bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Scaffolding knowledge
Authors: Tanesini Alessandra
Published: October 2022

In this article I argue that often propositional knowledge is acquired and retained by extensive reliance on physical and social scaffolds that create an environment or niche conducive to knowledge. It is incumbent on epistemologists to subject these aids to epistemic assessments. I show that several of the activities involved in the creation of niches within which inquiry can thrive are carried out by whole cultures. New generations benefit from inheriting these niches whilst being able to improve upon them to the advantage of their descendants. Finally, I highlight that the growth of human epistemic achievements is often due to increased outsourcing of cognitive effort and epistemic powers onto impersonal physical and social structures so that human beings can succeed more by contributing less to the solution of problems.
Online non‐technical skills faculty training
Authors: Phillips Emma Claire , Hamilton Ailsa Lauren , Clarke Ben , Kerins Joanne , Tallentire Victoria Ruth
Published: October 2022

Background

The Medical Students Non‐Technical Skills (Medi‐StuNTS) system is a behavioural marker system (BMS) designed to identify and debrief non‐technical skills (NTS) for medical students during immersive simulation. Educators must be adequately trained in using the BMS. This study aimed to design and implement an online platform to deliver a faculty development course on using Medi‐StuNTS and evaluate the feasibility of this platform in training faculty to identify and debrief NTS.

Approach

The online platform was developed by faculty with expertise in NTS, based on guidance for faculty training programme requirements and the multimodal model for online education. Content was arranged in modules, using presentations, videos of simulation scenarios and interactive discussion boards.

Evaluation

Fifteen participants completed the course and feedback over a two‐month period. A feedback form was completed to assess feasibility, based on a feasibility framework. The areas of focus were acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation, integration, expansion and limited efficacy. Feedback indicated that the course shows promise in improving the ability of faculty to identify and debrief NTS.

Implications

The platform was successfully developed and implemented and was able to reach a national audience due to its online nature. Specific strengths include increased flexibility and accessibility compared to in‐person training. Feasibility assessment suggests that this newly developed online platform can work as an effective method for faculty development in order to increase skills in identifying and debriefing NTS using Medi‐StuNTS. Future work will focus on expansion of the online platform and dissemination to an international audience.
Single muscle fibre contractile function with ageing
Authors: Grosicki Gregory J. , Zepeda Carlos S. , Sundberg Christopher W.
Published: October 2022

Ageing is accompanied by decrements in the size and function of skeletal muscle that compromise independence and quality of life in older adults. Developing therapeutic strategies to ameliorate these changes is critical but requires an in‐depth mechanistic understanding of the underlying physiology. Over the past 25 years, studies on the contractile mechanics of isolated human muscle fibres have been instrumental in facilitating our understanding of the cellular mechanisms contributing to age‐related skeletal muscle dysfunction. The purpose of this review is to characterize the changes that occur in single muscle fibre size and contractile function with ageing and identify key areas for future research. Surprisingly, most studies observe that the size and contractile function of fibres expressing slow myosin heavy chain (MHC) I are well‐preserved with ageing. In contrast, there are profound age‐related decrements in the size and contractile function of the fibres expressing the MHC II isoforms. Notably, lifelong aerobic exercise training is unable to prevent most of the decrements in fast fibre contractile function, which have been implicated as a primary mechanism for the age‐related loss in whole‐muscle power output. These findings reveal a critical need to investigate the effectiveness of other nutritional, pharmaceutical or exercise strategies, such as lifelong resistance training, to preserve fast fibre size and function with ageing. Moreover, integrating single fibre contractile mechanics with the molecular profile and other parameters important to contractile function (e.g. phosphorylation of regulatory proteins, innervation status, mitochondrial function, fibre economy) is necessary to comprehensively understand the ageing skeletal muscle phenotype.

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Dynamic Characteristics of Rotor-Squeeze Film Damper-Support System Excited by Base Harmonic Excitations Using MHB-AFT Method
Authors: Zhang Bo , Chen Xi , Xiang Fengguang , Gan Xiaohua , Ren Guangming
Published: October 2022

When operating at high speed, aeroengines mounted on the aircrafts also perform complicated maneuvering flights along with the aircrafts. The engine rotor systems will undergo forced motions excited by base movements and mass unbalance, which may lead to severe vibrations. Squeeze film damper (SFD) is generally used for vibration damping in aeroengine, but it also introduces structural nonlinearity like bistable jump. Moreover, the reliability of SFD is also affected by base excitations. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the nonlinear dynamic behavior of rotor-SFD-support system excited by base motions. Taking a muti-disk rotor shaft supported by two SFDs with squirrel cages as the research object to simulate a gas generator in a turboshaft engine, the steady-state responses of the rotor system were calculated by multidimensional harmonic balance combined with alternating frequency/time domain method (MHB-AFT). The effects of base harmonic rotations and mass unbalance on steady-state responses of rotor system were investigated. The results indicate that the time-varying parametric excitations of base motions have strong effects on amplitude–frequency response of transverse displacement of rotor system. The critical speeds and resonant amplitudes of responses change with the magnitude and frequency of several base harmonic rotations. The variation of the frequency of base harmonic motion has the most significant impact on the amplitude–frequency response of transverse displacement of rotor system. The increase of base harmonic frequency will lead to multiple local peaks in the response curves, especially in the case of base harmonic rolling motion. In addition, the combination of base harmonic rotation around pitching and yawing axes results in significantly different response characteristics. Therefore, the influence of base harmonic motions should be considered during the structural design and damping optimization of SFDs.
Free fall of a quantum many-body system
Authors: Colcelli A. , Mussardo G. , Sierra G. , Trombettoni A.
Published: October 2022

