bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The possible link between Fetuin-A Protein and Neuro-inflammation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Al-Ayadhi Laila Yousif , Alghamdi Farah Ali , Altamimi Lamees Abdula , Alsughayer Luluh Yousef , Alhowikan Abdulrahman Mohammad , Halepoto Dost Muhammad
Published: April 2021

Objectives: To investigate the blood plasma levels of Fetuin-A protein in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and healthy controls that could offer novel diagnostic biomarkers of disease development in ASD. Another objective was to investigate the severity of autistic children by Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Short Sensory Profile (SSP).

Methods: This case control study was carried out at Autism Research and Treatment (ART) Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 2019 to February 2020. Plasma concentration of Fetuin-A was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in ASD subjects (n=46) and normal controls (n=44). Correlation among Fetuin-A levels, CARS and SSP was established by Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r).

Results: Overall, autistic children had significantly (p= 0.0.02) lower Fetuin-A concentration [50.76 (22.2-68.5) ng/ml] than those of healthy controls [53.7 (35.6-99.7) ng/ml] [median (interquartile range)]. Children with mild to moderate autism (n=24, 52%) also showed significantly lower Fetuin-A levels [50.0 (30.0-68.2) ng/ml], (p =0.02} than healthy controls [53.7 (35.6-99.7) ng/ml] [median (IQR)]. However, there was no significant change (p = 0.71) observed between the Fetuin-A levels of children with severe autism [51.8 (22.2-68.5)] ng/ml, mild to moderate autism [50 (30-68.2)] ng/ml [median (IQR)] and healthy controls (p=0.12). Also no significant correlations between Fetuin-A, CARS and SSP were observed (CARS, r= 0.024, p=0.88; SSP, r= -0.003, p=0.98).

Conclusion: Overall the low Fetuin-A plasma values in ASD subjects, most likely show that Fetuin-A could be associated in the physiology of autism. Further studies with larger patient and control cohorts will be necessary to determine whether Fetuin-A can be used as a biomarker for ASD.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.4032

How to cite this:Al-Ayadhi LY, Alghamdi FA, Altamimi LA, Alsughayer LY, Alhowikan AM, Halepoto DM. The possible link between Fetuin-A Protein and Neuro-inflammation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):1166-1171.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.4032

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Saliva: Both a Threat and an Opportunity in Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Sadıkoğlu Ismail Serhat , Caymaz Mehmet Gagari
Published: April 2021

Covid-19 pandemic, continues all over the world with the increasing number of confirmed cases and performed tests day by day. It has been shown that collecting nasopharyngeal samples, as the most commonly prefered method to perform RT-PCR, has disadvantages like causing discomfort and bleeding in patients. Sample collecting procedure also renders healthcare professionals by exposing them to the risk of transmission of the virus related to the direct contact with patients. These disadvantages make this procedure undesirable for the researchers and forces them to search for an alternative technique. At this point, saliva appears as an opportunity, regarding its high viral load. On the other hand, this high viral load poses a threat, especially for professions such as dental practitioners, with too much aerosol exposure. Since dentistry is a branch of health that constantly needs direct operations, it is necessary to be protected from the virus as much as possible while caring for the patient. A literature review was done using electronic databases “PubMed,” “Google Scholar,” and “Cochrane Database,” on January 2021. Studies have proposed many different preventive measures in this regard. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to draw attention to the saliva by bringing together the recent research and also to provide information and a perspective to dental clinicians about both prevention and a potential diagnostic technique.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.4263

How to cite this:Sadikoglu IS, Caymaz MG. Saliva: Both a Threat and an Opportunity in Covid-19 Pandemic. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):1215-1220.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.4263

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Seroprevalence and associated risk factors for bovine paratuberculosis in dairy cattle
Authors: SELIM A , HALIM R , GALILA E , HAMOUDA F
Published: April 2021

Paratuberculosis is an economically important disease in dairy cows and requires continuous surveillance. The study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of bovine paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease) in one of dairy farm in Egypt. A total of 964 dairy cattle were blood sampled and examined with an ELISA method. One-hundred fifty-five (16.1%) samples reacted positively. The results revealed that age was significantly associated with the prevalence of paratuberculosis in dairy cattle, particularly in animals over 6 years of age. Furthermore, the lactation period, milk yield and pregnancy had non-significant effect on appearance of paratuberculosis in cattle.
Determination of the alterations in quality parameters and consumer preference of dry-aged beef based on different periods of ageing using a purposive incubator
Authors: USTUNER H , ARDICLI S , ARSLAN O
Published: April 2021

