bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of frequent emergency department visits among hospitalized cancer patients: a comparative cohort study using integrated clinical and administrative data to improve care delivery
Authors: Kurteva Siyana , Tamblyn Robyn , Meguerditchian Ari N.
Published: August 2023

Background

Frequent emergency department (FED) visits by cancer patients represent a significant burden to the health system. This study identified determinants of FED in recently hospitalized cancer patients, with a particular focus on opioid use.

Methods

A prospective cohort discharged from surgical/medical units of the McGill University Health Centre was assembled. The outcome was FED use (≥ 4 ED visits) within one year of discharge. Data retrieved from the universal health insurance system was analyzed using Cox Proportional Hazards (PH) model, adopting the Lunn-McNeil approach for competing risk of death.

Results

Of 1253 patients, 14.5% became FED users. FED use was associated with chemotherapy one-year pre-admission (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 2.60, 95% CI: 1.80–3.70), ≥1 ED visit in the previous year (aHR: 1.80, 95% CI 1.20–2.80), ≥15 pre-admission ambulatory visits (aHR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06–2.34), previous opioid and benzodiazepine use (aHR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.10–1.90 and aHR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.10–2.40), Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥ 3 (aHR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.2–3.4), diabetes (aHR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.10–2.20), heart disease (aHR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.10–2.20) and lung cancer (aHR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.10–2.40). Surgery (cardiac (aHR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.16–0.66), gastrointestinal (aHR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14–0.82) and thoracic (aHR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.30–0.67) led to a decreased risk of FED use.

Conclusions

Cancer patients with higher co-morbidity, frequent use of the healthcare system, and opioid use were at increased risk of FED use. High-risk patients should be flagged for preventive intervention.
Development of a droplet digital PCR method for detection of porcine circovirus 4
Authors: Liu Yangkun , Zhang Xinru , Han Xueying , Liu Jiaxing , Yao Lunguang
Published: August 2023

Background

Porcine circovirus 4 (PCV4), a newly emerging virus that was first discovered in 2019, may pose a potential threat to the pig industry. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is an absolute quantitative method that has high sensitivity and accuracy. In this study, we developed a novel ddPCR assay to detect PCV4. Furthermore, we evaluated the detection limit, sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of the ddPCR and TaqMan real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and tested 160 clinical samples to compare the detection rate of the two methods.

Results

The detection limit for ddPCR was 0.54 copies/µL, 10.6 times greater sensitivity than qPCR. Both ddPCR and qPCR assays exhibited good linearity and repeatability, and the established ddPCR method was highly specific for PCV4. The results of clinical sample testing showed that the positivity rate of ddPCR (5.6%) was higher than that of qPCR (4.4%).

Conclusions

This study successfully developed a sensitive, specific and repeatable ddPCR assay for PCV4 detection, which can be widely used in clinical diagnosis of PCV4 infections.
ACE2 in chronic disease and COVID-19: gene regulation and post-translational modification
Authors: Wang Chia-Wen , Chuang Huai-Chia , Tan Tse-Hua
Published: August 2023

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a counter regulator of the renin-angiotensin system, provides protection against several chronic diseases. Besides chronic diseases, ACE2 is the host receptor for SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2 virus, mediating the first step of virus infection. ACE2 levels are regulated by transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational regulation or modification. ACE2 transcription is enhanced by transcription factors including Ikaros, HNFs, GATA6, STAT3 or SIRT1, whereas ACE2 transcription is reduced by the transcription factor Brg1-FoxM1 complex or ERRα. ACE2 levels are also regulated by histone modification or miRNA-induced destabilization. The protein kinase AMPK, CK1α, or MAP4K3 phosphorylates ACE2 protein and induces ACE2 protein levels by decreasing its ubiquitination. The ubiquitination of ACE2 is induced by the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 or UBR4 and decreased by the deubiquitinase UCHL1 or USP50. ACE2 protein levels are also increased by the E3 ligase PIAS4-mediated SUMOylation or the methyltransferase PRMT5-mediated ACE2 methylation, whereas ACE2 protein levels are decreased by AP2-mediated lysosomal degradation. ACE2 is downregulated in several human chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, or lung injury. In contrast, SARS-CoV-2 upregulates ACE2 levels, enhancing host cell susceptibility to virus infection. Moreover, soluble ACE2 protein and exosomal ACE2 protein facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection into host cells. In this review, we summarize the gene regulation and post-translational modification of ACE2 in chronic disease and COVID-19. Understanding the regulation and modification of ACE2 may help to develop prevention or treatment strategies for ACE2-mediated diseases.
Docetaxel-loaded pH/ROS dual-responsive nanoparticles with self-supplied ROS for inhibiting metastasis and enhancing immunotherapy of breast cancer
Authors: Wang Yu , Wang Qianmei , Wang Xiaowen , Yao Pu , Dai Qing , Qi Xiaowei , Yang Ming , Zhang Xiao , Huang Rong , Yang Jing , Wang Qian , Xia Peiyuan , Zhang Dinglin , Sun Fengjun
Published: August 2023