The quantum version of the free fall problem is a topic often skipped in undergraduate quantum mechanics courses, because its discussion usually requires wavepackets built on the Airy functions—a difficult computation. Here, on the contrary, we show that the problem can be nicely simplified both for a single particle and for general many-body systems by making use of a gauge transformation that corresponds to a change of reference frame from the laboratory frame to the one comoving with the falling system. Using this approach, the quantum mechanics problem of a particle in an external gravitational potential reduces to a much simpler one where there is no longer any gravitational potential in the Schrödinger equation. It is instructive to see that the same procedure can be used for many-body systems subjected to an external gravitational potential and a two-body interparticle potential that is a function of the distance between the particles. This topic provides a helpful and pedagogical example of a quantum many-body system whose dynamics can be analytically described in simple terms.
Submarine paradox softened
Authors: Nikolić Hrvoje
Published: October 2022

In Supplee's submarine paradox, a naive argument based on Lorentz contraction leads to a contradiction that a fast submarine should sink in the water's reference frame but float in the submarine's reference frame. Due to the submarine's rigidity constraints, it is not easy to resolve the paradox in a manifestly covariant form. To simplify the problem, we consider a version of the paradox in which one fluid moves through another fluid. An analysis of ideal relativistic fluids in a weak gravitational field shows that the moving fluid has a larger pressure and, hence, sinks, in agreement with known results for the rigid submarine.
Using Hexbugs™ to model gas pressure and electrical conduction: A pandemic-inspired distance lab
Authors: DiBari Genevieve , Valle Liliana , Bua Refilwe Tanah , Cunningham Lucas , Hort Eleanor , Venenciano Taylor , Hudgings Janice
Published: October 2022

We describe a pandemic-inspired, modern physics distance lab course, focused both on engaging undergraduate physics majors in scientific research from their homes and on building skills in scientific paper reading and writing. To introduce the experimental and analytic tools, students are first asked to complete a traditional lab assignment in which collections of Hexbugs™, randomly moving toy automatons, are used to model gas molecules and to confirm the ideal gas law. Subsequently, after consulting the literature, students propose and implement semester-long experiments using Hexbugs™, smartphones, and materials commonly found at home to model various concepts in statistical mechanics and electrical conduction. A sample project focused on the Drude model, in which Hexbugs™ on a tilted plane are used to model electrical conduction, is described in detail. Alongside the research projects, students write formal, peer-reviewed scientific papers on their work, modeling the professional publication process as closely as possible. Somewhat paradoxically, we found that the pandemic-inspired exigency of reliance on simple, home-built experiments enabled an increased focus on developing experimental research skills and achieving the laboratory learning objectives recommended by the American Association of Physics Teachers.
Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Bone Turnover Markers in Adults With Metabolic Syndrome: The Mediator Role of Inflammation
Authors: Gil-Cosano José J. , Gracia-Marco Luis , Courteix Daniel , Lesourd Bruno , Chapier Robert , Obert Philippe , Walther Guillaume , Vinet Agnes , Thivel David , Muñoz-Torres Manuel , Ugbolue Ukadike C. , Bagheri Reza , Zak Marek , Dutheil Frédéric , Ubago-Guisado Esther
Published: October 2022

The relationship between inflammatory markers and bone turnover in adults is well known, and a negative association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and inflammatory markers has also been described. Hence, we tested whether the association between CRF and bone turnover markers is mediated by inflammatory markers in adults with metabolic syndrome. A total of 81 adults (58.5 ± 5.0 years, 62.7% women) were included in the analysis. CRF was measured by the 6-min walking test. Serum interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor alpha, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hsCRP) and vascular endothelial growth factor, collagen type I cross-linked C-telopeptide, procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and total osteocalcin were assessed using a sensitive ELISA kit. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Partial correlation was used to test the relationship between CRF, inflammatory markers, and bone turnover markers, controlling for sex, lean mass, and fat mass. Boot-strapped mediation procedures were performed, and indirect effects with confidence intervals not including zero were interpreted as statistically significant. CRF was positively correlated with P1NP levels (r = .228, p = .044) and osteocalcin levels (r = .296, p = .009). Furthermore, CRF was positively correlated with IL-1β levels (r = .340, p = .002) and negatively correlated with hsCRP levels (r = −.335, p = .003), whereas IL-1β levels were positively correlated with P1NP levels (r = .245, p = .030), and hsCRP levels were negatively correlated with P1NP levels (r = −.319, p = .004). Finally, the association between CRF and P1NP levels was totally mediated by hsCRP (percentage of mediation = 39.9). Therefore, CRF benefits on bone formation could be dependent on hsCRP concentrations in this population.
Impact of 24-Hr Diet and Physical Activity Control on Short-Term Precision Error of Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry Physique Assessment
Authors: Slater Gary J. , Farley Ava , Hogarth Luke , Areta Jose L. , Paulsen Gøran , Garthe Ina
Published: October 2022

Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is a popular technique used to quantify physique in athletic populations. Due to biological variation, DXA precision error (PE) may be higher than desired. Adherence to standardized presentation for testing has shown improvement in consecutive-day PE. However, the impact of short-term diet and physical activity standardization prior to testing has not been explored. This warrants investigation, given the process may reduce variance in total body water and muscle solute, both of which can have high daily flux amongst athletes. Twenty (n = 10 males, n = 10 females) recreationally active individuals (age: 30.7 ± 7.5 years; stature: 176.4 ± 9.1 cm; mass: 74.6 ± 14.3 kg) underwent three DXA scans; two consecutive scans on 1 day, and a third either the day before or after. In addition to adhering to standardized presentation for testing, subjects recorded all food/fluid intake plus activity undertaken in the 24 hr prior to the first DXA scan and replicated this the following 24 hr. International Society of Clinical Densitometry recommended techniques were used to calculate same- and consecutive-day PE. There was no significant difference in PE of whole-body fat mass (479 g vs. 626 g) and lean mass (634 g vs. 734 g) between same- and consecutive-day assessments. Same- and consecutive-day PE of whole-body fat mass and lean mass were less than the smallest effect size of interest. Inclusion of 24-hr standardization of diet and physical activity has the potential to reduce biological error further, but this needs to be verified with follow-up investigation.
“Saturdays Are For The Boys”: Barstool Sports and the Cultural Politics of White Fratriarchy in Contemporary America
Authors: Kusz Kyle , Hodler Matthew R.
Published: October 2022

Existing across multiple media platforms, Barstool Sports (“Barstool”) is one of the most important sport brands in the United States. While Barstool’s critics frequently assert that the company is “racist,” few, if any, detail how their racial politics work. Through a brief genealogy of Barstool’s cultural history and a close critical reading of “The Barstool Documentary Series,” we show how Barstool’s racial politics operate through gender—specifically the affective appeal of Big Man sovereignty and the homosocial bonds of White fratriarchy —to create and normalize racially exclusive and White male-dominant social worlds that dovetail remarkably with racial and gender ideas that organize what Maskovsky calls Trump’s “White nationalist postracialism” and the Proud Boys’ “Western chauvinism.”
Local rapid exhumation during the long-lived Grenville orogeny
Authors: Fan Xuefei , Chu* Xu , Cao Wentao , Zou Yi
Published: October 2022

The Grenville Province is the largest and most structurally complex orogenic belt that formed in the Mesoproterozoic, representing the amalgamation of the supercontinent Rodinia. The Mattawa domain, part of the Algonquin domain in Ontario, Canada, hosts some of the most deeply buried metamorphic rocks of this orogen. This high-grade metamorphic terrane consists of large areas of felsic orthogneiss and kilometer-sized mafic boudins. Dark-colored metabasite cropping out near Mattawa, Ontario, Canada, contains relict mineral assemblages and decompression textures indicative of high-pressure eclogite. Garnet porphyroblasts surrounded by plagioclase coronae are hosted in fine-grained symplectic intergrowths of diopside + plagioclase ± amphibole, which compositionally reintegrated into an omphacite composition (Na/[Na + Ca] ~0.5). Phase equilibria analysis revealed an eclogite-facies peak pressure of ~2 GPa at 850 °C. This temperature is consistent with the zirconium contents of rutile inclusions in garnet (up to 1725 ppm Zr). Despite high-temperature metamorphism, garnet growth zonation is partially preserved. Diffusion modeling of representative garnet profiles yielded a time scale of <0.1 m.y. for decompression from the peak pressure to ~1.2 GPa, suggesting an average exhumation rate of several decimeters per year. Decompression was followed by fast cooling within hundreds of thousands of years. Such fast decompression and cooling rates contrast with the protracted metamorphic evolution recorded in most of the Grenville orogen and likely resulted from local extrusion of lower-crustal material in response to localized extension during the early Ottawan stage. Since very few examples of Precambrian short-duration regional metamorphism have been documented, the fast decompression documented in this study provides valuable constraints for the geodynamic transition to a modern plate-tectonic regime.
Bilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration: unilateral regression following endophthalmitis with persistent activity in the fellow eye
Authors: Gaur Sandhya , Singh Deependra Vikram , Reddy Raja Rami , Sharma Ajay
Published: October 2022