The aim of this study was to evaluate beef quality traits including pH, water holding capacity, cooking loss, meat colour, and Warner-Bratzler shear force in dry-aged beef and to determine the most favorable ageing time based on beef quality parameters and consumer acceptability. In this respect, longissimus dorsi samples were obtained from Simmental bulls and stored for an ageing period up to 21-days, and thus, the beef quality evaluation was performed at 0-day, 7-day, 14-day, and 21-day of the experimental period. Results revealed that the lowest shear force value was observed in beef samples on day-14 whereas the lowest pH value was determined in samples on day 21. Moreover, water holding capacity and beef colour values were significantly differentiated based on dry-ageing (P<0.05). In sensory panel evaluation, a significant difference is found only in meat colour rating (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between ageing periods and cooking loss. The most important technical point is that increasing dry-ageing time from 14 to 21 days did not desirably affect quality traits and sensory scores. Hence, dry-ageing for 14 days seemed to be the most economically efficient application. Taken altogether, the present results suggest that the potential for use of dry-ageing should be considered as an alternative method to produce high-quality beef with respect to the optimum ageing process.
Impact of Amaranthus hypochondriacus in nutrition for rabbits on meat quality
Authors: SHEVCHIK RS , DUDA YV , GAVRILINA OG , KUNEVA LV , SAMOYLUK HV
Published: April 2021

Unique properties of Amaranthus hypochondriacus have been extensively utilized in the recent time worldwide both in food technologies and husbandry. An intensive growth of Amaranthus hypochondriacus plants has been made in Ukraine there and, respectively, production of foods based on amaranth is growing, however no research on its use for feeding rabbits is available. Therefore, the study aimed to review the impact of Amaranthus hypochondriacus on slaughter features of rabbits, meat quality including those under storage conditions. The California race rabbits of 60 days age were divided into two groups, 28 animals in each. The rabbits in the study group were fed (by adding to the basal diet) with 20% of amaranth oilcake. The rabbits were slaughtered at age of 120 days. The following key features of meat output and quality performance were determined: pH, moisture content, water-holding capacity, cooking losses, protein and cholesterol content as well as change in pH, microorganisms count, and moisture loss percentage during 9-day storage in chilled state. Amaranthus hypochondriacus effect on the rabbit live weight, hot carcass weight, dressing out percentage, percentage ratio of heart, kidney, liver, lung weight to carcass weight, рН, moisture content, water-holding capacity, and meat morphological structure was determined. Reduction in cholesterol level by 15.07% (р < 0.05) in the meat of rabbits that were fed with Amaranthus hypochondriacus was detected. pH and drip loss percentage were not significantly different among the groups in the shelf-life period. However, it was found out that growth of microorganisms in the meat of rabbits that were fed with Amaranthus hypochondriacus was slowed down: microorganisms count was 1.65 and 1.71 (р < 0.05) times lower than in the control group on the 6th and 9th days of storage, accordingly. The low-cholesterol and bacteriostatic effects of amaranth oilcake in the rabbit nutrition may significantly increase dietary properties of rabbit meat. Use of amaranth oilcake for rabbit fattening has great potential and further studies including the mechanism of antibacterial effect of A. hypochondriacus on the rabbit meat are required
Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in layer and broiler farms in Palestine in 2018, with special emphasis on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis
Authors: ABUSEIR S , ABED AL-DAYM M , ADWAN G , KHRAIM N
Published: April 2021

Salmonella spp. are one of a major public health concerns worldwide, as well as it is the most frequently isolated foodborne pathogen. Human illness with Salmonella spp. is often due to the consumption of contaminated food of animal origin such as eggs or their products and poultry meat. The prevalence of this pathogen in egg-laying poultry farms and in broiler farms is an important public health risk factor. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis has been the major cause of foodborne salmonellosis in humans. Data on the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the Palestinian territories’ poultry flocks is lacking. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in local layer and broiler flocks, and to find out the rate of S. Enteritidis among the isolated samples. A total of 1180 cloacal swabs were collected from several layer and broiler farms from different locations in the West Bank, Palestine. Identification of Salmonella spp. was carried out using conventional and serological methods. Molecular methods using Polymerase Chain Reaction was used for confirmation of Salmonella spp., and to detect the presence of S. Enteritidis among the isolated Salmonella spp. Results of the current study showed that, the rate of Salmonella spp. in the sample tested from layer and broiler farms was 10.7% (65/608) and 4.7% (27/572), respectively. In addition, the prevalence rate of S. Enteritidis among other Salmonella spp. was 0.0% and 14.8% for layer and broiler farms, respectively. It is highly recommended that further studies should be conducted, including high number of samples with serotyping and molecular characterization of the positive samples.
Politoligwistyka dyplomatyczna
Authors: Popławski Błażej
Published: April 2021

Diplomatic Politolinguistics. The Analysis of the Perception of Sub-Saharan Africa in the Exposé of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Second and Third Polish Republics

The aim of the article is to present the image of sub-Saharan Africa in the exposé of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Second andThird Republics of Poland, in the context of changes in the ideological imaginary of the Polish diplomacy. The introduction describes a political linguistic perspective which was adopted in the work, treating the discourse of political actors as one of the main determinants of the political universe. Then the “parliamentary custom” of delivering an exposé was characterised. The next part discusses the perception of the colonial and imperial idea in the Second Polish Republic. Research on the information provided by the chiefs of the diplomacy after 1989 was focused on the description of the transfer of democracy to the South, the clash of civilizations, and securitization in the international relations.
Pre-Variscan granitoids with adakitic signature at west Getic basement of the South Carpathians (Romania): constraints on genesis and timing based on whole-rock and zircon geochemistry
Authors: Dobrescu Anca
Published: April 2021

