bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ISPE‐Endorsed Guidance in Using Electronic Health Records for Comparative Effectiveness Research in COVID‐19: Opportunities and Trade‐Offs
Authors: Sarri Grammati , Bennett Dimitri , Debray Thomas , Deruaz‐Luyet Anouk , Soriano Gabarró Montse , Largent Joan A. , Li Xiaojuan , Liu Wei , Lund Jennifer L. , Moga Daniela C. , Gokhale Mugdha , Rentsch Christopher T. , Wen Xuerong , Yanover Chen , Ye Yizhou , Yun Huifeng , Zullo Andrew R. , Lin Kueiyu Joshua
Published: February 2022

As the scientific research community along with healthcare professionals and decision makers around the world fight tirelessly against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, the need for comparative effectiveness research (CER) on preventive and therapeutic interventions for COVID‐19 is immense. Randomized controlled trials markedly under‐represent the frail and complex patients seen in routine care, and they do not typically have data on long‐term treatment effects. The increasing availability of electronic health records (EHRs) for clinical research offers the opportunity to generate timely real‐world evidence reflective of routine care for optimal management of COVID‐19. However, there are many potential threats to the validity of CER based on EHR data that are not originally generated for research purposes. To ensure unbiased and robust results, we need high‐quality healthcare databases, rigorous study designs, and proper implementation of appropriate statistical methods. We aimed to describe opportunities and challenges in EHR‐based CER for COVID‐19‐related questions and to introduce best practices in pharmacoepidemiology to minimize potential biases. We structured our discussion into the following topics: (1) study population identification based on exposure status; (2) ascertainment of outcomes; (3) common biases and potential solutions; and (iv) data operational challenges specific to COVID‐19 CER using EHRs. We provide structured guidance for the proper conduct and appraisal of drug and vaccine effectiveness and safety research using EHR data for the pandemic. This paper is endorsed by the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE).
A survey on energy‐efficient resource allocation schemes in device‐to‐device communication
Authors: Kumar Jadav Nilesh , Gupta Rajesh , Tanwar Sudeep
Published: February 2022

Device‐to‐device (D2D) communication is an emanating and robust technology for next‐generation wireless networks. It aims to minimize load from the centralized base station (BS) and lets the device communicate directly in the presence or absence of it. Further, to increase the spectral efficiency, it operates in an underlay mode, where D2D devices/users reuse the spectrum of cellular users (CUs), resulting in unusual intercell/intracell interferences. Managing resources efficiently can drastically reduce the effect of interference but on the cost of high energy consumption. The research community is diligently studying the optimal methods for energy‐efficient resource allocation in D2D systems. As per the literature, there exists no comprehensive survey that studied the existing energy‐efficient resource allocation schemes in the D2D environment. Motivated from this, we present a survey on recently adopted solutions for energy‐efficient power, channel, and spectrum allocation in D2D communication, which includes artificial intelligence (AI), optimization, dynamic programming, heuristic approach, game theory, and graph models. In addition, we also highlighted the open research issues and technical challenges while allocating resources to D2D users (DUs).
Drought exposure leads to rapid acquisition and inheritance of herbicide resistance in the weed Alopecurus myosuroides
Authors: Mohammad Vian H. , Osborne Colin P. , Freckleton Robert P.
Published: February 2022

Globally, herbicide resistance in weeds poses a threat to food security. Resistance evolves rapidly through the co‐option of a suite of physiological mechanisms that evolved to allow plants to survive environmental stress. Consequently, we hypothesize that stress tolerance and herbicide resistance are functionally linked. We address two questions: (i) does exposure to stress in a parental generation promote the evolution of resistance in the offspring? (ii) Is such evolution mediated through non‐genetic mechanisms? We exposed individuals of a grass weed to drought, and tested whether this resulted in herbicide resistance in the first generation. In terms of both survival and dry mass, we find enhanced resistance to herbicide in the offspring of parents that had been exposed to drought. Our results suggest that exposure of weeds to drought can confer herbicide resistance in subsequent generations, and that the mechanism conferring heritability of herbicide resistance is non‐genetic.
Unconformity‐covering pillow lava dated at 2.14 Ga: Challenging the “stable‐shelf” Minas Supergroup of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Authors: Cabral Alexandre Raphael , Zeh Armin , Pires Fernando Roberto Mendes , da Silva Jefferson Ferreira , do Carmo Vitalino Elizeu Ferreira , Tupinambá Miguel
Published: February 2022

