bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
2. Evolution
Authors: Amyes Sebastian G. B.
Published: June 2022

‘Evolution’ discusses the evolution of bacteria. By many small advantageous mutations, bacteria have been able to adapt to almost every environment and this has been the primary method of survival and evolution. We have bacterial viruses or bacteriophages and bacteria have an important role to play within some of the biogeochemical cycles that allow other living organisms to survive. These biogeochemical cycles include the carbon, nitrogen, and sulphate cycles.
Bacteria have developed all the biochemical machinery required for life, and the role of bacteria in the evolution of herbivores and complex organisms.
4. Discovery
Authors: Amyes Sebastian G. B.
Published: June 2022

‘Discovery’ investigates the discovery of bacteria, which was made by Dutch trader Antonie van Leewenhoek. With crude lenses in a microscope able to magnify about 200-fold, van Leewenhoek was able to describe small single-cellular organisms including bacteria, which he was able to draw accurately. In the second half of the 19th century, French microbiologist Louis Pasteur developed the germ theory of infection. By the 1870s, the germ theory was well established and bacteria were seen as major causes of disease. Then we have the emergence of vaccination and Koch’s postulates and the discovery of environmental and gastrointestinal bacteria.
6. Bacterial pathogenesis
Authors: Amyes Sebastian G. B.
Published: June 2022

‘Bacterial pathogenesis’ focuses on bacterial pathogenesis. The successful invading pathogenic bacteria have to establish themselves at the optimum site for nutrition and subsequent release from their host. They are equipped with molecules, known as virulence factors, which allow them to achieve this and they broadly fall into four groups: adhesins, aggressins, impedins, and invasins. The triggering of acrophages stimulates immune responses. The symptoms associated with bacterial infection result from the toxins bacteria excrete, differentiating between endotoxins and exotoxins. It is also worth looking at plasmids, the bacterial chromosome, pathogenicity islands, flesh-eating bacteria, vector-borne diseases, tooth decay and gum disease, and pandemics.
7. Antibiotics
Authors: Amyes Sebastian G. B.
Published: June 2022

‘Antibiotics’ begins by presenting a brief history of antibiotics, from the use of antimicrobials by indigenous populations to the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. By discovering the genus Streptomyces, Selman Waksman had identified the source of what was going to produce two-thirds of all antibiotics. Penicillin, sulphonamides, and streptomycin were all selectively toxic to bacteria without harming the human cells. The other major group of chemical antibacterials has been the quinolones and naphthyridines. We now have new methods of discovering antibiotics, including high-throughput screening and DNA sequencing.
8. Antibiotic resistance
Authors: Amyes Sebastian G. B.
Published: June 2022

‘Antibiotic resistance’ assesses the challenge of antibiotic resistance. The problem was perceived to be driven by the acute crisis in the continued capability to treat infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The simplest form of resistance is mutational, which is the reason why doses of antibiotic have to exceed a concentration threshold to prevent the mutants surviving (Mutant Prevention Concentration). Resistance genes can be imported en bloc by plasmids. Bacteria use major mechanisms of resistance to overcome antibiotics. It is also worth considering antiseptics and biocides, clinical resistance, the clonality of resistant bacteria, and resistance in animal bacteria.
1. Fluids
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

‘Fluids’ discusses the structure of fluids and some of the remarkable properties they display even in the absence of flow and first looks at the difference between the molecular structure of liquids and gases. In the case of liquids, particles are very close to each other, but they are constantly jiggling around and may rearrange themselves in response to external forces. The molecular structure of liquids therefore allows them to flow. In gases, particles are widely separated and interact through occasional collisions, but they also move in response to forces and flow. Both liquids and gases are fluids. Fluids can be considered from a macroscopic point of view where the dynamics of many constituents is averaged. They can also push back if we push on them, a property called pressure, with differences between liquids and gases from the point of view of compressibility. The pressure in a fluid is seen to increase with depth in a liquid, giving rise to hydrostatics and to buoyancy forces on bodies submerged in liquids. Intermolecular forces inside liquids lead to a surface energy called surface tension, which explains why small droplets tend to have spherical shapes, and how liquids wet surfaces.
3. Pipes
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

‘Pipes’ investigates the flow of fluids in pipes, its importance in nature and its applications in industry, and its historical role in our understanding of turbulence. Flow in a pipe is usually created by a difference in pressure between the two ends of the pipe. A fundamental question about pipe flow is the determination of the rate of flow in the pipe as a function of the applied pressure difference. The flow rate is allowed to change with time but not in space, due to the incompressibility of the fluid. The fluid velocity in a pipe varies quadratically across the pipe, taking its minimum value on the walls of the pipe and maximum in the centre. The famous Hagen–Poiseuille law relating the flow rate to the pressure drop is discussed, together with its scaling on the length of the pipe and its diameter, as well as the viscosity of the fluid. The wall shear stresses acting on the pipe walls can be calculated using force balance on the entire fluid. It is worth looking at the application of pipe flows which can be illustrated with important examples: blood circulation, industrial networks of pipes, and hydraulic circuits. The flow in a pipe finally allows for the illustration of Reynolds’s famous 1883 experiment on the transition from laminar to turbulent flow, governed by the dimensionless Reynolds number.
5. Boundary layers
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