Research on two strata-like intrusions from Slatina-Timiş (STG) and Buchin (BG) at West Getic Domain of the South Carpathians (Semenic Mountains) identified granitoids with adakitic signature in a continental collision environment. Whole-rock geochemical composition with high Na2O, Al2O3 and Sr, depleted Y (18ppm) and HREE (Yb 1.8ppm) contents, high Sr/Y (40), (La/Yb)N (10) ratios and no Eu anomalies overlaps the High-Silica Adakites (HSA) main characteristics, though there are differences related to lower Mg#, heavy metal contents and slightly increased 87Sr/86Sr ratios. Comparison with HSA, Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) rocks and melts from experiments on basaltic sources suggests partial melting at pressures exceeding 1.25GPa and temperatures of 800-900ºC (confirmed by calculated Ti-in zircon temperatures) as the main genetic process, leaving residues of garnet amphibolite, garnet granulite or eclogite type. The adakitic signature along with geochemical variations observed in the STG-BG rocks indicate oceanic source melts affected by increasing mantle influence and decreasing crustal input that may restrict the tectonic setting to slab melting during a subduction at low angle conditions. An alternative model relates the STG-BG magma genesis to garnet-amphibolite and eclogite partial melting due to decompression and heating at crustal depth of 60-50km during syn-subduction exhumation of eclogitized slab fragments and mantle cumulates. The granitoids were entrained into a buoyant mélange during collision and placed randomly between two continental units. U-Pb zircon ages obtained by LA-ICP-MS and interpreted as Ordovician igneous crystallization time and Variscan recrystallization imprint are confirmed by trace-element characteristics of the dated zircon zones, connecting the STG-BG magmatism to a pre-Variscan subduction-collision event. The rich zircon inheritance reveals Neoproterozoic juvenile source and older crustal components represented by Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic zircons.
Material jet printing of transparent ceramic Yb:YAG planar waveguides
Authors: Seeley Zachary M. , Phillips Ian R. , Rudzik Thomas J. , Cherepy Nerine J. , Drobshoff Alexander D. , Payne Stephen A.
Published: April 2021

A new, to the best of our knowledge, 3D additive manufacturing technique utilizing particle-loaded ink jet printing to fabricate transparent ceramic Yb:YAG planar waveguides for laser gain media was demonstrated. Rheological optimization of YAG particle-loaded inks resulted in successful droplet formation and printing resolution. Planar waveguides composed of a Yb:YAG guide encased in undoped YAG cladding were printed with guide thicknesses ranging between 25 and 350 µm and consolidated to high optical quality via solid-state sintering. Sufficiently low optical (1–3%/cm) and intermodal scatter allowed single-mode propagation with a core/clad index difference of

Δ

n

∼

5.0

×

10

−
4

(corresponding to 3 at.% Yb). The waveguides were cladding-pumped longitudinally with a 940 nm diode array resulting in 23.6% slope efficiency in 2 ms pulsed operation.
LED-pumped femtosecond Cr:LiSAF regenerative amplifier system
Authors: Taleb Hussein , Pichon Pierre , Druon Frédéric , Balembois François , Georges Patrick
Published: April 2021

We report on the first, to the best of our knowledge, LED-pumped femtosecond regenerative amplifier. It is based on a Cr:LiSAF crystal pumped by 2240 blue LEDs via a Ce:YAG luminescent concentrator. The amplifier was seeded by pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator at 835 nm temporally stretched from 90 fs to 100 ps. At the output of the regenerative amplifier, we obtain 1 mJ pulse energy at a 10 Hz repetition rate, given by the frequency of the LED-pumping module. After compression, we obtain 100 fs pulses with a spectral bandwidth of 10 nm at 835 nm.
A functional bacteria-derived restriction modification system in the mitochondrion of a heterotrophic protist
Authors: Milner David S. , Wideman Jeremy G. , Stairs Courtney W. , Dunn Cory D. , Richards Thomas A.
Published: April 2021

The overarching trend in mitochondrial genome evolution is functional streamlining coupled with gene loss. Therefore, gene acquisition by mitochondria is considered to be exceedingly rare. Selfish elements in the form of self-splicing introns occur in many organellar genomes, but the wider diversity of selfish elements, and how they persist in the DNA of organelles, has not been explored. In the mitochondrial genome of a marine heterotrophic katablepharid protist, we identify a functional type II restriction modification (RM) system originating from a horizontal gene transfer (HGT) event involving bacteria related to flavobacteria. This RM system consists of an HpaII-like endonuclease and a cognate cytosine methyltransferase (CM). We demonstrate that these proteins are functional by heterologous expression in both bacterial and eukaryotic cells. These results suggest that a mitochondrion-encoded RM system can function as a toxin–antitoxin selfish element, and that such elements could be co-opted by eukaryotic genomes to drive biased organellar inheritance.
Receptor-mediated yolk uptake is required for oskar mRNA localization and cortical anchorage of germ plasm components in the Drosophila oocyte
Authors: Tanaka Tsubasa , Tani Naoki , Nakamura Akira
Published: April 2021

