bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An overview of the trajectory of Brazilian individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome until diagnosis
Authors: Silva Isabela Mayá Wayhs , Gil-da-Silva-Lopes Vera Lúcia
Published: February 2022

Background

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a rare disease with an important characteristic—clinical heterogeneity. The diversity of organs, regions, and systems of the body that can be affected requires periodic updating of health professionals so that they can recognize these clinical signs as belonging to 22q11.2DS. Updated professionals are equally important for the appropriate and timely clinical management of individuals with a positive diagnosis. In this context, this article aimed to map and analyze the access to healthcare for individuals with 22q11.2DS until the moment of diagnosis.

Results

We analyzed the clinical data of 111 individuals with 22q11.2DS registered in the Brazilian Database on Craniofacial Anomalies (BDCA) from 2008 to 2020. In this study, individuals were diagnosed at a median age of 9 years (mean = 9.7 years). Before the genetic investigation, they accessed 68.75% of the internationally recommended evaluations available at BDCA. Recurrent 22q11.2DS clinical manifestations such as delayed neuropsychomotor development, lip and/or palate defects, cardiac malformation and/or hematological/immunological alteration co-occurred in at least 72.06% of individuals. Cardiac malformation was the only clinical alteration that lowered the median diagnostic age, corresponding to 6.5 years of age with a cardiac malformation versus 11 years of age without one (p = 0.0006).

Conclusions

In Brazil, 22q11.2 DS is under-recognized, and early diagnosis and management of affected individuals are still a distant reality. In this sense, 22q11.2 DS suspicion followed by the elimination of obstacles for its diagnosis confirmation is essential to increase life expectancy and improve the quality of life of these individuals in Brazil.
Transition from child to adult health care for patients with lysosomal storage diseases in France: current status and priorities—the TENALYS study, a patient perspective survey
Authors: Genevaz Delphine , Arnoux Armelle , Marcel Catherine , Brassier Anaïs , Pichard Samia , Feillet François , Labarthe François , Chabrol Brigitte , Berger Marc , Lapointe Anne-Sophie , Frigout Yvann , Héron Bénédicte , Chatellier Gilles , Belmatoug Nadia
Published: February 2022

Background

Transition from childhood to adulthood (TCA) is usually difficult in rare, progressive and multisystemic diseases. New treatments and modalities of care for many lysosomal diseases (LD) can increase life expectancy, and a successful TCA can help patient who reach adulthood to avoid disruption to health care. In France, some TCA initiatives have been taken by referral centers but in view of the problems encountered by Vaincre les Maladies Lysosomales (VML), the LD patient association, they seem to be insufficient. The aim of this study is to determine the current state of the TCA process and to identify actions to improve it through interviews with patient families and physicians in LD referral centers. The study is based upon an observational, non-interventional, cross-sectional, national survey which used two anonymous questionnaires. These questionnaires, developed by a scientific committee including representatives from VML and medical specialists in LD, were sent to patients who were receiving care in pediatric departments at age 15 years or older. Questionnaires were also sent to their referral pediatricians.

Results

Fifty-four patients were included. Forty-two questionnaires were completed by patients and their corresponding physicians and 12 were completed by physicians only. The majority of the patients (80%) were informed that transfer to adult healthcare would occur, but 52% were informed after their eighteenth birthday. Forty-eight percent indicated that they were informed that a TCA coordinator would be appointed; for 39% the time frame for the transfer was communicated, and 31% were informed of the composition of the adult medical team. Among the actions that patients rated as “important/very important”, and considered to be a priority in their comments, the most frequently cited were the provision of explanatory documents on the TCA (94%), the transmission of the medical file from the pediatric sector to the adult sector (94%) and a joint consultation with both pediatrician and adult unit physician (91%). Physicians were in agreement concerning the primary importance of the last two actions.

Conclusion

This study provides a basis for the deployment, on the national level, of transition programs which include specific actions that patients view as priorities.
Therapeutic potential of living donor liver transplantation from heterozygous carrier donors in children with propionic acidemia
Authors: Zeng Zhi-Gui , Zhou Guang-Peng , Wei Lin , Qu Wei , Liu Ying , Tan Yu-Le , Wang Jun , Sun Li-Ying , Zhu Zhi-Jun
Published: February 2022

Background

Current world experience regarding living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in the treatment of propionic acidemia (PA) is limited, especially in terms of using obligate heterozygous carriers as donors. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of LDLT in children with PA.

Methods

From November 2017 to January 2020, 7 of the 192 children who underwent LDLT at our institution had been diagnosed with PA (median age, 2.1 years; range, 1.1–5.8 years). The primary indication for transplantation was frequent metabolic decompensations in 6 patients and preventative treatment in 1 patient. Of the seven parental living donors, six were genetically proven obligate heterozygous carriers.

