bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Speaking to or for the world? Britain, presumed authority and world opinion at the start of the First World War
Authors: Monger David
Published: December 2022

Britain in 1914 was the world’s leading power, the only nation with global responsibilities and authority. However, this authority was presumed, and the First World War rapidly highlighted limits. Even before the country’s dependence on U.S. finance, British appeals to ‘world opinion’ suggest recognition that British authority no longer ordered world affairs. While speaking for the world by asserting world opinion, Britons also spoke to it, officiously demanding action and appealing to world, especially U.S., opinion. This article closely explores one collection featuring such appeals, arguing 1914 already reflected the transition from presumed pre-eminence to a time when Britain needed, and sought, the world’s help.
Assessment of the impacts of climate change on drought in an arid area using drought indices and Landsat remote sensing data
Authors: Derdour Abdessamed , Bouarfa Said , Kaid Noureddine , Baili Jamel , Al-Bahrani Mohammed , Menni Younes , Ahmad Hijaz
Published: December 2022

Located in the arid climatic zone of Algeria, the region of Ain Sefra is a victim of climatic change, which faces several geographical, ecological, economic and even social problems. The present study investigated the relationships between various drought indices and the evolution of land use elements in Ain Sefra from 1977 to 2017 using the Modified Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index. It was revealed that there is a considerable growth of sands estimated at 286.61% of the area, moving toward the north and northeast of the study area during the last decades. The combination of drought indices and remote sensing seems to be most promising, whose results are valuable tools for guidance and decision support to local and regional authorities.
MAD2B Blunts Chronic Unpredictable Stress and Corticosterone Stimulation–Induced Depression-Like Behaviors in Mice
Authors: Wang Xiao-Lan , Miao Cheng , Su Yanfang , Zhang Chun , Meng Xianfang
Published: December 2022

Background

Depression is a prevalent and recurrent psychiatric disorder. Aberrant neural structure and activity play fundamental roles in the occurrence of depression. Mitotic arrest deficient protein (MAD2B) is highly expressed in neurons and may be implicated in synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. However, the effect of MAD2B in depression, as well as the related molecular mechanism, is uncertain.

Methods

Here, we employed mouse models of depression induced by chronic unpredictable stress exposure or corticosterone (CORT) stimulation. Depression-like behaviors in mice were evaluated by sucrose preference, forced swimming, and tail suspension tests. Hippocampal MAD2B overexpression was mediated by adeno-associated virus 8 containing enhanced green fluorescent protein. In vitro primary neuronal cells were obtained from the hippocampus of rat embryos and were treated with CORT, and MAD2B overexpression was performed using lentivirus. MAD2B and glutamate metabotropic receptor 4 (GRM4) levels were evaluated by western blots and quantitative PCR. Primary neuronal miR-29b-3p expression was detected by quantitative PCR.

Results

MAD2B expression was reduced in the hippocampus in mice exhibiting depressive-like behaviors. However, hippocampal MAD2B overexpression protected mice from developing either chronic unpredictable stress– or CORT-induced depression-like behaviors, an effect associated with reduced expression of GRM4, a presynaptic receptor involved in depression. Moreover, MAD2B overexpression in primary neuronal cells also decreased GRM4 expression while enhancing the level of miR-29b-3p; this phenomenon was also observed under CORT stimulation.

Conclusions

Our results suggest an important role of neuronal MAD2B in the pathogenesis of depression via the miR-29b-3p/GRM4 signaling pathway. MAD2B could be a potential therapeutic target for depressive disorders.
Associations Between Cognition and Serotonin 1B Receptor Availability in Healthy Volunteers: A [11C]AZ10419369 Positron Emission Tomography Study
Authors: Tangen Ämma , Veldman Emma R , Svensson Jonas , Tiger Mikael , Nord Magdalena , Sorjonen Kimmo , Andersson Max , Plavén-Sigray Pontus , Varrone Andrea , Halldin Christer , Varnäs Katarina , Borg Jacqueline , Lundberg Johan
Published: December 2022

Background

The serotonin system has been implicated in several psychiatric disorders. All major psychiatric disorders are associated with cognitive impairment, but treatment improving cognitive deficits is lacking, partly due to limited understanding of the neurobiology of cognitive functioning. Several markers for the serotonin system have been associated with cognitive functions. Our research group previously has reported a positive correlation between serotonin (5-HT1B) receptor availability in the dorsal brainstem and visuospatial memory in a pilot study of healthy individuals. Here, we aim to replicate our previous finding in a larger group of healthy volunteers as well as to investigate putative associations between 5-HT1B receptor availability and other cognitive domains.

Methods

Forty-three healthy individuals were examined with positron emission tomography using the 5-HT1B receptor radioligand [11C]AZ10419369 and a visuospatial memory test to replicate our previous finding as well as tests of verbal fluency, cognitive flexibility, reaction time, and planning ability to explore other domains potentially associated with the serotonin system.

Results

Replication analysis revealed no statistically significant association between 5-HT1B receptor availability in the dorsal brainstem and visuospatial memory performance. Exploratory analyses showed age-adjusted correlations between 5-HT1B receptor availability in whole brain gray matter and specific brain regions, and number of commission errors, reaction time, and planning ability.

