bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Creation of a severity index for hidradenitis suppurativa that includes a validated quality‐of‐life measure: the HIDRAscore
Authors: Marzano A.V. , Chiricozzi A. , Giovanardi G. , Argenziano G. , Bettoli V. , Bianchi L. , Dapavo P. , Dini V. , Fabbrocini G. , Micali G. , Offidani A.M. , Potenza C. , Prignano F. , Gualberti G. , Saragaglia V. , Rongioletti F.
Published: March 2020

Background

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, debilitating disease with a considerable effect on patient quality of life. Its clinical severity can be measured using different scoring systems; however, few of them include patient‐centred parameters.

Objective

To create a new scoring system for HS that includes a quality‐of‐life instrument, the HIDRAdisk.

Methods

This post hoc analysis was carried out within the framework of a multicentre, longitudinal, epidemiologic study conducted over 9 months on quality‐of‐life aspects of HS. The new severity score was created using as reference a question from the Subject Satisfaction Questionnaire (SSQ) concerning the severity of HS as evaluated by the patient. Associated variables were selected using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. The discriminant capabilities of the final model and of the final score were evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and the Hosmer–Lemeshow test.

Results

The study population included 308 patients with HS of any severity grade. According to the results of the regression models, the variables associated with the reference SSQ measure were number of inflammatory nodules, abscesses and draining fistulas; the HIDRAdisk score; and the number of subumbilical lesions. The HIDRAscore is obtained by the sum of the scores associated with the number of these parameters. Possible scores range from 0 to 10.

Conclusion

The HIDRAscore is a new scoring system for HS severity which, in addition to the clinical evaluation by the physician, includes a validated patient‐reported outcome measure, the HIDRAdisk.
Holocephalan (Chondrichthyes) dental plates with hypermineralized dentine as a substitute for missing teeth through developmental plasticity
Authors: Smith Moya , Manzanares Esther , Underwood Charlie , Healy Chris , Clark Brett , Johanson Zerina
Published: March 2020

All extant holocephalans (Chimaeroidei) have lost the ability to make individual teeth, as tooth germs are not part of the embryonic development of the dental plates or of their continuous growth. Instead, a hypermineralized dentine with a unique mineral, whitlockin, is specifically distributed within a dentine framework into structures that give the dental plates their distinctive, species‐specific morphology. Control of the regulation of this distribution must be cellular, with a dental epithelium initiating the first outer dentine, and via contact with ectomesenchymal tissue as the only embryonic cell type that can make dentine. Chimaeroids have three pairs of dental plates within their mouth, two in the upper jaw and one in the lower. In the genera Chimaera, Hydrolagus and Harriotta, the morphology and distribution of this whitlockin within each dental plate differs both between different plates in the same species and between species. Whitlockin structures include ovoids, rods and tritoral pads, with substantial developmental changes between these. For example, rods appear before the ovoids and result from a change in the surrounding trabecular dentine. In Harriotta, ovoids form separately from the tritoral pads, but also contribute to tritor development, while in Chimaera and Hydrolagus, tritoral pads develop from rods that later are perforated to accommodate the vasculature. Nevertheless, the position of these structures, secreted by the specialized odontoblasts (whitloblasts), appears highly regulated in all three species. These distinct morphologies are established at the aboral margin of the dental plate, with proposed involvement of the outer dentine. We observe that this outer layer forms into serially added lingual ridges, occurring on the anterior plate only. We propose that positional, structural specificity must be contained within the ectomesenchymal populations, as stem cells below the dental epithelium, and a coincidental occurrence of each lingual, serial ridge with the whitlockin structures that contribute to the wear‐resistant oral surface.
AQP9 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma cell invasion through inhibition of hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α expression under hypoxia
Authors: Qian Yanzhi , Liu Fengchao , Zhang Wenguang , Zheng Xi , Liao Shengtao , Lv Lin , Mei Zhechuan
Published: March 2020

Background and Aim

Intratumor hypoxia is a hallmark of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is associated with an aggressive tumor phenotype. Although it has been shown that AQP9 plays an important role in HCC, the relevance between hypoxia and AQP9 is still unknown.

Methods

We established in vitro normoxic or hypoxic models to investigate the role of AQP9 in the regulation of hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) and hypoxia‐enhanced invasion of hepatoma cells. Molecular expression was detected using western blot or quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell invasion ability was determined using Transwell invasion assay. In vivo xenograft experiment was used to detect the role of AQP9 on tumor growth.

Results

Our present study revealed a decrease in the expression levels of AQP9 in hypoxic microenvironments. Overexpression of AQP9 led to a decreased expression of HIF‐1α; conversely, suppression of AQP9 in HCC cells had an opposite effect. Furthermore, up‐regulated AQP9 blocked the hypoxic‐enhanced invasion of HCC cells. The overexpression of AQP9 inhibited the growth of tumors and HIF‐1α expression in vivo.

