bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Halting the pandemic outside ‘CORTINA2021’ alpine world ski championships: a challenge for sport and public health in times of COVID-19
Authors: Anna De Polo , Luigi Pais Dei Mori , Michele Mongillo , Giuseppe De Luca , Giacomo Facchin , Giangiacomo Marchesan , Matteo Stevanato , Michele Di Gallo , Andrea Apollonio , Giacomo Volpe , Eliana Modolo , Francesca Russo , Sandro Cinquetti
Published: September 2021

Background

In February 2021 the “Cortina2021” Alpine World Ski Championships took place in the mountain town of Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy), thus gaining the definition of “first sporting event of global significance in the time of covid-19 pandemic”. Though the event took place behind closed doors and in a context of national public health restrictive measures, it counted almost 6,000 participants.

Methods

A rigorous “Covid-19 Prevention and Hygiene Protocol” was drawn up by the local and regional health authorities together with the organizing committee, in order to contain the risk of viral circulation within the venue.

Results

Overall about 20,000 rapid antigen nasal swabs were performed to screen-detect sars-cov2 cases: only 22 of these were found positive, whereas 25 people were quarantined as close contacts.

Conclusions

The experience of “Cortina2021” proves that mass gatherings can take place even in times of epidemic threats, if adequately planned and by providing public health recommendations tailored on the viral circulation foreseen by the time the event is due. If new epidemics should arise in the future, hopefully the public health management of “Cortina2021” may be a template for next mass gatherings to be held, as far as possible, despite the viral circulation.
Identity, Beliefs, and Political Conflict
Authors: Bonomi Giampaolo , Gennaioli Nicola , Tabellini Guido
Published: September 2021

We present a theory of identity politics that builds on two ideas. First, when policy conflict renders a certain social divide—economic or cultural—salient, a voter identifies with her economic or cultural group. Second, the voter slants her beliefs toward the stereotype of the group she identifies with. We obtain three implications. First, voters’ beliefs are polarized along the distinctive features of salient groups. Second, if the salience of cultural policies increases, cultural conflict rises, redistributive conflict falls, and polarization becomes more correlated across issues. Third, economic shocks hurting conservative voters may trigger a switch to cultural identity, causing these voters to demand less redistribution. We discuss U.S. survey evidence in light of these implications.
Tamagawa Products of Elliptic Curves Over ℚ
Authors: Griffin Michael , Onowei-Lun Tsai Ken , Tsai Wei-Lun
Published: September 2021

We explicitly construct the Dirichlet series $$\begin{equation*}L_{\mathrm{Tam}}(s):=\sum_{m=1}^{\infty}\frac{P_{\mathrm{Tam}}(m)}{m^s},\end{equation*}$$ where $P_{\mathrm{Tam}}(m)$ is the proportion of elliptic curves $E/\mathbb{Q}$ in short Weierstrass form with Tamagawa product m. Although there are no $E/\mathbb{Q}$ with everywhere good reduction, we prove that the proportion with trivial Tamagawa product is $P_{\mathrm{Tam}}(1)={0.5053\dots}$. As a corollary, we find that $L_{\mathrm{Tam}}(-1)={1.8193\dots}$ is the average Tamagawa product for elliptic curves over $\mathbb{Q}$. We give an application of these results to canonical and Weil heights.
Fiscal Multipliers and Foreign Holdings of Public Debt
Authors: Broner Fernando , Clancy Daragh , Erce Aitor , Martin Alberto
Published: September 2021

This article explores a natural connection between fiscal multipliers and foreign holdings of public debt. Although fiscal expansions can raise domestic economic activity through various channels, they can also have crowding-out effects if the resources used to acquire public debt reduce domestic consumption and investment. These crowding-out effects are likely to be weaker when governments have access to foreign savings when selling their debt, leading to larger fiscal multipliers. We test this hypothesis for the U.S. in the post-war period and for a panel of 17 advanced economies from the 1980s to the present. To do so, we assemble a novel database of public debt holdings by domestic and foreign creditors for these countries. We combine these data with standard measures of fiscal policy shocks and show that, indeed, the size of fiscal multipliers is increasing in the share of public debt held by foreigners. In particular, the fiscal multiplier is smaller than one when the foreign share is low, such as in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s and Japan today, and larger than one when the foreign share is high, such as in the U.S. and several European countries today.
Sarilumab monotherapy vs sarilumab and methotrexate combination therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Burmester Gerd R , Bykerk Vivian P , Buch Maya H , Tanaka Yoshiya , Kameda Hideto , Praestgaard Amy , van Hoogstraten Hubert , Fernandez-Nebro Antonio , Huizinga Thomas
Published: September 2021

Objective

Sarilumab, as monotherapy or in combination with conventional synthetic DMARDs, such as MTX, has demonstrated improvement in clinical outcomes in patients with RA. The primary objective of this post hoc analysis was to compare the efficacy of sarilumab (200 mg every 2 weeks) monotherapy (MONARCH study) with that of sarilumab and MTX combination therapy (MOBILITY study) at week 24.