Background

Although stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms were developed to deliver immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers to enhance cancer immunotherapy, the complete release of ICD inducers into the tumor microenvironment (TME) was limited by the inadequate supplementation of endogenous stimulus (e.g., reactive oxygen species (ROS)). To address this issue, we synthesized a self-responsive nanomaterial with self-supplied ROS, which mainly consists of a ROS responsive moiety HPAP and cinnamaldehyde (CA) as the ROS-generating agent. The endogenous ROS can accelerate the degradation of HPAP in materials to release docetaxel (DTX, an ICD inducer). In intracellular acidic environment, the pH-sensitive acetal was cleaved to release CA. The released CA in turn induces the generation of more ROS through mitochondrial damage, resulting in amplified DTX release. Using this self-cycling and self-responsive nanomaterial as a carrier, DTX-loaded pH/ROS dual-responsive nanoparticles (DTX/FA-CA-Oxi-αCD NPs) were fabricated and evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

Results

In vitro experiments validated that the NPs could be effectively internalized by FA-overexpressed cells and completely release DTX in acidic and ROS microenvironments to induce ICD effect. These NPs significantly blocked 4T1 cell migration and decreased cell invasion. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the tumor-targeted NPs significantly inhibited tumor growth and blocked tumor metastasis. More importantly, these NPs significantly improved immunotherapy through triggering effector T-cell activation and relieving the immunosuppressive state of the TME.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated that DTX/FA-CA-Oxi-αCD NPs displayed great potential in preventing tumor metastasis, inhibiting tumor growth, and improving the efficacy of anti-PD-1antibody.

Graphical Abstract
The influence of SYRIZA-ANEL Greek health policies on hospital efficiency
Authors: Farantos Georgios I. , Koutsoukis Nikitas-Spiros
Published: August 2023

Background

We analyse the impact of the three following categories of Health Policies (HP) carried out by the Greek SYRIZA-ANEL governments on the efficiency of Greek public general hospitals. These governments have implemented policies intended to change the rate of contributions to publicly funded healthcare (PCnH), policies to affect the volume and quality of publicly funded health care (PVQH) and those intended to affect the costs of publicly funded healthcare (PCH). A literary review of the PCnH. PVQH and PCH policies of the Greek SYRIZA-ANEL governments was carried out and an efficiency window-DEA study was executed using data from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Greek Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).

Methods

The study was designed to assess the impact of PCnH. PVQH and PCH policies by the Greek SYRIZA-ANEL governments on the efficiency of Greek general hospitals. The data was collected from HEAL-Link scientific journals. Information on HPs was extracted from the work collected. The values of inputs and outputs used for the efficiency study were obtained from ELSTAT and Greek MoH databases.

Results

HPs of the Greek SYRIZA-ANEL governments extend to all three HP categories of the sample used. These policies have a dual effect on both the inputs and outputs used in efficiency. Efficiency values exhibit fluctuations with good and bad years. The SYRIZA-ANEL governments seek to ensure more equality in access to health services. Some of the policies reduce costs and have a positive impact on efficiency, while others have the opposite effect. The increase in outputs achieved as a result of health policies is counter balanced by an increase in inputs.

Conclusions

The PCnH, PVQH and PCH policies of the SYRIZA-ANEL governance seem to have a dual orientation: some policies reduce the cost of a category and contain the total cost, thus positively contributing to an increase in efficiency. Certain policies are aimed more at fulfilling the criterion of equality in the provision of health services and thus the cost inevitably increases. From the window-DEA study, three relatively “good” years emerge (2015, 2016, 2018) and two “bad years” (2017, 2019). This analysis will be useful for further research on the effect of health policies on hospital efficiency in other countries and periods.
Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH): biology, clinical relevance and implication in melanoma
Authors: Dall’Olmo Luigi , Papa Nicole , Surdo Nicoletta Concetta , Marigo Ilaria , Mocellin Simone
Published: August 2023

Alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and its receptor, melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), have been proposed as potential target for anti-cancer strategies in melanoma research, due to their tissue specific expression and involvement in melanocyte homeostasis. However, their role in prevention and treatment of melanoma is still debated and controversial. Although a large body of evidence supports α-MSH in preventing melanoma development, some preclinical findings suggest that the α-MSH downstream signalling may promote immune escape and cancer resistance to therapy. Additionally, in metastatic melanoma both MC1R and α-MSH have been reported to be overexpressed at levels much higher than normal cells. Furthermore, targeted therapy (e.g. BRAF inhibition in BRAFV600E mutant tumours) has been shown to enhance this phenomenon. Collectively, these data suggest that targeting MC1R could serve as an approach in the treatment of metastatic melanoma. In this review, we explore the molecular biology of α-MSH with particular emphasis into its tumor-related properties, whilst elaborating the experimental evidence currently available regarding the interplay between α-MSH/MC1R axis, melanoma and antitumor strategies.
Primate TRIM34 is a broadly-acting, TRIM5-dependent lentiviral restriction factor
Authors: Twentyman Joy , Khalifeh Anthony , Felton Abby L. , Emerman Michael , Ohainle Molly
Published: August 2023

