bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health technology assessment criteria as drivers of coverage with managed entry agreements: a case study of cancer medicines in four countries
Authors: Efthymiadou Olina
Published: October 2022

Background

Managed entry agreements (MEAs) continue to emerge in health technology assessment (HTA)-based decision-making, to address evidentiary uncertainties arising therein. Evidence on the HTA criteria that influence MEAs' uptake remains scarce. This study explores the HTA criteria that determine (i) if an HTA funding decision will be listed with conditions (LWC) other than a MEA, or with a MEA as a condition (LWCMEA), and ii) the MEA type implemented (i.e., financial, outcomes based, or combination).

Methods

HTA reports of all oncology medicines approved since 2009 in Australia, England, Scotland, and Sweden were searched to capture the clinical/economic evidence uncertainties raised in the decision-making process, the Social Value Judgements (SVJs) considered therein and the final coverage decision. Binary and multinomial logit models captured the probability (odds ratio (OR)) of a coverage decision being LWCMEA vs. LWC, and of the MEA being financial, outcomes based, or combination, based on the HTA criteria studied.

Results

23 (12%) LWC and 163 (88%) LWCMEA decisions were identified; 136 (83.4%) comprised financial, 10 (6.2%) outcomes based and 17 (10.4%) combination MEAs. LWCMEA decisions were driven by economic model utilities' uncertainties (7.16 < OR < 26.7, p < .05), and the innovation (8.5 < OR < 11.7, p < .05) SVJ. Outcomes based contracts were influenced by clinical evidence (OR = 69.2, p < .05) and relevance to clinical practice (OR = 26.4, p < .05) uncertainties, and rarity (OR = 46.2, p < .05) and severity (OR = 23.3, p < .05) SVJs. Financial MEAs were influenced by innovation (8.9 < OR < 9.3, p < .05) and societal impact (OR = 17.7, p < .0001) SVJs.

Conclusions

This study provides an empirical framework on the HTA criteria that shape payers' preferences in funding with MEAs, when faced with uncertainty.
Designing a shared freight service intelligence platform for transport stakeholders using mobile telematics
Authors: Heinbach Christoph , Meier Pascal , Thomas Oliver
Published: October 2022

Internet of Things (IoT) technology transforms freight transport operations by adopting novel data-driven services and enables information sharing among actors involved in global transport chains. Mobile telematics represents emerging IoT technologies for global forwarding increasingly applied to full loads conveyed by freight transport assets (FTAs) (e.g., ISO containers) facilitating intelligent services. In this light, telematics-enabled FTAs support freight transport operations utilized by individual stakeholders in three overarching service dimensions: transport management, fleet management, and risk management. This topic is, however, understudied by information systems (IS) research and service science. For this reason, we establish a design science research project, conceptualize a shared Freight Service Intelligence Platform (FSIP), and introduce freight service intelligence as an interdisciplinary research field. To this aim, we first review related literature, interview 14 transport stakeholders, and theorize six meta-requirements. Second, we propose five design principles that indicate how the meta-requirements may be associated. Third, we develop a web-based prototype application to instantiate the proposed design principles comprising performance analytics, anomaly detection, risk assessment including prediction, data exchange, communication, and IS integration. Subsequently, we evaluate the application with six transport stakeholders and logistics software vendors. Finally, we conclude with a discussion on the implications of an emerging topic addressed by this paper.
Environmental Personhood as a Tool to Protect Nature
Authors: Łaszewska-Hellriegel Martyna
Published: October 2022

The escalating global ecological degradation underlines the continued importance of the need of effective nature protection. In recent years a new concept– “environmental personhood” was developed. The article analyses the concept and asks the question if it can help with the efficiency of protecting the nature. It is the attempt to transfer the essence of human rights to animals and ecosystem, so they will no longer be right’-less. This concept has some of its beginning in the idea of “common heritage of mankind”, which means that some places belong to the whole of humanity and that the resources of these places should be available to all. This article outlines the roots, the development and traces current trends in the legal personification of non-human persons. It asks legal-theoretical questions about the limits and possibilities of opening up the concept of legal personhood for non-human legal persons in order to protect the nature and discusses the possibility of creating new institutions that could protect it. The article also shows the importance of creating a new society sensitive to nature’s needs.
PET-Recycling — mit Enzymen gegen die Plastikkrise
Authors: Sonnendecker Christian
Published: October 2022

Mass production of inert plastics based on mineral-oil has become a problem to our environment due to the lack of sustainable recycling options. PET however consists of hydrolysable ester bonds, which enables several strategies. One aspiring technology is based on the enzymatic hydrolysis of PET. The basic building blocks of the polymer can be recovered to close the recycling loop for PET.
Bioreaktoren für vaskularisiertes Knochen-Tissue-Engineering
Authors: Böker Kai O. , Siegk Samuel , Pardo Luis A. , Bravo Miguel , Hahne Janne , Lehmann Wolfgang , Schilling Arndt F.
Published: October 2022

