bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What oil and gas lawyers bring to the Energy Transition
Authors: Weaver Kenyon S , Camp Eric C
Published: December 2022

This article argues that today’s oil and gas lawyers are very well prepared to become tomorrow’s energy lawyers. How the Energy Transition ultimately plays out in the coming decades is unknown. What is known is that the world will need immense new low and zero-carbon energy infrastructure: hydrogen, geothermal, carbon capture and sequestration, wind and solar. This article proposes seven areas where education and experience in oil and gas law prepares lawyers for advising companies, regulators, bankers and other stakeholders now investing in and regulating that future Energy Transition infrastructure. In each of these seven areas, this article shows how oil and gas legal and regulatory issues will have analogous challenges in low and zero-carbon infrastructure. Many of the same challenges that have faced oil and gas projects—capital flows, geopolitical risks, title concerns, creeping expropriation, land use and local opposition, evolving standards and maritime regulation—have analogues in Energy Transition infrastructure. Oil and gas lawyers, accordingly, come to the Energy Transition with a well-stocked toolkit. This article concludes by recognizing it is only a partial list of how working in oil and gas law prepares one for the Energy Transition.
Zur and zinc increase expression ofE. coliribosomal protein L31 through RNA-mediated repression of the repressor L31p
Authors: Rasmussen Rebecca A , Wang Suning , Camarillo Jeannie M , Sosnowski Victoria , Cho Byoung-Kyu , Goo Young Ah , Lucks Julius B , O’Halloran Thomas V
Published: December 2022

Bacteria can adapt in response to numerous stress conditions. One such stress condition is zinc depletion. The zinc-sensing transcription factor Zur regulates the way numerous bacterial species respond to severe changes in zinc availability. Under zinc sufficient conditions, Zn-loaded Zur (Zn2-Zur) is well-known to repress transcription of genes encoding zinc uptake transporters and paralogues of a few ribosomal proteins. Here, we report the discovery and mechanistic basis for the ability of Zur to up-regulate expression of the ribosomal protein L31 in response to zinc in E. coli. Through genetic mutations and reporter gene assays, we find that Zur achieves the up-regulation of L31 through a double repression cascade by which Zur first represses the transcription of L31p, a zinc-lacking paralogue of L31, which in turn represses the translation of L31. Mutational analyses show that translational repression by L31p requires an RNA hairpin structure within the l31 mRNA and involves the N-terminus of the L31p protein. This work uncovers a new genetic network that allows bacteria to respond to host-induced nutrient limiting conditions through a sophisticated ribosomal protein switching mechanism.
A subclass of archaeal U8-tRNA sulfurases requires a [4Fe–4S] cluster for catalysis
Authors: He Nisha , Zhou Jingjing , Bimai Ornella , Oltmanns Jonathan , Ravanat Jean-Luc , Velours Christophe , Schünemann Volker , Fontecave Marc , Golinelli-Pimpaneau Béatrice
Published: December 2022

Sulfuration of uridine 8, in bacterial and archaeal tRNAs, is catalyzed by enzymes formerly known as ThiI, but renamed here TtuI. Two different classes of TtuI proteins, which possess a PP-loop-containing pyrophosphatase domain that includes a conserved cysteine important for catalysis, have been identified. The first class, as exemplified by the prototypic Escherichia coli enzyme, possesses an additional C-terminal rhodanese domain harboring a second cysteine, which serves to form a catalytic persulfide. Among the second class of TtuI proteins that do not possess the rhodanese domain, some archaeal proteins display a conserved CXXC + C motif. We report here spectroscopic and enzymatic studies showing that TtuI from Methanococcus maripaludis and Pyrococcus furiosus can assemble a [4Fe–4S] cluster that is essential for tRNA sulfuration activity. Moreover, structural modeling studies, together with previously reported mutagenesis experiments of M. maripaludis TtuI, indicate that the [4Fe–4S] cluster is coordinated by the three cysteines of the CXXC + C motif. Altogether, our results raise a novel mechanism for U8-tRNA sulfuration, in which the cluster is proposed to catalyze the transfer of sulfur atoms to the activated tRNA substrate.
DRAGON: Determining Regulatory Associations using Graphical models on multi-Omic Networks
Authors: Shutta Katherine H , Weighill Deborah , Burkholz Rebekka , Guebila Marouen Ben , DeMeo Dawn L , Zacharias Helena U , Quackenbush John , Altenbuchinger Michael
Published: December 2022

