bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The SGLT2 inhibitor Empagliflozin promotes post-stroke functional recovery in diabetic mice
Authors: Vercalsteren Ellen , Karampatsi Dimitra , Buizza Carolina , Nyström Thomas , Klein Thomas , Paul Gesine , Patrone Cesare , Darsalia Vladimer
Published: February 2024

Type-2 diabetes (T2D) worsens stroke recovery, amplifying post-stroke disabilities. Currently, there are no therapies targeting this important clinical problem. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are potent anti-diabetic drugs that also efficiently reduce cardiovascular death and heart failure. In addition, SGLT2i facilitate several processes implicated in stroke recovery. However, the potential efficacy of SGLT2i to improve stroke recovery in T2D has not been investigated. Therefore, we determined whether a post-stroke intervention with the SGLT2i Empagliflozin could improve stroke recovery in T2D mice. T2D was induced in C57BL6J mice by 8 months of high-fat diet feeding. Hereafter, animals were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion and treated with vehicle or the SGLTi Empagliflozin (10 mg/kg/day) starting from 3 days after stroke. A similar study in non diabetic mice was also conducted. Stroke recovery was assessed using the forepaw grip strength test. To identify potential mechanisms involved in the Empagliflozin-mediated effects, several metabolic parameters were assessed. Additionally, neuronal survival, neuroinflammation, neurogenesis and cerebral vascularization were analyzed using immunohistochemistry/quantitative microscopy. Empagliflozin significantly improved stroke recovery in T2D but not in non-diabetic mice. Improvement of functional recovery was associated with lowered glycemia, increased serum levels of fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), and the normalization of T2D-induced aberration of parenchymal pericyte density. The global T2D-epidemic and the fact that T2D is a major risk factor for stroke are drastically increasing the number of people in need of efficacious therapies to improve stroke recovery. Our data provide a strong incentive for the potential use of SGLT2i for the treatment of post-stroke sequelae in T2D.
Shared and more specific genetic determinants and pathways underlying yeast tolerance to acetic, butyric, and octanoic acids
Authors: Mota Marta N. , Matos Madalena , Bahri Nada , Sá-Correia Isabel
Published: February 2024

Background

The improvement of yeast tolerance to acetic, butyric, and octanoic acids is an important step for the implementation of economically and technologically sustainable bioprocesses for the bioconversion of renewable biomass resources and wastes. To guide genome engineering of promising yeast cell factories toward highly robust superior strains, it is instrumental to identify molecular targets and understand the mechanisms underlying tolerance to those monocarboxylic fatty acids. A chemogenomic analysis was performed, complemented with physiological studies, to unveil genetic tolerance determinants in the model yeast and cell factory Saccharomyces cerevisiae exposed to equivalent moderate inhibitory concentrations of acetic, butyric, or octanoic acids.

Results

Results indicate the existence of multiple shared genetic determinants and pathways underlying tolerance to these short- and medium-chain fatty acids, such as vacuolar acidification, intracellular trafficking, autophagy, and protein synthesis. The number of tolerance genes identified increased with the linear chain length and the datasets for butyric and octanoic acids include the highest number of genes in common suggesting the existence of more similar toxicity and tolerance mechanisms. Results of this analysis, at the systems level, point to a more marked deleterious effect of an equivalent inhibitory concentration of the more lipophilic octanoic acid, followed by butyric acid, on the cell envelope and on cellular membranes function and lipid remodeling. The importance of mitochondrial genome maintenance and functional mitochondria to obtain ATP for energy-dependent detoxification processes also emerged from this chemogenomic analysis, especially for octanoic acid.

Conclusions

This study provides new biological knowledge of interest to gain further mechanistic insights into toxicity and tolerance to linear-chain monocarboxylic acids of increasing liposolubility and reports the first lists of tolerance genes, at the genome scale, for butyric and octanoic acids. These genes and biological functions are potential targets for synthetic biology approaches applied to promising yeast cell factories, toward more robust superior strains, a highly desirable phenotype to increase the economic viability of bioprocesses based on mixtures of volatiles/medium-chain fatty acids derived from low-cost biodegradable substrates or lignocellulose hydrolysates.
Intersectional discrimination and mental health inequalities: a qualitative study of young women’s experiences in Scotland
Authors: Tinner Laura , Alonso Curbelo Ana
Published: February 2024

Background

In 2021, Scotland became the first UK country to launch a Women’s Health Plan. This policy signals increasing commitment to broader ambitions surrounding gender equality in health. Research shows a connection between discrimination and health, representing a contributor to health inequalities. There remains sparse evidence on how certain groups experience discrimination that could be useful for policymaking. This research set out to address this evidence gap through exploring how discrimination shapes young women’s experiences of mental health and inequalities in Scotland.