Conclusions

These data suggest that AQP9 acts as a tumor suppressor in HCC invasion via the regulation of HIF‐1α expression in the tumor hypoxic microenvironment.
Increasing Complexity of New Nursing Home Residents in Ontario, Canada: A Serial Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Ng Ryan , Lane Natasha , Tanuseputro Peter , Mojaverian Nassim , Talarico Robert , Wodchis Walter P. , Bronskill Susan E. , Hsu Amy T.
Published: March 2020

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the study was to investigate annual changes in the sociodemographic characteristics, morbidity, and functional status of new nursing home residents in Ontario, Canada, between 2000 and 2015. A secondary objective was to develop and assess the quality of an algorithm for ascertaining admissions into publicly funded nursing homes in Ontario using a combination of health administrative data sources that indirectly identifies the residential status of new nursing home residents.

DESIGN

Population‐based serial cross‐sectional study with an accompanying quality assessment study of algorithms.

SETTING

Publicly funded nursing care homes in Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

The reference standard for the assessment of algorithm performance was 21 544 newly admitted nursing home residents identified from the Resident Assessment Instrument‐Minimum Data Set in 2012. The selected algorithm was then used to identify serial cross‐sectional cohorts of newly admitted residents between 2000 and 2015 that ranged in size between 14 651 and 23 630 residents.

MEASUREMENTS

Sociodemographic characteristics, morbidity, and functional status of new residents were determined upon admission to examine patterns in the cohorts’ profiles.

RESULTS

The proportion of residents aged 85 years and older increased from 45.1% to 53.8% over 16 years. The proportions of individuals with seven or more chronic conditions (from 14.1% to 22.1%) and with nine or more prescription medications (from 44.9% to 64.2%) have also increased in parallel over time. Hypertension, osteoarthritis, and dementia were the most prevalent conditions captured, with the proportion of incoming residents with dementia increasing from 42.3% to 54.1% between 2000 and 2015. Newly admitted residents were more likely to have extensive physical and cognitive impairments upon admission.

CONCLUSION

Admission trends show that new residents were older and had greater multimorbidity and limitations in physical functioning over time. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1293–1300, 2020.
Effect of reference region size on strain measurements using geometrical phase analysis
Authors: WANG Y. , GE X. , ZHANG W.
Published: March 2020

Geometrical phase analysis (GPA) is typically a powerful tool to investigate the deformation in high resolution transmission electron microscopy images and has been used in various fields. During GPA, strain components are calculated relative to an undistorted reference region. In the present work, the effect of reference region size on strain measurements has been investigated. Experimental measurements on a locally distorted gold nanoparticle exhibited that a small reference region below the GPA spatial resolution can introduce an inaccuracy in the measured displacement field, which appears as a significant increase in measured strains and severe fluctuation in phase images. The inaccuracy may be ascribed to an error of insufficient sampling. Our results suggest that a small reference region below the GPA spatial resolution should be avoided during GPA. This prerequisite should be paid more attention to during strain measurement on nanoparticles.
Labour, nature, and exploitation: Social metabolism and inequality in a farming community in mid‐19th century Catalonia
Authors: Marco Inés , Padró Roc , Tello Enric
Published: March 2020

Exploiting the labour of other people has historically been one of the main strategies to tackle the biophysical tension that always exists between the satisfaction of human needs and the labour required to fulfil them. Based on the insights of ecological, feminist, and Marxist economics, we disentangle the exploitation of the labour of women and labouring poor through a novel methodology that integrates energy, material, time, and cash balances. We apply it to the sociometabolic flows between household units endowed with different land and livestock resources in a traditional rural community in Catalonia (Spain) in the mid‐19th century. The results show that land and livestock hoarding led to a process of accumulation through dispossession that increased the exploitative relationships through the labour market, which in turn relied on the patriarchal division of labour between men and women at home. Our estimates of energy labour surplus reveal that male wages represented 88% of the equivalent consumption basket that would have been obtained by carrying out the same amount of labour on land of one's own. However, in the case of female wages, the percentage was 54%. This shows that wage labour incorporated a significant amount of unpaid domestic family labour.
Lipidomics analysis of facial skin surface lipids between forehead and cheek: Association between lipidome, TEWL, and pH
Authors: Zhou Mingyue , Gan Yao , Yang Manli , He Congfen , Jia Yan
Published: March 2020

Background

Regional differences in skin characteristics are well known. Significant differences in skin physiology between the forehead and cheek have also been reported. However, there are few studies based on lipidomics at the molecular level. Additionally, there is no study focusing on the lipid profile variations of skin surface lipid (SSL) in forehead and cheek.

Purpose

This study analyzed the differences in facial SSL between forehead and cheek of men aged 18‐25 years to explain the distinct physiological parameters between forehead and cheek resulting in different skin status.

Methods

Facial SSL was identified by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole time of flight‐mass spectrometry (UPLC‐QTOF‐MS). Multivariate data analysis was used to investigate the SSL difference in forehead and cheek.

Results

Significant differences in facial SSL composition were detected between the forehead and cheek. Multivariate data analysis suggested that 21 entities contributed most significantly toward the discrimination and phosphatidylserines (PS) constituted the majority of differentiating lipid species. Subsequent analysis showed a marked increase in the amounts of unsaturated and saturated free fatty acids (FFAs), and a significant increase in average FFAs chain length in the forehead as compared to that in the cheek.

