additional species. The present findings reveal that the QS regulatory RNAs can carry out both shared and unique functions to endow bacteria with plasticity in their output behaviors.
Non-replicating adenovirus based Mayaro virus vaccine elicits protective immune responses and cross protects against other alphaviruses
Authors: Powers John M. , Haese Nicole N. , Denton Michael , Ando Takeshi , Kreklywich Craig , Bonin Kiley , Streblow Cassilyn E. , Kreklywich Nicholas , Smith Patricia , Broeckel Rebecca , DeFilippis Victor , Morrison Thomas E. , Heise Mark T. , Streblow Daniel N.
Published: April 2021

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an alphavirus endemic to South and Central America associated with sporadic outbreaks in humans. MAYV infection causes severe joint and muscle pain that can persist for weeks to months. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics to prevent MAYV infection or treat the debilitating musculoskeletal inflammatory disease. In the current study, a prophylactic MAYV vaccine expressing the complete viral structural polyprotein was developed based on a non-replicating human adenovirus V (AdV) platform. Vaccination with AdV-MAYV elicited potent neutralizing antibodies that protected WT mice against MAYV challenge by preventing viremia, reducing viral dissemination to tissues and mitigating viral disease. The vaccine also prevented viral-mediated demise in IFN⍺R1-/-mice. Passive transfer of immune serum from vaccinated animals similarly prevented infection and disease in WT mice as well as virus-induced demise of IFN⍺R1-/-mice, indicating that antiviral antibodies are protective. Immunization with AdV-MAYV also generated cross-neutralizing antibodies against two related arthritogenic alphaviruses–chikungunya and Una viruses. These cross-neutralizing antibodies were protective against lethal infection in IFN⍺R1-/-mice following challenge with these heterotypic alphaviruses. These results indicate AdV-MAYV elicits protective immune responses with substantial cross-reactivity and protective efficacy against other arthritogenic alphaviruses. Our findings also highlight the potential for development of a multi-virus targeting vaccine against alphaviruses with endemic and epidemic potential in the Americas.
Use of seroprevalence to guide dengue vaccination plans for older adults in a dengue non-endemic country
Authors: Pan Yi-Hua , Liao Mei-Ying , Chien Yu-Wen , Ho Tzong-Shiann , Ko Hui-Ying , Yang Chin-Rur , Chang Shu-Fen , Yu Chia-Yi , Lin Shu-Yu , Shih Pin-Wei , Shu Pei-Yun , Chao Day-Yu , Pan Chao-Ying , Chen Hong-Ming , Perng Guey-Chuen , Ku Chia-Chi , King Chwan-Chuen
Published: April 2021

A shift in dengue cases toward the adult population, accompanied by an increased risk of severe cases of dengue in the elderly, has created an important emerging issue in the past decade. To understand the level of past DENV infection among older adults after a large dengue outbreak occurred in southern Taiwan in 2015, we screened 1498 and 2603 serum samples from healthy residents aged ≥ 40 years in Kaohsiung City and Tainan City, respectively, to assess the seroprevalence of anti-DENV IgG in 2016. Seropositive samples were verified to exclude cross-reaction from Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), using DENV/JEV-NS1 indirect IgG ELISA. We further identified viral serotypes and secondary DENV infections among positive samples in the two cities. The overall age-standardized seroprevalence of DENV-IgG among participants was 25.77% in Kaohsiung and 11.40% in Tainan, and the seroprevalence was significantly higher in older age groups of both cities. Although the percentages of secondary DENV infection in Kaohsiung and Tainan were very similar (43.09% and 44.76%, respectively), DENV-1 and DENV-2 spanned a wider age range in Kaohsiung, whereas DENV-2 was dominant in Tainan. As very few studies have obtained the serostatus of DENV infection in older adults and the elderly, this study highlights the need for further investigation into antibody status, as well as the safety and efficacy of dengue vaccination in these older populations.
Localized skin inflammation during cutaneous leishmaniasis drives a chronic, systemic IFN-γ signature
Authors: Farias Amorim Camila , O. Novais Fernanda , Nguyen Ba T. , Nascimento Mauricio T. , Lago Jamile , Lago Alexsandro S. , Carvalho Lucas P. , Beiting Daniel P. , Scott Phillip
Published: April 2021

