bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women’s aversion to majors that (seemingly) require systemizing skills causes gendered field of study choice
Authors: Combet Benita
Published: April 2023

This article examines whether gender differences in preferences for field of study characteristics can explain gendered major choice. Specifically, this study focuses on a broad range of subject characteristics that are often simultaneously present: systemizing skills required (math intensity, reasoning style, affinity for technical work tasks), future job characteristics corresponding with the male breadwinner model (materialism, work–family compatibility), and characteristics invoked by behavioural preferences (risky situations and a competitive environment). To disentangle these co-occurring characteristics and minimize the influence of other factors in the decision-making process (e.g. admission likelihood), this study uses a choice experiment incorporated in the Swiss panel study TREE. In it, a representative sample of high school students choose their preferred field of study from two artificial fields with varying characteristics. The results show the largest gender differences in preferences for characteristics related to reasoning style (abstract versus creative) and affinity for work tasks (technical versus social), and smaller differences for math intensity, competitive climate, and work–family compatibility, while there are no gender differences in preferences for materialistic characteristics (salary and prestige). Unexpectedly, the gender differences are primarily caused by female students’ preferences, while male students are neutral towards most characteristics.
Outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke while on oral anticoagulation
Authors: Benz Alexander P , Hohnloser Stefan H , Eikelboom John W , Carnicelli Anthony P , Giugliano Robert P , Granger Christopher B , Harrington Josephine , Hijazi Ziad , Morrow David A , Patel Manesh R , Seiffge David J , Shoamanesh Ashkan , Wallentin Lars , Yi Qilong , Connolly Stuart J
Published: April 2023

Aims

The prognosis of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and ischemic stroke while taking oral anticoagulation is poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the outcomes of patients following a stroke event while on oral anticoagulation.

Methods and results

Individual participant data from five pivotal randomized trials of antithrombotic therapy in AF were used to assess the outcomes of patients with a post-randomization ischemic stroke while on study medication (warfarin, standard-, or lower-dose direct oral anticoagulant regimen) during trial follow-up. The primary outcome was recurrent ischemic stroke after the first post-randomization ischemic stroke. The primary analysis included 1163 patients with a first post-randomization ischemic stroke while on study medication (median age 73 years, 39.3% female, 35.4% history of stroke before trial enrollment). During a median continued follow-up of 337 days, 74 patients had a recurrent ischemic stroke [cumulative incidence at 1 year: 7.0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2%–8.7%]. The cumulative incidence of mortality at 3 months after stroke was 12.4% (95% CI 10.5%–14.4%). Consistent results for the incidence of recurrent ischemic stroke at 1 year were obtained in an analysis accounting for the competing risk of death (6.2%, 95% CI 4.8%–7.9%) and in a landmark analysis excluding the first 2 weeks after the index stroke and only including patients without permanent study drug discontinuation since then (6.8%, 95% CI 4.6%–8.9%).

Conclusion

Patients with AF and ischemic stroke while on oral anticoagulation are at increased risk of recurrent ischemic stroke and death. These patients currently have an unmet medical need.
Efficacy and safety of low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: trans-ancestry linear and non-linear Mendelian randomization analyses
Authors: Liu Hongwei , Li Jianxin , Liu Fangchao , Huang Keyong , Cao Jie , Chen Shufeng , Li Hongfan , Shen Chong , Hu Dongsheng , Huang Jianfeng , Lu Xiangfeng , Gu Dongfeng
Published: April 2023

Aims

LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the optimal LDL-C level with regard to efficacy and safety remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the causal relationships between LDL-C and efficacy and safety outcomes.

Methods and results

We analyzed 353 232 British from the UK Biobank and 41 271 Chinese from the China-PAR project. Linear and non-linear Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed to evaluate the causal relation between genetically proxied LDL-C and CAD, all-cause mortality, and safety outcomes (including haemorrhagic stroke, diabetes mellitus, overall cancer, non-cardiovascular death, and dementia). No significant non-linear associations were observed for CAD, all-cause mortality, and safety outcomes (Cochran Q P > 0.25 in British and Chinese) with LDL-C levels above the minimum values of 50 and 20 mg/dL in British and Chinese, respectively. Linear MR analyses demonstrated a positive association of LDL-C with CAD [British: odds ratio (OR) per unit mmol/L increase, 1.75, P = 7.57 × 10−52; Chinese: OR, 2.06, P = 9.10 × 10−3]. Furthermore, stratified analyses restricted to individuals with LDL-C levels less than the guideline-recommended 70 mg/dL demonstrated lower LDL-C levels were associated with a higher risk of adverse events, including haemorrhagic stroke (British: OR, 0.72, P = 0.03) and dementia (British: OR, 0.75, P = 0.03).