Methods

The endpoints assessed were mean change from baseline in the Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), 28-joint Disease Activity using CRP (DAS28-CRP), CRP, haemoglobin (Hb), pain visual analogue scale (VAS) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)–Fatigue. Least square (LS) mean change from baseline (95% CI) at week 24 for all endpoints was compared between the treatment arms for adjusted comparisons.

Results

This analysis included 184 patients on sarilumab monotherapy and 399 patients on sarilumab plus MTX. Differences (P < 0.05) were observed in ethnicity, region, body mass index group, rheumatoid factor, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies, swollen joint count, CRP, CDAI and oral glucocorticoid use between these treatment groups. After adjusting for these differences in a mixed-effect model repeated measure, LS mean change from baseline for all assessments was similar between the treatment groups with overlapping CIs: CDAI, −28.79 vs −26.21; DAS28-CRP, −2.95 vs −2.81; CRP, −18.31 vs −16.46; Hb, 6.59 vs 8.09; Pain VAS, −33.62 vs −31.66; FACIT-Fatigue, 9.90 vs 10.24.

Conclusion

This analysis demonstrated that the efficacy of sarilumab monotherapy was similar to that of sarilumab and MTX combination therapy.
Filgotinib or lanraplenib in moderate to severe cutaneous lupus erythematosus: a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Authors: Werth Victoria P , Fleischmann Roy , Robern Michael , Touma Zahi , Tiamiyu Iyabode , Gurtovaya Oksana , Pechonkina Alena , Mozaffarian Afsaneh , Downie Bryan , Matzkies Franziska , Wallace Daniel
Published: September 2021

Objectives

To explore the safety and efficacy of filgotinib (FIL), a Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, and lanraplenib (LANRA), a spleen kinase inhibitor, in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE).

Methods

This was a phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory, proof-of-concept study of LANRA (30 mg), FIL (200 mg) or placebo (PBO) once daily for 12 weeks in patients with active CLE. At week 12, PBO patients were rerandomized 1:1 to receive LANRA or FIL for up to 36 additional weeks.

Results

Of 47 randomized patients, 45 were treated (PBO, n = 9; LANRA, n = 19; FIL, n = 17). The primary endpoint [change from baseline in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index Activity (CLASI-A) score at week 12] was not met. The least squares mean CLASI-A score change from baseline was −5.5 (s.e. 2.56) with PBO, −4.5 (1.91) with LANRA and −8.7 (1.85) with FIL. Numerical differences between FIL and PBO were greater in select subgroups. A ≥5-point improvement in the CLASI-A score at week 12 was achieved by 50.0%, 56.3% and 68.8% in the PBO, LANRA and FIL arms, respectively. A numerically greater proportion of patients in the FIL arm (50%) also achieved ≥50% improvement in the CLASI-A score at week 12 (37.5% PBO, 31.3% LANRA). Most adverse events (AEs) were mild or moderate in severity. Two serious AEs were reported with LANRA and one with FIL.

Conclusion

The primary endpoint was not met. Select subgroups displayed a numerically greater treatment response to FIL relative to PBO. LANRA and FIL were generally well tolerated.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT03134222
Utility of interval kidney biopsy in ANCA-associated vasculitis
Authors: Chapman Gavin B , Farrah Tariq E , Chapman Fiona A , Pugh Dan , Bellamy Christopher O C , Lahiri Rashmi , Miller-Hodges Eve , Kluth David C , Hunter Robert W , Dhaun Neeraj
Published: September 2021

Objectives

ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a rare autoimmune disorder that commonly involves the kidney. Early identification of kidney involvement, assessing treatment-response and predicting outcome are important clinical challenges. Here, we assessed the potential utility of interval kidney biopsy in AAV.

Methods

In a tertiary referral centre with a dedicated vasculitis service, we identified patients with AAV who had undergone interval kidney biopsy, defined as a repeat kidney biopsy (following an initial biopsy showing active AAV) undertaken to determine the histological response in the kidney following induction immunosuppression. We analysed biochemical, histological and outcome data, including times to kidney failure and death for all patients.

Results

We identified 57 patients with AAV who underwent at least one interval kidney biopsy (59 interval biopsies in total; median time to interval biopsy ∼130 days). Of the 59 interval biopsies performed, 24 (41%) patients had clinically suspected active disease at time of biopsy which was confirmed histologically in only 42% of cases; 35 (59%) patients were in clinical disease-remission, and this was correct in 97% of cases. The clinician’s impression was incorrect in one in four patients. Hematuria at interval biopsy did not correlate with histological activity. Interval biopsy showed fewer acute lesions and more chronic damage compared with initial biopsy and led to immunosuppressive treatment-change in 75% (44/59) of patients. Clinical risk prediction tools tended to operate better using interval biopsy data.