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a localized infection controlled by CD4+ T cells that produce IFN-γ within lesions. Phagocytic cells recruited to lesions, such as monocytes, are then exposed to IFN-γ which triggers their ability to kill the intracellular parasites. Consistent with this, transcriptional analysis of patient lesions identified an interferon stimulated gene (ISG) signature. To determine whether localized L. braziliensis infection triggers a systemic immune response that may influence the disease, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) on the blood of L. braziliensis-infected patients and healthy controls. Functional enrichment analysis identified an ISG signature as the dominant transcriptional response in the blood of patients. This ISG signature was associated with an increase in monocyte- and macrophage-specific marker genes in the blood and elevated serum levels IFN-γ. A cytotoxicity signature, which is a dominant feature in the lesions, was also observed in the blood and correlated with an increased abundance of cytolytic cells. Thus, two transcriptional signatures present in lesions were found systemically, although with a substantially reduced number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Finally, we found that the number of DEGs and ISGs in leishmaniasis was similar to tuberculosis–another localized infection–but significantly less than observed in malaria. In contrast, the cytolytic signature and increased cytolytic cell abundance was not found in tuberculosis or malaria. Our results indicate that systemic signatures can reflect what is occurring in leishmanial lesions. Furthermore, the presence of an ISG signature in blood monocytes and macrophages suggests a mechanism to limit systemic spread of the parasite, as well as enhance parasite control by pre-activating cells prior to lesion entry.
Absence of reliable physiological signature of illusory body ownership revealed by fine-grained autonomic measurement during the rubber hand illusion
Authors: Critchley Hugo D. , Botan Vanessa , Ward Jamie
Published: April 2021

The neural representation of a ‘biological self’ is linked theoretically to the control of bodily physiology. In an influential model, selfhood relates to internal agency and higher-order interoceptive representation, inferred from the predicted impact of efferent autonomic nervous activity on afferent viscerosensory feedback. Here we tested if an altered representation of physical self (illusory embodiment of an artificial hand) is accompanied by sustained shifts in autonomic activity. Participants (N = 37) underwent procedures for induction of the rubber hand illusion (synchronous stroking of own unseen hand and observed stroking of artificial hand) and a control condition (asychronous stroking). We recorded electrocardiography, electrodermal activity, and a non-invasive measure of multiunit skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA) from the chest. We compared these autonomic indices between task conditions, and between individuals who did and did not experience the illusion. Bayes factors quantified the strength of evidence for and against null hypotheses. Observed proprioceptive drift and subjective reports confirmed the efficacy of the synchronous (vs asynchronous) condition in inducing illusory hand ownership. Stringent discriminant analysis classified 24/37 individuals as experiencing the rubber hand illusion. Surprisingly, heart rate, heart rate variability, electrodermal activity, and SKNA measures revealed no autonomic differences between synchronous vs asynchronous conditions, nor between individuals who did or did not experience the rubber hand illusion. Bayes factors indicated substantial evidence for no physiological differences. In contrast to earlier reports, our autonomic data show the absence of a reliable change in physiological state during the rubber hand illusion. More encompassing perturbations of self-experience, for example in full body illusions, may nevertheless be coupled to, or facilitated by, changes in efferent autonomic activity and afferent viscerosensory feedback. Our findings suggest that such changes in bodily physiology are not sustained as an obligatory component of the rubber hand illusion.
ReCiter: An open source, identity-driven, authorship prediction algorithm optimized for academic institutions
Authors: Albert Paul J. , Dutta Sarbajit , Lin Jie , Zhu Zimeng , Bales Michael , Johnson Stephen B. , Mansour Mohammad , Wright Drew , Wheeler Terrie R. , Cole Curtis L.
Published: April 2021