We report on the occurrence of pillow lava in the upper part of the banded‐iron‐formation (BIF) sequence of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, famous for hosting world‐class iron‐ore deposits in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A pillow‐lava domain is found as an outlier within the BIF sequence, known as the Itabira iron formation or the Itabira Group. The pillow lava occurs as lateritized, indurated crusts in a sequence of ochreous itabirite, the weathered expression of dolomitic itabirite, a metamorphosed BIF rock containing dolomite. About 90 zircon grains, extracted from two samples of lateritized pillow lava, an indurated pillow rim and a friable pillow core, yielded Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic ages between 3.37 and 2.14 Ga, with age clusters at 2.98, 2.72, 2.25, and 2.14 Ga, and minor clusters at 3.37, 3.26, 3.16, and 2.82 Ga. The youngest grains, all exhibiting perfectly euhedral crystals, defined a Concordia age at 2,141 ± 6 Ma, interpreted as the age of subaqueous volcanism. This young zircon age and the perfectly euhedral zircon crystals suggest that the pillow‐lava domain represents an outlier of Palaeoproterozoic volcanic rocks, which covered the unconformity between the Itabira Group and the overlying Piracicaba Group. The finding of pillow lava lends support to previous, but usually ignored works, which described metavolcanic rocks in spatial association with the Itabira Group, and provides evidence for subaqueous volcanism that challenges the prevailing view of a stable‐shelf or passive‐margin setting for the geological evolution of the Minas Supergroup.
Detrital zircon provenance of metasedimentary rocks in the Proterozoic Caiziyuan‐Tongan accretionary complex: Constraints on crustal and tectonic evolution of the Yangtze Block, South China
Authors: Cui Xiaozhuang , Ren Guangming , Pang Weihua , Chen Fenglin , Sun Zhiming , Ren Fei , Ning Kuobu , Deng Qi
Published: February 2022

Detrital zircon U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf isotopes of three metasandstone samples from the recently identified Caiziyuan‐Tongan accretionary complex (CTAC) in the southwestern Yangtze Block are presented. The detrital zircons are characterized by high Th/U ratios, oscillatory zoning, and nonabrasive crystal shapes, implying that these metasandstones in the CTAC were dominantly derived from proximal magmatic sources. The detrital zircon age spectrum shows three prominent intervals of 2.8–2.6 Ga, 2.5–2.2 Ga, and 2.1–1.7 Ga with minor dispersions between 3.8 and 2.9 Ga, matching well with those of the exposed magmatic rocks in the Yangtze Block. Two samples show consistent youngest age peaks at ~1.72 Ga, but the remaining sample has the youngest age peak at ~1.56 Ga, indicative of their differences in depositional ages. The Eoarchean zircons have negative εHf(t) values with Hadean depleted mantle two‐stage (TDM2) model ages, indicating the earliest crustal growth of the Yangtze Block in the Hadean. The Mesoarchean to Neoarchean zircons show both negative and positive εHf(t) values, suggesting a prolonged and complicated crustal reworking and growth process. By contrast, the Paleoproterozoic zircons have dominantly negative εHf(t) values, suggestive of extensive crustal reworking in response to the Nuna supercontinent assembly. Available detrital zircon TDM2 model ages from the southwestern Yangtze Block produce three prominent peaks at ~3.06 Ga, ~2.95 Ga, and ~2.84 Ga, suggesting significant crustal growth pulses in the Mesoarchean. Given that the ~1.38 Ga Caiziyuan SSZ‐type ophiolitic mélange and the complex tectonothermal evolution process, we deduce that the CTAC belt may represent a relict suture zone between micro‐blocks in the Yangtze Block and may have witnessed the Nuna breakup and subsequent Rodinia assembly.
The Covid‐19 pandemic and its impact on socioeconomic inequality in psychological distress in the United Kingdom: An update
Authors: Gao Xiaoying , Davillas Apostolos , Jones Andrew M.
Published: February 2022

This paper extends earlier on socioeconomic inequality in mental health, measured by the General Health Questionnaire, to include the second national lockdown up to March 2021.
Interneuron diversity in the rat dentate gyrus: An unbiased in vitro classification
Authors: Degro Claudius E. , Bolduan Felix , Vida Imre , Booker Sam A.
Published: February 2022

Information processing in cortical circuits, including the hippocampus, relies on the dynamic control of neuronal activity by GABAergic interneurons (INs). INs form a heterogenous population with defined types displaying distinct morphological, molecular, and physiological characteristics. In the major input region of the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus (DG), a number of IN types have been described which provide synaptic inhibition to distinct compartments of excitatory principal cells (PrCs) and other INs. In this study, we perform an unbiased classification of GABAergic INs in the DG by combining in vitro whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings, intracellular labeling, morphological analysis, and unsupervised cluster analysis to better define IN type diversity in this region. This analysis reveals that DG INs divide into at least 13 distinct morpho‐physiological types which reflect the complexity of the local IN network and serve as a basis for further network analyses.
Sustainability in the Sardinian sheep sector: A systems perspective, from good practices to policy
Authors: Atzori Alberto Stanislao , Bayer Lukas , Molle Giovanni , Arca Pasquale , Franca Antonello , Vannini Marco , Cocco Gianluca , Usai Domenico , Duce Pierpaolo , Vagnoni Enrico
Published: February 2022

Three million sheep raised on 10 000 active farms operating in traditional and innovative farming systems in Sardinia, Italy, account for 13% of sheep milk production in the European Union (EU). Almost all of the milk delivered is processed to sheep cheese and is destined for world trade. The Sardinian dairy sheep sector also emits approximately 1600 kt CO2eq/year, approximately 60% of regional livestock greenhouse gas (GHG), prompting the need for regional mitigation plans. The SheepToShip LIFE project (EU-LIFE Climate Change Action 2014–2020) is a regional case study to test emission mitigation strategies. Based on the SheepToShip LIFE findings, this paper presents a systems perspective against the backdrop of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, with the aim of underlining system interlinkages between environmental, societal, and economic objectives. The project included (i) a life cycle thinking approach featuring environmental and socioeconomic traits of 18 sheep farms, (ii) on-farm implementation and demonstration of eco-innovative mitigation techniques indicating the most viable actions to reduce impact, (iii) focus groups discussing beliefs and reactions of the main stakeholders, and (iv) group model building producing a causal loop diagram from a systems thinking approach and exploring insights for regional policy-making that aligns with the SDGs. Causal links connect public interventions and stakeholder interaction (SDG 17) to boost farm eco-innovations (SDGs 9 and 8) and education and farmer training (SDG 4), and they foster efficient production (SDG 12) and high-quality food provisioning (SDG 2). These benefits contribute to climate change mitigation (SDG 13), water quality (SDG 6), and farm ecosystem services (SDG 15). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:1187–1198. © 2022 SETAC