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other lentiviruses adapt to new hosts by evolving to evade host-specific innate immune proteins that differ in sequence and often viral recognition between host species. Understanding how these host antiviral proteins, called restriction factors, constrain lentivirus replication and transmission is key to understanding the emergence of pandemic viruses like HIV-1. Human TRIM34, a paralogue of the well-characterized lentiviral restriction factor TRIM5α, was previously identified by our lab via CRISPR-Cas9 screening as a restriction factor of certain HIV and SIV capsids. Here, we show that diverse primate TRIM34 orthologues from non-human primates can restrict a range of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) capsids including SIVAGM−SAB, SIVAGM−TAN and SIVMAC capsids, which infect sabaeus monkeys, tantalus monkeys, and rhesus macaques, respectively. All primate TRIM34 orthologues tested, regardless of species of origin, were able to restrict this same subset of viral capsids. However, in all cases, this restriction also required the presence of TRIM5α. We demonstrate that TRIM5α is necessary, but not sufficient, for restriction of these capsids, and that human TRIM5α functionally interacts with TRIM34 from different species. Finally, we find that both the TRIM5α SPRY v1 loop and the TRIM34 SPRY domain are essential for TRIM34-mediated restriction. These data support a model in which TRIM34 is a broadly-conserved primate lentiviral restriction factor that acts in tandem with TRIM5α, such that together, these proteins can restrict capsids that neither can restrict alone.
Nasal cavity perforation by implant fixtures: case series with emphasis on panoramic imaging of nasal cavity extending posteriorly
Authors: Yeom Han-Gyeol , Huh Kyung-Hoe , Yi Won-Jin , Heo Min-Suk , Lee Sam-Sun , Choi Soon-Chul , Kim Jo-Eun
Published: August 2023

The nasal cavity is an important landmark when considering implant insertion into the anterior region of the maxillary arch. The perforation of implants into the nasal cavity may cause complications, such as implant migration, inflammation, or changes in nasal airflow; thus, precise assessment of the nasal cavity is mandatory.

Three cases of nasal cavity perforation by dental implants are presented, including one case of implant fixture migration into the nasal cavity. On panoramic radiographs of the patients, the following common features were observed: the horizontal radiopaque line of the hard palate was observed to be inferior to or similar to that of the antral floor and the bone between the lateral wall of the nasal cavity and the medial wall of the maxillary sinus was emphasized in a triangular shape.

When the maxillary sinus is small and alveolar bone resorption is severe, panoramic evaluation may cause overestimation of the available residual bone, particularly in the maxillary canine/premolar region. Therefore, the residual bone should be reevaluated three-dimensionally to measure the exact bony shape and volume.
Focused extracorporeal shockwave therapy for youth sports-related apophyseal injuries: case series
Authors: Shafshak Tarek , Amer Marwa Abdullah
Published: August 2023

Background

Apophyseal overuse injuries are self-limited with skeletal maturity; however, they may be a source of significant pain and time lost from training. There is a lack of consensus for its management with the current available treatment, which might lag behind the ongoing development of regenerative medicine. The current retrospective case study aimed to assess the potential effectiveness and short-term safety of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in apophyseal injuries.

Methods

Data from 22 growing athletes [15 patients with Osgood-Schlatter disease and seven patients with Sever’s disease] who received ESWT at a sports medicine unit in a university hospital were reviewed. All patients received low energy (= 0.1 mJ/mm2) level-focused ESWT using electrohydraulic generation technology. The clinical focusing technique was used upon applying ESWT.

Results

The number of sessions received to achieve full recovery ranged from 1 to 3 sessions. The time from treatment initiation to previous activity level was 2 weeks in 14 patients (63.3%), 4 weeks in seven patients (31.8%) and 11 weeks in one patient (4.5%). No adverse events were reported. No recurrence occurred up to 3 months after the last session.

Conclusion

ESWT is a potentially safe and effective treatment for apophyseal injuries. It may facilitate an early return to sport activities.
A risk prediction model for postoperative recovery of closed calcaneal fracture: a retrospective study
Authors: Li Wenjing , Wang Yan , Zhang Zenglei , Chen Wei , Lv Hongzhi , Zhang Yingze
Published: August 2023

Objective

To explore the risk factors for postoperative recovery of closed calcaneal fracture and develop a prediction model.

Methods

We retrospectively enrolled patients with closed calcaneal fracture from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020. Patients treated from 2017 to 2019 were selected as a training cohort and those in 2020 as a validation cohort. The outcome variable was the postoperative recovery evaluated by the Creighton-Nebraska calcaneal fracture scoring system. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors of postoperative recovery. A risk prediction model was constructed in the training cohort and the corresponding nomogram was drawn. The model was validated internally using bootstrapping and externally by calculating the performance in the validation cohort.