TheDrosophilagerm plasm is responsible for germ cell formation. Its assembly begins with localization ofoskarmRNA to the posterior pole of the oocyte. Theoskartranslation produces 2 isoforms with distinct functions: short Oskar recruits germ plasm components, whereas long Oskar remodels actin to anchor the components to the cortex. The mechanism by which long Oskar anchors them remains elusive. Here, we report that Yolkless, which facilitates uptake of nutrient yolk proteins into the oocyte, is a key cofactor for long Oskar. Loss of Yolkless or depletion of yolk proteins disrupts the microtubule alignment andoskarmRNA localization at the posterior pole of the oocyte, whereas microtubule-dependent localization ofbicoidmRNA to the anterior andgurkenmRNA to the anterior-dorsal corner remains intact. Furthermore, these mutant oocytes do not properly respond to long Oskar, causing defects in the actin remodeling and germ plasm anchoring. Thus, the yolk uptake is not merely the process for nutrient incorporation, but also crucial foroskarmRNA localization and cortical anchorage of germ plasm components in the oocyte.
DAF-16/FoxO and DAF-12/VDR control cellular plasticity both cell-autonomously and via interorgan signaling
Authors: Aghayeva Ulkar , Bhattacharya Abhishek , Sural Surojit , Jaeger Eliza , Churgin Matthew , Fang-Yen Christopher , Hobert Oliver
Published: April 2021

Many cell types display the remarkable ability to alter their cellular phenotype in response to specific external or internal signals. Such phenotypic plasticity is apparent in the nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganswhen adverse environmental conditions trigger entry into the dauer diapause stage. This entry is accompanied by structural, molecular, and functional remodeling of a number of distinct tissue types of the animal, including its nervous system. The transcription factor (TF) effectors of 3 different hormonal signaling systems, the insulin-responsive DAF-16/FoxO TF, the TGFβ-responsive DAF-3/SMAD TF, and the steroid nuclear hormone receptor, DAF-12/VDR, a homolog of the vitamin D receptor (VDR), were previously shown to be required for entering the dauer arrest stage, but their cellular and temporal focus of action for the underlying cellular remodeling processes remained incompletely understood. Through the generation of conditional alleles that allowed us to spatially and temporally control gene activity, we show here that all 3 TFs are not only required to initiate tissue remodeling upon entry into the dauer stage, as shown before, but are also continuously required to maintain the remodeled state. We show that DAF-3/SMAD is required in sensory neurons to promote and then maintain animal-wide tissue remodeling events. In contrast, DAF-16/FoxO or DAF-12/VDR act cell-autonomously to control anatomical, molecular, and behavioral remodeling events in specific cell types. Intriguingly, we also uncover non-cell autonomous function of DAF-16/FoxO and DAF-12/VDR in nervous system remodeling, indicating the presence of several insulin-dependent interorgan signaling axes. Our findings provide novel perspectives into how hormonal systems control tissue remodeling.
Two-dimensional video-based analysis of human gait using pose estimation
Authors: Stenum Jan , Rossi Cristina , Roemmich Ryan T.
Published: April 2021

Human gait analysis is often conducted in clinical and basic research, but many common approaches (e.g., three-dimensional motion capture, wearables) are expensive, immobile, data-limited, and require expertise. Recent advances in video-based pose estimation suggest potential for gait analysis using two-dimensional video collected from readily accessible devices (e.g., smartphones). To date, several studies have extracted features of human gait using markerless pose estimation. However, we currently lack evaluation of video-based approaches using a dataset of human gait for a wide range of gait parameters on a stride-by-stride basis and a workflow for performing gait analysis from video. Here, we compared spatiotemporal and sagittal kinematic gait parameters measured with OpenPose (open-source video-based human pose estimation) against simultaneously recorded three-dimensional motion capture from overground walking of healthy adults. When assessing all individual steps in the walking bouts, we observed mean absolute errors between motion capture and OpenPose of 0.02 s for temporal gait parameters (i.e., step time, stance time, swing time and double support time) and 0.049 m for step lengths. Accuracy improved when spatiotemporal gait parameters were calculated as individual participant mean values: mean absolute error was 0.01 s for temporal gait parameters and 0.018 m for step lengths. The greatest difference in gait speed between motion capture and OpenPose was less than 0.10 m s−1. Mean absolute error of sagittal plane hip, knee and ankle angles between motion capture and OpenPose were 4.0°, 5.6° and 7.4°. Our analysis workflow is freely available, involves minimal user input, and does not require prior gait analysis expertise. Finally, we offer suggestions and considerations for future applications of pose estimation for human gait analysis.
Angiotensin II receptor blocker or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use and COVID-19-related outcomes among US Veterans
Authors: Derington Catherine G. , Cohen Jordana B. , Mohanty April F. , Greene Tom H. , Cook James , Ying Jian , Wei Guo , Herrick Jennifer S. , Stevens Vanessa W. , Jones Barbara E. , Wang Libo , Zheutlin Alexander R. , South Andrew M. , Hanff Thomas C. , Smith Steven M. , Cooper-DeHoff Rhonda M. , King Jordan B. , Alexander G. Caleb , Berlowitz Dan R. , Ahmad Faraz S. , Penrod M. Jason , Hess Rachel , Conroy Molly B. , Fang James C. , Rubin Michael A. , Beddhu Srinivasan , Cheung Alfred K. , Xian Weiming , Weintraub William S. , Bress Adam P.
Published: April 2021

Background

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) may positively or negatively impact outcomes in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We investigated the association of ARB or ACEI use with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related outcomes in US Veterans with treated hypertension using an active comparator design, appropriate covariate adjustment, and negative control analyses.