A woman in her 70s who was being followed up for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in both eyes for 2 years with recalcitrant choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) and had an episode of acute endophthalmitis in one eye was identified. After treatment of postinjection culture-negative right eye (RE) endophthalmitis with intravitreal vancomycin and tazobactam, the patient had complete regression of treatment-resistant CNV in RE to date with postinfection follow-up of 2 years. In contrast, the fellow eye continued showing activity in the choroidal neovascular membrane that required antivascular endothelial growth factor injections on a pro re nata basis to date. Prolonged regression of nAMD for 3 years in the affected eye and continued activity in the fellow eye support the hypothesis that inflammation accompanying endophthalmitis or the drugs used for the treatment can have a role in the regression of nAMD.
Neonatal rhabdomyoma with cardiac dysfunction: favourable response to sirolimus
Authors: Duan Menghao , Sundararaghavan Sreekanthan , Koh Ai Ling , Soh Shui Yen
Published: October 2022

Cardiac rhabdomyoma is the most common cardiac tumour in childhood, with a strong genetic association to tuberous sclerosis complex. Although most of the patients remain asymptomatic, a small proportion present with cardiac complications in the early neonatal period. Timely initiation of treatment can potentially reduce disease morbidity, and mammalian target of rapamycin (M-TOR) inhibitors play an effective role in promoting regression of these tumours. A healthy term newborn was diagnosed with a giant congenital cardiac rhabdomyoma at birth. He developed clinical signs of compromised cardiac function and progressive myocardial ischaemia, with echocardiography showing significant dyskinesia. He was treated with M-TOR inhibitors and clinical response was monitored via serial echocardiography. Remarkable regression of the tumour was visibly demonstrated within 4 months of sirolimus treatment. The infant continues to be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of physicians and monitored for features of tuberous sclerosis complex.
Non-diseased aortic mural thrombus presenting with acute limb ischaemia
Authors: Khalil Ali , Kanitra John J , Lorelli David
Published: October 2022

We present a case of a thoracic aortic mural thrombus (AMT) in a non-atherosclerotic and non-aneurysmal aorta that presented with acute limb ischaemia. AMT in a non-diseased aorta without an underlying hypercoagulable disorder is rare. The AMT in our patient was managed with anticoagulation, which resolved on a 5-month follow-up CT scan. This provided us an opportunity to discuss the successful medical management of an AMT, to review the literature on the management of AMT and to add to the literature on a rare presentation of an AMT.
Ureteral inguinoscrotal hernia recurrence following robotic hernia repair: an uncommon hernia recurrence
Authors: Krebs Austin , Cheng Nathan , Basralian Kevin , Surick Burton
Published: October 2022

Ureteral inguinoscrotal hernias are a rare occurrence and commonly occur without evidence of obstructive uropathy. We present a patient found on a preoperative CT scan to have a recurrent left inguinal hernia with the left ureter passing through the hernia defect adjacent to the hernia sac into the scrotum. At surgery the redundant dilated ureter required a ureteroureterostomy because it could not be safely straightened or reduced. Preoperative imaging allowed for identification of the ureter in the hernia sac and allowed for extensive preoperative planning with the urology team, and efficient definitive treatment of his condition at the time of surgery.
Cervical carcinosarcoma: approach of a rare tumour in a rare location
Authors: Caramujo Cecília , Reis Sara Nunes , Marques Rui Vale , Sousa Gabriela
Published: October 2022

Cervical carcinosarcoma is a very rare tumour, with less than 70 cases described in the literature. We report a case of a woman in her 60s, with an atypical presentation: a single episode of high volume serous vaginal discharge. A carcinosarcoma of the uterine cervix was diagnosed and, after exclusion of distant disease, the patient was submitted to radical surgery. Due to surgical complications adjuvant treatment was not performed.
Kidney transplantation from an HIV-positive deceased donor to an HIV-positive recipient
Authors: Lyngberg-Larsen Christiane , Lund Laursen Alex , Øzbay Lara Aygen
Published: October 2022

Preliminary data on HIV-positive donor to HIV-positive recipient kidney transplantation suggest promising patient outcomes without adverse events. This is an important step in expanding the donor pool and opportunity for transplantation in HIV-positive patients.

We herein report the first case of HIV-positive donor to HIV-positive recipient kidney transplantation in Denmark. Our patient has demonstrated a successful post-transplant course with excellent 1-year graft function, no rejection episodes, good virological control with undetectable HIV RNA, no signs of HIV-associated nephropathy, and no superinfections or opportunistic infections.