Results

During a median follow-up of 23.9 months (range, 13.9–40.2 months), all patients were alive with 100% allograft survival, and no severe transplant-related complications occurred. In the case of liberalized protein intake, they did not suffer metabolic decompensation or disease-related complications and made progress in neurodevelopmental delay and body growth, as well as blood and urinary metabolite levels. In one patient with pre-existing mild dilated cardiomyopathy, her echocardiogram results completely normalized 13.8 months post-transplant. All living donors recovered well after surgery, with no metabolic decompensations or procedure-related complications. Western blotting revealed that the hepatic expressions of PCCA and PCCB in one of the heterozygous donors were comparable to those of the normal healthy control at the protein level.

Conclusions

LDLT using partial liver grafts from asymptomatic obligate heterozygous carrier donors is a viable therapeutic option for selected PA patients, with no negative impact on donors’ and recipients' clinical courses.
Eight months follow-up of corneal nerves and sensitivity after treatment with cenegermin for neurotrophic keratopathy
Authors: Pedrotti Emilio , Bonacci Erika , Chierego Chiara , De Gregorio Alessandra , Cozzini Tiziano , Brighenti Tommaso , Caldarella Grazia , Pastore Giovanlorenzo , Fasolo Adriano , Marchini Giorgio
Published: February 2022

Backgroud

Cenegermin (Oxervate, Dompè Farmaceutici, Milan, IT), a recombinant human NGF, is a potentially healing new drug for neurotrophic keratopathy (NK), a rare but challenging disease affecting the cornea. To date, studies that evaluate its mid-term effect on corneal nerves and sensitivity are lacking.

Objective

To evaluate the recovery and morphology of subbasal corneal nerves in patients treated with Cenegermin for NK and assess their correlation with corneal sensitivity.

Methods

This prospective, observational case series study was carried out between May 2018 and August 2020 at the Ophthalmic Clinic of the University of Verona. Clinical evaluation, sensitivity, and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) were performed in the central and all four corneal sectors at baseline, the end of therapy (8 weeks), and 2, 4, and 8 months after therapy. Consecutive patients with NK (stage 2–3), treated with Cenegermin (1 drop 6 times daily for 8 weeks), were enrolled. During each visit, Corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber total branch density (CTBD), corneal nerve fiber fractal dimension (CNFraD) and Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometry (CBE) were measured.

Results

We enrolled 18 patients. Complete NK healing was noted in 14/18(78%) patients after 8 weeks of treatment; then in 14(78%), 15(83%), and 13(72%) patients at 2-, 4-, and 8-months, respectively. Starting at 8 weeks through 4-month follow-up there was progressive improvement in CBE in all corneal sectors (p ≤ 0.01), which continued thereafter. There was significant corneal nerve regrowth especially in the peripheral cornea: centripetal progression starting at 8 weeks (CNFL and CNFrad) and significant branching starting at 2 months (CTBD), which continued through to the end of follow up. Sector-coupled IVCM and CBE findings correlated at all evaluations (all r ≥ 0.62 starting at 2 months, with highest values in the peripheral sectors).

Conclusions

After Cenegermin we observed a subbasal corneal nerve regeneration, a recovery of sensitivity and a lasting epithelial healing, suggesting that the effect of its action persists several months after discontinuation in patients with NK.
Sharing individual participant data: through a systematic reviewer lens
Authors: Rydzewska Larysa H. M. , Stewart Lesley A. , Tierney Jayne F.
Published: February 2022

An increasing prevalence of data-sharing models, aimed at making individual participant data (IPD) from clinical trials widely available, should facilitate the conduct of systematic reviews and meta-analyses based on IPD. We have assessed these different data-sharing approaches, from the perspective of experienced IPD reviewers, to examine their utility for conducting systematic reviews based on IPD, and to highlight any challenges. We present an overview of the range of different models, including the traditional, single question approach, topic-based repositories, and the newer generic data platforms, and show that there are benefits and drawbacks to each. In particular, not all of the new models allow researchers to fully realise the well-documented advantages of using IPD for meta-analysis, and we offer potential solutions that can help improve both data quantity and utility. However, to achieve the “nirvana” of an ideal clinical data sharing environment, both for IPD meta-analysis and other secondary research purposes, we propose that data providers, data requestors, funders, and platforms need to adopt a more joined-up and standardised approach.
Internet-based psychotherapy in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): protocol of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Conzelmann Annette , Hollmann Karsten , Haigis Anna , Lautenbacher Heinrich , Bizu Verena , App Rehan , Nickola Matthias , Wewetzer Gunilla , Wewetzer Christoph , Ivarsson Tord , Skokauskas Norbert , Wolters Lidewij H. , Skarphedinsson Gudmundur , Weidle Bernhard , de Haan Else , Torp Nor Christian , Compton Scott N. , Calvo Rosa , Lera-Miguel Sara , Alt Annika , Hohnecker Carolin Sarah , Allgaier Katharina , Renner Tobias J.
Published: February 2022

Background

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children can lead to a huge burden on the concerned patients and their family members. While successful state-of-the art cognitive behavioral interventions exist, there is still a lack of available experts for treatment at home, where most symptoms manifest. Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) could overcome these restrictions; however, studies about iCBT in children with OCD are rare and mostly target computerized self-help resources and only email contact with the therapist. Therefore, we intended to build up and to evaluate an iCBT approach for children with OCD, replacing successful elements of traditional in-office face-to-face CBT, with face-to-face teleconferences, online materials, and apps.