Tissue engineering (TE) has the potential to revolutionize human healthcare through creation of artificial tissue for medical applications. The vascular supply plays an important role in this process. To realize such vascularized tissues in the future, we developed a vascularized bioreactor system. The goal in the near future is to standardize the systems to enable to mimic existing in vivo systems. The long-term goal is the production of vascularized bone tissue for treatment of large bone defects in injured patients.
Raman-Spektroskopie in der Infektionsforschung
Authors: Cialla-May Dana , Rösch Petra , Popp Jürgen
Published: October 2022

Raman spectroscopy allows to analyze bacteria and other microorganisms label and destruction free. With different Raman techniques either colonies on agar plates or small structures like single bacterial cells can be analyzed allowing for their identification as well as enabling 2D and 3D information of intracellular bacteria or biofilms. Using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) allows detecting and identifying viruses as well as antibiotics relevant in the treatment of infections.
Correlates of Physical Activity in 0- to 5-year-olds: A Systematic Umbrella Review and Consultation of International Researchers
Authors: Arts Jelle , Drotos Elizabeth , Singh Amika S. , Chinapaw Mai J. M. , Altenburg Teatske M. , Gubbels Jessica S.
Published: October 2022

Background

Many children aged 0–5 years do not meet the WHO physical activity guidelines. To develop effective, evidence-based interventions, it is necessary to understand which factors are associated with physical activity in early childhood.

Objective

To summarize the current evidence on correlates of physical activity in 0- to 5-year-old children.

Methods

First, a systematic umbrella review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus were searched up to May 2020 for systematic reviews examining the association between potential correlates and quantitatively measured physical activity in children aged 0–5.9 years. Included reviews were assessed on methodological quality, and results were categorized according to the socio-ecological model. Second, 31 international researchers of physical activity in young children participated in an expert panel to reflect on the outcomes of the umbrella review and propose directions for future research.

Results

Twenty-one reviews were included that examined a total of 98 potential correlates. When synthesizing all reviews, 23 correlates were found with consistent evidence for an association with a physical activity outcome. For most other potential correlates there was inconsistent evidence across reviews for associations with physical activity in young children. Although there was little overlap between the correlates identified in the umbrella review and determinants suggested by the expert panel, both confirmed the importance of socio-cultural, policy, and physical environmental factors in general.

Conclusion

Multiple correlates of young children's physical activity were identified. However, various methodological challenges (e.g., measurement instruments) and the large heterogeneity (e.g., study samples, correlates, and outcome measures) hindered formulating definitive conclusions. Moreover, none of the reviews reported on the interrelatedness between correlates, which would align with more holistic understandings of behavior. Our findings indicate the urgent need for establishing a common ground in definitions, assessment methods, and analytical methods to further the field of physical activity research in this tremendously important age group.

Prospero Registration Number

CRD42020184159.
Comparison of Intravenous Paracetamol, Dexketoprofen Trometamol, or Topical Lidocaine Use for Pain Relief in Scorpion Stings: A Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Study
Authors: Turgut Kasım , Yavuz Erdal , Gülaçtı Umut , Aydın İrfan , Sönmez Cihat , Aktaş Nurettin , Arslan Ebru
Published: October 2022

Introduction

After a scorpion sting, patients commonly present to hospitals with pain. Our study sought to compare the analgesic efficacy of IV paracetamol, IV dexketoprofen trometamol, topical lidocaine, and placebo in patients reporting pain after presenting with a history of scorpion sting.

Methods

This double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital. Adult patients who presented with the complaint of pain after a scorpion sting and did not have systemic findings were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 4 groups: IV paracetamol, IV dexketoprofen trometamol, topical lidocaine, and placebo. The visual analog scale scores were measured at the time of presentation to the emergency department and at 30 and 60 min to determine the pain intensity.

Results

The study included 106 patients, of whom 30 were in the paracetamol group, 26 in the dexketoprofen trometamol group, 25 in the topical lidocaine group, and 25 in the placebo group. We did not find a different analgesic effect among the groups in the first 30 min ( P=0.185). IV paracetamol, dexketoprofen trometamol, and topical lidocaine did not show different analgesic effects in the first 60 min ( P>0.05). IV paracetamol and dexketoprofen trometamol were found to provide a more effective analgesia than the placebo at 60 min ( P<0.05). The analgesic effects of topical lidocaine and placebo did not differ ( P=0.330).

Conclusions

IV paracetamol and IV dexketoprofen trometamol provided analgesia in the first 60 min, similar to topical lidocaine but superior to placebo.
Hump-Nosed Pit Viper Envenomation in Western Coastal India: A Case Series
Authors: Sirur Freston M. , Balakrishnan Jayaraj M. , Lath Vrinda
Published: October 2022