Conclusions

Phosphatidylserines exposure might be one of the most important reasons for the increased amount of forehead SSL secretion. The different FFAs chain length and FFAs content lead to altered skin barrier functions in forehead and cheek, consequently resulting in altered trans‐epidermal water loss (TEWL) and pH at the two anatomical sites.
Practising the ethics we teach in international medical education
Authors: Kaldjian Lauris C.
Published: March 2020

Let's practice what we preach. Commenting on "Being international is always a good thing," the authors call for policies and practices that might help faculty manifest the ethical principles and virtues they expect from their students.
Awareness of implicit bias mitigates discrimination in radiology resident selection
Authors: Maxfield Charles M. , Thorpe Matthew P. , Desser Terry S. , Heitkamp Darel , Hull Nathan C. , Johnson Karen S. , Koontz Nicholas A. , Mlady Gary W. , Welch Timothy J. , Grimm Lars J.
Published: March 2020

Objectives

Implicit bias is common and is thought to drive discriminatory behaviour. Having previously demonstrated discrimination against specific applicant demographics by academic radiology departments in a simulated resident selection process, the authors sought to better understand the relationship between implicit bias and discrimination, as well as the potential and mechanisms for their mitigation.

Methods

A total of 51 faculty reviewers at three academic radiology departments, who had participated in a 2017 audit study in which they were shown to treat applicants differently based on race or ethnicity and physical appearance, were invited to complete testing for implicit racial and weight bias using the Implicit Association Test in 2019. Respondents were also surveyed regarding awareness of their own personal racial and weight biases, as well as any prior participation in formal diversity training. Comparisons were made between implicit bias scores and applicant ratings, as well as between diversity training and self‐awareness of bias.

Results

A total of 31 out of 51 faculty reviewers (61%) completed and submitted results of race and weight Implicit Association Tests. A total of 74% (23/31) reported implicit anti‐obese bias, concordant with discrimination demonstrated in the resident selection simulation, in which obese applicants were rated 0.40 standard deviations (SDs) lower than non‐obese applicants (P < .001). A total of 71% (22/31) reported implicit anti‐Black bias, discordant with application ratings, which were 0.47 SDs higher for Black than for White applicants (P < .001). A total of 84% (26/31) of participants reported feeling self‐aware of potential racial bias at the time of application review, significantly higher than the 23% (7/31) reporting self‐awareness of potential anti‐obese bias (P < .001). Participation in formal diversity training was not associated with implicit anti‐Black or anti‐fat bias, nor with self‐reported awareness of potential racial or weight‐based bias (all P > .2).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that implicit bias, as measured by the Implicit Association Test, does not inevitably lead to discrimination, and that personal awareness of implicit biases may allow their mitigation.
New directions in predictive processing
Authors: Hohwy Jakob
Published: March 2020

Predictive processing (PP) is now a prominent theoretical framework in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science. This review focuses on PP research with a relatively philosophical focus, taking stock of the framework and discussing new directions. The review contains an introduction that describes the full PP toolbox; an exploration of areas where PP has advanced understanding of perceptual and cognitive phenomena; a discussion of PP's impact on foundational issues in cognitive science; and a consideration of the philosophy of science of PP. The overall picture is that PP is a fruitful framework, with exciting new directions awaiting exploration.
Body‐related comments experienced by Chinese young women: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Yan Zi , Zhang Guodong , Cardinal Bradley J. , Xu Ting
Published: March 2020

Within Chinese culture, one way that family and friends demonstrate that they care about one‐another is by making body‐related comments. How such comments are experienced by young women, in particular, including how they relate to their psychological disposition and/or use of unhealthy weight control behaviors, is unknown. The purposes of this study were to understand the frequency and type of body‐related comments Chinese college women received, from whom, and their associations with body mass index (BMI), body satisfaction, body change motivations, and unhealthy weight control behaviors. Women from a comprehensive university in Southwest China (N = 236) participated in this cross‐sectional study. Results showed that female Chinese college students received body‐related comments most frequently from their friends, followed by parents, and romantic partners. While the frequency of receiving body‐related comments was not associated with BMI, higher frequencies were associated with stronger motivation to lose weight/fat and to practice unhealthy weight control behaviors. Additionally, positive body‐related comments from romantic partners were associated with higher motivation to gain weight/muscle and/or to maintain weight. Furthermore, positive body‐related comments from friends were associated with higher body satisfaction. Educational programs are needed to help female Chinese college students and members of their social networks recognize and understand the potential impact associated with giving body‐related comments. Screening protocols for unhealthy weight control behaviors and appropriate counseling services should also be developed and made available.
Systems, economics, and neoliberal politics: Theories to understand missed nursing care
Authors: Jones Terry , Drach‐Zahavy Anat , Amorim‐Lopes Mário , Willis Eileen
Published: March 2020

