bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Achieving therapeutic gains for regional youth with emergent mental health issues through parental family system–based groups: Findings from a qualitative study
Authors: Hurley John , Lawler Madeleine , Bray Angeline , Oeding‐Erdel Nagina
Published: April 2020

Objective

This paper reports findings from a study that sought to better understand the experiences of parents and their children with emergent mental health challenges following the parent's participation in a nurse‐led therapeutic group.

Design

This was an explorative qualitative study using semi‐structured interviews which were then thematically analysed.

Setting

Findings from this single‐site study are drawn from regional Australia.

Participants

Twenty parents and seven of their children aged between 13 and 24.

Interventions

Family systems based therapeutic group intervention delivered to the parents of young people attending headspace.

Main outcome measure

In line with qualitative research approaches, the participants lived experience was the outcome measure.

Result

Three key themes were found in the data: (a) improved parent‐child relationships, (b) understanding and being understood and (c) multi‐generational perspectives.

Conclusion

Regional and remote regions are challenged with comparatively fewer and less diverse services for youth mental health than in urban centres. Findings from this exploratory study highlight that young people can experience therapeutic gains where their parents are the recipients of the intervention. Recommendations from these findings include pursuing further research on the therapeutic gains of parental family system‐based groups.
Development of a 1‐year risk‐prediction nomogram for good functional response with anti‐VEGF agents in naive diabetic macular oedema
Authors: Gabrielle Pierre‐Henry , Massin Pascale , Arnould Louis , Couturier Aude , Bouché‐Pillon Jacques , Maupin Edouard , Aho‐Glele Serge , Bron Alain M. , Kodjikian Laurent , Creuzot‐Garcher Catherine
Published: April 2020

Purpose

To develop a risk‐prediction nomogram based on baseline variables for good functional response during the 1st year of treatment with anti‐VEGF agents in naive diabetic macular oedema (DME).

Methods

This retrospective study included patients presenting naive‐DME treated with anti‐VEGF therapy at Dijon University Hospital (France) between 1 February 2012 and 31 March 2015 (derivation cohort). We studied baseline variables that had significant associations with a good functional response to anti‐VEGF agents during the 1st year of treatment. We used a program to generate a nomogram based on a binary logistic regression predictive model. Then, this nomogram was tested on data from a separate cohort of naive‐DME patients from a multicenter study involving 20 French ophthalmologic centres between January 2014 and June 2015 (validation cohort).

Results

Age, baseline BCVA and ellipsoid zone integrity on spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) are functional prognostic factors and were used to build a nomogram. The nomogram showed excellent discrimination for good functional responders (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.906, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = [0.849–0.964], p = 0.004). The discriminative power of this nomogram was tested on the validation cohort data, demonstrating good discrimination of good functional responders (AUC = 0.942, 95% CI = [0.898–0.986], p < 0.001).

Conclusion

This nomogram provides a useful estimation of a good functional response in naive‐DME patients treated with anti‐VEGF agents.
Pregnancy outcomes in women with inflammatory bowel disease: a 10‐year nationwide population‐based cohort study
Authors: Lee Han H. , Bae Jung Min , Lee Bo‐In , Lee Kang‐Moon , Wie Jeong H. , Kim Jin S. , Cho Young‐Seok , Jung Sung‐Ae , Kim Sang W. , Choi Hwang , Choi Myung‐Gyu
Published: April 2020

Background

Data relating to the association between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and pregnancy outcomes are lacking in Korea.

Aims

To determine the incidence rates of pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD.

Methods

A nationwide population study was performed using the Korean National Health Insurance claims database. A total of 2058 women with IBD consisting of ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 1469) and Crohn's disease (CD, n = 589) were pregnant between 2007 and 2016. We compared their incidence of pregnancy outcomes with 20 580 age‐matched controls without IBD. We also stratified the patients into those with quiescent to mild and moderate to severe IBD and compared the outcomes between them.

Results

The pregnancy rate of women with IBD was lower than that of women without (25.7% vs 32.3%, P < 0.001). Caesarean section (46.5% vs 38.8%, odds ratio [OR] 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17‐1.75), and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (3.0% vs 1.0%, OR 2.89, 95% CI: 1.59‐5.26) were increased in CD patients than the controls. In regards to disease severity, there were no significant differences in pregnancy outcomes between patients with quiescent to mild IBD and the controls. However, the live birth rate of patients with moderate to severe IBD was lower than that of the controls (65.0% vs 69.9%, OR 0.79, 95%CI: 0.66‐0.94). In addition, moderate to severe IBD was significantly associated with spontaneous abortion (14.9% vs 11.9%, OR 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04‐1.68), caesarean section (46.4% vs 38.8%, OR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.14‐1.74) and IUGR (3.4% vs 1.0%, OR 3.20, 95% CI: 1.75‐5.84).

Conclusions

With the exception of moderate to severe disease, the incidences of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with IBD are similar to that of the general population.
Impacts of CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms on bioavailability and effect on platelet adhesion of vicagrel, a novel thienopyridine P2Y12 inhibitor
Authors: Zhang Yifan , Zhu Xiaoxue , Zhan Yan , Li Xiaojiao , Liu Cai , Zhu Yunting , Zhang Hong , Wei Haijing , Xia Yu , Sun Hongbin , Liu Yongqiang , Lai Xiaojuan , Gong Yanchun , Liu Xuefang , Li Yongguo , Ding Yanhua , Zhong Dafang
Published: April 2020

Aims

We investigated the impacts of CYP2C19 polymorphisms on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vicagrel in healthy Chinese subjects.