Methods and findings

In this retrospective cohort study of Veterans with treated hypertension in the Veterans Health Administration (01/19/2020-08/28/2020), we compared users of (A) ARB/ACEI vs. non-ARB/ACEI (excluding Veterans with compelling indications to reduce confounding by indication) and (B) ARB vs. ACEI among (1) SARS-CoV-2+ outpatients and (2) COVID-19 hospitalized inpatients. The primary outcome was all-cause hospitalization or mortality (outpatients) and all-cause mortality (inpatients). We estimated hazard ratios (HR) using propensity score-weighted Cox regression. Baseline characteristics were well-balanced between exposure groups after weighting. Among outpatients, there were 5.0 and 6.0 primary outcomes per 100 person-months for ARB/ACEI (n = 2,482) vs. non-ARB/ACEI (n = 2,487) users (HR 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73–0.99, median follow-up 87 days). Among outpatients who were ARB (n = 4,877) vs. ACEI (n = 8,704) users, there were 13.2 and 14.8 primary outcomes per 100 person-months (HR 0.91, 95%CI 0.86–0.97, median follow-up 85 days). Among inpatients who were ARB/ACEI (n = 210) vs. non-ARB/ACEI (n = 275) users, there were 3.4 and 2.0 all-cause deaths per 100 person months (HR 1.25, 95%CI 0.30–5.13, median follow-up 30 days). Among inpatients, ARB (n = 1,164) and ACEI (n = 2,014) users had 21.0 vs. 17.7 all-cause deaths, per 100 person-months (HR 1.13, 95%CI 0.93–1.38, median follow-up 30 days).

Conclusions

This observational analysis supports continued ARB or ACEI use for patients already using these medications before SARS-CoV-2 infection. The novel beneficial association observed among outpatients between users of ARBs vs. ACEIs on hospitalization or mortality should be confirmed with randomized trials.
Humeral elevation workspace during daily life of adults with spinal cord injury who use a manual wheelchair compared to age and sex matched able-bodied controls
Authors: Goodwin Brianna M. , Cain Stephen M. , Van Straaten Meegan G. , Fortune Emma , Jahanian Omid , Morrow Melissa M. B.
Published: April 2021

Shoulder pain and pathology are extremely common for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) who use manual wheelchairs (MWC). Although risky humeral kinematics have been measured during wheelchair-based activities performed in the lab, little is known about arm kinematics in the free-living environment. The purpose of this study was to measure the humeral elevation workspace throughout a typical day for individuals with SCI who use a MWC and matched able-bodied controls. Thirty-four individuals with SCI who use a MWC (42.7±12.7 years of age, 28 males/6 females, C6-L1) and 34 age-and sex-matched controls were enrolled. Participants wore three inertial measurement units (IMU) on their upper arms and torso for one to two days. Humeral elevation angles were estimated and the percentage of time individuals spent in five elevation bins (0–30°, 30–60°, 60–90°, 90–120°, and 120–180°) were calculated. For both arms, the SCI cohort spent a significantly lower percentage of the day in 0–30° of humeral elevation (Dominant: SCI = 15.7±12.6%, Control = 32.1±15.6%, p<0.0001; Non-Dominant: SCI = 21.9±17.8%, Control = 34.3±15.5%, p = 0.001) and a significantly higher percentage of time in elevations associated with tendon compression (30–60° of humeral elevation, Dominant: SCI = 62.8±14.4%, Control = 49.9.1±13.0%, p<0.0001; Non-Dominant: SCI = 58.8±14.9%, Control = 48.3±13.6%, p = 0.003) than controls. The increased percentage of time individuals with SCI spent in elevations associated with tendon compression may contribute to increased shoulder pathology. Characterizing the humeral elevation workspace utilized throughout a typical day may help in understanding the increased prevalence of shoulder pain and pathology in individuals with SCI who use MWCs.
Non-small cell lung cancer microbiota characterization: Prevalence of enteric and potentially pathogenic bacteria in cancer tissues
Authors: Dumont-Leblond Nathan , Veillette Marc , Racine Christine , Joubert Philippe , Duchaine Caroline
Published: April 2021