The increasing quantity of multi-omic data, such as methylomic and transcriptomic profiles collected on the same specimen or even on the same cell, provides a unique opportunity to explore the complex interactions that define cell phenotype and govern cellular responses to perturbations. We propose a network approach based on Gaussian Graphical Models (GGMs) that facilitates the joint analysis of paired omics data. This method, called DRAGON (Determining Regulatory Associations using Graphical models on multi-Omic Networks), calibrates its parameters to achieve an optimal trade-off between the network’s complexity and estimation accuracy, while explicitly accounting for the characteristics of each of the assessed omics ‘layers.’ In simulation studies, we show that DRAGON adapts to edge density and feature size differences between omics layers, improving model inference and edge recovery compared to state-of-the-art methods. We further demonstrate in an analysis of joint transcriptome - methylome data from TCGA breast cancer specimens that DRAGON can identify key molecular mechanisms such as gene regulation via promoter methylation. In particular, we identify Transcription Factor AP-2 Beta (TFAP2B) as a potential multi-omic biomarker for basal-type breast cancer. DRAGON is available as open-source code in Python through the Network Zoo package (netZooPy v0.8; netzoo.github.io).
Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative: A Reproducible Approach to Facilitate Antimicrobial Stewardship Progress
Authors: Bollig Emma R , Hirsch Elizabeth B , Bueno Irene , Lynfield Ruth , Granick Jennifer L , Gens Krista D , Rashid Ayesha , Harris Kelly , Boeser Kimberly , Beaudoin Amanda L
Published: December 2022

The Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative (MOHASC) was launched in 2016 with the mission of providing a collaborative environment to promote judicious antibiotic use and antibiotic stewardship (AS) and to reduce the impact of antibiotic-resistant pathogens of human, animal, and environmental health importance. MOHASC goals include improving AS programs in healthcare and veterinary medicine, advancing understanding of environmental impacts of antibiotic use, and promoting a One Health (OH) approach to AS. These goals are accomplished through quarterly meetings of 4 work groups, field trips, collaborative research, an annual member meeting, and public education events. This novel OH approach has strengthened multidisciplinary relationships within Minnesota and led to procurement of funding to enhance AS initiatives beyond the Collaborative. This perspective serves as a blueprint for other jurisdictions, and we advocate for use of this reproducible OH strategy to facilitate broad AS goals.
Antibiotic Consumption and Bacterial Resistance Rates in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study During the 3 First Surges
Authors: Jaffal Karim , Bouchand Frédérique , Lawrence Christine , Mascitti Hélène , Duran Clara , Annane Djillali , Dinh Aurélien
Published: December 2022

In our hospital, during COVID-19 pandemic, overall consumption of antibiotics increased during the three first surges, mainly due to ICU prescription However, antibiotic consumption decreased in the Infectious Diseases Department. Rates of ESBL Enterobacterales remained stable.
Mindfulness, Competition, and Sports Psychology: A Phenomenological Perspective
Authors: Mahalingam Ramaswami
Published: December 2022

Mindfulness is defined as the awareness of our present, recognizing the changing nature of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions and the interdependent nature of human existence. This chapter provides an overview of existing research on mindfulness with a specific focus on sports psychology. Mindfulness-based interventions, in general, were found to improve athletic performance, flow experiences and emotional regulation. Although mindfulness-based interventions are beneficial to athletes, there is a significant gap in research on the impact of mindfulness practices in shaping the subjective experiences of athletes on the process of competition. This chapter proposes a phenomenological approach to mindful competition, outlining four critical interrelated avenues for research. First, we need more qualitative studies examining how mindfulness training helps athletes make sense of competition. Second, it is crucial to investigate the potential benefits of mindfulness during three stages of competition: (1) preparation, (2) performance, and (3) reflection. Because each step of the competition has unique demands, it is vital to investigate the usefulness of mindfulness beyond flow experiences and athletic performance. Third, sympathetic joy, our capacity to feel happy for other people’s happiness, is an essential mindfulness skill that will help athletes in group sports to rejoice with the success of their teammates. Finally, the mindfulness-based interventions also call for ethical behavior, emphasizing compassion and kindness with the potential to reduce cheating in sports.
Women’s Reproductive Trajectories after Spinal Cord
Injury
Authors: Dillaway Heather , Mashrah Alymamah , Marzolf Brianna , Fritz Heather , Tarraf Wassim , Lysack Catherine
Published: December 2022

Acquired disabilities are disabilities that develop during a person’s lifetime, including chronic illnesses, and aging-related impairments, as well as unexpected or accidental injuries. It is important to think about how individuals acquire, interpret, and live with these disabilities and track the disparate impacts on certain social groups across the life course. Furthermore, it is important to question social patterns that might exist in the onset of acquired disabilities. This chapter focuses on how the acquisition of physical disabilities can impact individuals and their life trajectories differently depending on timing of onset, individuals’ pre-injury experiences, and expectations for future life stages. The chapter presents data from a qualitative study of 20 women with spinal cord injuries (SCI) to examine how these injuries may occur at a variety of critical moments during the life course, and how individual women (and their partners and families) navigate different sexual and reproductive decisions and experiences post-injury depending on both the timing of their injury and other social locations. It applies a life-course perspective to understand the impact of acquired disabilities on normative life transitions as well as women’s expectations for those transitions post-injury. It argues that researchers and practitioners must attend to both the social patterns in disability acquisition and groups’ experiences of normative life transitions pre- and post-acquisition, to understand the varied meanings and experiences of disability and the different needs and expectations that individuals with disabilities have post-injury.
Connecting Hip Hop History and Heritage
Authors: Durden E. Moncell
Published: December 2022