‘Boundary layers’ focuses on the physics of boundary layers in high-speed flows and their impact on drag by starting with a summary of the 19th-century modelling approach consisting in neglecting the viscous terms in the Navier–Stokes equations at high Reynolds numbers (perfect fluid limit), leading to the Euler equations. This results in d’Alembert’s paradox, and the prediction of zero net drag for constant-speed motion in a fluid, which can be explained intuitively using Bernoulli’s equation for the pressure in a perfect fluid. This paradox was solved, with the help of the work of Ludwig Prandtl, who demonstrated the existence of boundary layers near rigid surfaces. In these boundary layers, large velocity gradients allow the external (Euler) flow solution to be brought to zero and therefore for the no-slip boundary condition to be enforced on the surface. We can estimate the small thickness of a boundary layer and scale it with the inverse square root of the relevant Reynolds number. The concept of flow separation (when a boundary layer is no longer attached to a surface), the wake behind a body, the difference between laminar and turbulent boundary layers, and the drag crisis at high Reynolds number for flow past a rigid body are all worth considering here.
6. Vortices
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

‘Vortices’ is devoted to a common example of fluid motion, namely the localized swirling motion of a fluid called a vortex, starting by highlighting some examples of vortices in our daily life, most famously those in the weather system (cyclones and tornadoes). The phenomenon of vortex shedding, where vortices of alternating signs are periodically created in the wake of bodies, with a frequency measured by the dimensionless Strouhal number, and the analogy of the shedding of vortices by swimming fish is worth looking at. The concept of vorticity captures the tendency of fluids to rotate locally, and vorticity is created near surfaces due to the no-slip boundary condition. Vorticity is transported by the flow and it can be amplified by vortex stretching, and ultimately it is destroyed by the action of viscosity. Vortices have an impact in the flight of aeroplanes (including the starting vortex on the generation of wing circulation and the phenomenon of lift as well as trailing vortices) and in ball sports (including the Magnus effect in tennis and football).
7. Instabilities
Authors: Lauga Eric
Published: June 2022

‘Instabilities’ addresses the physical ideas behind fundamental instability mechanisms in fluid mechanics by looking at the Rayleigh–Taylor, or gravitational, instability. This arises whenever a heavy fluid is located above a lighter one (or whenever a heavy fluid is accelerated in the direction of a lighter one). This instability is due to a net release of gravitational potential energy, which therefore encourages flow. Stability theory shows where a steady base flow is perturbed and we can derive the conditions for the perturbations to grow in time using a modal analysis along Fourier modes, with an emphasis on the relationship between the wavenumber of the perturbation and its growth rate. The Rayleigh–Plateau, or capillary, instability, can be illustrated with dripping taps, dew on plants, and spider webs. The physical origin of this instability is the release of surface energy for elongated fluid threads, leading to their tendency to pinch off in drops. The Taylor–Couette, or centrifugal instability, happens where fluids in rotation can become unstable, a consequence of the conservation of angular momentum for flows (or, alternatively, due to a release of kinetic energy), ultimately leading to Taylor vortices. The Saffman–Taylor, or fingering, instability occurs when a less viscous fluid displaces a more viscous one. This instability has important consequences in oil recovery. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability arises in shear layers, i.e. when two flows of different magnitude merge.
2. Prolific procreators
Authors: Leather Simon
Published: June 2022

‘Prolific procreators’ talks about the primary function of insects, which is to reproduce. All insects have the same basic reproductive structure. Females have a pair of ovaries, each of which is divided further into a series of tubes, containing rows of egg chambers, the ovarioles. The number of ovarioles varies between species, from as few as four per ovary in some aphids to more than fifteen in some species of flies. The more ovarioles, the more offspring an insect can produce. Some orders of insects can be grouped together as the number of ovarioles is a constant, such as Lepidoptera, which have eight.
3. On the move
Authors: Leather Simon
Published: June 2022

‘On the move’ considers the insect wing as a remarkable structure. Aside from vertebrates, insects are the only animals that use flapping wings for locomotion. Insects are unique among the invertebrates as they developed the ability to fly, although this characteristic has been lost in many species and some orders. Unlike those of other animals, insect wing muscles can contract multiple times for each single nerve impulse, allowing the wings to beat faster than would otherwise be possible. It is worth taking a look at dragonflies, which have additional small accessory flight muscles that control wing rotation while the larger muscles are used only for power.
7. Against the odds
Authors: Leather Simon
Published: June 2022