Following recent findings linking the human gut microbiota to gastrointestinal cancer and its treatment, the plausible relationship between lung microbiota and pulmonary cancer is explored. This study aims at characterizing the intratumoral and adjacent healthy tissue microbiota by applying a 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing protocol to tissue samples of 29 non-small cancer patients. Emphasis was put on contaminant management and a comprehensive comparison of bacterial composition between cancerous and healthy adjacent tissues of lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma is provided. A variable degree of similarity between the two tissues of a same patient was observed. Each patient seems to possess its own bacterial signature. The two types of cancer tissue do not have a distinct bacterial profile that is shared by every patient. In addition, enteric, potentially pathogenic and pro-inflammatory bacteria were more frequently found in cancer than healthy tissue. This work brings insights into the dynamic of bacterial communities in lung cancer and provides prospective data for more targeted studies.
Six-month follow-up of minimally invasive nerve-sparing complete excision of endometriosis: What about dyspareunia?
Authors: Crispi Claudio Peixoto , Crispi Claudio Peixoto , de Oliveira Bruna Rafaela Santos , de Nadai Filho Nilton , Peixoto-Filho Fernando Maia , Fonseca Marlon de Freitas
Published: April 2021

Study objective

To assess individual changes of deep dyspareunia (DDyspareunia) six months after laparoscopic nerve-sparing complete excision of endometriosis, with or without robotic assistance.

Methods

This preplanned interdisciplinary observational study with a retrospective analysis of intervention enrolled 126 consecutive women who underwent surgery between January 2018 and September 2019 at a private specialized center. Demographics, medical history and surgery details were recorded systematically. DDyspareunia (primary outcome), dysmenorrhea and acyclic pelvic pain were assessed on self-reported 11-point numeric rating scales both preoperatively and at six-month follow-up. Cases with poor prognosis in relation to dyspareunia were described individually in greater detail.

Results

Preoperative DDyspareunia showed weak correlation with dysmenorrhea (rho = .240; P = .014) and pelvic pain (rho = .260; P = .004). Although DDyspareunia improved significantly (P < .001) by 3 points or more in 75.8% (95%CI: 64.7–86.2) and disappeared totally in 59.7% of cases (95%CI:47.8–71.6), individual analysis identified different patterns of response. The probability of a preoperative moderate/severe DDyspareunia worsening more than 2 points was 4.8% (95%CI: 0.0–10.7) and the probability of a woman with no DDyspareunia developing “de novo” moderate or severe DDyspareunia was 7.7% (95%CI: 1.8–15.8) and 5.8% (95%CI: 0.0–13.0), respectively. In a qualitative analysis, several conditions were hypothesized to impact the post-operative DDyspareunia response; these included adenomyosis, mental health disorders, lack of hormone therapy after surgery, colporrhaphy, nodule excision in ENZIAN B compartment (uterosacral ligament/parametrium), the rectovaginal septum or the retrocervical region.

Conclusion

Endometriosis surgery provides significant improvement in DDyspareunia. However, patients should be alerted about the possibility of unsatisfactory results.
Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor is secreted from interferon-γ–activated tumor cells through ER calcium depletion
Authors: Peled Michael , Bar-Lev Tali H. , Talalai Efrosiniia , Aspitz Haggar Zoë , Daniel-Meshulam Inbal , Bar Jair , Kamer Iris , Ofek Efrat , Mor Adam , Onn Amir
Published: April 2021

The most successful immunotherapeutic agents are blocking antibodies to either programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), an inhibitory receptor expressed on T lymphocytes, or to its ligand, programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Nevertheless, many patients do not respond, and additional approaches, specifically blocking other inhibitory receptors on T cells, are being explored. Importantly, the source of the ligands for these receptors are often the tumor cells. Indeed, cancer cells express high levels of PD-L1 upon stimulation with interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a major cytokine in the tumor microenvironment. The increase in PD-L1 expression serves as a negative feedback towards the immune system, and allows the tumor to evade the attack of immune cells. A potential novel immunoregulator is mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein that is secreted from pancreatic beta cells upon cytokines activation, and can induce an alternatively activated macrophage phenotype (M2), and thus may support tumor growth. While MANF was shown to be secreted from pancreatic beta cells, its IFN-γ-induced secretion from tumor cells has never been assessed. Here we found that IFN-γ induced MANF secretion from diverse tumor cell-lines—melanoma cells, colon carcinoma cells and hepatoma cells. Mechanistically, there was no increase in MANF RNA or intracellular protein levels upon IFN-γ stimulation. However, IFN-γ induced ER calcium depletion, which was necessary for MANF secretion, as Dantrolene, an inhibitor of ER calcium release, prevented its secretion. Thus, MANF is secreted from IFN-γ-stimulated tumor cells, and further studies are required to assess its potential as a drug target for cancer immunotherapy.
Diversity and seasonality of host-seeking ticks in a periurban environment in the Central Midwest (USA)
Authors: Hroobi Ali , Boorgula Gunavanthi D. , Gordon David , Bai Jianfa , Goodin Doug , Anderson Gary , Wilson Savannah , Staggs Alex , Raghavan Ram K.
Published: April 2021