Conclusions

Higher 5-HT1B receptor availability was associated with more false-positive responses and faster reaction time but lower performance in planning and problem-solving. These results corroborate previous research supporting an important role of the serotonin system in impulsive behavior and planning ability.
Separate National Apologies, Transnational Injustices: Second World War Oppression, Anti-Japanese Persecution, and the Politics of Apology in Five Countries
Authors: James Matt , Fernández de Lara Harada Jessica , Izumi Masumi , Okamoto Monica , Stanger-Ross Jordan
Published: December 2022

During the Second World War, several Allied countries oppressed Japanese diaspora groups (also known as Nikkei). The United States and Canada apologized in 1988; today, Brazil and Mexico face reparative demands for their persecution of Nikkei communities. There has been no integrated analysis of these interconnected injustices. This article offers a preliminary account, highlighting some of the key transnational factors involved. It also addresses the significant domestic bias of public discussions about the injustices, a bias that ignores the historical centrality of transnational forces in historical processes of anti-Asian oppression. We ask whether the possible spread of apology politics from the US and Canadian cases to Brazil, Mexico, and Australia might help to promote a new political awareness of the transnational character of the wartime oppression of Nikkei civilians in Allied countries. However, our analysis reveals that the politics of apology tends to promote domestic bias in public understandings of anti-Japanese racism. Indeed, to the extent that transnationality emerged in our cases, it was in the perverse form of “White civility” comparisons that chided countries in the Global South to emulate their allegedly more advanced apologetic counterparts from the North. Yet, there remain compelling reasons for domestic political apologies in our cases. The point is not to proscribe apologies but rather to understand their biases and, in the cases at hand, to use the spread of apology debates in our cases to promote a more widespread understanding of transnationality in the production of anti-Asian racism and White supremacy.
Utilization of telehealth to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review
Authors: Eslami Jahromi Maryam , Ayatollahi Haleh
Published: December 2022

Objective

Recently, the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic has led to an increase in the use of telehealth technology. It seems that the application of this technology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has been limited, and few studies have been undertaken to review the current state of knowledge in this area. The aim of the present study was to explore the utilization of telehealth to manage the Covid-19 pandemic in LMICs.

Materials and Methods

This scoping review was conducted in 2022. PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, IEEE Xplore, and ProQuest were searched, and all quantitative research, qualitative studies, case reports, and case studies related to the use of telehealth to manage Covid-19 in LMICs and published since 2020 were included in the study. The findings were analyzed and reported narratively.

Results

In total, 18 articles were included in the research. These studies were conducted in South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and East Asia and Oceania. Telehealth interventions included teleconsultation, telecoaching, teledermatology, televisit, mhealth applications, telerehabilitation, telepharmacy, and telepsychiatry. WhatsApp was the most common way for service delivery and in most studies, patients and health care providers were satisfied with services.

Conclusion

Although the use of telehealth interventions was limited in LMICs during the Covid-19 pandemic, in most cases, it was an effective solution to combat the outbreak of Covid-19 and had positive outcomes. A comparison between the characteristics and clinical effectiveness of similar interventions in different countries including LMICs are worth investigation in the future studies.
How, for whom, and in what contexts will artificial intelligence be adopted in pathology? A realist interview study
Authors: King Henry , Williams Bethany , Treanor Darren , Randell Rebecca
Published: December 2022

Objective

There is increasing interest in using artificial intelligence (AI) in pathology to improve accuracy and efficiency. Studies of clinicians’ perceptions of AI have found only moderate acceptability, suggesting further research is needed regarding integration into clinical practice. This study aimed to explore stakeholders’ theories concerning how and in what contexts AI is likely to become integrated into pathology.

Materials and Methods

A literature review provided tentative theories that were revised through a realist interview study with 20 pathologists and 5 pathology trainees. Questions sought to elicit whether, and in what ways, the tentative theories fitted with interviewees’ perceptions and experiences. Analysis focused on identifying the contextual factors that may support or constrain uptake of AI in pathology.

Results

Interviews highlighted the importance of trust in AI, with interviewees emphasizing evaluation and the opportunity for pathologists to become familiar with AI as means for establishing trust. Interviewees expressed a desire to be involved in design and implementation of AI tools, to ensure such tools address pressing needs, but needs vary by subspecialty. Workflow integration is desired but whether AI tools should work automatically will vary according to the task and the context.