KEY POINTS

The methodological integration of life cycle Assessments and qualitative systems modeling allows an accurate problem definition for complex sustainability challenges. The solutions derived from the introduced methodological journey provides insights for better decision-making.
Sterile inflammation alters neutrophil kinetics in mice
Authors: Alakesh Alakesh , Jothiprakasam Thiruvickraman , Raghavan Jayashree V , Jhunjhunwala Siddharth
Published: February 2022

Neutrophils play a crucial role in establishing inflammation in response to an infection or injury, but their production rates, as well as blood and tissue residence times, remain poorly characterized under these conditions. Herein, using a biomaterial implant model to establish inflammation followed by in vivo tracking of newly formed neutrophils, we determine neutrophil kinetics under inflammatory conditions. To obtain quantifiable information from our experimental observations, we develop an ordinary differential equation-based mathematical model to extract kinetic parameters. Our data show that in the presence of inflammation resulting in emergency granulopoiesis-like conditions, neutrophil maturation time in the bone marrow reduces by around 60% and reduced half-life in the blood, compared with noninflammatory conditions. Additionally, neutrophil residence time at the inflammatory site increases by 2-fold. Together, these data improve our understanding of neutrophil kinetics under inflammatory conditions, which could pave the way for therapies that focus on modulating in vivo neutrophil dynamics.
Evolutionary conservation and positive selection of influenza A nucleoprotein CTL epitopes for universal vaccination
Authors: McGee Michael C. , Huang Weishan
Published: February 2022

Influenza (flu) infection is a leading cause of respiratory diseases and death worldwide. Although seasonal flu vaccines are effective at reducing morbidity and mortality, such effects rely on the odds of successful prediction of the upcoming viral strains. Additional threats from emerging flu viruses that we cannot predict and avian flu viruses that can be directly transmitted to humans urge the strategic development of universal vaccination that can protect against flu viruses of different subtypes and across species. Annual flu vaccines elicit mainly humoral responses. Under circumstances when antibodies induced by vaccination fail to recognize and neutralize the emerging virus adequately, virus‐specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are the major contributors to the control of viral replication and elimination of infected cells. Our studies exploited the evolutionary conservation of influenza A nucleoprotein (NP) and the fact that NP‐specific CTL responses pose a constant selecting pressure on functional CTL epitopes to screen for NP epitopes that are highly conserved among heterosubtypes but are subjected to positive selection historically. We identified a region on NP that is evolutionarily conserved and historically positively selected (NP137–182) and validated that it contains an epitope that is functional in eliciting NP‐specific CTL responses and immunity that can partially protect immunized mice against lethal dose infection of a heterosubtypic influenza A virus. Our proof‐of‐concept study supports the hypothesis that evolutionary conservation and positive selection of influenza NP can be exploited to identify functional CTL epitope to elicit cross‐protection against different heterosubtypes, therefore, to help develop strategies to modify flu vaccine formula for a broader and more durable protective immunity.
Adverse childhood experiences and mental health in military recruits: Exploring gender as a moderator
Authors: Gottschall Shannon , Lee Jennifer E. C. , McCuaig Edge Heather J.
Published: February 2022

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have consistently been associated with adult psychopathology and are commonly reported among military populations, with women more likely to report many types of ACEs than men. Limited research has examined the role of gender in the association between ACEs and mental health in military populations. The current study assessed the significance of gender differences in ACEs and mental health and explored the associations among these variables in a sample of Canadian Armed Forces recruits/officer cadets. Analyses with cross‐sectional Recruit Health Questionnaire (RHQ) data from 50,603 recruits/officer cadets indicated that women were more likely to report witnessing domestic violence, experiencing sexual abuse, and living with someone with mental health problems or alcohol misuse, odds ratios (ORs) = 1.22–4.35, ps < .001. Women were more likely to screen positive for depression, adjusted (aORs) = 1.25–1.49, p < .001–p = .002, and anxiety, aORs = 2.00–2.33, ps < .001, before basic military training. ACEs were associated with screening positive for probable mental health conditions, aORs = 1.54–6.13, p < .001–p = .017. A significant interaction suggested the association between childhood sexual abuse and depression was stronger for men, aOR = 2.49, p < .001, than women, aOR = 1.63, p = .002, as was the association between childhood sexual abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder, men: aOR = 6.06, p < .001, women: aOR = 3.36, p < .001. These results underscore the importance of considering gender and childhood trauma in mental health interventions with military personnel.
Tolerance of azuki bean to herbicides applied preplant for weed control in a strip‐tillage cropping system
Authors: Soltani Nader , Brown Lynette R. , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: February 2022