Methods

CYP2C19 extensive metabolizers (EMs), intermediate metabolizers (IMs) and poor metabolizers (PMs; 16 subjects/group) participated in a randomized, open‐label, 2‐period cross‐over study. Each study period lasted 7 days, with a loading dose of 24 mg of vicagrel or 300 mg of clopidogrel on day 1, and maintenance doses of 6 mg of vicagrel or 75 mg of clopidogrel daily from day 2 to day 7. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics were assessed on day 1 and day 7.

Results

After a loading dose, the AUC0‐t of the active metabolite H4 by vicagrel was slightly lower in IMs and PMs (decreased by 21 and 27%, respectively) compared to EMs. Similar results were found after maintenance doses. In EMs, the AUC0‐t of H4 by vicagrel was somewhat higher than clopidogrel after the loading dose, and comparable with clopidogrel (90% confidence interval 0.94, 1.21) after the maintenance doses. However, it was much higher than clopidogrel in PMs, with a 1.28‐fold (loading dose) and a 73% (maintenance doses) increases compared to clopidogrel (P < 0.001). Consequently, the inhibition of platelet aggregation by vicagrel was greater than clopidogrel after both loading dose (28.2 vs 12.4% at 4 hours, P < 0.01) and maintenance doses (42.8 vs 24.6% at 4 hours, P < 0.001) in PMs.

Conclusions

CYP2C19 polymorphisms have less impact on vicagrel as compared to clopidogrel. Drug exposure and response to vicagrel in PMs were even higher than to clopidogrel in IMs.
Bringing men in from the margins: Father‐inclusive practices for the delivery of parenting interventions
Authors: Pfitzner Naomi , Humphreys Cathy , Hegarty Kelsey
Published: April 2020

Although there is a growing body of international work on barriers to engaging fathers in child and family services, there is limited research on factors that promote father engagement. In this article, we draw on case study data from the Australian Baby Makes 3 (BM3) programme to explore factors that promote father engagement in parenting support programmes. Our analysis shows single‐gender group work supported father engagement. BM3's father group work provided a safe space in the parenting support context where men could form intimate connections with other fathers and talk openly about their parenting experiences without fear of criticism from partners. These findings suggest that men often feel silenced and marginalized in the parenting sphere.
Intraluminal bypass devices as an alternative to protective ostomy for prevention of colorectal anastomotic leakage: a systematic review of the literature
Authors: De Hous N. , Lefevre J. H. , D’Urso A. , Van den Broeck S. , Komen N.
Published: April 2020

Aim

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the most important complication of colorectal surgery, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Protective ostomy, the current standard of care for protecting a colorectal anastomosis, has important drawbacks that require the creation of an alternative strategy. Over the past 30 years, several intraluminal bypass devices, designed to shield the anastomosis from the faecal stream, have been developed. The aim of this literature review was to create an updated overview of the devices available and their effectiveness in preventing AL, and to investigate whether they could serve as an alternative to protective ostomy in the future.

Method

A systematic review of the literature on intraluminal bypass devices used for preventing colorectal AL was performed. The MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases were searched, and articles were marked as relevant if an intraluminal bypass device was studied in an animal or human population.

Results

The database search yielded 24 relevant articles related to 10 intraluminal bypass devices protecting a colorectal anastomosis. These articles included experimental animal studies, preclinical (pilot) studies, as well as retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Each device was assessed with regard to surgical technique, effectiveness and device‐related complications.

Conclusion

Intraluminal bypass devices show promise in preventing AL and its clinical consequences. However, there is insufficient high‐level evidence to draw firm conclusions. There is a need for randomized controlled trials that directly compare these devices with the protective ostomy.
Rivaroxaban Precision Dosing Strategy for Real‐World Atrial Fibrillation Patients
Authors: Konicki Robyn , Weiner Daniel , Herbert Patterson J. , Gonzalez Daniel , Kashuba Angela , Cao Yanguang Carter , Gehi Anil K. , Watkins Paul , Powell J. Robert
Published: April 2020

Rivaroxaban is a direct‐acting oral anticoagulant approved to prevent strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation. Dosage recommendations are approved for all adult patients to receive either 15 mg or 20 mg once daily depending upon renal function. There are a number of reasons to believe rivaroxaban dosing could be more effective and/or safer for more patients if increased dosing precision is available. Because real‐world patients are more diverse than those studied in phase III clinical trials, we evaluated the extremes of creatinine clearance (CrCl) on rivaroxaban clearance using a published population pharmacokinetic model and applying exposure variation limits (±20%) based on published literature. The proposed dosing recommendations are 10 mg once daily (CrCl 15–29 ml/min), 15 mg once daily (CrCl 30–69 ml/min), 10 mg twice daily (CrCl 70–159 ml/min), and 15 mg twice daily (CrCl 160–250 ml/min). These new dosing recommendations should be prospectively tested for predictive accuracy and to assess the impact on AF patient efficacy and safety.
Increasing Student Accounting Self‐Efficacy, Interest, and Knowledge Using the DuPont Model
Authors: Eveleth Daniel M. , Baker‐Eveleth Lori J. , Stone Robert W.
Published: April 2020