Conclusion

In British and Chinese populations, we confirmed a linear dose–response relationship of LDL-C with CAD and found potential safety concerns at low LDL-C levels, providing recommendations for monitoring adverse events in people with low LDL-C in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Challenging war traditions: humanitarian discourse and the nuclear prohibition treaty
Authors: Panico Carolina
Published: April 2023

This article interrogates the humanitarian discourse and the emergence of the new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). Often acknowledged as decisive for adopting the TPNW, the humanitarian discourse is considered vital to stigmatizing nuclear weapons and their purported deterrence value. However, the literature has not thoroughly examined the mechanisms through which speaking in humanitarian terms enabled proponents of the TPNW to exercise agency, failing to appreciate the complex discursive practices sustaining power relations in nuclear politics. This article introduces a theoretical framework that can help us make sense of these complexities, while illuminating additional ways through which the humanitarian discourse contributed to the TPNW. Using a feminist post-structuralist lens, I argue that the humanitarian discourse enabled small and middle-power states to challenge war traditions that sustain dominant configurations of power in nuclear politics. Upon speaking in humanitarian terms, these states destabilized the ongoing reiteration of the protector/protected dichotomy that has placed non-nuclear states in a position of subordination. The article draws attention to how dominant assumptions of the masculine and feminine shape global politics, while advancing theoretical tools to help us grasp and seize possibilities for policy innovation and change.
A generalized order mixture model for tracing connectivity of white matter fascicles complexity in brain from diffusion MRI
Authors: Puri Ashishi , Kumar Sanjeev
Published: April 2023

This paper focuses on tracing the connectivity of white matter fascicles in the brain. In particular, a generalized order algorithm based on mixture of non-central Wishart distribution model is proposed for this purpose. The proposed algorithm utilizes the generalization of integer order based approach with the mixture of non-central Wishart distribution model. Pseudo super anomalous behavior of water diffusion inside human brain is the prime motivation of the the present study. We have shown results on multiple synthetic simulations with fibers orientations in two and three directions in each voxel as well as experiments on real data. Synthetic simulations were performed with varying noise levels and diffusion weighting gradient i.e. $b-$values. The proposed model performed outstanding especially for distinguishing closely oriented fibers.
COVID-19 immunotherapy: a mathematical model
Authors: Tavares J N , Gomes Emilie
Published: April 2023

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for a terrible health devastation with profoundly harmful consequences for the economic, social and political activities of communities on a global scale. Extraordinary efforts have been made by the world scientific community, who, in solidarity, shared knowledge so that effective vaccines could be produced quickly. However, it is still important to study therapies that can reduce the risk, until group immunity is reached, which, globally, will take a time that is still difficult to predict. On the other hand, the immunity time guaranteed by already approved vaccines is still uncertain. The current study proposes a therapy whose foundation lies in the important role that innate immunity may have, by preventing the disease from progressing to the acute phase that may eventually lead to the patient’s death. Our focus is on natural killer (NK) cells and their relevant role. NKs are considered the primary defence lymphocytes against virus-infected cells. They play a critical role in modulating the immune system. Preliminary studies in COVID-19 patients with severe disease suggest a reduction in the number and function of NK cells, resulting in decreased clearance of infected and activated cells and unchecked elevation of inflammation markers that damage tissue. SARS-CoV-2 infection distorts the immune response towards a highly inflammatory phenotype. Restoring the effector functions of NK cells has the potential to correct the delicate immune balance needed to effectively overcome SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Mycobacterial Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in HIV is Associated With Protein-Altering Variants in Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis-Related Genes
Authors: Rocco Joseph M , Laidlaw Elizabeth , Galindo Frances , Anderson Megan , Sortino Ornella , Kuriakose Safia , Lisco Andrea , Manion Maura , Sereti Irini
Published: April 2023

People with HIV (PWH) and mycobacterial infections can develop immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after starting antiretroviral therapy. The pathophysiology of mycobacterial-IRIS overlaps with primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH). To assess possible genetic predisposition to IRIS, protein-altering variants in genes associated with HLH were evaluated in 82 PWH and mycobacterial infections who developed IRIS (n = 56) or did not develop IRIS (n = 26). Protein-altering variants in cytotoxicity genes were found in 23.2% of IRIS patients compared to only 3.8% of those without IRIS. These findings suggest a possible genetic component in the risk of mycobacterial IRIS in PWH.

Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00286767, NCT02147405.
Phenotypic and genomic analysis of inulin consumption byLactiplantibacillus plantarumstrains from Sichuan pickle
Authors: Pan Wan-shu , Yang Jian-xia , Zhu Yuan-ting , Li Rui-tong , Qiao Ming-feng , Zhu Rui-yu , Wang Song
Published: April 2023

Aims

To investigate the capability, properties, and molecular mechanism of inulin fermentation by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from Sichuan pickle.

Methods and results

A total of 79 LAB strains were purified from 30 aged Sichuan pickle brine samples, and only 21 Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains (26.58%, 21/79) derived from 15 samples grew well through utilizing inulin as a carbon source. The fermentation tests through using long-chain inulin (lc-inulin) as a carbon source showed that only 6 L. plantarum strains grew well, while other 15 strains could only utilize short-chain oligofructose (FOS), and thin-layer chromatography analysis evidenced a strain specificity of inulin consumption patterns. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum YT041 is a vigorous inulin fermenter, and whole genome sequencing data revealed that sacPTS1 and fosRABCDXE operons might be associated with the fermentation of FOS and lc-inulin, respectively.