Conclusion

Interval kidney biopsy is useful for determining treatment-response and subsequent disease management in AAV. It may provide better prognostic information than initial kidney biopsy and should be considered for inclusion into future clinical trials and treatment protocols for patients with AAV.
DOSIMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE TWO-PHASE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN PARATHYROID GLANDS IMAGING
Authors: Dimitroukas Christos P , Metaxas Vasileios I , Efthymiou Fotios O , Zampakis Petros E , Kalogeropoulou Christina P , Panayiotakis George S
Published: September 2021

This study evaluates the patient radiation dose from the two-phase protocols of two different computed tomography (CT) systems and compares this with that delivered by the other similar protocols previously published. Two hundred and fourteen patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were included in the study with a two-phase CT scan between 2008 and 2020 by using a Toshiba Aquilion Prime 80 and a GE Light Speed 16. The standard ‘neck’ or a modified ‘parathyroid’ protocol was used. The patient dose was evaluated in terms of volumetric computed tomography dose index (CTDIvol), dose length product (DLP) and effective dose (ED) per acquisition protocol and CT system. CTDIvol and DLP were recorded retrospectively, while the ED was calculated based on DLP and an appropriate conversion coefficient. Comparisons of patient dose between the two protocols and two CT systems and the corresponding published values were established. A significantly lower patient dose (40.2–43.2%) than the GE system (p < 0.0001) resulted from the Toshiba system. The ‘parathyroid’ protocol resulted in a 6.5–9.6% lower patient dose than the standard ‘neck’ protocol. Compared with the literature, the lowest ED value (3.6 mSv) was observed since this protocol consists of a lowered tube voltage of 100 kVp, a reduced scan length for the pre-contrast phase and implementation of an iterative reconstruction algorithm.
Individualized Prediction of Prodromal Symptom Remission for Youth at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
Authors: Worthington Michelle A , Addington Jean , Bearden Carrie E , Cadenhead Kristin S , Cornblatt Barbara A , Keshavan Matcheri , Mathalon Daniel H , McGlashan Thomas H , Perkins Diana O , Stone William S , Tsuang Ming T , Walker Elaine F , Woods Scott W , Cannon Tyrone D
Published: September 2021

The clinical high-risk period before a first episode of psychosis (CHR-P) has been widely studied with the goal of understanding the development of psychosis; however, less attention has been paid to the 75%–80% of CHR-P individuals who do not transition to psychosis. It is an open question whether multivariable models could be developed to predict remission outcomes at the same level of performance and generalizability as those that predict conversion to psychosis. Participants were drawn from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study (NAPLS3). An empirically derived set of clinical and demographic predictor variables were selected with elastic net regularization and were included in a gradient boosting machine algorithm to predict prodromal symptom remission. The predictive model was tested in a comparably sized independent sample (NAPLS2). The classification algorithm developed in NAPLS3 achieved an area under the curve of 0.66 (0.60–0.72) with a sensitivity of 0.68 and specificity of 0.53 when tested in an independent external sample (NAPLS2). Overall, future remitters had lower baseline prodromal symptoms than nonremitters. This study is the first to use a data-driven machine-learning approach to assess clinical and demographic predictors of symptomatic remission in individuals who do not convert to psychosis. The predictive power of the models in this study suggest that remission represents a unique clinical phenomenon. Further study is warranted to best understand factors contributing to resilience and recovery from the CHR-P state.
Yes, You Can! Effects of Transparent Admission Standards on High School Track Choice: A Randomized Field Experiment
Authors: Keller Tamás , Takács Károly , Elwert Felix
Published: September 2021

High school track choice determines college access in many countries. We hypothesize that some qualified students avoid the college-bound track in high school simply because they overestimate admission requirements. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized field experiment that communicated the admission standards of local secondary schools on the academic track to students in Hungary before the application deadline. We targeted the subset of students (“seeds”) who occupied the most central position in the classroom-social networks, aiming to detect both direct effects on the track choice of targeted seeds and spillover effects on their untreated peers. We found neither a direct effect nor a spillover effect on students’ applications or admissions on average. Further analyses, however, revealed theoretically plausible heterogeneity in the direct causal effect of the intervention on the track choice of targeted seeds. Providing information about admission standards increased applications and admissions to secondary schools on the academic track among seeds who had a pre-existing interest in the academic track but were unsure of their chances of admission. This demonstrates that publicizing admissions standards can set students on a more ambitious educational trajectory. We discuss the implications for theory and policy.
The Changing Impact of Family Background on Political Engagement During Adolescence and Early Adulthood
Authors: Janmaat Jan Germen , Hoskins Bryony
Published: September 2021