This case corroborates findings from previous studies showing that kidney transplantation from carefully selected HIV-infected donors to carefully selected HIV-infected recipients seems to be a safe and effective treatment option, and supports the opportunity to expand the organ donor pool for this group of patients with end-stage renal disease.
Synovial chondromatosis of the flexor hallucis longus tendon sheath
Authors: Garry Conor B , Ernst Andrew , Sanderson Galen , Wilson Andrew W
Published: October 2022

This case report discusses a rare case of secondary tenosynovial chondromatosis of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL). Synovial chrondomatosis is a rare, benign proliferative cartilaginous lesion arising from the synovial tissue or bursal lining of or near joints. When it is extra-articular, it is considered tenosynovial chondromatosis. The diagnosis is often delayed given the rarity of presentation and non-specific symptoms. The case was highly unusual in that hindfoot pain was caused by several centimetre-sized osteochondral bodies within the FHL tendon sheath. Anterior cheilectomy was performed. The patient returned to full activity following surgery without recurrence of the disease. The condition can be successfully treated operatively.
Effects of reducing sedentary behaviour duration by increasing physical activity, on cognitive function, brain function and structure across the lifespan: a systematic review protocol
Authors: Pindus Dominika M , Selzer-Ninomiya Ana , Nayak Apurva , Pionke JJ , Raine Lauren B
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Greater engagement in sedentary behaviours has been related to poorer cognitive functions in epidemiological research. However, the effects of reducing sedentary behaviour duration on cognitive function, brain function, and structure remain poorly understood. This systematic review aims to synthesise the evidence on the effects of reducing sedentary behaviour duration by increasing time spent in physical activity on cognitive function, brain structure and function in apparently healthy children, adolescents and adults.

Methods and analysis

The protocol follows Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The literature search will be conducted (search dates: August–September 2022) across six databases: PubMed, Scopus, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (via EBSCO Host), PsycINFO (via ProQuest), SPORTDiscus and Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Index). The inclusion criteria are as follows: randomised and non-randomised experimental studies as defined by the Cochrane Handbook, published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and as theses or dissertations. References of included papers will be screened for additional studies. Acute and chronic interventions targeting children (≥ 4 years), adolescents, younger adults (≥ 18–40 years), middle-aged (40–64 years) and older adults (65+ years) will be eligible. Methodological quality will be assessed with the Effective Public Health Practice Project quality assessment tool for quantitative studies. Qualitative synthesis will be stratified by intervention type (acute vs chronic), intervention content (reducing sedentary time or interrupting prolonged sitting) and outcome (cognitive, brain structure and function).

Ethics and dissemination

No primary data collection will be conducted as part of this systematic review. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and social media.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD42020200998.
Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary antitumour activity of an antisense oligonucleotide targeting STAT3 (danvatirsen) as monotherapy and in combination with durvalumab in Japanese patients with advanced solid malignancies: a phase 1 study
Authors: Nishina Tomohiro , Fujita Tomoko , Yoshizuka Naoto , Sugibayashi Ko , Murayama Kosho , Kuboki Yasutoshi
Published: October 2022

Objectives

We assessed the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, preliminary antitumour activity and pharmacodynamics of danvatirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), monotherapy and danvatirsen plus durvalumab, an antiprogrammed cell death ligand 1 monoclonal antibody, in patients with advanced solid malignancies.

Design

Phase 1, open-label study with two cohorts.

Setting

Two centres in Japan.

Participants

Japanese individuals aged ≥20 years, with histologically confirmed solid malignancies, except for hepatocellular carcinoma, refractory to standard therapy.

Interventions

In cohort 1, patients received danvatirsen monotherapy; in cohort 2, patients received danvatirsen plus durvalumab combination therapy.

Primary and secondary outcome measures

The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability based on adverse events (AEs). Secondary endpoints were pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, antitumour activity and pharmacodynamics.

Results

Eleven patients were assigned to treatment and included in the analysis. Danvatirsen dose reductions were only required in cohort 2 for hepatic function abnormal (alanine aminotransferase (ALT)/ aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/gamma-glutamyl transferase (γGT) increased), neutrophil count decreased and platelet count decreased. One patient experienced grade 3 ALT/AST increased and new appearance of eosinophilia as a dose-limiting toxicity. AEs were reported in 90.9% (10/11) patients. Commonly reported AEs causally related to the danvatirsen were platelet count decreased (60% (3/5)) and ALT/AST/γGT increased (50% (3/6)) in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively; none was causally related to durvalumab. One serious AE occurred in cohort 1 (pancreatitis; unrelated to study treatment). One case of ALT/AST/γGT increased occurred in cohort 2, leading to discontinuation. No AEs led to death. Danvatirsen did not accumulate in plasma after multiple dosing. In cohort 2, three patients had disease control at 12 weeks and one had unconfirmed partial response. STAT3 expression tended to decrease regardless of monotherapy or combination therapy.

Conclusions

Danvatirsen was well tolerated by Japanese patients with advanced solid tumours as monotherapy and combined with durvalumab. No new safety signals arose.

Trial registration number

NCT03394144; ClinicalTrials.gov.
Community determinants of COPD exacerbations in elderly patients in Lodz province, Poland: a retrospective observational Big Data cohort study
Authors: Kowalczyk Anna , Kosiek Katarzyna , Godycki-Cwirko Maciek , Zakowska Izabela
Published: October 2022

Objectives

To evaluate the prevalence and identify demographic, economic and environmental local community determinants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations in elderly in primary care using Big Data approach.

Design

Retrospective observational case–control study based on Big Data from the National Health Found, Tax Office and National Statistics Center databases in 2016.

Setting

Primary care clinics in the Lodz province in Poland.

Participants

472 314 patients aged 65 and older in primary care, including 17 240 patients with COPD and 1784 with exacerbations (including deaths).