‘Against the odds’ talks about abiotic challenges that insects face, the two most obvious being weather and climate. Imagine having to spend winters naked on the snow-covered prairies of North America or summers naked roaming the deserts of North Africa. There are a number of problems that are particularly marked in insects that live in seasonal environments, or those where there are very marked differences between night and day temperatures. There are also insects which live in temperate or subarctic environments that need to find some way to survive the winter. The main challenge is to avoid dying from the cold.
9. Ecological Armageddon—insects in decline?
Authors: Leather Simon
Published: June 2022

‘Ecological Armageddon—insects in decline?’ summarizes the diversity and ubiquity of insects and reviews their origins and marvels at the ways in which insects have adapted to a wide range of environments and the roles that they play in maintaining ecosystem health. It is important to consider the harm that humans are doing to insects and the planet that they inhabit. An increasing number of stories have appeared in the media in recent years, predicting insect apocalypse and ecological Armageddon. There are reliable and robust long-term data sets showing the declines of butterflies and moths over the last half-century or so.
Deepening the knowledge of rare diseases dependent on angiogenesis through semantic similarity clustering and network analysis
Authors: Pagano-Márquez Raquel , Córdoba-Caballero José , Martínez-Poveda Beatriz , Quesada Ana R , Rojano Elena , Seoane Pedro , Ranea Juan A G , Ángel Medina Miguel
Published: June 2022

Background

Angiogenesis is regulated by multiple genes whose variants can lead to different disorders. Among them, rare diseases are a heterogeneous group of pathologies, most of them genetic, whose information may be of interest to determine the still unknown genetic and molecular causes of other diseases. In this work, we use the information on rare diseases dependent on angiogenesis to investigate the genes that are associated with this biological process and to determine if there are interactions between the genes involved in its deregulation.

Results

We propose a systemic approach supported by the use of pathological phenotypes to group diseases by semantic similarity. We grouped 158 angiogenesis-related rare diseases in 18 clusters based on their phenotypes. Of them, 16 clusters had traceable gene connections in a high-quality interaction network. These disease clusters are associated with 130 different genes. We searched for genes associated with angiogenesis througth ClinVar pathogenic variants. Of the seven retrieved genes, our system confirms six of them. Furthermore, it allowed us to identify common affected functions among these disease clusters.

Availability

https://github.com/ElenaRojano/angio_cluster.

Contact

seoanezonjic@uma.es and elenarojano@uma.es
Serum potassium changes during hypothermia and rewarming: a case series and hypothesis on the mechanism
Authors: Boubes Khaled , Batlle Daniel , Tang Tanya , Torres Javier , Paul Vivek , Abdul Humaed Mohammed , Rosa Robert M
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Hypokalemia is known to occur in association with therapeutically induced hypothermia and is usually managed by the administration of potassium (K+).

Methods

We reviewed data from 74 patients who underwent a therapeutic hypothermia protocol at our medical institution.

Results

In four patients in whom data on serum K+ and temperature were available, a strong positive correlation between serum K+ and body temperature was found. Based on the close positive relationship between serum K+ and total body temperature, we hypothesize that serum K+ decreases during hypothermia owing to decreased activity of temperature-dependent K+ exit channels that under normal conditions are sufficiently active to match cellular K+ intake via sodium/K+/adenosine triphosphatase. Upon rewarming, reactivation of these channels results in a rapid increase in serum K+ as a result of K+ exit down its concentration gradient.

Conclusion

Administration of K+ during hypothermia should be done cautiously and avoided during rewarming to avoid potentially life-threatening hyperkalemia. K+ exit via temperature-dependent K+ channels provides a logical explanation for the rebound hyperkalemia. K+ exit channels may play a bigger role than previously appreciated in the regulation of serum K+ during normal and pathophysiological conditions.
Path-Rank-Based Data Chunk Scheduling for Concurrent Multipath Transmission
Authors: Tomar Parul , Kumar Gyanendra , Verma Lal Pratap
Published: June 2022

The device equipped with a multi-homing feature optimally exploits multiple network interfaces in modern communications networks such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine communication using the concurrent multipath transfer (CMT). This enhances system performance by concurrently scheduling data chunks on multiple network paths. For a while, several scheduling criteria have been developed to optimize performance. However, it has been identified that CMT still suffers from many serious problems, such as spurious retransmission, receiver buffer blocking, improper congestion window (CWND) growth, re-ordering and long round trip time, resulting in poor performance. These problems occur due to the asymmetric nature of path characteristics. Thus, this paper introduces a path rank-based CMT (R-CMT) that schedules data chunks according to the rank of the path. The proposed scheduling method calculates the rank of each network path based on the ratio of successfully received and transmitted chunks. The simulation results indicate that the proposed R-CMT scheduling achieves higher performance in terms of network latency, throughput and CWND growth.
A review of bioenergetic modelling for marine mammal populations
Authors: Pirotta Enrico
Published: June 2022