The phenomenon of missed nursing care is endemic across all sectors. Nurse leaders have drawn attention to the implications of missed care for patient outcomes, with calls to develop clear political, methodological, and theoretical approaches. As part of this call, we describe three structural theories that inform frameworks of missed care: systems theory, economic theory, and neoliberal politics. The final section provides commentary on the strengths and limitations of these three theories, in the light of structuration theory and calls to balance this research agenda by reinstating nurse agency and examining the interactions between nurses as agents and the health systems as structures. The paper argues that a better understanding of variations in structure–agency interaction across the healthcare system might lead to more effective interventions at strategic leverage points.
A novel method of sacral nerve stimulation for colonic inflammation
Authors: Zhang Nina , Zhang Han , Jiang Liuqin , Zhang Shengai , Yin Jieyun , Schramm Lawrence , Pasricha Pankaj P. , Chen Jiande D. Z.
Published: March 2020

Background

Vagal nerve stimulation has been reported to treat inflammation with promising results. The aims of our study were to optimize sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) methodologies for colonic inflammation in a rodent model of colitis and to investigate autonomic and cytokine mechanisms.

Methods

Three major efforts were made in optimizing SNS: (a) to determine the best stimulation duration: SNS‐0.5h daily, SNS‐1h daily, and SNS‐3h daily with the parameters set at 5 Hz, 10 seconds on, 90 seconds off; (b) to determine the best stimulation position: bilateral, bipolar, and unipolar stimulation; (c) to determine the best stimulation parameters: our 5 Hz intermittent stimulation vs 14 Hz‐210 μs continuous stimulation. Inflammatory responses were assessed by the disease activity index (DAI), histological analyses, and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Levels of inflammatory cytokines, norepinephrine (NE), and pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in both plasma and colon tissues were assessed.

Key Results

Both SNS‐1h and SNS‐3h significantly ameliorated intestinal inflammation; SNS‐1h was superior to SNS‐3h. Bipolar but not bilateral or unipolar stimulation improved the inflammation in colitis. SNS with 5 Hz intermittent stimulation but not the 14 Hz continuous SNS was better for treating colitis in rats. SNS with the optimized stimulation parameters increased vagal activity and decreased sympathetic activity.

Conclusion & Inferences

Bipolar stimulation for 1 hour daily using intermittent 5 Hz parameters is most effective in improving colonic inflammation in TNBS‐treated rats by inhibiting pro‐inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti‐inflammatory cytokines via the modulation of the autonomic function.
Dismantling, disintegration or continuing stealthy integration in European Union environmental policy?
Authors: Lenschow Andrea , Burns Charlotte , Zito Anthony
Published: March 2020

This symposium assesses the trajectory of European Union (EU) environmental policy and integration in light of the rising pressure for policy dismantling and disintegration. This introductory article discusses the literature and the mixed evidence of EU environmental policy dismantling. Building on the three symposium articles, we investigate the role of the European Commission in this process, evaluating its role as a general ‘motor of integration’ and more specifically as an environmental policy entrepreneur. We find that the current political context does push the Commission to reconsider its entrepreneurial role and adopt the role of a ‘normalized bureaucracy’. Nonetheless, organizational features, such as new hierarchies and presidential leadership, and ideas that frame policy initiatives explain continued policy evolution and resistance to outright dismantling. Scholars should also pay close attention to implementing measures and patterns of enforcement to detect the more subtle policy shifts.
The molluscum contagiosum BOTE sign—Infected or inflamed?
Authors: Gross Itai , Ben Nachum Noa , Molho‐Pessach Vered , Weiser Giora , Oster Yonatan , Engelhard Dan , Megged Orli , Hashavya Saar
Published: March 2020

Background

Molluscum contagiosum (MC) is a common skin infection in the pediatric age group. The infection is self‐limited and manifests as discrete, umbilicated skin‐colored papules on any skin surface of the body. At times, complications such as local dermatitis and swelling, erythema, and pus formation may appear. These signs of inflammation are commonly presumed to represent bacterial infection.

Methods

This multicenter study was a retrospective analysis of data collected on all patients diagnosed with inflamed lesions secondary to MC and treated at the Hadassah Medical Centers and Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel, from 1/1/2008 to 1/07/2018. Characteristics of children with positive cultures were compared to those with negative cultures and those with contaminants.

Results

A total of 56 cases were reviewed; the mean age at presentation was 4.6 years. Fever was reported in 12.5%, and 62.5% received systemic antibiotics because of their inflamed MC prior to admission. Fifty‐five percent had sterile cultures or cultures growing only contaminants. Only seven had positive cultures with the common cutaneous pathogens. No statistical difference was observed between the patients with pathogenic isolates and patients with sterile or non‐pathogenic cultures in terms of demographics, lesion characteristics, inflammatory markers, or length of hospitalization.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that most cases of suspected MC‐related secondary infection can be attributed to inflammation rather than to bacterial infection. However, in some cases, true bacterial infection should be suspected and treated accordingly.
Clinical and histologic presentation of pediatric reactive granulomatous dermatitis
Authors: Akinshemoyin Vaughn Olushola L. , Siegel Dawn H. , Chiu Yvonne E. , DeBord Logan C. , Hogeling Marcia , Hunt Raegan D. , Nguyen Cordellia , Sokumbi Olayemi , Verbsky James W. , Arkin Lisa M.
Published: March 2020

Objective

To characterize the clinical and histologic presentation of reactive granulomatous dermatitis (RGD) in the pediatric population.