The hump-nosed pit viper (HNPV) has historically been considered less medically significant, causing local envenomation, renal injury, and coagulopathy; however, now, it is known to cause life-threatening complications. We describe the clinical presentation, treatment, and complications of 3 confirmed HNPV bites from the state of Karnataka (southwest coastal India). Patient 1, an 88-y-old woman, reported with the live specimen and developed venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) and thrombotic microangiopathy leading to acute kidney injury requiring blood product transfusions and dialysis. Patient 2, a 60-y-old woman, reported 3 d after envenomation followed by treatment at another hospital where 30 vials of polyvalent anti-snake venom (ASV) were given. She developed VICC and acute kidney injury requiring dialysis. On Day 9 of treatment, she developed a pontine hemorrhage. She died after a transfer to another treatment center closer to her residence. Patient 3, a 25-y-old man, was brought to our emergency department 6 h after being envenomed. He received topical ayurvedic treatment before arrival. He was unconscious and found to have severe VICC with a massive middle cerebral artery infarct. All 3 patients received Indian polyvalent ASV, which does not cover HNPV envenomation, clearly demonstrating the absence of paraspecificity and neutralization in a clinical setting. To our knowledge, Hypnale hypnale envenomation has not previously been reported from Karnataka state. The diagnosis of HNPV envenomation in a country without snake venom detection kits, under-reporting despite serious complications, financial burdens on rural populations afflicted, and poor outcomes due to the lack of a specific antivenom are discussed.
Reviving botany in the curriculum: the botanical journey of two Western Australian early childhood teachers
Authors: Beasley Kimberley , Hesterman Sandra , Lee-Hammond Libby
Published: October 2022

Environmental education across the early years has become increasingly important in Australia since the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum. These documents promote a connection to nature for young children as well as environmental responsibility. In Western Australia, large areas of natural environments are bush spaces, accessible by young children, families and schools. There is no existing research investigating early childhood teacher’s knowledge of plants in these bush spaces and the utilisation of these spaces in teaching botany as part of their teaching practice. The discussion in this article examines part of a larger year-long multi-site case study of the changes in the botanical understanding of two early childhood teachers of children aged 5–8 years, in Western Australian schools both before and after the Mosaic Approach, botanical practices and Indigenous knowledges were incorporated into their teaching practice. This article focuses on the changes of botanical literacies of the early childhood teachers specifically. The findings suggest that using inquiry-based and place-based methods and including First Nations Peoples’ perspectives about plants whilst teaching in the bush can significantly increase the plant knowledge and understanding of teachers, as well their own scientific and botanical literacies.
Radar attenuation demonstrates advective cooling in the Siple Coast ice streams
Authors: Hills Benjamin H. , Christianson Knut , Jacobel Robert W. , Conway Howard , Pettersson Rickard
Published: October 2022

Ice streams are warmed by shear strain, both vertical shear near the bed and lateral shear at the margins. Warm ice deforms more easily, establishing a positive feedback loop in an ice stream where fast flow leads to warm ice and then to even faster flow. Here, we use radar attenuation measurements to show that the Siple Coast ice streams are colder than previously thought, which we hypothesize is due to along-flow advection of cold ice from upstream. We interpret the attenuation results within the context of previous ice-temperature measurements from nearby sites where hot-water boreholes were drilled. These in-situ temperatures are notably colder than model predictions, both in the ice streams and in an ice-stream shear margin. We then model ice temperature using a 1.5-dimensional numerical model which includes a parameterization for along-flow advection. Compared to analytical solutions, we find depth-averaged temperatures that are colder by 0.7°C in the Bindschadler Ice Stream, 2.7°C in the Kamb Ice Stream and 6.2–8.2°C in the Dragon Shear Margin of Whillans Ice Stream, closer to the borehole measurements at all locations. Modelled cooling corresponds to shear-margin thermal strengthening by 3–3.5 times compared to the warm-ice case, which must be compensated by some other weakening mechanism such as material damage or ice-crystal fabric anisotropy.
The hidden power of implicit collective memory
Authors: Erll Astrid
Published: October 2022

Over the past decades, the field of memory studies has produced a wealth of research on explicit (conscious, commemorative, official) collective memory. But beyond this realm of the visible, there is a largely hidden world of ‘implicit collective memory’. Elements of this invisible world include narrative schemata, stereotypes, patterns of framing, or world models, which are usually not explicitly known or addressed, but get passed on from generation to generation – in order to shape perception and action in new situations. Implicit collective memory is pervasive and powerful. But it is difficult to trace. It is therefore time to join forces for its systematic study: Drawing on approaches from psychology, sociology, communication studies, anthropology, media culture studies, literary studies, and mnemohistory, this article proposes some building blocks for a future transdisciplinary field of research on implicit collective memory.
Digital African Literatures and the Coloniality of Data
Authors: Yékú James
Published: October 2022

Digital iterations of African literary texts present scholarly opportunities to interrogate how literature produced and circulated on digital media becomes entangled with the capitalist politics of datafication. In the data paradigm described in the article, literary representations are subject to the workings of neoliberal capital and the constraints of algorithmic systems. Through a postcolonial approach that puts the digital humanities in conversation with African literary studies, the article transcends how digital technologies have evidently changed African literature and tackles thecostsof digital literary cultures and networks from Africa. I examine data relations through an African literary culture, which, in the current moment, indisputably exhibits the attainment of new and complex elements including the integration of digital affordances in the production and critical reception of texts. How African literary expressions in a digital age circulate in market-driven digital platforms like Facebook and YouTube makes the subjects of data capitalism or the coloniality of data as important for African literature as the expanded literary networks enabled by the digital.
Equation balance in time series analysis: lessons learned and lessons needed
Authors: Pickup Mark
Published: October 2022