Results

A total of 659 patients with closed calcaneal fracture met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, which were divided into the training cohort (n = 509) and the validation cohort (n = 150). 540 cases (81.9%) patients recovered well after calcaneal fracture surgery. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, female (OR = 2.525, 95% CI 1.283–4.969), > 60 years (OR = 6.644, 95% CI 1.243–35.522), surgery within 8–14 days after fracture (OR = 2.172, 95% CI 1.259–3.745), postoperative infection (OR = 4.613, 95% CI 1.382–15.393), and weight-bearing time longer than 3 months after surgery (4–6 months, OR = 2.885, 95% CI 1.696–4.907; 7–12 months, OR = 3.030, 95% CI 1.212–7.578; > 12 months, OR = 15.589, 95% CI 3.244–74.912) were independent risk factors for postoperative recovery of calcaneal fractures. The C-indices were 0.750(95% CI 0.692–0.808) in the training cohort and 0.688(95% CI 0.571–0.804) in the external validation cohort, and the C-index of internal validation was 0.715. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test showed good fitting of the model (all P > 0.05), which was consistent with the results of the calibration plots. Decision Curve Analysis indicated that the clinical effectiveness was the best when the threshold probability was between 0.10 and 0.45.

Conclusions

Patients with female, > 60 years, surgery within 8–14 days after fracture, postoperative infection, and weight-bearing time longer than 3 months after surgery are more likely to have poor postoperative recovery. The risk prediction of fracture patients through this model might be translated into clinical guidance and application.

Trial registration This study was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR-EPR-15005878).
A biomechanical comparison of three fixation methods for unstable femoral neck fractures with medial calcar defect
Authors: Koraman Emre , Iyetin Yusuf , Ozyaman Oguzhan , Akyurek Muhlik
Published: August 2023

Background

Unstable femoral neck fractures with medial calcar defects are difficult to manage. The optimal fixation methods for these fractures have been a subject of ongoing debate among orthopedic surgeons. In this study, three different fixation techniques for vertical, medial defected femoral neck fractures were compared.

Methods

In this study, a biomechanical analysis was conducted to compare three fixation methods: cannulated screws (Group 1), cannulated screws combined with a medial buttress plate (Group 2), and intramedullary nails (Group 3). Synthetic composite bone models representing vertical collum femoris fractures with medial calcar defects were used. Each group consisted of seven specimens, and, to maintain consistency, a single surgeon performed the surgical procedure. Biomechanical testing involved subjecting the specimens to axial loading until failure, and the load to failure, stiffness, and displacement values were recorded. Normality was tested using the Shapiro–Wilk test. One-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD post hoc test were used for comparisons.

Results

The difference in the load to failure values was statistically significant among the groups, with Group 2 exhibiting the highest load to failure value, followed by Group 3 and Group 1. Stiffness values were significantly higher in Group 2 than in the other groups. Displacement values were not significantly different between the groups. Fracture and displacement patterns at the point of failure varied across the groups.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicate that fixation with a medial buttress plate in combination with cannulated screws provides additional biomechanical stability for vertical femoral neck fractures with medial calcar defects. Intramedullary nail fixation also demonstrated durable stability in these fractures. These findings can be used to better understand current management strategies for these challenging fractures to promote the identification of better evidence-based recommendations.
Circulating insulin-like growth factor-1 and brain health: Evidence from 369,711 participants in the UK Biobank
Authors: Cao Zhi , Min Jiahao , Tan Qilong , Si Keyi , Yang Hongxi , Xu Chenjie
Published: August 2023

Background

The effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) deficiency on cognitive decline have been consistently reported in animal studies, but the relationship between IGF-1 and human brain health remains controversial. Our study aimed to investigate the associations of serum IGF-1 concentrations with some brain-related disorders and neuroimaging features.

Methods

This prospective study included 369,711 participants (55.8 ± 8.1 years) from the UK biobank who had serum IGF-1 measured and were free from brain-related disorders of interest — dementia, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease (PD) — at enrollment (2006–2010). Restricted cubic splines and Cox proportional hazards models were used to detect the associations between IGF-1 concentrations and brain-related diseases. In addition, general linear regressions were applied to explore the relationship between IGF-1 concentrations and neuroimaging features (volumes of white matter, grey matter, and hippocampus and white matter hyperintensity) among a sub-sample of 36,458 participants with magnetic resonance imaging data collected since 2014.