Between March 2014 and February 2017, host-seeking ticks were collected during the late spring and summer months seasonally, and as well as continually through all seasons from several sites in a periurban environment in Pittsburg, Kansas, located in the Central Midwestern United States. All three post-emergent life-stages of Amblyomma americanum, and the adults of three other ticks viz. Dermacentor variabilis, A. maculatum, and Ixodes scapularis were collected using the flagging method, and were taxonomically identified using morphological and molecular methods. A total of 15946 ticks were collected from these sites. A vast majority of the ticks collected over the three-year study period was A. americanum (79.01%). The three other species collected included D. variabilis (13.10%), A. maculatum (7.15%), and Ixodes scapularis (0.73%). More female ticks of each species were collected throughout the study period from all sites, and a unimodal activity period was noted for all four species. The diversity, composition, and phenology of these medically significant tick species are discussed.
Priming of myelin-specific T cells in the absence of dendritic cells results in accelerated development of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Authors: Luu Thaiphi , Cheung Julie F. , Baccon Jennifer , Waldner Hanspeter
Published: April 2021

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an established animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Inflammatory CD4+T cell responses directed against CNS antigens, including myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), are key mediators of EAE. Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical for the induction of T cell responses against infectious agents. However, the importance of DCs in priming self-reactive CD4+T cells in autoimmune disease such as MS has been unclear. To determine the requirement of DCs in PLP-specific CD4+T cell responses and EAE, we genetically deleted CD11c+DCs in PLP T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic SJL mice constitutively. DC deficiency did not impair the development, selection or the pathogenic function of PLP-specific CD4+T cells in these mice, and resulted in accelerated spontaneous EAE compared to DC sufficient controls. In addition, using a genetic approach to ablate DCs conditionally in SJL mice, we show that CD11c+DCs were dispensable for presenting exogenous or endogenous myelin antigen to PLP-specific T cells and for promoting pro-inflammatory T cell responses and severe EAE. Our findings demonstrate that constitutive or conditional ablation of CD11c+DCs diminished self-tolerance to PLP autoantigen. They further show that in the absence of DCs, non-DCs can efficiently present CNS myelin antigens such as PLP to self-reactive T cells, resulting in accelerated onset of spontaneous or induced EAE.
Assessing anaesthesiology and intensive care specialty physicians: An Italian language multisource feedback system
Authors: Carenzo Luca , Cena Tiziana , Carfagna Fabio , Rondi Valentina , Ingrassia Pier Luigi , Cecconi Maurizio , Violato Claudio , Della Corte Francesco , Vaschetto Rosanna
Published: April 2021

Background

Physician professionalism, including anaesthesiologists and intensive care doctors, should be continuously assessed during training and subsequent clinical practice. Multi-source feedback (MSF) is an assessment system in which healthcare professionals are assessed on several constructs (e.g., communication, professionalism, etc.) by multiple people (medical colleagues, coworkers, patients, self) in their sphere of influence. MSF has gained widespread acceptance for both formative and summative assessment of professionalism for reflecting on how to improve clinical practice.

Methods

Instrument development and psychometric analysis (feasibility, reliability, construct validity via exploratory factor analysis) for MSF questionnaires in a postgraduate specialty training in Anaesthesiology and intensive care in Italy. Sixty-four residents at the Università del Piemonte Orientale (Italy) Anesthesiology Residency Program. Main outcomes assessed were: development and psychometric testing of 4 questionnaires: self, medical colleague, coworker and patient assessment.

Results

Overall 605 medical colleague questionnaires (mean of 9.3 ±1.9) and 543 coworker surveys (mean 8.4 ±1.4) were collected providing high mean ratings for all items (> 4.0 /5.0). The self-assessment item mean score ranged from 3.1 to 4.3. Patient questionnaires (n = 308) were returned from 31 residents (40%; mean 9.9 ± 6.2). Three items had high percentages of “unable to assess” (> 15%) in coworker questionnaires. Factor analyses resulted in a two-factor solution: clinical management with leadership and accountability accounting for at least 75% of the total variance for the medical colleague and coworker’s survey with high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α > 0.9). Patient’s questionnaires had a low return rate, a limited exploratory analysis was performed.

Conclusions

We provide a feasible and reliable Italian language MSF instrument with evidence of construct validity for the self, coworkers and medical colleague. Patient feedback was difficult to collect in our setting.
Adenine-induced chronic kidney disease induces a similar skeletal phenotype in male and female C57BL/6 mice with more severe deficits in cortical bone properties of male mice
Authors: Metzger Corinne E. , Swallow Elizabeth A. , Stacy Alexander J. , Allen Matthew R.
Published: April 2021

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) causes bone loss, particularly in cortical bone, through formation of cortical pores which lead to skeletal fragility. Animal models of CKD have shown variability in the skeletal response to CKD between males and females suggesting sex may play a role in this variation. Our aim was to compare the impact of adenine-induced CKD on cortical parameters in skeletally mature male and female C57Bl/6 mice. After 10-weeks of adenine-induced CKD, both male and female adenine mice had high serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), high bone turnover, and cortical porosity compared to non-CKD controls. Both sexes had lower cortical thickness, but only male mice had lower cortical bone area. CKD imparted greater deficits in mechanical properties of male mice compared to female mice. These data demonstrate that both male and female mice develop high PTH/high bone turnover in response to adenine-induced CKD and that cortical bone phenotypes are slightly more severe in males, particularly in mechanical properties deficits.
Questionnaires and salivary cortisol to measure stress and depression in mid-pregnancy
Authors: Vlenterie Richelle , Geuijen Pauline M. , van Gelder Marleen M. H. J. , Roeleveld Nel
Published: April 2021

