bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Birth weight and gestational age distributions in a rural Kenyan population
Authors: Bucher Sherri , Nowak Kayla , Otieno Kevin , Tenge Constance , Marete Irene , Rutto Faith , Kemboi Millsort , Achieng Emmah , Ekhaguere Osayame A. , Nyongesa Paul , Esamai Fabian O. , Liechty Edward A.
Published: March 2023

Background

With the increased availability of access to prenatal ultrasound in low/middle-income countries, there is opportunity to better characterize the association between fetal growth and birth weight across global settings. This is important, as fetal growth curves and birthweight charts are often used as proxy health indicators. As part of a randomized control trial, in which ultrasonography was utilized to establish accurate gestational age of pregnancies, we explored the association between gestational age and birthweight among a cohort in Western Kenya, then compared our results to data reported by the INTERGROWTH-21st study.

Methods

This study was conducted in 8 geographical clusters across 3 counties in Western Kenya. Eligible subjects were nulliparous women carrying singleton pregnancies. An early ultrasound was performed between 6 + 0/7 and 13 + 6/7 weeks gestational age. At birth, infants were weighed on platform scales provided either by the study team (community births), or the Government of Kenya (public health facilities). The 10th, 25th, median, 75th, and 90th BW percentiles for 36 to 42 weeks gestation were determined; resulting percentile points were plotted, and curves determined using a cubic spline technique. A signed rank test was used to quantify the comparison of the percentiles generated in the rural Kenyan sample with those of the INTERGROWTH-21st study.

Results

A total of 1291 infants (of 1408 pregnant women randomized) were included. Ninety-three infants did not have a measured birth weight. The majority of these were due to miscarriage (n = 49) or stillbirth (n = 27). No significant differences were found between subjects who were lost to follow-up. Signed rank comparisons of the observed median of the Western Kenya data at 10th, 50th, and 90th birthweight percentiles, as compared to medians reported in the INTERGROWTH-21st distributions, revealed close alignment between the two datasets, with significant differences at 36 and 37 weeks. Limitations of the current study include small sample size, and detection of potential digit preference bias.

Conclusions

A comparison of birthweight percentiles by gestational age estimation, among a sample of infants from rural Kenya, revealed slight differences as compared to those from the global population (INTERGROWTH-21st).

Trial registration

This is a single site sub-study of data collected in conjunction with the Aspirin Supplementation for Pregnancy Indicated Risk Reduction In Nulliparas (ASPIRIN) Trial, which is listed at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02409680 (07/04/2015).
Efforts to address the Sustainable Development Goals in older populations: a scoping review
Authors: Shevelkova Vlada , Mattocks Calum , Lafortune Louise
Published: March 2023

Background

The United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030) seeks to create multisectoral changes that align healthy ageing with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given that the SDGs have completed their first five years, the objective of this scoping review was to summarise any efforts launched to directly address the SDGs in older adults in community settings prior to the Decade. This will contribute to providing a baseline against which to track progress and identify gaps.

Methods

Following Cochrane guidelines for scoping reviews, searches were conducted in three electronic databases, five grey-literature websites, and one search engine between April to May 2021; and limited to entries from 2016 to 2020. Abstracts and full texts were double-screened; references of included papers were searched to identify additional candidate publications; and data were extracted independently by two authors, using an adaptation of existing frameworks. Quality assessment was not conducted.

Results

In total, we identified 617 peer-review papers, of which only two were included in the review. Grey literature searches generated 31 results, from which ten were included. Overall, the literature was sparse and heterogeneous, consisting of five reports, three policy documents, two non-systematic reviews, one city plan, and one policy appraisal. Initiatives targeting older adults were mentioned under 12 different SDGs, with SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) being the most commonly discussed. Also, SDG-based efforts frequently overlapped or aligned to the eight domains of age-friendly environments outlined in the World Health Organisation framework.

Conclusion

The review has documented the extent, range, and nature of available research and provided an initial evidence backdrop for future research and policy development.
Factors predicting parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control program
Authors: Schmied Emily A. , Madanat Hala , Chuang Emmeline , Moody Jamie , Ibarra Leticia , Cervantes Griselda , Strong David , Boutelle Kerri , Ayala Guadalupe X.
Published: March 2023

Background

Family-based interventions are efficacious at preventing and controlling childhood overweight and obesity; however, implementation is often hindered by low parent engagement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate predictors of parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control intervention.

Methods

Predictors were assessed in a clinic-based community health worker (CHW)-led Family Wellness Program consisting of in-person educational workshops attended by parents and children. This program was part of a larger effort known as the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration projects. Participants included 128 adult caretakers of children ages 2–11 (98% female). Predictors of parent engagement (e.g., anthropometric, sociodemographic, psychosocial variables) were assessed prior to the intervention. Attendance at intervention activities was recorded by the CHW. Zero-inflated Poisson regression was used to determine predictors of non-attendance and degree of attendance.