Conclusions

The phenotype of inulin consumption is commonly present in LAB from Sichuan pickle, which is strain-specific and largely depends on their specific ecological niche and degree of polymerization.
An NLP approach to identify SDoH-related circumstance and suicide crisis from death investigation narratives
Authors: Wang Song , Dang Yifang , Sun Zhaoyi , Ding Ying , Pathak Jyotishman , Tao Cui , Xiao Yunyu , Peng Yifan
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Suicide presents a major public health challenge worldwide, affecting people across the lifespan. While previous studies revealed strong associations between Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) and suicide deaths, existing evidence is limited by the reliance on structured data. To resolve this, we aim to adapt a suicide-specific SDoH ontology (Suicide-SDoHO) and use natural language processing (NLP) to effectively identify individual-level SDoH-related social risks from death investigation narratives.

Materials and Methods

We used the latest National Violent Death Report System (NVDRS), which contains 267 804 victim suicide data from 2003 to 2019. After adapting the Suicide-SDoHO, we developed a transformer-based model to identify SDoH-related circumstances and crises in death investigation narratives. We applied our model retrospectively to annotate narratives whose crisis variables were not coded in NVDRS. The crisis rates were calculated as the percentage of the group’s total suicide population with the crisis present.

Results

The Suicide-SDoHO contains 57 fine-grained circumstances in a hierarchical structure. Our classifier achieves AUCs of 0.966 and 0.942 for classifying circumstances and crises, respectively. Through the crisis trend analysis, we observed that not everyone is equally affected by SDoH-related social risks. For the economic stability crisis, our result showed a significant increase in crisis rate in 2007–2009, parallel with the Great Recession.

Conclusions

This is the first study curating a Suicide-SDoHO using death investigation narratives. We showcased that our model can effectively classify SDoH-related social risks through NLP approaches. We hope our study will facilitate the understanding of suicide crises and inform effective prevention strategies.
Nut factors associated with navel orangeworm, Amyelois transitella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) damage to pistachio (Pistacia vera) in California (2007–2017) and implication for control
Authors: Siegel Joel P
Published: April 2023

Amyelois transitella is the primary pest of pistachios in California. The first A. transitella outbreak of the twenty-first century occurred in 2007 and a total of five outbreaks occurred between 2007 and 2017 (total insect damage >1%). This study used processor information to identify the nut factors associated with the outbreaks. Processor grade sheets were used to explore the relationship between the variables time of harvest, percent nut split, percent nut dark staining, percent nut shell damage, and percent adhering hull for Low Damage (82,537 loads) and High Damage years, (92,307 loads). Total insect damage (±SD) for the Low Damage years averaged 0.005 ± 0.01 and in High Damage years was three times higher, 0.015 ± 0.02. In Low Damage years the strongest correlation was between total insect damage and two variables, percent adhering hull and dark stain (0.25, 0.23) while in High Damage years the correlation between total insect damage and percent dark stain was the highest (0.32) followed by percent adhering hull (0.19). The linkage of these nut factors to insect damage suggests that outbreak prevention depends on early identification of premature hull split/breakdown in addition to the traditional emphasis on treating the standing population of A. transitella.
Winter mortality, diversification, and self-sufficiency affect honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colony profit in Canada: a model of commercial Alberta beekeepers
Authors: Bixby Miriam , Scarlett Rod , Hoover Shelley E
Published: April 2023

Canadian beekeepers faced widespread levels of high honey bee colony mortality over the winter of 2021/2022, with an average winter loss of 45%. To understand the economic impact of winter colony mortality in Canada and the beekeeping management strategies used to mitigate these losses, we develop a profit model of commercial beekeeping operations in Alberta, Canada. Our model shows that for operations engaging in commercial pollination as well as honey production (compared to honey production alone), per colony profit is higher and operations are better able to withstand fluctuations in exogenous variables such as prices and environmental factors affecting productivity including winter mortality rates. The results also suggest that beekeeping operations that replace winter colony losses with splits instead of package bees accrue higher per colony profit than those importing packages to replace losses. Further, operations that produce their own queens to use in their replacement splits, accrue even higher profit. Our results demonstrate that the profitability of beekeeping operations is dependent on several factors including winter mortality rates, colony replacement strategies, and the diversification of revenue sources. Beekeepers who are not as susceptible to price and risk fluctuations in international markets and imported bee risks accrue more consistently positive profits.
One-dimensional full-waveform inversion for magnetic induction data in ground-based transient electromagnetic methods
Authors: Li Jianhui , Wang Xingchun , Hu Xiangyun , Cai Hongzhu , Zhi Qingquan , Chen Shi
Published: April 2023