This chapter investigates concepts in African American expressive practices, highlighting their transition to modern-day Hip Hop. To express this continuum, it draws on a range of examples, including rap music, jazz dance continuums, locking, and breaking. Afro-diasporic lineages of Hip Hop’s pioneers are foregrounded to challenge dominant perspectives on the modern emergence of Hip Hop, shedding light on dancers, DJs, and emcees, as well as on particular dance terms. Finally, Eurocentric hierarchical values that compromise Hip Hop’s cultural aesthetics and identity are brought to light. This analysis discusses the social dance foundations and their sociocultural context to encourage students who analyze and embody Hip Hop and its related culture to progress in their understandings. The chapter concludes with a social dance addendum.
Ligeti’s Distant Resonances with Spectralism
Authors: Levy Benjamin
Published: December 2022

This chapter examines the relationships between György Ligeti and spectralism, both in terms of a similar repertoire of compositional techniques (including the use of interpolations, difference tones, and instrumental synthesis) and in terms of a more general aesthetic outlook or attitude. Many spectralists, including Gérard Grisey, Tristan Murail, Horaţiu Rădulescu, Kaija Saariaho, and Claude Vivier, have acknowledged varying degrees of influence from or respect for Ligeti, but also take care to differentiate their own works from his precedent. Conversely, in his later career, Ligeti found ways of expressing both admiration for and independence from spectralism. A comparative examination of these composers’ prose writings and musical compositions reveals some connections that are deeper, and others which are more superficial. Moreover, looking at these composers’ statements in their historical context can illuminate the political, artistic, and pragmatic reasons for their rhetorical positions. In the end, the ways in which both Ligeti and the spectral composers responded to ideas of “distance”—in the acoustic imitation of echoes and reverberations, but also the experience of geographical, cultural, and emotional distances common to their historical moment—form their most enduring connections.
Elections and Electoral Systems
Authors: Moon Woojin
Published: December 2022

This chapter explains how the electoral system in South Korea has formed into a two-party-dominated system and identifies the elements that prevent a third party from winning seat shares proportional to its vote share. The chapter discusses the features that characterize political parties’ campaign strategies and the voting behaviour of South Korean citizens. Candidates pursue personal votes by focusing on negative campaigning and advertising their valences. This chapter also identifies two major position issues over which political parties compete and citizens make voting decisions. Although redistributive issues have recently become more salient, electoral competition has long revolved around inter-Korean issues. Citizens’ socio-economic statuses only have a meagre effect on their partisan support. Instead, citizens’ political attitudes have been formed differently across generations, as they have been exposed to different levels of anti-communism. Finally, the chapter explains the variation in regional voting in terms of party system polarization. As the ideological difference between parties has decreased, regional voting has intensified.
Indigenizing the Sociology of Race
Authors: Kukutai Tahu
Published: December 2022

The key Indigenous critique of mainstream sociology is the long-standing failure of the discipline to engage meaningfully with either the concept or lived reality of colonialism, which is evidenced in the mainstream scholarship of race. The Western-framed writings around race continue to miss or misrecognize core aspects of Indigenous lifeworlds. This critique is present in various forms across the nine chapters in this section. All chapters are linked by their engagement with race as a key concept of their analysis, and, more critically, in their presentation of alternative Indigenous philosophies on the sociology of race. In reading across the contributions, four central themes emerge: the distinctive processes and impacts of racialization for Indigenous Peoples in colonial settler states, the importance but oft-neglected aspect of sovereignty, the centrality of dispossession and land to Indigenous experiences of race, and the importance of local epistemologies for refashioning sociological concepts of race. These are discussed in turn.
Archewriting
Authors: Nair Rukmini Bhaya
Published: December 2022

This chapter proposes a composite answer to two interrelated questions about the origins of symbolic representation among humans. The first of these concerns the relatively recent development of writing systems in human history. Researchers agree that conventional scripts, whether of the alphabetic, syllabic, or ideographic kind, are approximately 5,000–7,000 years old at most, appearing at least 40,000 years after humans began to talk and exchange meanings. Why were scripts such “eleventh hour” latecomers? The second question has to do with the prevalence of narrative as an ancient, cross-cultural discourse universal. Why are narratives such pervasive structures when they are not, prima facie, the most efficient ways of transmitting information? The chapter builds an argument about the birth of forms of linear, recursive, and multimodal representation among humans that I term “archewriting.” Such a conceptualization seeks to capture key commonalities between narrative as a drawn-out, episodic, and interactive cognitive format suited to mnemonically conveying emotion and generating empathy, and line drawings by early humans that capture the idea of spatial, sequential patterning through the rousing abstractions of “art.” The chapter concludes by discussing the impact of both language and literacy policies, and contemporary technological changes, on the uses and cognitive corollaries of literacy.
The Evolution of the Biological Sciences
Authors: Gontier Nathalie
Published: December 2022