Academic institutions need to maintain publication lists for thousands of faculty and other scholars. Automated tools are essential to minimize the need for direct feedback from the scholars themselves who are practically unable to commit necessary effort to keep the data accurate. In relying exclusively on clustering techniques, author disambiguation applications fail to satisfy key use cases of academic institutions. Algorithms can perfectly group together a set of publications authored by a common individual, but, for them to be useful to an academic institution, they need to programmatically and recurrently map articles to thousands of scholars of interest en masse. Consistent with a savvy librarian’s approach for generating a scholar’s list of publications, identity-driven authorship prediction is the process of using information about a scholar to quantify the likelihood that person wrote certain articles. ReCiter is an application that attempts to do exactly that. ReCiter uses institutionally-maintained identity data such as name of department and year of terminal degree to predict which articles a given scholar has authored. To compute the overall score for a given candidate article from PubMed (and, optionally, Scopus), ReCiter uses: up to 12 types of commonly available, identity data; whether other members of a cluster have been accepted or rejected by a user; and the average score of a cluster. In addition, ReCiter provides scoring and qualitative evidence supporting why particular articles are suggested. This context and confidence scoring allows curators to more accurately provide feedback on behalf of scholars. To help users to more efficiently curate publication lists, we used a support vector machine analysis to optimize the scoring of the ReCiter algorithm. In our analysis of a diverse test group of 500 scholars at an academic private medical center, ReCiter correctly predicted 98% of their publications in PubMed.
Parasitism and host behavior in the context of a changing environment: The Holocene record of the commercially important bivalve Chamelea gallina, northern Italy
Authors: Huntley John Warren , Scarponi Daniele
Published: April 2021

Rapid warming and sea-level rise are predicted to be major driving forces in shaping coastal ecosystems and their services in the next century. Though forecasts of the multiple and complex effects of temperature and sea-level rise on ecological interactions suggest negative impacts on parasite diversity, the effect of long term climate change on parasite dynamics is complex and unresolved. Digenean trematodes are complex life cycle parasites that can induce characteristic traces on their bivalve hosts and hold potential to infer parasite host-dynamics through time and space. Previous work has demonstrated a consistent association between sea level rise and increasing prevalence of trematode traces, but a number of fundamental questions remain unanswered about this paleoecological proxy. Here we examine the relationships of host size, shape, and functional morphology with parasite prevalence and abundance, how parasites are distributed across hosts, and how all of these relationships vary through time, using the bivalveChamelea gallinafrom a Holocene shallow marine succession in the Po coastal plain. Trematode prevalence increased and decreased in association with the transition from a wave-influenced estuarine system to a wave-dominated deltaic setting. Prevalence and abundance of trematode pits are associated with large host body size, reflecting ontogenetic accumulation of parasites, but temporal trends in median host size do not explain prevalence trends. Ongoing work will test the roles of temperature, salinity, and nutrient availability on trematode parasitism. Parasitized bivalves in one sample were shallower burrowers than their non-parasitized counterparts, suggesting that hosts of trematodes can be more susceptible to their predators, though the effect is ephemeral. Like in living parasite-host systems, trematode-induced malformations are strongly aggregated among hosts, wherein most host individuals harbor very few parasites while a few hosts have many. We interpret trace aggregation to support the assumption that traces are a reliable proxy for trematode parasitism in the fossil record.
Prevalence of depression, anxiety and associated factors among school going adolescents in Bangladesh: Findings from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Islam Md. Saiful , Rahman Md. Estiar , Moonajilin Mst. Sabrina , van Os Jim
Published: April 2021

Background

Common mental disorders in early life represent a major concern as they become more complex and intense with transition into adolescence. Despite global recognition of the significance of adolescent mental health, it remains a neglected area in research and health policy in Bangladesh. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with depression and anxiety among school going adolescents in Bangladesh.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 563 students aged 13–18 years at selected schools (secondary and higher secondary) in Dhaka City. After providing written informed consent, participants completed a survey examining socio-demographic variables, along with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scales. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between variables under examination.

Results

The prevalence rates of moderate to severe levels of depression and anxiety were 26.5% and 18.1%, respectively. Based on multivariable analyses, unsatisfactory sleep (AOR = 3.17; 95% CI = 1.81–5.53, p < .001), cigarette smoking (AOR = 2.00; 95% CI = 1.01–3.97, p = .048), and anxiety (AOR = 10.47; 95% CI = 6.11–17.95, p < .001) were associated with depression. Anxiety was associated with being 15–16 years (AOR = 2.66; 95% CI = 1.18–6.00, p = .018), not having good perceived relationships with friends (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.24–3.56, p = .006) and depression (AOR = 10.22; 95% CI = 6.01–17.38, p < .001).