This research describes a DuPont Model activity used in an introduction to business course. An in‐class activity stimulated students’ confidence in their ability to apply the fundamental accounting principles building upon students’ knowledge of a lemonade stand. Accounting is often viewed by students in introductory courses as “a foreign language,” with common reactions by students of fear and anxiety about financial statements and financial ratios (Borja; Brazelton; Deer, Gohn, and Kanaya; Eber and Parker; and Goh and Scerri). The DuPont Model was developed to visually connect an income statement and the balance sheet to five common financial ratios. Using a preactivity and a postactivity questionnaire and 76 matched pairs of student responses, changes or differences in two student self‐efficacy measures were found. Over one‐half of these student pairs showed increases or improvements in these two self‐efficacy measures from preactivity to postactivity, implying that the DuPont Model positively influenced these self‐efficacy measures. Correlation analysis also showed meaningful, positive correlations among students’ self‐efficacy differences and their attitudes toward accounting. Furthermore, students’ perceived characteristics of the DuPont activity are significantly and positively correlated with students’ attitudes toward accounting. Finally, the results of the study are encouraging to the authors to continue using the DuPont Model activity.
Moral luck and moral performance
Authors: Lillehammer Hallvard
Published: April 2020

The aims of this paper are fourfold. The first aim is to characterize two distinct forms of circumstantial moral luck and illustrate how they are implicitly recognized in pre‐theoretical moral thought. The second aim is to identify a significant difference between the ways in which these two kinds of circumstantial luck are morally relevant. The third aim is to show how the acceptance of circumstantial moral luck relates to the acceptance of resultant moral luck. The fourth aim is to defuse a legitimate concern about accepting the existence of circumstantial moral luck, namely the fact that its existence implies substantial moral risks.
SOPHIE VON LA ROCHES ZEITSCHRIFT POMONA FÜR TEUTSCHLANDS TÖCHTER UND DER LITERARISCHE MARKT DER 1780ER JAHRE IM LICHTE UNVERÖFFENTLICHTER BRIEFE
Authors: Griffiths Elystan
Published: April 2020

This article presents an edition of letters by the readers of Sophie von La Roche's journal Pomona für Teutschlands Töchter (1783–4). In the introductory commentary, I examine the extent to which the letters provide evidence of women participating actively in the literary market as readers and writers and consider how far the correspondents were constrained by ideological discourses of the period. The article demonstrates how La Roche's interaction with readers shaped her self‐representation and her writing career beyond Pomona. It questions the view that La Roche's interactive relationship with her readers was a unique innovation by La Roche and demonstrates that its origins in fact lay in a competitor journal, the Magazin für Frauenzimmer, on which La Roche had previously collaborated. The article also examines the extent to which La Roche was responsible for giving her correspondents and readers the courage to publish. While some older correspondents showed considerable reluctance to appear in print, for other, younger writers La Roche served as a role model, while still others had little need of La Roche's encouragement and protection. Finally, the article shows that the scope and reach of the journal exceeded that of a literary women's group, and that La Roche relied on a network of supporters of both sexes.
ADAPTING SCHILLER'S DON KARLOS: VERDI, POSA, AND THE PROBLEM OF THE ‘FAMILIENGEMÄLDE’
Authors: Eastop Zak
Published: April 2020

This paper begins by re‐opening the discussion of the influence of Diderot's dramaturgical theory on Friedrich Schiller's Don Karlos. I consider Marquis von Posa's function as a structural device outside the play's narrative present, as much as his role as a character within the narrative. I argue that Schiller's move from the domestic to the political does not constitute an abandonment of Diderot's theory, but rather its reformulation, with Posa as the new, shared situation against which other characters reveal their conditions. Giuseppe Verdi and the librettists Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle were required to mirror Schiller's change in narrative focus, but by adding their ‘Fontainebleau’ and ‘Auto‐da‐Fé’ scenes, they foreshadow, and thus prepare for, the change, thereby avoiding the need to rely on the morally ambiguous Posa. Diderot's theory is reflected in the opera through Verdi's adherence to nineteenth‐century voice‐character norms, coupled with the use of real‐world character parallels, allowing those on stage to represent an état dans la société. The importance of Schiller's extra‐temporal Posa is emphasised by Verdi's writing ‘old‐fashioned’ melodic material for him, but having it played on the newly developed and futuristic cornet à pistons, a recent innovation in nineteenth‐century brass instrument manufacture, with which, musically, Posa is closely associated.
A MODERNIST MYSTIC: PHILOSOPHICAL ESSENCE AND POETIC METHOD IN GERDA WALTHER (1897–1977)*
Authors: Burns Niamh
Published: April 2020

This article presents the work of the neglected philosopher and mystic Gerda Walther (1897–1977) as a work of modernist philosophy. It offers an analysis of Walther's two most important texts, Ein Beitrag zur Ontologie der sozialen Gemeinschaften (1922) and Zur Phänomenologie der Mystik (1923), written during Walther's involvement in the Freiburg and Munich circles of early phenomenologists. Analysis of these texts reveals a compelling, non‐discursive philosophical methodology in which mystical essences unfold as social and historical realities, rather than some ideal standing behind or beyond materiality. Walther offers a pragmatic and poetic vision of language that is inadequate in a representational sense, yet still capable of guiding us to philosophical redemption. In quoting the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, she displays a complex interrelation between poetic and philosophical language in her work. This article argues for a significant re‐orientation of emerging scholarship on Walther, with a focus on her language and textual strategies. It positions her work in terms of recent developments in scholarship around the connections between phenomenology and modernist literature.
Genotypes and their interaction effects on reproduction and mating‐induced immune activation in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Fricke Claudia , Ávila‐Calero Sergio , Armitage Sophie A. O.
Published: April 2020

