bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Problems and Issues Concerning Social Integration of Elderly Refugees in Turkey
Authors: Özmete Emine , Pak Melike , Duru Serdarhan
Published: March 2021

Elderly refugees reflect a vulnerable group within the refugee communities. When the difficulties of the old age and the migration process come together, difficulties and problems tend to increase. Considering the rise in the elderly and refugee population, the social integration of elderly refugees were discussed in this study. Elderly refugees had health problems, language problems, isolation and formal problems mostly. Women refugees seemed to be more disadvantaged in terms of education, language, income and employment. Language, poverty and being in a different country were the factors that made the social integration of elderly refugees difficult, while facilitating factors were evaluated as common religion, host country characteristics and social networks. Specific services and gerontological social work practices should be created that eliminate the challenging factors and emphasize the facilitating factors of the social integration for elderly refugees.
A Pilot Study of a Stress Management Program for Incarcerated Veterans
Authors: Sylvia Louisa G , Chudnofsky Rana , Fredriksson Stacie , Xu Bingyu , McCarthy Megan D , Francona Jacque , Hart Betsy R , Millstein Rachel , Mehta Darshan H , Park Elyse R , Fricchione Gregory L
Published: March 2021

Introduction

Veterans involved in the justice system are an understudied population warranting attention given their higher risk of mental health concerns and psychosocial challenges. Thus, there is a need for programs to support the psychological health of incarcerated veterans. The present study sought to determine the acceptability and effectiveness of a mind-body stress reduction program for incarcerated veterans.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-four incarcerated veterans (100% male; Mage = 44.87 (SD = 13.84)) completed a 6 week mind-body stress reduction course, or Resilient Warrior. Participants completed validated, self-report assessments of mood, functioning, mindfulness, and coping at pre- and post-program as well as having post-program qualitative feedback surveys.

Results

Results showed improvement in depressive symptom severity, self-efficacy, and resilience over the study duration (P < .05), but not stress reactivity, mindfulness, sleep disturbance, or perceived stress. The intervention was reported as helpful by 96% of participants, with 86% of participants stating they would recommend the course to others.

Conclusions

The Resilient Warrior program is acceptable and well-tolerated for incarcerated veterans as well as may improve aspects of psychological health. Future studies could examine how stress reductions program might improve recidivism rates and quality of life after the release of incarcerated veterans.
Limited proteolysis by acrosin affects sperm-binding and mechanical resilience of the mouse zona pellucida
Authors: Kuske Michael , Floehr Julia , Yiallouros Irene , Michna Thomas , Jahnen-Dechent Willi , Tenzer Stefan , Stöcker Walter , Körschgen Hagen
Published: March 2021

The encounter of oocyte and sperm is the key event initiating embryonic development in mammals. Crucial functions of this existential interaction are determined by proteolytic enzymes, such as acrosin, carried in the sperm head acrosome, and ovastacin, stored in the oocyte cortical granules. Ovastacin is released upon fertilisation to cleave the zona pellucida, a glycoprotein matrix surrounding the oocyte. This limited proteolysis hardens the oocyte envelope, and thereby provides a definitive block against polyspermy and protects the developing embryo. On the other hand, acrosin, the renowned and most abundant acrosomal protease, has been thought to enable sperm to penetrate the oocyte envelope. Depending on the species, proteolytic cleavage of the zona pellucida by acrosin is either essential or conducive for fertilisation. However, the specific target cleavage sites and the resulting physiological consequences of this proteolysis remained obscure. Here, we treated native mouse zonae pellucidae with active acrosin and identified two cleavage sites in zona pellucida protein 1 (ZP1), five in ZP2 and one in ZP3 by mass spectrometry. Several of these sites are highly conserved in mammals. Remarkably, limited proteolysis by acrosin leads to zona pellucida remodelling rather than degradation. Thus, acrosin affects both sperm binding and mechanical resilience of the zona pellucida, as assessed by microscopy and nanoindentation measurements, respectively. Furthermore, we ascertained potential regulatory effects of acrosin, via activation of latent pro-ovastacin and inactivation of fetuin-B, a tight binding inhibitor of ovastacin. These results offer novel insights into the complex proteolytic network modifying the extracellular matrix of the mouse oocyte, which might apply also to other species.
Exploring human porphobilinogen synthase metalloprotein by quantum biochemistry and evolutionary methods
Authors: Barbosa E D , Neto J X Lima , Teixeira D G , Bezerra K S , do Amaral V S , Oliveira J I N , Lima J P M Santos , Machado L D , Fulco U L
Published: March 2021