Methods

With the help of a pilot feasibility study, we developed the iCBT consisting of 14 teleconference sessions with the child and parents. The sessions are supported by an app assessing daily and weekly symptoms and treatment course completed by children and parents. Additionally, we obtain heart rate and activity scores from the child via wristbands during several days and exposure sessions. Using a waiting list randomized control trial design, we aim to treat and analyze 20 children with OCD immediately after a diagnostic session whereas the control group of another set of 20 OCD patients will be treated after waiting period of 16 weeks. We will recruit 30 patients in each group to take account for potential dropouts. Outcomes for the treatment group are evaluated before randomization (baseline, t0), 16 weeks (end of treatment, t1), 32 weeks (follow-up 1, t2), and 48 weeks after randomization (follow-up 2, t3). For the waiting list group, outcomes are measured before the first randomization (baseline), at 16 weeks (waiting list period), 32 weeks (end of treatment), 48 weeks after the first randomization (follow-up I), and 64 weeks after the first randomization (follow-up II).

Discussion

Based on our experience of feasibility during the pilot study, we were able to develop the iCBT approach and the current study will investigate treatment effectiveness. Building up an iCBT approach, resembling traditional in-office face-to-face therapy, may ensure the achievement of well-known therapy effect factors, the acceptance in both patients and clinicians, and the wide distribution within the health system.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT05037344. Registered May 2019, last release August 13th, 2021.
3D reconstruction from structured-light profilometry with dual-path hybrid network
Authors: Wang Lei , Lu Dunqiang , Qiu Ruowen , Tao Jiaqing
Published: February 2022

With the rapid development of high-speed image sensors and optical imaging technology, these have effectively promoted the improvement of non-contact 3D shape measurement. Among them, striped structured-light technology has been widely used because of its high measurement accuracy. Compared with classical methods such as Fourier transform profilometry, many deep neural networks are utilized to restore 3D shape from single-shot structured light. In actual engineering deployments, the number of learnable parameters of convolution neural network (CNN) is huge, especially for high-resolution structured-light patterns. To this end, we proposed a dual-path hybrid network based on UNet, which eliminates the deepest convolution layers to reduce the number of learnable parameters, and a swin transformer path is additionally built on the decoder to improve the global perception of this network. The experimental results show that the learnable parameters of the model are reduced by 60% compared with the UNet, and the measurement accuracy is not degraded at the same time. The proposed dual-path hybrid network provides an effective solution for structured-light 3D reconstruction and its practice in engineering.
Don’t change who we are but give us a chance: confronting the potential of community health worker certification for workforce recognition and exclusion
Authors: Kissinger Ashley , Cordova Shakira , Keller Ann , Mauldon Jane , Copan Lori , Rood Claire Snell
Published: February 2022

Background

For community health workers (CHWs) and promotores de salud (CHWs who primarily serve Latinx communities and are grounded in a social, rather than a clinical model of care), the process of certification highlights the tension between developing a certified workforce with formal requirements (i.e., certified CHWs) and valuing CHWs, without formal requirements, based on their roles, knowledge, and being part of the communities where they live and work (i.e., non-certified CHWs). California serves as an ideal case study to examine how these two paths can coexist. California’s CHW workforce represents distinct ideologies of care (e.g., clinical CHWs, community-based CHWs, and promotores de salud) and California stakeholders have debated certification for nearly twenty years but have not implemented such processes.

Methods

We employed purposive sampling to interview 108 stakeholders (i.e., 66 CHWs, 11 program managers, and 31 system-level participants) to understand their perspectives on the opportunities and risks that certification may raise for CHWs and the communities they serve. We conducted focus groups with CHWs, interviews with program managers and system-level participants, and observations of public forums that discussed CHW workforce issues. We used a thematic analysis approach to identify, analyze, and report themes.

Results

Some CHW participants supported inclusive certification training opportunities while others feared that certification might erode their identity and undermine their work in communities. Some program managers and system-level participants acknowledged the opportunities of certification but also expressed concerns that certification may distance CHWs from their communities. Program managers and system-level participants also highlighted that certification may not address all challenges related to integrating CHWs into health care systems. CHWs, program managers, and system-level participants agreed that CHWs should be involved in certification discussions and decision making.

Conclusions

To address participant concerns, our findings recommend California stakeholders build a voluntary certification process structured with multiple pathways to overcome entry barriers of traditional certification processes, maintain CHW identity, and protect diversity within the workforce. Positioning CHWs as decision makers will be critical when designing state certification processes.
Trust and willingness towards COVID-19 vaccine uptake: a mixed-method study in Ghana, 2021
Authors: Amo-Adjei Joshua , Nurzhynska Anastasiia , Essuman Ruth , Lohiniva Anna-Leena
Published: February 2022

Background

On the account of limited doses of COVID-19 available to the country, the Government of Ghana created a priority list of persons to target for its vaccination agenda. In this paper, we look at trust and how it informs willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine among persons targeted for the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination program in Ghana.