Mating causes considerable alterations in female physiology and behaviour, and immune gene expression, partly due to proteins transferred from males to females during copulation. The magnitude of these phenotypic changes could be driven by the genotypes of males and females, as well as their interaction. To test this, we carried out a series of genotype‐by‐genotype (G × G) experiments using Drosophila melanogaster populations from two distant geographical locations. We expected lines to have diverged in male reproductive traits and females to differ in their responses to these traits. We examined female physiological and behavioural post‐mating responses to male mating traits, that is behaviour and ejaculate composition, in the short to mid‐term (48 hr) following mating. We then explored whether a sexually transferred molecule, sex peptide (SP), is the mechanism behind our observed female post‐mating responses. Our results show that the genotypes of both sexes as well as the interaction between male and female genotypes affect mating and post‐mating reproductive traits. Immune gene expression of three candidate genes increased in response to mating and was genotype‐dependent but did not show a G × G signature. Males showed genotype‐dependent SP expression in the 7 days following eclosion, but female genotypes showed no differential sensitivity to the receipt of SP. The two genotypes demonstrated clear divergence in physiological traits in short‐ to mid‐term responses to mating, but the longer‐term consequences of these initial dynamics remain to be uncovered.
The relationship between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Doan My Hanh , Sassen Remmer
Published: April 2020

This research conceptually and empirically summarizes multiple aspects of the association between corporate environmental performance and corporate environmental reporting in previous literature, addressing the questions of (a) whether disclosure is a reliable indicator of performance and (b) whether variable measurement characteristics influence empirical outcomes. Systematic literature review and meta‐analytic techniques are employed to generate objective and valid summarized effects. The research covers a total of 251 effect sizes within 62 primary studies, representing a total of 56,387 observations. This study discovers a weak and negative association between environmental performance and environmental reporting, supporting the sociopolitical perspective that poor environmental performers have higher motivations to increase their level of disclosure than strong performers. At the same time, this research confirms the heterogeneity of previous studies in the field and verifies the effects of measurement methods on empirical outcomes.
Association between proteomics and obstructive sleep apnea phenotypes in a community‐based cohort of women
Authors: Ljunggren Mirjam , Theorell‐Haglöw Jenny , Freyhult Eva , Sahlin Carin , Franklin Karl A. , Malinovschi Andrei , Janson Christer , Lindberg Eva
Published: April 2020

Summary

Proteomic‐based technologies offer new opportunities to identify proteins that might reflect the cardiometabolic stress caused by different aspects of sleep‐disordered breathing. We aimed to investigate whether severe obstructive sleep apnea and severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep are associated with changed levels of inflammatory and cardiac disease‐related proteins in a population‐based cohort of women. In the community‐based “Sleep and Health in Women” (SHE) cohort study, 400 women underwent polysomnography, anthropometric measurements and blood sampling. Two proteomic assays (Olink Proseek® Inflammation panel and Olink Proseek® Cardiovascular II panel), each measuring 92 proteins, were analysed in a subsample of 253 women. p‐Values were adjusted for multiple testing, with false discovery rate set at 10%. In unadjusted models, 57 proteins were associated with apnea−hypopnea index, 56 proteins with oxygen desaturation index and 64 proteins with rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index. After adjustment for age, body mass index and plate, there were no significant associations between apnea−hypopnea index or oxygen desaturation index and any of the proteins. Severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep (rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index ≥ 30) was associated with decreased levels of two anti‐inflammatory proteins; Sirt2 (q‐value .016) and LAP‐TGF‐β1 (q‐value .016). There was also a negative association between rapid eye movement−apnea−hypopnea index of ≥ 30 and Axin1 (q‐value .095), a protein thought to facilitate TGF‐β‐signalling. We conclude that severe obstructive sleep apnea during rapid eye movement sleep is associated with low levels of Sirt2, LAP‐TGF‐β1 and Axin1, anti‐inflammatory proteins involved in metabolic regulation and in the atherosclerotic process. For obstructive sleep apnea based on a whole night, the associations with cardiac and inflammatory proteins are weaker, and explained to a large extent by age and body mass index.
Competition × drought interactions change phenotypic plasticity and the direction of selection on Arabidopsis traits
Authors: Lorts Claire M. , Lasky Jesse R.
Published: April 2020

Populations often exhibit genetic diversity in traits involved in responses to abiotic stressors, but what maintains this diversity is unclear. Arabidopsis thaliana exhibits high within‐population variation in drought response. One hypothesis is that competition, varying at small scales, promotes diversity in resource use strategies. However, little is known about natural variation in competition effects on Arabidopsis physiology.

We imposed drought and competition treatments on diverse genotypes. We measured resource economics traits, physiology, and fitness to characterize plasticity and selection in response to treatments.

Plastic responses to competition differed depending on moisture availability. We observed genotype–drought–competition interactions for relative fitness: competition had little effect on relative fitness under well‐watered conditions, whereas competition caused rank changes in fitness under drought. Early flowering was always selected. Higher δ13C was selected only in the harshest treatment (drought and competition). Competitive context significantly changed the direction of selection on aboveground biomass and inflorescence height in well‐watered environments.