Five field experiments were conducted at Huron Research Station near Exeter, Ontario, Canada, during 2018 to 2020 to assess the tolerance of strip‐till‐grown azuki bean to various preplant (PP) herbicides. The herbicides selected have activity on glyphosate‐resistant (GR) Canada fleabane, an emerging weed biotype in strip‐till azuki bean production. Saflufenacil, metribuzin, 2,4‐D ester, saflufenacil + metribuzin, saflufenacil + 2,4‐D ester, metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester, and saflufenacil + metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester, applied PP 1 week before seeding, at the proposed label rate (1X) and twice that rate (2X) caused as much as 6%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 10%, and 13% visible azuki bean injury. The herbicide‐induced azuki bean injury was transient and had no effect on plant density, aboveground dry biomass, height, maturity, and yield except for the dry biomass which was reduced by 28% with metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester and 36% with saflufenacil + metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester at the 2X rate and azuki bean height which was reduced 9% at the 2X rate with saflufenacil + metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester. Based on these results, saflufenacil, metribuzin, 2,4‐D ester, saflufenacil + metribuzin, saflufenacil + 2,4‐D ester, and metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester applied PP have potential for GR Canada fleabane control in strip‐till azuki beans. However, there is not enough crop safety for using a three‐way tankmix of saflufenacil + metribuzin + 2,4‐D ester, applied PP, in azuki bean production.
Integrating siphonophores into marine food‐web ecology
Authors: Hetherington Elizabeth D. , Damian‐Serrano Alejandro , Haddock Steven H. D. , Dunn Casey W. , Choy C. Anela
Published: February 2022

Siphonophores are a clade of understudied colonial hydrozoans (Cnidaria) that are abundant predators in oceanic ecosystems, with species present across the water column. We (1) synthesize current knowledge about siphonophore trophic ecology and predator–prey interactions, (2) analyze siphonophore‐prey networks to compare food‐web topology between shallow and deep‐pelagic habitats, (3) discuss contemporary techniques that will allow for more integrative studies of siphonophore feeding ecology, and (4) and present a vision for future research. We found distinct diet differences between siphonophore species, indicating that siphonophores occupy multiple trophic niches and prey on a diversity of taxa. Our results suggest that siphonophore‐prey networks may be more specialized in the deep pelagic than in the epipelagic, suggesting potential trophic differences between depth habitats. This study highlights niche differentiation and trophic complexity among siphonophores and demonstrates the importance of gelatinous zooplankton in shaping food web structure in pelagic ecosystems.
Rare hypomagnesemia, seizures, and mental retardation in a 4‐month‐old patient caused by novel CNNM2 mutation Tyr189Cys: Genetic analysis and review
Authors: Xu Xiaoyan , Hou Shu , Sun Weiwei , Zhu Jing , Yuan Jinjing , Cui Zhenzhen , Wu De , Tang Jiulai
Published: February 2022

Background

Hypomagnesemia, seizures, and mental retardation (HSMR) syndrome is a rare genetic disease. Presently, only 24 cases have been reported and the clinical features of the disease are yet to be fully described, thereby making diagnosis challenging.

Methods

Trio‐whole‐exome sequencing was used for the patient and her parents, and the structure of the variant protein was analyzed by molecular dynamics. Finally, the characteristics of HSMR were summarized by reviewing the previous literature.

Results

The main disease manifestations in the patient were seizures, liver function damage, hypomagnesemia, atrial septal defect, and sinus arrhythmia. A novel mutation in CNNM2 (c.566A>G/p.Tyr189Cys) was identified by genetic detection. The parents were wild type, and the mutation was rated as pathogenic by American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. Ab initio modeling and molecular dynamics simulation show that the mutation destroys the surrounding hydrogen bonds, which may reduce the local stability of the protein structure. In the previous literature, only 24 children with HSMR have been reported, mainly manifested as hypomagnesemia, mental retardation, seizures, and language and motor impairment.

Conclusion

We have reported the second case of HSMR in the Chinese population, which further expands the phenotypic spectrum of congenital heart disease and the variation spectrum of CNNM2.
Automated diagnosis of age‐related macular degeneration using multi‐modal vertical plane feature fusion via deep learning
Authors: Chen Menglu , Jin Kai , Yan Yan , Liu Xindi , Huang Xiaoling , Gao Zhiyuan , Wang Yao , Wang Shuai , Ye Juan
Published: February 2022

Purpose

To develop a computer‐aided diagnostic (CADx) system of age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) through feature fusion between infrared reflectance (IR) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) modalities in order to explore the superiority of multi‐modality CADx system and the optimal feature fusion patterns between multi‐modality inputs.

Methods

This is a dual center retrospective study. We retrospectively collected 2006 pairs of IR and OCT images to develop the algorithms. Two single‐modality models and three multi‐modality models were constructed for the comparison of the diagnostic efficacy. The multi‐modality models were designed utilizing a novel feature fusion method, namely, vertical plane feature fusion (VPFF). The results were validated using an independent external validation dataset and compared by three ophthalmologists.

Results

In the test set of the ZJU dataset, our best model named OCT_MAIN demonstrated diagnostic efficiency with an overall accuracy of 0.9608 and area under the curve of 0.9944 for the normal category, 0.9659 for the dry AMD category, and 0.9930 for the wet AMD category. The external validation exhibited an overall accuracy of 0.9159. Its diagnostic efficiency was comparable to that of the senior ophthalmologist.