Methods

A sequential mixed-method investigation was conducted among the priority population - persons 60 years and above, frontline government functionaries, health workers, persons with underlying health conditions and, religious leaders and teachers. We sampled 415 respondents from the target population for a survey and 15 religious and traditional leaders from three cities; Accra, Cape Coast and Tamale for follow-up in-depth interviews based on the results of the survey data. Quantitative data is presented with descriptive proportions and multinomial logistic regression and thematic approach is applied to the interview data.

Results

Trust and willingness to take the vaccine are high in this priority population. Trust in the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine, rather than socioeconomic characteristics of respondents better predicted acceptance. From interview narratives, mistrust in political actors - both local and foreign, believe in superior protection of God and seeming misunderstanding of vaccine development processes countermand acceptance. On the other hand, the professional influence of people in one’s social networks, and past triumphs of vaccination programmes against concerning childhood diseases embed trust and acceptance.

Conclusions

Attention ought to be given to trust enhancing triggers while strategic communication approaches are used to remove triggers of mistrust.
Altered gut metabolites and microbiota interactions are implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis and can be non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers
Authors: Coker Olabisi Oluwabukola , Liu Changan , Wu William Ka Kei , Wong Sunny Hei , Jia Wei , Sung Joseph J. Y. , Yu Jun
Published: February 2022

Background

Gut microbiota contributes to colorectal cancer (CRC) pathogenesis through microbes and their metabolites. The importance of microbiota-associated metabolites in colorectal carcinogenesis highlights the need to investigate the gut metabolome along the adenoma-carcinoma sequence to determine their mechanistic implications in the pathogenesis of CRC. To date, how and which microbes and metabolites interactively promote early events of CRC development are still largely unclear. We aim to determine gut microbiota-associated metabolites and their linkage to colorectal carcinogenesis.

Results

We performed metabolomics and metagenomics profiling on fecal samples from 386 subjects including 118 CRC patients, 140 colorectal adenomas (CRA) patients and 128 healthy subjects as normal controls (NC). We identified differences in the gut metabolite profiles among NC, CRA and CRC groups by partial least squares-discriminant and principal component analyses. Among the altered metabolites, norvaline and myristic acid showed increasing trends from NC, through CRA, to CRC. CRC-associated metabolites were enriched in branched-chain amino acids, aromatic amino acids and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis pathways. Moreover, metabolites marker signature (twenty metabolites) classified CRC from NC subjects with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.80, and CRC from CRA with an AUC of 0.79. Integrative analyses of metabolomics and metagenomics profiles demonstrated that the relationships among CRC-associated metabolites and bacteria were altered across CRC stages; certain associations exhibited increasing or decreasing strengths while some were reversed from negative to positive or vice versa. Combinations of gut bacteria with the metabolite markers improved their diagnostic performances; CRC vs NC, AUC: 0.94; CRC vs CRA, AUC 0.92; and CRA vs NC, AUC: 0.86, indicating a potential for early diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia.

Conclusions

This study underscores potential early-driver metabolites in stages of colorectal tumorigenesis. The Integrated metabolite and microbiome analysis demonstrates that gut metabolites and their association with gut microbiota are perturbed along colorectal carcinogenesis. Fecal metabolites can be utilized, in addition to bacteria, for non-invasive diagnosis of colorectal neoplasia.
Improving the surveillance and response system to achieve and maintain malaria elimination: a retrospective analysis in Jiangsu Province, China
Authors: Cao Yuanyuan , Lu Guangyu , Cotter Chris , Wang Weiming , Yang Mengmeng , Liu Yaobao , Liang Cheng , Zhou Huayun , Lu Yan , Yan Jun , Zhu Guoding , Cao Jun
Published: February 2022

Background

Following initiation of China’s National Malaria Elimination Action Plan (NMEAP) in 2010, the ‘1-3-7’ approach was developed and rolled out in China to facilitate the malaria elimination programme and accelerate malaria elimination. This study aims to summarize and condense these experiences through a retrospective analysis in Jiangsu Province, which could be adapted and applied in other malaria elimination settings worldwide.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of imported malaria cases into China identified through an improved surveillance and response system in Jiangsu Province was carried out for the period of 2001–2020. To improve the malaria surveillance and response system, Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention from the prefectures and counties in Jiangsu province conducted population-level health education to improve healthcare seeking behavior, strengthened capacity of health facilities to improve performance of malaria diagnosis and treatment, and raised the capacity of public health providers to improve implementation of the ‘1-3-7’ approach. Categorical variables were carried out by Chi square tests with Fisher’s exact correction.

Results

From 2001 to 2020, a total of 9,879 malaria cases were reported in Jiangsu Province. Since 2012, no indigenous malaria cases have been reported in Jiangsu Province. However, in recent years, there has been a substantial increase of imported falciparum malaria cases. Between 2012 and 2020, an estimated 61.57 million individuals have benefited from population-level health education in Jiangsu Province. For healthcare-seeking services among the 2,423 imported malaria cases, 687 (28.4%) and 1,104 (45.6%) cases visited hospitals on the first day and the second day from symptom onset, respectively. A total of 1,502 (61.9%) cases were diagnosed on the first day at medical facilities. Jiangsu Province achieved 100%, 99.4% and 98.3% completion rate in terms of case detection and notification (within one day), case investigation (within three days) and foci response and disposition (within seven days), respectively. The improved surveillance and response system in Jiangsu Province plays an important role in preventing the re-introduction of malaria and maintaining the malaria-free status.