Results

Parents’ lower readiness to make behavioral and parenting changes related to their child’s health was the sole predictor of non-attendance at planned intervention activities in adjusted models (OR = 0.41, p < .05). Higher levels of family functioning predicted degree of attendance (RR = 1.25, p < .01).

Conclusions

To improve engagement in family-based childhood obesity prevention interventions, researchers should consider assessing and tailoring intervention strategies to align with the family’s readiness to change and promote family functioning.

Trial registration

NCT02197390, 22/07/2014.
Do different incision techniques for implant surgery affect gingival papilla height around dental implants? A retrospective study of 115 cases
Authors: Luo Chenchen , Chen Ming
Published: March 2023

Background

Surgical incision designs are considered closely correlated to gingival papilla of dental implants. This study aims to explore whether different incision techniques for implant placement and second stage surgery affect gingival papilla height.

Methods

Cases using different incision techniques (intrasulcular incisions or papilla sparing incisions) between November 2017 and December 2020 were selected and analyzed. A digital camera was used to capture images of gingival papilla at different time points. Ratio of papilla height to crown length using different incision techniques were measured and statistically compared.

Results

A total of 115 papillae (68 patients) were eligible according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The average age was 39.6 years. Decreased postoperative papilla height were observed after implant placement surgery in all groups without statistical difference. However, for second stage surgery, intrasulcular incisions lead to more atrophy in gingival papilla compared to papilla sparing incisions.

Conclusions

Selection of incision techniques in implant placement surgery does not significantly affect papilla height. For second stage surgery, intrasulcular incisions significantly leads to more papilla atrophy compared with papilla sparing incisions.

Trial registration KQCL2017003.
Chronic cough in postmenopausal women and its associations to climacteric symptoms
Authors: Ziller Volker , Oppermann Thea Sophie , Cassel Werner , Hildebrandt Olaf , Kroidl Rolf F. , Koehler Ulrich
Published: March 2023

Background

Postmenopausal women often have chronic cough. Hormonal changes might be affecting lung function and the mucous membrane of the airways, causing hypersensitivity of the cough reflex. Therefore, postmenopausal hormonal changes could play a key role in the association between increased cough and menopause. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relation of chronic cough and postmenopausal symptoms.

Methods

We performed a questionnaire-based cohort study in generally healthy postmenopausal women (age 45–65 years). Women with cough explained by a pre-existing diagnosis were excluded. Comorbidities, medication and baseline data were collected. The Menopause Rating Scale II (MRS II) was combined with the Leicester Cough Questionnaire. Groups were divided in chronic cough versus non-coughing participants, chronic cough was defined as symptoms over 8 weeks. We performed correlations and logistic regression for predicting cough based on postmenopausal symptoms.

Results

Sixty-six of 200 women (33%) reported symptoms of chronic cough over 8 weeks. No significant differences in baseline data (age, BMI, onset of menopause, years since menopause, concomitant diseases, and medication) were found between coughing and non-coughing women. The MRS II showed higher menopausal symptoms in patients with cough, with significant differences in 2 of the 3 MRS-domains (urogenital (p < 0.001) and somato-vegetative (p < 0.001)). Climacteric symptoms correlated strongly with parameters of cough (p < 0.001). On the basis of the MRS total score (p < 0.001) and the somato-vegetative and urogenital domains (p < 0.05), the prediction for respiratory complaints could be shown.

Discussion

Chronic cough was significantly associated with menopausal symptoms. Therefore chronic cough as a possible climacteric symptom and its underlying mechanisms should be further explored.
Need assessment for the content of educational programs about breast cancer from the viewpoint of unaffected women
Authors: Alipour Sadaf , Orouji Marzieh , Eskandari Yas , Eskandari Amirhossein
Published: March 2023

Background

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among females, and early diagnosis is possible in case the patients seek medical attention on time. For this to come true, they must know about the existence and risks of the disease and be aware of the appropriate attitude and actions toward prevention or early diagnosis. However, we see that women have unanswered questions about these issues. In this study, we sought to investigate healthy women’s information needs about breast cancer from their own perspective.

Methods

This prospective study was carried out by using the maximum variation sampling, and theoretical saturation to reach sample saturation. Women who came to different clinics of Arash Women’s Hospital (except the Breast Clinic) during two months were entered in the study. Participants were asked to write down all the questions and subjects they would like to be explained in a breast cancer educational program. The questions were reviewed and categorized after every fifteen consecutive forms were filled until there was not even one new question. Afterwards, all the questions were reviewed and matched based on their similarity and repeated items were eliminated. Finally, questions were organized according to their common topics and the range of details they comprised.