Results

During a median follow-up of 12.6 years, a total of 4,857 dementia, 6,240 stroke, and 2,116 PD cases were documented. The dose–response analyses yielded U-shaped relationships between IGF-1 concentrations and risks of dementia and stroke (P < 0.001 for non-linearity), with the lowest risks at 18 nmol/L and 26 nmol/L, respectively. A positive linear relationship was observed between IGF-1 concentrations and risk of PD (P = 0.163 for non-linearity). Moreover, neuroimaging analyses showed that higher IGF-1 concentrations were associated with greater volumes of white matter (β = 2.98 × 10–4, P < 0.001) and hippocampus (β = 3.37 × 10–4, P = 0.002) and smaller white matter hyperintensity (β = -3.12 × 10–3, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Apart from the diverse associations with neuroimaging features, both low and high IGF-1 concentrations are associated with increased risks of dementia and stroke and higher IGF-1 concentrations are linked to a higher risk of PD, highlighting the potential of IGF-1 as a biomarker for risk stratification of brain health.
Efficient delivery of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells to injured liver by surface PEGylation
Authors: Takayama Yukiya , Kusamori Kosuke , Katsurada Yuri , Obana Shu , Itakura Shoko , Nishikawa Makiya
Published: August 2023

Background

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) have been used in clinical trials for various diseases. These have certain notable functions such as homing to inflammation sites, tissue repair, and immune regulation. In many pre-clinical studies, MSCs administered into peripheral veins demonstrated effective therapeutic outcomes. However, most of the intravenously administered MSCs were entrapped in the lung, and homing to target sites was less than 1%. This occurred mainly because of the adhesion of MSCs to vascular endothelial cells in the lung. To prevent this adhesion, we modified the surface of MSCs with polyethylene glycol (PEG; a biocompatible polymer) using the avidin–biotin complex (ABC) method.

Methods

The surface of MSCs was modified with PEG using the ABC method. Then, the cell adhesion to mouse aortic endothelial cells and the tissue distribution of PEG-modified MSCs were evaluated. Moreover, the homing to the injured liver and therapeutic effect of PEG-modified MSCs were evaluated using carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver failure model mice.

Results

The PEG modification significantly suppressed the adhesion of MSCs to cultured mouse aortic endothelial cells as well as the entrapment of MSCs in the lungs after intravenous injection in mice. PEG-modified MSCs efficiently homed to the injured liver of carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver failure model mice. More importantly, the cells significantly suppressed serum transaminase levels and leukocyte infiltration into the injured liver.

Conclusion

These results indicate that PEG modification to the surface of MSCs can suppress the lung entrapment of intravenously administered MSCs and improve their homing to the injured liver.

Graphical Abstract
First identification of Cryptosporidium parvum virus 1 (CSpV1) in various subtypes of Cryptosporidium parvum from diarrheic calves, lambs and goat kids from France
Authors: Adjou Karim Tarik , Chevillot Aurélie , Lucas Pierrick , Blanchard Yannick , Louifi Houria , Arab Razika , Mammeri Mohamed , Thomas Myriam , Polack Bruno , Karadjian Grégory , Dheilly Nolwenn M.
Published: August 2023

Cryptosporidium spp. remain a major cause of waterborne diarrhea and illness in developing countries and represent a significant burden to farmers worldwide. Cryptosporidium parvum virus 1 (CSpV1), of the genus Cryspovirus, was first reported to be present in the cytoplasm of C. parvum in 1997. Full-length genome sequences have been obtained from C. parvum from Iowa (Iowa), Kansas (KSU) and China. We aimed at characterizing the genome of CSpV1 from France and used sequence analysis from Cryptosporidium isolates to explore whether CSpV1 genome diversity varies over time, with geographical sampling location, C. parvum genetic diversity, or ruminant host species. A total of 123 fecal samples of cattle, sheep and goats were collected from 17 different French departments (57 diseased animal fecal samples and 66 healthy animal fecal samples). Subtyping analysis of the C. parvum isolates revealed the presence of two zoonotic subtype families IIa and IId. Sequence analysis of CSpV1 revealed that all CSpV1 from France, regardless of the subtype of C. parvum (IIaA15G2R1, IIaA17G2R1 and IIdA18G1R1) are more closely related to CSpV1 from Turkey, and cluster on a distinct branch from CSpV1 collected from C. parvum subtype IIaA15G2R1 from Asia and North America. We also found that samples collected on a given year or successive years in a given location are more likely to host the same subtype of C. parvum and the same CSpV1 strain. Yet, there is no distinct clustering of CSpV1 per French department or ruminants, probably due to trade, and transmission of C. parvum among host species. Our results point towards (i) a close association between CSpV1 movement and C. parvum movement, (ii) recent migrations of C. parvum among distantly located departments and (iii) incidental transmission of C. parvum between ruminants. All together, these results provide insightful information regarding CSpV1 evolution and suggest the virus might be used as an epidemiological tracer for C. parvum. Future studies need to investigate CSpV1’s role in C. parvum virulence and on subtype ability to infect different species.
Clinical spectrum and prognostic impact of cancer in critically ill patients with HIV: a multicentre cohort study
Authors: Szychowiak Piotr , Boulain Thierry , Timsit Jean-François , Elabbadi Alexandre , Argaud Laurent , Ehrmann Stephan , Issa Nahema , Canet Emmanuel , Martino Frédéric , Bruneel Fabrice , Quenot Jean-Pierre , Wallet Florent , Azoulay Élie , Barbier François
Published: August 2023

Background

Both AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining cancers (ADC/NADC) predispose people living with HIV (PLHIV) to critical illnesses. The objective of this multicentre study was to investigate the prognostic impact of ADC and NADC in PLHIV admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods

All PLHIV admitted over the 2015–2020 period in 12 university-affiliated ICUs in France were included in the study cohort. The effect of ADC and NADC on in-hospital mortality (primary study endpoint) was measured through logistic regression with augmented backward elimination of potential independent variables. The association between ADC/NADC and treatment limitation decision (TLD) during the ICU stay (secondary study endpoint) was analysed. One-year mortality in patients discharged alive from the index hospital admission (exploratory study endpoint) was compared between those with ADC, NADC or no cancer.