The full-waveform effects refer to the total effects of turn-on, steady and turn-off durations for a transmitting-current waveform as well as its repetition number in transient electromagnetic (TEM) methods. In this study, the full-waveform effects are investigated using both forward-modeling and inversion methods considering typical background noise. The forward-modeling results of homogeneous half-space models show that the magnetic induction, bz, is less affected by the background noise but more affected by the full-waveform effects than the time derivative of magnetic induction ∂bz/∂t. Therefore, this study focuses on investigating the full-waveform effects on bz. The inversion results for synthetic and field examples show that the inversion algorithm without considering the full-waveform effects leads to over-estimated resistivities in deeper parts of the recovered models compared to the true model. As a result, it is crucial to consider the full-waveform effects when processing TEM data. Furthermore, a standard deviation factor (STDF) is estimated for model parameters of the inversion. The results show that the STDF increases as the layer depth increases for 1D layered models. This indicates that the inverted parameters are well resolved for shallower layers and moderately to poorly resolved for deeper layers.
The role of γδ T cells in the immunopathogenesis of inflammatory diseases: from basic biology to therapeutic targeting
Authors: Bernal-Alferes Brian , Gómez-Mosqueira Rafael , Ortega-Tapia Graciela Teresa , Burgos-Vargas Rubén , García-Latorre Ethel , Domínguez-López María Lilia , Romero-López José Pablo
Published: April 2023

The γδ T cells are lymphocytes with an innate-like phenotype that can distribute to different tissues to reside and participate in homeostatic functions such as pathogen defense, tissue modeling, and response to stress. These cells originate during fetal development and migrate to the tissues in a TCR chain–dependent manner. Their unique manner to respond to danger signals facilitates the initiation of cytokine-mediated diseases such as spondyloarthritis and psoriasis, which are immune-mediated diseases with a very strong link with mucosal disturbances, either in the skin or the gut. In spondyloarthritis, γδ T cells are one of the main sources of IL-17 and, therefore, the main drivers of inflammation and probably new bone formation. Remarkably, this population can be the bridge between gut and joint inflammation.
Accurate prediction of pan-cancer types using machine learning with minimal number of DNA methylation sites
Authors: Ning Wei , Wu Tao , Wu Chenxu , Wang Shixiang , Tao Ziyu , Wang Guangshuai , Zhao Xiangyu , Diao Kaixuan , Wang Jinyu , Chen Jing , Chen Fuxiang , Liu Xue-Song
Published: April 2023

DNA methylation analysis has been applied to determine the primary site of cancer; however, robust and accurate prediction of cancer types with a minimum number of sites is still a significant scientific challenge. To build an accurate and robust cancer type prediction tool with a minimum number of DNA methylation sites, we internally benchmarked different DNA methylation site selection and ranking procedures, as well as different classification models. We used The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset (26 cancer types with 8296 samples) to train and test models and used an independent dataset (17 cancer types with 2738 samples) for model validation. A deep neural network model using a combined feature selection procedure (named MethyDeep) can predict 26 cancer types using 30 methylation sites with superior performance compared with the known methods for both primary and metastatic cancers in independent validation datasets. In conclusion, MethyDeep is an accurate and robust cancer type predictor with the minimum number of DNA methylation sites; it could help the cost-effective clarification of cancer of unknown primary patients and the liquid biopsy-based early screening of cancers.
Estimating human papillomavirus vaccine efficacy from a single-arm trial: proof-of-principle in the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial
Authors: Befano Brian , Campos Nicole G , Egemen Didem , Herrero Rolando , Schiffman Mark , Porras Carolina , Lowy Douglas R , Rodriguez Ana Cecilia , Schiller John T , Ocampo Rebecca , Hildesheim Allan , Sampson Joshua N , Das Shrutikona , Kreimer Aimée R , Cheung Li C ,   for the Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial (CVT) Group, Cortés Bernal , González Paula , Herrero Rolando , Jiménez Silvia E , Porras Carolina , Rodríguez Ana Cecilia , Hildesheim Allan , Kreimer Aimée R , Lowy Douglas R , Schiffman Mark , Schiller John T , Sherman Mark , Wacholder Sholom , Pinto Ligia A , Kemp Troy J , Sidawy Mary K , Quint Wim , van Doorn Leen-Jan , Struijk Linda , Palefsky Joel M , Darragh Teresa M , Stoler Mark H
Published: April 2023

Background

The World Health Organization recommends a 1- or 2-dose human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination schedule for females aged 9 to 20 years. Studies confirming the efficacy of a single dose and vaccine modifications are needed, but randomized controlled trials are costly and face logistical and ethical challenges. We propose a resource-efficient single-arm trial design that uses untargeted and unaffected HPV types as controls.

Methods

We estimated HPV vaccine efficacy (VE) from a single arm by comparing 2 ratios: the ratio of the rate of persistent incident infection with vaccine-targeted HPV 16 and 18 (HPV 16/18) and cross-protected types HPV 31, 33, and 45 (HPV 31/33/45) to vaccine-unaffected types HPV 35, 39, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, and 66 (HPV 35/39/51/52/56/58/59/66) vs the ratio of prevalence of these types at the time of trial enrollment. We compare VE estimates using only data from the bivalent HPV 16/18 vaccine arm of the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial with published VE estimates that used both the vaccine and control arms.

Results

Our single-arm approach among 3727 women yielded VE estimates against persistent HPV 16/18 infections similar to published 2-arm estimates from the trial (according-to-protocol cohort: 91.0% , 95% CI = 82.9% to 95.3% [single-arm] vs 90.9% , 95% CI = 82.0% to 95.9% [2-arm]; intention-to-treat cohort: 41.7%, 95% CI = 32.4% to 49.8% [single-arm] vs 49.0% , 95% CI = 38.1% to 58.1% [2-arm]). VE estimates were also similar in analytic subgroups (number of doses received; baseline HPV serology status).