Conclusions

Jiangsu Province has maintained its malaria-free status since 2012. The continuous improvement of a surveillance and response system plays an important role in the early detection and rapid response of potential malaria-related outbreaks in Jiangsu, China, and has important lessons for other malaria eliminating settings. Remaining vigilant in the detection of imported malaria cases and maintaining an active surveillance and response system is critical to sustain the success of malaria elimination.

Graphic Abstract
No sound is more distracting than the one you're trying not to hear: delayed costs of mental control of task-irrelevant neutral and emotional sounds
Authors: Kolbeinsson Örn , Asutay Erkin , Enström Manja , Sand Jonas , Hesser Hugo
Published: February 2022

Background

Suppressing intrusive thoughts can result in a post-suppression rebound effect where the same thoughts become hyperaccessible. The current study aimed to investigate if similar so-called rebound effects could be observed when people attempted to mentally suppress awareness of nonsensical auditory stimuli. Based on previous research on thought suppression and mental control in other domains, we hypothesized that attempting to suppress awareness of a task-irrelevant sound while under cognitive load would impact evaluations of the sound on affective dimensions and loudness, and result in increased general vigilance, as evidenced by faster responding on subsequent tasks.

Methods

We performed two experiments where participants in a suppression condition were initially instructed to mentally suppress awareness of a sound while performing a mentally challenging task. Participants in a control condition performed the same task without receiving any instructions regarding the sound. In Experiment 1, the sound was affectively neutral, while in Experiment 2 participants were presented with an inherently aversive (tinnitus-like) sound. After this initial phase, participants performed tasks measuring vigilance and attention, and were also asked to give subjective ratings of the sounds on a number of affective dimensions and loudness.

Results

In Experiment 1, participants in the suppression condition showed faster response times on both a visual search task and an auditory spatial cueing task, as compared to participants in the control condition. Contrary to our predictions, participants in the suppression condition did not rate the distractor sound as louder than participants in the control condition, and there were no differences on affective dimensions. In Experiment 2, results revealed that participants in the suppression condition made more errors on a visual search task, specifically on trials where the previously suppressed sound was presented. In contrast to results from Experiment 1, participants in the suppression condition also rated the targeted sound as louder.

Conclusions

The findings provide preliminary support for a post-suppression rebound effect in the auditory domain and further suggest that this effect may be moderated by the emotional properties of the auditory stimulus.
Assessing the suitability of new film laminates for sustainable insect eradication by modified atmosphere in museums
Authors: Elkhial Manar M. , El Hadidi Nesrin M. N.
Published: February 2022

The increasing demand for applying modified inert atmosphere systems for insect eradication in museums has led to the desire for lower-cost consumable materials, particularly laminated plastic films. An ultra-low oxygen-permeable laminate is required for creating successful systems of modified inert atmosphere to keep the oxygen concentration lower than 0.3%. A range of ultra-high barrier laminates is commercially available but at a high cost, which could affect the sustainability of applying these systems in museums of limited budgets. The wide use of local laminates for food preservation makes them a perfect target for testing and improvement as alternatives. However, a laboratorial test method for evaluating their oxygen permeability is required to assess their suitability for insect eradication using modified atmospheres. Therefore, the present work investigates the potential of using two laminates (one local and one imported) to create a successful modified atmosphere system. A laboratory easy-to-use test method was used to assess the oxygen permeability of each laminate and calculate its oxygen transmission rate. The test method is a sealed static chamber separated in the middle by a known area of the laminate to be tested. The test relies on monitoring the change of oxygen concentration overtime on either side of the laminate membrane within the sealed system to assess its oxygen transmission rate. The specifications and design of the test chamber are adopted from the ASTM Designation: E2945 − 14. Results indicated that the new method is useful for an unlimited number of tests of an unlimited number of laminates. The conducted tests proved that the local laminate normally used for food packaging showed good results in terms of its oxygen transmission rate.
Neighborhood risk factors for sports and recreational injuries: a systematic review of studies applying multilevel modeling techniques
Authors: Ogunmayowa Oluwatosin , Baker Charlotte
Published: February 2022

Background

Sports and recreational activities are the most commonly reported cause of injury-related emergency department (ED) visits among children and young adults in developed countries, yet studies about the effect of neighborhood environment on sports and recreational injuries (SRI) are very limited. The aim of this study was to systematically review studies that apply multilevel modeling approach in examining the relationships between SRI and neighborhood-level risk factors.

Data sources

A systematic search of peer reviewed English language articles was conducted in four electronic databases including PubMed (1992–2020), CINAHL (2000–2020), Sports Medicine and Education Index (1996–2020), and Web of Science (1991–2020).