Bioenergetic models describe the processes through which animals acquire energy from resources in the environment and allocate it to different life history functions. They capture some of the fundamental mechanisms regulating individuals, populations and ecosystems and have thus been used in a wide variety of theoretical and applied contexts. Here, I review the development of bioenergetic models for marine mammals and their application to management and conservation. For these long-lived, wide-ranging species, bioenergetic approaches were initially used to assess the energy requirements and prey consumption of individuals and populations. Increasingly, models are developed to describe the dynamics of energy intake and allocation and predict how resulting body reserves, vital rates and population dynamics might change as external conditions vary. The building blocks required to develop such models include estimates of intake rate, maintenance costs, growth patterns, energy storage and the dynamics of gestation and lactation, as well as rules for prioritizing allocation. I describe how these components have been parameterized for marine mammals and highlight critical research gaps. Large variation exists among available analytical approaches, reflecting the large range of life histories, management needs and data availability across studies. Flexibility in modelling strategy has supported tailored applications to specific case studies but has resulted in limited generality. Despite the many empirical and theoretical uncertainties that remain, bioenergetic models can be used to predict individual and population responses to environmental change and other anthropogenic impacts, thus providing powerful tools to inform effective management and conservation.
Pangenome Evolution in Environmentally Transmitted Symbionts of Deep-Sea Mussels Is Governed by Vertical Inheritance
Authors: Romero Picazo Devani , Werner Almut , Dagan Tal , Kupczok Anne
Published: June 2022

Microbial pangenomes vary across species; their size and structure are determined by genetic diversity within the population and by gene loss and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Many bacteria are associated with eukaryotic hosts where the host colonization dynamics may impact bacterial genome evolution. Host-associated lifestyle has been recognized as a barrier to HGT in parentally transmitted bacteria. However, pangenome evolution of environmentally acquired symbionts remains understudied, often due to limitations in symbiont cultivation. Using high-resolution metagenomics, here we study pangenome evolution of two co-occurring endosymbionts inhabiting Bathymodiolus brooksi mussels from a single cold seep. The symbionts, sulfur-oxidizing (SOX) and methane-oxidizing (MOX) gamma-proteobacteria, are environmentally acquired at an early developmental stage and individual mussels may harbor multiple strains of each symbiont species. We found differences in the accessory gene content of both symbionts across individual mussels, which are reflected by differences in symbiont strain composition. Compared with core genes, accessory genes are enriched in genome plasticity functions. We found no evidence for recent HGT between both symbionts. A comparison between the symbiont pangenomes revealed that the MOX population is less diverged and contains fewer accessory genes, supporting that the MOX association with B. brooksi is more recent in comparison to that of SOX. Our results show that the pangenomes of both symbionts evolved mainly by vertical inheritance. We conclude that genome evolution of environmentally transmitted symbionts that associate with individual hosts over their lifetime is affected by a narrow symbiosis where the frequency of HGT is constrained.
Interactions ofCaenorhabditis elegansβ-tubulins with the microtubule inhibitor and anthelmintic drug albendazole
Authors: Pallotto Linda M , Dilks Clayton M , Park Ye-Jean , Smit Ryan B , Lu Brian T , Gopalakrishnan Chandrasekhar , Gilleard John S , Andersen Erik C , Mains Paul E
Published: June 2022

Parasitic nematodes are major human and agricultural pests, and benzimidazoles are amongst the most important broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug class used for their control. Benzimidazole resistance is now widespread in many species of parasitic nematodes in livestock globally and an emerging concern for the sustainable control of human soil-transmitted helminths. β-tubulin is the major benzimidazole target, although other genes may influence resistance. Among the 6 Caenorhabditis elegans β-tubulin genes, loss of ben-1 causes resistance without other apparent defects. Here, we explored the genetics of C. elegans β-tubulin genes in relation to the response to the benzimidazole derivative albendazole. The most highly expressed β-tubulin isotypes, encoded by tbb-1 and tbb-2, were known to be redundant with each other for viability, and their products are predicted not to bind benzimidazoles. We found that tbb-2 mutants, and to a lesser extent tbb-1 mutants, were hypersensitive to albendazole. The double mutant tbb-2 ben-1 is uncoordinated and short, resembling the wild type exposed to albendazole, but the tbb-1 ben-1 double mutant did not show the same phenotypes. These results suggest that tbb-2 is a modifier of albendazole sensitivity. To better understand how BEN-1 mutates to cause benzimidazole resistance, we isolated mutants resistant to albendazole and found that 15 of 16 mutations occurred in the ben-1 coding region. Mutations ranged from likely nulls to hypomorphs, and several corresponded to residues that cause resistance in other organisms. Null alleles of ben-1 are albendazole-resistant and BEN-1 shows high sequence identity with tubulins from other organisms, suggesting that many amino acid changes could cause resistance. However, our results suggest that missense mutations conferring resistance are not evenly distributed across all possible conserved sites. Independent of their roles in benzimidazole resistance, tbb-1 and tbb-2 may have specialized functions as null mutants of tbb-1 or tbb-2 were cold or heat sensitive, respectively.
Statistical analysis of spatially resolved transcriptomic data by incorporating multiomics auxiliary information
Authors: Li Yan , Zhou Xiang , Cao Hongyuan
Published: June 2022