Our results highlight how local biotic conditions modify abiotic selection, in some cases promoting diversity in abiotic stress response. The ability of populations to adapt to environmental change may thus depend on small‐scale biotic heterogeneity.
Practice patterns and incidence of adenovirus infection in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients: Multicenter survey of transplant centers in the United States
Authors: Papanicolaou Genovefa A. , Dvorak Christopher C. , Dadwal Sanjeet , Maron Gabriela , Prasad Vinod K. , Giller Roger , Abdel‐Azim Hisham , Sadanand Arhanti , Casciano Roman , Chandak Aastha , Huang Shengnan , Nichols Garrett , Brundage Tom , Vainorius Enrikas , Mozaffari Essy , Hutcheson Robert
Published: April 2020

Background

Adenovirus (AdV) is increasingly recognized as a threat to successful outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo‐HCT). Guidelines have been developed to inform AdV screening and treatment practices, but the extent to which they are followed in clinical practice in the United States is still unknown. The incidence of AdV in the United States is also not well documented. The main objectives of the AdVance US study were thus to characterize current AdV screening and treatment practices in the United States and to estimate the incidence of AdV infection in allo‐HCT recipients across multiple pediatric and adult transplant centers.

Methods

Fifteen pediatric centers and 6 adult centers completed a practice patterns survey, and 15 pediatric centers and four adult centers completed an incidence survey.

Results

The practice patterns survey results confirm that pediatric transplant centers are more likely than adult centers to routinely screen for AdV, and are also more likely to have a preemptive AdV treatment approach compared to adult centers. Perceived risk of AdV infection is a determining factor for whether routine screening and preemptive treatment are implemented. Most pediatric centers screen higher‐risk patients for AdV weekly, in blood, and have a preemptive AdV treatment approach. The incidence survey results show that from 2015 to 2017, a total of 1230 patients underwent an allo‐HCT at the 15 pediatric transplant centers, and 1815 patients underwent an allo‐HCT at the 4 adult transplant centers. The incidences of AdV infection, AdV viremia, and AdV viremia ≥ 1000 copies/mL within 6 months after the first allo‐HCT were 23%, 16%, and 9%, respectively, for patients at pediatric centers, and 5%, 3%, and 2%, respectively, for patients at adult centers.

Conclusions

These findings provide a more recent estimate of the incidence of AdV infection in the United States, as well as a multicenter view of practice patterns around AdV infection screening and intervention criteria, in pediatric and adult allo‐HCT recipients.
MEKK2 inhibits activation of MAP kinases in Arabidopsis
Authors: Nitta Yukino , Qiu Yichun , Yaghmaiean Hoda , Zhang Qian , Huang Jianhua , Adams Keith , Zhang Yuelin
Published: April 2020

The Arabidopsis MEKK1‐MKK1/MKK2‐MPK4 kinase cascade is monitored by the nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich‐repeat immune receptor SUMM2. Disruption of this kinase cascade leads to activation of SUMM2‐mediated immune responses. MEKK2, a close paralog of MEKK1, is required for defense responses mediated by SUMM2, the molecular mechanism of which is unclear. In this study, we showed that MEKK2 serves as a negative regulator of MPK4. It binds to MPK4 to directly inhibit its phosphorylation by upstream MKKs. Activation of SUMM2‐mediated defense responses induces the expression of MEKK2, which in turn blocks MPK4 phosphorylation to further amplify immune responses mediated by SUMM2. Intriguingly, MEKK2 locates in a tandem repeat consisting of MEKK1, MEKK2 and MEKK3, which was generated from a recent gene duplication event, suggesting that MEKK2 evolved from a MAPKKK to become a negative regulator of MAP kinases.
Hydrogen Uptake, Tensile, and Fatigue Properties of a Barrier-Coated, Precipitation-Hardened Martensitic Stainless Steel With Exposure to High-Pressure Hydrogen Gas
Authors: Yamabe Junichiro , Matsuoka Saburo
Published: April 2020

Hydrogen uptake, tensile, and fatigue properties of a precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel with a newly developed coating (alumina/aluminum/Fe–Al) were presented. The developed coating had an excellent resistance to hydrogen entry in 100-MPa hydrogen gas at 270 °C. Measurements of bulk and local hydrogen by thermal desorption analysis and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) suggested that the excellent resistance was attributed to the reduction in permeation areas by interfacial hydrogen trapping between the aluminum and Fe–Al layers. Tensile tests of a smooth, round-bar specimen, and fatigue tests of a circumferentially notched specimen after exposure to 100-MPa hydrogen gas at 270 °C were performed in air at room temperature (RT). These properties of the coated specimens were not degraded by hydrogen exposure, whereas those of the noncoated specimens were significantly degraded. Hydrogen-pressure cycle tests of coated, tubular specimens with an inner notch in 95-MPa hydrogen gas at 85 °C also demonstrated that the fatigue life was improved by the coating.
Predicting donor heart function in a heartbeat
Authors: Keller Steven P.
Published: April 2020

Machine learning methods can assess contractility of donor hearts maintained via ex vivo perfusion to predict posttransplant cardiac function.
A Peptidoglycan Amidase Activator Impacts Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Gut Infection
Authors: Nakamura Nao , Hoshino Yusuke , Shiga Takuro , Haneda Takeshi , Okada Nobuhiko , Miki Tsuyoshi
Published: April 2020