Conclusions

It must not be assumed that AI tools that provide benefit in one subspecialty will provide benefit in others. Pathologists should be involved in the decision to introduce AI, with opportunity to assess strengths and weaknesses. Further research is needed concerning the evidence required to satisfy pathologists regarding the benefits of AI.
Agglomeration effects in a developing economy: evidence from Turkey
Authors: Özgüzel Cem
Published: December 2022

I estimate the role of agglomeration economies and other local factors on productivity differences across Turkish provinces, which are some of the highest seen in OECD countries. Using a novel administrative dataset and historical instruments to deal with estimation concerns, I find that the elasticity of productivity to density is higher than in developed countries. Moreover, using an individual panel at the regional level, I find weak sorting effects for workers, contrasting with evidence from developed countries. These results suggest that urbanization patterns could be operating differently in developing countries.
CRISPRi screen for enhancing heterologous α-amylase yield inBacillus subtilis
Authors: Geissler Adrian Sven , Fehler Annaleigh Ohrt , Poulsen Line Dahl , González-Tortuero Enrique , Kallehauge Thomas Beuchert , Alkan Ferhat , Anthon Christian , Seemann Stefan Ernst , Rasmussen Michael Dolberg , Breüner Anne , Hjort Carsten , Vinther Jeppe , Gorodkin Jan
Published: December 2022

Yield improvements in cell factories can potentially be obtained by fine-tuning the regulatory mechanisms for gene candidates. In pursuit of such candidates, we performed RNA-sequencing of two α-amylase producing Bacillus strains and predict hundreds of putative novel non-coding transcribed regions. Surprisingly, we found among hundreds of non-coding and structured RNA candidates that non-coding genomic regions are proportionally undergoing the highest changes in expression during fermentation. Since these classes of RNA are also understudied, we targeted the corresponding genomic regions with CRIPSRi knockdown to test for any potential impact on the yield. From differentially expression analysis, we selected 53 non-coding candidates. Although CRISPRi knockdowns target both the sense and the antisense strand, the CRISPRi experiment cannot link causes for yield changes to the sense or antisense disruption. Nevertheless, we observed on several instances with strong changes in enzyme yield. The knockdown targeting the genomic region for a putative antisense RNA of the 3′ UTR of the skfA-skfH operon led to a 21% increase in yield. In contrast, the knockdown targeting the genomic regions of putative antisense RNAs of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (ctaD), the sigma factor sigH, and the uncharacterized gene yhfT decreased yields by 31 to 43%.
Philosophical Failure and the Reasonability View of Conscientious Objection: Can Reason Adjudicate Metaphysical or Religious Claims?
Authors: Brummett Abram L
Published: December 2022

Robert Card has proposed a reasonability view of conscientious objection that asks providers to state the reasons for their objection for evaluation and approval by a review board. Jason Marsh has challenged Card to provide explicit criteria for what makes a conscientious objection reasonable, which he claims will be too difficult a task given that such objections often involve contentious metaphysical or religious claims. Card has responded by outlining standards by which a conscientious objection could be judged reasonable. In this paper, I extend Marsh’s critique to key concepts in the standards outlined by Card such as abortifacient, harm, emergency, and discrimination, showing they can be given radically different interpretations given different metaphysical or religious presumptions. To resolve these conflicting interpretations, a reasonability view of conscientious objection will need more than the criteria outlined by Card, it will need the resources to evaluate the reasonability of metaphysical or religious claims.
The political economy of digital profiteering: communication resource mobilization by anti-vaccination actors
Authors: Herasimenka Aliaksandr , Au Yung , George Anna , Joynes-Burgess Kate , Knuutila Aleksi , Bright Jonathan , Howard Philip N
Published: December 2022

Contemporary communication requires both a supply of content and a digital information infrastructure. Modern campaigns of misinformation are especially dependent on that back-end infrastructure for tracking and targeting a sympathetic audience and generating revenue that can sustain the campaign financially—if not enable profiteering. However, little is known about the political economy of misinformation, particularly those campaigns spreading misleading or harmful content about public health guidelines and vaccination programs. To understand the political economy of health misinformation, we analyze the content and infrastructure networks of 59 groups involved in communicating misinformation about vaccination programs. With a unique collection of tracker and communication infrastructure data, we demonstrate how the political economy of misinformation depends on platform monetization infrastructures. We offer a theory of communication resource mobilization that advances understanding of the communicative context, organizational interactions, and political outcomes of misinformation production.
A spatial gradient analysis of urban Red-tailed Hawk nestling diet
Authors: White Justin H , Snook Joshua , Ormsby Zachary E , Nussear Kenneth E
Published: December 2022

We examined Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) nestling diets in Reno and Sparks, NV, USA during the 2015 and 2016 breeding seasons. Field researchers and nest cameras recorded 1348 prey items spanning 28 species at 88 nests. Prey consisted of 86% mammalia, 10% aves and 4% reptilia. Differential prey selection occurred among the population and at individual nests relative to an expected diet. Diet breadth differed between nests and increased with urban density. Avian prey consumption increased relative to mammalian and reptilian prey in impervious areas. When prey items were plotted on a continuous urban density spectrum, mammalian prey increased in the suburban areas and decreased toward the urban core and was inversely correlated with avian prey. Mammalian prey consumption increased and decreased at the end of April and in mid-May before increasing through the remainder of the breeding season (mid-June). Avian prey consumption peaked in May and increased through the season, and reptilian prey varied little. The geographic patterns of prey species consumed in our study reflect those in cities elsewhere. As the urban area changes, we predict that the densest populations of Red-tailed Hawks will continue to reside in the suburban areas where prey diversity and abundance are highest. This was one of the first studies to record urban Red-tailed Hawk diet and revealed patterns in how an urban population used food resources.
Dynamics of the star-forming region G345.51+0.84
Authors: Pan Sirong , Liu Hong-Li , Qin Sheng-Li
Published: December 2022