This paper examines the development of the impact of family background on young people’s political engagement during adolescence and early adulthood in order to test a number of hypotheses derived from the impressionable years and family socialization perspectives. The study analyses data of the British Household Panel Study and Understanding Society to assess these hypotheses. Political interest and voting intentions are used as outcomes of political engagement. The study finds parental education to have no effect on initial levels of these outcomes at age 11 but to be positively related to the change in these outcomes between ages 11 and 15. This indicates that the effect of parental education becomes stronger over time and that social disparities in political engagement are widening significantly during early adolescence. In contrast, parental political engagement is positively related to initial levels of voting intentions at age 11 but not related to the change in voting intentions between ages 11 and 15, which supports the hypothesis drawn from the family socialization perspective. Neither parental education nor parental political engagement are related to post-16 changes in political engagement. These results point to early adolescence as a crucial period for the manifestation of social inequalities in political engagement. They provisionally suggest that the influence of parental education runs through educational conditions in lower secondary and that these conditions could play an important role in amplifying the said inequalities.
Do News Media Kill? How a Biased News Reality can Overshadow Real Societal Risks, The Case of Aviation and Road Traffic Accidents
Authors: van der Meer Toni G L A , Kroon Anne C , Vliegenthart Rens
Published: September 2021

Is irrational risk-avoiding behavior related to news media’s heightened attention for the negative and exceptional? Based on the theoretical approaches of mediatization and cultivation, it is hypothesized how news media can present an overly negative and biased reality that can have a severe impact on society. Focusing on the case of travel accidents, we argue that a disproportional increase in news attention for low-probability high-consequence aviation accidents can distort audiences’ risk perceptions such that driving is inaccurately perceived as a safer transportation alternative to flying, with potentially harmful consequences. This study accordingly documents results from time-series analyses (1996–2017) on US media attention for aviation and road accidents related to real-world data on travel behavior and fatal accidents. The over-time patterns expose how news media follow their own mediatized logic and reality: Negative incidents—i.e., both aviation and road accidents—become more prominent in the news over time, rather than accurately reflecting real-world trends. Next, since air travel is statistically the safest transportation mode, disproportionate attention for aviation accidents is argued to especially create a problematic distorted worldview among audiences. Accordingly, findings show how more media attention for aviation accidents is related to relatively more road traffic and more fatal road accidents in the subsequent months. We conclude that the media’s systematic overrepresentation of rare aviation accidents can overshadow the more substantial risk of (long-distance) driving. This paper illustrates how a distorted media reality can potentially result in severe consequences in light of audiences’ ill-informed fear perceptions and irrational risk-avoiding behavior.
Discrimination and adjustment in adolescence: the moderating role of sleep
Authors: El-Sheikh Mona , Zeringue Megan M , Saini Ekjyot K , Fuller-Rowell Thomas E , Yip Tiffany
Published: September 2021

Study Objectives

We examined multiple actigraphy-based sleep parameters as moderators of associations between experiences of general and racial discrimination and adolescent internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression) and externalizing behavior (rule-breaking). Adolescent sex and race were examined as additional moderators.

Methods

Participants were 272 adolescents (Mage = 17.3 years, SD = 0.76; 51% male; 59% White/European American, 41% Black/African American). Sleep was assessed using actigraphs for 7 consecutive nights from which sleep duration (minutes), efficiency, and variability in minutes over the week were derived. Youth reported on their experiences of general discrimination, racial discrimination, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and rule-breaking behavior.

Results

Both types of discrimination were associated with poorer adjustment outcomes. Longer sleep duration, greater sleep efficiency, and less variability in sleep duration were protective in associations between race-specific and general discrimination and internalizing symptoms. Findings for duration and efficiency were more pronounced for females such that the adverse effects of discrimination were minimized among females with longer and more efficient sleep. Greater variability in sleep exacerbated rule-breaking behavior among adolescents experiencing general or racial discrimination. Associations did not differ by adolescent race.

Conclusions

Short and poor-quality sleep may exacerbate internalizing symptoms for adolescents experiencing discrimination, particularly females. Variability in sleep duration was a key moderator of associations between discrimination and internalizing symptoms as well as rule-breaking behavior. Findings illustrate that actigraphy-assessed sleep parameters play a key role in ameliorating or exacerbating adjustment problems associated with discrimination.
For Love of Money: Rewards of Care for India’s Women Community Health Workers
Authors: Marwah Vrinda
Published: September 2021

What are the rewards of paid care work for frontline health workers? I focus on India’s women community health volunteers, the largest such workforce in the world. Appointed since 2007 and numbering one million, these women are paid per-case incentives to connect the poor and marginalized to government-run health services. Using 14 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Delhi and Punjab, including 80 interviews, I find that women community health volunteers (called Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs) experience extrinsic rewards in paid care work. ASHAs earn not only from their official wages, but also from two unofficial streams: a) a boost of income from non-ASHA work and b) commissions from private hospitals. I also find that the intrinsic rewards ASHAs report—emotional gratification, relative autonomy, and skill-building—are co-constituted with extrinsic rewards; that is, they are tied to their earnings. This calls into question the “Love versus Money” binary, used to frame much of the discussion on care work. I argue instead for a “Love of Money” framing—that is, money as a reward and money as begetting other rewards. My findings highlight the significance of globalizing the empirical research on paid care work.
Lone Motherhood and Welfare Feminism: A Comparative Case Study of Iceland and Denmark
Authors: Boroumand Kiana
Published: September 2021