Previous studies have shown the porphobilinogen synthase (PBGS) zinc-binding mechanism and its conservation among the living cells. However, the precise molecular interaction of zinc with the active center of the enzyme is unknown. In particular, quantum chemistry techniques within the density functional theory (DFT) framework have been the key methodology to describe metalloproteins, when one is looking for a compromise between accuracy and computational feasibility. Considering this, we used DFT-based models within the molecular fractionation with conjugate caps scheme to evaluate the binding energy features of zinc interacting with the human PBGS. Besides, phylogenetic and clustering analyses were successfully employed in extracting useful information from protein sequences to identify groups of conserved residues that build the ions-binding site. Our results also report a conservative assessment of the relevant amino acids, as well as the benchmark analysis of the calculation models used. The most relevant intermolecular interactions in Zn2+–PBGS are due to the amino acids CYS0122, CYS0124, CYS0132, ASP0169, SER0168, ARG0221, HIS0131, ASP0120, GLY0133, VAL0121, ARG0209, and ARG0174. Among these residues, we highlighted ASP0120, GLY0133, HIS0131, SER0168, and ARG0209 by co-occurring in all clusters generated by unsupervised clustering analysis. On the other hand, the triple cysteines at 2.5 Å from zinc (CYS0122, CYS0124, and CYS0132) have the highest energy attraction and are absent in the taxa Viridiplantae, Sar, Rhodophyta, and some Bacteria. Additionally, the performance of the DFT-based models shows that the processing time-dependence is more associated with the choice of the basis set than the exchange–correlation functional.
Sequencing error profiles of Illumina sequencing instruments
Authors: Stoler Nicholas , Nekrutenko Anton
Published: March 2021

Sequencing technology has achieved great advances in the past decade. Studies have previously shown the quality of specific instruments in controlled conditions. Here, we developed a method able to retroactively determine the error rate of most public sequencing datasets. To do this, we utilized the overlaps between reads that are a feature of many sequencing libraries. With this method, we surveyed 1943 different datasets from seven different sequencing instruments produced by Illumina. We show that among public datasets, the more expensive platforms like HiSeq and NovaSeq have a lower error rate and less variation. But we also discovered that there is great variation within each platform, with the accuracy of a sequencing experiment depending greatly on the experimenter. We show the importance of sequence context, especially the phenomenon where preceding bases bias the following bases toward the same identity. We also show the difference in patterns of sequence bias between instruments. Contrary to expectations based on the underlying chemistry, HiSeq X Ten and NovaSeq 6000 share notable exceptions to the preceding-base bias. Our results demonstrate the importance of the specific circumstances of every sequencing experiment, and the importance of evaluating the quality of each one.
The short- and long-term effects of dietary patterns on cardiometabolic health in adults aged 65 years or older: a systematic review
Authors: Luong Rebecca , Ribeiro Rosilene V , Cunningham Jessica , Chen Siting , Hirani Vasant
Published: March 2021

Context

Cardiometabolic diseases are leading causes of death and morbidity. Aging increases the risk of disease development. Diet has protective and causal effects on cardiometabolic health.

Objective

To consolidate the current evidence on the short- and long-term effects of dietary patterns on cardiometabolic health in adults aged ≥ 65 years.

Data Sources

The Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Scopus, Global Health, and Pre-Medline databases, along with ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform were searched.

Data Extraction

A total of 40 042 records were identified. Quality assessment involved using the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials and Joanna Briggs Institute checklists. The certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation.

Results

Thirteen articles were included (n = 5 cohort studies and n = 3 randomized controlled trials). The low-fat dietary pattern reduced adiposity; however, no effects were evident for hypertension incidence, composite coronary heart disease incidence (including myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, and coronary revascularization), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, and increased blood pressure in the long term. The Mediterranean dietary pattern resulted in reduced triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure, and had no effects on diastolic blood pressure and glucose in the short term. Other dietary patterns had inconclusive effects.

Conclusions

The Mediterranean dietary pattern showed the most benefits without harm on cardiometabolic health in older adults. The current body of evidence is small, indicating the need for more research to confirm these findings at a high certainty of evidence, and to include dietary patterns combined with other dietary components, subgroups with cardiometabolic disease or risk factors, longer follow-up, and outcomes that have not yet been investigated. Studies including these factors may help identify the most effective dietary pattern for cardiometabolic health benefits in older adults, to inform future guidelines.

Systematic Review Registration

PROSPERO registration no. CRD42020141400.
What determines the unique spectra of super-Eddington accretors? Origin of optically thick and low-temperature coronae in super-Eddington accretion flows
Authors: Kawanaka Norita , Mineshige Shin
Published: March 2021

The existence of relatively cool (kBT ≲ 10 keV) and optically thick (τ ≳ 3) coronae are inferred above super-Eddington accretion flow such as ultraluminous X-ray sources, GRS 1915+105, and narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies, which contrasts with cases in sub-Eddington accretion flows, which are associated with coronae with kBT ∼ 100 keV and τ ∼ 1. To understand their physical origin, we investigate the emission properties of the corona which is formed by the gas blown off the super-Eddington inner disk by radiation pressure. We assume that the corona is heated by the reconnection of magnetic loops emerging from the underlying disk. We show that this radiation-pressure-driven wind can act as an optically thick corona which upscatters thermal soft photons from the underlying disk, and that with a reasonable parameter set we can theoretically reproduce the coronal optical depth and temperature which are inferred by spectral fittings of observational data. By contrast, the coronal optical depth cannot be so high in sub-Eddington cases, since the coronal material is supplied from the disk via evaporation and there is a maximum limit on the evaporation rate. We suggest that low-temperature, optically thick Comptonization should be a key signature of super-Eddington accretion flow.
Estimating costs of hepatitis B vaccination in infants: experimental evidence of the expanded program on immunization in Southern Iran
Authors: Mokhtari Ali Mohammad , Barouni Mohsen , Moghadami Mohsen , Negahdaripour Manica , Mirahmadizadeh Alireza
Published: March 2021

Background

Health costs have increased significantly around the world, and cost assessments have become important. This study aimed to collect cost of the resources used in the national hepatitis B immunization program in Southern Iran.