The papers in this symposium use Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate the consequences of estimating time series models with variables that are of different orders of integration. In this summary, I do the following: very briefly outline what we learn from the papers; identify an apparent contradiction that might increase, rather than decrease, confusion around the concept of a balanced time series model; suggest a resolution; and identify a few areas of research that could further increase our understanding of how variables with different dynamics might be combined. In doing these things, I suggest there is still a lack of clarity around how a research practitioner demonstrates balance, and demonstrates what Pickup and Kellstedt (2021) call I(0) balance.
A 20-year audit of the outcomes of stenting with the Montgomery Safe-T-Tube at a tertiary hospital in South Africa
Authors: Klopper G J , Adeniyi O V
Published: October 2022

Objective

This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of laryngotracheal stenosis within a resource-constrained setting, whilst exploring the outcome correlates unique to Montgomery Safe-T-Tube stented laryngotracheoplasty.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional study of patients who underwent Montgomery Safe-T-Tube stented laryngotracheoplasty between January 2000 and December 2019 was performed.

Results

Amongst 75 patients, most lesions were iatrogenic (78.7 per cent) and high-grade in severity (84 per cent). Following 101 laryngotracheoplasties, 57 patients (76 per cent) were successfully decannulated. Young age (84.6 per cent; p = 0.009), low-grade stenosis (100 per cent; p = 0.034) and airway-framework structural integrity (79.3 per cent; p = 0.004) were significant correlates of success. Restenosis (n = 43; 57.3 per cent), occurring at a median of 9.37 weeks following decannulation, was predominantly associated with antecedent dilatation (96.3 per cent; p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Demographic and clinical profiles play a pivotal role in the outcomes and complications of Montgomery Safe-T-Tube stented laryngotracheoplasty. The success rate validates the procedure within a resource-limited setting. There exist critical periods following both surgery and decannulation when the occurrence of adverse events is most likely.
Rewriting the hills: Youth sociality as a mode of navigating unemployment in a context of outmigration in North India
Authors: Deuchar Andrew
Published: October 2022

This article examines the ways in which educated yet unemployed young people attempt to configure ways of being productive in a small hill town in North India. Young people who do not migrate to large urban centres from this township are the subject of contradictory discourses: in some moments they are seen as an antidote to the ‘problem of migration’, but in other moments they are ridiculed for not making good use of their time. Both discourses suggest a present wherein young people are not productive. Drawing on ethnographic material gathered over a ten-month period, this article frames youth sociality as a mode registering a sense of productivity and navigating unemployment. I argue that while hanging out at a computer shop, young men were distancing themselves from notions of idling and creating masculine youth cultures in which they sought to situate themselves as productive young people. I make this argument by unpacking exchanges between these young men and by analysing the tangible ways they helped the shop function. I also draw debates about youth sociality into dialogue with theoretical insights from rural geography to illuminate how educated youth attempt to imbue rural and peri-urban space with new possibilities. I show how educated youth attempt to reanimate rural space and forge affirmative rural futures by emphasizing their connections with Indian modernity. Attending to the ways in which educated yet unemployed youth attempt to situate themselves within productive relations is set to become of increasing importance given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiscal capacity in non-democratic states: the origins and expansion of the income tax
Authors: Andersson Per F.
Published: October 2022

Fiscal capacity is regularly linked to warfare and democratization. However, the majority of income taxes – a cornerstone of government finance – were introduced by non-democratic states in peacetime. This paper is concerned with how autocratic politics shape the adoption and expansion of income taxes. Political institutions help overcome a commitment problem related to investments in taxation. To avoid being deposed by his or her elite supporters, a ruler needs to guarantee that new taxes will not be used opportunistically (e.g. expropriating the elite). If the elite supporters can effectively monitor the government, any transgressions will be detected and punishable. Institutions such as legislatures solve this commitment problem when they allow oversight and monitoring over the executive branch. The empirical implications are straightforward: in places with strong institutional oversight, which allows the elite to monitor the executive, we should observe higher fiscal capacity. I find support for this by analyzing newly available historical datasets over tax revenues, tax introduction dates, and political institutions.
Higher Sensitivity of Northern Hemisphere Monsoon to Anthropogenic Aerosol Than Greenhouse Gases
Authors: Cao Jian , Wang Hao , Wang Bin , Zhao Haikun , Wang Chao , Zhu Xiaowei
Published: October 2022

Because increased greenhouse gas emissions considerably warm and moisten the Earth's atmosphere, one may expect an increase in monsoon precipitation during the historical period. However, we find the observed Northern Hemisphere land summer monsoon (NHLM) precipitation has significantly decreased since 1901. Simulations from Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) well reproduce global warming and the drying of NHLM since the industrial revolution when forced by observed external forcings. Result from single forcing experiment shows that the anthropogenic aerosol (AA) dominates the Northern Hemisphere (NH) monsoon precipitation drying, while the greenhouse gases (GHG) largely control surface warming. Thus, the NH monsoon precipitation responds to AA more sensitively than the GHG. The AA can more effectively modulate downward solar radiation reaching the surface, decreasing evaporation and weakening monsoon circulations by reducing the interhemispheric temperature difference and land‐ocean thermal contrast, albeit with the same efficiency of the thermodynamic effect in the two forcings. Our result indicates the future intensive reduction of aerosol emission may rapidly recover the NH monsoon precipitation.
Conditions for Convective Deep Inflow
Authors: Kuo Yi‐Hung , Neelin J. David
Published: October 2022