Methods

We interviewed women aged 16-25 years (n=28), living in Scotland, UK, adopting an intersectional approach to recruitment and data analysis. We used a semi-structured topic guide to facilitate open discussion about discrimination and health. Transcripts were analysed by two researchers using Thematic Analysis and NVivo software.

Findings

We identified three themes that illuminate intersectional discrimination and the impact on mental health. The first outlines how experiences of discrimination in school, work and public spaces (and the anticipation of such) creates stress leading to mental health problems, particularly for participants from ethnic minority groups. The second highlights the lack of support for mental health, both at structural and interpersonal levels, which was viewed by young women as a form of intersectional discrimination, largely because of their gender and age. Finally, we developed a mid-level theory termed the ‘chain of dismissal’ that displays that for both physical or mental health symptoms, young women’s concerns are immediately “written off” as anxiety-related and in turn a natural attribute of young women. These themes show that discrimination has the potential to amplify mental health problems for young women and is a likely contributor to health inequalities.

Conclusions

Structural disadvantages such as racism intersect with gender and age to compound the experience of discrimination for marginalised young women. To improve mental health and reduce health inequalities for young women, multi-level approaches are needed, with strong consideration of how the structural and cultural landscape as well as assumptions made by healthcare professionals have critical implications for young women’s health.
Association between willingness to use an overdose prevention center and probation or parole status among people who use drugs in Rhode Island
Authors: Tan Michael , Park Carolyn , Goldman Jacqueline , Biello Katie B. , Buxton Jane , Hadland Scott E. , Park Ju Nyeong , Sherman Susan G. , Macmadu Alexandria , Marshall Brandon D. L.
Published: February 2024

Background

Overdose prevention centers (OPCs) are being implemented in the United States as a strategy to reduce drug-related mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have suggested that people who use drugs (PWUD) with a history of criminal legal system (CLS) involvement (e.g. current probation/parole) are at greater risk of overdose but may also encounter significant barriers to OPC use. The objective of this study was to explore the association between willingness to use an OPC and probation/parole status in a sample of PWUD in Rhode Island.

Methods

This study utilized data from the Rhode Island Prescription and Illicit Drug Study, which enrolled adult PWUD from August 2020 to February 2023. We used Pearson’s chi-square and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests to assess bivariate associations between willingness to use an OPC and probation/parole status (current/previous/never), as well as other sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. In multivariable Poisson analyses, we examined the association between willingness to use an OPC and probation/parole status, adjusting for key sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics.

Results

Among 482 study participants, 67% were male, 56% identified as white, 20% identified as Hispanic/Latine, and the median age was 43 (IQR 35–53). Nearly a quarter (24%) had never been on probation/parole, 44% were not currently on probation/parole but had a lifetime history of probation and parole, and 32% were currently on probation/parole. Most participants (71%) reported willingness to use an OPC, and in both bivariate and multivariable analyses, willingness to use an OPC did not vary by probation/parole status. Crack cocaine use and lifetime non-fatal overdose were associated with greater willingness to use an OPC (all p < 0.05).

Conclusions

These data demonstrate high willingness to use OPC among PWUD in Rhode Island regardless of CLS-involvement. As OPCs begin to be implemented in Rhode Island, it will be imperative to engage people with CLS-involvement and to ensure access to the OPC and protection against re-incarceration due to potential barriers, such as police surveillance of OPCs.
Quality appraisal and descriptive analysis of clinical practice guidelines for self-managed non-pharmacological interventions of cardiovascular diseases: a systematic review
Authors: Qian Yun , Tan Jing-Yu , Wang Tao , Bressington Daniel , Zhou Hong-Juan , Li Meng-Yuan , Liu Xian-Liang
Published: February 2024

Background

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death around the world. Most CVDs-related death can be prevented by the optimal management of risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for CVDs, provide some evidence-based recommendations which help healthcare professionals to achieve the best care for patients with CVDs. This systematic review aims to appraise the methodological quality of CPGs systematically and summarize the recommendations of self-managed non-pharmacological interventions for the prevention and management of CVDs provided by the selected guidelines.

Methods

A comprehensive electronic literature search was conducted via six databases (PubMed, Medline, The Cochrane Library, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science), seven professional heart association websites, and nine guideline repositories. The Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument was adopted to critically appraise the methodological quality of the selected guidelines. Content analysis was used to summarise recommended self-managed non-pharmacological interventions for CVDs.

Results

Twenty-three CPGs regarding different CVDs were included, in which four guidelines of CVDs, three for coronary heart diseases, seven for heart failure, two for atrial fibrillation, three for stroke, three for peripheral arterial disease, and one for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Twenty CPGs were appraised as high quality, and three CPGs as moderate quality. All twenty-three CPGs were recommended for use with or without modification. The domain of “Editorial Independence” had the highest standardized percentage (93.47%), whereas the domain of “Applicability” had the lowest mean domain score of 75.41%. The content analysis findings summarised some common self-managed non-pharmacological interventions, which include healthy diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, alcohol control, and weight management. Healthy diet and physical acidity are the most common and agreed on self-managed interventions for patients with CVDs. There are some inconsistencies identified in the details of recommended interventions, the intervention itself, the grade of recommendation, and the supported level of evidence.