Effective control of false discovery rate is key for multiplicity problems. Here, we consider incorporating informative covariates from external datasets in the multiple testing procedure to boost statistical power while maintaining false discovery rate control. In particular, we focus on the statistical analysis of innovative high-dimensional spatial transcriptomic data while incorporating external multiomics data that provide distinct but complementary information to the detection of spatial expression patterns. We extend OrderShapeEM, an efficient covariate-assisted multiple testing procedure that incorporates one auxiliary study, to make it permissible to incorporate multiple external omics studies, to boost statistical power of spatial expression pattern detection. Specifically, we first use a recently proposed computationally efficient statistical analysis method, spatial pattern recognition via kernels, to produce the primary test statistics for spatial transcriptomic data. Afterwards, we construct the auxiliary covariate by combining information from multiple external omics studies, such as bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data using the Cauchy combination rule. Finally, we extend and implement the integrative analysis method OrderShapeEM on the primary P-values along with auxiliary data incorporating multiomics information for efficient covariate-assisted spatial expression analysis. We conduct a series of realistic simulations to evaluate the performance of our method with known ground truth. Four case studies in mouse olfactory bulb, mouse cerebellum, human breast cancer, and human heart tissues further demonstrate the substantial power gain of our method in detecting genes with spatial expression patterns compared to existing classic approaches that do not utilize any external information.
Medical and Surgical Implications of Mesenteric Adipose Tissue in Crohn’s Disease: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Gu Phillip , Dube Shishir , McGovern Dermot P B
Published: June 2022

Mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) has gained substantial attention as an active player in Crohn’s disease (CD), but its clinical significance is poorly understood and likely reflects, in part, difficulties assessing MAT noninvasively. Recent radiologic studies have identified candidate surrogate markers that may reflect inflammatory alterations of MAT in CD and have found that certain features including visceral adipose tissue may inform risk of complicated disease behavior, risk for surgery, and postoperative outcomes. Additionally, emerging surgical data have suggested MAT may even be a therapeutic target to mitigate postoperative recurrence of CD. However, the current studies have variable results, reduced sample sizes, and methodological limitations that preclude incorporating the radiologic and surgical findings into clinical practice. Nonetheless, the results are promising and potentially have important implications for the medical and surgical management of CD, which merits that additional studies are warranted. Thus, we have reviewed the available literature on the medical and surgical implications of MAT in CD to summarize our current understanding and identify gaps in knowledge to inform future investigations.
Higher Koszul Brackets on the Cotangent Complex
Authors: Herbig Hans-Christian , Herden Daniel , Seaton Christopher
Published: June 2022

Let $A=\boldsymbol{k}[x_1,x_2,\dots ,x_n]/I$ be a commutative algebra where $\boldsymbol{k}$ is a field, $\operatorname{char}(\boldsymbol{k})=0$, and $I\subseteq S:=\boldsymbol{k}[x_1,x_2,\dots , x_n]$ a Poisson ideal. It is well known that $[\textrm{d} x_i,\textrm{d} x_j]:=\textrm{d}\{x_i,x_j\}$ defines a Lie bracket on the $A$-module $\Omega _{A|\boldsymbol{k}}$ of Kähler differentials, making $(A,\Omega _{A|\boldsymbol k})$ a Lie–Rinehart pair. If $A$ is not regular, that is, $\Omega _{A|\boldsymbol{k}}$ is not projective, the cotangent complex $\mathbb{L}_{A|\boldsymbol{k}}$ serves as a replacement for $\Omega _{A|\boldsymbol k}$. We prove that $\mathbb{L}_{A|\boldsymbol{k}}$ is an $L_\infty $-algebroid compatible with the Lie–Rinehart pair $(A,\Omega _{A|\boldsymbol{k}})$. The $L_\infty $-algebroid structure comes from a $P_\infty $-algebra structure on the resolvent of the morphism $S\to A$. We identify examples when this $L_\infty $-algebroid simplifies to a dg Lie algebroid, concentrating on cases where $S$ is $\mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0}$-graded and $I$ and $\{\:,\:\}$ are homogeneous.
The Middle East and North Africa in Political Science Scholarship: Analyzing Publication Patterns in Leading Journals, 1990–2019
Authors: Berlin Mark Stephen , Syed Anum Pasha
Published: June 2022

We examine publications on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in nine leading political science journals across three decades (1990–2019) to evaluate the scope of political science engagement with the region since the 1990s and analyze trends in research interests, developments in the use of empirical methods, and authorship patterns. Our data highlight significant gaps in the geographic and substantive scope of extant scholarship. Specifically, the disproportionate focus on non-Arab countries and limited engagement with certain topics, including identity, nationalism, and state formation, raise concerns about selection bias and causal misidentification. Nevertheless, we find encouraging trends with respect to methodological developments; however, the methods and data sources employed appear to be determined by case selection to some extent. We also note that few MENA-based scholars currently publish in these journals. These findings have important implications for the integration of MENA studies with and knowledge production in political science.
Structural basis for molecular interactions on the eukaryotic DNA sliding clamps PCNA and RAD9-RAD1-HUS1
Authors: Hashimoto Hiroshi , Hara Kodai , Hishiki Asami
Published: June 2022