This chapter introduces the main research schools and paradigms along which the field of evolutionary biology has been developing. Evolutionary thinking was originally founded upon the Neo-Darwinian paradigm that combines the teachings of traditional Darwinism with those of the Modern Synthesis. The Neo-Darwinian paradigm has since further diversified into the Micro-, Meso-, and Macroevolutionary schools, and it has also started to integrate the school of Ecology. Together, these schools establish the paradigm called Ecological Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Eco-Evo-Devo). A final school studies Reticulate Evolution as it occurs by means of symbiosis, symbiogenesis, lateral gene transfer, infective heredity, and hybridization. This chapter reviews the major tenets and points of differentiation that exist between these distinct evolution schools. The chapter ends by looking into how evolution can be defined and how distinct units, levels, and mechanisms underlie theorizing on evolutionary hierarchies and evolutionary causation. The following chapter examines how the different evolution schools are implemented into the symbolic sciences.
The Ethics of Brain Uploading
Authors: Minerva Francesca
Published: December 2022

This chapter provides an overview of the ethics of brain uploading. It introduces brain uploading as a potential future technology aimed at creating one or more digital copies of a biological brain. Since digital entities do not age in the same way as biological entities do, the main reason why some people are interested in brain uploading is the desire to extend their lifespan by several years or indefinitely. The chapter details the practical procedures involved in brain uploading. It then considers the key questions surrounding brain uploading as a life extension tool, such as the conceivability of digital consciousness and the possibility of achieving a personal identity.
A Place-Based Approach to Early Modern Women’s Writing
Authors: McQuade Paula
Published: December 2022

This chapter argues for the usefulness of local history to the study of early modern women writers. It suggests that local history offers a valuable way of thinking about the past, one which acknowledges the importance of the lives of otherwise unremarkable women and men. It explores the usefulness of local history for the study of early modern women’s writing, especially for the writings of women like Dorothy Burch, who may have possessed considerable power and authority within local communities but played no role in national, let alone international, events. By adopting a place-based approach, scholars of early modern women’s writing can emulate the heterodoxy and enthusiasm of female local historians. We can come to understand our work as participating within a tradition of women researchers who have also insisted upon the importance of the local, peripheral, and everyday.
‘The Surplusage’
Authors: Arthur Jake
Published: December 2022

This chapter examines the role of women in early modern literary traffic between Spain and England, particularly Margaret Tyler’s part in inaugurating a fashion for Spanish-origin chivalric romances in late sixteenth-century England. This history remains largely untold because we still overlook the literary opportunities that imitative modes of writing, like translation, afforded women. Translation is seen as self-effacement rather than a collaboration that requires or encourages literary agency. This chapter proposes an alternative approach to translation criticism that emphasises close comparative work between source and target text. It compares Tyler’s Mirrour of Princely Deedes and Knighthood with her Spanish source to demonstrate how even minor changes can have transformative effects. It contends that even as Tyler acculturates her text to her English audience and inaugurates a fashion for Spanish romances, she is prescient about changing English literary and cultural values that would make them objects of parody in the early seventeenth century.
An unexpected role for tomato threonine deaminase 2 in host defense against bacterial infection
Authors: Yeo In-Cheol , de Azevedo Manhaes Ana Marcia Escocard , Liu Jun , Avila Julian , He Ping , Devarenne Timothy P
Published: December 2022

The hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) often act antagonistically in controlling plant defense pathways in response to hemibiotrophs/biotrophs (hemi/biotroph) and herbivores/necrotrophs, respectively. Threonine deaminase (TD) converts threonine to α-ketobutyrate and ammonia as the committed step in isoleucine (Ile) biosynthesis and contributes to JA responses by producing the Ile needed to make the bioactive JA–Ile conjugate. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants have two TD genes: TD1 and TD2. A defensive role for TD2 against herbivores has been characterized in relation to JA–Ile production. However, it remains unknown whether TD2 is also involved in host defense against bacterial hemi/biotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens. Here, we show that in response to the bacterial pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) flagellin flg22 peptide, an activator of SA-based defense responses, TD2 activity is compromised, possibly through carboxy-terminal cleavage. TD2 knockdown (KD) plants showed increased resistance to the hemibiotrophic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae but were more susceptible to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, suggesting TD2 plays opposite roles in response to hemibiotrophic and necrotrophic pathogens. This TD2 KD plant differential response to different pathogens is consistent with SA- and JA-regulated defense gene expression. flg22-treated TD2 KD plants showed high expression levels of SA-responsive genes, whereas TD2 KD plants treated with the fungal PAMP chitin showed low expression levels of JA-responsive genes. This study indicates TD2 acts negatively in defense against hemibiotrophs and positively against necrotrophs and provides insight into a new TD2 function in the elaborate crosstalk between SA and JA signaling induced by pathogen infection.
Neurobiological mechanisms and related clinical treatment of addiction: a review
Authors: Fang Yehong , Sun Yunkai , Liu Yi , Liu Tieqiao , Hao Wei , Liao Yanhui
Published: December 2022