Study selection

Selected studies were observational or experimental studies of people of all ages across the world that assessed neighborhood risk factors for SRI (or all injuries including SRI) using multilevel regression analysis.

Data synthesis

Nine studies—five cross-sectional, two prospective cohort, and two incidence studies—were selected out of a potential 1510. Six studies used secondary data and three used primary data. Only three studies examined SRI as the main or one of the main outcomes. These studies showed that neighborhood-level factors, such as higher socioeconomic context, lower street connectivity, and living or attending schools in urban communities, were associated with increased risk of SRI. Most studies did not provide a justification for the use of multilevel regression and the multilevel analytical procedure employed and quantities reported varied. The Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies (National Institutes of Health) was used to assess the quality or risk of bias of each study. Four quality assessment criteria out of 15 were met by all nine studies. The quality assessment ratings of the reviewed studies were not correlated with the quality of information reported for the multilevel models.

Conclusion

Findings from this review provide evidence that neighborhood-level factors, in addition to individual-level factors, should be taken into consideration when developing public health policies for injury prevention. Considering the limited numbers of studies that were identified by this systematic review, more multilevel studies are needed to strengthen this evidence in order to better inform SRI prevention policy decisions.
Refractory otitis media with effusion due to eustachian tube sialolipoma inform consistent with eustachian tube inflammatory polyp: rare case presentation and literature review
Authors: Al Zaabi Khalid , Badr-El-Dine Mohamed M. K.
Published: February 2022

Background

Unilateral otitis media with effusion in adult patient is considered alarming finding needing a detailed examination of the nasopharynx. The lesions in this area ranged from benign to more destructive malignant pathologies. Lipoma as a cause of obstruction is an extremely rare entity. We are reporting a case of eustachian tube lipoma presented with refractory otitis media with effusion. This is an extremely rare location of such entity and to the best of our knowledge, this is the third case reported in the world literature of eustachian tube lipoma after 2 cases published in 2011 and 2016 respectively. However, this is the first case reported in the literature of eustachian tube sialolipoma.

Case presentation

We are reporting a 27-year-old male who presented to our outpatient department with a complain of unilateral ear block, hearing loss, and intermittent tinnitus. Clinical evaluation revealed unilateral otitis media with effusion that was confirmed by pure tone audiogram and tympanometry. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were obtained showed a lesion originating in the eustachian tube area protruding in the nasopharynx. Surgical removal was successful with complete recovery.

Conclusions

Unilateral otitis media with effusion necessitate nasal endoscopic examination to rule-out lesions at the nasopharynx. This is the first case of sialolipoma in eustachian tube in the literature. Endoscopic removal is usually successful with uneventful short recovery period.
Perinatal mental health in Malaysia: understanding the treatment gap and recommendations for the future
Authors: Raaj Shaeraine , Verghese Vijo , Tharmaseelan Myelone , Duffy Richard , N. K. Sinnadorai N. K. S. Tharmaseelan
Published: February 2022

Maternal mental health problems are widespread worldwide, especially against the backdrop of population growth. There is an increasing prevalence of perinatal mental illness in low- and middle-income countries, and Malaysia is no exception. Despite significant improvements in the Malaysian mental health system over the past decade, there are substantial gaps in the delivery of perinatal health services in Malaysia. This article seeks to give a general overview of perinatal mental health in Malaysia and provide recommendations for the development of Malaysia's perinatal mental health services.
Utility of Perioperative Measurement of Cell-Free DNA and Circulating Tumor DNA in Informing the Prognosis of GI Cancers: A Systematic Review
Authors: Hsu Phillip J. , Singh Khushboo , Dhiman Ankit , Witmer Hunter D. D. , He Chuan , Eng Oliver S. , Catenacci Daniel V. T. , Posner Mitchell C. , Turaga Kiran K.
Published: February 2022

PURPOSE

Current surveillance imaging and tumor markers lack sensitivity for the early detection of recurrence in GI cancers. This study critically evaluates the current literature on the role of sequential measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) before and after curative resection in informing recurrence.

METHODS

A systematic search using a predefined, registered protocol was conducted for studies published between January 2010 and May 2020. Included studies described patients with GI cancers treated with curative-intent surgical resection and measurement of ctDNA both before and after surgery. Patients were divided into three groups on the basis of the presence or absence of ctDNA at these time points. The primary outcome was recurrence-free survival (RFS).

RESULTS

The search yielded 3,873 articles; five met the inclusion criteria and collectively evaluated 57 patients. Pooled median RFS was 62 months (interquartile range 19 to not reached). Although median RFS was not reached in group 1 (– to –) or group 2 (+ to –), median RFS in group 3 (+ to +) was 15 months (interquartile range 9.6-60.4 months). Cox hazard ratio was 4.46 (95% CI, 1.17 to 16.99; P = .028) between group 1 and group 2, and 10.47 (95% CI, 2.91 to 37.74; P < .001) between group 2 and group 3.