With the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment mapping observations of 13CO and C18O (2-1) complemented with Herschel data, we have carried out a comprehensive analysis on dynamics of the G345.51+0.84 (G345 hereafter) region. It is composed of two physically connected components: the blue-shifted (i.e. G345Blue), and red-shifted velocity (i.e. G345Red) clouds, which peak near −12.5  km s−1 and −10.5  km s−1, respectively. The former cloud contains one compact clump (C1), whereas the latter constitutes one filament (Fil345) and four clumps (C2–C5) inside it. The filament is ∼2.6  pc-long and ∼0.52  pc-wide with a median line-mass of Mline = 183 ± 98 M⊙ pc−1, being overall in equilibrium but locally gravitationally bound especially around the clumps. The presence of high-mass protostars in the C2 clump and higher Mline values around it collectively indicates that Fil345 is an ongoing high-mass star-forming filament. The detailed dynamics analysis reveals the cloud–cloud collision scenario between G345Blue and G345Red in the global region studied here, and the longitudinal and radial velocity gradients in the filament indicative of directed mass accretion along the two orthogonal directions. Further analysing the possible mechanism of filament formation for Fil345, we suggest that it presently grows in mass by a hybrid of mass accretion and cloud–cloud collision.
Glycolaldehyde formation mediated by interstellar amorphous ice: a computational study
Authors: Paiva M A M , Pilling S , Mendoza E , Galvão B R L , De Abreu H A
Published: December 2022

Glycolaldehyde (HOCH2CHO) is the most straightforward sugar detected in the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and participates in the formation pathways of molecules fundamental to life, red such as ribose and derivatives. Although detected in several regions of the ISM, its formation route is still debated and its abundance cannot be explained only by reactions in the gas phase. This work explores a new gas-phase formation mechanism for glycolaldehyde and compares the energy barrier reduction when the same route happens on the surface of amorphous ices. The first step of the mechanism involves the formation of a carbon–carbon bond between formaldehyde (H2CO) and the formyl radical (HCO), with an energy barrier of 27 kJ mol−1 (gas-phase). The second step consists of barrierless hydrogen addition. Density functional calculations under periodic boundary conditions were applied to study this reaction path on 10 different amorphous ice surfaces through an Eley–Rideal type mechanism. It was found that the energy barrier is reduced on average by 49 per cent, leading in some cases to a 100 per cent reduction. The calculated adsorption energy of glycolaldehyde suggests that it can be promptly desorbed to the gas phase after its formation. This work, thus contributes to explaining the detected relative abundances of glycolaldehyde and opens a new methodological framework for studying the formation routes for Complex Organic Molecules (COMs) in interstellar icy grains.
Rapid disc settling and the transition from bursty to steady star formation in Milky Way-mass galaxies
Authors: Gurvich Alexander B , Stern Jonathan , Faucher-Giguère Claude-André , Hopkins Philip F , Wetzel Andrew , Moreno Jorge , Hayward Christopher C , Richings Alexander J , Hafen Zachary
Published: December 2022

Recent observations and simulations indicate substantial evolution in the properties of galaxies with time, wherein rotationally supported and steady thin discs (like those frequently observed in the local Universe) emerge from galaxies that are clumpy, irregular, and have bursty star formation rates (SFRs). To better understand the progenitors of local disc galaxies, we carry out an analysis of three FIRE-2 simulated galaxies with a mass similar to the Milky Way at redshift z = 0. We show that all three galaxies transition from bursty to steady SFRs at a redshift between z = 0.5 and z = 0.8, and that this transition coincides with the rapid (≲1 Gyr) emergence of a rotationally supported interstellar medium (ISM). In the late phase with steady SFR, the rotational energy comprises ${\gtrsim }90{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of the total kinetic + thermal energy in the ISM, and is roughly half the gravitational energy. By contrast, during the early bursty phase, the ISM initially has a quasi-spheroidal morphology and its energetics are dominated by quasi-isotropic in- and outflows out of virial equilibrium. The subdominance of rotational support and out-of-equilibrium conditions at early times challenge the application of standard equilibrium disc models to high-redshift progenitors of Milky Way-like galaxies. We further find that the formation of a rotationally-supported ISM coincides with the onset of a thermal pressure supported inner circumgalactic medium (CGM). Before this transition, there is no clear boundary between the ISM and the inner CGM.
AstroSat observation of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4–3658 during its 2019 outburst
Authors: Sharma Rahul , Sanna Andrea , Beri Aru
Published: December 2022