Methods

In this multicenter retrospective chart review, 7 pediatric patients with biopsy‐proven RGD were identified. Photographs, histology reports, and clinical course were reviewed to discover patterns in demographics, comorbid conditions, autoimmune sequelae, drug exposures, infections, morphology, and histologic features.

Results

Overall, 7 patients were included and analyzed. Most were female and Hispanic. All presented with a similar dermatologic phenotype previously described in the adult literature including macular erythema and annular, pink to violaceous, edematous papules and plaques, often involving proximal extremities and extensor joints. All biopsies demonstrated variable collagen alteration and a perivascular interstitial infiltrate of histiocytes with or without mucin. Neutrophils or karyorrhexic debris were present in 4/7 of the biopsies, and eosinophils were occasionally seen (2/7 cases). In all cases, RGD was associated with active SLE or led to a new diagnosis, and initiation of systemic treatment improved cutaneous disease.

Conclusions

Pediatric RGD was more common in female patients and ethnic minorities, and strongly associated with SLE. Clinical and histologic presentations were consistent across all cases with only minor variations, suggesting that recognition and confirmation might be expedited by familiarity with these dominant patterns. Diagnosis of RGD in pediatric patients should prompt screening for SLE.
Occurrence and molecular characterization of Actinidia virus C (AcVC), a novel vitivirus infecting kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) in China
Authors: Zhao Lei , Cao Mengji , Huang Qianru , Jing Mingpeng , Bao Wenwu , Zhang Yuanle , Hou Caiting , Wu Yunfeng , Wang Qiao‐Chun
Published: March 2020

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is an economically important fruit crop in the world. China is the largest producer of kiwifruit in terms of both acreage and yield. In this study, a novel virus, tentatively named Actinidia virus C (AcVC), was discovered in Actinidia deliciosa ‘Xuxiang’ grown in commercial kiwifruit fields in the Shaanxi province, a major kiwifruit‐growing region in China. Sequencing of the complete genome showed that AcVC has 7,668 nucleotides (not including the poly‐(A) sequence). Complete genome comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that AcVC is most closely related to AcVA and then to AcVB. AcVC shares 69.2% nucleotide identity with AcVA (GenBank accession number JN427014). Based on these data, Actinidia virus C is assigned as a new tentative member of the genus Vitivirus in the family Betaflexiviridae. AcVC was found to infect A. deliciosa and A. chinesis, the two major cultivated kiwifruits. Infection frequency of AcVC varied with the kiwifruit‐growing regions and cultivars in the Shaanxi province of China.
Food insecurity among college students
Authors: Regan Erica P.
Published: March 2020

Many college students experience food insecurity. It is important that researchers understand this issue for students because food insecurity is a measure of material hardship more broadly, and it could have negative implications for students' success in college and their lifetime economic opportunities. This review synthesizes researchers' current understanding of food insecurity among college students from a sociological lens focused on economic insecurity and material hardship. It focuses in detail on the breadth and depth of research around food insecurity among college students, exploring how food insecurity is measured, researchers' varying methodologies for assessing it, and topic areas of interest, such as how food insecurity differs by institution type, demographic characteristics, and its associations with health and academic outcomes.
Revisiting the Nexus Between Inflation Targeting and the Build-Up of the Financial Imbalances
Authors: Bogari Adel
Published: March 2020

The outbreak of the recent global financial crisis in 2007-2008 of the most developed economies, has spurred criticism that inflation targeting central banks may have neglected the build-up of financial imbalances. In other words the global financial and economic crisis highlights that central banks should be more effective in mastering financial instability, and should achieve an explicit goal of financial stability beyond their traditional emphasis on low inflation. In this paper, we aim to assess whether inflation targeting (IT) actually mattered as regards financial stability. Our empirical evidence has been conducted on a group of 41 emerging economies from which 20 economies adopt Inflation Targeting policy and 21 non Inflation Targeting economies as a group of control, over the period 2000-2017. To do this, we evaluate the time varying treatment effect of the IT's adoption on the banking system stability. Additionally using a variety of propensity score matching methods, we show that, on average inflation targeting has an insignificant effect on lowering banking system instability.
I Am the Agenda: Personal Salience, Agenda Selfying and Individual Name Building in Hybrid Media Settings
Authors: Bantimaroudis Philemon
Published: March 2020

This theoretical paper introduces the notion of personal salience, expanding the traditional paradigm of agenda setting theory to encompass digital, online activities for the establishment of personal agendas. Self-agendas have been examined from many diverging points of view and competing perspectives. In this paper, we aim to place them within the precise categorization of the agenda setting paradigm. In its fifty-year history, scholars have examined the specific mechanisms and processes that render “issues” and “objects” salient. The current paper aims to classify personal agendas and personal salience as distinct typologies of mediated significance.
A retrospective analysis to determine if exercise training‐induced thermoregulatory adaptations are mediated by increased fitness or heat acclimation
Authors: Ravanelli Nicholas , Gagnon Daniel , Imbeault Pascal , Jay Ollie
Published: March 2020

New Findings

What is the central question of this study?