Outcome measures

Exacerbations with demographic, economic and environmental local community determinants were retrieved. Conditional logistic regression for matched pairs was used to evaluate the local community determinants of COPD exacerbations among patients with COPD.

Results

The overall prevalence of COPD in the population of elderly patients registered in primary healthcare clinic clinics in Lodz province in 2016 was 3.65%, 95% CI (3.60% to 3.70%) and the prevalence of exacerbations was 10.35%, 95% CI (9.89% to 10.80%). The high number of consultations in primary care clinics was associated with higher risk of COPD exacerbations (p=0.0687).

High-income patients were less likely to have exacerbations than low-income patients (high vs low OR 0.601, 95% CI (0.385 to 0.939)). The specialisation of the primary care physician did not have an effect on exacerbations (OR 1.076, 95% CI (0.920 to 1.257)). Neither the forest cover per gmina (high vs low OR 0.897, 95% CI (0.605 to 1.331); medium vs low OR 0.925, 95% CI (0.648 to 1.322)), nor location of gmina (urban vs urban–rural OR 1.044; 95% CI (0.673 to 1.620)), (rural vs urban–rural OR 0.897, 95% CI (0.630 to 1.277)) appears to influence COPD exacerbations.

Conclusions

Big Data statistical analysis facilitated the evaluation of the prevalence and determinants of COPD exacerbation in the elderly residents of Lodz province, Poland.

Modification of identified local community determinants may potentially decrease the number of exacerbations in elderly patients with COPD.
COVID-19 vaccination status and associated factors among lactating women during the COVID-19 outbreak: a cross-sectional study in southern China
Authors: Wang Xiaofen , Tang Kun , Huang Rong , Yi Simin
Published: October 2022

Objectives

Different countries and institutions around the world have debated whether lactating women should receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic. In China, lactating is not a contraindication to vaccination, but many women are still hesitant to get vaccinated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of COVID-19 vaccination among lactating women and the related factors affecting vaccination.

Methods

An online cross-sectional survey involving 506 lactating women was conducted in southern China. We explored the related factors affecting COVID-19 vaccination of lactating women from three aspects: general information, knowledge–attitude–behaviour towards COVID-19 and its vaccine, and postpartum psychological state.

Results

A total of 432 lactating women completed the questionnaire, 198 of whom had received the COVID-19 vaccine. On the knowledge–attitude–behaviour questionnaire on COVID-19 and its vaccines, the vaccinated group scored higher than the unvaccinated group on both the three subdimensions of the questionnaire and the total score (p<0.01). The results of binary logistics regression analysis showed that mixed feeding (OR=2.68, 95% CI: 1.82 to 3.96), longer breastfeeding duration (OR=1.31, 95% CI: 1.16 to 1.49), better physical condition (OR=5.28, 95% CI: 1.82 to 15.32), higher attitude score of COVID-19 and its vaccine (OR=1.18, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.27), and having a travel history in medium high-risk areas (OR=3.49, 95% CI: 1.46 to 8.37) were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccination in lactating women. Having a master’s degree or above (OR=0.03, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.30), and having higher anxiety score (OR=0.66, 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.81) and depression score (OR=0.84, 95% CI: 0.75 to 0.93) were inversely associated with COVID-19 vaccination in lactating women.

Conclusion

45.8% of lactating women were vaccinated against COVID-19. Education level, feeding methods, duration of breast feeding, travel history in medium high-risk areas, physical condition, attitude score of COVID-19 and its vaccine, anxiety symptom and depressive symptom score were associated with vaccination of lactating women. More interventions based on these factors were needed to reduce concerns for lactating women and increase their vaccination rates.
Aerobic fitness predicted by demographics, anthropometrics, health behaviour, physical activity and muscle fitness in male and female recruits entering military service
Authors: Santtila Matti , Pihlainen K , Vaara J , Nindl B C , Heikkinen R , Kyröläinen H
Published: October 2022

Introduction

The physical and mental training load can be high during military service. Therefore, tailored preconditioning programmes based on assessment of physical fitness could increase readiness for military service, especially among those ones with lower baseline fitness level. The purpose of present study was to investigate how self-assessed health behaviour, physical activity and muscle fitness can predict physical fitness in young male and female military cohorts.

Methods

Demographics, health behaviour and daily physical activity preceding military service were surveyed by a questionnaire. Thereafter, physical fitness was assessed during the military service by the tests of 12 min running, 1 min push-ups and sit-ups. Explosive power of the lower extremities was studied by maximal standing long jump. Measurements of body anthropometry consisted of body mass, height, and waist circumference.

Results

The two strongest individual predictors of objectively measured running distance in 12 min were self-reported physical activity and physical readiness in both men and women. Self-reported physical activity, readiness for military service, sitting time, education, smoking and body anthropometrics together explained 52% of the variance in the 12 min running test result (R2=0.52, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) 8.8%, mean absolute error (MAE) 207 m) in men, while for women the predictive values were weaker. Addition of muscle fitness results to the adjusted regression model further improved the model, which explained 59% of the variance in the 12 min running tests result of male conscripts (R2=0.59, MAPE 7.8%, MAE 181 m).