Results

Amongst the 939 included PLHIV (median age, 52 [43–59] years; combination antiretroviral therapy, 74.4%), 97 (10.3%) and 106 (11.3%) presented with an active NADC (mostly lung and intestinal neoplasms) and an active ADC (predominantly AIDS-defining non-Hodgkin lymphoma), respectively. Inaugural admissions were common. Bacterial sepsis and non-infectious neoplasm-related complications accounted for most of admissions in these subgroups. Hospital mortality was 12.4% in patients without cancer, 30.2% in ADC patients and 45.4% in NADC patients (P < 0.0001). NADC (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 7.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.07–12.05) and ADC (aOR, 3.11; 95% CI 1.76–5.51) were independently associated with in-hospital death after adjustment on severity and frailty markers. The prevalence of TLD was 8.0% in patients without cancer, 17.9% in ADC patients and 33.0% in NADC patients (P < 0.0001)—organ failures and non-neoplastic comorbidities were less often considered in patients with cancer. One-year mortality in survivors of the index hospital admission was 7.8% in patients without cancer, 17.0% in ADC patients and 33.3% in NADC patients (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions

NADC and ADC are equally prevalent, stand as a leading argument for TLD, and strongly predict in-hospital death in the current population of PLHIV requiring ICU admission.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Privacy-preserving routing using jointly established protocol in IoT network environment
Authors: Zhu FuZhen , Jiang ZhaoYin
Published: August 2023

In this paper, network energy assesses the capacity of a node to convey messages to others. In most cases, network energy is created when two nodes interact with one another. If a node is part of the same network as the node it is connecting with, then it will be able to make an inter-network energy connection with the node it is meeting. In the case that this does not take place, there will be an accumulation of energy within the part of the network that is facing the node. A node with higher inter-network energy is considered suitable for forwarding. The energy optimisation is achieved using efficient identification of source and destination pairs. This work has considered two scenarios, i.e. lossless transmission and lossy transmission, for our experiments and evaluated the detection probability. The performance of the proposed PPM is evaluated in terms of delivery ratio, overhead and hops count performance measures. When the buffer size is set to 100 MB, PPM delivers 59% of messages with message overhead of 750 and it has a hop count of 2, which is comparable to the state-of-the-art methods. With lengthy lifetimes of IOT networks, PPM is capable of giving higher performance while maintaining the privacy of network. The detection probability for the lossy observations model is applied to a 10-node, 20-node, 30-node and 40-node IoT network.
Understanding gender and its intersection with social stratifiers on prevention and care seeking behavior of lymphatic filariasis in Nepal
Authors: Arjyal Abriti , Parajuli Ayuska , Kharel Chandani , Del Barrio Mariam Otmani , Baral Sushil Chandra
Published: August 2023

Background

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a debilitating and painful neglected tropical disease and is one of the leading causes of permanent disability. In many countries, the intersection of gender with various social stratifiers has influenced exposure to LF and ultimately impacting the disease burden and its elimination. This study aimed to explore the influence of gender and its intersection with other social stratifiers for the prevention and care seeking behavior of LF in Nepal.

Methods

This study employed qualitative research methods: in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) for data collection in Bardiya, Nepal. A total of 22 IDIs (11 male, 11 female) and 2 FGDs (1 male and 1 female) were conducted with the community people between January and March 2020. The participants were purposively selected to represent different social stratifiers including age, sex, ethnicity, occupation. The data collected were analyzed using a thematic framework approach with use of intersectional gender analysis matrix.

Results

The study findings revealed that men spend more time outside their household compared to women while fulfilling their roles and responsibilities, largely determined by societal expectations and gender norms. This resulted in limited access to preventive health services for men, as they often missed annual mass drug administration programme in their community and limited access to preventive methods. Further traditional occupation, specific to particular ethnicity, influenced the vulnerability to LF for certain ethnic groups. The ability to prevent exposure varied among individuals. Although women made decisions regarding the use of protective methods, it was influenced by patriarchal and gender norms. They often felt a responsibility to take care and priorities males and other family members when resources are limited. The intersectionality of gender with other social stratifiers such as marital status, ethnicity, and geographical areas influenced individual’s ability to access information related to LF and care seeking.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings emphasized how access to resources, division of work, norms and values and decision-making power alone and its interaction with various social stratifiers shaped peoples’ vulnerability to disease, ability to prevent exposure and response to illness.