Results

Sixty patients were included in the study, and 194 questions were gathered and categorized according to common scientific terms, resulting in 63 questions in 5 categories.

Conclusions

Many studies have been conducted on breast cancer education, but none have addressed healthy women's personal queries. This study outlines the questions of unaffected women about breast cancer that need to be addressed in educational programs. The results can be used for development of educational material at community level.

Trial registration: This study was conducted as the preliminary phase of a study approved in Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Approval Code 99-1-101-46,455) and by the Ethics Committee of the University (Ethical Code IR.TUMS.MEDICINE.REC.1399.105).
Circulating levels of micronutrients and risk of infections: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Flatby Helene M. , Ravi Anuradha , Damås Jan K. , Solligård Erik , Rogne Tormod
Published: March 2023

Background

Micronutrients play an essential role at every stage of the immune response, and deficiencies can therefore lead to increased susceptibility to infections. Previous observational studies and randomized controlled trials of micronutrients and infections are limited. We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate the effect of blood levels of eight micronutrients (copper, iron, selenium, zinc, beta-carotene, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and vitamin D) on the risk of three infections (gastrointestinal infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections).

Methods

Two-sample MR was conducted using publicly available summary statistics from independent cohorts of European ancestry. For the three infections, we used data from UK Biobank and FinnGen. Inverse variance-weighted MR analyses were performed, together with a range of sensitivity analyses. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 2.08E−03.

Results

We found a significant association between circulating levels of copper and risk of gastrointestinal infections, where a one standard deviation increase in blood levels of copper was associated with an odds ratio of gastrointestinal infections of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.87 to 0.97, P = 1.38E−03). This finding was robust in extensive sensitivity analyses. There was no clear association between the other micronutrients and the risk of infection.

Conclusions

Our results strongly support a role of copper in the susceptibility to gastrointestinal infections.
Dose response relationship between food insecurity and quality of life in United States adults: 2016–2017
Authors: Bhandari Sanjay , Campbell Jennifer A. , Walker Rebekah J. , Thorgerson Abigail , Dawson Aprill Z. , Egede Leonard E.
Published: March 2023

Background

Food insecurity is associated with worse general health rating, but little research exists investigating whether there is a dose response relationship across levels of food security and mental and physical health domains at the population level.

Methods

Data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2016–2017) with US adults aged 18 years and older was used. The physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) of Quality of Life, served as the outcome measures. Four categories of food insecurity (high, marginal, low, very low food security) served as the primary independent variable. Linear regression was used to run unadjusted followed by adjusted models. Separate models were run for PCS and MCS.

Results

In a sample of US adults, 16.1% reported some degree of food insecurity. For PCS, marginal (β = − 2.54 (p < 0.001), low (β = − 3.41, (p < 0.001), and very low (β = − 5.62, (p < 0.001) food security was associated with worse PCS scores, compared to adults with high food security. For MCS, marginal (β = − 3.90 (p < 0.001), low (β = − 4.79, (p < 0.001), and very low (β = − 9.72, (p < 0.001) food security was associated with worse MCS scores, compared to adults with high food security.

Conclusion

Increasing levels of food insecurity were associated with decreased physical and mental health quality of life scores. This relationship was not explained by demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, insurance, or comorbidity burden. This study suggests work is needed to mitigate the impact of social risk, such as food insecurity, on quality of life in adults, and understand pathways and mechanisms for this relationship.
The impact of selected methodological factors on data collection outcomes in observational studies of device-measured physical behaviour in adults: A systematic review
Authors: Pulsford Richard M. , Brocklebank Laura , Fenton Sally A. M. , Bakker Esmée , Mielke Gregore I. , Tsai Li-Tang , Atkin Andrew J. , Harvey Danielle L. , Blodgett Joanna M. , Ahmadi Matthew , Wei Le , Rowlands Alex , Doherty Aiden , Rangul Vegar , Koster Annemarie , Sherar Lauren B. , Holtermann Andreas , Hamer Mark , Stamatakis Emmanuel
Published: March 2023

Background

Accelerometer measures of physical behaviours (physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep) in observational studies offer detailed insight into associations with health and disease. Maximising recruitment and accelerometer wear, and minimising data loss remain key challenges. How varying methods used to collect accelerometer data influence data collection outcomes is poorly understood. We examined the influence of accelerometer placement and other methodological factors on participant recruitment, adherence and data loss in observational studies of adult physical behaviours.

Methods

The review was in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA). Observational studies of adults including accelerometer measurement of physical behaviours were identified using database (MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, PsychINFO, Health Management Information Consortium, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature) and supplementary searches to May 2022. Information regarding study design, accelerometer data collection methods and outcomes were extracted for each accelerometer measurement (study wave). Random effects meta-analyses and narrative syntheses were used to examine associations of methodological factors with participant recruitment, adherence and data loss.