Conclusion

The majority of the summarized non-pharmacological interventions were strongly recommended with moderate to high-quality levels of evidence. Healthcare professionals and researchers can adopt the results of this review to design self-managed non-pharmacological interventions for patients with CVDs.
Profile of HLA-B27-positive enthesitis/spondylitis-related arthritis in Senegal, West Africa
Authors: Sabounji Mounib M. , Ndiaye Aïssatou , Diallo Saïdou
Published: February 2024

Background

Enthesitis/spondylitis-related arthritis (ERA) is a type of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) frequently associated with HLA-B27. In sub-Saharan Africa, HLA-B27-positive ERA hasn’t been the subject of a specific study.

Objectives

We aimed to describe the clinical features, disease activity, functional disability and treatment of HLA-B27-positive ERA at diagnosis in Senegal and compare the findings to other populations.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study by reviewing the medical records of patients diagnosed with ERA with an age of symptom onset < 18 years according to the 2019 PRINTO provisional criteria for ERA from January 2012 to December 2022. We collected demographic, clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic data. Disease activity score was assessed by Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). Functional disability was assessed using Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI).

Results

A total of 31 patients with HLA-B27-positive ERA were included. Twenty of 31 (64.5%) were males. Twenty-seven (87%) were Fula (ethnicity). The median age at symptom onset and at diagnosis was 12 years and 19 years, respectively. Seven patients had a family history of Spondyloarthritis. Peripheral arthritis and enthesitis were the most common presenting features at disease onset. Peripheral arthritis was present in 29 (93.5%) and located in the lower limbs in 27/29 (93.1%) patients. Heel enthesitis was present in 26 (83.8%) patients. Axial involvement was present in 27 (87%) patients, dominated by low back pain and sacroiliac pain/ buttock pain in 24 (88.8%) and 22 (81.5%) patients, respectively. Seven (22.5%) patients had anterior uveitis. The ESR and CRP were elevated in 65.5% and 57.1% of cases, respectively. On imaging, sacroiliitis was found in 22 patients. The mean BASDAI was 5.5/10 (77.2% of patients had a high active disease; BASDAI ≥ 4/10). The mean ASDAS-ESR/CRP was 3.8. The mean BASFI was 5.4/10 (80% of patients had high functional disability; BASFI ≥ 4/10). Twenty-seven (87%) patients were treated with methotrexate and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. After 6 months of treatment, mean BASDAI was 3/10 and mean BASFI was 2.5/10.

Conclusion

In our study, HLA-B27-positive ERA was found in our Senegalese cohort mainly in adolescents of the Fula ethnic group. 22 (70.9%) patients developed ankylosing spondylitis at adulthood. The disease was very active at the time of diagnosis with significant functional disability. Treatment was mainly based on methotrexate and NAISDs.
MicroRNAs and long non-coding RNAs during transcriptional regulation and latency of HIV and HTLV
Authors: Alpuche-Lazcano Sergio P. , Scarborough Robert J. , Gatignol Anne
Published: February 2024

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) have replicative and latent stages of infection. The status of the viruses is dependent on the cells that harbour them and on different events that change the transcriptional and post-transcriptional events. Non-coding (nc)RNAs are key factors in the regulation of retrovirus replication cycles. Notably, micro (mi)RNAs and long non-coding (lnc)RNAs are important regulators that can induce switches between active transcription-replication and latency of retroviruses and have important impacts on their pathogenesis. Here, we review the functions of miRNAs and lncRNAs in the context of HIV and HTLV. We describe how specific miRNAs and lncRNAs are involved in the regulation of the viruses’ transcription, post-transcriptional regulation and latency. We further discuss treatment strategies using ncRNAs for HIV and HTLV long remission, reactivation or possible cure.
Resting-state cortical electroencephalogram rhythms and network in patients after chronic stroke
Authors: Zhang Jack Jiaqi , Bai Zhongfei , Fong Kenneth N. K.
Published: February 2024

Objective

To investigate the resting-state cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) rhythms and networks in patients with chronic stroke and examine their correlation with motor functions of the hemiplegic upper limb.

Methods

Resting-state EEG data from 22 chronic stroke patients were compared to EEG data from 19 age-matched and 16 younger-age healthy controls. The EEG rhythmic powers and network metrics were analyzed. Upper limb motor functions were evaluated using the Fugl–Meyer assessment-upper extremity scores and action research arm test.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, patients with chronic stroke showed hemispheric asymmetry, with increased low-frequency activity and decreased high-frequency activity. The ipsilesional hemisphere of stroke patients exhibited reduced alpha and low beta band node strength and clustering coefficient compared to the contralesional side. Low beta power and node strength in the delta band correlated with motor functions of the hemiplegic arm.