Methods

Costs were calculated by investigating the available documents as well as consulting with knowledgeable personnel. These costs were collected using the data from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. According to the health payer’s perspective, the indirect costs of the people were not taken into account. All current and capital costs in year 2017 were calculated and converted to US dollars (USDs).

Results

In 2017, 33 204 children received hepatitis B vaccine. The total cost of the national hepatitis B vaccination program in Shiraz and the cost of vaccination per child were 473 506 and 14.26 USD, respectively. However, the cost of inoculation of hepatitis B vaccine per dose was estimated at 3.20 USD. Personnel costs constituted the highest proportion (53.84%) of total costs.

Conclusions

The cost of hepatitis B vaccination in Iran was lower than other countries. Considering that personnel costs had the largest proportion, it is recommended that proper measures be taken to monitor and modify these costs if necessary.
Disagreement after News: Gradual Information Diffusion or Differences of Opinion?
Authors: Fedyk Anastassia
Published: March 2021

This paper considers the puzzle of increased trading volume around information releases through the lens of canonical models of disagreement. I use a unique data set of clicks on news by key finance professionals to simultaneously measure gradual information diffusion and differences of opinion. I find that neither channel subsumes the other and that the two are complementary in generating trading volume around news events. Their relative strengths depend on the characteristics of the underlying information: gradual information diffusion matters more for straightforward news, while differences of opinion play a larger role around textually ambiguous news. (JEL G12, G14, G41, D84)

Received January 12, 2020; editorial decision: November 24, 2020 by Editor: Jeffrey Pontiff. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
Abatacept in monotherapyvscombined in interstitial lung disease of rheumatoid arthritis—multicentre study of 263 Caucasian patients
Authors: Fernández-Díaz Carlos , Atienza-Mateo Belén , Castañeda Santos , Melero-Gonzalez Rafael B , Ortiz-SanJuan Francisco , Loricera Javier , Casafont-Solé Ivette , Rodríguez-García Sebastián , Aguilera-Cros Clara , Villa-Blanco Ignacio , Raya-Alvarez Enrique , Ojeda-García Clara , Bonilla Gema , López-Robles Alejandra , Arboleya Luis , Narváez Javier , Cervantes Evelin , Maiz Olga , Alvarez-Rivas María N , Cabezas Iván , Salgado Eva , Hidalgo-Calleja Cristina , Fernández Sabela , Fernández Jesús C , Ferraz-Amaro Ivan , González-Gay Miguel A , Blanco Ricardo ,   for the Spanish Collaborative Group of Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis
Published: March 2021

Objective

To assess the efficacy and safety of abatacept (ABA) in monotherapy (ABAMONO) vs combined ABA [ABA plus MTX (ABAMTX) or ABA plus non-MTX conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) (ABANON-MTX)] in RA patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) (RA-ILD).

Methods

This was a restrospective multicentre study of RA-ILD Caucasian patients treated with ABA. We analysed in the three groups (ABAMONO, ABAMTX, ABANON-MTX) the following outcome variables: (i) dyspnoea; (ii) forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusion capacity of the lung for the carbon monoxide (DLCO); (iii) chest high-resolution CT (HRCT); (iv) DAS28-ESR; (v) CS-sparing effect; and (vi) ABA retention and side-effects. Differences between basal and final follow-up were evaluated. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess the differences between the three groups.

Results

We studied 263 RA-ILD patients (mean ± s.d. age 64.6 ± 10 years) [ABAMONO (n = 111), ABAMTX (n = 46) and ABANON-MTX (n = 106)]. At baseline, ABAMONO patients were older (67 ± 10 years) and took higher prednisone dose [10 (interquartile range 5–15) mg/day]. At that time, there were no statistically significant differences in sex, seropositivity, ILD patterns, FVC and DLCO, or disease duration. Following treatment, in all groups, most patients experienced stabilization or improvement in FVC, DLCO, dyspnoea and chest HRCT as well as improvement in DAS28-ESR. A statistically significant difference between basal and final follow-up was only found in CS-sparing effect in the group on combined ABA (ABAMTX or ABANON-MTX). However, in the multivariable analysis, there were no differences in any outcome variables between the three groups.