Conclusions

We demonstrate that a single-arm design yields valid VE estimates with similar precision to a randomized controlled trial. Single-arm studies can reduce the sample size and costs of future HPV vaccine trials while avoiding concerns related to unvaccinated control groups.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00128661.
Low clinical sensitivity and unexpectedly high incidence for neuropathologically diagnosed progressive supranuclear palsy
Authors: Driver-Dunckley Erika D , Zhang Nan , Serrano Geidy E , Dunckley Nathaniel A , Sue Lucia I , Shill Holly A , Mehta Shyamal H , Belden Christine , Tremblay Cecilia , Atri Alireza , Adler Charles H , Beach Thomas G
Published: April 2023

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, incidence, and clinical diagnostic accuracy for neuropathologically diagnosed progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) with data from a longitudinal clinicopathological study using Rainwater criteria to define neuropathological PSP. Of 954 autopsy cases, 101 met Rainwater criteria for the neuropathologic diagnosis of PSP. Of these, 87 were termed clinicopathological PSP as they also had either dementia or parkinsonism or both. The prevalence of clinicopathologically defined PSP subjects in the entire autopsy dataset was 9.1%, while the incidence rate was estimated at 780 per 100 000 persons per year, roughly 50-fold greater than most previous clinically determined PSP incidence estimates. A clinical diagnosis of PSP was 99.6% specific but only 9.2% sensitive based on first examination, and 99.3% specific and 20.7% sensitive based on the final clinical exam. Of the clinicopathologically defined PSP cases, 35/87 (∼40%) had no form of parkinsonism at first assessment, while this decreased to 18/83 (21.7%) at final assessment. Our study confirms a high specificity but low sensitivity for the clinical diagnosis of PSP. The low clinical sensitivity for PSP is likely primarily responsible for previous underestimates of the PSP population incidence rate.
Double perinatal stress reduces the sexual response of adult female Wistar rats
Authors: Ferraz Marcos Rochedo , Cavalheira Mariana Alencar , Macena de Santana Amanda O , Barboza Vanessa Nascimento , da Silva Nântua Mariana , Santos Larissa Nascimento , Pereira Sabrina
Published: April 2023

Background

Early-life stress affects physiological development and produces changes in various aspects of emotional behavior.

Aim

We sought to examine the effects of double perinatal stress (DPS)—a combination of prenatal systemic hypoxic-ischemic (HI) insults and repeated early maternal separation—on the estrus cycle and sexual behavior of adult rats.

Methods

HI was induced by clamping the uterine arteries of pregnant rats for 45 minutes on the 18th day of gestation (HI group). Sham control animals received laparotomy and anesthesia only. Pups were born at term. Maternal separation was performed from postnatal day 1 (P1) (P0 = day of birth) to P15. At P90, the sexual response of females in estrus was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using 2-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s test.

Outcomes

We considered the estrous cycle and sexual behavior of female rats submitted to DPS, as well as the influence of female behavior on the sexual response of male rats.

Results

Rats submitted to DPS showed a reduction in the lordosis quotient and in the lordosis rate, suggesting a reduction in female sexual receptivity. DPS female rats showed a reduction in the number of hops and darts and in the genital exploration time rate, suggesting a reduction in sexual proceptivity. In addition, males that interacted with DPS females showed a reduction in the number of ejaculations and in copulatory efficiency.

Clinical Implications

Developing a deeper understanding of perinatal factors that affect adult female sexual response will allow for more effective interventions to prevent and treat such changes. On the other hand, the analysis of the sexual response allows assessing the quality of life and the general state of health.

Strengths and Limitations

The development of animal models to investigate the environmental factors that interfere in the female sexual response may allow researchers to propose and test new therapeutic strategies. On the other hand, care must be exercised when interpreting animal data and extrapolating these results to estimate the possible effects of perinatal stressors on the human sexual response.

Conclusion

Our results revealed that females subjected to DPS showed long-term effects on sexual behavior. In conclusion, managing stressors in prenatal life and early postnatal life can prevent problems in adult sexual life and improve overall health.
Simplified regional citrate anticoagulation protocol for CVVH, CVVHDF and SLED focused on the prevention of KRT-related hypophosphatemia while optimizing acid-base balance
Authors: Di Mario Francesca , Sabatino Alice , Regolisti Giuseppe , Pacchiarini Maria Chiara , Greco Paolo , Maccari Caterina , Vizzini Giuseppe , Italiano Chiara , Pistolesi Valentina , Morabito Santo , Fiaccadori Enrico
Published: April 2023

Background

Hypophosphatemia is a common electrolyte disorder in critically ill patients undergoing prolonged kidney replacement therapy (KRT). We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a simplified regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA) protocol for continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH), continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) and sustained low-efficiency dialysis filtration (SLED-f). We aimed at preventing KRT-related hypophosphatemia while optimizing acid-base equilibrium.