Observations and cloud‐resolving simulations suggest that a convective updraft structure drawing mass from a deep lower‐tropospheric layer occurs over a wide range of conditions. This occurs for both mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) and less‐organized convection, raising the question: is there a simple, universal characteristic governing the deep inflow? Here, we argue that nonlocal dynamics of the response to buoyancy are key. For precipitating deep‐convective features including horizontal scales comparable to a substantial fraction of the troposphere depth, the response to buoyancy tends to yield deep inflow into the updraft mass flux. Precipitation features in this range of scales are found to dominate contributions to observed convective precipitation for both MCS and less‐organized convection. The importance of such nonlocal dynamics implies thinking beyond parcel models with small‐scale turbulence for representation of convection in climate models. Solutions here lend support to investment in parameterizations at a complexity between conventional and superparameterization.
Regional Drivers of Stream Chemical Behavior: Leveraging Lithology, Land Use, and Climate Gradients Across the Colorado River, Texas USA
Authors: Goldrich‐Middaugh G. M. , Ma L. , Engle M. A. , Ricketts J. W. , Soto‐Montero P. , Sullivan P. L.
Published: October 2022

Understanding relationships between stream chemistry and watershed factors: land use/land cover, climate, and lithology are crucial to improving our knowledge of critical zone processes that influence water quality. We compiled major ion data from >100 monitoring stations collected over 60 years (1958–2018) across the Colorado River Watershed in Texas (103,000 km2). We paired this river chemistry data with complementary lithology, land use, climate, and stream discharge information. Machine learning techniques were used to produce new insights on controls of stream water chemical behavior, which were validated using traditional multivariate analyses. Studies on stream flow and chemistry in the American west and globally have shown strong relationships between major ion chemical composition, climate, and lithology which hold true for the Colorado River basin in this study. Reactive minerals, including carbonates and evaporites, dominate major ion chemistry across the upper, low‐precipitation regions of the watershed. Upstream and middle reaches of the Colorado River showed shifts from Na‐Cl‐SO4 dominated water from multiple sources including dissolution of gypsum and halite in shallow groundwater, and agricultural activities, to Ca‐HCO3 water types controlled by carbonate dissolution. In the lower portion of the watershed multiple analyses demonstrate that stream chemistry is more influenced by greater precipitation and the presence of silicate minerals than the middle and upstream reaches. This study demonstrates the power of applying machine learning approaches to publicly available long term water chemistry data sets to improve the understanding of watershed interactions with surficial lithology, salinity sources, and anthropogenic influences of water quality.
Metabolic trajectories in childhood and adolescence: Effects on risk for schizophrenia
Authors: Sormunen Elina , Saarinen Maiju M. , Salokangas Raimo K. R. , Hutri-Kähönen Nina , Viikari Jorma , Raitakari Olli T. , Hietala Jarmo
Published: October 2022

Abnormal glucose and lipid metabolism is common in antipsychotic-naive first-episode patients with schizophrenia, but it is unclear whether these changes can already be seen in premorbid or prodromal period, before the first psychotic episode. We examined insulin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride trajectories in children and adolescents (9–18 years old), who were later diagnosed with schizophrenia, any non-affective psychosis (NAP) or affective disorder (AD). The study population consisted of a general population-based cohort “The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study”, started in 1980 (n = 3596). Psychiatric diagnoses were derived from the Health Care Register up to the year 2018. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated no significant differences in insulin or lipid levels in children and adolescents who later developed schizophrenia (n = 41) compared to the cohort control group (n = 3202). In addition, no changes in these parameters were seen in the NAP (n = 74) or AD (n = 156) groups compared to the controls, but lower triglyceride levels in childhood/adolescence associated with earlier diagnosis of psychotic disorder in the NAP group. Taken together, our results do not support any gross-level insulin or lipid changes during childhood and adolescence in individuals with later diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder. Since changes in glucose and lipid metabolism can be observed in neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia, we hypothesize that the more marked metabolic changes develop during the prodrome closer to the onset of the first psychotic episode. The findings have relevance for studies on developmental hypotheses of schizophrenia.
A novel assessment of fine-motor function reveals early hindlimb and detectable forelimb deficits in an experimental model of ALS
Authors: Khademullah C. Sahara , De Koninck Yves
Published: October 2022