Conclusion

In Caucasian individuals with RA-ILD, ABA in monotherapy or combined with MTX or with other conventional-DMARDs seems to be equally effective and safe. However, a CS-sparing effect is only observed with combined ABA.
The Violence of Asylum: The Case of Undocumented Chinese Migration to the United States
Authors: Hsin Amy , Aptekar Sofya
Published: March 2021

A sizable portion of the undocumented population in the US is Chinese but they are an understudied group. We analyze secondary literature and policies to understand undocumented Chinese immigration in its historical and contemporary contexts and draw on interviews with undocumented migrants, community organizers, social workers, and others working in the Chinese community in New York City, as well as participant observation of community events, to analyze how illegality is constructed and experienced by undocumented Chinese migrants. We show how restrictive immigration policies exclude most Chinese migrants from legal entry into the US, force many to endure dangerous migration routes and bind Chinese migrants’ experience of illegality with asylum seeking. The asylum regime is putatively humanitarian but inflicts legal violence and diverts efforts away from collective organizing for rights-based remedies towards debt-fueled migration and asylum seeking, a process that keeps migrants in lengthy periods of legal precarity and reproduces national and global inequalities. Our study contributes to the literature on migrant illegality in sociology that is primarily based on the experiences of Latinx migrants by highlighting the continuities and unique features of legal violence experienced by undocumented Chinese.
Becoming Actors of Change: A Gender-Disaggregated Analysis of the Effects of the Israeli Oppression on Women in Palestine
Authors: Helbich Maria , Jabr Samah
Published: March 2021

This article examines the social and political determinants of the Israeli occupation in Palestine and how these create specific vulnerabilities for women. Although marginalized, women have always been active in the resistance to the Israeli occupation, despite being specifically targeted. Depoliticization processes by international organizations have further weakened their efforts for social change. To confront this marginalization, the article highlights the different ways that women resist structural discrimination and develop agency and resilience by defying gendered dimensions in regard to the occupation and structures of patriarchy.
Does Radial Head Resection Impair Hand and Wrist Function? A Long-Term Follow-Up
Authors: Avisar Erez , Persitz Jonathan , Shohat Noam , Tamir Eran , Assaraf Eran , Keren Timoret
Published: March 2021

Objective:

To evaluate the long-term outcome in patients after radial head resection surgery for isolated Mason type III radial head fractures.

Design:

An observational retrospective case series.

Setting:

A Hand and Upper-Extremity Surgery Unit in a tertiary care center.

Patients:

Data were collected from files of patients who were operated between the years 1980 and 2020. Of 352 patients who underwent surgery for radial head fractures, 25 patients were eligible and were enrolled in the study.

Intervention:

All participants underwent radial head resection surgery and a follow-up clinical and radiographic evaluation by 2 senior orthopaedic surgeons.

Outcome measurements:

Objective evaluation included active range of motion of the elbow and wrist joints, ulnohumeral angle, key pinch and grip measurements, and radiographic imaging of elbow and wrist joints. Subjective evaluation included visual analog scale measurements, disability of arm shoulder and hand questionnaire, Mayo wrist score, Michigan hand outcome, and Oxford elbow score.

Results:

The mean follow-up was 18 years. Mean elbow range of motion and mean grip strength were lower in the operated hand, as compared to the contralateral hand. Mean proximal radial migration was 1.6 mm. Mean results of visual analog scale, disability of arm shoulder and hand, Mayo wrist score, Michigan hand outcome, and Oxford elbow score indicated good functional outcome and high patient satisfaction.

Conclusions:

In our study population, long-term functional outcomes after radial head resection were encouraging. Thus, this procedure may be considered as a surgical alternative when radial head reconstruction or replacement fails.

Level of Evidence:

Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Factors Associated with the Macular Ganglion Cell–Inner Plexiform Layer Thickness in a Cohort of Middle-aged U.S. Adults
Authors: Paulsen Adam J. , Pinto Alex , Merten Natascha , Chen Yanjun , Fischer Mary E. , Huang Guan-Hua , Klein Barbara E. K. , Schubert Carla R. , Cruickshanks Karen J.
Published: March 2021

SIGNIFICANCE

The macular ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) may serve as a quick and easily obtained measure of generalized neurodegeneration. Investigating factors associated with this thickness could help to understand neurodegenerative processes.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to characterize and identify associated factors of the mGCIPL thickness in a Beaver Dam Offspring Study cohort of middle-aged U.S. adults.

METHODS

Baseline examinations occurred from 2005 to 2008, with follow-up examinations every 5 years. Included participants had baseline data and measured mGCIPL at 10-year follow-up (N = 1848). The mGCIPL was measured using the Cirrus 5000 HD-OCT Macular Cube Scan. Associations between mean mGCIPL thickness and thin mGCIPL, defined as 1 standard deviation (SD) below the population mean, and baseline risk factors were investigated using generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