Conclusion

The stroke-affected hemisphere showed low-frequency oscillations and decreased influence and functional segregation in the brain network. Low beta activity and redistribution of delta band network between hemispheres were correlated with motor functions of hemiplegic upper limb, suggesting a compensatory mechanism involving both hemispheres post-stroke.
Cultural attitudes and human pressure towards vultures around the Comoé National Park, Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa)
Authors: Asso Asso Armel , Koné N’golo Abdoulaye , Salewski Volker
Published: February 2024

Background

Populations of vultures in Africa have experienced a rapid decline over recent decades, with some species suffering losses of more than 90%. Various forms of human pressures have been identified as the causes of this decline. However, very little is known about the complex interaction between cultural practises, traditional medicine and the vultures’ natural environment. The purpose of this study was to analyse human pressures on vultures in relation with cultural attitudes such as their demand for magico-traditional medicine in Côte d’Ivoire, around the Comoé National Park (CNP), one of the last major refuges of these organisms in West Africa.

Methods

Eleven surrounding villages were visited to carry out ethno-ornithology surveys. One hundred and ten people were interviewed, at a rate of ten people per village, using a semi-structured questionnaire and informal discussions.

Results

The findings showed that vultures are still being seen both in and around the CNP. The most common species indicated to be observed and indicated by the interviewees were the Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) and the White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis). Nevertheless, 98.2% of the interviewees indicated having observed a decrease in the abundance of vultures over the last few years in the study area, as well as a decline in the number of sightings of these organisms. Interviewees attributed this scarcity of vultures to (1) the limited availability of food resources, (2) pesticide and tobacco poisoning, (3) hunting, (4) rapid population growth, (5) annual bushfires and (6) habitat loss. The uses of the vulture or parts of vultures by the populations surrounding the CNP (traditional medicine, mystic practises, consumption as food, cultural heritage) were also highlighted as real threats to these organisms. And the vulture parts commonly used in this area are: feathers, legs, head, heart, stomach, brain and excrement. The Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) appears to be the most sought-after species and the most widely used for these practises in the study area.

Conclusion

Appropriate conservation and communication initiatives are required to ensure the survival of these raptors, crucial for ecosystem well-being, while also ensuring a respect of cultural practises.
Non-destructive real-time monitoring of underground root development with distributed fiber optic sensing
Authors: Tei Mika , Soma Fumiyuki , Barbieri Ettore , Uga Yusaku , Kawahito Yosuke
Published: February 2024

Crop genetic engineering for better root systems can offer practical solutions for food security and carbon sequestration; however, soil layers prevent the direct visualization of plant roots, thus posing a challenge to effective phenotyping. Here, we demonstrate an original device with a distributed fiber-optic sensor for fully automated, real-time monitoring of underground root development. We show that spatially encoding an optical fiber with a flexible and durable polymer film in a spiral pattern can significantly enhance sensor detection. After signal processing, the resulting device can detect the penetration of a submillimeter-diameter object in the soil, indicating more than a magnitude higher spatiotemporal resolution than previously reported with underground monitoring techniques. Additionally, we also developed computational models to visualize the roots of tuber crops and monocotyledons and then applied them to radish and rice to compare the results with those of X-ray computed tomography. The device’s groundbreaking sensitivity and spatiotemporal resolution enable seamless and laborless phenotyping of root systems that are otherwise invisible underground.
Imatinib treatment improves hyperglycaemic dysregulation in severe COVID-19: a secondary analysis of blood biomarkers in a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Duijvelaar Erik , Pan Xiaoke , Bogaard Harm Jan , Eringa Etto C. , Aman Jurjan
Published: February 2024

SARS-CoV-2 can induce insulin resistance, which is, among others, mediated by adipose tissue dysfunction and reduced angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) enzymatic activity. In SARS-CoV-2-infected mice, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib attenuates inflammation and improves insulin sensitivity. Here, we report the effects of imatinib on incident hyperglycaemia, circulating levels of glucoregulatory proteins, longitudinal insulin sensitivity and ACE-2 enzymatic activity in 385 hospitalized COVID-19 patients who participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients with severe hyperglycaemia had similar demographics compared to those without, but required longer hospital stays and exhibited higher invasive ventilation and mortality rates. The incidence of severe hyperglycaemia was significantly lower in patients treated with imatinib, while insulin production and central insulin sensitivity were unaffected. Imatinib increased plasma angiotensin-2 and adiponectin levels, and decreased c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase 1 (JNK1), JNK2 and interleukin-6 levels. These findings suggest that imatinib restores endocrine control of peripheral glucose uptake in COVID-19.
Integrated exercise program in opioid agonist therapy clinics and effect on psychological distress: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (BAReAktiv)
Authors: Furulund Einar , Madebo Tesfaye , Druckrey-Fiskaaen Karl Trygve , Vold Jørn Henrik , Nordbotn Mette Hegland , Dahl Eivin , Dyrstad Sindre M. , Lid Torgeir Gilje , Fadnes Lars T. ,   for the ATLAS4LAR study group, Buljovcic Vibeke Bråthen , Daltveit Jan Tore , Fondenes Trude , Gundersen Per , Trettenes Beate Haga , Carlsen Siv-Elin Leirvåg , Olsvold Maria , Pierron Marianne Cook , Sundal Christine , Bergsaker Maren Borsheim , Eielsen Tone Lise , Fiskå Torhild , Larssen Marianne , Holder Eirik , Wilk Ewa Joanna , Soot Mari Thoresen
Published: February 2024