Results

123 accelerometer data collection waves were identified from 95 studies (92.5% from high-income countries). In-person distribution of accelerometers was associated with a greater proportion of invited participants consenting to wear an accelerometer (+ 30% [95% CI 18%, 42%] compared to postal distribution), and adhering to minimum wear criteria (+ 15% [4%, 25%]). The proportion of participants meeting minimum wear criteria was higher when accelerometers were worn at the wrist (+ 14% [ 5%, 23%]) compared to waist. Daily wear-time tended to be higher in studies using wrist-worn accelerometers compared to other wear locations. Reporting of information regarding data collection was inconsistent.

Conclusion

Methodological decisions including accelerometer wear-location and method of distribution may influence important data collection outcomes including recruitment and accelerometer wear-time. Consistent and comprehensive reporting of accelerometer data collection methods and outcomes is needed to support development of future studies and international consortia. Review supported by the British Heart Foundation (SP/F/20/150002) and registered (Prospero CRD42020213465).
Peripheral inflammation in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia: associations with central degeneration and clinical measures
Authors: Chu Min , Wen Lulu , Jiang Deming , Liu Li , Nan Haitian , Yue Ailing , Wang Yingtao , Wang Yihao , Qu Miao , Wang Ningqun , Wu Liyong
Published: March 2023

Background

Neuroinflammation plays a significant role in the progression of frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, the association between peripheral inflammatory factors and brain neurodegeneration is poorly understood. We aimed to examine changes in peripheral inflammatory markers in patients with behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD) and explore the potential association between peripheral inflammation and brain structure, metabolism, and clinical parameters.

Methods

Thirty-nine bvFTD patients and 40 healthy controls were enrolled and underwent assessment of plasma inflammatory factors, positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychological assessments. Group differences were tested using Student’s t test, Mann‒Whitney U test, or ANOVA. Partial correlation analysis and multivariable regression analysis were implemented using age and sex as covariates to explore the association between peripheral inflammatory markers, neuroimaging, and clinical measures. The false discovery rate was used to correct for the multiple correlation test.

Results

Plasma levels of six factors, including interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12p70, IL-17A, tumour necrosis superfamily member 13B (TNFSF/BAFF), TNFSF12 (TWEAK), and TNFRSF8 (sCD30), were increased in the bvFTD group. Five factors were significantly associated with central degeneration, including IL-2, IL-12p70, IL-17A, sCD30/TNFRSF8, and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α; the association between inflammation and brain atrophy was mainly distributed in frontal–limbic–striatal brain regions, whereas the association with brain metabolism was mainly in the frontal–temporal–limbic–striatal regions. BAFF/TNFSF13B, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A and TNF-α were found to correlate with clinical measures.

Conclusion

Peripheral inflammation disturbance in patients with bvFTD participates in disease-specific pathophysiological mechanisms, which could be a promising target for diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring therapeutic efficacy.
Acceptance, utilization, and factors associated with immediate postpartum intrauterine contraceptive device among mothers delivered at public health facilities in Hawassa city, Ethiopia: Institution-based study
Authors: Shiferaw Yemisrach , Jisso Meskerem , Fantahun Selam , Eshetu Betelhem , Assefa Abiyu Ayalew , Gebretsadik Achamyelesh
Published: March 2023

Background

Immediate postpartum intra-uterine contraceptive device (IPPIUCD) placement within 10 min after the expulsion of the placenta following vaginal delivery is a safe and effective method when provided after comprehensive counseling. Studies on its acceptance and utilization are scarce in the study area. This study aims to assess the acceptance and utilization of IPPIUCD.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1st up to February 31st, 2020, among 392 mothers who delivered at public health facilities in Hawassa city. EPI-Data version 7.2 was used for data entry and STATA 14 for analysis. Data were collected using an interviewer administered structured questionnaire. A binary logistic regression and a multivariable logistic regression model were used to assess association. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value of less than 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval.

Results

Of the 392 mothers enrolled, 16.3% (95% CI: 12.7–20.0) of them accepted immediate post-partum IUCD. However, only 10% (95%CI: 7.0, 12.9) utilized immediate post-partum IUCD. Counseling about IPPIUCD, Attitude, plan to have another child, and birth intervals were associated with acceptance of immediate PPIUCD while husband support for family planning use, delivery time, and the number of children had a significant association with utilization of immediate PPIUCD.