Conclusions

The VPFF method was successfully employed to develop a multi‐modal intelligent diagnostic system for the AMD classification. This is a valuable complement and optimization to the existing CADx system, which reveals a wide application prospect and research potential.
An anatomical pathogenesis of lower urinary tract definitions from the 2002 ICS report symptoms, conditions, syndromes, urodynamics
Authors: Petros Peter , Quaghebeur Jörgen , Wyndaele Jean‐Jacques
Published: February 2022

Aim

To present an anatomical pathogenesis parallel with the 2002 International Continence Society Lower Urinary Tract (LUTS) definitions standardization Report 2002.

Methods

Each LUTS section is discussed using the same numbers as the Report.

Results

Normal function Bladder control is binary, with two reflexes alternating, either closure (dominant) or open (micturition), with the same cortical and peripheral components: three directional muscle forces contracting against pubourethral (PUL) and uterosacral (USL) ligaments for closure, two against uterosacral ligaments for micturition. Dysfunction OAB symptoms reflect a prematurely activated micturition; PUL/USL weakness prevents muscle forces from controlling afferent urothelial emptying signals. Stress urinary incontinence is a consequence of weak PULs allowing posterior muscle forces to open the urethra during effort. Lax USLs weaken contractile force of the posterior urethral opening vectors, so detrusor has to contract against an unopened urethra. This is experienced as “obstructive micturition.”

Conclusions

Anatomical analysis indicates the ICS definitions are fundamentally sound, except for “OAB” which implies detrusor causation. Minor changes, OAB to “overactivated” bladder allow causation outside of bladder. This construct supports OAB and its component symptoms as a syndrome, as intuited by the Committee, (albeit as a prematurely activated micturition), retains the acronym, explains OAB cure by ligament repair, and incontinence pathogenesis from two post‐2002 syndromes which need an addition to the definitions, Posterior Fornix Syndrome (of which OAB is a component) and Tethered Vagina Syndrome, which is the basis for skin‐grafting cure of the 30%–50% of women who continue leaking urine massively after successful obstetric fistula closure.
Registered Nurses’ experiences of caring for persons with dementia expressing their sexuality
Authors: Nilsson Mari‐Louise , Annersten Gershater Magdalena , Bengtsson Mariette
Published: February 2022

Background

Sexuality is an integral part of human beings and persons living with dementia still perceive negative attitudes from caregivers in this regard.

Aim

This study aimed to explore registered nurses' experiences of caring for persons with dementia living in nursing homes and expressing their sexuality.

Methods

A qualitative inductive design was adopted; data were collected through semi‐structured interviews and analysed through content analysis.

Results

The analysis reflected three categories. (1) Dealing with different reactions and responding to nursing staff and relatives: The registered nurses experienced discomfort, insecurity, frustration, distress and embarrassment when confronted with sexual expressions in people with dementia. (2) Caring with a focus on the person: The registered nurses expressed the importance of protecting the integrity of the person and consequently their right to sexual expressions. (3) Needing more competence development: The registered nurses expressed the need to educate and inform not only themselves but also the nursing staff and relatives.
Prevalence and associated factors of anxiety disorder symptoms among people with epilepsy in Mekelle, Ethiopia, 2019: Institutional‐based cross‐sectional study
Authors: Seid Jemal , Mebrahtu Kalayu , Andualem Fantahun
Published: February 2022

Aim

Anxiety can have a profound influence on the health‐related quality of life of people with epilepsy and caregivers. The study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anxiety disorder among people with epilepsy.

Design

An institutional‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted.

Method

From 18 April 2019–30 May 2019, systematically selected 300 peoples with epilepsy were recruited. Anxiety was assessed by using the generalized anxiety disorder‐7 (GAD‐7). The data were entered by using Epi Info and analysed by SPSS version 25.

Result

The prevalence of anxiety was 38.3%. Secondary educational status, medication‐related side effect, substance use history, seizure‐related physical trauma, stress symptoms and a mental illness belief were significantly associated factors. The prevalence of anxiety disorder symptom was high, and it reinforced the need for recognition and treatment of mental disorders in people with epilepsy.
Exosomal miR‐122 promotes adipogenesis and aggravates obesity through the VDR/SREBF1 axis
Authors: Huang Xiao‐Yan , Chen Ji‐Xiong , Ren Yi , Fan Li‐Chun , Xiang Wei , He Xiao‐Jie
Published: February 2022

Objective

This study examined the effects of miR‐122–enriched exosomes on the expression of vitamin D3 receptor (VDR) and sterol regulatory element‐binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1) and their roles during adipogenesis.

Methods

The roles of miR‐122, SREBF1, and VDR were investigated during adipogenesis. The relationships between VDR and miR‐122 or SREBF1 were assessed by dual‐luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The potential role of miR‐122/VDR/SREBF1 was evaluated in high‐fat diet‐induced obese male mice.