DNA sliding clamps are widely conserved in all living organisms and play crucial roles in DNA replication and repair. Each DNA sliding clamp is a doughnut-shaped protein with a quaternary structure that encircles the DNA strand and recruits various factors involved in DNA replication and repair, thereby stimulating their biological functions. Eukaryotes have two types of DNA sliding clamp, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and RAD9-RAD1-HUS1 (9-1-1). The homo-trimer PCNA physically interacts with multiple proteins containing a PCNA-interacting protein box and/or AlkB homologue 2 PCNA-interacting motif. The two motifs bind to PCNA by a similar mechanism; in addition, the bound PCNA structure is similar, implying a universality of PCNA interactions. In contrast to PCNA, 9-1-1 is a hetero-trimer composed of RAD9, RAD1 and HUS1 subunits. Although 9-1-1 forms a trimeric ring structure similar to PCNA, the C-terminal extension of the RAD9 is intrinsically unstructured. Based on the structural similarity between PCNA and 9-1-1, the mechanism underlying the interaction of 9-1-1 with its partners was thought to be analogous to that of PCNA. Unexpectedly, however, the recent structure of the 9-1-1 ring bound to a partner has revealed a novel interaction distinct from that of PCNA, potentially providing a new principle for molecular interactions on DNA sliding clamps.
Two cases of lead poisoning associated with occupational exposure presented as intestinal obstruction: a case report
Authors: Tanwar Paran , Goyal Pradeep , Trivedi Sourabh , Kolli Jahnavi
Published: June 2022

Lead exposure in India is common in industries that may present with nonspecific signs and symptoms or symptoms of toxicity, depending on the amount of lead absorbed. We are presenting two case reports of occupational lead exposure in a lead-based battery manufacturing unit, which were presented as intestinal obstruction. Both the patients aged 28 and 24-year old presented with complaints of pain in the abdomen with blood lead levels of 61.1 and 85 μg/dl, respectively. The diagnosis was made clinically before any other radiological investigation or intervention. Both the patients were treated conservatively with D-Penicillamine, following which, both the patients improved symptomatically and the blood lead level also decreased. The importance of a detailed history of occupation & clinically diagnosing such patient will avoid unnecessary investigation and intervention. This will help to reach the correct diagnosis in such cases.
Nasosinusal chondrosarcoma with orbito-cerebral extension
Authors: Bouhafs Khalid , Lachkar Azeddine , Bouamama Tayeb , Miry Achraf , Benfadil Drissia , Ghailan Mohammed Rachid
Published: June 2022

Chondrosarcoma is a highly aggressive malignant tumor originating from cartilaginous and mesenchymal tissues. The aim of this report is to describe a rare case of nasosinusal chondrosarcoma with orbito-cerebral extension. Our patient was a 55-year-old with a right cheek swelling evolving over a year, with unilateral right nasal obstruction gradually becoming bilateral associated with hyposmia, bilateral exophthalmos, reduced bilateral deep visual acuity and permanent headaches. The clinical examination found a tumor obstructing the two nasal cavities. Imaging showed a lobulated heterogeneous tissue process occupying the paranasal sinuses, with calcifications and enhancement at its periphery, extending to the orbito-cerebral area. The histopathological analysis was in favor of chondrosarcoma. The patient was first treated with an incomplete surgical resection by an endonasal route due to the extension to the orbit and the brain and received adjuvant radiotherapy. Surgical excision is a prognostic factor in this type of sarcomas and reduces recurrence rates.
Granular cell tumor of distal bile duct treated with Whipple’s procedure
Authors: Botsakis Konstantinos , Trakosari Paraskevi , Papamichail Michail , Petsa-Poutouri Sofia , Kouvidou Chariklia , Paraskevopoulou Marina , Chasiotis Dimitrios , Vougas Vassilios
Published: June 2022

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are rare benign neoplasms that are most often located in the soft tissues of the extremities and chest wall. Malignant GCTs have also been reported. GCTs of the biliary tract are extremely rare, uncommon non-epithelial benign neoplasms that cause focal thickening of bile duct wall without mucosal invasion. They consist of polygonal cells with granular appearance and stain positive in S-100 protein, indicating a neural (Schwann cell) origin. We report our experience of a 57-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with obstructing jaundice due to a distal bile duct stricture highly suspicious of cholangiocarcinoma. A Whipple’s procedure was successfully performed, and the final pathology revealed a benign GCT of the distal bile duct. Whipple’s is an extremely radical procedure for such benign lesions and additional investigations, such as cytology sample, may result in a less aggressive approach as those tumors grow slowly and do not metastasize.
Gastrointestinal tuberculosis presenting as acute abdomen: a case report
Authors: Ridolfo Sofia , Cammarata Francesco , Bonomi Alessandro M , Troci Albert , Crespi Michele , Molteni Paola , Pellegrinelli Alessandro , Ardizzone Sandro , Danelli Piergiorgio
Published: June 2022