Conclusions

The study found a relatively low proportion of acceptors and utilizers of immediate post-partum IUCD in the study area. To improve the acceptance and utilization of immediate PPIUCD among mothers, all stakeholders concerned with family planning need to mitigate and promote the challenges and facilitating factors, respectively.
Diagnostic accuracy of sonication fluid cultures from prosthetic components in periprosthetic joint infection: an updated diagnostic meta-analysis
Authors: Peng Guanrong , Liu Qiang , Guan Zhenhua , Liu Min , Sun Xiaobo , Zhu Xingyang , Chen Jinlun , Feng Wenjun , Li Jie , Zeng Jianchun , Zhong Zhangrong , Zeng Yirong
Published: March 2023

Background

Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is the most serious complication following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) and has a significant impact on patients and the national healthcare system. To date, the diagnosis of PJI is still confronted with dilemmas. The present study investigated the validity of sonication fluid culture (SFC) for removing implants in the diagnosis of PJI after joint replacement.

Methods

From database establishment to December 2020, relevant literature was retrieved from the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Library databases. Two reviewers independently performed quality assessment and data extraction to calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), area under the curve (AUC) and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) to evaluate the diagnostic value of overall SFC for PJI.

Results

A total of 38 eligible studies including 6302 patients were selected in this study. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, and DOR of SFC for PJI diagnosis were 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.76–0.79), 0.96 (95% CI, 0.95–0.96), 18.68 (95% CI, 11.92–29.28), 0.24 (95% CI, 0.21–0.29), and 85.65 (95% CI, 56.46–129.94), respectively, while the AUC was 0.92.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis showed that SFC was of great value in PJI diagnosis, and the evidence of SFC on PJI was more favorable but not yet strong. Therefore, improvement of the diagnostic accuracy of SFC is still necessary, and the diagnosis of PJI continues to warrant a multiplex approach before and during a revision procedure.
A multi-gateway authentication and key-agreement scheme on wireless sensor networks for IoT
Authors: Yang Jen-Ho
Published: March 2023

The Internet of Things (IoT) is designed to let anything connect to the Internet, and the things can be people, computers, and things. On the IoT, the Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) plays an important role because it can be used in many applications such as smart home, intelligent transportation, and intelligent disaster prevention. Since the WSN transmits data in the wireless way, the security problem is a concerning issue in this field. On the WSN, an authentication and key-agreement scheme can let the sensors authenticate to each other and share a common key to encrypt the data. Thus, it can be used to solve the security problem of WSNs. In this paper, I propose a new multi-gateway authentication and key-agreement scheme on WSN for IoT. The proposed scheme adopts a new multi-gateway structure, and thus it allows users and sensors to join in different areas of WSN dynamically. According to the performance analysis, the execution time of the proposed scheme is only 24Th, where Th is the execution time of a one-way hash function. In conclusion, the proposed scheme is more efficient than the related works on the WSN for IoT applications.
Occupational stress and burnout experience among healthcare workers compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Agyemang George , Bema Yaa , Eturu Deborah Aba , Bawontuo Vitalis , Kuupiel Desmond
Published: March 2023

Background

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought an unprecedented burden on health systems and personnel globally. This pandemic potentially can result in increased frequency of stress and burnout experienced among healthcare workers (HCWs), especially in lower-and-middle-income countries with inadequate health professionals, yet little is known about their experience. This study aims to describe the range of research evidence on occupational stress and/burnout among HCWs compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, as well as identify research gaps for further investigations to inform health policy decisions towards stress and/burnout reduction in this era and when a future pandemic occurs.

Method

Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework will be used to guide this scoping review. Literature searches will be conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for relevant articles published in any language from January 2020 to the last search date. The literature search strategy will include keywords and Boolean and medical subject heading terms. This study will include peer-reviewed papers about Africa, with a focus on stress and burnout among HCWs in the COVID-19 era. In addition to the database searches, we will manually search the reference list of included articles as well as the World Health Organization’s website for relevant papers. Using the inclusion criteria as a guide, two reviewers will independently screen the abstracts and full-text articles. A narrative synthesis will be conducted, and a summary of the findings reported.

Discussion

This study will highlight the range of literature HCWs’ experience of stress and/or burnout including the prevalence, associated factors, interventions/coping strategies, and reported effects on healthcare services during the COVID-19 era in Africa. This study’s findings will be relevant to inform healthcare managers plan to mitigate stress and/or burnout as well prepare for such future pandemics. This study’s findings will be disseminated in a peer-review journal, scientific conference, academic and research platforms, and social media.
Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor controls the function of CNS-resident macrophages and their contribution to neuroinflammation
Authors: Ivan Daniela C. , Berve Kristina Carolin , Walthert Sabrina , Monaco Gianni , Borst Katharina , Bouillet Elisa , Ferreira Filipa , Lee Henry , Steudler Jasmin , Buch Thorsten , Prinz Marco , Engelhardt Britta , Locatelli Giuseppe
Published: March 2023