Participants (mean [SD] baseline age, 48.9 [9.3] years; 54.4% women) had mean (SD) mGCIPL thicknesses of 78.4 (8.1) μm in the right eye and 78.1 (8.5) μm in the left (correlation coefficient = 0.76). In multivariable models, age (−1.07 μm per 5 years; 95% confidence interval [CI], −1.28 to −0.86 μm), high alcohol consumption (−1.44 μm; 95% CI, −2.72 to −0.16 μm), higher interleukin 6 levels (50% increase in level: −0.23 μm; 95% CI, −0.45 to 0.00 μm), myopia (−2.55 μm; 95% CI, −3.17 to −1.94 μm), and glaucoma (−1.74 μm; 95% CI, −2.77 to −0.70 μm) were associated with thinner mGCIPL. Age (per 5 years: odds ratio [OR], 1.38; 95% CI, 1.24 to 1.53), diabetes (OR, 1.89, 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.27), myopia (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.63 to 2.73), and increasing and long-term high C-reactive protein (ORs, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.01 to 2.11] and 1.74 [95% CI, 1.14 to 2.65], respectively) were associated with increased odds of thin mGCIPL.

CONCLUSIONS

Factors associated cross-sectionally with mGCIPL thickness, older age, high alcohol consumption, inflammation, diabetes, myopia, and glaucoma may be important to neural retina structure and health and neuronal health system-wide.
Effect of Vergence/Accommodative Therapy on Attention in Children with Convergence Insufficiency: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors:   CITT-ART Investigator Group
Published: March 2021

SIGNIFICANCE

The results of this study suggest that clinicians providing vergence/accommodative therapy for convergence insufficiency in children should not suggest that such treatment will lead to improvements in attention when compared with placebo treatment.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to compare the effects of 16 weeks of vergence/accommodative therapy and placebo therapy on changes in attention for children in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial–Attention and Reading Trial.

METHODS

Three hundred ten children 9 to 14 years old with convergence insufficiency were assigned to receive treatment with office-based vergence/accommodative therapy or placebo therapy. Attention tests were administered at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment. The primary measure of attention was the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Normal Behavior (SWAN) scale. Other measures included the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham checklist; the Homework Problems Checklist; and the d2 Test of Attention. Within and between-group differences are reported using Cohen d effect sizes.

RESULTS

For the SWAN, there was no significant difference between the groups for the inattention scale parental report (d = 0.036; 95% confidence interval, −0.21 to 0.28) or for the hyperactivity impulsivity scale parental report (d = −0.003; 95% confidence interval, −0.24 to 0.24). Similar results were found for teacher reports and the secondary measures (d estimates from −0.97 to +0.10). There were, however, large within-group changes with d ≥ 1 in both treatment groups for the SWAN, the Homework Problems Checklist, and the d2 Test of Attention.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that vergence/accommodative therapy is no better than placebo therapy in improving attention. Large improvements in inattention, completing homework, and selective and sustained attention were found in each group. However, these improvements cannot be attributed to improvements in vergence and accommodation and are likely due to nonspecific effects of an intensive therapy regimen.
American Academy of Optometry Microbial Keratitis Think Tank
Authors: Szczotka-Flynn Loretta B. , Shovlin Joseph P. , Schnider Cristina M. , Caffery Barbara E. , Alfonso Eduardo C. , Carnt Nicole A. , Chalmers Robin L. , Collier Sarah , Jacobs Deborah S. , Joslin Charlotte E. , Kroken Abby R. , Lakkis Carol , Pearlman Eric , Schein Oliver D. , Stapleton Fiona , Tu Elmer , Willcox Mark D.P.
Published: March 2021

SIGNIFICANCE

Think Tank 2019 affirmed that the rate of infection associated with contact lenses has not changed in several decades. Also, there is a trend toward more serious infections associated with Acanthamoeba and fungi. The growing use of contact lenses in children demands our attention with surveillance and case-control studies.

PURPOSE

The American Academy of Optometry (AAO) gathered researchers and key opinion leaders from around the world to discuss contact lens–associated microbial keratitis at the 2019 AAO Annual Meeting.

METHODS

Experts presented within four sessions. Session 1 covered the epidemiology of microbial keratitis, pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and the role of lens care systems and storage cases in corneal disease. Session 2 covered nonbacterial forms of keratitis in contact lens wearers. Session 3 covered future needs, challenges, and research questions in relation to microbial keratitis in youth and myopia control, microbiome, antimicrobial surfaces, and genetic susceptibility. Session 4 covered compliance and communication imperatives.

RESULTS

The absolute rate of microbial keratitis has remained very consistent for three decades despite new technologies, and extended wear significantly increases the risk. Improved oxygen delivery afforded by silicone hydrogel lenses has not impacted the rates, and although the introduction of daily disposable lenses has minimized the risk of severe disease, there is no consistent evidence that they have altered the overall rate of microbial keratitis. Overnight orthokeratology lenses may increase the risk of microbial keratitis, especially secondary to Acanthamoeba, in children. Compliance remains a concern and a significant risk factor for disease. New insights into host microbiome and genetic susceptibility may uncover new theories. More studies such as case-control designs suited for rare diseases and registries are needed.