Drug addiction or substance use disorder (SUD), has been conceptualized as a three-stage (i.e. binge/intoxication, withdrawal/negative affect, and preoccupation/anticipation/craving) recurring cycle that involves complex changes in neuroplasticity, reward, motivation, desire, stress, memory, and cognitive control, and other related brain regions and brain circuits. Neuroimaging approaches, including magnetic resonance imaging, have been key to mapping neurobiological changes correlated to complex brain regions of SUD. In this review, we highlight the neurobiological mechanisms of these three stages of addiction. The abnormal activity of the ventral tegmental, nucleus accumbens, and caudate nucleus in the binge/intoxication stage involve the reward circuit of the midbrain limbic system. The changes in the orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and hypothalamus emotional system in the withdrawal/negative affect stage involve increases in negative emotional states, dysphoric-like effects, and stress-like responses. The dysregulation of the insula and prefrontal lobes is associated with craving in the anticipation stage. Then, we review the present treatments of SUD based on these neuroimaging findings. Finally, we conclude that SUD is a chronically relapsing disorder with complex neurobiological mechanisms and multimodal stages, of which the craving stage with high relapse rate may be the key element in treatment efficacy of SUD. Precise interventions targeting different stages of SUD and characteristics of individuals might serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for SUD.
Structural covariance network of the hippocampus–amygdala complex in medication-naïve patients with first-episode major depressive disorder
Authors: Zhang Lianqing , Hu Xinyue , Hu Yongbo , Tang Mengyue , Qiu Hui , Zhu Ziyu , Gao Yingxue , Li Hailong , Kuang Weihong , Ji Weidong
Published: December 2022

Background

The hippocampus and amygdala are densely interconnected structures that work together in multiple affective and cognitive processes that are important to the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Each of these structures consists of several heterogeneous subfields. We aim to explore the topologic properties of the volume-based intrinsic network within the hippocampus–amygdala complex in medication-naïve patients with first-episode MDD.

Methods

High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 123 first-episode, medication-naïve, and noncomorbid MDD patients and 81 age-, sex-, and education level-matched healthy control participants (HCs). The structural covariance network (SCN) was constructed for each group using the volumes of the hippocampal subfields and amygdala subregions; the weights of the edges were defined by the partial correlation coefficients between each pair of subfields/subregions, controlled for age, sex, education level, and intracranial volume. The global and nodal graph metrics were calculated and compared between groups.

Results

Compared with HCs, the SCN within the hippocampus–amygdala complex in patients with MDD showed a shortened mean characteristic path length, reduced modularity, and reduced small-worldness index. At the nodal level, the left hippocampal tail showed increased measures of centrality, segregation, and integration, while nodes in the left amygdala showed decreased measures of centrality, segregation, and integration in patients with MDD compared with HCs.

Conclusion

Our results provide the first evidence of atypical topologic characteristics within the hippocampus–amygdala complex in patients with MDD using structure network analysis. It provides more delineate mechanism of those two structures that underlying neuropathologic process in MDD.
Controversies in rheumatology: telemedicine—friend or foe?
Authors: Dejaco Christian , Landewé Robert B M
Published: December 2022

Telemedicine is increasingly used in rheumatology. While telemedicine guaranteed care of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now increasingly used to facilitate triage of patients, monitoring of disease activity, and patients’ education. In addition, tele-visits as well as remote physio- and psychotherapy are replacing traditional face-to-face contacts between patients and their healthcare provider. While this may save resources in a world in which the gap between the demand and the provision of healthcare increases, there is also a danger of losing essential information, for example by non-verbal communication, that can only be retrieved during face-to-face contact in the office. In addition, it may be challenging to build a trusting relationship between patients and healthcare professionals by virtual means only. Globally acting companies that see market opportunities already amply offer ‘simple’ technical solutions for telemedicine. While such solutions may seem (economically) interesting at first glance, there is a risk of monopolization, leaving the most valuable parts of healthcare to a small number of profit-seeking companies. In this article, the opportunities and threats of telemedicine in rheumatology are debated. A possible way forward is to complement traditional face-to-face visits with information gained by telemedicine, in order to render these consultations more efficient rather than replacing personal contact by technology.
Need for Treatment, A Less Restrictive Alternative to Hospitalization, and Treatment Provision: The Utility of Community Treatment Orders
Authors: Segal Steven P , Rimes Lachlan , Badran Leena
Published: December 2022

Background

Provision of involuntary care is an abridgment of civil rights and a source of controversy. Its circumstances require continued monitoring. This study asks 4 questions: Whether, in an era, focused on allowing patients with capacity to refuse community-treatment-order (CTO)-assignments, CTO use decreased. And whether CTOs fulfilled 3 statute mandates: Were CTO-assigned patients in greater need of treatment than other psychiatric inpatients? Was CTO assignment a less-restrictive alternative to psychiatric hospitalization? and Did CTO assignment provide needed treatment at internationally recommended levels with consequences for patient outcomes?