Salmonella enterica
serovar Typhimurium is an important foodborne pathogen that causes diarrhea.
S.
Typhimurium elicits inflammatory responses and colonizes the gut lumen by outcompeting the microbiota. Although evidence is accumulating with regard to the underlying mechanism, the infectious stage has not been adequately defined. Peptidoglycan amidases are widely distributed among bacteria and play a prominent role in peptidoglycan maintenance by hydrolyzing peptidoglycans.
Expression of Sialylated or Paragloboside-Like Lipooligosaccharides Are Not Required for Pustule Formation by
Haemophilus ducreyi
in Human Volunteers
Authors: Young Royden S. , Fortney Kate , Haley Jennifer C. , Hood Antoinette F. , Campagnari Anthony A. , Wang Jing , Bozue Joel A. , Munson Robert S. , Spinola Stanley M.
Published: April 2020

The lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of
Haemophilus ducreyi
, the etiologic agent of chancroid, chemically and immunologically resembles human glycosphingolipid antigens. To test whether LOS that contains paragloboside-like structures was required for pustule formation, an isogenic mutant (35000HP-RSM2) was constructed in
losB
, which encodes
d
-
glycero
-
d
-
manno
-heptosyltransferase. 35000HP-RSM2 produces a truncated LOS whose major glycoform terminates in a single glucose attached to a heptose trisaccharide core and 2-keto-3-deoxyoctulosonic acid. Five human subjects were inoculated with 35000HP and 35000HP-RSM2 in a dose-response trial. For estimated delivered doses (EDDs) of ≥25 CFU, the pustule formation rates were 80% for 35000HP and 58% for 35000HP-RSM2. Preliminary data indicated that a previously described Tn
916 losB
mutant made a minor glycoform that does not require
dd
-heptose to form the terminal
N
-acetyllactosamine. If 35000HP-RSM2 made this glycoform, then 35000HP-RSM2 could theoretically make a sialylated glycoform. To test whether sialylated LOS was required for pustule formation, a second trial comparing an isogenic sialyltransferase mutant (35000HP-RSM203) to 35000HP was performed in five additional subjects. For EDDs of ≥25 CFU, the pustule formation rates were 30% for both 35000HP and 35000HP-RSM203. The histopathology and recovery rates of
H. ducreyi
from surface cultures and biopsies obtained from mutant and parent sites in both trials were similar. These results indicate that neither the expression of a major glycoform resembling paragloboside nor sialylated LOS is required for pustule formation by
H. ducreyi
in humans.
Malaria Transmission and Naturally Acquired Immunity to PfEMP-1
Authors: Piper Karen P. , Hayward Rhian E. , Cox Martin J. , Day Karen P.
Published: April 2020

Why there are so few gametocytes (the transmission stage of malaria) in the blood of humans infected with
Plasmodium
spp. is intriguing. This may be due either to reproductive restraint by the parasite or to unidentified gametocyte-specific immune-mediated clearance mechanisms. We propose another mechanism, a cross-stage immunity to
Plasmodium falciparum
erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP-1). This molecule is expressed on the surface of the erythrocyte infected with either trophozoite or early gametocyte parasites. Immunoglobulin G antibodies to PfEMP-1, expressed on both life cycle stages, were measured in residents from an area where malaria is endemic, Papua New Guinea. Anti-PfEMP-1 prevalence increased with age, mirroring the decline in both the prevalence and the density of asexual and transmission stages in erythrocytes. These data led us to propose that immunity to PfEMP-1 may influence malaria transmission by regulation of the production of gametocytes. This regulation may be achieved in two ways: (i) by controlling asexual proliferation and density and (ii) by affecting gametocyte maturation.
Cytolethal Distending Toxin ofHaemophilus ducreyiInduces Apoptotic Death of Jurkat T Cells
Authors: Gelfanova Valentina , Hansen Eric J. , Spinola Stanley M.
Published: April 2020

The immune response toHaemophilus ducreyiis mediated in part by T cells infiltrating the site of infection. In this study, we show thatH. ducreyiantigen preparations inhibited the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and primary human T-cell lines.H. ducreyialso inhibited Jurkat T-cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of Jurkat T cells, confirmed through the detection of DNA degradation and membrane unpacking. The cytotoxic product(s) was present in cell-free culture supernatant and whole-cell preparations ofH. ducreyiand was heat labile.H. ducreyiproduces two known heat-labile toxins, a hemolysin and a cytolethal distending toxin (CDT). Whole cells and supernatants prepared from a hemolysin-deficient mutant had the same inhibitory and apoptotic effects on Jurkat T cells as did its isogenic parent. Preparations made from anH. ducreyi cdtCmutant were less toxic and induced less apoptosis than the parent. The toxic activity of thecdtCmutant was restored by complementation intrans. CdtC-neutralizing antibodies also inhibitedH. ducreyi-induced toxicity and apoptosis. The data suggest that CDT may interfere with T-cell responses toH. ducreyiby induction of apoptosis.
Listeria monocytogenes
Possesses Adhesins for Fibronectin
Authors: Gilot Philippe , André Paul , Content Jean
Published: April 2020