Conclusions

Depression and anxiety were prevalent among school going adolescents in Bangladesh. The findings suggest epidemiological data can direct policy-level decisions regarding evaluation, prevention, and intervention of mental health conditions among school going adolescents in Bangladesh.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of asymptomatic malaria infection in pregnant women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A challenge for malaria elimination efforts
Authors: Yimam Yonas , Nateghpour Mehdi , Mohebali Mehdi , Abbaszadeh Afshar Mohammad Javad
Published: April 2021

Background

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where malaria transmission is stable, malaria infection in pregnancy adversely affects pregnant women, fetuses, and newborns and is often asymptomatic. So far, a plethora of primary studies have been carried out on asymptomatic malaria infection in pregnant women in SSA. Nevertheless, no meta-analysis estimated the burden of asymptomatic malaria infection in pregnant women in SSA, so this meta-analysis was carried out to bridge this gap.

Methods

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and ProQuest were systematically searched for relevant studies published until 4 August 2020, and also the expansion of the search was performed by October 24, 2020. We assessed heterogeneity among included studies using I-squared statistics (I2). Publication bias was assessed by visual inspection of the funnel plot and further quantitatively validated by Egger’s and Begg’s tests. The pooled prevalence and pooled odds ratio (OR) and their corresponding 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were estimated using the random-effects model in Stata 15 software.

Results

For this meta-analysis, we included 35 eligible studies. The overall prevalence estimate of asymptomatic Plasmodium infection prevalence was 26.1%% (95%CI: 21–31.2%, I2 = 99.0%). According to species-specific pooled prevalence estimate, Plasmodium falciparum was dominant species (22.1%, 95%CI: 17.1–27.2%, I2 = 98.6%), followed by Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale, respectively, found to be 3% (95%CI: 0–5%, I2 = 88.3%), 0.8% (95%CI: 0.3–0.13%, I2 = 60.5%), and 0.2% (95%CI: -0.01–0.5%, I2 = 31.5%). Asymptomatic malaria-infected pregnant women were 2.28 times more likely anemic (OR = 2.28, 95%CI: 1.66–3.13, I2 = 56.3%) than in non-infected pregnant women. Asymptomatic malaria infection was 1.54 times higher (OR = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.28–1.85, I2 = 11.5%) in primigravida women compared to multigravida women.

Conclusion

In SSA, asymptomatic malaria infection in pregnant women is prevalent, and it is associated with an increased likelihood of anemia compared to non-infected pregnant women. Thus, screening of asymptomatic pregnant women for malaria and anemia should be included as part of antenatal care.
Intact parathyroid hormone levels localize causative glands in persistent or recurrent renal hyperparathyroidism: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Hiramitsu Takahisa , Tomosugi Toshihide , Okada Manabu , Futamura Kenta , Goto Norihiko , Narumi Shunji , Watarai Yoshihiko , Tominaga Yoshihiro , Ichimori Toshihiro
Published: April 2021

Persistent or recurrent renal hyperparathyroidism may occur after total parathyroidectomy and transcervical thymectomy with forearm autograft under continuous stimulation due to uremia. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels may reflect persistent or recurrent renal hyperparathyroidism because of the enlarged autografted parathyroid glands in the forearm or remnant parathyroid glands in the neck or mediastinum. Detailed imaging requires predictive localization of causative parathyroid glands. Casanova and simplified Casanova tests may be convenient. However, these methods require avascularization of the autografted forearm for >10 min with a tourniquet or Esmarch. The heavy pressure during avascularization can be incredibly painful and result in nerve damage. An easier method that minimizes the burden on patients in addition to predicting the localization of causative parathyroid glands was developed in this study. Ninety patients who underwent successful re-parathyroidectomy for persistent or recurrent renal hyperparathyroidism after parathyroidectomy between January 2000 and July 2019 were classified according to the localization of causative parathyroid glands (63 and 27 patients in the autografted forearm and the neck or mediastinum groups, respectively). Preoperatively, intact PTH levels were measured from bilateral forearm blood samples following a 5-min avascularization of the autografted forearm. Cutoff values of the intact PTH ratio (intact PTH level obtained from the non-autografted forearm before re-parathyroidectomy/intact PTH level obtained from the autografted forearm before re-parathyroidectomy) were investigated with receiver operating characteristic curves to localize the causative parathyroid glands. Intact PTH ratios of <0.310 with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.913 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.856–0.970; P < 0.001) and >0.859 with an AUC 0.744 (95% CI: 0.587–0.901; P = 0.013) could predict causative parathyroid glands in the autografted forearm and the neck or mediastinum with diagnostic accuracies of 81.1% and 83.3%, respectively. Therefore, we propose that the intact PTH ratio is useful for predicting the localization of causative parathyroid glands for re-parathyroidectomy.