Results

High levels of miR‐122 were found only in adipose tissue‐derived exosomes (Exo‐AT) and Exo‐AT–treated cells. Overexpression of miR‐122 promoted adipogenesis, and inhibition of miR‐122 prevented adipogenesis by regulating VDR, SREBF1, peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma, lipoprotein lipase, and adiponectin. Knockdown of Srebf1 or overexpression of VDR could inhibit adipogenesis. However, exosomal miR‐122 could reverse their inhibitory effects. The dual‐luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that VDR was a direct target of miR‐122. It could bind to the BS1 region of the SREBF1 promoter and inhibit SREBF1 expression. Moreover, miR‐122 inhibition could alleviate obesity in high‐fat diet‐induced obese male mice, possibly through upregulating the VDR/SREBF1 axis.

Conclusion

MiR‐122–enriched Exo‐AT promoted adipogenesis by regulating the VDR/SREBF1 axis.
Clinical study of medically compromised patients undergoing tooth extraction while receiving antithrombotic therapy
Authors: Tanimoto Yuki , Hoshino Teruhide , Shin Mayu , Kato Yoshiaki , Takano Masayuki , Katakura Akira
Published: February 2022

Background

The frequency of surgical treatments in older adult patients undergoing antithrombotic therapy is increasing; hence, appropriate measures should be undertaken to ensure a safe treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of tooth extraction in patients undergoing antithrombotic therapy and confirm an evidence‐based approach for such procedures based on relevant guidelines.

Materials and methods

This study included 165 patients (184 cases) receiving antithrombotic therapy while undergoing outpatient tooth extraction. Medical records of these patients were examined to obtain data on patients' clinical and demographic characteristics and characteristics of the tooth extraction procedure.

Results

Warfarin was used in 25 patients (26 cases). A total of 26 (33 cases) and 91 (101 cases) patients received direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and antiplatelet drugs, respectively. Dual antiplatelet therapy with the concomitant use of anticoagulants was administered to 15 (16 cases) patients. Drug therapy was suspended in five cases. A total of 14 cases had post‐extraction bleeding, accounting for 7.1% of the total cases. Among patients with suspended drug administration, only suturing was performed for those taking DOAC.

Conclusions

This study indicated that it is tend to require local hemostatic agents in the patients involving DOACs especially. In addition, we reconfirmed that tooth extraction in patients undergoing antithrombotic therapy should be conducted in compliance with guidelines.
Gamma radiation modification of cassava starch and its characterization
Authors: Tran Minh Quynh , Nguyen Van Binh , Tran Xuan An
Published: February 2022

Radiation technology has been recognized as a potential tool to modify starches in order to enhance their solubility and enzymatic digestion, hence improving their applicability in food industry. In the present study, the local cassava starch was irradiated under 60Co gamma source with the absorbed dose ranging from 1 to 10 kGy, and the obtained radiation‐modified starches were characterized. The microstructure of the initial cassava starch was not much changed although several starch granules were deformed or even fragmented by gamma irradiation as observed in the scanning electron microscopy images. Water solubility of the irradiated starch was significantly increased, and their viscosity was much reduced by radiation degradation. Gamma radiation broke glycosidic bonds in starch chains into smaller molecules with lower molecular weight, whereby increased the water solubility of cassava starch. Radiation scission also partly decreased the crystallinity of the starches irradiated with dose higher than 5 kGy as indicated in their X‐ray diffraction patterns. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of irradiated starches revealed the reduction in intensities of stretching vibration characterized for OH, CH, and COC groups of starch molecules. Thus, gamma irradiation can be used to modify cassava starch for further applications.
Detailing the visco‐elastic origin of thermo‐mechanical training of twisted and coiled polymer fiber artificial muscles
Authors: Nishimura Yasuhiro , Spinks Geoffrey M.
Published: February 2022

Artificial muscles made be twisting and coiling polymer fibers provide outstanding performance. However, these materials show inconsistency in their non‐loaded length that depends on their thermo‐mechanical history. Typically, this behavior has been treated by “training” the samples before any actuation testing. A change in sample length occurs during training but remains consistent during subsequent heat/cool cycles at the same applied load. In this study, the training effect is investigated for a twisted and coiled nylon yarn heated over two temperature ranges: 25–50°C and 50–75°C. The training effect was most obvious in the lower temperature range, but nearly absent in the higher temperature range. When loaded below the glass transition temperature (Tg ~ 40°C) the viscoelastic strain occurs slowly but is rapidly released when the sample is first heated above Tg. The net effect of the first heating through Tg after loading is a small length change because the contraction due to actuation is offset by the expansion due to the release of the viscoelastic strain. A simple spring and dashpot model was developed and by changing only two relaxation times it was possible to simulate the observed training phenomena.
Structural basis for peptide recognition by archaeal oligopeptide permease A
Authors: Yokoyama Hideshi , Kamei Nanami , Konishi Keijiro , Hara Kodai , Ishikawa Yoshinobu , Matsui Ikuo , Forterre Patrick , Hashimoto Hiroshi
Published: February 2022