CONCLUSION

Detectable ctDNA, either preoperatively or postoperatively, and its persistence after curative surgery are associated with a greater risk of recurrence and decreased RFS in GI cancers. Thus, perioperative measurement of ctDNA may be a useful postoperative risk stratification tool and guide additional therapies.
Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover in Older Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Rubin Mishaela R , de Boer Ian H , Backlund Jye-Yu C , Arends Valerie , Gubitosi-Klug Rose , Wallia Amisha , Sinha Gregory Naina , Barnie Annette , Burghardt Andrew J , Lachin John M , Braffett Barbara H , Schwartz Ann V
Published: February 2022

Context

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by high fracture risk, yet little is known regarding diabetes-related mechanisms or risk factors.

Objective

Determine whether glycemic control, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and microvascular complications are associated with bone turnover markers among older T1D adults.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications study (6 of 27 clinical centers).

Participants

232 T1D participants followed for >30 years.

Exposures

Glycemic control ascertained as concurrent and cumulative hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c); kidney function, by estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR); and AGEs, by skin intrinsic fluorescence.

Main Outcome Measures

Serum procollagen 1 intact N-terminal propeptide (PINP), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bone ALP), serum C-telopeptide (sCTX), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP5b), and sclerostin.

Results

Mean age was 59.6 ± 6.8 years, and 48% were female. In models with HbA1c, eGFR, and AGEs, adjusted for age and sex, higher concurrent HbA1c was associated with lower PINP [β −3.4 pg/mL (95% CI −6.1, −0.7), P = 0.015 for each 1% higher HbA1c]. Lower eGFR was associated with higher PINP [6.9 pg/mL (95% CI 3.8, 10.0), P < 0.0001 for each −20 mL/min/1.73 m2 eGFR], bone ALP [1.0 U/L (95% CI 0.2, 1.9), P = 0.011], sCTX [53.6 pg/mL (95% CI 32.6, 74.6), P < 0.0001], and TRACP5b [0.3 U/L (95% CI 0.1, 0.4), P = 0.002]. However, AGEs were not associated with any bone turnover markers in adjusted models. HbA1c, eGFR, and AGEs were not associated with sclerostin levels.

Conclusions

Among older adults with T1D, poor glycemic control is a risk factor for reduced bone formation, while reduced kidney function is a risk factor for increased bone resorption and formation.
The Florida Room
Authors: Vazquez Alexandra T.
Published: February 2022

In The Florida Room Alexandra T. Vazquez listens to the music and history of Miami to offer a lush story of place and people, movement and memory, dispossession and survival. She transforms the “Florida room”—an actual architectural phenomenon—into a vibrant spatial imaginary for Miami’s musical cultures and everyday life. Drawing on songs, ephemera, and oral histories from artists, families, and inheritors of their traditions, Vazquez hears Miami as a city that has long been shaped by Indigenous Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and southern Georgia. She draws connections between seemingly disparate artists, sounds, and stories, from singer Gwen McCrae to pirate radio innovator DJ Uncle Al, from the Miccosukee rock band Tiger Tiger to the Cuban-American songwriter Desmond Child, among the percussionists Dafnis Prieto, Obed Calvaire, and Yosvany Terry, and through the notes of Eloise Lewis, Betty Wright, and the Miami Bass group Anquette. By listening to musical collaborations and ancestral ties across place and time, Vazquez brings together formal musical details, the histories of people and locations they hold, and the aesthetic traditions transformed inside them.
A deep-dive into fictive locomotion – a strategy to probe cellular activity during speed transitions in fictively swimming zebrafish larvae
Authors: Koning Harmen Kornelis , Ahemaiti Aikeremu , Boije Henrik
Published: February 2022

Fictive locomotion is frequently used to study locomotor output in paralyzed animals. We have evaluated the character of swim episodes elicited by different strategies in zebrafish. Motor output was measured on both sides of a body segment using electrodes and a pipeline for synchronizing stimulation and recording, denoising data and peak-finding was developed. The optomotor response generated swims most equivalent to spontaneous activity, while electrical stimulation and NMDA application caused various artefacts. Our optimal settings, optomotor stimulation using 5-day-old larvae, were combined with calcium imaging and optogenetics to validate the setup's utility. Expression of GCaMP5G by the mnx1 promoter allowed correlation of calcium traces of dozens of motor neurons to the fictive locomotor output. Activation of motor neurons through channelrhodopsin produced aberrant locomotor episodes. This strategy can be used to investigate novel neuronal populations in a high-throughput manner to reveal their role in shaping motor output.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Decoupling SARS-CoV-2 ORF6 localization and interferon antagonism
Authors: Wong Hoi Tong , Cheung Victoria , Salamango Daniel J.
Published: February 2022