CONCLUSIONS

The first annual AAO Think Tank acknowledged that the risk of microbial keratitis has not decreased over decades, despite innovation. Important questions and research directions remain.
Visual Performance of Center-distance Multifocal Contact Lenses Fit Using a Myopia Control Paradigm
Authors: Gregory Hannah R. , Nti Augustine N. , Wolffsohn James S. , Berntsen David A. , Ritchey Eric R.
Published: March 2021

SIGNIFICANCE

With multifocal contact lenses (MFCLs) used for myopia control, questions remain regarding visual performance. Information from nonpresbyopic patients provides insight into how MFCLs affect visual acuity and reading performance.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to examine the visual performance of center-distance MFCLs in nonpresbyopic adults under different illumination and contrast conditions compared with a single-vision contact lens (SVCL).

METHODS

Twenty-five adult subjects were fit with three different lenses (CooperVision Biofinity D MFCL +2.50 add, Visioneering Technologies NaturalVue MFCL, CooperVision Biofinity sphere). Acuity and reading performance were evaluated.

RESULTS

A statistically significant difference in high-contrast distance acuity was observed (Biofinity, −0.18 ± 0.06; Biofinity MFCL, −0.14 ± 0.08; NaturalVue MFCL, −0.15 ± 0.03; repeated-measures [RM] ANOVA, P = .02). Under mesopic, high-contrast conditions, MFCLs performed worse than SVCLs (Biofinity, −0.05 ± 0.091; Biofinity MFCL, +0.03 ± 0.09; NaturalVue MFCL, +0.05 ± 0.091; RM-ANOVA, P < .0001). Under low-contrast conditions, MFCLs performed one line worse in photopic lighting and two lines worse under mesopic conditions (RM-ANOVA, P < .0001). Glare reduced acuity by 0.5 logMAR for all lenses (RM-ANOVA, P < .001). A statistically significant difference in near acuity was observed (RM-ANOVA, P = .02), but all lenses achieved acuity better than −0.1 logMAR (Biofinity, −0.16 ± 0.06; Biofinity MFCL, −0.17 ± 0.04; NaturalVue MFCL, −0.13 ± 0.08). Reading performance in words per minute (wpm) was worse with MFCLs (Biofinity MFCL, 144 ± 22 wpm; NaturalVue MFCL, 150 ± 28 wpm) than with SVCLs (156 ± 23 wpm; RM-ANOVA, P = .02) regardless of letter size (RM-ANOVA, P = .13). No difference in acuity between the MFCLs was detected (RM-ANOVA: all, P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Multifocal contact lenses perform similarly to SVCLs for high-contrast targets and display reduced low-contrast acuity and reading speed. Practitioners should recognize that high-contrast acuity alone does not describe MFCL visual performance.
Microbial Communities Performing Hydrogen Solventogenic Metabolism of Volatile Fatty Acids
Authors: Mockaitis Gustavo , Bruant Guillaume , Foresti Eugenio , Zaiat Marcelo , Guiot Serge R.
Published: March 2021

1

This work evaluates four different physicochemical pretreatments (acidic, thermal, acidic-thermal and thermal-acidic) on an anaerobic inoculum used for alcohol production from acetate and butyrate. All experiments were conducted in single batches using acetate and butyrate as substrates at 30 °C and with a pressurized headspace of pure H2at 2.15 atm (218.2 MPa). Thermal and acidic-thermal pretreatments lead to higher production of both ethanol and butanol. Mathematical modelling shows that the highest attainable concentrations of ethanol and butanol produced were 122 mg L-1and 97 mg L-1for the thermal pretreatment (after 17.5 days) and 87 mg L-1and 143 mg L-1for the acidic-thermal pretreatment (after 18.9 days). Acetate was produced in all assays. Thermodynamic data indicated that a high H2partial pressure favoured solventogenic metabolic pathways. Finally, sequencing data showed that both thermal and acidic-thermal pretreatments selected mainly the bacterial generaPseudomonas, BrevundimonasandClostridium. The acidic-thermal pretreatment selected a bacterial community more adapted to the conversion of acetate and butyrate into ethanol and butanol, respectively. Thermal-acidic pretreatment was unstable, showing significant variability between replicates. Acidic pretreatment showed the lowest alcohol production.
Whole genome sequencing evidences higher rates of relapse inClostridioides difficileinfection caused by PCR ribotype 106
Authors: Suárez-Bode Loreto , López-Causapé Carla , Oliver Antonio , Mena Ana
Published: March 2021