Background

Substance use disorder is associated with unhealthy lifestyle choices, resulting in adverse social and health consequences. People with opioid use disorder receiving opioid agonist therapy, in particular, have high morbidity and reduced quality of life. Physical activity is recommended as an adjunctive treatment for people with substance use disorder, but there is minimal evidence from randomized controlled trials on the effects of this among people with substance use disorder receiving opioid agonist therapy.

Methods

BAReAktiv is a multicentre randomized controlled trial. The study aims to recruit 324 patients receiving opioid agonist therapy (parallel groups randomized 1:1 to integrated exercise intervention or control, superiority trial). A 16-week group-based integrated exercise intervention with workouts twice a week. The exercise program consists of endurance and resistance training. The target group will be patients 18 years and older receiving opioid agonist therapy in outpatient clinics in several centers in Western Norway. The primary outcome of the study is the effect on psychological distress measured by Hopkins’ symptom checklist with ten items. Secondary outcome measures include physical functioning assessed with a 4-min step test, activity level, fatigue symptoms, quality of life, and changes in inflammation markers. This study will provide improved knowledge on the effects of an integrated exercise program in opioid agonist therapy.

Discussion

Systematically integrating exercise programs for people receiving opioid agonist therapy could lead to a shift towards a stronger focus on health behaviors in outpatient care. Integrating exercise could benefit patient recovery and reduce disease burden. Further scale-up will be considered if the provided exercise program is safe and effective.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05242848. Registered on February 16, 2022.
Indigenous approaches to health assessment: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Sharma Nabina , Walker Jennifer D. , Wenghofer Elizabeth , Moeke-Pickering Taima , Lindenbach Jeannette
Published: February 2024

Background

Health assessment tools developed using mainstream or Western concepts have been widely used in clinical practice worldwide. However, even culturally adapted or culturally based tools may not be relevant in other social contexts if they are grounded in Western beliefs and perspectives. The application of mainstream assessment tools, when used in Indigenous populations, can lead to the inappropriate application of normative data and inaccurate or biased diagnosis of conditions as Indigenous concepts of health differ from Western biomedical concepts of health. Thus, considering the need for culturally meaningful, sensitive, safe, and unbiased health assessment approaches and instruments over recent years, tools have been developed or adapted by and with Indigenous populations in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. However, there is no existing systematic or scoping review to identify the methods and approaches used in adapting or developing health assessment tools for use with the Indigenous population in Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

Methods

In response to these gaps, we are working with a First Nations Community Advisory Group in Northern Ontario, Canada, to undertake a scoping review following the 2020 JBI methodology for scoping reviews. A systematic search will be conducted in PubMed, APA PsychINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, Bibliography of Native North Americans, Australian Indigenous Health info data set, and Indigenous Health Portal. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion using criteria co-developed with an advisory group. We will chart the extracted information and summarize and synthesize the data. The summarized findings will be presented to a Community Advisory Group, including First Nations community partners, an Elder, and community members, and their feedback will be incorporated into the discussion section of the scoping review.

Discussion

This scoping review involves iterative consultation with the Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, First Nations Community Advisory Group, and community partners throughout the research process. This review aims to summarize the evidence on standard ethical approaches and practices used in Indigenous research while adapting or developing health assessment tools. It will inform the larger study focused on developing an Indigenous Functional Assessment tool. Further, it will seek whether the Indigenous ways of knowing and equitable participation of Indigenous people and communities are incorporated in the Indigenous research process.