Intestinal tuberculosis (ITB) represents an important diagnostic challenge in the clinical setting, as it generally can occur as a chronic condition often mimicking other diseases such as Crohn’s disease (CD), and can present itself with acute onset, which can be life-threatening. A 29-years-old Chinese woman coming to ER with abdominal pain, fever and weight loss. Computed tomography and colonoscopy images were not diagnostic. Despite medical therapy, the patient progressively worsened developing sepsis requiring emergency surgery. Pathological and microbiological examination of the colon both pointed towards gastrointestinal tuberculosis involvement. Although ITB is generally a chronic-wasting condition, it can also occur as acute abdomen representing an absolute surgical emergency. Although caseation and necrosis in granulomas can be used for diagnosis of ITB, preoperative diagnosis is still challenging. Endoscopic biopsies targeted to ulcerous lesions could be an essential diagnostic tool, contrary to those targeted to the ulcers’ edges as performed in CD.
Exploring the prevalence and burden of sleep disturbance in primary brain tumor patients
Authors: King Amanda L , Shuboni-Mulligan Dorela D , Vera Elizabeth , Crandon Sonja , Acquaye Alvina A , Boris Lisa , Burton Eric , Choi Anna , Christ Alexa , Grajkowska Ewa , Jammula Varna , Leeper Heather E , Lollo Nicole , Penas-Prado Marta , Reyes Jennifer , Theeler Brett , Wall Kathleen , Wu Jing , Gilbert Mark R , Armstrong Terri S
Published: June 2022

Background

Sleep disturbance (SD) is common in patients with cancer and has been associated with worse clinical outcomes. This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of SD in a primary brain tumor (PBT) population, identified associated demographic and clinical characteristics, and investigated co-occurrence of SD with other symptoms and mood disturbance.

Methods

Demographic, clinical characteristics, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Brain Tumor, and Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System Depression and Anxiety Short-Forms were collected from PBT patients at study entry. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and independent t-tests were used to report results.

Results

The sample included 424 patients (58% male, 81% Caucasian) with a mean age of 49 years (range 18–81) and 58% with high-grade gliomas. Moderate-severe SD was reported in 19% of patients and was associated with younger age, poor Karnofsky Performance Status, tumor progression on MRI, and active corticosteroid use. Those with moderate-severe SD had higher overall symptom burden and reported more moderate-severe symptoms. These individuals also reported higher severity in affective and mood disturbance domains, with 3 to 4 times higher prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The most frequently co-occurring symptoms with SD were, drowsiness, and distress, though other symptoms typically associated with tumor progression also frequently co-occurred.

Conclusions

PBT patients with moderate-severe SD are more symptomatic, have worse mood disturbance, and have several co-occurring symptoms. Targeting interventions for sleep could potentially alleviate other co-occurring symptoms, which may improve life quality for PBT patients. Future longitudinal work examining objective and detailed subjective sleep reports, as well as underlying genetic risk factors, will be important.
Advance care planning (ACP) in glioblastoma patients: Evaluation of a disease-specific ACP program and impact on outcomes
Authors: Fritz Lara , Peeters Marthe C M , Zwinkels Hanneke , Koekkoek Johan A F , Reijneveld Jaap C , Vos Maaike J , Pasman H Roeline W , Dirven Linda , Taphoorn Martin J B
Published: June 2022

Background

The feasibility of implementing an advance care planning (ACP) program in daily clinical practice for glioblastoma patients is unknown. We aimed to evaluate a previously developed disease-specific ACP program, including the optimal timing of initiation and the impact of the program on several patient-, proxy-, and care-related outcomes.

Methods

The content and design of the ACP program were evaluated, and outcomes including health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety and depression, and satisfaction with care were measured every 3 months over 15 months.

Results

Eighteen patient-proxy dyads and two proxies participated in the program. The content and design of the ACP program were rated as sufficient. The preference for the optimal timing of initiation of the ACP program varied widely, however, most of the participants preferred initiation shortly after chemoradiation. Over time, aspects of HRQoL remained stable in our patient population. Similarly, the ACP program did not decrease the levels of anxiety and depression in patients, and a large proportion of proxies reported anxiety and/or depression. The needed level of support for proxies was relatively low throughout the disease course, and the level of feelings of caregiver mastery was relatively high. Overall, patients were satisfied with the provided care over time, whereas proxies were less satisfied in some aspects.