Increasing prevalence and widespread ofClostridioides difficileinfection (CDI) caused by the epidemic DH/NAP11/106/ST-42 has been observed worldwide, probably fostered by its great capacity to produce spores or the higher resistance rates found in some strains. Previous studies have also attributed higher recurrence rates to RT106 as compared to others. This study describes the genetic analysis by whole genome sequencing (WGS) of primary and recurrent isolates of RT106 to determine if the higher rate of recurrence associated to RT106 is due to relapses, caused by the same strain, or reinfections, caused by different strains. The whole-genome sequences of ten primaries and fourteen recurrent RT106 isolates from ten patients were obtained to determine MLST profiles, resistance mutations and phylogenetic relatedness between the different isolates by comparative single nucleotide variants (SNV) analysis using theC. difficileDH/NAP11/106/ST-42 genome as reference (GenBank accession: GCA_002234355.1). All isolates were classified as ST42 and SNVs comparative analysis showed that those belonging to the same patient were isogenic (differed by ≤3 SNVs), with one exception (6 SNVs); while strains belonging to different patients were not (differing by 4 to 43 SNVs) with two exceptions of isogenic isolates from different patients, suggesting putative transmission events. Phylogenetic analysis suggested the presence of similar local epidemic lineages, except for one patient whose isolates clustered with different US isolates. All the isolates, except those clustering with the US lineage, were also associated to moxifloxacin resistant since all of them were resistant by agar diffusion (MIC >32) and contained the Thr82Ile mutation ingyrA. Our results evidence that recurrentClostridioides difficileinfections caused by RT06/ST42 are mainly due to relapses, caused by primary strains, showing the great capacity of RT106/ST42 to persist and cause recurrences as compared to other ribotypes.
Hunger improves reinforcement-driven but not planned action
Authors: van Swieten Maaike M.H. , Bogacz Rafal , Manohar Sanjay G.
Published: March 2021

Human decisions can be reflexive or planned, being governed respectively by model-free and model-based learning systems. These two systems might differ in their responsiveness to our needs. Hunger drives us to specifically seek food rewards, but here we ask whether it might have more general effects on these two decision systems. On one hand, the model-based system is often considered flexible and context-sensitive, and might therefore be modulated by metabolic needs. On the other hand, the model-free system’s primitive reinforcement mechanisms may have closer ties to biological drives. Here, we tested participants on a well-established two-stage sequential decision-making task that dissociates the contribution of model-based and model-free control. Hunger enhanced overall performance by increasing model-free control, without affecting model-based control. These results demonstrate a generalised effect of hunger on decision-making that enhances reliance on primitive reinforcement learning, which in some situations translates into adaptive benefits.

Significance statement

The prevalence of obesity and eating disorder is steadily increasing. To counteract problems related to eating, people need to make rational decisions. However, appetite may switch us to a different decision mode, making it harder to achieve long-term goals. Here we show that planned and reinforcement-driven actions are differentially sensitive to hunger. Hunger specifically affected reinforcement-driven actions, and did not affect the planning of actions. Our data shows that people behave differently when they are hungry. We also provide a computational model of how the behavioural changes might arise.
Metacommunities from bacteria to birds: stronger environmental selection in mediterranean than in tropical ponds
Authors: Gálvez Ángel , Peres-Neto Pedro R. , Castillo-Escrivà Andreu , Bonilla Fabián , Camacho Antonio , García-Roger Eduardo M. , Iepure Sanda , Miralles Javier , Monrós Juan S. , Olmo Carla , Picazo Antonio , Rojo Carmen , Rueda Juan , Sahuquillo María , Sasa Mahmood , Segura Mati , Armengol Xavier , Mesquita-Joanes Francesc
Published: March 2021

The metacommunity concept provides a theoretical framework that aims at explaining organism distributions by a combination of environmental filtering, dispersal and drift. With the development of statistical tools to quantify and partially isolate the role of each of these processes, empirical metacommunity studies have multiplied worldwide. However, few works attempt a multi-taxon approach and even fewer compare two distant biogeographical regions using the same methodology. Under this framework, we tested the expectation that temperate (mediterranean-climate) pond metacommunities would be more influenced by environmental and spatial processes than tropical ones, because of stronger environmental gradients and greater isolation of waterbodies.

We surveyed 30 tropical and 32 mediterranean temporary ponds from Costa Rica and Spain, respectively, and obtained data on 49 environmental variables (including limnological, hydrogeomorphological, biotic, climatic, and landscape variables). We characterized the biological communities of Bacteria and Archaea (from both the water column and the sediments), phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, amphibians and birds, and estimated the relative role of space and environment on metacommunity organization for each group and region, by means of variation partitioning using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs).

Environmental selection was important in both tropical and mediterranean ponds, but markedly stronger in the latter, probably due to their larger limnological heterogeneity. Spatialized environment and pure spatial effects were greater in the tropics, related to higher climatic heterogeneity and dispersal processes (e.g. restriction, surplus) acting at different scales. The variability between taxonomic groups in spatial and environmental contributions was very wide. Effects on passive and active dispersers were similar within regions but different across regions, with higher environmental effects in mediterranean active dispersers. The residual (unexplained) variation was larger in tropical pond metacommunities, suggesting a higher role for stochastic processes and/or effects of biotic interactions in the tropics. Overall, these results provide support, for a wide variety of organisms related to aquatic habitats, for the classical view of stronger abiotic niche constraints in temperate areas compared to the tropics.
Mesenchymal-like glioma cells are enriched in the gelatin methacrylate hydrogels
Authors: Shah Nameeta , Hallur Pavan M. , Ganesh Raksha A. , Sonpatki Pranali , Naik Divya , Chandrachari Komal Prasad , Puchalski Ralph B. , Chaubey Aditya
Published: March 2021