Are fitness‐related improvements in thermoregulatory responses during uncompensable heat stress mediated by aerobic capacity or is it the partial heat acclimation associated with training?

What is the main finding and its importance?

During uncompensable heat stress, individuals with high and low displayed similar sweating and core temperature responses whereas exercise training in previously untrained individuals resulted in a greater sweat rate and a smaller rise in core temperature. These observations suggest that it is training, not per se, that mediates thermoregulatory improvements during uncompensable heat stress.

It remains unclear whether aerobic fitness, as defined by the maximum rate of oxygen consumption , independently improves heat dissipation in uncompensable environments, or whether the thermoregulatory adaptations associated with heat acclimation are due to repeated bouts of exercise‐induced heat stress during regular aerobic training. The present analysis sought to determine if independently influences thermoregulatory sweating, maximum skin wettedness (ωmax) and the change in rectal temperature (ΔTre) during 60 min of exercise in an uncompensable environment (37.0 ± 0.8°C, 4.0 ± 0.2 kPa, 64 ± 3% relative humidity) at a fixed rate of heat production per unit mass (6 W kg−1). Retrospective analyses were performed on 22 participants (3 groups), aerobically unfit (UF; n = 7; : 41.7 ± 9.4 ml kg−1 min−1), aerobically fit (F; n = 7; : 55.6 ± 4.3 ml kg−1 min−1; P < 0.01) and aerobically unfit (n = 8) individuals, before (pre; : 45.8 ± 11.6 ml kg−1 min−1) and after (post; : 52.0 ± 11.1 ml kg−1 min−1; P < 0.001) an 8‐week training intervention. ωmax was similar between UF (0.74 ± 0.09) and F (0.78 ± 0.08, P = 0.22). However, ωmax was greater post‐ (0.84 ± 0.08) compared to pre‐ (0.72 ± 0.06, P = 0.02) training. During exercise, mean local sweat rate (forearm and upper‐back) was greater post‐ (1.24 ± 0.20 mg cm−2 min−1) compared to pre‐ (1.04 ± 0.25 mg cm−2 min−1, P < 0.01) training, but similar between UF (0.94 ± 0.31 mg cm−2 min−1, P = 0.90) and F (1.02 ± 0.30 mg cm−2 min−1). The ΔTre at 60 min of exercise was greater pre‐ (1.13 ± 0.16°C, P < 0.01) compared to post‐ (0.96 ± 0.14°C) training, but similar between UF (0.85 ± 0.29°C, P = 0.22) and F (0.95 ± 0.22°C). Taken together, aerobic training, not per se, confers an increased ωmax, greater sweat rate, and smaller rise in core temperature during uncompensable heat stress in fit individuals.
Molecular and tissue mechanisms of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia
Authors: Wleklinski Matthew J. , Kannankeril Prince J. , Knollmann Bjӧrn C.
Published: March 2020

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a stress‐induced cardiac channelopathy that has a high mortality in untreated patients. Our understanding has grown tremendously since CPVT was first described as a clinical syndrome in 1995. It is now established that the deadly arrhythmias are caused by unregulated ‘pathological’ calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), the major calcium storage organelle in striated muscle. Important questions remain regarding the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the pathological calcium release, regarding the tissue origin of the arrhythmic beats that initiate ventricular tachycardia, and regarding optimal therapeutic approaches. At present, mutations in six genes involved in SR calcium release have been identified as the genetic cause of CPVT: RYR2 (encoding ryanodine receptor calcium release channel), CASQ2 (encoding cardiac calsequestrin), TRDN (encoding triadin), CALM1, CALM2 and CALM3 (encoding identical calmodulin protein). Here, we review each CPVT subtype and how CPVT mutations alter protein function, RyR2 calcium release channel regulation, and cellular calcium handling. We then discuss research and hypotheses surrounding the tissue mechanisms underlying CPVT, such as the pathophysiological role of sinus node dysfunction in CPVT, and whether the arrhythmogenic beats originate from the conduction system or the ventricular working myocardium. Finally, we review the treatments that are available for patients with CPVT, their efficacy, and how therapy could be improved in the future.

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Motor learning induces time‐dependent plasticity that is observable at the spinal cord level
Authors: Giboin Louis‐Solal , Tokuno Craig , Kramer Andreas , Henry Mélanie , Gruber Markus
Published: March 2020

Key points

The spinal cord is an important contributor to motor learning

It remains unclear whether short‐term spinal cord adaptations are general or task‐specific

Immediately after task acquisition, neural adaptations were not specific to the trained task (i.e. were general)

Twenty‐four hours after acquisition, neural adaptations appeared to be task‐specific

The neural reorganization and generalization of spinal adaptations appears to be time‐dependent.