We report on the analysis of the AstroSat data set of the accreting millisecond X-ray pulsar SAX J1808.4–3658, obtained during its 2019 outburst. We found coherent pulsations at ∼401 Hz and an orbital solution consistent with previous studies. The 3–20 keV pulse profile can be well fitted with three harmonically related sinusoidal components with background-corrected fractional amplitudes of $\sim 3.5 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, $\sim 1.2 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ and $\sim 0.37 {{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ for the fundamental, second and third harmonics, respectively. Our energy-resolved pulse profile evolution study indicates a strong energy dependence. We also observed a soft lag in the fundamental and hard lags during its harmonic. The broad-band spectrum of SAX J1808.4–3658 can be described well using a combination of the thermal emission component with kT ∼ 1 keV, a thermal Comptonization (Γ ∼ 1.67) from the hot corona and broad emission lines due to Fe.
The unusual Milky Way-local sheet system: implications for spin strength and alignment
Authors: Aragon-Calvo M A , Silk Joseph , Neyrinck Mark
Published: December 2022

The Milky Way and the Local Sheet form a peculiar galaxy system in terms of the unusually low velocity dispersion in our neighbourhood and the seemingly high mass of the Milky Way for such an environment. Using the TNG300 simulation, we searched for Milky Way analogues (MWA) located in the cosmological walls with velocity dispersion in their local Hubble flow similar to the one observed around our galaxy. We find that MWAs in Local-Sheet analogues are rare, with one per (160–200 Mpc)3 volume. We find that a Sheet-like cold environment preserves, amplifies, or simplifies environmental effects on the angular momentum of galaxies. In such sheets, there are particularly strong alignments between the sheet and galaxy spins; also, these galaxies have low spin parameters. These both may relate to a lack of mergers since wall formation. We hope our results will bring awareness of the atypical nature of the Milky Way-Local Sheet system. Wrongly extrapolating local observations without a full consideration of the effect of our cosmic environment can lead to a Copernican bias in understanding the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and the nearby Universe.
Early acute kidney injury is associated with in-hospital adverse outcomes in critically ill burn patients: an observational study
Authors: Martins Judith , Nin Nicolás , Muriel Alfonso , Peñuelas Óscar , Vasco Dovami , Vaquero Pablo , Schultz Marcus J , Lorente José A
Published: December 2022

Background

There are no studies in large series of burn patients on the relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) and adverse outcomes using the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed data from a cohort of burn patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with the diagnosis of burn injury. The diagnosis of AKI over the first 7 days after injury was made according to the KDIGO guidelines. The primary outcome was ICU mortality. We used estimative models using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Results

A total of 960 patients were studied and AKI was diagnosed in 50.5%. In multivariable analysis, AKI was associated, as compared with patients without AKI, with ICU mortality {adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.135 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.384–3.293]} and secondary outcomes [kidney replacement therapy, aOR 4.030 (95% CI 1.838–8.835); infection, aOR 1.437 (95% CI 1.107–1.866); hospital mortality, aOR 1.652 (95% CI 1.139–2.697)]. AKI stage 1 was associated with a higher ICU [aOR 1.869 (95% CI 1.183–2.954)] and hospital mortality [aOR 1.552 (95% CI 1.050–2.296)] and infection [aOR 1.383 (95% CI 1.049–1.823)]. AKI meeting the urine output (UO) criterion alone was not associated with increased mortality. Ignoring the UO criterion would have missed 50 (10.3%) cases with AKI.

Conclusion

The KDIGO guidelines are useful to diagnose AKI in burn patients. Even the mild form of AKI is independently associated with increased mortality. Considering the UO criterion is important to more accurately assess the incidence of AKI, but AKI meeting the UO criterion alone is not associated with increased mortality.
Dietary lithium intake, graft failure and mortality in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Post Adrian , Kremer Daan , Groothof Dion , Seidel Ulrike , Huebbe Patricia , Franssen Casper F M , Kema Ido P , Lüersen Kai , Rimbach Gerald , Bakker Stephan J L
Published: December 2022

Background

Long-term high-dose lithium therapy in bipolar disorder is known to adversely affect kidney function. However, recent animal studies have revealed that low amounts of lithium are beneficial for the kidney when it is damaged by exposure to nephrotoxic compounds, inflammation or oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate whether urinary lithium excretion, reflecting dietary lithium intake, is associated with adverse long-term kidney graft outcomes and patient survival.

Methods

Urinary lithium concentration was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in 642 stable kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Graft failure was defined as the start of dialysis or retransplantation and kidney function decline was defined as a doubling of serum creatinine.

Results

The median urinary lithium excretion was 3.03 μmol/24 h [interquartile range (IQR) 2.31–4.01]. Urinary lithium excretion was associated with energy, plant protein and water intake. During a median follow-up of 5.3 years (IQR 4.5–6.0), 79 (12%) KTRs developed graft failure and 127 (20%) KTRs developed kidney function decline. Higher urinary lithium excretion was associated with a lower risk of graft failure {hazard ratio [HR] per doubling 0.54 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38–0.79]} and kidney function decline [HR per doubling 0.73 (95% CI 0.54–0.99)]. These associations remained independent of adjustment for potential confounders and in sensitivity analyses. There was a significant effect modification with the use of proliferation inhibitors (P = .05) and baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; P < .001), with higher urinary lithium excretion being more protective in KTRs not using proliferation inhibitors and in KTRs with lower baseline eGFR. Furthermore, higher urinary lithium excretion was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality [HR 0.64 (95% CI 0.49–0.83); P = .001].