The Nordic countries have gained a global reputation for their robust welfare states. They are praised as being the best countries in the world for families—but what kind? Using Iceland and Denmark as comparative case studies in welfare feminism, this article explores how lone mothers engage with Nordic family leave policies and labor markets. Based on in-depth interviews with Icelandic and Danish lone mothers, it demonstrates that work–family integration policies are more effective in social–democratic Denmark, but that Iceland’s more liberal welfare regime may provide greater benefits to women in the labor market. Ultimately, lone mothers in both countries still face difficulties in reconciling work and family life.
Fiduciary accountability shattered
Authors: Flannigan Robert
Published: September 2021

The law of fiduciary accountability has for some time been harried by the misinformed assertions and suppositions of various judges and writers. The numerous misconceptions increased the risk that the conventional understanding of the jurisdiction would collapse. That has now happened. The Supreme Court unconsciously (or consciously) rejected its own jurisprudence to reshape the conventional regulation into an extensive judicial power to assess the merits of the good faith actions of fiduciaries.
Efficiency of graft-transmitted JcFT for floral induction in woody perennial species of the Jatropha genus depends on transport distance
Authors: Tang Mingyong , Bai Xue , Wang Jingxian , Chen Tao , Meng Xin , Deng Hongjun , Li Chaoqiong , Xu Zeng-Fu
Published: September 2021

FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) promotes flowering by integrating six genetic pathways. In Arabidopsis, the FT protein is transported from leaves to shoot apices and induces flowering. However, contradictory conclusions about floral induction via graft-transmitted FT in trees were reported in previous studies. We obtained extremely early-flowering transgenic woody Jatropha curcas L. by overexpression of J. curcas FT using Arabidopsis thaliana SUCROSE TRANSPORTER 2 (SUC2) promoter (SUC2:JcFT) and non-flowering transgenic J. curcas by RNA interference (RNAi), which were used to investigate the function of graft-transmitted JcFT in floral induction in woody perennials. Scions from five wild-type species of the Jatropha genus and from JcFT-RNAi transgenic J. curcas were grafted onto SUC2:JcFT rootstocks. Most grafted plants produced flowers in 1–2 months, and the flowering percentage and frequency of various grafted plants decreased with increasing scion length. Consistently, FT protein abundance in scions also decreased with increasing distance from graft junctions to the buds. These findings suggest that FT proteins can be transmitted by grafting and can induce the floral transition in woody perennials, and the efficiency of graft-transmitted JcFT for floral induction depends on the scion length, which may help explain previous seemingly contradictory observations regarding floral induction via graft-transmitted FT in trees.
New insights into the role of constitutive bacterial rhizobiome and phenolic compounds in twoPinusspp. with contrasting susceptibility to pine pitch canker
Authors: Leitão Frederico , Pinto Glória , Amaral Joana , Monteiro Pedro , Henriques Isabel
Published: September 2021

The rhizobiome is being increasingly acknowledged as a key player in plant health and breeding strategies. The pine pitch canker (PPC), caused by the fungus Fusarium circinatum, affects pine species with varying susceptibility degrees. Our aims were to explore the bacterial rhizobiome of a susceptible (Pinus radiata) and a resistant (Pinus pinea) species together with other physiological traits, and to analyze shifts upon F. circinatum inoculation. Pinus seedlings were stem inoculated with F. circinatum spores and needle gas exchange and antioxidant-related parameters were analyzed in non-inoculated and inoculated plants. Rhizobiome structure was evaluated through 16S rRNA gene massive parallel sequencing. Species (non-inoculated plants) harbored distinct rhizobiomes (<40% similarity), where P. pinea displayed a rhizobiome with increased abundance of taxa described in suppressive soils, displaying plant growth promoting (PGP) traits and/or anti-fungal activity. Plants of this species also displayed higher levels of phenolic compounds. F. circinatum induced slight changes in the rhizobiome of both species and a negative impact in photosynthetic-related parameters in P. radiata. We concluded that the rhizobiome of each pine species is distinct and higher abundance of bacterial taxa associated to disease protection was registered for the PPC-resistant species. Furthermore, differences in the rhizobiome are paralleled by a distinct content in phenolic compounds, which are also linked to plants’ resistance against PPC. This study unveils a species-specific rhizobiome and provides insights to exploit the rhizobiome for plant selection in nurseries and for rhizobiome-based plant-growth-promoting strategies, boosting environmentally friendly disease control strategies.
Molecular epidemiology of dengue in a setting of low reported endemicity: Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia
Authors: Hayati Rahma F , Denis Dionisius , Tallo Karolina T , Sirait Tuppak , Tukan Joanita , Santoso Marsha S , Yohan Benediktus , Haryanto Sotianingsih , Frost Simon D W , Stubbs Samuel C B , Sasmono R Tedjo
Published: September 2021

Background

Most regions in Indonesia experience annual dengue epidemics. However, the province of East Nusa Tenggara has consistently reported low incidence. We conducted a dengue molecular epidemiology study in Kupang, the capital of the province.