Conclusion

In the present study, self-reported physical activity, muscle fitness, physical readiness for military service, sitting time, education, smoking and body anthropometrics predicted inadequately the measured endurance capacity among recruits. The present questionnaire-based variables do not accurately predict physical fitness of recruits and thus, they are not either suitable for practical use for preconditioning programmes or preselection before entering the military service.
Tobacco industry’s human rights makeover: an archival review of British American Tobacco’s human rights rhetorical veneer
Authors: Sircar Neiloy R , Bialous Stella A.
Published: October 2022

Background

British American Tobacco (BAT) released an industry-first human rights report in 2020, which extolled the efforts and objectives of the tobacco industry giant for promoting human rights. How BAT came to brand itself as a human rights champion, being a leader in an industry long accused of enabling human rights violations from leaf-to-stub including profiting from a product which inherently violates the right to health, is unknown. Exploring BAT’s evolution through reviewing its materials and Tobacco Industry Documents could shed light on their development and what it means in the tobacco control and human rights context.

Methodology

We reviewed publicly available materials from BAT as well as conducted archival research in the Tobacco Industry Documents digital archives at University of California San Francisco. We focused on how and when BAT used terms such as ‘human rights’, ‘right to health’, ‘sustainable development goal’ and ‘harm reduction’ as well as ‘Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’.

Results

We reviewed 48 BAT publications and 45 documents from the Tobacco Industry Documents archives. These materials demonstrate both BAT’s increasing utilisation of human rights language as well as BAT’s reuse of the same language, concepts and general rhetoric. BAT has not engaged significantly or meaningfully on the human right to health.

Conclusion

BAT’s increasing use of human rights rhetoric does not appear to reflect a shift in the company’s human rights positions, particularly with respect to the right to health of consumers and BAT’s lack of impactful measures to eliminate the harms of its tobacco products.
Forecasting wildfire-induced declines in potential forest harvest levels across Québec
Authors: Bouchard Mathieu , Aquilué Núria , Filotas Élise , Boucher Jonathan , Parisien Marc-André
Published: October 2022

Wildfires are increasing in importance in many regions of the Canadian boreal forest and are an ongoing risk for forest management activities. We simulated the effects of fires on long-term harvest levels on the 59 forest management units of the province of Québec, Canada, for the 2020–2100 period. Different climate change pathways (stable, RCP 4.5 or 8.5) and salvage logging rates (20% or 70% of mature burned stands) were simulated. Changes in forest flammability due to climate change, species migration, and forest management were also considered. Under stable climatic conditions, the decline in potential harvest levels due to fire, based on 50 simulations per scenario, ranged between 3% and 33% (mean = 11%) when high salvage logging rates were simulated, compared to 6%–45% (mean = 20%) for low salvage rates. Climate change caused increases in burn rates between −3% and 39% for RCP 4.5 and between 33% and 69% for RCP 8.5 at the end of the 21st century, depending on fire zones. However, the effects of these modified burn rates on harvest levels did not differ substantially from those of baseline burn rates, probably because the projected burn rates were highest during the later part of the simulations (2070–2100), when their impacts on harvest level calculations were limited. This study indicates that potential harvest levels calculated without considering wildfires are likely to be non-sustainable.
Dynamical cooperation model for mitigating the segregation phase in Schelling’s model
Authors: Okada Akihisa , Inoue Daisuke , Koyama Shihori , Matsumori Tadayoshi , Yoshida Hiroaki
Published: October 2022

We consider a Schelling-like segregation model, in which the behavior of individual agents is determined by a mixed individual and global utility. With a high ratio of global utility being incorporated, the agents are cooperative in order to realize a homogenized state, otherwise the agents are less cooperative, leading to an undesired Nash equilibrium with low utility. In the present study, we introduce a dynamically varying cooperation degree parameter to prevent the agents from falling into such a low-utility equilibrium state. More precisely, a large cooperation degree is assigned when the agents are in high-utility regions, whereas agents having low utility behave more individually. Simulation results show that homogenized phases with globally high utility are achieved with the present dynamical control, even for the case of a low mean value of cooperation degree. Since the cooperation degree represents the magnitude with which Pigouvian tax is enforced in the model of residential movement within a city, this result suggests the possibility of tax intervention to circumvent the undesired segregation of the residents.