Conclusion

Dietary lithium intake may be a potentially modifiable, yet rather overlooked, risk factor for adverse long-term kidney graft outcomes and patient survival.

Trial registration

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02811835
Analysis of on-treatment cancer safety events with daprodustat versus conventional erythropoiesis-stimulating agents—post hoc analyses of the ASCEND-ND and ASCEND-D trials
Authors: Singh Ajay K , McCausland Finnian R , Claggett Brian L , Wanner Christoph , Wiecek Andrzej , Atkins Michael B , Carroll Kevin , Perkovic Vlado , McMurray John J V , Wittes Janet , Snapinn Steven , Blackorby Allison , Meadowcroft Amy , Barker Tara , DiMino Tara , Mallett Stephen , Cobitz Alexander R , Solomon Scott D
Published: December 2022

Background

The prespecified on-treatment analysis of ASCEND-ND (NCT02876835) raised concerns about a higher relative risk of cancer-related adverse events (AEs) with daprodustat vs darbepoetin in patients with anaemia of CKD. This concern was not observed in dialysis patients in ASCEND-D (NCT02879305).

Methods

ASCEND-ND randomized 3872 patients to daprodustat or darbepoetin. ASCEND-D randomized 2964 patients to daprodustat or conventional erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). In both studies ESA comparators used different dosing intervals (3/week, 1/week, every 2 or every 4 weeks). The prespecified on-treatment approach examined relative risks for cancer AEs up to the last dose date + 1 day. In these analyses, owing to different dosing intervals between arms, Cox models were used to estimate the daprodustat effect by various follow-up periods (censoring at last dose date, last dose date + dosing intervals, or end of study).

Results

In ASCEND-ND, the safety of daprodustat vs darbepoetin on cancer-related AEs depended on the duration of follow-up after last dose date: hazard ratio (HR) 1.04 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.77, 1.40] at end of study [HR 1.12 (95% CI 0.81, 1.56) for last dose date + dosing interval; HR 1.50 (95% CI 1.04, 2.15) for last dose date + 1 day]. In ASCEND-D, no excess risk of cancer-related AEs was observed with any model examined.

Conclusions

Prespecified on-treatment analyses for cancer-related AEs appeared to result in biased risk estimates in ASCEND-ND by preferentially under-counting events from patients assigned to darbepoetin. Analyses accounting for longer darbepoetin dosing intervals, or extending follow-up, resulted in attenuation of effect estimates towards neutrality, similar to ASCEND-D, where ESA comparator dosing intervals are closer to daprodustat.

Trial registration

The ASCEND-ND trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02876835); the ASCEND-D trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02879305).
Effects of the genetic variants of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes on lipid levels in Asian populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Luo Zhi , Cheng Jun , Wang Yanggan
Published: December 2022

Context

Emerging evidence indicates that variants of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes may influence lipid metabolism.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate whether the rs671 and rs1229984 variants affect lipid levels in East Asian individuals.

Data Sources

PubMed, Foreign Medical Journal Service, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Web of Knowledge, Wanfang, and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases were searched until December 31, 2021.

Data Extraction

Meta-analyses of studies that examined the effects of alcohol-metabolizing enzyme variants on lipid levels, as well as the interaction with alcohol intake, were selected. Data extraction was conducted independently by two investigators and confirmed by the third.

Data Analysis

In total, 86 studies (179 640 individuals) were analyzed. The A allele of rs671 (a functional variant in the ALDH2 gene) was linked to higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lower levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In contrast, the A allele of the rs1229984 (a functional variant in the ADH2 gene) was associated only with lower levels of LDL-C. The effects of rs671 and rs1229984 on lipid levels were much stronger in Japanese than in Chinese individuals and in males than in females. Regression analysis indicated that the effects of rs671 on lipid levels were independent of alcohol intake in an integrated East Asian population (ie, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean individuals). Intriguingly, alcohol intake had a statistical influence on lipid levels when the sample analyzed was restricted to Japanese individuals or to males.

Conclusions

The rs671 and rs1229984 variants of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes have significant effects on lipid levels and may serve as genetic markers for lipid dyslipidemia in East Asian populations. Circulating lipid levels in Japanese individuals and in males were modulated by the interaction between rs671 and alcohol intake.
Is Symbolic Religious Establishment Permitted Within the European Convention? A Legal, Political, and Pragmatic Perspective
Authors: Pierik Roland
Published: December 2022