Oligopeptide permease A (OppA) plays an important role in the nutrition of cells and various signaling processes. In archaea, OppA is a major protein present in membrane vesicles of Thermococcales. Because there being no crystal structures of archaeal OppAs determined to date, we report the crystal structure of archaeal OppA from Thermococcus kodakaraensis (TkOppA) at 2.3 Å resolution by the single‐wavelength anomalous dispersion method. TkOppA consists of three domains similarly to bacterial OppAs, and the inserted regions not present in bacterial OppAs are at the periphery of the core region. An endogenous pentapeptide was bound in the pocket of domains I and III of TkOppA by hydrogen bonds of main‐chain atoms of the peptide and hydrophobic interactions. No hydrogen bonds of side‐chain atoms of the peptide were observed; thus, TkOppA may have low peptide selectivity but some preference for residues 2 and 3. TkOppA has a relatively large pocket and can bind a nonapeptide; therefore, it is suitable for the binding of large peptides similarly to OppAs of Gram‐positive bacteria.
Using an incomplete block design to allocate lines to environments improves sparse genome‐based prediction in plant breeding
Authors: Montesinos‐Lopez Osval Antonio , Montesinos‐Lopez Abelardo , Acosta Ricardo , Varshney Rajeev K. , Bentley Alison , Crossa Jose
Published: February 2022

Genomic selection (GS) is a predictive methodology that trains statistical machine‐learning models with a reference population that is used to perform genome‐enabled predictions of new lines. In plant breeding, it has the potential to increase the speed and reduce the cost of selection. However, to optimize resources, sparse testing methods have been proposed. A common approach is to guarantee a proportion of nonoverlapping and overlapping lines allocated randomly in locations, that is, lines appearing in some locations but not in all. In this study we propose using incomplete block designs (IBD), principally, for the allocation of lines to locations in such a way that not all lines are observed in all locations. We compare this allocation with a random allocation of lines to locations guaranteeing that the lines are allocated to the same number of locations as under the IBD design. We implemented this benchmarking on several crop data sets under the Bayesian genomic best linear unbiased predictor (GBLUP) model, finding that allocation under the principle of IBD outperformed random allocation by between 1.4% and 26.5% across locations, traits, and data sets in terms of mean square error. Although a wide range of performance improvements were observed, our results provide evidence that using IBD for the allocation of lines to locations can help improve predictive performance compared with random allocation. This has the potential to be applied to large‐scale plant breeding programs.
Efficacy of amino acid grafted sodium alginate under different oxidation methods for swelling and sustained release
Authors: Pan Ting , Zhu Yuanzheng , Cheng Ping , Chen Chunguang , Zhang Shuping
Published: February 2022

For drug encapsulation, sodium alginate (SA) has attracted a considerable attention due to its swelling and sustained‐release properties. Oxidative grafting is an effective way to modify SA. In this work, using amino acid as a monomer, and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), sodium periodate (NaIO4) as two oxidants, two composite materials of SA‐H2O2‐(tyrosine‐proline) (OSA‐[Tyr‐Pro]) and SA‐NaIO4‐(tyrosine‐proline) (ADA‐[Tyr‐Pro]) were synthesized. FTIR, UV spectroscopy, XRD, SEM and TGA were used to characterize the oxidative grafting process. The results of swelling and release study showed that in pure water, the sustained release time of OSA‐(Tyr‐Pro) was 45 h, i.e., five times that of SA. The swelling ratio of ADA‐(Tyr‐Pro) in pure water was 178.85%, which was 109.15% higher than that of SA. The environment of strong acid/alkali/high‐concentration salt solution would increase the swelling rate of the material as a whole and shorten the sustained release time. But OSA‐(Tyr‐Pro) had the best slow‐release performance while ADA‐(Tyr‐Pro) had the best swelling performance regardless of the environment. Based on the favorable properties of the two composite materials, it would open the field of encapsulated sustained‐release drugs with different requirements.
Wie Erzählungen Hinweise auf psychische Störungen geben können
Authors: Pfeifer Lisa
Published: February 2022

Als Ausgangspunkt dieser Arbeit dienen Ansätze, die eine narrative Perspektive für das Verständnis von Psychopathologie und die psychotherapeutische Praxis vorschlagen. Im Hinblick auf die Fragen, welche Vorteile die Analyse von Patient*innenerzählungen bieten kann, und durch welche Merkmale psychopathologische Narrative sich auszeichnen, wird ein Überblick über ausgewählte Fallberichte, empirische Untersuchungen und theoretische Überlegungen gegeben. Diese werden unter den drei Kategorien Kohärenz, „Agency“ und Perspektiven beschrieben. Die Arbeit mag einen Impuls geben, ein tieferes Verständnis für narrative Dysfunktionen zu entwickeln und ihre Ursprünge sowie ihre Bedeutung für psychische Störungen und deren Behandlung vermitteln.
Modelling to analyse the process and sustainability performance of forestry-based bioenergy systems
Authors: Martinez-Hernandez Elias , Sadhukhan Jhuma , Aburto Jorge , Amezcua-Allieri Myriam A. , Morse Stephen , Murphy Richard
Published: February 2022