Graphical Abstract
FM latency, FM ratio, F-wave latency versus F-wave index in the diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy
Authors: Sathya G. R. , Arulneyam Jayanthi , Venkatachalam J.
Published: August 2023

Background

Diabetes is one of the most common causes for peripheral neuropathy which warrants early diagnosis and treatment. The conventional nerve conduction studies appear to be normal if few of the nerve roots are escaping the lesion. In view of identifying a better clinical testing method, a late response index comprising most of the parameter of F wave was constructed and compared with the diagnosing ability of other parameters.

Methods

This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among male diabetics aged 30 to 50 years in a tertiary care hospital. Maintaining an ambient temperature of 28 °C and following a supramaximal stimulation of the median nerve of both upper limbs, using a digitalized nerve conduction/electromyography/EP machine, the F-wave tracing was obtained.

Results

The F-wave index detected a greater number of subjects with diabetic peripheral neuropathy when compared to F-wave mean latency, F M latency and F–M ratio.

Conclusion

F-wave index can be used as a surrogate electrophysiological study to detect peripheral neuropathy at an early stage and aids in better prognosis.
Repercussion of financial distress and corporate disclosure on the valuation of non-financial firms in India
Authors: Bhimavarapu Venkata Mrudula , Rastogi Shailesh , Kanoujiya Jagjeevan , Rawal Aashi
Published: August 2023

Distressed companies create panic among the investors, and the overall effect comes on the economy and leads to a degraded image and value of the companies. Transparency and disclosure involve disclosing the operational as well as the financial performance and corporate governance practices employed by the firms. A corporation or person is said to be in a financial distress (FD) if they are unable to keep their pledge to make payments on time. The current study seeks to shed light on the effects of Financial Distress (FD) and Transparency and Disclosure (T&D) on the value of non-financial firms operating in India. The study makes use of panel data analysis (PDA). The authors of the study used secondary data of non-financial companies included in the S&P BSE 100 index for five fiscal years, from 2015–2016 to 2019–2020. Altman Zscore for FD measure and Tobin's Q, MCAP, and MTB for the firm's valuation is considered. Our study established that Financial Distress (FD) negatively impacts a firm's valuation because a positive association between Zscore (financial soundness) and a firm's value is found. However, Transparency and Disclosure (T&D) have no significant impact on the firm’s valuation. We also find evidence that financial distress significantly impacts the value of firms under the influence of T&D. With the help of information about financial distress provided in our study, companies can analyze and take required steps to minimize the probability of being in a state of insolvency or being bankrupt. Investors can also gain knowledge of the business factors and their effect on a company's valuation so that they can cautiously choose and include healthy companies in their targeted list of companies to invest in. No such study has been conducted till now in any of the developing countries that include finding the impact that (FD) as well as (T&D) have on the value of the firms in the non-financial sector.
Sequential Therapy for the Long-Term Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Authors: Ramchand Sabashini K , Leder Benjamin Z
Published: August 2023

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition characterized by decreased bone mass, loss of skeletal integrity, and increased susceptibility to fracture. Drugs used to treat osteoporosis can be classified as those that block bone resorption (antiresorptive), stimulate bone formation (anabolic), or do both. While all currently approved medications reduce the risk of fragility fractures in high-risk populations, they are generally unable to fully restore bone strength in most patients with established disease. Thus, the majority of patients require disease management over many years. Unfortunately, the continuous use of a single drug has limitations, both in terms of efficacy and safety, and so sequential therapy is commonly required. Given the expanding list of pharmacological agents currently available, careful consideration needs to be given as to which drugs to use and in what sequence. This review will evaluate the differential effects of antiresorptive, bone-forming, and dual-acting drugs when used in specific sequences and will explore the current evidence favoring the initial use of bone-forming/dual-acting drugs followed by antiresorptive medications. This review will also examine the notion that long-term treatment with an antiresorptive drug may diminish the efficacy of subsequent treatment with a bone-forming/dual-acting drug. Finally, this review will explore the current evidence pertaining to the specific issue of how to best prevent the clinical ramifications of denosumab cessation.
The Elements of Affect Theories
Authors: McCormack Derek P.
Published: August 2023

This chapter takes as its point of departure the question of how affect theories are inflected and influenced by the emergence across the social sciences and humanities of the elements as a series of disparate matters of concern. First, elements are compositional participants in the (infra)structures of feeling of the worlds in relation to which the problems and possibilities of affect theories are posed and reposed. Second, the elements amplify and diminish worldly capacities of bodies to affect and be affected. And third, different versions of the elements agitate further the forces and bonds through which worlds cohere and dissolve, precipitating attention to diverse attachments and exposures that are variously toxic and nourishing. In drawing out these points, the chapter inhabits worldly encounters that draw out the elements of affect theories in ways that were only implicit in the earlier volume.
Resisting the Enclosure of Trans Affective Commons
Authors: Malatino Hil
Published: August 2023