Methods

Dengue patients were recruited from May 2016 to September 2017. Dengue virus (DENV) screening was performed using NS1 and immunoglobulin G (IgG)/IgM detection. Serotype was determined using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and the envelope genes were sequenced to infer the genetic identity and phylogeny.

Results

From 119 patients, dengue was confirmed in 62 (52%). Compared with official data, underreporting of dengue incidence was observed. The majority (36%) of patients were children <10 y of age. Most patients (80%) experienced mild fever. All serotypes were detected, with DENV-3 as the predominant (57%). Kupang DENV-1 isolate was classified as genotype IV, an old and endemic strain, DENV-2 as cosmopolitan, DENV-3 as genotype I and DENV-4 as genotype II. Most isolates showed relatively low evolutionary rates and are closely related with strains from Bali and Timor Leste.

Conclusions

The low dengue incidence was most likely caused by sustained local circulation of endemic viruses. This study provides information on the epidemiology of dengue in a low-endemicity setting that should help future mitigation and disease management.
Mortality and complications of scrub typhus in the paediatric population: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Kaushik , Chakrabarty Samir , Chatterjee Chandan , Misra Saheli Chatterjee
Published: September 2021

Scrub typhus is a leading cause of treatable febrile illness. It can produce complications and dysfunction of multiple organs in children and is associated with considerable mortality. We attempted to perform a systematic review of original articles published between 1990 to 2020 based on certain selection criteria to estimate the case fatality risk of this disease in children. We addressed the pattern of complications of this disease with its impact on mortality We calculated pooled prevalence with a random effects model (restricted maximum likelihood method) that assumed varying effect sizes between studies using R statistical software. We reported the case fatality rate and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the pooled analysis. Thirty-seven articles with a total of 3329 children were identified for inclusion. The case fatality rate was 1.1% (CI 0.05 to 2, I2=58% and prediction interval 0–6%). The mortality rate showed a declining trend over the last 5 y. Hepatitis (30.68% [95% CI 18.52 to 44.38]) remains the most common complication, followed by shock (14.45% [95% CI 7.71 to 22.85]), pneumonia (14.71% [95% CI 9.76 to 20.48]), acute kidney injury (13.72% [95% CI 8.49 to 19.97]) and meningitis/meningoencephalitis (11.57% [95% CI 7.83 to 15.92]). Multi-organ dysfunction syndrome was the main contributor to mortality.
Examining socio-economic factors to understand the hospital case fatality rates of COVID-19 in the city of São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Lorenz Camila , Bermudi Patricia Marques Moralejo , de Aguiar Breno Souza , Failla Marcelo Antunes , Toporcov Tatiana Natasha , Chiaravalloti-Neto Francisco , Barrozo Ligia Vizeu
Published: September 2021

Background

Understanding differences in hospital case fatality rates (HCFRs) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may help evaluate its severity and the capacity of the healthcare system to reduce mortality.

Methods

We examined the variability in HCFRs of COVID-19 in relation to spatial inequalities in socio-economic factors, hospital health sector and patient medical condition across the city of São Paulo, Brazil. We obtained the standardized hospital case fatality ratio adjusted indirectly by age and sex, which is the ratio between the HCFR of a specific spatial unit and the HCFR for the entire study area. We modelled it using a generalized linear mixed model with spatial random effects in a Bayesian context.

Results

We found that HCFRs were higher for men and for individuals ≥60 y of age. Our models identified per capita income as a significant factor that is negatively associated with the HCFRs of COVID-19, even after adjusting for age, sex and presence of risk factors.

Conclusions

Spatial analyses of the implementation of these methods and of disparities in COVID-19 outcomes may help in the development of policies for at-risk populations in geographically defined areas.
Assessing gender differences among presumed and diagnosed patients with pulmonary TB: observations from Guinea-Bissau
Authors: Bohlbro Anders Solitander , Mendes Antonio Matteus , Sifna Armando , Patsche Cecilie Blenstrup , Gomes Victor , Wejse Christian , Rudolf Frauke
Published: September 2021

Background

Globally, more males than females are diagnosed with pulmonary TB (PTB); however, the cause of this gender disparity remains unknown. We aimed to assess gender differences in an observational cohort of patients with presumed PTB (prePTB) at the Bandim Health Project, Guinea-Bissau.

Methods

Adult patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of PTB seeking medical care were invited to participate and were referred to comprehensive diagnostic work-up.

Results

We included 2020 patients with prePTB; 54.6% were female. Females were younger than males and more often infected with HIV. More male patients with prePTB were diagnosed with PTB and the proportion of smear-positive cases was greater among males. There was no gender difference in loss to follow-up during the diagnostic process. Of 219 patients with PTB, 205 started treatment, with no difference between genders regarding pretreatment loss to follow-up or treatment outcome.