This study develops a novel mathematical modelling framework for biomass combined heat and power systems (CHP) that links biomass and process characteristics to sustainability assessment of the life cycle. A total of twenty-nine indicators for the process (four-indicators), economic (five-indicators), environmental (eight-indicators) and social global (five-indicators) and local (seven-indicators) aspects have been analysed for sustainability. These are technological: biomass throughput, electricity and steam generations and CHP efficiency; economic: internal rate of return, capital, operating and feedstock costs and cost of production; environmental: global warming, fossil, land and water use, acidification, urban smog, eutrophication and ecotoxicity potentials; social (global): labour rights and decent work, health & safety, human rights, governance and community infrastructure; social (local): total forest land, direct/indirect jobs, gender equality and energy-water-sanitation access for communities, from biomass characteristics (carbon and hydrogen contents), energy demands and economic parameters. This paper applies the developed methodology to a case study in Mexico. From 12.47 kt/year forestry residue, 1 MWe is generated with an associated low-pressure steam generation of 50 kt/year, at the cost of production of $0.023/kWh. This makes the energy provision “affordable and clean” for marginalised/poor communities (the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG7). Bioenergy can curb > 90% of the greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy use, 6 kt CO2 eq and 74 TJ annually. Bioenergy reduces other environmental impacts considerably, water consumption, acidification and eutrophication by 87–53%, and urban smog and ecotoxicity by 29–18%. Bioenergy can improve all five social themes in the Central American cluster countries. In addition to the SDG7, the forestry-based bioenergy system can also achieve the SDG6: "clean water and sanitation for all".

Graphical abstract
Random iteration on hyperbolic Riemann surfaces
Authors: Abate Marco , Christodoulou Argyrios
Published: February 2022

Let $$\{f_\nu \}\subset \mathop {\mathrm {Hol}}\nolimits (X,X)$$

{

f
ν

}

⊂
Hol

(
X
,
X
)

be a sequence of holomorphic self-maps of a hyperbolic Riemann surface X. In this paper we shall study the asymptotic behaviour of the sequences obtained by iteratively left-composing or right-composing the maps $$\{f_\nu \}$$

{

f
ν

}

; the sequences of self-maps of X so obtained are called left (respectively, right) iterated function systems. We shall obtain the analogue for left iterated function systems of the theorems proved by Beardon, Carne, Minda and Ng for right iterated function systems with value in a Bloch domain; and we shall extend to the setting of general hyperbolic Riemann surfaces results obtained by Short and the second author in the unit disk $$\mathbb {D}$$
D
for iterated function systems generated by maps close enough to a given self-map.
Blood Vessel Detection Algorithm for Tissue Engineering and Quantitative Histology
Authors: Adamo A. , Bruno A. , Menallo G. , Francipane M. G. , Fazzari M. , Pirrone R. , Ardizzone E. , Wagner W. R. , D’Amore A.
Published: February 2022

Immunohistochemistry for vascular network analysis plays a fundamental role in basic science, translational research and clinical practice. However, identifying vascularization in histological tissue images is time consuming and markedly depends on the operator’s experience. In this study, we present “blood vessel detection—BVD”, an automatic algorithm for quantitative analysis of blood vessels in immunohistochemical images. BVD is based on extraction and analysis of low-level image features and spatial filtering techniques, which do not require a training phase. BVD algorithm performance was comparatively evaluated on histological sections from three different in vivo experiments. Collectively, 173 independent images were analyzed, and the algorithm's results were compared to those obtained by human operators. The developed BVD algorithm proved to be a robust and versatile tool, being able to quantify number, area, and spatial distribution of blood vessels within all three considered histologic datasets. BVD is provided as an open-source application working on different operating systems. BVD is supported by a user-friendly graphical interface designed to facilitate large-scale analysis.
Lateral flow immunoassay for small-molecules detection in phytoproducts: a review
Authors: Nuntawong Poomraphie , Putalun Waraporn , Tanaka Hiroyuki , Morimoto Satoshi , Sakamoto Seiichi
Published: February 2022

Phytoproducts are involved in various fields of industry. Small-molecule (Mw < 900 Da) organic compounds can be used to indicate the quality of plant samples in the perspective of efficacy by measuring the necessary secondary metabolites and in the perspective of safety by measuring the adulterant level of toxic compounds. The development of reliable detection methods for these compounds in such a complicated matrix is challenging. The lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) is one of the immunoassays well-known for its simplicity, portability, and rapidity. In this review, the general principle, components, format, and application of the LFA for phytoproducts are discussed.
Artificial Intelligence to Improve Risk Prediction with Nuclear Cardiac Studies
Authors: Juarez-Orozco Luis Eduardo , Klén Riku , Niemi Mikael , Ruijsink Bram , Daquarti Gustavo , van Es Rene , Benjamins Jan-Walter , Yeung Ming Wai , van der Harst Pim , Knuuti Juhani
Published: February 2022

Purpose of Review

As machine learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) continues to revolutionize the way in which we analyze data, the field of nuclear cardiology provides fertile ground for the implementation of these complex analytics. This review summarizes and discusses the principles regarding nuclear cardiology techniques and AI, and the current evidence regarding its performance and contribution to the improvement of risk prediction in cardiovascular disease.

Recent Findings and Summary

There is a growing body of evidence on the experimentation with and implementation of machine learning-based AI on nuclear cardiology studies both concerning SPECT and PET technology for the improvement of risk-of-disease (classification of disease) and risk-of-events (prediction of adverse events) estimations. These publications still report objective divergence in methods either utilizing statistical machine learning approaches or deep learning with varying architectures, dataset sizes, and performance. Recent efforts have been placed into bringing standardization and quality to the experimentation and application of machine learning-based AI in cardiovascular imaging to generate standards in data harmonization and analysis through AI. Machine learning-based AI offers the possibility to improve risk evaluation in cardiovascular disease through its implementation on cardiac nuclear studies.

Graphical Abstract

AI in improving risk evaluation in nuclear cardiology. * Based on the 2019 ESC guidelines