Listeria monocytogenes
is a gram-positive, nonsporulating, food-borne pathogen of humans and animals that is able to invade many eukaryotic cells. Several listerial surface components have been reported to interact with eukaryotic cell receptors, but the complete mechanism by which the bacteria interact with all of these cell types remains largely unknown. In this work, we found that
L. monocytogenes
binds to human fibronectin, a 450,000-Da dimeric glycoprotein found in body fluids, on the surface of cells and in an insoluble component of the extracellular matrix. The binding of fibronectin to
L. monocytogenes
was found to be saturable and dependent on proteinaceous receptors. Five fibronectin-binding proteins of 55.3, 48.6, 46.7, 42.4, and 26.8 kDa were identified. The 55.3-kDa protein was proved to be present at the bacterial cell surface. The binding of
L. monocytogenes
to fibronectin adds to the number of molecules to which the bacterium is able to adhere and emphasizes the complexity of host-pathogen interactions.
Draft Whole-Genome Sequences of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Derivatives of a Bacillus anthracis ΔANR Strain Lacking pXO1 and pXO2 Plasmids
Authors: Biggs Tracey D. , Karavis Mark A. , Harris Jacquelyn V. , Hill Jessica M. , Bernhards Robert C. , Price Lance B. , Keim Paul , Goodwin Bruce G. , Sozhamannan Shanmuga
Published: April 2020

Mutants of an attenuated
Bacillus anthracis
(ΔANR) strain conferring increasing levels of ciproﬂoxacin resistance have been described. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of the parent strain (ΔANR pXO1
−
, pXO2
−
) and its derivatives conferring low (step 1; 0.5 μg/ml), medium (step 2; 8 to 16 μg/ml), and high (step 3; 32 to 64 μg/ml) levels of ciprofloxacin resistance.
Tectonic evolution of the Chinese Tianshan Orogen from subduction to arc-continent collision: Insight from polyphase deformation along the Gangou section, Central Asia
Authors: Li Pengfei , Sun Min , Rosenbaum Gideon , Cai Keda , Yuan Chao , Jourdan Fred , Xia Xiaoping , Jiang Yingde , Zhang Yunying
Published: April 2020

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt, as the largest accretionary orogen on Earth, is an ideal candidate to study the geodynamics of convergent plate boundaries through a prolonged period. The evolution of this orogen has been explained by different tectonic models, which incorporated one, or a combination, of the following mechanisms: lateral stacking of arc systems along major shear zones, arc amalgamation, oroclinal bending, and trench migration. Here we elucidate major mechanisms responsible for the tectonic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, focusing on the Chinese Tianshan Orogen in the southern Central Asian Orogenic Belt. Structural observations from the ∼50-km-long Gangou section show evidence of polyphase deformation. The earliest episode of orogen-parallel sinistral shearing, constrained to the Early Devonian (ca. 399 Ma) by syn-deformational intrusions, was possibly controlled by oblique subduction. This was followed by an episode of ∼NE–SW contractional deformation, dated at ca. 356 Ma (40Ar/39Ar age of syn-deformational hornblende), and likely associated with an episode of trench advance. The third stages of deformation during the latest Carboniferous and Permian involved ∼NE-SW contraction, orogen-parallel extension, and dextral transpression. Our new geochronological data constrain the timing of orogen-parallel extension to ca. 303–293 Ma, and confirm that dextral activation along shear zones occurred during the Permian. The results highlight the role of trench migration, oblique tectonics, and syn-collisional orogen-parallel extension in the build-up of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, and contribute to the pre-collisional reconstruction of this orogenic system.
Season, sowing date, and row cover influences the production of cool season vegetables in movable high tunnels
Authors: Baumbauer David A. , Burgess Macdonald H.
Published: April 2020

Moveable high tunnels offer the possibility of increasing the number of crops harvested from a given piece of ground in northern latitudes where there is a short growing season. In an effort to expand crop scheduling options, three leafy greens and three root vegetables were grown in the spring in a movable high tunnel, and in the fall were sown outside and the tunnel was moved over the crops in late September. The effects of seeding date and addition of row cover were further explored on fresh weight and days to harvest. Using row cover within the high tunnel increased growing degree hours (GDH) by an average of 29% in the spring and 17% in the fall over a high tunnel without row cover. Soil degree hours (SDH) in the high tunnel with row cover increased an average of 9% in the spring and 12% in the fall over the high tunnel without row cover. The addition of row cover increased yield of leafy greens and turnip by an average of 35% in spring 2018 when the outside air temperature was considerably below average. Early-seeded fall leafy greens out-yielded late-seeded by 52% due to the ability to make a second harvest. Using row cover within the high tunnel increased GDH and SDH during both spring and fall seasons and increased the yield of cool season vegetables when outside air temperatures were considerably below average.
Highly Stable Fe3O4/C Composite: A Candidate Material for All Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries
Authors: Maroni F. , Bruni P. , Suzuki N. , Aihara Y. , Gabrielli S. , Carbonari G. , Agostini M. , Branchi M. , Ferrari S. , Navarra M. A. , Brutti S. , Matic A. , Nobili F. , Croce F.
Published: April 2020

Fe3O4 nanoparticles synthesized by a base catalyzed method are tested in an All-Solid-State (ASLB) battery using a sulfide electrolyte. The pristine nanoparticles were morphologically characterized showing an average size of 12 nm. The evaluation of the electrochemical properties shows high specific capacity values of 506 mAhg−1 after 350 cycles at a specific current of 250 mAg−1, with very high stability and coulombic efficiency.
Nonflammable LiTFSI-Ethylene Carbonate/1,2-Dimethoxyethane Electrolyte for High-Safety Li-ion Batteries
Authors: Liang Huiying , Zuo Xiaoxi , Zhang Lengdan , Huang Wenda , Chen Qiuyu , Zhu Tianming , Liu Jiansheng , Nan Junmin
Published: April 2020