Systematic review registration

Open Science Framework https://osf.io/yznwk.
Potentials of 3D printing in nutritional and textural customization of personalized food for elderly with dysphagia
Authors: Chao Chhychhy , Nam Hyong Kyong , Park Hyun Jin , Kim Hyun Woo
Published: February 2024

Elderly individuals commonly experience the risk of dysphagia or difficulties in eating and swallowing food safely. Three-dimensional (3D) food printing is a promising technique widely used in customized food development. This paper reviewed the potential of 3D food printing in nutritional customization and textural modification of personalized food for the elderly with dysphagia. 3D food printing can be used to re-formulate the food ink by combining more than one type of food materials to ensure high calorie and nutrient intake, improve sensory quality, and prevent malnutrition; thus, understanding the functional properties of such macronutrients compounds is essential to design food ink that meets personalized nutrient requirements. Hydrocolloids have been commonly used to modify the desired soft texture and consistent viscoelastic properties of 3D-printed elderly food, as well as improve printability and structural stability. The food standard guidelines have been established and used to categorize texture-modified foods to ensure easy to eat and safe swallowing for the elderly with swallowing difficulties. Finally, the production of personalized food using 3D printing may provide more food options, facilitate safe oral intake, and increase calorie intake to improve the healthy mealtime experience for the elderly.
Bacteroides salyersiae is a potent chondroitin sulfate-degrading species in the human gut microbiota
Authors: Wang Yamin , Ma Mingfeng , Dai Wei , Shang Qingsen , Yu Guangli
Published: February 2024

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) has widely been used as a symptomatic slow-acting drug or a dietary supplement for the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis. However, CS could not be absorbed after oral intake due to its polyanionic nature and large molecular weight. Gut microbiota has recently been proposed to play a pivotal role in the metabolism of drugs and nutrients. Nonetheless, how CS is degraded by the human gut microbiota has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we demonstrated that each human gut microbiota was characterized with a unique capability for CS degradation. Degradation and fermentation of CS by the human gut microbiota produced significant amounts of unsaturated CS oligosaccharides (CSOSs) and short-chain fatty acids. To uncover which microbes were responsible for CS degradation, we isolated a total of 586 bacterial strains with a potential CS-degrading capability from 23 human fecal samples. Bacteroides salyersiae was a potent species for CS degradation in the human gut microbiota and produced the highest amount of CSOSs as compared to other well-recognized CS-degraders, including Bacteroides finegoldii, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides xylanisolvens, and Bacteroides ovatus. Genomic analysis suggested that B. salyersiae was armed with multiple carbohydrate-active enzymes that could potentially degrade CS into CSOSs. By using a spent medium assay, we further demonstrated that the unsaturated tetrasaccharide (udp4) produced by the primary degrader B. salyersiae could serve as a “public goods” molecule for the growth of Bacteroides stercoris, a secondary CS-degrader that was proficient at fermenting CSOSs but not CS. Taken together, our study provides insights into the metabolism of CS by the human gut microbiota, which has promising implications for the development of medical and nutritional therapies for osteoarthritis.
Online dating: predictors of problematic tinder use
Authors: Vera Cruz Germano , Aboujaoude Elias , Rochat Lucien , Bianchi-Demicheli Francesco , Khazaal Yasser
Published: February 2024

Background

Geolocation apps have radically transformed dating practices around the world, with profound sociocultural implications. Few studies, however, have explored their addictive potential or factors that are associated with their misuse.

Objective

The present study aimed to assess the level of problematic Tinder use (PTU) in an adult sample, using a machine learning algorithm to determine, among 29 relevant variables, the most important predictors of PTU.

Methods

1,387 users of Tinder (18–74 years-old; male = 50.3%; female = 49.1%) completed an online questionnaire, and a machine learning tool was used to analyze their responses.

Results

On 5-point scale, participants’ mean PTU score was 1.91 (SD = 0.70), indicating a relatively low overall level of problematic app use. Among the most important predictors of Problematic use were the use of Tinder for enhancement (reduce boredom and increase positive emotions), coping with psychological problems, and increasing social connectedness. The number of “matches” (when two users show mutual interest), the number of online contacts on Tinder, and the number of resulting offline dates were also among the top predictors of PTU. Depressive mood and loneliness were among the middle-ranked predictors of PTU.

Conclusion

In accordance with the Interaction of Person-Affect-Cognition-Execution model of problematic internet use, the results suggest that PTU relates to how individual experience on the app interacts with dispositional and situational characteristics. However, variables that seemed to relate to PTU, including lack of self-esteem, negative mood states and loneliness, are not problems that online dating services as currently designed can be expected to resolve. This argues for increased digital services to identify and address potential problems helping drive the popularity of dating apps.
Attentional deficits in fibromyalgia: an ERP study with the oddball dual task and emotional stroop task
Authors: Cardoso Susana , Fernandes Carina , Barbosa Fernando
Published: February 2024