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with the loss of cortical and spinal motor neurons (MNs) and muscle degeneration (Kiernan et al. in Lancet 377:942–955, 2011). In the preclinical setting, functional tests that can detect early changes in motor function in rodent models of ALS are critical to understanding the etiology of the disease and treatment development. Here, we established a string-pulling paradigm that can detect forelimb and hindlimb motor deficits in the SOD1 mouse model of ALS earlier than traditional motor performance tasks. Additionally, our findings indicate that early loss of forelimb and hindlimb function is correlated with cortical and spinal MN loss, respectively. This task is not only ecological, low-cost, efficient, and non-onerous, it also requires little animal handling and reduces the stress placed on the animal. It has long been a concern in the field that the SOD1 mouse does not display forelimb motor deficits and does not give researchers a complete picture of the disease. Here, we provide evidence that the SOD1 model does in fact develop early forelimb motor deficits due to the task’s ability to assess fine-motor function, reconciling this model with the various clinical presentation of ALS. Taken together, the string-pulling paradigm may provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of ALS, offer nuanced evaluation of prospective treatments, and has high translational potential to the clinic.
Research on fault diagnosis method of planetary gearbox based on dynamic simulation and deep transfer learning
Authors: Song Meng-Meng , Xiong Zi-Cheng , Zhong Jian-Hua , Xiao Shun-Gen , Tang Yao-Hong
Published: October 2022

To address the issue of not having enough labeled fault data for planetary gearboxes in actual production, this research develops a simulation data-driven deep transfer learning fault diagnosis method that applies fault diagnosis knowledge from a dynamic simulation model to an actual planetary gearbox. Massive amounts of different fault simulation data are collected by creating a dynamic simulation model of a planetary gearbox. A fresh deep transfer learning network model is built by fusing one-dimensional convolutional neural networks, attention mechanisms, and domain adaptation methods. The network model is used to learn domain invariant features from simulated data, thereby enabling fault diagnosis on real data. The fault diagnosis experiment is verified by using the Drivetrain Diagnostics Simulator test bench. The validity of the proposed means is evaluated by comparing the diagnostic accuracy of various means on various diagnostic tasks.
Evaluation of the composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils from four species of Lamiaceae Martinov native to Iran
Authors: Ghavam Mansureh , Bacchetta Gianluigi , Castangia Ines , Manca Maria Letizia
Published: October 2022

In this study the essential oils obtained from four different plant species belonging to the Lamiaceae family were extracted by means of hydrodistillation and their composition and antimicrobial activity were evaluated. About 66 components were identified by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and among all, thymol (67.7%), oleic acid (0.5–62.1%), (−)-caryophyllene oxide (0.4–24.8%), α-pinene (1.1–19.4%), 1,8-cineole (0.2–15.4%), palmitic acid (0.32–13.28%), ( +)spathulenol (11.16%), and germacrene D (0.3–10.3%) were the most abundant in all the species tested (i.e. Thymus daenensis, Nepeta sessilifolia, Hymenocrater incanus, and Stachys inflata). In particular, only the composition of essential oils from H. incanus was completely detected (99.13%), while that of the others was only partially detected. Oxygenated monoterpenes (75.57%) were the main compounds of essential oil from T. daenensis; sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons (26.88%) were the most abundant in S. inflata; oxygenated sesquiterpenes (41.22%) were mainly detected in H. incanus essential oil, while the essential oil from N. sessilifolia was mainly composed of non-terpene and fatty acids (77.18%). Due to their slightly different composition, also the antibacterial activity was affected by the essential oil tested. Indeed, the highest antibacterial and antifungal activities were obtained with the essential oil from T. daenensis by means of the inhibition halo (39 ± 1 and 25 ± 0 mm) against Gram-positive strains such as Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus brasiliensis. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) of the essential oils obtained from the four species varied from 16 to 2000 μg/mL and were strictly affected by the type of microorganism tested. As an example, the essential oils from H. incanus and S. inflata were the most effective against the Gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC 16 and 63 μg/ml, respectively), which is considered one of the most resistant bacterial strain. Therefore, the essential oils obtained from the four species contained a suitable phytocomplexes with potential applications in different commercial area such as agriculture, food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Moreover, these essential oils can be considered a valuable natural alternative to some synthetic antibiotics, thanks to their ability to control the growth of different bacteria and fungi.
Simplified hybrids of two anticancer bistetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids ecteinascidin 743 and cribrostatin 4 and inhibitory activity against proliferation of cancer cells
Authors: Wang Min , Yu Bao-Bao , Yao Zhu-Jun
Published: October 2022

A series of simplified hybrids/analogues of natural alkaloids ecteinascidin 743 and cribrostatin 4 have been synthesized and evaluated.
Photoinduced arylation of chloroarenes in flow: synthesis of unsymmetrical biaryls
Authors: Hong Zih-Siang , Kao Shih-Chieh , Cheng Yu-Tsen , Chen Chun-Jen , Wu Yen-Ku
Published: October 2022

A photoflow cross-coupling reaction of unactivated arenes and aryl chlorides is developed for the synthesis of unsymmetrical biaryl products.
Network model of active elastic shells swollen by hydrostatic pressure
Authors: Maji Ajoy , Rabin Yitzhak
Published: October 2022

Many organisms have an elastic skeleton that consists of a closed shell of epithelial cells that is filled with fluid, and can actively regulate both elastic forces in the shell and hydrostatic pressure inside it.
An ultra-sensitive wearable multifunctional flexible sensor with a self-assembled dual 3D conductive network and yeast-foamed silicone rubber foam
Authors: Lu Yao , Zhao Dongqing , He Junwei , Zou Liming , Wang Jincheng , Song Shiqiang
Published: October 2022

In this work, we developed a series of sensors based on silicone rubber foam and dual 3D conductive networks, which exhibit ultra-high sensitivity, low detection limits and a wide detection range for tensile strain, pressure and temperature.
MUSE crowded field 3D spectroscopy in NGC 300
Authors: Micheva Genoveva , Roth Martin M. , Weilbacher Peter M. , Morisset Christophe , Castro Norberto , Monreal Ibero Ana , Soemitro Azlizan A. , Maseda Michael V. , Steinmetz Matthias , Brinchmann Jarle
Published: October 2022

Context. There are known differences between the physical properties of H II and diffuse ionized gas (DIG). However, most of the studied regions in the literature are relatively bright, with log10 L(Hα)[erg s−1] ≳ 37.