Method

All 214 388 Victoria, Australia mental health admissions between 2000– 2017 were reviewed. Two cohort samples were drawn and followed through 2019—ie, all 7826 hospitalized patients who were first placed on CTOs from 2010 to 2017 and 13 896 hospitalized patients without CTO placement. Logistic Regression was used to specify determinants of CTO assignment from the psychiatric inpatient population. OLS Regression with propensity score control to evaluate study questions.

Results

In the 2010–2017 decade, initial CTO assignments decreased by 3.5%, and initial hospitalizations increased by 5.9% compared to the 2000–2009 period. At hospital admission and discharge, based on Health of the Nations Score ratings, the CTO-cohort’s need for treatment exceeded that of non-CTO patients. CTO patients had 3.75 fewer days in average inpatient episode duration than other inpatients, when adjusted for CTO-assignment determinants, the ratio of patients to community case managers, and patient housing status. CTO patients needing rehospitalization spent 112.68 more days in the community than re-hospitalized non-CTO patients. Patient to case-manager ratios falling above recommended levels and the patient marginal housing status contributed to longer hospital stays and reduced community tenure.

Conclusions

Victoria relied less on CTOs as an LRA, consequently, experiencing increased initial hospitalizations. CTO patients were in greater need of treatment than non-CTO patients, yet, with required oversite had shorter hospitalizations and more time out of hospital prior to rehospitalization than the less severely ill non-CTO group. Patient LRA outcomes were adversely affected by higher than recommended community patient to case-manager ratios limiting needed treatment provision to hospital.
Assessing sleep health dimensions in frontline registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for psychological health and wellbeing
Authors: Norful Allison A , Haghighi Fatemeh , Shechter Ari
Published: December 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic altered work environments of nurses, yielding high rates of stress and burnout. Potential protective factors, including effective sleep, may influence psychological health and wellbeing. Evidence about sleep in nurses may help develop interventions that mitigate burnout and poor psychological outcomes. A cross sectional survey was distributed across three hospitals to nurses in New York City (NYC). During the first wave of the pandemic (March–April 2020), NYC had the highest incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases (915/100 000) and half of all COVID-related deaths nationwide. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine associations between Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global sleep score, PSQI sleep dimensions, and psychological health (burnout, depression, anxiety, and compassion fatigue), unadjusted and then controlling for individual and professional characteristics. More than half of the participants reported burnout (64%), depression, (67%), and anxiety (77%). Eighty percent of participants had PSQI global scores >5 (poor sleep) (mean 9.27, SD 4.14). Respondents reporting good sleep (PSQI ≤ 5) had over five times the odds of no burnout (OR: 5.65, 95% CI: 2.60, 12.27); increased odds of screening negative for depression (OR: 6.91, 95% CI: 3.24, 14.72), anxiety (OR: 10.75, 95% CI: 4.22, 27.42), and compassion fatigue (OR: 7.88, 95% CI: 1.97, 31.51). Poor subjective sleep quality PSQI subcomponent was associated with burnout (OR: 2.21, 95% CI: 1.41, 3.48) but sleep duration subcomponent was not (OR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.59, 1.19). Daytime dysfunction was significantly associated with all psychological outcomes. Sleep disturbances and medications yielded higher anxiety odds. Overall, sleep quality appears more strongly related to burnout than sleep duration in nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep interventions should target individual sleep dimensions in nurses.
Pain Widespreadedness, and Not Primary Pain Location, is Associated With Comorbid Symptoms in Children With Chronic Pain
Authors: Foxen-Craft Emily , Bourchtein Elizaveta , Kaplan Chelsea , Clauw Daniel J. , Scott Eric
Published: December 2022

Objectives:

Pediatric chronic pain represents heterogeneous diagnoses; often, primary pain location informs research classifications and treatment. In contrast, recent research has highlighted the role of widespread pain and this perspective has been adopted in assessments in specialty pediatric pain clinics. The lack of direct comparison between these 2 methods of categorizing pediatric chronic pain may hinder the adoption of evidence-based practices across the spectrum of care. Therefore, this study aimed to compare whether primary pain location or pain widespreadedness is more informative for pain-related symptoms in pediatric chronic pain.

Methods:

Youth (n=223) between the ages of 8 to 23 years (M=15.93, SD=2.11, 83% female) completed surveys upon intake at the pediatric chronic pain clinic. Free-text entries of primary pain location were coded into categories: headache, abdominal pain, and musculoskeletal pain. Additional domains assessed included widespread pain, pain interference, kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, anxiety, depression, sleep, and fatigue.