Glioblastoma is the most lethal primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Simplified two-dimensional (2D) cell culture and neurospheresin vitromodels fail to recapitulate the complexity of the tumor microenvironment, limiting its ability to predict therapeutic response. Three-dimensional (3D) scaffold-based models have emerged as a promising alternative for addressing these concerns. One such 3D system is gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels, which can be used for modeling the glioblastoma microenvironment. We characterized the phenotype of patient-derived glioma cells cultured in GelMA hydrogels (3D-GMH) for their tumorigenic properties using invasion and chemoresponse assays. In addition, we used integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptome analysis to compare cells cultured in 3D-GMH to cellsin vivo. Finally, we assessed tumor-immune cell interactions with a macrophage infiltration assay and a cytokine array. We show that cells cultured in 3D-GMH develop a mesenchymal-like cellular phenotype found in perivascular and hypoxic regions present in the core of the tumor, and recruit macrophages by secreting cytokines in contrast to the cells grown as neurospheres that match the phenotype of cells of the infiltrative edge of the tumor.
Evaluation of solvents used for fabrication of microphysiological systems
Authors: Wen Xiaopeng , Takahashi Seiichiro , Hatakeyama Kenji , Kamei Ken-ichiro
Published: March 2021

Microphysiological systems (MPSs) have shown great promise for the advancement of drug discovery and toxicological tests, and as an alternative to animal models. However, although several chips and systems have been reported, some important issues are yet to be addressed, such as the use of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Cyclo olefin polymers (COPs) have advantages over other thermoplastic materials, but most COP-based MPSs use solvent bonding during fabrication, which can affect any cells they are used to culture. This study uses a photobonding process with vacuum ultraviolet (UVU) to produce MPSs without the need for solvents such as cyclohexane, dichloromethane, and toluene. This is then used for comparison to investigate the effects of solvents on cell cultures. Quantitative immunofluorescent assays show that the coating efficiencies of extracellular matrix proteins, such as Matrigel and collagen I, are reduced on solvent-treated COP surfaces, compared with those prepared using VUV photobonding. Furthermore, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells are used to evaluate cytotoxicity. This shows that solvent-MPSs induce apoptosis, but VUV-MPSs do not. These results provide insights into solvent bonding for MPS fabrication so that undesirable reactions can be avoided. Moreover, this work may be used to standardize MPS protocols and establish good manufacturing practices.
Spikebench: an open benchmark for spike train time-series classification
Authors: Lazarevich Ivan , Prokin Ilya , Gutkin Boris , Kazantsev Victor
Published: March 2021

Modern well-performing approaches to neural decoding are based on machine learning models such as decision tree ensembles and deep neural networks. The wide range of algorithms that can be utilized to learn from neural spike trains, which are essentially time-series data, results in the need for diverse and challenging benchmarks for neural decoding, similar to the ones in the fields of computer vision and natural language processing. In this work, we propose a spike train classification benchmark, based on open-access neural activity datasets and consisting of several learning tasks such as stimulus type classification, animal’s behavioral state prediction and neuron type identification. We demonstrate that an approach based on hand-crafted time-series feature engineering establishes a strong baseline performing on par with state-of-the-art deep learning based models for neural decoding. We release thecode allowing to reproduce the reported results.

Author summary

Machine learning-based neural decoding has been shown to outperform the traditional approaches like Wiener and Kalman filters on certain key tasks [1]. To further the advancement of neural decoding models, such as improvements in deep neural network architectures and better feature engineering for classical ML models, there need to exist common evaluation benchmarks similar to the ones in the fields of computer vision or natural language processing. In this work, we propose a benchmark consisting of severalindividual neuronspike train classification tasks based on open-access data from a range of animals and brain regions. We demonstrate that it is possible to achieve meaningful results in such a challenging benchmark using the massive time-series feature extraction approach, which is found to perform similarly to state-of-the-art deep learning approaches.
Anisotropy Measure from Three Diffusion-Encoding Gradient Directions
Authors: Aja-Fernández Santiago , París Guillem , Tristán-Vega Antonio
Published: March 2021

Purpose

We propose a method that can provide information about the anisotropy and orientation of diffusion in the brain from only 3 orthogonal gradient directions without imposing additional assumptions.

Methods

The method is based on the Diffusion Anisotropy (DiA) that measures the distance from a diffusion signal to its isotropic equivalent. The original formulation based on a Spherical Harmonics basis allows to go down to only 3 orthogonal directions in order to estimate the measure. In addition, an alternative simplification and a color-coding representation are also proposed.

Results

Acquisitions from a publicly available database are used to test the viability of the proposal. The DiA succeeded in providing anisotropy information from the white matter using only 3 diffusion-encoding directions. The price to pay for such reduced acquisition is an increment in the variability of the data and a subestimation of the metric.

Conclusions

The calculation of anisotropy information from DMRI is feasible using fewer than 6 gradient directions by using DiA. The method is totally compatible with existing acquisition protocols and it may provide complementary information about orientation in fast diffusion acquisitions.