Aims. We compiled an extremely faint sample of 390 H II regions with a median Hα luminosity of 34.7 in the flocculent spiral galaxy NGC 300, derived their physical properties in terms of metallicity, density, extinction, and kinematics, and performed a comparative analysis of the properties of the DIG.

Methods. We used MUSE data of nine fields in NGC 300, covering a galactocentric distance of zero to ~450 arcsec (~4 projected kpc), including spiral arm and inter-arm regions. We binned the data in dendrogram leaves and extracted all strong nebular emission lines. We identified H II and DIG regions and compared their electron densities, metallicity, extinction, and kinematic properties. We also tested the effectiveness of unsupervised machine-learning algorithms in distinguishing between the H II and DIG regions.

Results. The gas density in the H II and DIG regions is close to the low-density limit in all fields. The average velocity dispersion in the DIG is higher than in the H II regions, which can be explained by the DIG being 1.8 kK hotter than H II gas. The DIG manifests a lower ionization parameter than H II gas, and the DIG fractions vary between 15–77%, with strong evidence of a contribution by hot low-mass evolved stars and shocks to the DIG ionization. Most of the DIG is consistent with no extinction and an oxygen metallicity that is indistinguishable from that of the H II gas. We observe a flat metallicity profile in the central region of NGC 300, without a sign of a gradient.

Conclusions. The differences between extremely faint H II and DIG regions follow the same trends and correlations as their much brighter cousins. Both types of objects are so heterogeneous, however, that the differences within each class are larger than the differences between the two classes.
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Authors: El Haïk-Wagner Nicolas
Published: October 2022

« Les humanités en santé : approches de terrain » sont coordonnés par Claire Crignon, professeure d’histoire et de philosophie des sciences à l’université de Lorraine, qui a créé le master « humanités biomédicales » à Sorbonne université.
Traitement de substitution des usagers dépendants des opiacés
Authors: Gaye Sader , Malissin Isabelle , Gadji Macoura , Thiam Mamadou Habib , Mégarbane Bruno
Published: October 2022

La méthadone et la buprénorphine sont les deux traitements de substitution des opiacés autorisés en France depuis la fin des années 1990. Plus récemment, certains pays africains, comme le Sénégal, ont mis en place une nouvelle politique de santé axée sur la réduction des risques, en encourageant le recours aux traitements de substitution des opiacés. Les objectifs de la substitution sont de réduire la morbi-mortalité liée à la consommation d’héroïne ou d’autres opioïdes de rue, de favoriser l’insertion des usagers de drogue dans le système de soins, et, plus généralement, de faciliter leur insertion sociale. Cette nouvelle stratégie trouve néanmoins des limites dans la pratique. Nous rapportons dans cette revue l’expérience du Centre de prise en charge intégré des addictions de Dakar, au Sénégal, et proposons une réflexion éthique, tant individuelle que collective, afin d’améliorer le traitement de substitution des opiacés, notamment en Afrique.
L’identité de genre, entre faits naturels et faits construits, une approche intégrative et développementale
Authors: Jurek Lucie , Souiller Ludovic , Medjkane François
Published: October 2022

À partir des années 1950, l’identité de genre, en ce qu’elle définit la conviction de l’individu d’appartenir à un genre ou à un autre, devient un objet de recherche médicale et scientifique. Partant des premiers travaux de John Money et de Robert Stoller, qui posent la possibilité d’une dimension polyfactorielle de la construction de l’identité de genre, les recherches les plus récentes portant sur les facteurs génétiques, neuroanatomiques, socio-cognitifs et psychodynamiques, réactualisent l’intérêt de pouvoir envisager un modèle polyfactoriel. Le paradigme clinique des variations du développement génital et des troubles du spectre de l’autisme entrouvre des hypothèses quant à l’articulation possible de ces facteurs de différentes natures. Pour appuyer tant ces éléments historiques que les données issues de la recherche actuelle, nous développerons en quoi les pratiques médicales actuelles vis-à-vis du genre s’inscrivent, sur le plan déontologique, dans une approche nécessairement individualisée soutenant un modèle polyfactoriel développemental.
Liebe Kolleg*innen,
Authors: Holzapfel Christina , Hauner Hans
Published: October 2022