Signaling by insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is essential for the development of the central nervous system (CNS) and regulates neuronal survival and myelination in the adult CNS. In neuroinflammatory conditions including multiple sclerosis (MS) and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), IGF-1 can regulate cellular survival and activation in a context-dependent and cell-specific manner. Notwithstanding its importance, the functional outcome of IGF-1 signaling in microglia/macrophages, which maintain CNS homeostasis and regulate neuroinflammation, remains undefined. As a result, contradictory reports on the disease-ameliorating efficacy of IGF-1 are difficult to interpret, together precluding its potential use as a therapeutic agent. To fill this gap, we here investigated the role of IGF-1 signaling in CNS-resident microglia and border associated macrophages (BAMs) by conditional genetic deletion of the receptorIgf1rin these cell types. Using a series of techniques including histology, bulk RNA sequencing, flow cytometry and intravital imaging, we show that absence of IGF-1R significantly impacted the morphology of both BAMs and microglia. RNA analysis revealed minor changes in microglia. In BAMs however, we detected an upregulation of functional pathways associated with cellular activation and a decreased expression of adhesion molecules. Notably, genetic deletion ofIgf1rfrom CNS-resident macrophages led to a significant weight gain in mice, suggesting that absence of IGF-1R from CNS-resident myeloid cells indirectly impacts the somatotropic axis. Lastly, we observed a more severe EAE disease course uponIgf1rgenetic ablation, thus highlighting an important immunomodulatory role of this signaling pathway in BAMs/microglia. Taken together, our work shows that IGF-1R signaling in CNS-resident macrophages regulates the morphology and transcriptome of these cells while significantly decreasing the severity of autoimmune CNS inflammation.
Population dynamics and genome-wide selection scan for dogs in Chernobyl
Authors: Dillon Megan N. , Thomas Rachael , Mousseau Timothy A. , Betz Jennifer A. , Kleiman Norman J. , Reiskind Martha O. Burford , Breen Matthew
Published: March 2023

Background

Natural and anthropogenic disasters can have long-lasting impacts on the genetics and structure of impacted populations. The 1986 Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster led to extensive contamination of the local environment and the wildlife therein. Several ecological, environmental, and genetic studies reported various effects of this disaster on animal, insect, and plant species; however, little work has been done to investigate the genetics of the free-breeding dogs that occupy the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ).

Results

We define the population genetic structure of two groups of dogs that reside within the CEZ, one around the reactor site itself and another living within Chernobyl City. We found little evidence of gene flow and a significant degree of genetic differentiation between the two populations dogs, suggesting that these are two distinct populations despite occupying areas located just 16 km apart. With an FST-based outlier analysis, we then performed a genome-wide scan for evidence of directional selection within the dog populations. We found 391 outlier loci associated with genomic regions influenced by directional selection, from which we identified 52 candidate genes.

Conclusions

Our genome scan highlighted outlier loci within or near genomic regions under directional selection, possibly in response to the multi-generational exposure faced. In defining the population structure and identifying candidate genes for these dog populations, we take steps towards understanding how these types of prolonged exposures have impacted these populations.
Hyperproduction of extracellular polymeric substance in Pseudomonas fluorescens for efficient chromium (VI) absorption
Authors: Yang Lijie , Chen Zhen , Zhang Ying , Lu Fuping , Liu Yihan , Cao Mingfeng , He Ning
Published: March 2023

A novel extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) with flocculating activity produced by Pseudomonas fluorescein isolated from soil was studied in this paper. Firstly, atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) was applied to get a mutant of P. fluorescein with higher EPS production. A mutant T4-2 exhibited a 106.48% increase in flocculating activity compared to the original strain. The maximum EPS yield from T4-2 was enhanced up to 6.42 g/L, nearly 10 times higher than the original strain on a 3.6-L bioreactor with optimized fermentation conditions. Moreover, the flocculating activity of the mutant reached 3023.4 U/mL, 10.96-fold higher than that of T4. Further identification showed that EPS from mutant T4-2 was mainly composed of polysaccharide (76.67%) and protein (15.8%) with a molecular weight of 1.17 × 105 Da. The EPS showed excellent adsorption capacities of 80.13 mg/g for chromium (VI), which was much higher than many reported adsorbents such as chitosan and cellulose. The adsorption results were described by Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0) revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. Adsorption mechanisms were speculated to be electrostatic interaction, reduction, and chelation.

Graphical Abstract
Trends in and predictors of animal source food consumption among 6–23 months age children in Tigrai, Northern Ethiopia: evidence from three consecutive ethiopian demographic and health surveys, EDHS 2005–2016
Authors: Gebretsadik Gebretsadkan Gebremedhin , Tadesse Zuriyash , Ambese Tesfay Yohannes , Mulugeta Afework
Published: March 2023

Background

Despite numerous interventions, child undernutrition continues as a problem of global concern. Although consumption of animal source foods has shown positive associations with child undernutrition, no much evidence exists on its trends and predictors among children in Tigrai.