Conclusions

More women sought help for symptoms indicative of PTB, yet more men were diagnosed. Women did not have more clinically severe disease at presentation, did not drop out of diagnostic procedures more frequently and did not experience a worse outcome than men. This suggests that the gender gap in PTB is unlikely to be due solely to differences in care-seeking behaviour or diagnostic procedures in our setting.
Rater Attributions of Malfunctions in Videoconference Interviews
Authors: White Jerod C , Behrend Tara S
Published: September 2021

Virtual interviews have become ubiquitous, yet research on the psychological effects of their technological characteristics remains sparse. Many practitioners caution that malfunctions that commonly occur during interviews may negatively influence interviewers’ perceptions of an applicant. This concern is heightened for some groups of applicants, particularly those of certain age groups. Age stereotypes characterize older adults as technologically inept, and per the similarity effect, the dual ages of an applicant and an interviewer likely influence an interviewer’s attributions of a technology malfunction. We explored these propositions by investigating the effects that one such malfunction, an echo, has on raters. This experiment used a 2 (younger applicant vs. older applicant) × 2 (younger rater vs. older rater) × 3 (no echo vs. minor echo vs. severe echo) between-subject design to test hypotheses. Results showed that raters generally made situational attributions of malfunctions. Raters blamed the echo on older applicants slightly more than younger applicants, but attributions did not predict perceptions of interview performance, decisions to hire, or salary recommendations. Malfunctions and age similarity were generally not related to hiring outcomes. These findings advance theories surrounding attributions and age biases while offering no clear evidence that specific age groups are at a disadvantage in virtual interviews.
Organizational Response to Workforce Aging: Tensions in Human Capital Perspectives
Authors: Berg Peter , Piszczek Matthew M
Published: September 2021

The proportion of older workers in the labor force is increasing. While much research over recent decades has suggested that this will create significant challenges for organizations, current evidence suggests that age-related human resource management practices are rare. Using a grounded theory approach, we examine why organizations are not adopting formal practices and what they are doing instead of using data from 43 interviews and focus groups within eight German and U.S. manufacturing facilities in 3 organizations. We find significant tension between perceptions of aging’s impact by top managers and unit supervisors. Lacking top-level formal support for age-related initiatives, our evidence shows supervisors adopting more informal, unit-level responses that do not require significant reorganization of work, masking the impact of workforce aging to top leaders. We also develop a typology of practices used to respond to workforce aging based on their effects on human capital flows in and out of the organization. Finally, we find that while aging is assessed similarly in the U.S. and Germany, German firms have greater flexibility and more formal practice options in their response due to employee relations systems, working time arrangements, and human resource planning systems which pressure organizations more to adopt formal practices. Our results inform a human capital perspective of the organizational response to workforce aging.
Macroecology of Southern Ocean benthic Ostracoda (Crustacea) from the continental margin and abyss
Authors: Brandão Simone N , Saeedi Hanieh , Brandt Angelika
Published: September 2021

The Southern Ocean (SO) is the least understood environment on earth, but anthropogenic impacts related to climate change, fishing activities and tourism are already well-established in the region. Herein, we investigate biodiversity patterns in the Atlantic Sector of the SO by investigating a considerable number of samples collected from a wide depth range (89–6224 m). Three topics are addressed: (1) which taxa occur in the SO; (2) if there are distinct shelf, slope and abyssal faunas; and (3) which abiotic parameters explain the ostracod assemblages. We also tested putative ecological preferences of ostracod genera, widely used in palaeoceanographical reconstruction. For this, almost 5000 living ostracods from 51 epibenthic sledge samples were identified to 140 species. Statistically significant differences were observed among the faunas from the shelf, slope and abyssal faunas, indicating that the shelf fauna survived in refugia during the glacial periods of the Quaternary. Our analyses showed that the main variables influencing ostracod distribution is depth, followed by nitrate and phosphate. Temperature, salinity and oxygen content do not seem to be as important as previously proposed. Putative ecological preferences of ostracod genera, for example, low oxygen for Cytherella, could not be confirmed, suggesting that this topic requires further investigation.
Prepollex diversity and evolution in Cophomantini (Anura: Hylidae: Hylinae)
Authors: Pinheiro Paulo D P , Blotto Boris L , Ron Santiago R , Stanley Edward L , Garcia Paulo C A , Haddad Célio F B , Grant Taran , Faivovich Julián
Published: September 2021