Liebe Mitglieder der Deutschen Adipositas-Gesellschaft (DAG) e.V.,

Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren,

Unter dem Motto „EINE Krankheit, VIELE Gesichter, NEUE Wege“
findet der diesjährige Adipositas-Kongress vom 6. bis zum 8. Oktober 2022 in
München statt.
GLP-1-basierte Polypharmakotherapien als wegweisender neuer Ansatz in
der Behandlung von Adipositas und Diabetes
Authors: Müller Timo D.
Published: October 2022

Die Prävalenz von Adipositas, Typ-2-Diabetes und dem metabolischen
Syndrom nimmt weltweit dramatisch zu. Bestehende Therapieoptionen sind –
mit Ausnahme der bariatrischen Chirurgie – nur unzureichend wirksam.
Vielversprechende neue Ansätze zur nachhaltigen und effektiven
Adipositastherapie basieren besonders auf biochemisch optimierten und
langwirksamen Agonisten am Rezeptor für das glukagonähnliche
Peptide-1 (GLP-1) sowie auf unimolekularen Ko-Agonisten an den Rezeptoren
für GLP-1 und dem glukoseabhängigen insulinotropen Polypeptid
(GIP). Jüngste klinische Studien belegen sowohl für den
GLP-1R-Agonisten Semaglutid wie auch für den
GIPR/GLP-1R-Ko-Agonisten Tirzepatide bei tolerablem Sicherheitsprofil
einen Gewichtsverlust>10%.
Adipositasprävention in den ersten 1000 Tagen
Authors: Raab Roxana , Geyer Kristina , Hauner Hans
Published: October 2022

In den ersten 1000 Tagen werden die Weichen für die langfristige
Gesundheit von Mutter und Kind gestellt. Übergewicht, eine exzessive
Gewichtzunahme in der Schwangerschaft sowie ein ungünstiger Lebensstil
wirken sich kurz- und langfristig negativ auf die Gesundheit von Mutter und Kind
aus. Die hohe Prävalenz von Übergewicht und Adipositas bei
Frauen im gebärfähigen Alter sowie die steigende Zahl von
Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Übergewicht oder Adipositas stellen ein
wachsendes Gesundheitsproblem dar. Die Prädisposition für die
spätere Gewichtsentwicklung beginnt bereits im Mutterleib.
Primärpräventive Maßnahmen sind daher besonders
sinnvoll. Bisherige Studien zu Lebensstilinterventionen in der Schwangerschaft
zeigten moderat positive Effekte auf Gewichts- und Gesundheitsparameter der
Mutter, wirkten sich jedoch nicht auf die Gewichtsentwicklung der Kinder aus. Es
sind daher neue Präventionskonzepte erforderlich, die früher
beginnen, risikoadaptiert sind und sich flächendeckend in die Praxis
implementieren lassen. Digitale Maßnahmen wie Smartphone-Applikationen
(Apps) könnten hierbei eine sinnvolle Unterstützung bieten. Die
Zahl an aussagekräftigen Studien zur Erprobung App-gestützter
Interventionen ist noch dürftig, erste Ergebnisse deuten jedoch auf
positive Effekte hin. Die Herausforderung für die kommenden Jahre wird
sein, solche Ansätze zur Unterstützung einer gesunden
Lebensweise rund um die Schwangerschaft zu entwickeln, zu evaluieren und zu
implementieren, um die langfristige Gesundheit von Mutter und Kind wirksamer zu
schützen.
Die Versorgungslage von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit Adipositas
– ist ein Disease Management Programm (DMP) eine
Lösung?
Authors: Joisten Christine , Gellhaus Ines , Kauth Thomas , Leipold Georg , Wabitsch Martin , Weihrauch-Blüher Susann , Wiegand Susanna , Dötsch Jörg , Fischbach Thomas
Published: October 2022

Adipositas im Kindes- und Jugendalter stellt auch infolge der COVID-19 Pandemie
ein wachsendes Problem dar. In der Therapie wiesen verhaltensorientierte
multimodale Programme mit den Schwerpunkten Ernährung, Bewegung,
medizinische und psychosoziale Betreuung unter Einbezug des familiären
Umfeldes bzw. der Eltern über einen Zeitraum von 6 bis 12 Monaten die
beste Evidenz auf. Allerdings gibt es nach wie vor keine flächendeckende
Versorgung Betroffener. Dies ist hauptsächlich auf eine uneinheitliche
Kostenübernahme durch unterschiedliche Kostenträger und
Verantwortlichkeiten zurückzuführen. Die vom Gesetzgeber
vorgesehene Entwicklung eines Disease Management Programms Adipositas stellt
einen möglichen Schritt zur adäquaten Versorgung dar. Um den
Besonderheiten von Kindern und Jugendlichen gerecht zu werden, sollte neben
einem DMP für Erwachsene eines für diese Altersgruppe konzipiert
werden. Zusätzlich sollte dieses DMP „Adipositas im Kindes- und
Jugendalter“ in ein Gesamtkonzept eingebettet werden, das
patientenzentriert den Bedürfnissen der Betroffenen i.S. ambulanter und
stationärer Maßnahmen gerecht wird. Um aber die
Versorgungssituation zu verbessern, sind darüber hinaus
sozialgesetzbuchüberschreitende innovative Absätze wie
beispielsiweise kommunal verankerte Beratungsstellen wünschenswert.