The present study investigated the neural correlates of attentional deficits in fibromyalgia through an Oddball Dual Task and an Emotional Stroop Task, both performed during EEG recordings. Thirty female participants were recruited, being divided into two groups: a group of patients with fibromyalgia (FM, n = 15, Mage = 51.87, SDage = 7.12) and a healthy control group (HC, n = 15, Mage = 46.13, SDage = 8.41). In the Emotional Stroop Task, the behavioural results showed that patients with FM had less hits and longer times reactions than healthy controls. These results were consistent with those obtained with our Event-related Potential (ERP) methodology, which evidenced that patients with FM had higher frontal latencies in the P200 time-window compared to healthy controls. Regarding the Oddball Dual Task, we found that patients with FM had lower P300 amplitudes than healthy participants. Moreover, we found that rare stimuli elicited higher P300 amplitudes than frequent stimuli for healthy controls, but this comparison was non-significant for patients with FM. Taken together, our results suggest that fibromyalgia may be associated to a reduced processing speed, along to reduced neural resources to process stimuli, mainly in distinguishing relevant (rare) and irrelevant (frequent) stimuli according to the goals of the task. Altogether, our results seem to support the hypothesis of generalized attentional deficits in FM.
Exploring Bitcoin dynamics against the backdrop of COVID-19: an investigation of major global events
Authors: Guo Xiaochun
Published: February 2024

COVID-19 has significantly influenced global financial markets, including Bitcoin. Recent studies have focused on investigating the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak and accounting for market changes, which were mostly due to the pandemic. This research not only analyzes the contagion effects of COVID-19 but also considers aftermath events beyond the first pandemic wave to examine spillovers of Bitcoin. The study employs Diebold and Yilmaz’s method to explore the static and dynamic spillovers of the selected variables and identifies several major global events, including crypto-specific affairs, macroeconomic policies, and geopolitical conflicts, to explain the new market dynamics of Bitcoin using network analysis. The findings identify a few high-contagion periods related to Bitcoin. The paper also found that Bitcoin is more likely to produce extreme returns and is more connected to other markets. Contagion effects “from” and “to” other markets are asymmetrical in terms of arrival time and market response. Bitcoin is more likely to be affected by other markets in extreme situations and receives spillovers from them sooner than it transmits spillovers to others. In the context of various global events, impacts arising from developed countries are stronger. China still has some impact on cryptocurrency markets, but they are waning. Bitcoin is thus not a safe haven from the shocks of global events, but can sometimes work as a hedge or diversifier. The results offer alternative explanations for Bitcoin’s different market dynamics and enrich our understanding of Bitcoin’s safe haven, hedge, and diversifier properties within a diversified portfolio.
Profile of metabolic bone disease in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates
Authors: Nare Rajesh , Sawant Vishal Dnyaneshwar , Surve Rahul
Published: February 2024

Background

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is an important cause of morbidity in premature, very low birth weight (VLBW), and sick infants and, if left undiagnosed, may lead to structural deformities and spontaneous fractures. The objective of the present study was to study the profile of MBD and to determine the incidence of MBD in infants ≤ 32 weeks/≤ 1250 g at birth.

Method

A total of 57 infants ≤ 32 weeks/≤ 1250 g at birth admitted in our NICU from October 2020 to July 2021 were included in the study. These infants underwent screening for MBD at 4 weeks of age. They were stratified into three groups based on their gestation (≤ 28 weeks, 29–30 weeks, 31–32 weeks).

Results

MBD was observed in 100% of extreme preterm babies and 69% of very preterm babies. Overall, the incidence of MBD was 73%. Serum phosphorus level normalized by 42–44 weeks post menstrual age (PMA) across all gestations. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels normalized by 42–44 weeks only in very preterm babies. Seventeen babies ≤ 30 weeks required inorganic phosphorus supplementation in addition to calcium phosphate supplementation in order to correct the MBD. Drugs like caffeine, steroids, and furosemide have significant impact on the development of MBD. The time to reach full feeds with fortification had no statistically significant effect on the incidence of MBD as detected by serum phosphorus level and serum ALP level.

Conclusion

The profile outlined in the present study matches the literature reports in many aspects, revealing the importance of characterizing this group for the prognosis and short- and long-term follow-up of newborns with bone metabolic disease.
Patient Sex and Origin Influence Distribution of Driver Genes and Clinical Presentation of Paraganglioma
Authors: Richter Susan , Bechmann Nicole
Published: February 2024

Context

Sexual and ancestral differences in driver gene prevalence have been described in many cancers but have not yet been investigated in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL).

Objective

This study aims to assess whether sex and ancestry influence prevalence of PPGL driver genes and clinical presentation.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with PPGL considering studies from 2010 onwards that included minimal data of type of disease, sex, mutated gene, and country of origin. Additional features were recorded when available (age, tumor location, bilateral or multifocal, somatic or germline, and metastatic disease).

Results

We included 2162 patients: 877 in Europe and 757 in Asia. Males presented more often with germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in genes activating hypoxia pathways (P = .0006) and had more often sympathetic paragangliomas (P = .0005) and metastasis (P = .0039). On the other hand, females with PPGLs due to MAX PVs were diagnosed later than males (P = .0378) and more often developed metastasis (P = .0497). European but not Asian females presented more often with PPGLs due to PVs in genes related to kinase signaling (P = .0052), particularly RET and TMEM127. Contrary to experiences from Europe, Asian patients with PPGL due to PVs in kinase signaling genes NF1, HRAS, and FGFR1 showed a high proportion of sympathetic tumors, while European patients almost exclusively had adrenal tumors (P < .005).