Several species of Cophomantini are known to have an enlarged prepollex, commonly modified as an osseous spine. We surveyed the osteology and myology of the prepollex and associated elements of 94 of the 190 species of Cophomantini, sampling all genera, except Nesorohyla. Two distinct prepollex morphologies were found: a blade-shaped and a spine-shaped morphology. We described the observed variation in 17 discrete characters to study their evolution in the most inclusive phylogenetic hypothesis for Cophomantini. Both morphologies evolved multiple times during the evolutionary history of this clade, but the origin of the spine-shaped distal prepollex in Boana and Bokermannohyla is ambiguous. The articulation of metacarpal II with the prepollex through a medial expansion of the metacarpal proximal epiphysis is a synapomorphy for Boana. The shape of the curve of the spine, and a large post-articular process of the distal prepollex, are synapomorphies for the Boana pulchella group, the latter being homoplastic in the Bokermannohyla martinsi group. Muscle character states associated with the spine-shaped prepollex are plesiomorphic for Cophomantini. We discuss evolution, function, behaviour and sexual dimorphism related to the prepollical elements. A bony spine is associated with fights between males, but forearm hypertrophy could be more related with habitat than with territorial combat.
A new multilocus phylogeny reveals overlooked diversity in African freshwater crabs (Brachyura: Potamoidea): a major revision with new higher taxa and genera
Authors: Cumberlidge FLS Neil , Daniels Savel R
Published: September 2021

The taxonomy of 185 species of Afrotropical freshwater crabs is revised to conform to the updated phylogenetic relationships within this large assemblage, based on the largest taxonomic sampling to date (that includes almost all genera and 57% of the species). Four DNA loci were sequenced including three mitochondrial loci (COI, 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) and one nuclear locus (histone 3), and evolutionary relationships were estimated using maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches. The divergence times of the major clades were estimated with a Yule tree prior and an uncorrelated lognormal relaxed molecular clock. The taxonomic acts proposed here include the recognition of two Afrotropical families of freshwater crabs (Potamonautidae and Deckeniidae) each with two subfamilies. In the revised Potamonautidae, three new tribes and three new genera (Maritimonautes gen. nov., Nesonautes gen. nov., Occidensonautes gen. nov.), are established, three previously published genera are revised and four subgenera are raised to genus (Arcopotamonautes, Lirrangopotamonautes, Longipotamonautes, Rotundopotamonautes). An updated species list and identification keys for the new taxa, revised distribution maps, digital images and illustrations of diagnostic characters are provided.
Molecular Diagnosis of Thiophanate-Methyl-Resistant Strains of Fusarium fujikuroi in Japan
Authors: Li Fang Jing , Komura Ryoji , Nakashima Chiharu , Shimizu Masafumi , Kageyama Koji , Suga Haruhisa
Published: September 2021

Fusarium fujikuroi is the pathogen of rice bakanae disease and is subclassified into gibberellin and fumonisin groups (G and F groups). Thiophanate-methyl (TM), a benzimidazole fungicide, has been used extensively to control F. fujikuroi. Previous investigation showed that F-group strains are TM sensitive (TMS), whereas most G-group strains are TM resistant (TMR) in Japan. The minimum inhibitory concentration in TMS strains was 1 to 10 μg ml−1, whereas that in TMR strains was >100 μg ml−1. E198K and F200Y mutations in β2-tubulin were detected in TMR strains. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification-fluorescent loop primer method was developed for diagnosis of these mutations and applied to 37 TMR strains and 56 TMS strains. The results indicated that 100% of TMR strains were identified as having either the E198K mutation (41%) or the F200Y mutation (59%), whereas none of the TMS strains tested showed either mutation. We found one remarkable TMR strain in the F group that had an F200Y mutation. These results suggest that E198K and F200Y mutations in β2-tubulin contribute to TM resistance in F. fujikuroi.
Mechanisms underlying host defense and disease pathology in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV2 infection: insights from inborn errors of immunity
Authors: Tangye Stuart G. , Bucciol Giorgia , Meyts Isabelle
Published: September 2021

Purpose of review

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus 2 (CoV2)/COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us of the fundamental and nonredundant role played by the innate and adaptive immune systems in host defense against emerging pathogens. The study of rare ‘experiments of nature’ in the setting of inborn errors of immunity (IEI) caused by monogenic germline variants has revealed key insights into the molecular and cellular requirements for immune-mediated protection against infectious diseases. This review will provide an overview of the discoveries obtained from investigating severe COVID-19 in patients with defined IEI or otherwise healthy individuals.

Recent findings

Genetic, serological and cohort studies have provided key findings regarding host defense against SARS-CoV2 infection, and mechanisms of disease pathogenesis. Remarkably, the risk factors, severity of disease, and case fatality rate following SARS-CoV2 infection in patients with IEI were not too dissimilar to that observed for the general population. However, the type I interferon (IFN) signaling pathway – activated in innate immune cells in response to viral sensing – is critical for anti-SARS-CoV2 immunity. Indeed, genetic variants or autoAbs affecting type I IFN function account for up to 20% of all cases of life-threatening COVID-19.

The analysis of rare cases of severe COVID-19, coupled with assessing the impact of SARS-CoV2 infection in individuals with previously diagnosed IEI, has revealed fundamental aspects of human immunology, disease pathogenesis and immunopathology in the context of exposure to and infection with a novel pathogen. These findings can be leveraged to improve therapies for treating for emerging and established infectious diseases.