Methods

KRT was performed by the Prismax system (Baxter) and polyacrylonitrile AN69 filters (ST 150, 1.5 m2, Baxter), combining a 18 mmol/L pre-dilution citrate solution (Regiocit 18/0, Baxter) with a phosphate-containing solution (HPO42− 1.0 mmol/L, HCO3− 22.0 mmol/L; Biphozyl, Baxter). When needed, phosphate loss was replaced with sodium glycerophosphate pentahydrate (Glycophos™ 20 mmol/20 mL, Fresenius Kabi Norge AS, Halden, Norway). Serum citrate measurements were scheduled during each treatment. We analyzed data from three consecutive daily 8-h SLED-f sessions, as well as single 72-h CVVH or 72-h CVVHDF sessions. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures to evaluate differences in variables means (i.e. serum phosphate, citrate). Because some patients received phosphate supplementation, we performed analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for repeated measures modelling phosphate supplementation as a covariate.

Results

Forty-seven patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) or end stage kidney disease (ESKD) requiring KRT were included [11 CVVH, 11 CVVHDF and 25 SLED-f sessions; mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score 25 ± 7.0]. Interruptions for irreversible filter clotting were negligible. The overall incidence of hypophosphatemia (s-P levels <2.5 mg/dL) was 6.6%, and s-P levels were kept in the normality range irrespective of baseline values and the KRT modality. The acid-base balance was preserved, with no episode of citrate accumulation.

Conclusions

Our data obtained with a new simplified RCA protocol suggest that it is effective and safe for CVVH, CVVHDF and SLED, allowing to prevent KRT-related hypophosphatemia and maintain the acid-base balance without citrate accumulation.

Trial registration

NCT03976440 (registered 6 June 2019)
Systemic immune derangements are shared across various CNS pathologies and reflect novel mechanisms of immune privilege
Authors: Lorrey Selena J , Waibl Polania Jessica , Wachsmuth Lucas P , Hoyt-Miggelbrink Alexandra , Tritz Zachariah P , Edwards Ryan , Wolf Delaney M , Johnson Aaron J , Fecci Peter E , Ayasoufi Katayoun
Published: April 2023

Background

The nervous and immune systems interact in a reciprocal manner, both under physiologic and pathologic conditions. Literature spanning various CNS pathologies including brain tumors, stroke, traumatic brain injury and de-myelinating diseases describes a number of associated systemic immunologic changes, particularly in the T-cell compartment. These immunologic changes include severe T-cell lymphopenia, lymphoid organ contraction, and T-cell sequestration within the bone marrow.

Methods

We performed an in-depth systematic review of the literature and discussed pathologies that involve brain insults and systemic immune derangements.

Conclusions

In this review, we propose that the same immunologic changes hereafter termed ‘systemic immune derangements’, are present across CNS pathologies and may represent a novel, systemic mechanism of immune privilege for the CNS. We further demonstrate that systemic immune derangements are transient when associated with isolated insults such as stroke and TBI but persist in the setting of chronic CNS insults such as brain tumors. Systemic immune derangements have vast implications for informed treatment modalities and outcomes of various neurologic pathologies.
Burden of dental caries in individuals experiencing food insecurity: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Drumond Victor Z , de Arruda José Alcides A , Bernabé Eduardo , Mesquita Ricardo A , Abreu Lucas G
Published: April 2023

Context

Food insecurity affects approximately 2.37 billion people worldwide. Individuals experiencing food insecurity are more likely to exhibit poor health-related endpoints. Dental caries, a highly prevalent noncommunicable disease, is modulated by an interplay between biological, behavioral, and environmental factors.

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess whether individuals experiencing food insecurity were more likely to exhibit dental caries than individuals facing food security.

Data Sources

The Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Ovid, CINAHL, LILACS, and APA PsycINFO databases were checked from inception to November 2021. Grey literature and Google Scholar were also examined. An updated search was conducted in August 2022. Observational studies were included if they evaluated the association between dental caries and food insecurity status.

Data Extraction

Data extraction was performed by two reviewers.

Data Analysis

Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted using R language. In total, 514 references were retrieved from databases, of which 14 articles were included in qualitative synthesis and 7 were merged into meta-analysis. The results of an inverse-variance meta-analysis (OR = 1.62; 95%CI, 1.01–2.60) and a meta-analysis of binary data (OR = 1.66; 95%CI, 1.36–2.02) demonstrated that food-insecure individuals were more likely to exhibit dental caries than food-secure individuals. Inverse-variance meta-analyses appraising multiple strata of food security also showed that individuals experiencing marginal food security (OR = 1.48; 95%CI, 1.28–1.72), individuals experiencing low food security (OR = 1.26; 95%CI, 1.01–1.57), and those experiencing very low food security (OR = 1.33; 95%CI, 1.04–1.71) were more likely to exhibit dental caries than individuals experiencing full food security.