This article discusses the role of the European Court of Human Rights in regulating the symbolic establishment of religion by the Convention States in their public sphere. The analysis starts from the rather controversial Lautsi decisions and distinguishes three perspectives on such cases. The legal perspective focuses on the way the Court would usually answer a legal question underlying a controversial subject as an interpretation of the Convention and Protocols understood as the living instrument it is today. The political perspective focuses on the preferred solution of the democratic majority in the relevant the Convention State, which is sometimes diametrically opposed to the Court’s assessment. The pragmatic perspective explains how the Court deals with such clashes. In controversial cases, the Court sometimes is critical of the state for violating Convention rights, but remains, as a supranational court, critically dependent on the sufficient support of these states. This implies that the Court is sometimes forced to act pragmatically. To maintain the overall stability of the Convention system of human rights protection, the Court is sometimes required to make legally suboptimal decisions in specific controversial cases.
TheSymbiodiniumProteome Response to Thermal and Nutrient Stresses
Authors: Oakley Clinton A , Newson Grace I , Peng Lifeng , Davy Simon K
Published: December 2022

Coral bleaching is primarily caused by high sea surface temperatures, and nutrient enrichment of reefs is associated with lower resilience to thermal stress and ecological degradation. Excess inorganic nitrogen relative to phosphate has been proposed to sensitize corals to thermal bleaching. We assessed the physiological and proteomic responses of cultures of the dinoflagellate coral symbiont Symbiodinium microadriaticum to elevated temperature under low-nutrient, high-nutrient and phosphate-limited conditions. Elevated temperature induced reductions of many chloroplast proteins, particularly the light-harvesting complexes, and simultaneously increased the abundance of many chaperone proteins. Proteomes were similar when the N:P ratio was near the Redfield ratio, regardless of absolute N and P concentrations, but were strongly affected by phosphate limitation. Very high N:P inhibited Symbiodinium cell division while increasing the abundance of chloroplast proteins. The proteome response to phosphate limitation was greater than that to elevated temperature, as measured by the number of differentially abundant proteins. Increased physiological sensitivity to high temperatures under high nutrients or imbalanced N:P ratios was not apparent; however, oxidative stress response proteins were enriched among proteins responding to thermal stress under imbalanced N:P ratios. These data provide a detailed catalog of the effects of high temperatures and nutrients on a coral symbiont proteome.
Carbohydrate vitrification in aerosolized saliva is associated with the humidity-dependent infectious potential of airborne coronavirus
Authors: Nieto-Caballero Marina , Davis Ryan D , Fuques Eddie , Gomez Odessa M , Huynh Erik , Handorean Alina , Ushijima Shuichi , Tolbert Margaret , Hernandez Mark
Published: December 2022

An accepted murine analogue for the environmental behavior of human SARS coronaviruses was aerosolized in microdroplets of its culture media and saliva to observe the decay of its airborne infectious potential under relative humidity (RH) conditions relevant to conditioned indoor air. Contained in a dark, 10 m3 chamber maintained at 22°C, murine hepatitis virus (MHV) was entrained in artificial saliva particles that were aerosolized in size distributions that mimic SARS-CoV-2 virus expelled from infected humans’ respiration. As judged by quantitative PCR, more than 95% of the airborne MHV aerosolized was recovered from microdroplets with mean aerodynamic diameters between 0.56 and 5.6 μm. As judged by its half-life, calculated from the median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50), saliva was protective of airborne murine coronavirus through a RH range recommended for conditioned indoor air (60% < RH < 40%; average half-life = 60 minutes). However, its average half-life doubled to 120 minutes when RH was maintained at 25%. Saliva microaerosol was dominated by carbohydrates, which presented hallmarks of vitrification without efflorescence at low RH. These results suggest that dehydrating carbohydrates can affect the infectious potential coronaviruses exhibit while airborne, significantly extending their persistence under the drier humidity conditions encountered indoors.
Preoperative Exercise Has a Modest Effect on Postoperative Pain, Function, Quality of Life, and Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hayashi Kazuhiro , Janowski Adam , Lesnak Joseph B , Sluka Kathleen A
Published: December 2022

Objective

Preoperative exercise (prehabilitation) is commonly used as a method to reduce pain and improve function postoperatively. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine therapeutic benefits of preoperative exercise on postoperative pain, function, quality of life (QOL), and risk of complications across various types of surgeries.

Methods

Three electronic databases were used to perform a literature search. Full articles with randomized designs comparing a preoperative exercise program vs no formal program were included. The primary outcome was postoperative pain. QOL, function, and postoperative complications were analyzed as secondary outcomes. The primary meta-analysis was performed in those with joint replacement surgery because there were only 5 with other surgical types.

Results

A total of 28 articles were included, of which 23 were from individuals with total joint replacement surgery. Preoperative exercise resulted in lower pain ≤2 months and 3 to 5 months after joint replacement surgery with a moderate standardized mean difference (95% CI at <2 months = −0.34 [−0.59 to −0.09]; at 3 to 5 months = −0.41 [−0.70 to −0.11]) compared with nonexercised controls. However, ≥6 months after joint replacement surgery, preoperative exercise groups showed no significant differences in postoperative pain (standardized mean difference = −0.17 [−0.35 to 0.01]) compared with nonexercised controls. QOL and subjective and objective function were improved ≤2 months after joint replacement surgery but were not different ≥6 months post-surgery. Reduction in risk of postoperative complications was favored with preoperative exercise.

Conclusion

Preoperative exercise has a modest effect on postoperative pain, function, and quality of life within the first 6 months after surgery and reduces the risk of developing postoperative complications in individuals undergoing joint replacement surgery. The effect of preoperative exercise on other surgery types is inconclusive.