Conclusion

Personalized management of patients with PPGL might benefit from considering sexual and ancestral differences. Further studies with better clinically aligned cohorts from various origins are required to better dissect ancestral influences on PPGL development.
Homonormativity's Racial Capitalism: On the Differential Allocation of Grievability
Authors: Liu Petrus
Published: February 2024

This essay argues that racial capitalism in East Asia requires and reproduces a hierarchical reading of gender-nonconforming bodies and desires, while the rise of a homonormative discourse finds expression in racialized violence against Chinese-identified subjects. These entanglements preclude an analysis of Taiwan's geostrategic role in a US-led regime of capital accumulation and dispossession. Shifting the conversation from a celebratory view of Taiwan's LGBT legal and civic victories to homonationalism's complicities with racial capitalism, this essay considers memoirs of survivors of the Chinese Civil War as articulating an alternative and unintelligible order of queer kinship rooted in the differential allocation of grievability.
Transnational Queer Materialism
Authors: Jaleel Rana M. , Savcı Evren
Published: February 2024

The introduction to this special issue takes up the narrations and values produced by the travels of words like queer of color, race, and racial capitalism to both comobilize and retheorize queer of color critique and the content and contours of global racial capitalism. With and beyond the story of US empire and the transatlantic slave trade—from peripheral European engagements with Africa to the circulation of caste in Africa via Indian Ocean worlds—in this special issue the authors examine some of the histories and present modes of capitalist accumulation that are relevant to telling global stories of race and capitalism. A queer/trans lens keeps the authors’ attention trained as well on the arrangements and estrangements of the sex/gender systems that power such narratives of race and capitalism. So positioned, the authors enter ongoing debates on the geopolitics of queer studies, the import of queer materialism, and theorizations of racial capitalism by asking (1) What is the “racial” of racial capitalism?, and (2) What is the “of color” in queer/trans of color critique? The questions form a method for thinking global racial capitalism and queer/trans of color study together—what the authors call transnational queer materialism.
Not before Twenty-Five: Contesting Marriage and Looking for the Good Life in Contemporary Urban China
Authors: Zavoretti Roberta
Published: February 2024

This article explores how women of different class backgrounds contest the imperative to enter heteronormative marriage in urban China. While the state and the market propose marriage as the only path to the good life, these women describe it as a risky enterprise and an unequal partnership. The social pressure they face highlights the continuing exclusionary role of marriage in present-day Chinese society, as their stand challenges the state-sponsored narrative of “leftover woman.” These women see their unmarried status not as a sacrifice or loss, but rather as a strategy for preserving their autonomy, well-being, and relationships with their own kin and friends. Accordingly, they come across as desiring subjects, though not as uncivil individualists or affectively precarious. The women's affective choices privilege bonds that exceed the patrilineal family and the conjugal couple. Although this preference may jeopardize their social respectability and limit their prospects for upward mobility, it allows them to explore different avenues to the good life.
High-throughput quantitation of protein-RNA UV-crosslinking efficiencies as a predictive tool for high confidence identification of RNA binding proteins
Authors: Kristofich Johncarlo , Nicchitta Christopher
Published: February 2024

UV-crosslinking has proven to be an invaluable tool for the identification of RNA-protein interactomes. The paucity of methods for distinguishing background from bona fide RNA-protein interactions however makes attribution of RNA binding function on UV-crosslinking alone challenging. To address this need, we previously reported an RNA binding protein (RBP) confidence scoring metric, (RCS), incorporating both signal-to-noise (S:N) and protein abundance determinations to distinguish high and low confidence candidate RBPs. Although RCS has utility, we sought a direct metric for quantification and comparative evaluation of protein-RNA interactions. Here we propose the use of protein-specific UV-crosslinking efficiency (%CL), representing the molar fraction of a protein that is crosslinked to RNA, for functional evaluation of candidate RBPs. Application to the HeLa RNA interactome yielded %CL values for 1,097 proteins. Remarkably, %CL values span over five orders of magnitude. For the HeLa RNA interactome, %CL values comprise a range from high efficiency, high specificity interactions, e.g., the Elav protein HuR and the Pumilio homolog Pum2, with %CL values of 45.9 and 24.2, respectively, to very low efficiency and specificity interactions e.g., the metabolic enzymes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, and alpha-enolase, with %CL values of 0.0016, 0.006, and 0.008, respectively. We further extend the utility of %CL through prediction of protein domains and classes with known RNA-binding functions, thus establishing it as a useful metric for RNA interactome analysis. We anticipate that this approach will benefit efforts to establish functional RNA interactomes and support development of more predictive computational approaches for RNA binding protein identification.