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the trends in and predictors of consumption of animal source foods among children 6–23 months of age in Tigrai.

Methodology

This study used complex data of 756 children extracted from three consecutive Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys. Data were analyzed using STATA 14.0 by accounting for sampling weight and cluster and strata variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of animal source foods consumption. Odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used to measure strength of association at a statistical significance of p < 0.05.

Results

Although statistically not significant (p-trend = 0.28), animal source foods consumption increased from 31.3% to 2005 through 35.9% in 2011 to 41.5% in 2016. For every month increase in the age of a child, a 9% increment in the odds of animal source food consumption was observed. Muslim children showed 3.1 times higher odds of animal source food consumption than Orthodox Christians. The likelihood of animal source foods consumption were 33% lower among children born to mothers who didn’t attend formal education as compared to their counterparts. A unit increase in the number of household assets and number of livestock led to a 20% and 2% increase in the odds of animal source foods consumption, respectively.

Conclusion

Animal source foods consumption showed a statistically non-significant increase over the three consecutive Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys. This study found out that consumption of animal source foods might be increased through pro-maternal education policies, programs with household asset increasing schemes, and pro-livestock projects. Our study also highlighted the need for considering religion as one important player when planning or undertaking ASF programs.
Errors in IVF laboratories: risks assessments and mitigations
Authors: Ifenatuoha Chibuzor Williams , Mohammed Chand , Malhotra Keshav
Published: March 2023

Background

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has positively impacted the field of human reproduction. Over the years, ART procedures have evolved to include several complex techniques, associated with various risks of errors and failure opportunities, especially in laboratories. IVF-associated errors, although rare, have significant implications. Patients may be psychologically affected, given the emotional attachment associated with IVF treatments. Most of these errors are associated with humans and/or systemic failure.

Methods

In this article, we used the Google Scholar database to search for related peer-reviewed original and review articles. Search keywords were “IVF laboratory”, “the embryologist”, “laboratory error”, “IVF laboratory errors”, “IVF error prevalence”, “risks of IVF error”, “consequences/ repercussion, IVF errors”, “risk assessment”, and “risk mitigation”. All studies were extensively evaluated.

Findings

There is a need for an effective approach toward improving existing risk management systems and, possibly, developing better risk management models that can eliminate these errors. Because laboratory resources (equipment and human expertise) are finite and are dependent on systemic policies, error mitigation must involve a multidimensional approach. This review includes several of these error-mitigating strategies as well as innovative technologies that may provide practical approaches to improve error surveillance, reporting, management, and potentially, eradication. Furthermore, errors in IVF laboratories threaten the integrity of the IVF processes and pose significant implications, which are often negative.

Conclusion

This review highlights those errors and the stages they occur during the IVF process.

Recommendations

Understanding the risks of errors in IVF laboratories can help embryologists develop better approaches to identify, evaluate the causes, and prevent errors in the laboratory. Essentially, the practice of effective risks assessment and management can help reinforce patients’ trust in the clinics and prevent repercussions such as litigations and many more. More laboratories can also begin reporting even minor errors to curb the scarce data in this subject.
Inferring Negative Molecular Biomarker Data at Scale
Authors: McBratney Ashleigh E. , Holmes Benjamin A. , Brown Giles S. , Warrier Raghu , Berry Anna B.
Published: March 2023

PURPOSE

Patients who represent the negative biomarker population, those tested for a biomarker but found to be negative, are a critical component of the growing molecular data repository. Many next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based tumor sequencing panels test hundreds of genes, but most laboratories do not provide explicit negative results on test reports nor in their structured data. However, the need for a complete picture of the testing landscape is significant. Syapse has created an internal ingestion and data transformation pipeline that uses the power of natural language processing (NLP), terminology management, and internal rulesets to semantically align data and infer negative results not explicitly stated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients within the learning health network with a cancer diagnosis and at least one NGS-based molecular report were included. To obtain this critical negative result data, laboratory gene panel information was extracted and transformed using NLP techniques into a semistructured format for analysis. A normalization ontology was created in tandem. With this approach, we were able to successfully leverage positive biomarker data to derive negative data and create a comprehensive data set for molecular testing paradigms.

RESULTS

The application of this process resulted in a drastic improvement in data completeness and clarity, especially when compared with other similar data sets.