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with cortisol as its final metabolite, has been proposed as a potential underlying biological mechanism for associations between depression and stress symptoms during pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes. In this study, we explored associations between salivary cortisol as a potential biomarker for stress and depressive symptoms and several self-completed psychological measurement scales among pregnant women. In total, 652 pregnant women participating in the PRegnancy and Infant DEvelopment (PRIDE) Study completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale (EDS), Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised (PRAQ-R), and Tilburg Pregnancy Distress Scale (TPDS) and collected a single awakening salivary cortisol sample around gestational week 17. Odds ratios, Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ρs) and Cohen’s Kappa coefficients (κ) were calculated to examine the associations between the EDS, PHQ-2, PRAQ-R, TPDS, and maternal cortisol levels. The overall correlation coefficient between the score on the EDS and the salivary cortisol level was 0.01 (p = 0.89) with κ = -0.01 (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.08–0.06). We did not observe agreement between the PHQ-2 and cortisol levels either (κ = 0.06 (95% CI -0.02–0.14)). The results for the PRAQ-R and TPDS were similar with overall correlations with maternal cortisol levels of ρs= 0.01 (p = 0.81) and ρs= 0.06 (p = 0.35) and agreements of κ = 0.02 (95% CI -0.06–0.09) and κ = -0.02 (95% CI -0.11–0.07), respectively. Maternal awakening salivary cortisol levels and measures of maternal psychological distress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and pregnancy-related anxiety, assessed by self-completed questionnaires, did not seem to be related in mid-pregnancy.
A rapid multiplex PCR assay for species identification of Asian rice planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) and its application to early-instar nymphs in paddy fields
Authors: Yashiro Toshihisa , Sanada-Morimura Sachiyo
Published: April 2021

Rice (Oryza sativaL.) is the main cereal crop in many Asian countries. The Asian rice planthoppers,Nilaparvata lugens(Stål) (brown planthopper),Sogatella furcifera(Horváth) (white-backed planthopper), andLaodelphax striatellus(Fallén) (small brown planthopper) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), are the most economically important pests of rice. These three rice planthopper species often co-occur in the same paddy field. Traditionally, species identification of individuals of the three rice planthopper species has relied on morphological characters, but accurate discrimination of early-instar nymphs is very difficult, even for expert researchers. In this study, we developed a rapid one-step multiplex PCR assay using conserved and species-specific5.8S-ITS2rDNA gene primers for simultaneous identification of individuals of the three rice planthopper species. The multiplex PCR results showed that the three rice planthopper species could be identified accurately based on the length of the resultant amplicon, regardless of the individual developmental stage. Furthermore, we applied this assay for the first accurate quantification of early-instar nymphs of each rice planthopper species in paddy fields. Notably, we found that the species composition of early-instar nymphs cannot be extrapolated from that of adults. Thus, the multiplex PCR assay developed here facilitates detection of each rice planthopper species at the beginning of outbreaks in paddy fields.
Technical inefficiency of Dutch vegetable farms: Specific-input analyses
Authors: Ahovi Emmanuel , Schneider Kevin , Oude Lansink Alfons
Published: April 2021

Differences in technical efficiency across farms are one of the major factors explaining differences in farm survival and growth and changes in farm industry structure. This study employs Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to compute technical inefficiency scores for output, energy, materials, pesticides and fertiliser of a sample of Dutch indoor vegetable farms within the period 2006–2016. A bootstrap truncated regression model is used to determine statistical associations between producer-specific characteristics and technical inefficiency scores for the specified inputs. For the sample of indoor growers, the average technical inefficiency was about 14% for energy, 23% for materials, 24% for pesticides and 22% for fertilisers. The bootstrap truncated regression suggested that the degree of specialisation exerts adverse effects on the technical inefficiency of variable inputs. While age, short-term, long-term debt and subsidy were statistically significant, the coefficients were not economically significant. Building the capacity of farmers to reduce input inefficiency will enable farmers to be competitive and reduce the adverse effects of input overuse on the environment.
Personal attitude or experience? Which factors influence residents’ acceptance of mixed-income communities?
Authors: Luu Duc Trung , Vo Dao Chi , Kim Jeongseob
Published: April 2021

Although many researchers and policy makers have argued that social mixing could contribute to sustainable communities, most people still prefer to live in a homogeneous rather than a diverse community. Considering the large gap between the political need for social mixing and people’s preference, it is essential to understand residents’ perceptions and preferences regarding socially-mixed neighborhoods in order to promote sustainable community development. This study explorers residents’ willingness to accept living in mixed-income communities in Korea, with attention to various levels of income mix. This study conducted an online survey of 2,000 respondents living in seven metropolitan cities in Korea, including Seoul. The study aimed to investigate residents’ comfortability and willingness to move into different mixed-income communities. The results showed that residents with higher openness to diversity are more likely to accept mixed-income communities, but frequent interaction with low-income people reduces higher-income people’s willingness to accept mixed-income communities. As both personal attitudes and experience are important determinants of individuals’ social mix preference, a more systematic community development strategy is required to achieve successful social mixing.