Like many pathogenic viruses, SARS-CoV-2 must overcome interferon (IFN)-mediated host defenses for infection establishment. To achieve this, SARS-CoV-2 deploys overlapping mechanisms to antagonize IFN production and signaling. The strongest IFN antagonist is the accessory protein ORF6, which localizes to multiple membranous compartments, including the nuclear envelope, where it directly binds nuclear pore component Nup98–Rae1 to inhibit nuclear translocation of activated STAT1 and IRF3 transcription factors. However, this direct cause-and-effect relationship between ORF6 localization and IFN antagonism has yet to be explored experimentally. Here, we use extensive mutagenesis studies to define the structural determinants required for steady-state localization and demonstrate that mis-localized ORF6 variants still potently inhibit nuclear trafficking and IFN signaling. Additionally, expression of a peptide that mimics the ORF6–Nup98 interaction domain robustly blocked nuclear trafficking. Furthermore, pharmacologic and mutational approaches combined to suggest that ORF6 is likely a peripheral membrane protein, as opposed to being a transmembrane protein as previously speculated. Thus, ORF6 localization and IFN antagonism are independent activities, which raises the possibility that ORF6 may have additional functions within membrane networks to enhance virus replication.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Changes in apolipoprotein abundance dominate proteome responses to prolonged fasting in elephant seals
Authors: Khudyakov Jane I. , Holser Rachel R. , Vierra Craig A. , Ly Serena T. , Niel Theron K. , Hasan Basma M. , Crocker Daniel E. , Costa Daniel P.
Published: February 2022

Unlike many animals that reduce activity during fasting, northern elephant seals (NES) undergo prolonged fasting during energy-intensive life-history stages such as reproduction and molting, fueling fasting energy needs by mobilizing fat stores accrued during foraging. NES display several unique metabolic features such as high fasting metabolic rates, elevated blood lipid and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, efficient protein sparing and resistance to oxidative stress during fasting. However, the cellular mechanisms that regulate these adaptations are still not fully understood. To examine how metabolic coordination is achieved during prolonged fasting, we profiled changes in blubber, skeletal muscle and plasma proteomes of adult female NES over a 5 week fast associated with molting. We found that while blubber and muscle proteomes were remarkably stable over fasting, over 50 proteins changed in abundance in plasma, including those associated with lipid storage, mobilization, oxidation and transport. Apolipoproteins dominated the blubber, plasma and muscle proteome responses to fasting. APOA4, APOE and APOC3, which are associated with lipogenesis and triglyceride accumulation, decreased, while APOA1, APOA2 and APOM, which are associated with lipid mobilization and HDL function, increased over fasting. Our findings suggest that changes in apolipoprotein composition may underlie the maintenance of high HDL levels and, together with adipokines and hepatokines that facilitate lipid catabolism, may mediate the metabolic transitions between feeding and fasting in NES. Many of these proteins have not been previously studied in this species and provide intriguing hypotheses about metabolic regulation during prolonged fasting in mammals.
Catalytic Magnesium-Oppenauer Oxidation of Alcohols
Authors: Sasaki Yuta , Yokoo Kazuma , Mori Keiji
Published: February 2022

A catalytic magnesium-Oppenauer oxidation reaction was developed. When a solution of alcohols in toluene was successively treated with 15–30 mol % of EtMgBr and 1.0 equiv. of trifluoromethyl ketone (oxidant), a hydride transfer-type oxidation reaction (Oppenauer oxidation) occurred to give corresponding ketones in good chemical yields (up to 85%). It was noteworthy that even a weakly basic alkoxide derived from trifluoromethyl ketone worked as an efficient Brønsted base to deprotonate the starting material (alcohols) at ambient temperature (25 °C). The efficiency of the present method was highlighted by applying the method to substrates having a nitrogen atom, which were sensitive to various oxidation conditions.
Estratégias para expansão de uma rede de franquias de cuidados caninos
Authors: Kloeckner Natalia Varela da Rocha
Published: February 2022

Este caso apresenta a trajetória de Sônia e de sua sócia, Paula. Da ideia até a construção e gestão do negócio de cuidados caninos em Fortaleza, no Ceará, as sócias lidaram com dúvidas e estratégias, obtendo êxito em suas decisões. Para expansão dos seus negócios, dado um obstáculo, as sócias optaram pela adoção do modelo de franquia de sua empresa. O objetivo deste caso para ensino é discutir as estratégias de crescimento empresarial, em particular a de franquia, sob o foco da decisão de expansão da empresa de cuidados caninos.
Organizações artísticas: singularidades, desafios e perspectiva de gestão em um centro de artes cênicas
Authors: Araújo Bianca Cruz de , Davel Eduardo Paes Barreto
Published: February 2022

O propósito deste caso para ensino é fomentar uma aprendizagem sobre a gestão de organizações artísticas. Seus objetivos de aprendizagem são: (a) entender as singularidades das organizações artísticas, (b) identificar e discutir os principais desafios de gestão das organizações artísticas e (c) refletir sobre o papel da estética como perspectiva de gestão das organizações artísticas. O caso é baseado em uma abordagem metodológica autoetnográfica, incluindo uma pesquisa empírica em várias organizações artísticas, no Brasil e na Austrália. Na forma de dramaturgia em três atos, o caso retrata a experiência de gestão do Centro de Artes Cênicas da Bahia (CACBA) durante um projeto de intercâmbio entre artistas brasileiros e artistas australianos. Durante o processo de criação artística do projeto, é possível perceber características, singularidades, desafios e demandas de uma organização artística e de sua gestão.