Developing a nonflammable electrolyte is an efficient strategy to eliminate fire hazards and improve battery safety. Electrolytes containing nonflammable phosphate solvents enhance battery safety to a certain extent, but their compatibility with electrodes remains an obstacle. Here, a nonflammable electrolyte based on carbonate solvent is designed to resolve this dilemma while guaranteeing battery performance. We demonstrate that a nonflammable electrolyte employing the popular film-forming solvent ethylene carbonate (EC) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) with 2.3 mol kg−1 lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) has excellent thermal stability owing to the unique solution molecule structure. What’s more, the nonflammable electrolyte possesses excellent compatibility with both LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 and graphite electrode. The initial specific capacity and capacity retention rate of graphite/LiNi0.6Co0.2Mn0.2O2 punch cells employing this electrolyte are 169.3 mAh g−1 and 98.7% (after 50 cycles), respectively, which are comparable to those of cells employing traditional carbonate electrolytes. Besides, short-circuit test of the pouch cell suggests that the release of gases accompanied by decomposition of electrolyte under abuse conditions is effectively suppressed. All of these results show a promising prospect of this nonflammable electrolyte for application in high-safety Li-ion batteries.
Essential hypertension is associated with blunted smooth muscle cell vasodilator responsiveness and is reversed by 10-20-30 training in men
Authors: Gunnarsson Thomas P. , Ehlers Thomas S. , Fiorenza Matteo , Nyberg Michael , Bangsbo Jens
Published: April 2020

Essential hypertension is associated with impairments in vascular function and sympathetic nerve hyperactivity; however, the extent to which the lower limbs are affected remains unclear. We examined the leg vascular responsiveness to infusion of acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and phenylephrine (PEP) in 10 hypertensive men [HYP: age 59.5 ± 9.7 (means ± SD) yr; clinical and nighttime blood pressure: 142 ± 10/86 ± 10 and 141 ± 11/83 ± 6 mmHg, respectively; and body mass index (BMI): 29.2 ± 4.0 kg/m2] and 8 age-matched normotensive counterparts (NORM: age 57.9 ± 10.8 yr; clinical and nighttime blood pressure: 128 ± 9/78 ± 7 and 116 ± 3/69 ± 3 mmHg, respectively; and BMI: 26.3 ± 3.1 kg/m2). The vascular responsiveness was evaluated before and after 6 wk of 10-20-30 training, consisting of 3 × 5 × 10-s sprint followed by 30 and 20 s of low- to moderate-intensity cycling, respectively, interspersed by 3 min of rest. Before training, the vascular responsiveness to infusion of SNP was lower ( P < 0.05) in HYP compared with NORM, with no difference in the responsiveness to infusion of ACh and PEP. The vascular responsiveness to infusion of SNP and ACh improved ( P < 0.05) with training in HYP, with no change in NORM. With training, intra-arterial systolic blood pressure decreased ( P < 0.05) by 9 mmHg in both HYP and NORM whereas diastolic blood pressure decreased (5 mmHg; P < 0.05) in HYP only. We provide here the first line of evidence in humans that smooth muscle cell vasodilator responsiveness is blunted in the lower limbs of hypertensive men. This impairment can be reversed by 10-20-30 training, which is an effective intervention to improve the responsiveness of smooth muscle cells in men with essential hypertension.
Regulatory function of praja ring finger ubiquitin ligase 2 mediated by the P2rx3/P2rx7 axis in mouse hippocampal neuronal cells
Authors: Gong Mengting , Ye Shoudong , Li Wen-Xing , Zhang Jian , Liu Yanjun , Zhu Jie , Lv Wenwen , Zhang Hui , Wang Jing , Lu Aiping , He Kan
Published: April 2020

Praja2 ( Pja2), a member of the growing family of mammalian RING E3 ubiquitin ligases, is reportedly involved in not only several types of cancer but also neurological diseases and disorders, but the genetic mechanism underlying the regulation of Pja2 in the nervous system remains unclear. To study the cellular and molecular functions of Pja2 in mouse hippocampal neuronal cells (MHNCs), we used gain- and loss-of-function manipulations of Pja2 in HT-22 cells and tested their regulatory effects on three Alzheimer's disease (AD) genes and cell proliferation. The results revealed that the expression of AD markers, including amyloid beta precursor protein ( App), microtubule-associated protein tau ( Mapt), and gamma-secretase activating protein ( Gsap), could be inhibited by Pja2 overexpression and activated by Pja2 knockdown. In addition, HT-22 cell proliferation was enhanced by Pja2 upregulation and suppressed by its downregulation. We also evaluated and quantified the targets that responded to the enforced expression of Pja2 by RNA-Seq, and the results showed that purinergic receptor P2X, ligand-gated ion channel 3 and 7 ( P2rx3 and P2rx7), which show different expression patterns in the critical calcium signaling pathway, mediated the regulatory effect of Pja2 in HT-22 cells. Functional studies indicated that Pja2 regulated HT-22 cells development and AD marker genes by inhibiting P2rx3 but promoting P2rx7, a gene downstream of P2rx3. In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the regulatory function of the Pja2 gene in MHNCs and thus underscore the potential relevance of this molecule to the pathophysiology of AD.