Impact

This systematic review supports using preoperative exercise to improve pain and function outcomes for those with joint replacement surgery.
Overcoming separation between counterparts due to unknown proper motions in catalogue cross-matching
Authors: Wilson Tom J
Published: December 2022

To perform precise and accurate photometric catalogue cross-matches – assigning counterparts between two separate data sets – we need to describe all possible sources of uncertainty in object position. With ever-increasing time baselines between observations, like 2MASS in 2001 and the next generation of surveys, such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), Euclid, and the Nancy Grace Romantelescope, it is crucial that we can robustly describe and model the effects of stellar motions on source positions in photometric catalogues. While Gaia has revolutionized astronomy with its high-precision astrometry, it will only provide motions for ≈10 per cent of LSST sources; additionally, LSST itself will not be able to provide high-quality motion information for sources below its single-visit depth, and other surveys may measure no motions at all. This leaves large numbers of objects with potentially significant positional drifts that may incorrectly lead matching algorithms to deem two detections too far separated on the sky to be counterparts. To overcome this, in this paper, we describe a model for the statistical distribution of on-sky motions of sources of given sky coordinates and brightness, allowing for the cross-match process to take into account this extra potential separation between Galactic sources. We further detail how to fold these probabilistic proper motions into Bayesian cross-matching frameworks, such as those of Wilson & Naylor. This will vastly improve the recovery of, for example, very red objects across optical-infrared matches, and decrease the false match rate of photometric catalogue counterpart assignment.
Why is Syria a War but Not Afghanistan? Nationality-based Aid and Protection in Turkey’s Syria Refugee Response
Authors: Almasri Shaddin
Published: December 2022

This article argues that, following the most recent influx of Syrians, refugee reception and aid policies in Turkey has shifted to be differentiated depending on the nationality of refugee groups. This research relies on a case study methodology and assesses changes in reception and aid access policies undertaken in Turkey post the Syrian influx and European Union (EU)–Turkey deal. In doing so it critically analyses differentiated access by refugee nationality, specifically Syrians and Afghans. This begins with an analysis of differences between refugee groups in how protection status is issued, followed by an investigation of differentiated access to programmes and assistance, and the role that EU-led negotiations and aid programmes play in re-enforcing Syrian-focused inclusion. Through a methodology that combines a review of law, policy and relevant literature and semi-structured interviews with key informants, this article makes two conclusions: first, that policies in Turkey unfolded to differentiate and distinguish Syrian refugees, against other refugee groups, as part of the response to the influx. Secondly, as objects of migration diplomacy between the EU and Turkey, aid and assistance programmes for refugees were also distinct by citizenship and re-enforced this differentiation, characterising the response by a condition of nationality-based aid.
Erbb4Deletion From Inhibitory Interneurons Causes Psychosis-Relevant Neuroimaging Phenotypes
Authors: Kiemes Amanda , Serrano Navacerrada Maria Elisa , Kim Eugene , Randall Karen , Simmons Camilla , Rojo Gonzalez Loreto , Petrinovic Marija-Magdalena , Lythgoe David J , Rotaru Diana , Di Censo Davide , Hirschler Lydiane , Barbier Emmanuel L , Vernon Anthony C , Stone James M , Davies Cathy , Cash Diana , Modinos Gemma
Published: December 2022

Background and Hypothesis

Converging lines of evidence suggest that dysfunction of cortical GABAergic inhibitory interneurons is a core feature of psychosis. This dysfunction is thought to underlie neuroimaging abnormalities commonly found in patients with psychosis, particularly in the hippocampus. These include increases in resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) and glutamatergic metabolite levels, and decreases in ligand binding to GABAA α5 receptors and to the synaptic density marker synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A). However, direct links between inhibitory interneuron dysfunction and these neuroimaging readouts are yet to be established. Conditional deletion of a schizophrenia susceptibility gene, the tyrosine kinase receptor Erbb4, from cortical and hippocampal inhibitory interneurons leads to synaptic defects, and behavioral and cognitive phenotypes relevant to psychosis in mice.

Study Design

Here, we investigated how this inhibitory interneuron disruption affects hippocampal in vivo neuroimaging readouts. Adult Erbb4 conditional mutant mice (Lhx6-Cre;Erbb4F/F, n = 12) and their wild-type littermates (Erbb4F/F, n = 12) were scanned in a 9.4T magnetic resonance scanner to quantify CBF and glutamatergic metabolite levels (glutamine, glutamate, GABA). Subsequently, we assessed GABAA receptors and SV2A density using quantitative autoradiography.

Results

Erbb4 mutant mice showed significantly elevated ventral hippccampus CBF and glutamine levels, and decreased SV2A density across hippocampus sub-regions compared to wild-type littermates. No significant GABAA receptor density differences were identified.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate that specific disruption of cortical inhibitory interneurons in mice recapitulate some of the key neuroimaging findings in patients with psychosis, and link inhibitory interneuron deficits to non-invasive measures of brain function and neurochemistry that can be used across species.