Conclusions

The content and design of the developed disease-specific ACP program were rated as satisfactory. Whether the program has an actual impact on patient-, proxy-, and care-related outcomes proxies remain to be investigated.
Surveillance of long-term complications after treatment of adult brain tumor survivors—review and evidence-based recommendations
Authors: Figuracion Karl Cristie F , Halasz Lia M , Lam Ny-Ying , Goldberg Myron , Stuckey Joe , Failor Richard A , Knowles Lindsey M , Artherholt Samantha , Chou Brian , Francis Courtney E , Knight Kristin , Kaur Maninder , Sadak Tatiana , McGranahan Tresa
Published: June 2022

AbstractAs a result of treatment and diagnosis, adults with primary or metastatic brain tumors experience comorbidities that impacts their health and well-being. The Children’s Oncology Group has guideline recommendations for childhood survivors of brain tumors; however, guidelines for monitoring long-term sequela among adult brain tumor survivors are lacking. The purpose of this review is to present the screening recommendations for the long-term complications after brain tumor treatment from a multidisciplinary panel of healthcare professionals. Chronic complications identified include cognitive dysfunction, vasculopathy, endocrinopathy, ophthalmic, ototoxicity, physical disability, sleep disturbance, mood disorder, unemployment, financial toxicity, and secondary malignancy. We invited specialists across disciplines to perform a literature search and provide expert recommendations for surveillance for long-term complications for adult brain tumor survivors. The Brain Tumor Center Survivorship Committee recommends routine screening using laboratory testing, subjective assessment of symptoms, and objective evaluations to appropriately monitor the complications of brain tumor treatments. Effective monitoring and treatment should involve collaboration with primary care providers and may require referral to other specialties and support services to provide patient-centered care during neuro-oncology survivorship. Further research is necessary to document the incidence and prevalence of medical complications as well as evaluate the efficacy of screening and neuro-oncology survivorship programs.
Improving children’s executive functions: evidence fromcapoeira
Authors: Hirata Guilherme
Published: June 2022

Physical activities have several benefits for mental and physical health, but the evidence on preschool-age children is limited. This article tests whether martial arts can provide a stimulating environment for boosting children’s executive functions. Exploring a preschool programme that randomly assigned schools to receive capoeira classes, we estimate an intention-to-treat effect on children’s inhibitory control, short-term memory, and cognitive flexibility. Results show modest positive impacts on inhibitory control only. Treated children performed 0.13 of a standard deviation better than the control group. Instrumental variable estimation provides additional positive impact on children’s inhibitory control. In addition, children living in households that receive the Bolsa Família grant and those born to mothers with low schooling levels tend to show larger impacts.
The Conceptual Brain
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter proposes that we need an elastic conception of grounding in which experiential resources are stretched to handle categories that are not tied to the direct experience of our immediate physical environment. This approach has three main elements. The first is a strong commitment to multimodality. Concepts are handled in part by representations that are distributed across multiple experiential modalities, including those associated with action, emotion, exteroception, and interoception. The second is a commitment to hierarchical representations. Conceptual grounding is not limited to representations located within primary sensorimotor areas. The third is a commitment to flexibility. Concepts are realized in a context- and task-sensitive fashion. The contrast between this approach and traditional approaches is made clear.
Growth and Development
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter reviews recent research on abstract word learning. What emerges from this review is that children rely on multiple grounded cues to learn the meanings of abstract words—including cues associated with emotion, iconicity, interoception, and language. The relative importance of these cues varies at different stages of development. Iconicity, for instance, appears to be very important at early stages of word acquisition. Affective information appears to play a central role during a period of rapid growth of abstract word learning that occurs from 8 to 9 years of age. Language-based information appears to be important throughout the learning process but exerts greater influence later in development, when children tend to acquire emotionally neutral abstract words.
Metaphor
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter argues that metaphor is a complex phenomenon shaped by grounding, culture, language, and discourse factors. Some supporters of grounded cognition hold that abstract concepts are indirectly grounded by means of conceptual metaphors linking concrete source domains with abstract target domains. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be a complete solution to the challenges posed by abstract concepts. The same abstract domain can be linked to several different concrete domains, and the same concrete domain can be mapped onto several different abstract domains. Critics of conceptual metaphor theory maintain that metaphor is largely a discourse phenomenon and point to the fact that much of the evidence for grounded metaphors is circumscribed and plagued by variability. The author argues that metaphors are elastic. Different metaphors rely on different resources. Novel metaphors tend to rely more on sensorimotor grounding, and conventionalized metaphors tend to rely more on language. All metaphors are context-sensitive and task-dependent.
The Elastic Mind
Authors: Dove Guy
Published: June 2022

This chapter offers a unified assessment of the elasticity hypothesis and ties together the arguments from the previous chapters. Our facility with abstract concepts reveals that our conceptual system is multimodal, hierarchical, scaffolded, and flexible. These design features suggest that abstract concepts are more circumscribed and ad hoc than is often assumed. The concept of hardness in the material sciences is used to show that even technical concepts are provisional cognitive tools adapted to specific tasks and interpreted against the background of shifting practical and theoretical concerns. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the ways in which the elasticity of our concepts transforms the research program of grounded cognition. New research needs to explore the diverse sources of grounding, the influence of higher-level representations, and the ways in which concepts are shaped by social factors and situations.