Spinal cord plasticity is an important contributor of motor learning in humans, although its mechanisms are still poorly documented. In particular, it remains unclear whether short‐term spinal adaptations are general or task‐specific. As a marker of neural changes that are observable at spinal level, we measured the Hoffmann reflex (H‐reflex) amplitude in the soleus muscle of 18 young healthy human adults before, immediately after (acquisition), and 24 h after (retention) the learning of a skilled task (i.e. one‐legged stance on a tilt board). H‐reflexes were elicited 46 ± 30 ms before touching the tilt board. Additionally, and at the same time points, we measured the H‐reflex with the subject sitting at rest and when performing an unskilled and untrained task (i.e. one‐legged stance on the floor). After task acquisition, there was a decrease of the H‐reflex amplitude measured at rest but not during the skilled or the unskilled task. At retention, there was a decrease of the H‐reflex when measured during the skilled task but not during the unskilled task or at rest. Performance increase was not associated with changes in the H‐reflex amplitude. After the acquisition of a new skilled task, spinal changes appeared to be general (i.e. observable at rest). However, 24 h after, these changes were task‐specific (i.e. observable only during performance of the trained task). These results imply that skill training induces a time‐dependent reorganization of the modulation of spinal networks, which possibly reflects a time‐dependent optimization of the feedforward motor command.
Nitric oxide metabolism in the human placenta during aberrant maternal inflammation
Authors: Mukosera George T. , Clark Tatianna C. , Ngo Larry , Liu Taiming , Schroeder Hobe , Power Gordon G. , Yellon Steven M. , Parast Mana M. , Blood Arlin B.
Published: March 2020

Key points

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gasotransmitter with important physiological and pathophysiological roles in pregnancy.

There is limited information available about the sources and metabolism of NO and its bioactive metabolites (NOx) in both normal and complicated pregnancies.

The present study characterized and quantified endogenous NOx in human and mouse placenta following determination of the stability of exogenous NOx in placental homogenates.

NOx have differential stability in placental homogenates. NO and iron nitrosyl species (FeNOs), are relatively unstable in placental homogenates from normal placentas.

Exogenous NO, nitrite and nitrosothiols react with placental homogenates to form iron nitrosyl complexes. FeNOs were also detected endogenously in mouse and human placenta.

NOx levels in placental villous tissue are increased in fetal growth restriction vs. placentas from women with normal pregnancies, particularly in fetal growth restriction associated with pre‐eclampsia. Villitis was not associated, however, with an increase in NOx levels in either normotensive or pre‐eclamptic placentas.

The results call for further investigation of FeNOs in normal and complicated pregnancies.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gasotransmitter with important roles in pregnancy under both physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Although products of NO metabolism (NOx) also have significant bioactivity, little is known about the role of NO and NOx under conditions of aberrant placental inflammation during pregnancy. An ozone‐based chemiluminescence approach was used to investigate the stability and metabolic fate of NOx in human placental homogenates from uncomplicated pregnancies in healthy mothers compared to that in placental tissue from normotensive and pre‐eclamptic pregnancies complicated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) with and without villitis of unknown aetiology. We hypothesized that placental NOx would be increased in FGR vs. normal tissue, and be further increased in villitis vs. non‐villitis placentas. Findings indicate that nitrate, nitrite and nitrosothiols, but not NO or iron nitrosyl species (FeNOs), are relatively stable in placental homogenates from normal placentas, and that NO, nitrite and nitrosothiols react with placental homogenates to form iron nitrosyl complexes. Furthermore, NOx levels in placental villous tissue are increased in FGR vs. placentas from women with normal pregnancies, particularly in FGR associated with pre‐eclampsia. However, in contrast to our hypothesis, villitis was not associated with an increase in NOx levels in either normotensive or pre‐eclamptic placentas. Our results also strongly support the involvement of FeNOs in both mouse and human placenta, and call for their further study as a critical mechanistic link between pre‐eclampsia and fetal growth restriction.
The intrinsic cell type‐specific excitatory connectivity of the developing mouse subiculum is sufficient to generate synchronous epileptiform activity
Authors: Fiske Michael Patrick , Anstötz Max , Welty Leah J , Maccaferri Gianmaria
Published: March 2020

Key points

The activity of local excitatory circuits of the subiculum has been suggested to be involved in the initiation of pathological activity in epileptic patients and experimental animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy.

We have taken advantage of multimodal techniques to classify subicular cells in distinct subclasses and have investigated their morphofunctional properties and connectivity in vitro.

Our results indicate that local subicular excitatory circuits are connected in a cell type‐specific fashion and that synapses are preferentially established on basal vs. apical dendrites.

We show that local excitatory circuits, isolated from extrasubicular inputs and pharmacologically disinhibited, are sufficient to initiate synchronous epileptiform activity in vitro.

In conclusion, this work provides a high‐resolution description of local excitatory circuits of the subiculum and highlights their mechanistic involvement in the generation of pathological activity.