CONCLUSION

The ability to accurately determine positivity and testing rates among patient populations is imperative. With only positive results, it is impossible to draw conclusions about the entire tested population or the characteristics of the subgroup who are negative for the biomarker in question. We leverage these values to perform quality checks on ingested data, and end users can easily monitor their adherence to testing recommendations.
Optimal active particle navigation meets machine learning
(a)
Authors: Nasiri Mahdi , Löwen Hartmut , Liebchen Benno
Published: March 2023

The question of how “smart” active agents, like insects, microorganisms, or future colloidal robots need to steer to optimally reach or discover a target, such as an odor source, food, or a cancer cell in a complex environment has recently attracted great interest. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments, regarding such optimal navigation problems, from the micro- to the macroscale, and give a perspective by discussing some of the challenges which are ahead of us. Besides exemplifying an elementary approach to optimal navigation problems, the article focuses on works utilizing machine learning-based methods. Such learning-based approaches can uncover highly efficient navigation strategies even for problems that involve, e.g., chaotic, high-dimensional, or unknown environments and are hardly solvable based on conventional analytical or simulation methods.
How to Talk about Religion and Literature: A Modest Proposal
Authors: Branch Lori Peterson
Published: March 2023

This article explains the puzzling but persistent marginalization of religion and secularism studies—despite long-standing critiques of secularism and the secularization thesis—by examining a vignette from a doctoral exam in English. The article argues that in professional and pedagogical settings, secularism is ritualistically reinstantiated in informal exchanges such that scholarly disregard for religion becomes, in Peter Coviello’s words, “a part of our untheorized and offhand real.” Such informally but intensely pedagogical moments bear inextricably scholarly implications and suggest that, if we wish to speak differently about religion, we should replace this implicit pedagogy of dismissing religion and reinstantiating secularism with an explicit pedagogy engaging the secular/religious binary. As a discipline, we need to take up religion in our literature classrooms in ways that dovetail with our operative methodologies, even as they catalyze and alter them, and that neither reboot the secularization thesis nor reify the secular/religious binary and, more important, that are helpful to our students, our society, and ourselves. The article then addresses a concrete example of how scholars from a range of methodologies can develop and implement such postsecular pedagogies.
Phantom Belief and Belief in Phantoms: The Strange Objects of Literary Study
Authors: Jager Colin
Published: March 2023

This essay summarizes some of the arguments about secularism and secularization that have productively unsettled the study of religion in the past two decades. It then turns to the question of what literary studies can offer to the study of religion. Literary scholarship takes an interest in persons, situations, and worlds imagined at a level of detail and complexity well beyond the fictional placeholders other disciplines employ in their thought experiments. This raises ethical and ontological questions about the “reality” of our objects of study. Dominant Western epistemological traditions, which get their leverage from a distinction between illusion and reality, struggle with such in-between spaces. However, this is the space in which literary studies lives, and acknowledging that may help us decide why literature is a compelling and disturbing maker of religious sense.
How to See Global Religion: Comparativism, Connectivity, and the Undisciplining of Victorian Literary Studies
Authors: Werner Winter Jade , Winick Mimi
Published: March 2023

Recent developments in the field of Victorian studies include its increasingly “global” or “transnational” scope as well as its “religious turn,” with a proliferation of scholarship on religion from Christian sects to new religious movements such as Theosophy. However, the highly relevant concept of global or globalized religion is not yet a part of Victorian literary scholarship. This speculative essay explores why this topic has been relatively invisible in Victorian literary studies and how the field might better encounter globalized religion and literature. The essay suggests that global religion remains absent from the field in consequence of how certain nineteenth-century ideas structure Victorian studies: for example, the treatment of religion as a fairly stable category that indexes an author’s or a text’s nationality and even aesthetic value. To move these ideas farther from structure to subject of studies in the field, this essay turns to religious studies and recent projects informed by work in Black studies that engages in “undisciplining” scholarly fields. Such work suggests how Victorian literary studies functions within a comparativist logic that treats religion as a universal cultural phenomenon that corresponds to national and aesthetic characteristics. A promising alternative is a “connective” rather than a comparativist approach, which entails emphasizing the historical formation of religious practices in cultural exchange. This more connective approach seeks to attune Victorian studies to aesthetic projects it has previously overlooked as outside its disciplinary borders. To illustrate this claim, this essay discusses the literary-spiritual project of Paramahansa Yogananda’s Self-Realization Fellowship, which flourished in twentieth-century America in literary and spiritual commentary on texts, including texts themselves more and less usually understood as Victorian, such as Edward FitzGerald’s 1859 translation of the Rubaiyat.
The genome sequence of the Vagrant Hoverfly, Eupeodes corollae (Fabricius, 1794)
Authors: Sivell Duncan , Sivell Olga ,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective, Hawkes Will L. , Wotton Karl R. ,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: March 2023

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Eupeodes corollae (the Vagrant Hoverfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Syrphidae). The genome sequence is 648.2 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into four chromosomal pseudomolecules, including with the X sex chromosome. The mitochondrial genome has also been assembled and is 18.3 kilobases in length.