Conclusion

Dental caries is associated with food insecurity. Individuals living with food insecurity are more likely to exhibit dental caries than those who have food security.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO registration number CRD42021268582.
Containment of a Verona Integron-Encoded Metallo-Beta-Lactamase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa Outbreak Associated With an Acute Care Hospital Sink—Tennessee, 2018–2020
Authors: Chan Allison , Thure Katie , Tobey Kelley , Shugart Alicia , Schmedes Sarah , Burks James Albert , Hardin Henrietta , Moore Christina , Carpenter Tina , Brooks Stephanie , Gable Paige , Moulton Meissner Heather , McAllister Gillian , Lawsin Adrian , Laufer Halpin Alison , Spalding Walters Maroya , Keaton Amelia
Published: April 2023

Background

Contaminated healthcare facility wastewater plumbing is recognized as a source of carbapenemase-producing organism transmission. In August 2019, the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) identified a patient colonized with Verona integron-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-CRPA). A record review revealed that 33% (4 of 12) of all reported patients in Tennessee with VIM had history of prior admission to acute care hospital (ACH) A intensive care unit (ICU) Room X, prompting further investigation.

Methods

A case was defined as polymerase chain reaction detection of blaVIM in a patient with prior admission to ACH A from November 2017 to November 2020. The TDH performed point prevalence surveys, discharge screening, onsite observations, and environmental testing at ACH A. The VIM-CRPA isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Results

In a screening of 44% (n = 11) of 25 patients admitted to Room X between January and June 2020, we identified 36% (n = 4) colonized with VIM-CRPA, resulting in 8 cases associated with Room X from March 2018 to June 2020. No additional cases were identified in 2 point-prevalence surveys of the ACH A ICU. Samples from the bathroom and handwashing sink drains in Room X grew VIM-CRPA; all available case and environmental isolates were found to be ST253 harboring blaVIM-1 and to be closely related by WGS. Transmission ended after implementation of intensive water management and infection control interventions.

Conclusions

A single ICU room's contaminated drains were associated with 8 VIM-CRPA cases over a 2-year period. This outbreak highlights the need to include wastewater plumbing in hospital water management plans to mitigate the risk of transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms to patients.
The International Monetary Fund and capital flows
Authors: Grenville Stephen
Published: April 2023

Controls on international capital flows were a central issue for the International Monetary Fund at Bretton Woods in 1944. But by the 1970s, mainstream thinking was encouraging open capital flows. A succession of damaging crises followed: Latin America in the 1980s, Mexico again in 1994, and Asia in 1997. Fund policies were tweaked, but the causes were seen as being largely in the recipient countries. Capital controls were specifically rejected.

Nevertheless, the Fund’s view began to shift, probably encouraged by the 2008 global financial crisis. There was a growing recognition that the capital-flow surges at the heart of these crises were often externally driven, reflecting global factors. The appropriate response would include capital flow management (CFM). The Fund recognized this in its 2012 Institutional View, but CFM was at the bottom of the policy toolbox, surrounded by conditions and constraints, maintaining the stigma on CFM.

Meanwhile many emerging economies were enhancing their ability to cope with excessive capital flows, although at some cost (slower growth, tighter fiscal policy, large foreign-exchange reserves). At the same time the flows were increasing, with a bigger component of flighty portfolio flows. CFM measures still have an important place in this new environment, but the Fund’s reluctance to embrace them means that a deep discussion on operationalizing effective CFMs is still lacking.
Avoiding a lost decade—an interim update
Authors: Buchheit Lee C , Gulati Mitu
Published: April 2023

All sovereign debt restructurings are inherently messy, expensive, exasperating, time-consuming, and contentious. These are the familiar pathologies in the international system to resolve unsustainable sovereign debts. But the period since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis has revealed (to use a term we all learned during pandemic lockdowns) several new co-morbidities. These include a breakdown in the ability of the major external creditor groups (traditional Paris Club lenders, non-Paris Club bilateral creditors like China and bondholders) to coordinate their debt relief efforts, the increasingly diverse nature of the private-sector entities holding claims against a debtor state, and the total absence of any mechanisms—statutory or contractual—that can be used to ensure that the sacrifices made by the vast majority of claimants and official sector sponsors in the economic recovery process cannot be exploited by the uncooperative few.
Hyponastic Leaves 1 Interacts with RNA Pol II to Ensure Proper Transcription of MicroRNA Genes
Authors: Bielewicz Dawid , Dolata Jakub , Bajczyk Mateusz , Szewc Lukasz , Gulanicz Tomasz , Bhat Susheel S , Karlik Anna , Jozwiak Monika , Jarmolowski Artur , Szweykowska-Kulinska Zofia
Published: April 2023

Hyponastic Leaves 1 (HYL1) [also known as Double-stranded RNA-Binding protein 1 (DRB1)] is a double-stranded RNA-binding protein involved in microRNA (miRNA) processing in plants. It is a core component of the Microprocessor complex and enhances the efficiency and precision of miRNA processing by the Dicer-Like 1 protein. In this work, we report a novel function of the HYL1 protein in the transcription of miRNA (MIR) genes. HYL1 colocalizes with RNA polymerase II and affects its distribution along MIR genes. Moreover, proteomic experiments revealed that the HYL1 protein interacts with many transcription factors. Finally, we show that the action of HYL1 is not limited to MIR genes and impacts the expression of many other genes, a majority of which are involved in plastid organization. These discoveries indicate HYL1 as an additional player in gene regulation at the transcriptional level, independent of its role in miRNA biogenesis.
Cauliflower mosaic virusprotein P6 is a multivalent node for RNA granule proteins and interferes with stress granule responses during plant infection
Authors: Hoffmann Gesa , López-González Silvia , Mahboubi Amir , Hanson Johannes , Hafrén Anders
Published: April 2023