Results:

Differences based on primary pain location only emerged for kinesiophobia, F(2150)=8.20, P<0.001, with the highest scores among those with musculoskeletal pain. In contrast, controlling for sex, age, and pain intensity, pain widespreadedness was associated with pain interference, pain catastrophizing, fatigue, anxiety, and depression (P<0.05).

Discussion:

Pain widespreadedness was more consistently associated with pain-related outcomes among pediatric chronic pain patients than primary pain location, and body maps may be useful in determining a nociplastic pain mechanism to inform treatment. Improved assessment of pediatric pain mechanisms may help advance more precise treatment delivery.
Are Improvements in Pain Neurophysiology Knowledge Following Pain Science Education Associated With Improved Outcomes in People With Chronic Pain?
Authors: Ram Adrian , Booth John , Thom Jeanette M. , Gibbs Mitchell T. , Jones Matthew D.
Published: December 2022

Objective:

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the association between changes in patients’ pain knowledge after pain science education (PSE) with treatment outcomes in people with chronic pain.

Methods:

Six electronic databases and 2 clinical trial registries were searched from inception to September 15, 2021 for studies where participants received PSE and had their pain knowledge and clinical outcomes assessed before and after PSE. Meta-analyses were performed for pain intensity, kinesiophobia, and pain catastrophizing. Physical function and quality of life outcomes were synthesized narratively. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane tool for nonrandomized studies and the quality of evidence was assessed using GRADE.

Results:

Fourteen studies (n=1500 participants) were included. Meta-analyses revealed no significant associations between short-term (<12 wk) changes in pain neurophysiology knowledge with changes in pain intensity (n=1075, r=−0.01, 95% CI =−0.14 to 0.13, very low certainty), kinesiophobia (n=152, r=0.02, 95% CI =−0.27 to 0.24, very low certainty) and pain catastrophizing (n=976, r=−0.03, 95% CI=−0.18 to 0.11, low certainty). No significant associations were found between short-term changes in pain neurophysiology knowledge and physical function or quality of life either.

Discussion:

These findings do not support a short-term association between improvements in pain neurophysiology knowledge and better treatment outcomes in people with chronic pain. Increased understanding of how PSE works, as well as better ways to measure it, may help clinicians deliver more targeted education to help patients reconceptualize pain and promote engagement in active treatment strategies (eg, exercise).
Screening Key Pathogenic Genes and Small Molecule Compounds for PNET
Authors: Zhou Qi , Liu Hao , Liu Junsi , Liu Zhendong , Xu Caixia , Zhang Haiyu , Xin Chen
Published: December 2022

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) are rare malignant tumors, but the mortality rate of the patients is extremely high. The aim of this study was to identify the hub genes and pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PNET and to screen the potential small molecule drugs for PNET. We extracted gene expression profiles from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) through Limma package in R. Two expression profiles (GSE14295 and GSE74195) were downloaded, including 33 and 5 cases separately. Four hundred sixty-eight DEGs (161 upregulated; 307 downregulated) were identified. Functional annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment of the DEGs were performed using DAVID and Kobas. Gene Ontology analysis showed the significantly enriched Gene Ontology terms included but not limited to mitosis, nuclear division, cytoskeleton, synaptic vesicle, syntaxin binding, and GABA A receptor activity. Cancer-related signaling pathways, such as DNA replication, cell cycle, and synaptic vesicle cycle, were found to be associated with these genes. Subsequently, the STRING database and Cytoscape were utilized to construct a protein-protein interaction and screen the hub genes, and we identified 5 hub genes (including CCNB1, CDC20, KIF11, KIF2C, and MAD2L1) as the key biomarkers for PNET. Finally, we identified potential small molecule drugs through CMap. Seven small molecule compounds, including trichostatin A, luteolin, repaglinide, clomipramine, lorglumide, vorinostat, and resveratrol may become potential candidates for PNET drugs.
The Impacts of Lymph on the Adipogenesis of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells
Authors: Hsiao Hui-Yi , Liu Jia-Wei , Pappalardo Marco , Cheng Ming-Huei
Published: December 2022

Background:

The pathophysiology of adipose proliferation or differentiation in extremity lymphedema has not been thoroughly studied. This study investigated the impacts of the lymph harvested from lymphedematous limbs on the adipogenesis of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs).

Methods:

ASCs were isolated from the adipose tissue of normal extremities and cultured with lymph collected from Cheng’s Lymphedema Grade III-IV patients or adipogenic differentiation medium (ADM) and further subjected to differentiation and proliferation assay. The expression of adipogenesis genes was examined by RT-PCR to investigate the effect of lymph on ASCs. The level of adipogenic cytokines in the lymph was also evaluated.