Graphical abstract
Averaged recurrence quantification analysis
Authors: Pánis Radim , Adámek Karel , Marwan Norbert
Published: October 2022

Recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) is a well established method of nonlinear data analysis. In this work, we present a new strategy for an almost parameter-free RQA. The approach finally omits the choice of the threshold parameter by calculating the RQA measures for a range of thresholds (in fact recurrence rates). Specifically, we test the ability of the RQA measure determinism, to sort data with respect to their signal to noise ratios. We consider a periodic signal, simple chaotic logistic equation, and Lorenz system in the tested data set with different and even very small signal-to-noise ratios of lengths $$10^2, 10^3, 10^4,$$

10
2

,

10
3

,

10
4

,

and $$10^5$$

10
5

. To make the calculations possible, a new effective algorithm was developed for streamlining of the numerical operations on graphics processing unit (GPU).
In vitro and in vivo Experimental Investigation of Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Peucedanum japonicum Aqueous Extract by Suppressing the LPS-Induced NF-κB/MAPK JNK Pathways
Authors: Gil Tae-Yong , Jin Bo-Ram , Lee Jong-Hyun , An Hyo-Jin
Published: October 2022

Peucedanum japonicum Thunberg has been used to treat cold, cough, and inflammatory diseases in Southern and Eastern Asia. The effects of P. japonicum root aqueous extract (PJ) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation were investigated in RAW264.7 macrophages and an animal model of septic shock. Lipopolysaccharides are endotoxins that trigger excessive inflammatory responses, similar to those elicited by gram-negative bacteria. Inflammation is characterized by a primary defense system against pathogens and the onset of sundry diseases or illnesses, and macrophages are important components of the phagocytic system during inflammatory processes. The present study evaluated the effects of PJ on the production of pro-inflammatory mediators, such as nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2, and assessed the expression of enzymes that induce the production of pro-inflammatory mediators using western blotting. We also evaluated the production and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Using western blotting, we determined whether nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-[Formula: see text]B) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) are involved in the molecular mechanisms induced by PJ that suppressed LPS-induced inflammatory responses. We also found that PJ inhibited NF-[Formula: see text]B and JNK pathways in macrophages and reduced LPS-induced mortality in the mouse model of septic shock by inhibiting the activation of NF-[Formula: see text]B and JNK pathways that downregulated the expression of inflammatory mediators. These results indicated that PJ is an effective inflammatory suppressor.
The Gut Microbial Co-Abundance Gene Groups (CAGs) Differentially Respond to the Flavor (Yao-Wei) of Chinese Materia Medica
Authors: Yang Ya-Nan , Deng Yu-Ting , Zang Chen-Chen , Zhang Fang , Huang Zi-Bao , Dong Lin , Lu Wei-Ying , Zhang Xiao-Po , Wu Chong-Ming
Published: October 2022

The property theory is a unique principle instructing traditional Chinese doctors to prescribe proper medicines against diseases. As an essential part of it, the five-flavor theory catalogs various Chinese materia medicas (CMMs) into five flavors (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and pungent) based on their taste and medical functions. Although CMM has been successfully applied in China for thousands of years, it is still a big challenge to interpret CMM flavor via modern biomarkers, further deepening its elusiveness. Herein, to identify the correlation between gut microbiota and CMM flavor, we selected 14 CMMs with different flavors to prepare their aqueous extracts, quantified the contained major chemical components, and then performed full-length 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze the gut microbiota of C57BL/6 mice administrated with CMM extracts. We found that flavones, alkaloids, and saponins were the richest components for sweet-, bitter-, and pungent-flavored CMMs, respectively. Medicines with merged flavors (bitter-pungent and sweet-pungent) displayed mixed profiles of components. According to gut microbial analysis, modulation of CMMs belonging to the same flavor on the taxonomic classification was inconsistent to an extent, while the functional sets of gut microbiota, co-abundance gene groups (CAGs), strongly and differentially responded to distinct flavors. Moreover, these correlations were in line with their pharmacological actions. Therefore, the gut microbial functional sets (CAGs) could act as the possible indicator to reflect CMM flavor, rather than the composition of microbial community.
MINDeSEA: exploring seabed mineral deposits in European seas, metallogeny and geological potential for strategic and critical raw materials
Authors: González Francisco J. , Medialdea Teresa , Schiellerup Henrik , Zananiri Irene , Ferreira Pedro , Somoza Luis , Monteys Xavier , Alcorn Trevor , Marino Egidio , Lobato Ana B. , Zalba-Balda Íñigo , Kuhn Thomas , Nyberg Johan , Malyuk Boris , Magalhães Vitor , Hein James R. , Cherkashov Georgy
Published: October 2022

This study summarizes a compilation of studies and cartographical work on seabed mineral deposit types in pan-European seas developed under the GeoERA-MINDeSEA project. In total, 692 occurrences and 1194 individual mineral samples of volcanogenic massive sulfides and hydrothermal mineralization, ferromanganese crusts, phosphorites, marine placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, and their associated strategic and critical raw material (CRM) elements have been characterized. The GeoERA-MINDeSEA project has been built based on extensive studies carried out previously, which include geophysical surveys, sampling stations, underwater photography and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys, and mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic studies. This study develops pan-European and national databases, and expands strategic and CRM knowledge through a compilation of mineral potential and metallogenic studies of CRM resources in European seas. For the first time, the GeoERA-MINDeSEA portal publishes harmonized marine mineral resource information, case studies and maps, and identifies potential areas for responsible resource exploration and extraction, strategic management, and marine spatial planning. This study also provides recommendations for future target areas, studies and standards to be used across Europe as part of this project.