Biomolecular condensation is a multipurpose cellular process that viruses use ubiquitously during their multiplication. Cauliflower mosaic virus replication complexes are condensates that differ from those of most viruses, as they are nonmembranous assemblies that consist of RNA and protein, mainly the viral protein P6. Although these viral factories (VFs) were described half a century ago, with many observations that followed since, functional details of the condensation process and the properties and relevance of VFs have remained enigmatic. Here, we studied these issues in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. We observed a large dynamic mobility range of host proteins within VFs, while the viral matrix protein P6 is immobile, as it represents the central node of these condensates. We identified the stress granule (SG) nucleating factors G3BP7 and UBP1 family members as components of VFs. Similarly, as SG components localize to VFs during infection, ectopic P6 localizes to SGs and reduces their assembly after stress. Intriguingly, it appears that soluble rather than condensed P6 suppresses SG formation and mediates other essential P6 functions, suggesting that the increased condensation over the infection time-course may accompany a progressive shift in selected P6 functions. Together, this study highlights VFs as dynamic condensates and P6 as a complex modulator of SG responses.
Coordinated carbon taxes or tightened NDCs: Distributional implications of two options for climate negotiations
Authors: Mukanjari Samson , Sterner Thomas
Published: April 2023

Concerns about fairness among countries remain significant obstacles to a stronger global climate treaty. This paper addresses the distributional implications of two mechanisms to strengthen the Paris Agreement: the incorporation of national carbon pricing, and the tightening of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Both are found to be viable mechanisms. They are also less extreme, and therefore more acceptable, than both grandfathering, which favors the most fossil-intensive economies, and equal per capita allocation, which favors low-income countries that use less fossil fuel. However, compensatory funding for developing countries will also be needed at scale. An analysis of the ambitiousness of current climate policies shows a broad range of outcomes: The more ambitious NDCs have emission levels below either the per capita or grandfathering levels, and sometimes both. However, some NDCs, especially those tabled by the largest emitters, are severely lacking in ambition.
The Articulation of Feeling in Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Authors: Ackermann Zeno , Schalkwyk David
Published: April 2023

Noting the scarcity of extended investigations of feeling in Shakespeare’s Sonnets, this essay approaches the topic through the concept of articulation. On this basis, it becomes possible to trace the process of how Shakespeare’s lyrics produce rather than express emotion: feeling emerges in the act of speaking about feeling, which is also the attempt of segmenting heterogeneous affective states into distinctly conceptualized feelings. Examining the articulation of emotion within and between sonnets, the essay finds the gist of the poetry not in the success but in the persistent—and, it is argued, programmatically determined—‘failure’ of these attempts. The notion that Shakespeare’s Sonnets almost methodically demonstrate the irreducible volatility of feeling contradicts Michael Schoenfeldt’s classic argument that this collection of poems espouses a Galenic ethics of emotional control. While Schoenfeldt proposes that contemporary readings testify to ‘the distance separating the modern fetishes of desire and exhibitionism from the Renaissance fetishes of inscrutability and control’, the present interpretation suggests that the poems in the 1609 Quarto should be seen as equidistant from both ‘our’ present and ‘their’ past. Locating the major point of Shakespeare’s Sonnets in the act of gesturing towards an impossible and inexpressible affective space of sociality, it is claimed that the collection might be productively read as performative prefiguration of a modernity that never quite arrived.
Liver sinusoidal endothelial S1pr2 regulates experimental liver fibrosis through YAP/TGF‐β signaling pathway
Authors: Liao Yang , Zhou Caixia , Duan Yunhao , Liu Xiuxiang , Yue Jinnan , Li Xiufen , Wu Jinjin , Wan Chaomin , Zhang Lin
Published: April 2023

The hepatic vascular niche plays an important role in the pathological process of liver fibrosis. Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) predominantly compose hepatic vascular niches. Endothelial cell (EC)‐expressing sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor 2 (S1pr2) plays an essential role in the regulation of vascular functions. Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether liver LSEC‐S1pr2 might modulate pathological liver fibrosis. In this study, liver fibrosis was induced by hepatotoxin carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). The expression of S1pr2 is significantly downregulated in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells after CCl4 treatment. The loss of S1pr2 in LSECs significantly alleviated liver fibrosis after chronic insult, whereas the overexpression of S1pr2 in LSECs accentuated liver fibrogenesis. In vivo experiments further revealed that the deficiency of S1pr2 in LSECs dampened hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation, while overexpression of S1pr2 in LSECs enhanced HSC activation with more extracellular matrix component production. Mechanistically, LSEC‐S1pr2 activates the YAP signaling pathway to potentiate the transactivation of TGF‐β, which acts on HSCs in a paracrine manner, and thus aggravated liver fibrosis. Taken together, our results uncover a novel pathological mechanism of liver fibrosis in which LSEC‐S1pr2 plays an important role in modulating the development of liver fibrosis, providing a future novel therapy target against liver fibrogenesis.