Results:

The size of the adipocytes were significantly larger in lymphedema fat tissue compared to that in normal fat tissues (p < 0.00). The adipogenesis of ASCs cultured in lymph was significantly enhanced than in ADM (p= 0.008) on Day 10, suggesting the adipogenesis of ASCs was promoted under the lymph-cultured environment. The expression of adipogenesis genes, PPARγ (p= 0.02), C/EBPα (p= 0.008); FABP4: (p= 0.004), LPL (p=0.003), were statistically elevated when the ASCs were cultured with lymph. The insulin content in lymph was statistically higher in the lymph (p < 0.001) than that in plasma.

Conclusions:

The adipogenesis of ASCs was promoted under the lymph-cultured environment with statistically increased adipogenesis genes of PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4, and LPL. The excess lymph accumulated in the lymphedematous extremity contained a greater insulin/IGF-2. These adipogenic factors promoted the expression of early adipogenesis genes and led ASCs to undergo adipogenesis and differentiated into adipocytes.

Clinical Relevance Statement

The accumulation of adipose tissue in lymphedema region was contributed from the content of excess lymph.
Management of Dog Bite Injuries
Authors: Means Olivia , Fernstrum Colton , Lucich Elizabeth , Little Andrea , Dietze-Fiedler Megan , Pumarada-Fernandez Deborah , Swamy Viswanath , Girotto John
Published: December 2022

Background

Dog bite injuries are common within the pediatric population. Currently, there are inconclusive data on best sedation practice, antibiotic regimen, and need for plastic surgery referrals for treatment of dog bite injuries in the emergency department (ED) versus operating room (OR). This study set out to determine sedation practice, infection management, and necessity for plastic surgery referral at a level I pediatric trauma center.

Methods

A retrospective review of all pediatric (0–18 years old) dog bites documented in electronic medical records from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2019, was performed.Bitten by dogencounters were identified byInternational Classification of Diseases, Ninth RevisionandTenth Revisioncodes E906.0 and W54.0, W54.0XXA, and W54, respectively. Data gathered included age, gender, month of injury, circumstance of injury, injury characteristics, location of repair, person performing repair, sedation (if used, then length of sedation), inpatient admission, antibiotics prescribed, dog characteristics (breed, size, sex, age, relationship to patient), and complications. Summary statistics were calculated as mean ± SD. Comparisons for nominal variables were performed using theχ2test. All analyses were performed using Stata v.16. 1.

Results

A total of 1438 pediatric patients were included in this study over a 10-year period. Of injuries requiring repair (n = 846), most repairs were performed in the ED (97.1% [822/846]), whereas 24 (2.8%) required repair in the OR. Of the bites that required repair (n = 846), 81.1% (686/846) were performed by an emergency medicine physician and 147 (17.4%) by plastic surgeons. Procedural sedation in the ED was performed in 146 repairs (17.3%). Documented sedation time ranged from 10 to 96 minutes. Most patients received a prescription for antibiotics (80.5%), usually amoxicillin/clavulanate (90.8%). Infection was the most common sequela (9.5%). There was no significant difference in infection rates between repairs performed in the ED versus those in the OR.

Conclusion

Our study indicates that pediatric patient dog bite injuries can be successfully managed in an ED. Procedural sedation has demonstrated no increased safety risks compared with the OR. Rates of infection are also not demonstrated to be significantly higher in repairs done in the ED versus those taken to operating theater.
Oncologic Safety in Autologous Fat Grafting After Breast Conservation Therapy
Authors: Kuruvilla Annet S. , Yan Yufan , Rathi Sourish , Wang Fei , Weichman Katie E. , Ricci Joseph A.
Published: December 2022

Background

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is often used to reconstruct defects after breast conservation therapy (BCT). However, concerns exist about the possibility of AFG-related recurrence or metastasis. This study aims to evaluate the literature to evaluate oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing AFG at the time of BCT.

Methods

A systematic review of articles related to AFG based reconstruction at the time of BCT from 1970 to 2021 was performed via PubMed. Patients were grouped based on the presence or lack of AFG usage at the time of BCT, and oncologic outcomes and complications were compared.

Results

Of the 146 articles identified, 15 were included. Nine hundred patients underwent BCT alone and 1063 patients underwent BCT with AFG patients. Similar average follow-up time was observed between the groups, 58.7 months (BCT only) and 55.2 months (BCT with AFG). On pooled analysis, no difference was identified in local recurrence 4.8% (43 patients) of the BCT group and 3% (32 patients) in the AFG group (P = 0.8), metastasis 4.8% (43 patients) of the BCT group and 6.9% (73 patients) in the AFG group (P = 0.3), or fat necrosis (P = 0.44). Meta-analysis additionally did not identify any statistically significant odds ratios between the BCT only group and BCT with AFG group when evaluated for total recurrence, local recurrence, metastasis or fat necrosis.

Conclusions

The results show no significant difference in cancer recurrence or metastasis in the BCT only group versus BCT and AFG, showing that fat grafting has safe outcomes.