Thinking with and through the trans mundane means focusing on ordinary affects over and against an ongoing cultural emphasis on trans visibility and representation. Emphasizing affect over visuality opens the possibility of thinking through an ensemble of bad feelings that stubbornly attend trans experience: anxiety, rage, fatigue, exhaustion, anger, fear, loneliness. Such bad feelings work to articulate the widespread trauma ordinariness that subtends trans arts of living. This trauma ordinariness renders trans folks more easily targeted by emergent forms of predatory capitalism. Trans healthscapes in the United States are rapidly intensifying due to the recent emergence of venture capital–funded hormone subscription and telehealth services that prey on trans trauma ordinariness in order to profit off the most marginalized sectors of trans populations. This chapter examines the proliferation of these services as a telling nexus of trans precarity, neoliberal predation, and negative affect wherein conceptions of trans justice and freedom become winnowed down.
Why This?
Authors: Snaza Nathan
Published: August 2023

In the spring of 2019, a sign was placed outside the doorway to an English classroom detailing the direct participation in enslavement by Robert Ryland, the first president of the University of Richmond. This chapter proposes that two questions (Why this? What are the conditions of arrival?), when asked in tandem, can open educational encounters to a specificity that pushes in on our perception and affects us even if humanist understandings of pedagogy—including “critical pedagogy”—seldom acknowledge it. At issue is how we might understand these questions as part of “event care” and how to modulate educational encounters that bloom into events in the most generative understanding of that term. Here, more-than-human emergence gathers as a blurry collective to reckon with the multidirectional violence that saturates the situations we move through, and holds space for improvisational maneuvers that disrupt education's humanist enclosures, reorienting study against what Sylvia Wynter calls Man.
Emotions and Affects of Convolution
Authors: Blackman Lisa
Published: August 2023

This chapter analyzes counterfactual strategies and practices of strategic deception through the lens of affective politics. Practices of strategic deception are common communication and behavioral practices that traverse many different settings, including the military, colonial forms of power, media power, soft power, and in forms of nonphysical abuse associated with narcissistic abuse. These are shape-shifting practices that disorder, creating an indeterminacy of feelings, atmospheres, memory, perception, and attention often described as chaotic. The truth-twisting that organizes or disorders perception, memory, attention, and feeling so central to narcissistic abuse requires seriously twisted ways of knowing to understand its effects and affects. Focusing on the rise of Trumpism as a key example, this chapter explores how the field of affect studies is best placed to apprehend, diagnose, and intervene within such settings to bring these forms of coercive power and their longer genealogies into new thresholds of attention and perception.
Haunting Voices
Authors: Macón Cecilia
Published: August 2023

In recent decades, the compilation of oral archives of state terrorism has emerged as a critical component of efforts to reconstruct recent traumatic pasts. Prominent examples include the oral history archives in Argentina and Chile. Digital media have become key components in curated spaces dedicated to memory. The recordings have also emerged as a point of departure for artistic interventions and offer testimony to the array of sounds—voices, music, noises—that were heard by prisoners of Latin American concentration camps. This chapter interrogates the role of sound in archives' affective spaces of contact between the present, the past, and the future. The inclusion of affective sound spaces serves as a mode of transtemporal contact that weaves together different temporalities and permits us to view the idea of agency in new light. This is a result of an affective agency that sustains a specific way of experiencing time, violence, trauma, and future possibilities.
The Affective Reproduction of Capital
Authors: Read Jason
Published: August 2023

In the seventeenth century, Spinoza asked the question of why people fight for their servitude as if it was salvation. Spinoza's question fundamentally reoriented the question of ideology away from ideas toward affects and desires. There have been two returns to Spinoza in the last fifty years that examine the way capitalism restructures desires and joys as much as beliefs and ideas: Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari and, forty years later, Frédéric Lordon. The gap between these two returns to Spinoza structures this chapter's examination of Spinoza's potential for theorizing the economics of affect and desire. Spinoza makes it possible to understand how work and consumption restructure our desires and joys. In this age of neoliberalism, the demands for an alternative economy and subjectivity of affects are even more imperative. At the same time, the failure of countercultural revolution reveals the limits of subjective transformations without transformation of structures.
Reforming of Ethanol with Carbon Dioxide Catalysed by Gold-promoted Copper-ceria-zirconia Composites
Authors: Inoue Naoya , Hatooka Yuuki , Shimidzu Shiori , Okada Chihiro , Hashimoto Tadanori , Ishihara Atsushi
Published: August 2023

In ethanol CO2 reforming, the addition of Au to 10Cu45Ce45Zr catalyst increased the conversion of ethanol and the yields of H2 and CO which were maximized for 2Au8Cu45Ce45Zr catalyst. TG-DTA measurement of used catalysts suggested that Cu metal species on the active catalysts would be difficult to oxidize, promote the transfer of oxygen to carbonaceous species forming CO and lead to the decrease in coke formation with addition of Au.