The subiculum has been suggested to be involved in the initiation of pathological discharges in human patients and animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy. Although converging evidence has revealed the existence of functional diversity within its principal neurons, much less attention has been devoted to its intrinsic connectivity and whether its local excitatory circuits are sufficient to generate epileptiform activity. Here, we have directly addressed these two key points in mouse subicular slices. First, using multivariate techniques, we have distinguished two groups of principal cells, which we have termed type 1 and type 2. These subgroups roughly overlap with what were classically indicated as regular and bursting cells, and showed differences in the extension and complexity of their apical dendrites. Functional connectivity was found both between similar (homotypic) and different (heterotypic) types of cells, with a marked asymmetry within heterotypic pairs. Unitary excitatory postsynaptic potentials (uEPSPs) revealed a high degree of variability both in amplitude, failure rate, rise time and half‐width. Post hoc analysis of functionally connected pairs suggested that the observed uEPSPs were mediated by few contact sites, predominantly located on the basal dendrites. When surgically isolated from extrasubicular excitatory afferents, pharmacologically disinhibited subicular slices generated hyper‐synchronous discharges. Thus, we conclude that local subicular excitatory circuits, connected according to cell type‐specific rules, are sufficient to promote epileptiform activity. This conclusion fits well with a previous suggestion that local subicular events, purely mediated by excitatory connections, may underlie the pre‐ictal discharges that govern interictal–ictal transitions.
On a ''Type I Half-logistic Modified Weibull'' Model: Some Extended Models and Applications
Authors: Kyurkchiev Nikolay V.
Published: March 2020

The cumulative distribution function (cdf) corresponding to the 'four parameter extended type I half--logistic modified Weibull (TIHLMW) distribution'' is ...
The effect of spatial energy spread on sound image size and speech intelligibility
Authors: Ahrens Axel , Marschall Marton , Dau Torsten
Published: March 2020

This study explored the relationship between perceived sound image size and speech intelligibility for sound sources reproduced over loudspeakers. Sources with varying degrees of spatial energy spread were generated using ambisonics processing. Young normal-hearing listeners estimated sound image size as well as performed two spatial release from masking (SRM) tasks with two symmetrically arranged interfering talkers. Either the target-to-masker ratio or the separation angle was varied adaptively. Results showed that the sound image size did not change systematically with the energy spread. However, a larger energy spread did result in a decreased SRM. Furthermore, the listeners needed a greater angular separation angle between the target and the interfering sources for sources with a larger energy spread. Further analysis revealed that the method employed to vary the energy spread did not lead to systematic changes in the interaural cross correlations. Future experiments with competing talkers using ambisonics or similar methods may consider the resulting energy spread in relation to the minimum separation angle between sound sources in order to avoid degradations in speech intelligibility.
Effects of motion on correlations of pulse-echo ultrasound signals: Applications in delay estimation and aperture coherence
Authors: Hyun Dongwoon , Dahl Jeremy J.
Published: March 2020

The correlation between two pulse-echo ultrasound signals is used to achieve a wide range of ultrasound techniques, such as Doppler imaging and elastography. Prior theoretical descriptions of pulse-echo correlations were restricted to stationary scatterers. Here, a theory for the correlation of moving scatterers is presented. An expression is derived for the correlation of two pulse-echo signals with arbitrary transmit and receive apertures acquired from a medium undergoing bulk motion using the Fresnel approximation. The derivation is shown to coincide with prior derivations in the absence of scatterer motion. The theory was compared against simulations in applications of phase-shift estimation and aperture coherence measurements. The phase-shift estimate and jitter were accurately predicted under axial and transverse motion for focused transmit apertures and for sequential and interleaved synthetic transmit apertures. The theory also accurately predicted how motion affects the correlation coefficient between receive aperture elements for a synthetic transmit aperture. The presented theory provides a framework for analyzing the correlations of arbitrary pulse-echo configurations for applications in which scatterer motion is expected.
Current and future treatments for tuberculosis
Authors: Lee Anthony , Xie Yingda Linda , Barry Clifton E , Chen Ray Y
Published: March 2020

Guidelines on the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) have essentially remained the same for the past 35 years, but are now starting to change. Ongoing clinical trials will hopefully transform the landscape for treatment of drug sensitive TB, drug resistant TB, and latent TB infection. Multiple trials are evaluating novel agents, repurposed agents, adjunctive host directed therapies, and novel treatment strategies that will increase the probability of success of future clinical trials. Guidelines for HIV-TB co-infection treatment continue to be updated and drug resistance testing has been revolutionized in recent years with the shift from phenotypic to genotypic testing and the concomitant increased speed of results. These coming changes are long overdue and are sorely needed to address the vast disparities in global TB incidence rates. TB is currently the leading cause of death globally from a single infectious agent, but the work of many researchers and the contributions of many patients in clinical trials will reduce the substantial global morbidity and mortality of the disease.
Assessing the utility of head computed tomography in the role 2 hospital setting on operation TRENTON
Authors: Sellon Edward , Ballard M
Published: March 2020

Operation TRENTON was the British government’s humanitarian contribution to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. This included the Bentiu-based role 2 medical facility, deployed to provide medical support to approximately 2000 UN peacekeepers and UN staff in the region of the country’s largest Protection of Civilian camps. A portable CT brain scanner was installed due to concern over the risk of head injuries and the extended clinical timelines. We provide a short reflection on the utility of this imaging capability in the deployed role 2 environment.